6:55 pm

Zhay arrived at Cubana with a few minutes to spare. She checked her face one last time before stepping out of her car and taking her parking ticket from the valet. She took in a deep breathe and exhaled slowly. She silently prayed that this dinner was the catalyst that she and Dax needed to get their lives back on track.

They loved coming here for dinner. The food was excellent and the owners were just like family. As she entered the restaurant, Emilio the owner immediately greeted her, "Ah, Senora Daxton, Como estas? Bien, no?" he asked kissing her hand. "It has been much too long since we've seen you and Senor Dax. I told him so, when he called to reserve your booth earlier."

"He has been working so much lately, I am just happy that he was able to find time to take me to dinner." Zhay responded not wanting to elaborate on their separation.

Emilio smiled wickedly, "I see...or could it be that he merely realizes that he is no match for me." he gleamed, stroking her cheek. "Senor Dax knows that, I would easily win your affections if he ever agreed to my duel for your hand." He teased, inviting Zhay into his embrace as they swayed to the light Samba that played in the background. Emilio was such a charmer, a real handful for his wife. He was a throwback from the Hollywood glam era including, requisite dress and impeccable grooming. His dark eyes and hair, slim physique and charisma hardly revealed his age; only his stories of growing up on the streets of Havana gave that away.

"You told Dax that you would challenge him for my hand?" Zhay laughed, Emilio loved flirting with his patrons.

"Si. So that we could finally run away together?" he smiled with a wink. "Moonlight walks on the white beaches of Havana, sunrises at dawn and sunsets at dusk; heavenly, si?"

"Emilio, we both know that Pilar will shoot us both, before we even made it to the door." Zhay cautioned, reminding Emilio that he was very married.

"A man can dream, no? And enjoy the company of a beautiful woman?" he asked twirling Zhay around so that he could admire her beauty from all angles.

Zhay laughed and was slowly becoming less anxious. The pair chatted and danced until the music changed to a more up tempo beat "Senor Dax is late it seems, he never keeps you waiting. Would you prefer to be seated or would you like a cocktail at the bar?"

"I'll wait at the bar, for now. Thank you Emilio." Zhay pecked him on the cheek before being escorted to the bar area. He caught her up on his family, their most recent trip to Havana and all the great new improvements to both the restaurant and menu items.

7:15 pm

After ordering a glass of white peach sangria, Zhay began the waiting game.  Where is he? She silently screamed, maybe this wasn't such a good idea. Calm down she reasoned with herself, he's only a few minutes late. Zhay checked her phone for missed calls, there weren't any. Dax was usually punctual and with each passing minute that he wasn't there, she was becoming more anxious. So lost in her thoughts, she never heard or saw the news item that most of the bar patrons had be talking about, she was completely oblivious that there had been a building collapse in Midtown.

7:40 pm

Zhay tipped the valet and shrugged out of her wrap. Turning up the radio she hoped that the music would drown out the sound of her cries. He never even called to cancel. "Stupid, stupid, stupid, how could I have been so stupid?" was her cry. She could not allow her self to travel down that road again, disappointment. She took in a few quick breaths and composed herself enough to make the journey home. She knew too well the risks of driving while distracted or upset.

7:45 pm

The buzz from her ear piece both alarmed and a relieved Zhay. She thought about what she would say to him, what her response should be to Dax's lame attempt at an apology. She eased off the road and into the nearest parking lot and looked at her phone as he ear piece buzzed again. Strange, she thought as she looked at the caller name.

"Hello Claire, this is a surprise." Zhay had not spoken to Dax's sister Claire since he moved out of their home. Claire didn't respond, but Zhay could clearly hear her sniffles.

"Claire...Claire can you hear me?"

"Zhay..." Claire finally managed to get out. "It's so bad, Zhay...please you need to get here."

"Claire, what's wrong...where are you?" Zhay asked becoming alarmed at Claire's quivering tone.

 "Where do I need to go? Are you hurt honey?" Claire was known to visit some unsavory places and befriend the shiftiest characters, all in an effort to have a good time or to party. Dax and Zhay had come to her rescue on more than one occasion. Hearing her cries now, Zhay was positive that she was in trouble yet again.

"Dax, Dax...he's..." Claire's mention of Dax immediately put Zhay on alarm. "He was hurt in the Midtown Towers collapse, he's in Mercy Hospital we're in the ER now but the doctors want to move him to the ICU."

"What?" Zhay screamed in disbelief.

"He's critical and they don't think...it doesn't look good...please just get here."

"I'm on my way...." Zhay hung up and leaned her head into the head rest; gripping her steering wheel, she let loose a murderous scream. Shit...shit...shit. This was not happening; not today. Dax in a building collapse...critical. She was a doctor, she knew what that meant. Their life together couldn't end like this. The tears were there ready to fall but she quickly reminded herself that she had to stay calm, Dax needed her strength now. She reached for her phone to call in reinforcements, Chloe. The phone rang twice before she picked up.

"You're calling to tell me that you and cowboy are hoping a flight to Tahiti, so you two can roam around the beaches naked building sandcastles?" was Chloe's teasing greeting. "If I know Dax, he probably wants skip the beach and just get to the naked part. Make him sweat a little before....."

"Sunny..." the forlorn tone in Zhay's voice wasn't what she expected.

"What's wrong?"

"Dax was hurt in a building accident in midtown and..."

"Oh my gosh...the Renaissance Towers...where is he...? Chloe asked grabbing her keys.

"Mercy Hospital, I'm on my way there now."

"Ok, I'm right behind you, hey...are you ok to drive? Where are you? Pull over and I'll come and get you." Chloe offered.

"Thank you, but I'm only 15 minutes away."

"Positive thoughts, Sunny. Send Dax positive thoughts and energy until he knows that you're there with him." Chloe replied choking back tears, she knew that Zhay was already feeling some anxiety about dinner and would be further devastated if anything happened to Dax.

The sisters said their goodbyes and both prayed that Dax was not in any serious danger.

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8:01 pm

Zhay pulled into the hospital's parking lot but sat in the car trying to gather her thoughts and still her shaking hands. She had no idea what waited for her inside she mentally prepared herself as best she could. "You can do this...Dax needs you now, it's your turn to be there for him; No matter how bad the situation is you can do this for him." Zhay repeated a few times before stepping into the unknown.

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8:09 pm

Zhay stepped off the elevator and was immediately overwhelmed the flurry of activity in the ER. Before she could flag down one of the ER nurses to find out where they were treating Dax, Dr. Lawson waved her over to let her know that she should head up to the ICU. That wasn't a good sign.

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8:12pm

The ICU was in even greater chaos than the ER. Rosie spotted her and immediately came over to bring her up to speed on everything she knew so far. Zhay sat in stunned silence as Rosie relayed the events of the day. Before she could ask any questions, Barron and Alise entered the waiting area with the hospital's chief of surgery, Dr. Meyers.

"Dr. Meyers, we trust that Ethan is in capable hands, and we don't mean to insult you or your staff; but we want Ethan to receive the best care possible. I know that he is critical but once he is stable, how soon can we move him to Northern Glenn?" Barron asked the doctor, hoping to be told what he wanted to hear while trying to comfort a sniffling Alise.

"Mr. & Mrs. Daxton, I have to be honest with you, Ethan has sustained some very serious injuries. In fact if I may be candid." He asked, and both stilled at his earnest tone, "Ethan's situation is more than critical, it's minute by minute. I don't mean to sound uncaring but I don't want you to be blindsided either; my team would consider it a win if he makes it through the night. Moving him at any point now is not a good idea. But you are well with in your rights as his next of kin, to decide on his care."

Alise whimpered at hearing the doctor's honest assessment. Barron began anther barrage of when questions when his words were cut off.

"Ethan stays here." Zhay interrupted, startling both Dr. Meyers and the Daxtons. "I want him here, Mercy has one of the best trauma teams in the south, moving him to Northern Glenn at any point in his care would certainly guarantee his death."

"I'm sorry, but who are you?" inquired Dr. Meyers with a raise eyebrow.

"Zhay, we planned on calling you once we had more information." a whimpering Alise whispered; knowing that in all fairness excluding Zhay in any decisions concerning Dax was wrong. 

"Dr. Zaire Daniels, Ethan's wife." Was Zhay's shaky response to the doctor.

"My apologies, Dr. Daniels, I...I didn't realize that Ethan was married." The red-faced doctor offered, looking from Zhay to the Daxtons, who too looked equally embarrassed too.

"Ethan stays here for his care, I've contacted Dr. Charlton West, chief of neurology at Emory, for a consult; he should be here at any minute. If you don't mind, I'd like to be updated on my husband's condition." Zhay directed to Dr. Meyers.

"Of course." The doctor gestured towards the nurse's station so that they could speak privately.

As Zhay was walking off, Barron touched her arm, "Zhay, honey, despite what you may be thinking, excluding you wasn't intentional; it's just...everything happened so quickly and well, we wanted him to..."

Zhay looked at Barron and nodded her understanding. Dax was everything to him and she was sure that all that he did today was in an effort to save Dax's life.

"Barron, Alise, thank you for shielding me from this, until you thought I was ready but you need to respect my position; until Ethan says otherwise, I am still his wife and I make any and all of his medical decisions." Zhay managed to get out; sounding braver than she felt.

"We only want what's best for Ethan." Alise assured her.

"Well let me speak with Dr. Meyers, so we can figure out what that is." Zhay returned, walking off and leaving the Daxton's to their worry.

Dr. Meyers apologized again for his oversight and walked Zhay through all of the procedures Dax had undergone so far and what they hoped to accomplish. She in turn got on the phone and contacted every trauma specialist she knew; the trauma team needed help to not only save Dax's life but the other victims as well. Dr. Meyers nearly fainted, when Dr. Charlton West, Adam's father breezed into the ICU and sought her out. Team West was the stuff that legends were made of. An intelligent and talented neurosurgeon father; who was often overshadowed by his equally gifted son. Both were highly sought after for their expertise.  After brief introductions, Dr. Meyers escorted Zhay and Dr. West to the OR, where Dax was undergoing surgery to help relieve the swelling on his brain.

Zhay stood on shaky legs as she watched the goings on in the OR; her heart beat increased each time she noticed a decrease in Dax's stats on the monitor. He had to be ok. When Dr. West was invited to scrub in and assist, that gave Zhay more comfort than she could hope for; she knew that Charlton would do everything he could to save him. But Zhay also knew that they longer they stayed in the OR didn't bode well for Dax's chances of survival.

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9:33 pm

Adam knew that Zhay's recovery was going well and hated that he wasn't able the one there to nurse her through her depression. He had just agreed to head relief efforts for the World Health Organization when Zhay became ill; and it seemed that there was always something happening in the world that needed his attention. 

Besides his father, Zhay and Chloe were the only real family that he had. He laughed when thought back to the day he first met Zhay and Chloe, after moving from California to North Carolina. Their fathers were the top two doctors at the University Medical Center. Dr. Daniels was the chief of staff and Dr. Shaw was the chief of neurosurgery. Since the children would be attending the same school, St. Francis Prepatory, the dads thought it a good idea for them to meet, so the girls could show Adam the ropes. Adam had always been a shy and quiet child, somewhat of a loner due to the death of his mother early in his childhood and his prodigy; but the Daniels sisters let him know as soon as they met, that he would have to leave his awkwardness in California. Besides his profound medical astuteness, they taught him everything else he knew. No one believed him when he told them that two girls taught him how to play golf and shoot baskets or how to dress and court girls for that matter.

When he first got Chloe's call he debated whether he should wait for an update on Dax's condition before leaving Miami; but once he heard the distress in Zhay's voice, he knew that he needed to be there. He loved them and there wasn't anything he wouldn't do for Zhay or Chloe. That was how he found himself now sitting on one the last flights headed home to Atlanta.

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9:45pm

Dr. West brought Zhay and the Daxtons up to speed post-surgery and made them aware of his concerns. He agreed with Zhay that moving Dax at any point would be to his detriment. Though Dax's vital signs were better, Charlton wanted to run a few more tests but was waiting to consult with the other Dr. West before doing do.  Adam was en route and the other doctors that Zhay called in were all there waiting his instruction. A handpicked medical team was an unusual request for the hospital to grant, but once they learned who the doctors were and the notoriety it could bring to the hospital, the administrators quickly jumped on board. But not everyone was pleased that Zhay had autonomy over Dax's care.

"Why are we sitting here pretending like we are ok with this, huh?" Claire roared, her chocolate tress swinging wildly; her ire directed to her parents, "You both know that she is to blame for everything that Dax has been going through."

"Claire...."Barron warned from clenched teeth. "Now... is not the time for this. Dax is fighting for his life; he wouldn't appreciate this spectacle."

"Why are we sugar coating the shit, huh?" Claire raged. If it wasn't apparent before it was crystal clear to everyone now, she was either drunk or high or a combination of both. Whether the Daxton's wanted to acknowledge her drug use or not, the evidence was now on public display. Her glassy azure eyes, slight slurring of speech, erratic behavior and mood swings, the constant disappearing and reappearing, were telltale signs, "Dax is here, because of you dammit." She threw at Zhay.

Zhay knew that she should have ignored her, but that was easier said than done.

"I caused a building to collapse on him? Really and how did I manage to pull of that feat?" Zhay tossed back, now standing to go toe to toe with Claire. She knew that she shouldn't engage her in that state but she was sick and tired of Claire's verbal attacks.

"Oh, don't be fucking coy. He's been walking around in a fog for months, because of you; if he was the Dax we all know before you destroyed him, he would not have been caught in that chaos. We all know that Dax has not been the same since that night, Dad found him."

"Claire....shut it." Alise bellowed surprising everyone in the waiting area. She was now facing Claire silently warning of the repercussions of this outburst.

"No mom!!! I will not shut it. You won't tell her, because your precious Ethan told you not to; but he never asked me not to." Claire taunted.

"Tell me what...what happened to Ethan?" Zhay asked confused, looking between Barron and Alise.

"That's it, enough Claire. Harper please make sure that she gets home ok." Barron thundered, grabbing Claire's arm ushering her towards the ICU exit. Harper stood unsure whether to act or speak.

"What happened? You want to know what happened. Dax tried to kill himself that's what happened." Claire sneered, shaking out of Barron's grip. "It wasn't enough that you took away everything that he loved, but your poisonous kind of love nearly took his life too."

In that instant, everything went still and Zhay faltered taking in Claire's words. Ethan tried to kill himself because of her, was that the reason why he had been avoiding her all these months and why Alise and Barron had been so cold towards her of late? She was at a loss for words. If it was Claire's intent to hurt her, she did more than just that. She'd cut Zhay to her core with that revelation.  She surveyed the faces of everyone in the waiting room and took in the looks of surprise, distress and sadness. Alise didn't look at her and Barron was still glaring at Claire. Deciding that she needed a moment alone, she got up, "Excuse me...." Zhay uttered quietly while heading out the door.

"Zhay...Zhay...." Alise called to her retreating back, Zhay ignored her calls but Rosie was already hot on her heels.

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10:26 pm

Zhay sat outside on the patio just off of the cafeteria. It was the closest outside area she could find without leaving the hospital entirely and that wasn't an option. Could things get any worse? Zhay pondered quietly. Dax tried to kill himself but lives, only to face this.

"Is it true Rosie?" Zhay sniffled. "Is that why he never called or came home?"

"Honey, don't think about that now. Dax needs you focused and directing that team upstairs on his care."

 "I love him so much Rosie, I don't know what I'll do if he... Did he really try to kill himself, because of me?"  

Rosie hugged Zhay as she cried, "He never stopped loving you, believe that. Dax was so excited about having dinner with you tonight. He misses you, he needs you." She knew that she had to handle Zhay's question delicately, one wrong word could send her over the edge. "Honestly, Dax says that he only remembers getting drunk and taking pain killers for a headache; then later waking up in the hospital."

Zhay didn't want to believe that Dax would intentionally hurt himself. Still she searched her mind to recall all the times that she had seen him over the past year, to determine if she noticed any signs of suicide. But they were so few. She knew that he was probably suffering from depression too, but she never glimpsed that kind of recklessness, in his eyes. What kind of freakin' doctor am I if I can't help save the ones I love, she thought. "You know him better than anyone, do you believe him?"

"I believe that Dax has a lot on his mind and that he has not properly dealt with his pain. Do I think he needs professional help? Yes I do and he knows this."

Rosie and Zhay continued talking until Chloe called to let her know that Adam was headed upstairs.

"Every time we are in this place... I swear...Could we please just have one happy day?" Zhay begged the night sky.

"You will Zhay; you and Dax will have many happy days. Rosie assured her as they headed back inside and upstairs to the ICU to meet with Adam.