Hour Six
The following takes place between 12:00am and 1:00am on January 7th, 2002, in Washington, DC unless otherwise noted.
"What do you want to do?"
Hogan hesitated, staring intently down at her half-empty bottle of Deer Park. She glanced up at her aunt tentatively, weighing the options in her head. She had never thought of what she was going to do. All she found herself doing was replaying the traumatic events in her mind, over and over again. Her thoughts were entirely wrapped around the past and could not stretch forward to the future. That was why she had come to CJ.
"I don't know," she finally answered, with all the authenticity she could muster up.
Preceded by a gentle knock on the door, Carol entered the room stealthily.
"CJ."
CJ looked up, and Hogan continued to look down.
"Yeah."
"Oval Office."
"Okay."
Carol scurried out of the office and CJ immediately stood.
"I'm sorry, I need to go take care of something."
"It's okay." Hogan shrugged. "I'm not going anywhere."
"Okay."
CJ smiled sympathetically at her, then quickly left the room.
12:03am
When CJ reached the Oval Office, Toby, Josh, and Will were already assembled on the couches in the room. Jed and Leo stood by the desk conversing covertly, stopping when CJ finally arrived. They took their places in the chairs before the senior staff and regarded them silently for a moment before bluntly making the announcement.
"We just had to evacuate the Capitol Building," Jed said finally.
"It was officially confirmed that the White House is not the target, making the Capitol the most likely target," Leo explained.
"Granted, there weren't a great deal of people in the building at this time of night, but it is closed down until further notice."
"Is Crawford still our only source of information?" Josh asked.
"Yeah, for now," Leo replied.
"Until we get Colleen McGann," Jed said.
"If we get Colleen McGann," Leo amended, glancing at the President.
"We'll get her."
"Are you evacuating any other buildings? The British Embassy?" Will questioned.
"Not yet. We're waiting on more information from Crawford."
"Sir, as of right now," Toby began. "Is there anything else we can do to stop this?"
"Unfortunately, no," Jed answered. "We're going on what few leads we have right now, Crawford and McGann."
"Essentially we're just waiting," Toby said.
"Yeah. Essentially."
"What about the press?" CJ asked.
"We can't," Leo answered succinctly.
"You just evacuated the Capitol Building. You don't think people are gonna start asking questions?"
"I didn't say that. I'm saying, you're not gonna answer any of them."
"CJ," Jed said. "We don't know when or where this attack is going to take this, except that it won't be at the White House. The entire city is going to engage in a mass exodus into Maryland and Virginia if this gets out. We can't risk that. You understand, don't you?"
"Yes, sir," CJ replied, quietly.
"Good."
The President stood, his actions emulated by his staff.
"That's all. We'll let you know when we have more information."
"Thank you, Mr. President."
Jed thanked them in return and they summarily filed out of the office. Jed turned to Leo, looking upon gravely.
"How long do you think this is gonna last?"
"Your guess is as good as mine, sir."
"Leo, are we doing enough?"
Understanding the inherent meaning to the statement, Leo nodded.
"We're doing everything in our power, Mr. President."
"Yeah," Jed replied. "But is it enough?"
12:11 am
Jean-Paul tried to pull Zoey out of their earshot, but achieving that feat seemed near impossible. There appeared to be few things Ellie and Elizabeth didn't hear or were not aware of. They were always on guard around him, choosing their words carefully and exchanging secret glances. Of course, his desire to be excepted by Zoey's family was little more than nonexistent, so he tended not to mind all that much. Like them, he was not keen on openly expressing himself in their presence. But he could not get away.
"What is it?" Zoey asked, leaning in closer to him.
"I don't think I should go," Jean-Paul whispered in return.
"You have to go. You have that thing in the morning. You'll never make it from Baltimore."
"I'm not comfortable leaving you alone here."
"You mean alone with my two older sisters and about fifteen Secret Service agents surrounding the apartment?" Zoey laughed.
"You know what I mean."
"I'm fine, Jean-Paul. Go."
"If you're certain."
"I am."
"All right." He smiled. "Say goodbye to your sisters for me, I think I'm just going to goose out."
Zoey squinted and dropped her jaw in confusion, then exploded in laughter when she realized what his intended phrase had been. Damn language barrier.
"Duck out?"
"What did I say?" Jean-Paul asked.
"Goose out," Zoey said in between giggles.
He frowned.
"At least my English is better than your father's French."
"Don't let him hear you say that!"
12:18 am
"This is a bad idea."
Millie reluctantly followed Abbey into a secluded entrance to the White House, numerous agents trailing close behind them.
"Where's your sense of adventure?"
"This is the part of the movie where everything falls apart," Millie lamented.
"You are such a baby."
They flashed their brightest smiles to the staffers they past once inside the building, though their tones in exchanging dialogue with each other remained sardonic.
"He told us to stay in Bethesda."
"And we did stay in Bethesda," Abbey replied.
"Yeah, until we left!"
"A minute detail."
"Abbey, he is not going to like this."
"What's he gonna do, ground us?"
"He does have the power to do so."
"Then he should have called."
Millie halted her movements in front of the Roosevelt Room, causing Abbey to whirl around and raise a curious eyebrow.
"You know what? I'm gonna go to Leo's office and hide. Wait! I mean wait."
Abbey rolled her eyes.
"Suit yourself."
She turned into the outer office and briefly greeted Charlie and Debbie who were stationed at their desks. After learning that the President was in the Oval with only Leo, Abbey proceeded to enter the room without so much as a knock. Both Jed and Leo glanced up, startled, from the document their eyes were focused on. Jed dropped the paper onto his desk and pulled his glasses off. Leo took one look at the shocked expression on the President's face, and one look on the determined one on the First Lady's and quickly excused himself into the outer office rather than his own. Once the door had closed behind him, Jed took a step toward his wife.
"What the hell are you doing here!"
"You're quite the welcoming committee. No wonder they keep you away from the tour groups."
"Abbey." He glared at her.
"Look, I know you're upset but I made the decision to come back. It was my decision to make, not yours. You try going through these agonizing tests for breast cancer without your husband, knowing that he could be attacked by terrorists at any moment. I couldn't just sit there and wait. You know me better than that. Forgive me if I sound like a martyr, but if you go down, I go down. Got it?"
His lips formed a half-smile, his eyes shining.
"It's okay," Jed said quietly. "The White House has been cleared. It's no longer considered a target."
A wave of relief washed over her face and she all but ran into his arms. She wrapped her arms tightly around his neck and his clasped his hand around her waist, burying his face into her shoulder and lifting her an inch off the ground.
"I'm so sorry I couldn't be there with you," he said in a broken whisper.
She eased herself back onto the ground, making sure to keep their arms in place. She leaned her forehead against his for a moment until the threat of tears subsided. Her eyes, glistening with unshed tears, looked into his and she smiled.
"I'm so sorry I couldn't be here with you," Abbey replied.
She took his face in her hands in and kissed him full on the mouth. It was a kiss filled with a mixture of relief, love, comfort, and fear; the emotion embedded deeply within it startled him.
"It's okay now. We're okay," she said, gently caressing his cheek. "As God is my witness, we will make it through this night."
He pulled her tighter to him and ran his hands up and down her back soothingly.
"Is this what you meant when you said I had lots of nights?" Jed asked, combining both sarcasm and sincerity.
"I don't know," Abbey replied. "We'll have to see where we are in the morning, I guess."
12:31 am
When Leo finally returned to his office, he jumped at the sight of Millie sprawled out comfortably on his couch. Without saying a word to her, he opened his office door once more and called out to Margaret.
"Thanks for the heads up there, Margaret!"
She didn't respond, but she could imagine her expression. Millie stood up to greet him, frowning at the waves of stress that were just emanating from his body.
"You should take a break."
"Yeah, too bad there's an international crisis I have to deal with," Leo replied.
"Drink some water."
"I've had about six cups of coffee."
"Ironically not the same thing as water. I'll have Margaret get you some," Millie said, heading for the door.
"Millie."
The urgency in his voice stopped her in her tracks. She spun around to face him. Instantly reading his unspoken thoughts, she nodded her head and backed away from the door.
"Okay."
"I thought the President ordered you to stay at Bethesda," Leo commented, rummaging through a pile of documents on his desk.
"He did."
"I'm sure he appreciates your complete compliance."
"Are you making any progress?" Millie asked, quietly.
"None to speak of."
"Are you lying to me because I don't have clearance?"
He looked her in the eyes and shook his head.
"No."
"I don't suppose there's anything I can do," she said.
"Yeah, you can stay here."
"I can't stay here," Millie responded immediately.
"The White House is the only structure in Washington that we know for certain is not under attack."
"No one's planning to bomb the Surgeon General's house, Leo. I promise you."
"Still, I'd feel better if you were in the building," Leo said. Upon noticing her unchanged expression, he continued. "You know how hard it is for me to…"
"I know," she replied softly. "And I appreciate your concern for me. I do. But I can't stay here. For one thing, I left my door unlocked this morning and every minute I spend away from home is a moment I'm envisioning my living room completely empty. Plus, I have work to do on my laptop at home."
"I'll send someone to go get it, and lock your doors on the out," Leo offered.
She smiled and touched his cheek lightly.
"Thanks, but no thanks."
"Millie…"
"I'll be fine."
12:41 am
CJ cautiously entered the Oval Office, careful not to disturb the hard at work president. She closed the door behind her, causing him to grant her most of his attention.
"What's up, Claudia Jean?"
She approached his desk slowly, hesitant to look him in the eye.
"CJ?"
"Yes, sir. Sir, I'm sorry, I know this isn't the time, but there's something I need to ask you."
"Fire away."
"Do you remember my niece, Hogan?" CJ questioned.
"Yes, is that what you needed to ask me?"
"No, sir. Hogan is here. She arrived about an hour ago after essentially running away."
"Is there a problem at home?" Jed questioned.
"Not quite at home, sir. This, obviously, is a very delicate subject matter and I hesitate to burden you with it, but I'm afraid I have to. Hogan was sexually assaulted following her senior prom last night. She came to me for help and I…sir, I wanted to ask your permission to take Hogan to the hospital. I'll be back as soon as possible and if anything happens, one phone call and I'm back at the White House, I just…"
"Of course you can go, CJ," Jed said without hesitation. "And take your time. That poor girl needs you more than ever right now."
"Thank you, Mr. President," CJ said, genuinely grateful.
"Take good care of her, CJ."
"Yes, sir."
12:51 am
He kissed her quickly on the lips and watched pensively as she sauntered away from his office. Although she had not chosen to heed his advice, he knew she would be all right. She was stronger than he was and extremely capable of taking care of herself.
"Leo."
He turned his head in Margaret's direction and observed her uncertain facial expression.
"Still no luck with the Irish Ambassador?"
"I can't reach anyone at his office."
"You've tried him at home?" Leo asked.
"Several times."
"All right, tell the Service to find him and bring him here within the hour. Tonight of all nights, I am not playing games with Sheridan. Tell them to make it clear that his job is on the line if he doesn't make himself readily available to us immediately."
"I'm on it."
"And get me a bottle of water!"
12:56 am
The President's Chief of Staff from his office to the Oval and shut the door firmly behind him. The President was sitting behind his desk, staring thoughtfully ahead of him. Leo sat down in the chair beside the desk and waited to be noticed. After moment, inevitably, he was.
"Hey."
"Hey."
"Anything?" Jed asked.
"Other than Sheridan being MIA, nothing."
"You can't get a hold of Sheridan? Didn't I ask for him about three hours ago?"
"Most likely," Leo replied. "The Service is gonna find him and bring him in."
"Did you tell them to check all the pubs in the city?"
"I think that's implied, sir."
Jed smiled faintly.
"Yeah, you're probably right."
"You spoke to Abbey?" Leo asked.
"Yeah, a little awhile ago."
"How is she?"
"Hanging in there," Jed responded. "She went up to the Residence. Did you see Millie?"
"Yeah, she just headed home."
"You know, this may seem like an odd time to tell you this, but I like her with you."
"You didn't like her without me?" Leo smirked.
"You know what I mean, smartass. The two of you, together. I like it."
"I'm thrilled, Mr. President."
"Now you know what it's like to be involved with a doctor. It never ends."
"No, sir, it certainly doesn't."
"Excuse me, sir, Leo." Debbie popped her head in the office.
"Yeah."
"I have Ryan Chappelle."
"Send him in."
Leo and Jed stood to meet the director of CTU in the middle of the office.
"Ryan."
"Mr. President. Mr. McGarry."
"What do you got?" Jed questioned.
"Sir, we have a location on Colleen McGann."
"It's about time! Have you apprehended her?"
"No, sir, we just got an I.D. on her. The Baltimore PD is on it."
"She's in Baltimore?"
"Yes, sir."
"Baltimore," Jed whispered to himself.
"Sir?" Ryan said quizzically.
"Mr. President?" Leo said, matching Ryan's tone.
"The girls are in Baltimore."
"I'm sorry, sir, did you just say…?"
"All three First Daughters are in Baltimore," Leo clarified, sharing the President's concern.
"Sir, will you excuse me for a moment?"
Jed nodded wordlessly. Ryan pulled out his cell phone, dialed a number, and pressed it to his ear.
"Yeah, it's Chappelle. I need you to forget all precautions, I don't care if she sees you coming. When you have her in your sight, don't hesitate. All three First Daughters are in the area. I repeat, all three First Daughters are in the immediate area."
12:59:57 12:59:58 12:59:59 1:00:00
TBC.
