Two days after Lee was escorted into his new home and new life, he glanced around him and realized that he was bored out of his mind. It wasn’t that he didn’t like the attention of Dotty and the boys; he loved spending time with his family and they seemed to like having him around as well. But how much mothering could one man stand? Dotty hovered worse than Amanda and the boys were almost as bad.

He quietly got up from his spot on the couch and began to pick up the clutter left by Phillip and Jaime and their last model car project. Just as he bent over to pick up the discarded instructions, he heard from behind him his mother-in-law’s voice.

“Lee Stetson, don’t you dare try to pick up that mess! You just sit right back down and put your feet up…. It has only been forty-eight hours since you came home and you are not going to over do, not on my watch!” Dotty hurried into the room, took the paper from his hands and pointed at his previous seat.

“Dotty, it’s been two days and I am perfectly capable of picking up this mess. In fact, I am capable of lots of things, if you and Amanda would call off the twenty four guard, I might be able to do a lot more!” He blew a frustrated breath out and ran his hand through his hair.

“Now look what you’ve done… you’ve gone and gotten yourself all worked up… Amanda will kill me if she sees you like this. You just have a seat, young man and I will go and get your lunch.” She glared at him, much as she did her grandsons, waiting for him to comply.

“Dotty, I can come to the kitchen and eat you know. I don’t need to be waited on.” He spread his arms wide, indicating that he was indeed whole and hearty. Unfortunately, the effect was spoiled when a wave of dizziness struck. He wobbled on his feet and reached behind him for the couch arm.

“Oh yes, Lee, you are indeed perfectly able to come to the kitchen. You can’t even stand up, son. Please, just sit and let me get your lunch.” The older woman’s voice softened as she saw how frustrated Lee really was with his sudden weakness. “It will get better, you’ll see. The doctor said that this might happen for several weeks. Just be patient and let us take care of you.”

Nodding his acceptance, Lee slumped down onto the couch and rested his head against the back cushions. He closed his eyes, praying for an end to this all. This was the third time since he had been home that he had been nearly knocked down by the waves of dizziness. He hadn’t told Amanda. If she knew, he would have been right back at that hospital before he could say ‘no’. And that he most certainly didn’t want…. Not after his homecoming had been all that he had hoped for, and more…. The first episode had happened the day of his discharge from the hospital.

Lee stood next to the edge of the bed and allowed his body to relax, finally. He had only left the hospital 2 hours ago. Why did he feel like he had run a marathon this morning? The welcome home by Dotty and the boys had been more than he had ever expected. He blushed a little even now as he remembered how close to the surface his emotions had been. He hadn’t felt this raw and vulnerable since Amanda had been shot on their honeymoon. Suddenly dizzy, the room swam and Lee fought to stay upright. The floor buckled under his feet, he sat on the bed and then he was pitched back to a lying position. Maybe he had just overdone it….

He lay back into the fluffy pillows of his wife’s bed, his eyes drifted closed and he slept. For a while it was peaceful. He dreamed of Amanda and their first meeting. He saw her brown eyes wide with shock as he grabbed her arm and pulled her against his body. In the background of his dreams, the trains whirred by, wheels clacking on the tracks. He looked at her and begged for her help. Her voice, indignantly refused at first and he felt the desperation come over him. Then her voice softened, she smiled and took the package. It would be okay. In his dream, he looked into her face and knew, that it would all be fine.

Then the dream changed and Amanda was no longer there. The trains were gone, but not the noise they made. The whirring and clacking were in the background and Lee was alone in the dark. He heard voices, voices he didn’t know or even vaguely recognize. He felt the hard, cold metal of cuffs on his wrists. There was a stick and a burning in his arm and then more voices…. one was familiar this time. It droned on, mechanically. The whirring and clacking continued to keep time as the voice listed names and dates, code names and passwords. How could this person know these things? Lee struggled with his handcuffs; he had to stop this person, whoever he was…

“Lee…Lee…sweetheart…wake up…”

He bounded out of his dream, beckoned by the female voice…

************************

“Lee, darling, Lee, I’ve got your lunch…are you ready?” Dotty’s voice sought to bring him back to the present.

Lee sat up abruptly. He dragged a shaky hand over his face. He smiled reassuringly at the concerned look he saw. He hoped his smile conveyed more assurance then he felt.

He’d had the dream again…didn’t he? Or was he just remembering the dream? No, he wasn’t asleep…He had gotten dizzy and he sat down but he didn’t go to sleep, not this time. He only had the dizzying dream when he was alone, right? Until now, his family’s presence kept the dream from coming for him when he was awake. For that he was thankful…. but why did he feel like a small boy who was hiding behind his mother’s skirt tails? He wanted to figure this out, but his mind just wouldn’t focus. The dream came and went and while it terrified him, it left no lasting memory, just an intense aura of foreboding.

He suddenly felt the heat of a bowl of soup pressed into his hand and came completely back to his present surroundings. The foreboding faded and Lee shook it off as aftereffects of the drugs he had been injected with to keep him quiet during his imprisonment. Dotty smiled at him warmly just as Phillip and Jaime scrambled into the room, home early from school due to teacher’s meetings. His family surrounded him, once again, and then the dream memory was gone completely….

“Dotty, this is the best vegetable soup I’ve had in a long time…thank you.” He finished his soup, leaned forward to replace the bowl on the tray and picked up his glass of iced tea. He leaned back and sipped the cool beverage.

“You are very welcome, Lee. Now I need you to do me a favor…” Dotty began.

“Anything for you, just name it.”

“I need to take the boys to get some supplies for the end of school festival. And I need you to stay put and promise me not to get into any trouble while we are gone.” Her tone was maternal, almost lecturing.

Lee, attempting to look innocent, replied, “Yes, Ma’am. I will sit right here and watch television. I might even take a nap later.” To himself, he thought, ‘Or maybe not, not if the dream was going to come back.’

“Thank you, Lee. I know that you are a man of your word and if you promise to stay put then you will do just that. I’ll be back in few hours and if you need anything, you just call Amanda. She’s at the office all day. Sometimes, when she goes out, they have to find her for me, but then I guess you know all about that don’t you?”

“Umm, yeah, I’m familiar with the process” He grinned wryly at her somewhat embarrassed look. “And she told me that she was in the office all day today.” To himself he continued, ‘Right after she told me not to even think about coming down there.’ His frustrations of earlier returned full force.

Dotty gathered the boys and left Lee alone with the remote and his frustrations. Ten minutes later, his mind made up, Lee hurried to the front walk to await the cab he’d called to take him to the Agency.

He had plenty of time before Dotty would return to worry over his whereabouts and besides, if he was lucky, soon he would have Billy’s support in returning to work a lot sooner than another three and a half weeks.

The cab arrived and he jumped into the back, determined to have his ‘Vette home this evening when he returned. Amanda had told him it was parked at the Agency; she hadn’t been able to drive it. Too many memories for her to feel comfortable in it. He gave the address and sat back for the short trip across the river and to the office and his wife.

His mind grew sluggish, lulled by the movement of the car and the hum of the tires on the road. The crossing over the river and the tires clacking on the uneven pavement of the bridge lured him into thoughts of the dream once more. He drifted away and heard the familiar droning voice in his head once again. He focused intently, but he just couldn’t put his finger on it. He knew that voice and he instinctively knew that it was vital that he figure out who it belonged to. Whoever it was knew a lot about the Agency and didn’t mind sharing….

“Hey, mister! Mister! You’re here.”

The driver announced his arrival and Lee shook off the lassitude that had come over him during the ride. He just seemed to slip off like that so often these days. And this dream was making him nuts. Maybe it was time to get Pfaff into this…. No matter how Amanda insisted he wasn’t ready…

Just last night, Amanda, after sneaking up on him dazed and unfocused yet again, had laughed and said that was a very good reason why he wasn’t ready to return to work yet. He countered with the argument that work was exactly what he needed to bring him back to his old self. The small disagreement had accomplished nothing and they had mutually decided to let it drop before it escalated into more than it needed to be.

Lee quickly paid the cabbie and exited the vehicle. He straightened his shirt, suddenly aware of his casual appearance in his jeans and button down oxford. ‘Oh well, it’s not like they haven’t seen me look worse.’ He strode up to the door and entered.

“Lee Stetson! What on earth are you doing here?” Mrs. Marston greeted him when he appeared.

“Good afternoon, Mrs. Marston. How are you?” His smile was infectious, even to the staid older woman.

“I’m fine, Lee. I’m glad to see that you look fit as well.”

“Yes, well, that is what I hope to prove this afternoon.” Lee jerked his head toward the Q Bureau. “Is Amanda in?”

“Oh dear, well, yes she is, but Mrs. King is very busy right now. I can buzz Mr. Melrose if you like?” She seemed hesitant to point out that Lee, at this time, did not have free access to the Agency.

“That would be great, Mrs. Marston. It’s okay, really. I know that I can’t just go wandering about until Pfaff and Billy have cleared me. I don’t even know what code cycle we’re on right now.” Lee stood and waited patiently for the woman to make her call.

When she had done so, she nodded to Lee and he nodded back to indicate that he understood he was to wait. Some one would be with him shortly.

Shortly, Lee heard the arrival of the elevator and waited to see who would emerge to greet him. The impatient click of high heels told him who, before the door opened fully.

“Francine, hello….” Lee smiled at his old friend.

“Lee! It is so good to see you. You look great! Billy is tied up but he wants you downstairs ASAP…. he can’t wait to see you again.” The exuberant blond brushed a quick kiss across his cheek and affectionately squeezed his arm. After gathering a visitor’s pass from Mrs. Marston for Lee, together they entered the elevator/closet.

As they rode the elevator to the lower levels of the Agency, Lee began to question Francine about the last few weeks. “So Francine, been busy around here?”

“Oh Lee, you just don’t know! It has been a madhouse. We’ve been working on one case for about two weeks and Amanda finally brought in the best suspect yet….I can’t wait to see what she gets out of him.” The blond woman spoke rapidly, not noticing the increasingly puzzled look on her companion’s face. “She has him down in interrogation now….”

“Wait a minute…Amanda…Amanda King has a suspect that she brought in on her own in interrogation, right now?” His voice betrayed his disbelief.

“Scary thought, huh? You should ask her about it…. oh and you can drop the Mrs. King bit…I know all about your marriage. So does Billy….” Obviously, relishing the fact that she could make Lee speechless with her bombshell about his marriage, Francine smiled widely and sailed off down the hall. As an after thought, she called over her shoulder, “Oh, by the way, Billy is in his office.”

Wryly, he replied, “Thanks, Francine.” Under his breath, he continued, “and thanks Amanda, for warning me about Francine!” Momentarily distracted from his questions about Amanda’s suspect, he moved quickly to see his friend and supervisor.

He swung the door open, just in time to see Billy Melrose shake two TUMS© into his palm and pop them into his mouth. The man grimaced at the taste, reached for his water, and raised his head. His eyes swung to the door and he smiled at the sight before him.

“Lee, it’s good to see you, man. How are you? Get in here.” He stood from behind his desk and reached for Lee’s hand. Once again, as at the scene of Lee’s rescue, he abandoned the handshake for quick embrace, before releasing the younger man’s hand.

“So Billy, fill me in…what’s going on around here? Francine says Amanda has a suspect in interrogation? Has Francine finally gone around the bend?” Lee went right to the heart of the matter and hoped that Billy was willing to fill him in. He felt a little like Alice down the rabbit hole right now.

Billy grinned in appreciation of the humor and waved to the observation screens above their heads. “Take a look for yourself, Lee.” He had no idea that Amanda had yet to explain her rather drastic change to her husband.

Lee turned and quickly focused on the room that his wife was in, interrogation two. What he saw made him reach for the chair behind him and sit, rather heavily.