"Family of Deacon Claybourne?" a young ER doctor asked in the Vanderbilt waiting room where Rayna and Mason nervously awaited information on Deacon
"Yes, I'm his wife. Is he OK, awake?" Rayna asked
"Yes, he's awake, but disoriented. The EMT's told us he'd hit his head, but we can't find any evidence of that. We're waiting for blood tests, and there is some swelling in his abdomen. Can you tell us anything that might help narrow what could be wrong?" asked the doctor
"He fell backwards on a hardwood floor. We just assumed he'd hit his head. Why else did he pass out?" Rayna asked concerned
"I'm not sure. Has he been sick recently, complained about any aches, pains?"
"Yes, actually…I've been trying to get him to a doctor for months. Probably since the holidays, so 6 months ago. He's usually never sick, but he's had several lingering colds, and he's been very tired lately. He's also had a low grade fever off and on for several months." Rayna explained
"Any medical conditions you're aware of? Does he drink regularly, smoke, any drug use prescription or illegal?" the doctor asked
"He's an alcoholic, but he hasn't had a drink in 15 years. When he was younger he used some illegal drugs, but nothing in over 22 years. He doesn't smoke. No prescriptions, just over the counter stuff for headaches and cold symptoms." Rayna tried to remember all the details she could to help narrow the possibilities to help Deacon
"OK, we'll wait for the blood work to come back. That gives us a little more to go on. We're gonna go ahead and admit him for the night. He's awfully disoriented, but he is conscious and asking for you. We'll get him in a room soon. You'll be able to see him then." the doctor said as he turned to go
"It's not your fault, Mason. He didn't hit his head like we thought. Do you feel a little better now?" Rayna asked
"Not really. If I hadn't made him mad. None of this would be happening." Mason sniffled
"Honey, we don't know that. He hadn't been feeling well for a while. He's gonna be OK." Rayna said pulling Mason to her for a hug.
"You don't know that, mom. They have no idea what's wrong with dad. You heard the doctor. He probably hates me. I'm not sure I can see him tonight." A few tears slid down Mason's cheeks as Rayna held him in a tight hug
"I'm sure he's gonna want to see you. He loves you no matter what. You heard him say that at the police station today. You're always going to be his little boy. Your father has his faults, but he's one of the most forgiving people I have ever known."
"I didn't mean to push him, mom." Mason sobbed against Rayna
"I know, sweetie. It's OK. I'm sure he knows that too. Shhhh…calm down. He's awake. They're gonna figure out what's wrong. He'll be fine." Rayna held Mason tight and stroked his unruly dark hair
"Mrs. Claybourne? We have your husband in a room now. He was pretty agitated. We had to give him a sedative. He's very groggy, but you can see him now. Room 236." A young nurse told Rayna
"OK, thank you."
"Can I wait here, mom?"
"Mason, I'm sure he wants to see you."
"Just go first, please, mom? I'll go in alone when you're done, OK?"
"OK, but you STAY right here. I'll be back."
Deacon appeared to be sleeping as Rayna quietly entered his room. He had oxygen tubes in his nose, and an IV drip. He seemed peaceful. She hated to wake him. Instead she sat next to his bed just watching him sleep for several minutes. She finally gently held his hand.
"Ray…what happened?" he asked sleepily
"You fell in the foyer. We thought you hit your head, but the doctors say you didn't. They're running some tests. Go back to sleep. It's OK, Deacon." She squeezed his hand as his eyes fluttered shut again
Rayna quietly left the room to get Mason. She figured Deacon wouldn't be awake much for several hours with the sedative.
"Hey…why don't you go in to see him. He's really sleepy, but let him know you're there. He might wake up for a few seconds." She told Mason in the waiting room
"Did he ask to see me?" Mason asked hopeful
"He's pretty out of it, Mace. I'm not sure he remembers much about what happened. Just let him know you're here."
Mason was surprised to see Deacon looking so pale and weak. He'd always been such a strong guy. It was hard seeing him like that, and feeling guilty for upsetting him at the same time. He sat next to Deacon unsure of what to say. He thought about it for several minutes and nothing really seemed fitting. A nurse suddenly came into the room, waking Deacon as she checked his oxygen levels, and IV drip. She smiled and exited quickly.
"I'm sorry, dad." Mason incoherently sobbed as Deacon's eyes fluttered shut again
"I didn't mean to push you so hard." Deacon's eyes fluttered but didn't open
"Please get better. I wanna watch baseball with you. I wanna go to the cabin fishing. PLEASE! I'm sorry. I didn't mean to…" Mason layed his head next to Deacon and cried quietly
"I love you, dad. I'm sorry for everything."
Mason was so distraught he didn't notice Rayna had come back into the room.
"Sweetie, they have him really sedated. I talked to the nurse. He's probably gonna sleep all night. The doctor will be back in the morning to go over his test results. Why don't we go home and get some rest. You don't have to go to school tomorrow. You can come back to the hospital with me." Rayna said as she rubbed Mason's back
"I don't wanna leave him. Can we stay tonight?" Mason asked as more tears fell breaking Rayna's heart
"Mace, he really needs his rest and so do we. It's been a long day. The nurse said she'll call if anything changes, but he's stable. They don't expect any problems tonight. C'mon…lets go home. We'll come back early in the morning."
"We love you, Deacon. We'll be back soon." Rayna squeezed Deacon's hand and bent to kiss his cheek
His eyes fluttered open again. He smiled and weakly rested his left hand on Mason's shoulder, before sleepily drifting off again.
"I love you, dad. See you soon." Mason said bending to kiss Deacon's cheek
"Love you." Deacon very weakly almost inaudibly managed to say as his eyes fluttered open and quickly closed again