Chapter 2

Back at home Tom felt good and thought about the marvels of modern medicine that were extending one's life span. It wasn't that long ago that the angioplasty procedure had been perfected. He would like to meet who ever had thought of doing something like that and shake his hand.

Tom made the appointment to see Doctor Everett as he was requested to do.

When Tom saw the Doctor two weeks after the procedure, the Doctor had an echocardiogram done by a technician at his office. The Doctor looked at the screen while Tom was there and said it was his impression that the echocardiogram showed there was some damage done to his heart but it was minimal. The pumping action of his heart seemed to be slightly reduced but the Doctor said he would classify the ejection fraction or EF as normal but a low normal. Tom could continue with his activities with no restrictions. The expected advice of losing some weight was also given.

The medications Tom was taken were discussed. Tom asked the doctor about sex and was told there were no restrictions. Although he was a little embarrassed Tom said he could use some help in that department and asked if the Doctor could prescribe some medicine. There was no hesitation on the Doctor's' part and he wrote him a prescription for Viagra. The Doctor said to take it about one half hour before for the medicine to work.

On the drive home Tom thought about this decrease in his heart function but concluded that it could be worse, a lot worse. He thought about the medicines he was taking; two pills to control his blood pressure, one to control his platelets, one to control his cholesterol, one aspirin a day and now one to have sex. What other illness or malady would he contract which would require more pills to be prescribed? It only confirmed to Tom what his friend had said that, "Getting old was a bitch."

Tom did have some thoughts about Amy and wondered what would be her reaction if he gave her a call. Would she think he was a dirty old man if he did call her? It wasn't like she reluctantly gave him her phone number but she actually volunteered it and gave it to him without him asking for it. She did seem sincere when she gave him that slip of paper.

He again came to another conclusion of what was the worst thing that could happen if he asked Amy out. The worse was that she would say no to him and he could live with that but if she said yes, that opened up some interesting possibilities.

With some nervousness he picked up his phone and pressed her numbers on the dial pad. On the fourth ring she answered the phone.

"Hello."

"Amy this is Tom Woods, I hope you remember me. You were my nurse at the hospital when I was there about three weeks ago.'

"Of course I remember you. I thought you had forgotten about me since you didn't phone me."

"Amy I would never forget you. A man doesn't forget the beautiful women he meets in life."

"You are a big with the compliments but that is very nice of you to say that. What can I do for you?"

"Well, I was wondering if you would like to go out to dinner with me."

"Sure, when?"

"My schedule is completely flexible, when is it convenient for you?"

"I have plans for tomorrow night but the next night is open."

The conversation concluded with Amy giving Tom her address and firming up a time. In putting down the phone Tom could only wonder if phoning her and making a date was a mistake or was it a smart move.

Two days later wearing a sport coat sans tie and with some nervousness Tom walked up the steps to Amy's townhouse and pressed the doorbell button. She opened the door for him and stepped to the side in order for Tom to enter. Now that he saw her out of her scrubs he could appreciate her very nice figure. She was wearing designer jeans and a sweater. Her clothes showed that she had womanly hips, a small waist and a very nice set of breasts. Her hair was down alongside her face. He thought her clothes were a little too casual for a dinner date but with the younger generation he knew better than to question as to how she was dressed.

He then came to the realization that his lady was not Amy, she was older and although she looked quite a bit like Amy she wasn't. Maybe this was her older sister. He thought he would have some fun.

"Are you ready to go?"

"I... , what... ," and then she just burst out laughing and laughed. Tom knew what he said and thought he would keep it going.

Out from what seemed to be a bedroom stepped Amy and asked what was going on.

"Oh Amy, he thought I was you and asked me if I was ready to go."

"Mother I know we look alike and you should be flattered that Tom thought you were me."

"Believe me, I am."

"Tom let me introduce you to my mother Sharon Casey."

Tom continued to play along as he tried to apologize for this mistake. Sharon told him not to bother because his remark had just made her day. She said good bye to both of them and left through the front door.

He acted a little bewildered because of his mistake. Amy thought that he was and told Tom not to worry about it as her mother would be walking on clouds because of his remark. Further she said that her mother lived only a few townhouses down from her. She said that they both wanted to live close to each other but at the same time they both wanted their privacy. Her mother was also a nurse but at a different hospital.

While Amy was talking Tom had a chance to look at Amy and he liked what he saw. She was wearing a black square neckline three inch above the knee sleeveless dress. She had the same delicious figure that he observed on her mother. What was a little tantalizing were the tops of her breasts which had a nice little jiggle as they walked to his car.

On the drive to the restaurant Tom asked Amy about her father? Amy said that her father had been a fireman and that he and another firemen were killed when a building that was on fire collapsed on them. She said it would be eight years this March second. The loss of her father was the main reason her and her mother were as close as they were and why they lived relatively near each other.

At the restaurant Tom could see that Amy was the center of some attention as they were shown to their table. His eyes were on her fine buttocks and the nice undulation they had as she walked in front of him. Her outgoing personality during the dinner was infectious and made for a very pleasant meal.

Tom asked her if she had made a decision as to the offer of becoming a charge-nurse. She said she had and had accepted the offer. Administration had told her that if she thought it wasn't working out or if she was unhappy she could always revert to her prior position. She prided herself on her organizational skills but thought the main problem she would have was when it came to giving the nurses their performance evaluations.

Tom told her that performance evaluations were a common problem in the corporate world.

He said, "Out of one hundred people about seventy five are solid but average workers. Companies have gotten away from using the classification of average and have gone to using the terms like 'meets position standards' instead because of employee unfavorable reaction to the word 'average'. Most employees however are average workers and there is nothing wrong with that. There are about four to six employees who don't fully meet the standards of the position and about fifteen out of a hundred who exceed the standards. There are only about four to six people who significantly exceed the standards. The problem is that most people who give evaluations don't want to face any confrontation and rate the employee higher than they should be. By doing this they avoid confrontation since most people don't want to hear they are 'average' no matter what terminology is used. Unfortunately doing this raises the performance evaluations to a level that is above the norm."