Tad stood at the nurse's station. "I want to sign myself out," he said.
"Can't I just have the paperwork and sign myself out?" There was no
response. "Come on, I'll take full responsibility. I won't hold the
hospital responsible if anything happens."
"Tad?" Jake approached him. "You should be back in bed."
"No," he said. "No, I'm fine. I just want to get out of here. I want out of this hospital. I feel better... I feel perfectly fine."
"Tad, I don't..."
"Please." Tad held his hand up, interrupting him. "Don't argue with me about this, Jake. Just get me signed out of here. " There was silence for a moment. "Look, I know you want me to stay here. But I've already been here since December. I feel fine. I'm walking around... I just want to sign out of here. I want to be with Dixie. Understand that, Jake."
Jake was silent. "I'll sign you out on one condition." Tad nodded. "You need to take it easy. And the minute... if anything feels strange or..."
"I know, I know. I'll come right back." Jake shook his head, reluctantly handing Tad the papers to sign. Tad signed them and then stepped back. He paused. "Jake, about what I said before, about you going to medical school..."
"Hey, I know," Jake said. "Forgiven, alright?" Tad smiled. "Go on, get out of here."
Tad turned, making his way to Dixie's room. He pushed the door in and entered. "That's it. I'm out, I'm sprung, I'm..." he stopped short. "What are you doing here? Get the hell away from my wife, Hayward."
David faced him as Tad bounded forward.
"Tad!" Dixie yelled as Tad pinned David up against the wall. "Tad, stop! Stop it!"
"What are you gonna do, huh?" Tad asked David, who gasped for breath under the pressure of Tad's hands. "What are you planning on injecting into Dixie now? You think you can just show up here and bless the world with your medical genius?"
"Tad, stop it!" Dixie said. "I called him!" Tad looked over at Dixie, David still pinned against the wall. "Let him down, Tad. I called him."
Tad slowly released his grip on David. "What?" he said in shock.
"David knows my history."
"And so does Jake," Tad said.
"Jake's not a cardiologist," David said, rubbing his neck.
"Yeah, well technically you shouldn't be either," Tad said.
"Tad, please." Dixie begged. She looked over at David. "Could you come back a little later?"
"Or not at all," Tad added.
"I'll call later," she said. David nodded and pushed his way passed Tad and left the room.
"I can't believe you called David Hayward," Tad said pacing the floor. "Of all people, you call Dr. Isavelives!"
"Tad, you're not being fair," Dixie said.
"Fair? I'm not being fair! Dix, you called Hayward."
"You tell me what I was supposed to do, Tad. Just sit here and wait? You want me to wait for whatever's going to happen to happen?"
"I can't trust David."
"You don't have to." Dixie rubbed her chest. "You don't have to trust David. Trust me. You do trust me, don't you, Tad?" Tad was silent. "David would not hurt me. I believe that."
"Tell that to Maria Grey, Dix. She lost her memory. Tell that to Roger Smythe. He lost his life!"
"Roger was shot," Dixie said. "And Maria's memory came back."
"But at what cost, Dixie? She lost five years of her life at the hands of David Hayward. I don't want you hurt."
"I'm not going to get hurt." Dixie reached for Tad's hand, which he took hold of. "If I can trust David for this, why can't you?"
"His track record comes to mind." Tad said. "I just think we need to explore our options."
"What options?" Dixie said. "All the doctors that Jake parades in here all say the same thing. 'We don't know. We're not sure. Let's run a few more tests.' I'm sick and tired of being poked and prodded, Tad. I just want this to be over."
"I don't think that going with David Hayward is our best course of action."
"He's the only course of action."
"No," he said. "He's not getting back in here. Even if I have to get a cop to stand guard outside your door." Tad paused. "Hayward should be behind bars, not in a hospital practicing medicine."
"I'm not looking for an argument, Tad I'm really not feeling up to that right now." She paused. "So can we drop this now? Please?"
"Dix..."
"Please, Tad? I really can't take this, anymore, OK? Tad?"
"OK," he said. "OK." Tad sat down on her bed, throwing his feet up. She rested her head on his shoulder. "David Hayward just brings my blood to a boil."
"I know," Dixie said, weaving her fingers with his. "I know you hate his guts. I'm sorry."
"No, no, no," Tad said, resting his chin on the top of her head. "Don't be sorry. You don't have to be sorry."
"It's just that... nobody has any answers." Dixie's eyes began to water. "I know I'm not getting any better. I know that my heart has taken just about as much as it can take." Dixie pursed her lips. "It's for real this time," she managed to choke out. "There's no way of getting away from this... not even with David's help."
"Stop this, Dixie." Tad said. "You're going to be fine. I told you that. Jake is going to figure something out. I'm sure of it. We're going to have our baby. We're going to go back to being the family that we were before all this happened. We'll pick up right where we left off." He paused. "You are a fighter. You always have been and you always will be. Don't you dare give up on that now, Dixie. Don't you ever give up on that."
Dixie cried softly on Tad's shoulder. "I'm just so scared." she said. "I'm so scared, Tad. I don't know what to do."
"Shh," Tad said, bringing his hand up to the back of her head. "That's why I'm here. I'm here. I'm not going anywhere, OK? I promise. For as long as you're in here, I'm not going to leave."
"What about Junior... and Jamie."
"They can stay with Brooke," Tad said. "She won't mind, believe me. We all just want you to get better. And you're going to."
"You always sound so sure of yourself." Dixie said.
"Well, that's because I am," he smiled. "I'm sure of this Dixie. I'm sure of our love. Your heart isn't the only one you've got beating for you right now. You have mine too. Two hearts. Look at those odds now Dix. How can we lose? We can't.... and we won't. I swear to you." Tad paused. "I love you Dixie and I'm not going to let anything happen to you. I promised to protect you, and I will. At any cost."
"Tad?" Jake approached him. "You should be back in bed."
"No," he said. "No, I'm fine. I just want to get out of here. I want out of this hospital. I feel better... I feel perfectly fine."
"Tad, I don't..."
"Please." Tad held his hand up, interrupting him. "Don't argue with me about this, Jake. Just get me signed out of here. " There was silence for a moment. "Look, I know you want me to stay here. But I've already been here since December. I feel fine. I'm walking around... I just want to sign out of here. I want to be with Dixie. Understand that, Jake."
Jake was silent. "I'll sign you out on one condition." Tad nodded. "You need to take it easy. And the minute... if anything feels strange or..."
"I know, I know. I'll come right back." Jake shook his head, reluctantly handing Tad the papers to sign. Tad signed them and then stepped back. He paused. "Jake, about what I said before, about you going to medical school..."
"Hey, I know," Jake said. "Forgiven, alright?" Tad smiled. "Go on, get out of here."
Tad turned, making his way to Dixie's room. He pushed the door in and entered. "That's it. I'm out, I'm sprung, I'm..." he stopped short. "What are you doing here? Get the hell away from my wife, Hayward."
David faced him as Tad bounded forward.
"Tad!" Dixie yelled as Tad pinned David up against the wall. "Tad, stop! Stop it!"
"What are you gonna do, huh?" Tad asked David, who gasped for breath under the pressure of Tad's hands. "What are you planning on injecting into Dixie now? You think you can just show up here and bless the world with your medical genius?"
"Tad, stop it!" Dixie said. "I called him!" Tad looked over at Dixie, David still pinned against the wall. "Let him down, Tad. I called him."
Tad slowly released his grip on David. "What?" he said in shock.
"David knows my history."
"And so does Jake," Tad said.
"Jake's not a cardiologist," David said, rubbing his neck.
"Yeah, well technically you shouldn't be either," Tad said.
"Tad, please." Dixie begged. She looked over at David. "Could you come back a little later?"
"Or not at all," Tad added.
"I'll call later," she said. David nodded and pushed his way passed Tad and left the room.
"I can't believe you called David Hayward," Tad said pacing the floor. "Of all people, you call Dr. Isavelives!"
"Tad, you're not being fair," Dixie said.
"Fair? I'm not being fair! Dix, you called Hayward."
"You tell me what I was supposed to do, Tad. Just sit here and wait? You want me to wait for whatever's going to happen to happen?"
"I can't trust David."
"You don't have to." Dixie rubbed her chest. "You don't have to trust David. Trust me. You do trust me, don't you, Tad?" Tad was silent. "David would not hurt me. I believe that."
"Tell that to Maria Grey, Dix. She lost her memory. Tell that to Roger Smythe. He lost his life!"
"Roger was shot," Dixie said. "And Maria's memory came back."
"But at what cost, Dixie? She lost five years of her life at the hands of David Hayward. I don't want you hurt."
"I'm not going to get hurt." Dixie reached for Tad's hand, which he took hold of. "If I can trust David for this, why can't you?"
"His track record comes to mind." Tad said. "I just think we need to explore our options."
"What options?" Dixie said. "All the doctors that Jake parades in here all say the same thing. 'We don't know. We're not sure. Let's run a few more tests.' I'm sick and tired of being poked and prodded, Tad. I just want this to be over."
"I don't think that going with David Hayward is our best course of action."
"He's the only course of action."
"No," he said. "He's not getting back in here. Even if I have to get a cop to stand guard outside your door." Tad paused. "Hayward should be behind bars, not in a hospital practicing medicine."
"I'm not looking for an argument, Tad I'm really not feeling up to that right now." She paused. "So can we drop this now? Please?"
"Dix..."
"Please, Tad? I really can't take this, anymore, OK? Tad?"
"OK," he said. "OK." Tad sat down on her bed, throwing his feet up. She rested her head on his shoulder. "David Hayward just brings my blood to a boil."
"I know," Dixie said, weaving her fingers with his. "I know you hate his guts. I'm sorry."
"No, no, no," Tad said, resting his chin on the top of her head. "Don't be sorry. You don't have to be sorry."
"It's just that... nobody has any answers." Dixie's eyes began to water. "I know I'm not getting any better. I know that my heart has taken just about as much as it can take." Dixie pursed her lips. "It's for real this time," she managed to choke out. "There's no way of getting away from this... not even with David's help."
"Stop this, Dixie." Tad said. "You're going to be fine. I told you that. Jake is going to figure something out. I'm sure of it. We're going to have our baby. We're going to go back to being the family that we were before all this happened. We'll pick up right where we left off." He paused. "You are a fighter. You always have been and you always will be. Don't you dare give up on that now, Dixie. Don't you ever give up on that."
Dixie cried softly on Tad's shoulder. "I'm just so scared." she said. "I'm so scared, Tad. I don't know what to do."
"Shh," Tad said, bringing his hand up to the back of her head. "That's why I'm here. I'm here. I'm not going anywhere, OK? I promise. For as long as you're in here, I'm not going to leave."
"What about Junior... and Jamie."
"They can stay with Brooke," Tad said. "She won't mind, believe me. We all just want you to get better. And you're going to."
"You always sound so sure of yourself." Dixie said.
"Well, that's because I am," he smiled. "I'm sure of this Dixie. I'm sure of our love. Your heart isn't the only one you've got beating for you right now. You have mine too. Two hearts. Look at those odds now Dix. How can we lose? We can't.... and we won't. I swear to you." Tad paused. "I love you Dixie and I'm not going to let anything happen to you. I promised to protect you, and I will. At any cost."
