Chapter 21
Dotty was in the kitchen, wiping down the island when she heard the door open from the garage, "Lee, is that you?" she called.
"It is, Dotty. How's Amanda?" Lee asked as he finally entered the kitchen.
Dotty smiled at her son-in-law, "She's resting in the living room."
"The living room? She should be in bed!" Lee exclaimed, taking two long strides to the doorway where he could see Amanda asleep on the couch, a blanket laid over her.
"Shhhh, she just ate some soup and now she's resting again. It's the first thing I could get her to eat all day," Dotty admonished him. Lee watched Amanda sleep, her chest rising and falling evenly, her face relaxed. "Would you like something?" Dotty asked him but he was watching Amanda so intently he didn't hear her. "Lee!" she said sharply. "Would you like something?" she asked again, softer.
"Um, no, thank you," Lee replied sheepishly. "I'm just going to get changed," he stated before he went to their bedroom. He first removed his jacket then slipped his shoulder holster off. He checked his gun to ensure the safety clip was still on before placing everything into the bottom drawer of his nightstand. He changed out of his suit and into a sweater and jeans and pulled out his sneakers. He was sitting on the edge of the bed when he heard a soft knock on the bedroom door. "Come on in," Lee stated as Dotty pushed the door open.
Dotty stood in the doorway, looking at Lee, "Was everything okay at work today?"
Lee shrugged his shoulder and nodded, "Yeah. I was able to finish up on a project we were working on and now all I need to do this afternoon is write up a summary about those Senators. I figured I could do that here, in the office, in case you needed to run out or anything."
Dotty smiled, "That's sweet. The boys will need to be picked up in about an hour and I could pick up a few things at the store if you don't mind."
Lee finished tying his sneakers and crossed the room. He laid his hands on Dotty's shoulders reassuringly as he said, "I don't mind at all. Take Amanda's car. If you're picking up groceries, let me give you some money." Lee pulled out his wallet and handed Dotty five twenty-dollar bills.
"Lee, this is one hundred dollars," Dotty exclaimed. "I only need a few things."
"I know Amanda isn't going to be up to going shopping for a few days and I sort of promised the boys they could have a few friends over this weekend for Halloween, so could you pick up some snacks or something for them?" Lee asked.
Dotty narrowed her eyes at him and said, "You're still doing that? Even with Amanda in the condition she's in?"
Lee looked down at the floor and sighed before admitting, "I don't want to disappoint the boys, you know. We went through all that work of getting the firepit done and the fort… Jamie was pretty happy last night." Lee smiled at the memory of Jamie staring through his telescope and the excitement when he spotted the first meteor streaking across the night sky.
"Lee! Did you see that?" he exclaimed.
"No, Chief, what'd I miss?" Lee climbed up and sat beside Jamie in the raised fort.
"It was fast and white," Jamie explained. "Look, there's another one!" Jamie moved to the side far enough for Lee to look through the eyepiece.
"Pretty neat," Lee said as he watched another flash go by. He moved away so Jamie could reclaim his spot beside the telescope.
Jamie peered through the small eyepiece once more and said," It's a good thing I looked this up first because I never would've looked at this constellation. It's called Leo Minor or the Small Lion. There are four stars that make up the main constellation but... Oh… I forget how many actually make up the rest."
Lee couldn't hide the grin on his face as he observed Jamie, completely lost in what he was watching. Jamie suddenly sat back, took off his glasses and rubbed his eyes. He blinked several times before sliding his glasses back on and leaning forward to look through the eyepiece once more. "You okay?" Lee asked and placed his hand on Jamie's shoulder to get his attention. Jamie nodded and continued to peer into the small opening once more. He shifted slightly and tried to hide a yawn. Lee glanced down at his watch and noticed it was nine thirty. "We should probably get inside. It's late… later… than we thought," Lee stated and scooted closer to the ladder.
Jamie looked up at Lee, his eyes squinting as he tried to focus in the darkness surrounding them. "Lee," he said quietly.
"Yeah?" Lee stopped climbing down the ladder, only his shoulders and head visible to Jamie.
"Thanks," Jamie replied. Without waiting for a reply, he carefully began putting the caps on the telescope lens and gently folded the tripod, handing everything to Lee now standing on the ground below. He climbed down and together, they carried everything into the house.
Dotty watched Lee's face as he was lost in the memory of the previous evening. "Earth to Lee," she stated with a chuckle. Lee didn't immediately respond so she snapped her fingers several times to get his attention.
"Sorry, I was just thinking about last night. Jamie was so good this morning. He got right up when I woke them and he was even dressed before Philip," Lee admitted.
Dotty laughed again, "Doesn't surprise me. He's just like Amanda was as a child. He can get right up in the morning, no matter how little sleep he gets but beware, the next day. He can be a real bear by the afternoon."
Lee pursed his lips, "Yeah, I was afraid of that. I'll talk to him when he gets home." Lee glanced down at his watch and reminded Dotty, "If you're going to pick them up, you might want to leave soon. You don't want to be late."
"No, I definitely don't want that," she exclaimed as she jogged down the steps. "Oh, Lee, is it getting colder out? The weatherman said it might get chilly this afternoon."
Lee shook his head, "Not too bad, but fall is definitely here. The air was a little crisp this morning."
Dotty stopped at the closet and pulled out a jacket and replied, "That reminds me of my favorite quote by F. Scott Fitzgerald. 'Life starts all over again when it gets crisp in the fall.' Jordan says it to Daisy in The Great Gatsby when she is moaning about what they're going to do because she's so bored, yet he sees it as a new beginning. Ahh, those were the days. They don't write stories like those anymore."
"No, they don't," Lee agreed. He could hear Amanda stirring in the living room. "You better go. I'll take care of Amanda."
Dotty stopped one last time and put her hand on Lee, "Amanda's so lucky to have found someone like you."
Lee smiled once more and stated, "And so am I. Amanda came into my life at a time when I needed her the most, although I didn't know it then." He heard Amanda groan loudly. "Amanda? I'm coming!" he called. He heard the garage door close as he knelt beside Amanda. "Hey, what's wrong?" he asked softly.
"Lee?" Amanda said, confused. "Why are you home? Is it that late already?"
Lee brushed a bit of hair away from Amanda's face gently as he explained, "No, I came home early to be with you. We got Harborne earlier today."
"Oh," Amanda groaned. She closed her eyes again, "Can you make the room stop spinning?"
"I wish I could but the only thing that's going to do that is rest. Can I get you some water?" Lee asked softly again.
"Please," Amanda replied. Before Lee could move, she pushed herself up abruptly and stumbled to the half bath nearby. She fell to her knees just in time as nausea took over once again. Lee hesitated, then took a deep breath and followed her. Without asking he wet a washcloth and handed it to Amanda. He rubbed her back until the gagging subsided and, once she rinsed her mouth, he carefully carried her back to the couch.
"I'll get you some of that peppermint tea your mother has. That should help a little," Lee said lovingly. He turned and walked into the kitchen to start the water, completely thrown off at how fragile Amanda appeared. He was instantly reminded of their trip to California and how he almost lost her.
"Sweetheart," Amanda called after him. Lee rushed back into the room, worried. "I just wanted to thank you for taking care of me," she whispered, her voice shaky.
Lee knelt down beside her once more, gently kissed her forehead and said, "This is just the beginning."
To be continued in The Heart of Autumn...