Never
Should Have Let You Go Never
Should Have Let You Go 
He awoke the next morning with the sun. He sat up in bed and gave into a lengthy stretch and a deep yawn. It was then that he noticed a soreness in his cheeks and jaws. It took him by surprise as he began to wonder where the discomfort was coming from. Then he remembered. "She's having my baby", he thought, and a smile overtook his face once again. With a renewed sense of excitement, he threw his covers back and sprang from the bed. He moved to the basin and stared at his reflection. His hair was all over the place. His face showed the signs of needing a shave and maybe a few more nights of good sleep. In other words, he looked like he'd seen better days, but he never felt better. He had found the woman he loved. They were back together, and she was carrying their love inside of her. "Yeah", he thought, "life is definitely good". Then he went about the process of cleaning himself up. After a shower and a shave, he looked more like how he felt inside.
He took joy in the fact that he was the one to wake his friends up that morning.
They carried on much the same way he did, and he found himself laughing much
the same way they did. He went down to the hotel restaurant and found a table
where he waited for them to join him. As they stumbled to the table, he had
to hide his amusement. "Long night, boys?", he asked with a grin.
"Oh shut up, Kid", Jimmy replied grumpily. "What has you so chipper
this morning", Buck asked quizzically, "I thought you would have gotten
about as much sleep as we did". "Let's just say that it's beautiful
day and a wonderful life", he said excitedly as he opened his menu. "Oh
shut up, Kid", Jimmy said.. Kid's cheerful attitude was really starting
to annoy him. "It's way too early, and I'm way too hung over to put up
with this", he thought to himself. He immediately felt bad for thinking
so negatively about his best friend's good mood. "Sorry, Kid", he
mumbled. "Don't worry about, Jimmy", he said, "I don't expect
everyone to be feelin' as good as I do right now". The friends mostly ate
in silence. They were all too preoccupied with their own thoughts to carry on
a real conversation. Kid placed an order for Louise's breakfast, and then they
were off to the dress shop. They were going to pack up Lou's things so that
they would be able to leave the next day.
Louise was helping a customer when they walked in, so Kid just went and placed
her food on the counter. Then the trio waited patiently for Louise to take the
women's order, but they could tell that she was about at her wits end with the
woman.
"Yes, ma'am. Like I said before, we can make your dress special for ya.
We can make it here out of the fabrics and colors that I showed you, or you
can have us order one for ya from one of the larger cities", Lou said with
a voice filled with as much patience as she could muster. "She can't
really be that dumb. I've said all of this at least three times", she
thought to herself.
Finally, the woman settled on having Mrs. Lilian make the dress for her so that
she could have it in a different color. Ten minutes later the other woman was
satisfied enough to leave the store, and they all let out a sigh of relief.
"Geez, Lou", Jimmy said, "I thought she'd never leave".
Lou gave a weary snort as she moved to give Kid a short kiss. "You don't
know the half of it, Jimmy", she sighed. "That woman has been in here
for the better part of an hour. She just couldn't make up her mind about what
she wanted to do", she explained.
"Angel, I'm so sorry", Kid said as he placed a kiss on her forehead.
"Why don't you sit down and eat before it gets any colder".
"That sounds great, but I have a feeling that this may be one of our busier
days. They have a dance planned for next weekend", Lou said wearily as
she sat down to eat. "Women are going to be coming in all day", she
complained.
"Want some help", Jimmy asked. The idea of "Wild Bill Hickok"
helping old women pick out dresees caused her to break out into a fit of laughter.
"What's so funny?", Jimmy asked. He wasn't sure if he should be offended
or if he should join in.
"Oh, nothing", she said as her fit began to subside. "It's just
I can't picture you helping some old lady pick out patterns and colors"she
said causing her giggles to return. This brought out laughter from Buck and
Kid.
Jimmy actually looked a little hurt. "I could do that, Lou", he pouted.
"Yeah, I'm sure you can", she said while trying to keep a straight
face.
"I can see it now", Buck spoke up. "By the end of the day, there
will several old women shot down in middle of the store for daring to disagree
with "Wild Bill's" pattern selection", he finished.
This sent Lou and Kid into another fit of laughter. Everyone was in hysterics,
everyone except for Jimmy.
"Oh, go to hell, all of ya", he grumbled as he went upstaris to start
packing Lou's things.
"Awww, Jimmy", Lou called out. She felt bad but just couldn't seem
to stop laughing.
"Jimmy", Kid called.
"Oh what do you want?", Jimmy asked feeling annoyed at being the butt
of their joke.
"I still love you", he said sweetly. This sent Buck and Lou over the
edge and almost caused Lou to fall out of her chair as she doubled over in laughter.
"Drop dead", Jimmy shot back and stomped up the stairs.
After several more minutes, the laughter faded into giggles and then giggles
into occaisional hiccups. They could hear Jimmy stomping around upstairs, so
Buck decided that he would go on up to help.
"Buck, would you tell him that we're sorry for laughing at him like that?".
Lou asked as he started up the steps.
"I'll tell him", he called back with the smile still easy to hear
in his voice.
"Oh, Kid, I feel terrible for pickin' on him like that", Lou said
guiltily.
"Yeah , but I'm sure Jimmy will be just fine. He knows that we were just
having fun", he said as he placed an arm around her.
"Yeah, I guess", she said quietly.
"Lou, you haven't eaten yet", Kid fussed as he noticed her untouched
food.
"I know. I know. But sometimes the thought of eating makes me feel sick",
she said as she grimaced at the plate.
"But Lou, you have to eat", Kid chided her softly.
"I know, Kid, and I will. I promise", she replied.
"Oh, before I forget. I was planning on stopping by Doctor Kincaid's around
lunchtime if you wanted to join me", she said as she turned to face him.
His eyes started to dance with excitement as he thought about actually being
involved this time.
"I wouldn't miss it for the world", he said softly and placed a kiss
on her nose. It was then that the door opened and Mrs. Lilian entered with three
other women following closely behind her. They were all trying to describe the
dresses that they wanted at the same time. Lou sighed heavily as she got up
to help Mrs. Lilian with the customers.
"Don't push yourself too hard, sweetheart", Kid whispered in her ear.
"I won't", she whispered back then she went to join the group. Kid
then went upstairs to join Buck and Jimmy and help with the packing.
"Good thing, Lou doesn't have a lot of stuff", Buck said absently.
"Is she ready to go home, Kid", Jimmy asked, but Kid was in his own
world. He couldn't stop thinking about Lou and the baby.
Finally, Jimmy came up and shook him. "Kid!", he shouted.
Startled, Kid jumped a bit before responding, "Yeah, Jimmy?".
"Are you alright?", Buck asked.
"Yeah I'm fine", he said feeling slightly embarrassed.. "What
did you want?", he asked.
"I just wanted to know if Lou was ready to leave", Jimmy asked as
he went back to packing the last of Lou's dishes.
"Shit!", Kid shouted as he remembered Lou's appointment. "What
time is it?", he asked excitedly.
Both Jimmy and Buck were shocked at the Kid's reaction.
"Ummm, it's about 1:15", Buck said cautiously.
With that, Kid took off down the stairs.
"I wonder what's gotten into him this time", Buck asked in confusion.
"I give up. He's just crazy", Jimmy replied as he went back to work.
Kid ran down the steps so fast that he almost wasn't able to stop before he
would have completely ran Lou over.
"Geez, Kid", she gasped.
"Sorry, Lou", he said shakily, "Are you ready to go?".
"Yeah, I was just coming to get you", she said as they headed for
the door. "Are you sure everything's alright", Lou asked as they walked
towards the doctor's office.
"Yeah, Lou, everything's fine. I just lost track of time and got scared
that you mighta left without me", he said once again feeling a little embarrassed.
Lou stopped, causing Kid to turn and look at her. "Kid, I'm not leaving
without you ever again", she said firmly and clearly. "Wherever I
go from here on out, I'm takin' you with me", she said as he placed his
hand on her still flat belly. The simple gesture knocked the air out of him.
Lou gave him a quick smile and then took his hand and led him to the doctor's
office.
The visit went as smoothly as it could have. When it came time for Doctor
Kincaid to check her, Kid became noticeably uncomfortable.
"It's alright, Kid", Lou said as she squeezed his hand.
"Mr….Ummm. Kid, you can wait outside if you wish", Doctor Kincaid
said sympathetically.
"No, I'm fine", Kid said firmly. "Nice old man or not, I ain't
leavin' Lou in here with you down there", he thought to himself.
After the examination was finished, the doctor gave Lou a clean bill of health.
"I don't see what brought on this little visit, Ms. Louise", he said
he began to clean up,
"I told you yesterday that I was expectin' you in a few weeks, so what
brought this about?", he asked over his shoulder.
"Well", Lou started but hesitated in embarrassment. She looked quickly
at Kid who only gave a shrug of his shoulders. "Ya see, Doctor. Kid and
I…well, we umm….we were close with each other and we were wondering
if….ya know…", Lou trailed off as the humiliation of the situation
made her want to disappear.
"You were wondering if you mighta hurt something", Doctor Kincaid
finished for her.
"Yeah, that's it", Kid answered for her.
"Oh, don't be embarrassed", he said as he turned to look at the couple
who seemed to be competing on who could turn the reddest. "You two aren't
the first to come to me with that question and you most certainly won't be the
last", he continued. "Being close shouldn't pose any problems as long
as you aren't being too rough about it and as long as you stop when she gets
to be about seven or eight months", he finished.
They both let out a sigh of relief. At that, the doctor gave them a smile and
went to place a hand on both of their shoulders. "Anything else I can help
you with?", he asked.
"Well, actually there is one other thing", Kid said softly. Lou's
head snapped up in surprise. "What else could he want to know?",
she wondered.
"Lou's supposed to be leavin' to go back home with us tomorrow. Is it alright
if she rides her on own horse or does she need a buckboard or something?",
Kid asked.
"I never thought about that, Kid", she said in amazement. "Will
that be alright?", she asked.
"That's a tough one", Doctor Kincaid said truthfully. "To be
honest with you, it depends. Obviously, a buckboard would the safest way to
go, but I realize that might not be possible. But if you must ride your own
horse, you can't be doing any hard riding. I wouldn't suggests anything over
a soft trot at this or any other stage", he said seriously. He went on
to say, "I don't want to scare either of you, but this is a delicate time.
Any serious shocks or traumas could cause a lot of trouble.Keep in mind that
you are completely capable of doing just about all of your normal daily and
nightly tasks, but you just have to keep it all within reason and everything
should be just fine", he finished.
The couple left the doctor's office a short while later. They both couldn't
get over just how well everything was going for them. As they passed a small
diner, Kid remembered that Lou still hadn't eaten.
"Hey, Lou, think you might be ready to eat something now?", he asked.
At the mention of food her stomach became a little uneasy. He could tell by
the look on her face that eating was still not a pleasant subject. "I know
that you aren't feeling that well, so I won't push", he started. "But
you really do need to eat something", he reminded her.
"I know", she sighed. "Maybe I could eat a little something",
she stated flatly. At her agreement, he couldn't help but smile.
"Why don't you head on back to the shop and get off your feet", he
offered. "I'll bring you your lunch", he said as he placed a kiss
on the back of her hands.
"You are actually going to let me out of your sight", Lou gasped in
amazement. Kid just gave her an annoyed smirk before giving her a quick kiss.
She giggled at him before she turned to walk back to the shop.
"Lou, go straight back to the shop!", Kid yelled after her. She playfully
turned at stuck her tounge at him and then continued down the street. He couldn't
help but laugh at her silliness. "I love it when she's happy like that",
he thought before he entered the diner to place their order.
Lou was so happy. She was completely unaware of anything that was going on
around her. It was only when she entered the shop that she noticed that something
was strange. The drapes were all shut and there was no one in sight.
"This is strange for the middle of what should be a very busy day",
she whispered to herself.
"Mrs. Lilian?", she called out in confusion. Only silence greeted
her. Lou was starting to get an odd sensation that caused the hairs on the back
of her neck to stand on end. She slowly began to search the shop for any signs
of occupation.
"Jimmy. Buck," she called out in a louder voice. There were no sounds
coming from her apartment either. Lou really began to feel uneasy and decided
that it was time to leave.
"Something just isn't right", she said to herself as she headed to
door. She never made it. Her scream was cut short by a large, rough hand covering
her mouth. It was as though he came from the shadows. Lou was absolutely terrified.
One of her hands clawed at the hand that was covering her mouth while her other
hand instinctively went to protect her baby.
"Now, Louise, I'm gonna take my hand away", he whispered in her
ear. "If you scream, I'm gonna have to hurt ya. Understand?", he asked.
Lou could only nod her head.
He slowly removed his hand. The moment her mouth was free, Lou unleashed the
loudest, most blood curdleling scream she could. Her attacker became furious.
He spun her around to face him and then backhanded her across the face. Lou's
head snapped to the side from the force of the blow, and she fell to the ground
in a heap.
"Why did you make me do that!?!", he screamed at her. Holding her
jaw in one hand while still covering her stomach with the other, Lou looked
up to catch a glimpse at her attacker.
"What the hell do you want from me?", Lou asked viciously.
"Oh, Louise. I want you. Just you", Sheriff Gregors said, suddenly
appearing very calm and very sweet. He reached out to help her up, but Lou scooted
away from him as quickly as she could. She quickly scrambled to her feet and
continued to back away from him.
"Louise, do not try to run from me", he warned.
"Then stop chasing me, you…you…weirdo!", she screamed at
him as she tried to crawl to somewhere safe.
"Why do you insist on making this harder on yourself?", he asked as
he slowly stalked her.
"Where is everyone?", Lou asked while she continued to try to flee.
"I had to make sure they wouldn't interfere with our plans, Darlin'",
he said sweetly.
"You really are insane", she stated simply.
"I'm just crazy in love with you", he said with a smile.
"No, you are just crazy", Lou shot back.
That seemed to rekindle his anger and he strode toward her quickly. There was
no time for her to get away and nowhere to run. He grabbed her roughly by the
arm and pulled her to stand close to him.
"I will not tolerate much more of your attitude, Louise", he growled.
"Do I need to punish you again?", he asked to remind her of what happened
earlier.
Lou didn't bother to reply, but when he leaned in as if to kiss her, she quickly
turned her head in disgust. She knew that he would not take kindly to her rejection,
but she couldn't bring herself to let him kiss her. He brought his hand up and
squeezed her face so that her lips stuck out. He then leaned in and placed a
forceful kiss on her mouth as she struggled against him. Lou waited until the
right moment and then bit his bottom lip as hard as she could. While he howled
in pain, she stomped on his foot with all her might. At this, his hold on her
loosened enough for her to free herself. She took off at a dead run, but didn't
get very far before he caught up with her. He grabbed her as she made it to
the counter.
"You're gonna pay for that, Louise", he growled. She tried to prepare
herself for the blow, but it never came. Instead, he pushed her. Lou couldn't
stop herself. She saw the counter coming at her, but she couldn't avoid the
collision. She heard the thump her head made as it encountered the counter's
edge. Then she heard nothing.
It was then that Kid returned with their lunches. Like Lou, he was blissfully
unaware of what awaited him inside the shop.
"Lou, I hope you're still hungry", he called to her as he walked through
the door. It didn't take him long to realize that something was wrong. An uneasy
feeling took over him. "Lou", he called out again, but again he got
no response. He automatically reached for his gun but it wasn't there. It dawned
on him that in his enthusiasm to see Lou that morning, he'd accidentally left
it on his nightstand. He let out a series of curses as he scanned the shop.
He then saw her laying on the floor by the counter. Panic quickly took hold
of him as he rushed to her.
"Oh, God", he whispered. He'd almost reached her when the first bullet
sailed just over his head.
"What the…", he said as he dropped to the ground.
"This is all your fault, boy!", Gregors shouted at him.
"You just couldn't leave things alone, could ya?", he continued to
shout. "No, you just had to come in and try to take her away. You thought
that you could rob me of what is rightfully mine. But you were wrong!",
he yelled as he moved to stand over Kid. "Louise is mine now, boy",
he said quietly. Kid looked up to see Gregors pointing a gun right at him.
"This can not be happening", Kid thought to himself.
Both men were startled by Lou'd moans. Kid took advantage of Gregors distraction
and kicked his legs out from under him. Gregors let off a wild shot as he fell
backwards. Kid was on him in a flash and they began to roll around in a struggle
over the gun. Lou was slowly coming around. She had no idea what was happening.
All she knew was that her head was pounding and it was very hard to keep the
room from spinning. It took her a few moments to come to her senses and then
she noticed the struggle that was taking place in front of her. She struggled
to her feet, clutching the countertop with all her might. "Kid", she
called out weakly. At hearing his name, Kid momentarily turned his head to look
for her. Gregors took advantage and threw Kid off of him. Kid recovered quickly,
but it was too late. Gregors had regained control of the gun. Kid scrambled
to reach Lou. He would protect her with his last breath. Kid stood directly
in between Lou and Gregors.
"Are you alright, Lou?", he asked without turning to face her.
"I'm fine, Kid", she answered weakly.
"Alright, that'll be enough of that", Gregors cut in.
"Just let her go, Gregors. We can settle this without her", Kid said
calmly.
"No, I think she should see this", Gregors said with a smirk. "Once
she sees that you are dead, she'll know that it's over between you, and she'll
be mine", he finished.
"I'll never be yours", Lou said with all the strength she had.
"We'll just see about that", he shot back as he took aim at Kid.
It all happened quickly and all at once. The shop door opened, and Jimmy and
Buck walked in. They both stopped short when they realized what was going on.
Gregors was momentarily distracted by the interruption and turned to see who
was coming in. He then quickly returned his attention back to the task at hand
and fired. Kid closed his eyes in anticipation of the pain, but when it came,
it was only the burning of flesh wound in his arm. A second shot rang out, and
Gregors collapsed to the ground holding his right hand and wailing in agony.
"He must be the worst shot I've ever met to miss me from that close",
Kid said on a nervous laugh. He turned to make sure that Lou was alright, but
she was no longer behind him. It was then that he saw her crumpled on the floor
in front of him. "Lou!", he shouted, but she didn't move. The blood
was now forming a puddle beneath her, and Kid realized that Gregors wasn't a
bad shot. By jumping in front of him and taking the bullet, Lou had just saved
his life, but it seemed to be at the cost of her own.
[Back to Cletus' Stories] [News and Updates] [The Reading Room]