Teddy walked down the hallway of the prison camp toward the barracks. Dinner had finished a few minutes earlier and he was looking for the book he had started earlier in the day before his work shift started. Life had a standard pattern here-the evenings could be quiet, though, which he appreciated.

"Hey, Conrad," a man called from down the hall. "You should get down to the activity room."

He looked up-it was Jackson, one of the guys in his barrack's pod. He was a nice enough guy, didn't cause a lot of drama around the camp.

"I'm headed back to read," Teddy said.

"You should come," Jackson replied. "It's about your ex-wife. On the TV."

Teddy stood in front of the television, the news story that Rayna was rumored to be dead. He was kind of surprised that the news of her accident hadn't made its way to him earlier in the day, but prison was funny that way-some stuff shot through the place like wildfire and then some things seemed to just stay under the radar.

He felt his throat catch, wondering if it was true...where Maddie and Daphne were...what had happened. They had said it was a car accident. How could that be? Another one?

Teddy remembered the night the call came about the accident on Granny White Pike. The shock he had felt at seeing Rayna's still, broken body in the ER. And how it had taken everything in him not to kill Deacon Claybourne right there. If Deacon had done this...Teddy felt the anger rage through his body.

"That's just a crazy story," Teddy heard one of the other inmates say.

"What?" Teddy asked. He looked up at the television screen where the announcer was explaining about the seemingly random accident after Rayna had been threatened by a stalker. It didn't seem possible-Rayna was a force of life. There was no way she could be dead.

Teddy headed back to his bunk for the list of phone numbers he kept there. It took him a moment to think about who to call. Not Rayna. Not the girls.

Deacon?

He looked down the list. It wasn't a huge shock, but Deacon's number wasn't listed. Should he call Rayna and see who answered?

It didn't feel right. Nothing felt right.

He walked back to the activity room. The news was over and there weren't anymore updates on Rayna. He stood for a moment, trying to think what to do, how to find out what was happening. And for the first time in a long time, he truly felt confined. Locked up.

Teddy lay back on his bed, trying to sleep, but it was impossible. He couldn't stop thinking about Rayna. About the girls. Wondering what was happening. He sat up.

Tandy. She had sent him a card, after Rayna's wedding and she had included her phone number. He had never called her-it didn't seem right, but that card, it had to be here somewhere.

He opened the cabinet next to his bed and started digging through it. There were letters from the girls, documents from his lawyer, a note from Rayna. He paused over that one.

And there it was...a generic "thinking of you" card. He opened it and yes, she had left her number on the bottom.

Teddy looked up. It was quiet in the barracks, definitely after lights out. He got up and walked toward the small room where the guard sat. He tapped on the door and it swung open.

"Conrad?" the guard asked as he stepped in. "Something the matter?"

Teddy sighed. It was Mathis. Not the worst guy here, but not the most sympathetic either. A stickler for the rules.

"Sorry, sir," Teddy started. "I, uh...my ex-wife was in an accident. I was going to call earlier, but my lawyer was gone and I just didn't think it was right to call my daughters not knowing what was happening."

The guard nodded.

"Anyway, I found a number for my ex-wife's sister and I was hoping...I mean, I can wait until tomorrow, but I just...it's hard not knowing what's happening. I mean, on the news they said she was rumored to be dead."

"That's right...your ex is Rayna Jaymes, isn't she?" Mathis replied.

Teddy nodded. There really were no secrets here.

"It's a tough break, man," the guard replied. "And you have kids?"

"Two," Teddy replied. "One's seventeen and other is twelve."

"Tough time to lose a parent," Mathis replied. "Yeah, let me get someone down here to cover, and you'll need to make it quick, but I can let you try to call her."

Teddy stood at the pay phone in the hallway. It was quiet around him, but it still felt like such a public place to make one of the hardest calls he would ever have to make. He looked at the card, took a deep breath and dialed Tandy's number.

The phone rang four times and then he heard her answer. Her voice sounded so odd...quiet...sad.

"Tandy...it's Teddy. Is it true?"

The other end of the line of silent. He should have not just blurted it out, but he had to know.

"I saw it on the news and I didn't want to call the girls...is it true?"

He heard Tandy choke on a sob. Then she spoke. "Yes, it's true. She's dead, Teddy. She died."

He caught himself crying as well now. He couldn't believe it. For as hard as his life with Rayna had been, part of him still loved her. Loved her for the mother that she was, for the life they had had before everything had gone wrong.

"How?" he asked. "I mean...what happened? How are the girls?"

"I don't know, Teddy. I just got here. I haven't seen the girls yet. I probably won't until the morning," she replied.

He paused, not sure what to say. "Do you know...what arrangements have been made?"

"I'm not sure," Tandy responded, her voice suddenly sounding so tired. "Can...can you call again in the morning? I'll know more then."

"Of course," Teddy answered. "And I'll call my lawyer. Maybe I can...maybe I can come, at least for the funeral, to see the girls."

He heard her crying again.

"I'm so sorry, Tandy...so very, very sorry."

He hung up the call and started walking back to his bed. Until he'd heard Tandy's voice, he'd held out some hope the TV was wrong. But now it was all so real.

What would Maddie and Daphne do without their mother? It was unimaginable.

He walked into the dark room and sank down on his bed. Rayna was gone.

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