5:35am Friday, Day 2
Lee pulled the Corvette off the road and into an abandoned drive. According to the maps, that last dirt road was the road into the cabin.
‘It’s a healthy walk, but I don’t want to alert them to my presence,’ he thought.
He had his weapon and two extra clips. ‘Hope it will be enough. I hope Amanda’s OK. She’s gotta be OK.’ He was determined.
He made his way down the road in the pre-dawn light. Finally he saw the cabin—more like a house—small but well-built. One car was parked by the door.
He crept around listening and watching for any lookouts. There were none. He crept closer to the cabin and found an open window. He peeked in and saw Amanda tied to a chair. There were two men with her that he could see. One was cleaning up after having just given her some sort of injection. She looked unconscious, her head hanging down.
“What’s wrong, why isn’t she responding, doc?” The man was impatient and looked haggard.
The doctor replied in a weary patient tone. “I told you, this experimental drug is powerful. Most subjects experience some unconsciousness for a while after injection. Then they enter a shadow state. She will be conscious but you have to talk to her. It works in cycles—one hour the subject will be talkative, one hour they will be unresponsive. It has six cycles, 12 hours total. Some subjects experienced shock during the down times, we must monitor her condition closely. We should also try to get her to eat and drink while she is conscious, it helps the body withstand the stress of the drug—the on and off cycles.”
“We need information—we’ve gotten nothing so far.” The other man was agitated.
The doctor replied calmly. “That’s not my fault, the first drug we tried is usually quite effective. Perhaps you weren’t asking the right questions.”
The other man responded hotly, “Hey, watch it! I don’t need you any more now that you’ve injected that stuff. Maybe I should just kill you…”
The doctor faced the other man with a tired demeanor. “If she goes into shock, do you know what to do? You don’t want her dying before you get what you want.”
“I don’t care if she dies, I will kill her anyhow once I’ve gotten what I want.”
“She’s in rough shape now—you roughed her up when she got here and she almost escaped. Then you hit her when she gave you that recipe.”
“Damn her,” the other man was clearly agitated. “She’s good. She hasn’t given me anything except some stupid recipe…”
“The first drug definitely affected her. She’s just well-trained to resist it. Now this drug should do it. It hasn’t failed yet. Just keep her still, she shouldn’t move too much until the drug has run its course and she’s had a chance to rest. The strain could kill her.”
“She’ll stay tied up then until I have what I want.”
The doctor faced the other man. “You should untie her. I’d recommend you let her lie down. She’ll be so disoriented she won’t try to escape.”
The other man thought for a moment, then nodded. They untied Amanda and moved her to a narrow bed in the corner of the room and covered her with a light blanket.
Lee saw the left side of her face was bruised and she had a black eye. ‘I’ll kill that bastard, I swear.’
Once she was settled, the doctor finished gathering up his equipment and vials. “It’s up to you and the drug. I’ll monitor her condition but there are no more injections I can give her.”
“You’ve got more of that stuff, we can try again if we need to.”
The doctor replied quickly, “No! Another injection will kill her. We just need to keep her in bed. You will ask your questions and I’ll monitor her condition.”
Lee decided he had heard all he needed to. He burst in through the door. The other man fumbled for a weapon, and Lee shot him twice. He went down. The doctor immediately ran out the door and Lee heard the car start as he was making sure the other man was disarmed. He looked out to see the car spitting gravel as it sped down the drive.
‘Well, I got one of them, at least.’ Lee looked over at his partner, she was still unconscious. “Oh God, Amanda.” He spoke aloud. ‘She doesn’t deserve this,’ he thought.
He checked the man he had shot—he didn’t recognize the guy, or the doctor for that matter. The man on the floor was dead. Lee quickly searched the cabin, determined nobody else was present and located a back room. He pulled the body in there and shut the door. There was a little blood on the floor. He spied a rug and covered it up.
He spent the next half-hour thoroughly checking out the cabin. He found a backpack and loaded into it the vials of drugs plus all the medical paraphernalia. ‘Maybe our guys can get samples from this.’ He found a tape recorder and tapes. He played one—it was the other man and Amanda.
“Tell me all of Scarecrow’s secrets,” the man demanded.
Amanda sounded tired and spoke slowly. “I don’t know Scarecrow’s secrets. Why are you doing this? Please let me go. I just want to get home to mother and the boys…”
Lee forwarded the tape.
“Tell me your secrets,” the man demanded in a loud voice.
“Oh gosh, I can’t do that. Please let me go. I hurt. You hurt me. Why don’t you let me go? I don’t know anything. I just want to get back home…”
He switched the tape off.
Lee’s jaw clenched and he took a deep breath. ‘It’s just evidence, gotta stay objective… Objective, hell. It’s Amanda.’ He looked over at her resting on the bed, covered with a light blanket. ‘They drugged her, interrogated her, hurt her, and she didn’t tell them anything. How did she do it? These guys were pros. By all rights she should have told them anything and everything they asked.’
‘I don’t deserve her. She’s so amazing…’ Lee’s stomach felt hollow and his palms were wet. ‘I’ve gotta get her through this drug. Shock. Just keep her warm, feet elevated. They said she should eat and drink, it would help. Will that doctor be back with reinforcements? He bolted and it was a rogue operation. He’s probably long gone. I can’t move Amanda anyhow, so we’re here until the drug is through her system and she’s rested. Probably until tomorrow morning.’
‘Oh, Amanda. I’m so sorry you had to go through this. If only I hadn’t handed you that package…’ He sighed, and rubbed his eyes. ‘’If only’ isn’t something a good agent dwells on. Just the facts. Just how it went down. I’ve told her that often enough, and now I can’t take my own advise. But if I hadn’t handed her that package my life would be very different. She’s changed my life—changed me. And I’m really glad for it. She’s a great partner, the best partner I’ve ever had. Better than Eric, or Dorothy even. She’s my best friend. I owe it to her to do my best to get her through this. I can do this. We can do this…together.’
He put the recorder and tapes into the backpack as well. ‘Let the guys back at the Agency deal with this…’
Just then Amanda moaned and stirred.
Lee moved to sit beside her on the bed. He took her hand and brushed the hair off her forehead. He spoke gently and calmly.
“Amanda, can you hear me?”
She opened her eyes ands tried to focus on his face. “Lee, is that you?”
Her voice was thick and slurred.
“Yes, Amanda, it’s me. I’m here. You’re safe. The bad guys are gone.”
“Lee, you’ve gotta come rescue me. The bad guys think I’m you. I didn’t let them know. I know I’ve gotta keep your secrets, but ohhhh. I think I told then my secret ingredient for my poppy seed cake…”
“Hey, Amanda, it’s OK…”
“Lee, please come rescue me…”
He took her face in his hands. “Amanda, look at me.” He waited until she seemed to focus on his face. “I’m here with you. Just us. Nobody else. You’re safe here with me. I’ll take care of you. We’re partners, we watch out for each other. We take care of each other.”
“We watch each other’s backs.” She reached out and brushed Lee’s hair out of his face.
“Yeah,” he replied. “Do you feel like eating anything?”
“Food, I don’t know…”
“I’m gonna check and see what food is here.”
She started to get up. “Let me help.”
He pushed her back down. “Not this time. You just rest. You can watch me, OK?”
“OK, I’ll watch. I kinda hurt anyhow, so resting would be best.”
He moved to the kitchenette area and found some canned soup and a loaf of bread. ‘Soup and toast, that should be good.’ He heated the soup on the burner and toasted bread. He made coffee for himself.
Amanda sat up and ate the soup and toast. He found juice and she drank a glass. Then he cleared the dishes away once she was done.
“I feel better, Lee. Thanks. But I still hurt.”
“Where does it hurt?” he tried to sound casual.
“Here on my side, my hip.” She lifted her shirt a couple inches to show a large dark bruise on her right side, extending down her hip, as she pushed the waistband of her slacks down a bit.
Lee clamped his jaw and the muscle twitched. That was not good. She probably didn’t have a broken rib. She sat up easily and was breathing OK, but that had to hurt. He took a calming breath.
“Amanda, anywhere else you hurt?” he asked in a deceptively calm voice.
“My face, my eye hurts,” her hands moved to the black eye.
“Anywhere else?”
She paused and thought. “I just really ache all over. It’s kinda like how I felt after I had the boys. My whole body is just achy and I’m really pooped.”
He tucked her back into bed and tried to make sure she was comfortable.
“You let me know if you need anything.”
“Well, some aspirin might help.”
“I don’t have any aspirin, Amanda. You want more juice?”
“Maybe a little. That coffee sure smells good.”
“OK.” He started to get her some then stopped. ‘She’s still drugged. Caffeine is also a drug. Maybe I shouldn’t let her drink coffee, it could interact with the drug.’ He tried a diversion . “Ahhh, maybe that’s not such a good idea. You need to rest and the coffee could keep you up.”
“Oh, OK. Juice should be fine.”
He moved a small table next to the bed and put a glass of juice there. He surreptitiously finished his cup of coffee, and then pulled a chair up next to the bed. “So, what do you want to talk about?” he asked in a cheerful voice.
“Lee, you know we can talk about anything. We’re best friends. Debbie Ann Macabie was my first best friend, well, after Lois Ann but Lois Ann was a doll and Debbie Ann was a person so it was different, but we talked about all sorts of stuff, about school and clothes and later we talked about boys …”
Amanda rambled on and on about anything and everything. Every so often she looked to Lee for some reply, and he said “yes” or “go on” or whatever was needed. ‘As long as she stays still, she can talk all she wants. If this is all she does, it shouldn’t be so bad. And she ate. That’s good.’ He reminded her to keep drinking the juice, and she did.
After a while she just ran down. Her eyes closed, and she drifted off to sleep.
Lee watched his partner for a few minutes. ‘OK, this is the unresponsive cycle, keep her warm and check for shock. She looks OK, just sleeping, I guess.’
He got up and searched the cabin for more blankets and pillows. ‘If she does get shock I’ll need these,’ he thought. He cleaned up the dishes and then just sat by the bed and dozed.
9:03am Friday Day 2
Lee was awakened by Amanda giggling.
“You look so peaceful there, Lee. Nobody looking at you would know you’re a super-secret agent—the Agency’s top man.” She giggled again. “I guess I do know a couple of your secrets.”
“Hey, Amanda, how’re you doing?” He smiled at her.
“Y’know, you’re cute, Lee. You have such amazing eyes—all green and stuff…”
“Well, thank you. You want some juice or water?”
“Water, water everywhere and not a drop to drink,” she said in a sing-song voice.
“I’ll get you some water. Stay there.” He got her a glass of water. She drank some, then started humming, then singing.
“Row, row, row your boat, gently down the stream…”
‘This is weird,’ he thought, ‘but she seems OK.’
Amanda spent the next hour and more singing, reciting nursery rhymes or snatches of poetry. She tried to get up and dance, but Lee kept her in bed. She “danced” in bed, giggling and generally happy.
Then she stopped mid-song with a look of surprise and just dropped off to sleep.
‘That one wasn’t so bad,’ he thought. ‘Two down, four to go.’
Lee refilled the water glass, ate some toast and checked Amanda. She looked...different. She was pale. He felt her forehead—cool and clammy. Her breathing was faster but shallow. He felt for the pulse in her neck—rapid but shallow.
‘Uh oh. Shock. Maybe this won’t be so easy, after all.’
He pulled the pillow out from under her head and placed it and another under her feet. He got a couple more blankets and covered her up.
“Come on, Amanda. Stay with me here.” He rubbed her shoulders and arms briefly, then sat back. ‘Nothing more I can do. Just wait, I guess.’
He waited and watched her as the minutes passed by. Slowly her color returned, her breathing slowed. He felt her forehead—warmer. Her pulse was slower, stronger. He let out a breath. ‘She’s better,’ he thought with relief. He sat watching her closely. Suddenly every little thing was important.
11:45am Friday Day 2
Amanda stirred and moaned. Lee sat up.
“How are you doing there?” he asked in a hopeful voice.
She sniffed and turned away from him, and started crying.
“What’s wrong, please let me help,” he was at a loss as to what to do.
She just cried. And cried and cried.
‘Well, this sure stinks,’ he thought in a helpless tone.
He rubbed her back, put a pillow under her head and pulled the pillows from under her feet. She grabbed one and curled around it and continued crying into it.
Nothing he could do seemed to make a difference.
She wouldn’t eat or drink, she just kept on crying. He continued to rub her back off and on, making soothing and reassuring noises, letting her know everything would be OK. That he was with her and she was not alone.
After what seemed like an eternity she gulped and stopped crying. Her breathing slowed and she dropped off to sleep.
Lee sighed. He stretched and made himself more coffee. He checked Amanda frequently: color, temperature, forehead, breathing, pulse. But she just slept, no shock this time. He ate, paced, checked his weapon, checked out the cabin, went through the backpack’s contents, checked out the cupboards for food. And frequently checked Amanda’s condition. He set food aside, hoping the next round she would be able to eat and drink something. By now it was well after 2pm, only three episodes so far. Three more to go. Their timing was off, it was more than an hour for the awake and down cycles. ‘Well, however long it takes, I’m here for my partner. She has to get through this, she has to.’
2:35pm Friday Day 2
She stirred again, and moaned. He was instantly in the chair beside her bed.
“Hey, how are you doing?” he asked gently.
“Oh, Lee. Those bad guys kidnapped me. Where are they? They hurt me. They stuck me with needles.” She was pale and wide-eyed and shaking.
“It’s OK, they’re gone. Nobody else here but you and me. Just us. You’re safe. I’m here with you and I’ll take care of you.”
“But I’m so scared…” she tried to get out of the bed.
He tried to push her back down gently, “Amanda, you need to lie down. Just rest.”
She was uncoordinated, but she still tried to get up. Lee finally sat on the bed, pulled her onto his lap, and took her into his arms. He held her against his chest, gently but firmly. She was trembling all over. He rocked her slowly.
“Relax, it’s OK. You’re safe. Just relax.” He spoke soothingly.
She flailed a bit in his arms, but soon quieted down. She sighed and wrapped her arms around him.
“Lee, I’m still so scared. Why am I so scared? I know you’ll keep me safe.” Her voice was shaky and she still trembled on and off.
“Just relax, Amanda. Relax and let me hold you. I’ll protect you, you’re safe with me.” He rocked her gently.
She quieted and they sat for while. Then she started and was shaking again.
Her voice was panicky, “They’re gonna stick me with needles again. That mean man hit me, kicked me in the side. He said he was gonna kill me when it was all over.”
“The bad guys are gone. You’re safe.” Lee held her firmly, as she squirmed.
“He kept asking me over and over, ‘Tell me all of Scarecrow’s secrets’ over and over. I’m not you, but I know from before I couldn’t tell him that. I kept thinking over and over ‘I have to be strong. I can’t give away Lee’s secrets. Lee will rescue me.’ ”
“And I’m here now. You’re safe.” He continued rocking her gently.
“Oh Lee,” she sounded desperate, “why am I so afraid? You’re here. You’re holding me. I’m still so scared. I’m still shaking…”
Lee kept reassuring her. She was quiet and then agitated by turns. The fear came and went. Finally she sighed and went to sleep.
‘She’s asleep again.’ He carefully laid her on the bed and covered her up. After a few minutes she got pale and her forehead was cool and clammy. ‘Damn! Shock again. Does the physical movement contribute to the shock afterward? Have to keep her still.’
He piled on the blankets, moved the pillow from under her head and elevated her feet again. But after a few more minutes she still wasn’t getting any better. ‘She’s still cold. How can I warm her up?’
He took off his shoes and gun and climbed into the bed with her. He pulled the covers over them both and wrapped his arms around her, pulled her close to him. She sighed and snuggled into this chest. ‘That’s gotta be good,’ he thought with relief.
She slept and after a while he checked her forehead—warmer. He looked at her face and her color had returned; her pulse was slow and steady. He breathed a deep sigh of relief. ‘Four down, two to go. This was a rough one. Hopefully the last two won’t be worse. But whatever it takes, I’m here for her.’ He kissed her forehead. ‘Rest well, Amanda. You’re doing great. Just hang in there for me. You’ll be OK, you’ll get through this. We’ll get through this…together. We’re partners, best friends…more? I can’t lose you. Not after all these years. You’ve got to get better…’ He drifted off to sleep.
5:45pm Friday Day 2
Amanda stirred and moaned. Lee was instantly alert. He sat up and looked at her. Her eyes were open but she was distant, like she was thinking about something. He got up and tucked the blankets back around her after adjusting the pillows.
“Hey, Amanda, you doing OK?” he asked hopefully.
She was silent.
“Amanda, talk to me, please?” he asked in a beseeching tone.
“Mmmm?” She seemed to have heard him, but she didn’t seem to be all there. He got some juice.
“Amanda, why don’t you drink some juice?”
“Mmmm…”
He put his arm behind her shoulders and lifted her up a bit. He held the cup to her lips and she drank all the juice. But she made no attempt to hold the cup or help. ‘Well, she drank it at least.’
“Do you want some soup?” he asked hopefully.
She didn’t respond. Her eyes were open, but she was looking past him, not focusing on anything.
He warmed up another can of soup and brought it to the bed. He propped her up with pillows, and tried a spoonful of soup at her lips. She ate it, and a few more spoonfuls, but then just stopped responding, staring off into space. Lee wiped her lips and finished the soup himself when it was apparent she wouldn’t eat any more. He removed the extra pillows and laid her back in the bed. She was still and quiet, just staring off into space.
‘She had juice and a little soup. That’s better than nothing. If she doesn’t want to talk, hey, that’s OK too. At least it beats the crying or the terrors.’ He watched her for a few minutes. ‘OK, it’s worse. Just staring off into nowhere is really creepy.’
He spoke, to reassure himself as much as her. “Amanda, I’m here with you. You aren’t alone. Just remember that, OK?” He sat next to her and took her hand as she stared off into space, oblivious. “Look, you’re gonna be OK. Just a little while more. It’s been rough, but it’s mostly behind you now. You’ll be back to yourself and we’ll be back catching the bad guys like we always have. I need my partner back. I need you, Amanda.”
His heart ached for her. ‘This stillness—this unresponsiveness—that wasn’t his Amanda. My Amanda. Yeah, my Amanda. Nobody else can have her. She’s my partner, my best friend, my … what? She’s very special to me. I need her in my life. Now and always. Always? Don’t go there. Just concentrate on here and now. She needs me, I have to get her through this.’
“Hey partner, just hang in there. I’m here and I’ll keep you safe. Now and always.” He kissed her forehead and she briefly focused on his face—but then her eyes drifted shut. She slept.
He watched her sleep for a quarter hour. No shock this time. He settled in the chair and just watched her, his thoughts drifting.
8:18pm Friday Day 2
“Lee?”
He started and came out of his daze.
“Amanda, hey, you doin’ OK?”
“Oh Lee, I’m so tired. I hurt everywhere. I’m hungry. You got anything to eat?”
“Yes ma’am. Coming right up.” He made toast and got some fruit.
“Here’s some toast, and I’ve got a banana for you.”
“Thanks.” She ate the toast and banana, and had more juice.
“You’re doing well, Amanda. It’s good to see you eat.” He ate with her.
“Thank you, Lee. I’m done now. Can I rest?”
“Of course, you just lie there.” He cleaned up the remains of their meal, got more juice, and sat back down in the chair next to the bed.
“Lee, those men, will they be back?” she asked in a questioning tone.
“No. If they’ve not returned by now, they’re gone. It was a rogue operation. They had no backup.” He spoke reassuringly.
“Oh. So why are we still here? Can we go back home?”
He was guarded, “We need to stay a while longer. Overnight, until you feel better.”
“But I thought it was night already. I thought it was yesterday they brought me here. It was afternoon when we arrived…at least I think I remember it was afternoon…”
“Yes, it probably was. And you were here overnight. I got here around dawn, and they left about that time. I’ve been with you all day. It’s gonna be dark soon.”
“Lee, I’m confused—why do we have to stay overnight here? Why can’t we go back now?”
He hedged, “You need to rest and regain your strength.”
“Rest.” She thought a moment. “I’m so weak and tired. I remember needles, they gave me some sorta shots or something…:”
“Yeah, you were drugged and interrogated. But you’re at the end of it. You just need to rest and sleep well. Then we can leave and get back to D.C.”
“Can’t we just drive out of here?”
He ran his hand through his hair in frustration. “The car’s at the end of the road. It’s a bit of a hike. I had to hide it to make sure they didn’t see me when I got here. I didn’t know how many there were.”
“I think there were just two of them…”
“Yeah, two. But I didn’t know that going in, so I had to be careful.”
“So we have to walk to your car.” She sounded defeated.
“Yeah, it’s maybe a couple miles.”
“A couple miles?” she was incredulous.
“I didn’t know for sure how far off the road this house was. Once I got here and the other guys left… I haven’t had time to go back for it.”
“You could go now.”
He paused before answering. “Not really. I need to stay here with you.”
She looked at him with a measured gaze. “What aren’t you telling me, Lee?”
He sighed. “You’re still under the influence of the last drug they gave you. I don’t want to leave you alone. It’s been mostly OK, but I don’t want to chance something going wrong when I’m not here.”
“What could go wrong?”
“Ahh, you’ve had a rough time. Now’s not the time to go into it—but I’m really glad I was here for you. You’re OK, you’re gonna recover fully. You just need rest.” He smiled reassuringly.
Amanda sat up and pointed her finger at him, “You’re keeping something from me…” Then she got pale and lay back in the bed. “Ohhhh—I’m so weak and tired. Wow! I feel like I’ve been hit by a truck.”
“I can guarantee that didn’t happen to you. But you do need rest. So please, just stay there in bed. I’ll get you whatever you need.”
“OK.” She thought for a minute. “So we’ll walk to your car in the morning and get back to the Agency.”
“We’ll get back. You need to get checked out by the doctors.”
“Doctors?”
“They drugged you, its standard procedure. Don’t worry about it.”
“So if it’s no big deal, why do you make such a fuss every time you have to go to the doctor’s?”
“That’s different.”
“Uh huh. Sure, Stetson. Tell me another one.”
“This time it is different. I’m not willing to risk you, so you are going to see the doctors.”
She smiled at him, “Oh, Lee. That’s sweet. Thank you.”
They were silent for a few minutes.
“Lee?” she thought of something new.
“Yeah?”
“Does Mr. Melrose know where we are?”
“I left him a note and maps—he should know.”
“So why isn’t someone else here by now?”
Lee started. He hadn’t thought about that—he was so focused on caring for Amanda, making sure she didn’t die. “That’s a good question, Amanda. I don’t know, maybe something went wrong. But there’s no phone here so we’re cut off. Once I get back to the car I’ll try my mobile phone, but it probably won’t work until we get closer to D.C.”
“Lee, Mr. Melrose will be really upset. Does he know I was kidnapped?”
“Oh yeah, the whole Agency knows. The rumor was someone big had been grabbed and was being interrogated. When you weren’t in the park by the cannon—but your car was there—I figured it was you they got. I couldn’t have been more than five minutes behind you. I tried calling your house, but your mother said you’d already left.”
“Why would you call, Lee?”
“TP called me and said the meet wasn’t safe. I hadn’t left my apartment yet. I hoped to stop you, but you’d already left. I left immediately but you got there before me and they must have been waiting for someone to show. When you showed up—they took you.” He ran his hands through his hair. “I’m so sorry, Amanda. If I had any idea…”
She reached over and touched his knee. “Lee, you didn’t know. And you’re here now, so it’s OK.” She smiled reassuringly.
He took her hands and held them. “It’ll only be OK when we’re back and you are all better.” He kissed her hands. “I need my partner. We’ve got work to do and I work better with my partner.”
“Oh, Lee….” She blushed.
They chatted for a while longer, then Amanda sighed, closed her eyes and drifted off to sleep.
‘Thank God, that’s the end of it,’ Lee thought. He watched her for a while and she seemed fine—no shock. He checked his watch, 9:52pm. ‘That was longer than 12 hours. Either their information was off or this drug isn’t as precise as they said it was.’
He puttered around the cabin, and tucked Amanda in for the night, kissing her on the forehead. Finally, he settled on the couch to rest. ‘It’s been a very long day. But she’ll sleep and we’ll get out in the morning and get back to the Agency.’ He drifted off to sleep.
11:04pm Friday Day 2
“Nooooo! I’m dying, please help me!”
Lee was up like a shot and at Amanda’s side. She was sitting up in bed, pale, wide-eyed and terrified. He grasped her shoulders and tried to turn her toward him.
“Amanda, wake up! You’re having a nightmare!”
She turned frightened eyes to him. “Lee, I’m gonna die, I know it! You can’t save me this time.” Tears of fear were running down her face. She was shaking, pale and disoriented.
“Amanda, you’re NOT going to die! You’re done, you’ll get better!”
“No Lee, I can feel it. I can feel death creeping up inside me. My toes, it’s past my toes. It’s creeping up my feet—almost to my knees!”
Lee was momentarily panicked. ‘What do I do now? It’s like another drug episode. That would make seven. Oh, damn!’
He swiftly tried to take control. He pressed her gently back into a prone position. “Amanda, calm down, you’ll be OK. Just lie back and don’t move so much. It can’t get you if you lie still.”
“You don’t understand, I can feel it! You’ve gotta promise me, Lee.”
“What?”
“You’ve gotta promise me you’ll take care of mother and the boys. They need someone. You can move into the house. Please, I can die easy if I know you’ll be there for them.”
“Oh God. Amanda—you’re NOT gonna die. It’s the drug, just hang in there. We’ll get through this. You’ll be OK. It’s just the damned drug.”
“Please Lee, please, I’m begging you. My family is all I have. I can’t die knowing they’ll just be left alone. Please promise you’ll take care of them. You’ll be good for the boys, they need someone reliable. You’ve always been there for me. You won’t have to do it alone—mother will help you. I couldn’t have done it without mother after Joe left. She’ll help you. Please Lee, I’m gonna die. Please take care of my family, please.” The tears were running down her face.
Her fear and desperation were tearing at his heart. He took a deep calming breath and tried to regain a measure of objectivity. He stroked her forehead, warm and damp. Her pulse was rapid but strong, she was pale but it didn’t seem like shock. ‘Just another drug episode. Great, just great!’ he fumed.
He took her hands in his and sat beside her on the bed.
“Amanda, You. Are. Not. Going. To. Die.” She started to object but he continued. “But I do promise, that if you do die, I’ll take care of your family. You are my partner—it’s the least I can do. We watch out for each other and I’ll take care of your family. Hell, I feel like I know them already, I’ve been watching them from your backyard for the last three years.”
She calmed a bit. “Thank you, Lee. I know I could count on you. Oh! It’s up to my knees, I can feel it! My legs are numb. Just like when those guys thought I was you. They tied me up and put me in a box. My legs got numb that time, too. I was so scared. I sure didn’t know what was going on. But then they said a trade had been arranged. They tied me up again and put me back in the box. Then we were at that golf course. I saw you over there with the other man and I knew it would be OK.”
Lee shook his head. “I was sure scared that trade would go wrong. They have been known to double-cross if they can get away with it.” He sighed. “But it turned out OK. You were safe and we did get them all in the end.”
“It’s like the radiation, creeping up through me.”
Lee was confused, “Radiation?”
“With the nuclear bomb. I was so scared but I couldn’t leave with mother and the boys, you needed me. I had the information in my head. I couldn’t go and let D.C. get blown up…”
“And we’re all glad you stayed. I would have pulled the red wire.”
“I was so worried Francine and I would freeze solid in Marvin’s freezer. I feel strange. Like I did that time—like there isn’t enough air.”
“Just relax. C’mon, just relax and rest. I’m here and you’re safe. It’s just us.”
“I can feel it creeping up my legs. I’m dying, I know it!”
All Lee could do was to be reassuring and stay with her. She was worried about dying and reliving the more traumatic moments of their partnership by turns. He made sure she stayed in bed and didn’t move too much.
‘Is this the end of it? Or will there be more? God, I hope not. She’s definitely weaker. And she won’t eat this time. Hopefully she can sleep after this, sleep through the night.’
Amanda still thought she was dying, but slowly got more relaxed. Her chatter ran down and she complained of being cold. Lee checked her forehead, pulse and color, but it wasn’t shock. Still she said she felt cold.
“Please, Lee, I’m dying. I’m so cold. Please hold me. Maybe I can warm up if you’re holding me.”
He got under the covers and pulled her into his arms. “I’ve got you. Just rest. Sleep. You’ll feel lots better in the morning.”
“Yeah, if I don’t die first.”
“You’re NOT gonna die. I won’t let you.” He kissed her on the forehead. “Go to sleep. I’ll stay with you all night.”
She sighed and snuggled against him. She drifted off to sleep.
Lee waited a few minutes, checking Amanda’s forehead and pulse. Then when it seemed she was really, deeply asleep, he let out a breath he hadn’t realized he had been holding.
‘That was the worst. My poor Amanda… She’s always so hopeful, so optimistic. Hearing her say she was going to die, begging me to take care of her family…Oh God. This drug is a real bitch. She was all over the place—silly, normal, crying, terrified, out of it. But this one, feeling death creeping up her body, this was the worst. I really hope that was the end of it. I don’t know if she can deal with much more. She’s so weak.’
He shifted and checked her forehead and pulse again. ‘No shock. That’s good. I hope she’s strong enough to walk out of here tomorrow. Hell, I’ll carry her out if I have to. Oh Amanda, you don’t deserve this. I’m so sorry you had to go through all of this.’ He sighed and stroked her hair. ‘I just hope she can recover fully from all of this. The bruises will heal, but can she deal with the aftereffects of that experimental drug? She was all over the place. And she was so scared. Maybe Pfaff can help her. He’s a bit strange with his ice cream, but he is used to dealing with this sort of thing. He should be able to help Amanda. He has to be able to help her. I need her back like she was. My partner, my best friend, my Amanda, my … Amanda. I can’t lose her, not now. Not after all this time. I’ll do whatever it takes to get her back and get her well.’ He kissed her forehead again and snuggled in for the night.
He spoke softly, “Whatever it takes, partner, I’m here for you. You’re safe. I’m holding you. Sleep well, and in the morning we’ll go back to D.C. You’ll be just fine. I’ll make sure of it. I promise.” He closed his eyes and slept with Amanda in his arms.
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