The Life of Reba McEntire Blackstock

Part 25

Reba's P.O.V.

"Reba. Baby, wake up." Those were the words that I woke up to. As I pried my eyelids open, I saw Narvel sitting next to my lying body, running his hands through my hair. He was already dressed in jeans, a black polo and a light brown leather jacket. I couldn't quite figure out why he was up this early, but then it dawned on me. I had my lumpectomy today. My eyes widened and my heart started going in to overtime. Narvel noticed and he laid down on the sliver of mattress between me and the edge of the bed. He wrapped his arms around me and pulled me as close as he could up against his body. His arms were like a life preserver, saving me from any dangerous situation, and his body a wall, protecting me from any incoming threats. I nuzzled my head into his shoulder and he set his chin on top of my head. I listened to his even breathing and tried to slow mine to match his. When I finally calmed myself down, I looked up to Narvel and asked, "Are you ready for this?" He looked me in the eyes and said back, "Will we ever be ready for this?" I stretched up to him and gave him a small peck on the lips then sat up. Laying on the bed was an outfit for me to wear. I asked Narvel, "Did you pick this out for me?" He answered, "Yes I did!" and attempted to sit himself up. I believe that he forgot that he was so close to the edge, because he reached behind him to balance himself and grabbed nothing but air. He tumbled backwards off the bed and grunted when he hit the floor. I rushed over to his side and asked, "Hun, are you alright?" He answered, "Yeah, I'm fine." I grabbed hold of his hands and helped him up. After he was upright, he walked over to my clothes and picked them up. He undressed me then re-dressed me in the outfit and told me to finish getting ready while he went and prepared breakfast. I brushed my teeth and applied a little makeup then headed downstairs to the kitchen. Sitting on the island was a buffet of every kind of berry imaginable, homemade whipped cream and a huge stack of fluffy buttermilk pancakes. Narvel had already made himself a heaping plate and was sitting at the kitchen table, so I loaded my plate high and walked over to the table as well. Instead of sitting in my normal spot next to Narvel I walked over to Narv and perched on top of him. He threw his hands up in the air and yelled, "What do you think you're doing? I'm kind of busy here!" I smiled at him and nonchalantly scooped some whipped cream onto my finger. I leaned in to him and whispered, "I'm eating..." I brought my hand around quickly and wiped the whipped cream from my finger onto his nose, "... off of you." I giggled and kissed his nose to get the whipped cream off and Narvel kissed my chin. I ate in a hurry and Narvel went to start the car. I grabbed my backpack and rushed out to the car. I hopped into the open car door and bucked my seatbelt. Narvel pulled out of the driveway and started en route to the hospital. The car ride was silent except for the radio's quiet buzz. Some songs were more familiar than others, but the most familiar yet was one of my own. The upbeat tempo and great bass drum in Livin' Ain't Killed Me Yet had me humming along and soon enough, Narvel and I were singing our little hearts out. Narvel was slightly off key, but who am I to judge? Soon enough we made it to the hospital and checked into a room. Narvel helped me get into a hospital gown and the nurses came in to prep me for surgery. 8 o'clock came by way to fast and too soon I was being wheeled down the hallway to the surgical wing of the hospital. Narvel walked alongside my bed all the way to doors of the wing and then they made us say our goodbyes. Tears welled in both of our eyes as we said "I love you" to each other. They then wheeled me past the wide double doors and the anesthesia started kicking in. The last words I were able to think before I was out cold were, "Livin' ain't killed me yet."

Narvel's P.O.V.

I ran down the stairs to put the pancake mix on the griddle. I had already whipped the cream and soaked the berries in sugar so that Reba would have a great breakfast before her surgery. I flipped the pancakes and loaded them into a ginormous stack and placed them on a plate. I grabbed 3 for myself and added a beautiful array of multicolored berries to put on top. I brought my plate to the table and sat down just as Reba walked through the door. She looked gorgeous as always, but today she looked cuter than usual. I always liked when she wore her hair natural and wore her own makeup. Sure, she looked a little older, but she looked like the Reba I fell in love with. The small town girl from Oklahoma who was sweet as an ice cream sundae and would make fun of my "city slicker-ness" As she fixed her plate, I marveled at how good she looked in the clothes I had picked out for her. She wore her light blue jeans that hugged her curves wonderfully, a black and grey striped shirt paired with a fitted black leather jacket. Wow, I'm good! She picked up her plate from the counter and waltzed her way over to the table. I waited for her to plop down on her chair next to me, but it never came. Instead, she sat herself on my lap and started to eat her portion of pancakes. I threw my hands up in the air and jokingly yelled, "What do you think you're doing? I'm kind of busy here!" She giggled and turned to face me. She leaned in so that there was just a few inches of space between her face and mine. She whispered, "I'm eating..." and she quickly swings her hand around to my face. I feel a cold substance on the tip of my nose and cross my eyes to see some fluffy whipped cream perched there. Reba finishes her statement with a giggle, "... off of you!" She leans forward and kisses the whipped cream off of my nose and I peck her chin. I patted her on the behind to signal to let me up and she did so. I went out to the car to get it started and cool it off, since it was only 6 o'clock and already 84 degrees. Before I knew it, she was locking up the front door and waltzing over to our car. Once she was bucked in, I started the car and programmed the GPS to find the quickest way to the hospital. The car was quiet except for the soft buzz of the radio. A couple Little Big Town songs, some Luke Bryan and even an Alan Jackson. I was just fixing to turn off the radio when I heard a very familiar song. Livin' Ain't Killed Me Yet began playing through the stereo and Reba started humming along with her voice. I soon joined in too with a full blown performance! We sang and laughed the rest of the way to the hospital. Once we arrived, I checked Reba into the outpatient surgical care center and they eventually took us back to a room. They asked her to undress and put on a hospital gown, so I helped her and got her situated in the hospital bed. We initiated small talk even though we didn't necessarily want to. We were so nervous about this surgery, I mean what if something happened to Reba. I don't know what I'd do without her. 8 o'clock finally rolled around after what seemed like years of waiting and the nurses came to retrieve her. I walked alongside her in the hallway until we reached the daunting double doors. The nurses stopped the bed just long enough for us to say "I love you" to each other. I gave her hand one last squeeze and the double doors opened. They wheeled her through the doors, and I couldn't go with her. I stood there frozen in my thoughts as her bed became a speck as they wheeled her further along. Soon enough, I was just standing in front of two closed doors. I realized that I couldn't stand here forever, so I gloomily made my way back to the bright waiting room. I sat myself down, but I felt very constricted. I had a whole bunch of feelings bottled up in my chest that I hadn't let out to anyone. There was only one person who I could talk to and would understand completely. I dialed the number in my phone and tears welled in my eyes as soon as I heard her voice. "Hi Mama..."

That's a wrap people! Sorry (not sorry) for leaving you with a cliffhanger! Now you have to read the sequel, Livin' Ain't Killed Me Yet, to figure out what happened in surgery :) I just wanted to thank you guys for sticking with me through this story. It was my first fanfiction and I admit it started off pretty rocky. Lets just say that I had no plot line and to be perfectly honest, I only have the next two chapters planned! Yikes! Anyways, I'll have the new story up soon, so keep reading and make sure to tell all of your fellow tweebas about it!