CONCLUSION

They never knew how much time passed from the moment they lost consciousness to the moment they awoke, but it couldn't have been more than a couple of minutes.

The first thing they were aware of were rough hands pulling them to their feet, and loud voices calling out their names.

"Amanda! Lee!" They were outside the freezer now, inhaling deeply as their bodies fought to replenish the oxygen they so desperately needed. The temperature in the warehouse, which might normally have seemed cool, felt wonderfully warm.

An hour passed while Lee and Amanda were checked out by paramedics and briefed on the status of their case. Billy informed them that all had ended well. After his capture, Barry had released their location and given up Carla, as well. The contaminated shipments of Marvin Burgers were all located. Case closed.

Amanda sat on a stairway, a grey paramedic blanket draped over her shoulders, where only a short while earlier Lee’s arm had rested. She found herself missing the contact.

Lee sat next to her, wrapped in an identical blanket. An awkward silence had settled over them after Billy walked away. Neither one knew where to begin, or even what to say after they started. The throbbing in their heads did little to help the situation.

Lee finally took the first step. "Amanda, about what happened in there," he began, but before he could continue, Amanda interrupted.

She had heard this before, and she wasn’t about to be on the receiving end of that speech again. Not this time. "I know," she said holding up her hand. "We weren’t ourselves. It was the lack of oxygen. We can’t be held accountable for our actions."

"Amanda, wait." Lee asked, confusion playing across his face.

"Or... oh, I know," Amanda continued, as if she hadn't heard him. "It was cold in there. We were just two people seeking a little warmth, right?"

A rakish grin spread across Lee’s face when he realized what she was doing. He shook his head. "Not exactly," he said, with the raise of an eyebrow. He took her hand and raised it to his lips. And then, with a wink, he was gone.

Amanda sat there, rooted to her seat. "Not exactly," she repeated as she slowly began to smile.

-The End-