In Limbo

Chapter 53

Lee and Amanda, returning to her home from the park, went around to the back patio, where Amanda, heading for the kitchen door, stated to Lee with a gesture, "You sit right down at the picnic table here, and I'll send Mother out-"

Lee shook his head answering with a low growl, "A-Amanda! C'mon! We'll figure something out later, alright? I-I don't want her feeling ambushed..."

And as he turned to leave, Amanda replied firmly in her no nonsense tone, "Lee Stetson, you come back here this instant, and park it right where I told you, Mister! Now!"

With a heavy sigh, Lee did what she asked, commenting brusquely, " Fine! But I want it on the record that I didn't request this...That I had no choice in the matter...Deal?"

Amanda answered with a hurt tone, "Hey! I love both of you very much, and I want you to be able to work this out, Lee! Look, we were all blindsided by Joe's accident, and we'll work out the custody thing later...But right now, before we all sit down to dinner together tonight, I need you to mend fences with Mother, and she with you, while I talk to the boys upstairs, okay? Please?"

Lee groaned, and shaking his head, then looked at her, and crooking his finger, responded, "Come here..."

Amanda came back over slowly to his side at the table, and replied, "Yes?"

Lee brought her hand to his lips, and kissing her knuckles, rubbed them with his thumb, saying gently, "You are the most stubborn, obstinate...most beautiful woman in the world, and I am damn lucky to have you!"

Amanda bent down and kissed his mouth tenderly, and pulling back slowly, whispered, "Thank you...And don't you forget it!"

Amanda then turned to head back to the kitchen, and Lee, puzzled, queried, "Hey...Don't you have something likewise to say to me?"

Amanda shrugged lightly, commenting, "Let's see how you and Mother work out first, huh?"

As Amanda headed into the house, Lee sighed, answering, "I don't believe it! She hoodwinked me! Why is always doing that?"

-SMK-

A few moments later, the door opened, and Dotty came out, and closing the door, came over to the picnic table, and sitting down across from Lee, responded quietly, "Mr. Stetson..."

Lee nodded, replying calmly, "Mrs. West..."

Dotty stated, "I understand from my daughter that we need to work something out."

Lee, putting up a hand, remarked, "If I may..."

Reaching in his pants pocket, he pulled out a white handkerchief, and placing it in the middle of the table between them, said, "I'd like to call this a peace treaty of sorts...Ladies first."

Dotty sighed and remarked, "Thank you...Alright...The happiest days of my only daughter's life were when she married Joe, and when she gave birth to those wonderful children upstairs...The saddest days were when her father died, her marriage ended in divorce, and the inexplicable accident that claimed Joe King! Now, Amanda informed me of Joe's wishes concerning Phillip and Jamie and their custody, and I'm wondering how it came to be that Joe wanted you of all people to have his parental rights when the two of you didn't even know each other all that well?"

Lee, clearing his throat, answered, "To be honest, I have no idea myself. Maybe, in the end, Joe realized that Amanda's trust in me was justified, and that she and the kids would be okay with me in her life."

Dotty nodded slowly as she listened, and when Lee finished, she asked, "The morning after his drinking binge...Did-Did he give any indication at all that this was what he wanted?"

Lee sighed responding, "No. As a matter of fact, all he did was thank me for helping him out and was genuinely surprised that I did anything...I mean, I could've left him at the bar-but I made it clear to him that my help was for Amanda and the kids' sake only."

Dotty shrugged lightly, remarking, "Well, it took them a long time to accept each other's faults and to forgive each other for the way their marriage ended...They agreed to friendly terms for the boys' sake, and up until the last couple of weeks, it worked rather well..."

Then, looking at Lee intently, Dotty stated, "As for you, Lee Stetson...I'll finish with this...From this moment on, for however long your relationship with my daughter does last, if you say or do anything to hurt my daughter or grandsons, you can consider yourself done with this family! Have I made myself clear, Young Man?"

Lee inwardly squirmed, thinking of all the Colonel's talks with him after he had gotten into a scrape or two when he had still lived on the base, and nodded, answering stoically, "Yes, Ma'am..."

Dotty knew then that she'd put the literal fear of God into the man that sat across from her, and getting up, responded, "Good...Now, since Amanda's still upstairs with the boys, why don't we finish getting the salad ready, and you can help set the table, hmm?"

Lee, getting up quickly to follow her in, commented, "Of course..."

As they went inside the house, Lee thought, Whew! Amanda wasn't kidding about Dotty one bit...

TBC