July 2, 2012

Amanda stumbled into the dining room of the hotel in Valdosta, Georgia, hand in hand with David, ready for a late breakfast. David headed for the buffet line and Amanda went straight for the coffee maker. Something that Jade had told her in a whirl of bold bravery the day before the wedding came back to Amanda as she grabbed a coffee mug.

"One day, you're going to wake up – whether it be on July first of 2012 or of 2042 – and realize what an awesome man you married."

Well, she had enjoyed waking up on July second knowing it. Amanda smiled at her thoughts. She jumped a little when someone ribbed her, saying, "Hey, stranger."

Amanda snapped into awareness, looking at her assailant. Kasey.

"What are you doing here?" Amanda asked.

"We got a room here because of the reunion, same as you." Kasey grinned teasingly. "Is that all right with you?"

Amanda smirked. "Don't tease me; I haven't slept well all week."

"Oh yeah?" Kasey probed knowingly.

Amanda flushed. "You're awful. And you can forget that I said anything, because I'm not giving you any more details on all the various reasons for that sleep deprivation."

Kasey laughed. "Alright, alright. Even I can take a hint."

"That's a new development." Amanda quipped under her breath.

"I heard that."

"Are you hens going to stand there squawking all day, or are you going to get a move on so that we can get our coffee?"

Both Amanda and Kasey turned towards Kasey's husband - another ex-classmate, Jimmy - at the sound of his teasing voice.

"You may have a hen," David said from Jimmy's side. "But I have a queen."

"Uh-huh." Jimmy rolled his eyes. "And a lot of brownie points."

"Can't hurt my case, can it?" David grinned.

"Nope." Amanda answered for Jimmy, grin widening when David handed her a plate he had already made for her. "Can't hurt a bit."


Back at their house in Albany, David grabbed the Love Dare, flipping to day two.

In addition to saying nothing negative to your spouse again today, do at least one unexpected gesture as an act of kindness.

David grinned. He'd gotten her breakfast at the hotel, so he had done the dare without even knowing about it. Day two done.


July 23, 2012

Dylan felt sick. Running out in the July heat of Georgia; he knew the dangers of overheating and he knew that he needed to get a drink soon. He considered his options. Going all the way home first wasn't a good idea. But then, wasn't David and Amanda's house just up the next block? They both worked , maybe someone would be home anyway. And if nothing else, the firehouse wasn't that far away. He changed course and ran all the way to David and Amanda's.

Amanda's car was there, so he figured that someone was home. Might as well try it. He loped up to the door and knocked.

"Who is it?" inquired the childish voice on the other side of the door. Olivia.

"Dylan Mitchell. Can I come in?"

Olivia cracked the door open and peeked out, staring up at him through the crack with one big brown eye. After his first misplaced comment to the little girl at Aunt Bea's, it seemed that they had worked out a fragile and – on his part – hard-earned truce.

"I guess." She agreed, smiling as she opened the door the rest of the way.

"Thank you." He stepped inside and she shut the door as he said, "Do you mind if I get a drink? I'm almost too hot."

"Sure. I don't think that Mommy would mind." Olivia turned and led him into the kitchen, pointing to the cabinet out of her reach where he could get a cup.

After taking a long drink of the water he had gotten, Dylan asked, "Is your mom here with you?"

"Yeah. She's in the bathroom right now. She wasn't feeling good, so when she stayed home, she said that I could too."

"That's nice."

Dylan hung around, figuring that he'd better stay long enough to say 'hi' to Amanda. But after twenty more minutes and no Amanda, Dylan became a little concerned.

Just as he was trying to decide whether or not to do something, she appeared from down the hallway. She looked startled to see him there, which was no surprise.

She wiped at the corners of her eyes, sniffed. "Dylan, hi."

"Hi. I came by to bum a drink off of you." He explained his presence, noticing the red, glassy look to her eyes. Not feverish; it looked more like she had been crying. He asked carefully, "Hey, are you alright?"

"Oh, yeah." She nodded. "My stomach was just a little messed up this morning, so I decided to stay home, just to be careful. You know, since I fix other people's food."

He nodded, hoping he looked more convinced then he felt. She was lying straight through her teeth about something. He tried to shrug it off.

"Hey, do you mind if I use your bathroom; then I promise I'll get out of your hair and leave you alone."

She didn't grin like he had hoped she would. He got nothing but a "sure." She was upset about something, but there was nothing that he could do about it, not if she wasn't going to talk, and probably not even if she had.

He was washing his hands when he noticed the box in the trashcan. It looked like she had put the tests back in the box after using them. And he could tell that at least two of them were positive.

My stomach was a little messed up this morning.

He froze, remembering her teary eyes. By the way she had acted; they weren't happy tears. She didn't think that this was good news. But if he correctly remembered David's recounting of his gun range conversation with Nathan and the events surrounding Olivia's birth, he couldn't really blame her.

"I told her to take care of it. She didn't do it. So I got mad and left her to deal with it herself."

Was that what she was afraid of?

I will be faithful to my wife, to love and honor her, and be willing to lay down my life for her as Christ did for me.

Surely she knew that he had meant that. Meant it about her, no less. Surely she knew that.


Okay, here we go!

I wasn't sure if I was going to take the baby angle, but I guess I'm going to. Just to see where it takes them. Am I evil? I'm not, right? Isn't she just overreacting?

And I'm not sure why I let Dylan in on this... But anyway... I was planning on just making this story a nice little one-shot to tie everything up, but that's obviously not what's going to happen here. Oh well.

Please review! Thanks so much!:)