~ Mine ~

Out Of The Blue

Groaning in agony, Reba rolled over in her king sized bed, clutching her stomach, as a series of pains and nausea hit her wave after wave.

"Ma?" Shelby called out from the other side of her dark brown door, knocking lightly as he did so. Letting out a small whimper, she kept quiet, hoping her silence would lead to his assumption that she was still sleeping. No such luck.

"Hey Ma!" he called out again, a little more persistent this time.

"I made you pancakes, with hazelnut syrup." He continued, shifting the large plate of pancakes and bacon stiffly, from the slight pain caused by the extra pressure on his side. Pancakes, she thought, envisioning the ooey-gooey batter bubbling as they molded into a circle on a steaming hot pan. That did it. Cupping her mouth, as she threw the silk bed sheets off of her, and ran for the master bathroom, throwing up everything her body could muster once she hit the floor. Hearing the odd rustling movement from the other side, Shelby raised his eyebrows in worry.

"Ma?" He said a little unsure this time.

"I'm coming in, decent or not." He called out opening the bedroom door and placing the plate of food on the wooden dresser just to the left. Scanning the room, he noticed the disheveled bed, but still no sign of his mother. Just as he was about to call out for her again, he heard movement from the bathroom, walking as quickly as his still broken body would let him, he hurried in that direction.

"Are you okay?!" He asked in shock once he found her, still on the floor, heaving over the toilet. Another wave of nausea hit her, causing her to get sick once again, and inadvertently answering his question. Kneeling down beside her, he pulled her tousled red hair out of her face and patted her back awkwardly until he was sure she was done. Taking a moment to catch her breath, Reba pulled away from Shelby and slowly stood up, flushing the toilet in the process.

"Again, are you okay?" Shelby asked his mother, still holding tightly to her arm, as she tried to make slow movements, trying not to trigger any more nausea.

"I think I am for now." She mumbled out, her voice hoarse from the recent events. Blowing out pent up air, through her puckered lips; she ran a hand over her sweaty face, trying desperately to calm her body.

"I thought you said you were better?" Shelby asked searching her face for answers, as he referred to about two weeks ago when he had his accident and she told him the reason for her doctor visit was a slight stomach bug.

"I was." She mumbled sheepishly, avoiding his eye contact as she pulled free from his grasp, for the first time ever, just wishing he'd leave her alone.

"I made you pan..." He trailed off noticing her face go white again, just as he started to mention the steaming plate of breakfast waiting for her in the other room.

"I know." She said sharply, finishing his thought as she turned to leave the bathroom.

"And I really appreciate it Hun, but you're still supposed to be taking it easy." She continued, closing her baby blue robe, and grabbing her iPhone from her nightstand, Shelby still at her heels.

"It's been two weeks and the more I "take it easy" the stiffer my body becomes," Shelby answered back defensively. He appreciated his mother taking care of him but he couldn't understand why it was so hard for her to let him do the same.

"Besides I haven't seen you eat a proper meal since I've been here."

"I thought breakfast might make you feel better." He finished, stopping abruptly behind her, just in front of her bedroom door. Whipping the few tears that had apparently made it to her eyes, she turned around, smiling softly.

"You are the sweetest son a mother could ask for," Reba said, pulling him into a gentle hug. Shelby just laughed at his mother's mushiness. Why did she have to be so emotional? He couldn't deny, however, that it felt good to have her appreciate his efforts.

"Now will you tell me why you've been acting off?"

"Is it because of Dad?" he questioned seriously, cutting the tender moment short. Pulling away quickly, Reba cast her eyes downward. She'd never been a good liar, and she wondered how long she could keep her secret from her family.

"You could say that." She mumbled biting her lip. She could feel her stomach twist in knots, the idea of lying already starting to eat away at her.

"I mean no, I've just been tired." She quickly corrected, realizing that giving Shelby another reason to be angry with Narvel wasn't exactly fair either.

"What do you want to do for your last three days here?" She abruptly asked, trying to make the subject change sound causal. She watched as Shelby held her gaze, clearly trying to decide whether or not to let her odd behavior go.

"I guess we could see a movie?" He said. She smiled back at him, not only for not pushing the subject any further but also because he knew that was one of her favorite things to do.

"Have I told you lately that you're my favorite?" She said mimicking her TV character, Reba Hart, causing Shelby to laugh.

"No, but I wouldn't mind if you said it again." He cheekily replied.

Later that day Reba and Shelby sat snuggly on her big tan cotton couch, watching Will Ferrell's Talladega Night's.

"Hey, Ma do you want anything?"

"I'm gonna grab a Pepsi," Shelby asked with a small chuckle, his eyes still glued to the screen as he slowly rose from the couch.

"I'm okay baby." She mused out sweetly; he nodded his head in response as he headed in the direction of the kitchen, eager to return. The family had probably seen this movie close to a million times but there was something about that Ricky Bobby that never got old. He and his buddies even still found time to mimic the iconic character, poking fun at the fact that they were actual professional race car drivers themselves. Pulling a cool Pepsi from the fridge, he quickly set it down on the island beside his mom's open backpack and walked over to the food press, in search of something small to eat. His eyes immediately spotting the Cracker Jack's, he grabbed them quickly, fetching his soda, and accidentally knocking his mom's backpack, that doubled as a handbag, in the process. Mumbling in annoyance, he set his snacks back on the island, rushing to collect the items that had spilled onto the floor. He quickly threw her purse, lip balm, and sunglasses back in, pausing momentarily when a small pill bottle caught his eye.

"Prenatal vitamins." He read aloud confusedly. Why would his mother be carrying around prenatal vitamins? Was she picking them up for Kelly or something? He decided to let it go until another thing caught his eye, this time his stomach turned in a nervous knot. Picking up the small slip of white paper he examined what appeared to be a sonogram. Why would his mother have prenatal vitamins and a sonogram?! Surely she didn't carry Kelly's around in her handbag! Or maybe she did. Daring himself to look, he turned the page over and there at the very top of the black picture read, Reba McEntire. His face immediately went ghost white as he looked around his desolate kitchen, half wondering if this was some kind of joke. Maybe it was his sonogram? Only the date read 2015... Taking a sharp intake of breath he stood up slowly, placing the backpack back on the island counter and grabbing his still chilled beverage, the sonogram in hand. He quickly walked back to the living room, stopping at the entrance.

"Hey, honey what took..." Reba began before her breath hitched in her throat and she noticed the white slip of paper in his hand. Had he found it? Surely not, she had only just gotten it three days ago with her first check up, and she had made sure it was safe in her handbag.

"I think we need to talk," Shelby said, causing Reba to take a big gulp. Craaap she thought, there was no way a change of subject was going to get her out of this one.