She was in the living room, just finishing reading an article in an old LIFE magazine about Jimmy Stewart’s experience in the Army, when there came a loud banging from upstairs. She tossed the magazine onto the table and jumped up. “What is it? What’s wrong?” she called, as she ran upstairs.

“Can I get that whiskey?” JJ called. “It should be in the cabinet in the dining room.”

She stopped, turned around, and stomped down the stairs, found the bourbon and poured an inch of it into a tumbler, then went into the kitchen and filled the rest of the glass with water. Then she marched back up the stairs.

“You really had me worried, you know?” she told him when she went in. “All that banging and carrying on.”

He shrugged. “I got strict orders from my nurse not to get out of bed.”

She handed him the drink. “Well, perhaps we’ll have to get you a bell,” she said.

“Wanna play cards or something?”

She shrugged. “All right.”

She pulled her chair up to the edge of the bed and beat him soundly at gin rummy. She was probably helped by the fact that he had her go downstairs to bring up the decanter full of whiskey, and kept pouring himself liberal drinks, not bothering to water them down. He began to get a flush in his cheeks, and laughed when she beat him a third time. He maintained that poker was his game, and when she wouldn’t accept his challenge to play, he accused her of being chicken.

“You can say it,” he said, grinning. “You’re afraid of me.”

“I am not,” she said. “I just don’t like playing poker.”

“A likely story,” he said, reaching for the decanter again.

“Don’t you think you’ve had enough?” she blurted.

He raised his eyebrows at her, then shrugged as he poured himself another drink.

She sat on her hands, couldn’t meet his eyes.

Just then, the telephone rang. Anne jumped up and ran downstairs to answer it. She was relieved to hear Harry’s voice.

“Anne, sweetheart,” he said. “We found Dad. Crashed into a stump at the side of the road out on County B.”

“Is he all right?”

“We’re at the hospital now. He’s still unconscious. They’re doing some tests.”

“Oh, Harry, I’m so sorry.”

“It’s all right, sweetheart,” he said. “I just wanted to tell you not to worry. I’ll be home as soon as I can, but don’t wait up, all right? Jack and Mary are here, too, and they already called Lissa and told her to spend the night at her friend’s house. Are you doing all right? Is everything all right there with you and JJ?”

“Everything’s fine.”

“All right, sweetheart. I’d better go, then. I’ll see you as soon as I can, all right?”

“All right.”