Sorry this last part took so long, had a little personal emergency. --myamanda
Chapter 8
"...me some more cold water....Lee...Lee...honey...think he's waking...."
Voices drifted through his mind, floating in and out, not making sense. Not that anything had made sense lately. And with no Amanda...god, it just seemed easier to go back to sleep...stay asleep...
A light shake, a gentle slap on his face. The smell of familiar perfume.
"Lee? Please answer me. Lee!"
His eyes flew open, and he looked up into her worried face. Of course she was worried, he'd fallen on her walk. She was probably afraid he'd sue.
"M'okay."
"Daddy?"
A tiny face, so like his own, popped into view beside Amanda's.
"L.J.?"
"Daddy, you fell down."
Amanda's voice was tight, serious, the words spilling out too fast. "Jamie, please take your little brother. Lee, please sit up and talk to me. You're scaring me."
"What happened?"
Lee sat up, leaning against the wall beneath the open bedroom window. He had a headache, and got a headrush from sitting up, but other than that, he felt okay.
Jamie and Philip sat perched on the end of the bed, bemused smiles overtaking the concern on their faces. Three-year-old L.J. sat beside Jamie, head cocked at his parents sprawled in the floor.
"You mixed bleach and ammonia, Dad. Not too smart."
"Jamie!" his mother admonished. She turned to Lee. "Bleach and ammonia create toxic fumes. They caused you to pass out. We called poison control and they said as long as you hadn't been out too long or been deprived of oxygen you should be fine, but I'd like to take you in for observation just in case, I mean you never know..."
She was cut off as Lee grabbed her face and kissed her with the force of a lost lifetime.
"Eeeew," came a small voice from the bed.
"We heard this big thud up here, and went and got mom, you know, because of all the s-p-y stuff," Jamie continued, spelling for the benefit of Lee Jr., who did not know or care what his parents did, as long as his supply of Power Rangers was unabated.
Lee turned to the boys, as though making sure they were real. "Thank you. For everything."
Philip and Jamie looked embarrassed, not sure they deserved thanks. "Uh, yeah, no problem." Philip recovered first. "Well, we figured if something happened to you one of *us* would have to clean the bathroom....", he grinned.
Amanda rolled her eyes. "Alright, wise guys, get out of here and get busy. Show's over."
Two lanky teenage bodies shuffled from the room, while a smaller one made his way across the carpet.
Squatting down, L.J. looked his dad in the eye. "Where did you go, daddy?"
Amanda reached out to smooth her son's defiant cowlick. "He didn't go anywhere, buddy, he just fell asleep for a little while. "
With the uncanny knowledge of young children, the small boy reached for his father's left hand. His pudgy fingers pointed at the wedding ring shining there. "See, daddy, it's back. It's okay now." And with that, he picked up his juice cup and left the room.
Lee stared at his wife, taking in every inch of her face. "My god you are so beautiful." She blushed; he could still surprise her. Leaning forward, he reached for her, and she moved happily into his arms. "And I am so lucky to get a chance to tell you that every day." His lips rested briefly on hers. "Do you have any idea how much I love you?"
She smiled, and while he was sure there had been other women in his life, he couldn't remember one of them.
"You know, if this is what happens to you when you breathe poison gas, I may have to start carrying some with me."
He laughed. "How long was I out?"
"Oh, five, ten minutes."
"You're kidding." He shook his head. "I had the most bizarre dream..."
She waited, running cool fingers through his hair as she looked into his eyes.
"Never mind. It doesn't matter now." A lump formed in his throat. "But my life would not have been the same without you, and I am so glad that you're my wife."
Tears sprang to her eyes, and she placed tiny kisses on his face. "I can't imagine my life without you either. We wouldn't have L.J., the boys wouldn't have you for a dad..."
"Speaking of the boys, 'Manda, " he looked up hopefully into her face. "Ever thought of trying for a girl?"
The End
