It's In The Mail Part 4/5
By: Nectar99
Rating: PG
See chapter 1 for Disclaimer, Timeline, and Summary.
Lee ran to the bathroom in search of a thermometer. He rummaged through the medicine cabinet, knocking things into the sink on his quest. He let out a sigh of surprise and relief when he finally located one. He then grabbed a washcloth and soaked it in cold water.
He returned to Amanda’s side, and wrapped her trembling body in the comforter. He sat on the edge of the bed and placed the thermometer under her tongue. Lee had to hold it in her mouth because her chattering teeth threatened to knock it out of place.
“Damn it, 103.4 degrees,” he announced out loud. After discarding the thermometer on the nightstand, he took the cool cloth and applied it to her forehead. Lee lifted his free hand up to caress her cheek, moving her sweat soaked hair out of her face.
Periodically, Amanda tossed her head back and forth attempting to speak, but only managed to babble some syllables here and there. Lee continued caring for her, trying to keep her still. “Shhh, I’m right here, Amanda. You just relax, and let me take care of you,” he spoke softly.
After she finally quieted down, Lee made a beeline for the telephone. “Billy, I need to talk to you for a minute,” Lee urgently requested.
“What’s up, Scarecrow?” Billy inquired groggily.
“It’s Amanda. We sat down to eat, and she suddenly became ill,” Lee informed him.
“What do you mean? What’s going on?” Billy fired off the questions.
“We sat down to eat the pizza I ordered, and after the meal, Amanda got sick. Well, I had a little accident, so I didn’t have a chance to eat yet,” Lee rambled on. “Oh God, I think something was in that pizza! I need to get her to a hospital,” Lee finished.
“I’ll call an ambulance. I’ll be there in five minutes, Lee,” Billy reassured him.
Lee quickly returned to her side, pressing his palm to her forehead. Sure enough, she was warmer than before. Lee quickly rinsed the now warm cloth off in cold water, and reapplied it to her head. “Hang in there, Amanda, please,” he begged.
The paramedics arrived, and flooded Lee’s bedroom. Lee reluctantly released her, making room for the professionals to work on her.
Billy called his name, encouraging Lee to meet him in the living room. “Come on, Lee, let them do their job. I need to talk to you about a few things.”
Lee followed Billy into the living room, never taking his eyes off of her. “What,” he responded, his concern for Amanda present in his tone.
“I want to take the pizza and have it analyzed.” We didn’t find any fingerprints on any of the letters that were sent to her, but hopefully the pizza will give us some clues,” Billy stated, watching his best agent intently. He knew that Lee and Amanda were close, but now it was even more evident. Even though he shook his head pretending to acknowledge Billy, it was clear that his only concern was Amanda.
As the paramedics rushed by with her strapped to the gurney, Lee followed reaching out to grasp her hand. The medics protested at first, unaware of just how determined Lee Stetson could be. Billy quickly intervened before the situation escalated, informing the medics that it was crucial that he stay with her for protection.
Billy and a few agents finished collecting evidence at Lee’s apartment and took it back to the agency.
One medic unsuccessfully tried to encourage Lee to sit in the front passenger seat of the ambulance. As the vehicle sped off, Lee sat down on the long narrow bench beside Amanda, holding her hand for the duration of the ride. Lee had seen many horrific sights in his years as an agent, but it was a different scenario to watch the woman he loved being poked and prodded. He knew the medics were only there to help her, but it certainly didn’t make it any easier to watch.
At the hospital, Amanda was rushed into the emergency room. Lee insisted he go in, but the doctors insisted that he wait outside. The NEST Team arrived moments after the ambulance, ready to take over the situation. As nurses entered and exited the emergency room, Lee stopped each and every one, trying desperately to find out any word on Amanda’s condition. Unfortunately, there wasn’t much any of the staff knew at that point and time, but it didn’t stop Lee from asking.
Lee stood outside her door for two hours, waiting for an answer. Dr. Keely walked out of the room and immediately ran into Lee.
“How is she doing, Dr.? What’s going on? Is she okay?” Lee fired off one question after another, gazing directly into the Doctors eyes.
“She’s stable right now, but her fever is extremely high. Were doing everything we can to help, feeding antibiotics into her system intravenously, but we need to get the blood work back from the lab to see what is going on in her system,” the Doctor informed Lee.
“Can I see her,” Lee inquired softly.
“Not right now, but I’ll let you in to see her shortly,” the Doctor replied sympathetically.
“Thanks, Dr……”
“Dr. Keely,” he finished for Lee.
“Thank you Dr. Keely. I’m Lee Stetson.”
Approximately an hour later, Billy arrived at the hospital. He found Lee sitting in the lounge, which seemed strange at the time. Billy would have thought Lee would have been waiting by the door, demanding to see her.
“Lee how’s Amanda?” Billy asked, genuinely concerned for his agent.
Lee sat up in his chair to meet Billy’s glance. “I don’t know anything yet, other than she’s stable. The Doctor said he won’t be able to tell what’s going on until the blood work comes back,” Lee informed him, noticeably shaken.
Billy patted him on the back. “Well I have some good news. After tracking down the delivery boy, we were able to get a confession out of him. When he got to your place, an older male paid him $500.00 cash to deliver a package across the street from your place. The older man offered to hold the pizza while the kid delivered the other package. When the kid returned, he grabbed the pizza and headed up to your apartment. We think the older man is our guy. He’s with our sketch artist right now, so hopefully we’ll close in on this guy,” Billy stated positively.
“That’s great,” Lee responded half-heartedly. His only concern at the moment was Amanda. He knew that he’d never survive without her. He didn’t even like those thoughts, so he shook his head in an attempt to clear his mind. He couldn’t breathe without her by his side, and his heart ached to tell her how he truly felt.
“Well you try to relax, and I’ll be back as soon as I have some kind of sketch to work with. Hopefully, Amanda will be awake when I return so she can positively ID this guy,” Billy replied, trying to lift Lee’s spirits.
Dr. Keely came into the lounge a short time later to speak with Lee.
“Mr. Stetson, I just received the test results from Amanda’s blood cultures, and it seems as if she’s carrying a virus known as XL-2. It’s very uncommon, and was first identified in Germany just last year. I’m not even sure if a vaccine exists as of right now, but I know the outlook is grim without it. Amanda’s immune system is desperately trying to fight off this virus that’s invaded her system, and continues to multiply, destroying cells at a rapid rate.”
Lee clinched his jaw together, and ran a nervous hand through his hair. “How…much time do I have to find the anecdote?” Lee inquired quietly.
“I’d say 48 hours at best,” the Doctor responded, trying not to get his hopes up.
“Thanks,” Lee responded grimly, shaking the Doctors hand. Lee looked up at the clock, which read 2:30 a.m. “I want to see her, now,” Lee insisted.
The Doctor nodded his approval and led him to a quarantined section of the ICU. “The virus isn’t airborne, but we still need to take the proper precautions. I wouldn’t touch her with out gloves on,” the Doctor instructed.
Lee turned and scowled at the Doctor. He walked over to her bed and immediately placed her hand in his. He wasn’t concerned about anything but her at that very moment. He looked at her lying there so still, and so very pale, and his heart ached to hold her. “Amanda, Amanda,” he whispered, trying to get a response.