Whirlwind
"No matter how tough it gets along the way, if we hold on to two things, we'll do okay. Two things, Dixie. Humor and Love." ~Tad Martin
"If I had to live this day over, I wouldn't change one blessed thing. Not one step that got me here with you right now. I want to be here. I belong here. I love you more than anything. And what's more... I don't want to live without you. You are an answer to a very big question: Where's the rest of my heart? Dixie, you're in my blood. You're in a place in me so deep no one else is ever gonna be able to get there again." ~Tad Martin
"You clod-don't you know by now that I would just curl up and die inside if anything ever happened to you? Even if this is it, even if we don't go any further than this, even if we're not together, and even if you and Brooke and Jamie move off to the high end of nowhere-I wouldn't want to live in a world without you in it." ~Dixie Cooney
The shades in the bedroom were pulled, but the sunlight from outside still seemed to make its way in. Tad rolled over and looked at Dixie, who was sleeping soundly beside him. Even lying in bed in the morning, Dixie still let off the most radiant beauty that Tad had ever seen. He lifted his hand and slowly ran it across her face, brushing ever so gently back on her head, her soft, beautiful curls.
Dixie stirred, letting out a soft moan, as she rolled on to her side and glanced into Tad's eyes. "Good morning," Dixie said, smiling.
Tad crept closer to her, letting his lips find his way to hers. "It sure is," Tad said as he continued to kiss her, moving down her neck.
"Easy there, tiger," Dixie said, gently pushing him away. "It's still a little early in the day for a replay of last night."
"Grrr," Tad roared, going back to kissing her. "But this is one of those instant replays."
Dixie locked her fingers behind his neck. "Tad." she said. "Later." Discouraged, Tad pulled away. "What time is it?"
"About eight o'clock."
Dixie quickly shot up in bed and looked at her watch. "Eight o'clock? I'm late again."
"Oh, so you're a little late," Tad said as Dixie jumped out of bed and ran to the bathroom.
"This is the third time in two weeks. What am I going to say this time?"
"Why don't you."
"I'm sorry I'm late, Constance. I was in bed with my husband."
"Constance Andrews?" Tad asked her. "Miss Andrews with the mole and the."
"Tad," Dixie said, stepping out of the bathroom, searching for her shoes.
"What?" Tad asked as he discretely slipped into a pair of pants. "That lady must be ancient. I mean she was old when I went to PVE." He leaned over with a pair of shoes. Dixie snatched them from his hand. "And I was going to say, why don't you tell her you overslept."
"What am I going to do with you?" Dixie asked. Tad raised his eyebrows. "Don't you dare answer that." She smiled.
"Go," Tad said. "Before you're later than you already are."
Dixie bent down and kissed him on the forehead. "Maybe later you could show me that replay."
Tad kissed her. Dixie started to leave the room as Tad stood from the
bed and called to her. "Hey, Dix." Dixie turned to him. "Be careful out there. The roads are covered with ice."
Dixie nodded. "I'll see you after work." Dixie left the room, closing the door and Tad went over to the window. He waited for Dixie to walk out the front door and watched as she got into her car and pulled away.
No sooner had Dixie's car cleared the driveway that the phone rang. "JR!" Tad called as he slipped into a pair of clean clothes. The phone continued to ring. It took Tad a second to realize why. "Monday... School." He quickly hopped over the bed and picked up the receiver. "Hello... Sorry, Maria, you just missed her... That's OK, I forgot it was Monday too... I'll have her call you when she gets home... Not a problem... Bye."
Tad hung up the phone and searched desperately for a piece of paper. "Call Maria, Call Maria," he kept repeating so he wouldn't forget. "Ah," He pulled a piece of paper out of the dresser drawer. "Pen." Tad now grabbed the paper and started looking for a writing utensil. "Pen, pen, pen." Tad chanted as he walked down into the kitchen and rustled through drawers until he came upon a ball-point pen. "OK," he said as he put the pen down to the paper. "Call M-A-R." He stopped, shaking the pen up and down. "Come on," he said, talking to it, as if by doing that, the ink would flow. It didn't. Tad went back to the drawers. "Come on, Dix," he said. "What kind of teacher doesn't have any pens in her house?" Tad took a deep breath. He made his way to the front door, reached for his coat and car keys, and exited the house.
Dixie sat in her empty classroom. Lunch was the only free time that she really had, so she pulled out her cell phone and dialed the house. the phone rang over and over again, but the answering machine never picked up. She hung up and dialed Tad's cell. It too rang a few times before the voice message came on.
"Hey, Tad," she said, running her fingers back through her curls. "It's me. It's not important... I guess I'll just see you when I get home."
Dixie hung up the phone as she heard a knock on her classroom door. It swung inward and a uniformed police officer entered. "Dixie Martin?" he asked.
"Yes." Dixie's heart was in her mouth.
"I need you to come with me."
"Is it Junior?" Dixie asked. "Did he do something?"
"Please come with me, ma'am."
Dixie didn't like that she wasn't getting any answers. She stepped out of the room with the officer and was taken back at what she saw. There, Jamie Martin stood, his face stricken with fear and his eyes on the verge of letting loose a waterfall of tears.
Now Dixie knew that something definitely wasn't right. "What are you doing here?" Dixie asked Jamie. "What's wrong?"
"They came to school," Jamie said.
"Is there something wrong with your brother?" Dixie started. "Did he..."
"It's Dad." Jamie bit his bottom lip. "He was in an accident. They won't tell me anything else."
"Oh no," Dixie started to cry. Jamie wanted to be strong for her. "Oh, God."
"Mom took JR to the hospital..."
"We have to get there." Dixie said. "We have to get there." Dixie was crying uncontrollably now. She felt herself grow weak in the knees, and Jamie took her arm to stable her. "He's OK," Dixie said as they started to leave the school. "He's alright. He just has to be alright. He has to be."
"No matter how tough it gets along the way, if we hold on to two things, we'll do okay. Two things, Dixie. Humor and Love." ~Tad Martin
"If I had to live this day over, I wouldn't change one blessed thing. Not one step that got me here with you right now. I want to be here. I belong here. I love you more than anything. And what's more... I don't want to live without you. You are an answer to a very big question: Where's the rest of my heart? Dixie, you're in my blood. You're in a place in me so deep no one else is ever gonna be able to get there again." ~Tad Martin
"You clod-don't you know by now that I would just curl up and die inside if anything ever happened to you? Even if this is it, even if we don't go any further than this, even if we're not together, and even if you and Brooke and Jamie move off to the high end of nowhere-I wouldn't want to live in a world without you in it." ~Dixie Cooney
The shades in the bedroom were pulled, but the sunlight from outside still seemed to make its way in. Tad rolled over and looked at Dixie, who was sleeping soundly beside him. Even lying in bed in the morning, Dixie still let off the most radiant beauty that Tad had ever seen. He lifted his hand and slowly ran it across her face, brushing ever so gently back on her head, her soft, beautiful curls.
Dixie stirred, letting out a soft moan, as she rolled on to her side and glanced into Tad's eyes. "Good morning," Dixie said, smiling.
Tad crept closer to her, letting his lips find his way to hers. "It sure is," Tad said as he continued to kiss her, moving down her neck.
"Easy there, tiger," Dixie said, gently pushing him away. "It's still a little early in the day for a replay of last night."
"Grrr," Tad roared, going back to kissing her. "But this is one of those instant replays."
Dixie locked her fingers behind his neck. "Tad." she said. "Later." Discouraged, Tad pulled away. "What time is it?"
"About eight o'clock."
Dixie quickly shot up in bed and looked at her watch. "Eight o'clock? I'm late again."
"Oh, so you're a little late," Tad said as Dixie jumped out of bed and ran to the bathroom.
"This is the third time in two weeks. What am I going to say this time?"
"Why don't you."
"I'm sorry I'm late, Constance. I was in bed with my husband."
"Constance Andrews?" Tad asked her. "Miss Andrews with the mole and the."
"Tad," Dixie said, stepping out of the bathroom, searching for her shoes.
"What?" Tad asked as he discretely slipped into a pair of pants. "That lady must be ancient. I mean she was old when I went to PVE." He leaned over with a pair of shoes. Dixie snatched them from his hand. "And I was going to say, why don't you tell her you overslept."
"What am I going to do with you?" Dixie asked. Tad raised his eyebrows. "Don't you dare answer that." She smiled.
"Go," Tad said. "Before you're later than you already are."
Dixie bent down and kissed him on the forehead. "Maybe later you could show me that replay."
Tad kissed her. Dixie started to leave the room as Tad stood from the
bed and called to her. "Hey, Dix." Dixie turned to him. "Be careful out there. The roads are covered with ice."
Dixie nodded. "I'll see you after work." Dixie left the room, closing the door and Tad went over to the window. He waited for Dixie to walk out the front door and watched as she got into her car and pulled away.
No sooner had Dixie's car cleared the driveway that the phone rang. "JR!" Tad called as he slipped into a pair of clean clothes. The phone continued to ring. It took Tad a second to realize why. "Monday... School." He quickly hopped over the bed and picked up the receiver. "Hello... Sorry, Maria, you just missed her... That's OK, I forgot it was Monday too... I'll have her call you when she gets home... Not a problem... Bye."
Tad hung up the phone and searched desperately for a piece of paper. "Call Maria, Call Maria," he kept repeating so he wouldn't forget. "Ah," He pulled a piece of paper out of the dresser drawer. "Pen." Tad now grabbed the paper and started looking for a writing utensil. "Pen, pen, pen." Tad chanted as he walked down into the kitchen and rustled through drawers until he came upon a ball-point pen. "OK," he said as he put the pen down to the paper. "Call M-A-R." He stopped, shaking the pen up and down. "Come on," he said, talking to it, as if by doing that, the ink would flow. It didn't. Tad went back to the drawers. "Come on, Dix," he said. "What kind of teacher doesn't have any pens in her house?" Tad took a deep breath. He made his way to the front door, reached for his coat and car keys, and exited the house.
Dixie sat in her empty classroom. Lunch was the only free time that she really had, so she pulled out her cell phone and dialed the house. the phone rang over and over again, but the answering machine never picked up. She hung up and dialed Tad's cell. It too rang a few times before the voice message came on.
"Hey, Tad," she said, running her fingers back through her curls. "It's me. It's not important... I guess I'll just see you when I get home."
Dixie hung up the phone as she heard a knock on her classroom door. It swung inward and a uniformed police officer entered. "Dixie Martin?" he asked.
"Yes." Dixie's heart was in her mouth.
"I need you to come with me."
"Is it Junior?" Dixie asked. "Did he do something?"
"Please come with me, ma'am."
Dixie didn't like that she wasn't getting any answers. She stepped out of the room with the officer and was taken back at what she saw. There, Jamie Martin stood, his face stricken with fear and his eyes on the verge of letting loose a waterfall of tears.
Now Dixie knew that something definitely wasn't right. "What are you doing here?" Dixie asked Jamie. "What's wrong?"
"They came to school," Jamie said.
"Is there something wrong with your brother?" Dixie started. "Did he..."
"It's Dad." Jamie bit his bottom lip. "He was in an accident. They won't tell me anything else."
"Oh no," Dixie started to cry. Jamie wanted to be strong for her. "Oh, God."
"Mom took JR to the hospital..."
"We have to get there." Dixie said. "We have to get there." Dixie was crying uncontrollably now. She felt herself grow weak in the knees, and Jamie took her arm to stable her. "He's OK," Dixie said as they started to leave the school. "He's alright. He just has to be alright. He has to be."
