So you people are all amazing. I think this is the quickest I've ever had it hit the goal of reviews I set. It wasn't even twenty hours yet! So, I'm rewarding you with another chapter.

So Jack and Zoe time. I realized 'oh, hey, Zoe's his cousin and guardian's girlfriend. They haven't had a whole lot of 'air' time together'. So this is mostly a very family oriented chapter. Lavon is acting as a big brother/friend to Zoe. Zoe and Jack finally have a conversation. Paul is back in this chapter! I love my OC's, perhaps more than my stories.

Disclaimer: I own nothing.

"Hey Zoe!" Jack said with a grin, sitting down on the edge of the bed besides Zoe in her little house. "Feeling better?"

Zoe lifted her hand, making a so, so motion. A week and a half later and she was still sick. She hated being sick. She hadn't been sick since the summer before med school. Now she had been sick for a whole week. It wasn't definitely wasn't that bug everyone else had. That bug only lasted two days, maybe three tops.

"Do you know what you have?" Zoe shrugged.

"Not really. But I'm not about to go to Brick and find out. It was one thing going to him to get my cast off, a whole 'nother thing to find out why I'm sick."

Jack nodded. "Wade won't say, but he's worried. I'm worried, Rose is worried, and Lavon's worried. So do us all a favor and get yourself checked out." He stood up, going to leave, when her voice stopped him.

"Jack? Can you drive?" He turned, brows furrowed.

"Why?"

"To drive me somewhere."

"I have my permit, if that's what you mean." Zoe nodded. "Where are we going to and why can't Wade drive you?"

"Up to Mobile and Wade's working." The Rammer Jammer was closed for the whole week as he and the rest of the staff cleaned things up, gave everything a fresh coat of paint and stained the floors again. They were redesigning the menus, taking something's off, changing the recipes, etc. Wade was adding his own touch to the place.

"What about Lavon? Why can't he drive?"

"Go ask him then." Jack took off and Zoe went to get ready, stopping for a few seconds to look at her face. She was kind of pale and did look rather sick and she had lost a few pounds around her face. She pulled out her cell phone and dialed the number Paul had given her.

"Hello? How may I help you?" a secretary asked.

"Is Dr. Altman in today?" Paul had taken a page out of her book after his father turned him down for the fellowship, as well, deciding to come to Mobile to Clara Mae's cousin's practice.

"He is, but he's not taking last minute appointments," the secretary said with a snotty tone that sounded like Lemon went Zoe first arrived in Bluebell.

"May I speak to him? Tell him it's Zoe." She heard the secretary grumble, but comply and Paul picked up the phone.

"Well, well, well... if it isn't little Miss Dr. Hart. What can I do for you, Zoe?"

"I'm sick," the tiny doctor muttered through the phone, "Can I come in today? I'm not going to put myself through the embarrassment of going to Brick here." Paul chuckled.

"Of course you can. Do you have a ride or should I send Clara down?" Despite her name being Clara Mae, both Zoe and Paul always had dropped the 'Mae' off her name, along with a large chunk of the other New Yorkers who knew her. Clara was happy to be back South again, closer to her parents, and Paul was actually happy being not under his father's watch.

"Na, thanks though. I'm having Lavon drive us."

"Lavon? The Lavon Hayes? And who's we, Zoe? Is Wade coming?"

"Wade's working. I'm watching his cousin, Jack, for him." Paul chuckled.

"I'll see you in a little while then."

"Thank you," Zoe said gratefully, her voice full of relief, "I'll see you in a bit."

"Rose!" A voice called and Rose looked up to see Frederick Dean crossing the library to where she was. "Hey! How are you?"

"I'm... I'm good."

"Good, good. That's good." Rose nodded. "So... I was wonderin' if tonight you're busy? There's that movie playin' in the square. I'd like it if you'd go with me."

Rose looked up at him. This was Frederick Dean. Why couldn't she feel something for him? Who had changed? Was it him? Or was it her? She had liked him, but now, he was asking her out, and she wanted to run in the other direction.

"Actually, I've already got plans," she lied. He looked sad at this and discouraged but nodded.

"It's alright," he said with a half-smile, "Have fun." Rose nodded.

"I need some advice," Jack declared halfway into their ride.

"What sort of advice?" Lavon asked cautiously.

"I like this girl, but I don't think she's interested. I think she likes another guy. What do I do?"

"Does she know you like her?" Zoe asked him.

"I think she does."

"Is this girl Rose?" the doctor asked him wisely, watching with satisfaction as the teen's face colored.

"Maybe."

"Well, Lavon Hayes had not had good luck with girls up until Didi," the mayor told the boy and he looked back expectantly at Zoe. She shrugged.

"My last relationship was an epic fail. My relationship with Wade has been my most successful relationship yet." Jack deflated, looking out the window quietly. "Hey, Rose likes you as a friend. Considering she doesn't know you very well, that's good progress."

"I guess." Jack turned back to look at Zoe. "Do you love Cousin Wade?"

"Yes, why?"

"Well, I'm just curious." The boy went quiet for a moment. "Do you want to marry him?"

Lavon chuckled and Zoe went red. "Did Wade put you up to askin' this, boy?" the mayor asked the kid. Jack shook his head. His next words were spoken in a hush tone, almost too hard to hear.

"No, I was just wondering if they got married, if I would be out of a place to stay. I don't want to have to go live with my mother again or that school in England. I had one friend there and the teachers hated me."

Zoe's eyes softened and she reached her hand up to him, squeezing his arm. "Jack, if Wade and I get married, you'll still live with us. Wade loves you and I love you." Jack stared back at her with a glassy eyed expression and a small smile forming.

"Really? You mean that?"

"Of course I do." Jack grinned.

"I love you too, Cousin Zoe." Lavon chuckled.

"I guess he's decided you're already married to Wade, huh?" Zoe's face flamed up again. "Although, you two have been actin' like a married couple now."

"Shut up, Lavon."

Wade looked up as the bell of the Rammer Jammer door dinged and Rose walked in. "Hey Wade," she grinned, "Does Shelley still need help designin' menus?"

Wade nodded. "She back in the office."

"Where's Jack?" she asked, surveying the restaurant. Of all the workers there, Wade's cousin and ward was MIA. "I woulda thought he'd be here."

"Jack's with Zoe and Lavon today. He said something about spendin' quality time with them."

Rose nodded, trying not to show she was disappointed, before heading back in to where Shelley was. The waitress looked up from the computer and smiled and waved at her. Rose smiled back at her, taking a seat beside the computer.

"Hi, I'm Zoe Hart, Dr. Altman's 11 o'clock." The secretary didn't even look up.

"So he's cheatin' on his wife, huh? He coulda picked a prettier lady to do it with." Zoe looked appalled at the woman.

"How dare you? Paul's like my brother! I'd-"

"Diagnose that I needed heart surgery and make me tragically die in the operating room if I even suggested such a thing as cheating on my beautiful and wonderful wife who I love so much," Paul finished from behind, looking at the secretary. "Ignore her," he told Zoe, "Her boyfriend had been seeing another two women for the past year. Three cell phones and everything."

"Ugh, sounds like something Zach would have done." Her friend chuckled good-naturedly.

"Let's go see why you're sick, Dr. Hart. My office is just on back this way."

Zoe hadn't called. Lavon hadn't called. Heck, even Jack hadn't called. It was so unlike them, so unusual. Lavon had been calling with updates on how Zoe was feeling for the past several days now. Taking matters into his own hands, he dialed the mayor's number.

"Hello, this is Lavon Hayes, Mayor of Bluebell. I am not able to take your call at the moment. Please leave your name and number, and I'll be gettin' back to you." Wade blinked. It was so unlike Lavon not to answer. Trying his friend's cell phone now, he waited.

"'Ello?"

"Hey Lavon. No one's called."

"Your cousin talked Zoe into going to the doctors. So she called her doctor friend and we're up in Mobile. She didn't want you to be worryin'."

"'Didn't want me worryin'?" he shouted in disbelief through the phone, "So whose brilliant plan was it not to call and tell me this?"

"Uhhh... Lavon Hayes knows better than to answer that question."

"Lavon..." Wade growled.

"Look, I'm sure she's fine. Boy, stop your worryin'. Zoe Hart's a smart woman. She'd know if it were something serious." Wade looked away, picking a spot on the ceiling, and counted to ten.

"Zoe's only friends in the doctor community are heart surgeons, Lavon."

"This one's a GP." This shocked Wade. A GP? Zoe had a friend who's a GP? He'd have to talk to her later about it. "Hey, Wade, I've got to go."

"Bye," the Rammer Jammer's new owner muttered angrily.

"Well, Zoe, I've got your test results." Paul sat down before her in a chair.

"So?" Zoe asked nervously, "I already know I diagnosed myself wrong the first time. So what's the verdict?"

to be continued...

Cliff hanger.

I hate these, personally, but this was just the perfect place to end the chapter.

I'd like to hear from you, my amazing readers. What should Zoe have? Any favorite diseases? Pneumonia? Flu? Cold? Stomach virus? Anemia? Other? Review and tell me what you think Zoe has or should have.

100 reviews and the chapter is up tonight or tomorrow and Zoe's not terminally ill. :)