Chapter 12

A couple hours later, Amanda was being examined by Dr. Kelford. He came out after a bit to talk to Billy, Lee and Francine.

"She had several bumps and bruises and a cracked rib but nothing serious physically." Dr. Kelford reported.

"Was she? He didn't?" Lee was having trouble even saying the words.

"Sexually assault her?" Dr. Kelford asked. "No."

Lee let out a sign of relief.

"She's battered and confused. We took some blood and we're waiting for an analysis. He gave her some type of psychotropic which has not completely worn off yet." Kelford continued. "I don't recommend she go home yet until it's out of her system. There's a few more tests and then she can go. Is there someplace she can stay tonight?"

"She'll come to my apartment," Lee said flatly. Billy grinned and Francine rolled her eyes.

"Well, isn't that cozy," Francine said coolly.

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Kristen had heard that Amanda has been rescued. She sighed with relief and was about to go to the Agency Hospital to check on her and let her know the boys were fine. They had no idea, thank goodness. However, the receptionist called her over.

"Kristen," she said. "You have a call on line 3."

Kristen walked over to a phone and picked it up.

"Adler here."

"Krissy," she recognized Tess's voice. "Hey, I was just picking up lunch for my boss from that sandwich shop he likes and I saw that woman we saw at the bar. She was with a few people on motorcycles. They were outside that dive bar, Mike's off Michigan Avenue."

"Oh my God," Kristen asked. "Are they still there?"

"They were about 20 minutes ago."

"Thanks, I owe you."

Kristen hung up the phone and ran to the Agency Hospital. She saw Lee there in the hallway with Francine and Billy.

"Is Amanda ok?" She asked out of breath.

"Yeah," Lee responded. "She'll be okay."

"That's good," she said, looking distracted. "I hate the bring this up, but Phyllis and some of Birol's fighters were just seen at a bar off Michigan Avenue."

"Who's your source?" Billy asked.

"My roommate, Tess." Kristen said. "She was with me the night we saw Phyllis."

Lee looked at Dr. Kelford, Billy and then Francine as he stood undecided. Dr. Kelford noticed the indecision. "She may be a while longer while we're finishing the tests."

"Billy, I need to end this," Lee said.

"Go," Billy barked, "Francine, you go with him. Take Duffy, Marquez and two more groups to the bar. We don't know how many there may be. Notify the CIA and FBI contingencies as well" Billy barked. "Adler, you've been certified for your weapon, correct?"

"Yes, sir."

"Ok, Adler had the tip, she goes too. Take your sidearm. Go!"

The team pulled up near bar, but far enough back not to raise suspicion. The motorcycles were still outside. Lee took the lead heading up to the bar. He sent Francine with another flank around back. It was a small establishment in ill repair containing eight tables with mismatching chairs and a pool table toward the back of the room. There were gaudy, cheap, colored glass lamps hanging from the ceiling and several beer signs hung on the walls of the smoke filled room. The kind of place to get drunk or lie low. Likely both for this group.

This ends here he thought. He would do this for Amanda. They would all pay for their role in what Birol did to her. He took a deep breath to center himself and concentrate on what needed to be done. Kristen studied him and watched his expression change from one of an angry man to that of no emotion whatsoever.

"Ok, looks like there are six of them." Lee whispered. "Kristen, this is your first raid, you stay low as backup behind Duffy. Have your gun ready, but do not pull it out for this one." Lee had experienced way too many instances with Freshman agents getting nervous or trigger happy on their first raid. "Marquez, you and I take the lead. Everyone ready?" He asked into the walkie talkie. When he received an affirmative, he said a simple, "Go!"

Kristen silently took deep breaths to calm her nerves. While she had done dozens upon dozens of simulations, this was her first actual raid. Following Lee's direction she stayed low behind Duffy just inside the entrance. She did not draw her gun yet, but felt it in the holster next to her, under her jacket.

"Freeze. Federal agents!" Lee called out as they burst into the bar.

One of the fighters turned around and pulled out a semi-automatic weapon not recognizing the contingency that came in through the back door. One of those agents yelled from the back of the bar. "Drop it!"

"For Karbala" He yelled holding up his weapon about to fire. One of the agents shot him from behind and the fighter hit the ground. The other fighters put down their weapons and stood back with hands up. Kristen noticed Phyllis was one of them. She also saw Phyllis looking at something at the bar, nodding and had an expression on her face as if to signal someone, but Kristen saw no one there. Duffy noticed it at well.

"Stay down," he whispered at Kristen as he moved forward to get a better look.

She then saw movement behind the bar to her left behind Lee. Kristen backed up toward the wall to get a better look. Suddenly she saw eyes staring out from the bar. At first she thought this was simply the bartender taking cover. The person then grabbed a bottle and smashed it on the ground making everyone jump. Phyllis took advantage of the distraction, grabbed her gun, and ran toward the door located behind Kristen. As there was no one between she and Phyllis, Kristen braced herself and pushed forward as Phyllis crashed into her, knocking her on her back. In the commotion, the agents from the back tackled the remaining fighters while Lee jumped over the bar to take down the bartender.

While all the others fighters had been neutralized, Phyllis grabbed Kristen, pulled her to her feet in front of her as a human shield near the entrance to the bar. While holding down the bartender, Lee pointed the gun toward Phyllis. However, there was no way to take out Phyllis without harming Kristen.

"Release Addi Birol or the woman dies!" Phyllis yelled as she pointed the gun toward Kristen's head. As Kristen had not drawn her weapon previously, it seemed that Phyllis was not fully aware she was carrying one. Holding up her left arm as cover Kristen reached around with her right hand for the gun tucked in her holster on her left side. She slowed her breathing and pulled it out, switched off the safety, and held it at her side aiming it behind her.

One of the fighters, while being held down by an agent saw the gun and yelled out in Arabic that Kristen had a gun.

"Aintabih, kan ladayha musadas".

At that same split second Kristen closed her eyes and squeezed the trigger. Time stood still as the sound of the shot echoed through the bar. She felt the reverberation of the weapon against her side and the release of pressure as Phyllis fell to the floor behind her.

Kristen stood shaking, she couldn't move, but froze in place, the gun still facing behind her. Duffy ran up and grabbed the weapon from Phyllis and assessed her, as Lee signaled someone to take the bartender so he could check on Kristen. Noticing she was still shaking, he gently took the gun.

"Are you ok?" Lee asked looking at Kristen. This poor kid. Her first raid and she was held at gunpoint. At the same time he felt such pride for her calm under pressure seldom seen in freshman agents. " You did amazing." He told the young woman who was clearly still in shock.

Phyllis laid on the ground coughing up blood while it pooled on the floor below her. Marquez and the other agents secured the rest of the fighters while Duffy called in an ambulance. Lee turned Kristen and moved her toward the door so she could not see Phyllis on the ground. Talk about trial by fire he thought. Once Lee moved Kristen out of the bar he could see her using breathing techniques to try to calm herself, clearly the realization hitting her. She had been trained for this, but none of the simulations could quite replicate the realness and intensity of an actual operation. Still, she was glad for the number of simulations because it gave her the tools to stay calm and follow the steps. She then thought of the person she'd shot.

"Did I kill her?" Kristen asked Lee as Francine ran up to see if she was ok.

"No, she's alive. But don't you worry about that." Lee told her.

"Ok," Kristen said. "I just need to sit down."

"It's ok to be shaken," said Francine. "This is what happens to all agents after their first strike."

Duffy grabbed a chair from the bar and brought it out to her.

"You did great, kid," he said.

"Well done, Adler," Marquez said as he walked outside. "Let's get this girl a drink." He shouted.

Seeing Kristen shaking, Lee was brought back to the first time he first shot someone. All the training helps, but nothing prepares you for the first time. He also recalled that he was much farther along in his training. She was right in the middle of beginning field training yet she remained cool and followed the process perfectly. This kid had the goods.

"We're going to head back to the agency," Lee explained. "You'll need to explain what happened. Don't worry, we all saw you were being held at gunpoint and the shot was in self defense. You'll be fine."

"Ok," Kristen said trying to process what was clearly overwhelming.

"You'll have a few sessions with Dr. Pfaff, the staff psychologist." Lee continued to explain. "This is common protocol and it will help. Duffy had it right. You did great."

Kristen was trying to bring herself back to the present. She noticed several CIA and FBI agents and officers gathering around. "Well done", "Great response" she heard from several agents. One very tall, young CIA officer said, "Hey, you were great in there."

Kristen smiled at him as he walked away and looked back.

"Oh my God, he's so cute." She whispered as Francine overheard.

"Ok, she's clearly fine. She's checking out CIA officers." Francine said. Lee laughed.

While Kristen was still shaken, she was happy to have the support. It occurred to her what Lee was doing was very fatherly. He didn't realize it, but he had the instincts to be an amazing father. Step or otherwise.

"I think I want to take Marquez's advice. I need a drink." She said.

Lee brought Kristen back to the agency. Word had already gotten around and the other Freshman candidates came to congratulate Kristen and check on her. She took down a terrorist on her first raid. She took off the jacket which had a hole in it from the bullet

"Damn girl, you are such a badass," Tony laughed.

"I heard you were really cool under pressure," William said. He grabbed the jacket, "and this we are hanging on the wall!" The other freshman clapped and cheered.

"Well," Kristen admitted. "I faked being cool really well. I'm still pretty shaky."

Lee smiled at her as he dropped her off. He could see Kristen was in good hands and he had to get back to Amanda.

"Listen," he told Kristen. "You did really well today. I've got to run to check on Amanda."

"Please give her a hug from me." Kristen replied. "Let her know the boys were fine last night. They just miss her. I'll check in on her later."

Lee smiled. "I'll tell her." Damn, this kid was impressive. She was clearly shaken but she took instruction well and had a calm temperament under pressure. However, she had one thing Lee didn't at that age, empathy. This made her even stronger. He noticed he felt protective of her similarly to the way he felt about Amanda. But this was different, and a bit startling. What he felt for Kristen was more like a proud dad.

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Lee ran down to the Agency hospital. Amanda's tests were completed and they were waiting on the results. Her fact lit up when Lee came bursting into the room.

"Amanda," he said, "I'm so sorry. We got the fighters. It's over." He sat next to her on the bed and wrapped his arms around her to hold her close. While she had been impatiently waiting for him, Amanda knew he had to take care of this. She was still disoriented and had a hard time judging the concept of time and was trying to make out what was real and what was not. Had Lee asked her to marry him? No need to worry right now, she just wanted to be held.

"Lee, I'm so glad," was all she said in her addled, emotional state.

After a bit, Dr. Kelford came back into the room.

"Well, looks like you're feeling better," he said to Amanda. "We have the results back from your bloodwork." Lee straightened up to listen.

"What did he give her?" He asked nervously.

"It looks like a a mixture of hallucinogens, small amounts of PCP, ketamine and cannabis. Fortunately, nothing lethal and most will wear off in the next few hours. You'll feel strange probably into tomorrow and then get back to normal, at least as far as the drugs are concerned."

"That's good," Amanda said, feel relieved.

"You have several bruises and a cracked rib. You'll need to take it easy over the next few days and you should ice the cracked ribs for about 20 minutes a few times a day. I'll write you a prescription for pain medication, some antibiotics and a sleeping aid."

"Is that why my side hurts so much?" Amanda said, rubbing her left side. "I hit a corner in a hallway really hard and I thought I heard something crack."

Lee looked ruffled and angry. Amanda put a hand on his knee to remind him it was over.

"Now,:" Dr. Kelford continued, "speaking of what you have been through. This has been an extremely traumatic experience. You are going to have some nightmares and anxiety. I want to you to see Dr. Joyce starting tomorrow. I also recommend you don't go home tonight. You'll still be rather disoriented for the next several hours."

"Amanda, you will stay with me" Lee said, causing Dr. Kelford to raise a curious eyebrow. Lee didn't care though.

"How's the new agent?" Dr. Kelford asked to change the subject. "I hear she had quite the experience."

"What happened?" Amanda asked Lee.

"The intel Kristen received was good," Lee explained. "Phyllis was at some dive bar with 5 other fighters. During the raid, Phyllis managed the grab Kristen and held her as a human shield."

"Oh my gosh!" Amanda worried, "Is she ok?"

"The kid slid her gun out and shot her." Lee said, smiling proudly. "She was pretty shaken up, but she did amazing. She's not very big, but man is she tough."

"Are you kidding?" Amanda smiled. "Wow. That's one impressive young woman." Amanda said. She did not want to demean Kristen by calling he a girl or kid.

"Yeah, she is," Lee smiled. "Oh, she asked him to give you this." He hugged her and gave her a kiss on the forehead. "She said the boys are doing fine, they just miss you. She said she'll come see you later. She's pretty tied up now getting debriefed by Billy."

"Well," Dr. Kelford said. "I think I'm done with you here. Remember, get some rest. Make this guy take care of YOU for a change." He laughed.

A short time later, Lee and Amanda stepped into Lee's apartment. Amanda was tired, dirty and hungry. She wanted a shower, some food and to go to bed with Lee by her side. She was still feeling off and anxious, and was still having trouble getting her bearings. Lee picked up on it.

"I think you left some clothes here if you want to take a shower," he told her. "I don't have much food here, but I can order something in."

"That sounds amazing," she said.

"Chinese ok?" He asked.

"Perfect," Amanda replied. At this point, she really didn't care. She just wanted to wash off the entire experience. She wanted the smell out of her hair and the feeling of Birol's rough handling off her skin. She walked to the shower and turned on the hot water. She took off her clothes and looked in the mirror seeing for the first time the bruises all over her body. The reflection didn't even look like her. She had a huge welt on her arms where he had jabbed her with the syringes. A nasty bruise on her side under which her rib was cracked. She saw finger shaped bruises and on her face and neck. She wanted to cleanse it all away.

She stepped into the shower and let the water flow over her, shedding away the sins of a mad man. She massaged shampoo through her hair and then as she rinsed it away, it laid bare all the trauma. Flashes of Birol's eyes searing into hears as he held her by her neck, pushing her into the wall. Then more flashbacks.

'"Do you know her?! Do you know her?!" He screamed as his eyes pierced her own. Amanda started to shake as she crumbled onto the floor of the shower, sobbing uncontrollably. Lee could hear sounds coming from his shower. He peeked into the bedroom and heard Amanda crying. He ran to the shower and found Amanda on the floor curled up and weeping intensely.

"Amanda," he called to her as he climbed into the shower fully clothed. He knelt down on the floor to hold her, letting the water wash over them both. She leaned into him, wailing loudly. "It's ok, I'm here. I'm here." He said, attempting to soothe her.

Amanda could not speak, she didn't want to. She just needed to get it out. No words were spoken as Lee just held her in the shower and let her cry as long as she needed.

After several minutes, Amanda looked up at him. This was the first time she noticed he still had all this clothes on.

"You're soaked," she choked out the words. "Didn't anyone tell you you're supposed to take clothes off before getting in the shower," she joked feeling herself relax.

"Thought I'd try something new, " he smiled at her looking at the wet coveralls he'd never had time to change from earlier in the day. "I think I'm going to throw these out anyway." Lee said.

"I think we need to just burn them," Amanda continued to laugh lightly. It felt good to fall into the ease she'd always had with him. "'I'm sorry I fell apart."

"You know you never need to apologize." Lee wiped the water away from her face. "This is part of the deal. For better or worse, you've got me."

Amanda smiled. He DID ask her to marry him. It wasn't a hallucination.

"It's true," Amanda's tears that had been sad now transitioning to overjoyed, "you did ask me to marry you, didn't you?"

"You bet I did," Lee said. "I only realized in that moment that I wanted to ask you to marry me right then and there." While she was overjoyed, she realized this was a huge step and did not want to force him into something he was not prepared for.

"Well, Stetson, you're nothing if not spontaneous," she laughed, "but, If you're not ready I understand."

"No way I'm backing out." Lee said. "I had actually been thinking about it for a while. I may not have a lot figured out, but the one absolute is that I want you as my wife."

"Lee, I love you, you big romantic." Amanda smiled and they sat kissing softly on the shower floor. "Maybe we should turn the water off now." Amanda laughed. Lee pulled her in to hug her, reaching up to turn off the water.

After getting out of the shower, Amanda wanted to call Mother and the boys. They were overjoyed to hear from her. Amanda felt herself getting emotional again thinking that just hours ago she questioned whether she'd ever see them again. She laughed with the boys who were clearly glad to hear her voice. She was elated when Phillip told her he received his first A on a quiz in Spanish. She missed them terribly. She told them she'd be home in a couple days.

In the meantime, Lee had her medications delivered shortly after dinner. Amanda was exhausted and Lee brought her into the bedroom to tuck her into bed. Amanda was wearing one of Lee's t-shirts which he decided looked way better on her than it ever did on himself. The oversized shirt on her slim body was downright sexy.

"Are you coming to bed shortly?," Amanda said. "I need you here with me."

"I'm just cleaning up the kitchen," he said. "I won't be long." He kissed her and pulled the blankets over her. "I love you, my Amanda."