Hi, there! This is my first ever fanfic, although I have been reading for quite some time now. I still don't know where this story is exactly going and you will have to excuse me if it's a little bit OOC. Also, I would like to apologize if it is a little too short. I hope you like it and I look forward to reading your reviews (of course, if there are any) :)


'Honey, can you pass me the soda?' asked Joel, distracted and staring at the computer screen, still suffering from a terrible writer's block. He reached out his hand and clutched the soda can Zoe handed to him. She then resumed to flipping through the pages of Vogue, satisfied with the fact that last month she had finally convinced Frank to sell a couple of issues of the Fashion bible in the Dixie Stop. This felt like a small victory to the fashion-forward doctor.

Last night she had received a package from New York with her favourite black and white cookies from her mother and now she was blissfully chewing on what felt like the thirtieth cookie, still amazed by how much she had missed the taste of the exquisite chocolate melting in her mouth with every single bite.

One thought led to the other and Zoe found herself thinking of awful tasting black and white cookies, short dusty blond hair, hazel eyes and crooked smirks. She reminisced about the old times and the warm feeling of nostalgia invaded her mind. It spread all over her body and for just a moment she wished that the Battle of The Bands had never happened, that Wanda and Tom's wedding was something she liked to think about. Instead it was something she had locked in the deepest corners of her memory, never letting it surface again. She had been so shocked to find out that she was more than just hurt and cheated on – she was betrayed and she was lied to by the person she trusted the most and that made her feel so weak and fragile, just like a lost puppy. And she hated that feeling. Yet somehow the only thing she could think about in this very moment, as short-lived as a streak of lightning during a storm, was his warm and welcoming embrace and his stubble brushing against her cheek.

Like a reminder that she was in a serious relationship with a snarky New York writer now, Joel cleared his throat, which put Zoe out of her trance-like state. She sighed quietly not wanting to attract Joel's attention and felt a little bit ashamed of her thoughts. How could she think about the man that broke her heart in a thousand pieces when she had Joel – he was a successful writer with a future ahead of himself, who loved her deeply. He was everything she had ever wanted in a guy. She felt safe and secure with him, not worrying that he might do something stupid. Joel was her safe harbor, so why did her mind want her to go out into the raging sea storm that was Wade Kinsella?

'Speak of the devil' she murmured as his name popped up on the screen of her cellphone. The blood drained from her face for some non-apparent reason.

'What, honey?' Joel said cheerfully as he had found himself a way to unblock his mind.

She picked up and the unexpected caller on the other side caused her eyes to glow in surprise.

'Pretty Doctor, is that you?' the Southern accent was much heavier than Wade's and Zoe could have sworn that she could smell the liquor through the phone. Earl sounded worried and Zoe realized she had never heard worry in his voice before. During most of their encounters he was so drunk he probably didn't even know how to spell out his name and was always so cheerful.

'Earl, is that you?' Joel turned towards Zoe and mouthed 'Who the hell is Earl?'

Zoe just waved her hand in irritation as Joel was distracting her when obviously there was an emergency. Earl went on to explain her with so many details how his TV had cut off last night and he had called Wade to come and see what he could do. Wade had climbed up on the roof and slipped up, falling on his back.

'He's unconscious, Doc!' Zoe never heard Earl so sober, even if he still slurred the words at the end of every sentence. The shock had cleared the mind of Wade's dad and now he was begging her to come and help his son.

'I'm on the way!' Zoe was already on her feet with her heart beating as if she had just ran a marathon. She knew just how tall was Earl house and the image of Wade falling off of it made her heart skip a beat. 'Joel, I've got to go, it's an emergency. If someone comes looking for me, tell them I'm at Earl's.'

'Once again, who is Earl?' Joel asked, but Zoe was already out of the room.


Wade felt the burning pain in his lower back, throbbing and pulsating. He felt like somebody had been kicking him for the past half hour while he lied defenseless on the ground. He tried to move his legs but the unsuccessful trial only made the pain more excruciating. Wade tried to open his eyes – yet another mission impossible. He grunted then, more annoyed than in pain that he wasn't even able to get back on his feet.

He finally opened his eyes when somebody slapped him across the right side of his face. He would never ever admit though that the slap itself was so painful, his cheek had burned and itched for another half hour.

He was glad though that the first thing he saw was Zoe Hart with her messy waves tied in a ponytail at the top of her head, her eyes filled with worry and a growing smile at the sight of him coming back to consciousness. She flicked her penlight in front of his face to check if he's responsive and then with a heavy sight sat on the ground beside him.

'Will he be okay, Doc?', his father asked.

'He hit his head pretty hard, but from what I see – no concussion - and his back is probably bruised, but from the looks of it, he'll be fine.'

She then smiled as she turned her gaze towards him.

'Doc, what are you doing here?' His whole head was pounding and his ears were ringing. Even his own voice sounded like nails on a chalkboard in his head.

'Here, let me help you', she reached out her hand and pulled him to a sitting position. He was amazed by how much strength the Doc had in that tight little body of hers. 'Apparently, you were fixing Earl's antenna when you slipped and fell. Good thing you fell in this pile of leaves, otherwise your back could have been broken. '

A couple of raindrops fell on her arm and she turned to his dad, asking Earl to help bring Wade inside. As soon as they entered Crazy Earl's house, it started to pour.

'I forgot to get my bag, there's some Advil there. I'll just go get them – they're in the car.' But before she even made a step outside, Earl stopped her.

'Don't bother, Doc. I'll go get 'em. You stay here and help my boy.' Earl went out, holding his jacket over his head.

'Isn't Brick on call?' Wade asked weary. 'Why'd you came?'

'Well, your dad called me. He was freaking out. And he kind of hates Brick, so… I guess I was the only option left.'

It was weird being around her. They hadn't talked much since she came back from New York. They hadn't talked at all while she was in that big city of hers, thinking through Wade's declaration of his love for her for almost half a year. And then she came back with that geek under her arm. He had to admit, he didn't like the guy simply because he was with Zoe.

He thought he had got over her, her small petite frame and her big mouth that never stopped talking. But when he had seen her back in town all he could think about was grabbing her by the waist and pulling her in for a long deep kiss.

Earl stumbled through the front door, handing Zoe's purse to her. She searched inside of it and some minute later she found the pills.

'Here. Take one every six hours for the next couple of days and you should be fine. You are, though, in no condition to drive, so I will have to drive you back to the plantation.'

'Nah, I should be fine, Doc', he protested, but Zoe wasn't taking any of it.

'Yes! And I will give full instructions to Lavon what to do with you, 'cause I know you won't take the pills, because you think that taking them makes you less… masculine?'

Wade shot her a dirty look, but nonetheless followed her as she opened her umbrella and to her car. It was that weird tickling feeling of satisfaction when you realize that you have somebody that knows you that well, that settled in his lower stomach as he climbed in the passenger seat of her car with a grunt of pain.

He smiled faintly of the vision that was Zoe Hart – the ends of her hair were dripping wet from the rain. Her eyes were focused on the road as if she was avoiding his gaze, while her cheeks were red from blushing because she knew he was watching her.