Dixie ran into the hospital. Through all the confusion, she had
managed to lose Jamie, and at that moment, wasn't even worried about
finding Brooke and JR. She was shaking uncontrollably. "Where is he?" she
asked with a quiver in her voice. "Tad. Tad Martin. Is he OK?" It seemed as
though Dixie was losing her mind. "Why won't anybody tell me anything?"
"Dixie?" Jake walked up to her and took her by the arms to steady her. "Calm... calm down." He led her to a seat.
"Why won't anybody tell me what happened to Tad. I just want to know that he's OK. Jake, what happened? Where is he? Please."
"Tad's car skid on the ice," Jake tried to explain to her, but as Tad's brother, he was finding it difficult. "He... he hit a tree."
The tears were streaming down Dixie's face. "But he is alright, Jake," She said. "Tad's OK, isn't he?" Jake was silent. "Jake?"
"He hit his head..." he began. "Hard, Dixie. He's not awake. they don't know how long it will be before he does wake up."
"But he will. Tad... will wake up, and he'll be fine."
"Dixie... I'm not going to lie to you. I don't know."
Dixie closed her eyes and brought her hands up to her face. Jake put his arms around her as she cried on his shoulder. "I want to see him."
"We can do that," Jake said. He took her hand and slowly took her to a room and stopped outside the door. "Before you go in there, I just want to warn you. There are a lot of machines..." Dixie nodded, clearly just wanting to see her husband. They pushed their way inside.
Dixie slowly approached Tad's bed. He was lying more still than she had ever seen him. His forehead was bruised and had a gash on it. He had machines hooked up to him, monitoring his heart rate and breathing.
All of a sudden, the room started spinning. Dixie took hold of a chair as her legs began to wobble. Sitting down, she put her head in her hands for a moment while everything returned to normal.
Dixie reached her hand out and took Tad's. "Tad?" she said, rubbing his hand. "Can he hear me? she asked Jake.
"I think he can." Dixie looked up at Jake as if asking him, silently, to leave her alone with Tad. "I'll... be out there if you need me," Jake said, taking her hint.
Dixie waited until Jake had completely left the room before she took a seat on the edge of Tad's bed. "If you can hear anyone, you can hear me. So...I need you to listen to me, Tad. I need you to open up your eyes so we can go home." Dixie paused a moment, waiting for Tad to comply. When he didn't as much as flinch, Dixie continued. "Come on, Tad," she cried. "This isn't funny... This isn't..." Dixie paused, trying to compose herself. "Oh, God, Tad" she said as she ran her fingers back through his hair. "Why did this happen? You're going to be OK. I promise. You're going to be fine. I'm not going anywhere until you're better." She rested her head down on his chest. "I'm going to stay right here with you in this hospital until you wake up." Dixie sniffled. "You can't leave me, Tad. My life is over if you do. I'd just die if you..." Dixie silently wept, moving her hand up and down Tad's chest.
"Jamie and Junior are here. And Brooke too, and Jake. They're all here," Dixie said after a while. "Somewhere," she added under her breath. "We all want you to wake up." She sat erect and went back to combing her fingers back through his hair. "We love you so much. I love you." Dixie wiped her eyes again. "Look at you. Just this morning everything was fine. You warned me about the ice before I went to work and now..."
The door of the room opened slowly and Jamie walked in, his head down. Dixie stood and walked over to him and he fell into her arms. Jamie just couldn't hold it in any longer.
"Shh," Dixie said. "It's alright. It's all going to be OK, Jamie."
"I can't see him like this," Jamie said through his tears.
"He's still the same person. He's still your father. You don't have to be afraid of him."
Jamie looked up and started to make his way towards the bed. His steps were small, like a child learning to walk. His ran his shirt sleeve under his nose.
"You can talk to him," Dixie told him. "Go ahead."
Jamie felt awkward at first. "Hey, Dad," he started. "It's me. It's Jamie."
"I'll leave you with him for a little while," Dixie said.
Jamie was silent as he hear the door open. "Dixie?" he said, turning around. She faced him. "Thanks."
Dixie turned again and exited the room. She took a deep breath as she headed to the elevator. She rode it down to the lobby and then quickly walked outside. She needed some air. Out of habit, Dixie clicked her cell phone on. She leaned up against the side of the building, just to stand there a while to clear her mind.
Suddenly, Dixie's cell phone began to beep. She picked it up and noticed the voice message icon. She proceeded to dial into her mailbox and put the phone to her ear.
"Message received at 8:17 AM," the computer generated voice said, before the message began to play. "Guess who?" Dixie's eyes began to water at the sound of Tad's voice. "Maria just called. Give her a call. I'm on my way out now to buy some pens. What do you grade your papers with, Dix?" Tad laughed. "Hey, while I'm out, I'll make reservations at that restaurant you like. Then later tonight we'll go... back to the video tape. I'll call you later. Love you."
Dixie pulled the phone away from her ear and sank to the ground, sliding her back against the wall. "Oh," she sobbed. "Why did you go out for me?" her emotions were running wild. "Why did you go, Tad?" Dixie cried loudly. She just couldn't gain control of herself. "Why?"
"Dixie?" Jake walked up to her and took her by the arms to steady her. "Calm... calm down." He led her to a seat.
"Why won't anybody tell me what happened to Tad. I just want to know that he's OK. Jake, what happened? Where is he? Please."
"Tad's car skid on the ice," Jake tried to explain to her, but as Tad's brother, he was finding it difficult. "He... he hit a tree."
The tears were streaming down Dixie's face. "But he is alright, Jake," She said. "Tad's OK, isn't he?" Jake was silent. "Jake?"
"He hit his head..." he began. "Hard, Dixie. He's not awake. they don't know how long it will be before he does wake up."
"But he will. Tad... will wake up, and he'll be fine."
"Dixie... I'm not going to lie to you. I don't know."
Dixie closed her eyes and brought her hands up to her face. Jake put his arms around her as she cried on his shoulder. "I want to see him."
"We can do that," Jake said. He took her hand and slowly took her to a room and stopped outside the door. "Before you go in there, I just want to warn you. There are a lot of machines..." Dixie nodded, clearly just wanting to see her husband. They pushed their way inside.
Dixie slowly approached Tad's bed. He was lying more still than she had ever seen him. His forehead was bruised and had a gash on it. He had machines hooked up to him, monitoring his heart rate and breathing.
All of a sudden, the room started spinning. Dixie took hold of a chair as her legs began to wobble. Sitting down, she put her head in her hands for a moment while everything returned to normal.
Dixie reached her hand out and took Tad's. "Tad?" she said, rubbing his hand. "Can he hear me? she asked Jake.
"I think he can." Dixie looked up at Jake as if asking him, silently, to leave her alone with Tad. "I'll... be out there if you need me," Jake said, taking her hint.
Dixie waited until Jake had completely left the room before she took a seat on the edge of Tad's bed. "If you can hear anyone, you can hear me. So...I need you to listen to me, Tad. I need you to open up your eyes so we can go home." Dixie paused a moment, waiting for Tad to comply. When he didn't as much as flinch, Dixie continued. "Come on, Tad," she cried. "This isn't funny... This isn't..." Dixie paused, trying to compose herself. "Oh, God, Tad" she said as she ran her fingers back through his hair. "Why did this happen? You're going to be OK. I promise. You're going to be fine. I'm not going anywhere until you're better." She rested her head down on his chest. "I'm going to stay right here with you in this hospital until you wake up." Dixie sniffled. "You can't leave me, Tad. My life is over if you do. I'd just die if you..." Dixie silently wept, moving her hand up and down Tad's chest.
"Jamie and Junior are here. And Brooke too, and Jake. They're all here," Dixie said after a while. "Somewhere," she added under her breath. "We all want you to wake up." She sat erect and went back to combing her fingers back through his hair. "We love you so much. I love you." Dixie wiped her eyes again. "Look at you. Just this morning everything was fine. You warned me about the ice before I went to work and now..."
The door of the room opened slowly and Jamie walked in, his head down. Dixie stood and walked over to him and he fell into her arms. Jamie just couldn't hold it in any longer.
"Shh," Dixie said. "It's alright. It's all going to be OK, Jamie."
"I can't see him like this," Jamie said through his tears.
"He's still the same person. He's still your father. You don't have to be afraid of him."
Jamie looked up and started to make his way towards the bed. His steps were small, like a child learning to walk. His ran his shirt sleeve under his nose.
"You can talk to him," Dixie told him. "Go ahead."
Jamie felt awkward at first. "Hey, Dad," he started. "It's me. It's Jamie."
"I'll leave you with him for a little while," Dixie said.
Jamie was silent as he hear the door open. "Dixie?" he said, turning around. She faced him. "Thanks."
Dixie turned again and exited the room. She took a deep breath as she headed to the elevator. She rode it down to the lobby and then quickly walked outside. She needed some air. Out of habit, Dixie clicked her cell phone on. She leaned up against the side of the building, just to stand there a while to clear her mind.
Suddenly, Dixie's cell phone began to beep. She picked it up and noticed the voice message icon. She proceeded to dial into her mailbox and put the phone to her ear.
"Message received at 8:17 AM," the computer generated voice said, before the message began to play. "Guess who?" Dixie's eyes began to water at the sound of Tad's voice. "Maria just called. Give her a call. I'm on my way out now to buy some pens. What do you grade your papers with, Dix?" Tad laughed. "Hey, while I'm out, I'll make reservations at that restaurant you like. Then later tonight we'll go... back to the video tape. I'll call you later. Love you."
Dixie pulled the phone away from her ear and sank to the ground, sliding her back against the wall. "Oh," she sobbed. "Why did you go out for me?" her emotions were running wild. "Why did you go, Tad?" Dixie cried loudly. She just couldn't gain control of herself. "Why?"
