DISCLAIMER: The Young Riders is the creation of Ed Spielman, and the property of Ogiens/Kane productions in association with MGM/UA television. This Story is created for entertainment purposes only, no infringement intended. Not to be copied without permission from the author.
'Buck, Buck can you hear me?' she cried as she reached the side of the horse. What she saw, distressed her greatly. Buck was sitting astride the horse, he had been beaten badly and was unconscious, his hands had been tied with a rope that had been looped under the horses neck to stop him falling to the ground. A note was tucked between Buck and the horse.
'Jimmy! Sam!' she called 'Help me please.' tears welled in her eyes.
Jimmy drew the knife from Bucks boot and sliced the rope cleanly under the horses neck, the unconscious Buck began to slide from the side of the horse, only to be caught by Sam who carried him into the closest house. Lou, Emma and Rachel followed close behind and when he deposited him gently on the sofa. Lou sat beside him and brushed his long black hair from his bruised and bleeding face, tears streaming down her cheeks. Emma went to the kitchen and put a pan of water on the stove to heat, Rachel went in search of medical supplies their eyes also overflowing with tears. The three men stood by eager to help but knowing they would be in the way of the three competent women. When Rachel returned to the living room, she went to her husbands side, knowing that this was too much for his heavily pregnant and overemotional wife he embraced her tightly and let her sob against his chest. Lou placed a cushion under Buck's head, unbuttoning his shirt, she gasped involuntarily. Jimmy was almost instantly at her side, sickened by the sight of the mass of purple bruising and light grazing all over Buck's torso.
'Who could do this to a person like Buck?' Lou asked tearily 'he's the kindest gentlest person I know.'
'Honey most people don't see his nature, they just see his colour' Emma spoke as she carried a bowl of warm water back into the room. Together Lou and Emma stripped Buck's shirt and torn trousers from his body, leaving him clad only in his medicine pouch and long johns. Then taking clean cloths they bathed all his abrasions, bandaging the ribs they knew were broken and the deep gashes up his arms. When they had finished Emma returned to Sam's side to embrace her husband. Lou sat by Buck's side and holding one bandaged hand she pushed his hair from his face, content to stroke him gently knowing that he needed to feel a gentle human contact.
'Will he be alright Lou?' Jimmy asked softly as he pulled her to her feet and turned her gently into his embrace, knowing full well what was about to come
'He needs some rest but I think he'll be fine' she spoke into his chest.
'Lou there's something we need to talk about' Sam spoke seriously
Alarmed by the tone of his voice she looked up to scan his face for any sign of what he was about to say. Jimmy continued to hold her against him.
'There was a note with Buck, Lou' Sam began to explain 'It warns you to give up your claim or you will never see the other two alive again.' he waited for what he had said to sink in. Everybody in the room watched as their tiny friend's face crumpled into hysterical tears her fists pounding harmlessly against Jimmy's chest as she railed against the pain she was feeling.
'NO!! NO!! You're lying, they can't have Kid, he has to come back to me, he loves me, he must come back.' she wailed her arms flailing against Jimmy's chest his eyes glazed with tears, he watched and held her until she wore herself out and sagged into his embrace sobbing against his chest.
'Lou I know this is painful for you, but I need to know what this means' Sam spoke moving forward 'What claim?'
'I don't know Sam' she pulled herself out of Jimmy's arms and wiped at her damp face, trying to compose herself
'Have you made any claims on anything at all recently?' Teaspoon prompted
'No, we are happy and content to just breed and train the horses' she answered
'I guess we won't know what's going on until Buck wakes up.' Sam spoke 'I suggest we all try and get some sleep something tells me tommorrow is going to be a long day'
'I can't sleep now, I'll stay here and look after Buck.' Lou murmured
'No you won't' Jimmy spoke up 'I'll coming up with you until you go to sleep, then I'll come back and watch Buck' Jimmy spoke 'You have two babies that need you, you have to rest' he pulled her back into his arms
'They'll be fine Lou. We'll all pray for them tonight' Rachel stated
'He'll be back Lou, Have some faith, he can look after himself you know that' Emma added
'So can Buck' she answered flatly and watched as her friends all left the room to go to their bedrooms. Jimmy lifted Lou from her feet and carried her up the stairs to her bedroom, he left her long enough to change into her nightgown and when he returned he found her in one of Kid's shirts, kneeling on the floor beside the crib, crying her eyes out as she stroked her sons head.
'Honey please don't do this to yourself' he knelt behind her on the floor and spoke gently to her
'What if he doesn't come back?' she cried turning into his embrace, needing to be held
'He will come back Lou, there is no way alive he would leave you or his babies'
'That's right, what if they kill him.' she spoke as he lifted her into his arms, he flicked back the covers on the bed and laid her against the pillows sinking down beside her and drawing her into his strong arms
'He has too much to come home to, he won't do anything to jeopardise that.' Jimmy spoke. They fell silent the only noises were the occasional sobs from Lou.
'You know years ago I would have given anything to share your bed' he spoke softly
"you never told me that we only ever kissed once' Lou replied
'I know that. C'mon Lou. A blind man could have seen that you two were meant to be together. Right from the start, you two were like two halves of the one whole. I would have been a complete bastard to try to come between you. When I got over my own feelings I understood that'
'I'm sorry Jimmy' she placed a kiss on his cheek then snuggled into his shoulder
'No, I'm sorry I ever tried to come between the two of you, that was hurting my two best friends in the world'
Lou fell silent and Jimmy realised that she had fallen asleep, he continued to hold her and before long he too had fallen asleep, embracing Lou tightly.
The sun was just peeking from behind the mountains when he awoke, Lou still cuddled into his side. Extricating himself from her embrace, he crossed the room to stand at the window watch the flaming ball of the sun climb from behind the mountains. Returning to the foot of Lou's bed, he watched her sleep, an occasional sob escaping her lips as she dreamed of Kid. Even in her sleep, she could not forget the pain of the previous days events. Hearing a noise behind him, he saw that his namesake baby James was awake and was making tiny gurgling noises which were waking his tiny sister. Glancing back at Lou to check tht she hadn't woken, and lifted the tiny boy from the crib, he held him against his shoulder, carefully juggling him as if he were made of the finest china, seeing tiny Emma's face pucker up into the start of a wail, carefully he lifted her to cradle her beside her brother on his shoulder he opened the door and slipped outside, praying to himself that one of the women were awake. At the bottom of the stairs, he realised that Theresia was perched on the side of the sofa, gently wiping the sweat from Buck's brow.
'Theresia, what are you doing up?' he asked softly wondering how many of the previous nights events Lou's clever little sister had pieced together.
'I couldn't sleep when I heard Buck's horse ride in, I heard everything Jimmy.' she turned tearfilled eyes on him 'I'm not a kid anymore Jimmy, I'm only two years younger than she was when you and Lou met.' She stood and took the grumbly baby Emma from Jimmy's arms soothing the tiny whimpers the baby made.
Seeing the same tenacity and grit that seemed to b a trait of the McLoud women, Jimmy smiled broadly as he patted baby Jimmy on the back, soothing him momentarily.
'Do you know anything that Lou might have forgotten about a claim on this property?' Jimmy asked watching carefully as Theresia thought of everything her sister had told her. She shook her head sadly as she cooed to the baby in her arms. Giving up hope of understanding what they were fighting against, he leaned against the back of the sofa.
'Oil' came a hoarse voice from the sofa 'They want the oil' he spoke trying to lift himself from the sofa.
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