10

Sally rolled over to face Jake and Alex after her small coughing fit. Her eyes finally fluttered open all the way and she parted her lips slightly, trying to talk again.

"Hey Sally. Here, you wanna try to sip some water from a straw," Alex asked as she retrieved the plastic cup from the table and held the straw close to Sally's injured lips. Sally gingerly put the straw in the corner of her mouth and managed to swallow a small sip before she winced in pain.

"Why… does… everythin' hurt," she gasped out.

"You were hurt pretty badly. Dr. Benson decided to keep you asleep for a little while to help you heal. Just relax. Don't try to move, okay," Alex told the girl softly. She held the cup and straw as Sally took another small sip. She grimaced but her body didn't flinch this time.

"Why…" Sally asked after she finished swallowing. After a few moments when she didn't elaborate further, Alex gently urged her on.

"Why what, darlin'," Alex asked. She put the cup down and took Sally's hand in both of hers.

"Why… do ya… keep callin' me that," Sally slowly breathed out. Several tears slipped out of her swollen eyes and down onto her pillow.

"What? Darlin'? I don't know… it just came out when I was really worried about ya. I'll stop. I'm sorry, Sally. I didn't mean to upset you," Alex said. She tried really hard not to show how hurt she was by Sally's question.

"It's okay… just don't anymore… it's not good…" Sally struggled to get out.

"Okay, Sally. I won't, I promise. I'm really sorry," Alex said. She went to gently stroke Sally's hair, but Sally cringed when Alex's fingers got caught in a tangle. Alex instantly pulled her hand away, flustered. She started to pull her other hand out of Sally's, but Sally squeezed her hand as tight as she could to hold her there.

"It's not you… it's him," Sally whispered to her.

Alex instantly understood what Sally was talking about - that fuck had probably called her darlin' or something and now she didn't want to be called that. She squeezed Sally's hand back.

"I get it, Sally, don't worry," Alex whispered back to her.

Alex helped Sally take a few more sips of water and then Dr. Benson came in to check on things. He ushered everyone out of the room except Nurse Cindy who had accompanied him. Sally asked for Alex to stay, so Jake and Zach excused themselves and wandered out to the hall.

"That balm that Hobbs insisted on using has really worked wonders. I had my doubts, but I'm glad he insisted. We'll keep you on the antibiotics for the full ten days, just to make sure there's no infection," Dr. Benson said. He was intentionally being vague about the nature and cause of her injuries.

"So, Sally, can you tell me the last thing you remember," Dr. Benson asked after completing his minimal physical evaluation of Sally.

Sally furrowed her brow while she tried to think back. "I'm not sure… pieces of things… a baby… horses… a wedding dress… frogs… something about a frog with a broken wing," Sally said, clearly confused. She cleared her throat and Alex gave her some more water.

"Good," Dr. Benson said. "What about before that? Can you remember anything before that?

"Blood… lot's of blood. Kara. I killed her because she was going to kill Alex…" Sally said, her voice wandering off at the end of the sentence. She was quiet for a moment before she continued. "Then I stuck the knife in my leg… thought I couldn't feel anything… then there was more blood… I don't remember after that," she said.

"Do you remember how you got the other injuries you have," Dr. Benson followed up.

Sally was quiet for a minute before she looked him dead in the eye and replied shortly, "Yes."

"Do you still feel the urge to hurt yourself, Sally? You need to be honest with us, we are just trying to help you get better," he said.

Sally looked up at Alex before she looked back at the doctor. "No… I don't know why I did that… I thought I heard his voice telling me horrible things… I don't know," Sally told them. "I don't feel like it right now, though."

"That's good, Sally. Do you think you can talk about what happened? I don't mean right this second, but you should talk about it. Tell someone about it just to get it outside of you. It's important, in the world we now find ourselves in, to remember that you aren't alone here. We are all helping each other to do more than just survive here. Anyone can listen. They don't have to understand to listen, right," the doctor asked her. Sally just stared at him. "Well, you think about it. I'll talk to you about it again later."

"So she can come home then," Alex asked.

"Well, I really think it would be good for her to stay here another day. Another solid day of healing while we reintroduce you to solid food, what do you think," Dr. Benson asked her. Sally just shrugged one shoulder.

"With the other two patients, it would be easier for me to keep an eye on how you're doing if you stay here. But it won't matter if you're just going to sneak out again, so it's really up to you, Sally," the doctor continued.

Sally shrugged again but followed it with a gruff, "I'll stay… hurts too much ta move."

"Excellent," Dr. Benson said with a smile. "Let's see about sitting you up a little against the pillows, alright?" Nurse Cindy moved in with her ever present smile and helped the doctor adjust Sally into a slightly more upright position. "How's that feel? Too much pressure on your chest," he asked. Sally shook her head no.

"Good. We'll sit you up a bit more in a few minutes if you feel up to it. Keep taking small sips of water; there's some ice if you'd prefer. Any questions for me," he asked, looking to Alex when Sally didn't respond.

"Not right now, doctor. Thank you," Alex said.

"Well, I'll leave you to it then," he said as he exited the room.

Alex helped Sally with the ice chunks and a few sips of water. When several minutes had passed and Zach and Jake had still not returned, Sally asked Alex a question that had been bugging her.

"Do you know what that stuff about the frog with the broken wing was," Sally asked suddenly.

Alex let out an involuntary laugh. "I think you have to ask Zach about that one. He was telling you some story about a frog and a bird and a horse, I think," she said with a laugh. "I don't remember exactly how it went. He's around here somewhere, he can explain it to you."

Sally smiled. "I thought it was a weird dream about a deformed frog. There's a fuzzy picture in my head," Sally said. She was quiet for a few minutes. "Wait, what about the wedding dress and baby? That wasn't Zach's story was it," she asked.

Alex shook her head. "No, that was my story. But it wasn't really a story. Me and Jake made promises to each other to take care of and protect each other until we die… you know, like marriage vows," Alex explained slowly.

"You guys got married," Sally asked, looking confused.

"Well, what I told you was that we got married, just not like you think with a white dress and a minister and rings and stuff. We just made those promises to each other, no one else was there. It was perfect," Alex said.

"Oh... You can do that and it counts," Sally asked slowly, clearly still confused.

Alex explained to her about the system of law being out of commission and how they needed to make new laws, have new ways of doing things that were appropriate for the world they now lived in. As Sally began to understand, she slowly nodded her head.

"I think I get it… it's like how we can break into people's houses and take everything we want because the people that lived there are probably dead," Sally said.

Alex nodded. "Exactly. Everyone that made and enforced the rules of the old world are dead and gone. Or at least, nowhere near here. We're on our own and we have to do what works for us and our group."

Sally got a panicked look on her face. "Are you having a baby too," she whispered with concern. The smile on Alex's face disappeared. She shook her head.

"What? Oh my god, no! Not me… geez. We found some other survivors out there… a couple, Scott and Christine. They had a baby boy a couple of weeks before they had to run. They were on the road for a couple of months, they said," Alex told Sally a sterilized version of the truth.

Sally looked relieved. "Good. I mean, cool. I'm glad it's not you," Sally whispered. Her voice was starting to sound raspy again. Alex helped her with more water as Jake and Zach knocked and entered the room.

"Talked ta Dr. Benson. Said she's stayin' another night. Ya feelin' okay, Sal," Jake asked as he approached the bed.

Sally nodded. "Okay… just hurts ta move… easier ta stay. Promise I'll stay this time," Sally ground out. Sally leaned her head back on the pillows and closed her eyes. "I could sleep for a week and still be tired. I ain't goin' anywhere," she said to no one in particular.

"Cindy is bringin' ya some chicken broth, special from Betty and Norma. Doctor said ya gotta eat somethin' 'fore ya can go back ta sleep," Jake grinned at her.

"Well, she better get here soon or it'll be too late," Sally said slowly.

As if on cue, Cindy appeared in the doorway with a loaded tray. "Hi guys. I've brought some treats for our patient," she said as she set the tray on the table. "There's some chicken broth for you to start with," she said looking at Sally. "And some Jello for dessert. You don't have to eat it all, but the doctor said he'd like to see you eat at least half of the broth. You can take your time. Let's get you a little more upright," she said. Cindy then helped Sally into a full sitting position while Alex adjusted her pillows.

"That's better. Need anything else, hon," Cindy asked the girl. Sally shook her head. "Just let me know if you do," she said cheerily on her way out the door.

"That girl always looks like she ate a fucking rainbow," Alex grumbled after Cindy was out of the room. "That smile of hers just grates on my nerves," she said as she picked up the broth and spoon.

"Least you can leave… I'm stuck with her," Sally said as she opened her mouth for the broth. "Whole lotta things out there worse to look at than her smile," Sally said after swallowing.

Alex took a deep breath. "You're right, Sally. I shouldn't complain about something as nice as a smile in this shit world," she told her honestly.

Alex continued to spoon feed Sally the broth and before long she'd finished the entire bowl. Sally's eyelids were sagging; she was full and now it was time for her to sleep.

"We're gonna let ya sleep now, Sal," Alex said. "You need anything before we go?"

"Will you stay here with me tonight," Sally asked her sleepily.

"Sure. I can stay, but we have to go meet with the council first. We have a number of things to figure out. It could be a couple hours," Alex said, looking at Jake. Jake nodded. "But I'll come back here after. I'll be here when you wake up."

"I'll go see about getting another bed set up," Jake said as he headed for the door.

"I'll help," Zach said. "I'm glad you're awake, Sally," he said to her as he stood next to her bed. He squeezed her hand.

"Will you come back tomorrow and tell me about the frog with the broken wing," Sally asked him.

Zach grinned broadly. "Sure! I'll come back and tell you all about him," Zach said. "What time?"

Sally managed a small smile. "Whenever. I'm not going anywhere," she said.

"Alrighty," he said. "And I'll see if I can smuggle you in a piece of Norma's pie," he whispered conspiratorially. He gave Sally a wink and followed Jake out of the room.

"Sorry I can't just stay now," Alex told her as she placed everything back on the tray. "A lot of things have come up since you and I got back and I still have a duty to the council," she said.

"It's okay. You promise you'll be here when I wake up," Sally asked her as she began drifting off.

"I promise. I'll be right here," Alex told her.

Sally drifted off to sleep and Jake and Zach returned shortly thereafter with a twin bed frame. They made quick work of setting it up and then brought in the mattress and got the bed set up for Alex. Nurse Cindy dropped off a set of sheets and a blanket for her and removed the food tray. Alex let Cindy know that she was going to a council meeting and return as soon as she could. Cindy said she would keep an eye on Sally while she was gone and then Jake, Alex and Zach headed to the barn.

"Well, so much for us finally getting to spend a night together," Alex said as they approached the barn.

"Umm hmm," Jake hummed. "'S only one more night, hopefully," he said. "'Sides, it's more important fer Sal ta feel safe."

"True," Alex said as they walked up to the architect's table where Tim, Ellie, Leon and Doc were combing over several maps of the area. Zach peeled off to head back to his trailer.

"Hey guys," Tim said as they walked up. "We were just going over the maps, talking to Leon about ideas for bulking up our defenses."

"Come up with anythin'," Jake asked.

"A few things. We've already got pits dug in areas that were high traffic with the dead, but we were thinkin' that we could dig more pits around the perimeter. Some areas there's just too much granite in the ground and it won't work, but we can camouflage the pits and add stakes, angled just right to impale anyone that falls into it. Leon also suggested more barricades on the roads in the area," Tim said.

"'S alotta work, but good ideas," Jake said. "Ya know, I was thinkin' 'bout somethin' that Scott said when he was tellin' us 'bout gettin' ambushed near tha old air force base… said he shoulda known somethin' was wrong cuz there weren't any dead around. We cleared 'em all out… haven't seen many 'round here since winter. Could be a pretty clear sign ta others that there's survivors in tha area… a lot of 'em," Jake said.

The group was quiet for a few minutes while they considered the implications of Jake's statement.

"We never even considered that when we decided to clear everythin' out," Tim said. "We were just worried about the dead tearin' down the fences and keepin' this place secure. Makes sense though, that it would be a give away that there's other survivors around."

"When Sally and I were out there we ran into trouble the first night. But the whole way there we saw fewer than five dead… then we found the big herd of them in the pens and all of the stuff in the shed. Someone was rounding them up, 'working them with the skins' as the Indians used to say. I don't know how they figured it out, but it's pretty fucking genius," Alex said.

"Genius, sure," Doc said, "but why?"

"Probably for what we used them for," Alex said. "To attack an unsuspecting camp."

"Well, we don't need them for that," Doc said.

"Maybe not now, but we might have a use for something like that in the future," Alex said.

"So we're attacking people now," Doc asked pointedly.

"If they're like those two groups we came across, then yes, yes we are," Alex stated with authority.

"Alright, so there could be a logical reason for gatherin' them," Tim said, "but it's goin' to be a logistical issue to actually gather them. We've cleared everythin' out in a five mile radius. We'd have to put ourselves in a pretty vulnerable position, just to bring the damn things back that we worked so hard to get rid of in the first place," Tim said with frustration.

"I don' think we gotta make a decision right now," Jake said. "We should talk ta Scott, see what he thinks. He'll have a good idea of what's out there past tha five mile mark, at least ta tha northwest. We got any other ideas about defense," Jake asked the group.

"I was thinkin' we could increase the number of people we have on each shift for perimeter watch. We should also continue with the scoutin' patrols, though I'm not sure how to make them any safer," Tim suggested.

"Just an idea about "collecting the dead" so to speak," Alex said, "and then I'll leave it alone. If the purpose of bringing them back here is to make it look like there isn't anyone around, couldn't we just reinforce some fences along the road and stage a few of them along the roads, so it looks like they're still roaming around freely," she asked the group. "I mean, if people are really looking for a place to stay, they'll figure out eventually that all the ranches around here have been cleared out - of both the dead and their belongings - and they'll come lookin' for us, either to join us or to take what's ours."

"That's true," Leon said. "If it's just about creating the illusion, staging them behind reinforced fences in fields along the road will work. If we really want to use them as an active defense, then larger packs of them should be housed somehow in several different locations. We don't want to have so many in one spot that they tear down whatever structure has been built to keep them in," he added.

"What about the trailers for semi trucks," Alex said. Everyone looked at her like she was crazy. "For the dead? If we could somehow get them inside the trailer, we could just move them that way… hell, we could just store them in the trailer. It's not like they need air."

"We just load them up and drive them wherever we want," Leon echoed. "That's a great idea. It cuts down on the risk from having to herd them like you and Sally did and we can move them over long distances easier. But it's good to know that we can fool them by smell. That might actually be useful information."

"How so," Doc asked him.

"Well, if we had them around our perimeter, if we could somehow 'neuter' them, so to speak, we could disguise the human scent of the camp, keeping others from wandering this way," Leon explained.

"But we don't have enough dead around here to worry about that," Doc argued.

"Not now, but we could at some point," Leon said. "All I'm sayin' is it's information that could come in handy some day."

"How would you neuter them," Alex asked.

"I'm not sure… if we had a few around I could test a few theories," Leon said with a grin.

"Again, I ask why," Doc repeated.

"Why," Alex asked him. "Because, like any enemy, the more weaknesses we know about the more we can take advantage of them, to our benefit. If we can somehow figure out how to keep them from biting or scratching, essentially remove the threat, there might be some sort of way to use that in our favor against the assholes out there."

"I can't really argue with that. We really should know as much about the dead as possible. Leon is right, there could be something that we've overlooked. It doesn't hurt to look into every option," Tim said.

"I agree," Alex said. "Leon, you want to join me in doing a little research project," Alex asked.

"Sure. We should be able to wrangle a couple of them between the two of us," Leon replied.

"So the two of you are just going to cut on people to figure out their weaknesses," Doc asked, clearly appalled at the discussion.

"They ain't people anymore, Doc. They're fucking dead," Alex retorted. "Me and Leon are gonna conduct an experiment, plain and simple. Ain't no fuckin' different than rats."

"No different than rats!" Doc exclaimed. "They're human beings, Alex. They have families and stories," he tried to explain.

Alex rolled her eyes and exhaled loudly. "Really, Doc? After everything you've seen you still believe that their dead families and stories matter now," Alex asked him in disbelief.

"They always matter," Doc said. "You're just too young to understand."

"You don't get to fuckin' dismiss me because of my age. That's not even part of the fuckin' equation," Alex said forcefully. "We have questions that need to be answered, plain and simple. There's an easy way to get those answers. You're wasting your breath, Doc. This is happening," Alex finished cooly.

Before Doc could reply, Tim interjected. "Alex is right, Doc. We need answers and there's only one way I see to get them. In the grand scheme of our continued survival, I don't see how their stories or dead families matter either," Tim said calmly.

Doc looked around the circle and failed to find a sympathetic face in the bunch.

"Sorry, Doc,"Jake said. "Yer outnumbered this time. We gotta figure some shit out. If others out there have already figured this shit out, we gotta know what we're dealin' with. Don't wanna be surprised."

"Fine," Doc said, throwing his hands up in resignation. "But I don't want any part of it."

"We weren't askin' for your help," Alex said.

Doc gave one last look around the group before wandering off to the barn.

"Okay, so if that's settled, can we move on to plannin' for tomorrow? Did you guys talk to Betty and Norma," Alex asked Tim and Ellie.

"We did," Ellie replied. "Of course they said it was no problem… already had a menu figured out before we finished our conversation," she said with a laugh. "They're like Keebler elves, I swear to god."

"Excellent," Alex said. "So the service will be at sunset. Are we going to have food before or after," she asked.

"Well, before would be better I think," Ellie said. "Maybe dessert and drinks afterwards? My only issue is where to have it. If we want it to be more celebratory I think it needs to be somewhere other than where we eat every meal, every day," she said.

The group nodded in agreement.

"What if we have it at the house," Alex asked. "We can easily accommodate everyone if we move some furniture around, plus it won't be everyone, since we still have to have guard duty. Did you ask for volunteers," she asked Tim.

"Didn't have to," Tim replied. "Had an entire shift volunteer before lunch was over."

"That's awesome," Alex said. "So, about using the house. We're gonna need a couple of people to help with a little clean up and moving furniture around. It shouldn't take long."

"Alright. We'll get a couple of people to come help out first thing in the morning," Tim said.

"I'll head right back to the house as soon as Sally is awake and settled for the morning. I'll help out with the house and then take care of Zach's chores," Alex said.

"Sounds good," Tim said. "Anythin' else for tonight, cuz I'm beat," he asked the group. Jake nodded.

"One more thang jus' occurred ta me," Jake said. "Sorry, Tim. I was jus' wonderin' if we wanna give Scott's group a chance ta say somethin' 'bout their dead. They ain't got nothin' ta bury, but maybe it'd be nice ta give 'em a chance ta say goodbye," he said.

"That's a good idea, Jake. You want to run that by Scott," Tim asked.

"Sure. I'll ask him 'bout that an' comin' ta talk ta tha council 'bout defenses," Jake said.

"Alright, on that note, I'll see ya'll bright an' early," Tim said before heading into the barn to wrap things up for the day. Ellie headed to her trailer while Alex and Jake headed to the house so Alex could grab a few things to sleep at the clinic.

It didn't take her long to gather pajamas, a change of clothes and her toothbrush. She also pawed through her bookshelf to find a book to read. Alex pulled a dog-eared copy of Little Women from the shelf. Jake watched her stick it into her bag.

"What," she asked him when she noticed the smirk on his face.

"Nothin'," he replied. "Jus' struck me as funny havin' time ta read," Jake said seriously. "Only thang I read these days is a map."

"I love this book. I love how Jo finally leaves to follow her dreams only to be pulled back by her family. The rich boy we think she's supposed to be with is just that, a boy that can't help her fulfill her dreams. And then she meets the poor professor that has nothing to give her but his love and support and she realizes that's all she ever really needed," Alex explained to him. She threw her bag over her shoulder and gave Jake a quick peck on the cheek as she made her way out of their room.

"What was that fer," Jake asked her as he followed her down the hall.

"That's for bein' my love an' support," she said quietly. "Like Jo, I didn't know how badly I needed it until I had it."

Jake grabbed Alex's hand and pulled her to him, pushing the bag from her shoulder and pulling her body flush with his. He wrapped his arms around her waist and Alex snaked hers around his neck. "You'll always have that," Jake said. He leaned in and kissed her; Alex tried to prolong the kiss but Jake pulled away, still holding her close. "Nuh uh, gotta get ya back ta tha clinic," he said with a smile. He released her, Alex picked up her bag and they continued down the stairs.

"So I'm yer poor professor, eh," Jake said with a laugh.

"Well, you didteach me everything I know," she said with an impish grin.

"Hush now girl, yer gonna make me blush," Jake teased.

§

After walking Alex back to the clinic and helping her make the bed, Jake laid with her while Alex read Little Women aloud. It was getting late and the long day day was finally catching up with Alex. When she yawned mid-sentence, Jake gently took the book out of her hands.

"Think it's bedtime fer ya," he said. Jake got up from the bed and helped Alex get under the covers before he sat on the edge of the bed. "I'm gonna go check in on yer pa, make sure they're doin' okay before I go check tha barn, make sure everyone got settled in alright," he told her.

"Okay. You try to get some sleep," Alex told him. Jake leaned in and kissed her goodnight.

"Ya too. I'll probably come back with Zach in tha mornin' an' see how she's doin'. Love ya," he said after one more kiss. Jake stood and headed for the door.

"Love you too," Alex replied.

Jake turned the light off and closed the door behind him. The clinic was quiet, but Jake knew where to find Dr. Benson. He knocked lightly on his office door, which used to be the den, and entered when the doctor invited him in.

"Alex and Sally are all settled in fer tha night," Jake said. "I jus' wanted ta check with ya an' see if there's an update on Joey."

"Nothing's changed. He's eating well, so that's a good sign. The couple of labs we've gotten back haven't helped do anything other than rule out what it isn't. The new lab guys said they should have a number of test results tomorrow, so it's still just a waiting game. We were hoping for some formula to supplement poor Christine, but the cans we had on hand were expired already and I didn't want to risk it. We're just going to try to get as many calories into her as we can each day and hope that it will be enough for little Joey," the doctor explained.

Jake nodded. "You want us to go out and look fer more," he asked.

"No reason to worry about it. Formula has a pretty short shelf life. It's likely that there won't be anything out there that is still within the 'use by' date," he said. "But I appreciate the offer. I just looked in on them a few minutes ago. I'm sure they're still awake if you want to pop in and check on them."

"I'd like ta do that. Just wanna make sure they got everythin' they need," Jake said. He said goodbye to the doctor and made his way to Scott and Christine's room. He knocked lightly, not wanting to wake them if they were already asleep. There was a soft, "Come in," and Jake slipped quietly into the dimly lit room.

"Hi Jake," Scott said. "Everything okay," he asked. Christine was settled into a bed holding Joey cradled in her arms. They were both hooked up to IV's and the heart monitor on Joey was quietly beeping a steady rhythm. Scott sat in a chair next to the bed.

"Everythin's fine. Jus' got Alex tucked in - Sally asked her ta stay with her tonight - an' thought I would come an' make sure ya got everythin' ya need before I head out," Jake said.

Scott smiled at him. "We're good, but thank you for checking, Jake. It means a lot to me," he said. "How's Sally doing," Scott asked.

"She's doin' okay, I guess… she woke up an' ate somethin'. Her outside wounds are healin' pretty fast, ribs are gonna take a while though. An' whatever he did ta her really fucked her up in tha head…" Jake said.

"She's what, eleven now," Scott asked.

"Jus' turned twelve in January," Jake answered.

"That's a shame… she's so young… such trauma," Scott said.

Jake nodded. "Yeah…"

"Well, son, all you can do now is be there for her any way you can. It's a shame about her parents. I always enjoyed dinner parties at the Johnson's," Scott said. "You and Alex have had her this whole time," he asked.

"Mmmhmm. Been with us ever since Alex found her an' her brother out there… kid didn't make it an hour after we got 'im back. Guess it's a good thang Alex found them when she did, otherwise she probably wouldn't have made it at all," Jake said.

"She's lucky to have you two. It's clear you both care about her a great deal," Scott said.

"Al showed up in time fer her, she showed up in time fer us… we've all helped each other," Jake said. Scott nodded. "Well, if ya don't need nothin', there's jus' a couple thangs before I get outta here," Jake said.

"Of course. What is it," Scott said.

"Well, we, the council, we're reevaluatin' our human defenses and we wanted ta ask ya if ya got anythin' ta contribute ta tha conversation… also, there's a seat on tha council with yer name on it, if ya want it," Jake said quickly.

"Don't know about taking a seat on the council right now. My priority is right here in this room," Scott said, looking over to Christine and Joey. "But I'd be happy to talk defense strategy. Sometime in the next few days work for you," Scott asked.

"Sure," Jake said. "Whatever works fer ya. We'll be around. Thanks," Jake said.

"And the other thing," Scott asked him.

"Oh, yeah. We're havin' a service fer Billy tomorrow at sunset, with a nice dinner beforehand at tha house an' then dessert an' drinks after. We were wonderin' if ya, yer group, wanna say somethin' 'bout tha people ya jus' lost. I know it ain't much, but it's somethin'," Jake offered.

"That's real nice of you guys to think of and include us in, Jake. I'm sure there will be some people that would like to say something. And I'd like to say something on Billy's behalf as well," Scott said. "I'll talk to Hernandez in the morning and have him spread the word to the rest of our people. Do you need us to do anything else in preparation," he asked.

"I don't think so. Betty an' Norma have all tha food prep taken care of an' we got people helping get tha house ready, so all ya gotta do is show up," Jake said.

"Well, I will come by for the service at least. Christine and Joey have to stay here, so I can't leave them for very long, but I'll be there," Scott said.

"Alrigh'. Well, I'll let ya getcher rest now. See ya tomorrow," Jake said. The two men shook hands before Jake left and closed the door behind him. He walked back to the house in the dark for what he hoped would be his last night sleeping alone.