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. Instantly, she 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.

The agent flew through the door and knelt on the floor. Again, he checked for a pulse, he yelled into his mic "Regina down. Condition Black." He began CPR while Liz looked on in horror. It really couldn't be happening. Not to her mother. She was too young.

Within seconds, several more agents had swarmed into the house, one with an automatic portable defibrillator.

One of the agents tore open Abbey's clothes and exposed her chest. Breaking open the box, the two pads were placed on Abbey's chest and waited for the seconds it took for the machine to determine is a shock was needed. Liz heard "Shock needed" just as she watched her mother's body jerk when the electrical shock was applied. The agents waited to see if a sinus rhythm had been produced. Luckily, it had. Liz heard her mother groan and her eyes fluttered open.

"What happened?"

"Ma'am, don't talk. You've had a heart attack." Liz saw her mother nod her head and close her eyes.

By this time, paramedics had also squeezed into the kitchen. One of the agents turned off the stove and then steered Liz out into the foyer. "Let's get out of the way."

Liz only nodded. She was still in shock at what was happening.

The paramedics applied an oxygen mask and quickly inserted an IV line. Then, with assistance, lifted the First Lady onto a stretcher and belted her in. Before Liz could ask them anything, they had left the house and was rolling their patient down the sidewalk toward the ambulance.

The agent who had been standing by Liz turned to her. "Do you want one of us to pick up the children?"

She had completely forgotten about Annie and Gus. "Let me call my husband. He will do it. I need to go to the hospital."

"Of course. I'll drive you. You don't need to drive right now."

"Thanks. Just give me a minute."

After talking to Doug, Liz let the agent drive her to Manchester General. She walked into the Emergency Room and looked for any sign of the Secret Service which would tell her where her mother would be.

An older man in a lab coat noticed her and turned toward her. "Elizabeth?"

"Yes?" Liz had no idea who was talking to her.

"Dr. Robert Nolan. Your mother and I have been friends for years."

"Oh, yes. My mother mentioned your name many times. Have you seen her? How is she?"

"Why don't you come over here and sit down?"

Liz hated those words. It usually meant the worse was about to happen but right now she had no other option.

Settled in a plastic hospital chair away from the main area, she braced herself for the dreaded negative words 'I'm sorry…'

"Your mother is stable considering what she has just been through."

Liz released a breath she didn't realize she had been holding. "She is?" with some disbelief.

"Yes. Were you expecting…? I'm sorry. I should have told you sooner. Yes. The quick action of the agents and the paramedics probably saved her heart a great deal of damage. She's been taken to the cath lab where Dr. Scott is trying to assess where the blockages are and how she can get the vessels open. I would have preferred, of course, to get to them before the heart attack, but sadly we couldn't. We will just have to deal with what we have. But by getting to the blockages this soon after the attack we hope to minimize the damage to the heart tissue."

"How long will the procedure take?"

"That depends on what Dr. Scott finds and how difficult it is to open the vessels."

"Should I call my father now?

"That's up to you, but I wouldn't. I recommend that you wait until we know what Dr. Scott finds and her actions in the lab. There's really no point in worrying the President any more than necessary."

Liz had to smile at that statement. If Dr. Nolan had known her mother for years then he had a notion of how her father would react as well. "I have to agree with you. Dad would be up here in no time if I called him now. Maybe for no reason."

She didn't voice the fact that she pitied Leo McGarry when her father found out. Leo would have his hands full.

It would be a couple more hours of waiting before any more news would come. Doug called several times and asked Liz if she wanted company, but she declined. She needed Doug to stay at home with the kids. Dr. Nolan had checked with Dr. Scott several times and had reported back that the procedure was proceeding but it was slow going. There had been some difficulty, first with getting some stents in, and then with her mother's blood pressure. So, Liz just waited. There was nothing else to do.

Finally, about four hours after arrival at the hospital, Liz saw Dr. Nolan and a younger woman come toward her. She stood, hoping that meant her mother's procedure was over. Dr. Nolan introduced the younger woman as Dr. Scott and both women shook hands.

"Elizabeth, let's move to a quieter place." The trio walked over to a family room located to the side of the waiting room, closed the door and sat down at a table.

"Glad to meet you, Elizabeth." Dr. Scott started the conversation.

"How is my mother?" That was the only thing Liz wanted to know.

"She's stable. We have her in ICU. Her body has been through a lot today. That's where we've been for the last hour. Getting her settled and making sure she's as stable as possible."

"Stable as possible? What does that mean?" Liz glanced over to Dr. Nolan but his face was blank.

"Your mother gave us some problems during the cath. Because of the severity of the heart attack, her heart was not at its best during the cath. I found four blockages, two of which were in the main coronary artery. The other two were in two peripheral vessels. Those were the most difficult to stent because of the size of the vessel and location. Because of the length of the procedure, her heart, at times, just didn't have the strength to keep pumping so we had to assist it."

"Excuse me, Dr. Scott. I am not a cardiac surgeon. What do you mean 'assist it'?"

"It's hard to explain. I inserted what is called an intra-aortic balloon pump. It is a balloon that inflates and deflates at a specified rate to help the flow of blood through the aorta and decrease the workload on the left ventricle. It is a temporary measure that helps rest the heart until the muscle is strong enough to pump on its own."

Liz cautiously plowed ahead. "What's her prognosis?"

Dr. Nolan spoke this time. "Guarded. We consider her overall condition as critical. I'm being very honest with you, Liz. You're your mother's daughter and I know that she would want me to be honest with you."

"Thanks." Liz paused, trying to decide what her next question would be. "Okay. Obviously, I need to call my family. Dad is going to ask a whole lot of questions. Which one of you are going to answer them?" She looked at the two physicians sitting across from her. Neither one of them quickly volunteered. That made Liz laugh. "Okay, since neither one of you volunteered, I am volunteering you both. Just stay right here while I call."

The two physicians looked at each other. All Dr. Nolan said was "You're in for an experience."