~ Mine ~

What Do You Say?

"Grandmaw Jac sent you a card; she said to stop driving too fast around corners." Reba laughed as she sat on the right shoulder of Shelby's old bed, setting his water and medicine on the nightstand beside it.

"How else am I supposed to get airborne then?" Shelby teased, stiffly shifting in his bed and rising to a semi-sitting position.

"Haha Shelby Steven, hush up now and take your medicine." She laughed dryly as she handed him three pills and the glass of water.

"Mama I told you, you don't need to do this I can head back home tomorrow." Shelby insisted, knocking back all three pills at once, half the glass of water gone with them.

"I know you're eager to get back to North Carolina but Marissa can't get time off for another two weeks, so you're staying here." She said emphasizing "staying" as she rose from the bed and leaned in to kiss him on his still scuffed up forehead. He smiled back at her wearily as he set the glass back on the nightstand and proceeded to slide back under the covers.

"Night Ma." He said softly as he watched her head towards the door, shutting off his light in the process. Blowing a kiss in his direction, she closed the door softly. Taking a moment and leaning against the closed door, she closed her eyes and sighed. The last two days had been a whirlwind and she was just so thankful to have him home, and most importantly safe. In her favorite Frozen pajamas, given to her by her granddaughter Jadyn, she proceeded to the living room, snuggling up on the couch, and turning on an episode of The Game of Thrones. She felt a little guilty, as she was supposed to be binge watching these episodes with Shawna, but seeing as no one was here to stop her, she couldn't help herself. Somewhere between Melisandre's flee to Castle Black and Stannis's plan to lay siege on the castle, she had nodded off, a loud knock at her door bringing her back to consciousness. Picking up the cowhide blanket strewn next to her, she wrapped it around herself and proceeded to see who was at her door at eleven o'clock at night.

"Narvel?" Reba questioned in astonishment, as she clung tighter to the blanket that was snugly wrapped around her. Without so much as a small hello, he forcefully pushed his way passed her and into his old house.

"Excuse me is there something I can help you with?" She asked, turning around, and glaring at his backside, feeling her anger growing, as he seemed to stare off in the direction of the mansion's stairwell.

"How dare you." He angrily called turning around to face her.

"How dare I?"

"How dare I what?!"

"It's not like I'm the one here with a new girlfriend already." She hissed back, her flustered face turning bright red.

"Here we go." He called back rolling his eyes in anger.

"It's been three weeks Narvel, three." She bitterly cut him off before he could continue.

"For one, that isn't why I'm here, and for two I thought once we divorced I wouldn't have to deal with this crap anymore." He snarled, referring to her jumpy accusations.

"I'm here about Shelby, you know OUR son; the one you forgot to tell me was in a major accident the other day." He fired back, his voice rising along with his anger.

"The accident I was only informed of three hours ago, when I landed back in Nashville."

"He's fine, but if you don't lower your tone of voice you'll wake him from a sound sleep." She exclaimed bitterly in a whisper as she gestured towards the upstairs and Shelby's childhood bedroom.

"Besides I thought your girlfriend would have given you the message." She shot back spitefully. She didn't care how immature she sounded, she was hurt, and she wanted him to know it.

"Again with the inappropriate accusations..." Narvel muttered to himself as he rested his hands on his hips, under his suit jacket.

"Besides we're just friends, I left my phone on Blake's bus, and that's how she got ahold of it." He responded, the redness from his anger still written all over his face.

"What was she doing on the road with you in the first place?" Reba continued, her eyes staring back at him like dangers. He hadn't seen her disposition this cold since they first discussed the divorce. Snorting back at her in disbelief he shook his head.

"She's divorced, she's lonely, and I don't know, I didn't see a problem with it." He said as he threw his hands up in the air.

"She's our friend."

"But why would that matter to you?"

"It's not like your morals have been up to par lately anyway, I didn't get a chance to tell you about Shelby because I didn't get a call back when I called you at the hospital." She replied venomously.

"Don't!"

"Don't you dare call me a bad father." He barked back at her as he stepped closer.

"I didn't say that..." She mumbled back. Clenching his fists as he hovered over her much smaller frame, he closed his eyes, cooling down a bit, and taking a step back.

"But if the shoe fits." She added softly causing his anger to rise once again.

"Reba!" He hissed through his teeth warningly. He couldn't believe what she was saying, never in his life had she ever insinuated that he was a bad father. His children were his world. How dare she test that?

"Narvel?" She challenged back, still standing in her doorway, the cowhide blanket now loosely at her shoulders.

"You agreed to this you know." He breathed out softly.

"This is just as much your fault as it is mine." He said now referring to their divorce, they hadn't really talked much about it since before the final signing, and he could tell she was still bitter at him for not being there to sign his in person, much less the divorce itself.

"What was I supposed to do when you told me you were unhappy?" She said as her eyes began to well with tears. Looking to the side and biting his lip, he took in a tearful breath. No matter what changed between them, seeing her cry would always be the hardest thing for him to watch.

"Forget it." He mumbled, still avoiding eye contact. He didn't like where this conversation was going. Just like he didn't know how many times he could tell her he still loved her without her questioning the divorce, all over again.

"Yeah, I will, seems to be all that you're good at anymore."

"Leaving people in the dust." She uttered, her anger and resentment bubbling up once more.

"He's fine; you can see him tomorrow, just leave." She finished before he had the chance to retort back to her. Shuffling to the side she signaled to, what once was "their" front door. Looking her sadly in the eyes he hung his head low.

"Contrary to what it might look like, I didn't come here to start a fight." He muttered remorsefully as he stopped, his hand now firmly on the doorknob. For the first time since he'd arrived that night, he noticed her fragile, frail appearance. Her normally lively blue eyes were dark, signaling her lack of sleep, and her once vibrant red hair, seemed thin and dull. She had never looked her age, but for the first time in her life, she looked almost limp and lifeless.

"I'm sorry." He choked out, glancing once more at her stiff body, as she just stood there blinking at him motionlessly.

"I'm really sorry." He mumbled once more before turning the knob and disappearing into the night. She just stood there a moment, staring at the closed door, trying to register all that had just happened. If it weren't for her weak and exhausted state she probably would have burst into tears, but instead, she shuffled back towards the stairwell, this time climbing them, and heading for her own bedroom.