Hi everyone,
My apologies for the delays. We have been traveling. I have been trying to stay multiple chapters ahead of posting. Hope the next few chapters carries you until I get another chance to update. It won't take as long this time. I promise. Enjoy!
Chapter Four
Breakfast was always family time. A chance to check in with the kids before their day started. Sitting at the suite dining room table, Elizabeth was quiet as Henry approached the idea of adopting Asim and Aamira to the kids.
Stevie, who was pulling apart a pancake with her hands, in her own Stevie way, looked and sounded a little shocked. "Seriously? Are you going to give up your job?"
Elizabeth looked down into her coffee cup and back up at her, "No, we're not adopting babies. They're 8 years old. Just five years under Jayce."
"I am going to cut back my hours at the War College to be there for them, possibly taking the Fall semester off, while they adjust to their new life" Henry explained. Elizabeth eyed him as they had not even discussed that yet.
Stevie balked, "Well, it's easy for me to go to school and help out with Allie and Jason but eight years old twins are another story."
"I'll help out with them," Allie chimed in.
Jason, "Yeah, me too." Elizabeth was skeptical as she looked at her son, waiting for it.
"How much do I get paid for babysitting?" he asked.
And there it was.
The girls laughed as Stevie said, "Trust me. Not enough."
Elizabeth and Henry shared a look to each other.
Later in the day, she was in the living room of her suite for a private meeting with Jay before a SVTC call with Conrad.
"You're kidding, right?" he asked standing in front of her his hands on his hips.
He began pacing, a sign of him working out the stress.
She said quietly, "No, I wish I was. But Henry felt it too."
"Elizabeth, I'm not even sure of the legalities of you adopting while serving as Secretary of State. But I am pretty sure what the optics will look like if you go home with two children while others wait months if not years," he argued.
"Oh come on, they aren't going to walk out of here with us. There is a bunch of paperwork to be done. I am not going to use my position to fast track this," she fired back at him her steel blue eyes staring back at him.
She took a breath. "Can you please just ask Russell what needs to be done?"
Jay tapped his leg with his notepad, "Yes, Ma'am." He left her alone in the suite.
Later that day, Jay reviewed their previous meeting with her and what needed to be done by the staff back in the States. Her policy team would be working on new stringent climate legislation that would need to pass through Congress before presenting it to the rest of the world.
He paused in talking to her.
"What?" she asked, knowing it would be about the kids.
He quietly said, "Blake made time in your schedule for you and Henry to go back to the orphanage tomorrow morning. You have a couple of hours to spend there." The frown on his face letting her know he disagreed.
She walked over to the suite window and looking out, her black suit made her a silhouette in the bright sun that scorched the earth here. She squinted as she stared at the city's dusty look.
"I know it may not appear this way but in my heart, my career never comes before my family, Jay. It never has and it never will. The optics here don't matter. There are two children that have no parents. Nobody here knows what that feels like more than me. They deserve a better life than what this world is giving to them. If I could take them all home, I would," she paused, choking back hers. "But the twins made a connection with us. How do we turn away from them? For what? The Presidency? I'd give all of this up if it meant a better life for my family. A better life for your child. But, here's the thing, this is what gives them a better world. This work we are doing. You and I have a real opportunity to make the changes this world needs. Please don't come at me with the optics. Instead, come at me with being beside Henry and I as we try to make a difference in the lives of two small-orphaned children. Whether you like it or not, this is what I am doing. After tomorrow they won't be orphans anymore."
He said nothing else to her as they waited for the SVTC call with Dalton and Russell to come up on her screen. She sat down at the computer as the call came through. Jay sat in the chair across from her off-screen.
Conrad surprised them and was alone. It was after 11 in Washington, D.C. "Bess, how's the trip going?"
"Very well. We have had very positive meetings. Understandably, climate change is on everyone's minds here. We have been presented with many great ideas. We hope to have a plan that can move us forward within a few months. The staff and all of us went on a wonderful safari the other day. My kids have managed to have multiple arguments so that hasn't changed." She and Conrad both laughed as he knew Alison and Jason well.
"And yet, I hear you and Henry want to adopt two more?" he asked.
She laughed and dipped her head down. "We weren't looking for it when we came here. We were not expecting the connection with the kids. Honestly, I am still stunned by it."
"Tell me about them" he said. Jay left the room realizing this was becoming more the confidant/friend call versus business call.
"Well, they are 8 years old twins. A boy and a girl. Their mother was 17 when they were born and passed shortly after giving birth. It is assumed their father was a soldier in Sudan. They are available for adoption but there is a lot to consider."
"Twins?! Wow! What are their names?" he asked leaning back in his chair.
"Well, Asim is the boy. He is quiet, smart and so sweet. His sister, Aamira is outgoing and precocious. They are both great soccer players which is how the kids originally met them."
"I'm not surprised by that. How do your kids feel about it?" he asked.
He could see the look in her eyes as she talked about them. The same way she talked about her children.
"It's taking them a while for it to sink in. But, they aren't entirely against it. Allie and Jason are happy. Stevie will need some time. But, maybe this is what she needs to force her out of my house." She joked as they both laughed.
"Stevie's like her mother. Practical and sensible," he smiled at the screen.
"They loved spending time with them yesterday. Not sure that will stick when they come home and get into their stuff. But as a family we would be so happy to welcome them into our home," she said.
"Well, we are not going to stop you on growing your family. Lydia and I are thrilled for all of you but especially the twins. We can't wait to meet them," he smiled back at her.
"Thank you," she said quietly.
"I have asked Russell to fast track everything. Once we have confirmed there are no family members and no other barriers, they should be able to return home with all of you," he said confidently.
Elizabeth backtracked, "No, well…I would love that. But, Jay and I just spoke about it and we can't do that Conrad. We have American parents who wait a long time to adopt internationally. This wouldn't seem right. Besides, the kids haven't even been told yet and they would need to agree to it."
Conrad held up his hands letting her know there was no argument. "It's already in the works, Bess. Don't fight me on it. You and your family have risked it all for the benefit of this country. This is the least we can do for you. Russell worked on it all day today. They should be ready to leave with you."
Elizabeth was dumbfounded. She and Henry had no idea all this was going on behind the scenes. She also had no idea how to handle this. She thanked the President but rebuked him as she often did, "Conrad, no. We haven't even told them yet. Please stop before things get set into motion. Let us talk to them tomorrow and make sure this is what they want. Please ask Russell to stand down for now."
"Bess, these are on my orders. Stop panicking. It will be fine. Can't wait to meet them." He hung up.
Henry came back from the pool with the kids. They walked through the door and they were all laughing but when he saw the look on Elizabeth's face, he sent the kids to their rooms in the suite.
"What's wrong?" he asked.
She walked into their bedroom and he followed so she could ensure the kids couldn't hear.
As he stepped in and closed the door, she turned around to face him. "Out of all the things I hate in this job, being handled is one of them. Especially when it comes to our family."
She sat down on the end of the bed and looked at him. "Like we discussed, I asked Jay to check with Russell on the legalities of us adopting while I am in this position."
Henry looked at her, "Right? What did Russell say?"
She threw a hand up. "Oh no worries there. We can adopt them."
Henry sighed in relief and said, "Babe, you needed to lead with that." He sat down next to her, "Get to the handled part."
"Russell took it like a million steps forward. He and Conrad talked and now they have fast tracked everything so the kids can come home with us in like a few days," she was panicking a bit.
"Babe, that's great. Why are you so upset?" he asked.
"I don't know," she got up and started to pace. "What if they don't want to be adopted? Henry, I'm scared that they will freak out," she was spiraling in thinking the worst. "It's not like they are being adopted into your average American family. Their mother is fourth in line for the Presidency. That's not so easy to go form having nothing to having everything including a guarded home with a detail."
Henry gave her the inquisitive look.
"Trust Daisy, they will need a detail the first few months and when they start school!" Her shoulders sank and she sighed as she hated even the thought of that.
He stood up and put his arms around her, "You believe in the connection we had with them, right?"
"Yes!" she looked back at him. "But, I hate it when they manhandle me and our family!"
"It's not really…" he began but she cut him off.
"What? You think if I was guy they would start planning without my knowledge?"
"No, I bet they…" Henry tried again but she cut him off.
"Right, they wouldn't. Which is why I need you to push back on Russell with this," she stated firmly.
"Me?" he questioned. She shot him a glare as her phone rang.
She picked it up and handed it to him, "Like now."