Prompt: Henry and/or the kids see Elizabeth faint on live TV

"Okay, babe," Henry was saying into the phone. "Yeah, we'll be watching. See you after." There was a pause as Elizabeth said something, and Henry felt a smile tugging at his lips.

"Love you, too. Bye."

He hung up and turned toward the three teenagers that were all piled on the sofa in their pajamas, waiting to watch the speech Elizabeth was going to be giving before she came home for the night.

"Mom will be on in a few minutes," he said. "You guys ready?"

They all nodded, and the group made small talk while they waited for the screen to be graced with their matriarch's familiar presence.

"She's on!" Alison called a few moments later, and the hum of conversation ceased as they all turned to watch. Elizabeth smiled and Henry felt himself well up with pride; no matter how many times Elizabeth proved herself to America or showed her grace onscreen, he never failed to feel immensely proud to be her husband. In his book, being the person to stand by the side of Elizabeth Adams had always been his greatest honor, especially on the day that Adams had become McCord.

A few minutes into the speech, Stevie spoke up with a note of concern in her voice.

"Is Mom okay?" she asked uncertainly.

Henry had noticed it, too. Elizabeth, in the time she'd been speaking, had started to look pale, and if he looked closely, he could swear he saw her hands shaking.

"I'm sure she's fine," he said, but he hoped he sounded more convinced than he felt.

"Yeah," Jason began to agree, but then, they were both proved wrong. On screen, Elizabeth swayed from the podium and disappeared from view, collapsing to the ground. Henry watched in horror as medics rushed forward and he caught a glimpse of honey-blonde hair spread out on the floor of the stage.

"Oh my god," Stevie gasped. All of them had their eyes glued to the TV.

"Dad?" Alison said, her voice wavering. Henry had already stood.

"You guys stay right here, you understand?" he instructed. They knew better than to argue, and stayed silent as Henry raced out the front door without grabbing his jacket, getting to Elizabeth the only thing on his mind.

The security detail outside was ready for him; Henry was grateful, as he was able to be on his way to his wife with very little incident and very quickly.

The ride was not a long one, but it seemed like an eternity to Henry. His mind was racing; he had no clue what had happened, but he knew he needed to see Elizabeth.

When they arrived, Henry was out the door as the car pulled to a stop. He didn't even bother to close the door behind him as he weaved through the crowd to security barricades. He would only register later his unhindered passage due to the fact that Elizabeth's usual detail was manning the barricades. Henry followed the flashing red and blue lights until he was faced with an ambulance.

"Dr. McCord, the Secretary is over there," said a voice that was vaguely familiar, but which Henry couldn't be bothered to stop long enough to recognize.

"Elizabeth!" he called as he loped around the ambulance. Sitting on the back of the vehicle was a pale, but unharmed, Elizabeth McCord.

"Elizabeth, thank God," Henry gasped.

"Henry," she said, reaching out for him as he knelt on the pavement. She was out of her seat in seconds, amid protests from the medics. She knelt next to him, placing a gentle hand on his shoulder.

"Baby, it's okay," she said softly. "I'm okay."

"God, Elizabeth," he choked.

"Hey, Henry, it's okay. I'm right here," she assured him. He looked up at her, and she offered him a small, weak smile. He reached out and pulled her into his arms, holding her close. He was gentle, though; he didn't know if she was injured at all, and didn't want to hurt her. His hands were familiar and gentle, and Elizabeth melted into his touch. She hugged him back, tightly, wanting him to know she was alright.

"Elizabeth," he breathed.

"I'm fine, Henry. I promise, I'm fine."

She slowly pulled back and stood, and he followed. She waved the medics off, but heeded their instructions and sat back down on the back of the ambulance.

"What the hell happened?" Henry asked, trying desperately to keep his voice from shaking.

"Turns out one can't really go a whole day without eating," Elizabeth said with a small, guilty smile. "I passed out, but these guys revived me and gave me a granola bar. I'm okay now, just a little light-headed."

Henry sat down heavily beside her and rested his head in his hands.

"God, Elizabeth, on national television," he sighed. He took her hand and she could feel him trembling.

"I know. I'm sorry you and the kids had to see that," she said.

"Oh god, the kids," he groaned, and reached for his phone, only to find several missed calls from the cell phones of all three children. His hands shook as he attempted to call Stevie back, and Elizabeth gently took the phone.

"Let me," she said. "They'll want to talk to me anyway."

Henry let out a shaky breath as the phone by Elizabeth's ear started to ring, and she brought his hand to her lips, pressing a gentle kiss against his skin before she squeezed his hand and moved a little closer to him.

On the other end of the phone, there was a click and suddenly all three of her children's voices filled the dead space.

"Dad?"

"Are you with Mom?"

"Is she okay?"

"What's going on?"

They were overlapping one another, and Elizabeth pulled the phone away for an instant in surprise before speaking into it.

"Guys, it's Mom," she said, and there was sudden silence for a fraction of a second before their voices filled the space again.

"Mom!"

"Are you okay?"

"What happened? Where's Dad?"

"Mom, are you alright?"

"Okay, everyone calm down," she said gently. "Calm down, guys."

They settled down, but Elizabeth could almost feel them biting their tongues.

"I'm fine," she told them soothingly. As she spoke, Henry rested his head against her shoulder and she glanced over at him tenderly.

"Dad is right here," she said. "Everything is alright, guys, we'll be home soon and we'll explain everything then, okay?"

"But- you're okay, right?" That was Alison, timid and sounding scared.

"Yes, Noodle, I'm okay. Don't worry, we're going to be leaving here really soon and we'll be home in just a little while."

"Okay," Stevie said. "Be safe, okay?" Their eldest, though taking a calm charge, sounded worried.

"We will. I love you guys," she said. She was met by a three-toned chorus of 'I love you, too' and smiled as she hung up the phone and turned back to Henry. She pressed a kiss to his head and he looked up at her.

"Are you feeling okay?" he asked. There was worry in his gaze, and Elizabeth smiled slightly as she rested a hand on his cheek.

"Yeah," she replied. "I'm okay. I'm sorry I scared you, babe."

He shook his head, waving her off as he stood and offered a hand to her. Color had returned to both of their faces, and Henry offered her a small smile as he slung his arm over her shoulders.

"You age me, you know that?" he asked lightly and she smiled up at him with a shrug.

"That's what I'm here for," she quipped. Henry couldn't help but smile slightly.

"Let's get you home and have some actual dinner," he said.

"Ooh, did you cook?" she asked eagerly, and he grinned.

"And now I know you're okay," he laughed. He kissed her temple lightly. "Yes, I cooked."

"Yay."

"Come on," Henry said, shaking his head.

When they opened the door to the house, they were immediately met by three anxious children.

"Mom!" they chorused. They all hovered nearby, unsure of what to do, until Elizabeth smiled and opened her arms to them. Then, all three of them rushed forward to hug her; Jason was closest, under her left arm, followed by Alison on the right and Stevie from behind. Elizabeth smiled as she kissed the top of Jason's head.

"Hey, guys," she said. She smoothed a hand over Alison's dark hair, which was all that was visible since her younger daughter's face was buried against the crook of her neck.

"I'm okay, I promise," she said. "Everything's alright."

"What happened?" Jason asked.

"Your mother failed to eat anything all day and passed out," Henry answered from where he stood, having just hung up the coat Elizabeth had managed to get off before the kids converged on her.

"Mom!" Stevie admonished. She was the first to let go, and came around to meet her mother's eyes.

"I know, I know," Elizabeth groaned. "I know. I'm sorry for scaring you guys, but I promise everything is fine."

"Have you eaten now?" Alison asked, pulling back just enough to look up at Elizabeth.

"A little, but I'm starving and I heard there's dinner," Elizabeth replied.

"There is," Jason answered. Soon, the kids were busying themselves making a plate for their mother and Elizabeth smiled up at Henry.

"If they're going to be this helpful, I should faint from hunger more often," she said. Henry shook his head, even as he smiled ever-so-slightly and wrapped an arm around her.

"You're not funny," he said.

"Too soon, huh?" she asked.

"Definitely."