Henry hadn't died from the blood loss, so far as I knew, and had probably already healed.
A bullet is a small thing, and the hole it cuts is clean if it doesn't hit anything hard on the way through--like bone.
He'd be up before either Mary Jo or Paul.
Of course, what happened to him after that was in question.
I suppose it would be Adam's decision.
Warren hung back until everyone else except for me, Sam, and Jesse were gone.
And then he shut the door.
"Adam will miss you in about five minutes," he told me.
"And in six minutes you're going to need to get him upstairs and in bed without letting the whole pack know that in ten minutes that man is going to be unconscious on the floor." "I know," I told him.
The big cowboy smiled tiredly, though, like me, all he'd done was watch the challenge.
"That was a nice bit of fighting.
I suspect he could have taken Paul without Mary Jo stepping in." I nodded.
"But now Paul is back in the pack again, happier than before.
And I don't think that could have happened without Mary Jo." "I hate this part," said Jesse shakily.
"The part where everyone is safe, and you want to find a quiet corner and bawl like a newborn?" Warren glanced at me.
"I reckon it's better than when people aren't safe--but it's not my favorite, either." He wrapped his arm around Adam's daughter's shoulder and she snuggled into him.
"There you go," he said.
"You go ahead and cry, baby.
Ain't no one going to say you don't have the right.
Get it over with and cry some for me--'cause if Kyle catches me crying, he's gonna think I turned into one of those sissy boys." Jesse laughed, but left her head where it was.
Warren looked at me.
"You go on.
You got someone else's shoulder to cry on.
You tell him I got Jesse's back.
And, Samuel, you stay with me, too.
We don't need any more drama, and I doubt that Adam is up to showing his weakness to someone who could be his rival until the adrenaline eases a bit." Sam stretched, yawned, and lay down.
"Thanks, Warren," I said.
He smiled and tipped the front of his imaginary cowboy hat.
"Shucks, ma'am, I'm only doin' my job.
Darryl's gonna feed the masses again, and I'm riding herd on the stragglers." Jesse pulled back and wiped her eyes, a smile on her face.