In Limbo

Chapter 48

When Lee came to join Amanda and her family for dinner, Dotty let him in the front door, stating, "Amanda's upstairs with the boys. They're arguing again."

Lee nodded in understanding, saying, "I see...Anything I can do?"

When Lee had stepped inside, Dotty, closing the door behind him answered, "No, Dear. Would you like a drink?"

Following her out to the kitchen, Lee commented, "Just iced tea would be fine, thank you."

Dotty, then realized what she asked, and stated with a shake of her head, "Oh, I'm sorry, I forgot what you had just been through with Joe...Was it really bad?"

Lee winced, replying, "Only when he ate part of his breakfast and got rid of the rest...But then he slept the rest of the day...It-It was fine-"

The two then heard, "Well, you can just stay up here until bedtime, Young Man! I've had it!"

A door closed abruptly, and then Amanda and Jamie came downstairs, and Amanda sadly greeted Lee, commenting, "Hi."

Lee cleared his throat, asking, " Hi...Everything alright?"

Jamie then piped up, "Phillip called Mom stupid for marrying Dad, and then it really got loud-"

Amanda responded tersely to Jamie, "Young Man, that's enough! Keep it up and you'll be sent to bed without supper, also! Now, go help your grandmother with the table...Move it!"

Lee shot a look at Dotty, and signaled to the patio, as he took Amanda's hand, remarking calmly, "C'mon, Sweetheart, let's get some air, huh?"

Amanda, allowing him to lead her out, muttered, "Fine..."

-SMK-

As they entered the gazebo, Lee sat Amanda down on the bench and asked, "What happened?"

Amanda shrugged answering in a ramble, " Oh, Phillip's a teenager, and he got a little too mouthy...Okay, so he doesn't like talking much to me any more about anything, but then, I'm only a mother, and mothers don't know squat, and-"

Lee had enough at this point and stated testily, "Oh, not you too with the self pity!"

Amanda bewildered, queried, "What do you mean? I didn't-"

Lee shaking his head, answered, "Let's go..."

He helped her up from the bench, and leading her back to the house, replied, "We're gonna settle this once and for all...Please go sit on the couch, while I go get Phillip."

When they came back in from the patio, Dotty said, "That was quick. Everything alright?"

Lee sighed, commenting, "Not by a long shot, Dotty...Can you hold dinner for a bit?"

Dotty answered, "I can put the meatloaf in the oven on Warm-"

Lee nodded, remarking, "That's fine, thank you..."

Then, as Dotty was putting the dinner back in the oven, Lee, heading to the stairs, whistled and called up, "Phillip? Get your tail down here! We're having a family meeting!"

Phillip came out to the hall and remarked, "You can't do that! Your not family!"

Lee shot back, "I'm still dating your mother, so it's practically the same thing! Move it!"

As everyone finally gathered in the family room on the couch, Lee sat on the chair nearby, and answered, "Okay, you've had some setbacks here that are upsetting you and I understand that. You've also had therapy so you pretty much know how this is going to go-"

Phillip asked sullenly, " Oh, so you're an expert then? Have you had therapy?"

Lee glanced at Amanda who shook her head at Phillip's smart remark and Lee answered, "Well, work related stuff basically...I'll let you in on something, though. My personal opinion is that these doctors are quacks...However, over the years, I sometimes wondered maybe if my uncle and I had attended a few sessions of our own, we might have improved our relationship some. But...That's a story for another day...Now, Guys, your parents met while in college, and they got together because at the time, they had fallen in love, and wanted to share their lives together. They had specific hopes and dreams of any young couple starting out...Your dad went into law school, and your mom wanted to get a teaching job, and they saved up their money to get a house-"

Phillip cut him off stating with a groan, "Yeah, yeah...We know the rest of it. Mom got pregnant while Dad got his law degree, and joined the EPA...Mom did substitute teaching for a while, and then they got the house after I was born, and Dad started working for the EAO after Jamie was born, and Dad got bored with us and decided to leave...Tell me if you've heard this already-"

Amanda admonished, "Stop it, right now, Phillip!"

-SMK-

Just then, the phone rang, and as Dotty went to answer it, Lee replied, "Yes, your mother filled me in on some of their history, but Phillip, some couples grow apart, and with your folks, they weren't agreeing on a lot of things, and rather than making things worse for you boys, they decided it was best to end it. They didn't want to end it, but there was no other choice. They both love you guys and would do anything not to hurt you, but staying together with all the tension just wasn't worth it any more. It happens that way sometimes."

Lee stopped as they all heard Dotty exclaim, "Wh-What? Where is he?"

Swallowing, Dotty answered, "Y-Yes, alright, we'll be there soon, Doug...Thank you for calling...Goodbye."

Amanda came over to her mother asking, "M-Mother? What is it? What happened?"

Dotty stated quietly, "That was Joe's father, Doug...The police contacted him about a half hour ago, saying that a taxi heading for Chevy Chase from Connecticut Avenue was just hit head on by another car, and that the two people in the taxi were taken to Galilee General...The driver...And the passenger the police ID'd was J-Joe..."

Lee, listening, had a horrible feeling in his stomach then, remembering that he sent Joe away, calling a cab for him earlier that evening, and murmured, "Oh my God..."

Amanda gulped, and seeing the shock on both boys' faces, answered quickly, "Okay, everybody, let's get going...Boys, your dad is gonna be just fine..."

As they all headed for the door, Dotty turned back, saying, "Forgot to turn the oven off...", and then headed towards the front door again as Amanda, getting her keys and purse, turned to see Lee just standing by the couch, and queried, "Lee? Are you coming?"

Distracted for a moment, he suddenly responded, "Yeah, right behind you..."

-SMK-

As everyone came into the hospital waiting area, the family went to greet Joe's parents, Doug and Teri King, while Lee, feeling awkward, waited back near the chairs.

Amanda asked, "Doug, what happened? What did they say?"

Doug King shrugged bewilderedly, "The officer that called said it was a drunk driver who hit the cab, and they had been taken here, so when Teri and I arrived and I told the nurse our name, she said to wait, that the doctor was still checking them out...We-We didn't know he was even in town-"

The E.R. doctor came out just then asking, "Mr. and Mrs. King?"

Doug and Teri turned from Amanda and Dotty, and Doug answered, "Yes?"

The doctor said, "I'm Dr. Julie Cobb, and I examined both the taxi driver and your son Joseph..I'm terribly sorry to tell you, but they didn't survive their injuries. They both had severe head trauma, and neither one regained consciousness...Again, I'm very sorry..."

The family nodded numbly, as the doctor left, and Phillip, shaken, went to sit down and began to cry, and looking at Lee, replied," I-I was so mean to him! Wh-Why? Why did I do that?!"

Lee swallowed hard as Phillip went into his arms, and Lee slowly held onto the boy, answering gently, "Y-You were just upset. People argue all the time, but they still love each other, okay? You didn't do anything wrong...Shh..."

Dotty, looking around, queried, "Where did Jamie go?"

Amanda then realized where Jamie might have gone, and rushed back to the examining area, to find Jamie, standing near Joe's covered body, and crying, "N-No, Dad! No! "

Then seeing Amanda, he cried harder, commenting sadly, "He's gone, Mom! Why did he go?!"

Then carefully, Amanda took Jamie's hand, and pulling him to her, whispered with a swallow, "Sweetheart, He-He couldn't help it. He-He just wasn't strong enough...C'mon, your grandparents need to say goodbye now..."

Amanda and Jamie came out of the examining area, as Doug and Teri and Dotty went in, and Jamie, going to Dotty when she came out a few minutes later, asked, "What do we do, Grandma?"

Dotty sighing heavily, answered as she hugged him, "There's-There's nothing we can do except say prayers for your father, hmm?"

A little while later, Doug and Teri came back to the waiting area, visibly shocked, and Amanda stated gently, "If there's anything we can do, you'll let us know, okay?"

Hugging them both, she went to the boys responding softly, "They're going home in a bit...Why don't you say goodbye, huh?"

As Phillip and Jamie both went to speak to their grandparents, Amanda saw Lee sitting in one of the chairs, with a grave look on his face, and coming over to him, sat down, and kissed his cheek, answering, "Thank you for being here...I-I know hospitals aren't easy for you-"

Lee then pulling Amanda up with him, commented, "N-No, they're not, so if you don't mind, I'm gonna head home..."

Amanda then walked Lee over to the group, and stated, "Doug and Teri, this is Lee Stetson, the man I've been seeing...He and I work together at IFF...He came along to see that we were alright, but he has to go now."

Lee shook both of the couples' hands, remarking stoically, "I'm so sorry for your loss, Mr. and Mrs. King."

The couple nodded their thanks, and after Lee said good night to Dotty and the boys, he left.

-SMK-

Knowing Amanda needed her own moment with Joe, Dotty gathered the boys, saying, "C'mon, Fellas...Let's head to the car..."

As they left, Doug said to Amanda, "They have papers that need to be signed here, so Teri and I will leave after that..."

Amanda, nodding, hugged the couple one more time, and with a sigh, slowly went back to the examining area...

Memories filled Amanda's mind as she stood near Joe's lifeless body, and as tears came down her cheeks, she answered sadly, "Oh, Joe! It didn't have to end this way!"

Gulping, she said a short prayer silently, then with her fingers, blew him a light kiss, and patted the sheet, replying softly, "Goodbye, Joe..."

-SMK-

Lee, getting home a while later, got in the door of his apartment, and closing it, walked over to the couch, and sitting down, undid his tie, and took off his shoes, trying to make sense of all that had happened in the last couple of days.

Running a hand through his hair, he sighed thinking, What are the odds that the cab I sent for Joe was the same one that...

Shaking his head, he growled, "If I hadn't sent for that cab, you'd still be here, Joe! Damn!"

Getting up, he went to pour himself a scotch, and said, "I wanted you gone, Joe, but not this way!"

Putting his drink down, he went to pick up his tie and shoes, and heading to the bedroom, tossed them aside, and then looking towards the bed, found an envelope addressed to him laying there!

Lee took the envelope slowly, and opening it, read:

"Dear Lee,

I understand now how much I screwed up the boys' lives and I'll never get that time back with them. Amanda and Phillip and Jamie deserve the best, and it's clear that you're it! I arranged with my lawyer the other night to have my parental rights relinquished to you, and have also sent a copy to Amanda's lawyer, to draw up as soon as possible. Please tell the boys that I'll always love them. Thanks for always looking out for the family.

Regards,

Joe King

Lee murmured after reading, "Wh-What the hell?!"

Then taking the letter, Lee shook his head and walking back out to the bar, he picked up his drink, and taking a sip, answered, "He must have done all that before heading to Dooley's and then-"

With realization hitting Lee, he shouted, looking up, "So, was that all planned, Joe?! You throw the family into my lap and you're done? How the hell do I explain this to Amanda?! I love her, but how is she or the boys ever going to understand this?!"

Taking his drink back to the couch, he sat down, and getting on the phone, called Billy.

When Billy answered, Lee woodenly asked, "Do we still have an Agency lawyer on retainer? I need a favor...Let me explain..."

TBC