Sometimes you tell the day by the bottle you drink, and times when you’re alone all you do is think.

Wanted Dead or Alive by Bon Jovi

Joe leaned against the doorframe and watched as his friend downed another whiskey. The bottle stood off to the side, but he could see that it was well past the half way mark. It wasn’t doing anybody any good to drink as hard as he was, but Joe knew only too well that he was fighting an unwinnable battle. Nothing would ease the man’s broken heart and nobody could bring back the young wife he adored.

As each dark day dragged by and there was no sign of Jesse’s misery lifting, Joe had trailed along behind him and tried to keep the damage to a minimum. From sunup to sundown, Jesse worked. From sundown until the early hours of the morning, he drank. It made mornings a misery for another reason altogether, but Joe knew that it was still better than facing the real misery of an empty bed and an empty crib.

A world without his beautiful Christy was something Jesse simply couldn’t face yet. If it hadn’t been for his father, Joe truly feared what his friend could have done. Harry Dawes had been injured in the same accident that had taken the life of his daughter-in-law and unborn grandchild. The horses had spooked and the wagon had tipped over, trapping Harry underneath it while Christy had been thrown clear. Death had been instantaneous according to Doc Martin. She would have had no idea what hit her.

Joe made his way across to the bar and after snagging a beer, he headed for the chair across from his friend. He didn’t expect a welcome, but Jesse barely reacted as he slid into his seat.

There were no words that hadn’t been said already. What was it the preacher said? Think on the good times and you’ll see your family again in Heaven. Joe sipped at his beer as he recalled how many times he’d been told that when he had cried for his mother over the years. He didn’t have many memories of her and given that everybody said patience wasn’t his strong suit, why did everybody think that made anything better? Joe took another sip as he watched Jesse over the rim of his glass. People sure did say some dumb things to folks who were grieving. Jesse looked like a shadow of himself and it was no wonder. He and Christy had been together for over two years and Joe had teased his friend about how smitten he was by the petite redhead. As he took another sip of his beer, he wondered for a moment how he would deal with losing a beloved wife and unborn child.

Jesse looked up as if noticing Joe for the first time. He nodded towards the bottle of whiskey.

“Sometimes you tell the day by the bottle that you drink.” He frowned as he poured another and downed it in one gulp. “And times when you’re alone … all you do is think. I don’t wanna be alone, Joe!”