A SECRET SHARED
A SECRET SHAREDby
Disclaimer: The characters and early scenes are creations of Ed Spielman. They are used for entertainment purposes only and no copyright infringement is intended.
Author's Note: With the new category of "what if" stories popping up, I thought I would throw my hat in the ring. The question has been posed on some message boards before..."What if another rider found out Lou was a girl instead of Kid?" This "what if" addresses that issue. If this story is similar to another, I apologize - sometimes the show and fan fic get mixed up in my old brain. No ideas were taken on purpose!
Cody was still muttering to himself as he approached the first relay station where Lou would have left Lightning and received a fresh mount.
"This is 'bout the dumbest thing I ever heard of," he said to no one but his horse. "Runnin' off after that runt. I knew he wouldn't be able to cut it! I can tell you one thing, I ain't gonna be doin' this again. If he can't pull his weight, it's gonna be so-long Charlie!"
Cody continued up the hill, expecting to be welcoming by Mr. Harley, the friendly stationmaster. Harley appreciated a good rider, and the man had already told Cody he was one of the finest Express had. Cody, of course, had reveled at the compliment. Teaspoon and Emma just didn't appreciate his skills. Emma was determined to treat all the riders like children. He, for one, wasn't a boy anymore. But Lou, now that was a different story.
Cody reigned in his horse as he approached the station. It was oddly quiet, almost spooky.
"Harley?" he called. "Harley, you seen Lou McCloud?"
Cody noticed Lightning still saddled and grazing free in the yard. Mr. Harley always took care of the horses that arrived at his station immediately, so Cody was more than alarmed. He dismounted his horse to investigate further.
He turned the corner of the stables and discovered what Lou had seen earlier, Harley lying dead.
"Oh, man!" Cody said, visibly shaken at the sight. He suddenly realized this job wasn't all fun and games. How would he ever find out about Lou now without riding on to the next station? "Damn," he said aloud. "Figures this'd happen to me!"
Cody kicked the dirt in frustration as he walked over to retrieve Lightning. It was then that he heard a moan off to his left. He glanced over and noticed the small body of an injured rider.
"Lou?" he called, rushing over to the rider's side. Lou was bleeding from a wound in his side. "Lou, c'mon! Wake up!" Cody pleaded.
From what he could see, the little rider's wound looked bad, and Cody began to panic. He could handle seeing his own blood, but someone else's was a different situation entirely. He knew he'd have to get Lou inside and see if Harley had any emergency supplies that would help stop the bleeding, at least until he could get them both back to Emma's.
Cody bent down and picked up Lou, throwing the rider over his shoulder like a sack of potatoes. "Geez, this kid weighs a hundred pounds if he's lucky. No wonder he can't pull his weight...there ain't much to pull!" Cody chuckled at his own joke.
He opened the door to Harley's cabin, which smelled of tobacco and whiskey. He guessed there wasn't much else for a man to do all day while he was waiting for Express horses but smoke and drink. Maybe I'm in the wrong line o' work, Cody thought as he tossed Lou down on Harley's bearskin-covered cot. He fumbled with the small rider's shirt so he could fully assess the damage the gunshot had inflicted.
Lou seemed to be waking up, because he was starting to squirm and trying to push Cody's hands away from his injury. Lou's moans of pain became louder.
"C'mon, Lou. I'm just tryin' to help," Cody said in frustration. "Gimme a break, why don't ya?"
Lou continued to fight him, but eventually Cody lifted the rider's shirt and got a good look at the wound. He also got a good look at something he certainly wasn't expecting to see - Lou had breasts.
"Damn, Lou," he commented, shocked. "You're a girl!"
By this time, Lou was fully conscious and realized that Cody had discovered her secret. "Ain't you the perceptive one, Cody," she responded sarcastically.
"What the hell?" Cody asked. "What exactly do you think yer doin'?" he demanded.
"Same thing you and all the others are," Lou shot back. "Makin' a livin'!"
"But yer a girl!" Cody said again.
"We covered that already, Cody," Lou snapped. "Can we move on? Like to you not tellin' no one?"
"Tell? 'Course I'm tellin!" he answered. "A girl can't be an Express rider, Lou, or whatever yer name is!"
"I can and I am!" Lou yelled at him. "I got a little brother an' sister to support, and I gotta make money - good money. There ain't any better payin' job than ridin' for the Express out there!"
"Yeah, for boys!" Cody shot back. "No, men!" he corrected himself.
"You just keep your mouth shut, Cody!" Lou hollered at him as she grimaced in pain. "Ain't no one needs to know about this, 'cause I can still do my job once I'm healed up!"
"Oh, sure," Cody replied sarcastically. "Ya get shot on yer first ride, Lou, or whatever your name is," he said again. "Yer doin a damn fine job of it, too."
"It's Louise. Louise McCloud. Not that you need to know, 'cause you won't be tellin' anyone!" Lou told him insistently.
"Like hell!" Cody insisted. "Now we're gonna patch you up and get you back to Emma's!"
Louise threw a pillow at him in frustration. Of all the people to find out, it had to be Cody, she thought. The biggest mouth west of the Mississippi!
Cody and Louise rode slowly into the Sweetwater way station. Lou's bleeding still hadn't stopped, and she was growing paler by the minute. Cody was leading Lightning, because she was unable to hold her own horse's reins. They stopped at the gate outside Emma's, where Cody quickly dismounted, just in time to catch Louise as she fell into his arms, unconscious again.
This time he carried her more gingerly. Walking up the steps of Emma's house he called for the stationmistress. "Emma! Emma, I found Lou for ya!"
Emma threw open the door, Teaspoon right behind her.
"Good Lord. What's happened?" she asked the blonde rider.
"Gunshot," Cody explained simply. "And Teaspoon, while we're givin' out information, there's somethin' else you should know," Cody began, hardly able to contain himself with the juicy bit of knowledge he held. "Lou's a girl!"
Teaspoon's jaw dropped and his eyes grew wide. "You sure about that, son?" he asked Cody in disbelief.
"Saw 'em with my own two eyes," Cody answered, a gleam in his own.
Emma appeared unfazed. "Well, let's get her upstairs then. That wound'll need tendin' to." She led Cody upstairs, where he deposited Lou on Emma's lacy, feminine bed. Cody couldn't help but smile at the irony of it.
Emma noticed his grin. "Mr. Cody, go see if you can find Doc Horner. Now," she added firmly.
