CHAPTER 29

August 1862

Since returning to Sweetwater, Kid had settled into a proper routine. Once again, he found himself sleeping in the bunkhouse with Ike and Buck. The three of them rose early every morning and began work on the ranch before joining the others for breakfast. After their morning meal, Jimmy would take off into town. Before he left, he would ask Kid to look after Lou, as if he needed to ask. It was his way of letting the other man know he trusted him. If that alone wasn't enough to keep him in his place, Lou's pumpkin shaped mid-section would have been.

The morning was exceptionally hot. Sweat was dripping down Kid's face before Rachel rang the bell that meant breakfast was being served in the bunkhouse. The three men stopped at the bucket of fresh water kept outside the house. Splashing cold water over their heads, they did their best to clean the dirt from their faces and hands. Laughter pulled Kid's attention across the yard to where Jimmy helped Lou walk the short distance to where they shared their morning meal.

He focused on her smile. Somehow, after everything, she managed to shine brighter than the sun. And Jimmy had never seemed as comfortable in his own skin as he did these days. Kid meant to stay on until Lou had her baby, maybe cover for Jimmy in town for a month or so after, so he could bond with his new family. He'd be moving on after that. As happy as he was to see her smile every morning, there was only so much he could take.

Louise knew she was due anytime now and had started spending her days at the main house with Cara, while Rachel was in town teaching school. For a city girl, Cara had become an adept horseback rider, something she chalked up to her excellent instructor. Apart from that, she'd also started studying midwifery with some of the women in town and would be assisting with the birth along with Rachel. Knowing she'd have both her friends by her side, helped Lou feel less nervous about what was to come.

"Seems you spend more time cleaning those guns than firing 'em these days." Noah took a seat across from Jimmy's desk where he was meticulously polishing his pearl Colts.

"That ain't a bad thing."

"Didn't say it was. You're still on edge though." Jimmy's hands stilled and he looked up at his friend.

"Ain't never been a book came out about Wild Bill where some kinda trouble didn't follow. I just wish it would stop taking its damned time." Noah had learned to trust Jimmy's instincts on most things. But this time, he hoped he was wrong.

She was peeling potatoes out on the porch. It was a chore that could be done sitting down and so one of the few things she could still help out with. The cramping started just after lunch but she knew from what the doctor said that it would be a while still. She decided there was no need to bother anyone yet.

It was a few hours later, when Rachel arrived home. She took one look at Louise and could see that she was breathing through the early pangs that meant the baby would be coming soon.

"Why didn't you tell Cara? Or send for Jimmy?" she asked as she whisked Louise into the house. They'd already prepared the sick room for the delivery, since there was more space here than in the cabin.

"I was just trying to maintain peace a little while longer." Lou sighed and let Rachel help her out of her clothes and into a cotton nightgown.

"Cara, go get Kid and tell him to ride into town and tell Jimmy to come home."

When the two women were alone, Rachel turned to the young soon-to-be mother. "You can't stall a baby, you know. Ignoring it won't do any good."

"I'm not ready."

"No one ever is, sweetheart," Rachel told her.

Lou knew she was in good hands. She had two strong women to see this through with her, a good man and loving extended family to help her raise her baby. But she was still scared. Not that it mattered. Rachel was right, she couldn't exactly tell the baby to wait a few more days.

Kid rode up to the marshal's office like a bat outta hell, kicking up a storm of dust in his wake. For the first time in a long time, he struggled getting off Katy and fell in the dirt. Jimmy and Noah saw the commotion and came running through the doorway. They watched their friend scramble to stand up, shaking off his dusty hat. "Jimmy!" he said, seeing his friend. "Baby. Lou. Baby's coming."

The young marshal nearly tripped over his own feet trying to get down the stairs. Noah caught him before he could fall on his face. He looked to Kid for some help but he seemed to be in an even worse condition.

"Weaker sex my ass," he muttered under his breath as he helped Jimmy take the last couple stairs till he was standing in the road with Kid. "Can you ride your horse, Jimmy?"

Jimmy nodded, checked his sides to make sure he had his guns. You don't need guns to deliver a baby, Hickok! he reminded himself. "Yeah, yeah I'm good. Where's my horse?"

"Lou!" Jimmy flung the door open and came rushing in only to be blocked by Buck and Ike. They told him that Lou's water had already broken and Rachel thought it was about time to start with the hard part, the pushing. "I wanna be in there," he told them both.

"I don't know if that's a good idea." Buck looked to Ike, not sure they could actually stop Jimmy if he set his mind to being in the delivery room. It seemed like he was ready to step back when Lou let loose a painful scream and he shoved them aside again. This time it was Rachel that blocked his path. She saw the determination in his eyes and shook her head.

"Go wash up with soap and water and change that shirt, then you can come in."

He ran for the cabin to do as she'd told him, already stripping off his shirt, barely registering that Ike was taking Katy to the stable for him. Poor horse, he'd completely forgotten about her. He stopped at the water pump to rinse himself off and noticed his hands were shaking. Somehow he was more nervous than he'd ever been facing a fight. He cleaned himself as best he could and jogged back to the house.

"Where's your shirt?" Rachel asked when he came back, calmer this time.

"Oh, ah, guess I forgot to get another one. But I washed up." She stifled a giggle and let him pass.

Lou was standing, bent over the bed while Cara rubbed her back.

"Why ain't she lying down?" he asked.

"It's easier this way," Rachel answered. "Why don't you trade places with Cara."

Jimmy took his place behind Lou and began rubbing circles around her lower back like he'd seen Cara was doing. "How are you?" he wanted to know. He could see her brow crinkled in pain and sweat making the wisps of hair stick to her face.

"Well I'm just fine Jimmy. How are you?" she responded through gritted teeth.

He decided to ignore that and instead turned his questioning back to Rachel. "How's she already this far along? Why'd nobody come get me sooner?" She just looked pointedly at Louise and he understood. She let out another strained cry and Jimmy grimaced. "Give me a wet cloth, will ya?" At least he could try to give her some comfort while she went through this. Cara gave him a damp rag and he wiped her hair off her face before setting it onto the back of her neck to cool her down.

"I think we need to get here into position now," Cara told them.

"What does that mean?"

"It means you need to go, Jimmy." Lou looked over her shoulder and saw he had no intention of leaving, but she needed him to do just that. "Let me do this, Jimmy. Please." He nodded reluctantly and kissed her on the head before leaving. Once he was out of the room, they helped Lou remove her nightgown and get down onto all fours.

In the kitchen, Buck, Ike and Teaspoon were waiting with a bottle of whiskey. Jimmy took a seat and poured himself a glass, swigging it back in one gulp. Louise's pained cries could be heard through the bedroom door.

Lou felt like she'd been pushing for hours. Maybe she had. She was tired and hot and tears were spilling out from the corners of her eyes, blurring her vision. Finally she pushed and felt relief from the pressure.

Cara caught the baby girl in her arms and did as she had been taught, cleaning her mouth out and gently rubbing her on the back to start her breathing.

"It's a girl!" Rachel exclaimed, wiping tears from her eyes. She cut the cord and then Cara swaddled the baby. They helped Lou into a kneeling position and supported her while she held her baby for the first time. She was red faced and her eyes were tightly shut. Lou couldn't take her eyes off her daughter.

Jimmy heard Lou scream as she made her final push and then heard the baby's wailing shortly after. The crying didn't last long.

"What's that mean, Teaspoon? Why ain't the baby crying no more?"

"Hush, son. It probably just means Lou's holding her little one now."

Jimmy imagined Lou with a little baby in her arms. He stood and went to the door but hesitated to open it. "Rachel?"

"They're both okay, Jimmy." Her voice broke as she talked to him through the door. "Just give us a little more time."

Jimmy leaned his forehead against the door and waited.

Cara helped Lou through her afterbirth and then they cleaned them both up properly before tucking Lou into bed with the baby who, with the young midwife's help, latched onto her mama's breast. She couldn't stop the tears that flowed freely down her cheeks as she thanked the women for their help. "You can let Jimmy in now, before he loses his mind and shoots somebody."

"That's probably a good idea," Rachel agreed.

Before Rachel would allow him into the room she made him wash again and rinse out his mouth so he wouldn't stink of whiskey. "Louise and Jimmy have a beautiful baby girl," she announced to the room. "And they're both doing fine."

Lou could hear the congratulations and happy voices being raised just outside her door. She was grateful for the moment alone with her little one. "It took a lot of love to get you here where you belong, little girl. You have a strong daddy that's gonna want to protect you and it's probably gonna drive you crazy. And you have another daddy that helped mama make you. And we'll talk more about him one day."

"Hey?" Jimmy walked quietly into the room and shut the door behind him. He stopped at the foot of the bed and just stared at the image of Lou and their baby. "How do you feel?" he asked, and she could hear the worry in his voice.

"Wonderful. Come here." He sat beside her on the bed and gently stroked the tiny cheek nestled next to Lou's breast.

"Wow," was all he could muster.

"I know."

They sat like that for a long time.

(I already have the name picked out but feel free to guess)