A/N: Okay this is my frst story. It's kinda long, but please R&R so I know if you want me to keep going on it! Thanks a bunch for reading!
Chapter One
"No I won't go with you to find Barbara Jean!" Reba stated staring at Brock. "I can't believe you would even think that I would be remotely interested in that. I am your ex-wife! When you knocked up your hygienist you lost the right to ask for my help."
"Please Reba, I really need your help." Brock pleaded. "Besides, if I don't find Barbara Jean you know I'm going to be spending more and more time over at your…"
"Alright, alright!" Reba cut him off. "I'll help you find Barbara Jean. But just know that I'm only helping you because I don't want you spending any more time at my house than you already do."
Brock just grinned like a fool. He knew she would agree to help if he played the right cards. He really did want to find Barbara Jean. He couldn't believe that she had just up and left. He knew their marriage was at a rough spot, but she didn't let him even have a chance to try to fix it. She just took Henry and left. Brock's smile slowly began to fade as he thought about her taking their son. He knew that cheating on Reba was a mistake, but he also knew that when he found out Barbara Jean was pregnant that he had to help her. It was his fault after all.
"Brock?" Reba asked again for the fifth time. "BROCK!"
"Huh? What?" He asked finally coming out of his thoughts. "Sorry. I was just thinking."
"Yeah, I noticed." Reba said.
"What did you need?" Brock questioned.
"Well, I was just asking you where we are going to start this search for Barbara Jean. Do you have any ideas of where she might have gone?" Reba asked him.
"No, not really. I mean I guess she may have gone to Fisheye Bottom. Or she did get that job offer in Little Rock." Brock said. "But I don't know. She won't answer her phone. I tried calling Big Daddy, but of course he won't tell me."
"I'll call Buzzard." Reba chimed in.
"What? You mean her brother that stole one of my eyebrows?" Brock asked incredulously.
"Yeah. He gave me his number when he showed up here for Thanksgiving. I've never called him before, but he might know something about Barbara Jean's whereabouts." Reba told him pulling out her cell phone.
"But Reba…" Brock began.
"Shhh…It's ringing." Reba took a deep breath. "Hey Buzzard!...Yeah, it's Reba….Oh yeah. How have you been…I'm doing fine. I have a question for you….No it's not about dating." Reba chuckled. "Have you happened to have any contact with Barbara Jean recently?...Oh, so you have talked to her." Reba looked at Brock. "So she's there in Fisheye Bottom…Okay. Thanks Buzzard….Yeah you too….Okay bye."
"He actually told you?" Brock asked.
"What can I say? I have a way with men." Reba quipped.
"Yeah I know." Brock said quietly, but Reba still heard.
Reba just shook it off. 'What does he mean he knows?' Reba thought. 'He just didn't know what else to say.' She told herself.
"So what are we going to do now?" Brock asked bringing her out of her thoughts.
"Well…" she began then paused to take a deep breath. "I suppose we should get packed up. I will give this one week Brock. If we haven't found her in one week I'm done. I'm not going to hunt all over for your wife for weeks on end. I have a life that consists of work and taking care of our children. I can't just stop my life to figure out yours. Okay?"
"Okay." Brock agreed. "One week." He took a breath and said, "I guess I'll go home and pack. Do you wanna head out tonight or would you rather head out tomorrow morning?"
"The sooner the better I guess. Be back in an hour and we can head out." Reba said opening the door for him.
He turned to leave, then just outside the door turned back to face her. "Thanks Reba. I really appreciate it."
"Yeah, yeah. Just go get packed." Reba said as she shut the door then headed up the stairs to pack for herself.
Forty-five minutes later Brock walked through the door. Reba was asleep on the couch with her headphones in her ears listening to her iPod. Her luggage was all ready to go sitting next to the door. Brock walked over to her and lightly brushed a strand of hair away from her face. She didn't budge. 'I guess I'll go take her luggage out to the truck.' Brock thought to himself.
When he came back in from getting everything packed up she was still out. He walked back over to her and gently laid a hand on her shoulder and shook her just enough to wake her. All she did was groan. "Just five more minutes Jake, five more minutes."
Brock couldn't help but chuckle. His laugh woke Reba up with a start, "Ahhh. What the heck do ya think you're doin' Brock?"
"Sorry…I got your luggage all packed and came in to wake you up, but…" he let out another chuckle, "Just five more minutes Jake, five more minutes." Then he started laughing.
"Oh shut-up you mo-ron." Reba quipped. "I told you an hour. It's only been," she glanced at her watch and blushed, "an hour. Sorry Brock, I thought I had set the alarm on my phone."
"It's okay Reba. Are you ready to go?" He asked finally getting his chuckling under control.
"I gotta double check with work and make sure they know that I'm going to be gone. Thankfully I don't have any houses to show this week. Then I gotta make sure that it's okay with Van and Cheyenne if Jake stays with them while I'm gone. I can't leave him home alone." Reba started making her list of things to do.
"How about I call Van and Cheyenne about Jake while you check with work?" Brock asked, hoping he could be somewhat of a help after the way she was dropping everything to help him.
"Thanks. That would be great." She replied as she pulled her phone out of her pocket, Brock did the same.
"Hey Alex…It's Reba…I'm doin' fine. I just wanted to let you know that I'm gonna need to take a week of vacation time….no, no, no, nothing like that." She giggled. "I'm going with my ex to find his wife…Yeah I know it sounds crazy, but crazy works for us…Yeah, okay thanks. I'll see you next week. Bye Alex." Reba hung up the phone and turned around to see Brock just staring at her.
"What?" she asked.
"I just feel awful that you're using your vacation time to go on a wild goose chase with me." He admitted as he hung his head.
"Yeah, me too." Reba joked trying to lighten the mood.
"Reba really, if you don't want to go I completely understand. I know it's crazy of me to ask you to do this. I just don't think I can do it myself." He stated.
"Brock it's fine. I mean it's kinda selfish of me." She chuckled. "Who am I gonna make fun of if Barbara Jean isn't around?"
"What? That's the only reason you are willing to help me?" he asked her.
"Well…" she said with her southern drawl.
"What do you mean 'Well'?" he asked wanting her to go on.
"That's only part of it. I also don't want you hanging around here all the time." She said matter-of-factly as she breezed past him. "Oh, did you get in-touch with Van and Cheyenne. She just realized that he was on the phone when she was talking to Alex."
"Yeah. They said Jake could stay there." Brock told her.
"Okay. Then I think we are ready." Reba said, then muttered to herself, "At least as ready as I'll ever be."
They got in the car to head to Fisheye Bottom. It was going to be a long ride. Brock didn't really know what to say, but he knew he needed to say something. They had been in the car for nearly an hour and it had been silent the whole time. Brock decided to turn on the radio. He automatically switched it to a country station knowing that it was Reba's favorite. Reba glared at him when he first turned it on, but as the sound of her new favorite song began to fill the cab, her anger melted away and she began to sing along.
"Cowgirls don't cry, ride, baby ride.
Lessons in life show us all in time.
Soon enough you're gonna know why.
It's gonna hurt every now and then.
If you fall, get back on again.
Cowgirls don't cry."
Reba sang along never missing a lyric. Slowly a smile spread across Brock's face. He always had thought that Reba had an amazing voice. He chuckled to himself. It must have been louder than he thought though, because before he knew it, Reba had stopped singing and asked, "What are you laughin' at?"
"Oh sorry. I'm not laughing at anything." Brock quickly recovered.
"Sure you weren't." Reba said rolling her eyes. "Now tell me Brock, what were you laughin' at?"
"Okay, okay. I was just thinking about how you always joke around that you thought you would end up as a singer." He said letting a small chuckle escape.
"And what's so funny about that?" Reba asked with an irritated tone and a deathly glare.
"Well, if looks could kill, I think I'd be dead right now." Brock commented sarcastically.
"Trust me Brock, if looks could kill, you would have been dead a long, long time ago." Reba replied icily.
"Gosh Reba, I was just joking." Brock said, the hurt evident in his voice.
"Well, it isn't funny. And why is it so funny to you that I want, no wanted to be a singer." Reba snapped back.
"It isn't funny. What I was laughing at is that you loved me enough to put your dreams on hold to put me through dental school." He replied.
"Why is it funny that I loved you?" Reba asked quietly, a little stunned by what he had just said.
"It isn't funny that you loved me…you know what, just forget it okay?" Brock asked glancing at her and pleading with his eyes.
"Fine. How much longer 'til we get there Brock? I really need some fresh air." Reba stated, hiding the hurt with annoyance. She couldn't believe that he thought it was funny, and eventually she would get him to admit why he felt that way.
"About four more hours or so." Brock stated.
Reba never had a problem before, but all of the sudden, she was feeling really car sick. "Brock, I have to get some air…NOW!" she said, trying hard not to yell at him.
"We can pull over, but there's a rest stop here in about five minutes, can it wait that long?" Brock asked.
"Not if you don't want the truck to smell the rest of the way to Fisheye Bottom it can't." Reba replied.
"Oh, okay." Brock said, understanding what she meant immediately. "I thought you didn't get car sick."
"Yeah, I didn't either, but apparently being confined with you for this long has changed something. Now would you please pull over?" Reba asked once again.
"Okay." Brock pulled over onto the shoulder of the interstate.
Reba climbed out of the truck and almost immediately lost the contents of her stomach. She couldn't figure out why she was all of the sudden so sick. She was just thinking another wave was going to hit her when she felt hands pull the hair back away from her face and hold it at her neck. At first she was startled and jumped a little, then she heard Brock say, "It's just me Reba."
"Brock just get back in the truck. I'll be fine. You don't need to see this." Just as she finished her sentence she started to heave again.
"Reba, I've gone through morning sickness with you three times. Trust me, I can handle it." Brock said.
Reba realized he wasn't about to give up and just get back in the truck, so she tried her best to ignore him. The problem was every little brush of contact that he had with her skin sent a shiver down her spine and set her heart on fire. She couldn't explain why she was feeling this way, so she just kept it to herself and tried her best not to let Brock know. After all, he was in love with her best friend, although she would never admit that to anyone.
"Thanks Brock. I think I'm okay to go again now. I'm really sorry about that." Reba said looking straight into his eyes.
"It's okay. Are you sure you're good to go?" Brock asked. Reba could hear the concern in his voice when he asked, and it made her heart stop for just a second. She hadn't heard him talk with that tone of voice to her since before their marriage hit the rocks. It was the way he talked to her when she was sick when they were married.
"Yeah Brock. I'm fine." She said, a slight tremble in her voice.
"Okay, I'll tell you what. Fisheye Bottom is still another four hours away, so we will take the next exit and find a hotel for the night. I was going to ask you if you would mind taking a turn driving, but you being sick and all I think it would be better for us to just get some sleep and then go the rest of the way in the morning."
"You know I really am fine. Just let me drive." Reba said.
"No Reba. We are going to spend the night somewhere because even if we do just drive straight through, we won't be able to talk to Barbara Jean 'til tomorrow anyway, because by the time we get there it will be one o'clock in the morning anyway. I'm sorry Reba, but you aren't going to win this one. Besides, you are looking a little pale." Brock said.
"Brock, I have very fair skin. I always look a little pale." Reba rolled her eyes and stated the obvious.
"I'm sorry Reba. I win. We are going to find somewhere to stay. Now will you please get back in the truck?" he asked politely holding the passenger side door open for her.
"And what if I refuse?" she shot back.
"Then I guess you will be spending the night right here on the side of the interstate." He stated and shut her door and headed around for the other side of the truck.
Reba was already in the truck in her seat and buckled up by the time Brock got over to his side of the truck and opened the door. He chuckled a bit then asked, "So you decided to come with me?"
"Are you kidding me Brock, you were gonna leave me here in the middle of nowhere five miles from a truck stop. Do you really think I would just stay on the side of the interstate with all those truckers coming through here?" Reba asked with an icy glare.
"No." Brock said simply. "I knew you wouldn't. That's why I said that." He flashed her a grin.
Reba punched his arm. "Why do you think you know me so well Brock?" she asked angrily.
"Reba, I've known you for thirty years. We dated for four, were married for twenty, have three beautiful children, and even though we're divorced, you've been my best friend for the past six years. You get to know someone pretty well when you spend that much time with them." Brock told her.
"Fine." Was all she said before turning and staring out her window.
Brock waited for a break in traffic before pulling back onto the interstate. Reba wouldn't talk to him at all. She was still angry at him for tricking her like he did. Deep down she knew he wouldn't have left her there alone, but just the thought had her play right into his hands. That was the part that made her the most angry. Suddenly she felt the truck jerk. She looked over to Brock.
"What are you doing?" she asked.
"Well, this semi next to us is driving way to close to the line, and there is a barrier right there on your side, so I am just trying to stay safe." He replied.
"Oh, sorry I wasn't really paying much attention." She said softly.
"It's okay." Brock said.
That was when it happened. The semi next to them began to cross into their lane. Reba screamed, "Brock it's coming over."
There wasn't much Brock could do but slam on the brakes, so that is exactly what he did. All of the sudden, the front end of his truck was hit by the tail end of the semi which spun them around so they were facing oncoming traffic. The next few seconds so much happened, but for Reba and Brock it seemed like an eternity. Another semi was coming down the lane they were in, but it swerved over to the other lane to avoid hitting them. Just behind the semi was a pickup truck that hit them head on. Reba flew into the dash and hit her head on the windshield. Brock hit the steering wheel, which knocked the wind out of him for a few he finally came to, he looked over to Reba. Her head had a large gash and was bleeding badly. He went to pull his cell phone out of his pocket when he heard someone knock on his window. He rolled it down and the man standing there asked, "Are you okay?"
Brock looked over to Reba; he gently shook her and said, "Reba?" There was no response. Then he turned to the man at the window. "I'm okay, but I think she's knocked out. I was just going to call 911."
"Don't worry, they have already been contacted and help is on the way. Look man, I'm sorry about that, the semi in front of me swerved and all of the sudden you were there. I didn't see you and I couldn't stop in time." He apologized.
"Look it's okay. We just need to get her to the hospital." Brock said.
"Yeah okay. My name is Cameron. I'm gonna go back to my truck until the police arrive. If you need anything just come get me." He said politely.
"Okay thanks. My name is Brock." The men shook hands through the window of the truck before Cameron turned to head back to his truck.
It was two minutes later Brock could hear sirens approaching. He glanced over and Reba and reached his hand out to softly stroke her soft skin. "Reba. Honey. You gotta make it through this. I don't think I can live without you." He said, then the tears began to roll down his face. He wanted to take her into his arms, but the way the truck had been smashed, he was pinned between the seat and the steering wheel. He looked over to her once again, then looked up to see the officer coming up to his window.
"I'm Officer Brady. Are you alright?" he asked.
"Yeah I'm fine, but Reba, she's not." Brock said, tears still silently falling. "Please, you gotta help her first."
"Hey I need rescue over here. Passenger side, female, unconscious." He yelled to the other officers and paramedics.
They rushed over and started to get her out of the truck. Officer Brady began to ask Brock questions, but Brock couldn't focus on what he was being asked. He was too nervous about how Reba was doing.
"Sir, the quicker you can answer these questions for me the quicker we can get you to the hospital to be with your wife." Officer Brady stated.
"Okay." Brock said, not bothering to correct the officer.
"Can you tell me what happened?" The officer asked. Brock told him exactly what happened. He also added, "That first semi is probably long gone though."
"Nope actually he stopped right up there when he hit the barrier. The driver had fallen asleep." The officer stated.
"He what?" Brock wanted to have a chance at the driver. Brock determined that if he lost Reba he was going to go after that driver.
"I'm sorry sir. Let's just get you out of this truck and into the ambulance with your wife."
Again Brock didn't bother to correct him. They got Brock out of the truck and were leading him to a second ambulance that was just getting to the scene. "No. I want to go with her." He said as he turned to the ambulance they had just finished loading Reba in.
"I'm sorry sir." Officer Brady stated. "You can't."
"Then I'm not going, so either you let me ride with her, or I'll call family, and wait 'til they come to get me." Brock said.
"Okay fine." The officer gave in.
Brock climbed into the ambulance with Reba. She was very pale and the gash on her head was a stark contrast to her beautiful skin. He took one of her hands into his and said, "Reba you have to make it through this. I can't live without you. I love you so much."
Reba's eyes began to flutter. The paramedics pushed Brock out of the way and began to ask her questions. When she opened her eyes all the way, they were full of sheer panic and horror. She reached for the oxygen mask that was covering her nose and mouth and pulled it off. The paramedics tried to put it back on her, but she started to speak. "Wha – wha – where am I? What happened?" she asked, very confused. "Where is my husband?"
Brock inhaled sharply. The paramedic then asked. "What is your husband's name?"
"Brock. Brock Hart." She stated.
Brock nearly fell over from the shock of hearing her say that. She thought they were still married.
"He's right over there." The paramedic responded.
"Brock." She called out weakly.
"Yes." He said, his mind racing. He thought he really should tell someone they were not married anymore, but one look into Reba's deep blue, tear and panic filled eyes changed his mind. "I'm right here honey." He took her hand in his again, as the ambulance began to speed toward the nearest hospital.