Mom, Secrets And More
(Author's Note: I've condensed the explanation of Lee's first meeting with Amanda to move the story along...Apologies all around, as this story got away from me slightly.)
Chapter 44
It had been a difficult morning for Jamie King, as he'd gone to the first therapy session with his mother after the kidnapping ordeal, only to learn quite by accident the truth of his mother's career. That she was not a filmmaker as she claimed, but a Federal agent!
And as Jamie ran from Amanda, Lee promised to go after him, and that it would be all right.
And now as Lee and Jamie were in Rock Creek Park, and Jamie was berating Amanda's actions vowing he'd never trust her again, Lee decided it was time to level a bit with Jamie, knowing that it was on him to fix this alone.
He began by explaining how he first met Jamie's mother a few years back, at the train station, asking for her help in delivering a package for him...
Lee recalled the event to Jamie stating, "I saw her walking in my direction, and said..."
"Walk with me..." as Lee pulled her to him suddenly, alarming her!
Amanda King, puzzled, answered, as she turned from him, "Walk with you? No!"
Turning her around quickly Lee Stetson led her walking with him slowly stating as he held a package, and thrust it into her hands, "Please! It's a matter of life and death-"
Amanda stopped their walk and stared at this stranger and the package asking, "Life and death?"
Jamie listening to Lee, was in awe as he asked, "Life and death? What?"
Lee nods and puts up a hand to continue.
Lee nodded explaining, "I need your help-"
Amanda shook her head refusing as she responded, "No-"
But Lee pleaded as he looked into her eyes, "I'm in trouble! Please!"
As she looked at this stranger before her, Amanda sighed with a moment of hesitation and then answered, "What is it you want me to do?"
Lee quickly explained as he looked down at the package remarking, "I need you to get on this train and give this package to a man in a red hat..."
Returning to the present, he almost didn't hear Jamie as the boy said with a stunned expression, "You mean you wore her down-"
Lee bewildered asked, "What?"
Jamie replied, "Phillip and and me do that with our allowance, but go ahead."
Clearing his throat, Lee continued the explanation of the first meeting he had with Jamie's mother and as he finished, he saw Jamie with a strange look on his face and queried, "Hey, Jamie? You all right?"
As Jamie stood there staring at Lee, his mind flashed to different times as he was suddenly remembering...A man dressed as a pirate at a fast food place, and then he and his family were in Germany because his mother won a contest...They were sightseeing, and...could that have been Lee he thought he saw also one day?! And the attentive way Lee acted with Jamie's mother at the house in the kitchen that night after the intrusion made him realize something...
Lee then saw the ashen look on Jamie's face and quickly pulled him over to a bench nearby and seating them both answered concernedly, "Hey! You don't look so good, Pal. Let me go get you a drink and then-"
Jamie swallowed hard and continuing his stare at Lee replied, "You-You're Scarecrow, aren't you?!"
Lee had a bad feeling at the pit of his stomach as he asked shakily, "Wh-What-"
Jamie sighed and shaking his head commented, "Look! If we're friends like you say we are, Lee, then don't lie to me! Don't be like Mom and Dad when they would fight and then tell Phillip and me a story to make us feel better!"
Lee nodded slowly and with finality sighed remarking quietly, "Y-You're right, Jamie. I should be straight with you by now... But before we have this talk, I need to call IFF, and talk to Mr. Melrose, because there's some things I can tell, but a lot of it I just can't-not because I don't trust you, but because it's classified."
Jamie mulling it over asked, "You mean I could get in trouble if it got out?"
Lee nodded responding, "We all could, Jamie. And it could get very dangerous."
With a heavy sigh Lee stated getting up from the bench, "All right...Let's you and me go back to my place, and I'll order some Chinese takeout for lunch-"
Jamie shook his head commenting derisively, "I'm not hungry. Thanks anyway."
Lee then brought Jamie up from the bench answering tiredly, "Well, I am, so you can watch me eat...Let's go..."
Getting back to the car Lee unlocked the doors and as they got in and buckled up, Lee starting the motor, got on the car phone and called Billy's extension, and Francine answered, "Desmond."
Lee replied, "It's Lee. Where's Billy?"
Francine sighed. "He took a powder-"
Lee confused asked, "What do you mean by that?"
Francine shook her head. "Ohh, Amanda and I got into it a bit, so Billy called Pfaff and left us here to unscramble our brains with him-"
Lee shaking his head bewilderedly queried, "Wh-What the hell are you talking about, Francine?"
Just then, Amanda got up from the couch and went to Francine's side asking, "Is that Lee? Ask him if Jamie's all right, or if he wants to talk to me, please?"
Francine stated to Lee, "Here's your partner. She wants to know how Jamie is."
Handing the phone to Amanda, Francine went back to her chair as Amanda taking the receiver queried to Lee, "Lee? How's Jamie? May I talk to him? I just wanna know how he is. Please?"
Lee commented, "Ho-Hold on, okay? I'll ask him..."
Covering the receiver, Lee swallowed, and looking over at Jamie answered, "It's your mom. She's worried about you and wants to know how you're doing. Do you feel like talking to her yet?"
As Jamie hesitated, Lee commented softly, "C'mon... She loves you, and no matter how you feel right now, I know deep down that you love her too, right?"
With tears forming in his eyes he slowly nodded. "Of course I still love her." as he begrudgingly took the receiver from Lee.
Amanda then heard, "Hi, Mom."
Carefully she asked, "Jamie? Are-Are you all right, Sweetheart?"
Jamie sighed tiredly. "Not really."
When Jamie didn't say anything else, Amanda swallowed and said, "Well, I want to know if you maybe want to come back here and we can talk?"
Jamie stated, "I'm going to Lee's place to have lunch with him and talk. Right now, I feel more comfortable with him. Is that okay?"
Amanda felt defeated as she answered, "Alright. But you and I have to find a way to work this out, huh?"
Jamie replied, "Right...Well, I'm gonna go. Lee wants to talk to you again...Bye."
Handing the receiver back to Lee, Jamie turned away, focusing on the scenery outside the car window.
Getting back on Lee remarked, "Hi. Listen, don't worry. I'll take care of Jamie. Just tell Billy that I'll call him when we get to my place, huh? I gotta go...Bye."
Amanda responded sadly, "All right...Bye."
As she hung up, Francine came over and seeing the hurt on Amanda's face put a hand on Amanda's shoulder asking, "Is Jamie all right?"
Amanda shrugged. "No, but then, none of us are right now, are we?"
Moving away from Francine, Amanda returned to the couch, and sitting down asked the Agency psychiatrist, "Well, Dr. Pfaff. What do I do now?"
TBC
