At either the Bella Union or Shaunessey's, I can't tell which, Lila wakes up from her drug haze. "How do you make it through?" she asks Joanie. The older woman doesn't answer. "Go on, girl" she says, though not unkindly. "Get out."

Alma is on the table, steeling herself for the abortion. She looks terrified, but tough. Trixie takes her chin in her hands and looks into her face. "Seven times through, Alma," she says. "And I'm healthy as a fuckin' horse." Rolling up his sleeves, Doc says that he trusts that Trixie won't modify his instructions. "To the letter, Doc," she says, not breaking eye contact with Alma. He tells her to begin, and as she lays the ether cloth over Mrs. E's mouth, Doc checks his hands for steadiness. As she goes under, Doc reminds Trixie to turn her head away from the cloth and breath. She says she's fine, he yells at her, and out of their frustration over this whole sad mess, they snipe all the way through the procedure. "What I'm used to," Trixie says, "this is like smelling fucking posies!" Doc screams that he would just as soon she not fucking pass out. "When you're done with hers, Doc," Trixie screeches back, "why don't you fucking kiss mine?!" Their frustration relieved, they finish the thing in silence.

The crowds are gathering for the speeches. Bullock comes downstairs in his house to find Martha and Sophia rolling out dough for baking. He takes his wife aside. "Mrs. Ellsworth is being seen to by Dr. Cochran," he says in a shaky voice. "And Trixie, I believe, is assisting him." Ah. The old code for: Mrs. Ellsworth, who is pregnant with my baby, is having to have a dangerous abortion. Martha looks at him steadily. "I'll keep care of Sophia while you deliver your speech," she says, adding after a pause, "and we'll both pray for Mrs. Ellsworth." Bullock says nothing else, but surely he is grateful that she is compassionate and not all "yeah, I don't really care what your baby mama is up to, thanks." He goes out to join the crowd.

In his room at the Bella Union, Cy rambles on about Joanie calling him the devil, or whatever, and generally wastes all our time. He clutches his Bible, though it surely burns him, while Leon and Con Stapleton, drugged and drunk, respectively, make idiots of themselves. When Andy Cramed walks in, Stapleton rushes to Cy's room. "Yes, Con?" Cy drones in a pure Boothe-ian tone. Con tells him that Andy is there to see him. "His blade sheathed?" Cy asks. Con says it appears to be. With clear eyes, Cy says to send him in.