Deacon heard Rayna's Escalade start and the overhead garage door close. He glanced at the clock on the night stand 6:03am. Rayan had left a post it note stuck to the alarm clock.
Deacon,
Couldn't get back to sleep. Going to HighWay 65 for a while. Be back by noon. Remember what we talked about. Please go easy on Maddie today. I'm sure they'll work things out. Don't interfere! I'll bring lunch home.
Love you,
Rayna
Clay was screaming again. Maddie had woke Deacon around 3am with the slamming of the door and setting the home security alarm off. Rayna had woke him at 3:56am when she came back to bed. They had talked about Maddie and Colt until around 4:30am. Clay had screamed again around 5am. Deacon was able to roll him over and pat his back till he fell back asleep, but now he was screaming again and no one else seemed to notice, or care.
"Oh for Christ sake! How the hell do these people sleep through that?" he thought as he got up to comfort the baby again
"C'mere…we're gonna keep you awake today. Maybe you'll sleep tonight." He told his screaming grandson as he scooped him from the pack and play
Deacon sleepily shuffled to the kitchen to get Clay a bottle and start a pot of coffee for himself. Once the coffee had percolated and the bottle was warm, he balanced baby, bottle and cup of coffee as he meandered to his recliner in the living room. He sleepily flopped in the chair with Clay on his lap.
As he sat feeding Clay he thought about his conversation with Rayna just a couple hours ago. Hearing Rayna say that his little girl was pregnant had shocked him. He'd been through it with Scarlett, but he liked Gunnar. Colt he wasn't so sure about. Rayna had been right. He'd really never given Colt a chance.
2 years ago Maddie had started taking classes at Belmont. Little did Deacon and Rayna know Colt Wheeler had also started in the music program at the same time. Maddie and Colt quickly rekindled a childhood friendship and soon became much more. Maddie knew her parents didn't care for Colt's father, although she didn't know the details behind it.
The last thing she remembered about the Wheelers as a young child was breaking her arm at the Wheeler ranch one fourth of July. She remembered things being tense and awkward that night at the hospital between Deacon, Rayna, and Luke Wheeler. She wondered why they never went back to the Wheeler ranch after that night.
Deacon was happy the engagement was off, and happier still that maybe the entire relationship was over. He wasn't however happy about Maddie being pregnant. The idea that marriage, or not, the Claybourne's and Wheeler's would forever be connected through this baby didn't sit well with him at all. He knew it was crazy after all these years, but Luke Wheeler still got under his skin.
"Hey, Dad." Maddie glumly said as she flopped on the couch across from Deacon with a cup of coffee
"Good morning, sweetie!" Deacon said looking up from Clay
"Can I hold him?" Maddie asked
"Sure." Deacon said as he put Clay's empty bottle on the table and handed the baby to Maddie
"This is the first time I've really seen him other than pictures. I've been so busy and gone with the tour. Look at all that blonde hair? He looks so much like Scarlett. Hello there little Claybourne Ray." Maddie said lightly brushing Clay's soft hair
"You're a natural. You're gonna be a great mama, Maddie." Deacon said as he watched Maddie with Clay
"Mom told you?"
"Yeah, she did."
"I don't know what to do, Dad. Colt's not happy I'm pregnant. He has all these dreams of making it big in country music and a baby's not part of his plan. He thinks I purposely got pregnant, but I didn't. I never missed a single pill. My OBGYN said that taking cold pills can counteract birth control. I was sick a couple months ago and took cold medicine to get through some shows."
"Well, ya know I wouldn't trade you for the world, but back when your mother told me she was pregnant with you, I wasn't exactly happy. She did miss some pills." Deacon laughed remembering a scenario much like Maddie and Colt's
"What did you do?"
"I yelled, lost my temper, said some things I shouldn't have, but the first time I saw you on that ultrasound, everything changed. I wanted you, the marriage, all of it more than anything in that moment."
"So everything just worked out and it was easy after that?"
"uuuhhhhmmmm….No, to be honest things didn't get easy until about 8 years later." He laughed
"…but you and mom always seem so happy and in love. The pictures of you guys early on are all amazing. You seemed so crazy about each other. That's mostly what I remember growing up. I want that with Colt, but now he's so mad, and being a jerk!"
"Sweetheart, I can't believe I'm about to say this….If you love him, and he loves you half as much as I love your mama..don't let him go! Things might not always be easy. There may be times when things are really gonna suck, but if it's meant to be, when you get past the rough first years, and really learn to communicate and work together, it can be amazing!"
"How did you get through the bad years, dad? I mean, I've read the stories online, and I have a pretty good idea of why you hate Luke Wheeler, but I wasn't sure if any of the tabloid stuff was true." Deacon tensed as Maddie asked about the worst time in the Claybourne marriage, and Rayna's affair with Luke. He didn't want to lie. If she married Colt it was all bound to come out.
"This really isn't a conversation I ever thought we'd have. Course, I never imagined you'd marry Luke Wheelers son. We loved each other, even when it didn't feel like we did…deep down, it was always there. No matter how mad I got, or how much it hurt, I always loved your mom. She made a mistake, but I wasn't innocent in that. We had problems before any of that crap with Luke. I pushed her away at a time when she needed me, and unfortunately, Luke was there for her when I wasn't."
"How did you ever forgive her for that? I mean, I can't even imagine…" Maddie trailed off
"It wasn't easy. We came damn close to a divorce. We talked about it, and planned to see a lawyer together when she got a break from touring. I had begged her not to go back on tour with Luke, told her I wouldn't be waiting if she did it, but that wasn't completely true. The truth is, I never could have walked away, even after we talked about a divorce, and she left on the tour. I knew the second that limo left the driveway I'd be there when she came back."
"So, how did you get past it?"
"She felt the same way. She was only gone a few days, before she decided that our marriage was more important than anything else. She surprised me, and came home late one night. We had a tearful heart to heart. No yelling, or blaming, or fighting just open, honest communication. We decided that night that the past was in the past.
We both took full responsibility for our mistakes. Since that night we talk about everything, even the tough subjects. We still disagree, but we don't fight the way we did back then. We put each other first. We apologize when we're wrong. For me the hardest part was learning to control my temper, and anger. I still need to walk away sometimes if I really get mad, but not for days like I used to. I'll cool off for an hour and try again to talk."
"So that's worked?" Maddie asked as she looked at Clay who'd fallen asleep on her shoulder
"Has for the last 15 years. I just wish I'd have learned a little sooner, spared both of us some of the heartbreak from the early years. I think back now on all the stupid fights and the times I hurt your mom for no reason other than anger and it still hurts me to think I put her through so much. I drank a lot before we got married, and every time we fought after. I had, still have a temper from hell, but she doesn't deserve that. I do my best to control it now. I haven't thrown anything in years." He laughed
"So, you think I should talk to Colt?"
"If you wanna work things out, yeah I do. Sooner than later, before things escalate. If it goes south then take a walk, take an hour or two to cool off and try again. I don't know Colt. That's my fault for holding a grudge that's not even his problem. If you two are gonna get married your mother tells me I need to work on that. She's right, as usual."
"Thanks, Dad. I've missed you sooo much! I'm glad you're home. I love you." Maddie said as she got up and bent to hug and kiss Deacon's cheek
"I've missed you too, sweet girl. Now go get your boy, so I can walk you down the aisle in a couple weeks. I love you too." Deacon teared up a little as Maddie handed him Clay and went to shower and clean up
Deacon tried to keep Clay awake, but despite his best efforts the baby was out again. He gently placed him in his pack and play. He was exhausted after a sleepless night of interruptions himself. He flopped back in his own bed hoping for a couple more hours of sleep. He drifted into a peaceful rest as he listened to Maddie singing in the shower in the upstairs master bedroom above his head.
He'd only been asleep about 30 minutes when the security system wall panel buzzed. He sleepily got out of bed again. It was barely 9am.
"Oh for the love of god! I got more sleep on tour." He mumbled to himself as he made his way to the panel on the bedroom wall.
"Yeah…" he flatly asked pushing the talk button
"Good morning, Deacon. This is Mike at the front neighborhood gate. I have Colt Wheeler here to see Maddie."
"Yeah, it's OK. Send him in."
Deacon could still hear the jets in the Jacuzzi tub above his head, and Maddie was still singing. The obnoxious buzzer had woke Clay again, and he was screaming. Deacon wondered where the hell Scarlett was. He hadn't seen her since she'd come home from work the day before. She hadn't been up with Clay once all night.
"Scarlett's gonna be my next heart to heart chat, or boot to ass." He thought as he headed towards his screaming grandson and the door
"Hey, Mr. Claybourne…" Colt nervously said as Deacon opened the door. He knew he wasn't Deacon's favorite person, and felt a bit intimidated by him.
"Hi, Colt. You can call me Deacon. I'm not quite ready for dad yet, but you're about to become my son in law. I think we can be a little less formal. Maddie's in the tub. Can you take him? I'll run up and tell her you're here." Deacon said as he handed a fussy baby to Colt
"uuuhhh…I've never held a baby before…" Colt nervously said as Clay squirmed in his arms fussing
"Well, you're about to get a whole hell of a lot of fussy baby time so I'd suggest you get used to it now." Deacon just laughed as he climbed the stairs leaving Colt to deal with Clay
"Hey, sweetie. Colt is here." Deacon said sticking his head in the bathroom
"What, now? Did you call him?" Maddie asked surprised
"No, I didn't call him. He's here on his own. Maybe he's not as big a jerk as you thought. Remember…apologize, and if he's worked up the courage to apologize, accept it and work on things together, OK." Deacon said firmly
"OK, thanks again, Dad." She said as Deacon closed the door and headed for Scarlett's room
"Good morning, sleepy head!" Deacon said as he knocked and opened Scarlett's bedroom door
"What, oh…good morning." Scarlett replied barely awake as Deacon sat in the chair next to the bed
"You want somethin?" she asked, realizing Deacon clearly wasn't leaving.
"What's goin on with you, Scar?"
"What do you mean?" she asked irritated
"Well, I've been home less than 24 hours. You came in yesterday afternoon, barely acknowledged your son and you haven't been outta this bedroom since. Did you not hear Clay cry 3 or 4 times last night?" he asked getting upset with her aloofness.
"Actually, no I didn't hear him, sorry!"
"Well maybe if you brought him up here, or at least kept your damn door open you might hear him?"
"Are you upset with me, Dad?"
"Yeah, a little Scarlett! I don't mind helpin you with Clay, but seems to me you've kinda taken advantage of mom, and now me. If there's a problem you need to see your OBGYN about postpartum depression or somethin. Clay is 3 months old. He needs his mama. With Gunnar gone on tour, he really needs you."
"I love my son, but I just don't feel attached to him. I worry about bein like Beverly. She use to lock me in closets when she couldn't afford a babysitter so she could go out with her boyfriends. She was never affectionate. I don't want that for him. Maybe he'd be better off without me?"
"Scarlett, sweetie. That's not true. You're not Beverly. It took me a long time to realize I wasn't like your granddaddy. He was a mean, nasty drunk that never said a kind word to me, or hugged me. I felt the same way when you guys were little, like I might be just like him. I'm not, and neither are you. Why don't you make an appointment with the doctor? I'll go with you, OK?"
"OK." Scarlett agreed and started to cry
"C'mere…We love you and Clay. Whatever we need to do we'll do it, OK? If it's that bad and you need us to take him, we will, but I think you just need some bonding time with him, and maybe something for depression. Make the appointment." Deacon said as he moved to the bedside and pulled Scarlett into his arms
"We've always been here for you. That's never gonna change." Deacon teared up a little seeing how upset she was
"Have you talked to Gunnar about any of this?"
"Yeah, but he doesn't seem to understand. He thinks I can just snap out of it, and I can't. I've tried."
"Alright, maybe after the appointment you should try to talk about it again when you know more and maybe have some help dealing with this."
"OK, thanks, Dad." She sniffled
"Why don't you get cleaned up, dressed. Take Clay for a walk to the park or something. Fresh air might help. Wear him out. Maybe he'll let me sleep tonight." Deacon laughed and tried to lighten the mood
"I'll get up with him tonight. Sorry I made you do that your first night home. You look tired, Dad."
"It wasn't just Clay. Maddie showed up at 3am. Her and Colt had a fight. They're downstairs talkin now."
"Oh, I hope everything is OK. There's still a weddin, right?"
"I think so. They'll work it out. Come on…get up, you'll feel better. Layin is this bed isn't gonna help."
Deacon heard snoring coming from Mason's room as he left Scarlett to get up and ready for the day.
"MASON! What the hell are you still doin home? You were supposed to be at school over 2 hours ago!"
"I got up once. My ride never showed up. So I went back to bed. Can't you just call the school and tell them I'm sick?"
"NO, GET UP! Why the hell didn't you wake me up? I'd have taken you. You're going now. I'll call and tell them you overslept, but YOU'RE GOING! GET UP, NOW!" Deacon was pissed
Downstairs Maddie and Colt were talking with Clay on Colt's lap.
"I'm sorry I acted like a jerk. Ya know I want a music career so bad, and a baby doesn't really fit into that plan. I didn't mean to get so pissed when you told me. You just caught me off guard. I thought you were takin the pill." Colt explained
"I was, but the doctor said regular cold pills can counter act it. Remember when I was sick a couple months ago? I took a lot of them to get through shows. I didn't do this on purpose. I want a music career too, and I wanted it first before a family, but I'm pregnant."
"OK, we'll deal with it together. I'm not happy about the timing, but I do want kids with you. We'll work it out. You still wanna marry me in a couple weeks?" Colt looked so hopeful
"Yes, I love you."
"I love you too, baby." Colt said as he leaned in for a kiss just as Deacon came downstairs
"So, we good, now? I still have a weddin to pay for?" he joked amused that Colt pulled away from Maddie in front of him
"Yeah, we're good." Maddie smiled at Colt
"OK, can you guys keep an eye on Clay for a little bit? I gotta run Mason to school."
Deacon decided instead of a call or note he'd stop by the principal's office in person to tell them about Mason "oversleeping." Mason was less than thrilled to be going to school at all, and in a foul mood as Deacon walked in with him. He made sure Mason went down the hall and into a classroom before turning to go to the principal's office.
"Good morning. I'm Deacon Claybourne. I just dropped my son Mason off. We had a rough morning. He's a little late." Deacon told the receptionist
"Hang on Mr. Claybourne. I think Mr. Riley would like to speak to you." She said as Deacon turned to leave
"Mr. Claybourne, I'm Gene Riley. Nice to finally meet you. I wanted to speak with you because Mason has been absent 8 times in the past month. Were you aware of that?"
"uuhhh…No, I wasn't. I've been away on business. Have you talked to my wife about this before?" Deacon asked surprised Rayna hadn't said anything to him
"No, each time she's sent a note explaining why Mason was absent. This morning when he didn't show up I looked back at his records and the notes. I suspect your wife didn't write these." He said as he slid a folder to Deacon
"You're right. This isn't Rayna's writing. Good attempt, but not her handwriting." Deacon admitting looking through the notes
"OK, well…On our end I think detentions are in order daily for the remainder of the school year. So, about a month of extra study time after school. His grades have also slipped recently. Are you aware of that?"
"Yeah, my wife did tell me about that. There will certainly be consequences at home for the 8 absences, and I personally guarantee he'll be here everyday for the rest of this school year if I have to drag him myself." Deacon assured Mr. Riley
"OK, thanks for coming in Mr. Claybourne. Hopefully this will all be resolved now."
"Yeah, thanks for filling me in." Deacon said as he shook the man's hand and got up to leave
Deacon wasn't at all happy as he drove back home. He'd hoped for a good month home, and some fishing time at the cabin with Mason. Now he felt he couldn't very well reward him for bad behavior. Maddie, Colt and Scarlett were all talking and laughing in the living room when he got home.
"Hey, Dad!" Maddie said as Deacon came into the living room
"Sounds like a party in here. Everybody's good?" Deacon asked
"Yeah, we're all glad you're home for a month. You look tired and pale. Are you OK, Dad?" Scarlett asked
"I am really tired. This past month on tour's been rough, and I barely got any sleep last night. I'm gonna go back to bed for a while. Mom is bringing lunch home around noon. Just have her come wake me up when she gets here. Until then, you're all on your own. Is that too much to ask?" Deacon said feeling irritated and exhausted.
Deacon fell into a deep sleep for the next few hours. He really didn't feel well, but assumed it was just lack of sleep and stress.
"You feeling any better?" Rayna asked as she slipped her arms around him in bed around 1pm
"Better now that you're here." He said as he pulled Rayna to him for a long, slow kiss and held her tight
"You're warm, Deacon. I'm making you a doctor's appointment. This has been going on too long."
"I'm fine, Ray. I'm just exhausted. This last few hours of sleep helped. I'm feelin a lot better, but we do need to talk about Mason."
"Something other than his gloomy moods and moping?"
"Yeah, I found him in bed at 9 this morning. I made him get up and took him to school."
"What? He was up and in the shower when I left around 6."
"Apparently his ride didn't show up. That's what he said anyway."
"…but there's more. I went in the office to tell them he was late. The principal wanted to see me. He's missed 8 days of school in the past month."
"What? He leaves every morning like he's going to school." Rayna said getting defensive
"I know, honey. I'm not blaming you. He wrote notes that looked like they were from you, but I saw them today, and knew it wasn't your writing. The school never called because they just assume the notes were legit. Today when he didn't show up they looked back at his file a little closer and noticed."
"OK, so what do you want to do?" Rayna sighed
"He's gonna have detention every day for the rest of the school year, but I think he needs consequences at home too. First off one of us is gonna have to take him and pick him up daily to make sure he goes. I'd say ground him the rest of the school year, and take things away, TV, Xbox, Driving, Computer unless it's school related, phone. I don't really wanna take music away, but if we have to maybe that too."
"Do you really think we need to take everything away from him, Deacon?"
"I dunno, Ray. He skipped school 8 times, falsified notes from you. What the hell was he doin those 8 days? Where was he?"
"I guess we'll have to sit him down tonight and ask him."
"That should be a fun conversation. He's pretty pissed at me for draggin him to school this mornin. He doesn't know I talked to the principal and know about he notes."
"On the upside I talked to Scarlett and got her to agree to see her OBGYN about depression."
"I know. She told me she'd made an appointment for next week. Maddie said you had a nice long talk this morning too. I'm really glad you're home, babe. I've missed you. The girls need you even now that they're adults. Thank you for helping Maddie and Colt. I know you're not happy about Colt marrying Maddie, but you put that aside and helped them work through their problems."
"They'll always be my little girls. It was just so much easier when they were 6 and I could fix everything with ice cream." Deacon sighed
"You're still a pretty amazing father. Now if we can just get the boy straightened out." Rayna laughed