Lucy silently thanked God for the storm that hit Franklin County, Virginia late that evening. It was as if God himself was trying to keep her boys safe.
The road at the end of their drive had flooded; the mud was thick and unforgiving.
Lightning lit up the black sky and thunder worked relentlessly to remind of its existence.
The Model A, full of Pate's weapons sat under an awning as the skies emptied onto The County Line.
Lucy was still sore and had barely left her bed. Thankfully, her little girl was sleeping right through God's vengeance. She climbed out of bed, wincing as she was reminded her of her injuries. But she pressed on, slipped on her house shoes and shuffled from the room with her gas lamp. God had also seen fit to take the electricity as well.
Downstairs was well lit by candles and lamps. Jack was at a table, carving his pig stick into a block of wood. Howard was at the bar, his hand around a glass. It took her a minute to find Forrest: he was at the screen door, looking out into the muddy lot, the rain, with a cigarette burning untouched between his fingers.
"Cy…" Howard took notice of her first. He stood, "You shouldn't be out of bed…" he said uncertainty, "Go back upstairs…" he stood in front of her.
"I can't, Howard…" she said. "I cant' stay in that bed one more minute…"she shuffled to the table that Jack sat at and focused on seating herself with the least amount of resistance. She set her gas lamp aside. "I'm alright…so no fussing," she told the room. Jack smiled at her, "Sure is good to see you up and about again, Lucy," he said, carving away.
"Thanks Jack," she said, trying to get comfortable. "You just goin' to stand there Howard, or are you going to pour your wife a drink?" she smiled at him in the darkness. He shuffled about and a moment later she had a drink.
Lucy, Jack, and Howard were all seated at the table now, making small talk. Each of them avoided the elephant in the room; they had no need to talk about Rakes or the vengeance they planned on extracting on Lucy's behalf.
"Forrest, come sit down…" Lucy couldn't stand it any longer. He could not will the rain away: he would just have to wait patiently like the rest of them. "You're making me anxious…" she admitted.
"Just waiting for the lighntin' to stay…" Forrest replied, not even looking at them to answer.
"Then what? You plan on swimming today?" Lucy asked sarcastically. The man could not be serious. He couldn't get anything done in that weather- it would wash him down the road.
But his lack of answer only confirmed what Lucy had hoped he was not thickheaded enough to do.
"Forrest, you come in here and sit down. There's nothing you can do yet…you'll drown out there…" Lucy eyed the bucket that caught water from the leaking roof.
Forrest was a statute.
Both Howard & Jack knew there was no use in talking to Forrest- he'd made up his mind. "C'mon Cy…just go on back up to Em…" Howard pressured. He reached out to touch the top of her hand. She drew back, "Don't you be telling me what to do, Howard Bondurant," she snapped.
Jack stopped carving, "You alright, Lucy?" he asked sweetly. She had the boys' attention.
"No. I'm not alright, Jack," she rounded on him, "I know what that bastard did to me, I was there…" Lucy started, "But if you all run out there half cocked in the middle of the worst flood Franklin County's seen in years, you're going to get yourselves killed…" she hissed, feeling a throbbing in her head starting up again.
"We ain't goin' no where yet…" Howard tried to appease her.
"Maybe you aren't but you know your brother…you'd let him walk right out that door in all his stubborn Bondurant glory because you're not willing to say a damn thing," she accused. "You all ain't immortal! Sorry to break it to you- but if anything happens to any of you, you ain't just going out in some blaze of glory, you're leaving your family behind…" tears welled in her eyes. Her chest caused her pain and her head would not let her forget what happened.
"We ain't cowards," Forrest spoke slowly.
"But you're damn fool," Lucy hissed.
"Cy…" Howard began sternly as she started spinning out of control.
"You're right," Lucy said. "It was a mistake to come down here…" she pushed herself up, shaking, "Who knows…if I stay down here too long I may lose all my wits too…" she marched back to the stairs. She'd forgotten her lamp on the table but she pressed on, feeling along the wall up the stairs back to her bedroom. Lucy closed the door behind her. She shuffled along until she found Emmy's cradle. She kneeled down next to her, checked her blanket and began to cry.
It took her a long time to stop crying and reach the point to stand. Using the cradle and the wall as support she stood up: her head spun. She rested her forehead against the cool windowpane and regained balance.
Opening her eyes, Lucy looked down into the lot. There, she saw a figure rooting around the Model A, lit by a gas lamp. Studying closer, she found it was Forrest. He seemed to pocket a thing or two; he turned out the lamp but he headed in the opposite direction of The County Line. The lightning had stopped.
"Oh no you don't," she muttered. Mustering up all her strength, Lucy made haste for the door. She slipped right passed Howard and Jack without a word, ignoring their words to her. She pushed the door open and walked into the rain. "Forrest Bondurant!" she yelled over the rain. She'd gotten half way into the drive, already soaked to the bone.
He stopped just at the mouth of the lot. He turned around to look at her, "Go back inside, Lu!" he called back to her.
Lucy took another step forward, "Not until you come with me!" she responded stubbornly, "You ain't doing this to me! I will not pull your body from the ditch tomorrow, so help me!"
Forrest's hand twitched. He realized the stale mate created. "He deserves death," he drawled.
"He'll be just as dead in a couple days as he would be now," Lucy reasoned, "Come back inside, Forrest."
Forrest looked at her. He really looked at her. Lucy could feel him. He was doing it all for her. It was stupid, but it was for her. "He hurt you."
"He's not the first one," Lucy replied, "But I'm alright, Forrest, you know I am…"
Forrest walked towards her. Lucy's heart was beating so fast she was sure he could see it. But he stopped a foot in front of her, "I know."
"Come back inside with me, Forrest," she begged, both of them drenched through, rain dripping down their faces, their feet lost in the running mud.
When Forrest grabbed her head with his hands and kissed her hard and true, Lucy forgot about every injury, about the husband that was just inside, about everything. She kissed him back, adrenaline pumping through her body. Every forbidden feeling poured out, let free into the rain.
When they broke apart, Lucy felt like a new woman. She motioned her head towards the restaurant and turned around.
Howard stood in the doorway, watching them with hurt eyes, a gas lamp held at his front. It was dark enough but there was no question as to what happened.
"Best get inside," Forrest led her forward, a gently hand on her back. Lucy's heart raced- each step brought her closer to the husband she had just betrayed. When they reached the covered porch, Howard had already disappeared. Opening the door she saw his large form and a full bottle of whiskey disappear up the stairs. "Howard," she called after him.
She slowly began to realize the pain her body was in, and the entirety of what she'd done. Jack averted his eyes to the ground. She looked at Forrest, lost again. He gave her no answer but she already knew what she had to do. She headed up the stairs, leaving a trail of water in her wake. When she reached their bedroom, the door was shut and locked. She knocked twice. "Howard…" she tried again.
No answer.
Emmy began to cry.
She knocked again, "Howard….open the door…" she asked submissively, "Let me take care of her…I….I'll leave you be…"
No answer. Just Emmy's cries.