Title: It's a Wonderful Life
Chapter 9: He's Having a Baby
Time: December 2008 (after the sixth season of Reba and beyond)
No copyright infringement intended.
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Previously-
Paige started biting her nails and prayed that Brock or the kids would show up early. She had a feeling that Mike and Reba upstairs alone might spell trouble...
What happens next? Stay tuned to find out! Keep reading to find out more!
The answers to the questions above will be revealed as you read the story. Here is It's a Wonderful Life!
Now on with our next chapter-
Meanwhile inside the apartment, Mike put Reba down on the bed in their old bedroom to lie down. She rolled over on her stomach. She felt Mike's fingers and palms digging into the tight, sore muscles in her back. It felt heavenly. This was exactly what she needed, this physical, non-sexual relief. Why couldn't she get this out of her other ex-husband or her current husband? Her thoughts paused, her current husband? Oh boy, was she in trouble now! She didn't want to have to train someone to care for her needs. She wanted a man who could just do it. Mike Holliway was that man, but they weren't together anymore. Brock's question from this morning ran through her mind.
"Mike, this feels wonderful. Thank you," she murmured.
"Anything for you, babe. Nothing is too good for my girl."
"Why do you say that?" She turned over abruptly to look at him. "What did you call me your girl?"
"Come on, Sal. You know that you'll always be my girl."
"No, I don't. You send me mixed signals. You either want me or you don't want me. You can't have it both ways."
"I guess I haven't been too clear, have I? I want you. I love you. I want us to try again."
Reba's hand flew up to her mouth. She was not prepared for such a direct, honest declaration from him. He'd been evasive about his feelings for so long. "Why?"
"Why what?"
"Don't stand there like you don't know what I'm talkin' about! You set me up on a date with Brock. Why would you do such a thing?"
"That was to make BJ happy. I didn't want her to suspect something."
"Right, it's so bad for BJ to suspect that you might have feelings for your ex-wife." She rolled her eyes at him.
"Baby, I swear that I'm going through something and we'll be together as soon as it's over."
"So am I. You have no idea."
"I'm sorry. Are you and Max gonna...?"
"What?"
"Nothing. I just thought that you might be pregnant is all."
"No, of course not, you mo-ron. Why would I even be having this conversation with you like this if I was?"
"I don't know. I got a strange vibe from you the other night."
"I don't know what that could be. Maybe it was because you set me up on a date with another man."
"I've explained that. Why? What are you going through anyway? Why would you say that about me?"
"Remember when we had that fight a couple of months ago. You went on a date with Max. I got jealous and went on a date with BJ. Well afterwards, one thing led to another."
"Let me guess, the bimbo is pregnant."
Mike hung his head down. "Yeah. Sal, I promised to see her through this. But after she has the baby, I'm gonna tell her that I want to be with you."
Reba bolted up onto her feet from the bed. She grabbed the pillow and started to attack him with it. "You mo-ron, how could you? How could you do that, throw her in my face and then still say that you love me?"
"Come on, Sal. It was a mistake. It's not like you haven't done the same thing."
"I haven't."
"I'm talking about the way that you even handled everything with John."
Reba paused, her arms at her sides now. She was afraid of where he was taking this. She let him continued.
"I know that you slept with someone else in Vegas. I know that if you were 100 percent sure about John being my son, there's no way that you would've married Max. You weren't sure, and that's why you left. I know you."
Tears welled up in her eyes. "How dare you? I stood at the altar, promising to love you forever, and you have the nerve to question my fidelity! What about you and Kim? You got another woman pregnant."
He held his hands up in front of him. "I handled things badly, but at least I admit it. I know that you got drunk and ran off, swearing revenge against me. Did you or did you not sleep with another man that night? Did you find someone to give you what you wanted?" His words were dripping with sarcasm.
Reba rolled her eyes at him. It was clear that their daughter inherited her smart mouth from both parents. She remembered how he shot his mouth off in high school all the time. She wiped away her tears, trying not to show any weaknesses. In reality, she was shaking on the inside. This was her most horrifying secret. She never wanted him to find out. She never wanted him to question John's paternity. She saw what was left of her family crumbling under the weight of the lie. Something compelled her to be honest. Before she knew it, she was making a tearful confession.
"Yeah, I did. But it doesn't change anything. It was one night. I was drunk and completely shattered on the inside. It doesn't change that first time before Vegas. That's when we first made love, creating something good, honest, and pure. There were plenty of times after that, too."
"How do you know?"
"How do I know what?"
"Don't play dumb, Sal. How do you know that the kid is mine?"
All the color rushed out of her face again. That one night was coming back to haunt her big time! "Don't you think that I would know such a thing!"
"All it takes is once, babe. You and I both know that."
Meanwhile, Brock had arrived at Holliway's. Paige filled him in on what had happened. He rushed upstairs to find out what was going on. He stood outside the door, listening to the heated discussion. He opened the unlocked door to the apartment. He walked over to stand in the bedroom doorway, watching his wife argue with her ex-husband.
"Does it matter? We have a family together, like it or not. I don't want to mess things up for the kids."
That's when Barbra Jean entered the apartment after watching Brock go up the stairs. She stood next to him, watching with vested interest.
"You slept with another man, and you lied to me about it. You've been lying all this time."
Tears are rolling down her face in a rush. "Kim cheated on you multiple times with your own brother. Barbra Jean got pregnant right after leaving you. How am I the scarlet one here? The other women in your life are way more deceitful."
"Barbra Jean wouldn't lie about something like that. I know that Henry is Brock's."
"Why? Because she's so perfect? Look at me. Really look at me. I have loved you more than anyone else."
"I want to believe you, Sal. But there's something that bugged me for years. I look at Kyra and I see us. I don't see that when I look at John. Maybe that's because he isn't mine. Wouldn't we be able to have a decent relationship if we really were father and son?"
Reba flew at him again, fists pummeling him. "I have loved you for 25 years. You said that we were a family and you would love all of my children as your own. You liar! You promised to love me forever, and you ran off with her. You'll take her words as gospel truth and not mine. We were supposed to grow old together!"
"Well, I'm lucky that I have a chance to do things right with BJ."
"Are you kiddin' me? Aren't you the same guy who wanted me to wait for ya until BJ popped the kid out?"
"BJ doesn't lie to me like you do."
"Is that so? Well, you don't have to worry about that anymore. I'm not gonna be around to bother you anymore. I went out and got an upgrade on husbands." She held her ring finger with the new wedding ring up to his face. "By the way, he's even better in bed than you are!"
"Now, Reba, that's just cruel. There's no need to tell a tale like that just because you're a sore loser."
Reba turned her fury to Barbra Jean. "Thirty minutes ago, the man was telling me that he loved me. He wanted us to get back together after he was finished dealing with you. The ring is real. Brock and I got married. I'm Henry's new stepmother."
Barbra Jean turned to Brock. "Is this true?"
Brock walked over to Reba. He pulled her away from Mike and put his arms around her. "Yes, we're married and we intend to stay that way."
Mike glanced at the pair. "That's why Brock's name came out of your mouth the other night. He's the guy. You slept with him in Vegas, didn't you?"
At this point, Reba's defiance ran out. She was hurt, but she couldn't keep on fighting with the man. They were still a family. Part of her still loved him. She didn't know how to answer that. She couldn't remember who she slept with in Vegas, and she didn't want to lie about it.
Brock was ready to step up to the plate, and claim his rightful place in Reba's life. "Yeah, Mike. It's true. Reba and I were together in Vegas, and I'm not sorry about it. I love her and I'm proud to call John my son."
Reba looked at Barbra Jean, who was gleeful at the scene, before looking back at Mike. "You better get a paternity test done on that baby. You shouldn't trust her word any more than mine. How do we ever know that Henry is Brock's and not yours? You're gonna be sorry that you pushed this today. You should be lucky to have a son like John. You're the biggest mo-ron that I've ever met.
"Mom, what's going on? Is it true? Mike's not my real father?"
Reba was horrified to find her son standing there, listening to this. John turned and ran out, before she could say anything. It was all too much to bear. She became lightheaded and she slipped into the darkness right into Brock's arms.
Max arrived with Jake and Kyra about that time. Paige called an ambulance. Brock continued to hold onto Reba until the paramedics put her on the gurney. He rode with her in the ambulance.
Meanwhile, John was driving off in a burst of rage. He was angry with his mother for lying to him. He was also angry at Mike once again for breaking up Reba's marriage to Max. John had a dad who loved him. He didn't need Mike for a father. The rain was pouring down, and he took the turn on the curve too fast. His car spun out of control. Brock saw the car as he passed by with the ambulance. "Please stop. That's my son's car. This is his mother. He could be injured."
The ambulance driver stopped. John was unconscious behind the wheel. Brock worried about what would happen to Reba's blood pressure when she found out that John was hurt. The paramedics loaded John into the ambulance also. Brock pleaded with them to hurry to McAlester Regional Hospital. One tended to John's injuries, and the other tended to Reba. She still hadn't woken up.
Reba finally awoke in the hospital with Brock by her side. "Where am I?"
Brock's face lit up. He stood up and kissed her on the forehead. "You're in the hospital, honey. Your blood pressure got too high."
Before he could say anything else, the doctor walked into the room. "Hello, Mrs. Hart. I'm glad to seeing you awake. I need to talk with both of you about your son."
"What's wrong with my son?"
"Your husband found him with the ambulance after the crash. He's sustained numerous injuries. There's substantial damage to the liver. He needs a blood transfusion. He may even need a family member to donate part of their liver to help him. As you know, he has a very rare blood type."
"No problem, Doctor. My ex-husband, Max Thornton, will come in to donate his blood and be tested for a match on the liver."
The doctor walked away. Brock faced Reba with a look of disappoint in his eyes. "I can be tested for this."
"Look, Max and I have had to deal with medical issues like this before. Luckily, he has the same blood type as John."
"How long have you known?"
Reba hung her head down. "Since John was ten. He needed a blood transfusion. Mike and I weren't a match."
"I want to be tested, Reba."
"Why do you insist on this? Max and I can handle it."
"I don't want Max to handle it. John is my son. I will help my son."
"You knew, didn't you? You knew that I didn't remember that night. You knew that there was a chance that you were John's father. That's why you married me, isn't it? That's just great, Brock! Congratulations, it's a boy. Now, get out! Go get tested and see if you can save him. I don't want to see you for awhile."
"But Reba..."
"I mean it, Brock. Just get out!" Reba's usual strong demeanor gave way to sadness and tears.
Brock was torn between helping his wife and helping his son. He knew that Reba would be better off if he left the room, so he chose to get the testing to help John.
Reba turned to the wall and cried. She wondered if her marriage was real at all. She wondered if Brock had used her to get close to their son. She couldn't believe that she was married to a man who was the father of her son, and she still didn't remember sleeping with him in the first place. She hoped that Brock would be able to save their son...
What happens next? Stay tuned to find out in the next chapter!
Author's note: I will continue to write new chapter updates as often as possible. Thanks for being patient.
No singing this time. Just plenty of drama. I hope that you like it.
If anyone has any suggestions on them I'd love to hear! Review or Send me a P.M with your suggestions! Please feel free to make any comments that you wish. I may just decide to include it in the story. If I do include one of your suggestions, then I will give you full credit.
I want to express my special thanks to the following people who have given me valuable support.
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I thank all of you readers for your continued support. Your support really keeps me writing!
Without you, the story wouldn't be continued every week.
Characters I don't own: Reba McKinney, Brock Hart, Barbra Jean Booker, Kyra, Jake, Cheyenne Montgomery, Van Montgomery, Elizabeth Montgomery, Barbra Jean Booker, Henry Hart, Mike Holliway, Terry Holliway, Lori Ann Garner, JV McKinney, Helen McKinney, John D. Hart, Liz Hart, and any other characters from the Reba cast.
Characters I do own: Anyone not part of the Reba cast – original characters developed for this story include: Max Thornton, Cheyenne McEntire-Smith (Nana), Vince McEntire (Papa), Kenneth Smith (Gramps), Paige McKinney, Michael Davis, John McKinney Thornton, Barbara Ann Grant, Kim Campbell-Holliway, Sam Holliway, Jenny Miller, Terry Holliway, Jr., Josh Holliway, Madeline Mitchell (Maddi), Greg Brooks, Jason Holliway, and Maggie.
