A/N: As always, I have to thank you guys for all of the kind reviews that were left for me. I'm glad you like the (sort of) lighter tone I'm taking with this fic. With everything going on, I figured I could show a slightly softer side of our favorite HOC couple. I'm hoping you enjoy the latest chapter.
Chapter Five
"Claire don't…" Frank trails off as he watches his wife catapult herself onto the ledge behind his desk. As she progresses in her pregnancy, he's afraid she's going to actually hurt herself trying to climb onto her favorite spot. Of course, his wife ignores him and manages to hoist herself up completely on her own.
"Francis, I'm fine." She won't allow her husband to placate her in any way, even if she knocked over a few of his picture frames in the process. "Have we heard anything about the article?"
It's been a month since the New York Times published their piece on Frank and Claire and the response has been overwhelmingly positive. People have forgotten about the story questioning their marriage in the Herald and have refocused their energy on Claire's pregnancy. Many have praised her for being so honest about her struggle—and ultimate success—of getting pregnant at such a late age. Unfortunately, their maternity bill isn't gaining any traction, which is probably why they haven't heard from Annette Shepherd like they expected.
"No. I think you might have to sit down with her and apply some…pressure." Claire made it abundantly clear she isn't letting her bill go, and it would help exponentially if she had someone like Annette publicly supporting it.
"Okay. I saw on the schedule that we are going to Dallas next week." Frank lets out an exasperated sigh at the mention of their upcoming appearance in his wife's home state.
"I know you don't want to go, but they are honoring your mother. We fly in, say a few words and fly out the next day." Claire's mother is being honored posthumously for her donations to the Dallas branch of the American Cancer Society. Claire's invited to speak at the gala they are having.
"Fine. Mother openly hated half of the people on the board. I don't know why they are honoring her at all." Frank lets out a tiny chuckle at the expense of his now-deceased mother-in-law.
"I'm sure they want us to increase the donation." Claire quirks an eyebrow. "We can bring Emily." Frank watches a frown curl on his wife's lips and regrets bringing it up. He knows their daughter attributes Dallas to the place where Claire took her after they left him. Emily sees it as somewhere to seek refuge when her parents aren't getting along.
"Good idea, Francis." Claire abruptly hops off the ledge and stands in front of her husband.
"Where are you going?" They have a briefing in ten minutes he thought she was going to attend.
"I have my twenty-week appointment with Dr. Larsen." Frank's chestnut eyes widen with concern.
"Why? Is something wrong?" His hand skims over her rounded abdomen, feeling a momentarily flutter. He never attended any doctor appointments with Claire when she was pregnant with Emily unless there was a problem. The fact she's mentioning it to him raises an alarm.
"No. It's routine." It's interesting to see her husband briefly snap into worried, expectant father mode. His hand falls away from her stomach and he leans back into his chair. The concern dissipates from his face, and he becomes the president again.
Claire walks away from him and crosses the room, turning around to face him as a thought bubbles to the surface of her mind.
"She's going to ask if we want to know the gender. Should I tell her to keep it to herself?" They didn't find out with Emily until Claire went into preterm labor during her seventh month. A tech doing an ultrasound let it slip they were having a girl.
"I have no preference if you want to know or not." He would rather keep one degree of separation between them and the baby in case Claire ends up losing it, but he won't fight his wife on the issue.
"I think we should find out, to prepare Emily." Their daughter is going to be devastated if the baby ends up being a boy, but there's nothing Claire and Frank can do. This can serve as a good life lesson for Emily.
"I like the idea. And Claire?"
"Yes, Francis?"
"Make sure Dr. Larsen actually clears you to fly. My understanding is you only have about a month left before you should stop travelling." Claire narrows her cerulean eyes at her husband. Travel restrictions for pregnant women isn't something he just knows.
"Have the two of you been chatting? Is there anything I should be aware of?" Frank realizes he overplayed his hand and tries to walk back his comment.
"She wanted to make it clear to me that I wasn't supposed to let you travel beyond the six-month mark, which is fast approaching. Apparently, she thinks you are too stubborn to listen to her medical advice."
"I'll have my Seth look over my schedule with my assistants." Claire completely glosses over her husband's remark because he is just as—if not more—stubborn than she is. Frank watches his wife leave while rolling his eyes.
"Daddy, come here!" Emily exclaims when she sees her dad walk into the residence later that night. Frank barely has time to put his briefcase down before Emily starts pulling on his hand.
"Hold on, Em." Claire watches Emily bounce excitedly next to her husband from her spot on the couch. Frank allows Emily to grab his hand again and brings him over to where Claire is sitting.
"Sit." Emily points next to the cushion next to her mother. Frank obliges and Emily hops onto his lap. "Give me your hand." Emily puts grabs her father's hand and puts it on Claire's stomach, gently pushing on it.
Since Claire showed Emily the baby moving a few weeks ago, the five-year-old has become obsessed. Claire misses the days when Emily was suctioned to Frank instead of her.
"What do think that is?" Emily asks after feeling movement under her and her father's hands. Frank slips his hand out of Emily's grasp after a few moments.
"I don't know. It's hard to tell. Maybe he's just moving around," Claire answers for Emily. Frank picks up on his wife assigning a gender to their child, something she hasn't done before.
"He?" Frank mouths to Claire over Emily's head. Their daughter hasn't noticed it yet. Emily withdraws her hand from Claire's stomach and leans back into her dad's chest.
They are having a son, which isn't what Frank wanted. He wanted another girl—another relationship like he has with Emily. He never liked or respected his father, and he didn't want to perpetuate the cycle with a son.
"Francis?" Claire sees the concealed disappointment on her husband's face. Honestly, he thought he would be ambivalent. Hopefully, he can keep his feelings to himself because Emily will be looking to him for cues as to how to react.
"What?" Emily glances up at him, wondering where the harshness of his tone came from. Claire furrows her eyebrows at him.
"I was thinking we should tell Emily." Claire gestures to their daughter, who's rapidly losing interest with this conversation.
"Right. Em, your mom went to the doctor today and found out the baby is a boy. So that means you are getting a brother instead of a sister."
Emily's blue eyes become glassy with tears as a pout forms on her face. She crosses her arms over her chest and shakes her head.
"Mommy, I wanted a sister," Emily whines. Claire shakes her head at their daughter's rapid slide into a temper tantrum.
"We told you before, your dad and I don't get a choice in whether the baby is a boy or a girl. You knew that." Their daughter is like them in the sense that she's used to getting what she wants. Learning that's not always the case is going to be difficult for the five-year-old to accept.
"I don't want it anymore. You can send it back," Emily says. Frank feigns a cough to cover his laughter. Claire isn't finding this as amusing. She had a feeling Emily would've been more accepting of a sibling had it been a girl. Now that she knows it's a boy, this is not going to be an easy transition for them.
"Emily you have—" Claire starts, but Frank interrupts her.
"Em, I think it's better that you are getting a brother." Emily sniffs while Claire tilts her head.
"Why?" Emily skeptically asks.
"Well, that means you are going to be our only girl. And you don't have to share your girl clothes or toys with your brother. And you will be our only daughter…and my only vice, vice president."
Claire softly smiles when she realizes what Frank is trying to accomplish with Emily, she just wishes she thought it of it beforehand.
"Do I get to be president first?" Emily asks.
"Of course. You are older, so you can be the first one," Claire answers for her and Frank. The five-year-old smirks at the thought and Claire knows they've fully convinced her.
After Emily's put to bed, Claire takes a bath and slides under the covers while Frank wraps up his cigarette in the living room. He changes into his pajamas and joins her a half an hour later.
"Emily…you're good with her," Claire tells him. Frank leans over and brushes a kiss to her cheek. "You looked about as excited as she did when I said it's going to be a boy, Francis."
"Are you upset?" Frank asks because he can't tell if he hurt Claire's feelings or she's merely making an observation. He leans his head on her shoulder with his other hand coming around to rest on her abdomen.
"No." Claire tilts her head down so it's brushing up against his. "What about you?"
"What about me?"
"Are you not…satisfied?"
"My father died when I was young, and I never liked him. He was weak." Frank retracts his hand from Claire and lets it fall by his side instead.
"But you're not. We can't lead with fear, Francis." She's right, and he knows that she is. Reminding her that she went through the exact gamut of emotions when she found out they were having a daughter as he is now is futile. They are so desperate not to turn into their parents that it unintentionally blinds them on occasion.
"I know." He holds out his hand for her to clasp. She interlocks their fingers and they sit in silence, enjoying each other's company.
"When are you meeting with Annette?" Frank asks Claire while they are sitting in the Oval nearly a week later. Claire shifts in her seat after feeling an uncomfortable twinge in her back. "What is it?"
"Nothing…we are supposed to meet later this afternoon." Frank eyes her with suspicion. Before he can ask, Doug bursts into the room looking rather pleased with himself.
Since the article broke, Frank and Claire have tasked Doug with digging up some dirt on the Shepherds—particularly with Annette. They haven't found much that Claire couldn't already tell them. Bill and Annette are masters of hiding their skeletons, but Frank and Claire are better at uncovering them.
"What did you find?" Frank asks. Doug slides a file his way. Claire stands up and rounds the corner, so she is hovering over her husband's shoulder. "Can this be confirmed?"
"Definitely, sir. We have people who are willing to go on the record," Doug says. Frank shifts his eyes over to his wife, who is smirking.
"Did you know about this?" Frank asks Claire.
"No, but it doesn't surprise me. If we use this Francis, she's going to hit back against us." For as much as Frank and Claire love gaining the upper hand on people like Annette, they always have to remember they have more to lose than their adversaries.
"It might be worth presenting her with this, so she's aware of what you have," Doug reminds the First Couple. Frank nods in agreement. If they can barter with Annette, it serves them more than exposing her.
"Doug's right, Claire. All we need is a statement of endorsement. She can't vote one way or another," Frank reminds his wife. For Claire, this is personal—and Frank wishes it weren't.
"I know, Francis." Claire refuses to lose her objectivity when it comes to Annette because that's exactly what she wants. She did it before with Adam Galloway and it blew up in her face. Claire won't make the same mistake again.
"Do you think Annette has something on you?" Doug asks Frank and Claire. They shake their heads.
"Why would you—?" Frank asks, only to be cut off by his chief of staff.
"Why else would Annette hold the meeting? She obviously hasn't changed her mind."
"It's a possibility, but Annette's not foolish. She knows how to manipulate the press. If she had something damaging, she would've released it by now," Claire says. Frank semi-agrees with his wife. Doug has a valid concern. Annette would have nothing to gain by listening to Claire when she's already decided she's not going to support the bill.
"Just be careful," Frank warns Claire.
"Always. Thanks, Doug." Claire leaves the Oval and heads into her own office to prepare for her meeting with Annette.
"Thank you for coming," Claire says to Annette after she clears security. The two haven't seen or spoken to each other since the announcement in South Carolina. Annette and Claire sit in chairs across from each other in one of the White House's many conference rooms.
"Why aren't we in your office?" Annette asks. She eyes Claire's bump with a frown before meeting her eyes.
"I didn't want anyone to interrupt us," Claire says. There's always assistants and various interns hovering in the West Wing, eager to get snippets of information on the First Couple. Claire would rather have this meeting kept off the books and away from everyone.
"I see you are still pregnant. I thought for sure you would've had another 'miscarriage' now that your bill is dying in the House." Claire smiles and folds her hands over her stomach. Annette sees behind the façade Claire's been feeding to the general public. And if Annette had any proof, she would go to the press about Claire's fake miscarriages.
"Why won't you support the bill, Annette? It's a step forward for women in this country." Annette scoffs,
"It's a poison-pill to the economy. We shouldn't be encouraging women to have children just to take paid time off. That sets a dangerous and unrealistic precedent." Claire interlaces her fingers and sets them on the table.
"We are the only modernized country in the world who doesn't have it. I think we are setting ourselves backwards when we should be moving forwards."
"Tell that to the millions of corporations around this country who don't have the money to sustain themselves when women start taking time off to raise their children."
"Speaking of children, let's talk about Duncan." Claire is referring to Annette's teenage son. She slides a folder over to Annette, who peruses its contents. "He's not yours, is he?"
Annette feels her face heat up and tries to keep her face neutral.
"No. His mother is a housekeeper who became pregnant. I took Duncan in."
"It'd be a shame if he found out that you've been lying to him all these years. He's not really a Shepherd, is he?" Claire muses.
"What about Emily?" Annette asks, as a last-ditch effort to distract Claire. Claire's back goes rim-rod straight. Her eyes lose their playful glint to them.
"What about her?"
"Her blue eyes reminded me of a certain photographer friend of yours. There's no way she's Frank's child. And what about this one?" Annette gestures to Claire's stomach. "I know the two of you aren't sleeping together." Claire scoffs at Annette's attempt at blowing smoke.
"Anyone looking at Emily can tell she's Francis' daughter. As for this baby, we've been honest about how we conceived him, and we're willing to release medical records to prove it."
"I slept with him once," Annette offhandedly says.
"Who? Adam?"
"No. Your husband." Claire stills for the slightest moment. Frank never mentioned he had sex with Annette.
"Support the bill or I will tell Duncan myself where he came from." Annette stands up and grabs her black tote from the chair next to her.
"Kill the bill, for Emily's sake. I would hate for you to have to explain away another affair." Annette walks out of the room without waiting for a response from Claire.
Claire rocks back and forth in her chair, anger seeping out of every pore. She came into this meeting expecting for Annette to walk away with her tail between her legs. Instead, Claire realizes they are more vulnerable now than ever before. She reaches for her phone near her and dials Doug.
"It's me, release it," Claire says into the phone. She doesn't bother waiting for her husband's approval. Annette will counter with her sleeping with Frank, but they can easily explain that away to the press.
"Are you sure?" Doug asks.
"Do it." Claire hangs up and takes a few deep breaths. She's breaking a quintessential rule in her marriage, but Frank did as well when he failed to disclose he slept with Annette.
Frank pops into her office an hour after her meeting with Annette. Claire is watching the news story about Duncan's true lineage with a smirk on her face.
"Was this us?" Frank asks. He approaches her desk and crosses his arms over his chest.
"Yes. She left me no choice." Claire realizes why her husband is in here. His posture indicates he's upset about not being in the loop on this decision, just like she expected.
"And you didn't think it was important to tell me because…?"
"Probably for the same reason you decided not to tell me about sleeping with Annette." Frank glares at her. They are better than taking cheap shots at each other.
"It was when we first started dating. I should've told you, but I didn't."
"She's going to retaliate. Most likely with the two of you sleeping together." Frank comprehends the underlying meaning of what Claire is saying: you exposed us.
Frank sighs and sits down in the chair across from his wife's desk. Claire got them into this fight with the Shepherds, but he didn't help by not being completely transparent.
"Should we tell Emily?" Frank asks. They don't want their child to be blindsided if Annette does decide to talk to the media.
"Not yet. I want to see what she will do first." Frank nods and stands up, walking over to Claire's side of the desk. He pinches her cheek, his way of apologizing.
"We will get this bill passed, with or without Annette's support." Claire leans into his touch. She nods and watches him leave.
Frank is the first one to get back to the residence that night and asks the chef to make them dinner, so Claire doesn't have to.
"Daddy, I don't want to go to Dallas," Emily tells her father out-of-the-blue. Frank is skimming a speech while Emily is sitting next to him on her iPad.
"Why not?" Frank asks as he sets the papers on his lap.
"I don't like Gamma," Emily quietly admits. Claire walks into the residence, smiling softly to herself at her husband and daughter hanging out together.
"Claire, Em doesn't want to go to Dallas tomorrow," Frank tells his wife. Claire nods and sits on the other side of Emily on the couch.
"Why not?" Claire asks their daughter, not knowing Frank already asked her.
"I don't like Gamma, Mommy. She was mean to me," Emily whispers. The five-year-old is forgetting that Elizabeth is dead.
"Emily, your grandmother isn't alive anymore. We can't see her," Claire gently reminds Emily. "And Daddy is coming with us too."
Emily hasn't been to Dallas with both her parents and Claire thinks that's why she's apprehensive to go back.
"We are going as a family, Em," Frank says to reinforce his wife's point.
"Okay. Can I bring Bunny?" Emily asks. Frank and Claire have been trying to ease Emily off of relying on her rabbit for comfort.
"I think we can reserve a seat for Bunny, just this once," Claire says. Emily perks up at the mention of her stuffed animal coming along for the trip. "Oh, Francis, before I forget, I'll have to meet you on the plane tomorrow. Dr. Larsen wants to see me beforehand."
Frank's ears perk up and his eyes dart from his daughter to his wife.
"Is something wrong?" Claire skims her hand over her stomach.
"She ran some tests last week and she wants to give me fluids before the flight. She said it's a precaution."
"Are you sure?" Frank asks. If they have to cancel last minute, he would rather do so than Claire risk her health for an event they don't even want to attend.
"Yes. She can administer them on the plane before we take off."
"Hi Mommy!" Emily exclaims as she steps on the plane the next day. Claire is already seated with an IV in her arm. Dr. Larsen is hovering close by, watching Claire for any signs of distress. Frank is a step behind Emily, chatting with Doug about something. "What is that?" The toddler is very skittish around needles, given the Red Cross incident a few years ago.
"Medicine," Claire explains. Frank sits on the armrest next to his wife. Emily sets Bunny down on a nearby chair and stands next to Dr. Larsen.
"Is my wife okay to fly?" Frank directs his question to Dr. Larsen instead of Claire.
"Of course, Mr. President. Like I told Claire, I'm just airing on the safe side since some tests came back a little lower than I would like to see."
The pilot steps out of the cockpit to inform everyone he is cleared for takeoff.
"I can take this out. You should be good to go," Dr. Larsen informs Claire. Claire grabs Frank's hand while the doctor slides the needle out of the crook of her arm. "Do you feel okay? Any dizziness or nausea?"
"No. Thank you for making a special trip," Claire tells the doctor.
"Of course. I want to see you when you get back. Mr. President, Emily," Dr. Larsen excuses herself off the plane. Emily waves to the doctor, having seen her a few times at the residence with her mom.
"Let's get going," Frank tells the pilot. They have a tight schedule in Dallas since they are only going to be there for twenty-four hours. Within a few minutes, the plane is ascending.
"I'll be in my office with Doug if you need anything," Frank tells Claire. Emily is already set up with a movie.
"Okay." Claire spreads out her work in the main cabin, letting Frank and Doug strategize in the office. Several minutes later, Claire stands up and goes into the bathroom. When she stands up to wash her hands, she's caught of guard by a sharp pain rolling through her stomach. "Ah." Claire uses one hand to grab onto the sink while the other sits on her abdomen. She shuts her eyes, wiling the pain to subside.
Claire waits until she can stand up straight to leave the bathroom. Hopefully, what she just experienced was nothing more than Braxton Hicks, a minor type of contraction possible during pregnancy.
Emily glances up when her mom slowly walks back to her chair. The five-year-old pauses her movie and grabs her rabbit.
"Mommy, you okay?" Emily asks, noting the queasy expression on her mom's face. Claire sits down carefully and puts her hands on her abdomen.
"Yes, I'm fine. Keep watching your movie." Not more than ten minutes later, Claire is bombarded with another intense pain in her stomach. She gasps, which captures Emily's attention.
"Mommy!" Claire is nearly doubled over in pain. Emily throws down her iPad and rushes over to Claire's side, not knowing what to do.
"Emily…go get your…Dad," Claire can barely form her sentence. It feels like a knife is being shoved into her lower stomach. Emily runs down the aisle of the plane, barreling into Frank's office.
"Em, we are in the middle…" Frank trails off when he notices her daughter is near tears.
"Something is wrong with Mommy, Daddy!" Emily says. Frank can see through the open door of his office that Claire is hunched over. He brushes past Emily and rushes to his wife's side.
"Sweetheart, what is it?" Frank asks. Claire tilts her head back into the headrest of the plane seat. She grabs his hand, squeezing it tightly.
"I think…I'm in labor," Claire mumbles. Frank's mouth springs open. Emily is standing behind him, watching in fear as her mom moans in pain.
"What?" Frank asks. Claire waits until the aching in her stomach dissolves before she speaks.
"Francis, something is wrong."
"Okay, I'll be right back. Emily, stay with your mom," Frank gives Emily a job to give her something to focus on.
"Hurry," Claire mutters. Frank hustles into his office to grab Doug.
"Doug, I need you to tell the pilot to land the plane, now. Something is wrong with Claire. Have an ambulance waiting to take us to the nearest hospital. This cannot wait. We will explain what happened later."
Doug immediately springs into action and starts talking to the necessary people. Frank makes his way back over to Claire. He grabs her hand, interlocking their fingers together.
"We are landing the plane. There's going to be an ambulance there to take us to the hospital." Frank tells Claire. Claire nods as she bites her lip. Emily is standing a few feet away, looking at Claire with fear.
"It's okay, Emily. Your brother wants to come, but it's too soon," Claire explains. Emily feebly nods.
Doug comes into the main cabin, looking from Emily, to Frank, and then to Claire.
"It's going to be at least a half an hour before we can get on the ground. We are landing at an airfield in Huntington, West Virginia," Doug informs them.
"That long?" Claire asks. With how strong her contractions are, she doesn't think she will be able to make it until then.
"It's the best we can do without risking deoxygenating the plane," Doug says. Frank glances at his wife, who is doing her best to hold it together.
"Tell him to do whatever he has to do to get us safely on the ground as fast as he can," Frank tells Doug.
"Yes, sir," Doug walks purposefully into the cockpit while Frank stays with Claire and Emily. Emily sits next to her mom and hands Claire her rabbit. Frank holds his wife's hand, waiting for another contraction to hit her.
"It's too soon," Claire mumbles. Frank nods in agreement. Claire is only five months pregnant.
"We'll figure this out." He has a feeling the baby isn't going to make it through this. His wife's fear of losing their child is coming true.
Frank sees the pain bubble to the surface of his wife's face and tightens his grip on her hand. Claire shuts her eyes and rolls her lips together.
"Doug! We have to land now!" Frank shouts. He rubs Claire's back, letting her rest her hand on his shoulder. Emily runs and grabs Claire some ice after being told to do so by Frank.
"I don't care! The First Lady is in labor. Do you really want to be responsible for killing her child?" Doug asks the pilot. He's willing to land the plane himself if need be.
Frank and Claire feel the plane rapidly descending. Emily gives the bowl of ice to her father and sits back down next to her mother. Claire rides out the latest contraction and lets Frank brush some hair stuck to her forehead away.
"You're doing great," Frank whispers to her. He's trying to keep his wife and daughter calm at the same time. He relies on what he did when she was giving birth to Emily. Claire lets out a deep breath and buckles herself in. Frank and Emily do the same.
"Francis, if it comes down to it…save me," Claire softly tells him so Emily doesn't hear. Frank nods and skims his thumb over her hand.
The plane touches down and medics immediately board the plane so they can get Claire loaded into the ambulance. She's had another contraction, closer together than the previous ones.
"I'll follow you in the car with Emily. You need to go," Frank tells Claire. She nods and allows a paramedic to assist her off the plane. Frank, Doug and Emily hop into an SUV that trails the ambulance to the hospital.
When they arrive at the hospital, Claire is already taken into a private room. Frank has Doug stay with Emily while he goes back to be with Claire.
"Doug, do you think my brother is coming today?" Emily asks Doug. The two of them never get to spend one-on-one time together, which is what Doug prefers.
"I don't know," Doug responds and goes back to checking his phone. Emily frowns and grabs her iPad.
"Where's Francis?" Claire asks, scarcely able to string words together. She's being hooked up to machines while various doctors and nurses scramble around her. Frank is let into the room so he can stand next to his wife.
"Whatever you do, Mrs. Underwood, don't push," A male nurse informs Claire. Claire nods and clenches her jaw. "We are giving you drugs to counteract the labor."
Frank grabs her hand and Claire yanks away from him to throw up. One of the nurses comes around to assist Claire while a doctor pulls Frank aside.
"We need to give her a sedative to calm her down," A female, African American doctor tells Frank. "For some reason, her body is acting like it's in labor, but I can tell by looking at her that she's not full term."
"No, she's only five months, last week. It started when we were on the plane."
"Mr. President, if we can't stop this, she's going to deliver the baby. If she's only 21 weeks, there's only a ten percent chance the baby will survive. What do you want to do?"
If it comes down to it, save me, Frank hears Claire's voice in his ear. She's told him before she won't sacrifice herself to save their child, and he won't let her.
"If you need to make a choice, save Claire. Focus on her." The doctor pauses for a half a second to look at him, but they are snapped into action by a wince from Claire. Frank goes to Claire's side while the doctor prepares the sedative. Claire clamps down on his hand and does whatever she can to fight the urge to push.
"Alright, Claire, we are giving you a sedative," the same doctor who spoke to Frank tells Claire. "If this doesn't work, we have to deliver the baby." The longer the baby is in distress like this, the more risk it poses to Claire. They will have no choice but to let Claire give birth.
"Okay," Claire whispers. Frank grabs a nearby washcloth to wipe Claire's forehead. She's still wearing the same gray dress she was admitted with. Her makeup is slightly smudged, and her cheeks are flushed. He brushes a kiss to the side of her head. Claire allows her body to feel the effects of the sedative and slowly loosens her grip on Frank's hand.
"She's out," a nurse announces when Claire's eyes flutter closed.
"I want her admitted and constantly monitored. I want a CBC, and nobody is allowed in her room except for the people in this room," the doctor snaps. "Page me the second she's awake." A team of nurses' transfer Claire to another bed and wheel her out of the room.
"What's going on? Did you stop the labor?" Frank asks the doctor he's been conversing with.
"For now. It's possible that we haven't stopped it all the way. She might still be having minor contractions, but the sedative will give her the chance to relax. Mr. President, there's a chance this was…intentional."
"You mean someone did this to her?" Frank asks. His mind immediately flips to Dr. Larsen who was giving Claire "fluids" before they left Washington.
"I don't want to say for sure until we know, but the only time I've seen labor come on that fast is with a drug called Pitocin. Your wife had to have been given a lot of it in a short amount of time for something like this to happen. We will know more in a few hours. She's being taken up to the fourth floor if you would like to be with her."
"Thank you for all your help," Frank tells the doctor and goes to find Emily and Doug.
"Is Mommy okay?" Emily asks the second she sees Frank.
"We think so. She's being taken upstairs so the doctors can run more tests." Frank picks Emily up, despite the minor pulling sensation he gets from his scar.
"Did they say what happened?" Doug asks.
"They think Claire was given a drug called Pitocin that started all of this. I need you to do a complete background check on her doctor, Dr. Larsen. Let me know what you find," Frank tells Doug. Doug gives him a clipped nod and grabs his things.
"I'll be at the hotel if you need anything." Doug arranged for him, Secret Service and the Underwoods' to stay a nearby hotel for a couple of days.
"Thanks Doug."
Frank and Emily are left at the hospital, waiting for any news on Claire.
"Do you want to get some ice cream?" Frank asks Emily in an effort to take her mind off of what happened to her mom. Emily nods and scoops up her stuffed animal, tucking it under her arm.
A couple hours later, Frank and Emily are hanging out in Claire's room while she is still resting. A fetal monitor is encompassed around her bare abdomen and nurses are constantly in and out to check on her.
"Mr. President, can I speak with you?" Another doctor, an older, Asian man asks Frank. Emily is fast asleep in the chair next to him while Claire is starting to wake up.
"Sure." Frank follows the doctor out of the room while a nurse steps in to assess Claire as she regains consciousness. "What's going on?"
"I just wanted to say that we ran some tests, and your wife and the twins are just fine." Frank breathes a sigh of relief.
"Oh good…wait, did you say twins? Are you sure your talking about my wife?" He blanches at the mention of two babies. Claire didn't say anything about them having twins.
"Your wife is Claire Underwood, right?" The doctor pretends to double check the chart in his hands. Frank whips around, watching a nurse perform an ultrasound on Claire.
"She didn't—" The doctor gives him a sheepish grin.
"I'm sorry, Mr. President. Apparently, your wife woke up while you were on the phone and asked the nurse to put a note in her chart about twins. She promised a sizeable donation to the hospital if we mentioned it to you." Frank rolls his eyes. Claire would do something like that.
"They are fine though, right?" Frank asks, getting back to the issue at hand.
"I want to make sure the ultrasound comes back clean before I make any promises. The fact that she didn't report anything when she woke up—and the machine agrees with her—is a good sign. If everything goes well overnight, I can release her tomorrow."
"Thank you." Frank leaves the doctor to go back into the room. Emily is sitting next to Claire in her bed, watching the nurse do the ultrasound. "Twins, huh?"
Claire grins and waves him over. Frank shoves his hands in his pockets and stands next to the bed. His eyes concentrate on the screen. This is the first ultrasound he's seen with either of their children.
"Look Emily, there's your brother," Claire tells Emily, pointing to the image on the screen.
"He's so…small," Emily says with disappointment. Frank and Claire laugh as the nurse removes the probe from her stomach.
"Everything checks out, Mrs. Underwood. I'll give you some time." The nurse wheels the machine out of the room and lowers the blinds for privacy.
"How do you feel?" Frank asks Claire, not expecting an honest answer.
"Sore…tired." Claire says. "Emily, can you play on your iPad for a minute? I want to talk to Daddy about something."
"Okay," Emily grabs up her iPad and sits on the ottoman by Claire's bed. Frank hands her the headphones to wear so him and Claire can talk freely.
"Dr. Larsen injected me with Pitocin. That's why this happened," Claire informs him. She got the blood tests results back shortly after waking up.
"That's what the doctor told me while they were taking you upstairs. That doesn't make any sense. Why would she do that?" From what Frank could tell, Claire seemed to like Dr. Larsen, which is rare for her. He doesn't understand why the physician would betray them.
"Annette did this, Francis. She got to Dr. Larsen." Frank nods. What Claire is saying makes perfect sense. Annette would stoop this low if it meant getting what she wants—he and Claire would too.
"What do you want to do?" Frank asks. They won't let Annette do something like this to them without retaliating. Claire smiles, thinking of the recording she took of her meeting with Annette yesterday.
"I want her to suffer."
A/N 2: I'm sorry if I got any of the medical facts wrong, I'm not in that particular field. I hope you liked this chapter. When I was watching season six, I thought about what Frank would do if he was on the plane with Claire. Thank you for reading and please leave your thoughts! And, please stay safe and healthy!