Chapter One:
Elizabeth paced in her office, as she acted out the potential argument that was bound to happen in her meeting with Chinese Foreign Minister Chen. As she made powerpoints and was about to win this "argument," she felt a wave of nausea.
"No, I cannot get sick." She said, knowing the important events planned for the rest of the week. She walked over to her desk and called for Blake. Blake entered the office almost immediately.
"Ma'am?" He asked.
"Could you get me a cup of hot tea?" She asked hoping it would ease her nerves and nausea.
"Right away." He answered as he left to get it. Elizabeth took a few deep breaths trying to relax and prepare. She had a series of critical meetings that day. Including one with China about signing the trade agreement they had just come to terms with.
Daisy entered the office in a rush.
"Ma'am, China just announced that they won't be signing the trade agreement." She said with much worry in her tone. Elizabeth's mouth dropped opened, she dropped her head into the palms of her hands. Blake walked in with a cup of tea his hand.
"Here you go, ma'am." He said. She looked up at him.
"Thanks, Blake." She responded.
"Anything else I can do?" He offered.
"Get China to sign our trade agreement." She teased.
"I would if I could ma'am." He answered. Elizabeth smiled.
"You're the best." She said to him as he left the office. Elizabeth started to drink the hot tea. Even the, supposed to be calming, tea was making her nausea the opposite of better.
"Ma'am, are you feeling alright?" Daisy asked.
"Yeah, just a little queasy. I'll be fine." She answered.
"Should we put out a statement in response to the Chinese?" Daisy asked.
"I think we should wa-" Elizabeth started to answer, but was cut off by the worst nausea she'd felt in a long time. She grabbed the trash can that sat next to her desk and instantly threw up into it.
"Ma'am!" Daisy exclaimed and raced around the desk and pulled Elizabeth's hair away from her face. Elizabeth sat up straight. Daisy walked back around the desk.
"I'm so sorry." Elizabeth said with a laugh and slight embarrassment.
"Don't be ma'am, but I think you should go home." Daisy said.
"No, Daisy, I'll be fine. Really." Elizabeth said.
"Okay, ma'am, but stay away from me. If you're contagious, I don't want it." Daisy said with a laugh.
"That's one thing I definitely don't miss about being pregnant." She finished.
"All three times I was pregnant I had the worst nausea, if you didn't know any better you would've thought I had a horrible stomach…..flu." Elizabeth said hesitantly, having a thought.
"I don't miss that at all." Daisy said as she stood up.
"Uh-huh." Elizabeth said acknowledging her comment, but dazed out.
"I'll let you know as soon as anything new develops with China." Daisy said as she left the room.
"Thank you!" Elizabeth hollered after snapping back to reality. She took a deep breath and laid back in her chair.
"It's impossible, right?" She asked herself.
"Totally." She answered.
"But is it?" She started to contemplate.
A wave of nausea hit her again.
"Oh no." She stated right before throwing up once again. She called for Blake again.
"Ma'am, what wrong?" He asked after he noticed the vomit and the terribly worried look on her pale face.
"Do you need me to call Dr. McCord?" He asked.
"No, don't worry Henry." She said.
"But I do need big favor." She continued.
"Alright?" He asked.
"Could you run and get a couple things from a grocery store?" She asked.
"Sure, like what, ma'am?" He asked.
"Some mints, a ginger ale, a pregnancy test, -." She mumbled that last one.
"-, and a unicorn with a swirly pink horn." Elizabeth teased, but Blake was in complete shock and didn't even notice.
"I'll do that immediately." He said.
"Blake, I'm sure it's just a stomach flu or something I ate. But I'm going to take a test just to prove that I'm crazy and that it's not even a possibility." She tried to calm him.
"Yes, ma'am." He said as he looked a little less pale and left to get the items.
"Blake!" Elizabeth hollered, hoping he hadn't gone yet. He walked back into her office doorway.
"Please don't have anything on you or do anything that someone could figure out you work for the government. I don't need a scandal over something this minor." Blake nodded and left.
After finishing last meeting of the day, Elizabeth stood over the sink in her office bathroom. She had the test sitting on the sink to her right and her phone with a timer set to her left. The timer only had ten seconds left, but it seemed like forever to Elizabeth. Finally, the timer went off. All she had to do was flip the test around and see the words "Not pregnant." She couldn't work herself up to do it. She finally, picked up the test, closed her eyes, and flipped it around. She held her eyes closed much longer than she anticipated.
"Okay, 1, 2, 3." On three she opened her eyes.
"PREGNANT." It said on the little test stick.
Elizabeth felt a surge of fear, then shock, and then more fear all with a hint of nausea.
She put the positive test back into the box and stuck it in her purse.
As she washed her hands, she looked into the mirror. She was a 48 year old woman and yet somehow she managed to get pregnant.
"How on earth?" She said as she looked in the mirror.
She sat at her desk, as she finished up some of the last paperwork of the day. She started to think about her and Henry's age and how she would even tell him. Overwhelmed by the news and hormones Elizabeth started to cry. Nadine walked by the office to see Elizabeth with a few tears streaming down her face. She decided it was a moment she needed to intrude on.
"Madam Secretary? Is everything alright?" she asked. Elizabeth looked up and immediately wiped her tears.
"Yes, um, I-I was just in deep thought." Elizabeth barely stuttered out.
"Is there anything you'd like to talk about?" Nadine asked. Elizabeth thought for a minute.
"I, I'm, uh, I'm pregnant?" Elizabeth said, the answer ended up a question because of Elizabeth's shock and confusion.
Nadine looked just as shocked.
"Ma'am, I-."
"You don't have to act like it's not weird. I know it's weird." Elizabeth stated with a laugh. Nadine smiled, still in complete shock.
"I don't know that I'd say weird, but ma'am are you sure?" Nadine asked.
"I took a test, but I need to go to a doctor to confirm." She explained.
"If you need anything, ma'am. Just let me know." Nadine offered.
"Thank you, Nadine." Nadine started to leave the office.
"Nadine?" Elizabeth said. Nadine turned around to her.
"Can you keep an eye on Blake. I think I freaked him out earlier."
"Yes, ma'am." Nadine said with an assuring smile as she left Elizabeth's office. Elizabeth laid back in her chair. She took a deep breath in shock and disbelief.
Later that night, Elizabeth walked into the living room of their home. She looked over the edge of the couch to see that Henry was lying on the couch asleep with a book lying on his chest. She gently pulled the book from his hand and covered him with a blanket. She started to walk away.
"Babe, you'll never be sneaky enough to get passed me." Henry said.
"20 years in the CIA and I still can't win." She said with a laugh as she walked back over to him.
"How was work?" Henry asked as he patted the seat next to him for her to sit.
"Uh, interesting." She said, still unsure of how to bring it up to him.
"As usual." Henry said with a chuckle.
"Um, more interesting than usual." Elizabeth said.
"What do you mean?" Henry asked.
"Um."
"Babe, there have been a lot of "uh's" and "um's" in your sentences. What's going on?" Henry asked with concern.
"I, - uh -."
"Okay, Elizabeth you're worrying me." Henry said.
"Henry, I, I need to tell you something." She said.
"I think I'm pregnant." She said quickly, then waited for his reaction.
Henry looked confused.
"No really. What's wrong?" Henry asked.
"Henry, I'm not joking." Elizabeth said.
"Oh my God." He said as his jaw uncontrollably dropped. He rubbed his face.
"What do you mean, "you think?" He asked. She pulled the pregnancy test out of her bag and handed it to him.
"After the third time I threw up, I just wanted to rule it out, but that plan backfired on me and now here we are." She rambled.
"Babe, this is insane." Henry said.
"I know it is."
"It could be a false positive." Henry added.
"Henry, I don't know." She said.
"Once I thought of the possibility, all the pieces fit together.
"Okay, so we'll go to the doctor and they'll confirm or deny." Henry explained. Elizabeth let out a long sigh.
"On top of everything, the Chinese won't sign the trade agreement."
"So I heard. Are you going to talk to Chen?" Henry asked.
"I hope not." She laughed.
"But I think I might have to." She said as she stood up.
"Where are you going?" Henry asked.
"I need ice cream." She said which made Henry laugh.
"Bring two spoons." He yelled into the kitchen.
Thank you for reading this! I have been thinking about writing something like this for a while and when I did the ideas kept flowing! If you enjoyed it be sure to let me know so I can keep adding chapters!