Chapter 3:His Eyes, How They Twinkled, His Dimples How Merry

Quietly sobbing, Lee woke up in his hospital bed. Adrenaline soared through his body. As he wiped his tears away, he realized they were not from sorrow but from overwhelming joy. After almost thirty years, Lee felt like he was just with his parents. Lee still felt the warmth of his mother's arms around him. He drank a few sips of his water and kept going over the dream in his mind.

Now that Lee was more coherent, he suddenly remembered the poem he'd heard this morning when the nurse had woken him up. That must've been a dream after all, Lee thought.

My Angel For Me

A bright light, for my darkness

A soft voice, for my resonant cries

A gentle touch, for my deep wounds

A pure heart, for my lonely soul

That's my angel for me.

Deep in thought, Lee's privacy was interrupted again, this time by a new face. "Hello, Mr. Stetson," said the short, elderly nurse. She introduced herself as Alice. She had a pleasantness about her. Alice reminded him of someone's grandmother. She smiled as she spoke, even though Lee suspected she'd much rather be celebrating Christmas at home, not here in charge of the "difficult" patient in room 512.

"Merry Christmas, Alice." Lee watched her serve him his dinner. "Hmmph, I don't recognize anything on this plate except for the green Jello. "Are you hiding any pepperoni pizza back there by any chance?" Lee put his hand up when she approached him with his medication. "No, you can keep the pain killers. They're making me loopy!" He exclaimed, as Alice placed the pills on his food tray.

"Are we a bit Grinchy today, Dear? You need to eat, and it's important to take your full dose for at least the first 24 hours. Then we can see about cutting back. I don't have any pizza, but if you're a good boy, I'll sneak some of my homemade Christmas cookies in for you later."

"I'll try," he answered obediantly, and gave her a wink as she walked out. He took a sip of water to help wash down the pills.

Lee sat there in his bed, grimacing at the stunning view of the brick wall outside his window. As he looked around the room, he noticed how cold and sterile the room appeared. You wouldn't know it was Christmas, if not for the two cards sitting on his side table, and the drooping silver garland draped randomly around the room.

He saw the door opening again. "Don't you people have any other patients you can bother today? I…"

"Oh, I'm sorry, Lee. I can go…"

"Amanda… No, don't go. I thought you were Alice," Lee interrupted, as he winced trying to sit up too quickly.

"Lee, is Alice your nurse? You really ought to be somewhat pleasant to her. It is Christmas after all," she scolded, slowly nodding her head.

"Oh, I am. Alice likes me. I think she was even flirting with me." Lee smiled and showed off his dimples. Lee watched as Amanda peeled off her coat and gloves. She was wearing the soft white sweater he liked, with a small silver pin and blue jeans. Her hair was swept up with a few strands falling loosely around her face. "This is a surprise. I wasn't expecting to see you. I knew you'd be busy with your family." Lee hesitated, then tentatively asked, "And wasn't Don coming over?"

As Amanda started to ramble, she pulled Tupperware out of her bag and placed them on Lee's tray table. She moved his uneaten, mystery dinner to the side table. "Well, I didn't expect to be here myself. Yes, DEAN came over for dinner just before 3 pm." He does that on purpose, she thought. "We decided to make ham instead of our traditional goose this year since it was just the five of us. The boys really prefer ham." Amanda pulled up a chair, moving her hands while she spoke. "Mother and I cleaned up and joined the boys in the living room. Dean was snoring in the chair in front of the tree, so I sat down on the couch. The next thing I knew, I woke up after an hour. Mother told me she explained to Dean how exhausted I was and sent him home." She took one short breath and continued. "Well, after my power nap, I got a second wind. I played a few games of Jenga with Philip and Jamie while Mother took a nap. The boys are now relaxing, watching Miracle on 34th Street on TV, and Mother started reading her new romance novel, Bay of Angels, by Margaret Rome. It's about this woman who…"

Lee interrupted her, "Amanda. Stop - stop for a second. What is all this?"

"Well, I remember how much you hate hospital food, so I just thought I'd come by and bring you some of our leftovers from dinner. I'm sorry I couldn't make you your traditional guacamole, Lee. The grocery stores were closed, and I didn't have the ingredients. Even though you told me that you like being alone on Christmas, I thought maybe you'd enjoy a little company tonight. Besides, I wanted to see for myself that you were all right."

"Thanks, Amanda. This looks delicious," Lee said as he picked up his fork, realizing how hungry he was. "And as you can see, I'm doing just fine."

"I didn't have a bottle of scotch, a whole cheesecake, or a woman laying around the house for you," Amanda teased, raising one eyebrow. "Notice how I didn't bring you a Chewy Chubby Bar, either." She gave him a devilish grin. "I won't make THAT mistake again," she muttered.

Lee smirked, surveying the spread before him. He gave Amanda his most angelic look, his eyes twinkling. "So, what else did you bring me?" Without waiting for an answer, Lee dug in.

As Lee ate, Amanda continued to fill him in about her day's events. He noticed how he was happy to listen to her rambling for a change. He was surprised that he was enjoying her company as much as he was. She really did brighten up the room.

After he'd finished, she cleared her containers from his table and placed a brownie on a napkin in front of him. "THIS is what I brought you. Want this or should I grab that green Jello for you instead?"

Lee gave her an impish grin. Amanda could feel her cheeks turning red. She looked away as she sat back in her chair.

Lee bit into the brownie, "Mmmm, just how I like them. I hate when they're as hard as a brick!" Lee took notice of Amanda's blushing. He had to admit, he liked knowing he affected her that way.

"Too bad you have to wait until tomorrow to watch the big game," Amanda said.

"It'll be a good game. Hopefully, the Rams will clobber the Cowboys. I need to win the bet I made with Dimitri." Lee chuckled. "Amanda, you sure broke a few rules here today. I like this side of you," he joked and wiped his mouth with the napkin.

Amanda reached towards Lee's face for a brief second, then pulled quickly away without touching him. Instead, she pointed to her own face, indicating to Lee that he had some chocolate on the corner of his lips. "Well, Lee. I really ought to be going. I promised Mother I wouldn't be long. I told her I was visiting my friend who had been in an accident because of the snow last night. I didn't really lie to her."

Lee answered, "Amanda, I really appreciate you taking time away from your family to bring me dinner. It hit the spot."

"Can I do anything for you before I go, Lee?" Before he could even answer, she reached behind him to rearrange his pillows. Lee took in the fresh scent of Amanda's perfume. She then poured him another cup of water and sat it down next to him. She couldn't help but run her left hand ever so lightly down his left arm. "Are you comfortable?"

They both, simultaneously, felt a spark at that moment, making eye contact as Amanda's hand rested on Lee's hand. Just as suddenly, they both instinctively looked away from each other. As Amanda went to pull her hand away, Lee grabbed it. "Amanda, wait. I never did get to thank you." Their eyes met again.

"You just did, Lee. Really, it was no problem. That's what friends are for. I was happy to bring you some dinner. I…"

"No, 's not what I'm talking about."

Lee still had her hand in his. She was desperately trying to act breezy to cover how she felt inside, like a teen with a crush. "Oh, okay. Go ahead, Lee," she breathed, lost in those beautiful, beautiful hazel eyes.

Lee became serious. "I'm talking about your tremendous act of courage yesterday. Amanda, you saved my life, risking your own, when you stepped outside of that cabin last night, not knowing how the KGB would respond. You did that for me, and I'll never forget it, Amanda. I know I don't give you enough credit sometimes. I think it's just that I let the pressures of the job get to me. I know that it is not a good excuse. It's just the truth. I get frustrated and hard to work with. I know I'm not perfect," he trailed off as he saw Amanda smiling back at him.

Sensing Lee was treading in uncomfortable waters, she gently removed her hand. "Lee, how else were we gonna get them to share their vodka?" She shrugged her shoulders. "You know, you're being awfully nice to me. Now, I know those painkillers have definitely had an effect on you! I really should go. I'm just grateful that you're okay, Lee. Sleep well tonight, and be nice to Alice."

She wanted so badly to give him a hug or a peck on the cheek, but she thought better of it. Instead, she patted him on the hand and then reached for her bag. Just at that moment, Lee caught a closer glimpse of her Christmas pin, and commented, "That's a pretty pin. Where did you get it?"

"Oh, my angel pin? My Father gave it to me one Christmas. He had given one to my Mother the year before. He always called her his angel. I admired it so much that he gave this one to me the following year. I remember he said, "One day, Panda, you'll get to be someone's angel." She smiled at the memory as she touched the pin.

Just then, Alice peeked in. "Visiting hours are over, Mrs. King," she said kindly.

Amanda thought to herself, So this is Nurse Alice who flirted with Lee. I kinda pictured her to be younger, not old enough to be someone's grandma. Lee will flirt with anyone, I suppose. His charm works on all ages. "Oh, I'm sorry, I was just leaving," Amanda said as she slid on her coat. She looked at Lee. His eyes seemed watery. Probably tired, she thought. Her heart melted because of the look on his face. She gathered her courage, leaned over, and gave him a tiny kiss on the cheek. "Merry Christmas, Lee."

He managed one of those magical Lee Stetson smiles and answered, "Merry Christmas, for coming, and your Dad was right. You are already an angel."

After leaving Lee, Amanda climbed into her car, turned on the heat, and sat for a moment. Still feeling tingly, she peered out her window and looked up. "Merry Christmas, Daddy. I can wait for the perfect tree. I think the needles are softening slowly. Thanks for the advice."

The End