Chapter 4 - The Rest of the Week

The week went by quicker than Dean had imagined but mostly because of his Bedside Bluebelle. Amanda stopped in his room each morning as she began her rounds and always spent an hour chatting with him. They talked about their time at UVA. He found that he didn't have much to share since he hadn't really done much other than go to school and go home every weekend. He had made very few friends while going to college and none of them associated with him after he graduated. Amanda on the other hand had been very popular. She had even been a cheerleader for a while and shared stories about some of the jocks and their childish pranks. He was a little shocked to hear some of the stories but Amanda assured him that she wasn't involved with any of the things they did, she just knew about them. She said it was all harmless fun and no one ever got hurt. She had also been very loyal to her Sorority and in fact still kept in touch with many of her "sisters". There had been many parties that she had attended and she loved to dance so she enjoyed them a lot. Dean didn't care much for dancing and in fact really didn't even know how to dance. He hoped that she wouldn't expect him to take her dancing if he convinced her to go out with him. No, he thought a nice dinner at a nice Restaurant along with maybe a movie would be his idea of an ideal date. He just hoped she would give him the chance to show her a good time. As the week went on, he realized that he was asking Amanda most of the questions and she was doing most of the talking. He just didn't really have anything exciting to say and though sometimes he was annoyed she talked so nonstop, he was glad she would sit and keep him company. His Mother was still upset that someone else had to call and tell her that he had been hurt so he had not heard from her since her phone call.

The next day, Steve dropped by to check on him. Amanda had just left so Dean was lying in bed daydreaming about her and smiling. Steve entered his room and noticed right away that something was different about him. Usually, Dean was very serious and never showed much in the way of emotion. He couldn't help but say something "Hey my friend, what are you smiling about? Did one of the nurses just give you a rubdown or something?"

Dean was startled to see someone in his room but when he saw it was Steve, he was excited because he was dying to tell someone about this incredible woman that he was getting to know. Dean Laughed and said "No, nothing like that. It does involve a woman though. There is a volunteer that comes in daily to deliver books and she stays and chats with me for a while each morning. Steve, she is incredible, so beautiful and just has the best personality. I really want to ask her out on a date but I'm so afraid I'm out of her league and she will say no and ..."

"Whoa Whoa, Slow down" Steve said while chuckling at his friend. "When did you learn to ramble so much? In the past, I was likely to get one sentence out of you at a time. Has this woman changed you this much?"

Dean sighs "She might have. She does talk a lot. I know it isn't like me to like something like that normally but there is just something about Amanda, I don't know what has come over me."

Smiling, Steve says "I think it is great! I have been trying to find the right woman for you for years and now maybe you found her all by yourself. Good thing you are such a klutz my friend. So come on, you have to ask her out. I'm sure she will say yes."

Dean's gazed down on the floor "I don't know. She has to talk to me here. I don't know if she would be willing to go out with me though. Besides, she just went through a divorce. Can you believe that her ex actually left her behind to go to Africa? I mean I could understand going to a weather convention for a few days but if she were my wife, I wouldn't leave her for months on end like he did."

Steve kept the pressure on and said "But see, that is why you should ask her out. I know you could be good for her if you really want to be with her. Come on, what do you have to lose? If you don't, you will always wonder but if you do and she does say no, at least you tried"

Dean thanked Steve for his advice. They chatted a bit more about the Weather Bureau, Dean's injury and how Dean couldn't wait to get back to work. Steve soon had to leave though in order to start preparing for that day's weather forecast. He reminded him again that he really needed to ask Amanda out before it was too late. Dean promised to think about it.

After Steve left, Dean found himself exhausted and soon fell asleep. In his dreams, he presented Amanda with a rose and asked her if she would give him the pleasure of going out with him the next night. She immediately agreed and said she couldn't wait. The day dragged on but finally the time had arrived. He had picked her up promptly at 6pm and brought her to a 4 Star Restaurant where they enjoyed amazing cuisine. Then they went to a local Jazz club that played live music. Dean enjoyed dancing with Amanda and was so happy to hold her in his arms and look longingly at her. Dean who usually was in bed by 10, soon realized that it was well past midnight, yet he didn't want the night to end. He was so happy that Amanda laughed at all of his silly jokes and whispered sweet nothings in his ear. As the night had progressed, he found that their bodies had gotten closer as they danced and he found himself falling in love with her. He wasn't sure if she felt the same way or not until suddenly she touched his cheek and pulled his head down to give him a passionate kiss. Their lips were just about to meet when...

"DEAN! You need to wake up, NOW. The Nurses insisted that I come pick you up and that I couldn't just send staff because they wanted to explain how I was to take care of you once you are home. I can't believe you are just laying here sleeping instead of doing something productive. DEAN are you listening to me?"

Dean sat up with a start. He was so disappointed when he realized that the date with Amanda had only been a dream. He soon realized his mother was in his hospital room and asked her to repeat what she had said. When he heard that the hospital staff had made her come down, he apologized to her and promised that they could leave right away so she wouldn't be around all these germs any longer than she had to be. The Doctor came into his room and explained to Dean and his mother what needed to happen now that he was going home and that he would have to come back twice a week for physical therapy. Finally his release paperwork was completed and they went out to his Mother's BMW for the drive home. The whole way home, his Mother ranted about what an inconvenience this had been for her and how he had always been so dependable so she was very disappointed in him. Dean was so happy to finally be home and able to escape to his room. He immediately began thinking about Amanda and realized he never had a chance to ask her out. He would have to try to find her when he went for his PT appointment.

TBC