"Why didn't you tell is you had been in an accident? We had to hear it from your cousin who read it of the Internet."
"Sorry, I didn't mean to worry y'all or anything, but I've kinda been worried about JC," she said as she hugged her father.
"Well, next accident, even if it's just a scratch, I want to hear about it. Understand young lady," her father warned with a stern voice.
"Yes sir," she said sheepishly as she caught out of the corner of her eye Chris with a mischievous grin doing the "shame on you" fingers. "Have y'all been here long," she said as she made her way to the couch to the spot Lance had just vacated.
"Just a couple hours," her dad said.
"Sorry about that," Amanda began as she explained everything that Dr. Packland had done to her that afternoon and the diagnosis.
"You and that knee," her mom said as she shook her head.
"Yep, it's my curse," Amanda replied as she quickly explained to the room that she had injured it her senior year of high school on a skiing trip and had to have surgery to correct the problem.
"Are you going to be able to go to the VMA's in two weeks," JC asked.
"I don't know, depends on work. If they can find me a sit down job in another department, then probably not, however things are slow for the next couple months, so I may go on short-term disability till I'm fully recovered," she replied reasonably. "I'll know more once we get back and I take a meeting with my managers." She stopped for a second. "Where's my manners. Mom, Dad, have you been introduced to everyone yet?"
Her parents nodded. "Chris has been keeping well entertained," her father replied.
"I'll take you out to dinner to make up for that," Amanda apologized. The group laughed.
Two hours later after many stories and exchanges between Amanda and Chris, the group decided to let JC get some well-deserved rest and headed out to dinner.
"Are you sure you don't want me to stay," Amanda asked JC as the group started to leave.
"Yeah, I'm sure. I'm not going to do anything but sleep probably. You go spend time with your parents," he said sincerely.
"I don't have to if you want me here."
"Amanda, you don't have to hover, I'm fine now. Nothing's going to happen. Now get, the rest are gone and you're the slowest of the bunch," he replied with a grin.
"You're awful," she responded as she leaned down and gave him a light kiss.
"I know. I'll see you tomorrow?"
"Absolutely," she said as she turned and headed to the door. As she was walking down the hallway, her father was headed back to JC's room. "Dad, the elevators are the other way," Amanda pointed out.
"I know, I forgot something in the room. I'll be down in a minute," he replied with a smile.
"Yeah, that wasn't weird at all," she said to herself as she entered the elevator.
"JC," Amanda's father asked as he entered the room.
"Yes, sir," JC replied as he sat up straighter in the bed.
"What are your intentions towards my daughter, son?"
"Completely honorable sir. I love her and I want to marry her, with your permission of course."
"Can you support her? And I don't just mean financially."
"Yes sir, I can. I have nothing up the up most respect for her and how she was raised. I want to be with her, support her, help her make her wishes and dreams come true. I want to have kids with her, to grow old. I want to learn from her and to be continually amazed by everything she does."
"Marriage is tough, especially now a days and with the career you've chosen for yourself."
"Yes, sir. I know that, sir. But I'm willing to put the work into it to make it successful. It will be tough, but I know we can do it."
Amanda's father thought for a moment. "Well the JC, welcome to the family, because I can see the love my daughter has for you and I have a gut feeling that, even without my permission, y'all will marry. Ask her when the time is right, make it special, and if you ever break her heart, just remember I'll know where you live and I have a shotgun," he finished with a smile.
"Thank you sir," JC said with a grin and reached for the older man's hand.
"And, son," the older gentleman said as he shook JC's hand.
"Yes, sir."
"You can call me John," the father requested.
"Yes, sir… I mean, John."
* * * * *
Amanda arrived again early the next morning. JC was still sleeping. It appeared they had taken out the central line and was no longer on the heart monitor leads either. She pulled a chair quietly next to the bed and rested her hands and head on the bed. She watched him sleep and smiled as she did.
JC stirred a few minutes later. He smiled when he saw Amanda. "Hey," he said as he reached for one of her hands. "You've been here long," he asked with a half yawn.
She smiled. "No, just like five minutes," she said quietly. "You're looking better."
"I'm feeling better. I got a shower last night," he replied as he raised the head of the bed in a sitting position.
"I noticed," she replied with a grin.
"Hey now, are you saying I smelled bad?"
"If the shoe fits…," she trailed off with a shrug.
"Well fine then," he said with hurt, "I won't ask you what I was going to ask you then."
"What were you going to ask?"
"Nope, not going to say."
"Please?" JC shook his head. "Pweaty pwease," she asked with a pout. JC again shook his head. "With sugar on top?"
"Nope."
"And a cherry," she asked as she batter her lashes flirtatiously and stuck out her bottom lip.
JC groaned. "Fine," he said reluctantly. Amanda smiled. "More of a suggestion than anything…" Amanda waited. "Well, seeing as how you're going to have trouble with stairs the next few weeks and you live on the third floor." Amanda nodded. "I was thinking you could maybe move in with me," he suggested.
Amanda showed no reaction. "I don't think that's such a good idea," she said finally.
"Why not," JC asked with true hurt in his voice.
"Because I don't know if I can trust myself with you," she said sincerely.
"Ok," he replied quietly. The couple sat in silence. "What about if we traded. I'll take your apartment."
"JC, I can't kick you out of your house. And I can deal with the stairs. And in a few weeks, it'll be good physical therapy," she answered.
JC thought for a moment. He smiled. "What about taking the guest house by the pool? It's small, just a bedroom and living room but it doesn't have a kitchen, just a wet bar for drinks and all?"
Amanda could see and hear the happiness over the idea in JC. She smiled. "Ok, just till I'm back on my feet," she conceded. She was going to worry about what she would say to her family later.
"Do you mean that?"
"Yes, I promise," she replied.
"Promise what," Amanda's mom asked as she entered the room.
"That I'll bring him back some frozen yogurt at lunch," Amanda lied as he mother leaned down and gave her a hug.
"And just how do you plan on doing that, you need both hands for your crutches," her mother asked sternly as she placed her hands on her hips.
"Simple, Todd," Amanda replied.
"Amanda, that man is not your personal slave," the older lady chastised.
"Mrs. Parrish, it's ok. He doesn't mind and it helps break up his day," JC said referring to Todd sitting outside JC's room all day.
"His job is to protect you, not be at her beck and call. If she wants to do something for you, then she can do it herself," she replied as she looked straight at her daughter.
"Yes, ma'am," Amanda replied quietly as her eyes shifted to her hands in her lap.
"There, that's settled," her mother said as she moved over to the couch. As she sat down, she picked up the phone on the end table and dialed a long series of numbers. "Yes, thank you. I'd like to speak with the manager please." Amanda looked at JC in confusion. "Yes, Hello Ms. Melendez. Joyce Parrish, my daughter Amanda lives in one of your third floor apartments and has recently been involved in an accident that has left her unable to climb stairs… Yes, thank you, she is doing just fine. I'm calling to see what first floor units you have ready for immediate occupancy… Yes… Yes… Yes… That second one sounds perfect…" Amanda looked at JC in horror as they listened to her mother's end of the conversation. "Now, I think under the circumstances, those fees can be waived," she continued. Amanda stood up and hobbled over to her mother. "Yes, I understand why, however, this is not someone changing her mind on a unit, this is a need. My daughter physically can not climb two flights of steps…" Amanda poked her mother in her shoulder. Joyce held up one hand signaling Amanda to wait. "Yes… Yes…" Amanda poked again. Joyce turned and shot an evil glance at her daughter.
"Hang up," Amanda said sternly. Joyce shook her head and turned back to the phone conversation. Before she realized what she was doing, Amanda reached out and took the receiver from her mother's hands. "Ms. Melendez, please excuse my mother. I will not be needing a first floor apartment," she said politely and hung the phone up.
"Amanda Jean Parrish! What do you think you're doing," her mother said as she stood up from the couch. "That was extremely rude!"
Amanda didn't skip a beat. "Yeah, well what do you think arranging for me to move with out my consent is?"
"I call it looking out for my daughter."
"Mother, I'm nearly twenty-five, I'm living on my own, I can make my own decisions."
"You can not possibly live in that apartment; do you not know the limitations you're going to have?"
"I know perfectly well what I will and will not be able to do the next few weeks. As for where I'm going to live, I've taken care of that."
"So you're moving to another apartment," her mother said with a smug smile.
"No, I'm keeping my apartment and staying at JC’s house," Amanda fired back and immediately regretting the words that flew out of her mouth.
"Young lady, you will do no such thing," her mother roared.
"It is not up to you. I'm moving into his guest house and that is final."
"I will not have my daughter be taken advantage of by some celebrity who's slept with half the girls he's met!"
Amanda took a step back to keep from strangling her mother. "Get out," she said fiercely as she pointed at the door.
"Excuse me?"
"I refuse to stand here and let you insult me and JC like this. Leave now," she replied coldly. Her mother started to say something. "Mom, just leave," she said quietly one last time as she went to the window and turned her back on the whole room.
Mrs. Parrish gathered her purse and made her way to the door. Before leaving, she turned and looked at her daughter. She quickly turned back around and left the room.
JC climbed out of bed and slipped on his robe. He walked to the window and stood behind Amanda.
"Please don't," she said as he was about to place his hands on her shoulder. "I'm sorry you had to see that," she said as she wiped a tear from her eye. "But that's our relationship in a nut shell. First she criticizes me for something I do and I always feel like she's running my life. Then try to do 'something in my best interest' and once in a while I'll finally stand up to her, we have a fight and then we don't speak for like a week and then we go back into our old pattern again. She's the dominate, I'm the submissive, and once in a while I'll challenge, she'll win, and we're back to square one. Never changes…"
"It looks like you won that round," JC replied.
Amanda let out half a laugh. "Yeah, well, I didn't. See, you think I'm stubborn but my mom's worse. I'm always the first to call which means I loose."
"What's the longest you've gone without talking to her?"
"Two and a half months. I finally called her up to wish her a Happy Birthday. I had decided I wanted to go to Duke. And I had a full ride. She had a fit because I wasn't going to go to State just like she did. I stood up to her and we fought for the next week. Finally my dad suggested I go live with my grandparents for a while. My grandmother was ecstatic over my acceptance since she went to Duke. And we didn't speak for most of the last half of my senior year. And finally I couldn't take it any more. I turned down Duke, got things in order with State and called my mother."
"If it's going to cause that much problem with your family, you don't have to live in the guest house," JC responded half-heartedly. He didn't like the idea of her staying in her apartment, but at the same time, he didn’t want to be cause of strife between Amanda and her mother.
Amanda turned around to face JC. "The best thing for me is going to be staying with you. You're right in that I can't climb two flights of stairs right now. If my mom has a problem with this, she's going to have to deal with it."
"Are you sure?"
"Yes, I need to start taking more control of my life," she replied confidently though in her mind she was already wondering if she made the right decision.
The phone rang a moment later. "Hello," JC answered on the third ring. "Yes, she's right here," he replied and looked at her. "It's your dad," he said as he held the phone in her direction.
"Hey," she said softly as she held the phone to her ear. "Yeah, I understand, I know how she can be." She listened briefly. "Call me when y'all land?… Ok, love you too," she replied softly as she hung up the phone. She looked at JC. "They're on their way to the airport hoping to catch a flight in two hours," she said softly as she turned to look out the window again. JC said nothing as he wrapped his arms around her waist and rested his chin on her shoulder and held her close.
