Many thanks to KarenES and Beth Pryor for looking at this. I appreciate your on-going support for the story and my writing.

Deacon had heard about that phenomena of your life flashing in front of your face. Maybe it had happened when he and Rayna were in the truck, when it was rolling and he was too drunk to remember, but as he sat on the edge of his hospital bed facing Maddie...facing his daughter, he felt like his whole life just played like a movie right in front of his eyes. He fingered the edge of his hospital gown, pulling the robe that Juliette had brought him closed.

Except, it wasn't his whole life-it was just those parts where he knew there had been another path that he could have taken, a path that would have brought him to a completely different place than where he sat right now.

"Hey," he said, quietly, not sure what else to say.

Maddie didn't move from the edge of the door. Deacon gestured to the chair next to his bed.

"You want to come in?" he asked.

Juliette picked her purse up from the table next to Deacon's bed and put it over her shoulder. "I'm gonna go out and make that call and then I'll check back in to see if you're ready to go. There's clothes in the bag I left you over there." She pointed to the small duffle bag, then stopped to give Maddie a quick hug and walked out the door.

"Are you leaving?" Maddie asked, her voice small and quiet.

Deacon nodded. "Uh, yeah. They're letting me go home today."

He wanted to ask about Rayna, but he also didn't want to put Maddie in that place of being the go-between. But if he didn't ask about Rayna, he wasn't sure what to say.

"Does it hurt?" she asked, taking a step into the room. She paused halfway between the door and the chair.

Deacon nodded again. "Yeah, it hurts, but the doc thinks it will probably get better." He looked down at his hand, covered in the splint and then after a moment looked back up at her, a tear escaping his eye before he could reach up to wipe it away. "I'm really sorry about what happened-I'd never...I'd never try to hurt your mom. Or you."

"But you were drunk?" Maddie asked.

Deacon sighed, then nodded. "I was. I...I reacted poorly and I had a drink."

"You reacted? You mean, cause of what I asked you? What I found?" Maddie asked, her voice breaking.

Deacon stood up and held out his hand. Maddie paused and then took it as he guided her over to the chair to sit down. With his good hand he pulled the chair across from the bed and then sat down where he had started, this time facing her.

"I'm sorry. I didn't say that quite right," Deacon replied. "It wasn't about what you told me. Here's the thing-when I drink, when I choose to drink, it isn't about what anybody else does to me or says to me. When I drink, it's because I make the decision to break a vow that I've made to myself, my sponsor, my friends, the people I love-so no, that isn't your fault. That's on me, darlin'."

"But why?" Maddie asked, a sob catching in her throat. "I heard my parents fight about it once, but you've never done that, never been drinking, not in my whole life."

Deacon reached over and took her hand in his. "You're absolutely right, Maddie. I had never taken a drink in your whole life; as long as you've been around is pretty much the whole time I'd been sober."

"Can you stop?" she asked, looking up at him, her eyes also filling with tears.

"I pray to God. I hope so," Deacon replied, unable to stop the tears himself. He reached over and took a couple tissues from the box on the table, handing one to Maddie and then wiping his eyes with the other one. "You think you can give me another chance?"

Maddie nodded. "Does that help?" she asked.

"People like you believin' in someone like me is the only reason I've gotten this far, as it is," Deacon answered. "I still gotta do it for myself, but yes, you believin' in me makes a difference."

He looked up to see Juliette standing outside the door.

"You here with someone?" he asked.

Maddie nodded. "My aunt Tandy brought Daphne and I up here. Daphne wanted to sing to Mom for a little bit, but I told them I had to get something to drink first."

"Well, you better get back down there before they worry that you lost your way," Deacon replied.

"You gonna come see my mom before you go?" Maddie asked quietly.

Deacon didn't respond for a moment, not trusting his voice.

"You should go see her," Maddie responded. "I know she'd wonder where you were if you didn't."

Deacon nodded. "I'll see what I can do. You go find your aunt and Daphne, now. And you tell your Momma I'm...just tell her that I'm here."