Fix Me
Zoe's P.O.V.
"You know, I think we may set the record for the shortest dating time before getting engaged." I grinned as we sat in the car, his one hand on the wheel and his other hand in mine. A smile spread over his face.
"Well, I know it's only been 3 days this time, but I also know that I've loved you since you first came to Bluebell. And that you know me better than anyone. And I have never felt this way about anyone else. I never even thought it was possible to feel this way at all. I certainly didn't plan on doing this tonight, but it feels right."
"It certainly does." I smiled and squeezed his hand. A thought then popped into my mind.
"Oh I have to call Chris!" I saw Wade's face distort, and I realized that he didn't even know who Chris was, and he was probably thinking the worst.
"Wade, Chris isn't an old boyfriend or anything, when I was in New York, a guy contacted me asking to meet up. So we did, and as it turns out, Harley wasn't as much of the guy that everyone in Bluebell thought he was. He got around quite a bit, and Chris is my brother, my half-brother." I said, explaining how weird the whole situation was.
"Harley was a playboy? Harley Wilkes?" Wade couldn't believe it, and it took me a while to understand it too.
"Apparently. He's about two years younger than me, and he's from New York too. This guy was practically my neighbor and I didn't even know it. From what his mom told him, they met while he was at medical conference in New York, and she never told him about Chris. We've grown kind of close, and I told him that I would call when I got settled, and things have just been a bit crazy. So he's no boyfriend." I laughed at the end because the thought of Chris being my boyfriend was gross.
"Wow, a brother…that's a lot to take in."
"Yeah, he said that he might try to come down here and visit, he wants me to show him around and everything, but now, I don't know how much showing I can do." I pulled out my phone and dialed his number. He answered within the first three rings.
"Hey Zo, shouldn't you be on the plane?"
"I…didn't get on. I'm staying here."
"I'm actually glad to hear that. I'm not too sure how I felt about you flying now with everything going on."
"Well my doctor cleared me to fly, but that's besides the point, but I have to tell you something!"
"Okay, well let's hear it!"
"I have to show it to you! Hold on!" I snapped a picture on my phone and sent it to him in a text message.
"Okay, I sent it, check your texts!" I was excited to hear his reaction.
"Zoe Hart, that must be some guy! Wade?"
"Of course it's Wade!" I saw Wade smile from the driver's seat, pleased that I had told my brother about him.
"Well I guess I'm going to have to come meet the guy, huh?"
"I'd like that, I'll call you soon. Love you."
"Love you too!" I hung up the phone and looked back at Wade.
"He wants to come and meet you. I'm so excited about all of this! When should we get married! I don't want to be bald when we get married. I don't want to be sick either…" My tone shifted from happy to sad as I realized that if I wanted a real wedding tat I would have to wait 3 years.
"We'll figure it out. I want to give you a dream wedding, and I'll wait however long it is until we can have that. I'm just glad you said yes."
"What do you think everybody's going to say?" I could already imagine all of Bluebell freaking out.
"They're going to have a field day. Now, why don't you close your eyes and try to rest, it's been a long day." Wade's free hand lifted up and smoothed my hair. I nodded and leaned my head against his arm.
Wade's P.O.V.
I pulled in the driveway of the plantation and turned the car off. I nudged Zoe and her eyes drifted open.
"Hey, we're home." I told her and her eyes seem to flood with the memories of the evening. She had panic in her eyes, which scared me to be honest.
"Hey, what's wrong?"
"I just, what if this is too soon Wade? What you said, even though you said you didn't mean it, part of you had to feel some of those things. And that's okay, I know this whole situation is a lot to take in, and I'm sorry for being such a burden. I don't want to ruin your life, and I just want you to be able to be honest with me and not feel like you have to walk around on eggshells whenever I'm around."
"Listen to me, I know I hurt you when I said those things today. And I'll feel guilty for that for the rest of time, but if you believe one thing for the rest of your life, make it that I love you. I'm going to stand by you no matter what it takes. And about the ring, it doesn't have to mean anything except that I love you if you don't want it to. It doesn't have to be an engagement ring, it can be a promise ring, or just something that you can look down at and know that no matter where you are, or what you're doing, I'm always with you. But I wouldn't have given it to you if I wasn't ready for this. You said the other day that you were embracing life now, so that's what I'm doing. I don't want to waste my days being without you." I cupped her face in my hand as she closed her eyes and tears spilled out. I knew most of this was her true concern for the situation, but a bit of it had to be because she was exhausted.
"I just don't want to ruin what we have now." I kissed her forehead and wiped some of her tears with my thumb.
"You could never. Let's go inside, you have had an extremely long day that no one should ever have, let alone a sick girl. You need your rest." I squeezed her hand and she opened her car door. We went inside and I helped her into bed. I went to undress when she stopped me.
"Wade…"
"Yeah?"
"I love you, and I'm happy you got to me in time to convince me not to get on the plane. And I'm thrilled to have this ring and everything, but I just need a night…" She trailed off and I knew what she was getting at.
"Oh, uh, yeah, sure." I said as I took the blanket from the foot of the bed. I kissed her on the forehead and headed towards the door. I shut the door behind me and hung my head. I wasn't surprised though, I couldn't expect that if I showed up at the airport with a ring that I would be out of the doghouse. I had said some pretty awful things.
I yanked my jeans off, but left my shirt and boxers on for whoever found me in the morning. I pulled the blanket over my body and let my head fall on the pillow.
I woke up to someone poking my chest.
"Wade, Wade, Wade, Wa-"
"What? Dammit Lavon."
"What are you doing on my couch? I gave you a bedroom for a reason." He started to talk towards the kitchen and I rolled over so I was facing the couch cushions.
"You did, and then I got kicked out."
"Serves you right, idiot." He scoffed.
"I know I'm an idiot." I tried to pull one of the cushions over my face.
"What're we talking about?" Annabeth came from their bedroom.
"How much of an idiot Wade is."
"Oh, yeah, you are an idiot, God. What is wrong with you?"
"I know AB, thanks for pointing it out." I grimaced as I sat up on the couch. I pulled my jeans back on from yesterday, but stayed sitting on the couch with my head in my hands. I heard the door open, but I didn't lift my head. I presumed that today would only e more punishment for what I said yesterday.
"Good morning fiancée! God I could get used to saying that!" She exclaimed and came and sat on my lap, wearing only one of my flannel shirts. I could hear Lavon choking on his coffee in the background, but all I could do was give her a look of confusion.
"I missed you last night! That's why I'm wearing this. I thought it would bring me some comfort, but it turns out, it just made me miss you more. And you know what else I miss? I miss being alone with you, like alone, alone." She emphasized alone slowly, making sure I understood what she meant.
"What do you mean fiancée? Why is your fiancée sleeping on my couch? Why is he your fiancée?"
"I'm going to have to side with Lavon on this one. You were mad last night, and rightfully so. What's with the change of heart? Not that I'm not glad to see it, but-"
"Wade, you're rambling. I just was thinking about what you said, and how you don't want to waste your days by not being with me, and I was thinking that you never know when you're going to die, so I'm going to have no regrets, and I'm not going to worry about what other people think, or what my brain is telling me because I'm following my heart now. And my heart is telling me that you should take me back into that bedroom and celebrate being engaged before I throw up my breakfast." She smiled sarcastically at the end and I stood up, with her in my arms, and carried her back to our bedroom. I could hear Lavon shouting from the kitchen, but I tuned him out. The only thing that mattered right now was my girl. And what she wanted, she was going to get.
It was different this time, and I expected it to be. It wasn't bad, or worse than before, just different. It was the first time we had sex since she came home, and I was nervous. I didn't want to hurt her, or be too rough with her. I knew this opportunity wouldn't come around a lot, so I had to use it to my advantage. I had to do most of the work, which I didn't mind at all. But I was gentle, and she seemed to enjoy it. Boy, did I enjoy it. It was different this time. There was no screaming or shouting or clawing or aggressiveness. There was just us two. She fell asleep almost immediately afterwards, but I spent sometime just holding her before I drifted off. I took in every inch of her face, how beautiful it is. Her skin was flawless, and her lips, even though they were dry now, and a bit chapped, were beautiful. I knew that this cancer thing was taking its toll on her, not just emotionally, but physically. It was killing her to see herself turning into this person who she hates, but I don't understand it. She's just as beautiful now as she was the day I met her.
Lavon's P.O.V.
AB and I took Zoe's proclamation as a hint to get out of the house, which we did immediately.
"Wanna head to the Rammer Jammer for breakfast?"
"Yes please," she answered, pleased to be leaving the house. We walked the short distance and entered Wade's restaurant. We sat down and perused the menu, but before we could get very far, we were approached by Tom Long.
"How's Zoe doing? We all know about the hospital thing, but we haven't heard anything since."
"She seems to be okay, if this morning was any representation…" Annabeth muttered so only I could hear.
"She started chemo the other day, but Wade's taking care of her, as usual."
"Well, the whole town kind of got together afterwards, and we want to do something for her. Since she can't work right now, we thought about having like a fundraiser, to help offset the costs of all of the procedures and stuff. We just wanted to run it by you first, but we were thinking of like a fun-run type thing? Since she's always trying to get us to exercise, we thought it would be like funny, ironic, you know? And people could pledge money for how far each person runs, and have food vendors and stuff like that."
"Well I think that's a great idea! When would this happen?"
"Well, that's the thing, we checked the town calendar, and the only day that isn't scheduled for anything is today. But you know how quickly the town can throw something together, and we've already talked to the food vendors, and everyone knows already, all we really need is your approval."
"We'd have to work fast, but I'm in, what can I do to help?"
Zoe's P.O.V.
I woke up and rolled over to face Wade. I had a permanent smile on my face it seemed. I was happy for the first time in a long time. I felt energized, I guess the chemo was either working, and making me feel better, or wasn't working at all and I wasn't feeling the effects. I traced lines of Wade's chest and he finally opened his eyes.
"Hello beautiful. How're you feeling?" He leaned over and kissed me.
"I'm feeling really good actually." I smiled, which made him smile.
"Are you hungry?"
"Not really, but I could do some crackers." We got out of bed and I put Wade's t-shirt, leaving him without a shirt, which I was fine with. We sat in the kitchen together; he ate eggs while I had a few crackers. He checked his phone a few times and kept texting. Wade almost never texts, so curiosity got the best of me.
"Who are you texting?"
"Just Lavon, he's at the Rammer Jammer, says that I should probably head down there sometime today since I haven't been in a while." He explained and I nodded. Lavon was probably right, Wade had been spending most of his time with me.
"So if it's alright with you, I'm going to head out in a few minutes, but AB will be back?" I nodded, encouraging him to go. I felt bad for taking all of his time away from his bar.
"Alright, I love you." He kissed me before he ran out the door. AB came in a few minutes later and asked what I wanted to do. I suggested maybe taking a walk around town because I wanted to see a few people, but she said she heard it was going to rain and maybe we should watch a movie instead and save our energy. It sounded logical, and I picked How To Lose A Guy In 10 Days, which was one of my favorites. The movie ended and I was extremely bored, I guess I would have to get used to days like these.
"So Zo, do you want to make some cookies? Surprise the boys when they get home?"
"Sure!" I got up and started to get the eggs from the refrigerator. I preset the oven to 400 degrees and began to collect the rest of the ingredients. Annabeth was busy texting people on her phone.
"You know what? On second thought, it doesn't look like it's going to rain, why don't we head into town like you said?" Annabeth suggested after I had pulled all of the ingredients for cookies out.
"Well, I'm already pretty set to go, why don't we just ma-"
"Nope, no time like the present to go shopping! Let's go into town. Some fresh air will do you good! Now go get changed, I will too! Wear something sporty, like your sneakers if we're going for a walk!" She rambled to me and ushered me back into my room. I rolled my eyes and turned off the oven. I decided on a pair of running shorts since it was pretty humid out today, a sport's bra and a zip up sweatshirt on top. I pulled my sneakers on, thinking about how shocked people were going to be when they saw me dressed like this. This was not Zoe Hart attire unless I was on my jog, which I haven't been able to do in months. But sneakers seemed much more comfortable now adays.
"You ready?" Annabeth asked me and I nodded.
"Let's get some water bottles!" She exclaimed and I nodded again. She was acting strange, but AB was always acting strange. We headed out the door and she asked if we should drive or walk. I told her drive probably because I didn't want to get tired before our walk even started. We drove about two minutes before we came to the edge of town and I thought it was weird that no one was around.
"What in the world…" I pulled the handle to my door when Annabeth pulled up to the Rammer Jammer. Practically the whole town was outside, all waiting for me.
"Surprise!" They all shouted when I got out of the car. Wade ran over to help me over to a table under a tent.
"They all wanted to help! They've been raising money ever since you were sent to the hospital and now they're doing a fun run. Tom Long organized it all, they all really care about you Zo, they're all behind you one hundred percent." Wade informed me as I sat on a fold out chair. Lavon stood in front of the town and began to shout so everyone could here him.
"Thank you all for coming out today. I've known Zoe Hart for years now, and was even her first friend here in Bluebell. When she came home a week ago saying that she had Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia, I was crushed. I didn't want to watch my friend go through this. But after a day of thinking about it, I thought, if anyone can handle this, it's Zoe Hart. She is the strongest person I know and I knew that Bluebell would be behind her every step of the way. Despite all of the obstacles in her way, she's happier than I've ever seen her. She's happy, she's engaged, may I add, sorry if that was a secret y'all," Lavon winked at Wade and I while I blushed. Now everyone was even more excited.
"Now, I'd like to welcome Zoe up here to maybe say a few words?" Now I was really put on the spot. I stood up and Wade was right by my side, but I shooed him away, I could walk a few feet.
"Hi everybody. Wow, this is just mindblowing. I didn't expect this at all! I just wanted to say how thankful I am for each and every one of you and how you have all impacted my life and influenced my decision to come back home. You all mean the world to me, and I don't know what I would do without you guys. You guys keep me going on the hard days, especially you Wade. Without you, I don't even want to think about where I would be right now. You make my life worth fighting for. I love you, and I love all of you, so I guess, without further adieu, let the race begin!" A shot was heard off in the distance and I moved out of the way so I wouldn't be trampled. Annabeth was the only one who wasn't running, and I was glad to have some company.
"So, how'd you get out of the running?"
"You promise not to speak a word? Not even to Lavon, or Wade?"
"Yes, of course, what is it?"
"I'm pregnant." She said with a smile. I lit up with the thought of her and Lavon having a baby!
"AB! That's great news! I'm so happy for you! I can't believe it! Whena re you going to tell Lavon?"
"Sometime soon, I just wanted it to be the right time, and I didn't want to steal your thunder today."
"My thunder, AB, don't worry about it! This is the best news I've gotten since, well, yesterday I guess! I'm so excited!" I almost felt the need to get out of the chair I was resting on, but my fatigue was too overpowering.
"I would hug you right now, but I'm wiped out." She smiled and said no worries. I checked my watch and wondered what time everyone would be coming back. I got my answer when I saw Lavon leading the pack, with Wade not too far behind. I stood up with AB's help and went over to the finish line to greet them.
"Congratulations! You just ran 5 kilometers! How does it feel?" I hugged Lavon when he crossed the line.
"It feels great! It was worth it for you Zo." He smiled and picked me up in his hug. I felt like I was back in his arms two years ago, before any of this happened.
"Thank you Lavon, this all means so much to me." I felt the tears start to prick in my eyes and was slightly embarrassed, I didn't want to cry in front of the whole town.
"I love you babygirl." Before I knew it, I was in Wade's arms and he was spinning me around.
"I love you too." I kissed him.
"Thank you for doing all of this for me. You're the most amazing, beautiful, handsome, funny, talented, sarcastic, rude, generous, kind, gentle man I know. I can't wait to spend forever with you Wade Kinsella." He just smiled and kissed me again, slowly putting me back down on the ground.
"Drinks at the Rammer Jammer on me everybody!" He shouted and kissed me again.