Seventeen

Cal notes a shift in town sentiment: Noreen is warmly approving, and the Seán Óg’s crowd jokes him back into the fold. No one mentions Trey, Brendan, or Donie. Trey vanishes from Cal’s routines, while he immerses himself in house repairs, avoids Lena, and battles restlessness amid cold, wet weather.

On a wild, windy night, a sloppy knock brings Trey to Cal’s door, shaking and bloodied, with a swollen eye, split lip, and injured hand and side. She refuses a doctor. Cal stabilizes her bleeding and calls Lena, trusting her discretion.

Lena cleans and assesses Trey: likely a cracked rib, bruised hand, cuts and bruises, and a lip that could use stitches, which Trey refuses. Trey admits Sheila beat her with a belt and kicks after being told to do it “or we will,” following Trey’s visit to Donie, who mocked her and warned she’d end up like Brendan.

Furious, Cal wants to confront Donie, but Lena insists he stay with Trey; she won’t be left to face fallout alone. They settle Trey into Cal’s bed while they take the front room. Over tea, Lena contextualizes Sheila’s choices under long-standing local pressures, and Cal concedes delay, for now.

Later, Trey wakes from a nightmare. Cal reassures her, stays by her bedside, and softly sings her back to sleep, signaling his deeper commitment while he postpones any action until morning.