Consequences Be Damned

Part 3

Jimmy returned from his run and was lying on his bunk resting when the door flew open and Lou entered crying. He was still thinking about Red Sky's death and was not in the mood for another one of Kid and Lou's childish fights.

"You ok, Lou?" he called from across the room. When she didn't answer he crossed over to her bunk and placed his hand on her shoulder. She recoiled at his touch but after a few moments she turned to face him.

"I'm sorry, Jimmy. I didn't know anyone was here," she said as she tried wiping the tears from her face, but it seemed the more she wiped away, the more that fell.

"Did you and Kid fight again?" Lou nodded. "Ah Lou, you two will kiss and make up like always."

"Not this time. I finally broke down and tried to tell him about my past, all of it... All I wanted was for him to hold me and tell me everything would be ok. Instead he got so angry and told me to leave."

Jimmy was shocked. Everyone wondered what Lou was hiding from her past. She was even more secretive about her past than Kid was with his. Something bad must have happened while he was gone to make her finally tell Kid, and he couldn't even imagine what she might have done to set Kid off. He'd never seen Lou this upset, not even on their trip to Seneca after Kid had started courting Samantha.

"Ah Lou, I'm sorry," he said pushing the hair out of her eyes. "Just give him some time, he'll come around."

Lou shook her head and realized she was about to be sick. She barely made it out of the bunkhouse and off the porch before she started retching uncontrollably.

Torn between staying and comforting Lou and killing the man who put her in this state, Jimmy went to find Rachel. He met her as she was coming home from the schoolhouse.

"Rachel!"

"Jimmy, you're back. We were startin' to get worried. Is everything ok?"

Jimmy shook his head. "Kid and Lou had a fight. I've never seen her like this. Would you go check on her? I'm going to find Kid."

Rachel immediately became alarmed and picked up her pace. "Where is she?"

They raced back to the bunkhouse to find Lou sitting on the porch hugging her knees and rocking back and forth. Rachel sat beside her and pulled her into her arms. "Oh honey."

"I've lost him for good this time, Rachel. Kid hates me. I can't stay here anymore. Not if he can't even stand to look at me."

"Louise darlin', I'm sure it can't be that bad, I'm sure what ever it is, you two can work it out."

Lou shook her head so hard she made herself sick again. Rachel just shook her head as she rubbed the young woman's back. She looked up at Jimmy and sighed.

Seeing Lou so distraught, Jimmy ran to the barn to saddle his horse. He didn't know what had happened, but this time Kid had gone too far, and he was going to make sure that Kid had hurt her for the last time.

When Rachel had finally calmed Lou down enough to drink some chamomile tea, she sent her off to rest in the guest room. She had tried to find out what happened, but every time Lou started talking, she would get violently ill again, so Rachel let her know that when Lou was ready to talk, she would be there to listen.

A little while later, Teaspoon returned from his office and immediately went to find Rachel. "I saw Jimmy ride by in town, faster than a bat outta hell. What's goin' on? He looked hell bent on killin' someone."

Rachel nodded. "That would be Kid. He and Lou got in to it somethin' awful, Teaspoon. She wants to transfer to another station," she said walking out on to the porch handing him a cup of coffee. "But she'll be miserable if she goes somewhere else."

"Did she tell you what they fought about? I just don't see him gettin' that angry over the rape. She didn't ask for it to happen to her, no woman ever asks for somethin' like that. There has to be more to what happened between her and Kid then she's tellin'."

Rachel nodded. She had tried to pry more details during their conversation, but Lou refused to add any more information. "Maybe she's scared to tell us because of the way Kid reacted."

"That could be it, but she ain't tellin' and we might never know."

"I know I shouldn't be, but I'm startin' to worry about Kid. Jimmy left over two hours ago to find him."

"If they ain't back by supper, I'll go after them. Maybe Jimmy will knock some sense into that strong southern skull of his."

Rachel chuckled even though she knew the seriousness of the situation. "Or kill him." She turned to face Teaspoon. "I've never seen Jimmy that worried before, especially when it comes to Lou."

"Well he's never seen Lou that upset before. All he knows is Kid's done her wrong again, and Jimmy's gettin' sick of gettin' caught in the middle."

"Teaspoon, are you really going to let her transfer to another station?"

Teaspoon shook his head. "Don't sees how I have a choice. If I don't she'll quit and leave us anyway. I know she has a run comin' up to St. Joe so I'm gonna give her some days off to clear her head before she makes any major decisions. I'm hopin' by then Kid will have come to his senses."

"Do you think it's a good idea sendin' her back to the place where it all happened?"

Teaspoon nodded his head. "If I had known about all of this before, I woulda made sure she never made those runs. From what I been told, Wicks was a very powerful man in that town. How she went there all those times without him knowin' I'll never know."

"I'm sure dressin' as a boy helped. But she had to have been scared and worried each time she rode in."

Teaspoon shook his head, "I always knew she was tough, but thinkin' bout all she went through, just breaks my heart. Most gals that age are dreamin' of a future full of love and children. Yet here she was on her own just fightin' to survive and provide for her brother and sister."

"Teaspoon, what are we gonna do?"

"I wish I knew, Rachel. I wish ta hell I knew."