Disclaimer: I don't own the situations or characters portrayed herein. I'm just playing with them for a while.
Delirious on Arrival
"Chicken salad, extra mayo," said Redzig, and his heart stuttered for a second.
Coherent thought was impossible, because —
Amanda!
If it had been him eating that sandwich, it would have been a different story. It would have been meant for him, just one of the many hazards of an agent's life and career choice.
But this was Amanda, and it was his fault. He'd taken her orange, and then, feeling terrible that he'd caused her discomfort, he'd given her his sandwich.
He had only been trying to be nice. Trying to show her that he cared about her well-being. Trying to show her that she was important to him.
And what had that accomplished? She had been poisoned.
"Oh, my God," was all he could say, and then he had slammed down the phone and rushed to her. Maybe she hadn't ingested too much.
An agent didn't make promises. It was part of the handbook, even. Page 173.
He bent over her wheelchair, and when he spoke it was in his softest and gentlest Amanda-specific tone, one that he doubted anyone at the agency, especially Francine, had ever heard him use.
"Look, everything's gonna be all right. But I promise you, before this day is out, we're gonna nail that creep and get your antidote."
Her eyes crinkled a little when she smiled. "Sure."
It almost hurt, how much she trusted him.
"Good," he whispered, briefly touching her arm before heading out.
He was glad she was okay, though the drug seemed to have some side effects that not even the antidote had cured - like her crack about keeping the baseball in her purse "again".
At least she didn't sound like John Wayne anymore, and she was back to being her old lovable self - not the Amanda who would have shot Redzig in the face at point blank range.
But there were still things to clear up, one of which was why Francine called him "Rick" later, with a knowing gleam of satisfaction in her deceptively innocent eyes.
He never did get an explanation for that one.