Friend on the Inside.
I'm sorry it took so long to update! I hope it was worth it! Thanks again to 'Sardixiis' for all of the help!
Please let me know what you think, reviews are loved and appreciated!
Disclaimer – I don't own anything.
Elizabeth felt sick. Sick with fear, sick with nerves. Sick. She'd known from the moment she got up that morning that today would be hard. Henry had left in the small hours to catch a plane that would take him and two others to Islamabad.
She assumed the children that were being held hostage would have stayed awake, shaking in whatever cold dark room she imagined them being in. She wondered if Ellen or her staff had gotten much sleep. Either way, once she entered the White House it wouldn't matter. It wouldn't matter if she'd slept for hours or had had a five-minute nap on the journey from her home to the White House. Once she was in that building she was to be awake and alert and professional, despite the fact that all she wanted to do was have her husband home and spend the day cuddled up in bed away from harm.
"Good morning, ma'am." She was greeted by Ellen who held out a cup of coffee, that Elizabeth was grateful for.
"Good morning, Ellen," Bess said with a forced smile. She just needed five more minutes of peace and a little coffee before she could focus on the day.
Thankfully, Ellen seemed to notice that Elizabeth still needed some time, and just walked in silence two steps behind the Secretary as they both made their way to the Oval Office.
Each of them had their own thoughts. Elizabeth was trying hard to focus, but everyone knew she would be on edge. After all, it was her husband that was part of the three-person team that would be saving those children and putting themselves in harm's way.
Ellen, on the other hand, had been doing this for long enough to know how to switch her emotions off. Although this morning she had dropped her daughter at school and given her the 'stay safe and come straight home at three' pep talk.
Elizabeth assumed the President would also have some personal feelings towards the mission. He was a father, and although his son was safe and sound walking the streets of DC with four secret service agents, a parent couldn't help but think about the 'what if's.'
As Elizabeth and Ellen reached the Oval Office, the two seemed to stop at the same time and share a look.
"If everything goes to plan, Elizabeth, Henry will be home by tomorrow evening and we can say we saved thirty children from one of the world's worst terrorists. I know it's not much in the way of comfort, but you need to keep in mind the good thing that Henry is doing out there, and know that he will come home."
Elizabeth gave Ellen a small smile, but words failed her. Ellen was right. Henry would come home and the team could say they saved lives.
"Are you ready, ma'am?" Ellen asked after another moment of silence.
"Let's go save the world."
Elizabeth looked up for the fifth time, making momentary eye contact with Russell, before her eyes flicked to the large screen at the end of the room. As hard as she tried, her focus was not in the right place. How could it be? Elizabeth repeated Ellen's words in her head, hoping it would help with her nerves, but after what happened to her in Iran, she couldn't help but picture the worst.
"Our team is about an hour out, sir. They've reached the embassy and are now on route to the compound in which we think Nadeem and Disah are holding the hostages," Admiral Parker informed the President.
"What about the other children, are they still in the embassy?" Russell asked, looking from the Admiral, to the screen, then to the President.
"No, they left Pakistan on a 747 early this morning. The plane should land in Dulles at around 10pm sir. With the 14-hour flight and the time difference, the children will be taken straight to the Walter Reed Medical Centre. There they will receive treatment."
"What about parents?" The President was quick to ask.
"They will be informed this morning. I was told the State Department would handle it."
"Bess?"
"Nadine and my staff are on it, sir." Elizabeth gave a forced smiled, not taking her eyes off the screen, hoping she would see something that would keep her nerves at bay and her mind occupied.
"What are our escape options?" Elizabeth heard Ellen ask. She'd noticed a while back that Ellen, Admiral Parker and General Reeves kept engaging in hushed conversation. As much as Ellen said she loved working as the National Security Advisor, Elizabeth imagined she both loved and missed the military.
Her brain heard the word 'escape' and Elizabeth hated herself for thinking the worst. Of course, an escape plan needed to be thought out. It was a vital part of any operation. Then she reminded herself that this wasn't any normal operation.
"We're hoping it won't come to that, but we have JSOC on standby as well as two planes stationed at our base near the Pakistani border in Afghanistan," Reeves replied, before holding up is notebook, to most likely give the other two proof.
"Torkham?" Ellen questioned.
"Yes."
Elizabeth smiled upon hearing that, although she wasn't supposed to be listening.
Knowing that JSOC was on standby and that at least twenty men with two planes where in range of Islamabad made Elizabeth breathe a little easier, but she knew that wouldn't last. All it was going to take was for her to hear her husband's voice, or see his face on that screen and she knew she would be fighting to remain as professional as she could.
"We should hear from Henry in about five minutes, so maybe we should go back in there?" Ellen smiled as she spoke quietly to Elizabeth in the hall.
"Yeah, I just needed a minute."
"I understand. I'll leave you for a moment…"
"Ellen." Ellen turned to face the Secretary, waiting for what Elizabeth was going to say.
"I want my husband home, no matter what. I need him home."
Ellen gave Bess a small smile before stepping back towards her.
"Henry will be fine, Elizabeth. We have JSOC on standby, we have another team just on the border of Pakistan and both Jane and Jose are fully trained. They will all keep each other safe and we will get them all back, the hostages included. Right now, we need to look at the positives."
Elizabeth smiled, Ellen was right.
Bess took another deep breath before both women returned to the situation room, although Bess couldn't shake the uneasy feeling that something bad was going to happen.
"Two minutes and counting until Murphy Station check in, Sir."
The President gave a short nod, before looking at Bess.
"You okay?"
Bess smiled slightly, she couldn't open her mouth.
She knew she should, and she knew Russell was probably glaring at her for not answering the President, but she had bigger things to worry about than protocol.
Elizabeth took a deep breath as the 2-minute mark approached. She was nervous and scared, but more nervous. She wanted to see Henry, but a part of her also wanted to see Jose and Jane, just to make sure all three were okay.
"I thought you said they were two minutes out?" Elizabeth asked, the second after the two-minute mark, she tried to sound somewhat firm, but she was sure her voice sounded just as scared as she felt.
"They were, ma'am," a voice confirmed.
"Then where they hell are they?"
Thank you so much for reading! Please let me know what you think. Should I keep going, are you enjoying this? Again, reviews are loved and appreciated!
Bethany.
