TITLE: Afraid to Sleep

RATING: M

DISCLAIMER: I do not own any recognizable characters from the Reba show. I would have made Reba the movie by now.

SUMMARY: a tragic accident brings two of the most unlikely people together in a time of loss, confusion, and nightmare riddled dreams. Set around right after Van got his arena football contract.

WARNING: So….I would not normally write an entire story like this, but I had a dream that sparked this thought and it can no longer be ignored! Be advised, there are character deaths, and I'm not entirely sure where I'm taking this yet. Just please bear with me.

"I wonder who's going to catch the virus next…." Reba said and Van turned his attention from the TV to her. "When one gets this kind of virus…the entire house gets it and sometimes the younger ones relapse." Reba explained and Van nodded his head in understanding. "I never get sick." Van said and Reba chuckled. "You keep telling yourself that darlin'." "How about we not talk at all for a few minutes?" Van said and effectively started another make out session…..TBC

Ch. 11: Caught

As usual, Reba was right. Two weeks later Jake had gotten sick and gotten over it, and currently, Van was the second to come down with it. However, Reba did think someone else would have gotten sick sooner so she did call the doctor and was informed that viruses like the one going around had a two week incubation period. Meaning that if one person in the family got it, the germs hung around for two weeks even after that person was completely well so a body's immune system could eventually be worn down by it and catch it, or their immune system could become….well….immune. Unfortunately for Reba, she knew it was only a matter of time before Kyra caught it, and herself as well. She just prayed no one relapsed. She had already had to cut time from work to take care of Jake, even though it only lasted for 24 hours, the person who caught it still felt pretty cruddy and weak afterwards. She was currently taking half a day off to help her ailing assistant.

Reba hadn't wanted Elizabeth relapsing so she moved the little one into her room so Van could have the room all to himself. He had started feeling bad at lunch and when he threw up in the grass at one of her open houses she knew it was time to call the boss, explain the situation and take him home. Currently Van was lying on his bed, under the covers and feeling crappy all around. Reba silently knocked on the door and entered the room. She shut the door behind her and sat on the edge of the bed. "Come on Van, I brought you some ginger ale." Reba said and Van poked his head out from under the covers. He was absolutely pale and Reba felt awful for him, yet she couldn't help but make a joke. "I NEVER get sick" Reba mocked him lightly and he gave her his best glare. She just chuckled. "Darlin' you know I'm only teasing you. I feel awful, really I do. It's a shame really. Jake is all better, so he's staying the night with a friend tonight. Kyra is staying with a friend, Elizabeth goes to bed early. I had plans for us tonight that involved a bottle of wine, my bedroom, and lingerie, and you had to go and get sick." Reba shook her head and Van whined. "You bought lingerie?" he asked and Reba raised her eyebrow and smiled. "I guess you'll never know now will you?" she said and made him take a sip of the soda. "On the bright side, this time tomorrow, your sides will just be extremely sore and you'll be exhausted, but over the virus." She said and ran her hands through his hair. "Tomorrow seems forever away!" he complained. The next thing Reba knew Van was up and running down the hall. She quickly followed him, and found him in the upstairs bathroom getting sick. She rubbed his back and talked him through it, then she got a wet wash cloth and wiped his face.

"There's not a whole lot left in your stomach, I imagine you'll only throw up a couple more times, and the last time will be a dry heave. After that it's water under the bridge." Reba said and Van groaned. "come on, sweetie let's get you back to bed." Reba said and Van allowed her to lead him back to bed. "I have to go and cook dinner. Later on tonight I'm putting ginger ale in your stomach so you don't dehydrate, but don't worry, it will be after you stopped vomiting anything up." Reba said and Van nodded. She kissed his forehead and before leaving the room Van chuckled. "What?" she asked. "Nothing, I just love you." He said and Reba smiled. "I love you too." Reba turned and walked out of the bedroom and once she was gone Van mumbled "I think this would qualify as for worse" then he started to doze.

Downstairs Kyra and Jake were getting ready to leave. "Mom, I'll drop him off at his friend's then head to mine. I'll also pick him up tomorrow." "Thanks sweetheart." "So, he still puking his guts out?" Reba nodded her head. "Great, now I'm going to catch it, one person is going to relapse, someone always does, and then to finish it out you'll get it Mom. You're always the last one to get what everyone has. It's like the virus is always courteous to the fact that you take care of everyone." Kyra said. "that seems to be the way it usually goes." Reba said and hugged Jake goodbye. Kyra waved at her. "You two enjoy running around while you can. School starts back in two and a half weeks. On August 22nd. She heard them both groan and she chuckled. As Reba went to start dinner for herself and Elizabeth Reba began to think. She was going to have to look into preschools for her granddaughter. Reba's eyes began to water as she thought about how Henry would have been starting preschool as well. "It's okay Reba, pull yourself together." Just as she did Elizabeth came walking into the kitchen. "Mommy, I'm hungry" Reba laughed. "I know, I'm making dinner." Reba said stirring the pasta sauce. She was making spaghetti. Reba picked Elizabeth up and kissed her cheek. "I love you so much little one." Reba said. "I love you too, and you love Daddy don't you?" Reba was startled by the question, but she just smiled. "He's your daddy so of course I love him." Reba said and put her back down. Elizabeth seemed pleased with the answer and she ran out of the room to go and play until dinner was ready.

The next morning Reba went to check on Van before heading out to work. He was sleeping and so Reba walked over to him and gently shook him. "Honey, wake up. I'm leaving for work and I'm taking Little Liz with me so you don't have to worry about her." Reba said and Van groaned. "How are you feeling?" she asked. "Better, I'm sure by the time you get home I'll be close to 100 percent again." Reba chuckled. "I'm sure ya will. Now, get some rest, and I took stock of everything in the cabinets. If I find any junk food missing when I get home I'm going to have to beat you. Nothing heavy until tomorrow. If you actually get hungry eat some soup." She said and he nodded. "Yes, Mam" "Well, I'm old enough to be your mother" she said and Van shook his head and smiled. "Yeah, but I never wanted to see my mother naked or hear her scream my name." Reba smacked him lightly but couldn't help but grin. "Anyways, we'll be home later today. Feel better" she said and walked out of the door.

Reba explained the situation to her boss and he allowed Elizabeth to stay with her in the office. While Reba was talking to a client on the phone and sorting through a file, Elizabeth got up and walked out of her office and down to the break room where Erin happened to be eating her lunch. "Well who are you cutie pie?" Erin asked. "I'm Elizabeth, do you know my mommy?" Erin shook her head. "No, I don't think so." Erin said. "She works hewre, and she's weally pretty." Elizabeth said and Erin looked puzzled. The next thing Erin knew Reba came running into the room. "Elizabeth!" Reba said in relief. "Honey, I told you to stay put, and you ran out while I was on the phone and looking through a file." "Sorry, I didn't mean to. Mommy, she says she doesn't know you." Elizabeth said pointing to Erin and Erin looked shocked. She knew that she was new there but she thought she would have at least known Reba had a child that young. "She does know me sweetheart." Reba said and upon seeing the shocked look on Erin's face she just smirked and decided not to explain anything to her. Reba picked Elizabeth up and kissed her cheek. Then she returned to her office.

Reba arrived home with Elizabeth at five that afternoon and she immediately ran upstairs to go play, and to see her Daddy. Reba headed into the kitchen to grab a bottle of water and decide what she was going to make for dinner. She knew Kyra and Jake would be back by then….."Maybe I'll order pizza" she said to herself, and loved the idea of not having to cook anything. The next thing she knew the fridge door was shut and she was pressed against it. "Van, what are you doing?" she screeched and he chuckled. "I'm feeling all better, a little sore like you said, but it's nothing that you can't kiss and make all better" he said and wiggled his eyebrows and she giggled and quickly looked around. "Where's Elizabeth?" "I had the TV on upstairs and she asked if she could watch The Looney Toons. So that's where she is." He said and kissed her gently. Reba didn't pull away. If he had just turned it on then Elizabeth would be occupied for a little while. Reba pulled him closer to her and started kissing him. She tangled her hands into his hair and started whispering to him in between kisses "if….you're….tryin….to get me to wear…..that lingerie….you'll have to do….better than that." By then they were panting and Van moved her blouse up enough for him to get his hand on her silky skin. She shuddered at his touch and continued to probe his mouth with her tongue.

"OH MY GOD!" "MY EYES!" Reba and Van jerked apart to see Kyra and Jake standing in the kitchen. Jake turned and ran out with his eyes covered while Kyra's look of shock turned to one of anger. Reba's eyes were wide and her heart was racing. She looked over and saw that Van looked like a deer caught in headlights, and realized she probably looked the same way. "K..Kyra.." she started but Kyra cut her off. "Please, tell me that was the first time something like that has happened and it was a pure moment of insanity?" Reba began to blush and Kyra's jaw dropped. "Oh my God, I don't know why I didn't see it. Van has a hard time calling you Mrs. H, in fact we never hear that anymore, he always calls you Red. Here I thought that you two had just grown closer as friends given the situation. I should have known. Do you realize how stupid this is? You're half her age Van! Mom! I can't believe you of all people! He's your son-in-law, He's the father of your granddaughter, just because she calls you Mom it doesn't mean you get to have sex with her Dad!" "Now you hold on and stop right there." Reba looked over shocked at how stern Van sounded, as did Kyra.

Van put an arm around Reba and she realized she was shaking. "Don't talk to her that way, she's still your mother. I had to talk her into it." "You talked her into it? You don't have the brains God gave a worm and you talked her into it?" "Kyra Eleanor Hart, I will not have you speak to him that way. We've all made jokes about some of the goofy things Van has done in the past and I'm not saying no one will in the future. I am telling you however, that we are not in a joking context here and Van isn't stupid." Kyra couldn't believe what she was hearing, she scoffed and Reba got even angrier. She loved Van, and he loved her, truth be told she was getting tired of hiding anyways. "That's it, family meeting in the living room now. JAKE, ELIZABETH PLEASE COME DOWNSTAIRS" Reba hollered as she walked into the living room with Van and a reluctant Kyra behind her…..TBC