Dixie sat at Tad's bedside, twisting her fingers with his. "Nothing
happened, baby," she said to him. "He wanted it to, I know he did, but I
would never do something like that to you. Especially not now." Dixie
paused and ran her fingers back through his hair. She then took his hand
and placed it gently on her belly. "We waited for this for so long, Tad,"
she said. "A baby. A tiny little person, who's going to have... your
personality and my smile. Or... if it's a little boy, your rakish good
looks." She laughed before growing serious again. "I know how bad you
wanted this. How can you miss it? How can you lay there and not open your
eyes?" Dixie paused. "I've been here everyday since the beginning of
December... It's almost March. It's been almost three months." The tears
began to flow down her cheeks. "I can't take this anymore, Tad. I can't do
this on my own. I need you to get through it. I need you to be here with me
when this baby is born. I want you to... be able to hold your son or
daughter. I want you to be... the proudest daddy in Pine Valley. The kind
like in those old TV shows we used to catch the ends of while lying in bed
at night. Pushing the baby's carriage through the park... chin held high,"
she laughed, wiping the tears from her eyes. "Don't you want that?" She
rested her head down on his chest.
Out of the corner of her eye, Dixie saw one of the monitors spike. Her head shot up and she jumped to her feet, rushing to the door. "Hey!" she called down the hallway. "Jake!" she saw him standing at the nurses station. "Get over here, quick!"
Jake dropped his files and ran to Tad's room. "What is it, Dixie?" he asked, putting his stethoscope around his neck.
"I... I don't know. I was sitting here, just talking to him and this thing here beeped and the top line," she said pointing. "This one here, went way up."
Jake took a look, taking Dixie's hand. "It's alright, Dixie," he said. "It's OK, calm down."
"Is he OK?" Dixie choked, her lip quivering as Jake checked Tad's pulse and vitals.
"OK?" Jake said. "This is better than OK, Dixie. This is wonderful." Dixie's jaw dropped slightly, questioning Jake. "He's responding. He's finally responding to you."
"Then he really does know that I'm here?" Dixie's smile grew, her tears turned to tears of joy. "And he heard what I said?"
"I'm assuming every word." Dixie sat back down beside Tad, taking his hand again in hers. "Boy you sure do know how to pick the meaty conversations," she said to him, recalling that she had told him about the advances Adam Chandler had made towards her at the party. She looked back up at Jake. "Does this mean he'll be waking up soon?" she asked.
Jake took a deep breath. "I don't want to jump to any conclusions, Dixie," he said. "I'll get the neurologist to take a look at him."
"Could you have Maria do it?" Dixie asked him. "Jake, please?"
"I'll ask her," Jake said, walking up to Dixie and putting his fingers on her neck, checking her pulse. "You're feeling alright?"
"Just excited," Dixie smiled as Jake took his stethoscope and began examining her. "What is it?"
"You're sure you're feeling OK?" Dixie nodded. "Honestly, Dixie. You haven't been, tired... nauseous, faint..."
"Sure," Dixie admitted. "It's called pregnancy." she paused. "Right?" Jake continued to listen to her chest. "Jake, you're scaring me."
"I'd like to put you in a room over night."
"I just got out of here, what's wrong?" Jake was silent. "Just tell me, please."
"I'm concerned about your heart."
Dixie's eyes widened. "What about my heart? The pericardia?"
"It may be nothing," Jake said. "I just want to be cautious."
Dixie pursed her lips. her eyes watered. "OK," she said. She stood, moving to the head of Tad's bed. She bent down and kissed his forehead. She then walked back over to Jake.
Jake put his arm around her shoulder and began to lead her out of the room when Dixie stopped and burst into tears, throwing her arms around his waist. "What's happening?" Dixie cried. "Everything was fine. I was fine, Tad was fine. Our life was perfect. But then everything just... turned around. Now, tad's lying there in a coma. This whole thing gives me stress and plants me in here." Dixie paused and wiped her eyes. "Then I found out I was pregnant.... my husband's still in the hospital. I collapse again. It may be my heart, it may not be. I'm told to take it easy, I do. Time goes by, still no change... I go to a charity ball where my ex-husband attempts to seduce me. Only to come back here, to learn that Tad just might be getting better. At last, a tiny glimmer of hope. But now... my heart again." Dixie moved her hand quickly down to her belly. She closes her eyes, briefly and takes a deep breath. "I can't take this anymore, Jake. I can't..." Dixie cringed, tightening her grip on Jake's arm. Her knees gave out beneath her and Jake quickly kept her from hitting the floor.
Jake managed to get the door open a crack. "Hey," he called. "Get a gurney in here! Hurry!"
Out of the corner of her eye, Dixie saw one of the monitors spike. Her head shot up and she jumped to her feet, rushing to the door. "Hey!" she called down the hallway. "Jake!" she saw him standing at the nurses station. "Get over here, quick!"
Jake dropped his files and ran to Tad's room. "What is it, Dixie?" he asked, putting his stethoscope around his neck.
"I... I don't know. I was sitting here, just talking to him and this thing here beeped and the top line," she said pointing. "This one here, went way up."
Jake took a look, taking Dixie's hand. "It's alright, Dixie," he said. "It's OK, calm down."
"Is he OK?" Dixie choked, her lip quivering as Jake checked Tad's pulse and vitals.
"OK?" Jake said. "This is better than OK, Dixie. This is wonderful." Dixie's jaw dropped slightly, questioning Jake. "He's responding. He's finally responding to you."
"Then he really does know that I'm here?" Dixie's smile grew, her tears turned to tears of joy. "And he heard what I said?"
"I'm assuming every word." Dixie sat back down beside Tad, taking his hand again in hers. "Boy you sure do know how to pick the meaty conversations," she said to him, recalling that she had told him about the advances Adam Chandler had made towards her at the party. She looked back up at Jake. "Does this mean he'll be waking up soon?" she asked.
Jake took a deep breath. "I don't want to jump to any conclusions, Dixie," he said. "I'll get the neurologist to take a look at him."
"Could you have Maria do it?" Dixie asked him. "Jake, please?"
"I'll ask her," Jake said, walking up to Dixie and putting his fingers on her neck, checking her pulse. "You're feeling alright?"
"Just excited," Dixie smiled as Jake took his stethoscope and began examining her. "What is it?"
"You're sure you're feeling OK?" Dixie nodded. "Honestly, Dixie. You haven't been, tired... nauseous, faint..."
"Sure," Dixie admitted. "It's called pregnancy." she paused. "Right?" Jake continued to listen to her chest. "Jake, you're scaring me."
"I'd like to put you in a room over night."
"I just got out of here, what's wrong?" Jake was silent. "Just tell me, please."
"I'm concerned about your heart."
Dixie's eyes widened. "What about my heart? The pericardia?"
"It may be nothing," Jake said. "I just want to be cautious."
Dixie pursed her lips. her eyes watered. "OK," she said. She stood, moving to the head of Tad's bed. She bent down and kissed his forehead. She then walked back over to Jake.
Jake put his arm around her shoulder and began to lead her out of the room when Dixie stopped and burst into tears, throwing her arms around his waist. "What's happening?" Dixie cried. "Everything was fine. I was fine, Tad was fine. Our life was perfect. But then everything just... turned around. Now, tad's lying there in a coma. This whole thing gives me stress and plants me in here." Dixie paused and wiped her eyes. "Then I found out I was pregnant.... my husband's still in the hospital. I collapse again. It may be my heart, it may not be. I'm told to take it easy, I do. Time goes by, still no change... I go to a charity ball where my ex-husband attempts to seduce me. Only to come back here, to learn that Tad just might be getting better. At last, a tiny glimmer of hope. But now... my heart again." Dixie moved her hand quickly down to her belly. She closes her eyes, briefly and takes a deep breath. "I can't take this anymore, Jake. I can't..." Dixie cringed, tightening her grip on Jake's arm. Her knees gave out beneath her and Jake quickly kept her from hitting the floor.
Jake managed to get the door open a crack. "Hey," he called. "Get a gurney in here! Hurry!"
