1Barbra Jean

I left for the hospital numbly. Cheyenne's watching Henry for me thank God. I don't want my baby to see what a mess his mother's made. I still can't believe Reba broke her ankle yesterday. Van said she had a small break when she fell, then broke it in two more places in her room. I still don't exactly understand what happened in her room. Van wasn't telling me something big. I let out a sigh. I honestly don't have the energy to care right now. I'll find out eventually anyways. I pulled into a parking spot before I walked into the hospital reluctantly. When I stepped out of the elevator I saw Brock standing with his arms crossed outside of what I'm guessing is Reba's room. Great. Just what I wanted! I rolled my eyes.

"Don't start Brock, I'm not in the mood. Just here to see Reba." I tried to step around him to go in the room but he stepped in front of me. "Move Brock."

"Not until you tell me what's going on."

"No."

"Yes, tell me or you don't see Reba. You have no idea how much you've upset her over this Barbra Jean. If you don't talk to one of us I'm getting security and you won't see her again." he's bluffing... right?...

"Fine. But I wanna see Reba before I talk to anyone." he didn't buy it. Smart man Brock, cause I'm lying through my teeth right now. I'm telling no one here at all.

"Fine. But you're not getting out of it." I nodded, laughing inside at how easy it was to get past him. It would be that damn thing he does called 'trust'. I call it being an idiot. I walked into Reba's room numbly. She was sitting up in bed, leaning against the backboard staring blankly out the window. It was sunset, making the whole room have an orangish tint to it. I looked at Reba as the sunset caressed her face softly. Her face looked sad, but to blank to tell. She does that too well. I wonder if it's from what I've done...her hair looked like a live fire. It fell around her face in little waves. She's been here and hasn't been able to do her hair. I came beside the bed and sat on the little chair. When she looked at me there was not a single emotion in her eyes. My stomach sank.

"How're you feeling?" she raised an eyebrow. I knew exactly how she was feeling. "So, what exactly happened here?" I just wanted to turn and run. This was so hard to do. I hurt her...

"I fell down the stairs. Then hit it on my vanity bench." she said nodding to her ankle.

"Are you alright?" she didn't say a word or move. Just held my eyes.

"What's going on?" she asked blankly with a hint of anger.

"It's a long story."

"I don't leave till noon tomorrow, I have time. Start talking." my heart raced, I can't tell her here or now. She's already going through so much right now. Brock came up behind me.

"start talking." he said angrily.

"I'm sorry Reba, I just can't say right now." I stood up. "I'll see you tomorrow." I turned to leave but her ice words hit me hard.

"You're just gonna leave? After everything I've done in the past few months, you can just go way out of your way to hurt me like this? Just for a secret." she let out a humorless laugh. "What happened to Barbra Jean, my bestfriend? I want her here. Not this secretive, nasty person standing right here in my hospital room." I stood still but didn't dare turn to look at her.

"She's not the same person you thought she was. That person is gone."

"And to think, I called you bestfriend after everything, loved you like a sister, I've told you everything... I trusted you. I thought by some miracle you were the same for me." she said with a harsh tone. I know we've both seen this blow up coming for a while now. I turned to look at her only to find her angry eyes filled with tears. It broke my heart hurting her like this.

"If you not even knowing anything, if this situation is hurting you so much," I said gesturing around us. "It gives me just another reason not to tell you." I was on the brink of tears too.

"To be perfectly honest Barbra Jean, you took my husband away from me. You couldn't do anything any worse than that." I laughed, shaking my head.

"You'd think so wouldn't you?" she didn't move. "You'd be surprised Reba. Believe me when I say I'm doing this looking out for you."

"You need to leave right now." Brock said angrily. He had been standing there bitting his tongue this entire time. He finally snapped.

"I was heading that way." I walked out the door shaking, trying to keep the tears from being seen. After I was in the hallway, Brock grabbed my arm. I turned to look at him angrily.

"You're not leaving the hospital, just Reba." he said sternly. His eyes were furious.

"I don't think so." I pulled my arm out of his hand and headed for the elevator. He was right behind me. When I was in the elevator he stood in it's way so I couldn't leave. "Brock, move."

"No, if you don't-"

"If I don't what? What will you do Brock?" I snapped. "We're not married. You can't control me."

"You're right, I can't control you, and I never tried too. If anyone, You controlled ME." the tears were about to burst. "I'm not just asking you as your soon to be ex husband." he put quotations around ex husband. "I'm asking you as a friend. You're not the kinda person to lie and keep secrets. We're all worried about you."

"I've made a lot of mistakes Brock." I shrugged my shoulders as the tears prepared to fall. "I made my bed and thought I could avoid it. But now I have to be a big girl, own up and lay in it. I started everything wrong, and now I get to sit back and watch it leave." his eyes filled with worry and sorrow. He really did care about me. I wiped my eyes.

"What do you mean you started everything wrong? Our marriage?" I looked him in the eye, choking on my words because of the tears.

"Everything in my life." just then a security guard came up to Brock.

"Excuse me sir, is there a reason you're blocking the elevator? We like to keep the elevators open in case of an emergency." he shook his head and stepped back, he knew I needed my space right now. He kept his eyes locked on mine until the doors were closed. When they were, I broke down on the floor in tears and regret. Why did I do this? What have I done? And how could I have done it?

Reba

I stood up from the couch on my good leg and reached for my crutches. This big cast on my foot made me wobble like nothing else the world has ever seen. I headed for the kitchen. My stomach was growling so loud I couldn't even hear myself think. I stopped to steady myself, I nearly fell over. Elizabeth told me yesterday that I walk like The Little Mermaid when she got her legs. Just walks all funny, then has to keep stopping. It made me smile again. When I was visible in the kitchen, Brock freaked out.

"What're you doing up? You're gonna hurt yourself!" he said coming to steady me. I smacked his hands away angrily.

"I'm getting myself something to eat Brock. I'm a grown woman." he rolled his eyes at my sarcastic tone.

"I'll make dinner. I just have to run to the store to pick some stuff up."

"I'm coming with you." I informed him sternly.

"You can't go Reba, I cant help you around the store." I rolled my eyes and clenched my teeth.

"Okay DAD, I can talk, I can hold a job, I can feed myself, I can stay home alone on the weekends without a babysitter, and if you'd get off my back, maybe I could walk." we glared angrily at each other. He hated it when I referred to him as 'dad' but I hated it when he acted like he was. He sighed, scrunching his eyebrows in frustration.

"Fine. I'll take my crippled exwife to the store." I smiled. As I walked past him on my way to the back door, I smacked him in the shin with my crutch. He mumbled in angry pain. He earned that one.

Xxxxxxxxxxxx

"Here, let me help you." I shrugged away from Brocks suggestion of help. "Stubborn."

"Your point?" I said wobbling into the store.

"You're stubborn. You have no idea how annoying you are when you're stubborn."

"You're point?" he rolled his eyes ignoring me.

"Are you gonna be okay walking around the store by yourself?"

"Are you my doctor?" he shook his head no. "are you my dad?" he shook his head no again. "Are you my husband still?" he shook his head no again. "Then I'm fine." he sighed as I crutched in the opposite direction he was headed. For the first time outside of a pregnancy, I wanted junk food. I guess sitting on the couch with nothing to take your mind off all the Little Debbie's commercials day after day will do that to you. I crutched over to the shopping baskets.

"Ma'am, you hand me that shopping basket please?" she smiled as she handed me the basket. "Thank you so much." her colored vests name tag read 'Maggie'.

"No problem honey, I hope you can get around okay. If you need any help at all, just say. I'll let everyone know to keep an eye out for you."

"Thank you so much, I think I can get around alright for now though."

"Alright honey, if you need us, we're here." she patted my arm as I crutched away as steady as I could. She was so sweet! We need more people like her working in the community these days.

"Junk food, junk food..." I mumbled to myself scanning the isles. If I had to sit around all day everyday, I was gonna sit fat and happy. "There you are beautiful!" I smiled as a row of boxed snacks came into my view. It was like Christmas morning, but more hell on my hips and thighs.

After I filled the basket with every mouth watering package, I headed for the end of the isle. As I was reaching the end of it, a man with a tall stocking cart came whipping around the corner, causing me to stumble backwards. I let go of the basket, closing my eyes as I prepared myself to hit the floor and break something else. Someone behind me had dropped their things and just barely caught me. I let out a sigh of honest to God relief. The man pushing the cart came around it horrified at the sight of all the commotion.

"I am so sorry Ms.! I didn't see you there!" he was only in his late teens, early twenties. As I stood up, before I had time to react or say a word, the person behind me took angry charge.

"Well if you had been doing your job right you wouldn't have came around the corner like that almost hurting a woman on crutches. You're lucky if I don't have you fired for this." the boy stood there with a pleading face, completely speechless. I assume I looked close to how he looked as I turned to stare at this man in shock and disbelief. It can't be...

"I am so sorry. I swear, I wont let it happen again sir." he was MAD as he stared this young boy down. I didn't even have a reaction to anything. I was in shock to the point I couldn't move.

"You can start by cleaning up her basket and taking it up front to be checked out." the boy practically fell to the floor cleaning up my fat cakes in a hurry. The man turned his eyes to me. They were soft and too familiar. When he smiled I thought I was going to fall again. The boy took off to the cash register with my things.

"You doing okay Reba?" he asked kindly. My jaw just hung open as I searched for any English words that I might know with my brain this frozen.

"Jack Morgan?..." he laughed. I felt my heart swell at the sound of it. I've missed that laugh for three years now.

"I think that's still my name anyways. How've you been?" his eyes held everything I remembered in them.

"Pretty good all considering. How about you?" I couldn't look away from him. To be honest, I was in love with him before he left me for his wife. I was actually going to tell him the night Cheryl came to see me. That kind of ended everything before it started. I felt the little ache in my chest again. I've missed him so much, I don't wanna be here right now. This is just gonna undo everything I've done in the past three years to get past him and us...

"Better now." he smiled. I think he could tell I was really holding back with my guard up. "I don't know if you heard, but I've been divorced for two years now." my eyes went a little wide in shock. I didn't know what to say. "I did what you said and we tried to work things out for a year but it didn't work. I couldn't stop thinking about you and neither one of us loved each other. I tried dating. Only two women in these two years. Neither of them lasting more than three months." he held my eyes. My heart was pounding in my throat and chest.

"Why's that?" was all I could choke out. He smiled.

"They weren't you." oh dear Lord, here we go again...