"Morning, Dix." Dixie lifted her head at the sound of Johnny's voice. "How was your, uh, little getaway?"

Dixie took in a deep breath. "Fine. We had a lovely time."

Johnny ducked behind the base station to grab a pair of cups and fill them with coffee, very obviously trying to get a look at something. Dixie merely gave him a look, one that normally would have stopped Johnny in his tracks.

He seemed to deliberately ignore her, and she let out a huff. "What are you looking at, Johnny?"

Johnny shrugged casually. "Oh, nothing. Figured you'd come back with a big rock on your hand."

Before Dixie could respond, Adam appeared, taking the second cup that Johnny had set on the counter. "Jesus, Wilkinson is on a tear this morning. I thought he was going to bite my head off. Morning, Dixie."

Johnny frowned, glancing first at Adam before glancing back at Dixie. He opened his mouth as if he was about to say something, then closed it again.

The walkie-talkie crackled at Adam's hip, and he unclipped it to respond. "County Fifty-One available."

Soon the two men were gone again, leaving Dixie alone at the desk. She hadn't intended to hurt Carl's feelings by turning down his proposal, but at the same time, he had to know what her response would be.

Things had been going just fine between them. Why couldn't he have left well enough alone?

Well, there was nothing she could do about it now. They were just going to have to learn to be around each other. Surely Carl would get over his hurt feelings and move on eventually.

Just then Carl came walking briskly down the hallway, glancing over at Dixie's desk. Instead of stopping by for a chat, he quickly averted his gaze and kept on moving.

Dixie let out a long sigh as she took a sip of coffee. This was going to be more painful than she thought.

# # #

Johnny and Adam climbed into the squad, and Johnny started it up, putting together all the pieces of what had likely happened between Dixie and Wilkinson.

It was too bad, really. They had really seemed happy together.

Suddenly Johnny caught movement out of the corner of his eye, and he turned slightly to see Adam's outstretched hand, palm up. "Pay up." He told Johnny, a hint of a smirk crossing his face.

"Huh?"

"I told you Dixie would turn him down if he proposed." Adam answered. "You owe me. Pay up."

"We don't know for sure." Johnny argued, even as he knew Adam was probably right.

Adam gave him a knowing look. "There's no ring on Dixie's finger, and Wilkinson's pissed off and taking it out on everyone in his path. He definitely proposed, and she definitely turned him down."

Johnny huffed irritably and reached for his wallet, pulling out a five-dollar bill and handing it to Adam. "Fine, we'll just say you're right. Man, it's gonna be miserable around there for a while."

Adam rolled his eyes as he accepted the cash and tucked it into his own wallet. "Dixie will be fine, and I'm sure Wilkinson will get over it in time. We just need to lay low for a while until it all blows over."

Johnny put the squad in gear, wondering how Adam could be so cavalier about the whole situation. "It's just a damn shame, you know? They really seemed happy together."

"Not everyone's meant for marriage, Johnny." Adam pointed out. "Look at me and Isaac. We're perfectly fine as we are."

Johnny glanced over at Adam. "But if you could marry him, would you?"

Adam dismissed Johnny's question with a wave. "It's never going to be a possibility, so there's no point in even thinking about it."

"You're committed to him though, right?"

Adam looked thoughtful for a moment before nodding. "More or less."

That wasn't quite the answer Johnny expected. "What do you mean, 'more or less'?"

"Never mind." Adam replied. "My point is that people can be perfectly happy without being married."

"I guess." Johnny finally conceded as he backed into the bay and shut off the squad. "You don't suppose there's any way we could convince them to kiss and make up?"

"Don't you dare." Adam told him sharply. "For once, mind your own damn business."

But the wheels were already turning in Johnny's head. If the only problem was that Dixie didn't want to get married, well, that was an easy problem to solve. All he had to do was somehow convince Wilkinson that marrying Dixie wasn't the only way to keep her in his life.

He heard Adam sigh and open the door to the squad. "I'm serious, Johnny. Stay out of this. They'll either figure it out, or they won't, and either way, they don't need your help."

Johnny nodded. "You're right. No need for me to get involved. We'll just…lay low."

Adam's eyes narrowed ever so slightly. "Right."

With that he shut the door of the squad, leaving Johnny alone with his thoughts. If anyone deserved a shot at love, it was Dixie. And Wilkinson did seem to be just the guy for her.

So maybe Johnny wouldn't interfere, exactly. But it wouldn't hurt to give them just a little push.

# # #

The sound of a quietly clearing throat caught Dixie's attention, and she lifted her head to see Carl at the desk, a file folder in his hand.

He looked vaguely uncomfortable, though he covered it well, and Dixie returned it with a slight smile of her own. The sight of him still made her heart melt a little, and she had to admit that he'd been on her mind ever since they had returned from Mexico. "Can I help you?"

"I certainly hope so." Carl responded in a slightly clipped tone. "I have a patient that's ready to be moved to a room. Would you please make the arrangements?"

"Of course." Dixie replied smoothly, holding out her hand for the folder. Their fingers brushed, sparking just a little of that old familiar feeling.

Carl's gaze lingered on her for just a moment before he nodded. "Thank you."

Dixie nodded in response and made the necessary call to arrange for the patient transfer. As soon as she hung up, she spotted Diane approaching the desk.

"The patient in Three is ready to be released." She told Dixie as she handed her a clipboard. "And I'm sorry about you and Wilkinson."

Dixie was a little taken aback. "News certainly travels fast."

Diane smiled ever so slightly. "You know this place runs on gossip and caffeine. Are you doing okay?"

"Of course." Dixie replied firmly. "No need for you to worry. Or your husband, for that matter. You tell him to mind his business."

The sound of the bay doors banging open caught their attention, and soon a gurney came around the corner, with Adam alongside as they passed by the desk.

"Put them in One, Diane." Dixie instructed.

Diane nodded and left to direct Adam and the ambulance attendant into a room. Dixie knew Johnny wouldn't be far behind, and she'd have a chance to give him a piece of her mind.

"Hey, Dix." Johnny called out cheerfully as he filled out a supply form and handed it to Dixie.

"Hello, Johnny." Dixie took the form and started pulling the requested supplies.

She could hear him drumming his fingers on the desk behind her. Honestly, she wished he would just come out and say whatever it was he was going to say and get it over with so she could tell him off.

Finally, she finished pulling his supplies and set them on the desk. "Anything else?"

Johnny looked as if he wanted to say something, and he let out a short huff. "Why'd you turn him down, Dix?"

Dixie sighed, resting one hand on the counter and the other on her hip. "That is none of your business."

Johnny frowned slightly. "Suppose you're right. It just seems like you two had a pretty good thing going. Kind of a shame, you know?"

"And nothing you need to worry about." Dixie told him firmly.

Johnny shrugged and glanced around before glancing at Dixie again. "You know, just because you don't want to get married doesn't mean you have to call the whole thing off."

"I'm aware, Johnny."

"I mean, I get it." Johnny continued as if he hadn't heard a word. "Marriage is a big deal. I was pretty sure I wasn't ever gonna get married. Leave it to me to get together with the one woman who was even more scared of marriage than I was."

Dixie sighed. "I'm not scared of marriage."

"Okay, sure." Johnny replied casually. "But if you were, I wouldn't blame you. I mean, changing your whole life at your age…"

In an instant, he seemed to realize that he'd stuck his foot in his mouth. "Well, you know what I mean."

Dixie spotted Adam approaching just as Johnny was backtracking. He rolled his eyes and clapped Johnny on the shoulder. "Your wife wants to see you." He told Johnny.

Johnny looked baffled but started down the hallway. As soon as he was out of sight, Adam sighed and shook his head. "I told him to stay out of whatever's going on between you and Wilkinson. I don't know what he's thinking."

"He's just trying to help." Dixie answered.

"And doing a bang-up job, as usual." Adam responded.

Dixie chuckled softly to herself. She couldn't be too upset with Johnny. The man's heart was certainly in the right place, even if his logic was a little faulty.

She heard a pair of voices down the hallway, and immediately recognized them as Johnny and Carl. A little stab of fear went through her. She hoped Johnny hadn't said anything to Carl, though she knew that was unlikely.

The walkie-talkie crackled, and Adam unclipped it to respond. "County Fifty-One available." To Johnny he called out, "Time to go."

"Right." Johnny nodded, picking up the supplies from the desk. "See ya later, guys."

With that they were gone again, and Dixie was suddenly very aware of Carl's presence at the desk.

"That Johnny is quite a character, isn't he?" Carl spoke first.

"He's a good guy." Dixie responded.

"Indeed." Carl stuck his hands in the pockets of his lab coat. "Dixie, would you mind joining me for a cup of coffee? I'd very much like to have a word with you."

"I'm not sure there's much left to say." Dixie replied crisply.

A long silence stretched out between them until Carl broke it. "That's my own fault. I do have more to say, if you're inclined to listen."

Dixie spotted Diane approaching the desk and flagged her down. This was probably a bad idea, but there was also no harm in letting the man explain himself.

"Diane, would you cover me for a few minutes?" Dixie asked. "I'm going to grab a cup of coffee."

Diane glanced at her and at Carl, a slight smile creeping across her face. "Certainly. Take your time."

Dixie joined Carl and the two of them started toward the cafeteria, each of them getting a cup of coffee before finding an outside table. She immediately tapped a cigarette out of her case and lit up, taking a long drag and blowing it out.

Carl traced his fingers along the edge of his cup, and Dixie couldn't help but let her mind drift to how those same fingers had traced over her own body not that long ago. She pushed the thought to the back of her mind, waiting for Carl to start speaking.

His eyes met hers, a soft smile slowly spreading over his face. "I was so convinced that you would accept my proposal. It never occurred to me that you might say no. I just thought…well, we've been together so long, it's time. It seemed like the next logical step. I see now that I was mistaken."

Dixie sighed. "It's not that I don't care about you. I do. You know that."

"I do." Carl nodded. "And after much consideration, I have come to the conclusion that I would rather have you in my life than lose you, even if that means we never get married."

Dixie could barely believe what she was hearing, and it got her thinking as well. "I was just…surprised, to say the least. We've never even discussed it as a possibility."

"You're right, you're right." Carl replied. "And we never have to discuss it again if you don't want to. What I have with you…I've never had with any other woman. You're so special to me, Dixie. If you are willing to have me, well, nothing would make me happier."

Dixie took a drink of her coffee and another long drag off her cigarette. It would be easy to be proud, to not let this man back into her life.

But that would be foolish. Dixie knew that. What she and Carl had together was special, something she hadn't even realized she was looking for. He was kind, thoughtful, caring, and…well, there was everything else, too. She certainly wasn't willing to give that up.

She tapped the ash off her cigarette and studied Carl for a moment. He looked almost as he had just before he had proposed, though he seemed more worried than scared this time.

"I don't want to lose you either, Carl." Dixie told him quietly. "And maybe someday we can talk about marriage. But not right now."

Carl's slight smile grew a little wider as he reached for Dixie's hand. "If there ever comes a time when you're ready to make that leap, all you have to do is say the word. I've already bought the ring."

Dixie couldn't help laughing at that. She lightly squeezed his hand. "So, now what?"

"Now…I think perhaps a nice dinner and a movie." Carl replied, squeezing her hand in response. "Perhaps a bit of starting over."

"I'd like that." Dixie released his hand and put out her cigarette. "I suppose I should be getting back."

"Yes, of course."

As they started back toward the desk, something occurred to Dixie. "What did Johnny say to you, anyway?"

Carl smiled broadly. "I can't tell you that. And what does it matter?"

He leaned down and gave her a quick kiss before starting back down the hallway toward the treatment rooms. It was only then she noticed that Adam and Johnny were at the desk with Diane.

Johnny leaned against the base station, looking absolutely pleased with himself. Adam wore an expression of feigned innocence, and Diane merely greeted her with her usual warm smile. "Did you have a nice chat with Wilkinson?" She asked Dixie.

"I did." Dixie replied before turning to Johnny. "What did you say to him?"

Johnny was suddenly all wide-eyed innocence. "Me? Not a thing. You told me to mind my business, remember?"

Adam snorted. "Sure, now you decide to do what you're told."

The walkie-talkie crackled to life, and Johnny quickly finished off his coffee and gave Diane a quick kiss. "That's our cue. See you later, Dix."

Dixie watched the two men leave, shaking her head as she took her spot behind the desk back from Diane. Whatever Johnny had said to Carl had made a difference, and she couldn't help but be a little grateful for his interference.

After all, if it hadn't been for Johnny, Dixie might have let a good thing slip away. Fortunately, they were now getting another chance to make it right, and Dixie wasn't about to let that chance pass her by.