"Thanks for the reviews. Please send more. I am open to criticism too. I haven't written much and this is my first Secretary story. Just found the show a few months ago and binged watched it. Enjoy!

Conrad climbed into the limo and was eager to leave. His heart was heavy. He knew he had done what needed to be done yesterday but it didn't stop him from feeling the guilt and distress of it. He also knew he had caused Bess to be in a very uncomfortable position with her husband. He felt awful for that. He cared about her, always had. It wasn't the first time that he thought that perhaps he might have done her more harm than good in making her Secretary of State. There was no denying she did the job better than anyone he knew. She was a natural. But there was also no denying that her life had become increasingly more complicated and dangerous because of it. Conrad felt the burden of it. He didn't regret pushing her into the job. He knew she loved it. Yet, as her friend he knew she struggled and that it was the result of the job. He just hoped she thought it was worth it. He had heard the sadness in her voice as she explained Henry had left earlier that morning. Conrad was confident that they would work it out. He had never seen a couple so in love. Still, he was sad they were in a bad place due to a decision he had felt forced into. He looked at Matt who stood at the door of the limo waiting for Bess to finish her call and climb in. Conrad heard the explosion and felt the blast rattle the ground. He saw Matt duck down. Conrad saw him regain his footing and look behind him before shouting, "Bluebird down, Bluebird down." Conrad's chest constricted at the words. Matt yelled into the limo, "GO!" and before Conrad could say anything, Matt slammed the car door shut.

"What's going on?" Conrad demanded of the agents in the front. The limo suddenly started moving, driving away from the chaos. "Bess!" Conrad called, "We need to get to-"

"No, Sir. Our job is to protect you. We are heading to the airport," the agent in front declared.

"I am not leaving my Secretary of State on her own after a bomb just went off!" Conrad commanded.

"Matt and another DS agent are still there with her," came the reply.

"What is going on?" Conrad demanded. He watched the agent across from him listen into his head set.

After a moment the agent replied, "Maria Ostrov's car was hit with an RPG. The Secretary was injured but we aren't sure how badly. Matt is moving her inside and securing her location. Medics are on the way."

Conrad's worry intensified. How had it all gone so wrong? "And Ostrov?" He knew if she died the deal most likely died with her.

"No word yet. They are pulling her from the wreckage now."

Conrad nodded and sighed heavily. "We need to stay."

"Sir, it's not safe," the agent insisted.

"With all due respect, they could have easily shot another RPG at us before we left. I don't think I am the target. Someone clearly wanted Ostrov removed. We need to stay. If she dies, I'll be on clean up duty with this peace deal. Not to mention, I don't feel comfortable leaving my Secretary of State behind, at least until we know her condition."

"Alright Sir, we will head to the consulate," the agent conceded.

"I want constant updates on the Secretary and where she is going to be treated. We need to inform her husband as soon as we can," Conrad instructed. He was not looking forward to that call.

Matt could tell the Secretary was upset about something. She hid it well but he had worked with her long enough that he could see the slight signs. Her lips turned down at the corners more, her eyes looked tired. He was also aware her husband had left earlier that morning. He had watched the two of them, and had come to be amazed by the relationship they had and how they leaned on one another. This morning there had been an obvious distance between them. Matt saw her move off and stand alone between the cars. He nodded to the other DS agent to give her space but stay within eye sight. Matt was ready to leave. He didn't like doing his job on foreign soil. It made him anxious. Unfamiliar places made his job harder. He stood by the limo, holding the door open in anticipation of the Secretary entering the car in a moments time. The cold looks from the Russians had not gone unnoticed by him. Whatever had transpired the last day between the two nations didn't seem to have gone as smoothly as they had hoped. There was tension emanating off the Secretary and the President.

Matt looked toward the Secretary, saw her close her phone looking around a bit. He thought she looked a bit sad, but just as quickly she had back on her usual calm and powerful demeanor. He nodded to her as she began to move toward the car. The next thing he knew the air was full of noise that only comes from an explosion. It rocked his senses and he ducked on instinct. His line of sight immediately went back to where he had last seen Elizabeth McCord. It took him a moment to orient his vision as there were people scrambling, smoke billowing, and debris floating about. With in seconds his eyes found their target and his heart nearly stopped. The Secretary's blond hair lay strewn on the ground. Her dark coat was smoking and he couldn't tell if she was moving but he quickly shouted, "Bluebird down! Bluebird down!" His next act was to shout to the agents in the limo. "Go!" He knew the President took precedence and they needed to remove him from the scene. He slammed the door shut and quickly moved toward Elizabeth, the limo driving away behind him. As he neared her form, Matt saw she was lying on her stomach, a spot on her coat was actually burning. The other DS agent, Jeff, met him and they both patted out the smoldering material. Matt thanked God she had been thickly attired. He didn't think the heat had penetrated her outer clothing. His relief was short lived as his eyes moved to Elizabeth's face. Her eyes were open but they were clearly unfocused. Next his eyes spotted the small pool of blood seeping into the ground under her cheek. As gently as possible they turned her onto her back. Matt's heart pumped hard as he heard her weak groan. He wanted to reassure her. "We've got you Ma'am. We need to move you to a more secure location. A medic is on the way." He didn't like how pale she was. He tried to tell himself that head wounds always bleed a lot, but it did nothing to quiet his throbbing pulse at the sight of so much of the dark liquid trailing down the left side of the Secretary's face. He knew she wouldn't be able to walk so he swiftly picked her up. They needed to get her inside incase of a further attack. Elizabeth's slight scream of pain had Matt cursing himself for not warning her of his actions. "Sorry Ma'am. Hold on."

The Secretary weighed very little. She was a petite woman despite the very large impression she produced while in her presence. He looked down at her and saw her eyes were now closed, her body was dead weight. His concern for her tripled. Matt entered a side door to the building and carefully set the Secretary down on the couch in the foyer. "Jeff, go make sure the medics know where we are." Jeff nodded grimly and quickly went back outside. With the chaos outside muffled by walls, Matt took a moment to breathe and look more carefully over his charge. He took off his jacket and pressed it against the wound on Elizabeth's head. She moved her head slightly, eyebrows furrowing and moaned softly. "Henry."

"No, Ma'am, it's Matt. We will get you to him soon. Just rest." Before he was even done talking her face had resumed the slack, peace of unconsciousness. His eyes roamed her form trying to assess other injures. His own head felt a little muddled by the shock of the situation. He had been so focused on her smoldering coat and the blood on her face that he had missed the fact that her slacks had also gotten singed. The exposed sections of flesh on her calves and ankles were red and blistered. She had lost one of her shoes. Damn it! Why did she have to stand in that spot? She could have gone to the other side of the limo and been perfectly protected from the blast. But no. She had simply moved away to find quiet in the space between the vehicles. It had put her too close to the Russian car. There had been nothing to block the heat of the blast from reaching her. He took comfort that she was alive at least. He couldn't be sure, but he was confident that Maria Ostrov would not survive. Most people didn't survive a direct RPG attack on them. Medics were suddenly led in by Jeff. Matt stepped aside and began answering the medics questions about her level of consciousness while they assessed his boss. The medics started by bandaging her head to slow the bleeding. He watched them carefully remove her coat, which elicited a sudden cry of pain from the Secretary and she grew even more pale.

"Her right arm seems to be broken. Possible collarbone damage as well," one medic said.

"Keep her steady. Pulse is thready," The other said as he placed an oxygen mask over her face.

"Second…possibly some third degree burns on lower legs," the first said. "Lets' get her on the gurney. Blood pressure is low but holding."

Matt watched them move the Secretary onto the gurney. She must have slipped back into unconsciousness because she gave no protest to the movement. "I need to go with her. What hospital are we going to? I need to keep the President updated and we need to clear the hospital."

The medics nodded and moved quickly out to the ambulance. "St. Alberts. It's 15 minutes out."

Matt climbed into the ambulance and got on his phone. He conveyed what was going on and was informed the President was safe and would be meeting them at the hospital shortly with the full security detail. "Someone needs to get her husband here. She asked for him."

"We are working on it."

Matt finished the call and turned his focus back to the Secretary. They had monitors on her and were trying to cut the fabric of her slacks away from her skin to better wrap her burns. At one point something started beeping. "Her blood pressure is dropping. Up the fluids," the medic instructed with a slight edge in his tone.

"How far out are we?" Matt asked, trying to keep the panic out of his voice.

"Five minutes."

"She'll be alright?" Matt asked.

"Can't say for sure with head wounds but if you're asking if she'll make it to the hospital, then yes." The medic adjusted the oxygen mask and quieted the machine that had gone off. "She needs blood."

"Because of the head wound?" Matt asked. "It's bled a lot."

"Yes, it has. But her blood pressure and stats indicate she may be losing blood elsewhere." That statement was met with silence. The medic looked up grimly, "But we are almost there. She's a fighter."

"Yeah, I know," Matt said. His head dropped into his hands. She would be fine. She had to be.