CHAPTER 7

They rode out of Shelton the next day. Despite everything, Lou was relatively unharmed. Her hand would scar and she'd have some loss of movement. The doctor was primarily concerned with infection and she promised to visit the doctor in Rock Creek regularly until her wound fully healed. Riding was certainly not doing Jimmy's ribs any favors but he would be alright once he could properly rest. It was Kid that they were all concerned for now, and they rushed to get home and check on him.

Lou retold the events of her captivity to Teaspoon and the boys. She explained how she knew Charlotte and Wicks, giving them the same story she had told before. One which Jimmy was now certain was a lie, or at least omitting certain details she did not wish to share. He didn't press. He was glad the man was dead and sensed it had released some weight Lou had been carrying for a long time. A morbid part of him wished he could have watched her slit his throat and seen the life drain from his body.

Kid had been bashed over the head, shot through the side, and then left to bleed out and die. He didn't really care about any of that. Lou was all he could think of. Everything he'd always feared was coming true. The woman he loved was in the hands of a monster and he couldn't even go after them. Several times, he thought about sneaking out of the house, jumping on Katy and riding out to find her. Each time he'd tried to stand, his head would spin and his knees would wobble. Even if he could make it onto Katy, he knew he couldn't ride. He'd be useless against one man, let alone a group of them.

Everytime Rachel came to check on him was like a kick to the gut, a reminder that he had to be left behind with the station mistress like a helpless woman. She looked haggard herself, messy hair and dark circles under her eyes. She was worried for Lou too. And him, he realized. Last time she'd put her hand to his forehead, that concern had been clear. Infection. That was the danger now.

For hours he just sat in the sick bed and stared out the window, waiting for some sign of them, of her.

When they arrived at the station, the sun was high and the air was dry and hot. The rain storm from last night either hadn't made it to Rock Creek or the heat had erased all traces of the downpour. Riding into the station, they kicked up a thick cloud of brown dirt.

The familiar sound of hoofbeats woke Kid. He hadn't meant to doze off but, with nothing else to do, that's exactly what he'd done. From the window he would see the riders gathering in front of the house. He strained, searching for Lou in the mess of bodies and dust. Finally, he caught sight of her. She had ridden in on Buck's horse, her arm in a sling. He watched him carefully help her down from his horse. She stood and walked on her own, rushing straight towards the house.

Rachel met her at the door, taking in her appearance and injuries as she came closer. She was walking on her own which was a good sign, but she had bruises on her face and a large bandage wrapped around her left hand.

"I'm okay," Lou told her as she approached and saw the tears in the older woman's blue eyes, as if she had just come back from an arduous run looking worse for wear. Her own eyes were clear and dry, but full of fear. "How's Kid?" she asked as Rachel carefully embraced her.

"He's up, waiting for you." Rachel showed her to the sick room where Kid was making yet another attempt to stand on his own.

"Kid!" she cried out, hurrying to his side. "What the hell are you doing? Get back in that bed!" She helped him ease back down as best she could with just her one good hand. As she fussed over him, he stared at the black and blue marks marring her beautiful face.

"What happened?"

She could see the abject terror in his eyes and knew what he was thinking. "I'm alright, Kid, really. This is the worst of it." She brushed a few sweaty locks back from his forehead and the clamminess of his skin alarmed her. "How are you feeling?"

"I don't know. I don't care. You're really alright?"

She shook her head in frustration. "Let me see."

Kid had been sitting in his open shirt and she pushed it aside to peel back his bandage and take a look at his gunshot wound. The doc had stitched it up but it was still an angry looking thing. She didn't see anything leaking from it, yet. "God, Kid! I'm so sorry." She never thought her past would cause so much damage to the ones she loved.

"Lou, this ain't your fault." He sounded just like Jimmy, like all of them really.

If she'd had the strength to kill that man the first time, none of this would have happened. If she'd been stronger then, she could have stopped a lot of things.

Boots against the wooden floor alerted them to the boys. They collected around the bed, happy to see Kid looking slightly better than how they'd left him. Lou locked eyes with Jimmy and she saw the strained look on his face, sweat gathering at his brow much like the man next to her, one hand in his jacket no doubt resting against his sore rib cage. She dropped her gaze, suddenly feeling very guilty for hurting him, hurting Kid, hurting their friendship.

Jimmy backed out of the room. Seeing Lou fretting over Kid scared him. Maybe her heart was more torn than she'd thought. Maybe it wasn't torn; maybe she'd realized she still loved him. He took a seat in the parlor, grimacing as he sunk down into one of the worn out chairs. Closing his eyes, he let his head roll back and took a minute to gauge his own body. His left eye was mostly useless until the swelling subsided. His ribs ached like hell, especially if he tried to take a deep breath. He hadn'l looked at it in a while but was pretty sure the color of his chest would match his face.

"Jimmy?" At the sound of Lou's quiet voice, his eyes shot open and he watched her slide into the empty seat beside him. "How are you feeling?"

He cracked a smile. "I'll be alright."

"Guess Teaspoon's gonna be short on riders for a bit," she said kind of absentmindedly.

The boys filed through the living room as Rachel shuffled them out of the house. "I'm going to start on lunch," she told them. "You two can stay here, if you'd be more comfortable."

Lou saw Jimmy was starting to nod off in his chair. She was eager to go change her clothes since she was wearing some hand-me-downs the doctor in Shelton had given her for the ride home. She planted a kiss on his forehead and his eyes fluttered open. "Get some rest. I'll see you in a bit." He grunted and let his eyes close again.