Rayna had been driving for over 4 hours. She was exhausted. Deacon was passed out in the passenger seat still holding a half empty bottle of Jack Daniels.
She was not happy with him, but at the same time thankful he'd passed out before finishing the bottle. The old Deacon would have downed the entire bottle and started another.
It was after 6am. The sun was coming up. She decided to stop for gas, and coffee while it was still early. Hopefully not many people would be around at 6am on a Saturday morning.
She pulled the visor mirror down, and realized how horrible she looked. Only a few hours of sleep. She'd gone to bed with wet hair that was now an unmanageable red, mess. She hadn't put any makeup on, and was wearing glasses. She had lost a contact trying to rush around getting ready.
Irritated, she purposely slammed the door as she got out to pump gas. Deacon woke up as the door slammed, and got out. He got sick in the garbage can between the gas pumps, and threw the half full Jack bottle away.
"I got that." He grumbled as he took the nozzle from Rayna and finished filling the Escalade as Rayna went inside without saying a word to him
She slammed the door again as she got back in the car. Deacon rubbed his aching head and sighed.
"Guess you're pretty pissed, huh?"
"More worried, Deacon." She said as she tried to hold back 4 hours worth of tears, and frustration.
"I'm sorry, baby. I fucked up. I slipped, and I…" he grabbed the door handle and puked again just as he got to the trash can.
He got back in and reclined the seat as he held his head.
"Deacon, your toothbrush, toothpaste, and mouthwash are in the cosmetics bag. I packed you several clean shirts. Why don't you go in the bathroom and freshen up a little? You can't walk into a hospital looking like that."
10 minutes later a fresher Deacon climbed back into the passenger seat. Fresh breath, cologne, and a clean shirt. He'd combed his hair, and was looking, and smelling more presentable.
Rayna had a bottle of Tylenol, large bottle of water, a sandwich, and large coffee waiting for him.
"You're too good to me, baby. Thanks for taking care of my drunk ass." He smiled at Rayna as he popped a couple Tylenol.
"You want me to drive the rest of the way?" he asked as he looked at his exhausted wife
"NO, DEACON. YOU DRANK HALF A BOTTLE OF JACK DANIELS JUST A FEW HOURS AGO!" she irritatedly snapped
"Ray, I'm fine. I've puked so damn much there's not much left inside."
"I've got it, Deacon. Let's just get there." She said as she started the Escalade and pulled out of the gas station.
They walked into Natchez Regional Medical Center just before 11am.
Deacon asked the information desk where they needed to go.
Rayna put an arm around him as they walked toward his mom's room in the intensive care unit. She knew he wasn't going to take things well.
There was a nurse with his mom as they entered the room.
"Is she…" Deacon's voice cracked
"She's hanging on, but it's not good." The nurse said to Deacon and Rayna
"The Dr knows you're here. He's on his way up now to give you more details."
Frannie looked so weak and sickly laying in the bed. Her hair had gone from dark with some gray whisps to all gray in the past year since they'd last seen her. She was only 54 years old, but looked so much older now. She had monitors and tubes all over her. She was wearing an oxygen mask.
Deacon grabbed her hand as he sat next to her bed
"I'm here mom." He said voice cracking as he tried to stay strong with Rayna by his side
The Dr stepped into the room.
"Mr and Mrs Claybourne, I'm Dr Simms. We spoke on the phone." He said as he extended a hand to each of them
"Why don't we step into a consultation room?" He said as he led them to a small room down the hall with several chairs around a small table.
"I'm not gonna fill you with false hope. Your mother suffered one of the worst hemorrhagic strokes I've seen. There is a lot of damage. She didn't get immediate help which complicated matters more. She had also been on blood thinners for some heart issues which increased the bleeding."
"What are her chances?" Deacon asked
"At the most maybe 30 days, but I honestly don't see her making it more than a few more days. I'm very sorry."
"I think we'd like a second opinion." Rayna said
"Of course. I'll have the nurses station get you some information on other local Dr's or feel free to bring in anyone you'd like."
"Is she conscious? Can she talk, or does she even know what's going on?" Deacon asked
"We have her on something to help her sleep, right now. She was very confused and agitated when she woke up from surgery. She seemed aware of her surroundings, but as far as memory I'm really not sure at this point."
"What was the surgery for? Blood clot removal, or…?" Deacon asked
"No, hemorrhagic strokes are not caused by blood clots. It's a weakening in the blood vessels of the brain that eventually ruptures. It may have been a condition she always had, or it may have been caused by a past head trauma. We did our best to repair the blood vessels, but as I said there is a lot of damage."
"Head trauma, like from an abusive husband?" Deacon asked as Rayna felt him tense with anger
"It's entirely possible, yes if she suffered head injury at some point."
"Thank you. Dr. Simms." Rayna said. She knew Deacon was about to explode
"Sure. Again, I am very sorry. I'll have the nurses get you information on other Dr's. If you have any further questions, please have me paged. Take as much time as you need in here." He said, as he noticed Deacon's face getting red, and quickly excused himself.
"Deacon, please calm down." Rayna put an arm around him and tried to soothe him, but he was seething with anger, and pushed her away.
"IF THE SON OF A BITCH WAS STILL ALIVE, I SWEAR I'D KILL HIM WITH MY BARE HANDS RIGHT NOW, RAY!"
"I know, babe. Please calm down for your mom, your sister, and Scarlett. We need to find Scarlett and Bev, if they'll let us see her, OK?" she pulled Deacon into a tight embrace as he finally lost his composure and cried like a baby.
"I should have been here for her more, Ray. All those years after I left home. I barely called." All the years of guilt and hurt were hitting Deacon full force now.
"Deacon, you've mended things with her the past 5 years. She got to see Maddie quite a few times. She knows you love her. The past doesn't matter now. "
"I'm not ready to lose her, Ray. I haven't had enough time with her." Rayna had never seen Deacon so devastated. He had his head on her lap as she ran her fingers through his dark hair and just let him cry. She knew exactly how he felt. She lost her mom at only 12 and still struggled with it.
"I love you soo much, Deacon. I'm gonna be here every step of the way. You're not alone in this." She tried to reassure him
"I love you, Ray. I'm sorry I'm such a mess." He said as he finally gained enough composure to go back to his mom's room
Deacon sat by his mom's bed for the next 2 hours just watching her sleep, as Rayna went to find out where Scarlett and Beverly were.
He apologized for leaving, and not calling all those years. He told her about Maddie and how much he loved being a daddy. He forgave her for all the times he felt she hadn't protected him from his father. She squeezed his hand a couple time, but she didn't wake up.
Rayna had found patient advocate services and took custody of Scarlett
"Oh, my…you really are her aunt!" The woman said as Rayna Jaymes walked into the room.
"I'm sorry Mrs. Jaymes. I'm a big fan. When Scarlett said you were her aunt I just assumed…"
"It's OK. She's my husband's sister's daughter, and it's Rayna Claybourne. Jaynes is just my stage name." Rayna said as she shook the star struck woman's hand.
"Oh, right Deacon Claybourne is your husband now. I loved it when you two sang together years ago. Does he still sing?" the woman kept asking questions
"Ahhh, yes locally in Nashville he does, but he mostly stays home with our daughter, Maddie. She's just a little younger than Scarlett. Where is Scarlett by the way?" Rayna asked
"Oh…sorry…she's asleep in the next room. She's pretty upset. She finally fell asleep a couple hours ago."
"Well we appreciate you taking such good care of her. Sorry it took us so long to get here. Nashville is about an 8 hour drive from here. Do you have a business card? I'll make sure you're compensated for going out of your way." Rayna smiled
"Mrs. Claybourne it's my job. Meeting you is thanks enough." The young girl was beaming, but trying to remain professional.
Scarlet woke up as Rayna sat on the bed and brushed the blonde hair out of her eyes.
"Hey, sweetie. How are you?" We've missed you so much." Rayna said as a shy Scarlett clung to a teddy bear
"Where's gramma, and mama?" Scarlett said close to tears
"They're both here at the hospital sweetie, but we can't see them right now, OK?"
"Uncle Deacon and I are gonna take good care of you, OK?"
"Do you remember us, baby?" asked Rayna
"Yeah, but I want mama and gramma." Scareltt had tears on her cheeks, and was scared to death. It had been a year since she'd seen Rayna and Deacon.
"Come with me. We're gonna find uncle Deacon, and maybe get you something to eat." Rayna pulled Scarlett into a hug and led her down the hallway.
Deacon was still by his mom's side when Rayna walked into Frannie's room. She could tell he'd been crying, and there was no change in Frannie.
"Deacon, I have Scarlett out here in the waiting room."
"Hey Scarlett. How's my sweet niece?" Deacon asked as he sat next to a scared little girl
"It's OK, sweetie. We've talked on the phone a lot. It's uncle Deke. You know me." He tried to reassure her
"Uncle Deke?" she seemed to put the name and voice together and smiled at Deacon
"Yeah, C'mere." He pulled the little girl into his arms and held her tight
"It's gonna be OK. I'm here now, baby."
"I want gramma, and mama. Where are they?" she pleaded to see them as Deacon looked helplessly at Rayna with Scarlett in his arms
Rayna called Deacon out to the hall away from Scarlett
"Bev is with a Dr. for evaluation now, Deacon. They'll let us know soon if we can see her, and what they plan to do with her."
"Thank you, Ray. I don't know what I'd do without you. I have no idea what to do with Scarlett. She's scared to death, and doesn't really know us."
"You're great with Maddie, Deacon. She's only 6 months older. She'll be OK. We'll figure it out."
"After we know more about Bev, I think it would be best if maybe I check into a hotel with Scarlett, or maybe go to your mom's house so Scarlett can be in her own room tonight."
"I'd really rather you stay in a hotel close to the hospital, Ray. That house isn't in the best neighborhood, and we don't have any security with us."
"Mr. and Mrs. Claybourne?" a man in a suit asked as he approached Deacon and Rayna in the hall
"Yeah." Deacon answered
"I'm Dr. Henry Stein. I just evaluated your sister Beverly. We're gonna go ahead and admit her for a 21 day program, and re-evaluate after that for possibly longer. She's asking to see her brother."
"OK, yeah…Ray, can you stay with Scarlett. I'll be back." Deacon said as Dr. Stein led him down the hall and out of site
Deacon entered a dark, white room, sparsely decorated, and smelling of bleach. It reminded him of his days in rehab for alcoholism.
Bev was alone in the room and sitting on the bed staring out the window.
"Hey, sis…" he wasn't sure what to say as he approached
"How's mom, Deke?"
"Did they tell you anything, Bev?" he asked
"I remember a Dr. telling me she wasn't going to make it, and not much after that."
"Is she, OK?"
"No, sweetie. She's hanging on, but…." Deacon's voice cracked
"What about Scarlett? Where's my baby?"
"She's fine. She's with Ray."
"Take care of her, Deke. I can't do any of this without mama. She's been the one taking care of Scarlett since she was born."
"Sweetie, you're gonna be fine. You just need some rest."
"No, Deacon, I can't take this. I can't do this. I just want out, just wanna end it all, and forget…."
"Bev, what are you sayin? You have a beautiful little girl who needs you."
"Take her, Deke. Please just take her back to Nashville with you. There's no one else, and I can't take care of her."
"Where's Lester? Does he even see his daughter?" asked Deacon
"He hasn't been around since her first birthday. I have no idea where he is."
"I CAN'T DO IT, DEACON. I JUST WANNA END IT ALL. PLEASE SAY YOU'LL TAKE MY BABY?" She was begging Deacon to take Scarlett.
"OK, till you're better Ray and I will take her." He tried to hug his sister, but she just pushed him away, and slipped into a catatonic state
Deacon sighed as he entered the waiting room where Rayna and Scarlett were coloring together in a corner play area.
"Ray, can you come out here in the hall, please?" he said in such a serious tone he scared Rayna
"What's going on?"
"I just agreed to take Scarlett back to Nashville with us for a while."
"Deacon, we really should have talked about this first."
"WHAT THE HELL AM I SUPPOSE TO DO HERE, RAY? BEV BEGGED ME TO TAKE HER. THERE'S NO ONE ELSE!"
"OK, Deacon calm down, please. Where's her father?"
"Bev doesn't know. He hasn't been around in years. She said mom's been raising Scarlett, and she can't do it alone."
"Alright, Deacon. For how long?"
"JESUS, RAYNA. I DON'T KNOW. I DON'T KNOW ANYTHING RIGHT NOW. I JUST…I WANT A DAMN DRINK SO BAD…." He was losing his composure again
"C'mere Deacon. I'm sorry. You're right. We'll take Scarlett. Please just relax." She hugged him tight
"Why don't you take Scarlett, and check into a hotel. She shouldn't be here. I'm gonna stay with mom tonight."
"Are you sure you're OK, alone, Deacon?"
"No, Ray. I'm not sure about anything right now. Just get her out of here, OK." He kissed Rayna goodbye and turned to go back to his mom's hospital room for the night.
