A Scarecrow's Purpose

Rating: PG

Classification: Friendship/Hurt-Comfort

Disclaimer: I don't own them. I just love them to bits!

Spoilers: The First Time, The Eyes Have It, and We're Off To See The Wizard

Summary: Set during The Eyes Have It. While keeping vigil in Lee's hospital room, Amanda finally learns the secret behind his code name.

Amanda closed the micro-sized hospital closet door with a sigh. Agents had found Lee's overnight bag in the parking garage and Billy had brought it with him when he'd come to check on Lee's condition a little while ago. Hanging up Lee's clothing had given Amanda something to distract herself from waiting for him to regain consciousness, but only for a couple of minutes.

Billy had also brought her a plate of meatloaf and potatoes that his wife Jeannie had sent—which she had insisted was a return of the favor from when Amanda had brought casseroles while the other woman had been laid up with bronchitis in November. There was a second serving in a small cooler for Lee when he woke up, which made Amanda smile. Billy knew her too well — if he'd brought only one plate she would have set it aside for Lee and grabbed herself something from the vending machine. She glanced over at where the plate sat barely touched on the small bedside table. Jeannie meatloaf was delicious, but Amanda's stomach was in too many knots to get down more than a couple of bites.

Instead she sat down on the side of Lee's bed and took his hand in both of hers. He hadn't shown any sign of stirring since he'd been wheeled into the room a few hours earlier. Both Dr. Gastner and Dr. Scardelli had assured Amanda that this was normal with this kind of head trauma, but seeing Lee Stetson this still was anything but normal.

Even while unconscious in the ambulance and Emergency Room, Lee had been restless, shifting his head as his body unsuccessfully fought for consciousness. It had been hard to watch, especially when Amanda had seen his face flinch in pain, but at the same time it had given her some degree of hope that he was trying to come back to her. She knew the rest was what his body needed, but this unnatural stillness was just so unnerving!

A hand on her shoulder made her jump and she turned, startled. A dark-haired man approximately ten years her senior stood behind her, one arm swathed in a sling while the other quickly came up in an apologetic gesture. "I'm sorry — I didn't mean to startle you."

"No, no, it's all right." Amanda quickly slipped off the bed and studied him for a moment. Something about his features seemed familiar. Then she remembered. "Mr. Barnes?"

"Please." He smiled at her. "I may be retired, but I'm not old enough for that. Anyone who works with Lee calls me Paul." Amanda returned his smile. "And it's Amanda, right?"

She nodded. "Amanda King."

"I knew I remembered you." Paul's face sobered and he looked past her to where Lee lay motionless in the bed. "And I remember seeing you like this far too many times, Scarecrow," he added softly.

Amanda bit her lip. "Yeah, me too." She stared at Lee's former handler. "How did you find out he was here?"

Paul motioned to the sling on his arm. "Shoulder surgery. All those years in the field finally caught up with me. I was walking the halls to get some exercise, when I saw William Melrose and he filled me in — at least as much as he could." He looked back at her. "He said you were with Lee when it happened?"

Amanda shook her head. "Not exactly. I was picking Lee up at the airport when I saw two men attacking him. I didn't even realize it was Lee at first until he jumped into my car."

"Then he was conscious?" Paul questioned.

Amanda nodded slowly. "At first, but he passed out while we were trying to get away. He didn't even have the chance to tell me what happened or why those men were after him." She swallowed. "The doctors said it's a severe concussion, that he could stay unconscious for a while — and that he might never remember what happened."

"Hey." Paul reached out and put his good hand on her arm. "I've seen Scarecrow pull through worse than this. "He's not going to go without a fight."

Amanda managed a smile. "You know, I never had the chance to ask you before why you call him that? I asked Lee, but he said I'd have to ask you."

Paul smiled. "That's because I never told him."

Amanda pulled a couple of chairs up next to Lee's bedside and sat down in one of them, taking Lee's hand again. "Was it because of the Oz Network?"

"That certainly inspired it, but there was more to it than that." Paul sat down beside her, but rather than look at her he focused his gaze on Lee again. "Do you know what a scarecrow's purpose is, Amanda?"

They keep the garden or the fields safe from birds," Amanda answered."

"They protect it," Paul gently corrected. "When I first met Lee and read his file, one of the first things that stood out to me the most was his protective instincts. He was always the first one to have your back in the line of fire or risk himself getting innocent civilians out of the way to safety." He smiled ruefully. "At first I was planning on giving him a code name after the guards at the Emerald City gate."

Amanda leaned forward, suddenly realizing that this story had taken a much more serious turn than she'd expected. "What happened?"

Paul's eyes remained focused on Lee's unconscious face. "A scarecrow protects the crops by not letting the birds get too close." His voice grew quieter. "And that's been Scarecrow as long as I've known him. He'd never let anyone get close to him."

He offered Amanda a half-smile. "Sure, he'll let you in up to a point. Go for drinks. Hang out. That kind of thing. And if he considers you a friend, there's nothing he won't do for you. But try to reciprocate..." He looked back at Lee. "The arms go out and he's got you back at a distance. Just like a scarecrow."

Tears pricked Amanda's eyes and she tried to blink them back, but not before Paul looked over at her with a little smile. "You know what I'm talking about." It was a statement, not a question.

"Yeah." Amanda stared down at Lee's eyes, but instead of seeing them closed the way they were, she was seeing them open again, broken and staring into space that day at the Jefferson Memorial, before the walls had come up again. "Yeah, I do."

The sound of the door opening behind them jolted them both back into the present. It was Lee's nurse, coming to check his vitals. She offered Amanda a smile before shooting a pointed look at Paul and his sling.

He rolled his eyes. "These people are worse than the KGB," he muttered loud enough for the nurse to hear. Amanda stifled a giggle and she was sure she caught a hint of a grin on the nurse's face. "They've got me on Unit 21, Room 131. You'll let me know when he wakes up?"

Amanda nodded reassuringly, taking her own comfort in Paul's use of the word "When."

"I'll come by myself," she promised.

They exchanged smiles. "Thanks." He stood up, then glanced back and forth between Amanda and Lee, studying them both for several seconds.

"You know, Scarecrow, seeing the two of you like this makes me hope that things might finally be changing for you with that."

Amanda waited until both Paul and the nurse had left the room before sitting down on the edge of Lee's bed and taking his hand again. "I hope so too," she said softly. "She reached over and gently smoothed Lee's hair back from his face and then lightly touched his cheek. "I hope so too."

A/N: I started this on Lee's birthday, June 17, but was unable to finish it on time because of some tech issues. Paul's hospital room is inspired by the day I became readdicted to Scarecrow & Mrs. King after watching the episode The Eyes Have It, January 31, 2021.