Narvel heard a thud as Mark dropped the phone on the bed. He flipped a motionless Susie onto her back and leaned his cheek down to check for breathing. His heart stopped, he couldn't feel a thing. "Narvel she's not breathing!" He yelled loud enough that Narvel could hear him still on the other end of the phone. He checked her pulse and found she didn't have one. Panic filled his soul as he jumped back off her clearing their bed of all their blankets with one sweep of his arm. The phone went flying and hit the wall. Mark ran to pick it up. "Narvel. Narvel. Whaddo I do?" "Put her on the floor and start CPR. I'll ring an ambulance to come to the house, and then I'll ring Barb to pick the kids up." "Right." Mark hung the phone up and rushed to Susie's body. He scooped her up and placed her on the floor before starting CPR. "Don't you dare do this to me Susie. You need to live. Your kids need you, Reba needs you. You get your butt right back to me now you hear? He carried on with CPR never failing to stop until the ambulance arrived. All his years of training had prepared him for the amount of energy spent trying to resuscitate his love.
Barb arrived just before the ambulance and loaded the distressed children into her car. Lucchese was screaming and shouting for her mother but their Aunt Barbara knew better than to leave them there with her.
Narvel was worried for Susie of course, but his wife was on hanging heavy on his mind. He rang the McEntire's and when Mama Jac picked up the phone he lost it. "I'm so sorry, I'm so so sorry!" "Narvel? Is that you?" "Reba's gone, I'm so sorry." "Shhh breathe and tell me what's happened." "Reba's been kidnapped and I don't know where she is." "Have you told the sheriff?" "Yes ma'am. They have a search party out looking for her. But I just needed to ring you and let you know, and have you heard about Susie?" Narvel heard Clark talking to Jackie "What's going on?" "Shh I'm trying to find out." "Narvel what's wrong with Susie?" "I rang them to tell em about Reba and Mark found her not breathing. The ambulance is there with him and Barb has the kids." There was silence on the end of the phone, then a shaky voice as Jackie quietly passed the phone to Clark. "Take this." Clark saw the worry in his wife's eyes as they began to well with tears. He pulled her into his arms and grabbed the phone from her hands. "In one sentence." His voice coarsely asked Narvel to explain. "Sir Reba's been kidnapped, and Susie's not breathing." "Is she dead?" "I'm not sure Sir, but medical staff are with her." "Ring me when you know more."
He slammed the receiver down and tightly gripped his wife who had now buried her head in his neck clutching at his shirt. He didn't say a word and just held her in his arms. He wasn't the softest man and he rarely spoke. His wife was always the strong one in the family. She knew exactly what to say in any given situation. She was the glue that held them all together, and if someone had an issue, she would be right there to fix it. She never complained, and her daughters had inherited their independent nature from her. Clark knew she was taking it hard. "They will be fine." He stroked her back and kissed the top of her head. "And how do you know that?" "Simple. Who ever took Reba will bring her right back as soon as they realize how annoying she can be, and our little Martha is far too strong to go out like that. She will fight till the bitter end!" He felt her smile at the thought. "Pray with me?" He let her go and they both bowed their heads.
Narvel was back to pacing the bedroom floor tugging at his hair, when suddenly he looked at the picture of the two of them on his nightstand.
They were dancing in the rain. Reba was wearing a white cotton dress and it had started to go see-through. She was so wrapped in love it didn't phase her one bit. She had one of her hands placed gracefully on his shoulder and he had his arm wrapped tightly around her waist. They each held the other hands softly to the side. Reba was standing on his shoes stretching up and smiling after playfully sucking a tiny bit of his skin between her teeth from his cheek. They both looked so lost in the moment, so in love, and so very free.
He dropped to his knees and started to pray. He had never prayed so hard in his life. All he wanted was his wife home safe and sound, he had never wanted anything so much before. He was so scared.
"Reba what is all this? There are cops surrounding your house." "What you really think there wouldn't be? Don't be a fool Charlie, of course there are. I'll just telling them you're returning me and that everything is fine." "Uh I'm not so sure about this. Maybe I should just drop you off down the road and you can walk." "Don't you dare! I'm tired as hell and I have every right to make you park right outside my doorstep and carry me to my bed after what you've put me through." "I better not get arrested." "Just drop me off." He drove up and the police stopped the truck. Reba wound down the window. "I'm tired, and I'm home, now please leave him and I alone so I can go to bed." "Yes Ma'am." The police officer was intimidated by her and didn't want to risk getting his head bitten off by the red head. "Good, and tell all your friends to keep clear of me until I've had a rest"
"Baby?" Reba called as she walked through the front door. Narvel thought he was hearing things as he was on his knees having his time with the Lord. She didn't get a reply. "Thank you officer, we won't be requiring your assistance anymore." She practically pushed the detective and all his men out her door. "We can talk about this in the morning." She shut the door on them leaving them dumbfounded. "Charlie would you like to stay in the guestroom until the mornin? You can't drive home at this hour." "Ahh-Are you sure? I mean I can probably just sleep in the bed of my truck. I've done it before." "Yes, you could. But I do have a heart. And a spare bed. So use it! Second room on the right. Need anything else? There's food in the cupboards and fridge if you're hungry. Don't steal, or break anything,and give me a yell if you need anything else. I'm going to bed!" "Ummm okay Reba, thank you." "No problem. Just promise me, no more stupid shit." "I promise you, and I'm sorry." "Good." And with that she turned on her heel and walked up the stairs offering another yell. "Narvel, honey. I'm home."
Narvel came out of his trance hearing footsteps, and the sound of his name being called. He ran out to meet his wife at the top of the stairs. "Baby, you're back. What happened? Where did you go? How did you get back? Are you hurt? Where's the detective?" She put her finger to his lips and quietened him. He stood there shocked and just stared into her tired eyes as if she were crazy. She put her arms around his neck and pulled him down kissing him passionately. He kissed her back and then she pulled away. Running her hands through his hair and holding his face close to hers "Honey, I'm fine. I'm perfectly well. I'm just really tired. Now I don't want any questions, or any fights tonight. I'm just way too over that right now understand?" He looked at her as if he were in a trance and didn't respond. "I promise I will answer any questions you have tomorrow. I'm just exhausted." He nodded his head and pulled her into a hug trying not to let her feel the wet of his cheeks as he cried tears of joy, sadness, anger, loneliness, and exhaustion.
"Oh and Baby. Charlie is here and I have offered him the guests room for the night."
Narvel automatically went cold he pushed her off him and looked at her. "He's what?" His face went red and she swore she could see steam radiating off his body as he started to heat up. "Is that where you've been? Out with him? Is that why you're so tired? Going out with him, not telling anyone where you're going, then come home make me look like a fool while you let him stay, kick all the police officers out of our house that have been here all night, and communicating with search parties all over the state looking for you. I have been up all night worried sick about you, I rang Mark and Susie to let them know that you had gone missing, only to find out that Susie had stopped breathing. Then I had to ring your parents and tell them that not only is one daughter missing, but one may also be dead. Your mother and family are beside themselves and you just come waltzing in here acting like nothing has even happened Reba, who the hell are you?" Narvel exploded and all the feelings he had built up over the course of the night blew up on the one he loved the most. He hadn't bothered to filter what was coming out of his mouth and as soon as it all flowed out he started to regret parts of it. But only the part where he had told Reba about her sister's condition. No one deserved to find out their sister was found not breathing like that.