For Better Or For Worse
a story by Dana
© Dana 2000
Chapter 8
Louise picked up a wooden crate and began browsing through the store for a few picnic items. She found what she was looking for, and then paused at the corner filled with baby items. She had no idea what to choose until she spied a beautiful white, lace trimmed christening bonnet. Perfect! she thought, as she placed it in her crate and went to the counter to pay for her purchases.
"I'd like that wrapped please," she told Mr. Tomkins as he picked up the bonnet.
"For a friend?" he asked bluntly.
"I don't think that's any of your business," Louise replied curtly.
"I can't believe that girl had the nerve to show up again after all the trouble she caused," he continued, referring to Emily and apparently ignoring Lou's rebuke. "Seems old Ike got himself killed for nothin'. She just up and found herself someone else, and it didn't take her too long either."
Lou was fuming. "I'd advise you to keep you mouth shut when it comes to things you know nothin' about. And if I wasn't a lady, I'd have a few more things to say!"
Mr. Tompkins wasn't getting it. "You haven't been a 'lady', as you put it, yourself for long now. What would you know about bein' a lady?" he prodded.
"At least when I dressed like a man, I acted like a gentleman," Louise replied very sweetly. "That's more than I can say for you! My packages please!"
She snatched the crate from him and stormed out the door. He's the most crude, insensitive, man -- no, beast -- I've ever come across, she raged. Lou was so angry, she forgot to pick up her skirts as she started down the stairs. Her boot caught the front of her skirt, and with her hands full, she had no way to catch herself. She fell forward, her head striking the top of the buckboard wheel, her body landing on top of the wooden crate. She passed out crumpled to the ground.
Kid saw her fall and raced towards her. "Louise!" he yelled,
pushing through the crowd of onlookers that had gathered around her. He
gently rolled her over to discover her eyes closed and her face covered
in blood from a nasty gash on her forehead. "Louise!" he said
frantically, shaking her gently. "Someone get a doctor!" he
screamed at the crowd as he tried desperately to wipe her blood from her
face.
Lou's eyes fluttered open and all she could feel was an intense, stabbing pain in her abdomen, worse than any gunshot wound she'd ever had. Instinctively, she knew she was losing her baby. I never told Kid! she thought. Louise could barely see her husband through all the blood in her eyes and she knew she was going to pass out again. She whispered softly, "I'm so sorry, Kid. I meant to tell you, I really did." Her eyes closed again and she went limp in his arms.
Kid could tell he wasn't going to get any assistance from the crowd of onlookers. He gently lifted Louise's frail body and carried her towards the doctor's office, tears streaming down his face. I can't lose her! he thought.
"Doc!" Kid screamed frantically, climbing the stairs of the office porch. "Doc!"
The doctor's door flew open. He looked at Louise and said, "Good Lord. Get her in here. Follow me."
Kid obediently followed and laid his wife on the doctor's examining table. He held on to her hand for dear life and lay his head down on the table.
"Kid, you'll have to step out," the doctor told him softly.
Kid raised his head and looked at the doctor in disbelief. "I ain't leavin' her here!" he said emphatically.
"It's just the next room," the doctor explained. "If anything happens, I'll let you know right away. Please," he said, "Let me tend to your wife."
Kid lifted her hand to his lips and kissed it tenderly. "I love you, Louise. Please wake up." Then he stood up and slowly left the room, turning to look at her again before closing the door behind him.
Teaspoon had heard the commotion and was standing in the waiting room when Kid appeared. The young man was covered in his wife's blood and was as distraught as the marshall had ever seen him.
"She'll be all right, son," Teaspoon comforted Kid. "She's a fighter. You know that. Why don't you head home and get yerself cleaned up. I'll wait for word."
"I ain't leavin, Teaspoon," Kid said again. "She needs me. I ain't leavin'."
"Well, then,' Teaspoon went on, "I s'pose I should get the buckboard back to the station and let Rachel know. I'm sure she'll be here shortly." He turned to leave and then told Kid again, "She'll be all right, son."
Kid just nodded, hoping Teaspoon was right. He'd never been so scared in all his life -- even through gunfights when the riders were outnumbered, even when Lou'd been held hostage by Frank Pike. He paced the floor, waiting for some sort of news about his wife. This can't be happening!
Meanwhile, Teaspoon headed back towards the store to gather up Lou's purchases and the buckboard. He drove home, wondering how to break the news to Rachel. Rachel was like a mother to Louise, and he knew she'd be just about as hysterical as Kid'd been.
He pulled up to the house, leaving the buckboard there. He figured he'd be heading back to the doctor's office shortly with Rachel anyhow. He grabbed Lou's crate and somberly entered the house.
Rachel was surprised to see Teaspoon so early for lunch. She noticed his grim expression and suddenly realized something was terribly wrong. "Teaspoon?" she questioned. "What is it? What's happened?"
"It's Louise," he announced quietly. "She fell and hurt herself real bad. She's at the doc's right now with Kid. Poor kid won't leave her side," he continued, shaking his head with disappointment.
"Oh my Lord!" Rachel gasped. "We have to go there. We have to go now! Emily," she called up the stairs, "Let Buck know Lou's hurt! We'll be at the doctor's!" She ran out of the house and climbed in the buckboard, Teaspoon following closely behind her.
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