Dean Paid Tribute To Caelynn For Being His "Caretaker" After His Ski Accident

The year of 2019 didn't exactly end the way Dean Unglert thought it would after he suffered from a serious ski accident in the Swiss Alps on Dec. 23. But on the bright side, it definitely seems to have brought him and his girlfriend Caelynn Miller-Keyes closer together. In fact, after making his way back to the U.S., Dean thanked Caelynn in an Instagram post for taking such good care of him throughout the recovery process and for making his time on crutches as enjoyable as possible.

“Back in the states after an unfortunate turn of events in Europe,” Dean captioned the post, which included an image of him and Caelynn sharing a warm embrace. “It would have been a whole lot worse without my primary caretaker there to change my smelly socks, carry my luggage, and keep me entertained.” He went on to add, “Thank you for everything you’ve already done and for everything you still unwittingly have to do.”

On the day of the accident, Dean detailed the incident on social media, revealing that he underwent surgery for a dislocated hip and fractured femur, which abruptly brought his holiday vacation to a close. "A dislocated hip and fractured femur put 4 screws and a plate in my leg," Dean explained in an Instagram post of him donning a hospital gown. "Looks like i’ll be celebrating xmas in a hospital bed this year."

Dean left the hospital five days later on Dec. 28 with Caelynn by his side, and the two of them have been galavanting around Europe ever since.

Now they're back in the U.S. and it seems the trip helped them to grow as a couple, despite the unforeseen obstacles they had to face along the way. Caelynn has already responded to Dean's appreciation post in the comments section, writing: "I’ll change your smelly socks any day." If that isn't true love, then what is?

Of course, that doesn't mean Bachelor fans should expect to hear wedding belles in their future anytime soon. Prior to his ski accident, Dean opened up about his relationship with Caelynn to People, admitting that while things are going well, they're taking things slow and don't have any "impending engagements" on the horizon. “We understand that with the Bachelor franchise, you kind of get put in a pressure cooker with your relationship and we’re just traveling together, exploring each other, and having fun and doing what we’re doing,” Dean told the outlet, while admitting that it's possible Caelynn may feel a bit differently on the matter.

“She might tell you otherwise but it seems like, you know, we’re on a good path at the moment and there’s nothing really on the horizon but I think that’s kind of the best,” he added. “You don’t really set like relationship goals until later on down the line, so we’ll see.” For now, it seems Dean is focused more on healing than romance.