Chapter 12-Present
The Presidential motorcade pulled into a long, winding driveway with a three story, brick house at the end.
Jon had done well for himself. A prosperous real estate developer, he had hit the boom times, both in residential and commercial development. Many of his properties were located in the wealthiest suburbs of Boston and as far away as New York City.
But now, Jed was just glad they had a chance to grieve with some semblance of privacy.
Jon and Claire were waiting on the steps for the presidential limousine to stop. The door was opened by an agent and out stepped the President and First Lady. But tonight, they were just Jed and Abbey, grieving over the loss of a very special person.
Jed shook his brother's hand and went over to kiss Claire. Abbey hugged her brother-in-law and gave her sister-in-law a kiss. Then they all went into the house.
Entering the smaller den, they each took their choice of richly upholstered chairs.
"Are you hungry? Do want something before we go to the funeral home?"
"No. We're fine. How are you both doing?" Jed asked his brother.
Jon looked at Claire and gave a weak smile. "Okay, I guess. We've been so busy that I don't know if it has even hit us yet. The kids took it kind of hard. But then, Mom has lived with us off and on for the last few years so they have gotten real close to her."
"Yeah, Jon. I'm sorry I couldn't help you out anymore than I did. Circumstances and…"
"Jed, don't even start this. We've been through this before. Mom knew you had bigger responsibilities than her. She was really okay with it. Really. Claire and I enjoyed the time we had with her. Now it makes it all that more special. So don't worry."
All Jed's emotions allowed him to say was "Yeah." Abbey reached over and squeezed his hand, a motion not unnoticed by the other two people in the room.
After a few more moments of just chitchat, Claire stood up. "We really need to go on downtown. By the time we're finished there, the guests will be here."
Everybody else stood up as well. This was the worst part of today.
Tomorrow would bring its own challenges.
As they left the house and got into the limousine, both wives could only hold their husbands' hands, giving them strength for the next few hours. If their strength could only be transmitted to their husbands, then maybe, just maybe the next few hours would be somewhat easier.
The short ride to the funeral home was silent. Each was deep in his or her own thoughts.
As the limousine pulled up to the funeral home, a quiet crowd had gathered across the street. The police had shut the street to vehicular traffic and had only allowed a handful of people to stand and watch the President of the United States say goodbye to his mother. Even as Jed entered the building and then later left, the crowd remained silent, a sign of the respect they held for the man.
No words were spoken. There were none needed.
The crowd's grief mirrored that of the Bartlet family.