~ Mine ~

The Fear of Being Alone

"Reba?" Melissa questioned softly, her voice straining as she tried desperately to grasp her determined friend's attention.

"Are you really going to Oklahoma, for good?" She asked, fearful of what her friend might answer.

"Yes..."

Three Days Earlier

"You're leaving?" Kelly whispered in question as she hazily looked over at her mother-in-law who was in the process of scootching off the couch cushion beside her.

"I was gonna head out and run a few errands before supper." She quickly stuttered back, trying to hide the fact that Kelly's voice had startled her.

"I thought we were hanging?" Kelly replied sadly as she smoothed out her son's navy onesie by rubbing his back gently, causing him to gurgle in his sleep.

"You're dozing off on the couch with a baby on top of you and I'm dozing off with a baby inside of me..." Reba laughed lightly as she tried to keep her tone low so that she wouldn't wake her grandson who was sound asleep on Kelly's chest.

"We're not really interacting with one another." She continued as she leaned back on the cushion.

"Yeah."

"So... hanging." Kelly reiterated with a small shrug as if to say this was what any normal girl time between new mothers looked like. Smiling at her daughter-in-law, Reba leaned in to kiss her softly on the forehead.

"I won't be long and I'll bring back muffins." Reba reasoned as she eased away from Kelly and smoothed out her baby blue shirt.

"Besides we'll be with Shawna and her bunch all day tomorrow," Reba added with a soft smile. She hated to cut one of the very few afternoons that she got to spend with Kelly short, but she'd had something she really wanted to do.

"When you bribe with muffins how can a Mama object?" Kelly laughed before yawning softly.

"Remy B and I promise not to party too hard without you." She teased with a tired smile.

~~~~~

"Mango Typhoon please." Reba politely stated as she squinted up at the menu board of the Groove N Smoothin' juice bar, silently cursing to herself about forgetting her reading glasses at home. The young bleach blond cashier smiled widely as he grabbed a clear cup in front of him and quickly jotted down her order.

"Groovy choice." He added before handing the cup to the brunette worker behind him.

"Is that all for you today Miss?" He questioned as he quickly typed away at the cash register, pausing a moment, while Reba nodded in response.

"Four twenty-six is your total today." He enthused as he gracefully took the ten dollar bill Reba went to hand him. Quickly opening the register, he counted her change aloud, placing the bills firmly in her hand, one by one, before placing the loose change and her receipt on the very top.

"It'll be right out!" He stated in a still very excitable voice as he watched Reba place all of the change he'd just given her in the light neon pink jar labeled 'tips'.

"Thank you." He added as she walked to the end of the bar, his voice breaking character a moment, showing his true appreciation. Standing at the very end of the counter, waiting for her order, Reba stared off into space, humming a small tune to herself, completely forgetting why she'd even come here in the first place.

"Boy or girl?" The petite woman, who was next in line, and now standing beside Reba at the end of the bar, mused softly, looking down at Reba's visible bump.