Chapter 6

"Mr. Stetson, I strongly urge you to return to recovery. We have a few assessments we need to complete and then we can all get some rest," Dr. Lore advised.

Lee tightened his jaw as he fought his rising anger. "You don't understand. I need to know how much Emily was hiding. I need to know if the men that did this were really after her or if my family is still in danger. I need to find out as much as I can to be sure they don't come after her or me again."

Dr. Lore turned to face Billy. "Mr. Melrose?"

"I can't say we're not looking for the same answers, Doctor," Billy replied. He pursed his lips together tightly before he added, "Lee, if we do bring you down there, it'll only be for a few minutes. It's been a long day and I'm sure, on top of everything, she's also jetlagged."

"I need answers, Billy," Lee glared at his friend.

Billy exhaled loudly. "Fine, but if she's asleep or groggy or I don't know what, we're leaving it be for tonight. Your family is well protected in the hospital. You saw that yourself. We have an agent waiting for you to be settled as well."

Lee slumped against the back of the wheelchair. "Fine."

The small group moved silently through the corridor to the orthopedic floor. Once again, Lee's leg bounced nervously as they neared the agent standing guard outside of Emily's room. "Scarecrow," the man gasped as he scrambled to his feet. "Sir. I didn't think I was going… I mean, shouldn't you be getting… Sir… how are you feeling?"

"Relax, Martin. You're not in trouble for sitting down on the job." Lee struggled to appear calm before the obviously nervous agent. "We're just here to see Mrs. Farnsworth for a few minutes."

"Sir, I was told no one but the nurses and her doctor could enter the room," the agent stammered.

The muscle in Lee's cheek tensed. "And I'm your superior, now step aside."

Billy held up his hand. "It's okay, Martin. This is their doctor, and he said it was all right for Lee to talk to Mrs. Farnsworth."

"All right. I'll be right here if you need me, Mr. Melrose, sir." Agent Martin slowly lowered himself back into the hard plastic chair.

Dr. Lore knocked lightly on the door before pushing it inward. A nurse was helping Emily readjust the pillows behind her on the bed. The orderly pushed Lee deeper into the room. Billy and Dr. Lore stayed close to the door.

"Lee!" Emily immediately cried out from her reclined position. "Oh, Lee… your arm!"

"I'm fine, Emily. I'll be fine," Lee replied, an icy tone permeated his voice.

The nurse reminded Emily, "I'm just a button squeeze away if you need me," before she left the room, the orderly following only steps behind.

"Lee… have you seen Amanda or William?" Emily questioned.

Before they could continue, a nurse rushed into the room carrying a metal clipboard. "Dr. Lore, I have Mrs. Stetson's results back from her MRI. Dr. Johnson asked me to find you immediately."

"Thank you, nurse. Gentlemen, you'll have to excuse me for a few minutes. I'd like to review these now so we can determine our best course of care for Mrs. Stetson." Dr. Lore left the room without another word.

"Billy, I'd like to talk to Emily… Alone." Lee's request sounded eerily like a demand and the hair on Billy's neck stood up.

"Lee, I don't think that's such a good idea," Billy disagreed as he shook his head.

"Alone," Lee commanded.

Reluctantly, Billy glanced at Emily, then back at Lee. "Fine. I'll be right outside that door and if I hear anything I don't like, Scarecrow, you better believe I'm going to be in here faster than you can take a breath." With one last look, Billy pursed his lips tightly and disappeared into the hallway, the door closing softly behind him, leaving Emily and Lee alone.

Emily studied Lee carefully. Gone was the affectionate, dimpled grin he usually had for her. It was replaced with tight lips and the occasional tightening of the muscle in his jaw. "Lee, I'm sorry about the accident. I—"

"Spare me the tears, Emily. I need to know what you know and I need to know now," Lee snapped.

"I don't—" Emily gasped.

"You do!" Lee snarled. "You said in the garage you had information and dammit, I want that information."

"All I know is Barta was planning to assassinate the President during his speech next week," Emily stated.

"What else?" Lee demanded.

"That's it," Emily insisted.

Lee's breathing became labored as his anger rose. "What else are you not telling me, Emily?"

"Nothing! I didn't have any particulars, Lee. I swear."

"Why is Krejci here? Are they working together? Did someone hire the two of them? Answers! I need answers!"

Emily shook her head sadly. "I don't have any more than that. The last time I saw Krejci, he was getting pushed into the back of a paddy wagon by Scotland Yard. I didn't even know he was out, never mind on US soil."

Lee pressed his lips tightly together, his nostrils flaring with every breath. "Fine… Barta. Where'd you get your intel?"

"I intercepted a message… quite by accident really… I think it was meant for another one of Barta's associates and it was dropped into my lap… at a restaurant, mind you," Emily explained.

"What made you think it was an accident? Maybe they set you up… That's it… they set you up to get to me," Lee deduced.

Emily assertively lifted her chin. "Oh, no, Lee. I'm sure it wasn't a set-up. I checked every detail thoroughly. My superiors felt it was best to deliver the news in person and I thought it was a great time to visit with you at the same time. I had no idea Barta was going to be on the same flight!"

"And as soon as you saw him, you should have told me what was going on! But no, you put my family at risk!" Lee glared at Emily.

"Lee, I'm sorry. I had no idea he saw me until we were in the parking garage," Emily emphasized.

"Yeah, just in time for him to take potshots at us and run us off the road," Lee responded sarcastically.

Emily painfully pushed herself to a sitting position and reached her hand out toward Lee. "If I even thought Barta was working with Krejci, I would've told you, right there, on the spot."

Lee flinched and pursed his lips together once more. "Instead, you nearly got my family killed." He narrowed his eyes and stared at her. He took a breath and in a calm voice, he asked, "Emily, did I ever tell you the story of William's birth? And why Amanda was in the hospital for a few extra days?"

"No… I just figured it had to do with her age… I mean, Amanda wasn't the spring chicken she was when Philip and Jamie were born," Emily admitted.

Lee stood slowly and leveled his eyes on Emily. "Amanda almost died giving birth to him. She was hemorrhaging so bad, the only way to save her life was to operate immediately. William is the only child she and I will ever have together. He is the last child she will ever have…"

Lee's voice trailed off as the muscle in his cheek twitched wildly. He clenched his jaw tightly, raised his good hand, and pointed at her.

"Now, let me let you in on another little secret, Emily. If anything happens to my family… if one of them doesn't survive this… this will be the last conversation we ever have."