Chapter 14

"This was nice." David said with a smile.

"Oh I think it was more than nice." Erica said with a wink.

"Yeah, I guess." He said with a wink of his own when his pager went off.

"They know you're not on call right?"

"Yes. I should at least check it out though."

"I guess." She said rolling her eyes.

He read the pager 'Dad 911'. At first it made no sense, but then it hit him. He knew what it meant. "It's Joe. Jake or Jeff paged me 911."

"David, Joe and Ruth, they have Dylan."

"I know, I know. I'm calling." He said both of them panicking a little as he picked up his cell and dialed the hospital. He was already getting dressed and Erica was doing the same. "This Dr. Hayward, I was paged 911." He said to the person who answered the phone. "Uh huh. Yes. Have the films ready for me. I'll be there in 5."

"What is it?"

"It looks like Joe had a heart attack. He's in the ER." He said pulling his shirt over his head and heading toward the door of the bedroom.

"Oh my god David, is he okay?" She said, a little more panicked than before.

"He's stable but I won't know what's going on until I get there."

"Alright let's go." She said following him.

"You need to stay here. Find out where Dylan is."

"Won't he be at the hospital? Ruth is going to be there, I'm sure."

"Alright let's go, but make a few phone calls on the way." He said as he headed down the stairs.

"It's alright Ma. Jake and Jeff aren't going to let anything happen to him. He's going to be fine." Tad said rubbing Ruth's back softly.

"I can't lose him Tad, I just can't." Ruth said, her hands over her face as they waited.

"You won't. Not over this." Tad half said, half whispered.

David walked in, Erica right behind him. He stopped at the desk to find out where and headed there. Ruth caught sight of him and stood up, going to him. "David thank god you're here. David, please save your father."

"Let me see what's going on. I'll do my best." He said to her before heading into the room.

"What the hell is he doing here?" Tad half asked, half said.

"What have we got?" David asked of Jeff and Jake as he walked in.

"Here is his chest film. It doesn't look good." Jeff mentioned.

"You called him?" Jake asked of his brother.

"He needs a cardiologist Jake. Who'd you think I would call?" Jeff asked, not liking this arguing with such a delicate situation.

"Peterman. Johns. Anyone but him." Jake said looking from Jeff to David.

"That's enough fighting over me. Why don't we just focus on saving the patient." David said reading the films.

"He's just not any patient, David." Jake said realizing he just left the door open for something he didn't want reminded of.

"Yeah I know. He's our father." He said, knowing that would shut him up. "Looks like triple-vessel coronary artery disease." He observed.

"Left ventricular ejection fraction is impaired." Jake added, focused on the task at hand.

"He's going to need bypass." Jeff noted.

"Does one of you want to tell Ruth? Or should I?"

"I'll do it." Jake said, walking out.

"So how did this happen?" David asked of Jeff.

"Same thing as always now. Jake and Tad hate that dad and Ruth talk about you. They hate you and this time the argument got a little heated and dad's heart couldn't take it." Jeff said, almost disgusted with his own family. Maybe he shouldn't have come back.

"Ruth, I'm sorry to hear about Joe." Erica said, trying not to nonchalantly ask where her son is. "David's going to do what he does."

Ruth nodded. "Oh, Dylan. He's with Dixie and the boys."

"That's alright, you just focus on Joe. I'll go get him as soon as we hear some news. Do you want me to stay?"

"If you could, just for a bit." Ruth asked as Jake came out.

"Dad is stable for now, but he's going to need surgery."

"What kind of surgery?" Ruth asked, Tad nodding.

"Open heart surgery. A triple bypass." Jake told his mother.

"Oh my." Ruth exclaimed.

"Who's doing the surgery?" Tad asked, hoping the answer wasn't Hayward.

"All of us." Was Jeff's answer, as he and David walked up.

"Who's all of us?" Tad asked, afraid of the answer.

"Jake, me and David." Jeff answered.

"David? Why? Jake are you seriously going along with that?" Tad questioned his baby brother.

"Dad needs a cardiologist. David's a cardiologist."

"Head of cardiology." David corrected, a little ego showing.

"You want your father to live right?" Erica asked, a little annoyed at the pettiness. "Than you want the best, and that's David." Erica said as Tad nodded.

"Mom tell them you want someone else." Tad tried to convince Ruth.

"Tad, why are you doing this? Can't you see mom is already upset enough?" Jake asked his brother.

"Let me have a minute with Tad." David said, moving over and taking Tad by the arm. Everyone else just watched as the he walked Tad over to the side.

"Let go of me Hayward."

"You listen here Tad. You're not getting it. Your father is very ill, and from what I hear caused by you and Jake, acting like the pompous Martins' you both are. I'm trying to save his life. Not to spite you, not to suck up to your mother but because it's what I do. I don't think you're getting it through your head that I didn't ask for this whole situation and I didn't ask for Joe to play daddy. I tried walking away. But you know what? Your father, my father is such a stand up guy that he's able to put aside his hatred for me because of something as small and seemingly insignificant as DNA. Now I didn't ask for him to be my new daddy because I had one, or at least the only man I ever thought of as my father. Then I thought to myself, my father is dead. And now my son, he has no family. Your kids love their grandparents, right? And Joe and Ruth love them? Well Joe was there and I thought, maybe I don't want a relationship with him but I shouldn't deny my son one just because I don't. What do you think Tad? Should we all deny Dylan and dad because you hate me and I hate you?" David blew out in more than one breath. He was just tired of the attitude he got from Tad and Jake, but at least Jake knew that he was the best one for the job. Apparently he felt he needed to get that through to Tad too.