Wade walked into his apartment his niece attached to his side. Wade had really wanted kids he had it all planned out when he was with his ex, he saw them getting married and having kids, she just thought differently. He had loved her and he thought she had loved him too and for the most part she did love him, it just wasn't enough. She couldn't deal with his schedule and she left saying that it wasn't working out for her and that she was sorry. It had devastated him greatly, but he kept packing his things for training camp. He knew when he lost a battle and he had when it came to her. He wasn't going to be put in the place where he had to choose between the woman he loved and the game he loved to play. If she couldn't handle it that was on her and it was for the best he let her walk away after being together for over a year. He hurt and it crushed him, but he had managed to get over her when Dr. Zoe Hart walked into his life. It was easier to act like he didn't want her around because there was something there the first time she walked through the door and he locked eyes with her, he could feel it in his bones. Making the bet was an easy way to get her out of his system, expect he had fallen deeper for the petite brunette. Going home to gain some space and some perspective on this situation he was in needed to be done.
"I have everything taken care of for you, your flight leaves tomorrow morning at 6," Mia said, walking out of the laundry room with a basket of clothes. "Thank you again for letting me use your washer and drier. I'm going to go insane before Tony gets mine fixed," she told them, walking to the door.
"It's totally fine," Wade told her. "Thank you for getting everything done for me," he said.
"Oh before I go, a woman stopped by looking for you. She wanted to see if your ribs were healing. I didn't get a name, but she was a short brunette," Mia explained. Wade nodded, knowing exactly who was at his door. It gave him hope that Zoe was trying to forgive him. She had come over to see him even if she was sticking with the excuse to check on his ribs. "She might be under the impression that we're fooling around," she cringed. Wade gave her a funny look. "I answered the door in only a white shirt that I had barrowed while my clothes were in the wash. Pasta sauce is a nightmare to deal with," she defended herself.
"Next time eat your food and don't wear it," Wade told her. "It's fine, I'll clear everything up with her when I talk to her next," Wade said, holding a sigh in. Knowing that piece of information he couldn't leave it until he got back into town. He'd have to either call her or stop over at her place. He didn't want to do either one of them when she had asked for space, but he couldn't let her think that he had something going on with his agent.
"Who is this mystery woman?" Jesse asked with an amused smile on his face after Mia left. Wade shook his head, grabbing a juice from the fridge. "Come on, you can tell me," Jesse prodded.
"She's the team Doctor," Wade sighed, opening the juice and handing it to Bianca. Jesse raised an eyebrow. "But it doesn't matter, because I messed everything up. I acted like an immature jerk and now she doesn't want anything to do with me," he said in a huff.
"Doesn't seem that way to me little brother," Jesse smirked. "She wouldn't stop by your place for no reason."
"She was doing her job, Jesse," Wade told him shaking his head, walking to his bedroom. "Despite what I may or may not feel for her, it can't happen because she's the team doctor." Wade didn't want to lose his job and he didn't want Zoe to get fired either. They could be friends but that was about it.
"Dr. Hart?" Bianca questioned, following her dad and her uncle. Wade looked at his niece a little confused. Jesse was quick to fill in the blanks.
"That'd be her," Wade mumbled, walking into his closet.
"You're an idiot, Wade," Jesse told him. "I don't remember the last time you were this so broken up about anything, including your break up months ago. Besides what doctor makes house calls after hours?"
Wade shook his head. "Zoe would because she cares about her patients, Jesse. That's something you don't know. My break up with Gabby was hard but I tried to focus on other things going on in my life. I grieved for the relationship and the friendship I had lost, but the more I look back at it, the more I can see that we were two people that had changed over the course of our relationship and I was only fooling myself with the forever crap because I didn't want to admit that things were over with her. I so badly wanted what you have, that I thought that it would fix the things that weren't right in my relationship with Gabby, but I was the one in the wrong," Wade explained, stepping from the closet to pack his suitcases.
"So what running home is going to solve the problems you have with this Doctor Zoe?" Jesse questioned "Because if you think that, you are dumber than I had ever thought, Wade. Running away isn't going to fix anything. You need to either call her and meet her somewhere or go to her place and talk things through." Wade went to speak but Jesse held his hand up. "Whatever excuse you're going to give me, I don't want to hear it. If she really wanted space from you, she wouldn't have been the one to come over here and use your ribs as an excuse to see you."
"Can I talk now?" Wade asked, moving around his room to double check that he had everything. Jesse nodded his head. "She's good at her job and she goes above and beyond to make sure we're good. I believe that she was only stopping by to check that my ribs were healing properly. I'm not running home, I'm going home to visit and to get my head on straight. Calling her or showing up at her place isn't going to fix anything not right now it isn't. She wants her space and I'm man enough to give her what she wants. She needs time to figure things out, just like I do. And being home doesn't give me the temptation to run to her house every night," he explained.
"Just promise me that you'll call her and that you'll talk to her about everything," Jesse pleaded with him.
With a sigh Wade nodded his head, telling Jesse, "I promise that I'll try, but I can't promise you that she'll listen to anything I have to say. Now I know you didn't come all the way here to criticize me and my actions as of late. So what's going on with you?" He asked.
"I had some news to tell ya, but now that you're coming home it can wait," Jesse smirked, ushering Bianca from the room.
"You and Suzanne are having a baby," Wade said with his own smirk following behind his brother. Jesse stopped dead in his tracks and turned around to face his little brother.
"How'd ya know?" Jesse asked eyeing him up.
"I can't tell ya that, big brother," Wade laughed stepping around Jesse, sending his niece a wink.
Bianca was more than excited that she was going to be a big sister and she was dying to tell someone and she had let it slip out when Jesse had left them alone for a few minutes. She couldn't hold the news in any longer. Wade had promised her that the secret was safe and he wouldn't let anyone know that he found out from her. Jesse was none the wiser when he returned to the table.
"Bianca Deborah Kinsella," Jesse warned.
"She didn't say anything to me about the new baby," Wade said, cutting Jesse off from punishing his little bumble bee. Seeing the question in Jesse's eyes Wade had no choice but to come up with an explanation. "You coming here is unusual, I figured you had some sort of big news for me. Now I know it's not you moving, you just moved back to Bluebell, so that was quickly crossed off the list. Secondly I thought that maybe you and Suzanne were getting a divorce but I talked to her shortly before you showed up at my door, things are really good between the two of you. And for months I can remember you going on and on about wanting another child, so it was a logical assumption to make."
"I guess," Jesse mumbled. "You do know that if Bianca would've told you, I wouldn't be mad at her, it is why we came here. But guess my shock came when that lovely Doctor informed us that you were injured."
"It's not a big deal," Wade shrugged. "I didn't want to worry anyone."
"We would've found out on Sunday," Jesse told him.
"And I would have cleared it up by then so none of you would've worried about me," Wade said grabbing his keys from the counter. "Make yourselves at home, but I'm going out for a bit," Wade told them.
He needed to be away from his brother for a few minutes. He hadn't planned on going anywhere, just a walk around the block. But it wasn't only Jesse's words that came to mind to haunt him on his journey but his own when he told himself that he was going to clear up who Mia was before going back home. He really didn't want Zoe to think less of him, to think that he was using her in any way, that he was exactly what the rumors were saying about him. At one point he was that guy, but after he got together with Gabby he changed for the better and he likes the guy he has changed into. He needed Zoe to know that she could trust him, that…that maybe he was being silly about this whole thing.
"Wade?" He heard being asked behind him. It was too late to turn around and go back home now. "What are you doing here?"
"Hey, I know you want your space, but I have to clear something up. Can we go inside to talk?" He asked, stuffing his hands in his pockets.
"Uh sure," she told him.
Wade followed behind her into her apartment building and up to her apartment. He was sure that she was going to give him a lecture about not being at home and resting, but it never came. She hadn't said anything more. He stood by the door. She turned to look at him standing not far from him.
"I was told you stopped by my place and it's not what you think. I wasn't doing anything with Mia, well not what you think was going on," he started to say finding it hard to find the right words to use. He was nervous and that scared him, being nervous talking to Zoe was strange for him. He hadn't been this nervous to talk to the opposite sex since he was 12 and had a crush on Molly Sue. Shaking those thoughts from his mind, he continued on explaining. "Mia she's my agent. She was there to wash her clothes because her fiancé hasn't gotten around to fixing their washer. While she was there she booked a flight and got things arranged for me. I'm going back home for a few days."
"Why do care what it is I think you do on your free time or whom you do. Or why they happened to answer your door in nothing but a shirt?" Zoe asked, her jealousy over this whole thing coming out.
"She brought her dinner with her and she knocked it right into her lap, she had to toss her clothes into the wash so the sauce wouldn't set in and stain her clothes," he explained, ignoring the fact he could hear the jealousy in her voice and it gave him a little bit of hope that maybe things would be okay with them within time. "When I get back I would really like to see you and talk a few things out and try the best I can to fix this rift I put between us, is that okay?" He asked her.
"I'll think about it," Zoe told him, Wade nodded, he would take that. He was about ready to turn and reach for the door handle when her words stopped him. "How are the ribs?" She asked, not really wanting him to leave quite yet. She really had missed him; she could admit that much to herself.
"They're still a little sore," he answered. Zoe nodded her head. "Bye Doc," Wade told her pulling the door open.
"Bye Wade," she replied, "Remember to rest." Wade gave her a smile and disappeared through the door.
Wade headed back home ignoring the questions that Jesse had for him when he had returned home. There were a few things that he didn't have to tell his brother about and whatever was going on between himself and Zoe was going to stay that way until they figured it out themselves. He was going to respect the privacy that Zoe deserved to have.