Disclaimer: Once again do not own SMK

Homecoming

The nurse called for a doctor and they took Amanda back into the back and began to assess her.

"What happened to her, Cathy?"

"I don't know she was just in the waiting room watching the news and waiting to hear about Ms. Desmond and when I went to tell her we had her stable and were taking her to surgery she passed out."

"She could be in a state of shock over the events of her friend; do we know anything about her?"

"Here is here purse. It says she is Amanda King and there is an ID card to call in an emergency."

"Call it and let someone know what is going on and find out about allergies or anything else we may need to know."

"International Film Federation, can I help you?"

"Yes, I need someone by the name of Lee Stetson; he is listed as the emergency contact for Amanda King."

"I am sorry Mr. Stetson is on location let me give you his supervisor, Mr. Melrose."

After a short minute the nurse heard, "Billy Melrose, how can I help you?"

"I have Amanda King in our care she passed out and her emergency contact is a Lee Stetson. Do you know if she has any allergies?"

"Not that I know of, but she should have NEST file on hand, also she is about two and a half months pregnant. I will be there as soon as possible. I have two other agents that should be being treated with the NEST team how are they, Francine Desmond and Effraim Beaman?"

"She is stable and in surgery and Mr. Beaman is being treated for second degrees burns to his arms and legs."

"Thank you."

A knock on his door as he was getting ready to go to the hospital an hour later stopped him and he looked up to see Fred Fielder at the door. "Fred, I don't care what it is, just take a message and tell them I will back."

"Okay, Fred, but tell him to call back as soon as he can it is really important." Lee said.

"I'll let him know, Lee."

"Hey, Fred is everything okay there? You sound kind of weird?"

"Gotta go, Lee." Fred hung up the phone as quickly as he could.

Lee picked up his phone and called the house and was surprised to hear Joe answer the phone. "Hey, where is everyone?"

"Lee, Dotty asked me to come get the boys for dinner; she had to go to the hospital for Amanda. Mr. Melrose called her."

"Is she okay? What about the baby?" He shouldn't be getting information about his wife and baby from her ex-husband.

"Apparently, there was an accident with a co-worker and he thinks she is just in shock. She should be fine."

"Did he say who?"

"No, just that is was a close female co-worker."

Lee said goodbye and told Joe to let Dotty know he would call later and check on everyone. He hung up the phone and Katie who was sitting at his desk playing solitaire looked up and asked, "Lee, are you okay? You look like you just saw a ghost."

Lee ran his hands through his hair and rubbed them over his face before saying, "That Katie, my dear is need to know. Now stay here in my room and do not open that door for anyone, I have my key. Do you understand?"

"Yes, I understand no one."

Lee left the room and walked across to Mitchell's room and knocked.

"Lee, is Katie okay? Come on in." The man stepped to the side and let Lee pass him and he found Constance walking gout of the bathroom in her robe.

"Lee, what are you doing here? Is it Katie? Is she okay after what happened today?"

"She is fine, but you need to know a few things and I need you to trust me and what I feel I have to do to protect her."

"Of course I trust you, if I didn't do you think I would trust my only daughter to you?"

"I just found out my wife is in the hospital and so is another friend of mine."

"Amanda? Is she okay? How is your baby?"

"I don't know, but I plan on finding out very soon. I am going back to Washington to check on Amanda and Francine; I want Katie to go with me to keep her safe. We will only be gone for two or three days."

Constance looked at Lee and then to Mitchell. "What do you think?" She asked Mitchell.

"Constance you wanted Lee here to protect her, if taking her to Washington is going to protect her, then let him. It will get her farther from Conrad and then he will be back before the benefit, right Lee?"

"You sure she is going to be okay?" She asked looking Lee in the eyes.

"I would never let anything happen to her Constance. She is safer with me in Washington than here in New York any day of the week."

"Okay let me tell her though."

"She is in my room. Get dressed and meet us in there."

Lee left and went to his room and found Katie safely lying across his bed asleep. He watched her for a few minutes and for just a minute his heart broke a little knowing she wasn't his, but his concern was also for the one not here and his wife.

He went to the closet and pulled his overnight bag and began to pack when the phone rang. He hurried to answer it before Katie was awaken, "Hello?"

"Lee." Billy's voice was not the voice he wanted to hear but he would take it.

"How are they?"

"You know?"

"Somewhat, now how is my family?"

"Amanda is just dehydrated for all the morning sickness and they are keeping her for a few days to get her strength back. The baby is fine, strong heartbeat."

Lee said a silent prayer and then said, "Billy, I am on my way home. Now before you say anything I am not taking my detail lightly, she is coming with me. I can protect her better there than here. Besides I need to see Amanda. What about Francine? She was the agent hurt wasn't she?"

"She just came out of surgery, she isn't awake yet. She was blown from the building and somehow ended up on the side of the building, Amanda found her."

"Uh, someone is at my door. You can catch me up when we get there. See you in a couple hours."

"Okay, Lee I will be here when you get here."

Lee went to open the door and found Constance and Mitchell. Lee let them in and Constance went to her daughter and woke her up.

"Hey, baby, wake up. I need to talk to you."

"Mom, is everything okay?" Katie asked as she rubbed her eyes and reached for her glasses.

"Yeah, honey, Lee needs to go back to Washington, his wife is in the hospital and he wants you to go with him. He thinks you will be safer with him and then you will be back in a few days; you two will be back in plenty of the time for the benefit."

"Are you sure it will be okay?" Katie was looking at Lee not her mother.

"Hey, little lady it was my idea. I take my job very seriously, besides I haven't taught you the power of a good poker hand yet. Actually, Amanda is better at cards than me. Why don't you go pack enough clothes for at least three days?"

"What if we are there longer?"

"I know my wife and mother-in-law doesn't think so but I do know how to do laundry or at the very least buy new clothes." Lee stated.

Katie went to her own room and was ready in ten minutes and she and Lee were on a plane to Washington within an hour. They were walking into the hospital within two hours after that. Lee found Billy and Dotty in the waiting room as he walked in Dotty walked over and put her arms around Lee. "Oh, Lee, I am so glad you are here. Amanda is doing better, she even looks better. I never realized how dehydrated she was. She kept telling me she was fine, but I knew she couldn't have been."

"Dotty, it isn't your fault. You know Amanda she refuses to ever let anyone know she needs something. Dotty, this is Katie Amille. Katie this is my mother in law Dotty West. Billy, how is Francine, has she woke up yet?"

"No not yet and when she is only one person at a time will be allowed in."

"Katie, I am going to check on Amanda real quick, stay with Billy do not leave him. Do you understand?"

"Why do you keep asking me if I understand I know how to follow directions?"

"Habit," all three said to her as Lee walked away.

Lee opened the door to his wife's room and saw her small frame lying in the bed and he walked over and took her hand in his and leaned over and kissed her forehead.

Without opening her eyes said, "I thought you were stuck on a Farris Wheel?"

"I was how do you know everything Amanda Stetson?"

"I am just that good. What about your assignment?"

Rubbing her hand and bringing it up to his lips he said, "My assignment is out in the waiting room with Billy. I brought Katie with me. How are you doing, baby?"

"I am fine. I just have thrown up so much I am dehydrated. The doctor has me hooked up though and I am actually feeling a little better, between the fluids and the sleep. Do you know about Francine and Effraim?"

"Yeah, he has some bad burns and I was going to check on her when I was done in here."

"Can I go with you?"

"Sorry only one at a time for now."

"Lee, if anything happens to her I will never forgive myself. She was going there for me."

Lee sat up and the look on his face worried Amanda, "What do you mean she was there for you?"

"Dr. Smyth asked me to go and pick up some information, but Beaman said as he as soon as he opened the door for Francine. . ." she couldn't finish.

"Amanda, honey, I am going to go check on Francine. I will be right back; I'll let Dotty know you are awake."

Lee gave her a kiss and told her he would be back in a few minutes. Leaving her room Lee found Billy and made it clear they needed to talk alone.

"Dotty, she is awake but I need you to sit with Katie a minute while I talk to Billy over here please."

"What did Amanda mean by Smyth giving her an assignment that apparently could have killed her? I swear I am going to kill that man with my bare hands."

"Lee, I am looking into it. Now let's keep a cool head here."

The doctor came around the corner and said, "Ms. Desmond is awake and is asking. . ."

Lee was on his way down the hall to Francine's room, it was easy to find it was the only one with an agent outside it. He walked in next to the bed and looked at Francine. "Hey, I thought I told you that deli had horrible food."

"Set up."

"What do you mean?"

"It was a set up for aman. . ." she went back sleep without finishing what she was trying to say.

Lee went back to the waiting room and everyone was looking at him, "Yeah, well I think we need to have a talk with Smyth, she just said it was a set up."

"Did she tell you who the set up was for, Scarecrow?" Billy asked.

"Scarecrow," Katie asked.

"That is a whole other story, my dear. Now read your magazine please." Lee said.

"She just said it was a set up for a man and then she went back to sleep."

"A man; you don't think she meant Amanda do you?"

"She better not have or my wife and child will be visiting me in a federal prison."

"Well we can't do anything more tonight and visiting hours are almost over. Lee why don't you go tell Amanda goodbye and then go home and get some sleep. We can be back here in the morning, do not go into the office, and meet me here at eight."

"Okay Billy I want someone outside her room and also at the house." Billy nodded and went to the phone at the nurse's station. "Hey come on Katie. I have to go say goodnight to Amanda and get Dotty and then we can go home."

"Okay." She set the magazine she was reading on the table and followed Lee to Amanda's room. Katie stood just inside the door and waited. Lee motioned for Katie to come over and he said, "Amanda Stetson this is Katie Amille. Katie this is my wife and partner."

She looked at the woman in the bed and smiled shyly at her not sure as to how this woman would feel about her.

"Hello, Katie. It is nice to meet you. I wish it was under better circumstances."

"Lee said you and the baby were okay, I am glad to hear that."

"Thank you. What time are you coming back in the morning guys?"

"Well I will be here as soon as the doctors make their rounds so about seven thirty and I have to meet Billy here at eight. Amanda Francine should be fine, she woke up for a few minutes and that is a very good sign."

"That is a relief. Now mother help Lee with this girl please until I get home."

"Of, course darling; don't you worry about a thing you just rest. I love you."

"I love you mother."

Lee bent and kissed Amanda a little longer than he had intended but it had been over a week since he had seen her and he wanted her to know how much he had missed her. "I love you, Mrs. Stetson."

"I love you Mr. Stetson."