Status: Feed the Writer ... With Words
DOC
Chap. 2
Amanda took a long shower, letting the heat roll along her body as she leaned against the wall, her blonde hair falling down her face as even hotter tears rolled over her cheeks. She wrapped an arm around her middle as that familiar empty ache settled like a cold storm in her middle. Her chest tightened and she let out a strangled cry as she slowly settled on the floor and hugged her knees to her chest, crying into the heated skin of her knees and rocking as she tried so hard, oh so hard, to keep herself together.
Sam finished the chili dogs and looked down the hall where he could still hear the shower running. It had been almost an hour and he knew Amanda was doing more than just cleaning up- she was crying. He could hear the broken sobs every once in awhile when one got too loud. Walking down the short hall, Sam lightly knocked on the door and spoke as he cracked the door open slightly, just enough for her to hear him over the shower.
“Manda? Dinner’s ready, babygirl,” he told her and Amanda quickly wiped at the tears on her face, swallowing the lump in her throat as she replied in a deceivingly steady voice,
“Finishing up now, just rinsing my hair, be out in a minute.” Sam hovered a minute before agreeing and shutting the door again. He knew Amanda needed some time to herself after a nightmare, just to let it all out without Sam coddling her. He suspected it was her upbringing, raised by a militant father who never showed any kind of kindness or warmth she just grew up handling herself. Her mother, however, was extremely kind and giving and attentive. Sam knew that’s where Amanda got her kind heart and giving nature from, Amanda was a great doctor, she comforted as much as healed. But the light seemed to have gone from her since Riley’s passing.
Sam looked up from setting the chili dogs on the table when Amanda walked in, all white shirt and dress slacks, her lab coat hanging over her shoulder as she tied up her still damp hair.
“Oh chili dogs? My favorite,” she said smiling lightly as she sat down to eat. Sam sat down, too, and smiled at his best friend. He loved the girl like a sister and had promised to take care of her when she came home from the desert. She tried to stick it out longer than he did but after seeing more of their friend dismembered and injured so severely she had to come home. Medical discharge, but she still worked in the medical field as an ER doctor.
“So guess who I kinda sorta ran with this morning?”
“The neighbor’s dog?” she teased before smiling lightly, “Oh wait, no, that’d running from wouldn’t it?” Sam gave her an unamused look as he sarcastically replied,
“Ha ha blondie, that’d be a no. I ran with Steve Rogers.” Amanda paused mid-bite of her chili dog, her mouth open as he eyes went from what she was about to bite to him and she lowered the hot dog and closed her mouth, his words sinking in.
“Really? Like Captain America or just some guy named Steve Rogers?” she asked suspiciously and Sam rolled his dark eyes.
“Dude, Captain America. I ran with Captain America and he ran like thirteen miles in thirty minutes,” Sam said and Amanda took a bite out of her food, having not eaten since midnight that morning and it was now five in the evening. She’d be home by 2 am but she had been trying to sleep a lot. SHe blamed the antidepressants she had been prescribed.
“Sounds to be like he’s a slacker,” Amanda joked and Sam grinned as he said,
“See that’s what I told him!” Amanda smiled and licked her lips of chili, giggling lightly as she shook her head and sipped her milk. She always had milk with chili, so did Sam. Nothing else washed it down quite as nicely. Sam noticed the chain around Amanda’s neck that disappear under her shirt and could just see the engagement ring hanging on the bottom of that chain, the small diamond covered by her blouse haven’t been worn in over a year other than around Amanda’s neck and never mentioned. He remembered helping Riley pick it out, making the poor guy panic when Sam told him he was wrong about the ring size and bickering in the store much to the amusement of the jeweler. He remembered the proposal at the airport before they were all set to deploy, in front of their entire company. Amanda didn’t even have time to tell her parents but Riley had done the old school thing and asked for their blessing before he proposed so when Riley died they assumed he hadn’t the chance to propose. They preferred it that way, to think Amanda didn’t know the kind of future they could have had.
“When will you be home tomorrow?” Sam asked working on his second dog. Amanda finished her first and gulped down some milk, wiping her mouth on her wrist in a very unladylike manner which made Sam smile.
“Around 2:30-3 depending on if I stop at that diner for some food.”
“I made you a lunch,” he offered nodding to the lunch box on the counter. Amanda looked and smiled warmly.
“Thanks Sammy, should be around 2:30 then. I should probably head out now,” she said taking another few bites of her second chili dog as she stood. She went to brush her teeth quickly while Sam finished eating and then Amanda came back, grabbed her lab coat and kissed his cheek. “See ya tomorrow,” she said and Sam nodded as she grabbed her keys and out the door she went. Sam looked over his shoulder at the door in slight worry before shaking his head lightly and going to clean up after their meal. Hopefully after a nine-hour shift Amanda would get some sound sleep.
Sam finished the chili dogs and looked down the hall where he could still hear the shower running. It had been almost an hour and he knew Amanda was doing more than just cleaning up- she was crying. He could hear the broken sobs every once in awhile when one got too loud. Walking down the short hall, Sam lightly knocked on the door and spoke as he cracked the door open slightly, just enough for her to hear him over the shower.
“Manda? Dinner’s ready, babygirl,” he told her and Amanda quickly wiped at the tears on her face, swallowing the lump in her throat as she replied in a deceivingly steady voice,
“Finishing up now, just rinsing my hair, be out in a minute.” Sam hovered a minute before agreeing and shutting the door again. He knew Amanda needed some time to herself after a nightmare, just to let it all out without Sam coddling her. He suspected it was her upbringing, raised by a militant father who never showed any kind of kindness or warmth she just grew up handling herself. Her mother, however, was extremely kind and giving and attentive. Sam knew that’s where Amanda got her kind heart and giving nature from, Amanda was a great doctor, she comforted as much as healed. But the light seemed to have gone from her since Riley’s passing.
Sam looked up from setting the chili dogs on the table when Amanda walked in, all white shirt and dress slacks, her lab coat hanging over her shoulder as she tied up her still damp hair.
“Oh chili dogs? My favorite,” she said smiling lightly as she sat down to eat. Sam sat down, too, and smiled at his best friend. He loved the girl like a sister and had promised to take care of her when she came home from the desert. She tried to stick it out longer than he did but after seeing more of their friend dismembered and injured so severely she had to come home. Medical discharge, but she still worked in the medical field as an ER doctor.
“So guess who I kinda sorta ran with this morning?”
“The neighbor’s dog?” she teased before smiling lightly, “Oh wait, no, that’d running from wouldn’t it?” Sam gave her an unamused look as he sarcastically replied,
“Ha ha blondie, that’d be a no. I ran with Steve Rogers.” Amanda paused mid-bite of her chili dog, her mouth open as he eyes went from what she was about to bite to him and she lowered the hot dog and closed her mouth, his words sinking in.
“Really? Like Captain America or just some guy named Steve Rogers?” she asked suspiciously and Sam rolled his dark eyes.
“Dude, Captain America. I ran with Captain America and he ran like thirteen miles in thirty minutes,” Sam said and Amanda took a bite out of her food, having not eaten since midnight that morning and it was now five in the evening. She’d be home by 2 am but she had been trying to sleep a lot. SHe blamed the antidepressants she had been prescribed.
“Sounds to be like he’s a slacker,” Amanda joked and Sam grinned as he said,
“See that’s what I told him!” Amanda smiled and licked her lips of chili, giggling lightly as she shook her head and sipped her milk. She always had milk with chili, so did Sam. Nothing else washed it down quite as nicely. Sam noticed the chain around Amanda’s neck that disappear under her shirt and could just see the engagement ring hanging on the bottom of that chain, the small diamond covered by her blouse haven’t been worn in over a year other than around Amanda’s neck and never mentioned. He remembered helping Riley pick it out, making the poor guy panic when Sam told him he was wrong about the ring size and bickering in the store much to the amusement of the jeweler. He remembered the proposal at the airport before they were all set to deploy, in front of their entire company. Amanda didn’t even have time to tell her parents but Riley had done the old school thing and asked for their blessing before he proposed so when Riley died they assumed he hadn’t the chance to propose. They preferred it that way, to think Amanda didn’t know the kind of future they could have had.
“When will you be home tomorrow?” Sam asked working on his second dog. Amanda finished her first and gulped down some milk, wiping her mouth on her wrist in a very unladylike manner which made Sam smile.
“Around 2:30-3 depending on if I stop at that diner for some food.”
“I made you a lunch,” he offered nodding to the lunch box on the counter. Amanda looked and smiled warmly.
“Thanks Sammy, should be around 2:30 then. I should probably head out now,” she said taking another few bites of her second chili dog as she stood. She went to brush her teeth quickly while Sam finished eating and then Amanda came back, grabbed her lab coat and kissed his cheek. “See ya tomorrow,” she said and Sam nodded as she grabbed her keys and out the door she went. Sam looked over his shoulder at the door in slight worry before shaking his head lightly and going to clean up after their meal. Hopefully after a nine-hour shift Amanda would get some sound sleep.