Hi Everyone!

Thank you for the reviews. You are all so kind. You'll be happy to know that was not the last we have seen of the black bra. But, for now, what happens when the President gets sick.

Chapter 8

The vibration on the nightstand woke Henry several hours later. He looked at the clock on his nightstand it was only 4am. He reached over and grabbed her phone but it wasn't the one that was ringing. He did notice the four missed calls from Jay. He then realized she wasn't next to him.

He rubbed his eyes and turned to grab his phone , without looking at it he answered, "Morning Jay, what's up?" he asked.

"We've been trying to reach Elizabeth and couldn't reach her," he said in a hurried manner.

Henry turned and saw the bathroom light shining underneath the door. It was then that he heard her wretching.

"Uhhh, I think she's sick!" Henry said a little in shock as he couldn't remember the last time she was sick.

"Really? Because she is needed in the Sit. Room." Jay answered.

"Let me investigate and I will get right back to you." Henry said climbing out of the bed and pulling his boxers on. He could hear the rain pouring down outside.

He made his way over to the door and opened it a bit. "Babe, are you okay?"

She was halfway over the bowl. He went behind her and held her hair back as she emptied her stomach again. He rubbed her back and noticed she had a cold sweat.

She finished and said to him, "I woke with the worst migraine. I think that's it for the puking."

He grabbed a facecloth and put it under cool water as she sat back on the floor. He placed it on her forehead.

"This is more than a migraine. You sound awful and have a fever. I can feel it. You need to get back in bed. Let me get you a change of clothes," he ordered her.

She shivered on the floor but still tried to argue with him, "No. I heard you talking to Jay. I can go down there."

"Uh, as much as I love your work ethic, nobody but me wants to be near you right now. You want to wipe out your whole staff with the flu by being in an enclosed room with them?" he asked looking at her with an expression that told her she was going nowhere.

He helped her stand up and she brushed her teeth and washed her face.

She made her way back to the bed and was about to get in half-asleep when Henry hustled back from her dresser.

"No, no…here change into this. You just threw up." He handed her the Red Hot Chili Peppers shirt and a new pair of pajama pants.

She changed and got right back into bed and fell right to sleep.

He put the blankets over her and left the room.

He called Jay, "Yeah, she is definitely sick. I think it might be the flu. Can Hastings handle it?"

"Yeah, it has to do with the investigation. They are about to raid a building in Baghdad. He's read in and can handle it for her. Want me to send the doctor up?"

Jay asked.

Henry spoke quietly, "She fell back asleep. Maybe in an hour or so? I honestly think it was just the headache that made her throw up. Maybe once that goes away she can function better. Please don't send Cindy or the staff in today. They can have the day off. Nobody should come into the residence. I will send the kitchen staff down there the ingredients so Stevie come and make her some chicken soup. Stevie will pick them up from them on her way up."

"I can have them make her some," Jay answered trying to be as helpful as possible. He felt awful. Henry and Elizabeth helped him out with his family and Chloe all the time. He wanted to help out as much as he could.

"No, thank you. This one is her mother's recipe," Henry said quietly and he didn't need to say anymore.

"Ahh, understood. Please keep me posted once she wakes up," he answered.

In the couple of hours that Elizabeth slept, Henry cleaned the bathroom. Blake sent up paperwork she needed to read and sign as well as Henry's work for the day. The ingredients for her mother's chicken soup including the bone broth from a roasted chicken was delivered to the kitchen. One of the perks of living here. He flattened a ginger ale and left it with Saltines and Tylenol on her nightstand.

He was sitting in the main room when Stevie came walking through the door, "Hey Dad sorry it took me a while. How is she?"

"Still sleeping," He took off his glasses. "I was going to go in and check on her in a little bit. Jay has asked a couple of times to send Dr. Marshall up. But, you know your Mom," he joked.

Just then the bedroom door opened, Elizabeth stood their wincing and rubbing her eyes.

"Hey Mom, how are you feeling?" Stevie asked as they both stared at her.

"I have no voice," Elizabeth voice was barely a whisper.

"What?" Henry asked. She dropped her arms and glared at him.

"I wasn't joking. Your voice seemed okay this morning." He said walking over to her to hug her.

"My throat hurts so bad," she whispered to him with her voice cracking as she melted into him.

He looked at Stevie. "I will call Jay to send Dr. Marshall up."

Elizabeth began to protest when Henry said, "Babe, you are sick. You need to be looked at."

She whispered back to him, "I am going to take a good steam shower, so make it for like a half hour."

While Elizabeth was in the shower, Henry took the opportunity to strip their bed and re-make it with crisp, clean sheets. Housekeeping brought up clean sheets, a new blanket, comforter and duvet. More perks of living in the White House.

Stevie appeared in the doorway. "I brought something from home." She held up the soft, fuzzy, dark red blanket with the frills on the end. Elizabeth's blanket that she always used to cover her legs while watching TV or reading on the couch. It was a family favorite and one the kids always fought over.

"Mom's blanket! She's been looking for that. Where did you find it?" he asked smiling at her.

"Allie's closet." She grinned.

"Ugh, Noodle," he rolled his eyes. "Why don't you put it on the couch out there? She will probably want to sit and read while she waits for Dr. Marshall."

It was another 20 minutes before Elizabeth emerged from the bedroom. She changed into black yoga pants and her light blue Frampton t-shirt with her long blue sweater.

"Henry, did you change the bed while I was in the shower?" she asked struggling to talk.

He looked up at her from his chair and put his finger over his lips. "You need to stop talking if you want your voice back."

"Well, thank you," she looked to the couch. "Hey my blanket!"

"Stevie found it in Allie's closet at the house. You really need to stop talking. It's painful for everyone," he smiled at her.

"Ugh ALLIE!" she said, Henry threw her a look.

"Please stop," he begged.

There was a knock on the door and Dr. Marshall walked in. "Well, I see the patient has finally woken up. How are you feeling, Madam President?"

Henry simply said, "She woke up with no voice."

Elizabeth's hair was still damp but pulled back in a messy bun. She chuckled as she quietly greeted Dr. Marshall, who immediately asked her to stop talking. Elizabeth gestured to guide Dr. Marshall into the bedroom.

About 15 minutes later the two women emerged, laughing with one another. But, Elizabeth didn't say much.

"Well, I think she has both strep and an infection in her larynx as well. Which explains the vomiting this morning. I am afraid to say you will have to do most of the talking for her the next few days, Dr. McCord." Dr. Marshall told Henry.

"That's a relief. Most of the times she has woken up sick like that she's been pregnant!" Henry joked.

Elizabeth smacked him on the arm but again said nothing.

"The bad news is I have advised her to not speak for awhile," she informed him.

Stevie walked in from the kitchen laughing, "We'll see how that goes."

"I'm afraid she doesn't have a choice. The laryngitis is only going to get worse before it gets better," the doctor said.

"I'll inform Jason," Stevie replied grinning at her mother, who glared at her.

The three of them sat at the kitchen table, a soup bowl in front of Elizabeth as she stared at it, moving the spoon around. Her thoughts elsewhere.

"Mom, you need to eat so you can take the medicine they just sent up," Stevie was speaking to her more in a parent voice than daughter voice.

"What?" Elizabeth's phone buzzed as she looked at them blankly. "Jay's going to be coming up this afternoon to brief me." Her voice was broken and sounded awful.

"Stop Talking!" Stevie and Henry admonished her in tandem.

"Jinx, you owe me a Coke," Henry laughed as he pointed at Stevie.

Elizabeth rolled her eyes and attempted to eat some soup.

"So, I need to leave after lunch. Uncle Shane will be at the house by 2:30. I didn't get all the details on Sarah's injury. What happened?" she asked.

Henry and Elizabeth stared at each other.

"Guys, I still have my security clearance," she complained.

Elizabeth looked at her with a cheshire grin and said, "Not as good as ours."

"Stop talking!" they both said again.

Henry turned to her, "the bottom line is Sarah is arriving this evening and will go straight to Walter Reed where she will be monitored for the next few days. She has a dislocated shoulder and broken arm, a few broken ribs. She and Shane are going to join us with Uncle Will and Annie at the farmhouse for Thanksgiving on Thursday."

"If Mom's better," Stevie reiterated.

"I will be better," Elizabeth snapped back.

"Not if you don't stop talking," Stevie gave it right back to her. "Those injuries don't sound like just your normal, everyday Army nurse injuries by the way."

Elizabeth gave her the look of "you know better not to ask."

"Also, Allie called me complaining last night that you were forcing her home for Thanksgiving," Stevie brought it up thinking her parents were vulnerable and the time was right for winning an argument.

Elizabeth set her spoon down and stared at Henry as he was supposed to be dealing with this.

Henry sighed, "We are not forcing her. There's a security clearance issue with one of her new boyfriend's cousins. She can't be with them on Thanksgiving. What is she going to do spend it alone?"

Stevie fired back, "A misdemeanor charge, Dad!"

Elizabeth couldn't help herself, "It was way more than that."

Stevie rolled her eyes at them, "You know she is just going to shut you out the whole weekend."

"Not the whole weekend," Henry argued. "She made it clear she was leaving on Friday."

Elizabeth turned to them and said, "I'm done with lunch and this conversation."

She walked out to get changed and head to her private office. They both yelled behind her, "Stop talking!"