Circle of Two - Chapter 10
It was quiet. 5am quiet. The amount of movement in the White House was minimal. The only ones who knew where she was were her agents and her dog. She slipped out of bed while Henry was still snoring. With her fever gone, the cough medicine brought her voice back to raspy, she took the time to work alone.
Hope laid in the opening of the resolution desk, leaning against the maroon and black stilettos she had kicked off under there. She was in gray dress pants and a maroon blouse, the one with the tie. Her hair was down and wavy only touched by a brush that morning. Her makeup done quickly by herself to hide how pale she looked.
She was going through the list. The list of her assets and her adversaries in Iraq she had Isabelle pull late last night after Henry fell asleep. She ran her thumb across her bottom lip as she read over the names again and again. Taking another pass at each one as her memory brought up more information on each of them. She needed to pinpoint the few that were still involved.
A slight knock on the door.
Elizabeth was startled but quietly said, 'Come in." Marie, the new photographer who worked mornings poked her head in. "I'm sorry Madam President but the agents tipped me off that you and Hope were in here. Mind if I get a couple shots of you working?" she asked politely.
Knowing it would only take a minute, Elizabeth obliged sticking the documents back in the file and began signing orders that Blake had left for her.
"Thank you. These are beautiful. She is such a great dog," she smiled at her.
"Yes, she is. Although, she is definitely more in love with Henry than me," she joked.
"Oh your voice sound so painful. You should probably stop talking," she said. Elizabeth put the papers down and rolled her eyes.
"You should have heard it yesterday," she laughed.
"Thank you again," Marie said as she headed out the door.
"Anytime, you are always welcome here," Elizabeth answered.
She pulled the folder back out and the top photo spilled out in front of her with his information. "Akar Ahmed," she whispered to herself and stared back at the photo for a while. He was the one she thought about the most. He would be able to find out the answers she needed. It was the exact reason why Isabelle left him on top. It wouldn't be the first time she did something completely unconventional. She had moved him and his family to America after the fall of Saddam Hussein. She trusted him with her life as he did her. He was in Virginia working for a defense contractor.
She got up from her desk and made her way to the office door, handing Matt the file, "Can you arrange for me to meet him? He should already be vetted. Also, I am heading back up to the residence."
"Yes, Ma'am" he said and left the outer office. Leaving the other agent with her.
"C'mon Hope," she went out the private door and shot up the back staircase to the residence. This was the stuff she missed.
She crept quietly into their room. Henry was still sound asleep. She laid her hand on his shoulder. Since she would be stepping out of the house she wanted to make sure he knew where she was.
"Henry…wake up." He stirred and looked at her.
"Babe what are you doing up? Do you feel better?" he sleepily asked.
"Sort of. No more fever but I couldn't sleep any longer. I was down in the office doing some work. But, I need to step out of the house to meet with Akar before the press starts showing up, I wanted to make sure you knew," she said.
"Okay, after that, minimize your talking. You still sound awful," he commented, hugging his pillow to go back to sleep.
She smiled back at him, "I just need to do this one thing, then I am coming back up later. Blake cancelled my afternoon events. Besides, the whole world knows I am sick so nobody wants to be near me now."
"Yeah, I know. I am taking one of those events for you," he smiled back at her.
Hope jumped up on the bed and snuggled in beside him. Elizabeth looked down at her and said, "So jealous." She blew them a kiss and walked out.
Heading back down the stairs she threw on her black hooded coat as she met Matt.
"We ready?" she asked.
"Yes, Ma'am," he smiled at her.
She threw her hood up hiding her blonde hair and they made their way down the hall and into an elevator. She threw the hood off. "This part is a little ridiculous at this hour. There's barely anyone here," she complained.
Matt gave her a side-eye look.
"Don't give me that look," she said back to him.
"Ma'am, that look was not for your comment but for the fact that you are still talking when everyone has asked you to stop talking," he glared over at her.
She didn't say anything else. But, he felt it from her stare. He knew her well enough to know she wasn't thrilled with his commentary.
Before the elevator opened, "Look we get that you need to talk for some things, but not useless banter like that. Just zip it."
Again, with the glare.
"It's my job to protect you." She rolled her eyes. "Even from yourself sometimes."
The elevator dinged, she threw her hood up, tucking in her blonde hair and they made their way through the tunnel to the Old Executive Office Building. They entered the small room off the tunnel.
He stood as soon as she entered. "Elizabeth, it's so good to see you again."
"Likewise, but you stay over there as I still am not a hundred percent," she smiled at him.
He laughed, "I saw the news reports. I thought 'Of course, she asks me to come in the middle of her sickness. How's Henry and the kids?" he asked as he sat back down on the other side of the table, taking a sip of his coffee.
"They're great. We're all good," she laughed a little. One of her few assets that knew her family.
"And yours? Kids are still good?" she asked.
"They are good. Myriam will finish Vanderbilt this spring," he answered. "She is applying to medical school." He tilted his head and looked at her, "But, that is not why you called me here under the cover of darkness while you are still sick?'
"I need your help again. I have agents that have been made in Iraq, one very close to me. I know it involves Safir Ah-jamil's family," she said being firm.
He waited taking another sip of his coffee.
"You're the only one I can trust, Akar. I need to know who the leaker is and who else is out there." She paused gauging his reaction. He was receptive.
"Matt is going to give you a burner phone to call me on." Matt handed him the phone. "When it is complete, Matt will come and collect it from you. I need to hear from you within 24 hours."
"Understood," he answered.
She smiled at him and got up to leave the room, "I will have Blake draft a recommendation letter for Myriam once this is done." She tapped the table, put her hood back up and she made her way back to the West Wing.
"Let's go outside. I need some air." He didn't argue with her this time. But, her voice was getting worse the more she talked.
She walked in silence by herself a few steps ahead of her detail. Breathing in the cold air trying to rid herself of the virus. She counted her breath as she walked, a calming technique from Dr. Sherman that was helping her through the many tough days of her Presidency.
"Thought you could use this," Henry's voice brought her out of her trance as she stepped onto the colonnade. He was there waiting for her with Hope and a cup of tea and two muffins in a bag.
She smiled at him and kissed him on the cheek.
"Mind if I join you?" he asked, giving her the boyish grin that won her heart at the very beginning.
She laughed and took a sip of the tea and tasted the sweetness of the honey. He always made the perfect cup of tea. Henry opened the door to the Oval for her.
It was just 6:30, plenty of time for them before her staff came in.
He helped her take off her coat and sat on the couch. She sat herself down next to him and leaned into his side, his right arm over her shoulders. His thumb gently rubbing the base of her neck.
They stayed that way mostly in silence, eating their muffins. Hers cinnamon, his blueberry. At different times, stealing a bite of the other's muffin.
The sunrise came up over Washington and brought a hue through the elongated windows turning the normally cream room to a golden, pinkish hue.
Elizabeth reached her arm out moving it as if she presented the sunrise. She said quietly, "This part never gets old."
"Nope it doesn't," he laughed.
"Oh no! No, Henry. I don't have time for this today, besides I am still sick," she started to laugh.
"You said it. It's on!" he kissed the top of her head as she sighed.
A quiet knock at the door, "Come in, Blake." She knew it was him before seeing him.
"Good Morning, McCord's. Ma'am, you sound lovely." he said sarcastically." I got word you were in here so I took the liberty on my way in," he was holding a tray of coffees with the signature rust and maroon striped cup from Otis Beanery.
"Ohhh, see this is why we keep you around" Henry joked.
"I love you, Blake" she said as he handed the two coffees to them.
He took his cup and took a seat across from them.
His expression changed and Elizabeth knew right away. "What's wrong?"
He chuckled, "Nothing's wrong per se," he paused.
"Spill it." Henry joked.
"Just don't look at the NY Post this morning," he said and tried to get up to walk out of the room.
"Uh-uh. Sit back down," Elizabeth commanded.
Just then, Jay came with the paper under his arm.
"Hey Jay, Blake was just about to explain this to us," she said.
"Good Morning, Ma'am. Glad to see you are feeling better," he smiled at her.
"Go ahead, Blake." There was nothing she loved better than to put him on the spot.
"Well, that little issue with Alison's Thanksgiving plans," he hesitantly started.
"Oh c'mon. How did they even find out?" she asked holding her hand out for the paper.
"Nice move. But, before you take that from Jay. It seems that Alison….she's so sweet," he added as Elizabeth cupped her lips together and shook her head at him. She knew where this was going. "You see, she innocently complained to a friend who might have leaked it to the paper." The last sentence said in a faster tone.
Henry sat with his arms crossed and his brow furrowed not saying a word.
Jay turned to Blake who was quite pale, "Let me help Blake out here."
"Yes, please do," Elizabeth said sarcastically as she held her hand out once more for the paper.
He handed it to her, front page, a big photo of Elizabeth with the headline, "Mother of the Year: President Puts The Hammer On Daughter's Love Life."
"WHAT?" her voice cracked really bad. As she stared at it, the three men with her winced at the God-awful sound she had made.
She looked back at Jay, who shrugged, "Don't look at me. These two were supposed to handle it. But, you could also blame her 'anonymous friend.'"
She turned to look at Henry.
"What? I will talk to her but I can't control what she says to her friends and what they do with that information," he held his hands out to her.
"I'm calling her," Elizabeth got up and headed to her desk.
"It's just 7am," Henry complained.
Jay and Blake made their way out of the office.
"Hello?," Alison's sleepy voice filled the office on speaker.
Elizabeth croaking voice answered, "'Mother of the Year?!' That's the headline on the NY Post's front page this morning. It goes on to say President puts the Hammer on Daughter's Love Life. Really, Alison?"
"What? I have no idea where they got that. Also, you sound awful. You should give your voice a break," she answered back to her mother. Elizabeth shot Henry a look.
"An anonymous friend. That's where they got it," Henry fired back at her.
"Oh hey Dad," Allie replied like this was no big deal.
"Allie?!" the echo of her parents' voices together made her pull the phone away.
"What? I don't know who it is. I was out for drinks with some friends the other night. They asked me what I was doing for Thanksgiving and I told them the story and how Michael is mad at me. I didn't really think it was news or even front page news," she answered them.
"He's mad at you?! Noodle, there is nothing we can do about this. It's a security issue. Maybe he should be mad at his cousin." Elizabeth answered.
"He wanted to spend Thanksgiving together here. We were going to go to the parade and stuff," she answered.
"The parade?" Henry asked a little shocked. He took off his glasses standing in front of Elizabeth's desk. "That is definitely out of the question."
"We were just going to blend in with the crowd," she said easily.
Henry and Elizabeth looked at each other as she mouthed "blend in?" to him.
"Noodle, I love you and your carefree ways. I have never wanted my position to change your life. But, you just can't 'BLEND IN' with a crowd. You are the President's daughter," she tried reasoning with her.
"And yet, that's exactly what your position is doing," Alison argued.
A knock came at the door, Blake stepped in, "You're needed in the Sit. Room," he whispered.
But, Alison still heard it, "Of course you are! Bye, Mom. I will wait for my lecture from Daisy."
"It's not a lecture!" Elizabeth argued while throwing her jacket on. "Just watch what you say to your friends. Trust me, this will blow over next news cycle. Love you!"
And click! She had hung up!
"Henry" Elizabeth sighed to him. She absolutely hated it when her kids didn't say love you back. An issue left over from the loss of her own parents.
He gave her a hug and said "I'll take care of it." She gave him the look she did when he hit that sweet spot right in her heart.
"Ohhh…two memories in one day!" she replied taking advantage of the fact her voice was now even raspier and sexier than usual.
"Go do what you have to do," he laughed, kissed her on the cheek and left her in the Oval as he headed to his office to deal with the Allie debacle.