"Oh Lucy dear, it's time to go," Rakes opened the cell door; it groaned in protest. The noise of the creaking door made Lucy's head split. She struggled to open her eyes. Her whole body was so sore that she wasn't sure if she could feel anything at all.
When she tried to push herself up, her abdomen screamed in protest. She could see the dried blood on her dress and her arms were discolored from the cigarettes, the burns turning her skin an unnatural color. Her head felt like it was filled with bricks, her ears with cotton. She could tell her lip was swollen when she parted her lips to speak, "What's going on?" she asked, barely being able to orient herself; the world slowly started to come to as she remembered the day before. Her eyes focused in the bright sunlight that streamed through the jail windows.
"We don't have all day," Rakes pressured. He entered the cell and took ahold of her upper arm. She moaned and tried to pull away, but she had no strength left. He yanked her from the bed and tried to keep her standing. "Your charges have been dropped," he said, his smirk making Lucy feel sick.
He half pulled and half dragged Lucy to the door. When he pushed it open she couldn't quite believe what was outside. There were three cops on either side of the door with guns pointed out into the dirt drive. Forrest's beat up Model A, Forrest, Howard, and Jack stood in a line, waiting for Rakes to retrieve her. Each of their faces slowly fell into shock.
"Well boys, she's just as guilty as you," he said. He stepped with her to the first stair, being sure not to leave the porch with the armed officers. "The charges have been dropped," he explained, "But this is not over…I'm sure Mrs. Bondurant can tell you all about it," he finished before his gloved hand slipped from Lucy's upper arm and he headed back inside.
Lucy had not been ready and when Rakes was no longer holding her up, in vertigo she began to fall.
"Lucy!" both Jack and Howard exclaimed as they ran to her. She'd hit the wood but not hard. Howard took her into his arms, "What did he do to you?" he asked, his breath smelling faint of alcohol. He looked back into the police door but there was an armed officer there as well.
Lucy just wanted to go to sleep. "Take me home," she begged. Howard picked her up into his arms and carried her to the car. He set her down and Forrest came around to the side. He looked at her and seeing his face made Lucy want to break down and cry. He looked her over, his hand reaching out to look at the burns on her arm and then the blood on her dress.
"Emmy…how's Emmy?" she asked, tears trickling down her face. She closed her eyes again, wanting nothing but sleep. But before she could slide down and slump into the seat Forrest pulled her up, "Don't go to sleep, Lu…" he told her. He looked at his brothers.
"She got a concussion?" Jack asked, "Cricket had one of those once…they're nasty…"
Lucy began to cry, but that only caused her more pain, "I just want to sleep… " she pleaded.
Jack climbed into the driver's seat. Forrest pulled Lucy into him, "Howard," he spoke slowly. He picked Lucy up and carried her round to the back of the truck. "We'll lay her down…uhm… she can't go to sleep…" he explained. Howard hopped up into the back. They laid the girl down, Howard resting at her head, placing her head in his lap.
Before Forrest climbed he rounded on his heel and headed up the steps to the station. One of the cops stepped forward, "Look here, Forrest, we don't want no trouble here now…we've been ordered to shoot at the first sign of…" but Forrest grabbed his throat and squeezed, "Then I'd suggest you be out of here by the time me and my brother's get back…" his face was dangerously close to the other's. His fellow officers just stood rooted. They all feared Forrest Bondurant: the man who walked 12 miles with his throat slit wide open.
Finally, Forrest let go and the man fell to the ground, gasping for breath. Forrest headed back to the truck and climbed into the bed, tapping the side to let Jack know to drive. He looked at Howard, "We'll get her home, we'll get her better…and…we will come back here and kill Mr. Rakes," he promised. Howard nodded. He held his wife as still as possible as the car shook down the dirt road. Jack was being as careful as he could not to make a fuss.
Lucy reached out and took Forrest's hand in her own. "I didn't tell him nothing…" she said, her eyes struggling to stay open. Her voice was raspy from shrieking and crying, a few discolored marks in the shape of fingerprints sat on either side of her neck.
Forrest nodded. He glanced from his brother Howard back down to Lucy, "I know."
Lucy must've blacked out somewhere after that because when she came round again it was dark outside and she was in her own bed. She was surprised to see Forrest in her room, holding Emmy and looking out the window with the sleeping baby in his arms.
Remembering how to form words Lucy spoke, "She doesn't sleep for nobody but me," her swollen lip turned into a smile, "Musta charmed her while I was gone."
Forrest looked over at her, a gas lamp sat next to the girl and it lightly illuminated her face. When she caught a look in his eye, Lucy knew it was relief.
"She was crying for a while once you left…uhm…" Forrest set the baby down in her bed, "I picked her up to see what she wanted…." Forrest shuffled to her bedside. "What did that man say to you?"
Lucy looked down at the buttons on his shirt. "I…I don't remember…" she admitted. She put her hand to her head when it hurt to remember, her fingers traced along stitches. "Doctor come by?" she asked, sniffing once.
Forrest nodded.
"Where's Howard?" she asked, curious as to why she didn't wake up next to her husband.
"With Jack, gettin' ready," Forrest explained vaguely.
"Where? For what?" Lucy pressed, bringing her hand to her nose and lip to trace her own injuries. She must look like hell.
"Cricket Pate's got a small armory I'm told," Forrest replied. Lucy understood. They were going in and she began to fear they wouldn't come back. Her eyes glistened again but she didn't want to cry anymore. "Forrest…would you lay with me?" she asked vulnerably, her eyes still at the buttons of his shirt.
Forrest didn't move for a long time. She closed her eyes and let the tears drop but then the bed shifted and Forrest in all his clothes (even his shoes) climbed in next to her. She rested her pounding head on his chest and she felt his arm drape around her waist. She felt safe. "Don't you go no where," she told him. "I know what you've gotta do…but you are going to come home to me…and you're going to bring Howard and Jack back with you…" she said, choking back the tears. "Because it'd be just like you to believe your own damn legend…" she accused, "But you have a beating heart, Forrest Bondurant, and it can be stopped just like anyone else's…"
Forrest didn't reply. He looked down at her and wiped away the tears from her cheeks carefully. He leaned down and planted a kiss on each of her visible wounds. He brought her arm up and he kissed each of the burns. Lucy cried silently, "Don't you say goodbye to me…."
Forrest leaned down and kissed her on the lips. It hurt Lucy only a little but she forgot her pain. Then Forrest climbed out of the bed as headlights illuminated up the driveway. He picked Emmy up out of her cradle and handed her to Lucy. He reached the doorway before he spoke again, "I'll never say goodbye to you, Lucy Bondurant…"