Rayna checked into a hotel a few blocks from the hospital. She hated leaving Deacon alone, but there was no one else to take Scarlett.
They ordered pizza and several on demand Disney movies to try to take the little girls mind off her mom and grandma.
Rayna's heart broke for the scared, confused little girl. Scarlett barely knew her and Deacon. She did seem to perk up a little with Deacon the few minutes she was with him.
He had been calling his mom and sister regularly for the past 5 years, and usually talked to Scarlett on the phone when he did. Her little face had lit up just a little when she made the voice and Uncle Deke connection.
Rayna had talked to Deacon's mom quite a few times, but she and Beverly weren't particularly fond of each other. Deacon's sister had a lot of hate and resentment issues that pre-dated Rayna's relationship with Deacon, but Bev seemed to blame Rayna anyway.
Beverly had never really gotten over Deacon leaving Natchez the way he did when he was only 16. She felt he deserted their mom, and her. Deacon's refusal to return to Natchez for his father's funeral had only made things worse. His mother had quit speaking to him for a couple years after that.
It was just before Deacon and Rayna took their first official tour that Deacon's best friend Vince had lost his mother to cancer. Deacon had returned to Natchez for the first time in over 8 years for Rosa Mason's funeral, and while there started to mend fences with his mom and sister.
Rayna thought back to that trip. Deacon had left their apartment in Nashville just weeks before their first big tour, and first big break in country music. They'd had a horrible fight because Deacon refused to let Rayna go with him.
Deacon had only been out of rehab a couple months at the time. He'd been sober 4 months. Rayna was terrified about his time with Vince. Together Deacon and Vince always seemed to get in trouble, and it always involved alcohol.
That trip had almost ended Deacon and Rayna's relationship. If it hadn't been for the tour and being forced together on a bus that summer, Rayna wasn't sure she and Deacon would still be together today.
His unplanned marriage proposal the night they got back together had completely shocked her, and probably Deacon himself a little too.
Finding out she was pregnant weeks later, and moving the wedding way up from the spring Nashville ceremony she'd been planning, to an impromptu sort of elopement with only their tour members present, in the Colorado Rockies had turned both their worlds completely up side down.
Rayna wouldn't have it any other way as she thought back over the last 7 years with Deacon. He had his problems, but she loved him, and she knew he loved her. She just needed to get him through this latest hurdle with his mom, sister, and Scarlett and hope that his love for her and his family would help him fight his demons.
Seeing him need that Jack Daniels bottle so much had scared the hell out of her. The fact that he had it hidden in the house bothered her. She wasn't ready to go down that road again with Deacon.
Drinking socially the past couple of years had bothered her at first, but Deacon seemed to be handling it OK. In the music business it kind of came with the territory, but now Deacon seemed to be slipping back into using it for the wrong reasons. He needed it to cope with stress, and hiding it was a very bad sign.
She wondered how long he'd been keeping alcohol in the house, and if he'd done it while she was away in Europe. She knew she had to get a handle on the situation. There was no way she'd ever leave Maddie alone with Deacon if she thought he was seriously drinking again.
Now wasn't the time. He was so upset. If he needed alcohol to get through this she'd deal with it, but eventually she knew they needed to sit down for a serious talk about his drinking before it escalated out of control again.
Her thoughts went to Vince. Deacon rarely heard from him. As far as Rayna was concerned if they never heard from him again she'd be fine with it. They had only seen him a few times in the past 5 years on their occasional trip to Natchez to see Frannie, Bev, and Scarlett.
Vince was still Vince. Drinking was all he thought about. Luckily he and Deacon just didn't have much in common once Deacon was a married man with a kid. She knew Deacon called him a couple times a month and sent him money against Rayna's wishes. He had burned through all of his mother's inheritance money within a year after she died.
Deacon felt kind of obligated to at least keep tabs on Vince. Rosa had left Deacon half of everything and a letter asking him to always look out for Vince. Deacon didn't really need the money. Rayna knew Deacon owned half of the house Vince lived in. He still made sure the household bills were paid and kept up the property taxes. He also paid for a lawn service.
They had put the house on the market after Rosa died, but Deacon had gone back to Nashville and out on tour. Vince let the place go to hell and no one wanted to buy it in the condition it was in.
Some investors had been interested for a lot less than asking price, but the realtor had such a hard time with showings. Vince was either there drunk, or wouldn't allow showings.
The realtor finally quit and told Deacon, Vince and the house were his problem. Deacon apologized to the poor woman and paid her the full commission plus some anyway.
Rayna knew if Vince found out Deacon was in town, he'd probably make an appearance. She just hoped in Deacon's already fragile state he'd fight the urge to go anywhere alone with Vince. All the times she had to bail them both out of jail, or go to the hospital at 3 am after a bar fight and stitches, broken bones, alcohol poison came flooding back to her.
Her phone rang on the night stand.
"Hey, baby. How's Scarlett?" Deacon asked
"Quiet. We've been watching Disney movies and having pizza." She said as she stroked the little blonde girls hair
"Did you eat anything, Deacon?" a concerned Rayna asked
"I'm not hungry, Ray."
"Deacon, you need to keep your strength up. Go to the cafeteria, PLEASE." She begged
"I'm fine, Ray. I'll eat later. Have you talked to Tandy? How's Maddie?"
"I tried to call, but didn't get an answer. Tandy probably took her shopping or something."
"OK, well, I just wanted to see how you and Scarlett were getting along."
"Has anything changed with your mom?" she cautiously asked
"No"
******silence*****
"I'll call you if anything changes, Ray…Hey, I love you. Thanks for being here, baby." His voice was cracking as he hung up before Rayna had a chance to say anything else.
Her heart was breaking for Deacon. She knew he was struggling, and his mom's death was going to be devastating for him. Losing a parent was bad enough, but Deacon also had the added problems with a sister completely losing it, and a 5 year old niece to try to explain all of it to, while fighting his own battles with addiction.
Deacon walked out the front doors to the parking lot. He needed some fresh air before going back to his mom's room. His back and neck were a tight mess of knots from sitting in an uncomfortable chair for hours. He missed Rayna and Maddie. He had a million things running through his mind.
How was he gonna raise another child if Bev didn't get better?
Would Rayna even be willing to take Scarlett…maybe forever?
What the hell was he gonna do about Bev?
Move her to a hospital in Nashville?
Leave her alone in Natchez?
How would Maddie react to Scarlett living with them?
What would all of it mean for his career?
How was he gonna get through his moms funeral?
First he had to plan a funeral. Where to begin there?
Work…Belcort was still breathing down his neck for new material?
Rayna would be going back on tour next year. He'd be home with 2 kids?
He just wanted the world to stop spinning. He was struggling to focus on any one thing. He wanted a drink. He wanted to just forget everything and not have to deal with any of this.
His phone rang in his shirt pocket
"Hey, Deacon. It's Tandy. How's your mom?"
"Not good. She maybe has a few days." He said trying to swallow a lump
"How's Maddie? Is everything OK." He said thinking it was odd for Tandy to be calling his phone
"She's fine. She was a little upset when she woke up this morning with both you and Rayna gone, but we went shopping, and she's OK now. That's actually why I called. She misses her daddy. Are you up for talking to her?"
"Yeah, always…"
"Daddy?"
"Hi baby. Are you being good for aunt Tandy?"
"When are you coming home, daddy? I want you."
"I know baby girl, but it's gonna be a few days. Grammas really sick, and she needs me right now, OK?
"Can you be strong for me?" he asked trying to be strong for her and not lose it
"I miss you, daddy." She was starting to cry
"Hey, please don't cry Maddie. I'll be home as soon as I can, OK."
"I miss you very much, kiddo. You can call me anytime."
"…but when will you be home, daddy?"
"Soon, baby, OK…until then you're gonna have fun with aunt Tandy. I love you. Can you put aunt Tandy back on please?"
I'm here, Deacon." Tandy said as Maddie cried in the background
"I fell horrible leaving her like we did." Deacon told Tandy
"She'll be fine. I'll keep her busy. Any idea when you'll be back?"
"Maybe a few days. If this drags on too long I'll stay and send Ray home."
"You both need to stay, Deacon. I can handle Maddie for as long as you need. Don't worry about anything here. We're fine. I'm sorry about your mom."
"Thanks, Tandy. I owe you big this time. Love you. Bye."
"Love you too, Deacon, bye."
He took a deep breath. It was good to know Maddie was in good hands and one less thing to worry about. He felt a little better as he walked back down the hall to his mom's room.
Hearing Maddie's little voice, and knowing how much she needed him gave him strength to keep going. Scarlett needed him just as much, if not more now. She was losing her grandma and from the sound of it, the most important person in her life. Bev was more of a mess than he was. They weren't close, but she needed him now too.
The next morning Scarlett seemed to be a little better with Rayna. She was talking more, and asked if they could do something other than watch TV today.
"Aunt Ray, can we do something today? I don't wanna watch TV anymore."
"Sure, baby. How about we start with some breakfast downstairs? We'll go shopping to get you some clean clothes, and whatever you want. How does that sound?"
"OK" she said with a smile for the first time since Rayna had picked her up
Scarlett loved clothes shopping. It was a new experience for Rayna. Maddie hated clothes shopping. Rayna was so happy to have a new little shopping companion she went way overboard and bought Scarlett a lot of pretty dresses. Deacon would probably freak out when the next credit card bill came.
She also bought Deacon a new black suit and black dress shirt, and herself a conservative black dress. They had rushed so quickly to leave home they weren't really prepared for a funeral.
Last stop was a toy shop. She didn't get the feeling Scarlett had really ever had a day for just her to be spoiled rotten and every little girl needed that sometimes. She let Scarlett pick out quite a few toys. She chose Barbie dolls and clothes for them. Rayna let her get all the Barbie accessories too. The house, the car.
Scarlett was such a polite appreciative little girl
"Thank you Aunt Ray for all my pretty clothes and toys." She'd said on the drive back to the hotel.
"You're more than welcome, sweetie. We're gonna get through all of this together. Your uncle Deacon and I love you very much, and whatever happens we're here for you, OK?"
"OK, Aunt Ray."
As Scarlett played with her new toys Rayna made funeral arrangements. She thought she might be jumping the gun a bit, but she didn't want Deacon to have to deal with everything all at once after Frannie passed.
She knew Deacon's mom loved her flower garden so all of the flowers she ordered were fresh and uncut plants. She'd spoken with the burial manager and made a donation and request for them to maintain the plot with flowers year round.
Everything was done. The clothes were bought for the services for all 3 of them. The casket, stone, minister, flowers, and even the obituary was ready to go. She'd keep it to herself until after Frannie passed. It might upset Deacon before.
Anything she could do to minimize the stress on Deacon was worth whatever it cost.
Her phone rang on the nightstand.
"Hey, how are things going?" Tandy asked
"Not great for poor Deacon." Rayna said
"I know. Maddie wanted to talk to him. We called him last night. He sounds horrible."
"Is he OK, Rayna? I mean…the Jack Daniels bottle the night you left."
"I dunno, Tandy. He's going through a lot right now. It's not just his mom." Rayna said as she moved to the bedroom of the suite and closed the door so Scarlett wouldn't hear.
"His sister is having a breakdown. She's in the mental ward at the hospital. I have his niece Scarlett here at the hotel with me."
"Isn't she only Maddie's age?"
"Yeah, she's 6 months older."
"So…what are you gonna do about her?"
"Deacon told Beverly we'd bring her back to Nashville with us."
"Did he talk to you about that first?"
"No, but what can he do? Beverly begged him to take her, and there's no one else."
"Where's her father?"
"I dunno. I have no idea how this is all gonna work out, but right now I can't refuse to take the kid."
"We're all she has. Deacon and his sister are a mess. …." Rayna was close to tears
"Oh, honey. I'm sorry I didn't mean to upset you."
"No, I've been holding it all in trying to keep it together for Deacon, but I'm scared for him. I hope he can handle this. I hope we survive this. I'm so scared he's gonna flip out and start drinking a lot again." Rayna said as she wiped tears from her cheeks
"He'll pull it together. He loves you and Maddie. I'm sure he'll be fine." She said not really believing it herself after seeing Deacon with the Jack bottle the other night
Rayna's other line started ringing
"Oh Tandy I gotta go. I think Deacon's calling."
"Hello"
"Hey, Ray. How are things going with Scarlett?"
"Good, How are you holding up baby?"
"Best I can, Ray. It's hard, ya know sitting here watching her breath, waiting for the last breath, hoping maybe by some miracle she'll wake up or respond with more than a hand squeeze. Not sure how much more I can take." He said voice cracking
"Do you need a break, Deacon? I can come sit with her if you wanna come to the hotel with Scarlett for a while. Maybe you'd feel better if you take a shower, and eat something."
"Thanks for offering. It means a lot Ray, but I need to be with her."
"Have you had anything to eat in the last 2 days, Deacon?"
"I'm not hungry, Ray."
"DEACON, please…take care of yourself. There are 2 little girls that need you….and I need you so much Deacon. I miss you. I love you. I just wish I could take all this pain away from you."
"I know, Ray. I'm tryin to get through this, and not completely lose it. I'll call you tomorrow, OK? I love you too."
Deacon settled in his chair holding his mom's hand for another long night. Her breathing was more sporadic than it had been. Her hand felt cooler to the touch than it had before he left the room to call Rayna. The nurse came in to check her vitals a little while later.
"Is she dying?" he asked as the nurse checked her pulse
"Yeah, her body is shutting down. That's why her breathing changed, and temperature is dropping. I'm soo sorry Mr. Claybourne. Is there anyone we can call for you?"
"My sister is here in the mental health ward. She should probably know, but I'm not sure she can handle this."
"I'll check with her Dr's and see what they think."
30 minutes later a nurse pushed Beverly into Frannie's room in a wheelchair. She appeared to be heavily sedated, and barely responsive as she stared at her mother, and brother.
"Bev, I'm here OK." Deacon said as he took her hand
"Does she even know what's going on? What did you give her?" he asked the nurse
"All she's had is a sedative to help her sleep. Nothing that would cause this." The nurse responded
"Bev, sweetie…can you talk to me, please?" he tried again
"Mom doesn't have much time left. Do you want some time alone with her?"
Beverly slowly nodded "yes"
Deacon and the nurse stepped into the hall for about 15 minutes. He didn't know what went on in the room, but Beverly had tears on her cheeks as the nurse wheeled her back to her own room.
He sat alone with Frannie for the next 2 hours as her breathing slowed, and eventually stopped at 12:17am November 21st, 1997.
The hotel room was dark as he entered around 1am. He was trying to be quiet and not wake Rayna or Scarlett. He quietly got some clean sweat pants and a T shirt and slipped into the bathroom for a long hot shower.
He stood under the shower with the water almost too hot to bear for almost an hour as he let the stress of the past 2 days fall away. He felt somewhat relieved that his mom was in a better place. She deserved so much better than the life she'd had.
He felt some joy that in her last 5 years her grandkids have given her some happiness, and he was glad he'd made things right with her the year before Maddie was born.
Maddie and Scarlett had been her world for the past 5 years.
He dried off, brushed his teeth, and peered in to check on Scarlett before he slipped into bed with Rayna.
He wrapped his arms around his sleeping wife from behind and held her tight. Rayna knew Frannie must be gone as she turned to kiss him.
"I'm so sorry, Deacon."
"I know. Thanks for being here, taking care of Scarlett. I love you soo much, Ray."
"We've got a lot to do tomorrow." He whispered to Rayna
"It's done, Deacon. I already made all the arrangements. We just need to give the funeral home the date and time we want services."
"I didn't pack a suit."
"There's a new one hanging in the closet."
"I don't know what to say, Ray. I can never thank you enough for all you've done. I love you so damn much it hurts."
"I know, Deacon. I love you too. Get some sleep. You look exhausted. We'll figure the rest out tomorrow."