Never
Should Have Let You Go Never
Should Have Let You Go 
The humor of the prank had been forgotten with the first words Jimmy spoke.
Kid was already on his feet, his hands forming fists at his sides.
"Whoa, there Kid. The plan is not to cause a scene, remember?", Buck
warned.
"Damn the plan! The plan changed the minute they lied to Jimmy!",
Kid replied harshly in a forced whispered.
"Look, they're leavin'! We've got to stop them!", Kid nearly screamed.
"Kid, calm down. They aren't going anywhere, alright. I told them we'd
stop by in the morning", Jimmy intervened.
"Yeah, and Kid, you aren't thinking reasonably. If you go off half cocked
now, we will never find out anything. Finding Lou is gonna be hard enough, but
it will be impossible if we get railroaded out of town or thrown in jail. Now,
please sit down so we can discuss what to do next", Buck insisted, trying
desparately to appeal to the Kid's good sense.
Jimmy walked up to stand directly in Kid's path. "Kid, you have to listen
to us now. If you want to get her back, then sit down", Jimmy urged while
placing a hand on Kid's shoulder. For a moment, it was unclear whether Kid would
listen to them. Kid's breaths were long and ragged, and his emotions raged visibly
across his face as he fought to control the feelings that were threatening to
overwhelm him. Finally, he turned back to his seat and slowly sat down. Relief
washed over Buck and Jimmy's faces as they knew how close the Kid came to losing
it all.
"Alright, let's talk. But I'm warning the both of you. If we can't come
up with something good and fast, I'm going to handle this my way", Kid
said in a tone that would allow for no argument. "Well, you gotta deal
as long as you promise to let some form of reason play a role here", Jimmy
replied as he and Buck took there seats again. Neither one of them was too eager
to sit because neither of them was sure that Kid could be trusted to remain
in his seat.
The atmosphere at the table went from tense to almost unbearable in a matter
of minutes. Most of the food remained untouched on the plates as they whispered
and argued over strategies.
"Look, you two. Perhaps we should take this somewhere a little less public.
We are all close to the breaking point, and the last thing we need is to blow
this thing before we even get started", Buck warned forcefully. Finally
able to agree on something, they called for the check and went upstairs to talk
in Buck's room. "Alright", Buck sighed as he closed the door behind
them. "We know for sure what we're not going to do", looking directly
at the Kid. He couldn't help but smile slightly as Kid turned his head in frustration
and mumbled a few choice words.
"So, let's all calm down so that we can decide what we are going to do",
Buck concluded in his most patient of tones.
"Alright, I told the sheriff and that deputy that I'd stop by their office
tomorrow. You two should come with me so that you can see what I told you about",
Jimmy chimed in.
"Kid, do you think you can keep under control if you go? We can't have
you flying off the handle in there", Buck asked already knowing the answer.
"Yeah, I'll be fine", Kid replied feeling annoyed that he was being
considered the weak spot in the plan to get his girl back.
"I pretty much know what they're gonna say tomorrow. They are going to
give you two the same load of cow pies they gave me. So, once they establish
the fact that they are lying, where do we go from there?", Jimmy asked.
"Well, the Kid and I both trust the fact that you judged them right. We
are just hopin' that someone will slip up. Hopefully, after that we'll have
enough to get a good start. If not, I say we split up and cover the town. Maybe
one of us will get lucky", Buck supplied.
"Well, I guess that's as good a plan as it's gonna get", Kid sighed
in frustration.
"Good, now that that's settled. Let's all try and get some sleep. It's
getting late and we're gonna have a long day ahead of us tomorrow", Buck
said as he walked over to stand in front of a very disheartened looking Kid.
"We're gonna find her, Kid", Buck reassured him.
"I know. I just never should have let her go", Kid whispered as went
to leave.
It had been an hour since he left Buck's room, and he couldn't sleep. He tried
everything he could think of from counting sheep to blinking his eyes repeatedly.
He just couldn't do it.
"I don't know why I even bother anymore. I haven't really slept since she
left, and when I do, I only sleep long enough to dream of her and to wake up
wanting her", he thought to himself as he climbed out of bed. He slipped
on his clothes from earlier and went to take a walk. He just needed to be doing
something, and morning was still hours away. He walked through town trying to
think of what she might be doing. Was she thinking of him? Was she happy? Was
she safe? He was so caught up in his wonderings that he almost missed it.
"Look, Mr. Gregors…", the lady started.
"It's just Hal to you, remember?", Sheriff Gregors cut in.
"Mr. Gregors", she continued, "I already told you that I ain't
interested. So, please just stay away from me", she warned as she tried
to push pass him.
"Lou?", Kid whispered to himself, unsure of whether he was imagining
this or not. He could only see the back of her, but something deep down told
him that it was her. He heard that voice every minute of the day in the back
of his mind. That was his Lou. He started toward her, but before he could reach
her, a crowd of drunken gamblers spilled from the saloon and into the streets,
blocking his path. He tried to force his way through the crowd, but by the time
he broke through, she was gone. He looked around desperately for just a glimpse
more of her, but she was gone, again.
He spent the next few hours searching for any sign of her before returning back
to the hotel. He climbed back into bed and just layed there staring at the ceiling.
"She's really here. I heard her. I saw here. She's here", he just
couldn't stop thinking. "I'm going to be with her again, soon", he
whispered to himself. The thought alone was enough to bring a smile to his face.
Just knowing that she was somewhere close by brought a feeling of calm to him,
and for the first time in days, Kid slept.
Morning came and brought with it the promise of a new day. Kid awoke feeling
more refreshed and alive than he felt in days. It had only been a few hours
of sleep, but this sleep was peaceful. Yeah, he dreamed of her, but this dream
was different. This dream had him finding her instead of losing her. He climbed
back out of bed, and went in search of a shower. On his way out, he stopped
to wake up Buck and Jimmy. As he stood in the shower, he heard someone humming.
To his surprise he realized that it was him. He was humming the tune that he
and Lou danced to for the first time. At that moment, he realized that today
was definitely going to be a good day. He finished his shower, got dressed,
and then headed back to his room. Buck and Jimmy were taking showers, so he
decided to take some time to actually fix himself up. He gave himself a badly
needed shave, combed his hair, and changed his shirt. By the time he was ready,
so were Jimmy and Buck. They headed down to the dining room for breakfast. Jimmy
and Buck couldn't help but notice Kid's improved mood, but Jimmy was the first
to comment on it as they went to take their seats.
"So, Kid, wanna let us in on the secret to your good mood this morning?",
Jimmy asked with a relieved smile. He wouldn't admit it, but he had been truly
concerned about his best friend.
"I saw her, Jimmy", Kid grinned back at him.
"What?!?", Buck and Jimmy asked in unison, pausing in the midst of
taking their seats.
Kid actually laughed. He took the time to place his order before repeating himself.
"I saw Lou last night", he said causally. Buck and Jimmy took their
seats as Jimmy started to question Kid.
"What do you mean you saw her last night, Kid. Are you sure it was her?
Did you talk to her?", Jimmy asked with growing excitement.
"No, I didn't talk to her. Actually all I saw was the back of her as she
walked away, but I know it was her", Kid answered preparing himself for
the questions that would surely follow.
"Wait a minute, Kid. How can you be sure it was her?", Buck spoke
for the first time.
"Let me start from the beginning, alright. Last night I couldn't sleep,
so I decided to take a walk. As I was heading back to the hotel, I heard a woman
talking with Sheriff Gregors. I knew from her voice that it was Lou. Like I
said, I only saw the back of her as she walked away, but I'm telling you, it
was her", Kid said with a smile.
Their meals arrived, but Buck and Jimmy could only stare at him. They weren't
sure if he actually saw her or if he just wanted to see her so badly that he
finally just imagined it.
"Look, guys, I know how this must sound, but I'm not going crazy here.
I saw her. She's here and I saw her", Kid stated simply.
"Alright, you saw her. Where did you see her?", Jimmy finally conceeded.
"She was standing in front of the saloon talking to Gregors", Kid
said as he started in on his breakfast.
"I knew that bastard was lying!", Jimmy spat out through clinched
teeth.
"What was she doing talking to Gregors?", Buck asked.
"Actually, that's what really convinced me it was her. Gregors was trying
to move in on her, and you know Lou. She basically told him what to do with
his offer", Kid said with a grin.
"Now let me get this straight. You see another man trying to move in on
Lou, and you are sitting here with a silly grin plastered to your face in between
mouthfulls?"Jimmy asked in disbelievement.
"Of course I went after her Jimmy, but before I could get to her, this
crowd of drunks got in my way. By the time I got through, she was gone",
Kid said quite matter-of-factly.
"Damn, well you're handling this really well, Kid", Buck said in a
state of shock.
"I'd have figured that you'd be somewhere pulling your hair out by now",
Jimmy said as he took another bite of his breakfast.
"Yeah, well at first I was upset, but then I realized just how much closer
I am to getting her back. And I'll be even closer once you two finish eating,
so could we hurry it along?", asked with barely controlled excitement.
Although Buck and Jimmy still had their doubts, the excitement Kid was feeling
was contagious. Soon all three of them were as excited as children on Christmas
Eve.
"Alright, so are we still going to the sheriff's first even though we know
she's here?", Kid asked as they left the hotel.
"I don't see why not. I mean we may know she's here, but it'd be a lot
easier to find her if we knew eactly where she was. They may still slip up and
tell us something that we don't already know", Buck said as they headed
toward the sheriff's office. The walked in silence as they continued on to meet
the sheriff. Each of them was preoccupied with his own thoughts until they finally
reached their destination.
"Alright, here goes nothing", Buck mumbled to himself as they entered
the office.
