By the time school was out that afternoon, Bart's condition hadn't changed. Doralice was still sitting at her husband's bedside, Bret had spent most of the day keeping himself busy on the ranch and coming inside every hour to check on Bart, and the doctor and the sheriff had returned to Little Bend. Ginny was worried about Doralice. She wouldn't eat, she wouldn't drink, she hardly moved. She just sat there and watched Bart breathe in and out. When a knock came on the front door, Ginny hurriedly closed the bedroom door before she did anything else. She was glad she had when she found Maudie standing there.
"Lily Mae said Momma's been down here all day. What's wrong, Aunt Ginny? Where is she? And where's daddy? I'm not leaving until you tell me."
"They're both here, Maudie, and everything's fine."
"I want to see them. Both of them." Stubborn, thy name is Maude.
"Maudie, honey . . . "
Maudie caught her aunt off–guard and wormed her way in, instinctively running straight to the closed door. She pushed it open and almost fell over her mother. Bart was lying on his side, with his back turned to her, and as she ran around to the far side of the bed, to stand right in front of him, she shook with fear and anxiety. She got a good look at 'poppy' and saw the man she idolized beaten to a pulp, and did the only thing she knew how to do . . . she let out a shriek, then collapsed on the floor in great, gulping sobs. It brought Ginny running, and Doralice scrambling to the far side of the bed. "I'm sorry, she snuck in past me and I couldn't catch her."
Her mother picked her up off the floor and held her not so little girl as she cried her brains out. "Wh-wh-wh-o did this to hi-hi-him?"
"We don't know, Maudie. He hasn't woken up to tell us yet."
"Doralice, Bart's eyes are open."
Doralice watched the man on the bed and murmured, "Bart." It was obvious her husband was trying to say something, and just as obvious he was in extreme pain. She shifted her daughter around in her arms and told her, "Look at your daddy, honey. He's awake and lookin' at you." Maudie tried to reach out and grab her father and Doralice pulled her hands back; if she touched him she would surely hurt him. Ginny scooped her niece up and away from the bed, while Doralice whispered gently to her husband, "Do you know who I am?"
An ever so slight nod followed. "D-d-d-d-d . . . "
"That's enough, you don't have to say it. Maudie, go get your Uncle Bret."
The child shook her head. "No. I'm not leavin' him."
"Maudie, go find Bret."
"No, momma. I ain't gonna leave daddy." Maudie had escaped from Ginny's embrace and stood defiantly at her father's bedside, refusing to move an inch out of Bart's sight.
Ginny leaned over to Doralice. "I'll go."
"No, let Maudie . . . "
"Don't be fooling yourself, Doralice. She's not gonna leave her daddy." Ginny strode out of the room, and as she reached the front door she could be heard calling for her husband. In less than five minutes Bret and Ginny were back, both of them crowding on the same side of the bed with Bart's wife and daughter. Bret looked down at Doralice. "Has he said anything? Does he know us?"
"He tried, Bret. He knows who I am, and Maudie. I don't know what else."
Doralice moved to the bed and Bret sat in the chair. Maudie dropped to her hands and knees at her father's bedside. "You gave us quite a scare, Bart. Any idea who did this to you?"
"N-n-n-n-no."
Bart tried to roll over and felt the sharp pain in his ribs. He shifted his gaze to Doralice, and she knew instinctively what he was asking her. "They're broken, handsome. Three of 'em. Simon wrapped them for the first twenty-four hours to stabilize them. And there's no sense tryin' to do much talkin', either. The jaw's broken, too." Her eyes strayed down the length of his body and watched as Maudie grasped her father's hand. Though difficult, his face managed a small smile.
"Maudie, you have to go on home now. Lily Mae will fix supper for you, but I don't want you tellin' everybody how bad your daddy's hurt. I'll be home after supper and I'll tell everybody, you hear me?"
Once again the girl shook her head. "No, I'm not leavin' daddy."
"I promise if you go home now you can come back after supper with me."
"No matter how late it is?"
"No matter how late it is."
Maudie reluctantly got to her feet and kissed her father's hand. "I love you, daddy. I'll come back after supper, momma promised me I could." Slowly and reluctantly she turned loose of her father's hand and headed for the door.
Ginny brought over a glass of water. "Bret, you better try and get some of this down him. Simon wanted him drinking as much as possible."
"Doralice, I'll hold him up and you give him some water," Bret directed as he passed the glass. "Bart, I'm gonna get behind you and pick you up. Drink as much of that as you can." Bart grimaced as Bret got him by the shoulders and raised him up high enough to swallow almost half a glass. Finished, his brother lay the injured man back down gently.
Pappy and Maude had been in Claytonville for the last three days. As soon as they got home, Tim told them what happened and all three went to Bret and Ginny's. They found Ginny in the front room with the babies. "How is he?" Pappy asked as soon as they were inside.
"Bret's in there with him now. Doralice went home about twenty minutes ago to tell her children what happened to their father. I think it'd be better if you all went in one at a time to see him."
"Go, Beauregard," Maude insisted as she settled her hand on Pappy's shoulder. "Tim will wait with me."
Pappy found his oldest son seated at the bedside of his youngest son, talking to him quietly. Bret stopped as soon as he saw Pappy and stood up, giving the chair to their father. Beauregard gauged how badly his boy had been beaten as he sat down, and it nearly broke his heart. Bart's eyes were closed, and Pappy spoke softly, "Bartley, it's your father."
"Mmmm-hmmm." Those dancing brown eyes were slow to open, and when they did Beauregard could see the pain in them.
"I'm sorry I wasn't here. Maude and me just got back from Claytonville, and we came as soon as we found out. She's waitin' to see you. Tim's out there, too." Pappy reached out and clasped Bart's hand in his. "We'll find out who did this, son. I promise you that. And we're gonna take real good care of you." Beauregard sat with his son for another few minutes, until Bart fell asleep. Then Beau stood up, bent over and kissed his boy on the forehead, the way he had when Bart was small, before turning to Bret. "You stay with him, you hear?"
Bret nodded. "I will, Pappy."