Chapter Six- Reba Tells The Kids

Reba stood at the front door of her parents house with her hand on the doorknob. She was too afraid she wouldn't be able to hold it together when she told her kids the terrible news. Brock noticed Reba's uneasiness and reached over and squeezed her neck.

Reba's eyes filled with tears and she continued to stare at the ground. "I can't..." She choked, and removed her hand from the doorknob. "I can't do it."

Brock was unsure of what to do. There was nothing he could say or do to make her feel better. She needed someone to lean on and he wished for a moment that that someone was him.

"Hey, you don't have to be strong for anybody. I'm here for the kids, you need time to grieve."

Reba took a few deep breaths to try and catch her breath. Once she was ready, they walked into the house.

The house was completely dark, except for the light glow from the moon. The kids were asleep, all of them cuddled together on their makeshift beds on the floor.

"They look so precious. I don't want to wake them." Reba whispered, and pulled the covers up around Jake. He stirred for a moment before settling back into the peacefulness of sleep.

"I guess you could take the spare bedroom. I'll sleep in Mama's room." Reba told Brock as she clicked off the television. Cheyenne stirred awake and saw her parents out of the corner of her eye.

"Hey, Mom. What are you guys doing back here? Is everything okay?"

Reba shook her head. "No, Cheyenne. It's not."

That was all she could manage to get out before Cheyenne had jumped up and wrapped her arms around her. "Somehow I already know what you're going to say Mom, and I'm so sorry."

Reba stood there for a moment, taking in the warmth of her daughter's arms. Cheyenne realized she wasn't letting go. "Are you okay, Mom? We can sit up and talk if you want."

Reba shook her head again. She was on the verge of losing control and wanted to leave the room before she showed that she was weak. "That's ok, honey. I'll deal with everything tomorrow. I just wanna go lie down."

Cheyenne knew her mom needed and wanted comfort, but was afraid to ask. She always was a proud woman, always had to be the strong one. Cheyenne herself was hurting from her grandmother's death, but her mom needed her more.

She started her walk down the hallway, looking at the rows and rows of pictures on the walls. There were pictures of when her and her brother and sister were little, pictures of her grandma and grandpa and mom together. There were even pictures of her mom and dad together.

(In the bedroom...)

Reba looked around the darkened bedroom of where her mother used to sleep. Her eyes had adjusted to the light, and she could see the shadows of the bedroom furniture. Not wanting to turn the lights on, she fumbled around the dark closet, before pulling out a nightgown and slipping it on. Memories started flooding back as she slid underneath the covers.

"Oh, Mom." Reba whispered. "What do I do now?"

Exhaustion seemed set in as Reba laid her head on the pillow and the tears started to pour down her cheeks. Reba tried furiously to pull herself together when she heard the weak knock on the door.

"Mom? Can I lay with you?"

Reba sat up but didn't answer her. Cheyenne walked in and sat on the bed next to her, watching her try to hold everything in. "Mom, stop this. You don't have to be strong for us."

Reba finally let go of her emotions and cried into Cheyenne's shoulder. Cheyenne eventually cried along with her mother, rubbing her back and whispering words of comfort.

Reba was the first one to pull out of the embrace, wiping her eyes with the sleeve of her nightgown. Cheyenne grabbed a tissue and handed it to her mom. Reba wiped her eyes, then slid back underneath the covers.

Without saying a word, Reba waited for Cheyenne to climb in the bed beside her, then grabbed her hand. Cheyenne squeezed it, letting her know that she was there in case she wanted to talk. Reba smiled and her eyes fluttered closed. Not long after that she was softly snoring, finally being able to get more than an hour's sleep. Cheyenne fell asleep as well, while still holding her mother's hand.

Breakfast the next morning was quiet. The family sat together at the local diner, chewing slowly, not really knowing what to say to eachother. They knew of the days plans... they would eat at the diner J.V and Helen ate at every Sunday, then head over to the church for the service. But noone really wanted to think about what was happening, especially Reba. She had been a mess the night before, finally leaning on Cheyenne to let go of some pain. And nobody wanted to make her worse today.

After everyone was finished their breakfast, Brock walked to the counter to pay the bill, while the rest of the family headed to the car. Reba stayed behind. She was still sitting in the booth when Brock came back to leave a tip. He squeezed her shoulder and kissed the top of her head.

"Let's go." He said, softly and grabbed her hand, leading her to the car.