Hart of Dixie 1. Chapter 1

The Heart of Hart

"You came all this way just to tell me that?" I couldn't look him in the eyes. Those eyes got me every time, so I opted to look out into the pasture instead.

"I came all this way to tell you that you saw more in me than I ever saw in myself. And I was scared I couldn't live up to that image. It was easier just to wreck it all, which I did. I know how much I hurt you Zoe, but everything that I have done since, everything that I want to do, is to be that man that you saw. And if you would even consider giving me another chance, I'm ready. I'm ready to be here for you in every way. I love you Zoe Hart." I was not expecting that, but I couldn't say I was surprised.

"Wow." I had to tell him, there was no lying my way out of this one. I was done trying to please everyone now. I was going to be honest with him.

"Gotta admit, I was kinda hoping for more than a 'wow.'" He couldn't have expected for me to say it back, could he?

"Look, it's become clear to me that I still have feelings, deep feelings, for you too. I hear what you're saying, but I'm still getting over everything. Which is why now, I need some distance, some perspective. I need some time."

"Yeah, well you know, go to New York this weekend, and I'll see you on Monday, right?" Wrong.

"I just called my old chief and he offered me a job. So I'm going to spend the summer in New York."

"What?"

"It's only 3 months."

"Yeah," Wade cleared his throat before continuing, "I'll see you in 3 months Doc." I had to leave. Every second I was around him I felt too many emotions. I was heartbroken, I was sad, I was tired, I was in love, I was ready for a fresh start. Most importantly though, I was in need of a break; a break from Bluebell; a break from Wade; a break from the practice and the town gossip.

I didn't dare turn around to look at Wade. I just kept walking down the dirt road until I was positive that he couldn't see me. And then I let myself cry. I cried until I felt that I couldn't cry anymore. I willed myself to stop crying and gather myself together enough to at least get back to my house. I still had some things to pack, mostly just clothes. The rest I was either leaving here, or would be sent to me after I was already in New York. It was only 3 months, right? I'd be back before I knew it.

I walked back home and entered my room. I dragged the suitcase from under the bed and started throwing my clothes. I checked online and the next flight was in 6 hours out of Mobile. That gave me enough time to pack and say goodbye to a few people.

I looked out of my window to make sure Wade wasn't hanging around, but from what I saw, he hasn't even come home yet. I walked with my head down and entered through the kitchen. I looked up and saw Lavon standing there, it seemed like he was waiting for me, in a strange way.

"You come to say goodbye this time?" His voice was low and soft, unlike Lavon. I just nodded because I knew that if I opened my mouth I would just break down again. He pulled me into a hug and we stood like that for a few minutes. I broke the hug because if I wanted to say goodbye to all of the people I wanted to, I needed to move on to the next one.

"I'll be back, summer always goes by so fast anyway." I smiled through my tears as he nodded at me. He held my hand for a few seconds before I left from the front door. I wiped the tears from my eyes for a second time, but it didn't help much.

I made my way to the Rammer Jammer to see Shelley and Wanda. They were sad to see me go, but they understood that I needed an out. After that, I walked to the practice.

"You know I prayed that this day would come, but honestly, I'm sad to see you go. I'll keep your office seat warm, that's for sure." Brick hugged me and I smiled, I might actually miss him while I'm gone. I was growing tired of hugging people, that's for sure. I made the short trek from the practice to George's office.

"News travels fast in Bluebell. You sure about this?" He knew I was coming to say goodbye.

"I am positive, I need to breathe some nice, fresh, New York air." We both smiled at the irony. New York isn't known for its fresh air.

"Well, if you change your mind, you know Bluebell will always be here for you, even if Wade isn't."

"I know that. Thank you George. I'll see you when I get back."

"Or maybe sooner, I might be heading your way sometime. I'll let you know Zoe Hart."

"You do that George Tucker." I gave him one last look and left the office. I headed to the ButterStick to see Annabeth and Lemon. Annabeth made me promise to call her when I got there and I told them that when I was settled they should come visit me in New York. Lemon seemed apprehensive, but I knew Annabeth would work on her. I moved on to my last stop.

"Don't you dare cry, if you cry, I'm definitely going to cry and I've cried too much today anyway." I warned as I approached my last prospect.

"Yeah right, do you know me at all Zoe Hart? I'm a 15 year old girl, of course I'm going to cry!"

"Rose! I'm going to miss you the most out of everyone." I pulled her into a hug and started to cry. Rose was my only friend at times in Bluebell. She was there when no one else was. Growing up in New York you could say that she was the best friend I had ever had, even though she was only 15.

"You are definitely coming to visit me! No excuses Rose Hattenbarger! I will pay for your plane ticket and you are going to stay in my apartment for a few days and it will be like a string of slumber parties all tied together. We'll order room service and eat pizza at 3 am and watch trashy movies. I promise. I love you."

"I love you too Zoe. Call me as soon as you can." I headed back to my house as quickly as I could to avoid getting caught by anyone else so I didn't have to say anymore goodbyes. I grabbed my suitcase, but grabbed a last minute item from my closet. I felt the material between my thumb and index finger. The thick material gave off a scent as I rubbed it. The flannel was familiar and I debated taking it or not. If I took it, it would just be an unfriendly reminder of what Wade did to me. If I left it, I might regret it. I threw it in my bag, just incase. I'd rather have it and not need it than need it and not have it. I heard a noise and turned around, hoping to God that it wasn't Wade and he hadn't witnessed me do that.

"You ready to go?" It was Lavon and he was driving me to the airport.

"Yeah." I pulled my suitcase out of the door and turned around to look at my room before I left it for three months. I flicked the light off and left my room, my house, my friends, and Bluebell in the dust.

The flight was 4 hours and by the time I arrived at LaGuardia, I just wanted to be back in my apartment, in my own bed. Well, my old old bed. The motions were familiar, but the apartment wasn't mine anymore. It was dusty, it was dark, and it wasn't Bluebell. This wasn't home anymore. I pulled my suitcase up to my bed and unzipped it. I was suddenly glad that I had packed the shirt. It was the only thing that comforted me in this shell of a home tonight.

"How you doing Bud?" Lavon sat on Wade's bed as he paused his video game.

"I couldn't have expected her to stay. She needs time and space, so that's what I'm gonna do. I'm going to give her plenty of space, that's for sure." He took a sip of his beer and went back to his game. He was already pretty drunk, but he wasn't stopping until the pain in his heart stopped hurting. At this rate, it was looking like that wasn't going to be anytime soon.

"I'm such a fucking screw up. I hate this, I hate myself. Why do I have to screw everything up Lavon?" He threw his controller at the ground.

"Wade, you can let this mistake define you, you can go around getting drunk for the next three months, having random one night stands, or you can do yourself a favor, get drunk tonight, wake up tomorrow and start fresh so when Zoe gets back, she can see that you're making a change and trying to be a better guy."

"You know what Lavon, I've got money that she doesn't even come back." And with that, Wade slammed the door.

It had been a month since I moved back to the city. I spent most of my time at the hospital, but when I wasn't working awfully long shifts, I was at my apartment, alone.

"Hey Zoe, we're all going out for drinks after work, do you want to come?" One of my colleagues, Jane, asked me when I was pulling off a pair of gloves after we came from a surgery. I contemplated the decision, knowing if I stayed in another night I would start to look like a hermit. It might make the days go faster if I spent some time out of my apartment.

"You know what, why not?"

"Good! We're meeting at McClafferty's at 9." That gave me time to go home and shower and make myself look presentable for a night out with my friends. I put on a black dress, but it was a bit chilly outside, so I grabbed the flannel that kept me warm. I had definitely warn out this shirt over the past month.

I stepped out and hailed a cab because I didn't want to get on the subway when I looked nice. I stepped in the taxi and told the driver where I wanted to go. I was in the cab for about ten minutes when I pulled out my phone and texted Lavon.

_Score one for Zoe Hart. First night out on the town since I've been here. Whatcha up to?_

Not even a minute later, my phone vibrated.

_You go girl. And dinner at the Rammer Jammer with AB, Lemon, and Wade. Not as fun as a night on the town sounds._

I smiled as I read that, he was trying to make me feel better because he knew I was really lonely in New York. I put my phone back in my purse as I felt the back of the car start to fishtail. I looked up just in time to see the side of the car colliding with a pole.

"Apparently he's in like Connecticut or something, doing like a show every two days. I don't know, I guess if he's happy, than why not? George Tucker is becoming a star." Lemon was going on about how George was on tour and all, but no one was really listening.

"Sorry, Mayoral duty calls." Lavon turned his chair away from the table as not to be rude when his phone rang.

"Hello?"

"Um, hello. Is this Lavon?"

"Yes, it is, may I ask whose calling?"

"This is Candice Hart, Zoe's mom." Everyone at the table noticed Lavon's startled expression when he heard that.

"Oh, hello, is something wrong?"

"Now, I don't want to worry you, but Zoe's been in an accident. It doesn't look very good, in fact, that's why I'm calling. The doctor said that I should let everyone know that if they want to say goodbye, to do it now. I know it's a long trip for you to make, so I don't expect you to make the trip, but I just thought you would want to know. Zoe would understand, and she probably wouldn't want everyone to make a big fuss, or to come up and see her."

"Oh my god, no, we'll be there as soon as we can. Um, where are you?"

"We're at Bellevue Hospital." Lavon ended the call and stood up in a panic. He was walking out before Annabeth stopped him.

"Sweetie, what is it?"

"Oh, sorry, uh, we have to go to New York." Lavon grabbed his coat off of the chair and everyone else stood up.

"Why, what happened?" Lemon asked, following the group.

"Zoe was in an accident."

The whole way to the airport Wade was asking questions.

"What do you mean an accident? What kind of accident?"

"Wade! I don't know! All her mom said was an accident, but I can only guess a car accident. But her mom said that it was serious." The car was quiet the whole way to the airport. Luckily the next flight to New York was in an hour and they were on the plane before they knew it. They arrived a few hours later and were all exhausted, but they went straight to the hospital. Wade, Lemon, and Annabeth were all taking in the magic feeling of New York while they took a cab ride to the hospital.

"Oh Lavon, I'm so glad you're here! I know Zoe would really appreciate it! And you brought Wade…Nice to see you Wade." Candice leaned aside to greet Wade, Lemon, and Annabeth.

"Yeah, uh sorry about that, they were with me when you called, and they all really care about Zoe, too."

"No, it's fine, I'm glad they're here."

"So what's the story? What happened?" Wade butted in.

"She was in a taxi and her taxi got cut off by another one, the driver swerved to avoid rear ending the other taxi and ended up wrapped around a pole. All I know is that she's having surgery in a couple of hours, after Ethan gets here. They didn't even tell me on what." Candice started to cry as she became overwhelmed.

"Well when will w-" Lavon was cut off by Ethan who came running through the door.

"I'll be right back, I'm going to scrub in and then I'll come and brief you. I promise, everything's going to be okay." He kissed her forehead and rushed off. He arrived ten minutes later in scrubs and a hair cap on.

He pulled Candice aside, but the group could still hear what he was saying.

"Listen Candice, they're prepping her for surgery now. We have to repair tissue that was sliced during the accident. It was near her heart, which is why we have to act now. She has a dislocated kneecap, and she's pretty banged up, but if we can fix this, than she should be fine, but this is what's keeping her down right now."

"Why do you have to move the surgery up? They said a few hours!"

"Because they need to start working on her!"

"But can't they wait until I see-"

"No Candice! They can't! She's bleeding out in there and if we don't go in now, she's going to die. Now I'm sorry, but I have to go." Ethan walked back down the hallway and disappeared. Candice wiped her tears which were coming at a faster past now.

"Well, she's going to be in surgery for awhile, you guys should go back to Zoe's, sleep a little, it's late. She has an extra bedroom, there should be enough room for all of you. Um, here's the key to her apartment, I'll write you the address." Candice mumbled as she shuffled through her purse to find a pen.

"Are you sure, we don't want to impose? And we can really get a hotel room, it's not a huge deal."

"No, no, I insist, go for it. I'll probably head home too, I feel better now that Ethan's here, and sitting here worrying isn't any different than sitting at home worrying. At least there I can wear pajamas right?" The group started to head out when a nurse stopped them.

"Excuse me? You're Mrs. Hart right? Zoe's mom?" Candice nodded.

"These are the things that were found on her body; there's her dress, her jacket, her watch, her purse, and her ring. I bet she's glad that it wasn't ruined, but I bet her fiancé is even more glad. That is quite the sparkler." The nurse handed the bag to Candice, who looked down at her things.

Wade was mad. It's been a month since she left! A month! How could she be engaged already. He tried to keep his emotions under control because he didn't want to upset Candice anymore. He balled up his fists and clenched his jaw. Of course she moved on. It was probably Jonah, or Chris, or George for all he knew.

"Oh, so she's engaged…" Annabeth started, knowing that Wade was getting upset and they'd need some answers.

"No! She's not engaged, she just wears that ring because she doesn't want guys to hit on her when she goes out. She got it from Chris and when they broke up, he didn't want it back. She doesn't wear it to remember him, God knows that, but it's convenient." Wade felt like a weight had been lifted off his shoulders. Of course he wasn't engaged! His eyes caught something familiar in the bag.

"Why don't we take all of this home to her apartment." Wade said, he wanted to investigate more.

Candice walked out with the group and made sure they got in a cab. The cab ride took only a few minutes and they arrived at a swanky building with a doorman and everything.

"I really should call Daddy, let him know what's going on." Lemon said once they entered her apartment. Lavon was shocked at the lack of decorating at this apartment. She lived here for six years before she left for a year, but came back a month ago. He expected it to be at least a little Zoe-fied. They looked around and saw a small kitchen and a living room.

"So Annabeth, you and Lemon can take the guest bedroom, I'll take the couch, and Wade, you can uh…" Lavon looked around for a place Wade could sleep.

"You can always sleep in Zoe's bed. I mean, it's not like you haven't slept in her bed before." Lemon suggested once she got off the phone.

"Yeah, but she's not here Lemon! And that was a long time ago…"

"It's that or you're sleeping on the floor." Wade shook his head, but headed to the room. He put the bag of Zoe's stuff down on the bed and looked around. Her room was boring, and Zoe Hart wasn't boring. He decided to look through the bag of things. He emptied the contents onto the bed. A small black dress came out first. He grabbed it in his hands and felt every fiber of it. He knew the dress, he loved that dress on her. Her smell began to overcome him. That smell was what he needed. The next thing he picked up was even more familiar. Except it didn't smell like him anymore, but that was okay with him. It smelled like her. He put the rest of her things on her dresser and undressed. He got into bed and sat for awhile. He wasn't tired. He couldn't sleep knowing Zoe's life was hanging in the balance and they wanted him to sleep. He got up and paced the room a bit. He was tired of waiting. He yanked his jeans back on and put on his white t-shirt. He threw on his old flannel and almost ran threw the door.


	2. Chapter 2

The Heart of Hart

**A/N: Thanks for the great reviews! I don't own the song in this chapter, but I couldn't help but think of Wade and Zoe when I remembered this song and thought it fits them perfectly. All lyrics belong to Billy Joel.**

"Hi, um, is Zoe Hart still in surgery?" Wade ran up to the reception desk, still out of breath.

"And what's your relationship to her?" Wade swore at himself. Of course he wouldn't be able to find anything out.

"Don't worry, he's with me." Ethan came over and led Wade over to some seats in the waiting room.

"Wade, what are you doing here? You should be sleeping, it's 4 in the morning."

"I couldn't, I needed to see her. I needed to know that she's okay."

"Wade, let's sit down." Wade was worried now, why would no one just tell him how she was?

"She just got out of surgery. Like I stitched her up four minutes ago. For now, she's out of the water, but she's in critical condition. When she wakes up, she's going to be in a world of pain, so for now, we have her heavily sedated. We repaired the tissue tear near her Mitral Valve, it was more serious than we expected, but she should be okay. We had to pop her knee back in, but in the process, her meniscus was torn, so we did repair that while she was under. She has scrapes, bruises, some stitches above her eyebrow. She's going to be okay though, you can go see her if you want, but she's still asleep."

"That's okay, I'll go see her." Wade followed Ethan back to her room. He left him at the door and Wade slowly pushed the door open. Even though the room was dark, he could see her. She looked so small in the hospital bed. She had wires attached to her all over, some on her chest, some on her arms, and some tubes in her nose. Her hair was a bit longer, and a bit lighter. Some things were still the same though, her nails were painted in a funky color. That was a staple in the Zoe Hart book to fashion. Wade took a seat and moved it closer to her bed. He picked up her tiny hand and held it in his. Her hand was cold, so he held it tighter.

He was alone. Zoe's body was in the room, but she wasn't here. And since he was alone, he felt that he could finally cry. He just wanted to be back in Bluebell, with Zoe. He didn't want to be here, in the hospital, with Zoe. He should have came to New York sooner, to get her to come home. He should have fought for her. He should have told her that he loved her so much that he couldn't let her go to New York. But she said she needed time. We couldn't he have just fought for her? That was the only thing she ever really wanted from him.

He put his head in his hands and let himself cry for the first time since Zoe left. He had bottled it all up inside and just couldn't take it anymore. He needed her. This was all his fault. If he wouldn't have slept with that girl than she would still be in Bluebell, with him. The tears eventually stopped coming, but his eyes were sore from crying. He picked Zoe's hand back up and felt his eyes droop shut.

"Wade?" Wade felt a big hand on his shoulder and already knew who it was.

"Oh hey Lavon, sorry I left, I just didn't want to wake you all up."

"That's okay, we figured you were here, how's she doing?"

"She's okay, you know, for now." He told them.

"Well I called Daddy, and you know Bluebell, news spreads fast, so I'm sure you've got a million messages on your phone." Lemon reported, knowing that the three of them had a lot this morning so Wade would undoubtedly have more than that. He pulled his phone out of his pocket to see that he had 54 text messages and 17 voicemails. He sighed.

"We'll take care of it for you Wade." Annabeth said as she pulled Lemon out of the room.

"We could just call Dash right? He'd get the word around." Annabeth pulled out her phone.

"Annabeth! I'm sitting at the Rammer Jammer right now talking about you! Are you in New York? What's going on?" Dash asked quickly.

"Yes, I'm in New York with Lemon, Wade, and Lavon."

"And how's Zoe? That's all the town can talk about today."

"Zoe, she got out of surgery early this morning, she was in a car accident and her taxi cab was wrapped around a pole. She had arterial tissue damage near her Mitral Valve, so her father repaired that, and she has a dislocated knee, but she should be okay. She still hasn't woken up though."

"And Wade! How's Wade doing?"

"Wade? Well I mean, he seems okay, he's been with her since she got out of surgery, we just got here, he probably knows more than I do."

"With her since she got out of surgery, huh? Well can I talk to him?"

"No! Dash! He's in there with Zoe, that's more important right now! Now I gave you your information, so go spread it around or something." They walked back into the room and saw Wade standing and Lavon sitting in his seat.

"Well I relayed the information to Dash so it will be on his blog in a few minutes I guess. He's nuts." Annabeth reported as they got settled into the room.

"Hey, AB, do you want to go get coffee with me?" Lavon stood up, asking her. She nodded and they left.

"Are you gonna be okay Wade?"

"I'll be okay when I know she's okay."

"She will be."

"I hope so. I don't think I could live with myself if she wasn't. This is all my fault Lemon."

"No, it's not Wade. It's no one's fault. It was a freak accident."

"But she wouldn't even be here if it weren't for me! I screwed this up, just like I screw everything up."

"Wade, maybe you need a break, I know you hate hospitals. Lavon and Annabeth can stay with her."

"I can't leave her Lemon, not again. She trusted me last time and I'm going to do everything I can to prove to her that she can trust me again."

"She does trust you, and that's why she left."

"That makes no sense."

"She trusted you, and she didn't trust herself. Her brain was saying stay away but her heart was saying to be with you. She had to leave so she wasn't tempted to get back together with you before she was ready."

"You know, the last time I was in a hospital was when my mom died? Well this is the same thing, the same waiting, the same not knowing. I can't do this Lemon, what if she turns out like my mom?" Wade started to cry again and Lemon stood up and hugged him.

"She's not, she's going to be fine Wade, her dad even said so and he's one of the best surgeons in the world! She's going to be okay, and when she sees all of us here, she's going to be so embarrassed and silly. It's going to be okay Wade." Lemon felt bad for the guy. She was never Zoe Hart's biggest fan, or Wade's for that matter, but she knew love and he certainly loved Zoe Hart.

Their hug was interrupted when Lemon's phone went off.

"Sorry, it's George, I should probably take this, God knows what he wants." She stepped out of the room and left Wade alone with Zoe again.

"Hello?"

"Lemon, what happened with Zoe? I read his blog…"

"She was in an accident George, she's in the hospital. It's bad, it's really bad."

"Well are you there? What's going on?"

"Yeah, I'm here. With Lavon, Annabeth, and Wade. She's going ot be okay though George. Wade's here to take care of her." She didn't want to sound cruel to George, she knew he still had feelings for Zoe, but he had to get it through his thick skull that Zoe and Wade were meant to be together, not him and Zoe.

"She's pretty banged up, she had surgery, they had to crack her chest open, but she's going to be fine George. I'm hoping she'll let us take her home to Bluebell once she's feeling okay to travel. Where are you?"

"I'm in Vermont, we have a show tonight. Well can you keep me updated please?"

"Sure thing." Lemon hung up and ran into Lavon and Annabeth on their way back from the coffee machine.

"He is not okay guys, you left and he just broke down. He said he doesn't want this to turn out how his mom turned out and how this is all his fault that she's here. He's hurting pretty bad."

"I'll talk to him." Lavon walked back into the room while Annabeth and Lemon stayed outside so they could have their space.

"Wade, you need to stop."

"Stop what?"

"You need to stop finding every excuse for you and Zoe to be together. She needs you now, you have to be strong for her. She needs you just as much as you need her and once you admit that to yourself, it'll be a lot easier." Lavon hugged his best friend.

"Yeah, you're right," Wade wiped the tears from his eyes and took a deep breath, "Well, we need someone to head home to at least open the Rammer Jammer, because if not, then I'm going to be dirt poor. Can you talk to Lemon?" He asked, not wanting to leave Zoe.

"Of course, Wade, Lemon will head home if you ask her, I think she's a bit worried about the place anyway. If that's where you need her, she'll head home right now." Wade nodded as Lavon left the room to talk to Lemon when Zoe's father entered the room. He checked her vitals.

"Uhh, Dr. Hart, do you know how long she's supposed to be sleepin like this?"

"Well Wade, ideally, she would have woken up earlier this morning, around 11 maybe, so really she could wake up any minute. But the longer it takes, the more it resembles some sort of brain trauma, which we won't be able to tell until she wakes up." Dr. Hart sighed, this was just as hard for him as it was for Wade. He didn't want to see his baby girl hurting like this either.

"Oh." Wade couldn't think of anything else to say. That was discouraging to say the least, but hopefully that meant that she would wake up soon.

"You know, people who are unconscious after an accident tend to respond very well when they hear familiar things, so maybe try talking to her, singing to her, things she knows." Dr. Hart left the room to leave Wade alone with Zoe because he knew that Wade would be the biggest help in Zoe's recovery.

Wade's mind was searching for things that he could say to her, but the only thing he could think about was bikes.

"Hey Doc, so I don't know if you can hear me or not, but I hope you can, otherwise I'll feel like a god damn fool." Wade started, smirking at how stupid that sounded.

"You know what we never did, we never rode bikes. Hell, I don't even know if you can ride a bike, Ms. New York. I used to love riding my bike when I was younger. Me and my brother, just us out there and the road. Before anything bad ever happened, like my mom, and like this. We were so innocent, ya know? So I don't know how this whole unconscious thing works, but just in case, if you meet my mom, tell her I say hi, and that I love her, and miss her. But I guess she already knows that…" Wade couldn't think of anything else to say, so he decided to just speak without thinking.

"Zoe, you need to wake up because I need you. I need you in my life. I need someone to believe in me again like you did. I know you like to do things on your own terms, so I'm sure waking up is no exception, but please, just know how much I love you. I have feelings for you that I've never felt before and that scares me. But not half as much as it scares me seeing you here, all banged up."

"You never told me what your favorite song is. You know this whole situation really got me thinking Zoe about how many things we never got to share with each other, and I want us to be able to. Your dad, he said that I should sing to you, but you know I'm more of a guitar kind of guy. I know your favorite song is probably some crappy top 40 hit because you have awful taste in music, but that's what I love about you. So I'll sing you one of my favorite songs I guess. Well, here goes nothing, Doc."

_She's got a way about her_

_I don't know what it is_

_But I know that I can't live without her_

_She's got a way of pleasin'_

_I don't know what it is_

_But there doesn't have to be a reason anyway _

_She's got a smile that heals me_

_I don't know why it is_

_But I have to laugh when she reveals me_

_She's got a way of talkin'_

_I don't know why it is_

_But it lifts me up when we are walkin' anywhere_

_She comes to me when I'm feelin' down_

_Inspires me without a sound _

_She touches me and I get turned around _

_She's got a way of showin'_

_How I make her feel_

_And I find the strength to keep on goin'_

_She's got a light around her_

_And ev'rywhere she goes_

_A million dreams of love surround her ev'rywhere_

_She comes to me when I'm feelin' down_

_Inspires me without a sound_

_She touches me and I get turned around_

_She's got a smile that heals me_

_I don't know why it is_

_But I have to laugh when she reveals me_

_She's got a way about her_

_I don't know what it is_

_But I know that I can't live without her anyway_

Wade smiled when he finished the song because that song has reminded him of her since the day she moved to Bluebell.

"I hope that helps Zo, I feel kinda stupid here singing to you in a hospital while you're unconscious. But for you, I'd do anything." He placed a kiss on her forehead.

"I've been a little hesitant to say how I'm really feeling because I'm nervous, which is ridiculous because you probably can't hear me, and it's not like you're awake to react to what I say anyway, so I jus want you to know that I have every intention of leaving this hospital as soon as you're allowed and taking you back to Bluebell with me, so we can be us again. I know you're going to have your own opinion about it, just like you do everything, but I love you Zoe Hart. I want to go home with you and start over. I want a relationship with you and one day a marriage, and babies. I want so many tiny Docs running around all over the place. I want you to be mine again, so why don't you open those big beautiful eyes of yours so I can start convincing you?" He ended his speech and looked at his watch, it was almost 5 in the evening. Time flew by today, he realized he hasn't showered or eaten since he arrived in New York.

"But, on another note, I will probably have more of a chance of whisking you away if I'm clean. I'll be back soon, I promise." He kissed her forehead again and got up out of his seat. He went out to the waiting room to see Lavon and Candice sitting together.

"Sorry, I guess I'm kind of hogging her, huh?" He joked when he approached the two. He was in much better spirits now than before.

"It's okay Wade, she'd probably want to see you anyway." Candice replied, knowing how deep her daughter's love was for this country boy.

"Well, I was going to head back to her apartment and change maybe, do you know anywhere when I can stop and grab some new clothes?"

"Wade, you could probably change your outfit 5 times with all of the clothes of yours that she has at her apartment. I think when she left she just threw every piece of clothing at her house into her suitcase." Wade was surprised to hear this.

"Yeah, well I don't think that she has many of my clothes." Lavon joked and Candice instructed them on how to navigate to the closest Macy's. They arrived and quickly bought a few t-shirts and a new pair of jeans each and some pajamas and went back to the apartment. Annabeth and Lemon had already left for Bluebell and knew they would have an interesting arrival, coming home with no new information on their beloved doctor.

"So I'm going to throw these clothes into the washer, just incase we need more clean clothes soon and I know you don't feel like emptying your wallet out especially when you're not workin. Do you want me to throw your stuff in too?"

"Yeah, that'd be great thanks." Wade responded to Lavon before getting in the shower. Wade exited the bathroom and got dressed in Zoe's room. He couldn't help but investigate if what Candice had said about his clothing being at Zoe's apartment. He knew some of his things were missing, but he assumed Zoe had left them in her house and he didn't have to heart to go collect them because that meant that they were really over. He browsed some drawers and found that he had a drawer all to himself. He smiled as he saw some of his t-shirts, some sweatpants, and boxers of his. He left the room and met Lavon in the small kitchenette, knowing he still had some sort of chance with her.

"It feels so weird, being here without her, you know?" Wade said when he opened the fridge. She had a few bananas and milk, along with a few eggs.

"How does this girl survive, and why are her bananas in the refrigerator?" Lavon scoped out the miniscule contents of the apartment.

"Must be a New York thing." Wade shook his head.

"Do you want to just pick something up on the way back?" Wade felt a cool breeze and he shivered. It was summer, why was he shivering? Oh right, because they were in New york and not Alabama.

"I'll be right back." He grabbed an old hoodie of his that he found in Zoe's drawer and zipped it up over his t-shirt.

"Now you're just looking for trouble." Lavon muttered as they exited the apartment. They grabbed three sandwiches from a nearby deli and met Candice back at the hospital. Being the southern gentlemen they were, they let Candice pick which sandwich she wanted first.

"I've got some of the trash TV that she likes so much on, hoping to lure her out of her sleep. But I guess with all of those 30-hour shifts, she could use some sleep." The boys agreed with her and they settled in for a night at the hospital, the three of them. No one wanted to leave Zoe, since she should be waking up soon.

My mind was fuzzy, but I knew my eyes were open. I could tell I was in a hospital and Wade was there. I could hear him when he talked to me, and I knew if Wade was there, Lavon was there too. I could see my mother from where I was laying. It took most of my energy to shift my eyes to my left, where I felt a pressure on my hand. Wade really was there. He was sleeping though, as was everyone else in the room. It must be late. I was sore, that I was sure of. I hurt everywhere and my brain was racing, even though my body was not keeping up. I tried to move my fingers to get Wade's attention, but he wasn't phased. I tried to talk, but it came out more like a moan. I swallowed to help ease my throat and tried again.

"Wade." I said while scratching the palm of his hand with my fingernail. I surprised myself with the raspiness in my voice. He began to move a bit, but I knew one more time would wake him up. I closed my eyes again.

"Wade." I whispered while pressing as hard as I could with my fingers into his palm. He leaned up from his sleeping position, and seemed confused for a second. He quickly realized I was awake and sprang into action. He stood up and rushed closer.

"Thank God, you scared me so much." He gently wrapped his arms around my body and held me for a while.

"What happened?"

"Hold on, let me have your dad paged first." Wade left the room to get a nurse and returned quickly with a nurse who had a clipboard in her hands.

"Ms. Hart! Glad to see you're awake! Your dad is on his way in, but first let me check your vitals, would you like some water?" The nurse asked and I nodded.

"Well I can tell we're in New York because you don't have the accent, but can you tell me what happened?" I asked of the nurse.

"Zoe, you were in a car accident, your Mitral valve tissue was punctured and that had to be repaired," Oh God, I do not even want to look at how horrendous that scar is.

"Your right knee was dislocated and you tore your meniscus. You have some facial lacerations, but other than that, you should be fine." The nurse continued.

"How long have I been out?"

"Only about a day and a few hours." I nodded my head as she got all of my information and left the room. Wade poured me some water and helped bring it up to my lips.

"What are you guys doing here?" It sounded cruel, but she had every right to ask.

"Your mom called and told us that you were in a bad accident and we flew out right away, Annabeth and Lemon were here for a while too. You had us all pretty worried there Doc." I stifled a small smile, even though it hurt.

"Let me wake Lavon and your mom."

"No, let them sleep. We have some things to talk about anyway until my dad gets here…" I trailed off and he just nodded and looked at the floor.

"I'm glad you came. I'm happy, even though it may not seem like it right now. And to answer your questions, yes, I can ride a bike idiot, and my favorite song is now She's Got a Way by Billy Joel, and I'm just as ready as you are to take me home to Bluebell. I just want to go home, with you, an be us again." Wade's face turned red as he realized that I had been able to hear him.

"Well it may be a little bit Zoe, but I promise, I'll get you back. Listen, I'm so so so sorry, and I know I will never be able to convince you of just how sorry I am, but I want you to know that I will do anything you need me to do to win you back."

"Wade, I think you flying from Alabama to New York and dropping everything for me proved how sorry you are. You don't need to do anything. And hey, this accident is not your fault. I'm going to be okay, I promise. I just want you to hold me again." After all of that talking, my speech was getting raspy again. He held the cup of water up to my lips again.

"Zoe, thank God you're awake, you were starting to worry even me." My dad came into the room and started looking at all of the machines I was hooked up to.

"How are you feeling?" He asked me after checking all of my new medical information.

"Like I was hit by a truck." I softly joked.

"Well, you kind of were." Wade rubbed my hand with his thumb.

"Alright Zoe, I'll be real with you here, if you want, we can have you released within three days because you're a doctor, and I trust you to call me if you don't feel right, okay? But we have to get you up and some of your strength back before we can release you, which may be hard, seeing as you're going to be on crutches for a while. But, let's do an all-clear diet for tonight and we'll see about tomorrow. Do you want me to order something now?" I nodded and he told one of the nurse. All clear would suck, that meant jello, applesauce, water, and toast. But I could live with it, as long as that meant that I get to go home sooner. The meal arrived quickly and my dad stayed with me as Wade helped feed me.

"Hey Dad, when do you think I would be able to go back to Bluebell?"

"I knew that question was coming, but Zo, you know we can't have you flying for two months at least." I was so disappointed, I just wanted to be back with people who cared about my well being.

"What if we drove?" Wade must have noticed my disappointment because he came to my rescue.

"Well, I mean I guess it would be okay, but you know that may be uncomfortable being in a car for 18 hours with a dislocated kneecap and just having heart surgery." My dad warned.

"Daddy, I'm a doctor, I know that warning signs if something bad is going to happen. I just want to be in my own bed again."

"I know sweetie, I know."


	3. Chapter 3

The Heart of Hart

Over the next few days, Wade catered to every one of Zoe's requests. He packed up her apartment, he picked up her things from the dry cleaning, he had reserved a rental car for them to drive back, he made reservations at the hotel so they could split their trip into two, he cleaned out her locker at the hospital, he did anything she asked. Finally, on Thursday, Zoe was being released around lunchtime, and they would leave Friday morning for their return home. Lavon had already flown back once he knew Zoe was okay because his Mayoral duties never seize.

"So everyone knows about the big homecoming, huh?" Zoe asked Wade as he helped her crutch her way into the apartment.

"Oh yeah, but I've told Lavon to put the kibosh on any big party or anything, that you aren't really up to that yet." He smiled at her and he helped her settle into the couch that would soon be gone. She had asked him to make arrangements to have all of the furniture removed once they left and sold. He had pillows all around her, trying to make her comfortable.

"Wade, I have a few last favors and then I promise, I'm done."

"No, I like doing things for you, and plus it's not like you can do much for yourself anyway. What is it?"

"Well the nurse gave me a sponge bath at the hospital, but she didn't wash my hair, and I think it's been like a week, and I can't get my scar wet. Could you maybe wash my hair for me?"

"Why you wanna look so good for all the nutballs in Bluebell?" Wade joked, knowing how gross she must feel after staying nearly a week in the hospital.

"Not them, just you." She winked and began to grab her crutches.

"Now hold on, let me think about how I'm going to go about this before you get yourself all up in a frenzy." He pondered which would be the best way to wash her hair.

"Okay, this may be uncomfortable, but how about you sit on the toilet sideways and then lean your head back into the sink? That's the only way I can think that I can do this without making a huge mess." Wade suggested and Zoe nodded and went to grab her crutches again.

"Now just you wait." Wade went over and picked her up and walked over and put her down on the toilet seat. He left to get a cup and gathered a few of her hair things from the box of her toiletries he left that he knew she would need between today and tomorrow morning. He made sure the temperature was warm, but not too hot before he filled up a plastic cup and poured it from her forehead down her hair. He then lathered her hair in shampoo and rinsed. Next, he rubbed the conditioner in her hair until it felt 'silky,' which was her description, not his. He rinsed that finally and towel dried her hair before she leaned forward. The towel was around her neck and she asked him for her hairbrush. He brought it to her.

"Hey Wade?" She said in her sweetest voice.

"What, you want me to shave your legs for you now too?" He joked as he stood up from his spot in the bathroom.

"Well it's just, my arms get so tired when I try to brush my hair."

"You know you're arms aren't broke right?" He sat back down behind her and grabbed the brush out of her hands.

"I know, but I like it when you do it, it feels so good." She smiled at her little victory. After he brushed her hair, she instructed him how to braid it. It was a mess, but she loved how willing he was to help her.

"Now, let's get you to the couch so you can rest up for tomorrow." He carried her back to the couch and turned the TV on and sat on the couch next to her.

"Wade, sleep in the bedroom, I'm sure that's much more comfortable."

"I just want to be with you." He looked at those big eyes of hers.

"Well then why don't you join me over here?" He was hesitant, she was injured and he didn't want to make her uncomfortable.

"I don't bite, come on." He inched his way onto the far end of the couch, so he was sitting near her feet.

"I meant I want you to hold me."

"Zo, don't you think that's going to be tough? I mean, it's not a huge couch, and I don't want to hurt you or take up all your space." Zoe sighed, thinking.

"How about a compromise? Bring your blanket over here." She instructed him and he obeyed. She lifted her head and told him to sit where her head was and once he did, she rested her head in his lap. This he could live with.

"It gets better, pull the lever on your right." The couch extended to a reclined position, so he could easily sleep here now that his feet were elevated. In that position the two quickly drifted off to sleep, knowing they had a long day ahead of them tomorrow.

"Zoe you've got to get up now, we should hit the road. They're only letting me park for fifteen minutes." Wade had the car parked outside and was anxious to get home. Zoe moaned and rolled over.

"Okay, okay, let's go." She sat up on the couch and rubbed her eyes. She leaned over and grabbed her glasses from the side table.

"Wait, first we gotta get a picture for Lavon!"

"A picture? Of what?"

"Of you, duh!" He got the phone out of his pocket and snapped a picture of Zoe before she could protest.

"Well at least get a good one!" Zoe said and she held a thumbs up as he snapped a picture. He sent the picture with the message that they were on their way home and would be home tomorrow around noon.

"Alright, let's take it easy now, I have all of your things in the car, so all is good. I have some of your crème brutee or whatever you like in the car waiting for you, with a blueberry muffin, and we're good to go. Let's get you home sweetheart." He kissed her and helped her up.

"I've already checked the apartment, everything is packed and in the car. I have you all set up in the front seat, I made sure there's a lot of legroom. I've got tons of pillows there, so you should be okay."

"Wade, it's okay, I'll be fine, I'm sure of it." Zoe picked up her crutches and left her apartment for the last time. They made their way down the elevator and she saw the car sitting right in front of the lobby doors. He opened the door and helped her step up into the car. He closed the door and hopped into the driver's seat.

"Alright, let's go." Wade looked at her before pulling out onto the road. He couldn't help but notice how beautiful she was. She had on a pair of his sweatpants, a t-shirt, and his zip up sweatshirt that he had found at her house. Her glasses were on and her hair was tied up, but she looked amazing. Her knee had a big foam stabilizer around it and was wrapped in multiple ace bandages. She still had stitches in her chest, and Brick would remove them once they were back in town at home. They were on the road a few hours before they stopped. Zoe had to pee, and Wade was just glad they had made it out of the city. He didn't mind driving the open road, but the city was just infuriating. She grabbed some snacks for them while she was inside, and returned with her hands full. Wade shook his head. Only Zoe could be on crutches and still manage to have hands full of food.

"I got your favorite, Swedish fish." He smiled, she knew him so well. They continued their drive and Zoe drifted off to sleep. She awoke a few hours later to see that they had been driving almost 8 hours already.

"You okay? You want me to take a turn?"

"Zoe, how in the word would you drive? You have about nine hundred layers on that knee, there's no way you would be able to drive." Wade laughed at her efforts.

"Oh yeah, well I didn't really think about that. But now that you mention it, I should probably take my next dose of painkillers. Where did you put them?"

"Uh, they should be back behind you, I can pull over and get them for you?"

"No, it's okay, I can get it." Zoe could tell that he was getting tired of driving all day and stopping would only discourage him more. She squirmed a little and flipped over onto her stomach and crawled halfway to the back of the car.

"Hey there, be careful." Wade warned her as she looked for her pills.

"What, you don't like the view?" She came back to her seat with her pills in her hand.

"Oh, I loved the view, but I love your face more, so next time, don't do that. You scared me." He laughed.

"Alright, I promise." She smiled and swallowed her pills.

It was six when they pulled up to the hotel in Tennesse. Luckily, there was a restaurant inside of it and so they ordered room service once they were settled in. They were quick to fall asleep because they knew it would be another 6 am morning.

6 am rolled around too quickly for either of their liking and they grabbed coffee from the hotel lobby and were back on the road. They had about six more hours until they were finally home.

"WADE!" Zoe yelled and Wade jumped about a foot in the air.

"Jesus Zoe, you can't scream like that when someone's driving."

"Why is there that picture of me that you took for Lavon on Dash's blog?!"

"Ask Lavon, why, what does it say?"

"Our beloved Zoe Hart is returning to Bluebell today and returning to our hearts! 'Zade' fans can be prepared for their arrival at noontime." Zoe groaned. Now the whole town would be waiting for them.

"I'll take care of it."

"Hey Lavon, just an FYI, Zoe's pretty angry that you gave Dash that picture of her, and also that you told everyone when we're coming home. I told you we don't want a big party or anything." Wade explained to Lavon and Lavon promised he had it under control.

"I'm so excited to be home! I can't wait to see everyone again! Let's go to the Rammer Jammer! And the practice! And the Butterstick! And Lavon's! And, of course, Rose's!"

"The only place you're going when we get home is to bed."

"But Wade, I haven-"

"No 'but Wade,' you have to rest, you know that."

"That's all I've been doing the past week though! I just want to go out or something."

"How are you going to go out on those crutches?"

"I'm miserable."

"I know you are babe, but you'll feel better soon, I promise. And maybe if you're lucky, I'll let a select few come visit you."

"Or you could just leave me on the bench in the square and people could flock to me." She exaggerated and he laughed.

"They probably would too." They stopped for breakfast at a small diner along the way.

"I sure didn't miss the heat down here. My lord." Zoe wiped the back of her hand on her forehead. Wade laughed as they got back in the car.

"Maybe if you took that jacket off you'd feel better."

"No, I like it too much." She leaned in and smiled at him, waiting for him. He obliged and leaned in for a kiss over the center console. They drove longer before they were only about 45 minutes from Bluebell.

"Oh, Wade! There's the last Starbucks in Alabama! Can we stop? Please? They have a drive thru! You don't even have to get out." Zoe was getting really excited because this would be her last Starbucks for a while.

"Just because I love you, if I didn't the answer would be no." Wade turned in and pulled up to the drivethru window.

"What do you want?"

"A grande chocolate chai tea latte."

"A what now?"

"A grande chocolate chai tea latte."

"Do you even know what's in that?"

"Yes. Sugar and caffeine. Two things I need."

"Alright." Wade smirked and spoke into the machine.

"How can I help you?"

"Uhh, I'll have a grande chai tea chocolate latte." Zoe laughed at his lack of coffee knowledge. She could recite their whole menu, but that's what came with living in New York. Wade paid and Zoe almost chugged her drink when she took it from his hands.

"Isn't that hot?"

"Nope, it's perfection."

"Anyway, we've got about 40 minutes to Bluebell, excited yet?"

"Hell yeah, but I'm kind of nervous."

"Why?"

"Because I haven't seen these people for awhile, and they're probably mad I left without most of them knowing."

"They were, but with your accident and all, I think they're more worried about you." Zoe nodded, still a bit worried.

"What's going on in that head of yours?"

"It's just the way we left things. We need to have a talk about what we are now, and-"

"We will, let's just focus on getting you better first, then we can have that conversation." Zoe nodded, not understanding why they couldn't have the conversation now, but she let it go. Wade didn't want to have the conversation because he was afraid she was going to say that him coming to New York didn't change the way she felt.

"Where is everybody? I'm coming home, I thought they were all excited."

"That's weird, but it works because now we don't have everyone fussin over you, and now only I can fuss over you." He smiled while they drove through Bluebell. It was weird, it was like the town was deserted. They arrived at the plantation and Wade pulled up to the gatehouse and started unloading her things from the car.

"What, are you gonna make me walk all the way to my house?"

"You think I'm letting you stay by yourself? Guess again." Zoe smiled, but she was nervous. She didn't want things to get really serious this quick.

"Zoe, it's just until you get better, I promise. I just want to make sure you're okay. Plus the gatehouse is one floor, and yours is two, so it'd be difficult for you to get upstairs." Wade said as he noticed her face. He put all of her things inside and then came back to get her. He scooped her up in his arms and carried her inside.

"I'm kinda tired, you wouldn't mind if I took a nap, right?"

"No, go for it, it's probably best you get it in while you can. Before you know it, everyone will be bustin down the door trying to get in." Wade laughed as he helped her into his bed.

"Listen, I've got to run down to the Rammer Jammer real quick, are you going to be okay?"

"Yeah, I'll be fine Wade, go ahead." She ushered him out. He was hesitant to go, but knew he had to at least check and see how his business was. He opened the bar to find it completely empty. Now that was really weird. He heard Lavon's booming voice from inside the church and figured the whole town must be in there.

He walked the few feet over to the church and opened the loud doors. Everyone in the church turned around to look at him.

"Oh my god, you're back early! I can't believe it!"

"You finally brought her home!"

"Where's Zoe?"

"Can we see her?" The whole town erupted into chaos when they saw that Wade was home, and only assumed that Zoe was home, too.

"Uhh, what's going on Lavon?"

"You told me you didn't want a big fuss over Zoe coming home, so I told them you were due home at 5, so we were going over some rules about this whole situation so it would distract them and you could get Zoe inside with this chaos that you've created. I told you Lavon Hayes was smart." Wade smiled and turned around to face the townspeople who all had disappointed looks on their faces knowing Zoe wasn't with him.

"Alright, listen, Zoe's okay, but we drove 18 hours the past two days and she's resting right now, so as soon as she's feeling up to it, I promise, I'll bring her to the Rammer Jammer."

"You know they're just going to all hide out in the Rammer Jammer right?" Lavon whispered to him.

"Exactly, it'll bring me some more business." He whispered back.

"Care to comment on the current status of 'Zade?'" Dash turned to Wade.

"Dash, for the last time, it's WADE. W-A-D-E."

"Does he really not know what Zade is? Come on now."

"It's your couple name, Zoe and Wade, Zade." Wade jut rolled his eyes, this whole town was nuts. They all looked at him waiting for an answer.

"I have no comment at this time." Wade couldn't help but laugh at how ridiculous all of this is.

"Well, what if I showed you this photo? Date stamped three days after Zoe's accident." Dash held his phone up to Wade's face so he could see it.

"How did you even get that? Do you have spies everywhere? You are certifiably insane!" Wade was a little mad now. The picture was of Zoe sleeping in her hospital bed, with Wade asleep, holding her. He felt like he had no privacy in this town. He realized Zoe wasn't just his anymore, she was Bluebells, and he couldn't help but be a little bit jealous.

Dash just shook his head, accepting that he wouldn't get anything out of Wade.

"I've got to head back and check on Zoe, she has to see Brick a little bit later, so I'm sure we'll see you around town, alright?" Wade patted Lavon on the back before heading back to the plantation.

"Doc?" Wade asked when he returned home and couldn't find her. He checked his whole house before heading to Lavon's, that's probably where she was. He opened the door to see Zoe laying on the kitchen floor, eating cookies, that were all over the floor.

"Jesus Zoe, what're you doing?" Her crutches were strewn over the floor, but she didn't look hurt.

"I knocked the cookies over, and I knew I couldn't let them go to waste because, I mean, they're cookies. So I just sat down and ate them."

"So…you're eating cookies off of Lavon's kitchen floor..." Wade trialed off, wanting to laugh, but not upset her.

"Well now that you put it that way, it makes me seem pathetic." Wade chuckled and took a seat right next to her and grabbed a cookie that was near him. He took a bite out of it as she watched. He nodded his head before answering.

"Nope, it makes you seem smart. These cookies are too good to go to waste." He smiled as he helped her up and collected the rest of the cookies.

"You feelin up to the Rammer Jammer? Everyone is dying to see you."

"Yeah, let me change though."

"Why?"

"Because I don't want them to see me like this!"

"It's not like they don't know you were in an accident, they know that you have the right to wear sweatpants. Besides, no one's going to care, I promise, they won't even notice." Wade wanted to go now before the evening rush came to the Rammer Jammer and he knew he would never be able to leave if they were there for that. She was hesitant, but agreed, and Wade helped her into the work truck, it was easier for her to get in and out of while he threw her crutches in the bed of the truck.

"How's your head feelin?"

"My head? That's fine."

"I meant your stitches ya goof."

"Oh, they're fine, why do they look bad? Are they that noticeable?"

"Well I mean they aren't really hidden. Why are you so worried about what everyone thinks about you? They're all just worried, they don't care if you have stitches on your forehead or on your chest or anything, which by the way, I better not see you showing off those other stitches to anyone." He winked at her and she just smiled.

"I just don't want them to think I like went to New York and became a piece of trash."

"You? Trash? Never." They pulled up to the Rammer Jammer and Zoe had to admit she was a bit nervous. Wade jumped out of the truck and grabbed her crutches on his way to open her door. She got out and leaned on her crutches, her knee didn't hurt that bad, but as a doctor, she knew that crutches were necessary because she hadn't started rehabbing it yet.

"You ready?"

"As ready as I'll ever be I guess." Zoe took a deep breath in as Wade opened the door and held it for her. Everyone inside could see Wade and were anticipating Zoe would come in as he held the door for her. Everyone was looking when she finally made her way through the door.

"This is a lot more embarrassing than I thought." Wade joked as everyone watched them.

"I told you so." She whispered back as all eyes were on her. As soon as she was all the way inside, everyone erupted into chaos, asking Zoe how she was, if they could get her anything, and promises of pie soon. Wade laughed as he helped Zoe settle into a spot at the counter where he could keep an eye on her and she could stretch her leg. After she had been visited by all of Bluebell and eaten her dinner which Wade had made for her, she was exhausted and ready to go home.

"You ready babe?"

"Yeah, I think so." Zoe bid them all adieu with promises to come in within the next few days. They had barely made it out of the Rammer Jammer when Earl came stumbling up to them.

"Of course." Wade mumbled under his breath as Earl approached the couple.

"I heard you was in an accident Doc, I wanted to make sure you was alright, you too son. That's why I came out here." Earl was having a hard time pronouncing his words, which seemed like no surprise to the couple. He reeked of alcohol.

"Well she's fine Earl, thanks for checking." Wade led Zoe to the truck, but Earl followed.

"Hey, wait, while you here pretty lady, I haven't been feelin well, the other night I passed out and woke up and couldn't remember anythi-" Earl was cut off when he turned around and vomited in the bushes of the Rammer Jammer. Wade winced as his father did this. This was the utmost embarrassing thing that has happened to him in front of Zoe for sure.

"That's cause you're drunk Earl!"

"Hold on a sec." Zoe crutched from Wade over to where Earl was throwing up. Once he was finished, Zoe proceeded to ask him some questions.

"Earl, have you had more to drink tonight than other nights?"

"I reckon I have, not sure, don't really 'member much." Earl stumbled around a bit and tried to reach out for Zoe to help steady him. Wade saw what was about to happen, but couldn't reach the two in time to prevent it. The next thing he knew, his father and Zoe were in a heap in the parking lot of his bar.

"Jesus Dad, she just got out of the hospital!" Wade exclaimed as he went to help Zoe. Her eyes were squeezed shut and she was biting her bottom lip.

"Wade, call Brick!"

"Okay, what hurts?" Wade rushed to pull out his phone and dial Brick.

"It's not me, it's your Dad, he has alcohol poisoning."

"Zoe, are you okay though? Let's get you taken care of first." Wade was waiting for Brick to pick up as she dusted herself off. She slid over and leaned against Wade, who was now crouched down on the ground.

"Uhh, well, it should be fine, it's just my knee is dislocated again. It's no big deal though! It'll be fine!" Zoe felt bad because she knew Wade was going to hate himself for this, because it was his dad's fault. His dad laid passed out on the ground as Wade watched Zoe fight tears. She knew if she cried, Wade would break, so she was keeping it together. Brick agreed to meet them at the office.

"Let me see that knee." Wade wanted to see how it was before he picked her up to avoid hurting her anymore. Zoe was hesitant, but eventually lifted up the bottom of Wade's sweatpants. As soon as he saw it, he felt like he was going to be sick. He had done this to her. Her knee was in a position no one's knees were ever supposed to be in. He didn't know how she wasn't howling in pain. He picked her up and put her in the truck, with her back to the door, so she could straighten her knee. He threw Earl in the bed of his truck and hopped in. He drove to the practice with Zoe's feet on his lap. He was just glad that no one else had witnessed the accident.

"I'm so so so sorry Zoe." Wade said for what seemed like the hundredth time on the ride.

"Wade, stop, it's okay, it isn't your fault, it was just a freak accident."

"Yeah, and that freak just so happens to be my father."

"Wade, it's fine, I don't blame you. It doesn't even hurt that bad." Zoe lied through her teeth. The only way she could deal with the pain right now was if she clenched her jaw.

They pulled up to the practice a few seconds later and He brought Zoe in and put her down on an exam table as directed by Brick. He went back out to find that his father had thrown up in his truck. Wade groaned as he carried his father into the practice and into a different exam room.

"Alright, I did a quick check over Zoe, and she can sit for a little while I work on Earl, I gave her a painkiller, but it's not going to help much with an injury like that." Brick went to look after Earl while he went in with Zoe.

"Honestly, how much pain is there?"

"It's not too bad."

"I said honestly Zoe."

"Nothing I can't deal with." Wade knew she was just trying to make him feel better, but it wasn't working.

"What can I do for you? Can I get you anything?"

"Nope, I'm fine for now." About fifteen minutes later Brick came into the exam room. Zoe silently thanked the Gods for his return.

"Okay, Earl should be okay, but I gave him some medicine that will make him vomit and get the alcohol out of his system. Now onto you Dr. Hart." Brick assessed the knee once again and she gave him a knowing look.

"Just do it quick."

"As fast as I can, I promise." They both turned to Wade.

"Wade, you should step out into the waiting room. This is going to get pretty ugly." Zoe warned him, knowing about how he had a weak stomach. He was mentally tied, he didn't want to leave her, but if he didn't, Brick would have a third patient, and it would be him, passed out on the floor. Eventually, he nodded and stepped outside and left the door open. Within seconds, he heard Zoe scream and howl and what sounded like bones breaking. Now he was worried, he wasn't expecting that. He rushed back in.

"What happened? I thought you were goin to treat her?" Wade went to Zoe, who was crying now at the blinding pain.

"I had to reset her knee, it was dislocated, that's what you have to do. I gave her a morphine shot though, so the pain should subside soon." Zoe was screaming at the top of her lungs now and Wade was positive people would think they were running some shady business in here if they heard the screams. She was breathing so fast that she started to sweat.

"That was the worst of it. She'll be fine Wade, just pushed rehab back a few days. Now take her home, I'll stay here with Earl." Wade nodded at the doctor and picked Zoe up, who had seized crying.

"I swear, I'm going to kill Earl. I hate him, I'm so sorry he did this to you." Wade said as he laid Zoe down on his bed.

"Who's Earl? You know what I noticed, that swear is spelled like sw- ear! Like an ear!" Zoe laughed. Wade playfully rolled his eyes at his drugged up girlfriend. Well, he guessed she was his girlfriend, he didn't really know, they haven't had that talk yet, but now was not the time to have it.

"Yes it is, you're right." He agreed with her as he undid the string of his sweatpants that she was wearing. He knew she couldn't sleep with pants on.

"Oh you're a quick one, aren't ya?" Zoe laughed as he continued to undress her.

"Nothin I ain't seen before darling." He grabbed a clean shirt of his from his drawers and placed it next to her. He lifted the shirt she had on over her head when she sat up for him. He went to grab the clean shirt, but Zoe stopped him. She grabbed his arm and they stayed like that for a few seconds before she crashed her lips into Wade's. Wade wasn't protesting, but he didn't want to take advantage of her drugged up state. After a good few minutes of making out, Zoe reached for the zipper to his jeans. Wade pulled away.

"As much as I'd love to Doc, you are as high as a kite, and plus you've got an injured everything, so those activities you have in mind might be a little difficult." He chuckled as he zipped up his jeans. He pulled the shirt over her head as she made a pouty face.

"But Wade, I thought you LIKED me." Zoe said overly exaggerating the liked portion.

"I do like you Zoe, but you're on drugs, you don't know what you're doing."

"I know enough, come on." She gave him that smile that makes him melt and he couldn't resist. He leaned in for another kiss.

"God, you're so sexy." She mumbled through their kiss and Wade blushed. As much as he was enjoying this, he had to put an end to it.

"Zoe, I'm sorry, but we can't do this?"

"Is it because you have a girlfriend? Because that's okay." She said and kissed him again.

"What are you talking about? No I don't have a girlfriend, well I mean, you if you want to, but-" Wade stopped when he realized it was like talking to a piece of wood. She wouldn't remember this anyway. Zoe surrendered and laid back down on the bed. Wade walked towards the door.

"Where are you going? Stay here!"

"Zoe don-"

"Stay, please, I need someone to keep me company. Plus I bet if I getcha into bed, it won't be too hard to seduce you. Are you a virgin?" Wade chuckled at that one.

"No Zoe, I'm not a virgin. And you'd know that if your head wasn't so clouded with drugs." He gave in to her protests and unzipped his jeans and removed his shirt. He climbed into his bed with her.

"Zoe is an awful name. Why couldn't I be named something like Brooke? Or Sophie? Something that's not Zoe." She just kept talking about senseless things.

"I like the name Zoe. It's unique, and very you. I think it's the most beautiful name in the world."

"What if I had been named like a different name?"

"Well, then I'd still be calling you Doc, huh?" Wade leaned back and put his hands behind his head as Zoe had no difficultly snuggling right on up to him.

"Do you think Wade still loves me?" Wade's eyes popped open and he was at a loss for words. She didn't know she was talking to Wade.

"I'm positive he still loves you."

"Then why did he do that to me? I just don't understand. And trying to get him to talk about his feelings is a whole other story. I just don't know what to do. I know that I love him, but I don't want to get hurt again."

"He did it because he is the biggest idiot in the world, but he loves you. He always has and always will. Because you are the most amazing girl in the world." He kissed her forehead as she laid down. Before he knew it, she was fast asleep, but Wade was up the rest of the night, contemplating what she said.


End file.

Hart of Dixie, Romance