The Ties That Bind: A Scarecrow and Mrs. King Continuing Story Book 1

Chapter 16

***this chapter has elements of the Christian Faith in it***

Day 7

Lee knocked on Billy's office door. "Come..." he heard from inside and opened the door.

"Scarecrow," Billy smiled at him. "What can I do for you?"

Lee assumed his usual place in the tweed chair in front of Billy's desk. "Billy," he looked down at his hands, then back up at his friend and boss. "We've got an, uh..." he took a deep breath and blew it out. "...an unexpected complication."

Billy stood up from his desk, came around to the front of it, and propped his hips on the edge of it right in front of Lee. "What's going on, Lee? Where's Amanda?"

"She's safe. She's in the bolt hole. Taking a nap, actually. Francine's in the office as well." He looked down at his hands again.

Billy sighed with relief, but Lee still looked uptight. "So, what's wrong?"

"Well," Lee let out another sigh. "You know how Amanda's been feeling so tired the past couple of months?"

"Yes," Billy started feeling his chest tighten with worry. Amanda was special, and he really cared about both her and Lee. He knew she seemed to be having a difficult time recovering from her gunshot wound, but...

"Well, I finally insisted that she go down and see Doc Kelford."

"And? She's okay, isn't she?"

"Yeah, she's fine." Lee looked down.

Billy let out another sigh of relief. "Well, then Scarecrow, what's the problem?"

Lee looked up at him. "She's pregnant, Billy." Billy's jaw literally dropped, and Lee nodded. "Yeah, that's about how I feel. Actually, I think that's about how she feels, too."

Billy sat slowly in the chair next to Lee. Neither of them said anything for several moments as Lee continued his unfocused perusal of his own hands.

Finally, he looked up. "I don't know what to do, Billy." Lee leaned back in the chair and looked up at the ceiling. "I didn't think the stakes could get any higher..." he looked back at Billy. "...but they just did."

Billy simply nodded in understanding. "Yes." He sat quietly for a moment, and then, "What are you going to do?"

Lee braced his forearms on his thighs. His hands twisted together between his knees, and he hunched over with his head down. "I don't know, Billy. I'm not sure I can even think about it until this whole business with Fred and Davy...and maybe June – who knows what part she's playing in all this – until this whole business is sorted."

"You don't have to have all the answers right now."

Lee, head still down, nodded. "Yeah. That's exactly what I told Amanda."

"How's she feeling?"

"Scared," Lee turned his head to look at Billy without changing his posture. "Tired, overwhelmed, worried about her family, worried about her job here at the agency, worried about our marriage..."

"Does she have any reason to be worried about your marriage?"

"Not a bit," Lee assured him. "Not one tiny bit."

"How do you feel about this baby, Lee? About being a dad?"

Lee sat back up and looked at the ceiling again. "A Dad," he whispered. "I'm going to be a dad, Billy." He shook his head and chuckled. "Boy, who could have seen this coming four years ago, huh? I have a family, Billy." Lee paused. "Well, I already had a family. They don't know they're my family, but I know they're my family."