Book 2, Part 3 Summary

Nurse Mary, a devoted Catholic and the nurse Doc Swain used to assist him in Selena's abortion, debates the morality of keeping quiet about the doctor performing an illegal abortion. She wonders about confessing to her priest. When she receives a call about Selena, she verifies the appendectomy and realizes she's made her choice.

Doc Swain forces a written and signed confession from Lucas, who verifies that Salena was a virgin when he forced her to have sex. Doc tells Lucas to get out of town. Nellie is heartbroken over hearing the conversation.

Book 2, Part 3 Analysis

These chapters focus on events in the immediate aftermath of Selena's abortion. There are several noteworthy elements in this section. The first is ironic reference to the careful way in which Nurse Mary "spreads her thighs", a somewhat unsophisticated but nonetheless effective counterpoint to the...