Last Breath (A Gideon Johann Western Book 5)

by Duane Boehm

  Finnie jumped up, bumping the table and sending beer slopping over the glasses. “You should be in bed. We don’t want the baby shooting out on this floor with God knows what these cowboys track in here,” he said.

  Doc grabbed the Irishman’s arm. “Sit down and don’t waste any more of my beer. Mary is not ready to give birth yet. I’m telling you right now that if you start acting like a fool I’ll give you something that’ll knock you out until that baby is walking,” he said.

  “I knew you’d return to your evil self once John departed,” Finnie said with a scowl.

  The mention of the baby had colored Gideon’s disposition and the change didn’t go unnoticed by Mary.

  “Gideon, I know this talk of the baby must be hard for you. I’m truly sorry for all you and your family are going through,” Mary said.

  “Hey, you have no reason to apologize. I was just sitting here worrying that your baby will have an Irish brogue. I don’t think I could stand listening to two of them,” Gideon said in an attempt to make a joke.

  “I feel about as welcome as the French pox in a whorehouse. Everybody mistreats the Irish,” Finnie said.

  “Considering Mary’s current condition, I would argue that point,” Gideon said with an impish smile.

  “I consider Finnie my charity work for the poor and needy,” Mary said as the table erupted into laughter and even Finnie smiled.

  By the time the men wolfed down their meals, Mary had two more hard contractions. Finnie scooted around nervously in his chair with each sign of pain.

  “Let’s get you upstairs and check you over,” Doc said after his last bite.

  Finnie arose from his seat to accompany the doctor and his wife.

  Doc pointed his finger at the Irishman. “You have a job to do in protecting the town and you’re not needed right now. I’ll send for you when the time comes,” he said.

  The Irishman seemed to melt back into his seat and looked pained, but never said a word.

  Doc left to go get his bag and Mary walked upstairs to the bedroom. She shucked off her clothes before plopping into the bed and covering herself with the sheet. Her years as a whore had permanently removed any modestly that she had once maintained.

  The doctor came into the room and pulled his stethoscope from the bag. He listened to her heart and lungs before moving to her belly. The doctor moved the instrument several times and his face took on a scowl. Mary could feel her own heart start racing as she waited.

  “Found it. Scared me there for a minute. The baby’s heart sounds strong,” he said.

  “Don’t do that to me. There’s been enough bad news lately,” Mary said.

  Checking her dilation, the doctor announced, “You still have a ways to go. You probably could even go back to work, but I’d prefer you to stay in bed and preserve your strength. You’ll be needing it,” Doc said and smiled at her.

  “Do you think we’re too hard on Finnie?” Mary asked.

  “Goodness, no. That muscle on his shoulder would get as brawny as his arms if we didn’t keep him in line. After this baby is born I suspect he’ll be insufferable,” he said.

  “I wish John could move to Last Stand,” she said.

  “Me too, but that’s not possible. He has a banking business to run. I’m surprised he’s been able to make two trips out here as it is,” he said.

  “Go on, Doc. I’ll be fine,” Mary said.

  “Why don’t I stop by the restaurant and tell Charlotte to close up shop and come sit with you. The lunch crowd will be gone by now and people can eat at the hotel tonight if they want a meal. She can come get me when your contractions get closer,” Doc suggested.

  “I like that idea. I’m sure I’ll see you later,” she said and winked at the doctor.

  “Uh, go ahead and put on a nightgown,” the doctor said in a stilted voice as he departed.

  Doc walked to the restaurant and delivered the message to Charlotte before going to his office and tending to patients. Finnie dropped in to see the doctor on the hour every hour for the rest of the afternoon.

  At five o’clock on the nose, Finnie walked in and said, “Don’t you think you should be over there with Mary?”

  “Good God, I’m going over there right now so I don’t have to look at you again. I got a Derringer in my bag and I swear if you stick your head in that bedroom one time, that child of yours will be fatherless,” Doc said as he grabbed his bag and marched out the door.

  The doctor smiled as he walked down the street to the saloon and wondered aloud what he ever did to amuse himself before Finnie came to town. He entered the Last Chance and went straight to Mary’s bedroom, finding Charlotte sitting beside the bed. Beads of sweat covered Mary’s forehead and she scrunched up her face in pain.

  “How far apart?” Doc asked.

  “About five minutes. I was just getting ready to go get you,” Charlotte answered.

  “Good. Let’s have a baby before I have to hurt your husband,” Doc said.

  “Has he about drove you crazy?” Mary asked as the pain eased.

  “Not as bad as I pretended. But it’s a good thing I’m a sweet natured doctor,” he said, smiling wryly.

  “I think I’m getting close. At least, I hope so,” Mary said.

  The doctor performed another examination before proclaiming, “I think we’ll have a baby before too long.”

  Mary let out a groan and sat upright in bed. “Oh, that felt like the hardest one yet,” she said through clenched teeth.

  “Charlotte, why don’t you go find Finnie and tell him to wait in the saloon and then come back up here in case I need you,” the doctor said.

  Returning a short time later, Charlotte said, “Finnie’s pacing down there like a runaway train about to hop the tracks.”

  A half–hour passed and Mary’s pain increased significantly. She twisted and turned in the bed and occasionally let out a whimper.

  Doc checked the progress. “The baby’s crowning. I can see the top of the head,” he announced.

  Mary let out a scream. “Doc, are you sure that baby is going to fit through there? It doesn’t feel like it,” she cried out.

  “Yes, you’re doing fine,” Doc said patiently.

  Charlotte stood. “I’ll go get some warm water to clean the baby,” she said and disappeared out the door.

  By the time Charlotte returned, the baby’s head had appeared. Mary let out another scream.

  “Come on, Mary. Give me one more good push and we’ll be done,” Doc encouraged.

  Mary screamed and pushed with all her might. The baby shot out into the doctor’s waiting hands. Doc grabbed his scissors and deftly cut the cord before holding the newborn by its feet upside down and delivering a smack. The baby screamed to life.

  “Mary Ford, you have a beautiful black haired boy,” Doc announced.

  Dropping back onto the pillow, Mary sucked air and waited for the pain to pass. She opened her eyes just in time to see the doctor hand the baby to Charlotte.

  “I wanted a little Finnie,” Mary said.

  Charlotte wiped the baby off and dried him before presenting the little boy wrapped in a blanket to Mary. Doc grabbed extra pillows to prop Mary up as she got her first good look at her child. She studied his face and smiled.

  “He’s got my hair and eye color, but I don’t know who he looks like. The main thing is that he looks healthy,” Mary said as she nuzzled the baby against her neck.

  “He looks strong,” Doc said.

  “He’s adorable,” Mary cooed.

  “Charlotte, please go get the father,” Doc instructed.

  Finnie dashed up the stairs, sounding like a herd of horses, and burst into the room. He froze at the entrance and gazed at Mary and the baby. Tears welled up in his eyes and he smiled at his wife. “What is it and is it healthy?” he asked.

  “You have yourself a son and Doc says he’s strong,” Mary gushed.

  “He’s a long thing. He’ll be taller than you are by the time he’s in kni
ckers. Have you picked out a name?” Doc interjected.

  Finnie looked at Mary and smiled. She grinned and nodded her head for him to continue.

  “We figured there’s a name around here that people use so little that they’ve forgotten who it belongs to. So in honor of our friend and doctor, we decided to name him Samuel Finnegan Ford,” Finnie announced proudly.

  The old doctor leaned back in his chair and rubbed his chin. A beaming smile came upon his face and he pulled off his spectacles. “That’s about the sweetest thing that anybody has ever done for me. Sometimes I about forget that my name is Samuel. I thank you and I’m truly honored. I guess I’ll have to start being nicer to you now,” he said as he arose and shook Finnie’s hand.

  “Finnegan Ford, Samuel wants to meet his daddy,” Mary said.

  The new father picked up his son as if he were afraid of smashing bread and cradled the child against his chest. He gently touched the baby’s chin with his finger. “Mary, I love you. Who would have thought in a million years that you and I would have a baby together?”

  Chapter 23

  After downing his second cup of coffee, Gideon walked outside to sit on the bench in front of the jail. Striking a match, he puffed on a cigar until he got the stogie burning evenly. Leaning back, he crossed his legs and blew out a plume of smoke. He’d given Finnie the day off so that he could spend it with Mary and Samuel on the baby’s first full day of life. Finnie had promised to come get him sometime that day so that he could meet the newborn and Gideon wished Finnie would hurry. He really wasn’t in the mood to be by himself and was anxious to see the baby. Whenever left alone, he found he couldn’t get Tess off his mind and continuously pondered whether he had brought the child’s death upon his family.

  Doc stepped out of his office, and seeing Gideon, he shuffled across the street and sat down by the sheriff.

  “Have you seen Samuel yet?” Doc asked.

  “No, I’m waiting for Finnie to come get me,” Gideon answered.

  “Can you believe they named that sweet little child after me? Who would have ever thought that sawed–off Irishman would be so thoughtful? He’s a far cry from the drunk he was when you brought him to town,” Doc said proudly.

  “Well, listen to you. First, you get all sentimental about having grandchildren and now you’re waxing on about having a baby named after you. I’d named Chance after you if I’d known it would have put me in such high esteem,” Gideon teased.

  “I know it. Next thing you know, I won’t be a crotchety old man anymore,” Doc said with a chuckle.

  “I doubt it goes that far,” Gideon noted.

  “Gideon, how are you doing?” Doc asked, turning serious.

  The sheriff rubbed his scar and thoughtfully blew out a puff of smoke. “I don’t know. I guess not so well when I’m alone. Doc, I can’t help but wonder if Tess’s dying isn’t God’s way of punishing my family for my past deeds,” Gideon said.

  “Nonsense. First off, killing that boy was an accident. And nobody has suffered more for a mistake than you did. Since you’ve been back in Last Stand, you’ve more than made up for that. Don’t forget that Benjamin would be dead if not for you. No, if God worked that way, I’d want no part of faith,” Doc said.

  “I sure hope so,” Gideon said as he uncrossed his legs and knocked the ash off his cigar.

  Finnie came strolling down the sidewalk with a lilt to his step. He looked freshly bathed and barbered and he wore his wedding coat. A walking stick would have completed the appearance of a dandy.

  “My, my, would you look at you? I doubt Samuel can appreciate your fashion sense at such a young age,” Gideon joked.

  “I doubt you can either. Mary is ready to receive you,” Finnie said.

  “Receive me? Am I going to have to bow?” Gideon teased as he arose from his seat.

  “You’ll have to get rid of that cigar,” Finnie warned.

  Gideon turned and grinned at the doctor. He gave Doc a wink and tossed the stogie into the street before walking away with Finnie. As they were about to enter into the Last Chance, Gideon looked down the street towards the livery stable. A man stood outside the business with his pistol pointed at Blackie.

  “What in the hell in going on now? Finnie, go back to the jail and get a rifle. I’ll go see what this is all about. Hide somewhere and if I touch my hat, shoot him,” Gideon ordered.

  Making a point to clunk his boots on the boardwalk, Gideon walked to the stable. “What’s going on?” he asked, trying to sound congenial.

  “This blacksmith sold me a lame horse yesterday and I want my money back. I had to walk this nag all the way back here,” the man said.

  Gideon recognized the horse as one the mounts from the bank robbery. Blackie had bought all the horses that Gideon had brought back, planning to resale the animals.

  “That horse was used in a bank robbery. I chased it halfway across the country and brought it back here and I can assure you that it wasn’t a lame animal by a long shot,” Gideon said.

  “Well, it’s lame now,” the man protested.

  “Why don’t you put your gun away and we can settle this without trouble,” Gideon said.

  “I want my money back and my old horse. Even that piece of shit was better than this thing,” the man said.

  “What’s your name?” Gideon asked.

  “Joe,” he said.

  “Blackie, check over the horse,” Gideon said.

  The blacksmith walked over to the horse and ran his hand up and down the lame leg. He then picked up the foot and examined the underside. “He’s got a pebble lodged in his frog. It’s irritated,” he said.

  “Didn’t anybody ever teach you to check a horse’s foot?” Gideon asked.

  “You’re just trying to blame me,” Joe said.

  Gideon rubbed his scar and let out a sigh. He’d about had enough of this nonsense. Too much had happened lately for him to be in a mood to put up with stupidity. “Put your gun away and we’ll get this settled,” he demanded.

  Blackie stepped away from the animal. “I’ll take this horse back and give him another of the robbers’ horses. They’re all of about the same quality and this one will be fine in a couple of days,” Blackie said.

  “I don’t want any of your horses. I want my money and my old horse back. I don’t trust you,” the man insisted.

  “Joe, I’m not going to tell you again to put that gun away,” Gideon warned.

  “Do you really think you can draw on me before I pull this trigger,” Joe threatened.

  “No, but I got a deputy with a Winchester aimed at you that will kill you dead if you shoot me,” Gideon said.

  Joe looked down the street. “I don’t see anybody,” he said.

  “This is your last warning,” Gideon said.

  Looking down the street one more time, Joe slowly holstered his gun. Gideon pounced like a mountain lion and caught the unsuspecting man with a right hook to the chin. All the rage bottled up in Gideon came lashing out. He wanted to rip off Joe’s head. As the man staggered backwards, Gideon waylaid him with a left that buckled his knees.

  “You better never draw your gun in my town again. This isn’t some damn cow town where you can just shoot up the place,” Gideon yelled.

  Gideon moved towards the man to hit him again when he felt himself enveloped in a bear hug that felt like a cocoon.

  “Gideon, that’s enough. You don’t want to kill him,” Blackie said.

  “Damn it, Blackie, let me go,” Gideon shouted as he hopelessly struggled.

  “Calm down and I will. This ain’t doing my arm any good either,” the blacksmith said in an unperturbed voice.

  “Okay, I don’t want blamed for putting you out of work. I still feel bad that you got shot,” Gideon said.

  Blackie released the sheriff. All the rage had disappeared into weariness and Gideon felt silly for the outburst. Walking over to the man, he took his revolver and unloaded it. He did the same with Joe’s rifle.

  “Bl
ackie, would you switch out horses and then get him on his way. Tell him if I see him again that he’ll rot in my jail until Christmas,” Gideon said.

  “I’ll do it. Thanks for coming to help,” Blackie said.

  “No, thank you for keeping me from doing something I’d regret,” Gideon said before he walked away.

  Finnie met him in front of the saloon. “I try to take a day off and the town goes all to hell,” he said.

  “Let’s go see Sam,” Gideon said in resignation.

  Mary sat rocking the baby when the two men walked into the room. She looked up, smiling as they entered. “I thought maybe you got lost,” she said.

  “Business got in the way of pleasure,” Gideon said wryly.

  “Well, get over here and see my baby,” Mary said.

  Walking to the rocker, Gideon leaned over and moved the blanket away from the baby’s face. A smile came upon Gideon and he gently ran his finger down Sam’s nose. “Thank God he doesn’t look like his daddy,” he said.

  “That’s a fine thank you for somebody that was ready to kill a man for you a few minutes ago,” Finnie said and plopped down on the bed.

  Mary looked quizzically at Gideon.

  “It’s not worth mentioning,” he said.

  “Do you want to hold Sam?” she asked.

  Gideon carefully took Sam from Mary and sat down with the baby next to Finnie. He gently bounced the child and leaned down to inhale the baby smell – the same smell as Tess. The aroma seemed as vivid as a photograph. He could sense the wall inside of him tumbling down no matter how much he tried to fight the feeling. The first sob escaped him loud and embarrassingly. Gideon buried his face into the baby and rocked Sam as he lost control of his emotions. He wasn’t sure how long the crying lasted and he became aware of Finnie’s arm around him and Mary’s hand on the back of his neck. Time had seemed to stand still. Wiping his eyes against his sleeve, he said, “Congratulations. You have a beautiful baby. I can’t think of two people in the whole world that deserve this little child more than you two. I mean that from the bottom of my heart.”