Surprise

"The Office"

"Well, well, well, is the infamous Scarecrow finally tamed by …" Francine began.

"Can it, Francine." Lee quickly snapped at her. "Amanda, drive safe and call me as soon as that appointment is over. We can still meet for lunch or something."

"Ok, ok. Hello Francine. I was just leaving." Amanda slid past her in the doorway with a smile on her face. "Oh, Francine, I heard you had a great date last night. Lee was just saying how much he wanted to hear all about it." Amanda said with a laugh as she closed the door behind her. "Now I can figure out what to do next," Amanda thought as she quickly walked down the hall to the stairs. Behind her she could just barely make out Lee and Francine's voice but she knew Lee wasn't too happy about her last comment. "I'll hear about it later I'm sure."

Back in the Q Bureau, Francine began her overly descriptive explanation of her date when the phone rang. Lee quickly grabbed it thankful to have an interuption in Francine's story.

"Scarecrow."

"Scarecrow, I need to see you in my office ASAP." Billy's voice barked through the receiver of the phone.

"Um, yes sir. I'll be there immediately." Lee said and placed the receiver back on the cradle. "Look Francine I would love to hear more lurid details of your date but Billy sounds like he has Smythe on his case again. I need to get to his office NOW."

"So I heard. He sounded a little upset this morning when I poked my head in and he was reading your report from yesterday. Muttered something about The Golden Seal not being put back properly or something." Francine said.

"Ohhh, yeah, you know now that I think about it I don't think we put it back at all. Hmm, better get up there and straighten this out." Lee walked to the door. "Do me a favor next time, warn me first OK?"

"But where would all the fun be if I did?" Francine asked with a quick smile and a raise of her eyebrows.

"Thanks Francine, you are such a pal."

As Lee walked past Mrs. Marston's desk, she called his name.

"Scarecrow, could you do something for me. Mrs. King dropped this message this morning on her way up the stairs. I thought it was important since she looked rather upset when she read it. I meant to give it to her as she left but the phone rang and when I looked up again she was gone. She must have left in quite a hurry since she didn't even say good bye as she always does."

Mrs. Marston handed a pink phone message slip to Lee. "I know it isn't proper protocol but you two are so close I thought it would be okay."

"Thank you, Mrs. Marston, I'll be sure she gets this." Lee said as he stepped into the elevator. As the door closed, Lee looked down at the piece of paper in his hand.

**From Dr. Kelly's office RE: initial test result - POS Please call ASAP to schedule blood check and exam.**

Lee stared at the slip of paper. "Initial test result - POS" "Test result? Positive?" Lee thought to himself. "What are you hiding from me Amanda? What is going on in that head of yours?"

Lee purposefully strode toward Billy's office thinking of a million different scenarios as to what the cryptic message could mean. Where had they been recently that she could have contracted something? Had she been injected with any unknown drugs? Had she inhaled any foreign substances that could be making her sick? Lost in thought, Lee stepped directly in the path of Billy's newest secretary, knocking everything out of her hands and onto the floor.

"Oh, here, let me help you with that….Allison is it?" Lee said as he courteously bent down to help her.

"Alyssa actually, my name is Alyssa. And you are the Scarecrow." Alyssa Benjamin extended her hand out to shake his. "Nice to finally meet you. I have heard quite a few things about you." she said.

"In this place, don't believe most of what you hear." Lee said flashing that million dollar smile.

"SCARECROW!!" bellowed out Billy's closed door. "GET IN HERE NOW!! YOU HAVE SOME EXPLAINING TO DO!"

"Sorry, gotta go." Lee said as he grabbed the door handle and quickly turned it to open the door.

"WHAT WERE YOU THInking…." Billy's rampage had only just begun as Lee stepped into his office, closing the door behind him.

"Billy, I think Amanda is sick. I don't know with what yet but I really think she might be really really sick and is hiding it from us." Lee said rambling as Amanda usually does.

"What do you mean 'Amanda is sick'?" Billy's tone rapidly changed from angry to concerned. Lee handed him the pick phone slip.

"Mrs. Marston asked me to give this to her because she dropped it on her way up the stairs. Then she said she had to go back to this Dr. Kelly's office for some blood tests. She was acting strange you know, even for Amanda." Lee said to his friend.

"It's probably nothing. Just some routine tests results that came up. You know, women have them all the time." Billy tried to reassure his friend. He could see the concern and fear on Lee's face and he knew that no matter how much Lee and Amanda tried to hide their relationship they could never hide it from him. "She's going to be fine, Scarecrow."

"And what if she's not Billy, huh? She's all I have. She's my family. I don't know what I would do without her."