Much as I wanted to go to our hotel room, I thought I better go find June. So I went to Pete's to see if anyone was there yet, and found Constance in her office, sound asleep sitting at her desk. I hated to wake her, but we needed to talk before I went to see June. I knocked on her office door and she immediately raised her head. "I'm awake, I'm awake."
I chuckled a little. "I'd hate to find you asleep somewhere," I told her.
"Oh, Bart, I'm sorry. I thought you were – well, never mind who I thought you were. Come in. How's Bret this morning?"
"I haven't seen him since last night, Constance. I played poker all night."
"Oh. Did Rally Simmons play last night?"
I sat down. "Is it too early for coffee?"
"No, I made a pot before I fell asleep. And not last night, about an hour ago. I wanted to get the books done for the month before I went home to bed, and then I just fell asleep. Here, I'll get us some." She started to get up and I rose, too.
"Sit down, I'll get it. Behind the bar?"
"Yes, to the left side. There're cups there, too. Thanks, Bart."
I found everything and poured two cups. When I brought them back Constance looked grateful. "You never answered me about Rally."
"I just came from Rally. He's next door, at Doc's, tryin' to stay alive."
"What? I don't understand."
"Somebody tried to kill Rally by beatin' him near to death yesterday."
"WHAT? Is he going to live?"
I nodded. "Doc says so. He's got a long road ahead of him, though."
"Didn't you go through something like that?" she asked. Bret must have been 'explainin' things again.
"Yeah. Even when you get over it, you're not over it."
"Did you talk to him? Does he know who did it?"
"I did. And he does, but he's not talkin'."
"He won't tell you who's responsible? Why not?"
"Afraid, I'd imagine. He was near beat to death, Constance. He looks terrible. Probably feels worse. He won't risk whoever did it comin' back to finish the job."
"So you didn't find out anything to do with June?"
"They haven't . . . . . he hasn't . . . . . . taken advantage of her."
"He told you that?"
"Yes."
She breathed a sigh of relief. "Thank God. Now maybe she'll stay away from him."
"I don't think so, Constance. She loves him. Or she thinks she does."
"He doesn't love her, does he?"
"Not exactly."
Connie looked confused. "What does that mean?"
How to explain what Rally meant about her sister? "He cares about her. He's afraid she'll be hurt. He asked me to protect her."
"Protect her? From what?"
"Not what, who."
"Protect her from whom?"
"From whoever tried to kill him." Just as I finished telling her that, big brother walked in.
"Well, you do get around, don't you?" He continued into the office and sat down, picking up my coffee and drinking the rest of it.
"Connie, where's your house? I want to tell June what's happened." It was time for me to leave.
"Go down the street the way you came and turn left after you pass the cigar store. It's three houses back. There's a sign that says "Pete's Other Place" out front. I didn't have the heart to take it down after Dad died. Be gentle with her, Bart."
I nodded and clapped Brother Bret on the left shoulder as I reached for my coat. I'd told Connie everything I knew; she could tell Bret.
I found the house without any trouble. Kinda hard to miss the sign outside. I knocked on the door and heard running across the floor. June threw the door open and then looked totally disappointed when she saw it was only me. "Bart. I thought it was Rally. Come in."
I followed her inside. It was a nice house, cozy and comfortable. There was a bedroom off to the left, and two off to the right. "I don't have coffee, but I have tea. Do you want some?"
"No thanks, June. I just had some coffee. Honey, I need to talk to you. Can you come sit down?"
She came over, looking nervous, and sat down. I expected her to say something, like Connie had, but June just sat there and waited for me to speak.
"It's Rally, honey. He's been hurt."
"Is he dead?"
"No, June, he's not dead. But he's hurt bad."
"What happened?" She was wringing her hands, twisting her dress into knots.
"I'm not . . . . . not sure."
"WHAT HAPPENED?"
"Somebody beat him, June. They near beat him to death."
"Connie."
I shook my head. "No, June, not Connie. Connie couldn't have done this."
"Connie. It was Connie. I know it was Connie."
"This couldn't have been your sister, June. I saw Rally, I talked to him. Constance couldn't have hurt him like that."
"Yes, yes, yes. I know it was Connie. She hates Rally. She doesn't want me to have him."
One minute she was sitting in a chair at the table, the next minute she was sitting in my lap, like a little child, and sobbing into my coat. She cried her heart out and I just let her, and held her, and rocked her. I stroked her hair and crooned to her, and told her he was gonna be alright. She clung to me like her world had ended and I was the only thing she had left to hold onto.
We sat like that for a good ten minutes, June so distraught that she finally had two choices – stop crying or throw up. Fortunately, she stopped crying. She muttered something into my shoulder, but I couldn't understand what she said. I had to make her sit up and repeat herself. "I want to see him."
"I don't think that's a good idea, June."
"If you won't take me I'll go by myself."
"June – " I started, and she cut me off.
"I'm going. Either you take me or I'll go by myself."
I didn't say anything and she got up and started for one of the bedrooms. "Alright, I'll take you," I called after her.
"I'll be right back."
She was as good as her word. In less than five minutes she stood in front of me with her coat on. "Come on, let's go," she insisted, taking my hand and almost pulling me to my feet. I sighed, resigned that there was nothing else I could do right now.
We went straight to the doctor. Doc Demmers was in the front office, but he didn't look at all startled when June came through the door. "I couldn't talk her out of it," I told him, and he just shook his head.
"I'm not surprised. Alright, June, if you have to see Rally for yourself, take my hand. You can go in with me. Mr. Maverick, you better come too, just in case." He reached for her hand and took it in his, and they walked into the exam room together. I followed behind.
Rally was sleeping in the bed, turned so that you could see his face. She gasped when she first caught sight of him, then never made another sound. She sat on the chair I'd occupied earlier and started talking to him, brushing his hair back away from his face, much the way my sister Jody had brushed mine, I expect. I couldn't hear what she was saying, but it wasn't long before his eyes, swollen as they were, opened. And I swear, if it was even possible, that there was a small smile on Rally's face.
Doc got me by the elbow and led me back into the outer office. "No sense standing there listening to her. I imagine she'll be here all day. Does Constance know?"
"About Rally? Yes. About June being here? No."
"You look like you're about to drop, son. When was the last time you got any sleep? I can go tell Connie that June is here."
'Thanks, I appreciate that. I'm goin' back to the hotel right now, Doc." And I did just that. I'm sure June didn't even know I was gone.