A/N: Thanks to all my reviewers.
Chapter 7
Rayna opened her eyes and sat bolt upright in the bed. She was pretty sure the feeling she was experiencing at the moment wasn't normal. Or It could have been normal she didn't know. This was her first time at this whole pregnancy thing and she wasn't an expert. She was nine months pregnant and wouldn't surprise her in the least bit if the baby chose to come now. She figured it was better to be safe than sorry.
She turned on the bedroom light and nudged Deacon awake. "Babe, wake up."
"Huh? What's goin' on, babe?" Deacon looked at her sleepily.
"I don't wanna alarm you or anythin' like that, but I think I might be in labor." Rayna explained to him as calmly as she could. She took his hand and gripped it tightly when she was hit by a contraction.
"Ow," Deacon exclaimed. "I'd say that you're in labor from the way that felt."
"Don't you dare say ow right now, Deacon John Claybourne. You're the reason that I'm in this position!" Rayna yelled at him.
"Ok, you just get yourself ready and I'll get dressed and go wake Scarlett up. We can call your sister and your daddy, and my momma, and Vince on the way to the hospital." Deacon was freaking out, but he tried not to let Rayna see that.
He was so excited that he tried to put both his legs into the same leg of his jeans and he fell flat on his face.
Rayna put her hands over her mouth and did her best not to let him hear her laugh. "Babe, are you ok?"
Deacon held his hand up showing a thumbs up sign. "I'm good." He got up and got his clothes on right. He grabbed her hospital bag and threw it over his shoulder. He walked into Scarlett's room and just scooped her up in his arms without bothering to wake her. "You ready?"
"Yeah, babe, I'm as ready as I'm ever gonna be." Rayna rubbed her belly.
Deacon put Rayna and Scarlett in the truck before locking the door to the house. He got in the front seat of the truck and took Rayna's hand. "It's gonna be ok, babe. She is gonna be perfectly healthy."
"I know that. I just really wish my momma could be here to see this." Rayna's bottom lip quivered.
"I know, baby." He brought her hand up to his lips and kissed it.
Deacon made it to Vanderbilt in record time in record time. The doctor on call got Rayna admitted quickly. "Scarlett, you sit here with Aunt Ray. I am gonna make a couple phone calls and I will be right." He bent down and kissed her head.
He stepped out into the hall and called everyone that he needed to and he stepped back into the room when he was finished.
"How, you doin', babe?" He asked.
"I feel like my insides are bein' ripped out. I know you didn't just ask me that question. After this experience I will never again complain about period cramps. I can't wait to get that epidural." Rayna glared at him.
"So, I called everyone on the list. Momma was gettin' on a plane as soon as she hung up. Tandy said she will be here as soon as she can she's on her way. Lamar is headed this way too. I couldn't track Vince down, but that doesn't surprise me. Since he doesn't drink anymore he's been doin' a lot of what he does second best and you know what I mean by that." Deacon gave her the run down.
"I absolutely know what you mean by that. It's just what are we gonna do with Scarlett? I want my sister in the room with us, babe." Rayna replied.
"We will figure somethin' out. I'm sure that Lamar will keep an eye on her if it comes to that." Deacon reassured her.
"Pawpaw always wants me to sit with him." Scarlett yawned.
"I know he does. You're just 'bout the only person that pawpaw is nice to." Rayna winked at her despite the pain.
Tandy showed up first. "I heard that my niece is trying to make her entrance into this world."
"Yeah, and it hurts like hell." Rayna retorted.
"Hi, Bug." Tandy kissed Scarlett's head.
"Hi, Aunt Tandy." Scarlett gave her a sleepy smile.
Tandy kissed her sister's forehead and took the hand that Deacon wasn't holding. "Hey, Babe, you look like hell."
"I feel like hell." Rayna groaned.
"Mom would be so proud of you." Tandy whispered to her.
Rayna just nodded her head in response.
"Tandy, I don't know if Ray told you this or not, but you're in the room with us for this. She wants you in here and you know that I can't deny her a damn thing that she wants." Deacon told his sister-in-law.
"I was gonna be in here whether either of you agreed to it or not. You'd have an easier time getting the sun not to shine than you would keeping me away while my sister is giving birth." Tandy replied.
"I guess that settles that." Deacon chuckled.
"What are you gonna do with Scarlett?" Tandy asked.
"If Deacon can get ahold of Vince he's gonna take her. If not I hope that daddy won't mind sitting with her." Rayna told her.
"Don't worry about anything right now, Babe. I will take care of everything for you." Tandy kissed her forehead again.
"Thanks, Babe." Rayna smiled at her.
"Did you want me to call Bucky for you and have him on standby to issue a press release?" Tandy asked her.
"Is this the part where I'm supposed to pretend not to know that Bucky was probably asleep in your apartment when you left to come here?" Rayna countered.
Lamar showed up not long after that. "Rayna, I just came in to wish you luck. I'm going to make myself scare until my granddaughter makes her entrance."
Rayna smiled softly at him. She knew that he was really trying. "Thanks, daddy. We would really appreciate it if you could take Scarlett out to the waiting room with you. Vince should be by in a little while to get her."
"I don't mind that at all. As a matter of fact, I think I'll just keep her myself. A little thing like this has no business being alone with Vince." Lamar held his hand out to Scarlett. "Scarlett, come with pawpaw. We are gonna go sit in the waiting room until the baby gets here."
Scarlett took his hand without question. "Ok, pawpaw."
"We can get you a cup of hot chocolate while we wait." Lamar smiled at her. He led her out of the room.
"It seems like daddy has given up his utter hatred of Deacon and put it on Vince." Tandy commented dryly.
"A lot of good it'll do him. Vinny don't give a damn what anyone thinks of him." Deacon snorted.
"And Scarlett just adores her Uncle Vinny. Daddy is fighting a losing battle on that one." Rayna agreed.
"I'm gonna go try to call Vinny again. I'll be right outside the door." Deacon said.
"It's ok go on. I'll be right here with her." Tandy gave him a reassuring smile.
This time Deacon was able to get ahold of Vince and he'd told him that he would be up at the hospital as soon as he could make it. When he stepped back into the room Dr. Beecher had just finished doing another exam on Rayna.
"How's she lookin', Doc?" Deacon asked.
"She's looking good. Labor is progressing nicely and the baby is doing great." Dr. Beecher answered him.
"That's what I like to hear." Deacon grinned.
"Dr. Beecher, when can I have the epidural?" Rayna asked him. She just wanted the pain to stop. She hadn't even entertained the thought of doing this without drugs.
"You can have it whenever you want it. If you want to try to get up and move to help your labor along you can. Or I can have them set up for the epidural now. That's totally up to you." Dr. Beecher replied.
"I want that epidural now. As excited as I am to meet my baby girl I need drugs to get through this pain." Rayna told him.
"Say no more. I'll send someone in here right away. If you ask me I think you made the wise choice. I have some patients that do it naturally, but I just don't understand why they would." Dr. Beecher laughed lightly and walked out of the room.
"I still say that guy looks like a damn underwear model. I just ain't comfortable with him seein' the intimate parts of my wife." Deacon grumbled.
"Deacon, going to the OBGYN is uncomfortable for women. If the doctor is nice to look at it makes things a little easier." Tandy shrugged her shoulders.
"Gee, thanks for havin' my back, Tandy." Deacon's words oozed with sarcasm.
"You're very welcome." Tandy replied just as sarcastically.
Deacon's eyes got wide when he saw the size of the needle used for the epidural. "Wow,"
"Dad, do you wanna come help hold her on her side while we do this?" A nurse asked him.
Deacon was still in awe over the size of the needle and he hadn't heard the question.
"Deacon!" Tandy barked sharply to get his attention.
"What?" Deacon blinked his eyes rapidly to knock off the fog.
"You need to help hold Rayna on her side while they give her the epidural." Tandy spoke slowly. She fought the urge to roll her eyes. She knew that he wasn't purposely being dense this was just new to him.
"I got her, you just hold her hand." Deacon helped hold Rayna steady on her side while they administered the epidural.
"Oh my God!" Rayna yelled out in pain.
"I know, Babe, squeeze my hands. Deacon and I are both here we've got you." Tandy spoke to her soothingly.
"You can do this, Ray. You're bein' so strong right now. I'm so proud of you." Deacon rubbed her back.
Rayna gripped her sister's hands tightly and squeezed her eyes shut. She took several deep breaths.
"There you go, Ms. Jaymes, all done." The nurse told her.
"Thank God, that'll be worth it just to go numb and not feel this labor pain anymore though." Rayna did her best to calm her breathing.
"They killin' you in here or are ya just havin' a baby?" Vince stuck his head in the door.
"Vince, the last thing she needs right now is your juvenile behavior." Tandy snapped at him.
"I ain't even done nothin', Tandy. I just got here for the love of Christ." Vince defended himself.
"With you that doesn't mean anything at all." Tandy arched her eyebrow at him.
"Ok, you two, cool it. I rather my daughter didn't come into the world to the sounds of her aunt and uncle fightin'." Deacon stepped in.
"Hey, Ray, how you feelin'?" Vince walked over and took her hand.
"Like shit, but it means everything to me that you came." Rayna gave him a weak smile.
"I know you didn't think that I would miss my niece bein' born for anythin' in this world. There is no place else I rather be. I call dibs on godfather by the way." Vince joked with her.
"We'll see how that works out for you." Rayna teased him back.
"Vinny, it'd be a big help right now if you were to just go sit in the waitin' room with Lamar and Scarlett. This room is crowded enough. And frankly there are parts of my wife that I just don't want you to see." Deacon basically told him to make himself scarce.
"Say no more I'm outta here. I won't come back until someone comes to get me and let me cuddle that baby." Vince kissed Rayna's head and gave his best friend a quick hug before he made his exit.
"Here, baby, try to eat some ice chips. You're gonna need every last bit of strength that you can get." Deacon slowly and carefully fed her ice chips.
"Thank you, babe. I don't know how I thought I was gonna do this without you." Rayna gazed at him lovingly.
"You made the right choice in the end and that's all that matters, Ray. I'm right here and I ain't goin' anywhere." Deacon kissed her tenderly.
"Even with her in labor you two can't contain yourselves." Tandy shook her head playfully.
"That has a little something to do with why I'm in labor right now. We can't leave well enough alone when it comes to each other. If I don't start it he does." Rayna grinned.
"You are both so gross. I feel sorry for those two poor little girls that are gonna have to live with you." Tandy patted her sister's hand affectionately.
"They will get used to it in no time. Scarlett is already immune to our kissin'. It don't bother her." Deacon retorted.
"Secretly she wants to come live with her Aunt Tandy where things like that don't happen." Tandy winked at him.
"Mhmm, whatever you say." Deacon rolled his eyes.
Three hours later Rayna had her feet up in the stirrups. Deacon and Tandy stood on either side of her each of them holding one of her hands.
"Alright, Rayna, just one more big push and then you'll be done." Dr. Beecher told her.
"Come on, Ray, you got this, baby. I'm right here. You just focus on me and bringin' our little girl into the world." Deacon coached her.
"You can do this, Rayna. I'm here for you too." Tandy brushed her sister's hair out of her face.
Rayna sat up with a determined look on her face. She squeezed both Tandy and Deacon's hands as hard as she could and she pushed with all her might. She let out a loud groan.
"Ok, Rayna, you can stop now. You have a perfect baby girl." Dr. Beecher used the bulb syringe to suction out the baby's nose and she let out a loud ringing cry.
"Listen to that she's a singer already." Tandy commented proudly.
"Do you wanna cut the cord, daddy?" A nurse asked Deacon.
Daddy? Who was she talking to? The word sounded foreign to Deacon. "Huh?" He stammered.
"Do you wanna cut your daughter's cord?" The nurse repeated.
Daughter. He had a daughter. This tiny, beautiful, perfect little thing that he was now responsible for. "Yeah, I do." Deacon finally answered. He took the scissors in his hand and snipped her cord.
He watched in awe while the nurses cleaned her up. He hadn't gotten a really good look at her yet and already she was the most beautiful thing that he had ever seen.
"Here you go, daddy, she's all yours now." A nurse gently placed the baby in his arms.
There was that word again. Daddy. He still didn't know what to make of it. He had no positive experiences with that word and now he was one. He cradled his daughter to his chest protectively. He gazed upon his daughter's face and took his first good long look at her. From what he could tell she had his hair color and generally looked like him. He counted all of her fingers and her toes just to be sure that they were there. She was absolutely perfect in his eyes. He laid a gently kiss on her forehead. He took slow, but steady steps to his wife's bedside.
"Look what we did, momma." Deacon's voice cracked. A tear slid down his cheek.
"Let me hold her." Rayna held her arms out for her daughter.
Deacon carefully transferred his daughter to her mother's care. "There you go."
"Hi, baby girl, I'm your momma." Rayna was smiling and crying at the same time. Like she had said all along she didn't need the DNA test to prove what she'd always known. Her little girl looked so much like her daddy that it wasn't funny. Any doubts that she might have had about her not being Deacon's were erased the minute she looked at her.
"Oh, Rayna, she is gorgeous." Tandy gushed over her niece. "Don't let this go to your heads or anything, but you two did good."
Deacon laughed softly. "Thanks, Tandy."
Tandy kissed her sister and her niece. She surprised everyone by kissing Deacon's cheek. "Congratulations, I'm gonna go tell daddy and Vince that she's here and give you three a minute alone. Deacon can come get Scarlett when he wants her." She excused herself.
"Wow, just wow look at her." Deacon rubbed the back of the baby's tiny hand with his thumb.
"She's perfect." Rayna gasped in delight when her daughter's eyes popped open at the sound of her father's voice. "Look at those gorgeous eyes. Someone heard her daddy talkin' about her."
"Daddy's right here, princess. He's not goin' anywhere ever." Deacon promised her.
"Do we still like her name?" Rayna asked him.
"Yes we do." Deacon replied.
"Welcome to the world, Madison Miranda Claybourne, your momma and daddy love you so very much." Rayna whispered to her softly. They had named her after Rayna's mother and Deacon's grandmother.
"You are loved wanted and safe, Maddie. Daddy will always protect you no matter what." Deacon vowed. He didn't know much about being a father, but he was going to do everything in his power to be the best one he could be.
"Momma, you wouldn't believe how perfect she is. I can't even put it into words. I'm havin' a hard time believin' that I had anythin' to do with makin' her." Deacon talked his mother's ear off as they made their way to Rayna's room.
"Deacon John, you should see your face right now. You are lit up like a Christmas tree talkin' 'bout your brand new daughter. You are so proud of her. She already stole her daddy's heart." June teased him.
"She stole the half of it that her momma doesn't have. I don't think any of my girls mind sharin' me though." Deacon had a big dopey grin on his face.
"It's good to see you so happy. You deserve this, my boy." June laid a gentle hand on his cheek.
Deacon too his mother's hand and kissed it affectionately. "Thank you, momma. I never thought I'd get to be this happy. I finally have a real family. I'm gonna do everythin' in my power to make sure that I don't screw it up."
"I have faith in you, my son. You're already ten times the man your father is. You'll be ten times the daddy he is too." June smiled at him.
"I'm gonna do my best to be a better daddy anyway." Deacon broke out into a wide smile when he saw who was in the room with his wife and daughter. "Hey, Watty, I didn't know that you planned on stoppin' by." He shook his hand.
"I wanted to come see Song Bird and this new little one ya'll made. She's is gorgeous like her momma already." Watty clapped him on the back.
"I sure think she's somethin' special anyway." Deacon smiled even wider.
"As you should. I will get out of your hair and let ya'll enjoy her. I will be stoppin' by for a visit soon." Watty said before he departed.
"Momma, would you like to meet your new granddaughter?" Deacon asked. He washed his hands before he picked Maddie up.
"Of course I would." June smiled.
"Here you go." Deacon handed Maddie over.
Rayna watched them interact with a smile on her face. She knew that this was a big deal for both of them.
"She is so precious." June kissed her forehead. "Rayna, you did good, sweetie."
"Thank you, June. I feel like hell, but she was worth every minute of pain I went through." Rayna replied.
"I know the feeling, sweetheart." June winked at her. "Now, what is this little one's name?"
"Momma, I would like for you to meet your granddaughter, Madison Miranda Claybourne." Deacon introduced them.
"Your mawmaw is gonna be tickled pink when she finds out that you gave this girl her first name as her middle name." June told him. "Hi, Miss Maddie, I'm your mawmaw. You have to go easy on your daddy. He's not always gonna get it right, but he means well. You will never know just how much you mean to him." She sat down in the rocker with the baby and rocked with her.
"How good does that look, Ray?" Deacon asked.
"That looks pretty damn perfect." Rayna told him.
"Where's my other granddaughter?" June asked.
"She's off makin' mischief with her Uncle Vinny." Rayna answered.
"Before she gets in here there are a set of papers in my purse for ya'll. Bev signed them and Doug signed them. Scarlett is yours if ya'll wanna legally adopt her." June informed them.
"Thank you so much, momma. I don't know how you managed this, but we owe you." Deacon sighed in relief.
"That is really great news. I think that this is the best day ever. I was really worried about how we were gonna get to keep her." Rayna admitted.
"I just might have reminded Beverly of what your daddy put us through and that was enough to get her to sign. She knows that she can't take care of her. She doesn't really want to be a momma. This is better for everyone." June explained.
"We are gonna take very good care of her, momma. I promise you that." Deacon swore to her.
"I'm not worried 'bout that. You two are already doin' a great job with her. I just want what's best for that little girl. Ya'll and the family you're buildin' here is what's best for Scarlett." June left no room for argument. She hadn't protected her children the way she should have, but she could damn sure protect her granddaughter.
"Mawmaw, you're here!" Scarlett rushed in and headed straight for her grandma.
"I'm here." June handed Maddie off to Deacon so she could hug Scarlett. "Your mawmaw sure has missed you, sweet girl."
"I missed you too, mawmaw." Scarlett hugged her tight.
"You bein' good for Aunt Ray and Uncle Deac?" June asked even though she knew she didn't have to.
"I'm tryin' my best to be extra good, because I don't wanna have to go away. I really like it here." Scarlett promised her.
"You don't have to worry 'bout that, sweet pea, you're right where you're gonna stay." June replied.
Rayna sat up in the chair beside her bed holding Maddie. They were alone while Deacon took June and Scarlett back to the house. She tore her eyes away from her daughter when she sensed a presence in the doorway. "Teddy, I would say that I'm surprised you dropped by, but I'm really not."
"I just figured that I should come. I heard through the grapevine that you'd gone into labor and well I wanted to be here." Teddy shifted his weight from foot to foot nervously.
"Come in. Don't just hover in the doorway like that. Someone could see you and that's really not something I want to have to explain." Rayna patted Maddie's back gently while she spoke.
Teddy walked in and closed the door behind him softly so he didn't disturb the baby. "So, that's her?" He smiled a little bit.
"Yeah, this is her." Rayna nodded her head.
"She's so tiny." Teddy looked down at Maddie.
"I know; her daddy was afraid he was gonna break her." Rayna said without thinking.
"You're still sticking to your guns about Deacon being her father?" Teddy arched his eyebrow.
"Teddy, I need the DNA test even less now than I did before. All I have to do is look at her and I know who her father is. She looks a lot like him." Rayna replied.
"I won't believe it until I see the DNA test. Do you think that I could maybe hold her?" Teddy asked hopefully.
"Over my dead body do you touch my daughter." Deacon said from the doorway.
"She could just as easily be my daughter and you know it." Teddy argued.
"She could be, but she's not. She's mine and there's no doubt in my mind about that. You're the reason that I almost didn't get to be here for this. I don't want you anywhere near her." Deacon shot back.
"The feeling is mutual there. I don't want you around her either." Teddy didn't back down.
"Teddy, in the eyes of the law I'm her father because I'm married to her mother. I don't need that kind of technicality though, because I'm her daddy." Deacon told him.
"Both of you knock it off right now. I don't want my baby girl exposed to this." Rayna called them both down.
"Ray," Deacon said simply.
"Deacon, I understand how you feel, babe. I really do. But, maybe if he holds her he'll see what I've been trying to tell him for months." Rayna looked at him pleadingly.
"Fine," Deacon sighed.
Teddy went to take Maddie out of Rayna's arms.
"Wash your hands first. She is a newborn." Deacon barked at him.
Teddy washed his hands and took Maddie into his arms. "Wow, look at you. You sure are something special aren't you?" He smiled at her softly.
"Support her little head. She can't do it herself." Deacon's back teeth were on edge.
"I've got her, Deacon." Teddy seethed. Maddie started fussing.
Deacon didn't hesitate. He took his daughter, held her close to his chest, and made soft soothing noises. "Shh, you're ok, Maddie. Daddy's got you. Daddy is here, baby girl."
Rayna looked at the sight in front of her and her heart melted. She knew without a doubt that they were father and daughter. She didn't need the test to tell her that, that's how sure she was. But still there was a little nagging voice in the back of her head telling her it was too good to be true. She didn't know what would happen if Maddie wasn't Deacon's daughter. "There's a really simple way to resolve this whole thing. I'll call the doctor and get them to run the DNA test now. That way we all know for sure."
"Ray, I don't need the test. All I have to do is hold her in my arms and I know that I helped make her." Deacon told her.
"Get the test, Rayna." Teddy put his foot down.
"Ok, I'll have the test run." Rayna picked up the phone and called her doctor.
It took two days for the DNA test to come back. That coincided with the day that Rayna was released from the hospital. She was making sure that she had everything packed up when there was a knock on the door. She groaned inwardly when she saw not only Teddy, but his parents standing there as well.
"Teddy, what are you doing here?" Rayna did her best to sound cordial.
"Mom and dad heard that you had the baby and they wanted to meet her." Teddy replied.
"Teddy, I really wish you would have called first. Deacon is going to be here any minute." Rayna told him.
"I promise that we will be quick." Teddy replied.
"We just want to meet our granddaughter." Mary spoke up.
"It should have happened before now." Ted snorted.
"Dad, please let me handle this." Teddy begged him.
"I'm just saying we should have been here instead of her husband and whoever else." Ted retorted.
Rayna shot Teddy a frosty look. She could kill him for putting her in this position. "Of course come on in." She picked Maddie up. "Hey, sleepy girl, wake up you have some visitors." She cooed at her daughter.
Teddy took her from Rayna and cradled her in his arms. "Mom, dad, this is Maddie."
"Teddy, she is beautiful." Mary gushed.
"That's a Conrad baby if ever I saw one." Ted's chest puffed out with pride.
"Dad, we don't know that for sure yet." Teddy cautioned him.
"Nonsense, I have eyes I can see. Let me hold her." Ted brushed off his comment.
"I would really appreciate it if you didn't." Deacon had just come from dropping Scarlett off at school. He had an envelope in his hand.
"I don't think I'm gonna let you tell me what to do when it comes to my own granddaughter." Ted replied.
"Dad," Teddy said in a warning tone.
"First of all she ain't your granddaughter. Second of all I'm fairly certain that you and my father have somethin' in common. I share that same thing in common with both of ya. So, I'm not comfortable with you holdin' her." Deacon called him an alcoholic without saying the words.
"Drunk, poor, and stupid. Lucky for me I'm only one of those things and it's not poor or stupid." Ted challenged him.
"I'm none of those things anymore. And I don't appreciate you passin' judgment on me." Deacon's hands clenched into fists.
"Deacon," Rayna called him down.
"You gotta trust me, Ray. You gotta let me show you that I can take care of you and are little girl the right way. I ain't gonna be insulted by someone who has no business bein' here." Deacon replied.
"Babe, not in front of Maddie please." Rayna pleaded with him.
"There's a real simple way to solve this. Open this envelope, Ray. They handed it to me on my way in. I didn't get a chance to look at it yet I thought we could do it together." Deacon handed her the envelope.
Rayna opened the envelope and read the piece of paper inside. She took a deep breath and her eyes filled up with tears. "Deacon, you should look at this." She passed him the piece of paper.
Deacon took the paper from her and read it. He closed his eyes and sighed. He took Maddie out of Teddy's arms and held her close to him.
"What the hell do you think you're doing taking my son's daughter from him?" Ted demanded.
"In the case of Madison Miranda Claybourne there is a ninety-nine point nine-nine percent chance that Deacon John Claybourne is her father." Deacon read from the piece of paper. "Now, if ya'll would kindly get the hell out of here and the hell outta our lives that would be great."
"Come on we should go." Teddy cast a sad glance in Rayna's direction and left with his parents.
"I knew that you were her father." Rayna smiled from ear to ear.
"So did I. This poor little thing looks too much like me not to be mine." Deacon kissed her tenderly. "Maddie, are you ready to go home, Princess? Mawmaw is there waitin' for you." He rubbed his nose against his daughter's.
Maddie made a little cooing noise.
"She said let's go home, daddy." Rayna kissed them both.
"Let's go home, momma." Deacon rested his forehead against hers.
A/N: Here is the next chapter. I hope you guys enjoyed it. Until next time please review.