I got this idea around Christmas after another rewatch of season 2. Thanks to Midge and Rachel for reading before I unleashed this on an unsuspecting public!.
None of the characters belong to me.
In Forgiving
Because it is in giving that we receive
It is in forgiving that we are forgiven
Prayer of St. Francis
David stood in the large parlor room and looked around at the Christmas decorations. Coming back here, the house felt foreign and welcoming at the same time. He could remember all the dinners and parties he had spent here with his family and with Mike's. Those memories were as clear as if they had happened yesterday but the feelings they brought with them seemed a thousand miles away.
Maybe he should have come here sooner. Mike had suffered his first stroke in April and two more had followed in the ensuing weeks. David had spoken to Mary and the kids and he had flowers sent to the hospital but he had never visited. There were a thousand excuses he could have offered but he and Mike both knew the real reason. After the betrayal, after Mike confessed about what had happened to Lynne and his part in it, after her death – David knew he didn't want to see Mike Novick again.
"David," came the hoarse whisper.
He turned and in place of the Mike he remembered was a frail, thinner man who seemed decades older. Standing behind the wheelchair was Mike's wife, Mary, who had the weary look of a woman who was watching her life fade and stretch before her. She placed a soft kiss on Mike's cheek before leaving the room.
David took Mike's offered hand in greeting and sat down in a chair next to him. The standard opening of, "How are you?" came to mind but they both knew the answer to that question. All his life, David could rely on his way with words to help him through any situation but now they failed him.
Mike spoke instead.
"I'm sorry, about Sherry," he rasped out.
David nodded and gave a faint smile. He knew, of course. The news of her death had dominated the headlines and David knew the impending investigation would provide the final nail in the coffin of his presidency.
Mike looked at him with concern.
"How are the kids?"
"They're doing ok."
David looked for something to say. He didn't want to talk about how his children were trying to cope with the loss of their mother. Someone they had alienated because of him and his anger.
"Keith finished his Master's program and is working with an architecture firm in Chicago. Nicole and her husband had a baby, several months ago. A girl, Mia. She's beautiful."
She has Sherry's eyes, he mentally added.
"I saw Mikey at Georgetown a couple weeks ago," he continued. "It looks he's doing well for himself."
Mike nodded and looked down suddenly. As one shaky hand came up to cover his face, David realized he was crying. Mary had mentioned that after the second stroke, Mike's emotions were more raw. She told him not to be surprised if he cried.
David placed a steadying hand on Mike's shoulder as the older man tried to rein in his emotions.
After the assassination attempt, for that brief week he was in a coma, he knew Mike had visited him. But when David woke up, when he was recuperating, he had refused to see him.
Maybe he had been too hard-hearted. David could never forgive easily. It was one of his worst flaws. He trusted too much and forgave too little. He should have come sooner. He had every right to be angry with him, to not trust him but he should have come sooner.
The words of a prayer came to mind, "It is in forgiving that we are forgiven".
Is that what he was looking for here – forgiveness. Was he hoping to find absolution for his sins by pardoning Mike for his? Was he looking for the guidance and counsel that Mike once offered him? Or was he just looking for a way to turn back the clock?
David's hands were now folded in his lap and Mike had been quiet for a few moments. Finally, Mike turned to him and asked, "How are you doing, David?"