Chapter 14: Conclusion and Tag

Doctors and nurses raced about the bustling emergency room as they tended to a plethora of patients. With the wail of ambulance sirens announcing the next crisis, the medical team expertly examined, stabilized, bandaged and medicated a challenging array of illnesses and injuries. In their haste, a pat on the shoulder and a few kind words were all they could spare for the sick and the lame.

Like a fly on the wall, Lee watched the hubbub from a distant vantage point. The drama of life and death played out all around him, but he felt strangely removed from the suffering. The only one who mattered to him was the slender brunette stretched out on the examining table, in a corner cubicle.

A "bump on the head" was how the doctor referred to her injury - knocked out cold from the fall and the shock of her emotional trauma. Supposedly, Amanda would regain consciousness when she was ready to face the human race again. Her slight twitches and soft moans gave every indication that she was nearing wakefulness.

Lee monitored her every move. Amanda would need a friend when she awoke to the memories of the border crossing. He wasn't going anywhere until he helped her cope with the agony of the recent events.

"Mmmm . . ." Her hand moved toward the ice pack, precariously perched on her forehead. Tears glistened on her closed eyelashes, and a sudden shudder rocked her body. Just as an audible sob escaped her lips, Lee's long arm stretched across the chasm and grasped her wrist.

"Hey, hey, don't cry, partner. I'm here."

"What?" Amanda's head turned at the sound of his voice, and she came face to face with the object of her mourning.

He was strapped to a gurney and had various tubes running from his nose and arms, but he still managed a huge smile. "Everything's okay, partner."

"Oh my gosh, Lee, you're alive! You're really alive!" Squinting at the bright overhead lights, she rolled to her side and practically fell off the table in her effort to reach him.

"Whoa, Amanda; take it easy." Together they maneuvered the gurney closer, until they could reach across the divide and gingerly wrap their arms around each other.

"Oh, Lee," she whimpered against his chest. "I thought for sure I'd lost you."

Gently moving his hand to her face, he wiped at the tears that spilled from her eyes. "I'm okay, Amanda. We're both okay, thanks to Scarecrow's incredible Mrs. King."

"And, Mr. Lazar."

"And definitely Tamas Lazar."

"Is he okay?"

"He's fine, too. The hospital staff made him stay in the waiting room."

Amanda's breath caressed his cheek, as she stroked the stubble of his whiskers. "Lee, I was afraid you'd died in that awful box."

He closed his eyes, remembering the desperate moments. "Yeah, I was convinced I was a goner. When I started coughing and choking, all I had to breathe were the terrible fumes. There was no way to sit up or turn my body, and there was no Amanda to give me a slap on the back."

"But, Lee, you weren't breathing when they got you out."

"Well, fortunately the Austrian border guards are well trained in emergency procedures. Someone cleared my airway and got oxygen into me, before it was too late. When I regained consciousness, you were being loaded into an ambulance. You scared me to death, you know that, partner."

"That makes two of us." Amanda sighed as she surveyed their surroundings. "Lee, shouldn't you be in a hospital bed? You don't look very comfortable."

"I know; the staff isn't very happy with me." He shot Amanda a sheepish grin. "I guess I gave the nurses a fit when they wanted to move me to a room. I insisted my friend would need me here, when she finally decided to wake up."

"Oh, Lee. That's really very sweet, but I hope you didn't make a scene."

He shrugged his shouders. "Well, you know my Scarecrow persona. When necessary, I can be very persuasive."

She rolled her eyes. "You'll be lucky if they don't put you in a straight jacket."

"Amanda, now that you're awake, maybe we can break-out of this joint. I don't intend to be poked and prodded for days on end."

"Oh, no pal. I want you settled in a hospital room." Waving her hand, Amanda tried to get the attention of the staff. "Nurse, oh, nurse." She pushed Lee's arm down as he fought to clamp his hand over her mouth. "Don't you try it, Buster."

"Hell," he groaned, finally succumbing to the obvious. In his present condition, he was no match for Amanda King. Wisely, he decided to surrender to the wishes of his better half. "Maybe, if I ask nicely, they'll let us share a room together."

Amanda gave him a wry smile. "I wouldn't hold my breath, Scarecrow. However, if you're really good, they may give you a pretty nurse."

"I already have a pretty nurse," he said with a wink.

TAG

After an interminable week, the two American agents settled into the first class seats of the Lufthansa airliner, both relieved that they were finally flying back to Washington D.C. After take-off, an uneasy silence hung over the pair, and they reclined their seats at the first opportunity. Each seemed lost in personal reflection.

As the plane reached cruising altitude, Lee closed his eyes and wrestled with his jumbled thoughts.

The week in Austria had conspired to build emotional and physical barriers between the former roommates of the Budapest apartment. He had spent five of the last six days recovering in an Austrian hospital, while Amanda stayed with Tamas in the home of some friends. Although she made daily visits to see him, it was a poor substitute for actually living together. She obviously found it difficult to relinquish all of her patient's care to the doctors and nurses.

He also found the adjustment difficult. The grumpy Scarecrow behavior quickly resurfaced and was firmly in place by the time Billy Melrose and a team of agents arrived to debrief both of them. The proud and relieved section chief reassured them that Vadas had provided a wealth of information about the Eastern European operations. Scarecrow's mission was deemed a success by the Agency's head honcho, and Amanda's bravery was acknowledged with a special commendation.

When Billy was ready to return to the United States, he had all but insisted that Amanda return stateside with him. However, she steadfastly refused to leave without her partner. Under duress, Melrose finally agreed that his injured agent should have someone to accompany him on his flight home.

The time in Hungary had been a bizarre experience. It seemed surreal as the airplane put distance between life behind the Iron Curtain and the real world they knew in the United States. Scarecrow and Mrs. King were finally flying to their beloved homeland, but oddly "the land of the free" threatened to sabotage their new found freedom in each other. The restrictive boundaries of their normal roles and behaviors began to trumpet familiar refrains. A silent warning was sounding retreat from the no-man's land of transparent feelings and forbidden desires.

The struggle to survive had forced the two of them to reach out to each other in ways they never had before. However, as the plane sped across the time zones, they had to leave behind a foreign life on a foreign soil. The intimate interactions they shared in Hungary would be inappropriate once they were back among the people and routines, important to their day-to-day lives.

Amanda would be returning to her home in the suburbs and her role as the responsible and proper mother of two growing boys. Lee knew Amanda's private world didn't have a place for him inside the white Cape Cod on Maplewood Drive. The old line would be drawn between them, limiting their roles to that of business associates and friends, who mostly lived their down time in two separate orbits.

A poignant silence hung like a thick fog over the pair, offering them a safe shelter of privacy. They were acting like uncomfortable strangers.

Lee wanted to make things right between them, if only he could find the words to say what was on his mind and in his heart. He didn't want to brush their intense emotions and obvious attraction under another cloak of secrecy, but revealing true feelings still seemed out of bounds, given their real life situations.

Finally, Lee shifted his seat to the upright position and cleared his throat. "Um, Amanda, I really think we need to talk about what happened back there - in Budapest."

"Here it comes," Amanda murmured. She eyed him warily as she lifted her head off the pillow and pushed the button to readjust her seat.

The senior agent anxiously watched her brace for the hurtful words of the "end-of-case speech." Taking her hand and lacing their fingers together, Lee waited until he caught her gaze.

"Hey," he said, gently squeezing her hand. "Amanda, I can guess what you must be thinking." Seeing her eyes well up with tears, he struggled to find the words he needed. "A lot of things happened during the case that were certainly out of the ordinary, even for us."

"Yes, I know, she said softly, almost to herself.

"Well, it was strange for you to be my private duty nurse." He paused, nervously blowing out the breath he was holding. "And, ah, it was even stranger for us to share a bed."

Amanda barely nodded as her eyes clouded with confusion.

Lee shifted uneasily in his seat. God, this was harder than he'd imagined. She wasn't going to cut him any slack. "I realize my illness forced us to cross the line in our relationship, and it changed the dynamic between us. You know, we've been cautiously dancing around each other for nearly three years, trying to keep the status quo, and then, boom, all the old rules go right out the window."

"I understand the dilemma," she said, her words sounding defensive. "However, special circumstances called for special actions. You desperately needed someone to take care of you, and I was more than willing to be that person. And, too, when I needed help, you graciously took care of me. Unfortunately, it now appears, the personal attention we gave to each other has made things awkward between us." Flustered, she pulled her hand out of his grasp.

He felt the smile fade from his face, as the muscles tensed in his jaw. Damn it, why did he choose such a hot button topic? "Listen, Amanda, I'm not complaining about the care. Hell, you saved my life. And, believe me, it was wonderful to wake up and find you by my side. Even more, I considerated it a privilege to provide care and comfort to you. I'm just trying to point out that our time in Hungary challenged a lot of assumptions, for both of us."

"So, is that a bad thing?"

"No, it's not. In my mind, we finally stepped across some prohibited boundary. I don't know what the change means, and I don't know where it will lead, but clearly a new unexplored territory has opened up to us. I think the future holds new possibilities."

"Oh?"

The word hung between them, as he continued to second-guess himself. "Amanda, I need some help here," he said, his voice rising in volume. "I just poured out my feelings, and you're acting like I gave the end of my speech in Portuguese. Maybe you aren't interested in what I'm trying to say."

"Of course, I'm interested." Nervously, she looked around at the curious passengers who seemed focused on the little scene created by Scarecrow and Mrs. King. "Lee," she whispered, "I'm just trying to understand exactly what you mean."

"What, am I talking in code?" he asked, trying to keep his voice low. He crossed his arms over his chest and glared at his partner. Would they ever be on the same page?

Amanda placed a tentative hand on his sleeve. "Lee, I understand your basic message. Now, let me see if I can read between the lines."

"Be my guest." With a broad sweep of his his arm, he extended an invitation. "I can't wait to hear your interpretation."

"Okay," she said, with firm resolve. "Mr. Stetson, are you admitting our attitudes have changed, and maybe the time has arrived for our relationship to change, too?"

Briefly looking away from her, he ran his fingers slowly through his hair. Finally meeting her gaze, he nodded his head. "Yeah, I am."

"Are you trying to say we can be more open about our feelings for each other?" She quirked her eyebrow in expectation.

Rubbing his sweaty palms on his pants, he exhaled the breath he was holding. "Yes, that's exactly what I'm saying. Hiding personal feelings has been hard on both of us."

"Absolutely." The corners of her mouth hinted at the smile, tugging on her lips. "Then, are you recommending that we spend more time together, outside of work?"

His face relaxed into a playful grin. "Yes, I'd like that very much."

"And, so would I." She gave his arm a squeeze and graced him with a radiant smile.

Greatly relieved, Lee placed her hand in the crook of his arm. With a sigh of satisfaction, he silently congratulated himself for taking the leap of faith. Just as he hoped, Amanda was ready to take the leap with him.

"Lee, there are a couple more things I'd like to say to you."

"Oh, just a couple," he teased.

Amanda's expression turned serious again. "I know the assignment threw us together in very intimate ways, and now we have to let the dust settle a bit, so we can gain a clearer perspective on our emotional involvement. And yes, I mean to say we're emotionally involved."

"Yes, ma'am. It's crystal clear to me. I'm sorry it took a near death experience behind the Iron Curtain to make me be honest about our deep emotional attachment."

Amanda's brown eyes sparkled as she met his gaze. "Despite the circumstances, you opened the discussion for us. I'm so proud of you." She began to fiddle with the cuff on her sleeve, obviously hedging on her next comment. "Ah, Lee - I hope I've put to rest your concern, well, you know, about my ex-husband." She ventured a quick peek at his face before shyly looking away.

"Yeah, I think you did." He slid his arm around her waist, pulling her closer to his side. "So, I assume this means you won't be going home to remarry Joe?"

Her head shot up, and she looked at him in amazement. "Is that what worried you?" Not waiting for an answer, she plunged ahead with her explanation. "Lee, I want to be perfectly clear. Joe King no longer has a romantic hold on my life. And despite what you think you saw at my house, I'm not physically involved with my ex-spouse. What's more, I've made it abundantly clear to Joe that there will be no going back."

Lee nodded sheepishly. "Thanks you. I'm glad you spelled it out for me." Nervously rubbing the naked third finger of his left hand, he glanced at the empty space where Amanda briefly wore a wedding ring on their cruise ship assignment. Weighing his next words carefully, he began his most difficult confession. "I want you to know, Amanda King, I'm working very hard to turn my life around."

Her eyes widened in surprise. "Lee, you don't have to . . . ."

"Yes, I do," he protested. "Listen, being with you every day has opened my eyes to all the old habits that I need to change. I'm trying to tell you . . . there haven't been any women for a long time."

Amanda lowered her gaze and folded her hands in her lap. "I sort of suspected," she said, nodding her head. "Yes, I guessed as much." Sighing softly, she suddenly seemed interested in the puffy clouds outside the plane window.

"Hey, where'd you go?"

Taking a deep breath, she turned to him again. "I'm just thinking about our "end-of-case" discussion. I assume you aren't going to tell me everything we experienced in our little hideaway was just two cold people seeking a little warmth and comfort."

Lee moved closer and smiled against her ear. "No, Amanda, I'm not. We were definitely two people seeking a lot of warmth and comfort. And guess what."

"What?" Amanda turned and looked at him, her breath caressing his face like a soft summer breeze.

Giving her a quick peck on the cheek, he drew back to gaze into her eyes. "Despite what didn't happen between us, it was the best warmth and comfort I've ever known."

"Yes, for me, too," she said, with a bashful smile.

Shaking his head at the stunning revelation, he studied her dear face. How, he wondered, did they stubbornly enforce their very own demarcation zone for nearly three years? "Thank God, we finally opened the Stetson-King border," he said, with clear relief."

"Yes, and isn't it amazing that we find ourselves on the very same side?"

"It's about time." He reached over and delicately tweaked her nose.

Amanda nudged him with her elbow. "You know," she challenged. "Someday, I'd love to return to Hungary, when the country truly opens up. After traveling all the way to Budapest, I'm really disappointed that I didn't get to see much of anything."

Lee flashed his famous Stetson smile. "Well, we can't have that, can we?"

Tugging on her necklace, she pressed her point. "Tamas said we must come back, so he can take us to the Opera House. And then, we'd have to go sailing on Lake Balaton. Lee, did you know Lake Balaton is the largest fresh water lake in Central Europe?"

He laughed at her enthusiasm. "Really?"

"And, we'd just have to go the Great Plain and the Puszta. Did you know they have cowboys that do fancy tricks on horses? Oh Lee, you'd just love the cowboys. And, of course, there's Debrecen. Tamas said we wouldn't want to miss the beautiful city near the Soviet border."

Grinning broadly, Lee halted her nervous ramble. "Then let's make it a date, Amanda! You and me touring Hungary." Beckoning with his finger, he lured her a little closer. Then he leaned in, placing a feather light kiss on first one cheek and then the other, in typical Hungarian style.

Blushing, she touched her hand to her face, tracing the area newly brushed by his lips. "Well, Mr. Stetson, I think you have yourself a date," she whispered in her husky voice.

"You can count on it, Amanda," he promised. "However, there's a condition." His eyes gleamed with mischief as he crossed his arms in front of his chest.

She hesitated before responding. "Condition? What kind of condition?" Her eyes squinted with skepticism, daring him to cross her.

With cocky assurance, Lee double dared her with a wink and a smile. "Next time, Amanda, maybe you could leave the red flannel nightgown at home."

The End