O'ROURKE ENTERPRISES & HOLDINGS INCORPORATED
MICHAEL'S OFFICE
MONDAY
Michael O'Rourke was reading a report on East Asian markets, feet on his desk, sipping coffee from a paint splattered 'World's Greatest Dad' mug his children made for him a handful of Christmases ago. Christopher slowly entered the office, only drawing a flicker of attention from Michael.
"You looked worried."
"That's because I am, sir."
"Don't call me 'sir', Chris. No one else is around-"
"Cynthia Baxter is pregnant."
Michael froze in his chair. He placed the report on his desk and turned his chair to face Christopher, who was slid down on to the couch in the corner of the room.
"What?"
"The good news is Cynthia doesn't want your money. She wants publicity. Also good you don't have to worry about that sex tape," Christopher leaned back and laced his fingers behind his head, putting his feet up on the coffee table in front of him, "because who needs a sex tape when you've got a fetus full of D.N.A.? It's a win-win."
"That's not my baby." Michael shot out of his chair. What was pissing him off almost as much as their situation was Christopher's attitude about it.
"You just keep practicing that line." Chris smiled. "You're gonna be saying it a lot."
Michael stood over Christopher, hands in his pockets, shoulders squared. "Okay, what do we do? Next step? How do we fix this?"
Christopher chuckled. "I-I don't know."
"Chris! I know you're upset, but we have to game plan this. What's next?"
"What's next?" Those two words caught Christopher's attention. His flippant attitude tones down and he becomes more serious; however, he remains in his relaxed position on the couch.
"Okay, here's what happens next - you resign from your company and all governmental contracts and relations. Or Cynthia goes on TV, tells her sad, sordid tale, there are hearings, maybe a trial if Tessa gets really creative, and you're forced to publically resign from office before your company crumbles.
Your company's Vice President, a moronic, right-wing nut job who seems to not quite understand that evolution isn't an idea but an actual fact, but who cares? The scary states we won Obama in the election will have a party now that their Grand Wizard is running things. I'm pretty sure I'll never see a legal marriage and women will lose their right to choose once she's backing the wrong people, but hey, whatever. We're all Republicans after all.
You'll leave in disgrace, move to Montana or some other shit-hole state, keep a low profile for a while. Then some fancy publishing house will pay you a fortune for a book, which you'll write, only it won't talk about what everyone really wants to know about. It won't talk about your sordid affair with an Ivory Tower aide. It'll talk about policy and your thoughts on the economy, and it won't sell because no one cares about your thoughts on policy and the economy anymore because you're not powerful and influential anymore. What you are now is a joke on "Letterman."
Catherine, a lovely woman, ambitious and strong, and quite wealthy in her own right. She's not gonna be circa 1998 Hillary on this. No, sirree. This is the 21st century. She's gonna leave you and she's gonna take your children with her. And everyone will applaud her, from the religious right to the women's groups, because you're a philandering pig who had a child out of wedlock. And we all know it's true because we heard the tape! You'll be alone in your house in Montana - do you like Montana? Doesn't matter because you'll be listening to old records and telling the same story over and over again to the poor sap not smart enough to get away.
Then one day, about, oh, three or four years from now, you'll step into your bathroom, take out that revolver your father gave you after boot camp. You'll put it in your mouth and you'll blow the back of your skull off. Oprah's retired now, so I guess I have to do a post-funeral interview with Barbara Walters. She's nice."
Chris jumped off the couch and clapped his hands. Michael was still standing beside the couch, hands in his pockets, looking down at where Christopher sat.
"But, you know, I could be wrong." He put his hand on the door and yank it open, chuckling, "But how often does that happen?"
TESSA REAGAN AND ASSOCIATES
TESSA'S OFFICE
Tessa and Cynthia sat on the couch while Gabriel sat in an arm chair across from them. Cynthia knew full well who he was married to and objected several times to his involvement. Tessa promised her that Gabriel would only be handling the planning, their game plan. Anything more would result in him being divorced and out of a job; two things neither Gabriel nor Tessa wanted.
"We'll be filing a petition to determine the paternity of your child in New York superior court, after which there will be a hearing and a D.N.A. test. The petition is public, which is going to set things in motion."
Gabriel reached over the coffee table between them to hand Cynthia a copy of the petition.
"That same day you'll be taping an interview with Diane Sawyer for "20/20.""
"Diane Sawyer?" Cynthia asked. Her face betrayed her nerves.
"Don't worry." Tessa reached out and laid a hand on Cynthia's arm. "We'll be doing mock interviews to prepare you for the kinds of questions you will be asked. We don't want any surprises."
"And if you're properly prepared, you've got nothing to be afraid of," Gabriel added with a reassuring smile.
"You need to call your parents and all your friends. Warn them about what's going to happen. Your parents will want to check into a hotel when the interview airs because their street will be chock-full of reporters, and they won't be well-behaved." Tessa moved closer and lowered her voice to sound more comforting.
"I know this seems scary, I know it's overwhelming, but we are talking about Michael O'Rourke, a man that got the first African-American President elected just so he could run a small gumshoe government in the nation's backyard. You want to burn down his house; you're gonna have to burn down your own as well."
A small knock came at the door. Lyall stuck his head in.
"Tess."
WAITING ROOM
U.S. Attorney Sam Lynch sat on a comfortable couch in the private waiting room across from the kitchen. He put his smoothie down on a coaster and hopped off the couch when he was Lyall walk into the room, followed by an annoyed Tessa.
Lyall safely retreated into his office as Sam started speaking.
"Clearly, you were busy before. It was obviously not the right time to ask for a favor, but I do have a favor to ask, and keep in mind the massive favor deficit between us. I'm cashing in one of the many favors for you to help a friend of mine-"
Tessa took Sam's hand in both of hers and held it gently, stroking the back with her thumb. "Sam?"
"Yes?" He was growing suspicious. She doesn't act sweet unless she's in an excellent mood or she wants sex. Both of which are great, but neither one get him what he wants.
"I did not answer you when you asked me about this earlier. That was rude. This time, I will be more clear – I have far more important things to worry about right now than the fate of the crappy newsstand you buy your morning coffee at." She dropped his hand. "I do not have time for this or for you."
STRAFFORD HOTEL
Donna was on her lunch break. She didn't have much time to check in on Carolina before she needed to get back. She walked up to the attendant's counter and luckily the same man from last night was working again this morning.
"Hi. Excuse me. I checked someone in yesterday my sister and her two young children, room 402?"
"Okay, uh, let's see." He turned to his computer and typed. After a moment he looked up. "Room 402 is vacant."
"Shit."
TESSA REAGAN AND ASSOCIATES
TESSA'S OFFICE
Lyall was lounging on the waiting room couch, eating a Granny Smith apple when Donna came in. A mixture of worry and fear was spread across her face. Lyall whistled low when she passed him.
"You in trouble."
She could hear Tessa speaking in Spanish as Donna did the walk of shame down the hallway lined with military guards towards the conference room.
"Oh, Donna, good." Tessa smiled cheerfully when Donna opened the French doors. She, Gabriel, and General Benecio Florez were standing in the middle of the room chatting happily. "I was just telling the general that it was you and Gabriel that found Señora Florez."
General Florez walked over to shake her hand with both of his. "I cannot thank you enough. There were moments when I thought I would never see them again. Thank you."
"Y-You're welcome." Donna managed to fake a smile.
"We think the kidnappers may have been allied with the general's political enemies possibly the exile community." Tessa filled Donna in. "Anyway, thank goodness whoever it was lost their nerve, dropped Carolina and the children off at that shelter, and now here they are, safe and sound."
"Safe and sound," Donna repeated, a bite of contempt underneath her voice.
LATER
Donna was aggressively tearing down the photos and documents they gathered down from the cityscape window. Tessa angrily gripped the back of a chair as she watched Donna.
"You had no right to do what you did."
"No right?" Donna yelled, spinning around. "No right?!"
"That woman was not our client."
"She had one shot, and you took it away from her."
"She chose to marry that man. She chose to have children with him!"
"Oh, and that makes it your call to decide whether or not-"
"And now, 20 years later, she wakes up and realizes she's sleeping next to a monster and she wants out?"
That angered Donna. As Tessa was talking, Donna was passionately yelling over her. Their arguments ran over each other.
"Are you kidding me? That's what you did for me."
"She fell in love with the wrong man."
"No, you made the wrong call. When I wanted to leave Calvin-"
"She put herself in an impossible position."
"When I wanted to leave Calvin-"
Tessa pushed the chair away. This time, she was the one yelling. "I did what I had to do for my client. I made a tough call. You don't like it, Donna? Too bad! It is my name on that door, not yours!"
"When I wanted to leave Calvin!" Donna threw all the photos she had taken down at Tessa. They cascaded to the floor at Tessa's feet. Donna's voice wavered with repressed emotions, her face covered in betrayal.
"Don't talk to me about tough calls and names on the door. That woman needs us. And I don't know what's going on with you or what's happened to you, but I know that you have your stuff that you don't talk about. I know that. But something's going on with you, and I'm sorry about that. I am," Donna stomped over to be inches away from Tessa's face, "but that doesn't mean that you get to stop being Theresa Edith Reagan. When Calvin raped me and fractured three of my ribs and broke my jaw and threw me out into the snow in my nightgown, Theresa Edith Reagan took a tire iron and broke his kneecap and then Theresa Reagan got me the best divorce attorney in the state and got me out of that marriage. That's what Theresa Reagan does. That's who you are. You are the gladiator. I would gladly follow you over a cliff. But you gotta show up. You gotta be a warrior. You don't get to pick and choose when the real Theresa Reagan walks through that door. You made the wrong call."
O.A.S. CONFERENCE
UNITED NATIONS BUILDING, MANHATTAN
MONDAY EVENING
The Florez family was comfortably lounging in a private room, listening to El General's speech on the television.
"We have withstood lies spread by powerful media outlets and the permanent threat of this capitalist empire. We have withstood the very naked disrespect for the sovereignty of our nation."
Carolina was looking fore longingly out the curtained window to overlooking the East River when the thick oak double doors flew open. There, gallantly walking in without fear was Theresa Reagan, accompanied by Donna and Lyall.
"If you still want asylum, we can get it for you. I have a car downstairs waiting, ready to take you and your family to homeland security, but if you want to go, we have to leave right now, this minute." Tessa was speaking so fast, trying not to waste precious time breathing, she feared Carolina might not catch what Tessa was saying. "Do you still want asylum?"
Carolina held her infant daughter closer to her chest. "My husband's security men are down the hall. They won't let me leave the building."
"We've got it covered." Lyall reassured her.
HALLWAY
In the hallway outside, Gabriel was encircled by a group of five soldiers under General Florez's command.
"If she wants to go, you can't stop her. Now we can talk I.N.A. Code 101 section A-42. You guys familiar with that?"
Gabe could see the soldiers looking around to each other. That had no clue what he was talking about. He's got them.
"Okay, let me break it down for you. Asylum given for foreign-born spouses subject to persecution. Or well-founded fear of persecution on account of race, religion, nationality, membership in a particular social group, or as pertains to our case here political opinion. So you can object, petition, protest, make yourself a nuisance all you want, but in case you haven't noticed, she's on American soil, otherwise known as you have no jurisdiction here."
LOUNGE
Donna was keeping an eyes on the TV that was live streaming the O.A.S Conference. General Florez had just finished his speech and was stepping off the podium amid a smattering of polite applause.
"Tess, we need to move now."
"Okay," She turned to Lyall on her left. "Lyall, baby."
Carolina handed Lyall the baby. "Thank you."
She grabbed the baby bag and rushed over to her son sleeping on the couch. He was stirring slightly because of all the commotion. "Manuel, wake up. Manuel, we have to go. Come on."
"Lyall!" Tessa softly shouted when she turned to see Lyall still in the back of the room.
Lyall was bending down carefully to retrieve something off the floor. "I dropped the pacifier."
"Take your toy," she handed a toy train to Manuel. Lyall gave Caroline back her baby. "Thank you. Come on. Felipe."
Felipe didn't move. He stood still beside the complementary pastries laid out on the table. He was glancing back and forth between his mother and the door.
"Cariño." Carolina pleaded with her son.
It was too late. When Felipe decided to go with his mother, General Florez's soldier's opened up the heavy doors. He stood angrily between his family and the door, his soldiers standing behind him.
"General Florez," Tessa greeted with a smile. "What a wonderful speech. I was just coming by to congratulate you."
Tension built in the room. The general was not buying a word that came out of Tessa's mouth.
"No," Carolina placed her hand on Tessa's shoulder. She walked in front of Tessa, to protect the woman that would be her savior. "Benicio, she was helping me to leave you. There was no kidnapping. There were no men. There was no van. I left on my own. I left you because I wanted to leave you. I left you because I don't love you anymore."
General Florez closed his eyes, hanging his head to contain his emotions. He sliently nodded his head and whispered under his breath, "Fine…fine. Then leave. I cannot keep you here."
When he looked up, there was no mercy in his eyes. "But you're not taking the children. They're coming home with me."
"Benicio, please-"
"No, Carolina, mira!" He cut across her. "No vas a condenar a mis hijos . Para vivir en este país sin que yo haga nada al respecto. Este juego se ha acabado. Ahora dame mi hija. [You're not going to condemn my children. To live in this country without me doing anything about it. This game is over. Now give me my daughter.]"
General Florez stepped forward and took his daughter out of his wife's arms as she wept, sobbing, "No. No. No. No."
When Paola was in her father's arm, she too began to cry. Carolina collapsed to her knees on the floor, hand over her womb, crying out, "No! No!"