wheelsy_sheriff

[After this]

Bill's outside tossing a football in the dark, the light above the back door illuminating some of the yard around him but not all.

Fatso and Wally, the two neighbor dogs, have wandered over and fetch the ball for him each time he tosses it through the split branches growing from the trunk of the large Live Oak in the yard.

His mother left awhile ago, announcing from the backdoor that she was going to which he gave a wave and a nod and sent the ball sailing again. When he heard her car pull out he thought about heading back inside but stayed out instead.

Now he follows an almost mechanical repetition, tossing the ball, waiting for the dogs to stop fighting over it and one to bring it back, then tossing it again.

Stubbornly he tries not to think about what his mother said, and did, tonight but his mind keeps drifting back there. When his shoulder starts to tighten up his bad mood grows. He starts throwing bad passes and has to make a more concentrated effort on getting them to the tree on target.

In the end it actually helps with the not thinking thing so he let's his temper drop and is able to keep better focus on what he's doing, not what happened.

[A few hours after this]


"Every eight hours, Bill. An' be sure you eat a little somethin' with 'em or they'll make you sick." June Pardy instructs her son who's sitting on the couch in the living room waiting for her to go.

"All right, mom." He nods, propped against a couple of pillows.

Night has already fallen and June has been busying herself around Bill's house straightening things, taking care of neglected dishes and some laundry, changing out the bed linens and making dinner; insisting that she can do it this once before Kate takes over all the duties.

There is now satisfactory food in the house and it's been cleaned up a bit, though not as much as June would have liked. Kate and Bill spent a lot of time trying to stop her but it was mostly her running out of energy rather then their words that finally settled her down.

Heading out for the night she gives last instructions, even though she's already gone over them all with Kate.

"The pain killers you can take when you start to hurtin' but those gotta be every four. Stay off your feet, no sudden movements, change them bandages when they get dirty an' if your stitches start seeping bad--"

"Call the doctor. I know, mom. I can handle it." Bill interrupts, edging on exasperated.

"No, but that's why you got Kate here." June shakes her head at him then looks to Kate. "Keep him out of the kitchen or he's like to get at the junk food. Anything happens, or you have to leave, call me, numbers by the phone."