A/N: Thanks to all my reviewers. The song used in this chapter is All We'd Ever Need by Lady Antebellum.

Chapter 36

"You have a beautiful family you know?" Paul and Deacon were out on the front porch.

"I know that." Deacon nodded his head. He shoved his hands in his back pockets.

"If you got somethin' you need to say to me say it. I may not be 'round this time tomorrow for you to say it." Paul told him.

"For the longest time I hated you and then I became you. I hated you even more for that. I don't hate you anymore, now I just pity you." Deacon admitted.

"You have every right to feel that way 'bout me. I've never given you any reason not to." Paul took that statement in stride.

"You were never there to show me how a man should act. I had to figure that all out on my own. I never want my kids to feel 'bout me the way I feel 'bout you. All I ever learned from you was how to lift the bottle to my lips. Maddie asked me once why I drank and I didn't know the answer to that question until right this minute. It was because of you. I'm not blamin' you for my actions I made those choices myself, but your actions sure drove me in that direction." Deacon replied.

"How do you mean?" Paul asked.

"It took me a long time to get the image of momma layin' in that hospital bed after you beat her out of my head. I tried to drown it and I never quite succeeded. I already drank too much before that, but that drove me further into the bottle. I blamed myself for not bein' there to protect her. If only I'd stayed in Natchez you wouldn't have thought of puttin' your hands on her again. Took me until just now to figure out that wasn't my fault. I saved myself by leavin'." Deacon looked at the ground and sighed.

"If you'd stayed you probably would have become me. We could be on the liver transplant list together." Paul mused.

"Yeah, probably. Why'd you hate me so badly that you tried to kill me?" Deacon asked.

"I didn't hate you so much as I resented you. You and Bev both. If your momma hadn't gotten pregnant then we could have made a go of our music career. Bev at least learned her place you had the balls to stand up to me that made it worse on you. That and the fact that my daddy actually approved of you. I never could get his approval no matter what I did. Truthfully I don't remember much 'bout that night I was on a three-day bender." Paul told him honestly.

"If I'd killed you that night it would been your fault, but I would have had to live with it. It's not my fault pawpaw thought more of me than he did of you. If it hadn't been for him I'd probably still be in Natchez." Deacon retorted.

"I admire you, you know? You're one of the only people who has ever had the balls to stand up to me. No matter how many times I knocked you down you got up and kept comin' back for more." Paul licked his lips to moisten them.

"That and a dollar will get me a crappy cup of coffee. Just so we are clear as soon as you are healed up from this surgery I want you gone. This is my town and it isn't big enough for the both of us. You can be anywhere, but here. I can't have you around my family I don't trust you and I never will." Deacon told him before he could get the idea that he actually wanted him in his life. He'd had enough conversation so he went into the house.

"Deacon, are you sure that you want to do this? You can always back out." Rayna watched as he changed out of his jeans and t-shirt and into a hospital gown.

"I'm sure I wanna do this, Ray. I can't back out now. If there were anyway for me to I would take it. I have to do this, babe. I promise that when this surgery is over I am comin' home to you and our babies. I wouldn't take this risk if I weren't sure of that." Deacon held his arms open to her. He'd already said his goodbye to the girls before he left the house. Tandy was dropping them off at school and then she would meet Rayna up at the hospital. The boys were with Lamar for the day.

"I love you, you are the best man that I have ever known. I just got you back you can't leave me now." She buried her face in his neck.

"I love you too, babe. I'm not goin' anywhere. I'm gonna get out of this hospital in a few days and I'm gonna be on your nerves so bad you'll wanna go to work just to get away from me. The contractor is gonna get to work on our new home and then we will move in and we will raise up our sons there and maybe add another little girl to the mix. We are gonna have a great life together we just have to get over this speedbump first. I spent all night last night makin' love to you and that won't be the last time it happens." He kissed the top of her head.

She looked up at him and pressed her lips to his tenderly. "Damn right it won't be the last time it happens. If you even think about dying on me I will kick your ass so hard." She warned him.

He smiled against her lips and drew her into his lap. "I'll take that under advisement. Now, come here you. I ain't gonna be able to love on you like this for a few weeks."

"You do know that we are breaking that no sex rule just as soon as you feel up to it don't you?" She giggled.

"I'm well aware, babe." He kissed her passionately just because he could.

"We are so sorry we didn't mean to interrupt anythin'." Scarlett averted her eyes.

Gunnar blushed red and looked down at his feet.

Rayna stood up and straightened her clothes. "Trust me on this one that is far from the first time anyone has walked in on us, but we really were only kissing."

"I just wanted to come wish Uncle Deacon luck before his surgery." Scarlett explained.

"Come here, sweetheart." Deacon held his arms open to her.

Scarlett hugged him tightly. "I love you. You're gonna be just fine. You're the only dad I've ever known so you have to be fine. I need you, the girls need you, and those two sweet baby boys need you."

"I love you too, honey. You're right I'm gonna be fine." Deacon reassured her.

Gunnar walked over and shook Deacon's hand. "Good luck,"

Deacon grabbed him by the arm and pulled him down so he could whisper in his ear. "If anythin' happens to me you love that girl and you take care of her she's gonna need you. Promise me, Gunnar."

Gunnar nodded his head. "I promise,"

"Good man." Deacon smiled at him.

"They are ready to take Deacon back to prep now." Caleb said from the doorway.

Rayna gave him one last kiss. "I love you, baby, and I will see you when you get out."

"I love you too, Ray. I will see you in a little while." Deacon replied.

Rayna walked out of the room with Gunnar and Scarlett.

"Gunnar, what did he say to you?" Scarlett questioned.

"Nothing he was just being a dad that's all." Gunnar replied.

"I'm gonna go to Paul's room and check on June. I'll meet ya'll out in the waiting room." Rayna told them.

"Alright, we will see you out there." Scarlett gave her a gentle smile.

Rayna walked in the direction of Paul's room. She stood in the door way for a moment while June spoke to her ex husband.

"Paul, I just stopped by to talk to you before your surgery because I have things I need to say to you. Because of our son you're gettin' a second chance don't waste it and don't squander the gift that he's givin' you. He's ten times the man that you'll ever be. I wanted you to know that just in case you die on that table." June told him.

"June, I didn't ever do right by you, but I did love you very much at one point. Somewhere along the way I guess I forgot how to show it." Paul replied.

"You may have loved me at first, but you stop actin' like it a long time ago. I still loved you long after you'd stopped treatin' me like a husband is supposed to treat a wife. I made excuses for you and I stayed with you. I don't know how many times I lied to my children and told them daddy's sorry or daddy loves you after you'd done another horrible thing to one of them. And I'd have to take them to yet another hospital so I didn't lose the only good things I had in my life. Bev would go to school with purple welts on her legs where you beat her with a belt. Or I would go to work all black and blue because dinner wasn't to your likin'. But you saved the brunt of it for my sweet Deacon John because you knew I loved him the most and he was the one who dared to stand up to you. He was eight years old and he took every beatin' that was meant for me or Bev for the next five years. You tried your best to beat the humanity outta him, but guess what? You lost, Paul. He became the best man I've ever known. He won look at the position you're in right now. A lesser man would have let you die. Think about that." June unleased years' worth of anger and frustration on him.

"I never stopped lovin' you. I still love you now. Livin' without you has damn near killed me, baby." Paul's bottom lip trembled.

"I don't love you anymore, Paul. It took me a long time to get to this point, but I'm finally happy and free. I gotta go now I gotta go wait for my baby to get outta surgery." June turned on her heel to go.

"June, wait," Paul put his hand on her arm gently. "I'm sorry. I never said it before, but I'm sayin' it now. I'm sorry I was a bastard and I'm sorry I never gave you the life that I promised you."

"Too little too late, Paul. Your sorry doesn't mean a damn thing to me." June pried his fingers off her arm. "Bev went to go get some coffee she should be back to be with you soon."

"June, you ready to head out to the waiting room?" Rayna asked. She'd stayed quiet while she'd said what she needed to say.

"I'm ready, sweetie. How's my boy?" June asked.

"They just took him back to get him ready. They should be coming for Paul any time now." Rayna put a gentle arm around her shoulders.

"Let's go wait for him to get out." June let her daughter-in-law lead her to the waiting room.

"Here you go, Aunt Ray, we brought you a latte." Scarlett put a coffee cup in Rayna's hand.

"June, here's your coffee." Gunnar handed June a cup. "We got Tandy something too."

"You are both so sweet, thank you for this." Rayna sat down and began bouncing her knee up and down.

"JC wanted us to tell you that if you need anything before he picks the girls up from school for you to just call him." Scarlett reported.

Rayna gave a half smile. "That kid idolizes Deacon he always has." She settled in for a long wait and let herself get lost in her memories for a little while.

Jackson, Mississippi 1992

Deacon's legs were splayed out in front of him crossed at the ankles. His head was thrown back and his mouth was open. Scarlett was curled up in a ball on his chest her little butt stuck up in the air. Her thumb was securely in her mouth her uncle's hand rested protectively in the center of her back. Rayna's head rested on the right side of Deacon's chest his was slung around her out of habit. Her feet were thrown across Vince's lap. Vince was stretched out in a similar fashion to Deacon. His chin was tucked down to his chest and his cowboy hat was pulled down over his eyes. His hands rested on top of his chest and his fingers were laced together. Soft snoring noises came out from underneath his hat.

They had been in the hospital all day waiting for them to finish up with June's surgery. Deacon's grandparents had left as soon as the sun had come up they just couldn't sit around any longer it was too hard on their bodies. Trying to entertain a two-year-old in a hospital was a feat, but she had been so good all things considered. Rayna would shoot Deacon and Vince a look every time they got her riled up and then she would have to get her calmed down again.

"I'm looking for the family of June Claybourne." A surgeon walked into the room wearing scrubs and a surgical cap.

Deacon sat up carefully so he didn't disturb Scarlett. "I'm her son." He whispered softly.

Rayna was awake the minute he moved. "Do they know anything?"

"Ray, take the baby so I can go find out." Deacon transferred Scarlett into her arms.

"Shh, baby girl, you're ok." Rayna rubbed her back and made soft shushing noises to get her back to sleep.

"What's up, doc?" Deacon asked the doctor.

"Mr. Claybourne, we were successfully able to repair your mother's eardrum, eye socket, and collapsed lung. She's doing very well and she's in a room now if you would like to see her." The doctor reported.

"Do you know how long she's gonna have to stay here?" Deacon ran his hand over his thick five o'clock shadow.

"A day or two at the most. We will be able to better answer that question in the morning." The doctor replied.

"What room is she in?" Rayna asked.

"Room three-twenty." The doctor answered her.

"Want me to take her?" Deacon reached for Scarlett.

"No, babe, she needs a diaper change and I wanna clean her up a little bit before we take her to see your momma. You just get Vince up while I do that." Rayna pecked his lips.

Deacon took Vince's hat off of his face. "Vinny, get your up. We can go see momma as soon as Ray changes the baby."

Vince stretched out all of his muscles with a loud groan. He combed his hair back with his fingers and got to his feet. "Let's go see Momma June."

Ten minutes later they walked into June's room. Scarlett clung to Deacon's side like a little monkey.

Rayna carried a vase of flowers in her arms.

Vince carried an assortment of 'Get Well Soon' balloons in. He also carried a teddy bear.

"Look at this my babies came to see me and they brought gifts." June's voice was horse. Despite the fact that she'd just had surgery she looked better than she had when they'd brought her in. She winced in pain as she sat up.

"Scarlett, let's give mawmaw kisses and make her feel better." Deacon kissed his mother's cheek first to show her that there was nothing to be afraid of.

Scarlett followed suit. "Love you, mawmaw."

"Mawmaw loves you too, sweet girl." June smiled as best as she could.

Rayna sat the flowers on her windowsill. "There you go a little something to brighten up the room."

Vince tied the balloons around the vase and sat the teddy bear down on the bedside table. "That's for you, gorgeous." He kissed her cheek.

"I appreciate ya'll so much, but you should get out of here. That poor baby has been in this hospital since last night. I'll be fine on my own I promise." June told them.

"Are you sure, momma? I don't want you to have o be all alone." Deacon fretted.

"I'm positive, Deacon John. Get on out of here and take Scarlett to the house. You can come back in the mornin'. Right now I just really wanna rest." June reassured him.

"In that case we are gonna go, but we will be back to see you in the mornin'. You get some rest. I am a phone call away if you need me." Deacon kissed her cheek again.

Rayna was pulled out of her thoughts by the sound of clicking heels on the tile floor. "Sadie, what are you doing here, girl?"

"I heard about Deacon from Bucky and if it were me layin' up in that bed there is no doubt in my mind that he would be here waitin'." Sadie sat down across from her.

"Thank you for coming. It'd mean the world to him and it means the world to me." Rayna smiled at her. "June, this is Sadie Stone. She is a very dear friend of Deacon's and of mine. Sadie, this is June Claybourne, Deacon's momma."

"It's nice to meet you, Sadie." June smiled warmly at her.

"It's nice to meet you too, Mrs. Claybourne. You have one hell of a son." Sadie replied.

"Thank you. My name is June please call me by it. Ask Gunnar what I'll do if you don't." June laughed.

"Sadie, just call her June." Gunnar advised her.

Tandy jumped up when her phone rang. "Excuse me I have to take this it's Bucky. I'll be right back." She excused herself to take the call.

Beverly paced back and forth like a caged animal. "We should have heard somethin' by now. They said that they would be out to update us periodically."

"Beverly, it's only been an hour. They have to take Deacon's liver out before they can get started on Paul's surgery." Rayna tried to placate her. She fought the urge to roll her eyes.

"Momma, why don't you come sit down? You can relax a little bit. It's gonna be awhile yet. Until then no news is good news." Scarlett tried her hand.

"I'm too nervous to sit, Scarlett. You should be more worried than what you are. That is your only grandfather." Beverly shot back.

"Beverly, don't be like your father." June called her down.

Tandy walked back into the room a moment later. "Babe, there are a couple of situations developing right now and Bucky would like to know how you want him to handle them. You up for a little work? It'll take your mind off of worrying about Deacon. He's gonna be fine. I threatened with everything under the sun if he even thinks about dying."

"Yeah, I guess I can do a little work. Worrying isn't going to do anything, but give me a migraine." Rayna sighed.

"I'll start with Will. He decided that today would be a good day to come out. He went on national TV after Kevin had said that there was nothing going on between the two of them and announced that he's gay. The phones are ringing off the hook and Bucky doesn't know what to tell the press." Tandy explained.

"He can tell the press that the label stands behind him one hundred percent. He's a very talented artist and we look forward to great things from him in the future. He's part of the Highway Sixty-five family and we aren't going to turn our back on him." Rayna crafted a statement off the top of her head.

"Ok, I will let him know." Tandy nodded her head in agreement.

"You said that there were a couple of situations. What's the other?" Rayna asked. She was pretty sure that she didn't have to ask though she already knew.

"Juliette marched into the office with a finished album this morning. When Bucky told her that there was no rush and she could take her time she walked out and said that Highway Sixty-five doesn't deserve her album. She fired Glenn and Emily and she's signed with Jeff as her new manager." Tandy informed her.

"That girl I swear. I don't know what I'm gonna do with her. It was bad enough when I had to deal with him as Layla's manager. I will handle it tomorrow." Rayna groaned.

"There's more. She went over to Wheelin' Dealin' and Luke signed her. He's asking for the rights to her masters." Tandy gave her the other part of the news.

"You're kidding me right?" Rayna's jaw hung open in disbelief.

"No, I'm not kidding. While we are on the subject of that jackoff on the same call he informed Bucky that he is dropping Will from his tour because he's gay." Tandy added.

"Tandy, you get me a meeting with that son of a bitch. The two of us need to have a conversation about some things. I was nice before because yeah I kinda led him on and let him believe that I felt more for him, but now he is gonna play with the Wyatt side of me for real. Fuckin' big hat wearin' bastard. He's damn sure usin' the size of that hat to compensate for somethin'." Rayna fumed.

Scarlett put her hand over her mouth and tried to stifle her laughter, but it came out as a snort. "I'm sorry, I shouldn't laugh, but I just can't help it. She sounded exactly like Uncle Deacon just now."

From the stress of the day everyone else broke out into uncontrollable laughter.

"She did sound just like him. I can hear him sayin' that." Beverly laughed.

"Where do you think I heard it? He said those exact words and I got on to him for it." Rayna grabbed her sides.

"That wasn't quite loud enough to be a Deacon outburst, but it was close enough." June wiped the tears from her eyes.

Will showed up a little while later. "Well, I did it."

Rayna got up and hugged him. "I am so proud of you. That was incredibly brave and I want you to know that I'm not gonna let Luke get away with what he's trying to do to you."

"I knew it was a risk, but I had to take it. For the first time in my life I think I'm actually in love." Will hugged her back. "How's Deacon?"

"I'm really happy for you, honey. So far so good. We still have a few more hours left to go. You don't have to sit here and wait." Rayna told him.

"Sure I do. Deacon has been really good to me and I wouldn't feel right not being here." Will claimed an empty seat next to Gunnar.

Not long after Will came in JC showed up with the girls. They stopped by the house to change out of their uniforms first. He carried his guitar in.

"How's dad?" Maddie asked.

"How's Deacon?" Daphne asked at the same time.

"He's doing good." Rayna hugged them both to her. She felt better having two of her children there with her. "How were your brothers doing?"

"Jayme spit up all over pawpaw and Deac was laying in the floor next to Elvis." Daphne reported with a giggle.

"That sounds like my Jayme and my Deac. One of them is content with the dog and the other one is spitting up." Rayna laughed softly.

Maddie sat down next to JC and rested her head on his shoulder.

"Wanna try that new song out while we have an audience?" JC asked.

"Sure, that would be great." Maddie agreed.

JC picked up his guitar and started playing.

"Boy, it's been all this time and I can't get you off my mind and nobody knows it, but me. I stare at your photograph still sleep in the shirt you left and nobody knows it, but me. Every day I wipe my tears away. So many nights I've prayed for you to say." Maddie sang softly.

"I should've been chasing you. I should've been trying to prove that you were all that mattered to me. I should have said all the things that I kept inside of me and maybe I could've made you believe. That what we had was all we'd ever need." They sang in unison.

"My friends think I'm movin' on, but the truth is I'm not that strong and nobody knows it, but me. And I've kept all the words you've said in a box underneath my bed and nobody knows it, but me. But if you're happy I'll get through somehow, but the truth is that I've been screamin' out." JC sang in a mellow tone.

"I should've been chasing you. I should've been trying to prove that you were all that mattered to me. I should have said all the things that I kept inside of me and maybe I could have made you believe. That what we had was all we'd ever need."

"It's was all we'd ever need." He sang.

"Oh, I thought it was all we'd ever need." She hit her lower register.

"I should've been chasing you." He wailed.

"You should have been trying to prove." Her voice answered.

"That you were all that mattered to me." He came back.

"You should have said all the things." She added.

"That I kept inside of me." He stared into her eyes.

"And maybe you could have made me believe." She stared back into his eyes.

"That what we had, girl."

"Oh, that what we had."

"What we had."

"It was all we'd ever need. It was all we'd ever need." They finished softly their faces almost touching.

"You two attached to that one?" Rayna grinned at them.

"We aren't attached to it if you and Deacon want it." JC chuckled.

"Not so fast. They haven't paid us for the last song yet." Maddie smirked.

"Oh, relax the two of you are gonna get paid." Rayna rolled her eyes playfully.

As time went on a card game broke out between some of the people sitting in the waiting room.

"Jimmy, are you sure you wanna bet that much against me?" Rayna challenged him.

"I'm sure," JC retorted. "Now, let's see what you got."

"I've only got a pair." Rayna said sadly.

"I've got a flush I win." JC smirked.

"I only have a pair and three of a kind. If memory serves that's a full house and I win." Rayna told him smugly. She raked the chips in.

"That's bullshit. I don't know how, but somehow you cheat." JC threw his cards down playfully.

"Oh, honey, Deacon and your daddy taught me how to play poker. There's not much you can do to beat me." Rayna winked at him.

"Mrs. Claybourne," Caleb's voice came from the doorway and turned everyone's attention toward him away from the TV just as shot of Teddy being led off in cuffs played.

"Sweetie, he's talking to you not to me." June told Rayna.

"Yes?" Rayna asked.

"Can I have a word with you outside for a moment?" Caleb asked her a neutral expression on his face.

"Sure," Rayna somehow made her legs work to follow him.

A/N: Here is the next chapter I hope you guys enjoyed it. I know I left you with a bit of a cliffhanger, but the next chapter will be up soon. Until next time please review.