Madison was getting a headache as Emmeline lectured her about her stupid mistake.
"Can't you tell a legally blind man when he's right in front of your face? All you had to do was open his file - everyone knows Old Man Jackson memorized the eye chart!" Emmeline scolded.
"First off, I didn't know that. Second off, I'm sorry. I know I should have. I just got a little distracted," Madison admitted, feeling a little guilty for her oversight.
"Well, you should! He nearly killed George Tucker," Emmeline exclaimed, her frustration evident.
"Reformed serial killer?" Madison asked, trying to lighten the mood with a touch of humor, but Emmeline didn't catch the reference.
Madison walked into the room and saw Zoe comforting a wounded George. She wanted to believe that Zoe's bedside manner was getting better, but she knew it had more to do with how attractive George Tucker was.
"I heard Zoe say that he had a dislocated shoulder, so I silently prepared the morphine," Madison said to the man as she watched Zoe attend to George's injury.
As Zoe babbled on to George, trying to distract him from the pain, Madison injected the medicine into him. George's reaction to the morphine was immediate.
"Ah, what the hell?" George exclaimed in surprise and discomfort.
"That's just the morphine - it's the easy part, baby," Zoe teased, flashing a smile at him.
Madison smirked at the exchange between Zoe and George, finding it oddly endearing despite the circumstances.
Then, George passed out, and Madison commented, "Good. Morphine's working."
Suddenly, a girl burst into the room with a camera in hand, followed by Emmeline, who seemed unfazed by the intrusion.
"O.m.g. It's true," the girl exclaimed excitedly, addressing Madison and Zoe.
"Rosie, honey. Come on, it's time for bed," Emmeline interjected, trying to redirect her niece's attention.
Madison couldn't help but feel annoyed at the interruption, especially when the girl, Rose, started bombarding them with questions.
"He's the town's golden boy? Why am I not surprised?" Madison scoffed, unimpressed by George's apparent status in the town.
As Rose continued to ramble on about New York and HBO, Madison and Zoe exchanged amused glances, finding her enthusiasm entertaining.
"We could use a couple of friends," Madison admitted, realizing that making connections in Bluebell might not be such a bad idea after all.
Just when Madison thought the situation couldn't get any worse, Emmeline announced the arrival of another individual - Brick.
"Hello, pickle," Brick greeted the two, his tone less than welcoming.
Madison snorted at the joke, which only seemed to incense Brick further. She watched as Zoe stepped in front of her to greet him, trying to defuse the tension.
"We haven't met. I'm Dr. Zoe Hart," Zoe introduced herself, extending her hand.
Brick ignored her hand and directed his ire at Madison. "Well, as far as I'm concerned, you're the girl who almost killed two people and spoiled my hunting trip. How dare you see my patients," Brick accused.
"Well, technically, Harley left his half of the practice to us," Zoe interjected, attempting to assert her authority.
"That means that we have as much right to see patients as you do," Madison added looking over her sister's shoulder to the older doctor.
"Ladies, I'm not going to share this office... not for one minute," Brick declared firmly, his tone leaving no room for negotiation.
"I see you have met my lawyer," he continued, nodding towards George, who was still unconscious.
"When he's conscious, he doesn't lose," Brick added, a hint of pride in his voice.
"I'm going to be contesting the will," he announced, his expression stern and determined.
"Harley wasn't in his right mind,"
Looking up at Brick, her hands on her hips, Zoe spoke firmly, "You haven't even given me a chance."
"I believe I can do some good here," she added, her gaze unwavering despite the tension in the room.
Brick looked at the two women, "But things have been working just fine here in Bluebell. We survived Katrina, we survived BP, by boarding up the windows and piling up the sandbags to keep the rot outside from fouling our community. And believe me, we are going to chase you away from our waters."
Madison stepped in front of the old geezer, a foul look in her eyes. "Well then, we would love to see you try. I have some of the best lawyers in the country on retainer, and believe me, at the rate you're going not only will we not leave but we might just take it all."
She grabbed her sister's hand and dragged her out of the office not looking back once.
"See you soon, General Lee."
-
"I cannot believe that bigoted bastard." Madison ranted to her sister, they were on their way to the only store in town that sold liquor at this hour, the Dixie Stop.
"Like we're the ones that are going to run that clinic into the ground, he probably has 15 years left, at max, yet it's us who's going to jeopardize the town?"
She pushed the door open, the bell clinging above her.
"Unbelievable."
"Wine! Tell me you have a nice dry chardonnay." Zoe interrupted asking the store employee.
As they stood near the counter at the Dixie Stop, Mabel's weary expression caught Zoe's attention.
"Yup. Come on," Mabel responded, her voice carrying a hint of exhaustion.
Zoe nodded, recognizing her from around town. "You're Mabel, right?" she asked, trying to strike up a conversation.
Mabel let out a sigh. "Bad day?" she asked, her tone resigned.
Zoe shook her head. "You have no idea," she replied, a touch of frustration evident in her voice.
"Ugh. Oh, yes, I do," Mabel commiserated, her troubles weighing heavily on her mind.
"You met my mama?" That woman was a piece of work, it was the one thing that stuck by Madison from that appointment
"Oh, yeah," Zoe confirmed, a knowing look passing between them.
"Yeah, my mom isn't exactly supportive, either," Zoe admitted, a touch of bitterness creeping into her voice.
Then, Zoe's expression softened as she leaned in closer to Mabel. "Mabel, I know it's none of my business, but the dark patches on your forehead and face... you have melasma," she observed gently, concern evident in her eyes.
Mabel's eyes widened in surprise at the unexpected comment. "You know you're pregnant, right?" Madison added, her voice filled with empathy and concern.
"I don't know that," Mabel replied stubbornly, shaking her head.
Zoe looked taken aback by the response. "I haven't taken a test," Mabel continued, her tone firm.
Madison, who had been listening in with a bottle of Hennesy in hand, couldn't help but interject. "If only it were that simple, half the guys in the world wouldn't have to pay child support," she scoffed, her amusement evident.
"Well, I'm sure you can get one here, over by the Slim Jims and duck calls," Zoe suggested, gesturing towards the nearby aisle.
Mabel looked at her with a hint of uncertainty, prompting Zoe to add sympathetically, "Long day."
Mabel's expression turned sorrowful. "I didn't think... We only had sex once. He told me he wouldn't do it if he had to wear a condom. I didn't want to lose him, but he left anyway. So, my mother's right. I'm stupid."
Zoe's tone softened along with the look in her eyes. "Look, you need a doctor. Here. Take this."
She handed Mabel the boxed wine and took the notepad out of her hand.
"Can I have this?"
"I'm gonna give you my number, and you can call me, and I won't tell anybody, okay?" Madison looked at her sister with a proud look without her noticing. A day in and she was already improving with her bedside manner.
She handed her the notepad back and took the boxed wine back.
Mabel looked at the note and the doctor with a grateful smile on her face.
"Thank you."
As she walked away, the sisters' attention was seized by the bell hanging on the door. And there she was, a testament to her name, storming towards them, Lemon in lemon.
"Do you realize that my engagement party is tomorrow?!" Lemon exclaimed, her voice tinged with frustration. "Huh? I mean, what am I supposed to do?"
"The photographs! The press! The whole thing's just gonna be ruined!" Lemon yelled toward the two, not knowing who exactly caused the accident but knowing it was one of them.
Madison looked at Lemon with a tired expression. "Seriously, Lemon, what the hell are you talking about?"
Lemon's voice quivered with frustration as she responded, "Well, thanks to you, my fiancé was in a car accident."
Zoe's eyes widened in surprise. "You're engaged to Old Man Jackson?" she asked incredulously.
Lemon shook her head impatiently. "No, you twit," she retorted. "I'm engaged to George Tucker."
Madison shook her head with a disinterested look on her face. "Well, give him my condolences for that," she remarked. It was a bummer; the cute country boy was taken.
She placed a $50 note in Zoe's hand before walking out of the Dixie Stop. "In sickness and in health, Apple. In sickness and in health," she yelled as she exited, holding the bottle of Hennesy up in the air.
-
Madison is walking on a road through the woods, drinking straight from her bottle.
As a car pulls up next to her, Madison's heart begins to race a little. Was this her end, getting killed in some backend bayou in Alabama. She gives a skepitcal glance to the vehicle only to see that idiot that broke the fuse box
"Don't you have some cows to tip, Wade?" she retorted, unimpressed by his presence.
Wade chuckled, observing Madison's condition. "Oh, look at you, girl. You're drunk as a boiled owl. I'd offer to give you a ride, but I don't want you getting any ideas."
She wasn't really proud of what happened next.
Wade and Madison were making out in his car, when the most humiliating thing ever happened. Het butt bumped against the stearing wheel only to release the worst sound ever.
"There it is. Rock bottom. I just played Dixie with my butt. This never happened, you hear me?" she exclaimed in embarrassment.
"My lips are sealed, Doc," Wade assured her, trying to calm her down.
Madison grumbled, "How do I get—let me out. Ow." She stumbled out of the car into the darkness, she would rather take her chances with a serial killer than have what's left of her integrity die.
-
Madison walked into the carriage house not in the greatest of moods. Only for the night to end on the worst note ever, because there she was, the world's most judgemental woman, also known as her mother. Standing next to Zoe.
"Mom!"
Candice's voice pierced the room. "What the hell were you guys thinking?"
-
This is the third revised chapter. Hope you guys like it. Feel free to comment, loved looking at the comments from a couple of years ago. Makes me sad that I didn't keep up with the writing.
No beta, We die like Arthur Pendragon
~Imanstar52