Chapter 5
Wednesday, August 5th
7:00AM
Orphanage
Moscow
The three Russian women watched with amazement as Lee carried the boxes in from the back of the car. He put them in the sitting room and returned with a stroller and larger duffel bag. Noticing the strange looks on the faces of Sister Nadya, Elena, and Anna, he gave them a sheepish grin. "I had absolutely nothing to do with this. Really. I'm just the brawn in this operation." Elena shook her head, laughing, as she made her way upstairs.
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Amanda walked into the nursery with her stomach in knots. Today was the day they would legally become Nikolai's parents. But first, she needed to see him. She hadn't been able to sleep at all at the hotel and had pestered Lee into leaving earlier than he had wanted, but now they were here, and she was more nervous than ever. 'I should just stay away today. The less I see him, the better it will be if something goes wrong.' Her need to see him, though, won out in the end. The conversation the night before with Phillip and Jamie had gone surprisingly well. Both boys had thought it 'cool' that they were going to have a little brother around the house. Especially Jamie. Amanda knew from the tone of his voice that he was looking forward to being a big brother. She headed over to Nikolai's crib, smiling as she thought of all three of her boys together. She and Lee were the luckiest two people in the whole world.
Francine had reluctantly agreed to accompany them to the orphanage, knowing it would be pointless for them to come back to the hotel and pick her up for their court appearance. She followed Amanda into the room with trepidation. Children were definitely not her thing. Everyone knew that. Sure, they were cute -- but only one at a time and in limited doses. The thought of several at once sent Francine into an almost catatonic state. She prided herself on being up to any challenge her job threw at her, luckily, none of these jobs ever had her undercover in a day care center.
As she entered the room, she spotted Amanda at the side of a crib, whispering lovingly to whomever was occupying it. She walked quietly up next to her and peered over the rail cautiously. What was it she had heard about waking a sleeping baby? The sight that awaited Francine was something she hadn't expected. One of the cutest babies she had ever seen was sleepily smiling up at Amanda, his hands wrapped tightly around her fingers, trying to shove them in his mouth. Francine was amazed to find a baby who looked like he actually could be Lee and Amanda's biological child. His eyes were the same color brown as Amanda's and his hair the same as Lee's. And those dimples!
"Oh, just what western civilization needs, another devastating Stetson smile," Francine whispered teasingly.
"Scary, isn't it?" Amanda asked with a laugh. "You know, Francine, the last three days have been like something out of a 'made for TV' movie. I'm still not sure any of this is happening." She reached down and picked up a wiggling Nikolai, who grabbed her cheeks and tried desperately to suck on her nose. Laughing, she walked to the center of the room, placing the baby on the changing table. Francine followed, handing the diaper bag she had been carrying to Amanda. "Looks like those clothes I brought over will come in handy. Leaving what we don't need here was a good idea, Amanda. I'm sure the Sisters will appreciate it. Timothy told me that when they adopted Sergei, they had to leave 'gifts' at the orphanage. From what he said, they also had to bring something for the interpreter, the lawyer, and the judge." She watched as Amanda expertly took off the baby's clothes and diaper and began redressing him. "Lucky for you, I have the only 'gift' you'll need. Did you see the look on that Customs officer's face when she spotted Ronnie's letter? I'm quite surprised she didn't question its authenticity. Of course, we were probably followed until they were satisfied this is the only reason I'm here."
"We've been lucky throughout this whole thing. It's just amazing." Amanda stopped dressing Nikolai for a moment and looked at Francine, "I'm going to thank you now, in case I forget later," she said quietly. "This is the most unselfish thing you have ever done for us, Francine. I really don't know what I could ever do to repay you for your friendship during this." Francine started to open her mouth, looking flustered, and Amanda continued. "Don't worry, I won't spread it around and I won't throw it back in your face once we get home. But I really want you to know what this means to Lee and me. It would have taken so much longer without your help." She returned to dressing Nikolai as she finished.
Francine found her voice and composed herself. "Well, you know, I do have some prior experience in this area. I went through a lot of the legal end of Timothy and Claire's adoption last year, I'm more fluent in Russian than you and Lee put together, although you'd think Lee would have picked up a bit more Russian in the last sixteen years. And being unattached, it just made sense that I'd be the one who came." Francine waved a dismissive hand at Amanda and had turned away. "Don't let this go to your head, Mrs. Stetson. It certainly doesn't change a thing between us." She softened a bit as she continued, so quietly that Amanda wasn't sure she was hearing right, "You're still teaching me a lot about being a friend."
They were interrupted as Lee strode through the door, a huge grin on his face. "Where's my little man?" he bellowed.
"Shhh!" both women simultaneously turned swiftly around to silence him.
"Sorry." He grinned sheepishly and held up his hands in apology.
Thankfully, he hadn't awakened any of the sleeping babies, but Nikolai had heard him, and was frantically twisting around on the changing table, looking for the source of the voice. He started grunting and reaching out his arms as soon as Lee came into his view. "There you are, buddy! Are you hungry? Your Grandma is going to tell you all about how important breakfast is once we get you home. And for now, I'm going to have to stand behind her. But once you're older, we can find ways to work around that if you want to." Lee had walked to the table and picked up the bottle Elena had prepared earlier. He turned and sat in the rocker he had occupied the night before and began to talk softly to Nikolai as the baby drank hungrily from the bottle.
"Now that is a sight," Francine stood staring at Lee and Nikolai. "I had enough problems picturing him with teenage boys, but this is definitely something I can say I never expected to witness." She shook her head and went to look out the window.
Amanda followed Francine and stood next to her looking out at Moscow. Taking a deep breath, she closed her eyes. "Why is it that neither you nor Lee can 'see' him in that way? I've seen it for years now. I've noticed a change in him in the last couple of days. He's starting to come around, but it's fairly recent. I just don't get what it is that has you, and the rest of the office for that matter, convinced that this 'Daddy' thing isn't Lee." She sighed, turning her back to the window to watch her husband and the child who would soon be their son. "It is so Lee," she continued gently. "He's gentle, loving, protective . . . all the qualities that make a wonderful father. He's always been that way . . . "
Francine turned as well as she quietly cut Amanda's words off with her own. "It just took you to bring it out of him. No one else could have done that. I suppose I saw glimpses of it before the whole package incident but no one ever cared to see that side of 'Scarecrow.' Myself included. No one else ever even tried. I honestly don't know of anyone before you that wanted 'Lee', and not his secret, glamorous, alter ego. And of course, this," she gestured to Lee and Nikolai, keeping her voice low so that Lee couldn't hear them, "isn't Scarecrow. This is most definitely Lee." Francine smiled. "Joke's on the rest of us, huh? You knew all along who he really was. I sure wish I had your faith and patience." With that, she walked across the room to Lee, placing a hand on his shoulder. "He's gorgeous, Lee. I'm really very happy to be able to help you." She started for the door and stopped, turning slowly to face Lee and Amanda again. "But don't forget what I said earlier, Amanda." She pointed a perfectly manicured finger at them. "If I hear anything I said or may say today repeated to me or to anyone at the Agency, I will make your lives miserable. Do we understand each other?" At the couple's simultaneous nod, she continued. "Good, I have a reputation to uphold, you know. I'll be downstairs resting in front of that lovely fire I spotted as we came in. It seems quieter down there, and I have a feeling I'm going to need the solitude for as long as I can get it today." Francine turned abruptly and walked out of the room without another word.
Lee turned back to Amanda with a puzzled look. "What the heck was that all about?"
Amanda chuckled. "Nothing, Lee, just Francine being Francine. Don't mind her."
"She scares me when she gets like this," he answered with a grin. "It's almost like she's got some kind of a heart in there."
"Lee!" Amanda scolded. "Now I know I've not been her biggest fan but we sort of have an 'understanding' between us. Honestly? I'd trust her with our children's lives. I know you would, too. And I know she feels the same about us. Just try not to be rude while we're here, okay? I have the feeling this is as much for her as it is for us. There's just something about her attitude that has me thinking."
He nodded slowly and looked down at Nikolai and slipped the bottle out of the baby's mouth. "He's finished, would you like to do the honors? I know how much you appreciate a good, manly belch." He winked at her, and stood to hand over the half-sleeping baby.
"Of course. Maybe I can instill some good manners in him before you get a hold of his fragile little psyche," she said, laughing at his innocent 'who me?' look.
"Well, Dr. Stetson, shall I go find you an ice cream bar?" He raised an eyebrow at her.
"Very funny. Pfaff I'm not." She suddenly realized they had been there for quite a while and started to panic at the thought of missing their appointment. "What time is it?"
"We're fine, Amanda. We have another fifteen minutes before we need to leave. Relax with Nikolai; it's probably the last time you'll see him until tonight." He leaned in to kiss her forehead. "I'm going to go down and talk to Sister Nadya before we head out. Want me to come get you when it's time to leave?"
"No, I'm going to put him back down and I'll be right there. I just want to say goodbye."
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Moscow Courthouse
Wednesday
9:00 am
Moscow time
Lee, Amanda, Francine, and John Devin, a lawyer from the American Embassy, sat anxiously in front of Judge Romanov as he read through the papers given to him by Devin. Devin leaned up and whispered to Lee, "I've never been in front of Romanov before, I've heard good things, though." He smiled thinly and sat back against his chair.
Judge Romanov flipped the papers back and forth and looked up incredulously at them. "You are serious?" he asked. Lee and Amanda nodded and he continued, "You are American Intelligence agents, how did you come to this decision?"
"Well, sir, it wasn't what we came here for," Lee began.
"Obviously." The judge raised an eyebrow at Lee.
Lee fervently hoped this judge wasn't in the Mafia's pocket. If he was, they were finished. Butsayev's group was closely connected with the Mafia, from what McCarty had told him. He stole a glance at Amanda, hoping the same thing hadn't occurred to her.
"I have heard that the two of you were the agents who brought down Butsayev and his little cell of dissidents. The KGB has sent over a recommendation on your case. But, before I make my decision final, I would like to hear this . . . story . . . of yours." He leaned back in his chair, folding his hands and resting them on his chest.
Amanda looked nervously at Lee and then turned back to look at Francine. She had opened her mouth to speak when she was startled by Lee's voice. She turned back to find him standing. "Your Honor, you are aware of the circumstances under which we arrived at the orphanage. Once there, we were introduced to the staff and welcomed into the everyday routine. While I contacted the American Embassy, my wife stayed with the orphanage staff. Amanda," he gestured to her with his right hand, "was feeding one of the babies when I found her. It was Nikolai. She introduced me to him, let me hold him, and left us alone for a while. It's hard to explain, Your Honor. We had only just met, but there was an instant connection between that little boy and me." Lee closed his eyes and ran his hand through his hair. "I strongly believe this is the right thing for us to do. No one is more surprised than I am, but I know this is why we are here. We have two older boys at home who can't wait to meet their baby brother, an office full of colleagues who have already stood behind what we're doing and contributed greatly to our needs, and, well," he looked down at Amanda with a smile and took her hand in his, "this little guy, he belongs in our family just as much as our older sons do. Your Honor, the last thing I ever expected was to adopt a Russian baby. But honestly, it's the only thing I want right now. I realize that our," he cleared his throat nervously, "*occupation,* puts us in a unique position in this case." Lee looked away from the judge for a moment and started to speak again, but was silenced by the judge.
"Thank you, Mr. Stetson. Mrs. Stetson, do you have anything to say?"
Amanda stood hesitantly, squeezing Lee's hand for reassurance. "Well, Your Honor, I feel the same way, if not more strongly, as my husband. I was sure I was finished raising babies but being with Nikolai has filled something I didn't know was empty until I held him. As Lee said earlier, we are in a unique position with our jobs, but Sir, this will be an advantage for Nikolai. We have better access to Russia than civilians and will be able to provide him with links to his heritage that most people can't. But, in regard to my job, that is all it is to me. My children are more important to me than any job. If it were necessary, I would give up my job for my family. I just wanted to make that clear. Thank you, Your Honor." Amanda and Lee sat and he slipped his arm around her shoulders.
The judge sat forward again, flipping through the paperwork slowly.
A woman from the Guardianship Department stood and confirmed that Nikolai was indeed old enough, healthy, and had no known blood relations. Devin translated her part of the hearing as the Judge started signing their forms and thanked her. After a moment, he looked up at Lee and Amanda. "I know this may surprise you, but I am very impressed with your request. Russia has too many children waiting for families. I believe that what you are offering, although outside Nikolai's native land, is in his best interests."
Amanda squeezed Lee's hand again as a grin spread across her face. Lee sat silently, nodding in agreement with the judge.
Judge Romanov continued soberly, "The irony of this situation is not lost on the court. But neither is the opportunity of a loving, stable family for a little boy who won't get that if you leave our country without him. We need better policies in dealing with our orphans than we have now. The two of you are in the position to do something about that," he pointed at them grimly. "Along with Gorbachev's new programs and policies, we need adoptive families to be helpful in bringing about this change. I sincerely hope that you will use this experience, and your positions with the American government, to help the children here. With that being said, I am satisfied that you are honest in your petition and will provide Nikolai with a better life than he could have here. Your petition for adoption of Nikolai is approved and I am waiving the ten-day waiting period."
At the judge's statement, the four Americans stood. Lee slapped his hands together. "Yeah!" he said, then turned and threw his arms around Amanda, lifting her off the ground.
" Lee!" Amanda exclaimed happily. Lee kissed her before putting her down. She turned to Francine who reached out and squeezed her hand. Lee moved to the judge and shook his hand saying, "Thank you, Your Honor. We appreciate your support. You don't know what this means to us. Thank you."
"I have an idea," he replied quietly. "You just take care of that baby," he ordered gruffly. "This will be a challenge for you. He is Russian, even in America and your family. Do not forget that." He turned and retreated through a door behind his desk.
John Devin was talking with Amanda and Francine when Lee returned to the group, " . . . get his Immigrant Visa. It should only take the day to get this all together. I know everything at the Embassy is in order, we just need to have these papers translated and get the new birth certificate and his adoption certificate. He also needs a passport, which has already been started," he added with a satisfied look, "and then the Visa will be issued. If everything goes well, you should be out of here tomorrow afternoon. The only hold up would be getting the papers translated and that may put you out Friday morning. We'll arrange flights for all three of you once the paperwork is complete. Are you ready?" He looked at Lee with a grin. "Let's go get this taken care of and get you home."
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Their first stop was to the Civil Registration Office to pick up Nikolai's adoption and corrected birth certificates and then they headed for the Visa and Registration Department for his passport.
After discussing it with each other for a few hours the previous night, Lee and Amanda had decided to change Nikolai's name slightly and give him Lee's name as a middle name. The birth and adoption certificates each reflected this change. Devin had obtained a picture of the baby and once again, the procedure went off without a hitch. Things were definitely coming together. Lee had read the birth certificate over and over on their drive from the VRD to the Embassy. Nikolas Lee Stetson. It was still hard to believe. The boys were as close to him as sons could be, but they had Joe's last name. Nicky would carry Lee's name on after he and Amanda were gone. It was something Lee hadn't really thought about much. The thought now warmed him in a way he was unfamiliar with.
Arriving at the American Embassy, Devin dropped the three agents off at the curb, while he went to park the car. They stood outside the doors, waiting for Devin to join them. Amanda breathed a sigh of relief and leaned her head on Lee's chest. "It's finally over, although I can't imagine it going any faster. Can you believe some people wait months for this? I would have gone crazy waiting that long. Of course, most people don't find the baby first, they go through the channels a totally different way than we did and they probably have to do a lot of this stuff on their own. I'm so glad we didn't have to wade through this all by ourselves. It's such a shame that so much of this is so difficult . . . "
"Amanda," Lee interrupted, "slow down. We're not out of the woods yet. I won't feel relieved until we're stepping off the plane in Dulles."
"Sorry. It's the lack of sleep, the excitement. I've gotten my second wind, I think," Amanda sighed again, turning to walk up the steps with Lee.
"Second? At last count I had about seventeen," Francine interjected dryly as Devin joined her. "You do realize it is one o'clock and we haven't eaten lunch yet? Let's get moving here, you two." She turned on her heel and strode off toward the main doors, their attorney following her quietly.
As they entered the Embassy and headed up the stairs to Devin's office, Amanda looked questioningly at Lee. "Is it just me or does it seem like she's trying a bit too hard to be sarcastic?" Lee chuckled and nodded.
"Looks to me like Francine is having a hard time keeping up her façade. John and I were talking earlier and it seems he is interested in our Ms. Desmond." Lee snorted. "Poor man, won't even know what hit him."
As they reached the top of the stairs, McCarty hollered at them from the bottom. "Stetson! Hold up! I've got a message for you," he continued as he bounded up the steps.
"McCarty, I wondered if we'd see you today. What's up?" Lee had turned and stood waiting for the other agent to reach him. John and Francine had reached the door to his office and turned back toward them when they heard McCarty.
"Well," the agent looked at his feet and took a deep breath. "I just got a call from the orphanage and it seems that there's an emergency there."
Amanda had turned sharply at the mention of the orphanage and she gasped at McCarty's words. "Lee!"
Lee felt her grip on his arm tighten as the same feeling gripped his chest. He took a deep breath to keep himself from bolting out the door. "What kind of emergency?" He asked calmly. A little too calmly. 'I wish I felt as calm as I sound,' he thought.
"I'm not sure, man, it was a weird message. It was one of the Russian women but she was very upset. Something about a man and the baby. She kept asking for you and saying they needed to hurry. That's about all I could . . . " He stopped talking as he realized Lee and Amanda had taken off back down the stairs away from him. "Do you want some back-up?" he called after them as they disappeared out the doors. He turned back toward Francine and John. "I'm gonna get Draper and head over there, too. You coming?"
John looked at Francine questioningly. "I have a few things I can check out here. Are you staying with me or going with him?"
Francine motioned to McCarty, "Go ahead. Tell Lee we'll be there shortly."
McCarty nodded. "I'll call back here when I know what's going on."
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TBC
Wednesday, August 5th
7:00AM
Orphanage
Moscow
The three Russian women watched with amazement as Lee carried the boxes in from the back of the car. He put them in the sitting room and returned with a stroller and larger duffel bag. Noticing the strange looks on the faces of Sister Nadya, Elena, and Anna, he gave them a sheepish grin. "I had absolutely nothing to do with this. Really. I'm just the brawn in this operation." Elena shook her head, laughing, as she made her way upstairs.
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Amanda walked into the nursery with her stomach in knots. Today was the day they would legally become Nikolai's parents. But first, she needed to see him. She hadn't been able to sleep at all at the hotel and had pestered Lee into leaving earlier than he had wanted, but now they were here, and she was more nervous than ever. 'I should just stay away today. The less I see him, the better it will be if something goes wrong.' Her need to see him, though, won out in the end. The conversation the night before with Phillip and Jamie had gone surprisingly well. Both boys had thought it 'cool' that they were going to have a little brother around the house. Especially Jamie. Amanda knew from the tone of his voice that he was looking forward to being a big brother. She headed over to Nikolai's crib, smiling as she thought of all three of her boys together. She and Lee were the luckiest two people in the whole world.
Francine had reluctantly agreed to accompany them to the orphanage, knowing it would be pointless for them to come back to the hotel and pick her up for their court appearance. She followed Amanda into the room with trepidation. Children were definitely not her thing. Everyone knew that. Sure, they were cute -- but only one at a time and in limited doses. The thought of several at once sent Francine into an almost catatonic state. She prided herself on being up to any challenge her job threw at her, luckily, none of these jobs ever had her undercover in a day care center.
As she entered the room, she spotted Amanda at the side of a crib, whispering lovingly to whomever was occupying it. She walked quietly up next to her and peered over the rail cautiously. What was it she had heard about waking a sleeping baby? The sight that awaited Francine was something she hadn't expected. One of the cutest babies she had ever seen was sleepily smiling up at Amanda, his hands wrapped tightly around her fingers, trying to shove them in his mouth. Francine was amazed to find a baby who looked like he actually could be Lee and Amanda's biological child. His eyes were the same color brown as Amanda's and his hair the same as Lee's. And those dimples!
"Oh, just what western civilization needs, another devastating Stetson smile," Francine whispered teasingly.
"Scary, isn't it?" Amanda asked with a laugh. "You know, Francine, the last three days have been like something out of a 'made for TV' movie. I'm still not sure any of this is happening." She reached down and picked up a wiggling Nikolai, who grabbed her cheeks and tried desperately to suck on her nose. Laughing, she walked to the center of the room, placing the baby on the changing table. Francine followed, handing the diaper bag she had been carrying to Amanda. "Looks like those clothes I brought over will come in handy. Leaving what we don't need here was a good idea, Amanda. I'm sure the Sisters will appreciate it. Timothy told me that when they adopted Sergei, they had to leave 'gifts' at the orphanage. From what he said, they also had to bring something for the interpreter, the lawyer, and the judge." She watched as Amanda expertly took off the baby's clothes and diaper and began redressing him. "Lucky for you, I have the only 'gift' you'll need. Did you see the look on that Customs officer's face when she spotted Ronnie's letter? I'm quite surprised she didn't question its authenticity. Of course, we were probably followed until they were satisfied this is the only reason I'm here."
"We've been lucky throughout this whole thing. It's just amazing." Amanda stopped dressing Nikolai for a moment and looked at Francine, "I'm going to thank you now, in case I forget later," she said quietly. "This is the most unselfish thing you have ever done for us, Francine. I really don't know what I could ever do to repay you for your friendship during this." Francine started to open her mouth, looking flustered, and Amanda continued. "Don't worry, I won't spread it around and I won't throw it back in your face once we get home. But I really want you to know what this means to Lee and me. It would have taken so much longer without your help." She returned to dressing Nikolai as she finished.
Francine found her voice and composed herself. "Well, you know, I do have some prior experience in this area. I went through a lot of the legal end of Timothy and Claire's adoption last year, I'm more fluent in Russian than you and Lee put together, although you'd think Lee would have picked up a bit more Russian in the last sixteen years. And being unattached, it just made sense that I'd be the one who came." Francine waved a dismissive hand at Amanda and had turned away. "Don't let this go to your head, Mrs. Stetson. It certainly doesn't change a thing between us." She softened a bit as she continued, so quietly that Amanda wasn't sure she was hearing right, "You're still teaching me a lot about being a friend."
They were interrupted as Lee strode through the door, a huge grin on his face. "Where's my little man?" he bellowed.
"Shhh!" both women simultaneously turned swiftly around to silence him.
"Sorry." He grinned sheepishly and held up his hands in apology.
Thankfully, he hadn't awakened any of the sleeping babies, but Nikolai had heard him, and was frantically twisting around on the changing table, looking for the source of the voice. He started grunting and reaching out his arms as soon as Lee came into his view. "There you are, buddy! Are you hungry? Your Grandma is going to tell you all about how important breakfast is once we get you home. And for now, I'm going to have to stand behind her. But once you're older, we can find ways to work around that if you want to." Lee had walked to the table and picked up the bottle Elena had prepared earlier. He turned and sat in the rocker he had occupied the night before and began to talk softly to Nikolai as the baby drank hungrily from the bottle.
"Now that is a sight," Francine stood staring at Lee and Nikolai. "I had enough problems picturing him with teenage boys, but this is definitely something I can say I never expected to witness." She shook her head and went to look out the window.
Amanda followed Francine and stood next to her looking out at Moscow. Taking a deep breath, she closed her eyes. "Why is it that neither you nor Lee can 'see' him in that way? I've seen it for years now. I've noticed a change in him in the last couple of days. He's starting to come around, but it's fairly recent. I just don't get what it is that has you, and the rest of the office for that matter, convinced that this 'Daddy' thing isn't Lee." She sighed, turning her back to the window to watch her husband and the child who would soon be their son. "It is so Lee," she continued gently. "He's gentle, loving, protective . . . all the qualities that make a wonderful father. He's always been that way . . . "
Francine turned as well as she quietly cut Amanda's words off with her own. "It just took you to bring it out of him. No one else could have done that. I suppose I saw glimpses of it before the whole package incident but no one ever cared to see that side of 'Scarecrow.' Myself included. No one else ever even tried. I honestly don't know of anyone before you that wanted 'Lee', and not his secret, glamorous, alter ego. And of course, this," she gestured to Lee and Nikolai, keeping her voice low so that Lee couldn't hear them, "isn't Scarecrow. This is most definitely Lee." Francine smiled. "Joke's on the rest of us, huh? You knew all along who he really was. I sure wish I had your faith and patience." With that, she walked across the room to Lee, placing a hand on his shoulder. "He's gorgeous, Lee. I'm really very happy to be able to help you." She started for the door and stopped, turning slowly to face Lee and Amanda again. "But don't forget what I said earlier, Amanda." She pointed a perfectly manicured finger at them. "If I hear anything I said or may say today repeated to me or to anyone at the Agency, I will make your lives miserable. Do we understand each other?" At the couple's simultaneous nod, she continued. "Good, I have a reputation to uphold, you know. I'll be downstairs resting in front of that lovely fire I spotted as we came in. It seems quieter down there, and I have a feeling I'm going to need the solitude for as long as I can get it today." Francine turned abruptly and walked out of the room without another word.
Lee turned back to Amanda with a puzzled look. "What the heck was that all about?"
Amanda chuckled. "Nothing, Lee, just Francine being Francine. Don't mind her."
"She scares me when she gets like this," he answered with a grin. "It's almost like she's got some kind of a heart in there."
"Lee!" Amanda scolded. "Now I know I've not been her biggest fan but we sort of have an 'understanding' between us. Honestly? I'd trust her with our children's lives. I know you would, too. And I know she feels the same about us. Just try not to be rude while we're here, okay? I have the feeling this is as much for her as it is for us. There's just something about her attitude that has me thinking."
He nodded slowly and looked down at Nikolai and slipped the bottle out of the baby's mouth. "He's finished, would you like to do the honors? I know how much you appreciate a good, manly belch." He winked at her, and stood to hand over the half-sleeping baby.
"Of course. Maybe I can instill some good manners in him before you get a hold of his fragile little psyche," she said, laughing at his innocent 'who me?' look.
"Well, Dr. Stetson, shall I go find you an ice cream bar?" He raised an eyebrow at her.
"Very funny. Pfaff I'm not." She suddenly realized they had been there for quite a while and started to panic at the thought of missing their appointment. "What time is it?"
"We're fine, Amanda. We have another fifteen minutes before we need to leave. Relax with Nikolai; it's probably the last time you'll see him until tonight." He leaned in to kiss her forehead. "I'm going to go down and talk to Sister Nadya before we head out. Want me to come get you when it's time to leave?"
"No, I'm going to put him back down and I'll be right there. I just want to say goodbye."
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Moscow Courthouse
Wednesday
9:00 am
Moscow time
Lee, Amanda, Francine, and John Devin, a lawyer from the American Embassy, sat anxiously in front of Judge Romanov as he read through the papers given to him by Devin. Devin leaned up and whispered to Lee, "I've never been in front of Romanov before, I've heard good things, though." He smiled thinly and sat back against his chair.
Judge Romanov flipped the papers back and forth and looked up incredulously at them. "You are serious?" he asked. Lee and Amanda nodded and he continued, "You are American Intelligence agents, how did you come to this decision?"
"Well, sir, it wasn't what we came here for," Lee began.
"Obviously." The judge raised an eyebrow at Lee.
Lee fervently hoped this judge wasn't in the Mafia's pocket. If he was, they were finished. Butsayev's group was closely connected with the Mafia, from what McCarty had told him. He stole a glance at Amanda, hoping the same thing hadn't occurred to her.
"I have heard that the two of you were the agents who brought down Butsayev and his little cell of dissidents. The KGB has sent over a recommendation on your case. But, before I make my decision final, I would like to hear this . . . story . . . of yours." He leaned back in his chair, folding his hands and resting them on his chest.
Amanda looked nervously at Lee and then turned back to look at Francine. She had opened her mouth to speak when she was startled by Lee's voice. She turned back to find him standing. "Your Honor, you are aware of the circumstances under which we arrived at the orphanage. Once there, we were introduced to the staff and welcomed into the everyday routine. While I contacted the American Embassy, my wife stayed with the orphanage staff. Amanda," he gestured to her with his right hand, "was feeding one of the babies when I found her. It was Nikolai. She introduced me to him, let me hold him, and left us alone for a while. It's hard to explain, Your Honor. We had only just met, but there was an instant connection between that little boy and me." Lee closed his eyes and ran his hand through his hair. "I strongly believe this is the right thing for us to do. No one is more surprised than I am, but I know this is why we are here. We have two older boys at home who can't wait to meet their baby brother, an office full of colleagues who have already stood behind what we're doing and contributed greatly to our needs, and, well," he looked down at Amanda with a smile and took her hand in his, "this little guy, he belongs in our family just as much as our older sons do. Your Honor, the last thing I ever expected was to adopt a Russian baby. But honestly, it's the only thing I want right now. I realize that our," he cleared his throat nervously, "*occupation,* puts us in a unique position in this case." Lee looked away from the judge for a moment and started to speak again, but was silenced by the judge.
"Thank you, Mr. Stetson. Mrs. Stetson, do you have anything to say?"
Amanda stood hesitantly, squeezing Lee's hand for reassurance. "Well, Your Honor, I feel the same way, if not more strongly, as my husband. I was sure I was finished raising babies but being with Nikolai has filled something I didn't know was empty until I held him. As Lee said earlier, we are in a unique position with our jobs, but Sir, this will be an advantage for Nikolai. We have better access to Russia than civilians and will be able to provide him with links to his heritage that most people can't. But, in regard to my job, that is all it is to me. My children are more important to me than any job. If it were necessary, I would give up my job for my family. I just wanted to make that clear. Thank you, Your Honor." Amanda and Lee sat and he slipped his arm around her shoulders.
The judge sat forward again, flipping through the paperwork slowly.
A woman from the Guardianship Department stood and confirmed that Nikolai was indeed old enough, healthy, and had no known blood relations. Devin translated her part of the hearing as the Judge started signing their forms and thanked her. After a moment, he looked up at Lee and Amanda. "I know this may surprise you, but I am very impressed with your request. Russia has too many children waiting for families. I believe that what you are offering, although outside Nikolai's native land, is in his best interests."
Amanda squeezed Lee's hand again as a grin spread across her face. Lee sat silently, nodding in agreement with the judge.
Judge Romanov continued soberly, "The irony of this situation is not lost on the court. But neither is the opportunity of a loving, stable family for a little boy who won't get that if you leave our country without him. We need better policies in dealing with our orphans than we have now. The two of you are in the position to do something about that," he pointed at them grimly. "Along with Gorbachev's new programs and policies, we need adoptive families to be helpful in bringing about this change. I sincerely hope that you will use this experience, and your positions with the American government, to help the children here. With that being said, I am satisfied that you are honest in your petition and will provide Nikolai with a better life than he could have here. Your petition for adoption of Nikolai is approved and I am waiving the ten-day waiting period."
At the judge's statement, the four Americans stood. Lee slapped his hands together. "Yeah!" he said, then turned and threw his arms around Amanda, lifting her off the ground.
" Lee!" Amanda exclaimed happily. Lee kissed her before putting her down. She turned to Francine who reached out and squeezed her hand. Lee moved to the judge and shook his hand saying, "Thank you, Your Honor. We appreciate your support. You don't know what this means to us. Thank you."
"I have an idea," he replied quietly. "You just take care of that baby," he ordered gruffly. "This will be a challenge for you. He is Russian, even in America and your family. Do not forget that." He turned and retreated through a door behind his desk.
John Devin was talking with Amanda and Francine when Lee returned to the group, " . . . get his Immigrant Visa. It should only take the day to get this all together. I know everything at the Embassy is in order, we just need to have these papers translated and get the new birth certificate and his adoption certificate. He also needs a passport, which has already been started," he added with a satisfied look, "and then the Visa will be issued. If everything goes well, you should be out of here tomorrow afternoon. The only hold up would be getting the papers translated and that may put you out Friday morning. We'll arrange flights for all three of you once the paperwork is complete. Are you ready?" He looked at Lee with a grin. "Let's go get this taken care of and get you home."
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Their first stop was to the Civil Registration Office to pick up Nikolai's adoption and corrected birth certificates and then they headed for the Visa and Registration Department for his passport.
After discussing it with each other for a few hours the previous night, Lee and Amanda had decided to change Nikolai's name slightly and give him Lee's name as a middle name. The birth and adoption certificates each reflected this change. Devin had obtained a picture of the baby and once again, the procedure went off without a hitch. Things were definitely coming together. Lee had read the birth certificate over and over on their drive from the VRD to the Embassy. Nikolas Lee Stetson. It was still hard to believe. The boys were as close to him as sons could be, but they had Joe's last name. Nicky would carry Lee's name on after he and Amanda were gone. It was something Lee hadn't really thought about much. The thought now warmed him in a way he was unfamiliar with.
Arriving at the American Embassy, Devin dropped the three agents off at the curb, while he went to park the car. They stood outside the doors, waiting for Devin to join them. Amanda breathed a sigh of relief and leaned her head on Lee's chest. "It's finally over, although I can't imagine it going any faster. Can you believe some people wait months for this? I would have gone crazy waiting that long. Of course, most people don't find the baby first, they go through the channels a totally different way than we did and they probably have to do a lot of this stuff on their own. I'm so glad we didn't have to wade through this all by ourselves. It's such a shame that so much of this is so difficult . . . "
"Amanda," Lee interrupted, "slow down. We're not out of the woods yet. I won't feel relieved until we're stepping off the plane in Dulles."
"Sorry. It's the lack of sleep, the excitement. I've gotten my second wind, I think," Amanda sighed again, turning to walk up the steps with Lee.
"Second? At last count I had about seventeen," Francine interjected dryly as Devin joined her. "You do realize it is one o'clock and we haven't eaten lunch yet? Let's get moving here, you two." She turned on her heel and strode off toward the main doors, their attorney following her quietly.
As they entered the Embassy and headed up the stairs to Devin's office, Amanda looked questioningly at Lee. "Is it just me or does it seem like she's trying a bit too hard to be sarcastic?" Lee chuckled and nodded.
"Looks to me like Francine is having a hard time keeping up her façade. John and I were talking earlier and it seems he is interested in our Ms. Desmond." Lee snorted. "Poor man, won't even know what hit him."
As they reached the top of the stairs, McCarty hollered at them from the bottom. "Stetson! Hold up! I've got a message for you," he continued as he bounded up the steps.
"McCarty, I wondered if we'd see you today. What's up?" Lee had turned and stood waiting for the other agent to reach him. John and Francine had reached the door to his office and turned back toward them when they heard McCarty.
"Well," the agent looked at his feet and took a deep breath. "I just got a call from the orphanage and it seems that there's an emergency there."
Amanda had turned sharply at the mention of the orphanage and she gasped at McCarty's words. "Lee!"
Lee felt her grip on his arm tighten as the same feeling gripped his chest. He took a deep breath to keep himself from bolting out the door. "What kind of emergency?" He asked calmly. A little too calmly. 'I wish I felt as calm as I sound,' he thought.
"I'm not sure, man, it was a weird message. It was one of the Russian women but she was very upset. Something about a man and the baby. She kept asking for you and saying they needed to hurry. That's about all I could . . . " He stopped talking as he realized Lee and Amanda had taken off back down the stairs away from him. "Do you want some back-up?" he called after them as they disappeared out the doors. He turned back toward Francine and John. "I'm gonna get Draper and head over there, too. You coming?"
John looked at Francine questioningly. "I have a few things I can check out here. Are you staying with me or going with him?"
Francine motioned to McCarty, "Go ahead. Tell Lee we'll be there shortly."
McCarty nodded. "I'll call back here when I know what's going on."
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TBC