AUTHOR'S NOTE: SORRY ABOUT THE CONFUSING ERROR IN THE LAST CHAPTER. THEY HAVE ONLY BEEN TOGETHER FIVE WEEKS. I SOMETIMES JUST TYPE TOO QUICKLY FOR MY OWN GOOD. PLUS I HAVE A TENDENCY TO CRANK CHAPTERS. ERRORS ARE KIND OF ACHILLES HEEL. WELL THAT A RELIANCE ON DIALOGUE. ANYWAY I HOPE YA'LL LIKE THIS. I'M GLAD YA'LL ARE LIKING THIS STORY. IF YOU NEED ANOTHER GOOD HART OF DIXIE STORY YOU SHOULD CHECK OUT RESCUE ME. IT'S A MILLION TIMES BETTER THAN THIS ONE. I'M SURE THAT A LOT OF YOU ARE SILENTLY AGREEING WITH ME ON THAT ONE. PLEASE DON'T ACTUALLY DESTORY MY DAY AND TELL ME HOW MUCH BETTER IT IS THOUGH. I'M NOT SURE MY FRAGILE PSYCHE COULD HANDLE THAT. HAHA. ANYWAY I HOPE YA'LL LIKE THIS CHAPTER. - KRISTINE.
P.S.: WHEN YOU PICTURE ZOE'S FATHER PLEASE PICTURE MICHAEL NOURI. YOU MAY REMEMBER HIM AS NEIL ROBERTS, SUMMER'S PLASTIC SURGEON FATHER ON THE OC. I FIGURE WHY CAST SOMEONE ELSE IN A ROLE THAT WAS OBVIOUSLY MADE FOR THE MAN. HAHA.
RATING: PG-13 THIS IS A FAIRLY SUGGESTIVE CHAPTER.
DISCLAIMER: HAHA, NO.
CHAPTER: CHANUKAH GIFTS
- W - & - Z -
"Zoe there's something I haven't told you before that might have been worth mentioning," he confessed. It didn't escape him that his voice sounded shaky like he was just on the brink of puberty.
"I hope you aren't about to tell me that you do have a secret marriage after all," she said. She had meant for it come off as a joke, but even to her own ears she knew she sounded genuinely worried about the situation.
"Don't worry. I still haven't collected one of those and it's nothing that serious." He assured her. He smiled weakly when he saw how obviously relieved she was by his assurance. It almost made him wonder if such a situation had actually happened to her. "It's just I don't meet Dads. Well at least I never have before."
He just didn't. He'd met a few mamas, but never in his life had he been willing to introduce himself to a single father. When George once questioned him about it, he'd simply smirked and explained that fathers could see through his bullshit grin. After all, any daddy who cared enough to want to know the boy his daughter was dating would surely be able to quickly see that Wade's main intention was to love and leave their little girl.
She tried her damnedest to keep from laughing. She could tell that he was genuinely concerned. Still it had to have been the cutest confession any guy had ever shared with her. She bit her lip and reached across the table to gently squeeze his hand. "It's going to be okay Wade."
Wade scoffed and shook his head. "Your father is an ultra successful surgeon who you have aspired to be your entire life. My only job credit on the hand includes being on an outdoor hunting and fishing show that boasted beer could always improve the quality of an episode."
She grinned. She was truly touched that he had put this much thought into this situation. If Leslie had been there she would have made a joke about whipped Wade was. Hell she could already hear Leslie's loud laughter as she declared that Wade hadn't spent this much time thinking since well…ever.
"You make me happy. That's all that matters." She told him.
She would have said more, but then she saw her father walking towards them. She bit her lip and smiled. She didn't want to be this excited about seeing him, but she couldn't help it. She missed him. Harley Wilkes might have been her biological father, but that didn't stop Michael Hart from being her actual father. He was wearing the charcoal suit, he always wore to conferences. Its sheer existence drove her mother crazy. She always complained that the man made enough money that he should have been able to buy more than one suit. Her smile morphed into a mix between intrigue and surprise when she saw that her mother was right on her father's heels. Despite being married for almost 30 years, they rarely did anything together at this point. Her mother referred to it as something akin to a separate but equal marriage.
Wade's eyes widened in surprise when as the Harts drew closer, he realized just how much bigger Dr. Hart was than he was expecting. At nearly 6'4", he couldn't help but think the good doctor would have made a hell of a SEC football player. Maybe if he'd been playing for Auburn, they would have actually been able to beat Broadway Joe. He'd been expecting a guy who was several inches shorter, much thinner, and with almost no hair.
"Sorry we're late," Candice replied as she gave her a daughter a quick hug, before pecking Wade on the cheek. "We probably should have ordered a car, but you know hindsight is 20/20 especially when it comes to getting anywhere in New York. I can't imagine how you guys got a taxi outside of your building."
"We aren't staying in my building. We got a room at The Carlyle." Zoe said as she flashed her mother a tight smile, clearly letting her know to drop the subject. When her mother briefly smiled back and nodded, it was clear that her message had been received. That tight smile soon became real when she felt her father wrap her up in a hug that was so substantial it completely caught her off-guard.
The last time her father had hugged her that way she'd been 9 years old. The reconstruction of the human heart that she had put together for her school science fair had won first place. She'd been so excited that the moment her father got home from an afternoon surgery she'd instantly launched into a play-by-play of her victory. He'd smiled proudly and listened intently. When she was done he'd swept her up in a tight hug and proclaimed that he was lucky his little girl just happened to be the smartest girl in the entire city.
"It's so good to see you my bubbala," he whispered, placing a kiss in her hair before letting her go. Afterwards he turned his attention to Wade. While he was still smiling it was clear that he was sizing the young man up. "You must be Wade," he said as he extended his hand.
"Guilty," Wade replied as he accepted the older man's handshake. When he saw Dr. Hart's lip curl into almost imperceptible smile he knew that at least the handshake had made a good impression. "It's a pleasure to get to meet you Dr. Hart."
"Please call me Michael."
Zoe grinned. Her father never let people call him Michael unless they were colleagues that also served as close friends. Family members and his friends from before med school called him Mike, but that was it. He had insisted that her ex-boyfriend Paul who she had been with since her junior year of college call him Dr. Hart.
"So my wife tells me that you had some sort of television show," Michael said as he took a long pull of his bourbon.
"It was an outdoorsman show called, Southern-" Wade started.
"Gentlemen," Michael finished for him. "That is you, isn't it?"
"You've seen his show?" Zoe asked not bothering to hide her surprise.
"Les Murray was obsessed with it and would watch it all day in between surgeries." He explained wearing an amused expression. "He's a plastic surgeon from Baton Rouge. He would swear up and down that it was the best show on television."
"I assure you that he was exaggerating," Wade said. Despite sporting a cocky personality, he'd never been good at accepting compliments in regards to anything other than his looks and barbacking skills. "It was at best a good fraternity drinking game."
Zoe rolled her eyes. Underneath the table she squeezed his knee. "He's being modest. It's a really good show."
Michael chuckled softly. "I actually watched the episode where you went gator hunting with some swampers in Hammond, Louisiana. I'd be lying if I said I didn't stay until the very end."
Candice snorted softly. "Please tell me that my dear husband is mixed up and that you did not actually hunt alligators in Louisiana. You must have been terrified."
"Let's just say we had our good friend Jim Beam to help us get over the nerves," Wade said as he rubbed the back of his neck. He glanced at Zoe and felt relief when he saw her smile.
At least she thought things seemed to be going okay.
- W - & - Z -
"They loved you," Zoe whispered once they were in the cab and on the way back to their hotel. "I mean you actually had my father laughing. I didn't even know the man knew how to laugh at something other than the occasional Jerry Seinfeld joke."
He gazed at her and was astounded by her beauty. He wondered if there was ever going to be a time when her beauty didn't take his breath away. Seriously her hair was a little wild and her cheeks were tinged pink from just how cold it was. She should have looked like a mess. Any other girl would have, but to him she was perfect.
"That was the most fun I've had with both of my parents in attendance in nearly a decade," she murmured into his chest. She closed her eyes when he started to gently run his fingers through her hair. It never ceased to amaze her how such a small gesture could make her feel so much. "Thank you."
"There's no need to thank me darlin'. I had a good time too. Your parents aren't nearly as uptight as you made it seem like they were going to be."
She chuckled into his chest. "I can't even explain that. They are seriously never like that. Usually the only thing keeping a meal from stalling is booze. My mother used to go through an entire bottle of wine by herself whenever we had family dinners."
"They've probably missed you," he pointed out.
"Maybe," she said softly. "My Dad wants me to observe his surgery tomorrow."
"Yeah?"
"Yeah," she answered. "He's using this new technique that has the potential to really change the amount of risk involved in heart transplants. There's going to be a journal write-up about it in the New England Journal of Medicine."
"That sounds like something right up your alley."
"I just know that I'll run into all of his old colleagues and they'll all want to know how it is I'm managing in…was it Alabama or Mississippi." She frowned. "You should know that doctors are the worst at remembering details which is kind of sad because you know details are pretty important in deciding what's wrong with someone."
He smirked. "I would agree with that statement. You shouldn't be embarrassed about working in Bluebell."
"It's not that I'm embarrassed so much as," she stopped when she realized that no matter how hard she tried she just couldn't seem to find the right word.
She loved working in Bluebell. She really did. Brick might have been an asshole but the man was proving to be a good teacher. The cases were never quite what she was used to but that seemed to actually be helping her become a well rounded doctor which her professors always claimed was a must. And then there the flat out positives that she never expected. She actually loved the people. And even though Addie's sassy looks and habit of calling her out on her bullshit had a tendency to drive her crazy, she was probably the most valuable nurse to walk this planet. Even better she appreciated that her patients actually knew her name and she knew theirs. She was invested in that town. She was invested in Harley's practice. Still how could she explain all of that to men who'd been working high profile surgeon jobs for so long they were actually featured in many of med school lectures? Some of them had actually written the textbook.
"Zoe you don't have to explain anything to those men. You should go watch your Dad's surgery tomorrow and if they ask you about life as a GP well then you say it's definitely seemed almost like a lesson in Sociology or Anthropology. I never could remember the difference between the two." Even though his voice was light he was serious. The last thing he wanted was for her to travel all this way only to be made to feel inadequate because the plan she'd had her heart set on hadn't worked out the way she wanted.
She pulled back from his grasp to look at him. She bit her lip and nodded when she saw just how serious he looked. She leaned forward and gently kissed him.
"Do you want to come with me?"
He smirked as he shook his head no. "Surgery isn't really my cup of tea. Plus I figured I should throw ole Bernie a bone while I'm up here and actually sit down for a meeting with him."
"What kind of a meeting?"
"The kind where he tries to convince me that another show could work," he muttered. His contempt for the idea was obvious by his tone. "Still he swears he has something new that he thinks I'll actually consider."
She nodded, but didn't say anything. She was still struggling to wrap her mind around the fact that Wade as so much more than she could ever imagined. In the last five weeks there were times when she would look at him and she could tell that he was thinking about Brock. She couldn't imagine how much of a struggle it had to be to put himself back together. Her friendship with Gigi wasn't nearly as strong as it had been. Still the mere thought that if she might never be able to call Gigi again practically sent her into a panic. Zoe was almost positive that Wade was the strongest man she'd ever met.
"How do you do it?"
"Do what?"
She hesitated. "My Dad kept talking about the show and all I could think is how can he just smile and laugh when that show is an everyday reminder of how much you've lost."
"It ain't easy." He admitted quietly. "There was a time when if a fan brought the show up to me I'd make an excuse so I could get the hell out of dodge. Still after a while I realized that that show was one of the best parts of my friendship with Brock and I'll always have it. Most people can't say that. Some of our best memories are available in HD on DVD and Blu-Ray." He smiled weakly adding, "Plus Brock'd be pissed at me."
"You know Wade you just might be the best man I've ever met."
"Might?" He asked pretending to be dismayed. "And here I was ready to shout from the rooftops that I'm glad New York has temporarily lost one of its finest citizens because it meant I have you. But damn all I get is a might?"
She laughed quietly and rolled her eyes. "You sure are dramatic."
"I've learned from my neighbor. You should see the tempers she'd throw when I "accidentally" used too much power."
She gasped and swatted his chest. "I knew you did that on purpose!"
"Of course I did," he admitted grinning like the lovesick fool he knew that he was. "It gave me the perfect opportunity to see you in those little getups of yours. I mean for a petite girl you have mighty fine legs."
The first time he used too much power had truly been an accident. Actually it'd be more like a moment of self-absorbed selfishness. He'd been far more interested in getting those two girls to break down some inhibitions than anything else. Still the times after that definitely were not. He'd embarrassingly admit that seeing her pout and shout were the damn highlights of her day. It'd leave him grinning like a madman.
She rolled her eyes and snorted so loudly if she'd been in the cab with anyone else it would have embarrassed her. "You are such a pig sometimes."
He smirked and proceeded to pepper her with gentle kisses before whispering in a voice so low and husky it made Zoe feel something from her head to toes, "I prefer to think of it as perversely charming."
To that Zoe cackled.
- W - & - Z -
"You were amazing in there," Zoe gushed as she took a sip of her coffee.
It was late in the afternoon and they were sitting in the cafeteria. They could have gone somewhere else. There were at least six coffee shops within a two-block radius. Still neither one of them had questioned the decision to simply get a coffee in the cafeteria. That's what doctors did.
When she was younger she used to dream that they would do this all of the time. She imagined that they would meet here after both completing high-profile successful surgeries. They would swap horror stories and make jokes about other less talented surgeons. That had been her dream. She never imagined that the first time they drank a cup of coffee in this cafeteria together she would be a GP and not the proud owner of the fellowship she had so strongly desired. Still she couldn't help but wonder if it was better this way. Maybe the hardships had made this a better experience than it normally would have been.
Her father waved off her comment and shrugged. "It was all the technology."
"Yeah which is right now you're probably the only surgeon in the country qualified to actually use it."
"You could do it. I know you could."
"You think so?"
He nodded somberly. "You know Zoe I know that when you found out about Harley you probably thought that the reason I became so distant was because you weren't my daughter. You probably thought I felt like I had no use for you."
"You can't deny that was how it appeared." She murmured. Silently she wondered why they had to have such an intimate conversation in such a crowded area. Anyone they knew could stumble upon them and hear the secret that she was still desperate to hold onto.
"I know. Believe me I know." He whispered. "But it wasn't like that Zoe. I stayed away because it hurt." He paused for a second seemingly trying to collect himself. "You were my perfect little girl and then suddenly you weren't. Can you imagine what it was like? Everyone said you were a perfect mini-version of me, and then to find out that you weren't. Well that crushed bubbala."
"You're still my father and you always will be."
He blinked a few times. It was then that she realized that he was starting to tear up. She reached out and squeezed his hand trying to reassure him.
"Harley does have a place in my life now, but that place won't replace the way you made. I just want to know that you love me as much as I love you."
"Oh Zoe of course I do. You're the best thing there is about me."
She laughed, sniffling softy as she wiped her eyes.
"I have a Chanukah present for you," he said, his eyes practically twinkling with excitement.
"Okay…"
"The young man they picked for the fellowship was all wrong. He nearly had a nervous breakdown a few weeks ago. He definitely wasn't mentally prepared for the rigors of such a taxing position. Anyway they've decided to take on another person for the spot early. They picked you bubbala."
"What?" Zoe asked convinced that she had missed something because there was no way her father had just told her that the fellowship position was hers for the taking.
He smiled and nodded. "It'll start in February. I don't know what this means about your practice in Bluebell, but I'm sure arrangements can be made so you can fill the fellowship spot."
"It's mine?"
"It's yours." He assured her. "Believe me if games are played and the spot was taken from you again when it was obvious you were the most deserving candidate then I would step down from the hospital."
"I need to come back in February for the fellowship."
"I know it's all a little sudden Zoe…" he replied sensing that she was a little rattled by the suddenness of the news.
She stared down in her coffee cup for a second.
"You do still want it don't you?"
She looked up at him. She hesitated for a second before nodding furiously and smiling, "Of course I want it. It's my dream. How else will I replace you as one of the finest cardiothoracic surgeons in the country?"
He noticeably brightened at her insistence that she still wanted the position. He was worried that maybe too much had happened for her to be able to return to her old life. "What do you think Wade will say?"
She gulped and shrugged. "That I'm not so sure about."
- W - & - Z -
"It's a good offer Wade," Bernie insisted as he leaned back in his chair.
He normally didn't have to work this hard to convince his clients that he was right. Wade was the only guy he'd ever worked for that actually regularly turned down job offers. Still this offer was a good one. He knew that it was the best thing Wade was going to get for while, hell if not ever.
Wade took a deep breath and cranked his knuckles.
"We both know your silent treatment is your way of saying that you agree with me." Bernie pointed out.
Wade chuckled softly. "All I can say is that I'll consider it."
"That's all I can ask for."
"Good because that's all I'll give you."
Bernie rolled his eyes. "You're one stubborn asshole Kinsella."
"We both know I've been called worse."
"And we both know that this offer is the world's best Chanukah gift."
- W - & - Z -
AUTHOR'S NOTE: SO. WHAT DO YOU THINK? I AM ANTICIPATING SOME PRETTY INTERESTING REACTIONS. HOW MANY OF YA'LL THINK SHE STILL WANTS THE FELLOWSHIP? WHAT DO YOU THINK BERNIE HAS LINED UP FOR WADE? HOW MANY MISTAKES DID I MANAGE TO MAKE IN CRANKING THIS OUT? ALL OF THESE QUESTIONS I LOOK FORWARD TO BEING ANSWERED VIA A REVIEW. THEY MAKE MY DAY! I WANT TO GET YOU AT LEAST ONE MORE FOR AN EARLY CHRISTMAS GIFT. CONVINCE ME THAT I NEED TO MAKE SURE I DO THAT! I HAVE A FEW OTHER STORIES BEGGING FOR MY ATTENTION SO IT'LL BE CHALLENGE! YA'LL ARE AMAZING! - KRISTINE.