Tad sat slouched in a chair beside Dixie's bed, asleep. His arms folded across his chest.

"Tad," Brooke whispered, gently shaking his arm. "Tad." Tad stirred, rubbing his eyes.

"What time is it?" he asked.

"About eight o'clock." Brooke said. She paused. "Why don't you go home and get a few hours of sleep, in a bed?"

"No," he said. "No, I don't want to leave her."

"Tad, you're wearing yourself out. You haven't eaten in days. You get maybe two hours of sleep a night. You look like you've dropped at least ten pounds." Tad yawned again. "At least go home and get something to eat... or take a shower."

He shook his head. "I can't leave her."

"Look. I'll hold down the fort while you're gone." Tad was reluctant. "You need to eat something, Tad. You're going to end up right back in here if you don't." She paused. "I'll call you if we need you. Go home, Tad."

Tad cast a quick glance at Dixie. She slept peacefully, her hand resting on her belly. "You'll call?" he asked.

"As long as you promise to get some rest."

"You drive a hard bargain," Tad said. Brooke raised her eyebrows. "Food, shower and a nap. Deal." Tad got to his feet, stretching as Brooke sat in the chair. "Brooke," He looked at her. "Thanks."

Brooke smiled, reaching out and taking his hand briefly. After a moment, Tad released his grip, and paused before leaving the room.

Tad got on to the elevator and rode it down to the lobby. He walked out of the hospital, going into his pocket and grabbing his keys. He made his way to his car and got in. He just sat there for a minute, the key in the ignition and his hands on the steering wheel. Tad took a deep breath as he started the car and slowly pulled out of the lot.

Tad managed to keep his eyes open and on the road as he made his way through the streets of Pine Valley and into his driveway at 646 Holland Avenue. He parked his car and stepped out, finding the key to the front door as he approached it.

Tad entered the house, hitting the lights on his way in. It was so empty. Not a single person around, not a sound throughout the entire home. Tad tossed the keys down on a small table before walking into the kitchen.

"We wouldn't have any food," he said, going through the cupboard. "Nobody's been home." He opened the cookie jar, sticking his hand in and pulling out a few Oreos. "I really hope you guys are green because of some strange festive season I don't know about." Tad said, speaking to the cookie as if it were a person. He took the cookies, walking out of the kitchen and over to the answering machine. No messages. "Figures," he said, popping an Oreo into his mouth. He made a face as he chewed on the stale cookie. He placed the rest of the Oreos down beside the answering machine.

Tad turned and walked up to the bathroom, turning on the water in the tub. He waited for the water to become luke-warm before stepping into the shower. Automatically, his muscles began to relax as the water ran over his body. Tad rubbed his face, taking a deep breath. Brooke was right, Tad thought. He was exhausted. He could feel the heaviness in his eyes. Plus, he still hadn't fully recovered from all those months in bed. His muscles still ached, but at least now he could get a little bit of rest.

After a while, Tad stepped out of the shower. He draped himself in a terry cloth robe, rubbing the towel over his wet hair. He walked out of the bathroom and into the bedroom. He pulled out a pair of pants and shirt from the closet, sitting on the edge of the bed as he began to dress.

Tad felt a bit refreshed as he stood and walked back down to the living room. He began to tuck in his shirt, walking over to the phone, where he had put down his cookies. Picking up one of the Oreos, Tad noticed the light on the answering machine flashing. "Hmm," Tad said, popping another cookie in his mouth. He pressed play on the machine.

"Tad," he heard Brooke's voice. She sounded shaken, frantic. "Tad? Are you home?" Tad's jaw dropped slightly as he heard a violent knock at the front door.

Tad made his way to the door as the banging continued. He swung it inward. Brooke stood there, a look of nervousness on her face.

"Tad," she said. "Tad, we need to go." She reached for his hand.

"What?" he said. "What's wrong?"

"Dixie," she said. "Dixie... I tried to call you."

Tad's eyes widened. "Dixie? What happened to Dixie? What happened to her?"

"We need to go. We need to get back to the hospital now."

"Brooke!"

"It's her heart, Tad!" Brooke said. "Dixie's heart gave out on her. They were working on her when I left."

"Oh, my God," Tad said.

"I'll drive you back." she said. "We've got to go. We've got to go now."

Tad ran out of the house and down to Brooke's car. Brooke hit the lights off inside the house, closed the door and raced after Tad.