The Bomb 5

Author's note: Just wanted to say thank you to everyone who has been so encouraging to me on this. I really appreciate the kind reviews. You all make writing fun.

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(Two Days Later)

Amanda shifted her position in the uncomfortable hospital bed for the fourth time in the last half hour. Her back hurt, her side hurt and her head hurt. But none of those concerns were foremost on her mind.

That kiss was.

Last night, Lee Stetson had kissed her.

Lee Stetson had really kissed her.

And this time it wasn't the chaste kiss of one friend to another, or a part of his job, or even that of a man who thought of you as something akin to his sister. Though brief and more tender than passionate, it was the kiss of one lover to another. Absently, she ran her finger over her lips. The same lips, Lee had claimed before he left. "Wow!" She exclaimed softly to herself.

"Wow?" Francine walked in with a curious expression.

"Um, yeah. Wow, my head hurts." Amanda told her, not willing to tell the blond where her thoughts really were.

"Oh," Francine nodded. "Well, that's to be expected, I guess. I mean you did have part of a house fall on you."

"Yes, I know, Francine." Amanda told her, reminding herself to be patient. "So, to what do I owe this visit?"

"Well, I need to debrief you." Francine took the chair next to the bed and pulled out a small tape recorder as well as a pen and paper. "Since you can't come down to the Agency, I thought I'd bring the Agency here to you."

Amanda sighed and nodded. She knew Francine had a job to do and that she was sincerely trying to find out whoever had set that bomb, but right then Amanda's head was pounding and all she wanted to do was lay there and think of Lee. And that kiss.

"Amanda, are you listening?" Francine's somewhat imperialistic tone cut through her thoughts.

"Oh, I'm sorry, Francine. My head hurts a little." Amanda gave her an apologetic look.

"Yes, so you said." Francine sighed. She wasn't sure why, but she had the distinct feeling, Amanda had more on her mind than a headache. "Well, anyway, let's get started, shall we?"

Amanda nodded and smoothed the sheet across her lap, answering Francine's questions quietly and as completely as she could. When the last question was asked and answered, Amanda gave her a hopeful look. "You think you can find who did this?"

Francine shrugged as she turned off the tape recorder and opened her bag to put everything up. "We're certainly going to do everything we can." She answered non-committedly.

Glancing over at Amanda she guessed at the reason for the fear and worry she saw reflected in the brunette's eyes. She wasn't much good at giving comfort but she couldn't leave without at least trying to put Amanda's mind at ease. "Amanda," she smiled sincerely. "I want to you know that I will do everything in my power to find out who did this and to stop them. They will not get by with this. I promise you."

Amanda dropped her head and nodded. She knew Francine would do her best. "I know, Francine. I know you'll try, it's just…"

"It's just that you're worried about them trying again or perhaps coming after your family." Francine finished for her. "Well, I don't want you to even think about that. We have a security detail here for you and have dispatched someone to your home to watch over your mother and boys. You have nothing to worry about. Honest."

Giving Amanda as warm a smile as she could muster, she turned and picked up her bag and headed for the door. "Besides," she said as she opened the door to leave. "I doubt it was you they were after any way. It was supposed to be Lee's pick-up."

As Francine, walked out and closed the door behind her, she failed to note the alarm in Amanda's expression. Francine was right. It was supposed to be Lee's pick-up and if it hadn't of been for her offer to help, it would've been Lee who'd gotten caught in the blast instead of her.

"Oh my gosh! Lee!" Amanda gasped as the realization hit her. No one but she and Lee knew that she was taking his place. Not even the man who'd asked Lee for the meeting.

Carefully, she reached for the phone beside her bed and dialed the office, praying Lee would be there. She got the answering machine. Trying again, she called his apartment and got his machine there as well. Trying one more time, she called Billy.

"Amanda?" He questioned with concern when the call had been put through to him. "Are you okay? What's wrong?"

"Oh, yes sir," she said as cheerfully as she could. "I'm fine but I was wondering about Lee. I tried calling him but I couldn't reach him in the office or his home."

"He's out in the field, Amanda." Billy told her. "He's just chasing down some information. Is there something you wanted?"

"Oh, no," she said. "I… I was just…" She looked up just then and saw Lee coming in the door. "Never mind, Sir. It wasn't important." She said quickly and hung up the phone.

Billy stared at the receiver in his hand for several moments before hanging it up with a shake of his head. "Her concussion must be worse than we thought." He muttered.

"Lee." Amanda's voice reflected the relief and joy she felt at seeing his smiling face.

"Hey, Amanda." He said as he entered and crossed over to her side. "I thought I'd check on you. You looked a little peaked yesterday when you woke up."

Amanda's smile lit up her face. "I was feeling a little peaked, but I'm better now. They took out the IV this morning and said I could go home tomorrow. I don't know what I'm going to tell Mother and the boys though. I mean, you told her we were on a shoot and then I come home with scratches and bruises and a broken rib and well, you know that's not the sort of thing you get on a photo shoot. Is it? I mean, I don't really know, because we've never really been on one but…"

"Amanda." Lee grinned and reached over, taking her hand. "You don't have to tell your mother anything. At least not for a few days. We've decided it wouldn't be too good an idea for you to go home right away."

She swallowed hard. "It wouldn't?"

"No, it wouldn't." He gave her hand a gentle tug and sat down on the bed beside her. "It's probably a safe bet that that bomb was for meant for me. But that doesn't mean you're out of danger. Billy decided that once you're released from here, it might not be a bad idea to take you somewhere safe until we can figure this thing out."

"Take me where, Lee?" She asked; not sure she wanted to go.

"My apartment." He told her watching her face for her reaction.

"Your apartment?" Amanda looked at him a little startled. "Why there? Why can't I just go home? I can tell Mother that I fell off of a step ladder or something."

"Amanda." Lee sighed. "It's not safe there for you or your family. If someone did come after you, they could be in serious danger. Now I know you don't want that. Besides at my apartment, it's easier to keep watch over you 24 hours a day until we catch whoever did this. As long as only me, Francine and Billy know where you are, you'll be safe."

"What about you?" She asked a little fretfully. "I mean, if that bomb was meant for you then you're in much worse danger than I am and I'm not really in any danger now, because I'm here and there are agents here and well if I were in any danger than they would take care of it or you would. But Lee, someone was trying to kill you, of course they didn't kill you because you're here and it was me at that house but…"

"A-man-da, I'm fine." Lee patted the hand atop his arm to stop her rambling. He knew she was worried about him. "I'm a highly trained operative, remember? Besides as hard as Francine and Billy and me are working on this, we'll have the people who did this in no time."

Amanda looked up confused. "You? I thought Mr. Melrose said you were to stay out of this?"

Lee grinned with a cocky shrug. "He did. But he realized if he didn't let me in, I'd go without agency approval. He figured it was better to have me where he could keep an eye on me." Lee could see she was still worried.

"Amanda," Lee said with a dimpled grin and a confident attitude. "I will be fine and so will you. There's nothing for you to worry about. Believe me."

Meanwhile, somewhere deep in the city, two men met in a small café. "Scarecrow was not killed?" The taller of the two said quietly.

"No," the other older and squatter man answered. "His partner was injured though."

"Mrs. King?" The first one asked a note of interest in his voice.

"Yes, but not too seriously." Second one answered. "We hear she'll be released from the hospital soon."

First one sat thoughtfully for a few moments. "We must get her. Scarecrow will come to me if we have her." He stated.

"Yes," Second one agreed. "But it won't be easy. We don't know where they're taking her."

"Then find out." First one scowled at Second one as he stood to leave. "Just get me Mrs. King."

TBC