Chapter 21

Amanda stood beside Francine's desk, absentmindedly rubbing her belly with her right hand. She shifted slightly to the side and grunted softly. "Amanda, are you okay?" Francine observed. "Do I need to call Lee?"

Amanda smiled and shook her head, "No, I'm fine. It's a contraction but not a real one. It's called a Braxton Hicks and it's nothing to worry about. One of the girls doesn't like it apparently. She pushes back harder each time."

Francine grimaced, "No, thank you. I have enough people pushing my buttons around me, I don't need someone doing it from in there!" Amanda laughed loudly drawing the attention of several younger women from the Steno Pool currently hovering around the water dispenser in the corner.

"I'm sure someday when you meet the right person you'll feel differently," Amanda assured her.

"Well, I haven't met the right person yet, so I'm not holding my breath. Right now, I'll take someone handsome, rich and lonely," Francine insisted.

Amanda opened her mouth to answer but they were interrupted by Agent Bates, "Excuse me, Miss Desmond. There is a call holding for you on extension ten. It's a Detective Bagley. He said he has some information for you."

"Thank you, Karen," Francine nodded. She lifted the receiver, punched in the extension number and said, "Francine Desmond."

"Miss Desmond, Bagley here. Listen I figured you might want to know. We just got a missing person's report for a twenty-three-year-old woman," the detective's gravelly voice barked through the phone.

Francine frowned, "I'm not sure why I would need that information, Detective."

"Well, turns out this particular MP is eight and a half months pregnant. The report was called in by her sister who hasn't seen or heard from her since yesterday morning," Detective Bagley stated.

"Detective Bagley, can you send me the report?" Francine requested, earning a raised eyebrow from Amanda.

"Of course. I'll have my office fax it right over. I sure hope we find her before… well, before she ends up like the others," Detective Bagley stated grimly.

Francine jotted down what little information he gave her and replied, "So do I. I'll keep an eye out for that report and be in touch." She hung up the phone and grimaced. "Another missing pregnant woman was just reported."

Amanda shook her head slowly and asked, "How long ago did she go missing?"

"According to the report, her sister last had contact with her yesterday morning," Francine relayed what little she knew. "Maybe the report the detective is sending over will have more information."

Amanda rubbed her belly protectively with both hands, "Well, maybe it's not the same case. Maybe she just …went to a friends' house and her sister didn't know…maybe…"

Francine reached out to still one of Amanda's hands and assured her, "Don't worry, Amanda. We'll do everything we can to find her, even if it means teaming up with the local police."

Amanda exhaled loudly and wiped away a stray tear that trickled down her cheek. "I'm sorry. I don't know what's gotten into me," she apologized.

Francine reached over and rubbed her belly and teased, "I do. And that must have been one hell of a game of backgammon, I'd say." Amanda couldn't help but giggle. One of the twins took that moment to shift position right under Francine's hand. She pulled it back quickly, "What was that?"

Amanda laughed again, "I think the question is, who was that."

Francine looked at her belly then up at Amanda, "Wait, that was one of them? Do you know which one?"

Amanda rubbed that side of her belly, "Not really. I mean it's hard to say if they're staying in the same place or if they keep changing. The other night I swear they were playing soccer in there or something."

"Have you started talking about names yet?" Francine inquired.

"Who's name?" Tom interjected from the other side of Francine's desk. In his hand, he held a printed police report with a fuzzy image at the bottom.

Amanda took one glance at the papers and said, "Francine, I'm going to check back in with Lee. Oh, and Mother made me promise to start that registry, so I'll take care of it in the morning and I'll bring you a copy."

"I'll be waiting." Francine smoothed back her hair with one hand and turned to Edwards. "Is that the report from Detective Bagley?" she asked as Amanda made her way into the hallway.

"Yes, what's going on?" Tom asked, a worried expression on his face.

Francine took the report and began skimming the page for any clues the detective may have missed. "Another missing pregnant woman. Camilla Cintas, twenty-three. Her sister reported it about an hour ago." She paused for a minute and continued to read. "Well, she doesn't have a car, so we can't trace that. It says here she took the bus downtown and the last stop she got off was in," Francine paused to look at the map on the wall nearby, "Sector C."

"Where was she going?" Tom asked.

"According to her sister, she was heading to a doctor's appointment but she never made it there," Francine read. She looked up at Tom and declared, "Get your coat. We have an interview to conduct."

"You think her sister's going to be able to give us any more information?" Tom questioned.

Francine stood and straightened her blazer. She slung her purse strap over her shoulder and reminded him, "Well, first we need to know if she has been to visit any of the adoption agencies or if she was planning on keeping her baby. After that, we find out the name of the doctor she was going to visit."

While Francine and Tom headed to the parking garage, Amanda was entering the Q Bureau. She found Lee on the phone just replying with only one or two-word answers. She made eye contact with him and stifled a groan when he mouthed "Dr. Smyth." Several minutes later, he dropped the receiver onto the cradle and leaned forward into his hands. "That man… one of these days," he muttered.

Amanda moved around Lee's desk and sat on the edge. Lee immediately reached up to touch her belly, "You okay? You seem a little… I don't know… melancholy?"

Amanda held his hand against the rippling bump and sighed, "Another pregnant woman has gone missing. Francine and Tom are heading over to interview the sister."

Lee looked up into her sad brown eyes. He could tell she was trying hard to fight the emotions bubbling just below the surface. Without breaking eye contact, he leaned forward and rested his head against her hands. "I'm sorry. I wish there was something I could say to take away the fear and the sadness you're feeling," he admitted.

"Just knowing you're here with me, and that we're all safe, definitely helps," Amanda replied softly.

"Well, let's think about something happier… like… let's discuss names. What about Emily for one of the girls?" Lee lifted his head and raised his eyebrows.

"I like that… so, how about Sarah or Grace? Or I was thinking of something from the Bible, although, Emily isn't a biblical name," Amanda rattled off a few ideas.

Lee smiled at her, his dimples deep and admitted, "This is going to be a lot harder than I thought. How do you choose a name for someone you've never met, yet you're going to be responsible for them their entire lives?"

Amanda returned his smile, "Well, how did your mother pick your name?"

"I'm not sure," Lee admitted.

"If I remember correctly, in her diary she said something about how she chose your name not long after she found out she was pregnant with you," Amanda reminded him.

Lee furrowed his brow and thought hard, "Yeah, you know, I think you're right. I don't remember exactly what it said, but you better believe as soon as we get home, I'm going to find out."