Chapter 2: Woah Isn't the Word
As the doors to the seventh floor elevator cracked open, Elizabeth could already see her staff waiting to talk her ears off before she was even in the door. After her early morning wake up call from Russell, she would have bet her last dollar that she was about to be informed of even more bad news.
'Never a slow day at the State Department,' she thought to herself as she stepped off the elevator.
"Good morning, Madam Secretary." Nadine said before Elizabeth even stepped off the elevator.
"Oh goody. Nothing like getting ambushed by your staff before you've even made it into the office. And since you're all here, I already know that this can't be good." the Secretary quipped as she thankfully accepted the outstretched cup of coffee from her overworked and underpaid assistant. "Thank you, Blake. You probably want to keep the pot on. It's going to be a long day."
"We have a problem with the Russia Ukraine deal." Nadine replied. The somber look on her chief of staff's face did nothing for the nausea that had not abated since she had hauled herself off the bathroom floor an hour and a half before. "It appears that President Sarnakoff returned to Russia early this morning due to a dispute with President Bosak. Bosak's staff said that he isn't scheduled to leave until tomorrow morning, so I can get Blake to have Bosak in your office as soon as possible if you would like."
Jay spoke up quickly, "I know that we already started a list of inducements ma'am, and I looked over them again. We don't really have much to offer them at this point, so unless we want all out war in eastern Europe, we have come up with something fast."
"I came up with something at home after Russell Jackson called me at four o'clock in the morning, yelling about nuclear peace and World War III. We can go over it after the morning meeting." Elizabeth answered, finally making her way into her office and all but collapsing on the sofa. "Daisy, if the sharks smell blood in the water, swim away as fast as you can. The last thing we need is for the press to catch wind and blow any chance we have to getting Russia back to the table. Blake, get Bosak in here by 9. If he complains, tell him that the sovereignty of his country is at stake."
"Yes ma'am. I haven't seen anything in the morning news cycle, but by now I'm sure there is a source somewhere that has turned the information over. I will do my best to head off any grumblings I hear." Daisy responded, a look of concentration already taking over. "I assume that since the Russian president is already halfway to Moscow by now, the treaty signing will have to be postponed until we can get this mess cleared up? I only ask because if the news has made it to the press room then I'm going to have a lot of sharks and not enough bait."
"As of right now, the signing is still on. If Jay and I can convince Sarnakoff to return, then we will say something to the effect that he became ill last night so it is postponed until tomorrow. If we can't, then we will cross that bridge when the Russian president burns it down. Push the morning meeting back until 10. I want to meet with Bosak first." Elizabeth replied.
Thankfully the dizziness from earlier had not followed her to work, but her stomach was still grumbling. Taking a sip of the steaming coffee, Elizabeth waited to see if her stomach was going to rebel against her once again. She had thrown up only once while getting ready, and she didn't want to chance another round in the middle of her impending meeting with Bosak. If she could figure out the issue between the two presidents and get Sarnakoff back on plane by dinner, then the signing could be pushed until the next day. That gave her a little over four hours to get Bosak to apologize and agree that peace in eastern Europe was of the utmost importance at the moment.
As she watched her staff began to file out of her office to attend to the task for the day ahead, Elizabeth couldn't help but be thankful for them. They had all been Marsh's picks, but over the last two and a half years, they had become her closest allies. They had stuck with her through the grief of Secretary Marsh's death, the insanity of the American lead Iranian coup, the many hard fought battles behind closed doors that seemed to be endless, and so much more. She often wondered if she could have made it through it all if they had not been right there with her fighting in the trenches, as the old saying goes. She knew one thing for sure, Nadine, Jay, Daisy, Matt, and Blake were definitely part of the McCord family now and they always would be.
Shifting on the sofa to stand, a sudden wave of nausea hit her square in the stomach once again. She shot over to her desk, barely having enough time to grab the trashcan beneath before the small amount of coffee she had consumed made a reappearance. Once the bout seemed to pass, Elizabeth rested her head on the side of her desk. She reached up over the edge of the desk and pulled the phone on top toward her and then down to rest in her lap. Trying to clear her throat which was now sore, she pressed Blake's extension line and waited for him to answer.
"Yes ma'am. Would you like some breakfast from the break room? I don't know if the donuts have been delivered for the morning meeting yet." her assistant asked before she could speak. About the same time every morning, she asked him if breakfast for the morning meeting had arrived since she was usually starving.
"No, but thank you. I need some water and crackers though please." Elizabeth answered feebly, as the dizziness she thought she had left at home found her again. "And Blake, I need you to help me get off the floor."
Two seconds later, Blake came bursting through her office door. The look of surprise on his face would have made her laugh had she not felt like she was going to throw up again. Blake made his way over to her side and placed a gentle hand under her left arm. Slowly, as she tested out her trembling legs, he helped her to her feet and began to slowly shuffle her towards her desk chair, ready to catch her should her legs give out.
Crumpling into her chair, she closed her eyes to concentrate on her breathing. Another wave of nausea was starting to form, and the last thing she wanted or needed right now was to throw up again. When she finally opened her eyes, she saw Blake staring at her with a look of worry on his face.
"Thank you, Blake." she whispered.
"No thanks necessary, ma'am. Would you like for me to call for your motorcade? Pardon me, but you look terrible." he graciously replied, as he stepped over to the side counter that he always kept an emergency stock of water, crackers, and some of the Secretary's favorite treats. He retrieved the water and crackers that Elizabeth had asked for earlier, opened the bottle, and passed both items to her before perching on one of the chairs, awaiting his orders.
"As much as I would love to go back home, we have too much work to do today for me to be sick. Hopefully the crackers will do the trick long enough for me to meet with Bosak. Sarnakoff will be in the air for another five hours at least so I can call him on SVCT at home." Elizabeth croaked. Her voice was starting to give out and her throat had been rubbed raw as pain seared through her every time she swallowed. "As soon as I can work something out with Bosak, I will go home. I promise."
"Yes ma'am. Just let me know if you need anything. You are looking green around the gills." Blake responded as he rose from his chair, making his way towards the door.
Pulling her date planner from her bag, she flipped it open to see if she could fit an appointment at James Madison in her schedule. She remembered that she had not yet placed a small red mark on the calendar this month, but she chalked it up to all the stress she had been under lately. Turning back a page, she realized that she hadn't put a mark on the calendar last month either. Turning one more page, she began to count just how many weeks had passed since her last cycle.
'Seven,' she counted to herself. "Oh crap." she said, this time out loud. It all began to make sense. The throwing up this morning, the more than typical hunger, it all fell into place. Her head started spinning again, this time from shell shock more than dizziness. Grabbing the phone once more, she dialed the number to her house, praying that Henry was still at home.
Before he could even say hello, Elizabeth cut him off, "Thank God you're still at home. I'm going to be heading home in about ten minutes. While I'm on my way, I need you to go to the pharmacy and pick something up."
"Okay. Are you still throwing up? I can get your some ginger ale and soup." replied Henry, as he headed upstairs to change out of his pajamas.
"Oh yeah. I've thrown up a couple more times, and if I'm right, I'll be throwing up for about seven more months. Go to the CVS on 19th and buy a few pregnancy tests. That should be far enough away from the house that no one will put two and two together." Elizabeth answered. "I have to go. I need to ask Blake to have my motorcade brought around. I'll see you in thirty. Iloveyoubye."
Hanging up before Henry could even respond to the bombshell she had just dropped, Elizabeth hit the button for Blake's line. Waiting a split second, she began spouting out requests. "I need you to call up my motorcade. I need to go back home for a little while. Also, has the meeting with Bosak been scheduled? If so, push it back thirty minutes. Since this whole mess is apparently his fault, he can be made to squirm for a little while longer."
Blake took the opportunity to speak while he had one, "Bosak's office has not yet returned my call, but I will get on it as soon as I can. I will have your motorcade outside in five. And ma'am, are you okay?"
"I'm fine, Blake. I promise. Thank you for asking. I just need to go home to get something. Henry just happens to still be at home to get it ready for me." she responded, grateful for the concern that she could hear in her assistant's voice. "I will be back in the office as soon as I can. If anyone asks why I had to go home, just tell them I forgot some paperwork about the accord that was necessary for my meeting with Bosak."
"Yes ma'am. I can handle that." Blake said. "Your motorcade will be waiting for you by the time you get downstairs."
"Thank you, Blake." Elizabeth repeated. Hanging up the phone, she gathered her bags once again and made her way to the door. She knew that she wouldn't have to ask Blake to have the trash can clean by the time she got back.
Passing Blake at his desk, she made her way back to the elevator, praying that she wouldn't meet any other members of her staff. Safely making it in the elevator, she leaned against the wall. The day's stress was catching up with her, and it wasn't even noon yet. As the elevator doors peeled open, just as Blake had told her, she could see Frank waiting outside her car, door already open.
The ride home seemed to last for what felt like a lifetime. Finally arriving at their door, she made her way inside, shedding her bags, coat, and shoes right inside.
"Henry?" she called, unsure of where he would be waiting for her.
"Up here, honey. I just got back from CVS." he called from what sounded like their room.
Making her way up the stairs, she glanced in Allison and Jason's rooms to make sure that they had in fact gone to school. Stevie's room was empty as well as she went by. It would be easier to find out what was going on if it was just her and Henry right now.
"So...are you sure about this?" Henry asked, as he appeared in their bedroom doorway. "Maybe it really was just something that you ate."
"I'm pretty sure. Not sure how…" she began but was cut short when she saw her husband's eyebrows shoot up in amusement. "I know how it happened, dummy. Believe me. I just don't know HOW it happened, if you catch my drift. I was looking at my planner at the office and I realize that I've missed two periods. Even when I was working for The Company in country, I never missed one. I might have been late a couple of days, but never just skipped one."
Elizabeth continued to walk into their room, passing Henry to go straight into the bathroom. She felt bile creeping up her throat as her nerves began to get the better of her. This was an enormous deal, and she wasn't sure how any of them were going to handle it. For the second time that morning, she felt Henry's strong arms wrap around her waist, holding her in his protective embrace. She could feel his heartbeat, pounding out a slow and steady rhythm against her back. Closing her eyes, she took a few seconds to soak in the peace that emanated off of her husband.
Slowly opening her eyes, they landed on the red and white CVS bag laying on the bathroom counter. She moved from Henry's embrace to grab the bag and shake the contents out. Four tests in their purple packaging fell out. The sight of the caused the breath the catch in Elizabeth's throat; she couldn't believe she was about to take them. Picking them up one by one, she opened them and set them at the end of the counter so that she could easily reach them from the toilet.
"You would think that they could come up with a better to test for pregnancy other than peeing on a stick." she said as she grabbed the first one, a note of contempt in her voice.
Washing her hands after finishing with the tests, she set the timer on her phone for two and a half minutes and then took a seat on the edge of the bathtub next to Henry. Through this whole process, he had remained silent. Waiting and patience were his gift. Something that she usually envied him about, but today, she could wait forever on this outcome. Suddenly the alarm on her phone began to beep, startling her so badly that she almost fell backwards into the tub.
"Here goes nothing." she said, standing up to retrieve the tests.
Looking down at the four tests, tears began to fill her eyes before she could stop them. Spinning around the face her husband, she couldn't contain the look of shock of her face. All four of the tests were clearly positive with the word pregnant on each one. Tears that had been threatening to fall were now pouring down her face. Her heart was racing, while conflicting feelings of joy and terror coursed through her mind.
Taking two large steps, Henry once again wrapped her in a warm embrace, kissing the top of her head. He slowly rubbed circles across her back, her shoulders shaking from the sobs into his chest, as she allowed all of her emotions to get the better of her.
After a few minutes, her sobbing calmed into small hiccups, and she pulled from his arms, wiping her eyes. She glanced apologetically at the wet makeup stains on his shirt before she looked up into his eyes. To her surprise, all she saw there was excitement and joy. She couldn't find a trace of doubt or fear, only happiness and love were staring back at her.
"So we're going to have a baby." Henry whispered, the slightest smile crossing his lips. The warmth in his voice instantly melted the ice cube of fear that had been in the pit of her stomach.
"Yeah...I guess we are." Elizabeth murmured in reply, finally allowing a smile to cross her lips. She continued as she began to make her way into their bedroom. "I feel like my heart is about to beat out of my chest."
"Me too. Talk about the shock of a lifetime." he chuckled in response, following along behind his wife. "Never thought we would have to think about diaper duty and midnight feedings again unless they were for grandkids."
She took a seat on the chaise in the corner, leaning back soaking in the news. While she was scared out of her wits at the thought of having another baby, she couldn't help but feel excited as well.