"Mr. Shilton, how many times have I told you not to take a nap in your hot tub? Especially for fourteen hours. It's very dangerous" Lee told one of his first patients upon his return to the University of Vermont Medical Centre. "You could drown, get hypothermia, and seriously damage your skin and maybe even all three together!"

Dean Shilton was one of the richest men in the state. Unfortunately he was also one of the dumbest. In the three years that Doctor Dawson had been working here, he'd seen this man at least six times, with each incident being crazier than the one before.

"But admit it Doc, it's pretty funny right?" The old man cackled back in response.

"Do you really think death is something to joke about Mr. Shilton?" Lee asked.

"You gotta die of something boy! So if I'm going out, I'm doing it in a blaze of glory! Or more specifically, a hot tub!" Shilton creased again.

Lee wasn't sure if the old guy was joking or if he was actually talking about suicide. Was this a cry for help? His decision was made even more difficult by the fact that this man looked a lot like Santa Clause with a tan. That would confuse anyone.

"Right" He muttered before scribbling on the man's evaluation sheet that he was going to recommend some counselling. Just in case.

After seeing out the, miraculously, fine old man, Lee checked his wristwatch and saw that he was almost finished for the day. As with every holiday, the first day back was a struggle for him to get up in the morning. He'd even had a lie in until six-thirty. He wasn't particularly proud of himself for it but once he was back in action, it felt as though he had never been away. Since that morning alone, Lee had already treated eight patients, including the seemingly amphibious Mr. Shilton. A lot of people would complain about having so much to do on their first day back but Lee had actually asked for it. He was nowhere near as bad as he used to be, but once a workaholic, always a workaholic.

Lee tidied his office and packed all of his important belongings, cell phone, wallet and house keys into his black over-shoulder bag (or man-bag as his new wife called it) and headed down the windy hospital corridors en route to the car park.

Most people felt quite uncomfortable walking down the bare halls underneath the fluorescent lighting of a hospital, or even just being in such close proximity to sick people, but not Doctor Dawson. To him, this was home, and everyone knew it.

As he passed the various offices and waiting rooms that his workplace held, he smiled, being reminded how rewarding working in a hospital could be.

He saw a man and woman embracing each other warmly; having just been told that their IVF treatment was successful and that they were now expecting their first child. He saw an old man break down in tears after being told that his cancer had been caught early enough and that he was now all clear. Even the kids in the hospital were smiling, some of which had been suffering from incredible pains and aches but were now acting as if nothing was ever wrong with them. As happy as Lee was, he sped up to pass the children quicker. He'd never been good with kids and he was quite happy to leave them to the other doctors and nurses.

"Finished for the day, Doctor?" Asked a smiling nurse as he passed her.

"You know it" He smiled back.

"Hey Doctor D!" Called another of his colleagues, a burly looking man with glasses.

"What's up Mark?" Lee asked, slapping his palm against the man's shoulder.

"Not much man, just about to give Mrs. Hawthorne her pills for the day. I swear we've got her addicted" Mark replied.

"I knew that one was trouble" Joked Lee.

"You're telling me! So hey, you coming out tonight to watch the golf? Last day of the open tonight!"

"I'll pass, but thank you!" Lee replied before continuing his walk.

"Why not?" Mark called. "Don't tell me the wife's got your balls in her purse already?"

"Keep your sick fantasies to yourself Doctor Wilson!" Lee laughed as he turned the corner and out of sight.

Mark Wilson was Lee's best friend, besides Carly, at the hospital and they often hung out together outside of office hours too. Something that Lee had never done with anyone else. Like Lee, he had just turned thirty but he was living his life like a much younger man. He was exactly the kind of person that Lee wouldn't have associated with a few years ago, but things were different now. He was different.

Not only was his social life different, his general outlook on a lot of other things had changed too. One of which was his opinions on transport. Lee used to rely solely on buses and taxis all the time but now as he approached his silver BMW car he smiled simply at the thought of driving it. The leather seats were sometimes comfier than his sofa at home and he just loved leaving some of his personal items in it like a Sat-Nav GPS, CD collection and sunglasses. He knew that this was probably more of a young man's thing but he didn't care. If this was his mid-life crisis then he wasn't doing too badly.

After crossing the hospital car park and entering the vehicle, he put on his shades and turned the key in the ignition, being greeted by the sound of the opening guitar riffs of "Brown Sugar" by his favourite band, the Rolling Stones. He tapped his hands on the steering wheel along with the music and sang along as he left the premises and headed home.

https://youtu.be/UaByy5QBchQ

Unlike many people his age, Lee loved driving in rush hour traffic. One of his theories as to why, was that he hadn't really done it before so it was still a novelty for him. It also gave him a chance to take in the beautiful scenery that Burlington had to offer. After spending nearly his entire life in the big city of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, he was constantly amazed by the more rural city that he now called home.

Although he was now fully settled in Vermont, it had taken a while for that to be the case.

Lee had been used to constantly being on call for whatever emergencies were thrown his way. It wasn't like Pittsburgh was a particularly unhealthy place, but being a doctor in a large city was always unpredictable. Burlington's population was almost five times less and unlike in his last place of work, Lee was no longer permitted to work what was essentially twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week. At the age of thirty, this was the closest thing to a nine-to-five that Doctor Dawson had ever had. Not only that, earlier this year Vermont was named the safest state in all of the USA. It wasn't as if Pittsburgh was all gang wars and road rage but his new home had nothing of the sort. As happy as this made the doctor, he couldn't help but wish for a mild disaster, just so that he could finally take on some overtime. Somehow though, he was still waiting.

This led to a lot more free time on his hands, which he didn't like. It was made even more difficult by the fact that as a state, Vermont wasn't a particularly big one for sports. There were no NFL teams for him to trade in his beloved Pittsburgh Steelers for, nor was there any particularly big basketball team. Winter sports were far more popular in Vermont but Lee had yet to try his hand at any of them. Carly was always telling him that they were going to do it one day but so far he'd succeeded in avoiding it. Somehow Lee didn't see himself as much of a skier or a snowboarder. Instead, Lee was happy enough to work the hours he was given and then go home and put his feet up before having dinner and going to bed. As much as a lot of things had changed for Lee, some things never would.

He arrived home in the well off Hill Section neighbourhood and pulled into his driveway, turning off the engine as he sat behind Carly's red Toyota. They'd decided that since they had the space and the money they would both have their own cars. That and the fact that Lee was still a little uneasy about her driving. Even having a driveway was an incredible feeling for Lee. When he lived in Pennsylvania his apartment block didn't have any residential parking so for him, even this small luxury made the move worthwhile.

He took in the sight of his two storey detached home that contained three bedrooms, two bathrooms, a large kitchen and living room. The exterior was build of brick that had recently been painted a greyish-purple colour, making it stand out from the rest of the street. Lee couldn't believe this house was his. He'd never envisioned himself living in a palace like this.

Of course the real reason he'd moved here was because of Carly. Once they had officially gotten together, he'd chosen to move permanently so that he could be closer to her. Even his mother, who had been a huge supporter of his relationship with the nurse, had made the move to Vermont. For a start he'd rented a small apartment with his mom before she wanted to find a home similar to the one she'd been staying in before. She missed the constant company while her son was at work every day. Once Mrs. Dawson was settled in her new place, Lee and Carly bought this house and hadn't looked back.

He finally left the car and entered the house, yelling "Hi honey, I'm home!" With a jokey smirk on his face. Receiving no reply from his wife, he dumped his bag at the front door and entered the main house in search of Carly. She had taken an extra day off after their honeymoon to get the house back in some sort of order.

Crossing the laminate floored living room, he saw that she had clothes scattered all over the leather couch. This bugged him but he didn't say anything. Since moving in with Carly, Lee had noticed how much of a neat freak he really was and he didn't want her to know. She already had enough things to laugh about.

He entered the kitchen and found her standing by the sink with her back to him. He glanced around the room and saw that there were dirty plates and bowls spread out all over the counter, just like the clothes in the living room. When they had their kitchen fitted, he had convinced her to let him get a yellow and black themed one in honour of his favourite football teams' colours. But he could barely see any colour because of the mass piles of dishes in the room. He didn't even know they had this much.

"Well you've been busy" He mused.

Carly spun round and he now saw that she was stirring something in a large white bowl.

"Hi!" She cried, looking like a deer in the proverbial headlights. "I started baking" She smiled nervously.

"Why?" He asked as he approached her. He noticed that she had what looked like cake mix splashed all over her clothes and on her face.

"I got bored ok!" She laughed. "Staying home is hard. The house was already pretty much spotless so I had nothing to do!"

"So you made it a mess?"

"I started to iron. But it was boring and TV sucked so I came through here to make cookies and cakes!"

"I hate cookies and cakes" Lee told her.

"You hate everything" She reminded him.

He shrugged. "That's true. Couldn't you have just went and bought some? I mean, you didn't leave the house at all?"

"Well I would have if you let me get that dog that I wanted" Complained Carly.

"For the last time! We are not getting a dog! All they do is shit in the house" Lee said, wiping the mixing off of her face and eating it.

"If I can train you to be nice to people, I can probably train a dog to drive a car"

"It couldn't be a worse driver than you" He joked, "Besides, you already have Larry!"

"Oh you're hilarious" She mocked his voice the best she could, "And Larry is a fish!" She cried, pointing at their small goldfish, swimming around in a small bowl in the corner before changing the subject. "How was work anyway?"

Lee thought before answering. "Oh you know, spoke to some old people, saved some lives, and made the world a better place. Just the usual really" He smirked slyly.

"I think I actually preferred you when you didn't tell crappy jokes and hated me. Why did I marry you again?" Carly smiled back devilishly.

"Because I'm smart, good looking and my mother told you too"

"Oh yeah that's right" Carly laughed. Lee didn't believe in the supposed "honeymoon phase" of a relationship until he met Carly. She'd changed his mind on a lot of things. "I'm sure there was another reason though" She spoke thoughtfully.

"Oh yeah? Was it this?" Lee asked before planting a soft kiss on her lips and wrapping his arms around her waist. Carly kissed him back before breaking free and answering.

"Ah yes. That's the one" She whispered before kissing him again, this time leaning right against her husband.

"You're going to get my shirt dirty" Lee whispered a sigh.

"Stop complaining" She teased, "You could always just take it off?"

"And that is why I married you. Well, one reason anyway" Lee grinned as he began unbuttoning his white shirt.

With Lee briefly occupied, Carly took the opportunity to run past him, back the way Lee had came before ascending the stairs at the front door.

"Hey!" The doctor cried before chasing after her. Suddenly, he didn't really care about the mess of his home.

________________________________________________________________________________________---

So here's chapter 2! I know that not too much happens here but I wanted to give everyone a sense of how the characters have changed since the first book and also how they've stayed the same. Also, interesting fact! The statistic about Vermont being the safest state is 100% true! And as soon as I found out about that, that was when I decided once and for all to do a sequel! It just fit too perfectly!