FLIP SIDE

 

 

                Oliver Hutto staggered breathlessly into Boyles' Store.

            "Why, Oliver? What's the hurry? You all right? You oughtn'ta be rushin' 'round that-a-way, whilst you're still so beat-up," the storekeeper said.

            "No time!" the sailor gasped. "Need he'p! Somebody to go for the doc! Ma...!"

            "Your ma? But the doc lives all the way deep in the scrub!"

            "Cain't send Easy Ozell; he'd never git there! He ain't in no good shape no more, neither!"

            "Well you sure cain't go! Not in your condition! You belong to be still in bed!"

            Hoofbeats sounded from outside of the store. Oliver glanced through the storefront window and sagged. "Now iffen that ain't the end!"

            The Forresters entered. Instantly, Lem advanced on him.

            "Wait wait!" Oliver extended defensive hands toward the hot-tempered Forrester, palms forward, fingers spread.

            "Hold on, Lem," Buck admonished. "Hear him out."

            Oliver implored, "Don't! I ain't quarrelin'! I need he'p! I need the doc!"

            Mill-wheel was mildly amused. "Ain't it a mite late? Seems to me you needed him more weeks ago, when we was done with you."

            "Not for me! For Ma!"

            Buck frowned in concern. "What ails her?"

            "She's havin' one o' her spells! Faintified! Talkin' peculiar! Please leave me go! I got to git somebody to go for the doc!"

            Buck and Mill-wheel exchanged a significant look.

            Lem easily intuited their meaning, and insisted, "Aw no! Not agin, you two! Baxters was bad enough! You ain't...!"

            Ignoring him, Mill-wheel said to Buck, "Well, you done told Jody, 'We don't hold nothin' agin folks in trouble.' Reckon hit's time, you and me got to figger how far we stretch that."

            But Oliver had caught the name of his small friend. "Jody? What's he got to do with...?"

            Buck explained briefly, "Penny was snakebit. The boy fetched us. Mill-wheel goed for Doc. I picked up Penny."

            The blond's eyes grew wide. "Penny! He all right?!"

            Buck nodded shortly, and then turned back to Mill-wheel. "Well?"

            Lem snarled sarcastically, "Then, I s'pose you aim to stay with 'em and nursemaid 'em, like you done the blasted Baxters?"

            Buck looked his quarrelsome brother over, and then said, deceptively calmly, "I'll see what's needed."

            Lem cursed and spat.

            Mill-wheel gave a brief nod. "I'll fetch Doc."

            Buck took Oliver's arm. "Come on. Let's git you home, and see what we kin do for your ma whilst we wait."

            Oliver's eyes grew even wider. Looking from one helpful Forrester to the other, he humbly said, "I thank you...both...."

            Mill-wheel flashed what might have been a slight smile and left. Buck steered Oliver past Lem to the door, keeping himself between Lem and Oliver, and giving the clean-shaven Forrester as wide a berth as the cramped store allowed.

            "Damnit, Buck!"

            Arch seized Lem's elbow. "Leave 'em go. This ain't the time for quarrelin'."

            Lem shook him off, but made no further aggressive moves.

 

            Mrs. Hutto's spell, as usual, responded well to the doc's administrations and concoctions. She rallied, and was once again herself, if weak. She and Oliver were abashed, but grateful, at Buck's repeated orders that they both remain in bed. As Buck had done with the Baxters, he stayed, waited on them, and nursed them back to strength. Mill-wheel had left when the doc did. He and Buck had both accepted, in good humor, the doc's admonishment for their part in causing Oliver's battered condition.

 

            After a week had passed, Mill-wheel showed up at the Huttos with a still somewhat weak, but steadily recovering, Penny Baxter. Penny, Oliver, and Mrs. Hutto greeted each other with great warmth and delighted surprise. The two Forrester brothers nodded to each other just a bit sheepishly. They pulled a table close to Oliver's bed, and they, Penny, and Oliver played a rousing game of gin rummy. Mrs. Hutto made a half-hearted attempt to serve snacks, until Buck good-naturedly ordered her back to bed.

            Penny said, "Oliver, you shoulda seed Ory's, Jody's, and my surprise, when Mill-wheel showed up at our place, told us what had happened with you-all, told us where Buck was, and said he'd come to fetch me here to visit."

            "I kin imagine."

            "Lem quarrelin'?" Buck wondered aloud.

            "No more'n usual," Mill-wheel responded, without looking up from his cards.

            In low tones, Oliver murmured ashamedly, "I'm sorry I lost my temper and started up with him, and caused ever'body so much trouble. Kin you two fellers see any way to settle things down a mite?"

            Buck shrugged. "Well, one thing that he'ps, Twink goed away, and don't nobody know where she is." He looked up pointedly at Mill-wheel. "We don't know. Do we?"

            Mill-wheel grunted negatively. "Lem goed huntin' for her. Ain't found her."

            With his first sentence, Oliver's eyes flicked up automatically. With his second, Oliver's eyes dropped prudently.

            Penny appeared relieved, and said pointedly, "Here's hopin' it stays that-a-way."

            The two Forresters grunted agreement. Oliver studiously kept his eyes down on his cards this time.

            "You know," Mill-wheel told the sailor calculatedly, without looking up, "iffen we could git it straight betwixt you and Lem, we could fetch you out to our place to play cards."

            Oliver's eyes widened in instant, involuntary fright.

            Buck and Mill-wheel could not help but chuckle.

            But Buck told him sincerely, "The others'd not hurt you. Long's you and Lem didn't go at it, and long's you didn't start nothin'."

            "I'd not," Oliver assured him hurriedly.

            "I figgered." Buck suppressed a smile.

            "I learnt my lesson. And folks in town said I was a damn fool to take you-all on, and they's right." Then, he added, "Gin."

            All three other players looked at him in mild vexation.

            "What?" Oliver posed innocently, and then grinned at them.

 

            A few weeks later, once again on their own, Mrs. Hutto and Oliver heard a knock at their door. Oliver answered it, only to find Buck Forrester there. He greeted him with a smile, and invited him inside. They sat together in the living room.

            "You're healin' right good now," Buck commented.

            "Thanks." The blond tried not to look uncomfortable at the scrutiny. He still felt as if one of his former tormentors were reviewing, even admiring, his handiwork.

            Then, the black-beard became more serious. "Oliver, I got somethin' to tell you, and ain't no easy way to say it. Twink is dead."

            The sailor's expression crumpled. He clearly fought for control, not wanting to cry in front of a Forrester, even this one, the kindest one. But Buck put an arm around him, not even awkwardly, and said, "Go 'head, cry it out. Lem done the same, and I held him the same way."

            Briefly, Oliver gave in to it, but struggled to straighten up as quickly as possible. "What...happened to her?"

            "Damn-fool accident. She slipped and fell. Hit her head on a rock."

            "Where was she?"

            "Jacksonville."

            "Ohhh!" Oliver put his head in his hands. "It's our fault! Lem's and mine! Iffen we ain't skeered her with that dratted fight, she'd not've runned off at all!"

            Buck was already nodding. "Yep. Lem said jest the same thing."

            "Now neither of us kin have her."

            "Nope," Buck agreed, then he added significantly, "I'm right proud o' you, Oliver. And I'm right proud o' Lem."

            "Oh?" Oliver said with a sniff. "Why??"

            "Lem didn't say, 'It's Oliver's fault.' And you didn't say, 'It's Lem's fault.' You both said, 'It's our fault.' You both takened blame, 'stead o' jest blamin' each other." Buck looked pensive for a moment, and then rose. "Come on with me."

            Oliver raised his gaze dazedly, and asked, "Where?"

            "I'm takin' you along to our place with me," he answered decisively.

            "What? No! I cain't."

            "Yes you kin."

            "But...!"

            "I guarantee nothin'll happen to you, less'n you start it."

            "But...I'm...."

            "You and Lem'll be good for each other right now. You kin grieve together."

            Oliver looked up at Buck, obviously with plenty more to say, but couldn't get any of it out. He submitted timidly as Buck pulled him to his feet and led him out the door, and to the powerful Forrester horse. Buck mounted and pulled Oliver up behind him.

 

            His timidity was multiplied profoundly upon their arrival. Buck had to nearly push the blond into the cabin.

            "I brung somebody for you to grieve with."

            Oliver shuffled his feet and studied the floor as every single Forrester stared at him.

            Lem came close, looked Oliver in the eye unchallengingly, acceptingly, and sighed deeply. "It's our fault," he said dispiritedly.

            "It's our fault," Oliver echoed in total agreement.

            Each man managed to place a hand placidly on the other's shoulder.