Finding Unexpected Love - Chapter 3

Meaghan checked the time; 6:23 PM. Bryan had said he’d pick her up at 6:30 so she touched up her makeup and looked herself over in the full-length mirror in the hallway. After quickly adjusting her belt she grabbed her purse and cardigan and made her way down to the sidewalk. The moment she stepped out of the front door Bryan pulled into the pickup spot in front of her building. Meaghan made her way over to the car and slid into the passenger seat.

“Hey there,” he greeted her. “You look great.”

“Thanks, so do you,” Meghan looked at him appreciatively. He was dressed in dark dress slacks and a tailored navy blue shirt that showed off his toned torso. He was also clean-shaven and his hair appeared tamer than it had the previous evening. It looked like he’d definitely made an effort to look good, not that he needed to; he was a very good-looking man and definitely handsome in Meaghan’s book.


“Thank you,” he chuckled, appearing slightly self-conscious. “How was your day?”

“Very relaxing. I have to admit I haven’t done much useful today apart from a couple of loads of laundry, but that’s not exactly strenuous. So, where are we headed?”

“I’ve booked us a table at LeBistro, are you familiar with it?”

“I’ve heard about it, it’s the new French restaurant on Connecticut, right?”

“Yeah. A co-worker of mine took his wife there for her birthday last weekend and he said it was great. After dinner we’re going to the AMC Theater, which is just a couple of blocks from the restaurant. I’ve booked tickets to the 10 pm screening of ‘It’s a good day to Die Hard’.”

“Sounds awesome! I’ve been excited about our date all day.”

“Me too. I hope I get things right, I have to admit I’m a bit rusty. It has been a while since took a woman out on a date.”

“So far you’re doing great,” Meaghan assured him and he seemed to relax a little. They were silent for the rest of the drive. Bryan parked in a handicapped spot about half a block down the street from the restaurant and Meaghan stepped out of the car to wait for him on the sidewalk. She watched as he grabbed the frame of his wheelchair from the back seat, followed by the wheels. He popped the wheels onto the frame and grabbed the seat cushion and placed it on the frame. When the chair was set up he lifted his legs out of the car, and then he placed one hand on the edge of the seat of the wheelchair and the other one on the seat of the car and in one fluid motion he hoisted his body into the wheelchair. Then he quickly placed his feet on the footrest and grabbed the push rims and shifted his weight a bit. When he was done slammed the car door shut and turned to Meaghan with a small smile on his face. The shyness he’d exuded when he’d revealed his disability for the first time appeared to be back.


“Shall we?” he asked, gesturing towards the restaurant. 

The restaurant was great; the service was impeccable and the food was some of the best Meaghan had ever had. Conversation flowed easily between them and again it struck Meaghan what a great storyteller Bryan was. He told the stories with such conviction that Meaghan was pretty sure she’d never tire of listening to him.  By the time it was time to settle the check and head over to the movie theatre she’d almost forgotten about his wheelchair and she realized that his relaxed personality and made it easy to forget about his disability.  Part of her didn’t really care about it; he was a great guy and she liked him a lot, disability or no disability, but she was aware that depending on a wheelchair was only a part of how it affected his life. She’d done some searches online earlier in the day and she wondered how much of what she’d found out applied to Bryan. She hoped he’d open up to her more when he got to know her better; she’d leave it up to him to decide what and when he wanted to share. 

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Both Bryan and Meaghan had a busy week ahead, but they agreed on a date the following Sunday; there was an exhibit at the Smithsonian both of them were wanted to see and they’d go to lunch before they headed to the museum. Meaghan wished she didn’t have to wait a full week to see Bryan again, but he was working several late shifts and a night shift and her work schedule was pretty packed as well. She was glad that they’d at least have most of the day together on Sunday.

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At lunchtime Wednesday Meaghan found herself a couple of blocks from Georgetown University Hospital and on impulse she sent Bryan a text message.;“Hi Bryan. I just finished a meeting not far from GUH and I’m hungry. Would you like to join me for lunch? Meaghan” 

She didn’t even know if he was at work or if it was his lunch hour, or if he was working a night or afternoon shift, but she was eager to see him again and crossed her fingers as she hit ‘send’. 

A couple of minutes later her phone beeped with a reply; “Is this fate or what? I was just about to head to the cafeteria for lunch (yes, I know the cafeteria sounds lame, but I can’t leave the hospital right now). Join me?”

Meaghan sent a quick reply and they agreed to meet at outside the cafeteria. She quickly surveyed her appearance; she was wearing a dark grey tailored suit with a black top, her hair was pulled into her signature sleek ponytail and she was wearing horn-rimmed glasses instead of contacts. Yep, she was presentable. Ten minutes later she was waiting outside the cafeteria at Georgetown University Hospital and a smile spread across her face as Bryan came out of the elevator and wheeled toward her.  He was wearing light blue scrubs, with a white, long-sleeved jersey under the top, he had a stethoscope draped around his neck and a pair of protective goggles hanging from the V-neck of his scrub top. His feet were clad in the same sneakers he’d been wearing to the speed dating session. She noticed the dark shadow on his jaw and the slightly mussed appearance of his hair indicated that he’d probably worked a long shift. As he came up to her she bent down and gave him a quick hug.

“This is a great surprise,” he beamed. “How did you know it was my lunch hour?”

“I didn’t, but I had a meeting with a client a couple of blocks from here and I figured it wouldn’t hurt ask.”

“I’m glad you did. I like the glasses by the way. They suit you.”

“Really? I have to admit I prefer to wear glasses. Contacts make my eyes dry out.”

“I wouldn’t say it if I didn’t mean it.”

“Glad to hear it,” Meaghan said with a smile.

“Sorry about my somewhat scruffy appearance,” he said apologetically as he grabbed the push rims on his wheelchair and suspended himself from the seat for a few seconds before he dropped back down. Meaghan noticed he looked self-conscious.

“Don’t worry about it. You wear those scrubs well,” Meaghan said with a laugh. “Well, shall we get something to eat?”

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Meaghan followed Bryan trough the cafeteria line; he got a foot long hoagie with a load of toppings, a bag of chips and an iced tea and she got a Caesar salad and a bottle of water. Much to her dismay Bryan insisted on paying.

“I asked you to have lunch with me, so I should be paying,” she protested as Bryan handed over his employee ID badge and the cashier swiped it on the register and handed it back to him.

“I’m not about to let you pay for hospital cafeteria food,” Bryan said with a grimace as he placed the badge back in the holder that was hanging from the breast pocket on his scrub top. Meaghan put both of their food on one tray and grabbed it. She followed Bryan to a table by the windows and sat down. Bryan settled in across from her and eagerly grabbed his hoagie and ripped the wrapper open, causing Meaghan to laugh.

“Hungry?” she asked as she added the dressing to her Caesar salad.

“Starving! I’ve been at work since last night and I’ve only eaten a couple of power bars. It’s been a busy night and with two doctors home sick I’ve been attending to twice as many patients as I normally do. It’s crazy.”

“Wow, when do you get off?”

“At four, at least that’s what I hope. Then I work evening shifts tomorrow and Friday and a day shift on Saturday left before I’m off for three days.”

“Long weekend?”

“Yeah, but then I’m working seven days straight, starting Tuesday, so…” he shrugged and then he suspended himself in the air for a few seconds before he dropped back down into the seat of his wheelchair. She’d noticed that he seemed to do it from time to time on their previous dates. Bryan picked up Meaghan’s curiosity and looked at her.  “I have to shift my weight every fifteen minutes or so. Helps circulation in my legs and prevents me from getting sores. Our body wasn’t created to spend the majority of time sitting.”

“Oh, right. I didn’t think about that,” Meaghan said with a blush, before she turned her focus back to the salad bowl in front of her. Bryan turned his attention back to his meal and they ate in a slightly awkward silence. Just as Bryan wiped his mouth with a napkin his beeper went off and he grabbed it.

“Sorry to leave in a haste, but I’ve got to respond to this.”

“No problem. I’ll see you on Sunday, right?”

“Definitely! I’m looking forward to it.”

“Me too,” Meaghan said with a smile. 


To be continued...