Chapter 44 – Elizabeth
They got back to the barn, Stevie had already handed her horse over to Mitch, who was cleaning out the horse's shoes from the mud she ran through.
Elizabeth walked Pilgrim, her new horse in to the barn. "Hey Mitch!"
"Morning, Elizabeth . Big day today. Not surprised you took an early morning ride," he didn't look up from his job.
His jeans were already dirty, his gray sweatshirt was always dirty.
She moved the dark horse back into his barn. He was gorgeous and stood proud. Black with a white stripe down his nose and chest. Hence, the name, "Pilgrim." "You gonna vote, Mitch? Will I see Judy today?" she asked looking back at him over her shoulder.
"She's already working the polls. She's looking forward to catching up with you today. Been awhile. We've missed you around here," he smiled at her and tipped his cap.
"Four more years, Mitch. Or maybe sooner and I will be back," Elizabeth laughed and moved the hay on the barn floor with her foot.
"Elizabeth, it will be four more years and I will be voting for you. But, it's 7:30 and I believe you have an appointment in an hour."
"Crap!" She went running out of the barn and yelled behind her. "Have a great day, Mitch. Thanks for your vote!"
She ran into the house and immediately smelled breakfast. Henry's pancakes. She could hear her family talking over one another in the kitchen, deep in conversation about Jason and a paper he was writing. She dropped her riding boots in the mudroom and leaned on the doorway to the kitchen. She took in the moment.
Henry was cleaning up. Stevie was sitting with the girls at the tables putting pieces of pancake on Amelia's highchair tray. Aliie and Jason were on the other side of the table with their coffees and finished plates. They were going back and forth over something.
It is customary for the President and presidential candidates to vote in their home precincts. As much as she loved being home and having her family with her, she was sad. Today was supposed to be an exciting day. But, currently she had four Marines and a CIA agent taken hostage, potentially giving their lives so that all Americans could have the right to do what they all would be doing this day: voting. Maybe spending time with their families, taking their children to the polls so they can all get and "I Voted" sticker.
But, not them. Not today. They were being held somewhere outside of Kabul in Afghanistan. They had been looking for them for three days. She had hoped to have more intel and a rescue done by now. They thought they had a location, when the raid happened they found nothing but the four chairs, with electrodes attached to them. She knew they were being tortured. There wasn't much she hated more in life now than torture.
She had lost her patience that morning in the meeting. She snapped at Jay. Not really his fault. He didn't come from the intel community. This was not his expertise.
Henry turned and saw his wife standing there. Her hair pulled back in a messy bun, her lightweight red plaid shirt buttoned down showing him just enough, her Levis that she wore for riding. He knew that look. Something was on her mind. He went over and tucked a stray hair behind her ear and his arm around her waist, kissing her on her neck. Snapping her out of her mind, she whispered, "Good morning."
"You smell like horse." He said kissing her again.
"I thought you liked the smell of horse and hay,' she grinned and pulled back looking at him.
"Ohhh…want to head back out to the barn?"
"GROSS!" Allie said loudly, "We are all right here!"
Elizabeth laughed, made her way into the kitchen and said, "Yes, you are." She grabbed a piece of bacon and took a bite. "Who is ready to go and vote?"
She moved over to kiss Eliza on her head. "I am Grammie!"
Stevie wrinkled her nose and said to her, "You might want to go shower before we leave."
She laughed. "I started to help Mitch in the stalls because I wanted just a little time away from everything. Then, he reminded me I only had an hour." She was already half way up the stairs.
"Eggs will be ready when you come down, Babe." Henry yelled up to her.
"Not hungry," she called back. "Too nervous."
Allie asked the rest of the family, "She does know she has the highest approval rating of any President, right?"
Jason answered with, "And yet, she's the only one who doesn't realize she smells like a horse!"
Henry asked the kids to clean up and followed her upstairs.
When he entered the master bathroom, the steam had filled the room and she was standing in the shower, crying.
He turned the fan on, "Babe, what's going on?"
She sighed and said, "I can't talk about it here."
As First Gentleman and her husband, there was very little he didn't know. He knew about the hostage situation but didn't know what happened with this morning's raid. But what he did know was that he needed to do what he does best for her and be her touchstone.
"Okay. So, about the thing you can't talk about, where are you stuck?"
"Besides the fact that I can't talk to you about it right now?" she answered in her annoyed tone, stepping out of the shower. He handed her the white oversized bath sheet.
"Come here," he pulled her into his arms and held her there for a few minutes.
"You are getting all wet from me," she tried to pull back but he didn't let go.
"So, what? I will change. How far in are you?" he asked her.
"Pretty deep. I can't stop thinking about it. The election doesn't even matter to me today. It's the worst thing ever," her tears continued.
That was his clue. He knew immediately that it didn't pan out. He put his hand on her head and held her close.
"I will have the kids ride in the second car on the way back. Have Jay and Isabelle ride back with us. I heard Blake just come in the door. I will go down and ask him to set up a call with you and Conrad for when we get back okay?"
"Okay," she sniffed and pulled herself together.
By the time, she walked out of the house, Elizabeth McCord had her presidential face on. Her navy suit with the pencil skirt and white blouse shirt that came part way up her neck.
They arrived at the polls with a crowd out front. The McCord's were often deemed as "the new Kennedy's" by the press. America loved their president and the first family. Elizabeth waved as she headed into the high school gymnasium doors to vote.
The place had been cleared out by Secret Service. Mitch's wife Judy and their neighbor, Mrs. Dunleavy along with the city clerk were the only ones in there.
"Mrs. Dunleavy," Elizabeth stepped to her and gave her the biggest hug. Claire Dunleavy had been her mother's best friend for many years. She was the first adult that got to Elizabeth and Will, when their parents died. She took care of them until Aunt Joan arrived. Elizabeth had always wished her parents had placed them in the Dunleavy's care instead of Aunt Joan.
Now, she was 80 years old and still working the polls every Election Day.
"How is everybody?" Elizabeth asked as she pulled away and looked down to the shorter woman.
"Everybody is good. Scott's daughter, Kaitlyn just had her second baby last week, a girl. I was going to send you a note. She named her Elizabeth."
"Ohh! Funny, that seems to keep happening." Elizabeth laughed. The others all hugged Mrs. Dunleavy while Judy spoke with the President and handed her the ballot.
There was one still camera and one network camera allowed in. It was quite a moment that the nation loved to see Elizabeth checking out of the polls with her longtime neighbor.
On the way back a disagreement broke out between Jay and Elizabeth in the car, Henry and Isabelle just stared at the floor, glancing at each other when certain comments were made.
"I can't just got out their and make a statement, Jay. It doesn't work that way when a CIA agent is involved," she glared at him thinking to herself "has he not learned anything in his years with me."
"Do you understand how bad it is going to look when the country finds out you knew and didn't tell them before the election?" Jay shot back at her.
"I am pretty capable of explaining myself and why I needed to keep their identities private. You should know, the last thing on my mind right now are the optics. Where are we with Nefisa, Isabelle?" Elizabeth asked.
"I spoke to her a half-hour ago. She has some good intel that they headed East just outside of the city. She hopes to have a location by this evening our time." Isabelle stared at her while she looked out the window.
The car was quiet. Jay was fuming. Henry placed his hand on top of hers on the seat as she continued to stare out the window.
About 20 minutes later, she said without looking at anyone, "Jay, I want everyone in the Situation Room when we get back. Nobody goes home until they are found. Understood?"
"Yes, but with all due respect, Madam President. It is election day and we can't cancel your events. If you want to keep this locked up for now, you need to stay on schedule." Jay pleaded.
She didn't say anything or turn to look at him. For the first time, Henry spoke up.
"He's right, Babe. You have to stay on schedule," he looked over at her.
She slid her hand out from underneath him and stayed looking out the window.
A few moments passed, her stern voice came in, "Mariam, has three children. 10, 8 and 2. If it were me instead of her, would you want the President out being at an Election Day rally? Or would you prefer the President to be doing everything they could to bring me home to you and our children?"
She stared at him.
Isabelle said to her quietly, "Bess, that's not fair. I think they are right. We can handle this."
"Isabelle, you know what's not fair, there's a mole in that Marine Unit. You and I both know it. How else were last night's ops blown? And yes, she has already been made but I can't go out and blast her identity and the identity of the four Marines out to the whole world for the sake of transparency!"
"Jay, I want a report from Ellen as soon as we get there and she better have some answers. As for Election Day, it goes something like this to the press, 'The President is handling matters of national security. Her election schedule will be slightly modified today to allow her the time for her Presidential duties.' Can you handle that or should I get somebody else?" she said it rather sternly.
More sternly than Henry would have liked. He glared at her, she looked back at him and ducked her eyes down. She knew she had crossed the line. But, she was furious the raid went bust and the only thing she cared about was bringing them home. She didn't care about the election or the optics, Jay should know better than to even bring it up to her.
They walked into the White House most of the staff ahead of she and Henry. She greeted the gaggle of reporters.
"Madam President, how are you feeling today? Confident?" a female reporter asked from the front.
"I am confident in the American people to go out and vote. It is our most sacred right and one that are armed forces fight to protect everyday," she answered.
"Dr. McCord, who did you vote for?"
Elizabeth turned to him with a big smile and he looked at her.
"For my amazing wife in the hopes we can continue to keep America on the right path for the next four years and then some."
The gaggle laughed and they walked into the White House. They all caught of glimpse of Henry placing his arm around her lower back.
Once the door closed, he whispered in her ear, "Your private office, just the two of us now."
They walked through the Oval Office. Blake informed her Conrad was waiting for her to call him.
They entered the private office, he closed the door behind him and jumped all over her.
"I know you are stressed beyond belief and this is your worst nightmare. But, Elizabeth, you have got to settle down. Your demeanor is unbecoming of you. If you show anymore of this behavior, the administration will crumble underneath you. So, pull it together, put your emotions aside and handle the business of this country."
"Henry, have you heard Jay? It's like he doesn't even know me. What is his deal?" she spouted back at him.
"Babe, it's a little more than super stressful dealing with a major issue on Election Day. Not so easy to balance both things. I get that you are not into the optics but you have to understand that." Henry glared at her.
He took his glasses off, rubbed his eyes. She stared out the window.
"Look, you need to call Conrad and get into the Situation Room. Do your best to keep your late afternoon campaign event. Get back here after that and you won't be needed until the announcement tonight."
She looked at him. "You're right." She kissed him and said. "I love you."
"Yeah, I like you a lot too," he answered.
She laughed and walked into the Oval Office. Henry headed upstairs.
She spoke with Conrad and took a deep breath before stepping into the Situation Room. Conrad furthered Henry's work of calming her down. He told her to trust her instincts on this one, they were usually correct.
She opened the door and immediately asked Ellen for an update. Jay was relieved to see her calm demeanor back again. She had been on edge since early that morning.
Ellen, "Ma'am, we have sequestered the Unit that had the details of the operation. So far, it seems one of the IT members had contact with the opposition through a burner phone found on him. We found messages on the phone where he gave them the information we were on our way."
"Did we seize the phone?" she asked.
"The commander has it," Ellen answered as Elizabeth caught a glance with Isabelle who always sat to her right. Everyone knew she was her closest confidante.
"Is Nefisa with the commander?" she asked her friend.
"She is. They have set up a command center there. You want her to take over the phone?" Isabelle knew exactly what she was thinking.
"Yes, Capt, Baker, how long will it take for you to get a ping off the phone?" she turned to the young Captain that she had brought back to be her IT Intel Officer.
"Not long at all. But, she should stay on with them for quite some time. So we can track not only the location but potentially the identity of the kidnappers," she answered her confidently.
Elizabeth smirked asking, "So more than a nano-second?"
Baker laughed back at her as it had become their inside joke. "Yes, Ma'am."
"Okay, get on that. I have a quick campaign event and will be back soon." She stood and tapped her chair leaving the room.
Jay followed her. "Madam President." He was struggling to keep up with her. He knew she was not thrilled with him.
"Don't worry about it, Jay. We need to let it go." She was never going to give in and admit to being wrong.
They walked into the Oval Office.
"But, Ma'am, I know you expect more from me and I overstepped my bounds. I should have known better." He looked down
"Jay, it is your job to keep me honest. There are times I need to be reminded that just because there are priorities, other business can not be pushed aside," she said from behind her desk.
He looked up at her.
"So, let's start over. Where are the numbers?" she asked as she sat down and looked at papers Blake left her to sign.
"Very good. You have pulled way ahead, Ma'am. It should be an early night." He was grinning ear to ear.
"I meant the voting numbers. I worry that with the race being the way it is, Americans become apathetic about voting." She didn't look up and kept signing.
Jay sensed by her actions that she may not let it go.
"Numbers aren't where we would like to see them. Maybe 15% lower than usual. But, hopefully we can work on a better get out the vote campaign for the mid-terms," he answered.
"Well, please get with Mike B. to figure out whatever was wrong with the one developed for this election. Jay, I won the last election by less than 2,000 votes. We must make sure American understand how important it is to vote. That matters more to me than winning. Please make it a priority of the next couple of years before midterms. That is all."
He left the office a bit deflated knowing she was losing confidence in him. He wondered if she was looking for a new Chief of Staff for her next term.
She finished in the office and headed up to the residence. She heard John King's voice on CNN before she saw the television. She sat down on the couch next to Henry and watched. The news anchors were almost gloating that Elizabeth had handed them an early night.
Henry spoke, "We need to leave in a half hour to head over to Walter Reed."
"I know." She looked straight ahead at the television.
"You hungry?" he asked not taking his eyes away from the screen.
"Not yet," she answered. "I'm going to change."
They spent about an hour meeting with veterans and their families. It was their monthly meeting. Elizabeth had wanted it today because she considered one of the most sacred for the country. She wanted to personally thank them for their service that enabled Americans with the right to vote. They considered it a campaign event. She did not.
Walking back into the White House, Blake met them at the door. "They are ready for you."
Henry kissed her on the cheek and they went their separate ways.
She walked into the room and looked up on the screen. "What are we waiting for? Let's go get them."
Ellen began, "We have an two Blackhawks and a third waiting on the outskirts. Navy SEALS are ready to go in. We have positives on all five and seven opposition members in this building on the outskirts in a makeshift airport."
Elizabeth could see the dirt runway and the building with the heat indicators of the bodies inside. One body was purple with two others in that room. Another room held two more. She knew there were three females and two males. At least one was dead. She said quietly, "They separated the men from the women." She knew what that meant.
She moved to the screen to watch up close. "Go ahead, give the order."
Ellen relayed her orders to the commander.
The Blackhawks moved in as SEALS began to storm the building. From their helmet camera she watched them fire on multiple opposition leaders. They were not too much of a match for the SEALS.
A lead crew made their way into one of the rooms, the two male Marines were chained to wall. Blood stains on their shirts, cuts on their faces.
The commander said, "They are alive. Still breathing." SEALS took them down off the wall while the screen switched to the camera of the second commander in the next room.
The commander spoke into the microphone. "Two females alive but badly damaged. I believe they are both drugged as they don't seem to really connect with what is going on. One female Marine has passed, Madam President. Six opposition members have been taken out, one in custody. We believe he's a leader."
"Thank you, Commander. Please ensure their safe passage to Germany and then home."
"Yes, Ma'am."
She walked back to her seat. "Jay, please make arrangements for me to call their families after notification. Ask everyone to make preparations for me to make a statement to the nation in lieu of my acceptance speech tonight. "
"Yes, Ma'am."
She got up from the table. He hand was on the table as she turned to leave. Susan placed her hand on top of hers.
She looked back and asked Susan and Ellen to join her in her office.
She reviewed with them the plans for reaching out to contacts in Afghanistan to figure out who did this. They were all aware the women had been beaten and raped. The men beaten to near death.
Her family gathered in the residence to watch the returns. Elizabeth sat with them but quietly reviewed her speech. She went over each page carefully adding her own personal edits. She would deliver the speech from the Oval Office following she would quietly greet supporters over at the hotel. Today, was not a celebratory day for her. At 9:30, she was declared the winner by all networks.
Her opponents had conceded in what was probably the easiest election night in a long time. The kids were ecstatic and they jumped up and hugged Henry. The rest of her staff celebrated a little too. Henry reached over and gave her a comforting hug. She breathed a sigh of relief.
Elizabeth was in her private office speaking to the husband and mother of Sergeant Stacey Tull.. They had been informed days ago that she had gone missing and were awaiting word when two Marines and the base chaplain showed up at their door. The unit was based out of Camp Pendleton, California. Her mother stayed inside the small, craftsman house with her two children: Sophia was 8 and Justin was 5.
The first thing she said to her husband, Gregg, was the first thing any President would say, "On behalf of a grateful nation, please accept our sincere condolences." They then talked about Stacey, who she was, her motherhood, how she would be missed. Elizabeth promised him that she and Henry would be there for the funeral. They hung up and she wiped the tears from her eyes. This part of the job would never get easy.
At 10pm, she was back in the Oval, sitting at her desk. She wore a navy suit, with a black button down shirt. When she became President, she went back to wearing her "Protect Me" necklace more regularly. Henry never took his off. It shined at the camera. The camerawoman politely spoke to her, "Madam President, can you please tuck in your necklace? There's glare."
"Of course," she cleared her throat and looked at Henry, who was standing off to the side near the private entrance doorway. They said nothing to each other and so much in the same stare. She could almost see the look of heartbreak on his face, while his eyes told her she had every ounce of his support. Marines were always there for one another. This one was hitting too close to home.
Meanwhile, he saw the confidence and heartbreak in her eyes. Everyday in this job her confidence amazed him. Following the first year, she never once doubted whether she should be in this office. She had made it her home. As a military wife, her heart was broken over the news she would soon deliver to the country. This was not the first soldier she laid to rest and would not be the last. But, this one hit her in a way she didn't expect. She had served on missions just like this one, countless times as a wife and a mother. She knew the risk and the cost if something had happened to her. But, that still did not make it right or any easier.
The camera light went red.
"Good Evening. Four hours ago, Navy SEALS along with Army forces conducted a rescue mission Northwest of Kabul, Afghanistan. Three days ago, I was informed that four Marines and a CIA Operative working in Kabul were taken hostage. I regret to inform the nation tonight that one of those Marines, Sergeant Stacey Tull from San Diego, CA was killed during her imprisonment. The three others and the operative all survived but not without significant injuries. All but one of their captors were murdered. The remaining will stay in our custody and face the full extent of our laws. In the coming days, my administration will be as transparent as possible with the details of this ongoing investigation. However, I will not put that above the safety of our troops and others, who serve in harm's way.
In the meantime, please keep Sergeant Tull, her family and the four others in your prayers and in your hearts. She was a wife, a mother to two young children, a daughter and a sister to two Marines as well. I also want to take this time to thank all of you who served your civic duty today and voted in the Presidential election. It is our most sacred way of honoring the democracy that Sergeant Tull and others have paid the ultimate sacrifice for. I will be honored to serve as your President for the next four years. God Bless our troops and God Bless the United States of America."
The camera cut out and she took a deep breath. Her head looked down at her hands that were in her lap still shaking. She desperately tried to hold in her emotions. She got up, thanked the crew and her staff and walked towards Henry. He opened the private entrance door and lead her out. Once outside the office, she broke down in his arms in the hallway.