Abbey put a kettle of water on the stove. She loved being in the farmhouse, especially when it was snowing. The weather forecast for this mid-January day was more than a foot of snow over the next twenty-four hours. She had arrived from Washington sometime in the early morning to get some rest before her cardiac cath tomorrow morning. First, it had been the busy Christmas season at the White House with luncheons, teas and parties almost every day in December, many times two a day. After a short break at Camp David with just her and Jed because the girls had alternate plans for the holidays, it was back to the White House for the big New Year's Eve Celebration with three hundred guests.
So, she was exhausted. She had been driven up by her agents and had asked Liz to open up the house and stock it with groceries. Sometime in December, Liz had had the heating oil topped off and there was always plenty of firewood.
"Liz, what is CJ saying?" Her oldest had come over just to keep her company until she had to leave to get the kids from school and was in the living room watching the news. CJ was giving some kind of press conference. Abbey hoped that CJ wasn't talking about her. It was supposed to kept confidential.
"Nothing big, Mom. Seems routine."
Abbey turned back to the stove as the kettle started whistling. But before she could grab it a horrible, grabbing pain hit her chest causing her to bend in half. She opened her mouth to speak, but no sound was heard. She placed her hands on her chest, but the pain continued. She fell unconscious to the floor in a heap, trying to grab onto a solid object for support, but failed to do so.
The kettle whistle kept up its shrill sound. Finally, curious as why the kettle kept whistling, Liz walked into the kitchen. She quickly saw her mother in a heap on the floor by the stove. Now running, she knelt down and check for a pulse. Finding none, she screamed for the agent just outside the kitchen door and prayed for a quick response.