A/N - I'm trying to wrap this up before season 4 starts (woo hoo!). The story has taken some turns from where I originally planned, so thanks for sticking with it. I do want to warn you that this chapter is not for the queasy. Thanks for reading! - RW

"Okay, so does anyone have any other questions?" the transplant nurse asked as she slid a sheaf of papers across the table toward Deacon and Rayna.

Rayna looked down at the notes that she'd been taking. "I don't think so. I've got the medication list here that we're going to pick up at the pharmacy, the schedule, the restrictions...I think I have everything."

"Let's go over the restriction list one more time just so I know you have it down," the nurse replied.

"No grapefruit," Deacon responded.

Rayna laughed. "Well, that's not going to be a big change in your life."

"No over the counter medications unless we've called and cleared it," Deacon added.

"That one's really important. A lot of the stuff you used to commonly use-Advil, Tylenol, etc., they all can cause complications for the liver, so we need to be really careful about that."

"No driving for at least two months," Rayna said as she put her arm around Deacon. "I guess Maddie's getting her license just in time."

Deacon chuckled and shook his head. "I'm not sure that now is the time to start taking my life into her hands."

"If you have a fever, any major vomiting, anything like that, you have to call us, come to the ER, get it checked out-we are all very committed to you living a long life with your new liver. So, please take good care of it."

Deacon nodded. "I will. It came to me at a great cost."

Rayna tightened her arm around him. To be honest, that was about the most he'd talked about Bev. When she'd told him about his sister's break-down, he'd just shut her down.

"Okay, well, looks like we've got everything covered but if you have any questions at all, please call us. That's what we're here for," the nurse said as she stood up and put her bag over her shoulder.

"I can take your bag, Deacon," Daphne said as the orderly helped Deacon into the wheelchair to head down to the car.

"Thanks, honey," Deacon said. "You got those flowers, Maddie?"

Maddie nodded and tightened her hold on the bouquet of flowers that had come from the Bluebird earlier that week.

"We're gonna miss you, Deacon," the floor nurse said as she held the door open.

Deacon smiled. "Thanks for everything, but I'm more than ready to be home with my family."

After dinner Rayna helped Deacon up the steps and into their room. She tightened her arm around him as he began to lean on her more heavily, their steps slow as they got to their room.

"You doing okay, babe?" she asked as he lowered himself to the bed.

Deacon nodded, then leaned slowly back again the pillow moaning slightly as his body straightened out.

"Let's put another one back there," Rayna said as she slid another pillow behind his head. "If you remember, you weren't exactly laying flat in the hospital bed."

"Yeah, but at some point, I'm hoping to be able to straighten back out again," Deacon replied.

"Maybe not tonight?" Rayna asked.

"Yeah," Deacon replied as he eased back against the pillows.

"Are you sure you're feeling okay?" she asked again. "You didn't eat much at dinner and you're pretty quiet."

"I'm just tired, Ray," he responded. "It'll be better tomorrow."

She reached down and pulled his boots off. "And the day after that will be better, too."

"Did Scarlett call again?" he asked. "Where did she say she was last time?"

"She said they were south of Memphis a couple hours. I think they were planning to spend the night and get here tomorrow by noon."

"And Gunnar's with her?"

Rayna shrugged and smiled at him. "I didn't know it before, but that's what she said when she called."

"I'm glad she hasn't been down there by herself, I guess. You think Caleb knows?" Deacon asked.

"Not that I'm aware of," Rayna replied as she slipped her blouse off and stood in front of him in her bra. "You want me to help you get those jeans off?"

"You trying to kill me?" he responded, a smile crossing his face.

She laughed. "No, there wasn't a rule like the no driving, but I'm looking at you buddy and you're in no shape-no shape at all."

She helped him ease his jeans off and then headed into the bathroom to take off her make-up. She knew if they could just get him home, that her Deacon would return to her...and so far she was right.

Rayna woke up to the sound of retching. She looked over. Deacon's side of the bed was empty. She looked at the clock, it was just after 2 am.

"Deacon?" she called out as she turned on the light next to the bed. She could hear him in the bathroom.

She got up and hurried in to find him collapsed on the floor in front of the toilet.

"Deacon!" she cried as she went to him and knelt down next to him. "How long has this been going on?"

He looked up at her and shook his head, unable to talk.

"I'm going to go get the girls. We need to go back to the hospital."

"No," Deacon managed.

"We're going, Deacon," she replied.

"What happened?" Maddie asked as Rayna woke her from a deep sleep.

"Your dad's sick. I need you to help me get him out to the car and then I need you to stay here with Daphne," Rayna explained.

"I want to go with you," Maddie responded. "I want to be there if something's wrong."

Rayna paused. "Okay, go wake your sister and get dressed. I'm going to see if I can get him up."

Rayna returned to the bathroom. Deacon had stopped vomiting, but he lay spent on the floor of the bathroom. She brought a towel over to try to clean him up a bit.

"Sorry," he said, panting slightly.

She shook her head as she gently wiped his face. "It's okay. We're just gonna take you back to the ER and let them help you feel better."

"Mom?"

She looked up to see the girls standing at the bathroom door. "Daphne, can you go get another t-shirt for Deacon? There's some long-sleeved ones in the second drawer in his dresser. Maddie, come here, honey and help me."

Maddie came in and together they helped Deacon up off the floor. Maddie pulled over the chair from Rayna's dressing table and they lowered him back down so he was sitting on the chair.

"Is this...are you in rejection?" Maddie asked, her face filled with fear.

"We don't know, honey," Rayna replied. "That's why we're going to go to the hospital and get it checked out. I'm going to call them and let them know we're headed in."

She left Maddie in the bathroom and headed back into the bedroom to find her phone.

"Is this one okay, Mommy?" Daphne asked, holding up a gray henley.

Rayna crossed over to her and took Daphne in her arms. "It's perfect, honey. Go take it to your sister."

"Is Deacon going to be okay?" Daphne asked.

Rayna looked down at her young daughter and nodded. "I hope so, baby. Go take in the shirt and put his other one in the hamper. I'm going to call the doctor quick."

Rayna reached for her phone and scrolled for the number she'd stored in it only a few hours earlier when they'd left the hospital.

"Transplant Resource line," the woman answered a moment later.

Rayna began to explain about Deacon's sudden illness.

"Is he rejecting the liver?" she asked, her voice filled with concern.

"We won't know until we examine him. It could be and if it is, we'll treat it. It could also be a reaction to a medication, an infection-we do need him to come in so we can figure it out. Are you able to transport him or do you want me to send an ambulance?"

Rayna paused. She wasn't sure that she and Maddie could get Deacon back downstairs, but she also knew that the last thing he would want would be a ride in an ambulance.

"I think we can just drive in. I'm nearby."

"I'll have a team ready to meet you at the ER," the nurse replied.

Rayna hung up the phone to find Deacon walking out of the bathroom, leaning heavily on Maddie, but also resting an arm on Daphne's shoulder. The girls had gotten the clean shirt on him before bringing him out.

"You think you can make it into the hospital?" she asked.

He nodded. "I think I can make it-I don't think there's anything else left to come out."

"Can we get down the steps or do you need me to call someone to help us?" she followed up.

"If you and Maddie help me, we can do it," he responded.

"Go find my purse, Daphne," Rayna instructed as she came over and took Deacon's elbow. "Okay, we're going to take it slow, okay?"

Deacon and Maddie nodded.

Rayna turned the Escalade into the driveway at the Emergency Room. She looked back where Deacon lay on the backseat, his head in Maddie's lap. Poor girl, he'd gotten sick on her about halfway there.

"Daphne, can you go let them know we're here?" she asked.

Daphne hopped out of the front seat and headed toward the door. It pained her to realize how much she was relying on both of her young girls.

"You guys okay back there?" she asked.

"I think I owe Maddie a trip to Two Old Hippies," Deacon replied, trying to joke. "Sorry about your shirt, honey."

"It's okay, Dad," Maddie assured him.

Rayna looked back at them, a brief wave of relief washing over her. If Deacon was teasing their daughter, then maybe it wasn't as serious as it had seemed when she found him on the floor of the bathroom.

"Oh!" Deacon exclaimed as he got sick again. Maddie held up the bowl, trying to help him.

Rayna hopped out of the car and moved to open the back door. She looked up to see Daphne returning with an orderly pushing a wheelchair.

"Thank you," she said as the orderly helped Deacon from the car. She paused for a moment at the vehicle. "You okay, honey?" she asked Maddie.

"I'm fine," her daughter answered. "Just go, Mom."

Rayna turned and headed toward the hospital. After everything, she couldn't lose Deacon now.

Rayna stood at the door watching as they put an IV into Deacon's arm. He had gotten sick two more times, but now was just retching, his stomach empty. It was so hard to see him like this.

"Rayna?"

She turned to find Caleb Rand.

"Is it rejection?" she asked. "It just happened so fast."

"I have a couple more tests to run, but from the onset and intensity, I think it's more likely to be a drug reaction. We did change a couple medications before we sent him home."

"So it isn't rejection?" Rayna asked again, her arms crossed in front of her body.

"Like I said, we do need to run a couple more tests, but you can go in with him. We're giving him some fluids and some medication to help with the nausea. I'll be back in as soon as I get the results."

Rayna thanked the doctor and headed into Deacon's room. "You feeling any better?" she asked as she sat down on the bed next to him and brushed her hand along the side of his face.

"Yeah," Deacon said, his voice quiet. "Sorry for getting so sick and...oh, poor Maddie."

Rayna smiled. "That was definitely a sign of love, babe."

"Where is she? Where's Daphne?" Deacon asked.

Rayna took his hand in hers. "They're in the waiting room, ready to come in and see you. I think one of the nurses went to find Maddie something to change into-I'm pretty sure you ruined that outfit completely."

Deacon closed his eyes.

"It's okay, babe. You're sick," Rayna comforted him.

He opened up his eyes and fixed them on her. "I'm sick of being sick, Ray. I just wanted to come home, sleep in our bed and get back to our lives."

"I know, hon. And you're gonna do that. It's just not gonna happen tomorrow or even the day after that. This is gonna take a while and you need to be patient and I think we both know, that's not your strong suit."

"What if I'm losin' this liver?" Deacon said quietly.

Rayna raised his hand up to her lips and kissed them lightly. "I talked to Caleb and he has to run some tests, but he didn't think that was what was going on. And if you are starting to reject, then there are things they can do to stop it. I need you to have faith, Deacon. I need you to believe this is all going to work out."

"I'm not the most optimistic person," Deacon started.

"Truer words were never spoken," Rayna replied. "But maybe this is a chance to start over, do it again a different way."

They looked up at the sound of a knock on the door. The door pushed open to reveal Maddie in a pair of hospital scrubs, Daphne and Scarlett trailing in behind them.

"Hey," Rayna said, holding out her arm to welcome them into the room.

"How are you feeling?" Maddie asked as she came up on the other side of the bed and reached for her dad's free hand.

"I'm feelin' a lot better, honey. Again, sorry for getting so sick on you and scaring everybody."

"It's okay, Dad," Maddie replied.

"You're here, Scarlett," Deacon added as she came up next to Rayna. "And Daphne-thanks for helping out so much tonight, honey."

Daphne joined her sister on the opposite side of the bed.

"I got Rayna's text and came straight here," Scarlett said. "Are you sure you're feeling okay?"

"I am," Deacon replied. "How's your momma?"

Scarlett shook her head. "I'll talk to you about that later," she said.

"I think we should all give Deacon some time to rest," Rayna said. "Caleb said they'd probably keep you here for the night for observation but hopefully you can go home in the morning."

"You should all go home and get some sleep," Deacon answered. "You've already spent too many nights here with me."

Scarlett watched as Rayna and the girls reluctantly left, Deacon insisting once again that they go home to sleep.

"You really feeling okay?" Scarlett said after they left.

"Better than when I was on the floor in Rayna's bathroom puking my guts out," Deacon replied. "I mean, I've done that when I've been on a bad bender, but never with this many stitches in my gut."

"I'm sorry I wasn't here," Scarlett responded.

"How's your momma?" Deacon asked. "I can't imagine that was too easy for you."

Scarlett sat down on the end of the bed. "No. She-well, she's like she used to be. I had to take her back to the Farm. Course she wouldn't see me."

"What did we do," Deacon replied. "We never should have pushed her like that."

"Don't say that," Scarlett shot back. "Don't ever say that."

"I can't help feel that I'm responsible, making her feel like she had to like I did."

"We both did. And Rayna. And I talked to the doctor-it happened 'cause she wasn't taking care of herself anymore. You saw her last year when she came to see me on tour. She isn't in her right mind, Deacon. And we can't be responsible for that anymore."

"I don't know, Scar," Deacon started. "You think so?"

Scarlett nodded. "Gunnar and me...we talked a lot, first on the way down to Mississippi, and while we were there and comin' home...at some point, Deacon, we just have to acknowledge what her illness is."

"I can't help thinking I took advantage of her," Deacon admitted. "And I feel like that was wrong."

"You got to get over that," Scarlett answered. "You've got to find a way to be okay with what she did giving you that liver and what the reality is now and move on. Don't waste her gift by not wanting to live."

There was a knock at the door and it opened.

"Deacon, I have good news," Caleb Rand started, then stopped two steps into the room. "Scarlett?"

"What's the news?" she asked, interrupting him.

The doctor looked down at his chart. "You're not rejecting the liver. It was a reaction to one of the new medications."

"Can I go home?" Deacon asked.

"I'd just as soon you stay the night, let us get a few more fluids into you so you're not dehydrated, but you can go first thing in the morning."

"I'll go call Rayna and let her know," Scarlett said, standing up and heading toward the door.

"Scarlett," the doctor began again.

She stopped at the door and smiled at him. "Of course,Caleb. Just let me make that call and I'll be back so we can talk."

He watched as she left, then turned back to Deacon. "I'm sorry, maybe this is why they advise you to keep work and private separate."

"Just give her some space," Deacon replied. "Stuff with her momma-it's always been hard and if she didn't tell you about it before, well it's hard."

"That's all any of you will say," Caleb replied. "You say it, Rayna said it, even Gunnar warned me, but Scarlett-she always just smiles and then just moves on past it."

"Be patient," Deacon advised.

"Thanks," Caleb responded. "You need anything else?"

"I'm good," Deacon replied. "And thanks for understanding about my niece."

Caleb walked out of Deacon's room looking down the hall each way for Scarlett. He rounded the corner headed back toward the elevators when he found her.

In the arms of Gunnar Scott.

TBC