Chapter 24

The smell of bacon woke her at 5:30am. She rolled over wanting to go back to sleep and wishing it was a "No Rules Saturday" instead of "Inauguration Day Part Two." Her hair tickling Henry's cheek woke him as she snuggled back into his arms. He held her tight and kissed the top of her head.

"Mornin' Madam President," he said with morning grogginess.

She moaned back at him, "Is it bad that today I wish I was just Mom and not the President?"

"No, it's human. I know you want to be there for Allie and I do too. When we get back from the parade she will be here," he answered her.

"It's going to be a whole thing," she complained not moving her head off his chest. "I want to go back to 'No Rules Saturdays' when the kids were young teenagers. Before all of this began."

Henry chuckled a bit, "Babe, those days went by so fast." He glanced at the clock. "Close your eyes for a few more minutes. Cindy won't have breakfast fully ready for a little while. We're not scheduled to be awake until 6:15."

"Ugh. Scheduled to wake up. Four more years of everything being scheduled," she rolled off of him with her back to him.

He moved on his side and spooned right up behind her, "Or we don't have to go back to sleep." He nibbled her neck and slid his hand under her cami.

She moved onto her back to face him a smile on her face before kissing him.

An hour and half later, she entered the kitchen as the family was sat at the table already finishing off full plates of eggs, bacon and toast. The fruit bowl sat still full in the middle of the table.

"Okay, I realize today is a big day, but you can't fill up on bacon and not eat any of that beautiful fruit Cindy prepared," she looked at all of them.

Cindy laughed and handed her a cup of coffee, "Good Morning, Madam President."

"Elizabeth," she corrected her.

"Yeah, 'Good Morning, Madam President'" Eliza piped up laughing at her grandmother.

Elizabeth leaned down and kissed her head. "That's Grammy to you." She winked over at Stevie.

"Okay, Grammy President," she was grinning from ear to ear knowing she had full command of the table as everyone laughed at her.

Elizabeth reached between her and Jason grabbing the spoon in the fruit bowl and dumping some on each of their plates.

Claudia entered the room in a gorgeous light blue pant suit that brightened her deep blue eyes.

"Good Morning!" she said cheerfully.

"Well, here's the real belle of the ball!" Elizabeth commented.

"Claudia, I love that suit." Stevie said. "It looks beautiful on you."

She grabbed a cup of coffee and walked to the table flipping one of Eliza's pigtails, "Did you steal my seat?"

Jason beamed at her.

"I did!" Eliza giggled.

"Who would have thought Jason would be stiff competition for the ladies?" Dmitri joked.

Eliza leaned over to her uncle snuggling his arm, "Don't make fun of my best friend!"

Everyone at the table melted.

Henry walked in wearing the most gorgeous navy suit with a gray tie. He pointed to Eliza, "You just remember he was my best friend first." Elizabeth smiled at him.

An hour later, Elizabeth was in her office surrounded by well….everybody. She wore a black suit. The neck line cut up around her neck and then dropping to just at her cleavage. A thin belt hugged around her waist as the pencil skirt dropped down just below her knee.

Her heels rested beside her as she leaned against her desk just staring at her staff arguing in front of her. She didn't have it in her to argue with them as they made decisions for her daughter, who just suffered the greatest loss in her life the night before.

"She can't go tonight! It will look like she is celebrating on the day she lost her child. But, at some point she needs to show her face. That's why I am saying have her waiting for her mother at the parade." Mike B. stared down Daisy.

Daisy quietly spoke back to him, "My statement to the press stands. Alison is going to participate in what she feels up to doing. She may not participate at all. She will be skipping all public events today."

Jay said nothing for fear he would regret what he needed to say to Mike B.

Elizabeth glanced over to catch Conrad leaning on the doorway, his head down listening to the arguments going on before him.

He stepped in and raised his head, "Alison will be coming home while her mother takes the oath. She will stay and rest in the residence for the next two weeks. That is her choice not ours. End of story."

Elizabeth whispered, "Can you give us the room?"

Everyone left without saying a word. Elizabeth let her head fall back in a massive sigh.

Conrad went over and took her in his arms. The young girl he always treated as the sister he never had was about to become President again and was grieving at the same time.

"Let's sit," he said to her.

"I don't want to sit. I sit all the time," she pouted.

He went over and poured them both a scotch.

She raised an eyebrow at him, "Isn't it a little early for that?"

He handed her the glass as she stayed where she was.

"Henry just called. She's better this morning. They feel it is best to bring her back in the middle of my speech. Less coverage, I guess. Poor kid can't even grieve in peace." She took a sip of the scotch and felt its' warmth calm her a bit.

Conrad crossed his legs and sighed.

"And where do they got off coming in here and making decisions for my daughter who just lost her first child last night?" she asked.

Conrad looked at her, "It's not they. It's him."

"Who?" she asked.

"Mike B. Bess, you have no more elections to win. You got to cut him loose completely," he argued.

"Now, you sound like Isabelle," she sighed back at him.

He chuckled, "She's smart. Like you. You can't continue to let that go on. He doesn't work in here. He's not allowed to talk to your staff that way. That guy has no respect for anyone. Not even you. Yet, you put him higher than anyone else including Jay."

"I do not," she argued back.

He dropped his head and gave her the fatherly look.

"Okay, I will do it this week," she stared at the scotch swirling it in the glass.

He pointed a finger at her, "I am going to hold you to it."

"Henry is going to meet us at the door. Are you ready to go?" she asked him.

"Take another sip. You're going to need it," he smiled at her.

She took a tiny sip, slipped her heels on and they walked out the door.

As they flew over to the Capitol on Marine One, she did her breathing technique that Dr. Sherman taught her to calm her nerves. To call her speech, unconventional would be an understatement. Written solely by herself it was not your typical Inaugural speech. She knew it would make waves and that's what had her anxiety up.

Henry with his aviators on looked out the window.

"How big?" she asked, not opening her eyes.

Conrad and Henry chuckled, "Not gonna lie, Babe! It's big."

She opened her eyes and glared at him, "Bigger than the first?"

"Let's say not everyone is making it onto the Mall," he smiled at her.

"Beautiful day. Weather didn't deter anyone," Conrad said as he looked over at Lydia. "They said last night the Mall was packed with visi…"

"Stop talking," Elizabeth held her hand up at Conrad.

"Elizabeth, you will be fine. You're a pro at this. America loves you." Lydia winked at her.

She glared at her friend who was in her trademark cream colored suit, "You did too good of a job at fundraising."

"You make it easy," she laughed back at her.