Blake was at his desk trying to reach Henry when diplomatic security stormed past headed for the office. He cursed, none of his calls were going through. He'd heard the bomb go off on TV from the outer office, he knew it was bad, and he knew that protocols had begun.

"Mister Moran." An agent spoke.

"No, I just need to let the Sec-"

"Get your things, you are coming with us."

"What?" The agent reached for his arm, but he pulled away.

"You're on the list to go to the White House. Coat and whatever else you need, clock is ticking." They both looked up as the other agents emerged from the office with the Secretary crowded between them.

"Yeah." He grabbed his things, allowing himself to be shoved into the circle.

Things didn't improve in the motorcade as they both attempted to get through on a jammed system, trying to reach any of the staff or the family. Blake split his focus between trying to reach anyone, trying to stay upright in his seat, and keeping an eye on his boss.

Reaching Nadine, and then Jason, helped. Blake just kept replaying Nadine's words about his job being to support. So, when the safety of the bunker was in sight and she turned and asked him to be the one to go to the hospital, Blake didn't hesitate.

"I have a question." Blake asked as the SUV rocketed toward the hospital. "How did I get on the list?"

"What list is that?"

"The bunker list. None of the other staff are on it, it's usually reserved for the topmost and their families."

"We don't know how; your name was in the file." The agent glanced back at him. "I can tell you it isn't a simple add, the bunker can only hold so many people. Anyone who gets on the list has to be determined as necessary to national security."

Blake didn't know how to respond to that. When they stopped at the outdoor triage area, the security agents climbed out behind him. The one he'd spoken to stopped him.

"Just my opinion? Knowing MSec these last few years, I can tell you this right here is exactly why you made the list."

"What do you mean?"

"She sent you here. I guarantee she's dove right into the sitroom and has put this out of her mind. Because she has to to do her job. Also, because you're here."

Blake ran through the hospital in search of the room Henry was in. Critical was bad, everything looked bad. At least he'd been able to confirm with his own eyes that the kids were fine, that was something, but he needed to find Henry. "Excuse me." He held up his badge again. "I'm trying to find Henry McCord, they said he's critical." The woman in scrubs hesitated. "McCord, recognize the name? Secretary of State McCord's husband, I need to see him."

"You can't. I can take you to his room, but you can't go in." She shook her head.

"Tell me everything." He followed behind her, blocking out the background chaos. When they got to the room, Blake froze. It looked bad. "Will he pull through?"

"Hard to say just yet."

"That's not a choice, he has to pull through. Is there a way to talk to him?"

"Not at the moment."

"Okay. I need to reach the Secretary, then you need to explain everything to her." He pulled out his phone, dialing the President's assistant.

After the doctor finished, Blake took the phone back and listened, plugging his other ear. "Ma'am." When she didn't respond, he tried again. "Ma'am."

"Yeah, Blake."

"Where are you right now?" He closed his eyes as well against the onslaught of the busy hospital.

"Hall outside the Bunker."

"Find somewhere to sit. Is there a place?"

"Yeah, yeah, there's a chair."

"Put your head down. Block out everything else. Focus on your breathing." He gripped the ever-present bottle in his pocket. Useless place for it now. "I have the kids, they're fine. I can see Henry; the doctors are caring for him. He's in good hands." He listened to her breathing. "Just take a minute."

After a few minutes of silence, she thanked him and hung up. Staring at his phone, Blake wondered when he'd become so confident with handling everything.

"You have to let him call!" Blake was on the verge of shouting by now. The only thing keeping his raised voice at bay was he could see Henry was insisting the same thing inside the room. "For the sake of national security, let him call his wife."

The nurse raised a brow at him. "National security? Really?"

"That's the Secretary of State's husband, I can't imagine she's all that clearheaded right now while he is status unknown and we're about to go to war on our own soil over a dirty bomb that almost killed him and the rest of their family. Yes! For the sake of national security, let him make that call."

Blake had found the kids in the chapel and made sure they ate and were okay on their own when he got a call from diplomatic security. "Yeah?"

"The Secretary is on her way to the hospital; the order was lifted. Where will you be meeting her?"

"I'll meet her right inside the doors to the critical care unit. Wait, wait, how is she?"

There was a pause. "As you would expect."

"Right." He ended the call and went in search of something to eat and drink. It was going to be a long evening.

Guiding her to her husband, Blake pressed the cup of juice into her hands, frowning when she only took a sip before passing it back. When she didn't try and talk to Henry, he worried even more. "Are you okay, Ma'am?"

"No." She stood at the window for several minutes before turning. "I think I'm done."

He knew the kids were waiting, but they would understand. "Come here." He used his free hand to guide her into a quieter area. "Please, drink the punch. I promise it'll help." He sat them both on a bench. After she took some more sips, he remembered. "Oh, I also found this." He pulled a bag of cheddar popcorn out of his pocket. He'd found it in a vending machine.

For a moment, she lit up, but then tears flooded her eyes. "Popcorn." After that it was just sobs, Blake pulled her close, putting the juice and bag to the side out of the way.

When she finally pulled away, he really took her in. The lines of stress, the worry, the way the whole thing weighed her down. "You do need to eat. And drink."

"Oh, boy do I need a drink." She huffed.

"Then I'll find you a place to wash up and we'll get to the chapel." He opened the bag of popcorn and handed it over.

"Thank you for being here."

"Where else would I be?"

The family was safely home. All of them. Finally. Blake paced his apartment before calling the one person he thought, hoped, would help him process.

"Good evening, Blake."

"Nadine." He sighed, sinking onto his couch. "Today has sucked."

"Full disclosure, Matt is staying at my apartment tonight. I'm sitting across from him now."

"Oh."

"It's fine, if you don't mind, I just didn't want you to realize later is all."

"I don't even care. I just need a good drink and after today, I'm not sure that's the greatest idea."

"Worried about drinking alone?"

"Yeah."

"Come here then. I don't mind, really."

Thirty minutes later, Blake found himself being let into Nadine's apartment. "This is like six of my place."

"What'd I tell you!" Came Matt's voice from further inside, making her smile.

"Come. Sit." She headed for the kitchen for drinks, surprised when he followed and sat at the island.

"I spent the entire day…" He wasn't even sure how to finish.

"Being the supporter?"

"Yeah. It was touch and go for a while. The kids were worried."

"And how did you feel?" She passed him a glass.

"Afraid. I think more than anything, I felt afraid. I feared being the one there when he died. The only one. I had a lot of time just standing in the halls, going between Henry and the kids, just being there and… I was afraid."

"But you made it through."

"This isn't gossip, I'm sharing because I don't know how much of a hair trigger it will be in upcoming days, but she started to have a panic attack outside the bunker."

"When you got there?"

"No." He shook his head. "I was at the hospital; we were on the phone. The doctor had just spelled out Doctor McCord's condition." He downed his drink and pushed the glass across for more. "Were you ever on the bunker list with Vincent?"

"No."

"I didn't know till today that I'd been added. So, there was that bombshell that someone high enough up agreed that I was no longer a nobody and then the place I was supposed to be, she sent me from, and she was…" He stared at his glass. "It felt like I was failing her. Listening to her gasp for air outside a bunker while we waited for another dirty bomb to go off and finish the job."

"Did she have it?"

"Have what?"

"The panic attack."

"No. I talked her through."

"Then you didn't fail."

He considered that for a bit. He wondered how well he'd be able to do this job without Nadine there as his sounding board. "The worst part?" He looked up and saw her nod. "She got there, and he was asleep. He was still in isolation. I found a quiet place and she just fell apart." He took another sip. "I didn't know what to do to help."

Matt suddenly appeared in the kitchen. "I'm sorry. I swear I wasn't trying to listen."

"It's fine."

"I remember working for Marsh. And I know what it's like working for MSec now. Today at the office was… hell. But Nadine was right, we had to pull up our sleeves and get to work." He found a seat beside Blake. "That's our jobs. And we did that. You did your job too. And because we all did what we were supposed to, we survived another day."