Hearing is Believing
Author: NancyY
Rating: PG
Timeframe: Second year
Summary: My attempt at a writing challenge. The goal was to cover the same events from two different points of view.
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The weasel was at it again.
" ... beautiful, Dan," Amanda gushed. "I'm impressed ... "
It was absolutely disgusting. The agent had just transferred back to DC, and, already, he was making the rounds. Same old Daniel Royston. Guys like that never change.
Lee's fingers clenched around the flimsy paper cup as Dick Tracy leaned over Amanda. Just who did the jerk think he was? That trench coat and fedora look went out with Elliot Ness. It was enough to make a man sick, but she was completely oblivious to this guy's moves. Lee's fist clenched, crumpling the cup, and he jumped when cold water cascaded down his pant leg. Wonderful. What else could happen? He stepped out of the puddle, yanked several paper towels from the roll by the cooler and casually dropped them on the floor.
Amanda peered around the tall agent perched on the corner of her desk and raised an elegant eyebrow, but Lee avoided eye contact and pushed the towels around with the toe of his shoe. When she looked away, he shoved the soggy mess out of sight under the water cooler and sauntered across the room.
Why couldn't she see the guy was only after one thing? Feigning nonchalance, Lee struggled to hear their conversation, but he could only catch bits and snatches. That was more than enough.
"So, how about lunch ... over at my place?" Royston asked, looming over Amanda, his back all but blocking Lee's view. "You know, that's a lovely dress, did I already tell you that ... ?" Lee had to strain to hear the garbled conversation, and his annoyance built with every head bob and smile. He'd had better lines in sixth grade. If only he were a little closer. He wandered to the farthest desk and sat down, shuffling papers and flipping open files.
"Let me give you ... phone number," Royston said.
Lee cleared his throat, then coughed. This was too much. When the guy reached for her hand, Lee leaned for a better view and overturned his chair. It clattered to the floor as he clung to the desk, trying to regain some semblance of dignity.
"Are you okay?" Amanda's concern precipitated another feigned coughing fit, as he wrestled with the office furniture.
"Mm ... fine, just fine." He righted the chair and thumped down on it, scooting it behind the desk.
Amanda and Lover Boy were back in deep conversation. Royston reached out to touch her cheek, and Lee coughed again, earning him a glare from Royston and a puzzled look from Amanda. Finally, the guy took the hint and stopped hovering.
Royston shook his head and slid off the desk. "Thanks, Amanda. We'll talk about this some other time, okay?"
Lee relaxed as the jerk disappeared down the hallway. She was so naive--she just didn't see it. He sighed. It was a burden, sometimes, but someone had to look out for her.
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Amanda slid her chair aside to make room, as Dan sat on the edge of her desk. He reached inside his raincoat to pull out his wallet, and, as he flipped through the pictures of his wife and new baby, his grin grew broader. Amanda had to smile back--he was so proud of them.
"He's beautiful, Dan." She studied the pictures, noting the baby held in the young woman's arms. "How old is he?"
"Two months, today, and already sleeping through the night."
"I'm impressed. Jamie kept me up at all hours for the first six months." Dan was so cute as the proud Papa--a side to him she'd never seen. When she'd first met him, right before his transfer to Los Angeles last year, Amanda hadn't been impressed. He'd always seemed so ... well ... smarmy. But when the baby pictures came out, so did his sincerity. It was amazing how a single year could change a man.
A muttered curse pulled her attention across the room. Lee was tearing paper towels from the roll by the water cooler, but he didn't bother to look her way.
"So, how about lunch? My wife wanted me to ask you about that recipe, and I thought we could compare notes on the baby. Or you could stop over at my place for dinner. Janet would be thrilled to see you." Dan smiled. "You know, that's a lovely dress. Did I already tell you that my wife has one like it in blue? It matches her eyes." Amanda nodded.
It was nice to see a man so in love.
"Let me give you our phone number. I'd appreciate it if you could call Janet sometime. It's really hard on her, with all of her family in California." He wrote his number on the back of a business card and tucked it into her hand.
A lung-wrenching cough cut her answer short. Lee seemed to be struggling for air. Another cough racked him as his chair overbalanced, leaving him clinging to the side of the desk in an undignified position. "Are you okay?" she called.
His mumbled response was lost, as he righted the chair and sat down.
"Dan, I'd love to talk with your wife and compare notes. Raising kids is fun, but sometimes you need to talk with someone who's been through it."
"Thanks. We'll talk about this some other time, okay?" Dan sighed and slid off the desk.
Amanda glanced at Lee. His coughing seemed to have subsided for the moment. A quick trip to the drug store would take only a minute. A little cough syrup and a lozenge or two would probably do it. Someone had to look out for him.