Disclaimer: I don't own Hart of Dixie or the song Breathe. Although, maybe someday I'll fly to California, sneak into the WB lot, and watch them film and episode. That would be so cool.

Breathe

…

She watched him sleep, his chest slowing rising and falling with every heartbeat. His red plaid, checkered shirt, which Zoe had grown to love, was loosely slipping off, the white t-shirt he wore underneath being exposed. He looked peaceful; his hair gently fell to cover, ever so slightly, an eyebrow, and his arms were crossed around his chest. Zoe didn't want to wake him, but she had to, given what had just happened. It was five in the morning, and the rest of Bluebell was fast asleep. She and Wade had pulled an all-nighter to monitor Earl's blood poisoning. She could have sworn they had cuddled up next to each other on the couch at some point during the night when sleep overcame their bodies. Zoe just wanted to lie there all night and cherish any moment they shared. Though she was with Joel now, she knew it didn't mean she still didn't feel something for Wade. That flame for him still hadn't completely been put out, even if she was gone for five months. Seeing Wade sleep right in front of her made Zoe realize she still had a lot of feelings to sort out regarding one sexy bartender. Even though nothing was being said between the two of them, she could feel so much. They shared this insane vibe that Zoe herself couldn't even explain—it was unexplainable. She smiled to herself when she thought about how close they had become since she first arrived in Bluebell to now. She inched her way closer to Wade's sleeping body, still able to hear is gentle, rhythmic breaths. She lightly tapped Wade on the knee before whispering in his ear.

"Hey, wake up. It's your dad."

"Earl, Earl what's wrong? Can you hear me?"

Zoe lightly shook Earl's body, trying to wake him from his in-and-out phases of sleeping. Earl said very little but nodded.

"It's my arm," he replied, motioning at the rash that had rapidly grown from the time she had first started to watch his blood poisoning. "I think it's gettin' worse," was all he could manage to say.

"Hey, Earl, stay with me. You're going to be okay, alright?" Zoe couldn't talk herself out of the fact that Wade's father was slowly dying. The infection had grown worse as the long hours of the night passed, and she knew there was very little hope for survival. She quickly injected more antibiotics through his IV, hoping to stabilize the flow of the poison. Zoe put down the needle and walked back over to Earl, taking his hand.

"Earl, I want you to breathe slowly, in and out. Don't think about the poison…think about something happy."

He chuckled.

"Like the fact that you and my boy will be gettin' married one day?"

Zoe couldn't help but grin.

"Sure, why not?" She secretly hoped that that one day would become real life. She had no doubt it would…eventually.

"You know Zoe, even if he says very little about how he feels, you should know you're all he talks about. Wade loves you. He's never allowed himself to love anyone, ever since his mother died. They had that connection a mother and son should have. When she passed, he was the saddest kid in the world. He would cuddle up with her favorite sweater and cry himself to sleep. He told himself he wouldn't get too emotionally attached to anyone, until he met you."

Earl's voice began to crack, and tears were starting to form in both his, and Zoe's, eyes. He squeezed her hand harder and started to cry.

"He loved her and she left him too soon. Now I'm leaving him too soon." He cried harder, his breaths becoming short and uneasy.

"I wasn't the only person Wade loved," Zoe whispered. "Earl, he loved you. He truly did. Hell, he saved your ass from jumping off a roof by singing. I didn't even know Wade had a singing bone in his body."

Zoe knew how to make Earl smile.

"Tell him thank you for me," he said, pausing. "We didn't always have the best relationship—he saw me for the drunk I was…for the drunk I still am. He never got to see the father he wanted me to be."

"That's not true. That night in the church, I saw the way he talked to you. It was that moment when I realized there was more to Wade than I thought…just how he saw there was, and still is, more to you than he thought. He knows you were trying."

"It's as if you know my son better than I do."

He sighed. Earl let his eyelids flutter open as he locked eyes with Zoe.

"Thank you for taking care of him. He needs someone in his life that won't be leaving him for a while. He's fragile, deep down. He may come off as a person who isn't worthy of your affection or love, but he's a completely different person on the inside."

"I know that."

"Good. One more thing: tell him I love him, and I always will."

She nodded.

With his last breath, Wade's father brought Zoe's hand up to his lips and laid a gentle kiss on the back. Zoe sat there like a rock as Earl's chest stopped rising and falling, as his grasp on her hand disappeared, as his body lay limp on her examination table. It was if she had lost a father. She began to whimper and cry. She buried her face in her hands, trying not to feel the sting of the tears rolling down her cheeks, into her lap.

"You were with him?" His voice was quivering.

"Yeah, I held his hand until his last breath."

"Why didn't you wake me up?" Zoe could hear the anxiety and touch of anger in his tone.

"He said he didn't want me to wake you. He didn't want you to have to repeat the pain you felt when your mother died," she explained, gently rubbing her hand over his back. Wade was on the verge of crying, and every so often wiped a tear from his eye with the sleeve of his flannel shirt. He breathed in and let out a heavy sigh.

"I didn't get to tell him how much I loved him."

"He already knew," was her simple, yet honest, reply. Wade turned to her, and Zoe immediately realized how swollen his eyes were, but there was a flicker of hope and warmth.

"You're amazin', you know that?"

"Why? For being with your father when he died?"

"No, for taking care of me, Zoe."

"It's what he wanted, Wade."

She grabbed his hand in hers, leaning her head in the crook of his neck, inhaling his strong, but familiar scent. Her leaned down and kissed the top of her head before standing up.

"Where are you going?"

"I have one last thing to say to him." Wade glanced back at the girl he was so lucky to have in his life before walking towards the doorway of Zoe's office. Glancing inside he saw his father's motionless body and more tears began to fall.

"Hey Dad," he whispered gently, laying his hand on top of his father's. "I love you."

As the morning light shone through the curtains with the wee hours of the morning beginning to pass, Wade just stood there, holding his father's hand tightly in his own, allowing the tears to finally fall. Zoe walked in after giving the two some adequate time together and found comfort leaning her head on his chest, his arm embracing her small figure.

"Are you okay?"

"Now that you're here, I am." He looked down, and for once, Zoe saw a small smile escape his lips. She stood on her tip-toes and returned the gesture with a kiss.

"And I always will be. I made that promise to Earl."

Her head returned to its spot on Wade's chest. She noticed his breathing had steadied and returned to its natural state. She closed her eyes and listened to the rhythm of his steady heartbeat.

'Cause I can feel you breathe

It's washing over me

Suddenly I'm melting into you

There's nothing left to prove

Baby all we need is just to be

Caught up in the touch

The slow and steady rush

Baby, isn't that the way that love's supposed to be

I can feel you breathe

Just breathe

A/N: So, wow, that was one heavy one-shot to write. I enjoyed writing it, though. Wade has kind of always been there for Zoe, so I felt like it was time for her to be there for him. Obviously, I wrote this picking up from the events that happened in the premiere. Thanks for reading! :) XO.