AN: Sorry I haven't updated this in forever! COVID has really started to become a problem in my area, and a lot of people I know are getting it. Oh, and I was sick last week, so, you know, not the greatest week in the world.
This is definitely not my best writing, but I really wanted to get an update out, so bare with me.
Please leave a review! They make my day!
Disclaimer: I don't own Madam Secretary or any of its characters.
Nadine reached over the side of her bed, grabbing her crutches. She hated using crutches, but they were certainly better than a wheelchair. She had needed one of those a couple of times after different surgeries, and she had hated it every time. It was nearly impossible to be independent in a wheelchair; she could manage on her own using crutches.
Not that she had to this time. Ever since she had gotten home the night before, Daisy had been waiting on her hand and foot. She had hardly had to get out of bed in the last sixteen hours, but now, she was determined to make herself useful. Or at least not useless.
She slowly made her way out of her bedroom and down the hallway to the living room. For once, she was extremely grateful that she lived in a relatively small, one-story condo. It made moving much easier. Her hair, which had not been brushed since the night before, fell into her face, and she strategically blew the strands away from her forehead.
She could hear Daisy's voice coming from the dining room table. Judging from the voices on the other end of the chat, she could tell that a work meeting was taking place, and she slowly moved towards the space.
Daisy's back was to Nadine, but crutches are not at all quiet, so Daisy's head turned the moment Nadine entered the room.
"Hey, you're up!" she called out. "You need anything?"
"To get out of my room, yes." Nadine smirked at Daisy, carefully sitting down on one of the sturdy dining room chairs.
"Hey, Nadine!" Elizabeth's voice came from the screen, and Nadine gave a short nod.
"Good morning, ma'am," she answered, giving into a small grin as the rest of the staff excitedly waved their greetings.
"How are you doing this morning?" Nadine heard Elizabeth ask, as Daisy turned to stare at her.
"I've been better, but it's not as bad as yesterday, ma'am." Nadine quickly answered her boss.
"She refuses to take her pain meds, ma'am!" Daisy quipped, earning a chuckle from the staff. None of them were all too surprised.
"Nadine, they give you those for a reason!" Elizabeth chided.
"I don't need them, ma'am. And besides, this conversation is hardly relevant. What's going on there?" Nadine inquired.
"Nadine…" Elizabeth drew out her name. "You are on medical leave for at least the next week."
"That doesn't mean I have to be boxed out of every conversation.!"
"I am well aware of that. But if you get involved, you will never stop working, and I might not have it in me to stop you, so scram!" Elizabeth jokingly exclaimed.
"You do realize that quote on quote 'scramming' is next to impossible, right?" Nadine joked as she struggled to get up from the chair. Though she would never admit it, her back, along with her ankle, was killing her this morning. It felt like hot needles were being stuck into her skin whenever she moved, and standing was not an easy task.
Daisy noticed her struggle. "Hey, I have to go grab something from my bag," she quickly said to the staff, then muted the microphone and stopped the camera. "Here." Nadine let Daisy help her out of the chair, and simply nodded a thanks when Daisy handed her her crutches.
"Thank you, Daisy."
"Yeah, no problem. I just figured that you wouldn't want the entire staff to see you needing help." Daisy shrugged, sitting back down in front of the computer. "You good from here?"
"I should be. I need to grab some breakfast from the fridge, but then I'll go back to my room."
"I made french toast!" Daisy called over her shoulder.
"You cook?" Nadine asked before she could stop herself. It earned a laugh from Daisy.
"I can handle breakfast. You're screwed if you want anything else," Daisy explained with a smile. "But I am very skilled at ordering take-out!"
"Yes, I am very aware of that, Daisy. You do it just about every night!" They laughed together for a short while, before Daisy put up her hand.
"Okay, I think I've been off this call for way too long to be believable. If you need anything…"
"I'll be fine, Daisy! Get back to work!" Nadine exclaimed. "I may be on medical leave, but I'm still your boss!"
"Fine, whatever. Be careful!" Daisy called out, turning on her microphone before Nadine had a change to respond.
"Hmph…" Nadine huffed, slowly working her way to the refrigerator, and grabbing the plate of french toast that had been kindly placed on the middle shelf, easy to reach.
It was quite the balancing act to carry the plate from the fridge to the microwave, but she managed to complete the task by utilizing her impressive balance, a skill she had held onto from her years as a dancer. As soon as the food was heated through, she carefully carried it to the kitchen island, and settled herself on the stool. As she sat, she inconspicuously listened in on the conversation going on in her dining room. She could only hear Daisy's voice clearly, however.
"No, ma'am, I haven't heard anything from him since last week." A pause.
"Well, yeah, normally I'm not the one communicating with him! It's the chief of staff's job!" Another, longer pause. Nadine could definitely hear Jay and Elizabeth's raised voices.
"Fine, I'll try, but I can't guarantee anything. He doesn't seem to like me." Nadine could hear Daisy shift uncomfortably.
"Yeah, I've fielded like twenty calls on the subject, but nobody seems to know." Another pause.
"Okay, I'll look into it. Anything else?" Nadine could tell the subject had switched.
"Ma'am, I'm not your personal spy! Ask her yourself!" Nadine was confused, and wished she could hear the other end of the conversation.
"Think about who we're talking about here! You're her boss; you can force answers out of her if you want." Yeah, they were definitely talking about her. She hoped Daisy didn't realize she was listening to the conversation.
"No! And just so you know, I think she's listening to my side of the conversation, and has probably figured out that we are talking about her, so I would advise ending this conversation."
Drat.