Chapter 18

Lee spent the remainder of the afternoon with Amanda. Dr. Lore came in to evaluate her and was pleased with her responses. "Are you feeling tired, Mrs. Stetson? We can stop if this is too much for you," he assured her.

"No, I'm okay. I mean, I'm a little tired, but it's all right. What I really want is to see my son," Amanda informed him.

"I think we can make arrangements for tomorrow to bring you to his room. Your husband will be there tonight, so if anything happens, we'll let you know right away." Dr. Lore dropped his stethoscope around his neck, closed her chart, and hugged it to his chest.

Confused, Amanda tipped her head and stared at Lee.

"Yeah, the doc discharged me today but had a bed set up for me in his room," Lee explained. "I'll be there all night so if he comes to, he won't be alone and scared."

"He might be a little confused initially. Much like you, Mrs. Stetson. But you've managed to settle into things relatively smoothly," Dr. Lore pointed out.

Amanda squeezed Lee's hand and with a weak smile, she stated, "Lee's been filling me in and that helps. I don't remember much about the accident and only bits and pieces of what happened just before it."

"That's perfectly normal. You may never recover those memories and, honestly, you may not want to. The important thing now is moving forward and getting stronger. Mrs. Farnsworth has a long road ahead of her, with months of healing and therapy, but she's strong for a woman her age. Now that we have her pain under control, we can start working to get her on her feet. She should be able to be discharged in a few more days." Dr. Lore watched Lee's face carefully.

Lee inhaled sharply. "I'm sure she'll be just fine in a convalescent home for a few weeks before she heads back to England."

"Oh, poor Emily," Amanda sighed sadly.

"I must be going. I have a few reports to finish up for the day. I'll see you both tomorrow." Dr. Lore smiled before he departed.

"I wish they could bring me down to see Emily, too," Amanda lamented.

Lee pursed his lips and shook his head. "No, the only rooms you're going to be in are William's and your own. I don't want you getting it in your head you can roam around the hospital either when the doc finally gives you clearance to get out of bed for more than a few minutes."

Amanda took his hand in hers and reminded her husband, "That sounds an awful lot like 'stay in the car' and you know how many times I followed that instruction."

"Krejci is still out there, Amanda, and the last thing I want to do is worry about where you are," Lee tried.

"And you've already told me there's an agent outside of our rooms to protect us, right? So whether I'm in my room, William's or Emily's, I'm still safe." Amanda released his hand and dropped hers against his chest. She could feel his heart beating fast beneath her fingertips. "Sweetheart, what's really going on? Why don't you want me to see Emily?"

Lee stood rapidly and paced to the windows. He dragged his hand through his hair, dropped his head back, and groaned loudly. He lifted his head and leaned forward, resting against the cool glass of the window.

"Lee?" Amanda called him softly. When he didn't reply, she pleaded, "Just tell me."

"Amanda… Emily is the reason this whole thing happened. She saw Barta at the airport. She knew he was planning to shoot the President. She saw Krejci, but she didn't say anything until they came after us in the garage. She could have prevented all of this if she just told me, right from the start," Lee spouted angrily.

"But, Sweetheart, you told me Krejci was after you, not Emily. I think it was just a coincidence… a bad, bad coincidence… that they were together in the airport when they saw you. They didn't know you were going to be there any more than Emily knew. You can't blame Emily," Amanda cried.

"No?" Lee snapped his head around.

"No," Amanda insisted.

Lee turned back to the window and pressed his hand to the glass. "Amanda, I don't know if I can forgive Emily for this."

"Sweetheart," Amanda whispered.

They were startled by several knocks on the door before it swung open and Billy slowly made his way into Amanda's room.

"Amanda! It's good to see you awake." Billy smiled in her direction. He noticed Lee by the windows. "Scarecrow. I have an update on Krejci."

Lee spun around and leaned against the windowsill, cradling his broken arm with the other hand. "Well?"

"He put up a helluva fight, but he won't be a threat anymore," Billy concluded.

"What do you mean? Does Harris have him in custody?" Lee furrowed his brow as he ran different scenarios through his mind.

"Not exactly. Jeffers cornered him in an alley and Krejci opened fire. He didn't stand a chance. Jeffers might not be the best agent we have, but he's a damn good shot." Billy tugged on the front of his suit jacket and smiled. "One shot was all it took."

Lee sighed audibly, looking completely relieved. He dragged a hand through his hair, shook his head slowly, and asked, "Anyone else hurt?"

"No, it was a clean shoot. Jeffers acted in self-defense, and thanks to the witness statements, he'll be cleared of any charges. Krejci got off five rounds to Jeffers' one."

"Well, that's certainly good to hear," Amanda responded. "Does this mean all the agents guarding our rooms will be removed?"

Billy glanced at Lee before giving Amanda a tentative smile. "I thought about that, but then I thought maybe it would be best to keep them in place. Just in case anyone else tries to take advantage of the situation. You and Lee might not be active in the field anymore, but that doesn't mean you don't still have enemies out there."

Amanda peered at her husband. Lee was staring at the floor, biting his bottom lip. She knew he needed time to process what Billy had just told them. "Lee… could you come sit with me for a bit? I'm getting tired."

Lee lifted his head and rushed to Amanda's side. "Do you need me to get the doctor? A nurse?"

Amanda reached her hand out to him. "No, I just need to rest. Would you stay with me?"

"Of course," Lee insisted. He sat on the edge of her bed and took her hand in his.

"I'll let myself out," Billy stated with an affirmative nod in their direction. He knew they needed time alone to work through the information. He left without another word.

As the door closed softly behind him, Amanda squeezed Lee's hand. "I guess this means the worst part is over?"

Lee shook his head sadly. "Not until William opens his eyes and calls for us. The worst part is waiting for him to wake up."