by Dee

Part 4

Kid woke with a start. He hadn't gotten much sleep, because each time he closed his eyes he saw Jimmy holding Lou.

"Come on Kid. We've got a show in a few hours, and that new horse needs some work." Cody called to him.

"I'll be there, Cody." Kid growled.

"Sober. I don't need any drunks." Cody snapped back.

"Yeah, sober. So just go."

"You going to tell her."

"No, I can't."

"Bull, Kid. You can but you won't." And with that Cody stormed out.

He had to go deal with the town sheriff and make sure none of his people were in trouble. You never knew with the bunch that traveled with him if anyone was or wasn't. It would be best to deal with the sheriff while his temper was up. Cody stopped dead in his tracks as he entered the jail.

Jimmy was arguing with the deputy, "All I'm saying Davis, is that you can't go locking Evan up every time he gets drunk. Hell, he'd spend half his life in here if you did. And now you are going and explain to his wife why you didn't just take him home." Jimmy punctuated the last remark by tapping the deputy in the chest.

"Me? But Sheriff…" the deputy trailed off.

"No, buts. I'm tired of fixing your mistakes. Now, go!" Jimmy all but hollered. "And I'm taking the rest of the day off so don't screw up."

The Deputy pushed past Cody as he rush out of the door. Cody was dumbfounded, "When had Jimmy become a lawman." He turned back around when Jimmy asked, "Somethin' I can help you with mister?"

"Maybe…." And that was as far as he got because Jimmy grabbed him and gave him a bear hug. "Cody," he exclaimed, "when did you arrive? It's been too long."

"We all arrived day before yesterday. The mayor said we'd have to have the sheriff's permission to set the show up outside of town. And now I see the sheriff is you. So do we have your permission sheriff?"

"Oh, so you're Buffalo Bill now. That's your show? Congratulations.

"So how long have you been sheriff her?"

"A few weeks. Guess who else is here."

"Who?"

"Lou. She's driving for the stage line. You know about Kid."

Cody couldn't look Jimmy in the eye. "Yeah, I heard he was killed in the war." Cody hated lying to Jimmy but he'd promised to keep Kid's secret. "But if Jimmy found out on his own." Cody didn't like the way his thoughts were going. "Kid couldn't fault him." Cody was amazed he hadn't thought of this before. "Say, Jimmy why don't you stop by for a drink later, my tent's in the center of camp."

"Well, I do have some plans for later and…" Jimmy wasn't sure quite how to phrase the rest. He thought, "How do I tell him; Look Cody I've run into Lou and I'm falling hard for her all over again, now that Kid's gone. Yeah, like I can tell him that." Jimmy looked up; "Sure and I'll bring Lou with me."

"Great," Cody said not really meaning it and Jimmy caught the look on his face.

"What is it, Cody? Don't you like Lou anymore." Jimmy was starting to get angry with his friend.

"What! Of course I like Lou. She's a good friend. I was just thinking that maybe she would feel out of place around the show since she started acting and dressing like a girl again." Cody said but thought "Whew, that was close. She can't see Kid yet, not till someone tells her and she prepared."

"Oh, you'd be surprised. Like I told you before she's driving for the stage line now and is just as stubborn as before." Jimmy said with a laugh returning to his voice.

Cody decided to play dumb, "I knew she had moved here after Kid died but I thought she was doing something more lady like."

"Are you saying she ain't lady like?" Jimmy snapped.

"Jimmy, why are you being so touchy today. You know what I mean." Cody was starting to get angry now. "Besides I saw you two last night."

"Oh," Jimmy blushed. "I'm sorry."

"Well, why don't you two stop by later and we can talk about old times? And let up on that deputy of yours'." Cody teased. In the back of his mind though he wondered, "Why didn't I send for the others sooner things are really getting out of hand."?

"Sure and it's good to see you again, Cody." Jimmy felt uneasy, but wasn't sure why. Something wasn't right. "Oh, well," he thought, "maybe it was just that it was only the three of them. It would have been better if the others could be here. That must be it, but still the uneasiness stayed with him."

They hugged again, and Cody turned to leave as Lou walked into the jail with a basket. "I couldn't …" she trailed off as she noticed Cody standing beside Jimmy. "Cody," she exclaimed hugging him tight, "what on earth are you doing here."

Jimmy spoke for him. "He owns the show that's just outside of town."

"That's yours'?

"Yeah." Cody said, he was uncomfortable, this was Lou and he hated not being able to tell her about Kid.

"So you must be the Buffalo Bill that was asking for me at the hotel yesterday."

"That's me." Cody brightened. "I'm sorry to hear about Kid. You doin' OK?"

"Thanks. Yeah, somewhat." Lou replied as she shyly looked at Jimmy.

"Well, I need to get back, rehearsal ya know." Cody said.

"No, stay for breakfast wit us it'll be like old times." Lou begged. "And there's plenty."

"Are you sure, Lou?" Jimmy asked laughing, "This is Cody after all."

"Enough, even if it is Cody." Lou was laughing. The two men looked at each other, it was good to hear their friend laugh.

Kid watch the scene from across the street wishing he could be a part of it. But he knew he couldn't right now and not ever. And all because of that letter he had sent Lou. "No," he thought, "because of the scars the war left me. Lou, how do I tell you I'm alive."? He was so deep in his thoughts; he didn't know how long he had been standing there. He was jarred back to reality when he heard a familiar scream. It came from the doorway of the jail. Kid looked up in time to see Jimmy and Cody knelling down beside Lou.

"Lou are you, okay?" The fear Jimmy felt evident in his voice.

Cody looked around and saw Kid across the street. Even with the beard, she had recognized him. "I'll get the Doc, you get her back inside." Cody said and crossed the street. He walked up to Kid. "Damn it, Kid," he growled as he passed, "Get out of sight. You just about scared her to death."

Kid pulled his hat down low and started back toward the show. She had seen him. "Oh, god, what am I going to do now?" he questioned himself.

"Is she alright, Doc?" Jimmy was concerned Lou just lay there.

"Yes, she's had a fright from what Mr. Cody here says. This should wake her though." He said as he passed smelling salts under her nose.

Lou gasped and sat up. "Did you see him?" she asked her friends.

"Who?" Jimmy questioned.

"Kid, it was him, across the street. He had a beard and looked awful but it was Kid, Jimmy. I know it." The love Jimmy saw in her eyes broke his heart, her feelings for Kid were still ran deep.

"Lou, Kid's dead. Remember? Remember what you told me last night about the letter, and miscarriage. Honey, don't you remember?" Jimmy asked.

"Like I could forget." Lou said the sadness returning to her eyes.

"Miscarriage?" Cody questioned Lou, "you lost a baby?"

"Yeah, Cody. The same day I learned about Kid."

"Oh, god." With that Cody ran out of the Jail. He headed straight for the show and Kid. He was going to clobber him for doing this to Lou. She didn't deserve it.

When he reached the show Kid was working on the stagecoach routine with some of the other performers. "Everyone out!" Cody shouted, "Everyone but Sam." Cody thought that by the time everyone had cleared out he would have calmed down but that didn't happen.

"What's up, Cody?" Kid asked coming up behind him.

"Where would you like me to start Kid? The fact that you're a fool." Cody was furious and he was unleashing it on Kid. "Or could it be that you let your wife and the rest of us believe you were dead for so long. Or how about the fact that when Lou got that letter that you sent, she got so upset that she lost the child she was carrying, your child!"

Kid was stunned. "What do you mean?" He started to ask. But Cody punched him.

"She lost her baby, what don't you understand about that?!" Cody exclaimed.

"She wasn't carrying when I left, she would have told me!" Kid shouted back.

"And have you stay because of it and not do what you felt you needed to. Get real, Kid! You know she wouldn't have don't anything to stop you from going." Cody yelled

"Look, why don't you mind your own business and let me take care of my life my way, Cody!"

"And let you screw things up even worse!" Cody replied.

"Yeah," Kid snapped. He was about to storm out when Buck cam through the entrance of the tent.

"Kid!" he exclaimed, "You're alive!" He hugged his friend, then punched him. "How could you let us believe you were dead?!"

That was when Rachel and Teaspoon arrived. "Alright, boys, let's settle down and discuss this. Kid, it's nice to see you alive, would you mind explainin?"

Kid limped over to where they stood. "Does that explain or do I need to draw you a picture?"

"A picture, cause that doesn't explain nothin'. Rachel, I think you should go check on Lou and let her and Jimmy know we're here. I take it she doesn't know you're alive, son?" Teaspoon said in his best fatherly voice.

"No," Cody growled looking at Kid, "she doesn't. But she did think she saw a ghost earlier today."

"Now, son, settle down. I'm sure Kid has good reasons for what he's doing, and that he will tell us when he's ready."

Kid looked at Teaspoon and began to realize his reasons weren't so good. Not when he had to explain them to Teaspoon.

And at that moment Rachel was having her own set of problems with another of the "Boys". She had just run into Jimmy on his way to Cody's tent.

"Jimmy," Rachel called "My it's good to seen you."

"Rachel? What are you doing here. I thought you and Teaspoon were in Sweetwater." Jimmy said.

"We were but we heard about Cody's show and had to see it. But now that you're here it'll be even better." Rachel was trying to distract Jimmy. She had to keep him away from Kid until Teaspoon had a chance to figure out just what was going on.

Jimmy heard the shouting coming from the main tent of Cody's show. "Is that Teaspoon and Cody I hear? Rachel, is everything alright?" he noticed she seemed to be distracted.

"No, Jimmy. Cody was just excited that we came. You know how he is," Rachel said. "Now, did I hear Cody right, Lou is here and workin' of the stage line."

Now, that got Jimmy's attention, "Um, yeah, she's over at the jail right now. She's fine, I think."

"What do you mean you think, Jimmy?" Rachel was using that mothering voice, Jimmy thought.

"Well, didn't Cody tell you what happened earlier?"

Rachel shook her head.

"Lou fainted. Now for most women that's not something strange but this is Lou. So we got the doctor. He said she was fine but Lou, well," here he hesitated. "She swears that she saw the Kid. But Rachel, he's dead." Rachel could hear the fear and anxiousness in Jimmy's voice.

"I'm sure she's fine, Jimmy. Now come on and let's got check on her."

They headed back to the jail catching up on things as they went. Jimmy was pleased to learn that Rachel and Teaspoon were married, he was sure Lou would be too.

When they got to the jail, Lou rushed up to Jimmy. "Did you find him?" She asked.

"Lou, like I said it wasn't Kid. Cody and I both checked things out and it wasn't him. Darlin, please you can't do this to yourself." Jimmy coaxed her.

"Jimmy, don't treat me like I don't know what I'm saying. I know that was Kid, he's changed but ….," she trailed off as she looked up into his face. "Oh, Jimmy, I'm sorry. I guess it was just my imagination." The hurt that was in his eyes when she looked up at him rocked her.

"Look who came to town to see Cody's show." Jimmy said as he turned her around.

Lou was happily surprised to see Rachel. "And I brought my husband Teaspoon, with me." Rachel supplied before Lou could ask.

"Husband?" Lou was at a loss for a moment. What should have been an awful day was turning in to a very good one. Her friends were here and there was no time to think about the letter or that horrible day so long ago.

"And," Rachel said, "Guess who we ran into, Buck."

Lou and Jimmy asked the same question, "Here?"

"Yes, here," Rachel said, "came to see what all the fuss about Cody is."

While the three of them were catching up on things, all hell was breaking lose at the show.

"Look," Kid was getting tired of arguing with Teaspoon. No one understood how he felt. He couldn't tell Lou, he just couldn't.

"No, son, you look." Teaspoon was done fighting him. "She has a right to know that you are alive. She will be mad, make no mistake about that. She may even try to shoot you. But she needs to know, needs to let go and get on with her life. Lou deserves that much from you."

"And just how do I tell her, Teaspoon. I saw her with Jimmy last night. She's already moved on." Kid said.

"I don't know yet," Teaspoon replied. "But I do believe that we need to let Jimmy know first, seein' how he has the most to lose."

"Kid, you should have expected this," Buck said, "Lou was close to Jimmy, even before. He just wouldn't let her get any closer because he thought of you as a brother. But if it had been someone not so close to him that she had fallen for he wouldn't have been so thought full."

"Thanks, Buck. But don't you think that I already know that."

"No, I don't think you do, Kid," Cody replied. "I don't think you know how much either one cared about you. Yeah, we made ourselves into a family but some of us were closer than others. Like Buck and Ike, you and Lou, but there was something more between her and Jimmy. I'm not trying to be unkind here, but he respected her abilities more than you did. She loved you but if you ask me, she didn't belong with you."

"That's enough Cody." Teaspoon threatened.

"I'm done with him, Teaspoon." Cody snapped. "He's been feelin' sorry for himself since I found him a few months ago. I've tried to help him and he won't listen. You stand here giving him good advice and he doesn't listen. So what are we suppose to do stand here and feel sorry for him all day."

Kid swung before Teaspoon could stop him. Cody went down to the ground. Buck grabbed Kid before he could swing again. And Teaspoon grabbed Cody as he came up. "I told you before not to feel sorry for me. I did what I had to." Kid yelled.

"Then, son, you need to start acting like the man you don't believe you are anymore. I saw worse than you have on others that came home. And the only one feeling sorry for you is you."

"Listen to him, Kid. You know he's right." Buck said.

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