The Heart of Autumn
Chapter 1
Lee stared at the ten large bags of candy on the counter and shook his head, "Dotty, you really think we need all that?"
Dotty continued to put the rest of the groceries away and commented, "Well, you never know. We went through more than this back on Maplewood so who knows. I had a chance to talk to Mrs. Andrews, the nice young woman two doors down, and she said they get quite a few kids on Halloween, so I'm not sure what that means or if this will be enough but it will have to be. Unless you think I should get more?"
Lee, feeling slightly overwhelmed, replied, "Don't ask me, I have no idea. I don't even know how this works."
Dotty stopped short, closed the refrigerator door with a slight thud and asked, "You don't know how Halloween works?"
Lee shrugged his shoulders and said, "No, not really. I mean I guess I could figure it out. A kid comes to the door in a costume, you give them candy, right? How hard is that?"
"We shall see," Dotty replied cryptically as she finished placing large bags of pretzels and chips in the bottom cabinet. "I'll just hide these down here for now so the boys don't get into them before their friends arrive." She stood, rubbed her hands together as she surveyed the room.
Lee smiled and offered, "There's more coffee if you're interested. Amanda's still sleeping."
"No, I'm not," Amanda groaned as she slowly walked into the kitchen.
Lee immediately covered the space between them and put his hand on her arm to guide her. "Amanda, why are you out of bed?" Lee asked, his voice thick with worry.
Amanda sunk onto a stool and rested her head in her hands, her elbows propping everything up. "I couldn't lay there any longer. My body is starting to hurt more than my head," Amanda moaned.
Dotty immediately began filling the tea kettle with water as she said, "I'll make you some tea, Dear. That should help. The doctor said no coffee, but some nice Chamomile tea will fix you right up."
Amanda slowly shook her head and requested, "Peppermint, please. My stomach and my head are still not in agreement."
"How about some toast? Or crackers?" Lee suggested.
"No, no, no, I don't want toast or crackers or anything else. I just want my head to stop pounding and my stomach to stop flip-flopping," Amanda complained.
Dotty put her arm around her daughter and hugged her gently. "Amanda, darling, you just need to rest. How about some chicken soup? I can use the little star pasta like I used to when you were a little girl," she suggested.
"Oh, Mother, chicken soup does sound appetizing. I'm just not sure if my head and my stomach could handle it," Amanda smiled weakly.
"Nonsense! I'll add a little extra ginger to the broth like your grandmother used to do. That will cure any tummy troubles," Dotty insisted. She gave Amanda one last squeeze and began pulling ingredients out of the fridge, laying everything out on the counter. "Just give me an hour and I'll bring it to you," she exclaimed.
Lee put his arm around Amanda and gently helped her to her feet. "And while your mother is cooking, how about you rest on the couch?"
Amanda looked up at Lee, squinting to focus on his face. "Will you sit and talk with me?" she asked quietly.
Lee gently kissed her forehead and replied, "Of course. I just need to give Billy a call first. He's looking for…" Lee looked up and realized Dotty was still in the kitchen with them. "He's looking for the interview transcripts from Senator McCarthy," he finished. He winked at Amanda before they walked slowly into the living room.
Lee lowered Amanda onto the couch, arranged a pillow behind her back before she settled against it. "Did you finish your report?" Amanda whispered as Lee draped a blanket over her.
"Not yet and Billy's been breathing down my neck for it. I was hoping to run over to the office before picking up the boys this afternoon so I'll need to go out for a while," Lee explained. Amanda sighed sadly so he added, "Will you be all right without me?"
Amanda sighed again and said, "I'll be fine. Mother will make sure of it."
Lee brushed her hair off her cheek as he caressed her face lovingly. "She's just worried about you, probably more than I am," he said softly before kissing her forehead once more.
"I know. You've both been so helpful, I hate feeling like this. It's worse than after what happened in California," Amanda admitted. "I just wish I knew how much longer this is going to last."
Lee smiled at her and reminded her, "It takes time. The doctor said you have to go five full days without a headache before he'd even consider the concussion cleared. It's only been four days since it happened and you've had all the symptoms almost continuously. You have to give it more time."
Amanda rolled her eyes and groaned, "I know, I know but I can't keep laying around like this. I feel completely useless. The boys are even starting to get worried."
Lee patted her leg and said, "I'll tell you what, if it would make you feel any better, how about I bring up the laundry that needs to be folded. That way you can still lie here but feel like you're helping out."
Amanda chuckled, drawing another smile from Lee, "Well, if you need me that much, I suppose I could at least do that. After all, how much trouble could I get in folding the laundry." Lee gave her a sideways glance to which Amanda replied, "Don't answer that. But seriously, maybe just doing something will help."
"Okay then. Let me call Billy, tell him I'll be on my way into the office and then I'll bring that basket up for you," Lee stood slowly but Amanda stopped him when she reached up and grabbed his hand.
"Lee? I was thinking… Are you sure you still want to have the boys' friends over tomorrow night? I know they'll understand," Amanda asked.
Lee sat back down on the edge of the couch beside her. "Amanda, I promised them. I can't break that promise. I'll figure it out. They can all sleep down in the family room so it will be quieter upstairs for you," Lee stated.
"But the boys-" Amanda began but Lee shook his head briskly.
"No, I'm not going to do that to them. I'm an adult, I can figure out how to handle eight teenage boys for one night," Lee insisted. "Listen, you get some rest. I'll bring up that basket and by the time you're through, the soup will be done. Eat, then take a nap. When you wake up, I'll be home with the boys, okay? Please? Just trust me."
"You have a good heart, Sweetheart," Amanda replied softly as she sighed one more time. "And I do trust you."
"Good. Now I've got to get a move on before Billy sends a search party out for me," Lee stood and headed to the top of the stairs.
"Sweetheart?" Amanda called out. Lee stopped and turned to look back at her, "Don't forget to thank Francine for helping you."
Lee grinned widely as he replied, "I already did. Sent her a box of DeVaronna chocolates and a dozen roses."
Amanda's eyes got wide as she said, "You didn't." Lee nodded once, winked, and disappeared down the stairs to the laundry room. Amanda settled against the pillows once more and closed her eyes.