Rayna woke up a couple of hours later to find the other side of the bed empty. She switched on the bedside lamp and looked around the room. The door to the bathroom was open. She sat on the edge of the bed, stretched her arms and then pulled on her shoes and headed out into the living room.
"There you are," she said as she walked over to where Deacon sat at the table and gave him a kiss. "Are you feeling better?"
"Much," he replied. "And Scarlett made me some soup. Do you want some? It's on the stove."
She went into the kitchen and fixed a bowl of soup from the pot on the stove, then sat down next to him.
"What are you working on?" she asked.
He pulled his glasses off and shook his head. "Just thinking about what I might want to record, if we did that."
"What are you thinking?" she replied. "How many did you do at the Bluebird? Would you repeat any of them for a studio sound?"
"I'm not sure," he answered. "I would like to record 'Believing' with Maddie if she'll do it."
"Well, since I have yet to get that girl out of a recording studio when she's had a chance, I think she'll do it," Rayna replied.
Deacon shot her a dark look.
"What?" she asked.
"Ray, come on. She barely looks at me, barely talks to me…"
"Okay, what else," Rayna replied. She pulled the list over and scanned it. "I think you're missing one on here."
"Yeah?" Deacon pulled the list back and slipped his glasses back on to look at it. "Which one?"
"Didn't you write a song for me recently?" she asked. "Our daughter told me all about it."
Deacon looked at her and shook his head. "Oh, you mean the song I wrote for you the night you dumped me for Wheeler? I'm not singing that song."
"Really?" Rayna asked. She got up and went over to her purse, pulling her phone out. "You're not going to sing this one?" She pressed play and the sounds of him playing 'I Know How to Love You Now' at the Bluebird came out of the tinny speakers in her phone. "Cause I've had this track on my phone for six months and I wouldn't mind something that sounds a little bit better."
"How'd you get that?" Deacon asked. "Maddie give it to you?"
"I have my ways," Rayna said, smiling at him. "I love that song, but it's also hard for me to hear it. Makes me think about what could have been...if I'd made a different choice, all of these months we could have had together."
Deacon was quiet. Rayna reached over and took his hands in hers. "I feel like maybe we need to talk about all of that."
"Why?" Deacon asked. "Why spend the time we have now reliving all the mistakes and things we done wrong? That isn't how I want to spend my time, whatever time I have left."
Rayna tightened her hand and his. He was down today. More than the others, more introspective. She could see it on him and hear it in his voice.
"Because I'm planning to be with you for a long time," Rayna replied. "And I might just need to talk about some of that stuff, because I'm sorry and I know I can't go back and change it, but if we're only here for this short period of time, it kills me, Deacon, that I chose to give up a single moment without you. And that's what I have to live with...right now."
She started to cry and he moved to her, kneeling down, taking her in his arms.
"It's okay, baby," he said, holding her close. "It's okay."
"I'm just afraid that it won't be. I know I'm not supposed to say that," she cried.
Deacon held her. "It's gonna be okay. I'm gonna be okay."
"Why did I do that? Why did I spend all that time…."
"We all made choices, Ray," he said, trying to soothe her. "We all did."
"You didn't," she replied. "You always loved me, you always waited."
Deacon eased back on his heels. "Ray, I made choices that meant we couldn't be together, that we didn't raise our daughter together, that gave me this disease. You can't put that all on yourself."
She reached down, smoothing her hand across his face, wiping away the tears that were falling from his eyes.
Deacon stood up and pulled her into his arms. "It's gonna be okay, baby. It's gonna be okay."
"Hey, honey," Teddy said as he walked into Maddie's room. "Daphne and I are going out for lunch, do you want to come?"
Maddie was sitting on her bed with her guitar. "I think I'm gonna just stay here, is that okay?"
Teddy came over and sat down on the edge of the bed near her. "You working on something special?"
Maddie shrugged. "Maybe."
"You know you can talk to me, don't you?" Teddy said as he reached up to smooth Maddie's hair. "Even if you need to talk about Deacon and what's happening."
Tears started to form in Maddie's eyes. "That doesn't seem fair to you."
Teddy took her into his arms. "Oh, honey, none of this is fair, but it kills me to see you in so much pain."
He held her as she cried, his hand moving slowly across her back, trying to soothe her.
"I just don't know what to do or say," she choked out. "And he asked me to come record our song and I can't do it."
Teddy sat back. "Of course you can, sweetie. And, Maddie, making music, with Deacon, that's how you first got to know one another. Maybe it can be somewhere that you can start figuring out how to deal with this."
"I don't know…" Maddie stammered.
Teddy took in a deep breath and let it out. "You don't know this, because he died before you were born, but my dad was sick. And my dad used to drink too much, which is probably why I've had a hard time with Deacon. I knew he was sick, that I wouldn't have much time with him, but I was stubborn, and I didn't go see him, didn't tell him how I felt."
"That you were mad at him, about drinking?" Maddie asked, wiping away her tears.
Teddy shook his head. "No, that I loved him-in spite of everything. That I remembered when I was little and he took me to baseball games and how we'd go up in the mountains and camp. I let my bitterness and resentment get in the way of that. And I'm sorry for that and I regret it.
"It's not the same with you and Deacon, but if you don't figure out how to talk to him, you'll end up like I did, with things you wanted to say and you didn't have a chance to do it. Please don't do that to yourself, Maddie."
Maddie sat silent for a moment, then stood up from the bed, picking up her guitar. "Dad, would you take me somewhere?"
"Thanks for doing this," Rayna said to Avery as he sat at the sound board in the studio. "I know things have to be busy at home right now with the new baby."
"It's been intense," Avery replied. "But Emily was able to come over this afternoon and hopefully Juliette and the baby will get some sleep. Nobody is on a regular schedule right now."
"She'll get there...it just takes babies, and moms, a little while," Rayna said. "So, I think Deacon has a plan, but you'll want to check in with him."
"He called me yesterday and I think we have things planned out to try to get three tracks done, if we can. He seemed real anxious to do this, it kind of surprised me," Avery said, looking over at Rayna.
"Well, you know, Deacon...once he gets his mind set on something, he just kinda goes for it," Rayna explained. "I'm gonna go in there and see how he's doing."
She headed into the sound booth where Deacon was tuning his guitar. "You all set?" she asked.
He looked up at her and smiled. "I think so. I've got a new version of 'Like New' I'd like to lay down and a couple of others. I want to get the vocals and my guitar tracks done and then I've got a couple of people lined up to do the rest of the instrumentals."
"Is it okay if I stick around?" she asked. "I promise I'll sit out by the board and not bother anything."
Deacon leaned in and kissed her. "Of course, babe."
"And you're going to stop if you need to?" she admonished.
He chuckled and nodded. "Of course, but I'm feelin' good, Ray. Don't worry."
"Okay, well, I'm going back out there," she said as she headed back out of the booth.
"Do you want us to come with you?" Teddy asked as they pulled up in front of the recording studio.
"No, I'm okay," Maddie said as she released her seat belt. "I'll text you when I'm done."
"You're doing a good thing, here, honey," Teddy said. "Send me an update later and Daphne and I can swing back by later."
Maddie got out of Teddy's car and went around to the back seat to get her guitar.
"Break a leg," Daphne said as she pulled the guitar out.
"Thanks, Daph," Maddie replied.
She walked up to the door and opened it. She'd been here once before when her mom was working on her last album. She stopped at the reception desk where a young man sat.
"I'm looking for Deacon Claybourne," she said.
The receptionist pointed down the hall, telling her they were in Studio C. She headed that way, stopping outside the studio. She could do this. Her dad has asked her and she could do this.
She pushed the door open and found her mom and Avery in the small room outside the booth.
"Hey, honey," her mom said as she got up and came over to Maddie. "You're dad's gonna be really happy to see you here."
Maddie stood there as Deacon finished singing through the last verse of 'Like New'. When he finished, Avery pressed the button so he could talk to Deacon.
"Hey, shall we take a break so we can do a new set-up?"
Deacon looked up and saw Maddie through the window. "Definitely. Sounds good." He set his guitar down and walked out to greet Maddie.
"Hey, honey," he said, hugging her. "Thanks so much for coming. Wouldn'ta been the same without you."
Maddie stood there awkwardly, holding her guitar.
"Well, let's go in and get you set up," Rayna said. She opened the door and they walked in the booth together. Avery brought in a second microphone and stand and set it up next to Deacon's.
"Okay, I'll grab some headphones and then we should be ready to do a run-through," Avery said.
"You want to run the song once before he comes back?" Deacon asked.
Maddie nodded as she adjusted her guitar strap.
"Okay," Deacon replied. He picked up his guitar and began to play.
Maddie started with the first line.
I don't remember how I got here
When my rose coloured glasses disappeared
Deacon joined in, smiling at her.
Sometimes my fingers, they can lose touch
Start letting go of everything I love
Their voices joined together on the chorus.
When I get the feeling
That my prayers have hit the ceiling
And those darker days
When my faith has lost all meaning
You keep me believing
Maddie smiled at Deacon as she moved into the second stanza.
My fears are safe here, held in your hand
When I'm broken, you put me back together again
And again, Deacon's deep voice matched hers.
All that I once was,
All I could be,
When I've forgotten
Baby you remind me
Rayna looked up at the sound of tapping on the door. Teddy and Daphne stood outside. She waved them to come in.
"Hey," she said, greeting them, giving Daphne a hug. "You're just in time to hear them finishing up the track.
Rayna, Teddy and Daphne watched as Deacon and Maddie went back over different spots in the song, trying slight variations.
"Thank you," Rayna said softly to Teddy.
He looked at her and nodded.
Avery looked down at the board one more time and then pressed the mic button. "Okay, I think that's a wrap on that one."
Deacon nodded. "Hey, tell Rayna and Daphne to come in here a minute, would ya?"
"Go ahead, sweetheart," Teddy said as Daphne looked at him, expectantly.
She followed Rayna into the sound booth. Teddy stood there watching the four of them talking, Rayna shaking her head and laughing. Now Maddie and Daphne were laughing as well.
"Hey, I'm gonna drop the girls' stuff off at the reception desk and head home. Will you let Rayna know?" Teddy asked Avery.
"Sure, man," Avery replied. "You don't want to stay and listen?"
"No, I've already heard this one." Teddy replied. "Thanks."
The door to the studio closed and Avery turned back to the booth. He adjusted his headphones and heard Deacon say, " Okay, let's do it just like we did at Fort Campbell."
Rayna started the first verse.
Sittin' here tonight
By the fire light
It reminds me I already have
More than I should
The girls took over on the next verse.
I don't need fame
No one to know my name
At the end of the day, Lord I pray
I have a life that's good
Deacon joined Rayna.
Two arms around me
Heaven to ground me
And a family that always calls me home
The girls added their harmony.
Four wheels to get there
Enough love to share
And a sweet, sweet, sweet song
At the end of the day
Lord I pray
I have a life that's good
Rayna and Daphne walked headed out of the studio while Deacon waited for Maddie to put her guitar back in the case.
"Thank you, sweetie," he said to her. "I just, I just needed to have these songs, these moments captured."
"In case you aren't here?" Maddie asked as she kneeled in front of her guitar case, turning from the case on the floor to look at him.
"We don't know what the future holds for any of us, but yes, in case I'm not here," Deacon replied. "Okay, let's get going, I know you girls have your own plans tonight and I've got plans with your mom."
"Special plans?" Maddie asked as she stood up.
"Sort of," Deacon replied. "Don't tell her, but I managed to get us tickets to see Loretta Lynn at the Ryman."
"Managed to get tickets?" Maddie teased him. "I'm thinking you have some kind of pull around here."
"Well, I had to use all of it," Deacon replied. "Okay, let's get goin'."
"Have a fun night and please, get some sleep!" Rayna called as Daphne hopped out of the back seat.
"What a day!" she said as she pulled away from the curb. "I'm thinking I'm ready for a quiet night, some pizza, maybe and…"
"I was thinking maybe we could go out," Deacon interrupted. "See what's happening downtown."
Rayna looked over at him. "Aren't you tired, babe? It's been a full day already."
He shook his head. "Nah, I'm feeling good. Let's go."
"Okay," Rayna replied as she changed lanes and headed for Broadway.