This may be my fastest turn-around time for updates yet. Don't you just love summer break (my condolences to all those readers who no longer get to experience the joys of such a phenomena). Sorry if the story is moving a bit slow, but I have a tendency to be wordy and thus draw things out. We'll be heading to the doctor's in the next chapter. And now, on with the show.

Mac woke first the next morning…5:28 am, she hated it when she woke up just minutes before her alarm was to go off. She untangled herself from Rod and reached over to the alarm clock. She reset the time to 6:15 and snuggled back into bed, surprisingly Rod hadn't even stirred.

Mac fell into a light sleep for about a half hour until she felt that vaguely familiar feeling in the pit of her stomach. "Here we go again," she mumbled to herself launching herself out of the bed and into the bathroom.

Rod finally woke when Mackenzie leaped out of bed, and without thinking he asked, "what's wrong?" He knew it was stupid the moment the words left his mouth but it was too late…we heard his wife getting sick and then moments later she peered out from the door to their bathroom.

"What's wrong? What's wrong is that your child is already making me sick."

Mackenzie never did well with morning sickness, in her other two pregnancies the mornings of her first trimester had been the worst. Mackenzie Allen was not a fan of getting sick. She never drank too much because she hated the after effects, she didn't like roller coasters because of the nausea it caused her. She avoided anything she knew to present the slightest chance of her ending up getting sick. So when it came to the routine challenges of morning sickness, Mac Allen met it with the meanest of wit and sarcasm, and Rod knew that no one was safe from her wrath.

"Sorry, I didn't think."

"Rod!" She threw her arms in the air dramatically, "neither of us thought -"

"I meant about the question. Come here," he moved to sit on the edge of the bed and opened his arms to his wife. She came over and sat comfortably into his arms. "I told you, everything is going to be fine. And at the risk of my own life may I point out that it's still early morning, it looks like you may not need to your morning schedules back as far as you thought."

Mac just turned her head and glared up at him. She knew he was right – and that is was probably a good thing. If she only had to push everything back about an hour to accommodate the morning sickness things wouldn't be so bad.

"I'm going to schedule the doctor's appointment today, do you want to come with me?"

"I do, but honey, wouldn't it look a little strange if I went to your yearly physical with you?"

"Oh, right. Sorry."

"Once the media finds out, I'll go to every single appointment with you."

"I better get ready for work, I don't know what Jim did with my schedule for today." Mac gave Rod a peck on the cheek and headed back into the bathroom. When she emerged in her Presidential bathrobe, she headed into her closet and chose a navy blue suit with a light blue shirt, she went back into the bathroom to dry her hair and do her makeup before she headed out to the grand staircase to make her way to work.

Rod looked over at the clock, this time it was almost 7. He would have to get the kids up soon. "So much for sleeping in."

Vince was surprised to see the President walk in at 7 am, Jim had told him the President wouldn't be in until at least 8 that morning. He wondered why the schedule was being changed but didn't make anything of it, he figured the President just still wasn't feeling well. He had been chatting at his desk with an intern, Debbie when the President came in from the portico to the outer office. He felt silly getting caught off guard, he didn't even have her morning coffee.

"Morning Vince, could I see you in my office for a minute?"

Vince thought he was in trouble, he didn't want to use excuses but she was an hour early. When she asked him to shut the door he got even more worried. Mac went around to her desk and sat down.

"Ma'am I'm sorry, I didn't…"

"Oh," Mac realized he was probably confused as to her motives, "sorry Vince, I know I'm early. Actually I need you to do something for me."

Vince was relieved to say the least, he knew the President wouldn't make a big deal out of what he thought of as a screw up, but he had been more cautious in his relationship with her since she had rebuked him for hiding his HIV from her. "Yes ma'am, what can I do?"

"Well, I haven't told anyone yet so I need this to be kept to only your self, neither my children nor anyone on the staff but Kelly know about this."

"Okay."

"I need you to call Bethesda, set up an appointment for me to have my physical."

"That's already on the schedule for a few months from now ma'am, is something wrong?"

"Yes, well no. Vince, I want you to speak directly with the physician I will be seeing. Tell him that I have requested he quietly have an OB/GYN doctor present."

Vince connected the dots. The President getting sick yesterday, the schedule being pushed back, the secrecy. President Allen was pregnant, and he wouldn't let her down.

"Yes ma'am, is there any specific time?"

"Tomorrow if possible."

"I think they'll be happy to make room for you." Of course they would, she was the President of the United States, and as Bethesda was the Naval hospital, their Commander in Chief.

"Thank you. Now what did we do with my schedule for today?" She was a bit surprised Vince didn't question her further. She knew he would obviously know what was going on, but she expected him to actually verbalize it, after all it was a big deal.

"Well ma'am," Vince looked down at the Official Schedule he held in his hands, he had just finished printing it. They had all learned by now that by the time the second or third item on the agenda had been complete they may very well rip the rest of the schedule to pieces. "You have the security briefing at 8:05, senior staff in the Oval at 8:27, and they'll be ready for you in the Situation Room by 8:45. Should I go on?"

"No, there's no point. Okay is there anything I can do right now?"

"No ma'am you signed the rest of the papers last night, they were on my desk this morning."

"Okay, then I guess I'll run back up to the Residence, have breakfast with the kids. I'll be back here at 8, see if you can't have the CIA director and NSA here by then."

"Yes ma'am, thank you. I'll let you know as soon as I speak with Bethesda."

"Thanks Vince." With that she left the Oval with a smile on her face, happy for the chance to have breakfast with her family, if only all her morning could be so easy. Although she knew it was going to get harder – surely Iran had not gone away overnight.

On weekdays, the White House staff usually cooked meals for the First Family, Kate or Mac preferred to cook at least breakfast on the weekends. So this Wednesday morning, the family was just sitting down to breakfast in the dining room. Amy was happy to see her mom, Becca was a bit surprised, and Horace just looked tired.

"Looks like that algebra did a number on you baby," she said to Horace with a satisfied smirk on her face as she squeezed Rod's hand and sat down next to him.

"Yeah, yeah," Horace just grumbled.

"You really need to learn some time management young man," Rod knew from experience the putting things off would eventually come back to bite you. If it hadn't been for his girlfriend in law school, a one Mackenzie Allen, he may have never made it through alive.

"Yeah Horace, junior year is going to be even harder next year," Becca chimed in, who was the exact opposite of her twin brother when it came to school – she always came home with straight A's. She took after her mother, though she would never admit to it.

"How many more weeks until you all are out for summer?" It dawned on both Mac and Rod that they were going to have to find a way to keep their kids occupied outside of school – as much as they hated it, the kids didn't have as much freedom since Mac became President.

"Three," all three of the Calloway children answered immediately. These were important things to know in school, just like knowing which teachers would let you slide in late, the exact location of certain stores in the mall, and which classes you had to get work in on time for.

"Where are we going for vacation this year?" Amy was eager to know where they would go, the Calloway family went somewhere together every summer. Mac hadn't been President last summer and though she was still Vice President they managed to work out a trip to Disney World.

"Um," Mac looked at Rod, how was she going to manage this one, and the only place they could really go was "Camp David?"

"We're all going to go to camp?"

"No Amy, it's a place in the mountains with cabins and a swimming pool and lots of other stuff."

"We'll see, but right now you all have to get to school." Mac kissed each of them on the cheek as they headed out with their service details.

"What are you doing today?" Mac asked Rod. Since he had gone back to the First Gentleman's office, he'd been pretty quiet. Mac wanted him to be happy.

"I'm meeting with a legislative advisor today. See if I can't come up with an issue I'd like to take on." With that answer she knew he was happy, and she was happy for him, he was finally taking this position and making it his own.

"That's great!"

"Yeah."

"Okay, well you know where to find me." With that she headed back down to the Oval Office for her Security briefing and prepared herself for a hectic day.

When she got back to the Oval Vince told her she would be going to Bethesda at 9the next morning and that everything had been arranged. Now she just had to deal with Iran and prepare herself for the news she already knew was coming.

That's all for today – maybe! Thanks for all the reviews, I smile with each one. CiC is back next Wednesday night on ABC, here's to hoping it's back for next fall!