While Lee was talking to the doctors, the conversation had continued in Amanda's room. Francine looked at Amanda in astonishment and said incredulously, "Are you kidding me, Amanda?" Billy gave Francine a warning look, but this didn't stop her. "I'm sorry, but if a man like Lee Stetson with a lady-killer reputation like his proposed to me, that's something that I'd remember. I mean, come on, Amanda, we're talking about a guy with not one, but four black books."
Amanda shook her head and argued, "No, Francine, he doesn't have them anymore."
"You don't know that," Francine challenged.
"Yes, I do," Amanda countered. "I was there when he destroyed them." As Amanda explained, her mind drifted back to that long-ago steak dinner they'd shared.
Lee and Amanda walked into his living room, wine glasses in hand after finishing the dinner Lee had prepared for them. "Wow, I'm stuffed," Amanda said as they sank down onto his couch together.
"Me too," Lee replied.
"Dinner was great," Amanda said as she sipped at her wine.
"Yes, it was," Lee acknowledged, "But you know what made it really great?"
"What's that?" She smiled at him in anticipation.
"The company," he answered smiling warmly back at her.
"Oh, is that right?" She took another sip of her wine, smiled coyly at him and teased. "Are you sure you wouldn't rather have been at the Soviet Embassy tonight with Leslie."
"Leslie who?" Lee gave her an innocent-looking smile.
Amanda smiled brightly back at him and said, "Good."
"Speaking of which, there's something that I've been wanting to do for a while and now that you're here, I want you to be my witness."
"Oh? What's that?"
Lee rose from the sofa, walked to his desk, retrieved his black books and said, "These...these aren't any use to me anymore." He hedged slightly while Amanda sat watching his nervousness in amusement.
"No?" she questioned.
"No," Lee answered with a firm shake of his head," And do you know why?"
"No, why?" She knew, but she wanted the satisfaction of hearing him say it.
Lee heaved a deep breath and continued, "Because there's only one number that I want to call, one that means more to me than any other and it's not in these books. I've had your number memorized for so long, I never needed to add it to a book. So...with that in mind..." He turned from her and one by one, dropped all four books into the roaring fire in his fireplace, then re-joined her on the couch, sliding an arm across her shoulders. "Amanda, you are now a witness to history in the making."
"Good," Amanda said with a firm nod. She leaned against him as together they watched the flames licking at the books, a hopeful smile playing on her lips at Lee's gesture of symbolically destroying his past to make way for their future.
"I'll be damned," Francine whispered in awe as Amanda finished her tale.
Billy chuckled and said, "That was quite the romantic gesture."
"It was." Amanda smiled at the memory. That was when things had really begun for them.
Before the conversation could go any further, they were interrupted by a commotion in the hall. Billy nodded to Francine and said, "Stay with her," and quickly made his way to the door.
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Lee's entire body stiffened at seeing Birol. He strode purposefully toward him and without thinking slammed his fist into the man's jaw. "You son of a bitch!" He growled.
One of the guards, yelled, "Hey!" but this didn't deter Lee. He pulled back his fist to hit him again only to be stopped by the guard. "Hey, you've done enough damage. Have you seen the knot you left on the back of his head."
Birol only shook of the effects of Lee's left hook and laughed. "Isn't this what you Americans call police brutality," he said with a sneer.
"You haven't seen brutality yet, Chum," Lee fired back as he struggled against the guard finally wrenching his arm free, then soundly backhanded him, startling Birol. "That's what you did to Amanda, isn't it? You like hurting defenseless women, do you?" He backhanded him again. "Does that make you feel like a big man?" Lee backhanded him one more time. "How do you like it?" When Birol only laughed again, struggling against his chains as if to fight back, Lee struck him again and spat out, "Let me tell you something, if anything... and I mean anything happens to Amanda or to our child because of what you did to her, I'll show you the real definition of brutality."
"You've already shown me the worst kind of brutality that you could," Birol snarled at him. "You took my women from me. Mara, Magda, you wooed both of them with your promises of the American dream until they were no longer loyal to me, but to you."
"Did you ever stop to think that maybe they wouldn't have been so easily wooed if you hadn't been sleeping with both of them? You want loyalty; you have to be loyal first."
"This from the great Scarecrow, master of loyalty to no woman," Birol fired back.
"What the hell is that supposed to mean?" Lee swallowed hard, cringing slightly at the memories of his past.
"Oh, I know all about you; you and your women. How you charm women, lure them to your bed and then when you tire of them, find another. How long will it be until you tire of your current whore, Amanda?"
Lee responded with another swing at Birol, but was stopped by his arms being pinned behind his back and a booming voice behind him saying "Scarecrow, that's enough!"
Lee turned his head to find Billy was the one holding him back, "Billy, did you hear what he just said?"
"Cool off, Man. This isn't helping anything." Billy nodded to the two guards who resumed their march down the hall with Birol. Once they were out of sight, he turned his attention back to Lee and released his friend. When Lee attempted to charge after them, Billy grabbed him from behind again and said firmly, "Don't. It's not worth it, Man. If you beat the hell out of him, that's only going to hurt our case against him. Don't you want to see him go to prison for what he did to Amanda? Do you really want to let him get off on a technicality?" When Lee sighed and Billy felt him relaxing somewhat, he released him again.
Lee turned to face his boss and said, "No." He ran both hands through his hair, trying to put his frustration into words, but found that he couldn't find the right ones. He let out a long, slow breath and repeated, "No."
"Good," Billy replied. "Now, I want you to take a few days off. Your job until further notice is just to look after Amanda, you got that?"
Lee nodded. "I...um...I should get in there and let her know what's going on." He turned and walked toward Amanda's room, taking another deep breath before entering, not wanting to upset her further by letting her see his agitation.
When Lee finally entered the room, it was to find Amanda laughing and Francine saying, "I could tell you some stories, believe me."
"Francine, what are you telling her?" Lee asked in a warning tone.
"Oh, Lee, come on, don't get your boxers in a twist. It's just a little girl talk," Francine responded, her blue eyes sparking in amusement.
"Uh-huh," Lee replied disbelievingly. "Can you give us a minute?"
"Sure," Francine said as she rose from her seat, but before she left the room, she grabbed Lee by the arm and pulled him aside.
"What is it?" Lee asked impatiently.
"Listen," Francine whispered. "Amanda may not be as incoherent as the doctors think she is, but there are still some things that she can't quite sort out in her head. The biggie being that she doesn't remember that you proposed to her."
"What?" Lee asked, surprise and a little hurt evident in his voice, "B-b-but she said yes right away..." his voice trailed off.
"She doesn't remember that, Lee. She thinks your marriage proposal is just another one of her hallucinations, that she was imagining it because it was something she wanted. She and I were talking and it seems that all of her delusions were about you talking to her, romancing her, rescuing her... I'm not a shrink, but having been in a similar situation like that, I think that's how she survived without breaking. She's having trouble picking out which pieces of her memories are from her fantasies and which ones are from your real rescue of her."
"I kind of sensed that already, Francine. I know her better than anyone does. The question is, what do you suggest I do about it?"
"Be gentle with her. While she's trying to be strong, a part of her's still fragile. Don't try to force her real memories to the surface by telling her what really happened. Let her tell you what she thinks and then you can confirm or deny what she's telling you. I think that will help more than anything." Lee nodded in understanding. Francine started to leave, but then as another thought occurred to her, she paused in the doorway. "You know, I was just thinking, since she doesn't know you already proposed, you might just have your opportunity to do it the right way this time."
"I get you," Lee nodded.
"I hope so. Listen, for whatever bizarre reason, Amanda has complete trust in you, in your relationship. Don't blow it by breaking that trust." Francine replied tersely, taking one last worried look at Amanda, praying that Lee was being sincere and that he had really fallen for Amanda. While they'd had their differences, Amanda was a good person and she didn't deserve to be yet another casualty on Lee's romance highway. She shook her head and left the two of them alone.
Lee turned to his fiancée' and with a warm smile said, "Hi," as he approached her. He leaned in and placed a tender kiss to her lips.
"Hi," Amanda replied.
As he sat beside her, he inquired with a bemused expression, "So, what were you two vixens talking about in here that had you laughing so hard?"
"Like Francine said, it was just a little girl talk," Amanda answered obtusely.
"Amanda," Lee said in exasperation.
"I'll tell you what. I'll tell you, if you tell me what that noise in the hall was about," she challenged.
"That? It was...Uh...it was nothing," he denied.
"Uh-huh," she replied skeptically. "So, what'd you find out? Can I get out of here?"
"What I found out is that they need to keep you here just a couple hours longer," He nodded toward her IV. "Get some more fluids in you before they let me take you home."
"Home,' Amanda said softly. As she thought of her home, a moment of panic gripped her and she shook her head. "No, Lee, I can't go home!"
"Amanda, you said you wanted out of here, didn't you?"
"Yes, but mother and the boys, they can't see me like this! I'd never be able to explain this to them. They'd never understand."
Lee took both of her hands in his and said gently, "Shhh. It's okay. They're not going to know a thing. I'm going to take you home with me until you're better. While I'm waiting to come back and get you, I'm gonna' get my place all set up for you, and run by your place to get some of your things for you so you'll feel comfortable there."
"How are you gonna' do that? What are you gonna' do, climb up the trellis again?"
"No," Lee said with a chuckle and a shake of his head. "I thought this time, I just might try the front door."
Amanda shook her head. "They don't even know you."
"Your mom does...Well, she doesn't really know me, but I met her the other day...You don't remember me telling you that I talked to her?" As soon as the words were out of his mouth, he kicked himself for it, for ignoring Francine's warning, hoping that he wasn't going to upset Amanda again.
Amanda frowned and thought hard. "I..." she sighed. "Yes, I-I-I guess I do, but I just thought it was another hallucination." She bit down on her lower lip wanting to ask him if Francine was right, if he'd asked her to marry him, but then she also didn't want to embarrass herself or put undue pressure on him to propose if he hadn't, especially now that she knew that he knew she was pregnant.
"Hey," Lee squeezed her hands affectionately. "Don't get upset. I'm gonna' do my damndest to help you figure out what's real and what's not." He hoped in that process that she'd remember on her own that she'd agreed to marry him.
"Good." Amanda nodded, but then frowned again. "So...um...what are exactly are you going to tell Mother? Even if you did meet her now, you're still going to need a good cover story before she'll just let you walk out of the house with my things and it's not as if you can tell her the truth."
Lee felt a moment of panic hitting him. He hadn't thought quite that far ahead yet. He quickly tried to cover, giving Amanda an affectionate smile and replied, "Don't you worry about it. I've got it covered." He brushed another soft kiss to her lips. "I'll see you soon." He then quickly exited the room, nodded to Billy and Francine in the hall, then made his way out of the infirmary to run his errands, his mind in a whirl. Just what the hell was he going to tell Mrs. West?