3 Weeks Later

Mellie returned to her parents house. She hadn't spoken to Fitz since the day she'd left. Mellie was sleeping when her mother came into her room and woke her up.

"Melody baby." Maeve said softly, gently shaking her daughter. Mellie's eyes fluttered open.

"Hmmm."

"Baby wake up I need to talk to you." Mellie looked over at the clock it was 2:30 in the morning.

"Is Teddy up?" Mellie stated groggily as she sat up in bed.

"No honey he's still sleeping." Mellie woke up enough to look at her mother. She knew immediately something was wrong.

"What's going on mom is dad ok? Is grandma ok?"

"Yes honey they are ok. I won't you to calm down." Maeve could tell that Mellie was starting to get upset. "There was an incident and Fitz…."

"No mama." Mellie grabbed her mother's arm.

"He was badly injured."

"What happened to him?" "Maeve took a deep breath.

"Someone tried to assassinate him." Mellie's breath caught in her throat and tears started to stream down her face. She threw the covers off her body and climbed out of the bed.

"I have to go to him."

"I know sweetie and your agents are waiting to take you back to D.C." Mellie hurriedly dressed.

"Mom will you…"

"I will take care of Teddy you go to him." Mellie hugged her mom and kissed her on the cheek. When she walked out into the hall her dad was standing there. She kissed and hugged him too, before the Secret Service hurriedly rushed her to the confines of the armored SUV.

Mellie finally arrived to James Madison hospital. This hospital held so many bad memories. It was where he son died, she prayed it would not be where her husband died. She was ushered to a private waiting area. She could only pace, she hadn't been given any information on Fitz's condition. Cyrus walked into the waiting room with her, he looked bewildered. Mellie had never seen him look so scared.

"What happened?"

"I-I don't know. It just seems like a blur. We were out trying to drive up support for the Environmental Protection Bill and next thing I know shots rang out." The doctor entered the room.

"What is going on with my husband?"

"Madam First Lady he was hit three times." Mellie's eyes went wide. "Once in the arm, once in the chest and the most serious a bullet to the front of his head." Mellie felt the room going black.

Mellie woke up and wasn't sure where she was, but after a few seconds her brain fog cleared and everything came rushing back to her. She tried to sit up but a nurse rushed into the room.

"Please take it easy ma'am."

"I need to go see my husband." Mellie tried to get up.

"He's in surgery. You need to lay back down and rest. Your blood pressure was dangerously high and that's not good for you or the baby." Mellie knew that she was right and she laid back on the bed, but she wasn't resting. Her brain was on Fitz. What if he didn't make it? What if he did make it, but he was a vegetable? What if she never got to tell him again how very much she loved him? And that pained her the most.

When her blood pressure returned to normal she was allowed to sit up in a chair and wait for news about Fitz. He had been in surgery as the doctors worked to try to remove the bullet in his head. Mellie was preparing herself for the worse and praying for the best. Cyrus had gone back to the White House to try to contain the chaos. Mellie was left alone with her thoughts.

Her mind started to recall memories of happier times. She smiled when she thought about the first time she met the lanky Fitzgerald Grant III that warm Summer day almost thirty years prior. Her mind flashed through happy times and times that weren't happy, but she could positively say she was glad that she'd shared them with him. He had not always made her happy, in fact he had incensed her more than on one occasion. The last six years had been particularly difficult, but she knew that he was trying and as long as he was trying she was willing to try, that is if she got the chance.

"Mrs. Grant." The doctor came in and Mellie held her breath fearing the worse.

"Yes"

"The president made it through surgery. He's in a medically induced coma. He isn't out of the woods yet at this time there is no way of knowing how much damage was done."

Mellie nodded. "When can I see him?"

"When he's taken to his room."

"Thank you." He shook her hand and left. After about an hour Mellie was allowed to go to Fitz's room. She stopped in the doorway and leaned against it for support. His head was bandaged he had tubes everywhere. He looked so fragile. Mellie slowly walked next to his bed and sat down. She grabbed his hand and brought it up to her mouth kissing it gently.

"Oh what have they done to my baby?" Her voice was strained with emotion. She closed her eyes trying to compose herself. She didn't know if he could hear her and she didn't want to do anything that may make him upset. Despite her best efforts the tears came in a torrent. She laid her head down on his leg and let it all go. She was so scared. Mellie had no clue what it would be like to live without Fitz. She hadn't done that in so long.

Sometimes she had a difficult time even remembering what her life was like before he was in it. He was ingrained in her. His essence was woven into every fiber of her being. And it saddened her that it took something like this for her to realize it. She loved him without reason, without apprehension, wholly and deeply. That was not something she was ever going to get over. He was the only man she had ever been in love with, the first man she'd ever been intimate with and the father of her kids. She vowed to herself that if he made it out of this that she had to try to bring her family back together.