July 19th at the government building
"dad you don't understand what you're asking me to do" says Cassandra
"actually yes I do, I had no idea that giving you this government post would deprive you of love, it's not right to keep you from her" says Daren Valentine
"dad if it wasn't for this job I'd have never met Hailey, in saying that I can't let you remove me from this post, the public wouldn't have it, besides it wouldn't fix her situation, she can't leave her job without hurting her parents, they're immuno-compromised and dare I say without their meds they will die, Hailey's job pays for those meds, her parents have no medical coverage" says Cassandra
"why can't you go there then" asks Daren
"you do realize that would shatter Catarina right, aunt Francine made her come here because of her condition, she misses talking to me, it wouldn't be right to abandon her for my own selfish reasons, you know my strong moral compass is why they wrote me in dad, there is no scenario where Hailey and I are together without loss" says Cassandra
"what if I brought them here" asks Daren
"and how would you do that, she has a job" asks Cassandra
"I'm not sure she will for much longer, I was on a call with the president of the US yesterday and he has this plan to revamp the TSA so it requires less workers per airport, which means her pay would be cut in half if she's kept on at all Cassandra, if you love her it's time to bring her home" says Daren
"I can't be involved dad, she's currently one of my contacts, it would be illegal for me to ask her to quit her job and come here, I'd be thrown in jail" says Cassandra
"oh I forgot we put that rule in place, anyway I've received petition after petition telling me to let you be happy, I've had calls with supporters saying you didn't look happy at your last briefing, I'm going to make a call, please go lay down for a bit" says Daren
"I'm going to visit Cat, tomorrow is the festival and she should be briefed on all the rules she has to follow" says Cassandra as she leaves
On the phone 5 minutes later
"did you have to call at this hour Daren" asks US President Luke Jones
"I always forget about the time difference, we need to talk about the LA diplomatic pass employee Hailey Westbrooke" says Daren
"her parents aren't doing so well, she's begging for financial support so she can get them into the hospital, I have no say in that unfortunately" says Luke
"I'm asking for authorization for Hailey and her family to be brought here, I'll send my best doctor to get them, her name is Remy and she's the best I have" says Daren
"Hailey is unfortunately on the hotlist for TSA to fire though not by my request, though I'd need an official request from Cassandra's office to do anything" says Luke
"she has feelings for Hailey, she has requested to be left out of the negotiations here for that reason, that's why I'm making this request personally, she's the youngest ever to be assigned that post Luke, my ministers put restraints on her because she's part of my family, she has to deal with a lot of stress with nobody to talk about it with" says Daren
"in that case you need to get her email and send the passes so they can get on one of your planes" says Luke
"if I have clearance I will" says Daren
"Love is love Daren, they would be better off there anyway, less money needed to be spent" says Luke
"you aren't giving me a clear answer" says Daren
"yes, I want them naturalized so they can get medical coverage" says Luke
"I'm sending the email now" says Daren as he hangs up
At LAX 4 hours later
"I saw the email but it's not making sense" says Hailey as her parents sit in their wheelchairs a few feet back
"the orders came from on high from both governments, you and your parents are to be taken to Palermo immediately, something about you being at risk of termination by the TSA" says Remy
"my parents don't fly well" says Hailey
"that's why I'm here, I'm the best doctor Daren Valentine has on his team, I'm to sedate them for the flight" says Remy
"but diplomatic passes are Cassandra's job, why isn't she here" asks Hailey
"hit the nose on that one, she opted out of the negotiation on this one, Daren saw to this one personally because Cassandra was visibly depressed at her latest press briefing, the people who elected her noticed and created petitions to fix her so she's not sad, my paramedics will carry them onto the jet, can you bring their wheelchairs, I'll tackle the luggage" says Remy
"she never seemed depressed and ok" says Hailey nervously as she nods to the paramedics Remy brought with her and her parents are taken onto the jet
"Cassandra is an interesting case when it comes to secrets, she has a high moral compass, she doesn't believe in burdening anyone with her problems" says Remy
"not even me" asks Hailey as they walk up the steps into the jet with everything
"as a colleague no she wouldn't, as a girlfriend well that's a different story, she's the youngest person ever appointed to that post Hailey, it comes with tons of stress, it's not an easy thing to deal with, there is a lot about Cassandra you won't understand or that she won't tell you at first, give her time, her mom emotionally abused her, as she cheated on Cassandra's father her mom told Cass that she was a cheaters daughter and that she was expected to cheat too when the time came to date she was expected to follow not lead, made her keep the secret from her father, it nearly ruined Cass" says Remy as the Jet takes off
"we were promised health care" says Vanessa Westbrooke
"and you will get it, tomorrow is Festival day, known as the old growth festival or in some areas the day of loud beds for lack of a more discrete term, it's also a naturalization day, where a select few are given Sicilian and Italian citizenship without the wait, the only rule is you have go say one thing that you're insecure about in front of the crowd, all are hand picked a head of time, of which you guys are in" says Remy
"does Cassandra even want me there" asks Hailey
"Cassandra is a hard person to read but I've known her since she was little, when she's nervous she says the opposite of what she wants, by saying she wants nothing to do with the pick up she's not worried about being thrown in jail, she's worried about making a fool of herself in front of your parents" says Remy
"so like if I asked her to be my girlfriend and she says no does she mean yes" asks Hailey
"exactly, her facial expressions tell you what she wants to say, pay attention to that when you ask the question, now get some rest, it's going to be a few hours" says Remy as Hailey nods and takes a nap on the jet couch
"Cassandra really does love her doesn't she" asks Vanessa
"indeed she does, Hailey was the only contact she ever referred to by name, she prides herself in being the one in the middle, never taking sides, that includes keeping her contacts anonymous, she just couldn't with Hailey, the first day she met her, oh my God she was blushing like crazy and couldn't stop talking about Hailey's eyes" says Remy
"Hailey's eyes are definitely different, she was bullied in school for it, sectorial heterochromia the doctor called it, they told her she'd never find love or get a job because she was a freak, she strived to prove them wrong but I don't even think she thought this would happen, will she have a job when she gets there" says Vanessa as her husband nods
"as Cassandra's girlfriend she will travel with her, be by her side all day every day, she will even be present at government briefings that Cassandra is a part of, the public pushed for Daren Valentine to let her daughter be happy, when Cassandra said she wouldn't tear Hailey away from you guys he called the president himself and asked for permission to get all three of you out and in Sicily, does her father talk at all, he hasn't said a word" says Remy
"oh he's non verbal, he was born with some rare condition that shredded his vocal cords, being at risk ourselves we were always terrified that she'd get sick from her work and die in a hospital, there is no fear like out living your own healthy daughter, she had to deal with a ton of crazies in her line of work, we were always terrified that she wouldn't return because some nutso crazy would kidnap her and we'd never see her again, I'm also convinced they were pen pals when they were younger, Hailey's school did this audio pen pal system thing, the second time Cassandra said she was coming to pick people up, some sort of government official Hailey was home and I was making her lunch, I recognized the voice right away, Hailey denied it was her pen pal but I studied in college to be a speech therapist so I recognize speech patterns, Cassandra must have some sort of mouth issue because her wording is very specific and uses the least amount of words to get a point across" says Vanessa
"yes, when she got her wisdom teeth out it got infected and damaged her gums, her teeth aren't real, they're dentures because of that infection, she's had them for four years and when she speaks English it causes her problems, her jaw is also slightly misaligned due to a jaw fracture when she was little, nobody notices because in general in the briefings she speaks Italian which hampers her speech less" says Remy
"we're almost to Tokyo Dr. Hadley, should we follow the refuel plan" asks the pilot over the speakers
"yes, this is Cassandra's plane and the issue hasn't been fixed yet, something about not having enough time nor the parts to fix it on hand" says Remy as the pilot agrees
"Hailey doesn't know Italian, we're Finnish, or I am anyway, my husband is British, how can she possibly participate in the said briefings if she doesn't understand a word of what's being said" asks Vanessa
"Cassandra always briefs her team, of which Hailey will undoubtedly be a part of as her girlfriend" says Remy
"how can you be certain Cassandra will accept Hailey as her girlfriend" asks Vanessa
"because Cassandra is on this jet, this is where she tends to sleep, the girl in the blanket burrito on the couch by the pilot section, that's Cassandra, she told her dad she was talking to Cat about the rules for tomorrow yet when I got on the plane ten minutes later she was laying there, if I had to guess she started to get depressed and didn't feel she had enough energy to talk to Cat and the airport was closer" says Remy
"why doesn't she sleep in her own bed, it doesn't make any sense" asks Vanessa
"because she doesn't feel safe in her own bed because of what her mom did around her when she was little, believe it or not she is woefully unqualified for the position she holds with the Sicilian government, before Daren Valentine was elected the office Cassandra holds was known to lie to the public about what the president of Sicily talked about, there were a dozen politicians running for the position Cassandra holds, the office of the press is the office she holds, Cassandra wasn't even on the ballot let alone seeking the position in the future, the public wrote her in in a desperate attempt to make a gem out of the dung pile that office had become and in the year she's been head of that office she has made good on EVERY promise she's ever made, it is not an easy thing to do" says Remy
"she cares for her people that much is clear, has she made that office a gem" asks Vanessa as the jet lands in Tokyo airport
"she has indeed, she's fired corrupt workers, the second part of her job is retrievals, mainly for cancer patients, for example if someone you knew was diagnosed with terminal cancer they'd have the opportunity to ask her to get you or whoever they ask for family or friend wise and you'd get a diplomatic pass emailed to you so your airport experience would be sped up as you have noticed, Hailey has a new path in front of her, one of great importance, it is up to her to decide if it is the path she choses" says Remy