"How's Maddie?" Rayna asked quietly in the dark as Deacon undressed for bed. He'd tried to slip quietly into the room and not wake Rayna.
"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to wake you, baby." He apologized as he slipped between the cool sheets and pulled Rayna close. She could feel the tears on his cheeks as he gently kissed her.
"She's takin this really hard. She finally fell asleep on my lap like she did when she was little. I didn't wanna wake her. She's on the couch." He sadly said holding Rayna tight, taking in her scent, trying not to cry anymore. He'd spent the past two hours crying with Maddie.
"She's got the pregnancy hormones to deal with too. I used to cry about sad TV commercials when I was pregnant." Rayna laughed and tried to lighten his mood
"I remember. It was adorable." He smiled and kissed her forehead
"Are you, OK, Deacon? How are you feeling?"
"Numb, but just when I think I can't possibly cry anymore, the waterworks start again. I knew Maddie was gonna take it the worst, and be the hardest to tell, but she's a mess, Ray. I've never seen her so distraught. I feel horrible. She's supposed to be a newlywed, new babies on the way."
"It's not your fault, Deacon. You didn't ask for this."
"…but it is MY FAULT, RAYNA! I made a lot of bad choices way back when and I'm payin the price now, but the problem is I have a whole family that's payin the price too. It's so goddamn unfair to all of you."
"Deacon, STOP! We all love you. We're all here for you no matter how this plays out. Please just let us all be here for you?"
"I'm tryin, Ray. I hate this! I just feel like I should just go off and die alone like an old dog, and spare everyone all this heartache."
"Deacon, that wouldn't solve anything. It's too late. We all love you, and no matter where you are, or where you go we're all heartbroken already so PLEASE…just let us be here for you?"
Deacon fell into a restless sleep. Every time Rayna managed to doze off he'd flop and wake her again. She finally gave up on sleep around 5am and ventured out to the porch with a cup of coffee to watch the sunrise. Maddie hadn't moved. She was sound asleep on the couch. The cabin was quiet.
Rayna was lost, deep in thought when Scarlett joined her on the porch with a fussy baby around 5:30am.
"Oh, I didn't know you were out here mom. Clay's runnin a fever, cutting teeth. I didn't want his cryin to wake the whole house." She said as she sat with Clay on the porch
"Yeah, Dad's having a rough night too. He's restless and flopping. I couldn't sleep next to him."
"Sooo..I talked mamma into comin today. She's pretty apprehensive and like I told you before still pretty bitter about things. I'm not sure how she'll behave, but she's comin. I told her I'd call later with the plane and car details you're gonna arrange."
"Thanks, sweetie. Are you sure you're OK with all of this?" Rayna asked worried
"Yeah, I kinda wanna see her, and I'd do anything to save Dad, so I hope she'll agree to the testin and be a match."
"Yeah, me too. I just hope this goes well. Your Dad is gonna be really mad when he finds out, but if it saves his life, I'll take him mad anyday." Rayna tried to smile worried about what the day would bring with Beverly coming
Deacon sleepily reached for Rayna as the sun crept into the bedroom. He was disappointed to find her side of the bed cold and unoccupied. He sleepily padded down the hall to find her.
"Hey, I missed you." He smiled as he sat next to her on the porch
"I couldn't sleep with all that floppin goin on beside me." She smiled back and squeezed his hand
"I'm sorry. I just can't seem to get comfortable anymore. I wake up feelin more like I ran a marathon than slept all night."
"It's OK, babe. You still look so tired. Why don't we go back to bed for a little while." She suggested
"Hold that thought for a little bit? I'm gonna make Maddie her favorite chocolate chip pancakes and omelets for everyone."
"She'll love that, babe. She used to sit on the countertop and help you make breakfast when she was little. She loved doing anything with you, Deacon. She was such a daddy's girl."
"Still is." He smiled and kissed Rayna's forehead as he got up to make breakfast
Rayna waited until Deacon was busy with making breakfast before she called to make Beverly's travel arrangements.
She wrapped her arms around Deacon and held him tight as he made his famous omelets at the stovetop after she'd made the limo and plane arrangements. She prayed he'd understand and not be too upset with her.
"I miss morning with all the kids under one roof." He said as he turned to kiss her
"I've missed your famous omelets and chocolate chip pancakes. Guess you gotta be a daddy's girl to rate high enough for breakfast." She joked
"All you had to do was ask, Ray. Haven't you figured out by now, I'd do anything for you?" he smiled and kissed her again
"Anything, huh? Can I hold you to that after breakfast?" she asked
"You can. Back to bed till noon?" he asked
"I'll see you there." She held him a little tighter, taking in his scent, hoping for years of mornings with him like this.
Slowly as the cabin filled with the smell of Deacon's famous omelets and pancakes everyone stumbled from their bedrooms. Maddie was quiet and somber as she pushed food around her plate.
"You gotta eat, baby girl. You're eatin for 3. Don't you like my chocolate chip pancakes anymore? You used to beg me for them when you were little." Deacon held a fork with pancake to her lips
"I'm just not all that hungry. I'm gonna go lie down in the bedroom." She sadly said leaving the table
"Well, on that happy note…I'm goin back to bed myself! Can someone else please take care of clean up detail?" Deacon asked as he stood to leave the dining room
"Deacon…" Rayna said as he left the room without another word to anyone
"Is the offer for "anything" still open?" Rayna playfully asked as she entered the bedroom and closed the door, locking it.
"I'm not really much in the mood now, Ray." He responded glumly as she sat next to him on the bed
"OK. How about we just lay here and waste the morning away?"
"I thought sure the pancakes would cheer Maddie up." He sadly said
"Deacon, the rest of us have had a month to process things. We dealt Maddie a pretty devastating blow last night. She just needs some time."
"Time? That's the one thing I don't have to give her now. I wish she didn't know. The sadness in her eyes is killin me, Ray. This is supposed to be the best time in her life. I took that away from her."
"She's gonna be OK, Deacon. She just needs a little time to process this. She needs you. Please try to see it that way and fight for her, and those babies she's carrying."
"She's not due till January, Rayna! 6 more months! Hell, I'll be lucky if I see my 46th birthday in September, or how about our 22nd anniversary end of September, Clay's first Halloween, Thanksgiving, Christmas…"
"You've obviously been thinking about this."
"What the hell else can I think about? My career is over. I can't go back on tour. I'm too tired after unloadin the damn car for a family holiday. I can't drag guitars and suitcases on and off busses and planes for days on end, and then still get up on stage that night to dance and sing for 2 or 3 hours. There's no way in hell, Rayna!"
"Deacon, please…"
"Please, what, Rayna? This is it! The last song. The farewell tour really was the farewell tour! Lights out! There's no encore!"
"You don't know that, Deacon!"
"Sure as hell feels hopeless right now." He slumped against his pillow
"Why don't you try to get some more rest? You flopped around all night. You're exhausted. Maybe things will look a little better if you get some rest." Rayna suggested as she got up to leave the room, unable to listen to Deacon unravel anymore
He was exhausted after a restless night. He finally drifted into a deep sleep after 45 minutes of tossing and turning. He'd been out cold for more than 2 hours when Rayna's cell phone chirped on the night stand signaling a text.
He sleepily reached for it, trying to focus on the screen as the bright sunlight filtered into the room. The clock on the screen said 11:30am. He touched the message icon to see if the text was worth getting up for. Anyone that might text Rayna was here and it was 4th of July so no Highway 65 business was pressing today.
Your chartered flight is on schedule to land in Nashville in 30 minutes. The requested ground transportation is ready and waiting on the tarmac for Mrs. O'Connor's arrival. She will be delivered to the address specified by 2pm.
"What the hell?" Deacon sleepily rubbed his chin as the message sank in
"Beverly! Rayna wouldn't!" he thought as he sat up in bed
He read the message a few more times to be sure he was awake and seeing what he thought he was seeing.
The cabin was quiet as he opened the bedroom door. He walked toward the kitchen. Everyone was down by the water as he stood looking through the sliding glass door. He stepped out onto the back porch, barefoot and shirtless, in only his sweat pants.
"Hey, babe. Did you get some rest?" Rayna asked from the sandy beach area he and Mason had made last summer
"Hey, Dad…why don't you come join us. We've caught quite a few fish just off the pier." Mason excitedly told Deacon
"uuhhhh…Rayna…we need to talk…NOW!" his temper was about to boil over
"Deacon, why don't you come join us? What's wrong?" she asked sensing his anger
"NOW, RAYNA!" he demanded again
"Deacon, honestly, what is wrong?" she asked quickly coming up the hill towards the porch
She could tell he was seething with anger as she closed the sliding glass door. His arms were folded across his chest. His face was red.
"YOU WANNA EXPLAIN THIS?" he yelled holding her cell phone up with the message on the display.