This idea came to mind thanks to the cute doctor from ER, where I found myself yesterday since I sprained my ankle. No kidding, he looked like Wilson Bethel quite a bit.

So here we have a What-If. In this Wade comes from New York and is a doctor while Zoe is a Wilkes and has lived in BlueBell her whole life.

The ending is open. Don't get mad at me.

Southern Girl, Yankee Boy

It was ridiculous. He had nothing to do there and yet, he found himself in that plane, and then in a bus that would take him to Nowhere, Alabama. At that point, he would have liked to listen to his brother, or maybe not be so impulsive. The problem was his curiosity, and that had driven him back to his roots; or at least in search for them.

"Excuse me, could you tell me how far is to BlueBell?" he asked to the man next to him with the worn out red cap who smelt like he could have needed a shower a couple of days ago.

The guy snorted at him. "You ain't going anywhere near BlueBell, boy. You oughtta walk there from the next stop for at least five miles."

Okay, so like any proud New Yorker, Wade Kinsella did work out regularly, including a healthy dose of running around Central Park whenever he was off work, but the hospital rarely allowed him enough time to practice much. The last time was the 2011's New York Marathon and he wasn't sure he was up for running in his jeans, his messenger bag and a large suitcase.

He crinkled his nose and looked at the man with a mix of disgust and annoyance. "Thank you," he muttered sarcastically.

See, the thing was he was actually born in Alabama but since he left at the tender age of two, he did not remember all that much. His parents divorced shortly after he was born because his father had apparently grown fond of his whisky and forgotten all about his wife and two kids. After that, his mother had left back to her natal Louisiana for a while until she decided she wanted big things, and moved to New York where she worked as a party planner for famous and rich people until that very day, after years of working as a waitress and cook.

If something Jacqueline Kinsella hadn't forgotten about the South was her cooking skills. And man, that woman could cook.

So while his older brother, Jesse, decided on The Point, and had gotten in thanks to the letter of a congressman their mother was friends with, Wade chose to go to med school and become a doctor. He loved it, everything from the demanding academic skills to the running around the hospital. He felt he had been born for the tough life.

He had just gotten board certified and was ready to start with his new job at New York Presbyterian and his orthopedic residency that would have him working full-time for the next five years. That's right. He would finish school at almost 35; and when he put it that way he felt depressed.

But his social life was not bad at all. He had always been lucky with the ladies so he couldn't complain. His mother claimed it was the combination of Southern gentleman in his blood and the New York wittiness he had learned so early in life, but who knew.

By the time he finally arrived to BlueBell, his Paul Smith's sneakers were unrecognizable, ruined beyond repair while his suitcase… well, he would need to buy a new one. Plus, he doubted anyone could still smell his perfume under all the sweat.

Walking past the town square, or so he assumed with that gazebo in the middle and all, Wade accepted it. "I'm not in New York anymore," he mumbled to himself as a few women danced around in dresses that looked like they belonged to Scarlett O'Hara. "Damn."

As he kept on walking, looking for an inn or a B&B, a group of ladies started to share words in secrecy that he guessed was gossip about him, and how different he looked from the rest of men around. No work boots, no dusty baseball cap or plaid shirt.

It was soon after that that a man stood before him, wearing a smile so kind that forced him to tighten his grip on his belongings. Call it New York reflexes but no one with good intentions or sane smiled like that from where he came from.

"Hello. I'm George Tucker, BlueBell's lawyer." The guy outstretched a hand and Wade frowned.

"Only lawyer?" He shook the hand with a firm grasp.

George chuckled and nodded. "We are a small town. And who am I to complain about having no competition?"

Wade snorted a laugh. "Sorry. I'm Wade Kinsella."

"That's right. I apologize for not picking you up but I've been busy, you know, being the only lawyer and all and losing my assistant a couple of days ago."

"No problem," Wade muttered, looking longingly at his shoes. He really liked those sneakers.

"So how long are you staying?" George asked with good humor as he placed his hands on his hips. The guy looked a bit less country but he still held onto that twang and the awfully cheery attitude of small town people.

"I'm leaving as soon as everything is settled. You said on the phone that it shouldn't take more than a couple of days so… hopefully, I'll be back in New York as soon as possible."

George blew a breath and frowned before nodding. "That's right. Your parents finally agreed on selling the parcel they own and since they are divorced, half of the profit is going to your mother."

"Me. She gave me her share of the property, that's why I came."

"Right. Does that mean your brother is not coming?" By this moment, George was leading him down the street, probably towards his office since Wade meant only business.

"Jesse has no interest on this. And I'm here only because during my internship the money wasn't all that great and I'm looking for a new place."

"Oh, I see. Well, I've been talking to Earl and he's okay with selling. He will buy a new place in town, a smaller house but says it's enough for him."

Wade smiled but did not mean it. "Look, I appreciate you trying to make me feel sympathy for that man but I'm not here to bond with him. So the less I see him, the better."

"Sure. I'm sorry. Not my business" George soon smiled again, as if everything was forgotten. "Would you like a beer? Cold, of course."

"That would be great." Wade could feel the beads of sweat rolling down his neck.

…

"Welcome to the Rammer Jammer," George announced with a grand gesture as they approached the place with neon lights, saying the same words the lawyer had just spoken.

Wade knew people in the South loved their football and sports, hunting and whatnot but they took it to a whole new level in his books. He liked a sports bar as much as the next guy but he was not a big fan of football. He loved the Mets, though, baseball was his kind of thing.

And by all means, he doubted someone around this town would appreciate it if he said anything about being part of his high school's swimming team and his specialty in butterfly style.

They entered the fine establishment only to have all pairs of eyes set on them, including the ones of a petite brunette toweling glasses behind the bar.

"Hey, Zoe, two cold beers, please," George called as soon as they sat at said bar.

"Coming right up, Tucker."

So, he guessed not all girls dressed as if they lived in the 19th century, because this one wore a denim shorts that left exposed a set of legs he found quite… tantalizing. Maybe dangerously so, even if she wore those cowboy boots he had thought were so stupid.

"Something you want to say to me, darling?" she purred as she placed the brown bottle of beer in front of him.

Wade smirked.

Her plaid shirt had the first three buttons unfastened, enough to give him a hint of what she was hiding underneath, but also to keep everything properly covered.

"Zoe Wilkes, this is Wade Kinsella, Earl's youngest son. Wade, this is Zoe," George provided and soon Zoe's eyes studied his face with more attention, her mouth forming an 'o'.

She chuckled soon. "Should've known." She pointed one dainty finger his way, "You have ladies' man written all over your face, sweetheart. Those Kinsella puppy dog eyes are the perfect trap for sweet and innocent women."

"Is that right?" Wade leaned over in his forearms, getting closer to her. Flirting came as a second nature, especially in front of women with doe eyes and legs as shapely as those.

She did not back out. "Lucky I'm neither," she murmured, getting closer before she was off to somewhere else.

His eyes lingered on her form as she walked away, smiling to himself. Her shoes clicked on the wooden floors, and when he last expected so, she looked over at him to share a few seconds of the same knowing smile.

"So," George interrupted Wade's thoughts and gained his attention. "About your stay in town, there is an inn, but even if you say you don't plan on staying for long, I would recommend finding some other place. I know the Mayor is renting a small house, I'm sure that it wouldn't be a problem for him to rent it to you for a few days."

"And that's why?"

"The owner of the inn is… a bit nosy."

Wade rolled his eyes and took a large gulp of his beer. It would be a long stay.

"Fine, then I'll speak to the Mayor. I just need a place to crash. As long as there aren't bedbugs in the bed, I'm okay."

George laughed nervously. "Oh, no bedbugs, but perhaps a snake."

Wade shot him a look. Without asking, he meant to test if he was being serious, and since George never really said he was joking, Wade made the mental note to check his bed at night.

…

Apparently, the mayor was a big sports star that he had only heard about thanks to his brother and mother. Lavon Hayes happened to have retired from a lucrative career as a professional football player in order to give back to BlueBell.

The man was tall and strong and seemed ready to break your back in two, but one smile and his tough image was in the trash. He was, for the lack of better wording, a gentle giant. Lavon immediately welcomed him into his house, which was massive. He kept repeating how happy he was of finally having a man around since so much estrogen was driving him insane.

"I'm not really staying that long," Wade told him but like many people before him, Lavon just shot him a little smile.

"Sure. You are just passing by." But the tone implied the opposite and it was becoming a little annoying for Wade.

Soon after offering food and something to drink, to which Wade refused, Lavon led him across the plantation to the small house, a carriage house. It was humble but charming, like a country love song; so not his style. But the bed looked comfortable, there was water and electricity and it was detached, so he had privacy.

"Across the pond lives my other tenant. She is in charge of most things around the plantation, and you two share the same fuse box, so I would recommend not plugging many electrical appliances at the same time," Lavon explained.

"That's fine. I'm not here to stay so more than my cellphone charger and my laptop shouldn't be in use."

"Okay, that's great."

"So… it's a girl?"

Lavon chuckled. "Yes. Zoe Wilkes."

"Ah, from the Rammer Jammer."

"Yes. You two already met?"

Wade smirked. "I had the pleasure of meeting the lady a couple of hours ago."

A grinning Lavon just looked at him before supplying, "She would be so pleased to be called a lady."

"What?"

"Nothing. She is just a very beloved member of our community." It did not take more than an inquiring look from Wade to get the retired football player to speak. "She's the daughter of the town's late doctor. Everyone around here knows her. Harley passed away a few years ago and she did not take it well in the beginning but she's fine now. She regrets every day not to have followed her dad's footsteps but she has made her own path."

"She's a bartender."

"Actually, she's a registered nurse and works part-time at the Rammer Jammer because she doesn't get along with Brick, our only doctor since Harley's passing. She's still holds to her half of the practice and has been looking for someone to fill the spot but… no one seems to want to come to such a small town."

"You can't blame them." Wade dropped his suitcase on the floor and his messenger bag on one of the old flowery armchairs.

"I heard you are a doctor."

Wade looked at him and burst into laughter. "Yeah, and there's not a chance in hell I'm staying, buddy. Not when I have a great orthopedic residency waiting for me back in New York."

Lavon smiled and shrugged his shoulders. "It was worth trying. Plus, you never know."

After waiting for Lavon to leave, Wade shook his head. "No way. I'm not staying in this godforsaken place to be a doctor. I'll be out of here before I realize." And he started unpacking, ready to take a nice warm shower and change into some clean clothes.

…

Turned out that same day there was a meeting with George Tucker. Apparently his father wanted to start checking paperwork and for Wade it couldn't be better. The sooner he got everything done, the sooner he would be back in noisy, polluted New York and happy.

He had some barhopping to do, women to meet and then a career to finish.

Maybe changing into black jeans and gray t-shirt had been the right choice but by the looks he got, the bright orange sneakers and the mirrored sunglasses with neon blue frame were not. Yet, he had to live with his choices.

"So how is the new place, I mean, the temporary place?" George asked politely while they waited for Earl Kinsella.

"Good. It's nice. Cozy, you could say," Wade replied, mindlessly going through some emails and texts from his friends and colleagues, wondering where he was.

"If you want I could show you around town later."

"I don't think that will be necessary." He was aware he sounded like the annoying and typical New Yorker, but what did he expect? He almost threw a tantrum when he found out the nearest Starbucks was more than fifty miles away.

"Well, my girlfriend, Lemon, wanted to invite you to dinner today, if you are not busy."

Wade wanted to say he couldn't go but, what lie could he come up with when he really saw nothing else to do? The last thing he wanted was to be in the middle of a room being asked how he liked the tiny town.

Only a tight-lipped smile was his reply.

When Earl Kinsella showed up, Wade finally understood why his mother had left. The woman he knew couldn't have been a good fit with the man he saw standing there. He looked old and haggard, the alcohol leaving his mark on him. His clothes, even if clean, looked old and well-worn. His greying hair was combed back and he fiddled with the zipper of his old jacket.

Sadly, he saw the same eyes he looked at in the mirror every morning, the same nose Jesse had. And still, in him there was no sympathy left for him. How could he when that man had not fought for him? He just let them go and never bothered to call or visit.

"Hello," Earl muttered with a trembling smile. "Son."

Wade clenched his jaw. "Don't call me that. I'm your son as much you were a father to me. Let's not bother."

The old man nodded in understanding. "Of course."

"Now if we can proceed, I'd like this to be solved as quickly as possible."

He tried to avoid direct interaction with Earl as much as he could. He was a stranger, someone who could have been family once but that now signified little to nothing to him. He couldn't say he hated someone he had never known, but the way his mother had spoken of him…

He knew that once Jacqueline Kinsella had loved Earl very much, if not why keep his name? Why had she never tried to find a man who could replace him? She had dated but she had never shown any interest in remarrying. She had been deeply hurt and for that, he couldn't forgive his father.

Comparing their hands, he noticed how his were relatively soft and well groomed, aside the roughened pads of his fingers thanks to his hobby of playing guitar. Earl's were hard, calloused and strong, nails short and fingers crooked at some joints. And the shoes, Earl's work boots were dirty while his bright sneakers were much cleaner and new.

"Tomorrow I'll need to do some paperwork in Mobile, which will mean that our next meeting is the day after that. I also understand Earl has a buyer already, is that right?"

"Yes," Earl replied in a tremulous voice. He cleared his throat to continue. "A man from Fillmore wishes to build a house and he liked the land, the creek at the end of the property and all. He's willing to pay cash, so you won't have to wait," he told Wade.

"Great. I'm sure you need the money too."

"Son-"

"Don't. Just don't. I don't know if you thought this was your chance of getting to know me but I don't want it or need it. I grew up just fine without you, and guess what? I'm a doctor!" He stood up and tried to breathe to calm himself but at that point it seemed impossible. "Bet you never hoped that for your kids. Jesse is doing great, he's a marine, in case you didn't know."

"I couldn't be near you, even if I tried."

"Why? Why not?"

"Because I would've ruined everything. I always do," Earl confessed meekly. "The best thing I did was stay away from you and your mama. I love her so much, till this very day but she was right. She was only going to get hurt and I did not want that for her or you."

Wade just looked at the man and the honesty in his bloodshot eyes.

"I couldn't quit. I kept trying but… the bottle pulled me right back in. I had to let her go, to send you away and look," he smiled, brightly as he motioned in his direction. "You turned up good! A decent man with a good career. A doctor! Never had one in the family."

And here he was ready to hate him, ready to throw at him years of abandonment.

"You could've written to us."

Earl sighed, pulling something from his pocket. A wallet he opened, and promptly pulled an old picture from it. It was Jesse and him during one Christmas many years ago. "Your mama sent pictures every year and I sent back the little money I could put together so she could buy you something. She never asked for more. I just did not want to say the wrong thing to you, to embarrass you."

Wade looked at him and then away. "I'm not going to do this now or here." He licked his lips and saw George awkwardly trying to make himself invisible. "Call me to schedule the next meeting." When he turned to Earl, the man handed an envelope to him. "I don't want anything from you."

"Please, just take it. It's the only thing I have worth having."

Snatching the envelope with some violence, Wade decided he had had enough for one day, that he shouldn't have come to this town and he was ready to try to drown his sorrows in some strong Southern Comfort.

…

It had been years since he saw a starry night quite like the one in front of him. New York didn't really allow him to see the stars and he never had time for stargazing. But there, sitting in that ratty Adirondack chair near the pond with a bottle of Southern Comfort in his hands, he saw thousands of stars… but he believed at least half of them could have been alcohol-induced.

In the envelope there had been a picture of him and his family when he was one year old, during his birthday. The alcohol didn't help but he hoped that would change with a few more sips.

"Am I invited to your pity party?" A feminine voice interrupted, at which he snorted a rude laugh that made him spill some alcohol into his shirt. She laughed. "Oh, honey, that doesn't look good."

"You're invited but just so you know, I was a lot better at holding my liquor when I was in college. I just need practice."

"Sure you do," Zoe replied before plopping down in the chair next to him. She bended one knee and pulled it close to her chest. "Nice shoes."

He looked down and groaned. "I like them! It's ridiculous."

Playfully smacking his arms, she forced him to roll his head to look at her. "Want to share?"

He handed the bottle to her. "So, you already know what happened, right?"

"Gossip runs faster than the wind around here, Doc."

Wade laughed. "Guessed that much."

"But you shouldn't be drinking alone. No one should, much less near a pond. I have no desire to find you floating head down in the morning."

His head lolled back and he sighed, smiling. "I won't, I can swim in my sleep."

"A swimmer?"

"Yup."

"Uh, you do have the body to back that up."

He shot her a sideways glance and saw her eyes roaming his body like he had done earlier that day. Honestly, she was beautiful and sexy in those shorts and shirt, with her long and luscious brown hair and pouty mouth.

Zoe took a long swig of the bottle and wiped away the stray drop that threatened to roll down her chin.

She was one hell of a sexy woman.

"Lavon said you're a nurse," he offered, his gaze still slightly unfocused.

"That I am."

"Want to play doctor?" That earned him that she slugged him in the arm with much more force.

"You New Yorkers think you own the world, don't you?" The vicious look in her eyes, the fire, told him she was not the submissive woman he had thought Southern women were. And well, he should've guessed. His mother had proved him she was one strong woman.

Chuckling, he mumbled a sorry.

They shared comfortable silence for a while, passing the bottle back and forth while enjoying the sounds of cricket and laughing when the Mayor's pet alligator rolled around and disappeared behind the bushes.

"I didn't want this, you know? When I came, I wanted to hate him, to tell him how much he had fucked up my life and my mother's and brother's. It took him to open his mouth and he destroyed every belief I had about him."

"He's not a bad guy when he's sober."

"Don't defend him."

"I'm not." She sighed and wrapped her arms around herself. "I just know how much you need family and to know your roots. No one would blame you if you want to get to know him." Wade looked at her, his green eyes full of sorrow. "I'm sure your mother won't. She knows you have to see him."

He heaved a long, suffering sigh. "I planned to have fun the month I have off and now it's all drama and business. I'm about to start five years of residency which will leave me little time for anything and… damn, I just wanted to be here two days and leave, forget about all this."

"That's why you're drinking Southern Comfort?"

"Thought I might find some at the bottom of the bottle," Wade told her with his eyes still lost in the starry night.

But soon his attention shifted from the lovely stars to the woman who sat astride his lap, to Zoe's dark eyes and the glow of her smooth skin under the moonlight.

She stole the bottle from his hands and threw it aside before she leaned forward to kiss him. Her lips soft and pliant against his while his hands curled around the curve of her hips. As the kissing grew more passionate, his right hand traveled up to twine with her silky hair, deepening the kiss.

He had aced anatomy. He certainly enjoyed getting acquainted with hers.

It felt great when her soft hands framed his face, when her thumb brushed right behind his ear, on that soft spot of skin and when she pressed her cheek to his stubble while they both tried to breathe before she returned to kiss the corner of his mouth.

On its own volition, his hand tugged on her shirt and he touched the warm skin of the small of her back.

But he couldn't keep that going. He couldn't, and so he gently pushed her back.

"What?" Her hair was mussed, her lips swollen.

"You're really something." He saw her grinning thanks to the lights he had left on in the carriage house. "What were you pretending?" He gently pushed her hair off her face, just to look at her because perhaps he wouldn't see her again.

"You wanted Southern Comfort and fun." Her hand was on his chest, firmly planted as if she had him immobilized. "You're cute, like a lost puppy. I was feeling charitable tonight. You didn't like it?"

"I just want to be sober to remember everything about this."

"You're leaving in two days, Doc. There's no way you'll get another chance with me."

"Really? Because everyone seems to think I'll stay longer than that for some reason."

"I'm not getting my hopes up. But it's nice to know this fancy New York doctor is a gentleman." She leaned forward and kissed his cheek softly before standing up. He missed her warmth immediately. "You should go to bed and drink plenty of fluids."

"Good night, Zoe."

She smiled over her shoulder. "Take care, Doc."

…

Sunday morning met him looking for some decent coffee and something other than grits for breakfast but apparently there was some big event in town that had all people crazy and building floats for some kind of parade.

That was how he ended up wandering around town with a cup of coffee and a cupcake, until he heard a scream from where some people was working on the floats. He automatically ran there, forgetting his breakfast somewhere along the road. It was part of his instinct.

"Oh, God, Rose!" Zoe was checking on a teenage girl who was crying in pain and holding her left hand tight with her right. "Your mom is going to freak out."

"What happened?"

Zoe turned to him, wide eyes and desperate. "Rose accidently shot herself with the staple gun and, and she's freaking out and I'm freaking out because I shouldn't have let her help. Her mother was right."

"Calm down, okay?" Wade knelt down next to the girl and gently asked for her hand. "I'm a doctor. I've seen gunshot wounds and all kinds of weird things, and I can assure you, you'll be fine," he smiled at Rose and she tried to return it despite her hiccupping. "It looks good. It doesn't seem like it hurt anything important but I will need to clean it and give you a couple of stitches." He turned to Zoe, "I need some supplies."

"Sure, follow me, I'll take you to the practice."

He scooped up Rose and carried her all the way to the practice, which really wasn't that far away.

While he washed his hands and dried them, ready to put some gloves on, he heard Rose speaking to Zoe.

"Earl's son is cute. Maybe he would be great to get over George."

"Let's not talk about this now," Zoe said as soon as he came back.

It took him nothing to take the staple off the hand, all while cracking some jokes and telling her about New York, a place Rose wanted to visit.

"It won't leave a scar."

"Promise?" Rose asked.

"I gave the best stitches back in the Presbyterian's ER."

Rose laughed. "Thank you." She soon was leaving the place with her mom and while she was scolded, the mom was happy it had been nothing serious.

"You're really good at that," Zoe told him.

"You sound surprised." He was chucking all the disposable things into the appropriate cans.

"I am a little surprised. You don't look like the kind of doctor who cares about patients like you did just now." She smiled at him and hopped on the stretcher. "I'd offer you my father's half of the practice but you said you have no interest in staying."

"I can't."

"You sure?"

He laughed. "Don't do that."

"Do what?" she asked innocently, batting her eyelashes.

"You're crazy and… unbelievable, and I appreciate the offer but I'm not meant to be here."

"Maybe, but I think you have more South in your blood than you want to think. And no one can fight against that."

…

When George called him into the office again, he shared more information about the buyer that had spoken to Earl. The man happened to be some investor who did not want to build a house but planned onto buy a few properties to build a shopping center that would surely destroy the small stores from both BlueBell and Fillmore. That would put many people out of work and would translate into less favorable numbers for the tourism in both towns.

"You're telling me we shouldn't sell? Is that it?"

George sighed. "I'm just looking out for the town but it's your decision and Earl's. I'm guessing he will follow you and whatever you say on the matter so I'm just explaining the situation."

"Look, I know it's awful but-"

"Do you really need the money?"

"No."

"Is BlueBell so bad you don't want to come back?"

Wade pursed his lips and rolled his eyes. "I'm not cut out for this. I'm a big city guy and…"

"You ran out of excuses, didn't you?" George smiled slyly at Wade's scowl. "I know Zoe offered you a job, and the rent you'd pay at Lavon's is really nothing."

"This all seems like a really elaborated plan to make me stay, which makes me wonder if this isn't one of those towns in which people disappears for no reason."

George laughed. "You can leave whenever you want. I'm just saying you won't lose anything by postponing your residency for, let's say, a year?"

Wade looked at him and then thought about everything he wanted to know about his dad, about his childhood and his family. What if he had a grandmother who was a lovely old lady who had always wanted to meet him? What if he learned to love fishing and football? What if he liked work boots?

…

"A shot of bourbon," he ordered as soon as he reached the bar and Zoe looked at him like he was crazy.

"It's two in the afternoon. You want a burger and fries with that?"

"Okay," he replied casually, making her laugh. "And I also want a contract specifying the percentage you'll get for my patients and the hours I have to work."

Zoe turned around, locking eyes with him. "You're staying."

"For now." They smiled at each other.

"Well, well, well. So I guess we'll have to get used to those bright sneakers and the polka dots of your shirts, Doc?" she quipped.

"I don't own plaid." He leaned over the bar and whispered. "And I own a pair of loafers."

She laughed loudly. "Oh, my. You're going to be the punchline of all my jokes from now own."

"Says the girl who is a walking country cliché."

Zoe grinned, not looking offended by his words.

He did not expect her to jump into his arms and continue what they had started two nights before but Wade liked to know there was a chance, even if she would technically become his boss. It would also be nice to have someone in his corner in town.

"I'm glad you're staying."

"Me too."