Title: C'est la Vie
Author: Ashley
Rating: PG-13
Summary: A turning point in Liz's(from my stories Forever and Holding Hands) life causes Lee and Amanda to re-evaluate past decisions. Takes place June 1987, marriage is still a secret.
Disclaimer: Scarecrow and Mrs.King is the property of Warner Brothers and Shoot the Moon enterprises. This story is for entertainment purposes only. No infringement of rights is intended.
Feeback: Absolutely! All feedback is welcome. I'd hate to think I was doing something wrong and nobody was telling me.
Archive: It's all yours Eman; otherwise, ask first.
Author's Notes: Thank you to Amanda in WI, Merel and Lorna for beta-ing this story and to Christine for the invaluable information she provided me.
Part I
Lee sighed in contentment and slowly opened his eyes. Momentarily disoriented, he turned from his position facing the closet. He was rewarded with the sight of the sun shining through the window and landing softly on the face of his wife. The events of last night flooded his memory and he smiled. The boys, having finished out the school year, had left for a two week vacation with Dotty and Captain Kurt. Amanda would have enjoyed going with them, but National Security waits for no one. Nevertheless, they had the weekend off and Lee planned on taking advantage of every second of it.
He brushed the hair from Amanda's eyes and she sighed softly. Pulling her closer, he closed his eyes again. This felt right, these precious moments, though they were few and far between.
Amanda moved in his arms and he opened his eyes to look down at her. She yawned, then smiled up at him. "Good morning."
"Good morning. Did you sleep well?"
"Oh, yeah, I slept well."
"Good." Just as he leaned down to kiss her the phone rang. He groaned loudly and Amanda tried to suppress a smile. She turned to answer the phone and Lee unwillingly let go of her, flinging his arm over his face. He knew what was coming.
"Hello...Oh, yes, hello Sir."
'Yup, it's Billy.' Lee sighed, so much for having the weekend off.
"Lee? Oh...um...I, uh...well oh, ok. Yes, Sir, just a minute." Covering the mouthpiece with her hand, she looked to Lee with wide eyes. "It's Billy. He wants to talk to you," she proclaimed weakly. At Lee's questioning glance, she continued, "He said it was important, he didn't need an explanation and just to put you on the phone."
Lee paused, not sure whether he should admit to being caught, but ultimately shook it off. Billy wouldn't insist unless it was consequential. Grimacing, he took the phone from her. "Billy, I don't care what it is. We're not working today."
"It's not work," Billy stated.
"Oh...then what?"
Billy sighed, anticipating Lee's reaction. "It's Elizabeth."
"Elizabeth?!" Lee shot up and Amanda jumped at his sudden outburst. "My Elizabeth?! What's wrong with her? Where is she? What happened?"
"Lee! Calm down, man! She's fine. She's not hurt." Lee visibly relaxed. His shoulders slumped, and he ran his hand through his hair. Amanda listened, watching him intently, intrigued by what she could hear of the conversation. 'His Elizabeth?' she thought to herself.
"Then what's wrong? Why didn't she call me?" As soon as the words were out of his mouth, he realized he had never given her Amanda's number.
"She said she tried to call you this morning at home, at your office, on your car phone...you didn't answer so, being the wonderfully patient girl she is, she immediately called me." There was amusement in his voice as he recounted the virtues of one Elizabeth Jones, but the tone turned serious as he continued. "I'm sure you knew her father is in Paris and he seems to have, well, crossed the wrong man. He's in quite a bit of trouble and she seemed to think if she was there nothing would happen to him."
"What?!" growled Lee.
"She hopped a plane to Paris last night."
"She's 15! She can't even drive! How did she get a last minute flight to Paris?"
"I don't know," Billy answered honestly.
"Didn't you ask her?"
"Of course I asked her. She wouldn't tell me."
Lee sighed and put his head in his hand rubbing his temples.
"She'll make a fine agent someday," Billy predicted optimistically, despite Lee's tirade.
"Don't say that. It's not funny."
"And she's going to be as much of a pain for you as you are for me."
Lee sat for a minute, thinking and trying to ignore the truth in Billy's words. Instead he focused on the cause of the problem. "That son of a-" he grumbled.
"Now, Lee..." Billy interrupted.
"Where else would she have gotten an idea like that?" Lee yelled into the phone. "If he called her and so much as hinted that she should come, Lizzie would go running. If she gets hurt I'll kill him myself."
Billy sighed, knowing what he said was true. "She wants your help, Lee, she's in over her head."
Lee paused. With or without Billy's permission, he would be on the next flight to Paris, but it would be better if he didn't lose his job.
"I can spare you for a few days, just wrap this up quickly. She promised she'd call back, so if you call me when you get there I can tell you where she is."
"Okay...thanks, Billy."
"And Lee, be careful, bring her back safely."
"Will do. Bye"
Lee hung up the phone and turned to Amanda. She raised her eyebrow and he frowned. He had never mentioned Elizabeth to her. He had a lot of explaining to do.
"What was that about?" she asked.
"It's a long story." Lee got out of bed and started getting dressed.
"Well, the flight to Paris is a long one."
"Then you'll come with me?"
Amanda softened at the worry evident on his face. "Of course I'll come with you. I wouldn't miss it for the world."
***
The ride to the airport was unusually quiet. Lee was preoccupied, lost in the thoughts and images from the past that swirled about him -- strange feelings coming back to haunt him. He knew he could confide in Amanda, and he would, but first he had to sort through these feelings, figure things out. He was a different man now than when he was last involved in Elizabeth's life.
Amanda, excluded from her husbands thoughts, quietly watched the scenery roll by. When she looked at Lee, she saw that clouded look in his eyes she had seen so many times before when disquieted by his past. She knew him well enough now to know not to push. If she pushed, he would just push back. She knew he would confide in her when he was ready.
They headed toward their gate after checking their bags and confirming their tickets. Lee reached for Amanda's hand, intertwining his fingers with hers and she smiled up at him squeezing his hand in return. For the first time since early that morning, he smiled and leaned toward her conspiratorially.
"I love you," he whispered in her ear.
She looked into his beautiful hazel eyes. "I know."
Settling in their seats on the plane, they waited for take off. Lee reached for Amanda's hand once again. She looked at him and they locked eyes, a question hanging in the air. Lee sighed quietly.
"Elizabeth's mother was a very good friend of mine. Her name was Laura...we were both Army brats." Lee's voice was thick with emotion and he scanned the occupants of the 747, carefully avoiding eye contact. "Her father and my uncle were friends. They worked together. Laura was a couple of years older than me. She was like a big sister to me. She was my best friend." As he explained his relationship to Liz's mother, his shoulders tensed and he grasped Amanda's hand tightly in his.
She squeezed his hand back, encouraging him to go on.
"Well, eventually she went to college and a couple of years later I followed. When she was a senior, she met this guy, Brian Jones. He was a lot older than her, I think he was 30 at the time. He was good looking, intelligent, successful and she fell in love with him right away. They were married about two years later. He was always traveling though -- New York, LA, Europe. Sometimes she would go with him, sometimes she would stay at Jones' house in Richmond, and sometimes she would be in DC."
Amanda was listening intently. Lee was holding her hands, playing with her wedding ring. "Then she got pregnant. I don' tknow when they ever found time to conceive a child, but they did."
Amanda raised her eyebrows at this, but Lee shook his head. He knew what she was thinking. "It wasn't like that. I wasn't in love with her. I was just...protective. I didn't want her to have to raise a child by herself."
Amanda nodded, afraid if she interrupted, he wouldn't continue.
"Anyway, I was right out of college and I spent a lot of time with her then, well, as much as I could. Jones was hardly ever home. When Lizzie was born I was there," Lee paused then sighed. "He wasn't. He was in Milan, some business deal, couldn't get away. I was so angry. How could he not be there for the birth of his own daughter? It was...the most amazing thing." Lee looked down to where his and Amanda's hands were joined, lost in memories.
Amanda thought about Lee's story. He had obviously been very close to Laura, and he had been there when Elizabeth was born. Amanda began to understand the immediate concern and protectiveness Lee had shown towards this girl she had never even heard of before. Knowing first hand the miracle of childbirth, she understood the connection one could make just by being there.
"What happened to Laura?" Amanda asked, rubbing Lee's hand tenderly.
"When Lizzie was six, Laura got sick and she died that same year," by the time he finished the sentence his voice was so quiet Amanda had to strain to understand him. "I -- uh," he swallowed trying to find his voice, "I spent as much time with Lizzie as I could. I knew what she was going through, but I didn't really know what to do."
"How did you lose contact with her?" she questioned.
"When Laura passed away, Brian decided it would be best if Lizzie stayed at his home in Richmond and he really didn't want me spending so much time with her. Of course, he didn't say it in so many words, but the message was clear. He thought my job was too dangerous and he didn't want Lizzie involved in any way. That was his excuse." Lee gazed into Amanda's caring brown eyes. "We didn't get along so well."
"I can imagine."
"That was a hard time for me, I had so much to deal with. Part of me was relieved not to have to worry about Lizzie. Her losing her mother when she was six brought back a lot of bad memories that I hadn't dealt with yet. Her mother had just died and she didn't really have a father."
"Just like you," Amanda said quietly.
"Yeah. So, I quietly stepped out of the picture and life went on."
"Who does she live with now?"
"Her grandmother most of the time. Brian is home maybe a week out of the month, at the very most. I remember once he was gone for more than three months and hadn't called her in awhile. She called me, close to tears, worried to death that something had happened to him. I checked, he was fine...I, uh...created a situation. He was nearly forced on the plane home. I tried to keep in touch with her after that." Lee smiled. It felt good to talk about it.
"How old was she then, when she called you?"
"She was 10. It was right before I met you, and whether I knew it or not I was ready for a change. I had lost my parents, Dorothy, Laura and Liz, then my partner -- I had shut myself off from everyone. I was taking risks I didn't need to take at work and I was lonely, though I never would've admitted that to anyone. Caring for Lizzie was a small step, and it was my secret."
Amanda smiled. "That explains why I don't know about her. It had to be a secret for both of you."
"Yeah, Jones would be very angry if he knew. Of course, I haven't talked to her in awhile." Lee withdrew his hand, drumming his fingers against his leg, staring at the back of the seat in front of him.
Amanda saw the worry and the guilt in his eyes. She thought for a moment, about everything Lee had just said, the similarities between Elizabeth's experience and Lee's, and her own sons. Philip was just about the same age as Liz and even though his situation was much different than hers. He was becoming more and more independent, wanting to do everything on his own. "She's pushing you away." She stated softly.
"Yeah," he breathed. "She reminds me of myself more and more every time I talk to her. She still has this wide-eyed innocence though, this idea that she can fix anything. A determined optimism. That's what got her into this mess. She gets it from her mother." Lee was quiet again, his gaze fixed out the window.
"So, how does Billy know her?" Amanda spoke up.
Lee chuckled. "It was a few years ago. She was going through a dramatic stage," he explained. "I was in Germany for a few weeks, and wasn't able to contact her. I had given her the number for IFF in case of an emergency...she had insisted. Anyway, she got worried when she couldn't get a hold of me and eventually ended up talking to Billy. He was quite taken with her."
"Does she know what you do...did she know?" Amanda asked.
"Yeah, she knows. I'm not sure exactly how she found out. She's a smart girl."
"She's sounds very special."
"She is. You'd be good for her, you know."
Amanda smiled, knowing she would do whatever she could to help. "I love you, Lee."
Lee leaned close to kiss her. "I love you, too."
***
Lee and Amanda arrived at the hotel and went to the counter to check in. Lee had called Billy from the airport and found out where Liz was staying. Billy told her to stay put until they got there and Lee just hoped she had listened.
"Nice place," Amanda said looking around the spacious lobby.
"Well, her father does have all the money in the world." Lee mumbled sarcastically.
"Do you think he's staying here?"
"Possibly."
"Do you know what room she's in?"
"Yeah, 346. We're just down the hall from her. Let's go check on her, then we can get settled in."
Meanwhile, up in room 346, Elizabeth sat on the bed fiddling with a pen she had picked up off the nightstand. She glanced at the clock. 'Lee should be here soon,' she thought.
Suddenly, she sprang off the bed and started pacing, unable to sit still any longer. "Why did I promise Billy I'd stay here?" she mumbled to herself. "This is driving me crazy. I have to do something." Elizabeth went to the window, she thought about her father. He was supposed to be at this hotel, but she had spent the last 36 hours looking for him and he was nowhere to be found. Checking every place she could think of and talking to all those people had proven useless. So, fearing the worst, she had called Lee as a last resort, but it could already be too late and she was losing precious hours waiting for Lee to show up.
"I'm wasting time," she said aloud. 'I'll just leave for an hour then come right back.' Dropping the pen on the bed she nearly ran from the room grabbing her jacket on the way and flinging open the door.
To be continued...
Author: Ashley
Rating: PG-13
Summary: A turning point in Liz's(from my stories Forever and Holding Hands) life causes Lee and Amanda to re-evaluate past decisions. Takes place June 1987, marriage is still a secret.
Disclaimer: Scarecrow and Mrs.King is the property of Warner Brothers and Shoot the Moon enterprises. This story is for entertainment purposes only. No infringement of rights is intended.
Feeback: Absolutely! All feedback is welcome. I'd hate to think I was doing something wrong and nobody was telling me.
Archive: It's all yours Eman; otherwise, ask first.
Author's Notes: Thank you to Amanda in WI, Merel and Lorna for beta-ing this story and to Christine for the invaluable information she provided me.
Part I
Lee sighed in contentment and slowly opened his eyes. Momentarily disoriented, he turned from his position facing the closet. He was rewarded with the sight of the sun shining through the window and landing softly on the face of his wife. The events of last night flooded his memory and he smiled. The boys, having finished out the school year, had left for a two week vacation with Dotty and Captain Kurt. Amanda would have enjoyed going with them, but National Security waits for no one. Nevertheless, they had the weekend off and Lee planned on taking advantage of every second of it.
He brushed the hair from Amanda's eyes and she sighed softly. Pulling her closer, he closed his eyes again. This felt right, these precious moments, though they were few and far between.
Amanda moved in his arms and he opened his eyes to look down at her. She yawned, then smiled up at him. "Good morning."
"Good morning. Did you sleep well?"
"Oh, yeah, I slept well."
"Good." Just as he leaned down to kiss her the phone rang. He groaned loudly and Amanda tried to suppress a smile. She turned to answer the phone and Lee unwillingly let go of her, flinging his arm over his face. He knew what was coming.
"Hello...Oh, yes, hello Sir."
'Yup, it's Billy.' Lee sighed, so much for having the weekend off.
"Lee? Oh...um...I, uh...well oh, ok. Yes, Sir, just a minute." Covering the mouthpiece with her hand, she looked to Lee with wide eyes. "It's Billy. He wants to talk to you," she proclaimed weakly. At Lee's questioning glance, she continued, "He said it was important, he didn't need an explanation and just to put you on the phone."
Lee paused, not sure whether he should admit to being caught, but ultimately shook it off. Billy wouldn't insist unless it was consequential. Grimacing, he took the phone from her. "Billy, I don't care what it is. We're not working today."
"It's not work," Billy stated.
"Oh...then what?"
Billy sighed, anticipating Lee's reaction. "It's Elizabeth."
"Elizabeth?!" Lee shot up and Amanda jumped at his sudden outburst. "My Elizabeth?! What's wrong with her? Where is she? What happened?"
"Lee! Calm down, man! She's fine. She's not hurt." Lee visibly relaxed. His shoulders slumped, and he ran his hand through his hair. Amanda listened, watching him intently, intrigued by what she could hear of the conversation. 'His Elizabeth?' she thought to herself.
"Then what's wrong? Why didn't she call me?" As soon as the words were out of his mouth, he realized he had never given her Amanda's number.
"She said she tried to call you this morning at home, at your office, on your car phone...you didn't answer so, being the wonderfully patient girl she is, she immediately called me." There was amusement in his voice as he recounted the virtues of one Elizabeth Jones, but the tone turned serious as he continued. "I'm sure you knew her father is in Paris and he seems to have, well, crossed the wrong man. He's in quite a bit of trouble and she seemed to think if she was there nothing would happen to him."
"What?!" growled Lee.
"She hopped a plane to Paris last night."
"She's 15! She can't even drive! How did she get a last minute flight to Paris?"
"I don't know," Billy answered honestly.
"Didn't you ask her?"
"Of course I asked her. She wouldn't tell me."
Lee sighed and put his head in his hand rubbing his temples.
"She'll make a fine agent someday," Billy predicted optimistically, despite Lee's tirade.
"Don't say that. It's not funny."
"And she's going to be as much of a pain for you as you are for me."
Lee sat for a minute, thinking and trying to ignore the truth in Billy's words. Instead he focused on the cause of the problem. "That son of a-" he grumbled.
"Now, Lee..." Billy interrupted.
"Where else would she have gotten an idea like that?" Lee yelled into the phone. "If he called her and so much as hinted that she should come, Lizzie would go running. If she gets hurt I'll kill him myself."
Billy sighed, knowing what he said was true. "She wants your help, Lee, she's in over her head."
Lee paused. With or without Billy's permission, he would be on the next flight to Paris, but it would be better if he didn't lose his job.
"I can spare you for a few days, just wrap this up quickly. She promised she'd call back, so if you call me when you get there I can tell you where she is."
"Okay...thanks, Billy."
"And Lee, be careful, bring her back safely."
"Will do. Bye"
Lee hung up the phone and turned to Amanda. She raised her eyebrow and he frowned. He had never mentioned Elizabeth to her. He had a lot of explaining to do.
"What was that about?" she asked.
"It's a long story." Lee got out of bed and started getting dressed.
"Well, the flight to Paris is a long one."
"Then you'll come with me?"
Amanda softened at the worry evident on his face. "Of course I'll come with you. I wouldn't miss it for the world."
***
The ride to the airport was unusually quiet. Lee was preoccupied, lost in the thoughts and images from the past that swirled about him -- strange feelings coming back to haunt him. He knew he could confide in Amanda, and he would, but first he had to sort through these feelings, figure things out. He was a different man now than when he was last involved in Elizabeth's life.
Amanda, excluded from her husbands thoughts, quietly watched the scenery roll by. When she looked at Lee, she saw that clouded look in his eyes she had seen so many times before when disquieted by his past. She knew him well enough now to know not to push. If she pushed, he would just push back. She knew he would confide in her when he was ready.
They headed toward their gate after checking their bags and confirming their tickets. Lee reached for Amanda's hand, intertwining his fingers with hers and she smiled up at him squeezing his hand in return. For the first time since early that morning, he smiled and leaned toward her conspiratorially.
"I love you," he whispered in her ear.
She looked into his beautiful hazel eyes. "I know."
Settling in their seats on the plane, they waited for take off. Lee reached for Amanda's hand once again. She looked at him and they locked eyes, a question hanging in the air. Lee sighed quietly.
"Elizabeth's mother was a very good friend of mine. Her name was Laura...we were both Army brats." Lee's voice was thick with emotion and he scanned the occupants of the 747, carefully avoiding eye contact. "Her father and my uncle were friends. They worked together. Laura was a couple of years older than me. She was like a big sister to me. She was my best friend." As he explained his relationship to Liz's mother, his shoulders tensed and he grasped Amanda's hand tightly in his.
She squeezed his hand back, encouraging him to go on.
"Well, eventually she went to college and a couple of years later I followed. When she was a senior, she met this guy, Brian Jones. He was a lot older than her, I think he was 30 at the time. He was good looking, intelligent, successful and she fell in love with him right away. They were married about two years later. He was always traveling though -- New York, LA, Europe. Sometimes she would go with him, sometimes she would stay at Jones' house in Richmond, and sometimes she would be in DC."
Amanda was listening intently. Lee was holding her hands, playing with her wedding ring. "Then she got pregnant. I don' tknow when they ever found time to conceive a child, but they did."
Amanda raised her eyebrows at this, but Lee shook his head. He knew what she was thinking. "It wasn't like that. I wasn't in love with her. I was just...protective. I didn't want her to have to raise a child by herself."
Amanda nodded, afraid if she interrupted, he wouldn't continue.
"Anyway, I was right out of college and I spent a lot of time with her then, well, as much as I could. Jones was hardly ever home. When Lizzie was born I was there," Lee paused then sighed. "He wasn't. He was in Milan, some business deal, couldn't get away. I was so angry. How could he not be there for the birth of his own daughter? It was...the most amazing thing." Lee looked down to where his and Amanda's hands were joined, lost in memories.
Amanda thought about Lee's story. He had obviously been very close to Laura, and he had been there when Elizabeth was born. Amanda began to understand the immediate concern and protectiveness Lee had shown towards this girl she had never even heard of before. Knowing first hand the miracle of childbirth, she understood the connection one could make just by being there.
"What happened to Laura?" Amanda asked, rubbing Lee's hand tenderly.
"When Lizzie was six, Laura got sick and she died that same year," by the time he finished the sentence his voice was so quiet Amanda had to strain to understand him. "I -- uh," he swallowed trying to find his voice, "I spent as much time with Lizzie as I could. I knew what she was going through, but I didn't really know what to do."
"How did you lose contact with her?" she questioned.
"When Laura passed away, Brian decided it would be best if Lizzie stayed at his home in Richmond and he really didn't want me spending so much time with her. Of course, he didn't say it in so many words, but the message was clear. He thought my job was too dangerous and he didn't want Lizzie involved in any way. That was his excuse." Lee gazed into Amanda's caring brown eyes. "We didn't get along so well."
"I can imagine."
"That was a hard time for me, I had so much to deal with. Part of me was relieved not to have to worry about Lizzie. Her losing her mother when she was six brought back a lot of bad memories that I hadn't dealt with yet. Her mother had just died and she didn't really have a father."
"Just like you," Amanda said quietly.
"Yeah. So, I quietly stepped out of the picture and life went on."
"Who does she live with now?"
"Her grandmother most of the time. Brian is home maybe a week out of the month, at the very most. I remember once he was gone for more than three months and hadn't called her in awhile. She called me, close to tears, worried to death that something had happened to him. I checked, he was fine...I, uh...created a situation. He was nearly forced on the plane home. I tried to keep in touch with her after that." Lee smiled. It felt good to talk about it.
"How old was she then, when she called you?"
"She was 10. It was right before I met you, and whether I knew it or not I was ready for a change. I had lost my parents, Dorothy, Laura and Liz, then my partner -- I had shut myself off from everyone. I was taking risks I didn't need to take at work and I was lonely, though I never would've admitted that to anyone. Caring for Lizzie was a small step, and it was my secret."
Amanda smiled. "That explains why I don't know about her. It had to be a secret for both of you."
"Yeah, Jones would be very angry if he knew. Of course, I haven't talked to her in awhile." Lee withdrew his hand, drumming his fingers against his leg, staring at the back of the seat in front of him.
Amanda saw the worry and the guilt in his eyes. She thought for a moment, about everything Lee had just said, the similarities between Elizabeth's experience and Lee's, and her own sons. Philip was just about the same age as Liz and even though his situation was much different than hers. He was becoming more and more independent, wanting to do everything on his own. "She's pushing you away." She stated softly.
"Yeah," he breathed. "She reminds me of myself more and more every time I talk to her. She still has this wide-eyed innocence though, this idea that she can fix anything. A determined optimism. That's what got her into this mess. She gets it from her mother." Lee was quiet again, his gaze fixed out the window.
"So, how does Billy know her?" Amanda spoke up.
Lee chuckled. "It was a few years ago. She was going through a dramatic stage," he explained. "I was in Germany for a few weeks, and wasn't able to contact her. I had given her the number for IFF in case of an emergency...she had insisted. Anyway, she got worried when she couldn't get a hold of me and eventually ended up talking to Billy. He was quite taken with her."
"Does she know what you do...did she know?" Amanda asked.
"Yeah, she knows. I'm not sure exactly how she found out. She's a smart girl."
"She's sounds very special."
"She is. You'd be good for her, you know."
Amanda smiled, knowing she would do whatever she could to help. "I love you, Lee."
Lee leaned close to kiss her. "I love you, too."
***
Lee and Amanda arrived at the hotel and went to the counter to check in. Lee had called Billy from the airport and found out where Liz was staying. Billy told her to stay put until they got there and Lee just hoped she had listened.
"Nice place," Amanda said looking around the spacious lobby.
"Well, her father does have all the money in the world." Lee mumbled sarcastically.
"Do you think he's staying here?"
"Possibly."
"Do you know what room she's in?"
"Yeah, 346. We're just down the hall from her. Let's go check on her, then we can get settled in."
Meanwhile, up in room 346, Elizabeth sat on the bed fiddling with a pen she had picked up off the nightstand. She glanced at the clock. 'Lee should be here soon,' she thought.
Suddenly, she sprang off the bed and started pacing, unable to sit still any longer. "Why did I promise Billy I'd stay here?" she mumbled to herself. "This is driving me crazy. I have to do something." Elizabeth went to the window, she thought about her father. He was supposed to be at this hotel, but she had spent the last 36 hours looking for him and he was nowhere to be found. Checking every place she could think of and talking to all those people had proven useless. So, fearing the worst, she had called Lee as a last resort, but it could already be too late and she was losing precious hours waiting for Lee to show up.
"I'm wasting time," she said aloud. 'I'll just leave for an hour then come right back.' Dropping the pen on the bed she nearly ran from the room grabbing her jacket on the way and flinging open the door.
To be continued...