Author's Note: Hello. I know some of you are probably mad at me for not updating in a while, and I am sorry. I was having a bit of writer's block in regards to this story, but here you are, Chapter Eighteen.

Now, there is going to be a part of this story the takes place in the morning, and then the next few scenes take place the night before. I hope it is not too confusing. If you get lost, let me know.

Thank you to everybody who reviewed. They really meant a lot to me.

Thank you to Mollie, I always like your reviews. What are the sites you go on?

Thank you to the Guest who said respect.

Thank you to the Guest who said they liked my writing style. That was very nice.

(I posted this note on one of my other stories so it may look familiar to you). Now, some of you review as Guest. I get that you do not have an account and that you want to remain anonymous, and believe me, I totally get that. The problem is, I cannot tell you apart. I do not think you are all the same person, and it gets a little confusing. You may call yourself whatever you want, obviously, but I would appreciate if you put something to differentiate yourself from the other people reviewing as guest. Thank you.

Chapter Eighteen

"Hey doc. What can I get you?" I had been preparing for this all day. I heard from Wanda first, then Dash, then Tom, by noon, I had heard about a million people talking about George and Zoe. Some thought it was romantic. Most thought it was horrible and he should be with Lemon. A couple really did not care either way; they just liked to gossip. And me, well, when I first heard, I had felt like somebody was squeezing my heart, trying to crush it to dust.

I knew she would come in here. She came in all the time. Besides, as her friend, she'd be looking to me as a safe haven from all the gossip. So I had geared myself up to act as normal as possible to her.

"Wine. Big, tall glass."

"Gossip gettin' to you?" I asked, smirking.

She shook her head, "A little. Let's just say it's been a long day." I nodded, then turned to get her drink, "I mean, it's not like I didn't know what I was getting into. Bluebell gossips more than teenage girls text." I chuckled, "But I'm okay."

"Yeah?"

"I know I didn't do anything wrong. And I'm with George. Everything else … its just on the side. As long as I have George, I'll be okay …"

I winced, took a deep breath, and then turned around, placing her drink in front of her, "Wow doc, that sounds … really mushy."

"Shut up." She said playfully before taking a drink. I could tell she was telling the truth. She looked exhausted, but her eyes were sparkling. She was happy. More than happy. I had noticed it a couple weeks ago, but I hadn't known why. I mean, I knew Lemon and George split, everybody did. Maybe on some level, I knew they were together. I just couldn't bring myself to ask. Now, however, the cat was out of the bag and it was puking hairballs all over me. What can you do?

"What?"

I realized I'd been staring at her, "Nothing. You just, uh, you look happy doc."

She seemed surprised, but pleased, "Thanks. I am."

"So I've heard."

When Wade woke up, the first thing he noticed was how dark it was. The second thing he noticed was how much his gut still hurt. The third thing, he was alone. He had not exactly been on a regular sleeping schedule, but for the most part, he had been awake during visiting hours. There was usually someone, George, or Zoe, or Rose, sitting in the chair talking to him. It was lonely like this.

Wade did not like lonely. He was sick of lonely. He had had his fill of lonely.

He closed his eyes and tried to go back to sleep. No luck. He kept thinking about his dream. It had been very vivid, but all memories of her were. She had a way of sticking out among the haze.

He felt like he would go insane, sitting there with his own thoughts. He reached out and grabbed the landline on his bedside table, dialed the number, and waited.

"Hello. Wade?"

He smiled. It felt good to hear her voice, "Hey there doc. How'd you know it was me?"

"Caller I.D. It said the hospital was calling."

"Maybe they wanted to offer you some fancy job." He heard her chuckle. "What? Stranger things have happened."

"What are you doing up so late?"

She sounded mostly curious, but he could hear the hint of worry in her voice. Maybe he shouldn't have called her. It was not like he needed her; well, no more than usual. He was just lonely, which was not exactly a great reason to call. It was selfish of him for multiple reasons. Maybe those pain meds they had him on were keeping him from thinking straight, "Couldn't sleep." He said, deciding to leave out the bit about being lonely. Not being able to sleep was kind of why he had called

"Oh." She sounded … what was it? Relieved? Happy? Surprised? He couldn't tell, "Well, I guess that makes sense. A person can only sleep for so long and hospital patients tend to log more hours than anybody." He heard her yawn, then looked at the clock. It was 3:12 am. Crap.

"Did I wake you?"

"It's fine." She said quickly. He could tell she was trying not to make him feel guilty.

"I'm sorry. I wasn't thinkin'."

"I said it's fine. You can always call me." He smiled in spite of himself, "So, what's up?"

He shrugged, even though he knew she couldn't see him. "Nothing really. Just, like I said, couldn't sleep."

"Insomnia's a bitch."

"Yeah. 'Specially when you got all these crazy machines beeping around you."

She laughed. It was a great sound. He could picture her there, in her bed, holding the phone to her face, laughing. She was beautiful when she laughed. But then, she was always beautiful. "Well, you should be out of there soon. Right?"

Wade grimaced. He did not know when he would be getting out exactly. According to the nurse, bullets wounds could have anywhere between a couple weeks to over a month long recovery periods, and he still hurt like hell when he tried to get up. Even when he got out, he wouldn't be doing anything physically for a while; he'd probably be on crutches or some other shit like that. He hated the idea, being dependent on a bunch of sticks just to walk.

"Wade? Are you still there?"

"I'm here doc. Not like I can go anywhere." They were both quiet for a minute. He wondered if she knew what he had been thinking about. He hated not being able to go anywhere. Aside from having places he had to be, he was getting antsy, restless. And he hadn't even seen Lemon yet; he could only imagine what it must be like for her right now. He knew what it was like to lose a mother of course, but Lemon's history with her mother would make things sort of different for her. He wasn't sure how, but in any case, she would need him. Magnolia probably did too, and as far as he could tell, she still hadn't told anybody about her professor. He almost felt guilty for being so dramatic about not being able to go anywhere. Sure, it was hell, but it would heal. Lemon, however, would never get her mother back, and he knew from experience that the wound she was suffering from right now was one that would never heal, "How's Lemon?" he asked.

"She's … coping."

"Tell her she can come see me anytime she needs to talk. I'll be right here."

Zoe was quiet for a few seconds. When she spoke, what she said kind of threw him, "I think I'm beginning to get why you became a bartender."

Well, that was out of left field. There had not been a segue or anything. Where had that come from? "What, no education?" he asked humorously.

"No." She scolded, "You're good at listening to people, getting their minds off of their problems."

"Yeah, well, maybe when I get out of here I'll drop that pesky bar dream and apply for psychologist school."

Zoe laughed, "I'm serious."

"I know you are doc." He paused, "You know, I think you like me a lot better since you lost your memory than you did before."

"I'm sure that's not true." Her voice was tender, full of compassion. Being on the receiving end of that almost made getting shot feel worth it.

"Believe me. There was a time you would threaten my life four or five times a week."

"What changed?"

"Guess you realized how irresistible I was." He said cheekily.

"Maybe I realized you needed a friend who could keep your ego in check." He could practically hear her rolling her eyes.

"Well, you certainly did that." He said smirking, "Nobody ever made me feel quite as inferior as you."

"What?"

Oops. He had not meant to say that. Stupid slip of the tongue. He blamed the pain meds. "I didn't mean … I just meant, you were always so much better than me. I was never quite …" what was the word. George Tucker. I was never quite George Tucker. But he could hardly say that, "sophisticated enough for you."

"Did I say that?" she sounded mortified.

"No. Listen, I shouldn't have said anything." Now she was blaming herself and feeling like a horrible friend. He could picture her, the look on her face, how disappointed she felt in herself. Stupid pain meds. He had to fix this, "Truth is, it won't just you. I've been comparin' myself to people around me for years. You were just the most accomplished person I knew."

"Wasn't Lavon in the NBA or something?"

Wade chuckled, "NFL, and it wasn't the same. I knew I could throw a ball, but the stuff you can do … whoosh, right over my head." He wondered briefly if she was picturing him making the motion with his hand as he had been picturing what she was doing during the entire conversation. Probably not.

"Maybe you need to stop comparing yourself to other people, and take stock of all the amazing things you've done."

He felt a chill when she said the word amazing. He knew she was still confused, still didn't know him or really know what she was saying to him, but it still made him shiver. He racked his brain, trying to think of what he could have done that would warrant an amazing; he came up blank, "Like what?"

"Like rescuing a drunk teenage girl from a kidnapper."

Oh, that. "Yeah, well, I didn't do that alone."

"I should have stayed in the car."

Wade shook his head, she never stopped, "Girl, you still obsessin' over that?"

"No." She said unconvincingly.

"What happened wasn't your fault. When are you gonna stop blamin' yourself for everything?"

"Maybe when you stop judging yourself based on the accomplishments of others." She shot back.

"What?"

"Come on, let's make a deal, right now. I back off the guilt, you work on the self-esteem. Deal?"

He chuckled, "Sure. Why not."

"I'm serious Wade."

"I know. You got your serious voice on. That's part of what makes it so funny."

"My serious voice?"

"Yep."

"Well, tomorrow, my serious voice and I are coming down there so we can shake hands and make this official. I'll even have George draw up contracts if I have to, and you sure as hell better not go back on this Kinsella."

"I wouldn't dare doc. I wouldn't dare."

"Well, here you are." Lemon said as she showed Lily the guest room. It felt very déjà vu of when Lily had first come to stay, except that time, she had been staying with Zoe, and she hadn't known who Lemon really was. Everything was different now.

"You sure this is okay, me staying in the guest room."

"Of course. Lavon and I are happy to have you. Magnolia has been staying over but-" Lemon stopped when she noticed Lily wince, "What?"

"I'm sharing this room with Magnolia?" she was trying to sound grateful, but Lemon could hear the twinge of dread in her voice.

"Yes. Why, you don't have a problem with her, do you?" Lily looked down, not answering, and Lemon found herself getting protective, "Magnolia is as much your sister as I am."

"I know, it's just … she doesn't like me very much."

Lemon's face softened, "Oh, sweetheart, it's not like that. It's just hard on her is all. Our mom left when she was just a baby; you got all the years with her that Magnolia never did. She'll come around, don't you worry. Just be patient with her."

Lily nodded, "So, um, how long am I staying for?" she asked, clearly trying to change the subject.

"I don't know…" Lemon said, letting it hang there. She had not had time to really wrap her mind around what the nurse said, but she needed to, she knew that. She would have to talk to Lavon; they would figure it out together.

"I can't." Wade said as he headed behind the bar. God, why does he have to be so frustrating all of the time?

"Why not?" I asked, following him.

"Hey, you can't be back here."

"It's after hours; nobody's here. Besides, it's not like I'm gonna steal anything. Now answer my question." He was quiet, "Come on, Wade, this is a huge deal. Why can't you go?"

"You know why not." I shrugged, and Wade sighed, rubbing his forehead, "You check the date doc?"

"November first." I said, without thinking. I had looked at that paper at least five or six times since Wade got it in the mail. Wade hadn't; it think maybe he was afraid if he looked at it, it would disappear.

"And what is going to happen on November first, as in, the first of the month? What will I be doing that night?" He was saying it like he was talking to a third grader or something. I hated that, but I got his point.

"Oh."

"Exactly." He said, reaching for a glass to wipe down.

"Well, can't you talk to him, ask him to put it off?"

"Yeah, I could also ask him to not do it at all. Doubt he'd listen."

"Well, there has to be someway you can-"

"Leave it, doc. Just …" He put his hand up. He was doing that distant thing again. I hate it when he does that distant thing.

"You deserve this."

I knew it didn't change anything to say it, but it was just so unfair. Wade was like the perfect son, and he had to miss out on this huge thing because of it. Wade had gone back to school, and he was doing really, really great. I mean, he was doing amazing. His first semester had just ended, and he had more than passed all his courses. The school was having an open house for incoming students, and they had asked certain exemplary students to come and talk about the opportunities and what they had gotten out of it. Wade had been picked by one of his professors, which was a huge honor. He was picked out of all the students as somebody best qualified to represent the student body and the school. When the letter came, Wade called George and asked him to verify it was real; it took forever to convince him that it wasn't some prank or mistake. At the end of the letter, which was typed up and fairly generic, there was a handwritten note from the teacher who hade recommended him.

It said, and I quote:

Mr. Kinsella,

You came to this class with more determination than I have seen in years, and while I could see that a part of you believed you did not deserve to be there, you gave one hundred and ten percent. There were so many moments when I noticed you got a little discouraged, and it would have been so easy for you to just walk away, but you never did. Nobody has tried harder in my class this semester, and I have no doubt that when you graduate and open up your own business it will be a huge success. And I can think of nobody more qualified to talk to new students about what you can get out of an education, because you clearly grasp why it is so important to come to class, give it everything you've got, and get everything out of it that you can. Congratulations!

He shrugged at my comment, "I mean it. You've worked so hard and-"

"It's not a big deal." How could he be so blasé about this?

"It's a huge deal!"

"Why are you getting so worked up about this?"

I sighed, "Because, I can tell it's important to you, but you have somebody who needs you so, just like always, you're pretending like your needs don't matter. And they do, Wade, they really do." Sometimes I think Wade is the most hardheaded person I have ever met.

"It's not like I'm bein' honored for curin' some disease or endin' global warnin'. It's just some dumb talk to a bunch of kids who are probably smart 'an me anyhow."

"Wade-"

"I mean, it ain't like I'm some great role model or anything."

"Are you kidding? Wade, you're an amazing role model."

"Really?" he asked sarcastically. How could somebody so cocky be so insecure, "How do you figure? Is it 'cause I can teach young boys how to please women and handle their liquor? Or 'cause I work at a dive bar in the same town I grew up in and never left?"

"Wade, the whole reason that you never went anywhere is because of your dad. Do you have any clue what that says?"

"That I'm the son of a deadbeat drunk?"

I shook my head, "You just don't get it, do you?" I took a deep breath, "Remember when I first moved to Bluebell. I thought you were the most irritating, selfish, conceited guy in the world."

Wade laughed, "Oh yeah, I remember."

"And do you know what changed my mind?" He shook his head, "You may act like a jerk on the surface, but when people need you, you're there. The first time I saw Earl climb up on that roof, I was terrified."

His signature smirk appeared on his face, "I remember. And didn't you also have like a Marge Simpson hair situation goin' on-"

"We don't need to talk about that." I said cutting him off. He laughed, and I rolled my eyes, "Anyway, I saw you up there. I saw your face. You were annoyed, angry, embarrassed, but you still got up there, and you still sang 'Moon River,' just like you have done every month after, and every month for years before I got here. I was confused; I hadn't the slightest clue what was going on, or why everybody was acting like this was normal, but I was also amazed. As much as you hated it, you did what you had to do to get him down. You saved his life. You keep saving his life. When Lavon told me, I couldn't believe it. I remember thinking, 'This is Wade? This is my jerk of a neighbor? How is that possible? How could somebody who had never seemed like more than an annoying Casanova be so selfless and brave?' I have seen you go up a million times since, but I never forgot that first time."

Wade smiled, "I remember you callin' me heroic next day."

"And I meant it. But you just shrugged it off, said it meant nothing. You do this amazing thing twelve times a year, and you don't even realize it. Wade, you gave up your whole life to take care of your father. Do you know how many guys wouldn't have done that? You say you do it because you have to, but you don't have to. Jesse didn't stay, tons of people wouldn't have. They would have left Earl to fend for himself, or put him in an institution. You didn't. You wouldn't. You don't do all that because you have to, you do it because you're Wade." He was smiling at me now, beaming really. "What?"

"I don't need to go."

"Wade-"

"I don't need to go because nothing that could happen there could possibly mean as much to me as what you just said." Okay. So that was a surprise. "Thanks doc."

I smiled at him. "Anytime."

"Big Z, you comin' in for breakfast?" Zoe sat up and brushed the hair from her face, "Lemon made pancakes, bacon, scrambled eggs…"

"I'll be right there!" she called back, trying to get her bearing. She was kind of groggy. Wade and her had talked until seven, so she had only been asleep for two or three hours. She was still coming out of her dream, which may or may not have gone on if Lavon hadn't called in to her, but he had, which woke her, so now she'd never know. Still, even possibly incomplete, wow. That had been a pretty big one. Zoe got out of bed and headed for her dresser. She picked up a piece of paper and pencil.

After the first couple dream/memories, Zoe figured it would probably keep happening, but dreams don't always stick with you, and she did not want to forget anything. Even the smallest detail could be important. She racked her brain; what had she learned? Wade was going to business school. Well, she already knew that. He was doing well apparently, had been asked to speak to incoming students at an open house or something. And he would have to go even though he had some commitment he couldn't get out of. Did that mean the school was far off, or that the commitment was time-consuming? And what was the commitment? In the dream, she had said he never left Bluebell because of his dad, and Wade had said his dad was a 'deadbeat drunk.' There was something about sing the song 'Moon River' on a rooftop with some guy named Earl. What could that mean? And who was Jesse? Some of it was unclear, and the singing on the rooftop thing didn't make any sense to her. Maybe she was remembering the dream wrong. Hopefully Wade could shed some light on it when she went to see him today.

When Lemon came downstairs that night, she found Magnolia sitting on the couch, waiting, "I am not sharin' a room with her." She said petulantly.

"Oh lord." Lemon said sighing. She came to sit down next to her stubborn little sister. "You were the one who chose to stay here instead of with daddy, after comin' home with no warning."

"Is it wrong to want to spend some quality time with my sister?" magnolia said in the fake-sweet voice that she had learned from Lemon.

"She's your sister too." Lemon stated.

"Half-sister." Magnolia grumbled.

"Sweetie-"

"Why does she have to stay here?"

"She doesn't have anywhere else to go. Her father's gone, and she just lost her mother-"

"So did we!" Magnolia stood up and started shouting, "She was our mother too, remember? Doesn't that matter?"

That felt like a slap in the face. Of course she remembered. In truth, they had lost Alice Breeland years ago, and both of her sisters needed help dealing. Lemon wanted to yell at Magnolia, but she knew she had to remain calm, "Of course it does, but it's different for her."

"Why?"

"Well, for one, she's only fifteen-"

"So what? I was a baby when mom left. I survived. And it's not like you grow out of grief. Nobody's done anything special for me, asked me how I'm holdin' up. She's not the only one whose mother just died. At least she got to know her." Magnolia's eyes started to tear up.

"Magnolia-"

"I'm callin' dad; I'm gonna stay with him. You know, I really needed somebody, and crazy me, I thought that between dad and you, you would be the person that might actually be there for me." Magnolia took out her cellphone and dialed her father's number, "But that's too difficult for you, isn't it. You got a husband and a new little sister; you replaced me, just like mom. I can't believe I was actually considerin' confidin' in you. I am so glad I didn't because I know you wouldn't believe me anyway. You never take my side on anythin'."

"Magnolia, come on, we can talk about this." Lemon said, trying to calm her sister down.

"Hello daddy." Magnolia said, once again using her fake-sweet voice. Oh no. Lemon thought. She had not told brick about Alice's passing, and if magnolia went over there in this state then …

"Magnolia, hang up." Lemon snapped.

"I was wonderin' if I could-" Lemon grabbed the phone from Magnolia and hung up, "Hey!"

"Daddy doesn't know what happened."

"You didn't tell him?"

"What good would it do him to know? It took him long enough to get over her leavin'."

"You think you know what's best for other people, but you don't."

Lemon collapsed on the couch, exhausted, "What do you want from me Magnolia? What do you want me to say? I know I'm not perfect. I try, so hard for you and daddy and I just … just tell me what you need me to do?"

Magnolia made her way into her bed, trying to ignore the blond head sleeping in it on the right side. It was a large bed; so long as Lily stayed on her side, Magnolia could pretend she wasn't there. A part of her wished she had told Lemon the truth. The opportunity had been right there, and she almost had. She knew Lemon was trying, and maybe she would believe her, but telling her sister that even at college, all anybody thought she had to offer was her looks … Magnolia had always felt a little sorry for Lemon, staying in Bluebell, never seeing what was out there. But maybe Lemon had the right idea. Maybe girls like them didn't belong out there. They were just pretty pictures to look at, nothing more.

Magnolia had always known she was smart. She was a wiz at math; she kept it hidden in high school to maintain her status, but when she took the SATs she had gone all out. She was bold and gutsy and good at getting people to do what she wanted, no doubt something she learned from watching her sister. She could play guitar and sing, she had an eye for clothing. She had really believed she could go somewhere. Maybe she could be a designer in Paris, or a country singer in California. She had even considered running a corporation. She knew she would be good at that, but it just seemed so stuffy.

Now, what was her future? The only way to get the teacher not to fail her, other than giving in was to drop the semester. None of it counted. She would be starting from scratch. And what if it happened again? People clearly only saw her as one thing. Maybe that was all she would ever be. She felt tears running down her cheeks and swatted at them. She did not want to cry. That was weak, something she was not.

She went back downstairs to get herself a glass of water. She heard the sobs before she even made it to the landing. Lemon was curled up on the couch, crying. Magnolia approached her tentatively.

"I'm … I'm sorry about what I said."

Lemon looked up, "It's okay." She whispered.

"Do you … do you want to come upstairs? There's room in the bed between Lily and me, if you want." Lemon was quiet. She was looking up at her Magnolia like a lost puppy. It was so strange to see her sister like this; she had never seen her looking so lost, "I just think maybe we should all be together tonight."

Lemon smiled at her through her tears. Magnolia reached out her hand, which Lemon took, and led her upstairs. When they got to the room, magnolia got back in her spot on the far left, and Lemon scrunch in between her and Lily. As they lay there, Magnolia couldn't help but think of The Sound of Music, and that scene during the thunderstorm when they all cuddled together because they were scared. What a curious thing to be thinking about, Magnolia thought as she drifted off to sleep.

"The whole night?" Lemon asked. Zoe nodded before shoving a forkful of scrambled eggs in her mouth, "That's intense."

Zoe nodded. She liked that her and Lemon were getting closer. It was nice to have somebody to talk about stuff with. And Lemon needed to talk. Magnolia, Lavon, and Lily were all still asleep, and Lemon kept asking Zoe to distract her. It wasn't hard, because after last night, Zoe had so much to talk about, "It was nice. And weird. I mean, it was past three when he called. And it was me he called. That has to mean something, right?"

"Well have you talked to him yet, about, you know, what he said?" even though they were alone, Lemon's voice dropped a little when she said the last part.

"Of course not." Zoe responded, shaking her head vigorously.

"You know you have to, right? You won't be able to let it go until you do; it will just gnaw away at you like some sort of termite in your brain."

"Thanks for that mental image," Zoe said with a laugh, "And I know I have to talk to him about it. I want to talk to him about it."

"But … ?"

Zoe chewed and swallowed, "But, Wade is still in recovery. Everything is so crazy right now-"

"Zoe, things will always be crazy; that's just life, and particularly life in Bluebell. Just think of all that's happened in the past month, between your amnesia, Magnolia showin' up, Wade gettin' shot, not to mention what happened to my mom," her voice caught for a second and Zoe waited for her to compose herself, "Point is, life happens, and it's messy. Doesn't mean we should stop livin' it. Do you realize how ridiculous it would be to stop livin' because of life? The sentence doesn't even make sense."

Zoe nodded, "I get your point. But it isn't just that though."

"What else is holdin' you back?"

Zoe was quiet for a minute. "George" she finally said. Lemon raised her perfectly shaped eyebrows, "Don't look at me like that. I apparently have a past with George, even though I can't remember it, and there are feelings, feelings I still don't completely understand. Suppose Wade meant what he said, and he is in love with me, suppose I confront him and make him admit it, and give him hope that I could feel the same way, and then realize that I am in love with George and not Wade. He doesn't deserve that. Neither of them do. I need to figure out how I feel first."

"I thought you said you couldn't figure out how you felt until you knew how Wade felt."

"Yes. I did. I did say that."

"That still true?"

"I think so, but … I don't know, I think I've talked myself into a corner."

"Mornin' ladies." Lavon said as he entered the kitchen, "Don't you two look lovely today."

Lemon gave a half smile. She was not up to real smiles yet, but she was trying to be strong, "Sweetheart, I need to talk to you later. It's about something … important." Lavon looked at Lemon questioningly. "It's about, um, Lily."

"If this is a 'we're waiting for Zoe to leave' 'private married people' kind of conversation, don't worry. I was just about to leave actually." Zoe said, standing up.

"Oh, we don't want to kick you out-"

"You're not. There's just somewhere I need to be."

"Knock knock," Wade looked up and smiled.

"Well, if it ain't the pipsqueak."

Rose giggled, "I'm gonna let you get away with that because you're in a hospital bed."

"Thank god. Here I was fearin' for my life."

She giggled again and came to sit next to him, "How you holdin' up?"

"All right, you know, considerin' "

"You were … a little upset last time I was here."

"Sorry about that. Guess I'm not great at bein' in the hospital."

Rose smiled, "Well, I don't think that's exactly a coveted skill." She was quiet for a minute, "So … you talked to Zoe yet?"

"About what?" Rose gave him a look, "Hey, I thought you said you would be nice to me."

"There aren't enough second chances in the world for you Wade Kinsella."

He chuckled, "You're probably right about that."

"So?"

"Well, as a matter of fact, I did talk to Zoe last night."

"Really?" Rose said, getting excited.

"Hold your horses, okay. We didn't talk about … that. We just, ya know, talked." Wade smiled, "I mean, we talked all night. I called her around three and we didn't hang up 'til around seven."

"OMG! That's amazing. What did you guys talk about?"

Wade shrugged, "Everything. Nothing. I don't know, just stuff. She said she's comin' in today to make our deal official."

"What deal?"

"It's private."

Rose pouted for half a second and then perked up again, "Well, this is a sign, you have to talk to her."

"I don't know if-"

"Today, when she comes in, before you lose your nerve."

"I don't have my nerve."

"Come on, you know it meant somethin' else you wouldn't be so smiley about it. She needs to know, you need to tell her. "

"And what makes you the relationship expert?"

Rose sat up straighter and put her head up proudly, "Well, it just so happens that I got kissed yesterday."

"Fredrick Dean?" Wade asked.

"How did you-?"

Wade smiled, "Good for him. It's about time he did somethin'."

"You knew?"

"Are you kiddin'? That kids been followin' you like a puppy for the past three years." Rose slapped his arm, (not hard of course) "Whoa, hey, what was that for?"

"How could you not tell me?"

"Wasn't my place." They were quiet for a minute, "So, does this mean you two…"

"I don't know. I mean, I was so crazy about him, but that was so long ago. I haven't really thought about him that way in a while. I was so sure I was over it. But then … god, that kiss, it was like-"

Wade put up his hand, "Please don't."

Rose smirked and shook her head, "Where's your sense of romance?"

Wade laughed, remembering the last time she'd said that to him all those years ago.

"Got any advice?"

"Figure out how you feel quick. Don't string the kid along, he's waited a long time for this."

"That's a lot of pressure."

Wade shrugged, "Sorry."

"You should take a page from his book you know, throwin' caution to the wind and kissin' me like he did." Wade raised his eyebrows at her questioningly, "I mean with Zoe. Relax, geez."

Wade laughed, "Well, hey, a few weeks back-" Rose gave him a look that shut him up. He cleared his throat, "Anyway, I'm not sure if that's the right way for me. Especially now."

"It has to be now!"

"Why?"

"Because," Rose sighed, "Look, if Fredrick Dean hadn't waited so long there would be no question in my mind, but the more time you let pass, the more confused she is goin' to get. You have to let her know you're an option now, before she closes the book on you completely."

"You watch way too many romance movies kid." Rose rolled her eyes, but she smiled.

"Just don't be an idiot. You have a second chance to be with the girl you're in love with. Don't waste it."

"So, what's goin' on?"

Lemon sighed, "The other day, at the hospital, the nurse mentioned something to me. Something I hadn't thought of." Lemon stopped, and Lavon nodded for her to go on, "Um, well, you know that Lily's father passed away last year, and now she doesn't have a mother, so, well, she's goin' to need to stay with somebody. In a permanent way." Lavon's eyes widened, "I don't know who they named as guardian in the will; I reckon it wasn't me seein' as how my mother never even knew that Lily and I had made contact, and she hasn't seen me in over a decade. Might be somebody on the father's side, or maybe my maternal grandparents … I don't know, but, well, the nurse sort of assumed that it would be me."

Lavon took a moment to process, "Do you want it be you?"

"I don't know. I mean, I love her, but I don't know if we can handle that right now, or if it's best for her. Maybe she'd rather … I don't … I did some research online. If they did name somebody else guardian, we'd have to go to court to fight for her, and we might lose. Of course, if they didn't name anybody, I'm next of kin, but then, an uncle or grandparent would be too, so, I don't know. We'd have a better shot if they didn't name anybody, but we won't know until they read the will. Of course, George could represent us in court, but what if we lose? She just lost her mother. I don't want her to have to go through some lengthy trial. She should be-"

"Lemon, Lemon sweetie, slow down." Lavon said, grabbing her hands to slow her. She had been pacing and as she gained momentum, so had the rant, "Slow down, okay?"

Lemon took a deep breath, "Okay."

"Now, I gotta ask you somethin', 'cause you know whatever you want, I'll support." Lemon nodded, "Do you want guardianship of Lily?"

"Well, it's not that simple, there's the legality issue, and what she wants has to be factored in of course, and-"

"I didn't ask about any of that. We can deal with it if we have to, but first, you need to know what you want. No legal stuff, or worryin' that she might want to be somewhere else. Do you want Lily to stay?"

Lemon took a deep breath and swallowed. She was quiet for a minute, and then she nodded, "Yes. Yes I do."

"Okay. Well then, we'll take this one step at a time."

"Okay man. Yeah, I'll call you later." George said into the receiver, "Okay bye."

After hanging up, George took a seat on the couch and switched on the television. It had been a very long time since he had just relaxed. Between Zoe's accident, and now Wade, not to mention what Lemon was going through, it seemed like he had not had a single worry-free moment. Wade was recovering, which was good. He sounded okay on the phone just now; they had talked about football and what was going on in town just like old times. He figured Wade must be getting out soon, so that was one less friend he had to worry and obsess about.

There was a knock on the door. Reluctantly, George got up to answer it, and was rewarded with the surprising sight of Zoe Hart holding a paper bag with the Fancies logo on it.

"Well, hello there Dr. Hart." George said, smiling instantly.

She smiled back, "Mr. Tucker." He looked at her, confused, "Sorry, I thought we were being formal."

He chuckled, "It's fine. You wanna come in?" she nodded, "So, what's in the bag? Is it smaller than a breadbox?"

Zoe smiled again, "This is what according to the waitress at Fancies you have referred to as the best thing on the menu."

"Ravioli?"

Zoe's face dropped, "She said it was Beef Tenderloins."

"I'm just teasin'."

"Oh," Zoe said, sighing in relief.

"Can I ask what the occasion is?"

"Well, I realized, with all the craziness that night, we never actually got to go on our date."

George smiled. "No. No we didn't."

"Which is why I was thinking," She plopped the bag on the table, then turned to him, "Maybe we should try and make up for that."

George nodded, "I'll get the plates."

Author's Note: Hello. I hope this chapter makes up a little for my absence. The George/Zoe 'date' is not over; it will continue in the next chapter.

I am sorry about the time confusion. I know Zoe wakes up in the morning, and then we go back to the night, but any other way I tried to arrange it just didn't work. I try not to have the same characters in two consecutive scenes if I can avoid it, and if that had been in order, Zoe waking up and her at breakfast with Lemon would have directly followed one another. Those are both focused on Zoe's perspective. The three scenes following her dream all involve Lemon, which I was not happy about, but the second one is really about Magnolia, and the third is really about Zoe. If you think I should have done it different or found it too confusing, please let me know.

I was originally going to have Zoe dream about the actual "Moon River" thing. I even went to the trouble of transcribing. (By the way, does anybody know what she was trying to climb? Was it a fire escape?) However, when I was looking at what I had transcribed and trying to figure out which part to use, it just didn't feel right. We all know the scene, and her remembering it did not seem significant enough to the story. The idea was about her remembering why they had become friends, which was brought on by her discussion with him, and while I think that moment was sort of the beginning, I felt it would be unclear, both to her, and you guys. I don't want to have a flashback just to have a flashback; it has to make sense and mean something.

I want to apologize for a wrong word choice in an earlier chapter. I used the word custody, when the appropriate word was actually guardianship. Custody refers to a child of divorce, guardianship refers to the person who takes the child if the parents die or are deemed unfit by the court. All information on guardianship and Alabama law regarding guardianship can be found at these websites.

/definitionsuslegal/g/guardianship/ with a dot between definitions and us and a dotcom after legal

/ehow/info_8705907_alabama-law-guardianship-minor with a dotcom after ehow

I was a little on the fence about whether or not Lemon would fight for custody, by I feel like she would. If you disagree, please let me know because I do not want to portray her inaccurately.

Also, I have no clue what George's favorite dish is at Fancies, so I hope I did not misrepresent him.

Thank you for reading and I am anxious to hear your thoughts.

Have a good day!