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After showing his Agency identification to the new guard on duty, Lee knocked quietly on the hospital room door before peeking in on Amanda. "Up for a visitor?" he asked shyly.

"Oh, hi," Amanda felt so awkward around him now. "Sure, come on in." She attempted to fluff her hair and straighten her hospital gown as he made his way into the room.

"I . . . uh wanted to check on you . . . you know, see how you're doing," he stood awkwardly at the end of the bed.

"I'm okay," she shrugged and then grimaced. "Sore," she groaned.

He nodded his understanding. "Are your ears ringing? That was always the worst part for me," he tapped his left earlobe.

"Yeah, but at least I can hear again. It came back earlier this afternoon, just in time for one of my mother's lectures," she rolled her eyes and absently followed her I.V. to where it was tapped to the back of her hand.

"Good. I was hoping we could . . . uh talk."

She bit her lower lip and nodded.

"We got the guys who did this to you." He glanced around the room.

Amanda caught a glimpse of, was that guilt on her partner's face? Of course, it was. He'd always held a misguided sense of responsibility for her even from the beginning.

When she didn't respond, he continued, "It was the Weathermen."

Flashes of memories floated in front of her. She focused her attention to snatch them up before they floated away.

She had just pulled up to the ballfield and was grateful that the dusk to dawn lights had just come on around the park. Now she just needed to find which dugout Jamie had left his glove in. The way her week had gone, she should have known it wouldn't be the first one she searched. She moved quickly toward the other dugout and stopped when she heard rustling in the bushes nearby. Her heart stopped for a moment and she sucked in a breath, only to release it when she saw the small bunny nibbling the grass to her right. "You scared me, Mr. Bunny." 'Seriously, Amanda,' she shook her head. 'You have been hanging around spies too long.'

Once she'd finally located her youngest's baseball gear, she moved quickly to her car. Bunny or not, something was giving her the willies and she'd learned to trust her instincts. 'Time to get home, Amanda.'

She tossed the glove into the backseat and started the car. Just before the engine engaged, she heard a distinct click and for a brief second, she was brought back to her college apartment, loading her laundry into her old car. 'That was the same click,' she thought just before her world went dark.

"Amanda? Amanda, are you okay? Should I call the nurse?" Lee's worry was evident in his voice.

"Sorry, Lee. I just . . . there was a click just before everything went dark . . . like before."

He grimaced. "It was the same bomb maker. Albert Friedman, he's back at the Agency and he's singing like a bird."

"Alby?" 'I thought he liked me?'

"Did you know him well?" Lee came around to the side of her bed and slid into the plastic chair next to her.

"I guess not," she closed her eyes to hold back the tears. Would she ever escape her past?

"Amanda . . ." Lee's voice was hesitant and apologetic.

Her stomach tightened in nervousness. 'Is this where he tells me that he can't work with me?' It was hard enough to come to terms that they would never again be 'physical' but could she survive not having him in her life at all?

They sat looking at each other for a moment and then Amanda couldn't take the silence any longer and rushed, "Look, Lee I know you aren't interested in a personal relationship with me but I think you need to rethink throwing away our partnership. We're good together and I think if you can somehow learn to trust me again –"

He stood up and pressed his lips to hers in a rush sucking the air right out of her chest. Before she could respond, the nurse interrupted them.

"Sorry to interrupt, but I need to check your vitals," she tapped her clipboard.

Amanda silently nodded and could feel Lee's eyes on her while the nurse fiddled with her I.V. and swapped out the empty bag hanging from the hook with a fresh one. She looked into the nurse's eyes when the older woman raised a brow while listening to her heart. Could the other woman tell Amanda's heart was racing due to her visitor? The nurse jotted down a few numbers onto her clipboard before moving toward the door. She called out over her shoulder toward Lee, ""No more sleeping over, Mr. Stetson. You need to follow normal visiting hours," she checked her watch and added, "That gives you five minutes."

Amanda stared at her partner and he winced at being called out.

Once the door shut and they were alone again, she uttered, "That was you this morning talking with the nurse. I could only see make out fuzzy images."

As if caught by a room full of Russians, he closed his eyes and dipped his head to his chest. "Yeah."

"Lee, don't worry. I know it was because you felt you had to –"

"No, Amanda. It was not out of guilt or responsibility for you. I care about you."

"You do? Still?" 'This couldn't actually be happening. Was she hopped up on pain meds?'

Lee moved from the chair and gingerly sat on her bed next to her and took her hand. "Amanda, I only have a few minutes before Nurse Ratchid returns and kicks me out, but I want you know that I'm sorry for how I reacted when you told me . . . what you told me."

She sat wide-eyed and silent as he continued.

"You were only doing your job and I lost sight of that because I was too busy falling head over heels in love with you. But when it comes to you, I lose all sense of logic, Amanda King."

A quick knock at the door came just before the nurse stuck her head in and they both kept their eyes on each other, "Visiting hours are over, Mr. Stetson. Don't make me call security. Mrs. King needs her rest."

Sighing, Lee leaned over and gently pressed his lips to her forehead, "Sweet dreams, Amanda. Get some rest. I'll be back in the morning." He gave her hand a squeeze and then left.

"Did he just say he was in love with me," she asked the empty room.

His head popped back in, "Yes, he did." He gave her a wink and left.

Amanda's stomach fluttered as if there were a kaleidoscope of butterflies inside. She couldn't help the smile that spread across her face as she nuzzled into her pillow and closed her eyes.

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