The ride from the hospital was a blur. It didn't feel real. None of it felt real. Scarlett coming to get her, her mom in the bed, hurt but okay and then during her song that look...and then the end. It wasn't real. It couldn't be real.

She heard Deacon talking to Bo and then Juliette's bodyguard picked her up and began carrying her into Deacon's house. She thought about telling him she could walk, but she was so tired, she just let him carry her.

They went into Deacon's bedroom and he put her down on the bed.

"Dad?" Daphne asked.

Deacon moved to the other side of the bed where Daphne lay and sat down. "Yes, sweet girl?"

"Did you call Aunt Tandy?"

Scarlett looked at him and nodded.

"She's on a plane, honey," Scarlett said. "And...and we're gonna call your dad in the morning."

Daphne nodded slowly and turned on her side. She felt Deacon's hand rubbing her back. She wanted to cry, but she was also out of tears. There was nothing left. She was empty.

You have a gift.

Her mom told her that, at the hospital, told her to use her voice. But her voice was gone now. Her mom was gone.

Deacon's hand moved back and forth, slowly across her back, attempting to sooth her.

You know who else loves you? Deacon.

He was here. Right now. But her mom wasn't. She felt a sob rise and choke in her throat.

You can rely on each other.

She felt her body relax slightly. Her mom was right. Deacon would be there.

Her breathing grew even and she felt Deacon stand up from the bed. He leaned down and kissed her on the forehead, like her mom did. Used to.

She knew that if she let him know that she was still awake, he'd stay there and that might be good. But she also wanted to be there, just with Maddie.

"Daph?"

She felt Maddie move on the bed next to her. She should answer. But she wanted to keep pretending that she was asleep. Because maybe if she pretended long enough, she would fall asleep. And then maybe she would wake up and this would be a dream.

A bad dream.

You're my treasure.

She smiled at the sound of her mom's voice in her head. But then it was quiet again.

And she knew it would never be the same again. Her mom was dead.

The next morning when she woke up, the bed was empty. She sat up. The door to the bathroom was closed and she could hear the shower running. She ran her fingers through her hair and straightened the clothes she'd had on since Scarlett came to pick her up at her rehearsal.

She opened the door to the bedroom and went out into the hall. The front door was open and she could hear Deacon and Scarlett talking on the front porch. She stopped, not sure if she should go out there or not.

"How am I gonna do this without her?" she heard Deacon say.

"I'm gonna be there and your friends...we'll help you, but you're gonna do it cause you're their daddy and you love them," Scarlett answered.

Daphne started to go out to the porch when she heard Scarlett again.

"Gunnar says Tandy wants to come over. Should I tell them to come?"

Daphne felt a wash of relief go over her at the news of Aunt Tandy's arrival. It wasn't the same as her mom, but it felt better knowing she was here.

Deacon took another sip of his coffee and set the mug down on the step next to him. "Tell him we'll meet them back at the house. We gotta go back there sometime...might as well be now."

"Okay," Scarlett replied and tapped out a text back to Gunnar. "I'm gonna go wake the girls up and then we can go...okay?"

Daphne backed up, not sure if she should let them know she had been listening. She was just about to head back into the bedroom when the door opened and Deacon came in.

"Hey, honey," he said as he opened his arms to her. She paused and then went to him, his arms wrapping around her. She could count on him and he could count on her.

The End

Thank you to all who read along with this story and especially to those who took time to leave a review.- RW