A/N: Thanks to those who left a review on Chapter 2. Hope you like this one too. There'll probably just be one more part to wrap this up, maybe at the weekend :)

(For disclaimer, etc. - see chapter 1)

Chapter 3

"Come on, come on!" Wade yelled at the TV, specifically at his avatar in the video game he was playing as his thumbs hammered the buttons.

"No. No!" Lavon intoned as he fought back with his own character.

Zoe watched them from the kitchen, rolling her eyes at how dramatic they could both get over a game. At the same time, she had to smile. It was so great to see Wade getting back to normal.

It was eight days now since his fall and save for the strapping on his ankle, it would be tough to tell from this range that he had even hurt himself at all. Most of the cuts and bruises were hidden beneath his clothes and the cut on his head had the smallest possible dressing on it now. He spent a lot of time on the couch, watching TV, playing video games, or just hanging out with Zoe and Lavon, but he was more like himself every day. There wasn't much evidence that he was ever hurt, but Zoe knew. The nightmare still haunted her at night.

"Aww, damn it, man!" Lavon complained when Wade's character finally pounded his own into the ground.

"And that's how it's done," his friend told him, grinning wide. "Five bucks, man. Pay up," he said then, making a gimme gesture towards Lavon.

"You're playing for money now?" asked Zoe as she came over to the couch with an ice pack in her hand.

"It's not like I'm working right now," Wade reminded her. "You know, I'm thinking of maybe taking up video games professionally, if all the competition is as bad as Lavon," he said, grinning still.

"You caught me on a bad day," Lavon groused. "Or, hey, maybe I let you win 'cause I feel bad about you bein' all injured and stuff," he tried then.

Wade opened his mouth to make another smart-alec comment but instead gasped with shock as Zoe shoved the ice on his ankle.

"Geez, doc!"

"Oh, don't be such a baby," she told him, grabbing his hand and putting it on the ice pack so she could let go herself. "You know it's helping. Now, you're going to be okay here without me, right? I shouldn't be gone too long, it's just that Rose really needs to talk, it sounded like a boy problem, so-"

"Doc, it's no problem," Wade assured her. "Lavon's right here if I get in a pinch, but for the most part, I can do for myself. Done it a lot over the years, pretty sure it won't kill me now."

He knew immediately he had used the wrong word when he saw her wince. It made him want to apologise but Zoe never gave him the chance.

"Right, you're fine," she told herself as well as him, swallowing hard. "So, I'll go."

Shifting awkwardly for a moment, she suddenly pushed forward and planted a quick kiss on Wade's lips. She threw a wave in the direction of Lavon and then she was gone.

The door clicked shut behind her and Wade sighed heavily.

"She's still real shook up about this whole thing."

"She loves you a lot," Lavon reminded him. "Musta been all kinds of scary for her seein' you fall like that, having you all unconscious and bleeding and everything."

"I guess so," Wade agreed, turning to look at his friend. "But worrying about it now ain't doing any good."

"She'll get past it, just needs a little time is all," said Lavon, considering it. "Time heals all things," he quoted philosophically. "Most things anyway," he amended as he heard a tapping on the back door and realised who wanted in.

"Hey, there." George Tucker grinned as he let himself into the house.

That smile didn't look altogether natural and genuine to either of the guys sat on the couch. Wade understood why that was. He hadn't seen George Tucker since the hospital and then he hadn't said much past hoping Wade got better soon. The two of them had never been left alone at all and Tucker hadn't come around in all the time Wade had been 'convalescing', as Zoe put it. Made him more than a little curious as to why he was suddenly here now.

"Hey, Wade. How're you doin' there?"

"Just fine, Tucker," he said warily. "Yourself?"

"I'm fine. Yeah, I'm doing good," he said, still with that same awkward grin on his face.

Lavon looked between them and immediately realised he was not needed in this conversation. More than that, he just really didn't want to be anywhere near it. Bad enough when he was caught up in the middle of George and Lemon's relationship, he sure as hell wasn't getting tied up amongst George, Zoe, and Wade if he didn't have to.

"I got some calls I gotta make," he said, getting up fast. "Y'know, mayoral stuff" he added, chuckling to himself as he made a quick exit to his office. "Y'all just call for me if you need me!"

Wade shook his head and turned off the TV, settling himself into the couch cushions for something else to do. He had absolutely no clue where to start in this conversation with George Tucker. Honestly, he'd like to avoid having it altogether, but he couldn't exactly make an exit like Lavon's, what with his ankle and all.

"So," said George, sitting down on the table's edge. "You're doin' okay?"

"Think we already covered this," said Wade with a look.

"Yeah, I guess we did."

Silence reigned for a few moments more until finally both friends decided to speak at the same time.

"So, about Zoe-"

"Listen, Tucker-"

Another pause and then George pressed forward.

"I just wanted you to know that I understand, and as far as I'm concerned everything with me and you is just fine."

Wade felt wary of a comment like that, and probably looked much the same.

"That so?" he checked, almost expecting to find this was all a joke or maybe that he was about to get an unexpected punch in the face.

"Come on, Wade," said George instead, almost laughing. "I mean, you and me have been friends since we were knee-high to a boll weevil, and it's not like I didn't know you and Zoe were... well, seein' each other," he said, diplomatic as always.

Wade nodded, unsure what words he would say if he even wanted to speak, which he didn't right now.

"I admit, I didn't know how serious things had gotten with you two, but obviously, pretty serious by now."

"Obviously," Wade agreed. "What can I say, Tucker? Doc's crazier than a moon bat, but it doesn't exactly seem to take much for her to get under a man's skin."

"That I absolutely understand." George nodded. "Thing is, Wade, the more I think on it, the more I realise... well, you know, you and Zoe, you just make way more sense than she and I ever could."

"Wow."

The exclamation didn't come out of Wade's mouth, and George turned around fast, at the same moment as his friend, to see Zoe standing in the doorway. She looked a little surprised to see them talking, or maybe it was just what she had heard said that had her staring wide-eyed at the two of them.

"Hey there, doc," said Wade, forcing a smile.

"Hi," she replied. "Um, Rose called again before I even got in the car. Crisis averted, she doesn't need me right now."

"Well, me and Tucker here were just havin' our own serious talk... about certain things," he said with a look he hoped she understood.

"Seems like it was a talk about me more than things," she noted.

"For what it's worth, Zoe, I planned on talking to you too," said George definitely, getting up from his seat and walking over to her. "I just... I didn't want things to be awkward with us, any of us," he insisted.

"Me either," she agreed, shaking her head. "George, you know, I did think... I mean, I do like you, a lot," she told him definitely, "but..."

She got no further, her eyes straying to Wade who wouldn't even look at her right now. This was maybe the worst conversation she'd had in a while. It seemed like no matter what she said, she was going to hurt somebody, maybe everybody, including herself.

"I tried to tell you in the hospital, George," she said then, eyes returning to his face. "Before then, I'm not even sure I knew how I really felt, or at least, I hadn't admitted it to myself. Now, it's so clear to me. Somewhere along the line I just fell in love... with Wade," she said definitely.

"I figured that out already." George nodded, his smile not quite reaching his eyes. "And hey, honestly, who can blame you?"

"Well, Tucker, I had no idea," said Wade, playing the Southern Belle with his hand over his heart and eyelashes fluttering.

He bust up laughing the very next second and Zoe couldn't help but join in. It was all pretty crazy, but the humour was a good thing, it broke a lot of the tension that she could feel building up in the room. Maybe it was all going to be okay. Maybe all three of them were going to come out of all this relatively unscathed.

"Well, I should leave you two alone," said George then, his hand briefly at Zoe's shoulder as he passed by her on his way to the door. "Wade, you rest up, get yourself back to work fast. The Rammer Jammer just ain't the same without you."

"I'll be seein' you soon, Tucker!" Wade called to him as George finally left.

Zoe let out a breath she hardly knew she had been holding the moment the door closed.

"Wow," she said coming over to the couch and sinking down next to Wade. "That was... I did not expect that to go so well."

"Me either," Wade admitted.

There was something about the way he said it that made Zoe frown, an expression that crossed his face that she didn't care for.

"Hold on a second," she said, moving sideways in her seat to better face him. "You didn't...? I mean, you did not seriously think, even for a second, that if George asked me to, I would dump you for him, did you?" she asked, eyes wide as anything.

Wade forced himself to meet her eyes, looking more apologetic than anything by now.

"I don't know, doc," he admitted, rubbing his forehead with one hand. "I just... He's George Tucker, and I'm... me," he said, shrugging his shoulders. "My whole life, I've watched everything he wanted just drop into his lap, easy as lyin'. Anything I ever wanted just seemed to slide through my fingers. Anybody I ever cared about just seemed to get away from me and... Well, then there's you, Zoe," he said, gazing at her fondly. "Nothin' and nobody has ever meant as much to me as you. So, yeah, makes me think one day I'm gonna wake up and find this whole thing was a dream, that you didn't pick me at all, and-"

Before he could get another word out, Zoe was leaning over him, pressing her lips firmly against his own. A few seconds later, she pulled back, her hand on his cheek still as she met his eyes with a steady gaze.

"Now, you listen to me, Wade Kinsella," she said definitely. "I know it took me a while to realise what I really felt for you, or maybe just to admit it to myself, but it's real. Way more real than anything I ever thought I felt for Golden Boy George Tucker," she said, smiling slightly. "It's you and me, Kinsella. Nobody else, okay?"

He smiled a crooked smile and reached to pull her completely into his lap.

"Sounds good to me, doc," he told her, kissing her soundly.

To Be Continued...