homer unpacks his suitcase. jack lies on his bed, smoking. muddy, also smoking, is sitting on his bed, sharpening a knife. hero and peaches are playing cards on one of their beds. mr. rose is finishing shaving. rose rose watches homer unpack.
everybody is asleep, except homer. he is staring at the ceiling in the quiet semi-darkness, the book lying on his chest.
homer, on his bed, closes his eyes.
homer and candy are naked. they have pulled two beds together and made a double bed. he can't take his eyes off her.
with the radio playing , homer hops across the bare floor, pulling on his boxer shorts; he opens the door to olive, who's holding out an armload of blankets to him. he sheepishly thanks her. when homer closes the door, we see a hidden candy, naked from their interrupted lovemaking.
muddy, hero and peaches smoke in their beds. rose rose opens her curtain and peers out from her bed. she gets up and goes toward the kitchen area in her nightshirt; she stops at an unused bed, now covered with white rubber sheeting--homer's medical instruments are displayed and ready. homer finished scrubbing his hands in the sink. his surgical mask is loosely tied around his neck.
mr. rose wears a surgical mask; he is sweating, even in the cold, and his eyes look stricken as he watches homer, who is performing the abortion. mr. rose holds the ether cone over rose rose's face. he drips some ether from the bottle on the cone.
mr. rose is having a hard time breathing.
the pickers lie in their beds, smoking. homer is undressing. he pulls the letter out of his pocket and sits down on his bed. homer opens the letter without enthusiasm and begins to read.
homer finishes reading the letter; he puts it down, gets up, and walks to a window. he stares into the night.