Truth Aftermath
Chapter 2
Amanda and Joe were now alone, after she had asked her mother to take the boys to Marvelous Marvin's to get the family's takeout dinner for that evening.
Joe queried, "You went to California for vacation, you said? You mean you didn't really go for that? Okay, was it work, or-"
Amanda sighed and shook her head as she got her thoughts together, and stated simply, "No, Joe. Do you remember Lee Stetson?"
Joe thought carefully for a moment, and then asked nodding, "Yeah, wasn't he was the guy that helped us when I got back and we had trouble with Prescott? When they thought I killed the Prime Minister who wasn't dead after all?"
Amanda swallowed and commented nodding, "Yes. He was helping because the Government was checking our background, to make a connection somehow. Not that you were guilty, but they had to be sure, and they needed my help anyway, since I'm your ex-wife-"
Joe then put up a hand and responded quickly, "Wait! You took off with him another time when they thought you were traitors!"
He then sighed deeply as he saw her nodding, and queried again, "Okay, Amanda. So, just how long have you known that guy? What is he exactly to you?"
Amanda stated, "He and I met four years ago at the train station, when I was dropping Dean MacGuire off...I was on my way back to my car when Lee approached me, asking for my help with a package, and..."
When Amanda finished telling Joe about her involvement the last few years with the Agency, and her position there, Joe got up from the couch answering gravely, "I need an aspirin, because I know you have more to tell me. Do you need anything?"
Amanda replied softly, "Some tea would be nice, Joe. Thank you."
Despite her obvious chest pain, she turned slightly as she watched her ex-husband get the aspirin, and prepare her tea, and commented, "Now, Joe, I know what I've already said has been a shock, but I need you to understand that it has to be kept secret between the four of us-"
Joe stood at the counter in front of the stove as the tea kettle whistled loudly, and shutting off the stove, put it on another burner after pouring the hot water into the tea cup with the tea bag.
Letting the bag steep he questioned her, "Wait...You, me, Stetson...Who else?"
Amanda gulped nervously answering softly, "M-Mother-"
Joe, stunned, asked her, "Your mother?! How did she find out?"
Amanda put up a hand remarking gently, "Joe, please. Just bring over my tea, and I'll finish the story, alright? Unless, you want tea, also?"
Joe shook his head answering grimly, "No, my beverage of choice here is going to be beer..."
Going to the fridge, he pulled out a can, and opening it, washed down the aspirin with it!
Amanda shook her head replying, "Joe, you really should have taken water with it-"
Joe commented firmly as put the can on the kitchen counter and looked at her, "Excuse me! I'm a bit thrown here, okay? You do things your way, and I'll do them mine!"
Taking a deep breath and letting it out slowly, he brought her tea over, and then remembering his beer, grabbed the can, and a coaster he found in a drawer, and sitting back down on the couch, sighed answering as he placed the beer can with the coaster on the coffee table in front of them, "I'm-I'm sorry, Amanda...So, you were saying?"
-SMK-
Lee at that very moment, entered the Agency foyer, and remembering he didn't have that day's password, stated to Mrs. Marston, "I just got back, so if you could just let Mr. Melrose-"
Then he realized Mrs. Marston was subtly giving Lee a clue by signaling the motion of a wash cloth, he half smiled responding, "Ahh...Washout. Thank you."
Giving him his ID, she replied, "You're welcome for the help, just this one time, however. And I hope Mrs. King is well soon, Mr. Stetson."
Lee nodded answering as he headed for the elevator, "I'll give her your best. Thank you, Mrs. Marston."
A few moments later, Lee got off the elevator at the Bullpen area, and Billy strode over to clasp his hands, stating with a gesture towards his office, "Good to see you, Scarecrow...Let's go sit down."
Lee followed Billy into the office, and Francine gave him a hug asking, "How are you doing, huh?"
Returning a brief hug to Francine, and taking a deep breath and letting it out, he commented as he sat on the couch, "Better, now that Amanda's back home, and on the road to recovery."
Then seeing Billy getting a glass and filling it with liquor from the decanter, smiled asking, "Hey, how did you know I'd be wanting some of that?"
Billy smiled as he brought the glass to Lee, and handing it to him, shrugged replying, "Stands to reason after all you went through...But there are some things we need to clear up from the time you left town, Lee..."
Lee sat there racking his brain as he sipped the cool liquid. What could Billy be referring to? He shrugged answering, "Okay, but I don't know what you mean, Billy. The reports were finished and handed in on time. Amanda proofread them herself like she always does, and we-"
Billy answered, "Well, Francine and I were curious about the limo you took to the airport, after the Nick Grant case was finished that day? You both seemed in an awful hurry to catch your flight-er, flights..."
Lee chuckled nervously, "Uh, well, you know the rush hour stuff on the way to Dulles is murder on a Friday-"
Francine remarked, "So that's why Amanda drove you both to the airport?"
Lee nodded responding quickly, "Yeah, believe it or not, she found a shortcut to Dulles! We made our flights in plenty of time."
Then he saw a look pass between Billy and Francine and asked, "What's wrong?"
Billy then going to his desk, opened one of the manilla folders laying there and replied slowly, "Well, two forms showed up in this folder, which only had expense accounts in it. Now, I didn't think anything of it, because your name was on both, but I had to ask you because what I found was a pension document and inquries for dependent breaks, and two salary hikes?"
As Lee was trying to come up with a reasonable answer, Billy shook his head stating, "Look, I'm not angry, but we should get it out in the open now considering I told you and Amanda a while back that whatever your relationship was at the moment was fine with me, hmm?"
Getting on his phone then, he dialed the Steno extension, and when one of the women answered Billy stated, "No calls."
Hanging up, he brought a chair over next to Francine, facing the couch where Lee sat, and then sitting down, remarked, " I also talked to you about the new administrative position, if you were interested. So now, if the two of you were thinking of getting married, why didn't you just tell us? Why the secrecy, unless..."
Lee looked at both Billy and Francine's questioning glances, and responded to Francine first, "What's that look about? Huh? C'mon, out with it!"
Francine gulped and shrugging, said with a gesture, "Okay, remember when I thought you and Amanda were trying to date? I was really concerned, and I was just warning her about you, because of your history with women-me included. And-And she assured me that our talk helped her decide not to date you after all, but then, I'd catch you both doing weird things at the strangest times-"
Billy sighed, having had enough of Francine's sudden babbling, and queried to Lee point-blank, "Is Amanda pregnant?"
Lee, who had taken another sip of his drink, suddenly choked on it, and gasped as Billy got up instantly to pat his back, while Francine got him water!
Billy asked urgently, "You alright, Son?"
He raised his hand commenting hoarsely, "G-Give me a minute here...Geez!"
Coughing a few more times, he sipped the water next, and clearing his throat blurted out without thinking, "No, she's not pregnant! And how the hell do you figure that would even happen when we're constantly interrupt-"
Lee, knowing his perverbial goose was cooked, sank against the couch defeatedly as Billy queried gently, "Then what's going on, Lee?"
Lee thought, Damn! How do I get out of this one?
TBC
