A/N: Thanks for the latest reviews, y'all. Yes, Zoe & Wade 2.0 have made it to the sexytimes portion on their relationship, but what happens the morning after the night before? Read on to find out! :)
(For disclaimer, etc. - see chapter 1)
Chapter 17
Wade wasn't sure what he was feeling when he woke up to the morning sun and felt the new sensation of a warm female form pressed up against him. Zoe was wrapped up in his embrace, her head on his chest and her arm thrown over him. She was as beautiful in sleep as she was awake, and if last night hadn't proved how much she liked him, then he suspected nothing ever would.
He hoped she realised just exactly what she meant to him too. Strangely, even though they had only known each other a couple of months by Wade's memory, he was already pretty damn sure that he loved Zoe Hart. It was crazy to even think it, but he couldn't find a better word for the feelings he had for her, overwhelming as they were.
Last night had been like nothing else he ever knew before. All those women he had supposedly taken into his bed, maybe even Zoe herself, though Wade couldn't be sure on that, he had no memory of any of it. All he knew was Zoe and their time together last night, which had been nothing short of amazing, as far as he was concerned. He could only hope she felt the same.
Everything had seemed pretty positive when it was happening. She looked and sounded happy enough during the event itself, and she had fallen asleep right there beside him, curled up in his arms, like the most natural thing in the world, no suggestion of her heading back to her own place or anything. Wade was glad about that, but he was fairly certain he'd feel even better when she woke up and told him she had no regrets.
As if his willing it to happen made it so, Zoe began to stir then. Her eyes flickered open and she tipped her head back to look up at Wade, smiling when she saw him watching her.
"Hey," she greeted him sleepily. "What time is it?"
"Uh, no idea," Wade admitted, turning to check the clock on the nightstand. "A little after seven."
"Okay." Zoe nodded against his chest as she seemed to try to wake up enough to focus properly. "I don't think I've slept that well in a while," she said, smiling up at him once again. "Are you okay?"
Wade wasn't sure why she felt the need to ask. Maybe he was looking at her weird. He wouldn't be surprised given all his serious thoughts before she woke up. Maybe she was just worried after his health. After all, she was a doctor, as well as his friend, and apparently his lover now, and he was still suffering from amnesia and such.
"I'm... good," he told her after thinking on it a little while.
Zoe didn't look all that convinced, shifting away from him a little, her head propped on her hand now.
"Are you sure?" she checked. "Wade, come on, talk to me, please. After what we did last night, I thought... well, I thought it all meant something."
"Zoe, you know that it did," Wade assured her fast. "Come on now, you know how I was about the whole taking you to bed thing. Scared the hell outta me, since... well, as far as my memories go, I never..."
"I know." She nodded in understanding. "But, for the record, you handled it all very well," she said awkwardly, actually blushing as she tried to explain. "You know, it was all good from where I was standing... not that I was standing, I just... you know what I mean."
"Yeah, I figure I do," Wade agreed, feeling the heat rise in his own face when he did so.
It was a very weird situation, talking about sex and feeling so flustered. He had a notion this was not the way he usually was about that kind of thing. From what folks had told him, he had a rep with the ladies for being kind of a hero in the sack. Seemed to him he hadn't lost any of his ability to please, at least as far as Zoe was concerned. Seemed to Wade that meant there was no reason for him to be feeling so bashful, and yet.
"You, uh... you're not gonna tell me if we ever did that before, are ya?" he asked Zoe then, looking sideways at her.
"Wade..."
His name came out like a warning and he wished the question had never left his lips. It wasn't fair to ask questions he knew damn well she wasn't supposed to answer. Besides, he really didn't wanna ruin such a great moment as waking up beside Zoe Hart after a real night to remember.
"I'm sorry," he told her fast, reaching to pull her close in his arms. "Forget I asked. Here, I'll even help the process along," he said, kissing her soundly.
She melted into his embrace, just like she had last night, kissing him back, pushing herself on top of him, without a moment's pause. They were soon rolling around together like young lovers, and Wade supposed that was what they were. Love certainly had to be a part of it, he was sure on that, though he had yet to say as much.
It didn't really matter, he supposed. Zoe hadn't said it to him either, those three little words that made such a difference. Maybe they never said it, or maybe they had once. It was one more thing in a long list that Wade didn't remember.
As the kissing and touching continued, Wade forgot to worry about what might've happened before his amnesia, or even what might happen with him and Zoe this go around. All he knew was that she made him happy, and as far as he could tell, he was pretty good at making her happy too, in bed and every other place besides. Seemed like a real good place to start.
"Wow, just look at you. So... graceful," said Annabeth as Zoe stumbled in through the door of the practice. "Also, looking like you slept with a hanger in your mouth," she noted as her friend drew closer to the reception desk. "Well, Zoe Hart, if I didn't know any better, I would say you had a real satisfying time last night," she said with particular emphasis that was impossible to ignore.
Zoe giggled as she looked left and right, checking nobody else was around to hear. Even then, she leaned most of the way over the desk and whispered, just to be on the safe side.
"I stayed at the gatehouse last night, with Wade," she said, smiling widely yet.
"Well, finally!" AB exclaimed loudly, lowering her voice again immediately that Zoe shushed her - after all, Brick was in his office and would hear if they talked too loud. "And was it...?" she asked in a lower register, making vague gestures with her hand. "I mean, he has no memory of how exactly, but that whole thing is fairly instinct-based, right?"
"Oh, yeah," Zoe agreed, nodding her head. "Wade has very, very good instincts," she said pointedly. "I mean, obviously, it was different. All that experience and... well, there's a bunch of stuff that wouldn't even occur to this version of Wade, that the other Wade would just... Okay, you probably don't need details."
"Really don't," AB assured her, "but it was...? I mean, a good time was had by all?"
"A very good time." Zoe grinned all over again. "It was different, like I said, but it was so, so special. He means so much to me AB. There were a couple of times when I came so close to telling him. You know, to saying, 'I love you.' It was really hard to stop myself, but I just had to."
"Well, why would you not want to tell Wade you love him?" AB asked, shaking her head. "I'm sure he'd be thrilled."
"Wade from before would've been thrilled," Zoe reminded her. "Wade now has only known me a couple of months. If I suddenly tell him I love him after eight weeks of getting to know each other and just starting to date and everything? I don't want to scare him, not when things are going so well."
Annabeth looked kind of sad about that, but at least she seemed to understand. Zoe needed that right now. She needed someone to nod and smile and tell her she was handling this situation okay. After all, it was fairly unprecedented.
She couldn't imagine she was the only person on the planet to get back with an ex who had amnesia, but she doubted it was a common occurrence. Zoe could know all the medical jargon in the world, but it was never really going to help her know the best way to handle her feelings for Wade, or his for her. It was so complicated when she let herself think about it too much, which is why she was so glad to just forget during last night's events.
"The smile is back," said AB, grinning almost as much herself by now. "I can't tell you how happy I am for y'all. You and Wade make the sweetest couple, and trust me, having known him his whole life, I never thought I'd be describing him that way, no matter who he dated. You bring out the best side of him, Zoe Hart."
"He does the same for me, trust me," Zoe assured her. "It's like, when I'm with him, I'm the best version of myself, and believe me, I didn't see that coming either, not when we first met, that's for sure."
The phone ringing on the desk got Annabeth's attention, and then the door behind Zoe opened and closed, Delma Warner rushing in with some skin rash that she was all panicked about. It seemed the working day was starting right here and that meant no more talk or even time to think about her personal life. Zoe was okay with that. There would be plenty of time for her and Wade later.
"So, I noticed a certain lady doctor leaving the gatehouse early on this morning," said Lavon, looking across the pool table at Wade as they shifted the furniture further across the room. "Now, I know it ain't the place of a gentleman to kiss and tell, but I'm guessin'... it happened?" he said pointedly.
He was smiling so wide, Wade almost thought Lavon was trying to match his own grin, though he doubted that would be possible somehow. Not given how happy he was about him and Zoe and all.
"Yeah, it happened," he admitted, setting the table down and checking they had it straight and still far enough from the wall. "Makes me wonder what I was so worried about now. I guess I shoulda known that anything that happened with Zoe was gonna be something special."
Lavon nodded his head. "Yes, sir, you and Big Z have always been..." he trailed off, clearly remembering almost too late that he wasn't supposed to say anything to Wade about how things used to be before his accident. "Well, from what Zoe told me, you already know this ain't the first time you two have been a couple, right?"
Wade wasn't sure how to answer that question. Zoe once confirmed that they had been more than friends at one time, but she never explained any further and he knew better than to ask. He tried to find out this morning if they ever went to bed together before, but immediately regretted it, since he knew it was unfair to put her in that awkward position.
Now, he had the chance to ask Lavon for more information and his friend might even tell him, but somehow, Wade couldn't bring himself to do it. It would feel wrong, not just to use Lavon like that, but to betray Zoe in some weird way, to go behind her back and find out information she couldn't or wouldn't tell him herself. Lavon just said they had been a couple, which seemed like more than a few casual dates or whatever, but Wade wasn't sure it mattered much anyhow.
"The past is whatever it is," he said, waving his hand in a dismissive gesture. "I don't remember and maybe I never will. Either which way, I know what I feel right now," he explained, pressing his finger into the top of the pool table to make his point more firmly. "I know that what I feel for Zoe... it's gotta be love, man. I got no other words for it."
"Yeah," said Lavon, smiling once again. "I always thought you two were made for each other."
"Now I just gotta hope Zoe thinks so too," he said, making to lean his back against the tables edge. "You reckon so, right?"
"I do," Lavon agreed, leaning beside him. "Even puttin' the past behind you, lookin' at the way you two have been since she came home and you had your bump on the head and all, plain as day to anybody with a brain, you two are perfect for each other. Zoe only has eyes for you, Wade, m'boy. So, if you feel the same-"
"Which I do."
"Then tell her," said Lavon, slapping him on the back. "Don't waste time thinkin' about it, just do it," he said definitely, moving to walk away when a phone began to ring in the distance.
Wade was smiling to himself as he reached into his pocket for his own cell and scrolled down the contact list to Zoe's number. He considered for just a moment before hitting the button to call her up. It was around lunch time, so he hoped maybe she would be able to answer between appointments or whatever. His grin doubled in size when she picked up.
"Hey, you," she said, sounding happy enough to hear from him.
"Hey, there, Zoe," he replied. "I, uh... I was just thinkin' about last night."
"I have to admit, it has been invading my thoughts too, probably more than it should in a professional setting. It was such a special night, Wade, it really was."
"Yeah, for me too," he admitted. "Listen, Zoe, and I don't just mean the part at my place either, though obviously, that was... well, it was amazing. What I'm sayin' is, well, any time I spend with you is the best time, you know? So, I was thinkin', we should figure out some time for another date, maybe to one of those fancy restaurants you like, outta town?"
"Well, I'm not going to say no to that," Zoe told him, with a smile he could just hear. "Um, I'm actually on call the next couple of nights, since Brick is going away on a hunting trip, but after that, I'm free."
"I'll check the schedule over at the Rammer Jammer, see which nights work and then we'll fix something up. Maybe this weekend?"
"Sounds great. I'm so sorry, Wade, but I have to go. Patients to see."
"Go save them lives, doc," he told her, "I'll talk to you soon."
They ended their call then, but Wade's smile was going absolutely nowhere. He was going to fix up the perfect date for him and Zoe, and over a special dinner in some real fancy place she would go crazy for, he was going to tell her that he loved her.
Honestly, he wondered if he would be able to hold it in for as long as a couple of days, but Wade was going to try. He wanted it to be a real special date and special moment for him and Zoe. In his opinion, it was no less than she deserved.
To Be Continued...
A/N2: Is now a good time to mention this fic is heading fast towards an ending?