After Amanda and Lee finished talking to the doctor about her injury; Lee walked back out into the waiting room and got Dotty. The doctor had already given him and Amanda the progress on her injury, which was healing nicely and promised to give Dotty the generic version.

Now in the hospital room with Dotty and Amanda; Lee felt sorry for the doctor as he watched Amanda's mother ask another question. She certainly had missed her calling; she could go toe to toe with the toughest terrorist and have them crack.

"What kind of wound did you say she had again?" Dotty asked, again.

"Just a simple flesh wound Mrs. West," Dr. Weist replied.

"From a piece of film equipment?"

"Yes, Dotty, from a piece of film equipment," Lee had answered. It was one thing for the doctor to be vague, another for him to actually have to lie; it was better if he did it.

"And when can she return to work?" Dotty asked.

"Oh, she can return tomorrow or she can wait til Wednesday if she is still in some pain," the doctor answered.

"Mother!"

"Is this type of injury typical of machinery?"

"You would be surprised how this kind of injury can happen. So….Mrs. West, unless you have other questions, I have other patients to go and attend to," the doctor said as he stood up from the stool. "If you think of anything lease, just call the hospital and someone will call you back."

"Thank you doctor," Dotty replied, with a look of skepticism written on her face.

"Mother, Lee and I have a few errands to make, and then we'll meet you back at the house."

"What kind of errands?"

"For one, I need to stop in and see Dr. Smythe."

"I thought you saw him already."

"I, ugh, did—Amanda was with the doctor, remember?"

"Oh, yeah, okay. Why is he in the hospital? Did he get hit with a piece of film equipment as well?"

"Actually, he was dehydrated," Amanda said quickly.

"Yeah, apparently, the last few days he hadn't been eating enough or getting enough fluids," Lee finished.

"Oh, the poor man!" Dotty said.

"Yeah, the poor man!" Lee said quietly under his breath.

"Okay, and then…" Dotty said.

"Then what?" Amanda asked.

"Then? You said you had a few errands…"

"Oh, Lee needs to stop by his apartment to get a few more days of clothes."

"That is unless you've changed your mind and want me to go to my club or a hotel?" Lee asked and looked at Dotty pointedly.

"No, Lee, I told you, you are perfectly welcome to stay there as long as you need to."

Lee smiled as he remembered Dotty's reaction Sunday evening when she found out that his carpet needed to be replaced as well.

"Dotty, I can just go to my club."

"Lee, you will do no such thing. Amanda, did you suggest that?"

"No, mother, of course not!" Amanda answered indignantly.

"Lee, there is plenty of room here. And you don't have to sleep on that sofa."

"Oh, I wouldn't want to put Philip or Jaimie out of their bed."

"Well, why would you need to do that?" She'd looked from Amanda then to Lee and as her meaning sunk in, they both looked away, both blushing.

"Mother! Lee and I are going up to check on the boys."

"Lee!" Dotty had said, stepping just in between him and Amanda. As Amanda opened her mouth to say something more, arguing loudly upstairs.

"Lee will be up in a minute."

"Yes, Dotty?"

"How are things coming along with you and Amanda?"

"What?"

"How is the proposal coming?"

"Oh that! I plan on asking her to marry me by the end of the week.

"Good!"

Lee turned to go, but stopped in mid step as Dotty said, "And Lee I find it hard to believe that you and Amanda slept in separate rooms while me and the boys were away. Besides, you plan on asking her to marry you, so why not get used to how things will be in the future? You know like how Amanda has to have the windowed cracked at night….

With that, she'd left Lee standing there dumbstruck as she went into the kitchen.

/

"Oh, and dear, please don't forget to find out about Joe, why he is back in the United States," Dotty said as she walked away.

"Yeah, he should be here somewhere," Amanda said.

"I'll meet you later at the house," Dotty said.

"The boys were going to go by Kevin's house and shoot some hoops before coming home," Amanda reminded her mother, "but please make sure they get their homework done."

"I will!"