This turned into a super long chapter, so I decided to divide it into two. The next one will be posted pretty soon in the next day or so. Thanks for reading, you guys are great!

###

Tandy

Tandy is relieved to get the call from Rayna that she and the girls are on the way home.

"Honey, it is so good to hear your voice," she says, letting out a breath she has probably been holding in since the panicked moment she found out Rayna had disappeared with Maddie and Daphne in tow. "How are you? How are the girls? Did everything go okay?"

On the other end of the phone, Rayna sounds genuinely happy, and less stressed than she has in weeks. "We're great. The girls are great. It was wonderful being up there, exactly what we needed."

So whatever is going on with Deacon and his collection of medication, Tandy realizes, he apparently didn't tell her. Her heart sinks a little. She could kick herself for spending way more time in the last three days than she should have researching liver diseases, because the more she finds out, the more it scares her to death. She hasn't told Rayna yet, but she's already decided not to go back to San Francisco. She knows where she's needed, and it is definitely here.

"Is there still press camped out in front of my house?" Rayna asks hesitantly. "Do I even want to know?"

"Not in front of your house," Tandy says wryly. As she is talking, there's a magazine laying on the desk open in front of her with a picture of Rayna on the front. The headline across the top reads Queen of Country or Runaway Bride? "But they're not giving up. The speculation is that either you've run off to Mexico and married a certain ex-guitar player of yours, or you're in some kind of secret rehab. They might not be parked outside your house, but the phones are still ringing off the hook."

Rayna glances at the girls in the rearview mirror, but there is earphones on both of them, and their faces are buried in their I-pads.

"What?" She says to her sister in a quieter tone so they won't overhear. "What kind of rehab would I be in, that's absurd."

"Oh name it. Pills, alcohol, sex addiction…."

"Oh for heaven's sake, I hope you're joking."

"Not even close, honey."

Rayna glances at the girls once more. "Well I'll put a stop to that," she says determined. "Is my office still standing?"

"Of course," Tandy says indignantly. "Things are running along just fine. I'm here right now. Tell the girls I'll meet you at your house in a few hours and I want to hear all about their Christmas."

"Sounds great. It was amazing, but not gonna lie, Tandy, I am sure glad to be comin home."

Tandy hangs up the phone, and stares at it in her hand for a minute. With a few instructions to Bucky for the rest of the day, she leaves the Highway 65 offices. She doesn't head for Rayna's mansion immediately, though. First she drives to Deacon's house. His truck is nowhere in sight.

Scarlett answers the door.

"Figured you'd be back," Scarlett says wryly. "But he's not here."

"I didn't come to see him," Tandy says quietly. "Because I'm pretty sure you can tell me everything I need to know."

################################

When Deacon finally makes it back from the cabin that afternoon, he walks into his house fully expecting the riot act from Scarlett. What he is not expecting is for Rayna's sister to be there sitting on his couch with her. He knows, just by the look on Tandy's face, that she knows.

"Dammit, Scarlett," he says to his niece accusingly, dropping his bag on the floor by the door. "I told you not to say anything, and you tell the last person on earth who should know?"

"Deacon," Scarlett says, holding up her hands. Her eyes are red and puffy, like she's been crying up a storm. "I swear I did not tell her."

"She didn't," Tandy adds. "I saw your pills in the kitchen the other day when I was here, and I came to my own conclusions. Are you sick, Deacon?"

He doesn't have to say it outloud, his silence is all the answer she needs.

Deacon is clearly pissed. "Well it doesn't matter how you found out, it's none of your damn business," he stalks to the front door and yanks it open. "You can go now."

Tandy doesn't move. "Scarlett," she says. "Can you leave us alone for a second, please?"

Scarlett looks reluctant to go, but she heads for the kitchen. "I'll make some tea. Don't let him scare you, he's grumpy but he's harmless."

Deacon raises his eyebrows as Scarlett walks by him, and she gives him a defiant look.

Tandy stands up from the sofa and gathers her purse. "You and I have never really known each other that well, Deacon, or even probably liked each other," she says firmly. "But I do know pushing people away that want to help you isn't going to do you any good. That includes Scarlett. And Rayna."

His shoulders are squared, his stance unbending. "Listen," he says. "It's not really any of your concern, so I'd appreciate if you didn't say anything to anyone. Especially her."

"She's my sister, Deacon," Tandy says, shaking her head sorrowfully. "And she… loves you, whether I want her to or not. And you are my niece's father. That makes it my business."

Deacon's angry frown fades, and he suddenly looks defeated, knowing she's right.

He slams the door, and then slumps in the leather chair with his elbows on his knees and his head in his hands.

The silence is unbearable.

"Scarlett didn't tell me very much," Tandy says cautiously. "How bad is it?"

He sighs heavily. "Honestly? I don't really know yet. They want me to go see this specialist or something….but it's not good. It's looking like I probably need a new liver."

Tandy sighs. They always said imagine the worst and you might be pleasantly surprise. Well they were wrong, she thinks silently. Sometimes you imagine it, and you are unpleasantly kicked when you're down. Even she has to admit that Deacon has been kicked down enough times in his life that this is more than just unfair. It is a goddamn tragedy.

"Is that why you haven't said anything to Rayna?"

He gets a stubborn look on his face that Tandy knows all too well, she's seen it on Maddie more than once. Amazing how much of her dad that girl had in her. She was seeing it more and more all the time.

"I don't want Rayna thinking she has to take care of me. She did that for too many years."

"This is different," Tandy says quietly. "And you know it. She needs to know."

"How am I supposed to tell her?" Deacon says, getting angry. "And what am I supposed to tell Maddie?" His voice breaks up a little at the mention of his daughter. "That in the end a year and a half of being her dad is enough? That it'll be okay, because she's got another one?"

Tandy had tears in her eyes now. "You tell Rayna," she said quietly. "And then you both tell Maddie together. And whatever happens, you lean on each other. Because that's what families do." Scarlett came back into the room cautiously then. Tandy slowly walks towards the door and pulls it open, but she turns back.

"Soon," she says, asking for a promise. "Please. You have to. This isn't something you can ask me to keep from her. She's my sister."

Deacon doesn't say anything, and with a sigh, Tandy turns again and walked out.

Scarlett watches from the kitchen doorway, troubled, as Deacon gets up and stalks down the hallway, clearly escaping to his room. She doesn't like that he spends so much time alone. Overthinking things can make a person go stir-crazy. She knows from experience.

Before he disappears, he turns and says to her, looking a lot less angry and a lot more determined. "Hey Scarlett, you still got the name of that doctor?"

"Of course."

"Will you….make that appointment?"

Scarlett's face clearly shows her surprise. "Really?"

"Yeah, really."

"What changed?"

"Guess I just needed a reminder that I got something to fight for."

#################################################

They've been back for three days and Rayna hasn't heard from Deacon. She tries to keep her mind on other things to mask her disappointment. The girls are gone this week, and she's been mostly running highway 65 from her living room, while Tandy takes care of the things that need to be done at the office.

No one knows she's back.

She's still hiding.

"You can't hide forever, Ray" Bucky says now as she sits at the kitchen counter going over the reporters from the month of December on her laptop. "The news stories are just getting worse the longer you stay out of public."

Deacon's same words at the cabin echo in her mind. You can't hide forever. He knows her too well.

"I know, you're right," she concedes to Bucky. "Just the thought of dealing with all the press right now…ugh, it does not appeal to me at all. I don't know why in god's name I ever thought I could spend the rest of my life living in Luke's spotlight like that. It's ridiculous."

"Your own spotlight is big enough, honey," Tandy says as she breezes in through the front door then, pulling a stack of papers out of her bag. "I need your signature on every one of these. And by the way, I'm putting my foot down," she said, giving her sister a stern look. "Tomorrow morning, you're going back to the office if we have to rent a tank and plow over every paparazzi in our way."

"And that is why you're my sister," Rayna said with a rueful smile. "You know what, Tandy, will you do me a favor? Run over to Teddy's and pick up the girls? I think I've got an idea, and I want them to be a part of it."

"I'm on it," Tandy says, and like a whirlwind she is gone again. Right about now, she thinks as she leaves, she'd do just about anything to see the smile on her sister's face.

"Alright," Bucky says with raised eyebrows. "What do you want me to do? Is this going to turn into another LP field free concert extravaganza?"

"Absolutely not," Rayna says firmly. "But…I'm thinking…call and get me a band and a set at the Bluebird tonight. Just a few songs."

"Now that," Bucky said, already dialing his phone. "Is a great idea. Good way to let the public know you're alive and, well….not crazy."

"I'll take the girls with me," Rayna says, a plan forming in her mind. "That'll make a nice little statement, right? That the three of us are doing just fine. Maybe they'll back off then."

There's a newspaper laying nearby on the counter that she just notices for the first time. Tandy must have left it earlier. She picks it up, and stares at the picture on the front. Her name doesn't have a picture over it, just a silhouette and a big old question mark. There's a picture of Luke next to that, taken through a long range lens somewhere in Australia. He's in a bar doing shots with a couple pretty little things that look half his age.

"Well, that didn't take long," she mutters in disgust.

"I guess everyone deals with things differently." Bucky says, as he waits on hold.

"Yeah," she says softly, and her mind wanders to Deacon. Three days and not a word. "I guess everyone does."

#################################

It doesn't take Bucky long to set everything up for their little showcase, and when the girls come back with Tandy they are ecstatic to find out they'll be singing with their mom at the Bluebird.

"This is huge," Maddie says excitedly. "Mom, you and Dad started out singing there, didn't you?"

"Yes we did," Rayna says with a soft smile, remembering. "A lot of good things have happened at the Bluebird for both of us."

"C mon," Maddie grabs her sister by the hand. "Let's go practice."

"Hey Maddie," Rayna calls just before they disappear upstairs. "Have you…. talked to Deacon lately?"

"Of course," Maddie says without hesitation. "last night, why?"

"No reason," Rayna says nonchalantly. "Just asking."

The girls are off, already discussing what they should wear, and wondering if any other celebrities will show up.

Biting her lip, Rayna runs her finger down the contact list on her phone, stopping at his name. Call. Not call? Text?

"What's eating at you?" Tandy asks gently, putting an arm around her shoulders.

"I haven't heard from him since we left the cabin," she says to Tandy, staring down at his face on her phone. "God, this is ridiculous. I feel like I'm sixteen all over again, waiting for him to call and say he's parked at the end of the street. Things were so good with us there, he said he wanted us to talk and all…."

"Maybe he's just busy," Tandy says tentatively.

"Maybe," Rayna says, unconvinced. "But he wasn't too busy for Maddie."

Before she can change her mind, she shoots him a message. The girls and I are going to do a few songs at the Bluebird tonight. We would love for you to be there.

Ten minutes later, there has been no response.

Tandy gently takes the phone out of her hand. "I'm sure he'll come," she says. "Now let's go pick out something for you to wear to the show later, alright?"

She can't help but think of an earlier show at the Bluebird, one she had missed when she decided another man's ring belonged on her finger instead of Deacon's. It killed her now, knowing how much that must have hurt him that she didn't show up.

"Yeah," she said, forcing a smile and following Tandy to the stairs. "I'm sure he'll come."