How I Spent My Summer Vacation

They hugged and kissed for a little longer. Then both of them decided they needed a little food. Steve put on a pair of shorts, and Amanda quickly found the drawer where he kept his t-shirts. He thought it was the sexiest thing he'd ever seen.

He let her lead the way into the kitchen, mainly so he could watch her cute little ass.

They were just about there when she glanced over her shoulder at him and giggled. "I know what you're doing. What would your mother say if she knew you were staring at my behind?"

"Just wait until you meet her. She'd probably surprise you with her answer. We'll call her after breakfast, and then you'll understand."

They worked together cooking, eating, and feeding each other breakfast. They were smiling, laughing, and kissing throughout the entire meal.

Afterwards, Steve grabbed his phone, and started to dial. Amanda was straining to listen, but couldn't really hear the other half of the conversation.

"Hey, mom, how are you?"

"That's good. How's Stephanie?"

"Yeah, I know I should talk to her more, but sometimes it's hard. Trust me, I'm going to be calling her next."

"Oh, she's there, well, in that case, I want to invite both of you to dinner on Saturday."

"I don't care if she and Dave may have plans. Tell her to cancel them."

"Well, there's someone new in my life, and I want you to meet her." Steve suddenly held the phone in Amanda's direction, but he didn't need to. She could clearly the cheers and screams through the phone. "Oh, my God, he's met someone! YES! YES! YES! YES! YES!"

Steve waited patiently for his family to calm down. "So, I take it that the three of you will be here Saturday about 3."

"Good mom. See you then. Love you."

"Well, Amanda, do you think my mom will approve?"

"Do you think I'll survive them?"

"I think you'll do wonderfully, sweetheart." He grabbed her for another kiss. "Now, what do you say about getting dressed, going to get your stuff packed, and move your cute little ass into our house?"

"Sounds like the best plan I've heard in a long time."

**********

Over the next couple of days, they did manage to get Amanda's stuff moved into Steve's house. Since she had been living in dorms for four years, and only one year in an apartment that she planned to give up after marriage, Amanda had very little in the way of furniture.

When Amanda first approached the closet in the master bedroom, she was afraid that she would find Becky's clothes. In reality, there was very little left. Steve saw her hesitation, and he explained that Becky had asked him to deal with the clothes quickly after her death. She didn't want him lingering over them, plus she wanted others to be able to use them. So, Steve, with the help of his mother and sister had boxed everything up and taken it to a women's shelter. It was Becky's last gift to others in need.

Once they got everything settled, they rapidly settled into a routine. They continued their pattern of running and yoga, but they were also spending a lot of time making love and getting to know each other's likes and dislikes. They were relieved that they had so much time away form school to work on their relationship.

The dinner with Steve's mother, sister and brother-in-law went splendidly. They was lots of joy and laughter, and Amanda was delightfully accepted into the family. One of the funniest bits of the night came when Amanda carried through on her threat to tell Steve's mom that he kept staring at her behind. Amanda was a little shocked at the response. "Well, I'll admit it is a pretty nice ass, and I don't blame him one bit for staring at it."

Stephanie then joined in, "Amanda, it is a nice ass, Dave and I have stared at it a time or two, as well."

Amanda was afraid the blushing would never stop, but relaxed a little when Steve hugged and kissed her, and said, "I told you her answer would surprise you. Of course, they wouldn't be teasing you unless they already loved you."

Amanda really began to relax when the rest of the evening focused on embarrassing stories of Steve's and Stephanie's childhood.

**********

A couple weeks later, the couple was enjoying cuddling after making love. Steve was slightly worried, but hadn't said anything yet.

"Amanda, how are you feeling?"

"I'm okay, I guess. Why?"

"You just don't seem quite right. You look like you're losing some weight, and you really don't need to. You're eating as much or even a little more than I am, it doesn't take much to get you to break into a sweat, and when you are on top your arms start to quiver a little."

"Wow, that's a lot to notice."

"Well, I'm just a little worried about you. I think you should go to the doctor. You might have picked up a bug or something."

"We call for an appointment after lunch."

When they called the doctor was able to see her a couple of days later. At first, the nurse didn't want to let Steve in the exam room, since he wasn't related to Amanda, but Amanda was quite insistent. When the doctor came in he listened patiently to her symptoms, and then immediately started to feel Amanda's throat.

"Have you noticed any tenderness in your neck? Maybe a little difficulty swallowing? Some hoarseness in your voice?"

Steve's head popped up at that. Amanda tried to deny that she had any of those symptoms, but Steve responded, "That's not true, sweetheart. When you raise your voice while you're... um... getting excited... you tend to cough and lose your voice for a couple of hours afterwards."

The doctor followed up the question, "Getting excited, how?"

Both Steve and Amanda had trouble answering, "Well..., um... you know... when we're making love."

"Oh, yeah, I get it, getting excited." He chuckled a little. "Is that when you're noticing some of the other symptoms, as well?"

"That's when I noticed the sweating and the arms shaking." Steve hesitated. "We're still pretty much in the honeymoon stage, so I'm probably more aware of stuff like that right now."

"Is it happening any other time?"

"We also run and do yoga together, but we always seem to be sweating then, so it's harder to notice."

The doctor didn't seem worried, but that didn't help Steve when the doctor spoke next. "Amanda, I think you've got hyperthyroidism. We're going to do a couple of tests. The first one we're going to do is an FNA, that's fine needle aspiration. It's a very small needle that we're going to stick into your neck 4-6 times gathering a few cells from your thyroid. I honestly don't think it's a problem, but we want to make sure it's not cancerous.At the same time, we're going to do an ultrasound to see how big your thyroid has grown. I'm surprised you haven't noticed it before. Just glancing at it, and feeling it a few minutes ago, I'd say it's about 4-5 times normal size. That's why you get a little hoarse. It's probably pressing on your vocal cords. If we don't do something, it could grow large enough to start impacting your windpipe, and maybe even your artery."

Amanda and Steve were both looking a little scared now. Steve reached down, and found a strength he hadn't needed for a while. "So, doctor, how do we fix this?"

"We do have options. As long as it's not cancerous, we can probably treat it with medication. We might have to use radioactive iodine to kill the thyroid, and then we'll just have to replace the hormone synthetically. Another option is to surgically remove the thyroid. Again, we would have to replace the hormone. In either case, the treatment for this is leaps and bounds ahead of where it was even 30 years ago. Even in the worst-case scenario, patients can expect a complete recovery."

Amanda reached out for Steve to hold her.

The doctor could see the fear in both their faces. "I know this is scary guys, but it will be okay. Let's get those tests done, so we can see exactly what we're dealing with."

The nurse came back in with the date of the tests. Steve needed to have Amanda at the hospital in two days. The nurse also said it would be about a week to get back the results.

The ride home was very quiet. After they pulled in the drive, Amanda asked if they could go lay down for a while. When they got to the bed, she asked him if he would just hold her while they fell asleep.

They spooned together on the bed for about two hours, but neither one found any rest.

Amanda rolled over so she could face Steve. "I've been thinking. I know we talked about taking it slow, but so many things in life are uncertain. The one thing I am absolutely positive about is how much I love you, and how much I know you love me. The truth is, I don't want to wait another day. Steven Adams, will you marry me, and make me the happiest woman on earth?"

"Wow, I never expected to be on the receiving end of that. I spent the last hour trying to figure out how I could slip out tomorrow to buy an engagement ring to ask you to marry me. Since you beat me to it, does that mean you have to buy me a ring?"

Amanda smiled. "I think we can skip that part. Based on what you just said, I think I know the answer, but would you say it anyway?"

Steve took her hands in his, looked clearly into her eyes, and said, "Yes, Amanda, yes, I will marry you."

They hugged and kissed for a few minutes before Steve pulled back a little. "So, when do you want to do this?"

"I told you, I don't want to wait another day. We're probably too late today, but can we go to the courthouse tomorrow?"

"We better call our parents now, or they will wring our necks."

Amanda giggled at that. "You're probably right. Of course, my dad will be thrilled. He hasn't said anything, but I know he's not been happy that you've had me 'living in sin' the last few weeks.

They made a couple of calls, and found out they were too late for that day, but the judge had an opening to marry the couple at 1:00 the next day. More calls to their family and everything was set. Amanda's mom agreed to stand up with her, and Stephanie was going to stand up with her brother. With that settled, they decided to run to the jewelry store in the mall for rings, and a nice dinner to celebrate.

The ceremony the next day was short and sweet, but that was all they needed. They quickly brought the family up to date on Amanda's upcoming tests, but nobody expressed any worry at that point.

Because of the test the next day, they decided it would be best to hold off on the celebration for the wedding until the next week. Everyone was afraid that Amanda would be too distracted to truly enjoy the day.

They parted company and Steve took Amanda home. When they got there, he made sure to do the traditional carrying her across the threshold. He kissed her, set her down, and said, "Welcome home, Mrs. Adams."

She burst into tears, and fell into his chest again. It reminded him of the first day he saw her on the side of the road. The difference is that this time, he knew they were tears of happiness. "Not exactly how you thought this summer would go, is it?"

She got her tears under control. "It's so much better."

They walked up the stairs, and began to make slow sweet love together. Neither was worried about orgasms. That wasn't the point. They both just wanted to feel the love.

The next day they went in for Amanda's tests. She was grateful that the technicians and doctor did not mind Steve being in the room to hold her hand. She later said the feeling of the needle repeatedly poking into her neck to pick up thyroid cells was the creepiest feeling she had ever had.

When they met with the doctor a few days later, he had both great and not so great news. The great news that caused Amanda to break into tears (of joy) again was that there was absolutely no sign of cancer anywhere in her thyroid.

"So, what's the not so great news?" Steve asked with a sigh of relief.

"Well, the thyroid will probably continue to grow, and as it does, it will have a serious impact on Amanda's life. The worst-case scenario is that it could possibly lead to a stroke as it cuts off the blood supply to the brain."

Amanda and Steve squeezed each other's hand a little tighter. "What do we need to do?"

"I think the best option is surgery. Luckily, the surgeon has an opening this Friday. You'll spend at least overnight in the hospital, followed by 7-10 days of rest at home, and you'll be good to go."

Steve and Amanda exchanged a look, and then Steve said, "Let's do it. Get it scheduled."

"Okay, I'm going to send you directly to the hospital to do all the pre-op stuff. They do some blood tests, and check your general health."

Throughout all of this, Steve was a rock. If he was having flashbacks or suffering from any kind of PTSD, Amanda couldn't see it. When they told their parents, and Steve's sister, there was some momentary panic, but only because they had seen how devastated Steve became after Becky was gone. Their fears were alleviated fairly quickly.

The surgery went exactly as planned. The doctor told Steve and their families that it was a textbook operation, and that while Amanda would be on the synthetic thyroid hormone for the rest of her life, she was in perfect health, and she should be expected to live a long full life.

"When can I see her?"

"Give the nurses another 30 minutes or so, and then they'll take you back. I want her to stay overnight. She has a drain plug in that I'll remove in the office in 2-3 days, and then a follow up in 7-10 days and she be good to go."

"Thank you, doctor."

At that moment, the nurse popped into the waiting room. "Steve, I can take you back now. She's awake and asking for you."

He followed her through the maze of the pre-op/post-op area, until they came to Amanda's cubbyhole. Considering she had just undergone a 4-hour surgery, most people would have said she looked good. Steve was overwhelmed by his love for her. "Hi, sweetie, you look beautiful."

Her voice was a little groggy and hoarse. "You're a bad liar. I know I look like I've been run over by a herd of buffalo, but I love hearing you say it anyway."

The nurse was checking the tubes and wires that still connected Amanda to monitors and her IV, when Steve asked, "How long will her voice be strained?"

"It should start getting better right away. The doctor did say that her thyroid was clearly pushing on her vocal chords, and that it had grown back to nearly touch her spine. He called it a beast, but did also say that there were no complications at all. We're always a little worried that your calcium levels will tank after this surgery, but yours are doing fine."

Amanda tried to talk, but it was challenging, "That's good."

"Sweetie, please let your voice rest."

The nurse smiled at her. "As long as sleep well tonight, and show us that you're ready to eat and go to the bathroom on your own, we'll be sending you home around the middle of the day tomorrow." She started to move towards the nurse's station. "Just let me know if you need anything."

A few minutes later, they came in and disconnected more of the things attached to the various monitors. They said the doctor even thought the IV was unnecessary. All she had left was a blood pressure cuff, and an oxygen sensor.

Steve gave her a kiss on the forehead. "That's a really good sign. They think you're recovering perfectly."

Amanda was the prefect patient. She did exactly what the doctor and nurses told her to do. She went home right on time. She followed all of Steve's instructions at home. The incision on her throat was healing exactly as it should.

On their way home from the follow-up visit where the doctor released her from his care, Steve commented, "I can't believe everything has gone so perfectly."

Amanda smiled, scooched down into her seat, and almost purred in her happiness, "It shouldn't surprise you. I've got your love making everything better."

"Amanda, I need to tell you something." He let out a huge sigh. "I tried so hard not to be scared. I mostly succeeded, but sometimes after you went to sleep, I'd go downstairs and bawl my eyes out."

"I know. I would wake up and hear you. I didn't say anything, because I knew you needed to work it out. I was the opposite. If I hadn't met you and fallen in love, I would have rather died, than go on alone. Since you rescued me, and I fell helplessly, hopelessly in love you, I had to get well as fast as I could. I want us to spend the rest of our lives together, and I don't want to waste any of it being sick."

"I love you, too."

"Now, take me home, put me to bed, and make gentle love to me. I don't have a whole of strength yet, but I think if we're slow and gentle, we'll be okay. I've missed having you inside of me so much."

"We'll give it a try, sweetie, but we've got to take it really easy for a while."

They found that they ended up spending most of the next few days, just cuddling together, with a few moments of calm, slow love making.

**********

Little changed over the next few weeks. They fell back into their routine. Amanda was not up to running until the second week of August, and even then, she would only do a mile or so, and at a much slower than normal pace.

Together, they decided it might be a good idea to switch to restorative yoga, until Amanda got her strength back. Gradually, they upped the poses until they were back to their normal practice.

The second week of August had Steve worrying about Amanda again - well, maybe not worrying as much as puzzling. She obviously had something bothering her stomach. They both thought it was something post-operative.

On the other hand, her skin and hair looked positively radiant.

Saturday afternoon, Steve's family came over for lunch. Steve was back to spending as much time as he could cooking on the grill. Stephanie began watching Amanda and her reactions to the food. After the meal, she offered to help carry the dishes back into the kitchen, but she really wanted to get Amanda alone.

Amanda was putting the leftovers into containers, and had just leaned over to place a bowl of coleslaw into the refrigerator, when Stephanie asked, "Amanda, honey, are you pregnant?"

Amanda just froze in place. At a few seconds, she stood up and turned to face her sister-in-law. "I don't know. Do you think I might be?"

"It would certainly explain things. Have you and my brother been using any birth control?"

Amanda just slowly shook her head from side to side.

"Wait here." Stephanie stuck her head through the French doors onto the patio. "Hey, Steve, can you finish putting away the food? There's something I have to go get at the store. I'm dragging Amanda along. We'll be back in a few minutes."

She didn't wait for anyone to respond before she closed the door, grabbed Amanda's hand, grabbed her purse, and took off out the front door to the car.

A few minutes later they were at the drug store down the street buying three different brands of pregnancy tests.

Five minutes after that, Stephanie pulled back into the driveway, and dragging a still slightly stunned Amanda behind, headed up to the the master bathroom. Steve was still in the kitchen, starting to worry about the seeming conspiracy in his own house.

Stephanie popped open the packages, and convinced a suddenly very shy Amanda to drop her jeans and panties, and to sit on the toilet so she could pee on the three sticks. Amazingly, she still hadn't said much since Stephanie asked her the question at the refrigerator.

Stephanie walked her through the process, and a few minutes later they were staring at the three sticks sitting on the counter, each one confirming that Amanda was, in fact, pregnant. Both women began to tear up at the revelation.

At that moment, they were startled by a knock at the door. The heard Steve's quiet voice, "Amanda, Stephanie, is everything alright?"

Stephanie whispered to Amanda, "I'm so happy for you. Are you happy?"