Paul had slept well, considering that his ankle hurt. The doctor prescribed medication for the pain, but stressed that he should take it only if the pain had become unbearable. So he decided to try and tough it out. It helped that he had his first home cooked meal in nearly a week, was able to sleep in his own bed, and didn't have hospital staff coming in every 3-4 hours to check his vitals. And the added bonus was his phone call with Linda. She had been there every night, but so had the doctors and nurses.

Paul was getting used to the crutches, so his maneuverability improved. He was up before his parents, so he made his way to the kitchen and grabbed a frying pan and started to make himself breakfast. 

His mom, Debbie, was up before her husband, and investigated the sounds coming from the kitchen. Once she saw Paul cooking breakfast, she immediately ordered him to sit in the living room. She told him that she would finish up. Paul was going to object, but he knew better. 

So he gave his mom a hug and thanked her, and made his way out to the recliner next to the sofa, and tried to make himself as comfortable as possible. Debbie came out of the kitchen and asked him how he wanted his eggs. Scrambled, Paul told her as he grabbed the TV remote. He knew that there was nothing on this early on a Sunday morning, but he just looked for a little normalcy. When he was in the hospital, it seemed they only carried three channels, and each one was nothing but soap operas. He was hoping to catch a movie, but alas, it was all infomercials. But he kept them on anyway.

After 10 minutes, Paul's mom came into the living room with his breakfast and a glass of OJ. Paul took both the plate and glass and thanked his mom for everything. Debbie told him that he would never have to worry. Both her and his dad would always be there for him.

Paul enjoyed his breakfast, and by the time he finished, his dad was awake and in the kitchen making himself a cup of coffee. Once Paul was finished eating the phone rang. Debbie answered, and looked at Paul with a wink and smile, and spoke to the person on the other end that she would have to check to see if her baby boy was well enough to talk to some girl named Linda.

Paul hopped up off the chair without his crutches and hurried to the phone and went into his bedroom to have a little privacy. Before he could get settled on his bed, his dad knocked on the door and brought his crutches in, then quickly left. 

Paul and Linda talked like they hadn't seen or spoken to each other in years. Two hours later they told each other that they loved them and hung up. Paul felt really upbeat. Linda had told him that her father would be giving her a ride to and from school, and he would stop by Paul's house and pick him up for school and drop him off when school was done, since he wouldn't be able to ride the bus until the cast came off and his ankle healed.

So Paul made his way to the living room and told his parents about Linda's dad giving him a ride to and from school. Greg and Debbie looked at their son, and could plainly see the joy in his eyes, so they told him that it was ok with them. 

When Paul was talking with Linda, she told him that she would carry his backpack from class to class. Paul objected, but Linda held firm. And she promised him a surprise when they got to school the next day. Paul was intrigued, and tried his best to subtly get her to reveal the nature of the surprise, but Linda would laugh and change the subject.

The anticipation of going back to school was starting to overtake Paul. His last time there resulted in a broken ankle and hospital stay. But Linda would be picking him up in the morning, so he tried to focus on that.

His mom Debbie made a wonderful chicken casserole. Paul heartily ate, and once done, decided the best way to shower, because he couldn't get the cast wet. And he realized that he wouldn't have time in the morning, so he showered with his leg hanging out. The water felt nice and warm, but he had to make it quick due to water splashing onto the floor. After drying off, he made his way to his bed, and tried to get a good night’s sleep. But knowing that he would be seeing Linda in the morning made his heart race. Slowly he drifted off into a deep sleep.

Even though Paul set his alarm for 6am, he was before sunrise. He glanced at the clock in his room. 4:45 am. Oh well, he thought. So he grabbed his crutches and went to the bathroom. After splashing water on his face, he went to the kitchen. He was instantly amped up by the thought of going to school. 

He eventually made himself breakfast and got dressed and waited for Linda to arrive with her father to give him a ride to school. The pain in his ankle subsided enough that he started pacing, crutches and all. He glanced at the clock. Time seemed to have stopped. 7:00 am became 7:05 am. It seemed that the clock was malfunctioning, but when his parents got up, he knew the time was right.

Finally, he saw Linda’s vehicle pull up his driveway. Paul's heart skipped a beat. He automatically opened the door, and said goodbye to his parents as he raced as fast as he could to the vehicle. He saw her father get out, and he also to side panel open. Then, he saw the most beautiful woman in the world standing tall and smiling down at him. It was his Linda.