Second Chapter—gaps between sorry. Hope you enjoy, jumping right into drama!
"Van!?" Reba yelled from the kitchen. "Is that you?"
"Nope, it's me jellybean." BJ sang from the living room, "Listen, Red. I have some news." Her tone was light and short, obviously not too urgent.
"Not right now, Barbra Jean." Reba halted her with her hand. "Van will be over soon, Cheyenne hasn't been feeling well and he wants to talk to me about something!" She wiped the counter with a damp cloth. "God, I hope everything's okay!" She groaned. "I don't think I can deal with any really big news, right now." She scrubbed harder at a cabinet. "I think it might just send me right over the edge!" The woman giggled nervously and made a gesture that depicted her falling off a cliff with sound effects to match.
BJ frowned. "Oh. Well, umm, everything all right?" The blonde asked, seeming to handle holding back her own news for her friend to let off her anxious steam.
"Everything is just peachy. And I'm serious!" She assured, throwing the towel into the empty sink. "Marcus finally understands that the nighttime is for sleeping, Kyra's been visiting every weekend, Jake made honor roll! And Bryan's been… quiet." She sat on the stool beside the big blonde. "I just don't want nothin' goin' wrong. Is that so horrible of me?"
"Of course not, Reebs!" She smiled, rubbing her arm. "It's nice when things are…right."
"She's right, honey. It's not selfish of you to want everything to stay good." Brock entered, holding Mark, patting his back, the burp cloth slung over his shoulder, ready for if he were to do what he always did- spit up down his Daddy's back. "A month of bliss, who wouldn't want it to keep up?" He smiled.
"I just feel like it's not going to be good news, Brock!" She huffed, smacking the counter with her fist. "I wish he would hurry up and get here!"
"He'll get here when he gets here. Just relax." He soothed, pecking her on the forehead.
"Yeah, Reba. I'm sure everything is just okie dokie!" BJ smiled.
The red head was quiet for a little bit, her brow furrowed as she wrung her hands in her lap. "You're probably right." She finally admitted. "I don't know why I'm getting myself all worked up. Now, what did you want to tell me?" Reba deflected, looking up at the tall lady.
But, Barbra Jean just shook her head. "It can wait." She whispered, turning to watch Van come through the back door.
"Hey, Mrs. H, can I talk with you?" He asked, ignoring the others in the room, his expression etched in worry, slightly pouting.
"Of course, Van! What is it you wanna talk about?" Reba questioned shakily.
He shifted uncomfortably, shoving his hands into his suit pockets. Van seemed to be coming straight from work, his tie slightly undone, his hair still gelled and slicked back. "Actually, I was hoping I could talk to you alone?" His eyebrows rose in innocent wonder.
"Y-yeah. Absolutely, Van." Reba stuttered, giving Brock a confused glance and then looking to BJ as if she knew what he could possibly want.
"Well, then I better be going." Barbra Jean said. "Brock, could you walk me to my car?"
"Oh, BJ, I have the baby—
She elbowed him in his side. "Walk. Me. To. My. Car!"
"Okay, I'll be back in a bit, gonna walk Barbra Jean to her car!" Brock forced a grin and then followed his ex-wife out the door.
They were clear out of earshot when Van took a seat on the stool. "I have to tell you something and you can't get upset. You can't tell Cheyenne, either." He said seriously.
"What the hell did you do?" Reba inquired sharply. "What are you gonna tell me?"
"I'll tell you, only if you promise…" He reminded utterly serious, his finger to his lips to express the urgency to still keep quiet.
What was he going to say? How could she promise? Because this was Van, and Van loved Cheyenne, and Van was her son, and Van was always there, and Van fathered her grandchildren… "I promise." She whispered, gulping the lump of fear down her throat.
"Cheyenne is pregnant."
It was silent and then Reba's brow furrowed. "What?"
"She's pregnant, Mrs. H." He repeated, clearing his throat.
"Van, that's wonderful!" She exclaimed.
But, he was all but excited. He looked down to his lap, biting his bottom lip while his handsome face twisted in pain. "Maybe not." He choked, wiping a rogue tear out of the corner of his eye. "You see, Chey-
"Why didn't she tell me?"
"I'm getting to that." He said annoyed.
"Okay." She took a step back. "Van? What else do you need to tell me."
"Cheyenne wants to keep it to ourselves for a little while." He sighed. "She thinks it's best to keep everyone in the dark while we wait." Van wiped his eye again quickly.
"Why does she want to wait?" Reba asked confusedly, frowning and leaning closer to her son-in-law. Cheyenne had never been great at keeping secrets, especially keeping them from Reba.
"She's twelve weeks, today." He muttered. "And I can't keep it a secret anymore." He didn't try to wipe his face; he just let the tears fall. "There was something on the ultrasound, but they can't do more of those test thingies until she's done with her first trimester and approaching her fourteenth week. We've known for a month, but she didn't want to tell you with everything going on…." He cried, covering his face with his giant paws.
Reba gulped. "Oh, Van." Her bottom lip quivered, but she took a deep breath. "Come here." She gestured, her arms outstretched and he came willingly, his head resting on her shoulder. "It's okay, honey." She rubbed his back, attempting to reassure him, attempting to console him.
"What if there's something wrong with my kid?" Van shuddered. "What are we going to do, then?"
"We'll do everything. Everything, Van." Reba repeated, squeezing him harder. "And I promise not to tell anyone. You've kept plenty of my secrets, I can return the favor." She held back her tears. "I'm gonna be a grandma again." She forced a grin. "That's cause for celebratin'!"
Van shook his head. "She's so afraid." He let go of his mother-in-law. "They said we could lose the baby, they said it and now Cheyenne won't talk to me! About anything. And I don't get home early enough to spend time with her, lately. And when I do, she's so exhausted I just make her go to bed. Elizabeth keeps asking why mommy's so sad… What do I say, Mrs. H?" He cringed. "I can't tell them the truth."
"You don't tell them, you just get her to think about something else. You tell her to play with Ryan, or give Cheyenne a hug." Reba sighed. "Van, you are a good father, and a good husband." She assured, grasping his arm and squeezing.
"Well, I don't feel that way." He smiled sadly. "I'm gonna get going. It's Ryan's bath time and it's my turn." He inhaled a great gulp of air.
"I love you, Van."
"Love you too, Mrs. H."
And when Van left and Brock reappeared, Reba took Marcus, holding him in her arms and rocking the baby back and forth. "Brock?" She inquired. "We're lucky."
"You don't have to tell me that." He smiled, running his fingers through her red hair and keeping her warm-blue gaze. "We have a new little boy, three other amazing kids, Van, Henry, Ryan, and Elizabeth… And the list goes on if we count BJ in…"
"We are truly blessed, you know that?" She replied.
"I'm very thankful for that." He grinned goofily. "Now what did Van want?" Brock asked, realizing the worry and reason in his wife's face.
"Oh, nothing. Cheyenne is just giving him some trouble, is all." She lied.
"Okay." He said sweetly, knowing she couldn't be telling the truth. He also knew she didn't like people prodding, even though she was the Queen prodder, sticking her nose where it didn't belong- but as she always said, family matters were where her nose belonged and he shouldn't keeping bein' such a MO-ron.
Reba knew she was no spring chicken when she gave birth only months ago and that had eaten away at her, but now holding her son, she prayed. She prayed for another miracle like him, and prayed for Cheyenne to come to her.
Later that night, radiating melancholy, Marcus asleep and Brock dozing off on the sofa, she decided to take a walk and feel the breeze of the Texas night. Her sneakers padded gently across the pavement, and her crimson hair billowed in the light wind. She was wholly tempted to go see Cheyenne, but the night was approaching its later hours. It was not the younger blonde she found herself beckoning with a doorbell for. It was BJ.
She answered, robe disheveled and eyes heavy with sleep. "Oh, BJ. I'm sorry, I didn't meant to wake you!" Reba replied to the yawning woman with remorse.
"No! Please come in! I was just waiting up for my man. It's his late shift tonight, and I always seem to doze off!" Barbra Jean smiled warmly, welcoming her best friend into her home. "What is it ya need, girlie?" She wondered sweetly, wiping the tired from her eyes and resting her hands on her small waist, strangely.
"I got some news today, about Cheyenne. Lord knows why I'm coming to Queen Blabbermouth about it, but… I really can't tell Brock." Reba said sadly, sitting on the couch.
"Oh, Red, my lips are sealed. What is it that's wrong?" Barbra Jean slid beside her on the sofa, crossing her legs.
"Well… She's p-pregnant." She quivered.
BJ's eyebrows rose. "O-ohhh." She replied crossly. "It's funny how these things seems to happen…"
"What do you mean?" Reba asked. "What's that supposed to mean?"
"I was trying to tell you earlier… Maybe I shouldn't…"
"You tell me right now, BJ or I swear—
"I'm pregnant too!" She hollered emphatically, jumping to her feet.
Please review and tell me what you think!
