Rayna woke up when the night nurse came in to check on Deacon.
"What's that one?" she asked as the nurse added another bag to the IV stand.
"This is to treat the rejection," the nurse explained. "It's a steroid called Solu-Medrol. It's basically the same kind of medication as you'd take if you needed a steroid, like Prednisone, if that's something that you're familiar with."
Rayna nodded. "Is that the one that makes your face swell up?"
The nurse nodded. She moved over and pulled the sheets up to uncover Deacon's lower legs.
"Wow, I don't know that I've ever seen Deacon in hose," Rayna said as she moved over next to the bed.
The nurse checked his legs and feet, covered in support stockings. "We have all of our patients wear these after surgery. It helps with blood clots, but no one is a fan. The medication can cause swelling in his legs, so we need to watch that."
"Uh...Ray…" Deacon muttered and tried to roll onto his side, then groaned and opened his eyes.
"Sorry, babe," Rayna said as she walked over and brushed his hair back. "Didn't mean to wake you up."
"You doing okay, Mr. Claybourne?" the nurse asked. "You need anything?"
Deacon shook his head. "Can you send this one home? This bed isn't great, but that chair looks worse."
"He'll be fine, if you want to go get some sleep," the nurse assured Rayna.
"Is it a problem if I stay here?" she asked in response.
The nurse shrugged. "Not as far as I'm concerned."
"Okay, then," Rayna replied and went back over and settled down in the chair. "I can sleep just fine here."
Rayna sat for a few minutes watching as Deacon started to drift off again. The door opened up and the nurse came back in, this time with a blanket in her hands. She handed it to Rayna and then left.
Rayna pulled the blanket over her and tried to sleep herself.
She woke up the next morning when her phone buzzed with an incoming text.
How is Dad?
She quickly tapped back a message to Maddie that Deacon was doing okay, then got up and walked over to the bed where Deacon was still sleeping. His face was relaxed and he looked at peace. She stood there for another moment when the door opened and Dr. Rand walked in with several other people.
"Morning, Rayna," he greeted her.
"Do you need me to get out of your way, or may I stay?" she asked.
"You can stay, if it's okay with Deacon," he responded.
Deacon opened his eyes. "Yeah, it's fine."
The doctor raised the head of Deacon's bed so he was sitting up slightly. "Did you get some rest?"
Deacon nodded.
"He slept most of the night," Rayna offered.
"Good. The steroids can affect your sleep, so try to get it when you can."
"Is the medication working?" Rayna asked.
"Yes, the latest round of liver function tests looked much better and the fever is gone. We'll repeat the liver biopsy this afternoon, but it seems like you've been responding really well. Okay, let's take a look at the incision."
He lowered the head of the bed again and lifted Deacon's gown. Rayna moved up by Deacon's head to give them some privacy.
"This looks really good, too. Some seepage, so we'll keep the dressing on, but no signs of infection. And I think we can get rid of some of these tubes."
"Which ones?" Deacon asked. "Please say the two I hope you're going to say."
Dr. Rand chuckled and nodded. "Yes, we'll have them take out your NG tube and try you on some liquids and we'll get the catheter out."
"Does this mean he's going to get out of ICU?" Rayna asked. "You had said two days probably and this is three."
"I think we'll wait one more day," Dr. Rand replied. "Even though you're responding to the medication, I'd like to have you under closer observation for another day. But, once we get those tubes pulled, I would like for you to get up with the nurse and walk around the unit a little bit. We'll put the mask on you, this time rather than on all of us."
"Sounds great to me," Deacon replied. "Everything sounds great. This is really going well."
Rayna shot a look at the doctor.
"Definitely sounds like the steroids are working, Deacon. So, I'll send the nurse in and she can get you set."
"I'm just gonna go out and get some coffee," Rayna added. "Give you a bit of privacy."
"Nothing you haven't seen before," Deacon said, smiling. "But go get yourself some coffee."
Rayna followed the doctors back out into the hallway.
"Is he okay?" she asked once they were out of the room. "I mean, I'm glad he's feeling better, but he's sick and his sister died."
"It's the Solu-Medrol," Dr. Rand explained. "It will give him energy he didn't know he had, might make him act happy."
"How long will it last?" Rayna asked.
"We'll keep him on this dose for another day or so and then begin tapering down. He really is doing very well so far."
Rayna nodded. "Well, I better get my coffee and get back in there before he has his next great burst of inspiration."
Rayna came back a half hour later to find Deacon with her iPad sitting on the table in front of him, talking with Maddie.
"Hey," she said as she walked in and moved so she could see Maddie on the screen.
"Yellow is not your color, Mom," Maddie commented.
Rayna smoothed down the paper gown and touched the hat on her head. "Hey, I'm thinking this is definitely gonna be the look for next year's CMAs."
"I need to get to school, but can I come see you today, Dad?" Maddie asked.
Deacon looked over at Rayna and she shrugged.
"We're gonna do everything we can to make that happen, honey," Rayna answered.
They said goodbye and Deacon ended the call.
"Looking good, no tube in the nose," Rayna observed.
"Nothing down there, either," Deacon responded. "Although, now that I think about it, I have to pee."
"Nice," Rayna replied. "Would you like for me to get the nurse for you?"
Instead of answering, Deacon put down the side rail and swung his legs over the side. Before she could stop him, he stood up. Rayna moved to the bed as quickly as she could, catching him as he slid to the floor.
"Deacon!" she called out as they landed on the tile floor, his body on top of hers.
"Whoops," he replied. "Wow, I feel dizzy."
"That's why we call the nurse," Rayna replied. "You've been in bed for like a week. You can't just jump up and go to the bathroom."
"But I feel great," he replied.
"It's the drugs," she responded. "Okay, let me out of here and I'm gonna get help."
She pushed him over gently and crawled out from underneath him. As she got up to walk to the door she turned back.
"I should probably point out that those gowns don't cover anything in the back."
With the help of two nurses and Rayna, they go Deacon back off the floor, into the bathroom and then into the chair next to the bed.
"I was going to suggest a slow walk around the unit, but I think we've had enough adventure for the morning," the nurse said as she put a blanket over Deacon's legs. "Why don't we start with you sitting here for a while and then we move on to walking." She smiled at Deacon and Rayna and left the room.
"Sorry, I guess I just wasn't thinking," Deacon said after she left. "You okay?"
"I'm fine," Rayna replied. "and you're on drugs."
Deacon shook his head. "I know, my head is so foggy. First the painkillers, now these steroids, I just can't really think."
"It's okay," Rayna replied. "Nothing for you to think about right now. Right now it's about healing and getting better."
"But we have stuff to figure out," Deacon answered. "Before this happened, we were at this point where stuff was kind of making some sense, but not really and then I'm here, in the hospital and you're here and I never wanted this, Ray."
"Never wanted what?" Rayna asked.
"You here, taking care of me again, like you used to."
Rayna sat down on the edge of Deacon's bed facing him. "Deacon, I'm not here because you need to be taken care of. I'm here because I love you."
Deacon looked down at his hands, his unencumbered hand rubbing across the tape holding the IV tubing in his other hand. After a moment he looked up.
"I love you, Deacon Claybourne. Until the day I die," she said, her voice solemn. "And there is no where else in the entire world that I want to be than with you. And…"
"And what?" he asked.
She smiled at him, tears brimming in her eyes. "And I'm not scared anymore. And I'm not afraid of the pain because this pain, of seeing you go through this and this loss we suffered, all of it. It's not breaking me, it's making me feel stronger and more in love with you."
"I'll never hurt you, Rayna, not if I can help it with every ounce in my body."
"I know," she replied.
"You have a cold, Ray? Sore throat? Measles?" Deacon asked.
She shook her head, smiling behind her mask.
"Okay, then get over here, take off that stupid mask and kiss me."
"I don't think that follows the rules," Rayna said.
"Screw the rules," Deacon replied. "When has that ever worked for us?"
She stood up and came over to him. "If you stand up, are you going to faint again?"
He started to push up from the chair.
"Stop, that's just too painful to watch," she ordered. She pulled the mask down from her face and came over to him, sitting on the arm of the chair. "Please, don't get up."
He looked at her, pulled her close to him and kissed her deeply.
Together. Stronger than apart. Forever.
FIN
And that's the end...of this story, at least. Thanks to all who read and left reviews and to my faithful beta, Beth Pryor for all of your input.