CHAPTER 2

Lee picked Amanda up from the hospital early the next morning. He couldn't help but share in her excitement. She was going home!

"Let me get that for you," Lee said, parking the car in front of her house. He walked around the car and opened Amanda's door for her. Then, he reached down and took her hand, gently pulling her to her feet. He held her against him as she walked inside.

"Oh, Lee, I can walk just fine," Amanda assured him, giving him a smile. "But thanks all the same." She leaned into him as she looked around happily at her living room. "It feels so good to be back home! It feels like I haven't been here for ages. I can't wait for mother and the boys to come home." Amanda's mother had gone to the boys' school to help with a bake sale.

Mother and the boys... Lee remembered the phone conversation that he had with Dotty West, letting her know about Amanda's injury. He shook his head, painfully remembering the conversation.

Lee had held the phone in his hand for several minutes, thinking of a way to explain to Amanda's mother that she had been shot. Lee was adept at giving bad news to families of agents in the field, but this was different. This was Amanda. It was the most difficult phone call he had ever made in his life.

"Hello, Mrs. West?" Lee began when she answered. "This is Lee Stetson, I work with Amanda."

"Oh, yes!" Dotty replied. "I remember Amanda mentioning you! I mean, she doesn't talk about you all the time, but she does mention you sometimes. It's not every day or anything like that, but she does talk about you sometimes."

"Yeah," Lee gently interrupted. "Well," taking a deep breath, he continued, "I'm afraid I have some bad news." Lee tried to stop the tremor in his voice, a large lump forming in the back of his throat. "There was, uh, there was an accident."

"Oh no! What do mean an accident? What happened? Was she hurt?" Dotty gushed, fear and worry evident in her voice.

Lee closed his eyes, bending his head forward. "She was...," Lee cleared his throat, trying to keep his voice steady, "shot, Mrs. West. I'm so sorry." Failing in his attempt to be strong for Amanda's mother, Lee's voice began to shake. "I'm here with her at the hospital right now."

"What! Oh no!" Dotty exclaimed. "Will she be alright? What happened! Who did this to her?" Dotty was already grabbing her purse, ready to dash out the door.

"I'll tell you more when you get here," was all Lee managed to say. He couldn't talk about it anymore as he was struggling to keep his composure. After Dotty hung up, he just sat there with the phone pressed against his forehead, his fists clenched together.

True to his word, Lee met Dotty when she came through the hospital doors, putting one arm around her for comfort, giving her all the support and care that he could offer.

Never in his wildest dreams did Lee expect to meet Amanda's mother like this. Lee held back tears as he explained to her that they were doing a documentary on hunting, and Amanda had been hurt by a stray bullet. They weren't able to catch the hunter as he fled the scene.

Lee had already decided that he would do everything he could to take care of Amanda's mother and sons. He had watched them countless times through the window. He was surprised by how much he enjoyed watching Phillip and Jamie grow up. He would chuckle at the way Amanda and her mom scurried about in their never-ending quest for cleaning and cooking. Even though her family didn't know him, they were a part of him, and he loved them dearly.

Dotty and the boys had been with Amanda at the hospital every day, and Lee was glad that she had her family with her. Whenever Dotty would leave, Lee would make his entrance into Amanda's room and stay by her side. He even snuck in before and after visiting hours, and when he would get caught by the hospital staff, he would work the Stetson charm to maneuver his way into her room.

Amanda's voice brought him back to the here and now.

"Lee?" Her eyebrows raised in concern. "You look like you're a million miles away. I was asking you if you wanted something to eat." She held some bread out with her uninjured arm.

"Oh," Lee grinned, "I'm sorry, Amanda." He waved his hand around. "I was just lost in some thoughts." He walked up to her, taking the bread from her hand. He opened the refrigerator, looking for ingredients to make some sandwiches.

"From the look on your face, I'm not sure if they were good thoughts." Amanda walked up to him and placed her hand on his arm. "Penny for your thoughts?" she asked, smiling as it reminded her of a question she asked him from a case long ago.

He enfolded her in his arms, kissing the top of her head. "I was just thinking about this whole mess, Amanda." He closed his eyes, blaming himself. "I never should have let Jerken near you. I should have stopped him somehow."

"Lee," Amanda soothed, pulling his chin up with her finger. "You did help me. You made sure he was never alone with me, and I remember you stopped him from hitting me when he became angry."

"I didn't stop him from shooting you," Lee said, angry at Jerken and at himself. "God, Amanda, I've never been so scared in my life." He took a deep breath. "When I saw that bullet hit you, I lost it. It took an eternity to reach your side. I couldn't get to you fast enough."

"Well, you did," Amanda soothed. "When I felt myself go down, I expected to hit the hard floor. Instead, I found myself in your arms." She gently stroked Lee's arm, giving him a tender smile. "Francine told me that you never left my side. You know, even though I only remember bits and pieces, the one thing in all my memories was you. You never left me."

"I'll never leave you Amanda," Lee told her, shaking his head. "Nothing could ever make me." Lee had been at Amanda's side more than Dotty and the entire medical team combined.

"I'm okay, Lee," Amanda repeated. "You stopped Agent Jerken, I knew you would. Now he can't hurt me or anyone else."

The shrill ringing of the phone interrupted them. Standing up, Lee let out a sigh. "Just rest, Amanda," he instructed. "I'll get it for you."

After making sure Amanda was sitting comfortably on a chair, Lee picked up the phone. Surprisingly, Lee never gave the phone to her. He listened and started a conversation with the person on the other side.

"Yeah, she's doing better," Lee spoke into the phone. "I'm standing right beside her." After listening for a few more moments, Lee let out a deep breath. "Alright, Billy. I'll be right there."

Amanda watched Lee put the telephone back on the counter. "Mr. Melrose needs you back at the agency?" she asked.

"Yeah," Lee replied. "I've been looking into Jerken's history, trying to see if he had any mental illness, violence, a criminal record. Any haunts that would explain why he shot you." Lee ran a hand through his hair, his jaw muscle clenching at the mere thought of Jerken.

"I thought it was because he got so angry, that he lost his temper," Amanda said. "Mr. Melrose told me that when you weren't with me at the hospital, you were buried in files on Agent Jerken. Why are you digging into his history so hard, Lee? "

"I don't know, Amanda," Lee replied, letting out a deep breath. "It's just, it's just that something doesn't fit. I can't put my finger on it." Lee curled his hand into a fist, knocking it against his side.

Amanda followed Lee's reasoning. "So, you're trying to figure out why a top agent would shoot me, and I'm not even an agent." Amanda's mind began to think about the various reasons, but she also came up empty-handed.

"Believe me, Amanda. I won't stop until I find out all the answers."

"Okay," Amanda said, trying to recall the facts. "Let's see. We were working with Agent Jerken on a case. You and I were digging through files on Carlos Rondo, and we found lots of references to the warehouse by the sugar mill."

Lee nodded, listening to Amanda's thought process.

Amanda put her finger up into the air. She closed her eyes, trying to remember the countless files. "There was also a name mentioned several times, a Keen, Jr."

"I know," Lee added, nodding his head. "Rellac Keen, Jr. His name was mentioned everywhere. We looked into all the databases, the guy's a ghost. Billy thinks that he's Russian, maybe KBG. Francine is looking into it, but so far we've got nothing." Lee pierced his lips in frustration.

"So the question is, can we find a connection between Rondo, Mr. Keen, the warehouse, and Agent Jerken," Amanda said, sticking a finger out with each clue.

Lee's frustration was growing exponentially. "So far, we've come up empty, Amanda. Absolutely nothing, nada."

"You and Francine checked out the warehouse when I was in the hospital, right?" Amanda asked.

"Actually, Francine and Billy did. Billy decided to let Francine handle it." Lee looked at his hands and continued, "I, uh, I didn't want to leave your side."

Amanda gently touched the side of Lee's face. "That was a very sweet thing to do," she whispered.

"Yeah," Lee grinned. Then, taking a good look at her, he asked, "Are you sure you'll be okay? Your mother won't be home for another hour or so."

"I'll be fine, Lee," she said reassuringly. "I'm so much better. It's you that I'm worried about." She took a closer look at him. He looked as handsome as ever, but he seemed so tired. "How can I help you if I'm here at home?"

"And home is where you should be, Amanda," Lee stated firmly. "You should be safe, at home, recovering."

"I know," Amanda said, her eyes looking directly into his, "but I want to be with you."

Lee smiled, his heart warmed by Amanda's words. He wrapped his arms around Amanda's neck and pulled her close, careful not to disturb her injured arm. He closed his eyes and touched his lips to hers. "I want to be with you, Amanda, more than you know," he told her softly.

Amanda wondered what he meant by that, but then Lee pulled away, clearing his throat. "I'll check on you soon," he promised. "I'll just see what Billy needs at the agency, and I'll be right back."

Amanda gave Lee a sweet smile, but her arms felt empty as Lee turned to leave for the agency. She couldn't explain it, but she felt that something terrible was about to happen.

TBC