She wakes up to the smells of brewing coffee and frying bacon, and she can hear her daddy's soft voice from the kitchen. She can't make out what he's saying, but she knows he's there.
She can also hear Gary's.
Ugh. Gary.
Gary is, to be quite honest, the worst. He really and truly is. He and mama got married when Shelley was nine, and just before that she may have insinuated to Uncle Boyd that he should take care of Gary for her, but according to him, being a bonafied asshole (Marshal Tim's words) doesn't mean he deserves to die.
They divorced three years later anyways.
Shelley shifts out of bed slow, her arm wrapping around her sore ribs, and she moves slowly out of her bedroom and down the stairs, gripping the banister.
She gets to the bottom and pads into the kitchen on bare feet, finding all three adults standing around. Daddy at the stove, and Mama at the coffee pot and Gary standing next to the island counter.
Nobody looks happy.
"Shelley, you should be resting, baby," her mama says, setting her coffee cup down and moving over to her.
"We were gonna serve you breakfast in bed and everything," her daddy says. "How we gonna do that if you ain't in bed."
"What's he doing here?" Shelley asks, nodding toward Gary.
"Gary's just here to check up on your," her mama says, stroking her hair. "He heard about what happened."
"And he wanted to make sure it didn't have anything to do with the bad men he's been mixed up with," her daddy adds. "Wants to keep that squeaky clean conscience."
Mama glowers at Daddy, who just grins.
"I'm glad you're okay, Shelley," Gary says. "Real scary, hearin' you were in the hospital."
The expression on Shelley's face, show knows, reads that she wishes Gary was in the hospital, and Mama gives her a look.
"Honey, why don't you go on back upstairs, and Daddy'll bring you breakfast." Her mama keeps stroking her hair. "You need help?
"I got it," Shelley says, and slowly walks back toward the stairs, she goes halfway up and stays there, listening.
"Dammit, Raylan."
"You really gotta make her injuries about the three of us?" Gary's voice asks. He doesn't sound surprised.
"Why not?" her daddy asks. "You tried to make 'em about you."
"I wanted to make sure she was okay."
"And that you didn't have her blood on your hands."
"Both of you shut up," her mama says. "Gary, you should probably get goin. I'm sure you have to go to work."
"The Marshal don't?"
"Took the time off, to help nurse my daughter back to health. That's what good fathers do."
She hears Mama snort. "Saint Raylan, you are not. Come on, Gary, I'll see you out."
Shelley takes another step up to hide in the shadows behind her as she watches her mama and Gary.
"I don't see why you're lettin' him stay here," Gary says.
"Shelley wants him here," her mama says. "Those two are thick as thieves, and she's been through a hell of a lot this past week. Don't mind letting Raylan sleep on the couch if it gives my daughter piece of mind."
"Yes. I'm sure he's sleepin' on the couch, Winona."
Silence fills the front hallway as they stare at each other, until Mama opens up the front door.
"Bye, Gary."
He leaves without another word, and Shelley carefully heads back to her bedroom.
It's not too long after that that her daddy knocks on her bedroom door and then sticks his head in.
"I allowed in?"
She grins and nods, doing her best to sit up further so she can eat. She's starving, the smell from the bacon gnawing at her.
He steps inside, looking out of place in her bedroom, covered in purple paint and movie posters; filled with books and games and a couple of stuffed animals. It's much more expensive-looking than her bedroom at his house.
He sits down on the edge of her bed, holding a full plate of food; eggs and bacon and toast. In his other hand is a glass of orange juice
"Thanks," Shelley says, taking the plate and fork and digging in.
Her daddy watches her for a long moment. "Feel a little bad about teaching you to be mean to Gary."
"You didn't teach me that," she says. "I learned that on my own. He's the worst."
"Hard to argue that," her daddy grins. "But you never really gave him a chance."
Shelley frowns. "Why's this a thing now? He and Mama have been divorced for a year."
He sighs and shakes his head. "No reason."
She nods and eats some eggs.
"So. You breakin' that gravestone."
Shelley stops and looks at him.
"We need to talk about that."
She nods and pokes at her bacon. "If you wanna."
"I don't," her daddy says. "But we need to."
"Okay."
"Why'd you do it?"
Shelley frowns and looks at him. She thinks it's pretty obvious why she did it.
"Spell it out for me, Darlin," her daddy says. "What happened? Why then?"
She takes a breath and then looks up at him. "He just kept talkin' about it. Every time I'm over there it's all about how he got those gravestones and how you were gonna be buried there, an' how you were gonna die real soon."
Her daddy's jaw sets.
"I lost it," Shelley says. "He just kept talkin' and I hated that gravestone so much."
"So you made it go away."
She nods.
Her daddy sighs and wraps an arm around her shoulders. "I stand by my statement from the other day. You are the toughest little thing in Kentucky."
Shelley grins a little and wipes her eyes.
"How is she?"
"Fed," Raylan says as he sets to cleaning the dish Shelley had eaten off of. "And sleepy, so she's takin' a nap."
Winona nods and looks him up and down. "You okay?"
"No," he says. "No I ain't okay."
"Is it the gravestone?"
He nods.
"You upset that she did it?"
"More like grateful," Raylan says. "But I feel like a damn coward that she had to be the one to do it and not meā¦and guilty as all hell that she took that beating instead of me."
Winona's hand rests on his back gently and her voice is quiet. "You didn't ask her to do that for you, Raylan. She did it because she loves you, and she was tired of hearing about you dying."
He glances at her.
"We've talked about it before," Winona admits. "It's scary to her how easy it is for Arlo to talk about you dying, but she didn't wanna stop going over there."
Raylan looks at her. "You think she planned this?"
Winona grins a little. "Yeah, I kinda do."
"I don't know who she takes after more," Raylan says. "And I don't know which is scarier."
Winona laughs a little, and then they both fall silent.
"I won't let Arlo hurt her ever again," he says quietly. "I promise."
Her hand presses into his back a little firmer. "I know."
