Mildred and Pete, after a short talk, decided to sleep on it and make the final decision in the morning, as Pete was in a lot of pain, and couldn’t think clearly. Lucy gave him some more of her moonshine and he went to sleep again. He was still bleeding out of his mouth, which Lucy knew meant he had internal injuries. They already knew that, as you don’t escape unscathed when a heavy tractor falls on you.

Lucy spent the night changing compresses and feeding him sips of tea and giving him moonshine when he couldn’t stand the pain. Mildred also stayed by his bedside. He held onto her hand tight when he was awake and she stroked his hand lovingly when he slept. Around about three in the morning, Lucy said, “I need to rest for an hour; are you ok to stay with Pete and change the compresses and all?”

“I’ll be fine. Go rest,” Mildred said.

Lucy slept a couple of hours and it took her a moment to realize where she was when she woke up. She washed her face and went in to take Mildred’s place. Mildred said, “Pete slept the last couple of hours and I changed the compress. He ain’t had no tea or moonshine since you laid down. I’ll go fix some breakfast fur all of us and then lay down fur a spell.”

Lucy took over and as soon as Mildred left the room, he woke up. Pete sat up and was looking up in the corner of the room. “Mama, you came to help me. Yes, I hurt. A lot. What?” and he laid back down, asleep.

Lucy went to get Mildred. “Honey, I think you better come. It looks like it might be the death walk (this was what they called it when someone on their deathbed suddenly sat up or walked with supernatural energy right before they passed on.) And he is talkin to his Ma.”

Mildred broke down crying, “Lucy, Pete is goin to pass. I ain’t ready. We ‘re only in our fifties. I love him. He’s my man. What am I goin to do?”

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Lucy put her arms around Mildred, comfortingly. “Mildred try to calm down sose you can be a comfort to Pete and get back in there. I’ll go get Clement to be with you, too.”

Lucy sent Clement in to his mother and father after explaining what was going on with his pa. Clement gritted his teeth so he wouldn’t cry and went into the sick room. Lucy fed the girls and had a bite, herself and set aside plates for Mildred and Clement. She asked the girls to collect the eggs and feed the animals and went back into the sick room.

Lucy brought in a new compress and changed it. She asked Pete how he was doin and he said, “That warm compress…feels mighty nice. Could I…get some more shine? My ma wants a snort. It shore helps with the pain. Ma, is that Tater with you?”

Mildred explained that was his younger brother’s nickname who passed at ten years old. “He seems mighty lucid, but then he talks to his ma like she is right in the room! What do we do, Lucy?”

“Mildred, don’t pay it no never mind. I seen it afore. It’s like his ma is in another room and Pete can see into both rooms. I know you don’t want to hear it, but it is a common thing for a close relative to come get the one who is goin to pass to accompany them into Heaven!”

“For shore, I thought that wuz an old wives tale, but I done seen it with my own eyes and heard my husband say it with my own ears and I know its a happenin! We didn’t talk anymore about stayin here or goin to the hospital, and I’m glad now. He needs to be here with his family to pass. He wouldn’t make it to the hospital, Lucy. It is done out of our hands, now,” Mildred said emotionally.

Clement went to get the Reverend and his wife to pray for his pa and help them after he passed. Lucy continued trying to make Pete as comfortable as possible and Mildred started to feel a peace about her husband. Long about 4 in the afternoon, Pete passed with a sigh.

The Reverend and his wife came right away. They found Mildred crying and set in to helping her with getting ready for the wake and getting a coffin made and all of the other things that came with a passing.

Lucy saw her work was over there and she and the girls headed for home.