Candice Davenport silently stewed in her hospital room as she reflected back on Lee's words to her about his wife. "Wife," she muttered. She'd never imagined that she'd come back to find the man she loved married to someone else. It just didn't seem possible. She knew his history with women. Deep down she also knew that Francine had been right all along years ago when she'd told her not to get too attached to him. But how are you supposed to stop yourself from falling in love, especially with a man as charming as Lee Stetson, a man who knew how to romance a woman, knew how to make her feel as if she were the only woman in the world? She sighed as she thought about how much time had been lost, wondered if things would be different if she'd told him from day one that she was carrying his child. She thought back to the last fight they'd had and how they'd argued because the waitress at the restaurant they'd been dining at had flirted shamelessly with him and rather than stopping her, he'd flirted back.
April 1982
Candice stormed out of the restaurant in a huff, Lee following behind her quickly catching up to her, grabbing her arm and spinning her around to face him. "Just what the hell is your problem?"He demanded.
"My problem, are you serious? Did you see yourself in there with that waitress?"She yelled.
"What's the big deal?"Lee said nonchalantly.
"The big deal? The big deal is that I'm the one you're supposed to be with, not some cheap waitress who's throwing herself at you like some dime-store hooker."
"You're getting awfully bent about a little harmless flirting," Lee argued. "It's not as if I was asking her to go home with me! She was being friendly so I was just being friendly back!"
"A little too friendly if you ask me, especially when I'm supposed to be your girlfriend!"
"My girlfriend? Is that what you think you are? I thought we both knew that we were just having a good time together!"
"Is that all this is to you?" Candice said as tears formed in her eyes.
"What else is it supposed to be? We work in a job where either one of us might be shipped off to Timbuktu at any time or even get killed in the line of duty. Why get attached to somebody who may not even be in your life tomorrow?"He fired back angrily. "Besides, I don't recall ever putting a ring on your finger!'
That's exactly the problem, she thought bitterly. She'd had this whole romantic evening set up and had planned to tell him tonight that he was going to be a father, but that was ruined now. "God, you're an asshole!" she exclaimed. Why couldn't he see what was right in front of his face, how much she loved him, how she'd do anything for him?
"Well, if I'm such an asshole, then what the hell are you doing with me?"
"You're right; I don't know what the hell I was thinking!"She shouted as she marched off before he could see the tears that had formed in her eyes at his callousness. She had this amazing news to share with him and he couldn't keep his attention on her for more than two minutes at a time.
"Good!" She heard him shout after her. "Go! Have a nice life!"
As she walked down the street, her arms wrapped around herself, she let the tears fall as she made her way to the corner and hailed a cab, hoping against hope that he'd come after her so that they could talk like normal people.
As she lay in her hospital bed, Candice felt tears silently slipping down her cheeks as relived that painful memory. She should have known even then that she'd never have what she really wanted with Lee, baby or not. She thought back to all the years she'd been on the run, move from place to place to keep their daughter safe so that she could return and one day have a real family life. She cringed as she thought of all the times that she'd told Leah that she had a daddy out there who would love her instantly and that they would all be one big happy family. She wondered guiltily if sharing her ideal of the perfect family life had done irreparable harm to her young daughter's psyche.
She let out a deep sigh wondering what was going on with her daughter now. She reflected on Lee's words at the park when he'd told her how Amanda had raised her boys by herself and what a protective mother she was to them, how she'd raised them by herself. She wondered with that kind of mothering experience, just what kind of influence she would have on her impressionable child. She decided that she had to find out. She reached for the crutches that were propped up against the bedside table, bracing herself against them as she hobbled to gather up her things.
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Lee had gone out to his car to retrieve the overnight bag he always kept packed in case of an emergency while Amanda had helped Leah take her hair down and brush it out before helping her to get dressed in her frilly pink nightgown in the hall bathroom. "Is pink your favorite color," she asked her stepdaughter grateful that Jonathan had thought to stop by Francine's place to get some of Leah's things.
"Oh, yes," Leah said as she stifled a yawn.
"Goodness, that's a big yawn," Amanda said as she reached for Leah's hand. "We'd better get you tucked in so you can get some sleep and we'll go see your mommy first thing in the morning, okay?"
"Okay," Leah said as she took Amanda's offered hand.
"Come with me. You can sleep in my boys' room," Amanda said holding her stepdaughter's smaller hand in hers as she led her down the hall just as Lee entered the hallway with his bag from downstairs.
Lee smiled as he saw his wife and daughter together. "All ready for bed, Princess?" He said.
"Yes, Daddy," Leah answered.
"Good," He answered. "I'll be in there in a minute," he said to Amanda indicating the bag in his hand with a gesture to her bedroom.
"Okay," Amanda said as she and Leah entered the boys' room while Lee headed down the hall. "Here you go, Kiddo."
"This is my brothers' room?"Leah asked.
"Sure is," Amanda said. "That's Phillip's side of the room over there and this one is Jamie's"
"They won't be mad if I sleep in here?" she asked nervously.
"Mm-mm, not a bit," Amanda said as she knelt to get eye level with her stepdaughter. Of course she knew they could hardly be mad when they didn't know yet that Leah even existed. She wasn't sure exactly how she was going to break that particular piece of news to them.
"Can I sleep in that one?"Leah inquired as she pointed to Jamie's bed.
"Sure, you can," Amanda said as she rose and helped Leah get tucked in under the superman bedding just as Lee stepped into the room, the overstuffed panda under his arm. "Do you like Superman?"
Leah nodded. "I like the superfriends," she answered, "but I like Wonder Woman best of all."
"Wonder Woman, huh?"Lee said with a smile.
Leah nodded and said, "Just like 'Manda."
"Me? You think I'm like Wonder Woman?" Amanda asked her with a chuckle.
Leah nodded again and said, "'Cause you have pretty brown hair and 'cause you drove the car so fast to get away from the bad guys like Wonder Woman does in her 'visible jet."
"That's invisible jet," Amanda said with a laugh. "And I assure you I'm no Wonder Woman. I'm just a normal woman."
"Daddy, isn't 'Manda just like Wonder Woman?" Leah asked Lee.
"She sure is, Princess," he said as he sat on the edge of the bed and clasped her tiny hand.
"Lee, don't encourage her,' Amanda protested. "I don't want her thinking-"
Lee held up a hand so silence his wife and turned his attention back to his daughter. "The difference is that her superpower is taking care of people."
"Like me?"
"Yes, Leah, just like you," Lee answered, "And me too.'Manda takes good care of me and her boys and her mom and everybody around her."
"Auntie Francine too?"
"Only when Auntie Francine admits that she needs taking care of," Lee said with a laugh as he tucked the panda in bed with her. "Listen, it's about time for you to get some sleep, okay?" he said as he brushed a stray curl out of her face.
"Okay, Daddy," Leah said as she cuddled the panda tightly. ""Night"
"Good-night," he said as he leaned in and kissed her lightly on the head before taking his wife's hand, glancing for just a moment at his daughter with a smile that the panda was as big as she was before turning out the light and walking hand in hand with Amanda toward her room.
"Well, your first full day as a dad didn't go too badly," Amanda said as they entered the bedroom.
"It could have been a hell of a lot worse if I hadn't had you there by my side," Lee replied as he softly caressed her face. "You're such a natural a being a mom." He kissed her tenderly. "That's why it would mean so much to me if you...I mean, if we..." He broke off, his voice having become choked with emotion, finding that he couldn't finish his thought. Instead, he decided to show her what was on his mind as he pulled her into her arms and kissed her soundly.
Amanda responded at first loving the feel of his kisses, his arms around her, but then pulled back abruptly not wanting to be distracted again from telling him her news. "Lee, stop, I have something that I have to talk to you about. It's about what we were talking about earlier, about you and me having a baby together."
"I thought you were okay with the idea," Lee said his face falling at the seriousness of the look on her face.
"I am. I'm very okay with the idea. Nothing would make me happier and that's what I wanted to talk to you about. I mean, it's going to be a big change. We're going to have to get a bigger house, I won't be able to be out in the field with you anymore and the boys and my mother doesn't even know yet that we're married so it's...it's compli-." Amanda's words were cut off by her husband's lips once again descending on hers his arms sliding down her back grasping her bottom to pull her closer as he probed her mouth with his own. Amanda couldn't help the responses of her body at his nearness, his kisses giving her a head sensation that she never tired of. She linked her arms around his neck, pulling him in for a deeper kiss as they began to undress each other while he backed her toward the bed until they both toppled onto it.
"Ow," Lee said with a wince.
"We should stop," Amanda said. "You're injured."
"No, it's not any worse than it was on our wedding night and we managed to work around it just fine then, didn't we?' he said with an impish grin as he nuzzled her neck.
"Yes, we sure did," Amanda said with a smile as she recalled how inventive they'd gotten on their wedding night to avoid hurting him, both of them having it in their minds that with as much as they'd gone through to get there, nothing was going to stop them from making love on their wedding night.
Lee kissed his wife softly and said, "Well, we proved then that we know how to get a little creative when we need to." He kissed her again. "I was just thinking that if we're going to work on expanding our family, we should start tonight." He lowered his lips to her neck nuzzling the sensitive pulse point that he knew always got to her.
Amanda sighed and said, "Lee, we need to talk about this."
"No more talking," he said as he captured her lips again with his own causing all rational thought to fly out the window.
Amanda gave in, losing herself in her husband's touch, a touch that always set her on fire, "We'll talk later," she gasped out.
As they lay contentedly wrapped up in each other post-lovemaking, "I love you," Lee whispered sleepily.
"I love you too," Amanda replied with a satisfied smile as she snuggled deeper into his arms, resting her head against his shoulder her arm draped across the solid wall of his chest. "Lee?"she said tentatively
"Mmm?' he murmured.
"Lee, about that talk. Sweetheart, there's been something that I found out that I've been trying to figure out how to tell you for two days now. I got some amazing news when I had my annual agency physical and if I don't tell you now, it's going to be all over the agency before I get to because you and I both know that secrets don't stay secret for very long there, at least not personal secrets. Now, I was hesitant to tell you because we never talked about it except in kind of an abstract, what-if way," Amanda began her unsteady nerves causing her to babble. "I mean, well, we've talked about it now. You said tonight that you wanted us to try to have a baby and, well, what I've been trying to tell you is that we don't need to try to have a baby. I was trying to tell you tonight when we were watching the movie, but then Leah was so excited about the movie that I just couldn't break her little heart by interrupting her enthusiasm with something this big. Then I tried to tell you again when we were alone, but then you got me all distracted with those damn bedroom eyes of yours and the way that you were kissing me and it was clear that you wanted to make love, I mean, not that I didn't. I love the way we make love, but the point is that got me distracted from my point again. I've been trying to figure out a way to say this and I've decided that the best thing is to just come right out and say it." She paused for a moment, took a deep breath and said, "Lee, I'm pregnant." When he was silent, she said, "Lee, I said we're having a baby. Lee, did you hear me?"
"Mm-hm, baby," was his response as he tightened his arms around her.
"Lee?" Amanda asked nervously. "Sweetheart, are you happy about this?"
"Happy," he murmured.
Amanda shifted her position just enough to look at his face and found that he'd fallen asleep. She sighed wondering just how much of what she'd told him had registered in his sleep-addled mind. Damn, she thought with another sigh. Maybe I should just try again in the morning when he's more awake.
Lee awoke an hour later, startled out of a pleasant dream in which he'd heard his wife telling him that they were having a baby. He shook his head slightly, trying to figure out exactly what had roused him from his sleep. He glanced at his wife who was sound asleep, cradled against him. He sighed contentedly thinking that he could definitely get used to this on a regular basis and found himself anxious for Saturday's party when they would be revealing all their secrets to their family so that they could live out in the open as they should have been all along. He smiled at that thought, brushed a soft kiss to his wife's lips, and pulled her more tightly to him.
His actions had caused Amanda to stir. She opened her eyes, looked up at him, smiled and said, "Hi."
"Hi, yourself," he replied as he kissed her tenderly. "Sorry if I woke you."
"No, it's okay. You can wake me like that anytime," she replied as she kissed him.
'Yeah?" he said with a smile as he rolled them both to their sides to face each other.
"Yeah," she said as she wrapped her arms around him to pull him in for another searing kiss, hooking one leg across his hips as her desire for him rose again.
He pulled back from their kiss for a moment, brushed her hair from her face and said with a grin, "So, you ready for round two?"
"It seems that you are," she fired back as she pulled him closer melting into yet another fiery kiss.
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Candice, after a lot of struggling on her crutches, avoiding the agency guard dogs outside by creeping through a neighbor's back yard, had finally managed to make it up the stairs of the King house pausing as she reached the landing to catch her breath, sweating profusely, her head and her broken leg both throbbing. She wasn't about to let the pain deter her from her goal of finding her child and getting her out of the clutches of the woman who's stolen her dreams from her. She glanced around to get her bearings while she tried to figure out which room her daughter would be in as she didn't know the house very well. Directly across the hall from her she could see was a bathroom and she knew that to her left toward the front of the house was Amanda's bedroom. She remembered that there had been another room next to hers. She peered in the other direction and noticed a closed door there. Surely if they were sleeping in Amanda's room, Leah wouldn't' be there. If Amanda were the mother that she said she was, she should want to keep Leah closer than that to keep an eye on her. That's what she herself would do and had always done to keep her safe. With not knowing who had tried to kill her and who might still be out there, she never wanted her little girl out of her sight. "She must be this way," she said softly as she slowly and cautiously made her way to the rooms to her left. As she approached the closed door, she couldn't help but hear the sounds coming from the slightly ajar door of Amanda's room. She pushed it open further, leaned on the doorframe, peered inside and gasped at what she saw, the clothing scattered on the floor and Lee locked in his wife's arms hearing him whispering words of love to her. "Oh my God," she exclaimed startling the couple.