Chapter 7

Tears started to form in Rachel's eyes as she took Lou in her arms.  "Oh, honey, I'm so happy for you.  This is wonderful news."  She broke away as she heard first a laugh then a sob escape Lou's lips.  Remembering conversations she'd had with the young woman on this very subject, prior to the wedding, Rachel was suddenly nervous as to why she'd heard a sob.

"Louise ..."

"I can't seem to control my emotions lately,"  Lou interrupted, half laughing, half crying.  She wiped her eyes before looking at Rachel again.

"Louise, how do you feel about all this?"  she asked, carefully studying her face.

Lou wiped her eyes, all the while smiling.  "Scared, excited,"  she admitted.  "I'll admit when I first thought this might be why I haven't been feeling good, I was terrified.  It was like before the wedding when the boys would tease me about having a little one - all I wanted to do was run out of the room and not hear anything about it."  She paused and stooped down to pick up a stray hair ribbon that had been left behind.  She twirled it around her fingers, thinking about the child that it belonged to.

She blushed as she suddenly remembered Rachel was still in the room.  Smiling, she continued,  "I don't know but ever since gettin' married, somethin's changed, I've changed."  She looked at Rachel then turned and glanced out the open window.  "A couple days before Kid left on this run, I watched as he was helping Buck unload supplies from the buckboard out in the yard.  I was sweeping the front porch of the house so I was watchin' them.  At one point Kid took a sack toward the barn and about halfway there, he stopped and looked over his shoulder before continuing on.  And all of a sudden, I could just picture Kid walkin' like he was as a smaller version of him tagged along behind, tryin' to catch up."

Lou paused, went to Rachel and touched her hand.  "I realized at that moment that I never wanted anything more than to give him a child."

"Oh, Louise, I'm so glad,"  Rachel said as she embraced her once again.

"I don't know the first thing about raising a baby, Rachel,"  Lou admitted, laughing and crying at the same time once again.  She looked up at her friend for assurance. 

"Well that's what I'm hear for, to help you every step of the way.  And you know Kid and Buck and Teaspoon will help anyway then can.  Kid ... does he know or suspect?"

Lou shook her head.  "No, he's just witnessed me getting sick each morning ... "

"You've been getting sick?"  Rachel interrupted.  "I'm so sorry I haven't been there to help you through it.  If I'd seen that, I would have known for sure what was going on."

"I always figured you'd be the one to tell me, even though it was happenin' to my body!  It's been over a week now, I feel it the moment I wake up,"  Lou explained.  "Kid was real concerned but I told him it was nothing - I wanted to be sure before I said anything.  Now Buck on the other hand is harder to convince;  he's caught me these last few mornings and is starting to ask an awful lot of questions.  I figured I oughta have the doctor confirm it so I could tell Kid when he gets back."  The more she thought on the subject, the more the excitement showed on her face.

Rachel laughed at her enthusiasm.  "I'm glad to see being sick hasn't gotten you down.  The good thing about it is that it usually only lasts a couple months.  Then of course your body will be on to something else by that time."

"Like getting fat,"  Lou grumbled, tugging at her blouse.  "I didn't think you showed right away but for some reason, my clothes have seemed tighter on me."

"And they will, it's just your body adjusting.  Things are already happening inside of you and it's your body's way of letting you be aware of it.  We'll take care of the clothes easy enough and the doctor will tell you what you can and can't do and the same with eating healthy."  She put her arm around the young woman's shoulders as they started for the door.  "As for the getting big part, you should always feel grateful for that 'cause if you're gaining weight, it means the baby is too.  And that's what you want, a healthy growing child."

"I never thought about it that way,"  Lou admitted.  "It did take me by surprise, though, all these different feelings.  Why is it that one minute I'm calm and the next I feel crazy or mad?  Is that part of it too?"  She hoped so because her emotions had been totally out of her control for the past couple weeks.

Rachel nodded, grinning.  "You'll get used to it and so will Kid, once he knows what's causing your mood swings."  She hugged Lou close to her.  "This is so exciting, a baby, already!"

"I knew it would happen, I just didn't expect it so soon."  She turned innocent eyes in Rachel's direction.

"Oh, don't give me that sweet look, Louise McCloud.  I'm not that old that I don't remember what it feels like to be young and newly married - you can't keep your hands off one another!"  Rachel spoke without looking at Lou because if she saw the look of surprise that she knew was going to surface, she would have broke out in uncontrollable laughter.

"Rachel!"  Lou exclaimed, blushing profusely.

"Now, now, I'm only speaking the truth.  Besides, you two aren't exactly quiet and in case you've forgotten, my room is right next to yours ... and the walls are pretty thin,"  Rachel remarked, giving her a grin then holding the door for her. 

Lou walked past her, keeping her eyes cast on the steps ahead.  Rachel had heard them!  And apparently more than once!  Boy was she going to have to have a talk with Kid about getting a place of their own very soon;  the sudden changes she'd been feeling in her body were making her feel very sexy right now and with Kid gone for almost four nights, Lou was afraid she'd jump him before he even got out of the saddle.