BooksBarbecue
Back Come Again No More
Chapters (55)
  1. Cover
  2. Back Cover
  3. Title Page
  4. Contents
  5. PART I 
  6. 1.
  7. 2.
  8. 3.
  9. 4.
  10. 5.
  11. 6.
  12. 7.
  13. 8.
  14. 9.
  15. 10.
  16. 11.
  17. 12.
  18. PART II 
  19. 13.
  20. 14.
  21. 15.
  22. 16.
  23. 17.
  24. 18.
  25. 19.
  26. 20.
  27. 21.
  28. 22.
  29. 23.
  30. 24.
  31. 25.
  32. 26.
  33. 27.
  34. 28.
  35. 29.
  36. 30.
  37. PART III 
  38. 31.
  39. 32.
  40. 33.
  41. 34.
  42. 35.
  43. 36.
  44. 37.
  45. 38.
  46. 39.
  47. PART IV 
  48. 40.
  49. 41.
  50. 42.
  51. 43.
  52. 44.
  53. 45.
  54. AUTHOR’S NOTE
  55. Touchstone Reading Group Guide

She spat in his face. There was an instant of disbelief, then the rage turned to thunder, his right fist drew back like a piston, the row of broken knuckles poised to strike. She heard someone moan in pain. A baby’s cry. Laughter down the hall. Hurried steps. So much suspended in that moment, as they both waited to see what would happen.

There was a swift ripple of shoulder muscle as he drove the fist into the palm of his left hand, the sound like the crack of a whip. She lay trembling with fear, refusing to waver, staring him down, daring him to do his damnedest.

“Go ahead, you sonofabitch. Do it! Do it! Hit me! Hit me! Hit me and go straight to hell!”

They were motionless, their faces six inches apart. Emaline sitting halfway up in bed despite the pain. Jake bent over her, his fists still cocked. She saw movement behind him. A nurse had heard the commotion and summoned three big orderlies, wide men accustomed to moving what needed to be moved. They eased up behind, but Jake heard them coming and whirled to face them, weight shifting to the balls of his feet, fists up. “Come on, you sons of bitches. You want to dance, let’s dance.”

The orderlies sized him up in an instant and backed away. Jake turned to face Emaline again, so angry the tendons in his neck bulged.

“You’ve got to be the damnedest woman I ever knew.”

He picked up his hat. The orderlies fell out of his way, and he stalked between them. She heard his boot heels echoing down the hall. He was gone.

Emaline sank back into her pillow, and the nurse rushed to see if she was all right. Her name was Elizabeth, but they called her Beth. She was an older woman who had been kind when Velma was dying. Emaline held on to Beth’s shoulders and wept until she was empty and dry. Doc Baker gave her a sedative and she fell into a long sleep. She woke deep in the night and felt the sorrow wrapped around her belly like the tentacle of a jungle plant, tight and unrelenting. She tried to weep but the sedative took hold again and she dropped over the dark edge of a cavern, into a dreamless sleep.