by Dee

Part 5

When Rachel returned, they all worked out a plan for Lou to find out that Kid was alive. Cody, Buck, and Teaspoon would get Jimmy alone and Kid would tell him first. That way Lou would have someone she trusted to turn to when she found out. While this was going on Rachel was going to keep Lou busy and away from the show. Because they all knew this was going to get loud and mean. Then when it was time for Lou to find out, Cody would make sure all the guns, including Jimmy's, were missing. That way she couldn't shot Kid, which is how both Cody and Buck thought she would react.

Later that day when they were finished making their plans they split up. Buck was going to keep an eye on Kid so he wouldn't blot. They were all afraid that he wouldn't face Lou and Jimmy. Even though he said they had convinced him to tell the couple, they weren't certain that he would. Cody, Teaspoon and Rachel went to find Jimmy and Lou.

They found them in the dining room of the hotel having what looked like a very intimate conversation. Anyone that saw them could see the love Jimmy had for Lou was more than friendship. They were holding hands and sitting very close.

"Teaspoon," Cody said, "this ain't going to be easy. From the looks of things Jimmy's going to be real hurt."

Rachel, who had been watching Lou replied, "He won't be the only one. She's let herself fall in love with him this time."

Teaspoon looked at both of them, then back to the table, "Well, it's not going to change the fact that Kid is still alive and Lou's still married to him. They have to know. Guess we better get to it, waitin's not going to change anything." Teaspoon said reluctance to hurt the man he thought of as a son and the woman he loved like a daughter showing in his voice.

As they approached the table Lou looked up. Her face lit up even more when she saw Teaspoon. She jumped up and hurried around the table to hug him. "It's been too long," she told him.

"Way too long, darlin'. I hear you're drivin' for the stage line. Can't you find a good lady like profession for once," he teased.

"Not that I can do," she laughed back.

Jimmy was pleased to see Lou smile, he was sure she hadn't done that much over the last few years.

Teaspoon turned to Jimmy, "Glad to see you're staying out of trouble, son. And on the right side of the law," he said pointing to the badge Jimmy was wearing.

"Yeah, it keeps me out of trouble. You doin' ok, Teaspoon?"

"Just fine, got me a good woman here and Sweetwater is now a quiet place since you boys moved on," he teased. "I can't complain."

"Why don't ya'll join us we were about to have some lunch."

That Cody had remained quiet, struck Lou as odd. "Cody, is something wrong?" she asked.

Cody smiled, none of them could ever fool Lou for long, "Nah, just been a busy day so far. A few problems popped up at rehearsal this morning. Say Jimmy, would you give me and Teaspoon a hand after dinner fixin'em. One of my hands quit today."

"Sure," Jimmy replied as their lunch arrived.

After lunch was finished the men rose to leave and Lou went to follow them, when Rachel called her back. "Lou, I saw a dress shop down the street, why don't we get something special for the show tonight?" Rachel coaxed her.

Lou turned back to Rachel and then looked at Jimmy, "Go ahead," he said, "It'd be nice to see you in a dress for a change."

She smiled at him. "Okay," she said with a giggle.

While the men were walking toward the main tent of the show Buck was looking for Kid. He finally found him in Cody's tent. Buck was surprised when Kid turned from the mirror he was looking in. Gone was the scruffy looking beard and long hair. Kid had been cleaning his self up.

"I take it you're not trying to run," Buck said with a laugh.

"Nah, just figured I needed to clean up a bit." Kid said as he turned back to the mirror to finish. That was when Buck saw the scars from the burns. From the right nothing could be seen of them and Kid didn't look much different than he had when they were rode together. But the left side of his face was a different story. From his eye to his shoulder were burned the scars causing his skin to look like it was stretched too tight. "How'd it happen, Kid?" Buck asked.

"I don't remember," Kid replied calmly. "I was shot and lost consciousness. When I woke up my face was bandaged and my leg hurt like hell. They said I almost lost it and that I might not be blind in my left eye when the bandages were removed. But I don't recall how it happened." Kid let the sadness he was feeling creep into his voice. " I should never have gone."

Buck tried to ease his friend's pain, " You did what you had too."

"Yeah," Kid said, "but look at all the trouble it's caused."

"But you're going to try and set things right, still, aren't you?" Buck asked.

"I guess, and only if I don't get shot in the process," Kid joked, remembering both Lou's and Jimmy's tempers.

Buck laughed with him, "Well, I don't think that'll be a problem since we'll be there when you tell Jimmy. And Cody's decided to hide all the guns when you tell Lou. He still thinks she might get mad enough to shot you."

"Can you blame her?" Kid asked getting serious again.

"No," Buck said his tone equally serious.

Kid had just finished when Cody came through the door of the tent. "Well, I see you're ready," he said to Kid. "Jimmy's in the main tent with Teaspoon."

"I'm not ready, but I don't have a choice in this any more, do I?" he asked Cody.

"No," Cody and Buck said in unison.

"Then let's get this over with." Kid replied.

They heard Jimmy and Teaspoon before they got to the tent. "I'm not takin' them off, Teaspoon." They heard Jimmy say.

"Son, please just do this for me. Take off the colts for just a bit, you know I'll give them back to you if you need them." Teaspoon said. "I just don't want you to do anything you'll regret."

"What will I have to regret?" Jimmy asked getting angry. "Something strange is going on here, Teaspoon and I don't like it one bit."

Buck walked up behind Jimmy with his gun drawn. "Hand them over Jimmy, we need to this now," he directed the last at Teaspoon."

"Do what? What are ya'll up to?" Jimmy was mad. Here Buck was holding a gun on him, Teaspoon wouldn't tell him what was going on, and he had a feeling that when he did find out he wasn't going to like it.

"I sorry Jimmy, but it's not only you we're concerned about." Buck said. Then added, "and if you still think I deserve it when we're though, you can take a swing at me."

Jimmy was confused, "Look, why won't you tell me what's going on?" he began, as he handed Teaspoon his matching Colts. "First, Cody acts weird when he saw Lou and I together this morning. Then, Teaspoon, you and Rachel show up out of the blue. Now Buck, not to mention he's holding a gun on me. So would someone please tell me what is going on?" Jimmy shouted.

"Yeah, Jimmy I will," a voice behind him said.

Jimmy turned to see the friend he thought was dead standing before him. But not only his friend but Lou's husband. And all his dreams he had been having for the last few days were shattered, and he felt his heart breaking. "No." Jimmy said quietly.

Teaspoon walked up and put an arm around Jimmy's shoulder. "Let him explain, son. Just listen before you do anything else."

"Kid?" Jimmy said.

"Yeah, Jimmy, it's me."

"You're not dead."

"No."

"Does Lou know?"

"Not yet." Kid said as he walked closer to Jimmy.

"Why? Why did you let her believe you were dead? She's been through a lot." Jimmy told him. "None of which she deserved. They all waited this wasn't the Jimmy they knew, the Jimmy they knew would have exploded by now.

"I thought that it would be better if everyone thought I was dead," Kid said as he turned out of the shadows. Jimmy saw the scars right off.

"But that doesn't explain why. She loves you, always has, she wouldn't have cared about the way you looked." Jimmy was having a hard time controlling his self. "Who wrote the letter, someone trying to help you?"

"No, I wrote the letter." Kid confessed.

That brought shouts of denial from the others but Jimmy who knew just how much the letter had hurt Lou started swinging.
He didn't miss with the first swing but Kid himself was getting angry. It took Cody and Buck to stop Jimmy, and Teaspoon to stop Kid. "You don't know how it feels to look in the mirror and see a monster." Kid shouted at Jimmy.

"No, you don't know anything. I know I see a man who gave up the woman he loved because the man he considered a brother loved her." Jimmy threw back. "You were dead, it was my chance to have her and a life of peace with her. I won't let you take that away from me." Jimmy felt like he was losing the only thing that mattered to him, Lou. "I won't give her up to you again," he threatened Kid. "You don't deserve her anymore."

"Don't you think I know that. Don't you think I wish I could change things. I can't undo it but I do want to make it up to her. Jimmy, I still love her no matter what you think and she is still my wife."

"A wife that has thought you were dead for the last six years. A wife you cared so little about that you didn't know she was carrying when you left. Was it worth it Kid, was Virginia worth destroying a good woman for? Did you know that she started drinking when she got here. So much so that most of the "good" women in town won't even give her the time of day. She's still doing a man's job, still can't be the lady that she is dieing to be. You know what they call her here Calamity Jane, yeah, she even changed her name so no one could find her. You should of cared more."

"What do you mean I should of cared more? Do you think that she wants a monster for a husband. Don't you see the burns Jimmy…"

Jimmy stopped him, "I see them. So does everyone else but she wouldn't she would only see the man she loves. I thought you knew here better than me, that you would be better for her than I would be. But you know what you weren't, aren't. And I won't let you hurt her again!" he shouted.

"I don't want to hurt her."

"Then don't return from the dead!"

"She has a right to know Jimmy," Teaspoon said. "Besides that you couldn't keep this from her for long and you know it, son."

"I wouldn't bet on that." Jimmy replied through gritted teeth.

"Jimmy," Teaspoon said in that way of his they all remembered. "Son I know that this breaks your heart but Lou has a right to know. And," this he directed at both of them, "I wouldn't bet that any of us can say what she is going to do. She'll be hurt, and angry, and Kid, I wouldn't expect her to take you back. But Jimmy I don't think she could choose you either, she would feel it would hurt Kid. And I still think she wouldn't do that."

"But Teaspoon," Jimmy started.

"I know son, I was with you at lunch. Rachel will be here soon with her. Cody, you got everything ready."

"What do you mean ready?" Jimmy was getting nervous again.

"Well," Cody said, "I believe that if Lou is anything like she use to be she just might shoot and ask questions later. And I don't think that we should let her do that. So I've hidden all the guns."

Jimmy smiled for the first time since finding out that Kid was alive. "She just might do that," he said.

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