Chapter 5

Lee's plane landed just after four in the morning. Both he and Dr. Muinepe were exhausted, neither having slept much on the plane ride. Agents Fergusen and Proctor picked the pair up, dropped Lee off at his apartment first, then dropped Dr. Muinepe at his hotel located only one mile from the Smithsonian. Lee left a message for Billy that he was back and he would be in touch later in the day. Lee crawled into bed after setting an alarm for noon. He and Amanda planned to pack her car before the boys got home from school so they could leave soon there after.

He'd been asleep for two hours when the phone rang. "'Ello?" he slurred, half asleep.

"Sweetheart, you made it home! I'm so glad," Amanda exclaimed happily in his ear.

"Amanda," Lee tried to speak, but she continued to talk.

"Now, Mother is going to help me finish packing so you don't have to worry," she said.

"Amanda," Lee tried again.

Amanda continued, "And I'll pack snacks for the ride because you know how hungry the boys can be when they get home from school."

"A-man-da!" Lee snapped fully awake now.

"Why are you shouting? I can hear you just fine," she replied, shaking her head.

"Amanda, I've only been asleep for," Lee opened his eyes to look at the clock, "less than two hours. I'd like to try to get as much sleep as I can so I'll call you when I wake up later, okay?"

"Oh, Sweetheart, I'm so sorry, I didn't mean to wake you. I'll let you go back to sleep. Call me when you wake up. Go back to sleep. Call me later, I'm sorry," Amanda repeated herself softening her voice with each statement.

Lee closed his eyes again as he replied, "Goodbye, I'll call you later." He hung up the phone and punched his pillow a few times to try to get comfortable again. He stayed in one position for just a few minutes, then flopped over to his other side as he groaned. Frustrated, he shifted his body one last time before running a hand through his hair. Although he was exhausted, he was now too awake to go back to sleep.

Lee went into the bathroom and took a hot shower, hoping the steaming water would relax him again. He fixed himself two fingers of Scotch and with a quick head tilt, he downed the fiery liquid in one swallow. He padded back to his bedroom and tried once more to find a comfortable position. He closed his eyes and finally drifted off to sleep when the blaring ring of the phone woke him once more. Lee growled as he answered the phone and snapped, "Stetson!"

"Ace, hey I wasn't expecting you to answer. I have your car all fixed. Popped that new mirror on and managed to buff the scratches out. Looks good as new," Leatherneck informed him cheerfully.

Lee groaned as he replied, "Thanks, Leatherneck. I owe you one. Amanda and I will be away all weekend so if you don't mind I'll pick it up first thing Monday morning."

"No problem, Ace. I understand. You and Mrs. King have a quiet weekend away planned? A little romantic getaway before the big day?" Leatherneck teased.

Lee shook his head, frustrated, "No, we are taking the boys to Virginia Beach for the weekend. Now, if you wouldn't mind, I'd like to try to catch a few winks."

Leatherneck didn't hear the end of Lee's comment. "Virginia Beach, huh? Wait, isn't this weekend the big Neptune Festival they have down there? I remember heading out there a few years back, had a great time. Just watch out for the price gouging. Seems like they marked all the souvenir stuff way up."

Lee groaned again as he ran his hand through his hair and scrubbed at his face, "Yeah and I was hoping to get some sleep before we left, but-"

"Oh, I'm so sorry, Ace. Did I wake you? I'll let you go," Leatherneck said apologetically before he hung up, without a reply from Lee.

Lee stared at the phone in his hand before he dropped the handset on the receiver. "I might as well get up now," he growled aloud. "Maybe I can get some sleep at Amanda's house." He picked up the phone and dialed Amanda's number. "Amanda, could you come get me? I'm having a hard time sleeping here and well, maybe I can take a nap at your house before we leave and no one will call me there," he explained.

"Of course, I'll be right over. Just give me about twenty minutes to drop cookies off at Jamie's school," Amanda replied.

"Thanks, I'll see you then," Lee said as he hung up the phone once more. He pulled on a pair of sweatpants and a sweatshirt, brushed his teeth, and carried the overnight bag he'd packed for the weekend to the living room. He dozed off on the couch while he waited.

Amanda used her key to enter Lee's apartment, and called out his name as she entered. She found him sound asleep on the couch and couldn't resist tracing the line of his jaw with her fingers before she gave him a gentle shake to rouse him. Lee grabbed her hand tightly with his as he sat up, confused. "Lee?" she whispered, her eyes wide in surprise.

"Amanda. I'm sorry, you startled me," he replied and loosened his grip on her hand. "I must have fallen asleep on the couch, I didn't hear you come in."

"You look exhausted, are you sure you're up for the drive this afternoon?" Amanda asked worried.

"Amanda, I'll be fine. If I can get a couple of hours sleep at your house, where hopefully no one will interrupt me, I'll be fine. Besides, I promised you and the boys nothing was going to stop us from going. Now, come on, let's go before the phone -" Lee was cut off by the ringing telephone. He rolled his eyes upward and dropped his head back, exasperated.

Amanda picked up, "Hello? Oh, hi Billy. Yes, Lee's right here, but he's exhausted. Yes, he's trying to get some rest. Ok, I'll tell him. Thank you. Yes, we'll see you on Monday. You too, Sir. Bye, bye." She hung up the phone and looked at Lee, "Billy just wanted you to know Dr. Muinepe brought everything safely to the Smithsonian. He is on his way over to the hospital to have his ankle looked at, though. Billy said he was in a lot of pain so he's getting checked out now. And, he said your report could wait until Monday as well."

"Wow, Billy is actually letting me slide on a report for the weekend? He must have a guilty conscious or something," Lee laughed as he slowly stood. "I never thought I'd say this, but I'm looking forward to sleeping in your bed, Mrs. Stetson," he laughed again.

"Well, Mr. Stetson, let's get you there so you can get some sleep. The boys are so excited," Amanda put her arm around Lee's waist and together they walked toward the door. Lee insisted Amanda drive as he could barely keep his eyes open. The motion of the car lulled him to sleep even on the short drive and he was surprised when he felt Amanda shaking him after she pulled in the driveway. "Let's get you inside and tucked in. A few solid hours of sleep will do you good, Sweetheart."

Lee leaned toward her, kissed her on her cheek and said, "I haven't told you lately, but I love you, Mrs. Stetson."

He jumped when Dotty knocked on the car window beside him. "Lee, I thought you were going to get some rest before coming here?" she asked.

Lee opened the car door and stretched before he gave Dotty a hug. "I couldn't sleep at my apartment, so I asked Amanda to bring me here to hopefully be uninterrupted," he explained.

Dotty raised an eyebrow as she smiled and asked, "Should I do a few errands to give you some time alone?"

"Mother! Lee's plane didn't land until early this morning and he really needs to get some rest. I can't believe you even suggested a thing like that," Amanda admonished her.

Dotty held up a hand as she replied, "I was just suggesting."

Lee laughed with Dotty and said, "Dotty, I know what you were suggesting and believe me, if I wasn't this tired I may have taken you up on that offer, but right now I don't think I could even tie my own shoes without help."

"Oh, you poor dear! Let's get you inside and tucked in then, shall we?" Dotty slipped her arm around Lee's waist to guide him toward the back door. "Amanda? Are you just going to stand there?" she called to her.

Amanda pinched the bridge of her nose as she shook her head. "Oh Mother!" she whispered.