TITLE: Afraid to Sleep

RATING: M

DISCLAIMER: I do not own any recognizable characters from the Reba show. I would have made Reba the movie by now.

SUMMARY: a tragic accident brings two of the most unlikely people together in a time of loss, confusion, and nightmare filled nights. Set around right after Van got his arena football contract.

WARNING: So….I would not normally write an entire story like this, but I had a dream that sparked this thought and it can no longer be ignored! Be advised, there are character deaths, and I'm not entirely sure where I'm taking this yet. Just please bear with me.

I'M STILL WORKING ON FALL INTO ME, BUT SINCE THERE IS ONLY ONE OR TWO CHAPTERS LEFT IF NEED TO WRITE TO TIE IT ALL TOGETHER I DECIDED TO GO AHEAD AND START THIS.

Ch. 1 The accident

Van was in Denver for the week again and Cheyenne was feeling depressed because she was once again separated from her husband. So, naturally, Barbra Jean got the idea in her head to cheer Cheyenne up, and try and keep her busy. "Reba, we are taking the kids to the zoo, are you sure you don't want to come?" Barbra Jean asked and Reba rolled her eyes. "Barbra Jean, I am going to work today, and what kids? Kyra and Jake left for school an hour ago." Reba said. "Cheyenne is feeling down again because Van is gone so Brock, Cheyenne, Elizabeth, Henry and I are going to the zoo." "Well then, have fun, I'll see ya'll when you get back. I'm going to work." With that, Reba turned to Elizabeth who was playing quietly in the corner and kissed her cheek. "Bye Cheyenne" Reba called and she faintly heard her daughter respond in kind from upstairs before she headed out the door.

Thirty minutes later found Barbra Jean, Brock, Cheyenne, Henry, and Elizabeth piled into one car on their way to the Houston Zoo. "Daddy can we go see the sakes?" Henry asked and Brock looked through the rearview mirror at his son and smiled. He was only three so he had a hard time pronouncing certain words still. "Of course little buddy." He said and turned his eyes back towards the road. "I don't wanna see thewm!" Elizabeth said frightened and Cheyenne put her arm around her as best she could with the car seat in the way. "Don't worry honey; we can go see the monkeys while they go see the snakes." "YAY!" Little Elizabeth shouted and Cheyenne laughed.

As the light turned green, Brock stepped on the gas, and as they crossed the intersection an Eighteen wheeler ran a red light and before Brock had time to do anything it smashed into the small car and sent if flipping, end over end.

At Eugene's office Reba's cell phone rang and looked at the screen to see Houston county Hospital. Her heart began beating faster as she answered the phone. "Hello?" "Is this Reba Hart?" a woman said. "This is she" Reba said in a trembling voice. "Ma'm there's been an accident and we need you to come to the hospital right away." The woman said and Reba hung up. Reba ran to the examining room Eugene was in and explained the situation and flew out of the building. On her way she called Kyra's school and asked them to please release Kyra from classes and have her pick up Jake and go to the hospital.

Reba drove like a bat out hail and arrived at the hospital within five minutes, bursting through the doors and running to the nurse's station. "Reba Hart, you said there was an accident!" she shrieked and the woman behind the counter looked at her and said softly "I'll page the doctor and have him come talk to you immediately." In the next two minutes a doctor came towards her. "Mrs. Hart, my name is Dr. Morris, come with me please." He said gently and he took her to a private waiting room and sat her down in a chair. "What's going on?" Reba pleaded as he sat down a chair next to her. "There was an accident. Your family was hit by an Eighteen Wheeler that ran a red light. You were on everyone's emergency contact list." Reba felt herself getting lightheaded. "Are they alright?" she demanded and the doctor took her hand. "Mrs. Hart, I'm so sorry to have to tell you this. Everyone, except Elizabeth died in the crash." He said gently and Reba felt all of the air leave her lungs and she gasped for breath, tears streamed down her face and she doubled over in pain. It felt like someone had shoved a knife through her heart. "No no no no" she gasped and as she did the door to the private waiting room opened and Kyra and Jake burst through. "Mom what happened?" Kyra asked already crying at the sight of her mother's appearance. Reba opened up her arms and for once Kyra flew into them, as did Jake. "I will give you a minute to tell them. I will be waiting right outside." Dr. Morris said and Reba continued to cry. "Mom, please tell us what happened." Kyra begged and Reba began to choke out "accident…your father…sister…Barbra Jean…Henry…gone…" Kyra cried harder "Mom….you don't mean…" Reba nodded her head and tried to calm herself down. Her blood pressure was sky rocketing, and she was going to pass out soon, and someone needed to be there for Kyra and Jake, plus she had to have Van flown back in from Denver immediately, if he wasn't already on his way.

"They were going to the zoo, everyone except Elizabeth died." She whispered. Then it hit her. "Elizabeth!" Not ready to let go of Jake and Kyra she yelled for Dr. Morris to come back into the room. "where's my granddaughter?" Reba choked out. "Room 328, she's still unconscious, and she has several deep cuts, and a broken arm." He said and all three immediately rushed out of the room towards the elevators. On the way up Reba turned to Kyra. "Kyra I need you to help me, I need you to call Van and see if he's been notified. I'm sure he has but make sure just in case. Don't tell him the extent. I'll tell him when he gets here." Reba said trying not to break down and cry again. Kyra nodded her head silently and as they got off on the third floor Kyra walked towards a window to make the call and Reba and Jake headed for Elizabeth's room.

Upon entering a nurse was standing over her checking her vital signs and Reba gasped at the sight of her sweet little granddaughter. She had a cast on her arm, a few cuts on her face, and stitches on her other arm. She was also bruised and banged up. The nurse turned towards her and Jake "Only immediate family for right now ma'm." she said and Reba nodded. "Her father…is on his…way… Denver….her mother was…..killed….in the crash…..I'm her grandma." Reba choked out as fresh tears began to fall and Jake hugged Reba tight. "I'm her Uncle" he whispered and the nurse smiled at him and looked to Reba kindly. "That's fine, I'm very sorry for your loss. I'll leave you two alone." "wait, what…can you tell me?" Reba asked and the nurse turned to her. "She is going to recover fully. No internal bleeding, and we had our best surgeon stitch her up, she won't even scar. She'll be waking up soon." The nurse said and left as Reba thanked her.

Reba rushed over to Elizabeth's bed and kissed her forehead gently. "My sweet girl, I'm glad you made it. I'm so sorry I wasn't there." Reba cried and took her tiny hand in her own. Jake pulled a chair up for Reba to sit in and she thanked him. She pulled Jake into her lap and held him tight with one arm as Kyra came into the room. "He was notified about the accident. He doesn't know the extent, but he was about to board a private plane. The team's owner was kind enough to let him borrow it under the circumstances. He will be here in about four hours." Reba nodded her head and turned towards Elizabeth as she felt her stir. "Mommy…" she called weakly and Reba burst into tears. "Honey, Grandma is here, but I'm so sorry sweetie, Mommy isn't." Reba said gently and she got up and sat on the edge of Elizabeth's bed. "Where's Mommy, and Grandpa? And Henry? And Grammy BJ?" she asked and Reba felt hot tears stream down her face. "Your Daddy is on his way in from Denver, he will be here soon. As for everyone else, honey, they went to Heaven." Reba said quietly and tears streamed down Elizabeth's face. "So they aren't coming back?" she whispered to Reba and Reba caressed her face. "No honey, I'm so sorry." Reba Elizabeth gently as she cried, she didn't utter a sound. She looked over to Kyra and Jake who were hugging each other and crying. She had to be the strong one. She always had to be the strong one. Soon Elizabeth was asleep again and the three passed the time in silence.

Reba's phone rang and immediately grabbed it and answered when she saw it was Van. "You're here already?" she asked. Only two and a half hours had passed. "Alright, come to room 328." Reba said gently and she looked at Kyra and Jake. "You two have to be hungry. Go to the cafeteria and at least get something to drink." Reba said and the two left, knowing Reba needed to tell Van this alone.

Shortly after they left, Van entered the room and the second he saw his little girl he started crying. "Mrs. H is she alright?" Van asked as he went to her bedside. Reba nodded her head. "she's resting, but she is going to be just fine. "Bruises, cuts, and a broken arm." Reba said and Van nodded as he looked at his baby girl. "Where's everyone else?" he asked. "Kyra and Jake went to the cafeteria, and Van I need you to sit down." Reba said pointing to the chair she had been occupying. Van sat down confused and Reba knelt in front of him. "Kyra and Jake had gone to school, I to work. Everyone else headed for the zoo. From what I've been told and eighteen wheeler ran a red light and hit them. Van, no one survived except Elizabeth." Reba said and began crying again. Van looked at her and he burst into tears. "Mrs. H it can't be true!" he sobbed and Reba wrapped him in a hug and cried with him. "I'm so sorry Van, but it is. They're gone." She said quietly and they stayed like that for….Reba didn't know how long. Soon Kyra and Jake came back and they hugged Van and cried with him as well. The police came later that day to inform them of exactly everything that had happened, and to inform them the man in the truck was behind bars. He had turned himself in. As it grew dark Reba urged Kyra and Jake to go home and get some sleep.

"Van and I will stay with Elizabeth" Reba said. Elizabeth had woken twice since Van got there and was glad to see him, and Van actually began to thank God for not taking his daughter too. He knew he could manage to go on for her. "Fine, but I'm coming back in the morning. It's Saturday and I'm going to bring you both some clean clothes." Kyra said and Reba nodded her head. "Be extremely careful going home, and never forget I love you both dearly." Reba said and Kyra and Jake hugged their mother, as well as Van goodbye and left. Reba sunk into a chair and put her head in her hands. "Mrs. H, go to the cafeteria and eat something." Van said and Reba shook her head. "Fine then" Van said and got up and left the room. Reba was puzzled; however everything was soon cleared up as Van brought back two bottles of water and two muffins. "I'm bringing food to you." He said gently and Reba forced a smile. Since van watched her closely, she forced herself to eat the muffin and drink the water, resisting the urge to throw it all back up because her stomach was so upset. "We have to plan the funerals" Reba whispered and Van stood her up and embraced her. "We can worry about that tomorrow, but not tonight." He said and Reba nodded her head. "Grandma Weba" Reba turned her head and saw Elizabeth had woken once more. "Honey, are you hungry?" Reba asked and Elizabeth shook her head. "will you sleep wifth me?" she asked and Reba nodded her head. Van helped Reba scoot Elizabeth over and Reba climbed into the bed with her and Van covered them both up.

Reba was running towards a red light "no!" she screamed She saw Brock's car, but no matter how fast she ran she couldn't seem to get any closer. The huge truck hit the car and she watched as Brock, Barbra Jean, Cheyenne and Henry suddenly lay broken and bloody in front of her. "NO!" Reba screamed again

"Mrs. H! Wake up!" Van said and shook her. Reba awoke with a start, tears streaming down her face. "You were dreaming." He said gently and Van helped Reba out of the bed and immediately hugged her as tears began to fall. "It was awful, I saw them and there was nothing I could do." She cried and Van hugged her tighter. "Mrs. H, you don't have to be the strong one in front of me." He whispered and Reba cried harder. "I lost my two best friends, a sweet little boy I'd come to love, and my child." She sobbed. Van cried with her and Reba whispered "Van, I'm afraid, I'm so afraid to sleep. I don't want to dream of them like that again." Van helped her back into bed. "I'm here." He whispered tears streaming down his face. He reclined his chair as far as it would go and scooted it up as close to the bed as it would get. He turned off the one light in the room, and as Reba held Elizabeth with one hand, Van took her other, and thankfully, they both fell asleep, welcoming nothing but blackness…..TBC

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