"Becca?" Mac asked as she knocked on Becca's door. "Can I come in, please?" Becca opened the door for her mother. "Hi, baby, how was your day?"
"Fine," Becca said, her greeting smile fading as she stared at her mother's face, which was white and sweaty. A look of terror danced in Mac's chocolate eyes. "Mom, what's wrong?" Becca asked, sitting on her bed. Mac closed Becca's door and sat beside her.
"Bec, I'm going to tell you something that I never thought I'd have to say, and I have to ask you not to tell a soul. Not even your father. This is between you and me, OK?" Mac said, holding her daughter's hands in her own.
"Mom, what's wrong? You look terrified!" Becca exclaimed uneasily.
"Becca, I…" Mac paused and took a deep breath. "I think I might be pregnant." Becca's mouth hung open. What the fuck did she just say? Becca thought in shock.
"Wh… what? HOW?" Becca asked.
"Well, Becca, when a man and a woman love each other," Mac started sarcastically.
"Mom, shut up. That's not what I mean. I… I don't even know what I mean. Are you sure?" Becca stuttered. Mac shook her head no. She began to be aware that her mom had trusted her with this information, no one else. She was flattered and terrified at the same time.
"Becca, is there one of your friends who can get you a pregnancy test or something, without asking too many questions?" Mac said, her face flushing red.
"Um… Stacy probably could do it… do you want me to call her?"
"Oh, Becca, please," Mac hugged her daughter. "Tell her it's an emergency. Because really it is. I can't even believe this…" Mac said, close to tears.
"I can't either," Becca said softly. "So what is this gonna mean? Are you going to have to resign from presidency?" Becca asked cautiously.
"I don't know…" Mac whispered. She stared into space, contemplating this revelation.
"I'm going to call Stacy, mom." Becca picked up the phone and dialed a number. "Hey, is Stacy there?" she asked, and then paused. "Hey babe, it's Becca. What's up?" Becca and Stacy made small talk for a while, as Mac sat hunched over on her daughter's bed.
"Listen, Stacy, I have a huge favour to ask of you." Becca sighed. "I need you to get me a pregnancy test. No, listen, I'll explain later. This is really super important, Stace." Mac took a few deep breaths.
"Yeah, OK. That's fine. I owe you big time, girl! Thanks a bazillion!" Becca hung up the phone. "OK. She said she'd drop it off on her way to work tonight." Mac grabbed her daughter in a firm embrace, burying her face in Becca's shoulder.
"Becca," Mac whispered, "I love you so much. I owe you big time." Becca smiled at her mother. She hadn't been this close to her mother in, well, forever.
"Mom," Becca asked. "Why did you come to me with this? Why not, like, Kelly or Grandma or Nora or someone?"
"Becca, you are my daughter and I trust you. Mac looked into Becca's eyes and smiled. "Besides, I can ground you if you tell anybody!" They both laughed. Mac got up after kissing Becca on the cheek. "Thank you, Becca."
"You're welcome, mom." Becca smiled as Mac left to go back to the Oval Office to check the status of the decontamination process.
Mac couldn't stand the wait. She paced back and forth, waiting eternally. Her head spun as she began to wonder what it would mean if she was pregnant, which was more than a possibility. She and Rod were like horny teenagers all of a sudden, her period was late almost three weeks, and she was fainting. There was almost no chance that she wasn't pregnant. Not to mention her complete lack of emotional control. She never cried. Mackenzie Allen didn't cry!
There was a knock at the door. She stopped pacing. "Come in," she chimed, as though nothing was wrong. Jim entered the room slowly, staring at the president. She smiled at him. She looks beautiful today. She is so beautiful, Jim thought. But he also wondered why the President was standing in the middle of the room. She grinned at him continuously.
"Good afternoon, Ma'am. Is there anything wrong?" Jim asked cautiously.
"Nothing at all, Jim!" Mac lied cheerfully. Am I really that obvious? Mac wondered in panic. "Why do you ask?"
"Oh, no reason… you just passed out this morning, Rod is jumpy as a leapfrog, and you obviously can't stop smiling."
"Everything is just fine," Mac answered.
"Sure?"
"Positive."
"Fine. Just know that the doctor is coming to see you at 7:30 this evening."
"Oh. Very well," Mac said, dismissing the subject.
"Goodbye, Madame President. If there's anything you want to talk about…" Jim left the room. Mac stared after him, tears welling up in her eyes. In her head she went over all of the possible outcomes of this possible pregnancy. She wondered how the public would respond to her being pregnant. Her thoughts were interrupted.
"Mom?" It was Becca. "I've got it."