He can't believe he's here again. Waiting for someone he loves to wake up from a coma. This is the third time in his life he has had to do this, and each time was caused by his drinking. They should have just let him die. It would have been better that way. Actually maybe not. He knew him dying would have been hard on the girls. Especially Maddie.

It really would have been better if he'd just died in that car crash with Vince all those years ago when it was just he and Rayna. He would have never gotten her pregnant, she wouldn't have had to marry someone she didn't really love to give their daughter a father that wasn't a drunken loser. He would have just slipped from existence at 27 like the rest of the hard living musicians. That should have been his destiny. "Deacon Claybourne: lived and died like a country song."

This whole family thing, he just wasn't meant for it. He had never been strong enough. He always knew he was going to end up a drunk like his daddy. He'd met family members of people in the program along the way that never touched the stuff. Never even wanted to see if they had that addiction gene that made the bottle take hold of something deep inside and never let go. They saw what it did to their mother, their father, their sister and said "that's not going to be me." Deacon had run right towards it, and he had a body count to prove it.

He stroked his sister's hair and tried to remember what it was like when they were kids. Although she was three years older, they had been inseparable growing up. They were always playing down by the river where their mama told them they should never go. Deacon would try to tell her they couldn't because they'd just told mama they wouldn't go there, but Bev would call him a chicken and a baby and soon enough Deacon would be following along as Bev's pigtails flapped in the breeze. She always was the bold one. Well, at least when they were young.

He'd been the one to break away and come to Nashville, build a life for himself, make some money. He thought about the McMansion that he and Rayna lived in. There's no way 7-year-old Deacon ever thought he was ending up in some place like that. Little Deacon wouldn't have let himself dream about anything more than a one room flat and a guitar by his bedside.

The door creaked open and Scarlett walked in. "How's she doing?"

Deacon turned to see his niece standing there. Her mass of wild blond hair pinned back to reveal eyes that had clearly been cried out days ago. "Alright I guess. I thought I felt her hand move before, but since then nothing, so…" Neither one of them wanted to mention the elephant in the room. The fact that just a month ago she'd been fine. That if they hadn't talked her into this surgery then she'd be standing behind the counter at the diner where she waitressed right now.

Scarlett sat down taking Beverly's hand in her own. "You should go home. See your family. I'm here with her now."

"I'm not going to leave you Scarlett. You and Bev are my family too. Rayna can handle the homefront for a little while."

"When was the last time you went home?"

Deacon shuffled his boots a bit. "I was there last week for a little bit."

"Ignoring your girls isn't going to make mama wake up any faster. You know that right?"

Deacon sighed. "I know. It's just…"

Before Deacon could get out the rest of his thought Scarlett jumped to her feat. "I felt something. I definitely felt her squeeze my hand!"

Deacon ran out of the room to go get the doctor. When he exited the room he ran straight into Rayna. "Hey, what's going on, is everything all right?" she asked.

Deacon pulled her towards him kissing her, before continuing down the hall. "It's great. I'll be right back."

A bewildered Rayna stumbled into Beverly's room. "What's he so happy about?"

"It's mama. I think she's waking up."

Just then Deacon came back with the doctor. The doctor walked over to Beverly and started checking her vitals. "Beverly, can you hear me?" he asked.

Everyone watched as Beverly's eyes fluttered open and she turned her head towards her visitors. Scarlett smiled and Deacon clutched Rayna's hand.

The doctor turned to Deacon, Rayna, and Scarlett. "Now that she's awake we'll run some more tests on her and make sure everything is normal.

"What can we do?" Deacon asked.

"Go home, get some sleep. You're barely out of the woods yourself. You should be in your own bed. Not a hospital room."

Deacon wasn't quite ready to go, but with the prodding of the doctor and Rayna standing next to him, he decided it probably was time for him to trade the overly firm hospital bed for his own plush mattress and the softness of Rayna by his side.

##

The girls were excited to see him. Daphne played him a song she'd been practicing on her ukulele, and Maddie didn't run off to call Colt even once. They all sat and had dinner together, then curled up on the couch after dinner to watch a movie. The girls were splayed out on the ends, and Rayna was tucked into Deacon's side. If she had to admit it, she wasn't paying any attention to the movie. Instead she was just reveling in the fact that her man was home and beside her. She'd cuddle in closer to him and burried her head in his chest taking in his scent. Nothing in the world felt as good to her as being in his arms. All the times they were apart over the years, sometimes so long she could barely stand it, being in his arms brought her the comfort she was always longing for. He casually stroked her hair as he watched the movie, a motion that came so naturally to him despite the fact he hadn't done it in over a month.

Two hours later all the popcorn was eaten, the blankets were strewn on the floor, and the girls were on their way up to bed. "We should head up to sleep too," Deacon said as he took Rayna's hand and helped her up off the couch. "It'll be nice to sleep in my own bed. Even if it's only been my bed for a few months."

"Well, it's going to be your bed for the rest of your life so you better get used to it." Rayna smiled at him lovingly and intertwined her fingers with his as they climbed the stairs to the room that would be theirs as long as they lived in that house.

Rayna watched as Deacon undressed and got into bed. She followed suit pulling a black silk nightie on that felt good against her skin. Rayna started to cuddle into him but stopped herself. "Is this okay? I'm not hurting you am I?"

Deacon smiled and pulled her closer. "Not at all. I'm alright Ray."

Relief passed over Rayna's features. "Good, cause nothing can keep me away from being close to you." Rayna ran her hand up Deacon's leg until she was cupping him in her hand. To Rayna's surprise he pulled back putting some distance between them. "What's wrong?" she asked.

"I haven't been cleared for active duty yet."

Rayna laughed, "Oh, I see. It's been five and a half weeks Deacon, the doctor said six. I think we're safe."

"Probably, but I still think we should keep it PG-13 tonight."

"Does that include kissing? I don't remember my movie ratings?"

"You tell me." Deacon reached over and pulled Rayna towards him taking her mouth with his own. The more they kissed the more passionate it became between them. They sucked on each other's lips and tongues as if they were experiencing their first rain after a long drought.

As their legs intertwined Deacon rolled Rayna onto her back pressing her into the mattress with his weight. She moaned in response, but then pulled back a little resting her head against his. "I can't stop babe. I need you so badly," she whispered. She could feel Deacon try to regulate his breathing as he was continuing to grow harder as he pressed into her. "We shouldn't Ray."

"Do you really want to stop?" she asked while running her hands up and down his back and under his boxer shorts. Deacon let out a little moan of pleasure before saying "fuck it," and removing any scrap of material that was standing in the way of him becoming one with Rayna. The moment he entered her it was like sweet relief for the both of them. There was a time when Deacon thought he might never be this close to Rayna again. Lying there in the hospital room, about to go into surgery, he was sure that he'd never make it out alive, yet here he was making love to the woman he promised to cherish for eternity.

Afterwards he held her close softly kissing her face and lips. She ran her hands up into his hair the way she always did after they were together. "Are you happy?" Rayna asked.

Deacon smiled and kissed her nose. "Yeah, I'm happy."

Suddenly his phone rang. Deacon looked over at the clock. "Who's calling at 1:30 in the morning?"

He picked up the phone and hit receive. "Hello?"

"Deacon! You have to get down here now." It was Scarlett.

"What's going on?"

"It's mama. Something's happened."