Tad and JR sat silently together for a while. Nothing else seemed to
matter at that moment, except for the fact that they shared the same
feelings over Dixie's tragic death. This was one of the first times since
Dixie's memorial that Tad and JR actually took a moment to sit down
together and start to sort through their feelings. It had been a trying
time for both of them, and would continue to be, but at least now, JR had
come to realize that Tad was there to back him up.
The peace and serenity of the evening was soon interrupted. A blood curdling scream came from around the back of the house. Tad and JR shot eachother a quick glance and jumped to their feet to run around back.
The screaming continued as JR and Tad reached the yard. Greenlee was on her knees. "Oh, my God." she cried. "Oh, God. He's dead."
Tad pushed his way to her. Jake was lying limp in her arms. "Jamie, go call an ambulance." Jamie stood in shock. "Go, Jamie! Now!" Tad yelled. Jamie ran back into the house.
"He just collapsed," Greenlee said.
"Lay him down," Tad said, putting his fingers on Jake's neck, checking for a pulse. He pushed the hair back on his head. "OK, alright. Tilt his head back and pinch his nose."
"Do you know what you're doing?" Brooke asked.
"Trust me," Tad said and then looked at Greenlee. "Now listen to me. When I tell you to, give him a good breath." Greenlee nodded nervously. Tad took the heel of his hands and pressed on Jake's chest. "Now," he said after a few times. Greenlee breathed. Tad went back to work as Jamie ran out of the house.
"They're on their way," Jamie said. He stood back and watched as Tad continued CPR on Jake. His mouth was gaping as he looked over at his mother.
"Again," Tad said to Greenlee. "Come on, Jake. Don't you dare give up on us now," Tad said, continuing compressions. "Again."
All eyes were tear filled and silence filled the air, except for Tad giving instructions to Greenlee, when to breath. It wasn't hard for anyone to hear the sirens of the ambulance as it approached the Martin house. It was almost a sound of relief.
The EMTs appeared in the yard and took over working on Jake. Tad and Greenlee stood and watched helplessly as the EMTs lifted him onto a stretcher and began to wheel him back to the ambulance.
"Go with him, Greenlee," Tad said. "We'll meet you at the hospital." Greenlee didn't say a word, but the look in her eyes thanked Tad as she ran to follow Jake.
"We'll take the boys," Ruth said. "Brooke?" she asked, motioning towards Tad.
Brooke nodded. "Don't worry," Brooke assured her. "JR, Jamie. Go with Joe and Ruth. We'll be right behind you."
Tad walked back into the house as JR and Jamie left for the hospital with his parents. Brooke stood in the doorway expecting a disaster.
"It's happening all over again," Tad said, turning to her. "I can't go through this again, Brooke. Not with my brother. Not with Jake."
Brooke slowly moved closer to him. She lightly touched Tad's shoulder. Tad bent his head down and rested it on the top of hers as she comfortingly put her arms around him.
"Jake's going to be fine, Tad," Brooke said.
"I want to believe that . I really do, but I can't hope for the best when..."
"Don't even talk like that," Brooke said. "You know better than that, Tad." Tad had a solemn look on his face. "Come on, let's go. I'll drive."
Tad shook his head. "I can't."
"Come on." Brooke took his hand. Tad squeezed it lightly. "It's OK. Let's go."
Greenlee paced back and forth in the hospital waiting room. She kept looking up at the clock. Jamie and JR sat with their heads in their hands.
"Have you heard anything?" Brooke asked as she entered the room with Tad.
"Not yet," JR said. "Joe and Ruth are out trying to figure out what's going on."
Tad walked over to Greenlee. She sunk her head into his chest, in tears. "We've done everything we could do," Tad said, putting his arms around her. "We did good, Greenlee."
"I wish he would have just let David help him," Greenlee said. "He just asked for too much. David asked for too much."
"What are you talking about?" Tad asked.
"David..." Greenlee managed to say between her tears. "He wanted Jake to give him a clean record and... the chief of staff position. Jake turned him down." Tad didn't say a word. He pulled away from her and quickly exited the waiting room. "Tad!" Greenlee called after him. "Where are you..." she looked at Brooke. "Where is he going?" Brooke shook her head as they both stood speechless.
Brooke was going to be upset that he had taken her car, but at that moment, the thought of that was furthest from Tad's mind.
He drove for a long time. He wasn't even consciously paying attention to where he was going. He just knew that he would get there. The only thing that was on Tad's mind at that very moment was Jake, and the fear of losing his brother.
The car came to a stop and Tad stepped out. He made his way to the front door and banged on it loudly. After a moment, the door swung open. David Hayward stood in the entrance.
Tad pushed his way inside, pinning David up against the wall of the cabin. "Listen to me you son of a bitch," Tad said. "If Jake dies, I'll kill you myself."
The peace and serenity of the evening was soon interrupted. A blood curdling scream came from around the back of the house. Tad and JR shot eachother a quick glance and jumped to their feet to run around back.
The screaming continued as JR and Tad reached the yard. Greenlee was on her knees. "Oh, my God." she cried. "Oh, God. He's dead."
Tad pushed his way to her. Jake was lying limp in her arms. "Jamie, go call an ambulance." Jamie stood in shock. "Go, Jamie! Now!" Tad yelled. Jamie ran back into the house.
"He just collapsed," Greenlee said.
"Lay him down," Tad said, putting his fingers on Jake's neck, checking for a pulse. He pushed the hair back on his head. "OK, alright. Tilt his head back and pinch his nose."
"Do you know what you're doing?" Brooke asked.
"Trust me," Tad said and then looked at Greenlee. "Now listen to me. When I tell you to, give him a good breath." Greenlee nodded nervously. Tad took the heel of his hands and pressed on Jake's chest. "Now," he said after a few times. Greenlee breathed. Tad went back to work as Jamie ran out of the house.
"They're on their way," Jamie said. He stood back and watched as Tad continued CPR on Jake. His mouth was gaping as he looked over at his mother.
"Again," Tad said to Greenlee. "Come on, Jake. Don't you dare give up on us now," Tad said, continuing compressions. "Again."
All eyes were tear filled and silence filled the air, except for Tad giving instructions to Greenlee, when to breath. It wasn't hard for anyone to hear the sirens of the ambulance as it approached the Martin house. It was almost a sound of relief.
The EMTs appeared in the yard and took over working on Jake. Tad and Greenlee stood and watched helplessly as the EMTs lifted him onto a stretcher and began to wheel him back to the ambulance.
"Go with him, Greenlee," Tad said. "We'll meet you at the hospital." Greenlee didn't say a word, but the look in her eyes thanked Tad as she ran to follow Jake.
"We'll take the boys," Ruth said. "Brooke?" she asked, motioning towards Tad.
Brooke nodded. "Don't worry," Brooke assured her. "JR, Jamie. Go with Joe and Ruth. We'll be right behind you."
Tad walked back into the house as JR and Jamie left for the hospital with his parents. Brooke stood in the doorway expecting a disaster.
"It's happening all over again," Tad said, turning to her. "I can't go through this again, Brooke. Not with my brother. Not with Jake."
Brooke slowly moved closer to him. She lightly touched Tad's shoulder. Tad bent his head down and rested it on the top of hers as she comfortingly put her arms around him.
"Jake's going to be fine, Tad," Brooke said.
"I want to believe that . I really do, but I can't hope for the best when..."
"Don't even talk like that," Brooke said. "You know better than that, Tad." Tad had a solemn look on his face. "Come on, let's go. I'll drive."
Tad shook his head. "I can't."
"Come on." Brooke took his hand. Tad squeezed it lightly. "It's OK. Let's go."
Greenlee paced back and forth in the hospital waiting room. She kept looking up at the clock. Jamie and JR sat with their heads in their hands.
"Have you heard anything?" Brooke asked as she entered the room with Tad.
"Not yet," JR said. "Joe and Ruth are out trying to figure out what's going on."
Tad walked over to Greenlee. She sunk her head into his chest, in tears. "We've done everything we could do," Tad said, putting his arms around her. "We did good, Greenlee."
"I wish he would have just let David help him," Greenlee said. "He just asked for too much. David asked for too much."
"What are you talking about?" Tad asked.
"David..." Greenlee managed to say between her tears. "He wanted Jake to give him a clean record and... the chief of staff position. Jake turned him down." Tad didn't say a word. He pulled away from her and quickly exited the waiting room. "Tad!" Greenlee called after him. "Where are you..." she looked at Brooke. "Where is he going?" Brooke shook her head as they both stood speechless.
Brooke was going to be upset that he had taken her car, but at that moment, the thought of that was furthest from Tad's mind.
He drove for a long time. He wasn't even consciously paying attention to where he was going. He just knew that he would get there. The only thing that was on Tad's mind at that very moment was Jake, and the fear of losing his brother.
The car came to a stop and Tad stepped out. He made his way to the front door and banged on it loudly. After a moment, the door swung open. David Hayward stood in the entrance.
Tad pushed his way inside, pinning David up against the wall of the cabin. "Listen to me you son of a bitch," Tad said. "If Jake dies, I'll kill you myself."