The shot rang out and echoed across the early summer sky. Jimmy glanced over at Lou and watched as she pressed her fingers to her lips. A sob escaped, but the relief she felt was as visible as the tears that ran slowly down her bruised cheeks. Wicks would be gone for good and Jimmy was glad that Kid decided to go through with it. Jimmy knew that for most men, killing another man, especially one as cruel and demented as Ethan Wicks, would be no problem, but for the Kid it was a dilemma of the highest proportions. Yet, he'd done it and Jimmy knew that even if he'd been right in saying it would change him, he also knew the Kid would be able to live with himself for it.

The second shot surprised them both and as the third pierced the silence that surrounded them, Jimmy stopped the slow moving horse and buckboard.

Lou covered her whole face and started crying again in earnest, fearful that Wicks had pulled a hidden gun on the Kid. Jimmy knew differently. He sat and waited. Hearing the final three shots he nodded his head in unseen approval. He would have done it exactly the same way.

"Jimmy, you have to go back!" Lou begged. The last three shots pierced what little calm Lou had left and she pulled on his arms, trying to steal the reins away.

He gently shrugged her off and snapped the leather, urging the horse forward. "No way, Lou. I promised him I'd take you home, that I'd protect you."

"What if he's hurt? You heard all those shots! Maybe Wicks pulled a gun and shot at Kid!" She was sobbing so hard she lost her breath and began taking hiccupping gasps in an attempt to get it back.

"Lou, you have to calm down. This can't be good for the baby." He still wasn't sure he believed her that she felt fine.

"Losing its father is what's not good for the baby! Jimmy, please, go back and get him. I'm begging you."

As much as it pained him to do it, Jimmy stuck to his end of the deal. "I can't do it, Lou, we're going home. What if it's you that's hurt?" He reached a gloved hand up to her face hovering over, but not touching the bruises that dotted it.

Lou twisted out of his reach. "I'm fine! God, Jimmy! Don't you even care if Kid's hurt?"

"Lou, I know he's not."

"There were six shots!" She'd counted every agonizing one of them.

"And they were all from Kid's gun."

For Lou, the meaning behind Jimmy's words was slow in coming, but when the comprehension came it was sudden and swift sending a flash of cold that filled her veins and caused a shudder to run through her body. "You mean."

"Yes. He emptied that gun into him. It's over, Lou. It's finally over."

"He killed his father because of me." Her voice was stiff. She knew she should feel guilty, but remembering what he'd done to her before and what he wanted to do this time, she was guiltless.

"No, Lou. His father was dead to him the day he walked out on him back in Virginia. He killed the man who tried to take you from him. That's all. It's the same thing any man would do for the woman he loves and it's certainly not anything anyone will hunt him down for."

Lou's only response was a slight nod of her head. After stopping to retrieve Sundancer, they rode the rest of the way home in silence, neither looking at the other. Reaching the station they were met by a sea of faces filled with concern. Sam, Teaspoon and Travis McKay raced to lift Lou from the buckboard as Emma, Rachel and Charlotte rushed forward to pull her into a tight embrace before her feet were firmly on the ground.

"Are you okay, Louise?" Emma had her by the shoulders, looking at the bruises on her face.

"I'm doin' okay. He only hit me a few times." She tried to shrug off what she knew were ugly, swollen reminders of what a bastard Ethan Wicks was.

"He didn't." Charlotte couldn't finish her thought. Only she knew how evil he could be first hand and she wouldn't put anything past him.

"No. This time was different. He kept talking about taking me away to California and us living as husband and wife." It all made Lou's skin crawl even talking about it and she wrapped her arms around herself. "He kept talking about the baby like it was his. No matter how much I told him it was Kid's, he refused to understand. He wasn't right in the head this time."

"No one like him ever is. I'm just so glad you're okay." Emma hugged Lou again just to reassure herself that she was really standing there with them. "Let's get you inside and into bed. You need to rest."

"I can't! I have to wait on the Kid. I have to know he's okay!"

The women all looked over at Jimmy who was standing surrounded by the men as he described the confrontation. "Where is Kid?" Rachel asked as if suddenly realizing he was missing.

"Finishing some business," was all Jimmy would say.

Rachel nodded her understanding and tried to steer Lou towards the house. "I'm sure he's fine, sweetie. Let us put you to bed."

"Rachel, you ain't listening! I can't rest until I know Kid's okay!" As Lou raised her voice and stamped her foot to emphasize her point, a sharp pain in her stomach buckled her knees and she almost fell to the ground.

"What? What's wrong, Lulabelle?" Emma tried to pull her up straight.

"It's nothing, I'm fine. The baby's been kickin'." Lou took a deep breath and waited for the pain to subside.

Emma looked at her two companions knowingly. "Sweetheart, was that the first pain or has this been going on for a while?"

Lou didn't argue as the three women led her to the porch to sit down. "That was the first that was that bad. I had a few little ones while we were riding back. I think the baby's just movin' around."

"I think," Rachel replied, "that the baby's more than movin' around. It's tellin' you it's ready to be born and I think you're starting labor, Louise."

"No! It's too early! I'm not due for three more weeks." Lou was frantic and she looked up with terrified eyes at the women crowded in front of her.

"Louise, sometimes the doctor's not exact. I went weeks longer than my doc said when I was having Thomas," soothed Emma. Let's get you upstairs. The doc should be here soon anyway. Buck's waiting for him in town."

Lou ignored the fussing. "Where are Teresa and Jeremiah? They must be so worried." Shifting slowly, she rose to stand just as another pain rocked her. "Oh!" She let go of her belly as the pain subsided. Steadying herself, she felt a wetness trickling down her legs and looked down just in time to see a puddle of water form at her feet.

"That was your water breakin'," confirmed Rachel. "Want to argue you're not in labor anymore? I'd say it's time to go in."

Charlotte answered Lou's question as she moved to help Rachel escort the mother-to-be inside. "The children are at Tompkins' store. They went into town with Buck and Jenny. All our worryin' was making it worse on them. Maybe they should stay there until this is all over?"

"No! They should be here." Lou whirled on the four men standing in the yard. "Kid should be here too! I'm tellin' you all right now I'm not havin' this baby until he is, so one of you had best go get him! Understand me?"

Jimmy, Teaspoon, Sam and Travis stared and nodded in unison as Lou raged. They knew better than to mess with a woman in the throes of labor and also knew they'd have to go after the Kid to settle her down.

"He'll be here, Lou. Just let them take you upstairs." Jimmy started to untie his horse from the back of the buckboard.

"He'd better be James Butler Hickok or I'm holding you responsible!" Lou shouted as the door closed on her tirade.

Travis and Charlotte went for Teresa and Jeremiah, while Jimmy raced off to get the Kid, leaving Sam and Teaspoon with the unenviable task of staying at the house and listening to Lou's increasingly nerve-wracking cries and shouts.

By the time Jimmy returned with the Kid, Lou's contractions were increasing in intensity. Rushing up the stairs and to her side, Kid nearly lost his hand when she gripped it during a particularly vicious spasm. Once her own pain subsided she was able to focus on him.

"Oh, Kid! You're here, you're okay!" She reached up weakly for his face wanting to touch him and sooth away the pain in his eyes.

"I'm fine, Lou, certainly better than you." He dropped to his knees beside the bed and holding her hand with his left, he used his right one to push her already sweat-matted hair back off her forehead. Kissing it gently he whispered, "Are you in a lot of pain?"

"It comes and goes. Emma says it's normal, but I'm worried, Kid. It's too soon. I still got almost three weeks."

"Shh.don't get worked up, Lou." He wiped her brow and neck with the cool cloth Rachel handed him. "Doc Bailey will be here any minute." Kid looked up at Rachel and prayed he was telling the truth. The contractions seemed to be too close together - the baby was coming too fast.

Rachel nodded her head to let him know that the doctor was expected momentarily and all was progressing normally.

They rested quietly together for several minutes, his head bent and resting on hers, no words passing between them until a fresh contraction ripped through Lou and she gripped Kid's hand so tightly he wasn't sure she hadn't torn it off. She was instantly apologetic as soon as it passed.

"Sweetheart, don't worry about it. If you can take the pain of birthin' our baby, I can certainly take a little squeeze on the hand." He didn't dare try to remove his throbbing hand from her grip and prayed for a respite before the next contraction.

"Is he really gone?" Her voice was faint, but Kid knew without a doubt who she was asking about.

"Forever, Lou. He'll never hurt you again." He didn't dare tell her about the shallow grave he'd been covering when Jimmy found him. He'd leave that for another day.

Lou was getting tired from the constant pressure inside her body and just wanted to push and get the baby out already. Sensing what she was about to try, Emma rushed over and begged her young friend not to push.

"Not yet, Louise. It's too soon to push. The doc will tell you when it's time."

"Emma, he don't get here soon and he'll be celebrating this baby's first birthday with us instead. I swear it's ready to come.now!" The peak of the contraction had her voice rising to a shout and her hold on Kid's hand tightening.

As the pain eased she immediately felt guilty for shouting. "I'm sorry, Emma. I didn't mean to yell at you." She was near tears from the fear that she'd hurt her friend's feelings.

"Oh, don't you worry about me, Lulabelle. My skin's tougher than that. Besides, I think it's your husband you need to be worryin' about. I think you broke the poor boy's hand on that last one."

Lou turned to look at Kid, not because of what she'd done to his hand, but to see if he realized what Emma had said. Emma had called him her 'husband' and it was something that was sadly untrue.

"Don't worry about that now," he whispered reassuringly as he watched Lou's bottom lip begin to quiver. He'd heard Emma clearly and seeing Lou lying in their bed ready to birth their first child it distressed him beyond words that he was no longer her husband. It was bad enough that any of the madness had happened at all, but that he'd lost her was the worst of it.

Lou fought them valiantly, but lost and the tears clouding her dark brown eyes spilled over. She knew she'd made a mess of everything. "I'm so sorry, Kid, so sorry. I ruined everything." She fought through the next labor pain to continue to beg his forgiveness. "I shouldn't have done it. I shouldn't have divorced you. I let what he did ruin us."

"Lou, you have to relax now," scolded Rachel. "It's not good to be so upset like this. I don't want to have to send Kid downstairs."

"No!" the young coupled shouted in unison.

"I'm staying!" Kid demanded, as Lou shouted, "He got me into this, he's staying here!" Their simultaneous reaction made everyone laugh and snapped the tension in the room.

"Rachel's right, you can't worry about any of that now. We can talk about it another time or even not at all. None of it matters anymore. What matters is you and the baby." Kid kissed Lou's forehead again, tasting the salty sweat on her brow.

"But Kid, I messed everything up."

"No you didn't, he did. It was never your fault, so stop blamin' yourself."

Before Lou could say anything else Dr. Paul Bailey sailed into the room in time to witness another body wracking contraction. Lou's squeals of pain paled in comparison to the yelp Kid let out as Lou nearly wrenched his arm out its socket.

"Well, kids it looks like someone's ready to have a baby." The doctor wiped his freshly washed hands on the towel Emma provided. "Why don't I have a look and see what's going on. Kid, you plan on stayin'?" In his experience, men were more at ease out of the birthing room and most women were glad for it. One look at the couple before him and he understood how very different from any others they were.

Holding up the hand that was being held in a vise-like grip by Lou, he gave a wry smile. "Ain't got much choice."

Doc Bailey laughed as he lifted the sheet that covered Lou's lower body. Doing a quick examination he could see that it wouldn't be long before she could start to push. "You're doing great, Lou. It won't be too long now."

"You mean it's not time yet?" She didn't know how some women went through days of labor and had several children. Only knowingly in labor for a couple of hours, Lou was ready to declare this would be her one and only child.

"No, not yet. You'll know."

The doctor moved to speak to Emma and Rachel about the part of the labor he'd missed and turned back only when Lou started to scream through another contraction. Taking another look, he knew she would be ready to start pushing in no time. "Any time now and you'll be holding your new son or daughter. Are you ready?"

"No! I can't have this baby yet!"

Kid looked at Lou in shock. "What are you talking about, Lou? You just said you wanted to have it born already."

Lou turned to look at the man she loved with every breath left in her body. "I don't want our child born a bastard, Kid. I want to get married again."

Chapter 22