Blake entered the conference room quietly, made his way unobtrusively to Elizabeth's chair and whispered that he needed to speak with her. Elizabeth suggested a ten-minute break and everyone scattered.

"Let me say first that Russell Jackson is … well, not fine but not seriously injured."

"I'm going to need a lot more after that sentence."

"He's in the emergency room and Stevie is there …"

"Is she okay?"

"Yes, she wasn't in the accident."

"Accident!"

"Why don't I tell the whole story first and then we'll have Q&A."

"You're right, go ahead."

"Russell's car was rear-ended." Blake held up a hand as Elizabeth's mouth opened. "He was wearing his seatbelt." Elizabeth closed her mouth.

"He had just closed his briefcase, it was upright on his knees and when he was thrown forward his nose hit the lock. 'There Will Be Blood'."

"Now I know it's not too serious if you're working the name of a film into the narrative."

"Thank you for noticing. Russell's driver called 911, against his wishes. When the EMTs arrived the driver told them he had a bad heart so they transported him to the ER, against his wishes. The hospital called his emergency contact, against his wishes. Russell talked to Stevie and told her not to come but she insisted, against his wishes. She is there now and Russell says she's upset."

"If Russell says she's upset she must be freaking out."

"Apparently she was calm until there was a problem letting her see him. Russell is hooked up to a machine, against his wishes. So he called."

"Russell isn't used to having so many things happen against his wishes. All right, call Henry and explain. If he can't get away, I'll go but I don't want to reschedule this meeting unless I have to. It's hard to get all of us in the same room."

Blake called Henry who went to the ER and asked at reception for Stephanie McCord.

"She's with her father in cubicle three. Are you family?"

"I'm her father."

"She's with her father."

"Is she with Russell Jackson?"

"Yes."

"He's not her father."

"Only family is allowed in the ER due to space restrictions."

Henry was starting to realize why Stevie had trouble getting to see Russell. He spoke slowly and clearly. "Russell Jackson has no family here. Stephanie McCord is his emergency contact and has the right to be with him. I'm her father and I'm going to cubicle three to make sure both of them are all right.

"But sir …"

"I don't do this often but I'm playing the card today. Let me in or I'll get the state department involved. I'm Henry McCord and my wife is secretary of state Elizabeth McCord."

Another receptionist was listening in. "Hey, he is! I recognize him from the Arm Candy list."

"Okay, go on back."

Henry entered cubicle three which was a curtain around a bed. He found Stevie tearful, Russell pissed off because someone had made Stevie tearful, and Russell's cardiologist pleased by the machine readouts which also pissed Russell off because he hadn't needed the machine to tell him he was okay. Stevie was holding Russell's bloody shirt and tie which were sealed in a medical waste bag. The cardiologist unhooked Russell from the machine, said that someone would be by with discharge papers and disappeared.

Henry hugged his daughter and asked what had happened. Stevie hugged him back and went to sit by Russell on the bed.

"When I got here I tried to tell them I was Russell's emergency contact but they said family only and I wanted to see him without arguing about it so I said he was my father and they let me in."

"I'm familiar with their methods. I had to use your mom's name to get in. I'm going to check on those discharge papers." Henry thought they could use some privacy.

When he was gone Stevie said, "Emergency contact isn't a family relationship and I never want to say I'm your daughter again. Would you ever consider marrying again?"

"Yes."

"So you'll think about it?"

"I thought that was a proposal. Which I accepted."

Stevie smiled and kissed him. "Would you have asked me if I hadn't asked first?"

"Eventually. When should we get married?"

"It doesn't have to be right away."

"What if you need ammunition for the next ER visit?"

"Fiancée is almost as good as wife."

Henry got home before Elizabeth. He sat at his desk in the library to get his thoughts in order. Because he was going to have some explaining to do.

"How are Stevie and Russell?" Elizabeth asked as soon as she came in.

"They're fine."

"What happened at the hospital?"

"They got engaged."

Elizabeth had lifted one foot to pull off her pump and almost fell over.

Henry hadn't meant to blurt it out but there was no good way to work up to news like that. It was the kind of thing meant to be announced.

He got up, kissed his wife and led her to the sofa in the living room.

"Let's have a drink," Elizabeth said. "Do you want a drink? I want a drink."

"On an empty stomach?"

"I don't have time to eat before drinking because I really want a drink."

After two large swallows she said, "Tell me everything."

He started with the name game in reception and moved on to the cubicle.

"When Stevie went to sit with Russell, I realized that the two of them together are more important to her than we are. And that's how it should be. I remember when it happened with us. When I knew that 'we' mattered more to me than all the rest of my family."

Elizabeth sighed. "I remember, too. It was just Will and me after Mom and Dad died. I thought I might marry eventually but I didn't really think a husband could ever mean more to me than my brother."

"When I stepped out I could still hear because a curtain doesn't equal privacy." Henry told her about the proposal. "When I went back in there was this look of absolute joy on Stevie's face and Russell looked happy, too. She had his Harvard ring on her finger as if they were going steady in high school. Russell said they'd get something more appropriate tomorrow."

"The proposal was a trigger reaction from Stevie. Russell had to have known that and he should have said no."

"He wanted to say yes, babe. Why would he refuse when he was going to ask anyway?"

"What did you do?"

"The only thing I could: Congratulated them, kissed Stevie and shook Russell's hand."

"Traitor."

"I consider it surrendering to the inevitable. Remember back in January we accepted defeat gracefully when they shot down all our arguments against their relationship? And in April we helped move her stuff to Russell's house?"

Elizabeth sighed. "I know. But it's moving so fast. I thought they'd live together for a couple of years."

"They don't have a lot of time to waste. Besides, they've known each other for five years, worked together for two and done things together the past months that shall remain nameless."

Elizabeth laughed. "At least we have a wedding to look forward to. Henry, our baby girl is getting married." Just as suddenly as the laughter, Elizabeth was near tears.

Stevie called her mother later. "Did Dad tell you?"

"Yes. You're really sure, Stevie? It wasn't just the emotion of the moment?"

"That only moved up the timing. It was going to happen anyway."

"So when is it going to happen?"

"Late August."

"Less than four months. That's not much time to plan a wedding."

"It's going to be small, Mom. Civil ceremony."

"Russell has been married before but you haven't. Is that what you want?"

"Absolutely. I'm more interested in the marriage than the wedding. I never wanted a huge spectacle with Jareth either. Russell and his first wife had a big wedding and they both hated it. More friends of their parents than of theirs and that marriage didn't end well. It was much smaller with Carol. Ours will be family only."

"What about Conrad and Lydia?"

"Yes, they're practically family. But they might not be able to attend. They're booked more than four months in advance."

"They'll want to be there if they possibly can. For both of you."

Stevie's next call was to her sister. "Russell and I are getting married."

"Can I design your dress?" Alison asked. "Please, please, please."

"You don't have to beg. That's why I called. Who else would I want?"

"This is the start of my Ali Mac fashion empire!"

"You have a brand?"

"I designed the logo and trademarked it along with the name. Now, let's talk dates. When is the wedding?"

"Late August."

"That's short notice. How about a winter wedding?"

"No. And it's family only so nothing too formal."

"I can see it now. Cool and summery. I have to think about necklines: strapless, one shoulder, halter. I'll be home for the summer in two weeks with sketches. And I'll have to coordinate a tie and pocket square for Russell."

"No, you don't. Russell won't care about that."

"I think you'll find he does. Didn't he tell you he consults on my menswear line?"

"I don't believe it."

"Ask him," Alison said. "Let's get back on topic. Do you want white, a shade of white or a color?

"I'm not sure."

"You can let me know when we go over the sketches. We have to think about how it will look in photos and a roomful of people."

"I told you it's going to be small."

"The wedding, sure. But what about the reception?"

"No reception. We'll all go to brunch or dinner."

"Have you cleared that with Mom?"

"I told her the wedding will be small." Stevie sounded uncertain.

"Sister, you've got a loophole to close."

Two days later the secretary of state's staff once again gathered around Blake's desk as he announced, "Russell Jackson and Stevie are engaged."

"Because of the fender bender?" Matt asked. "That's a big step for a bloody nose."

"Russell was probably reminded of his increasing mortality and wanted to be sure of spending his remaining years with Stevie," Blake said.

"He's fifty-five not seventy-five," Daisy said. "Let's stop dwelling on their ages."

Jay cleared his throat. Everyone looked at him. "He didn't ask her. Stevie asked Russell."

"You knew about this?" Blake demanded.

"Elizabeth told me in confidence. She asked me not to say anything until the news broke."

"Well, it's out now," Blake said. "Stevie has a ring."

"Ooh, any details?" Daisy asked. "Gold, silver, white gold?"

"Platinum setting. I don't know about the stone."

"I'll go 'coordinate press' with the veep's office and say hello to Stevie," Daisy said. "I'll report later. With a picture."

"Kat, you haven't said anything yet," Matt said.

"When's the wedding?" Kat asked.

"Late August," Jay replied.

"If Stevie was pregnant it would probably be sooner."

"You had to ruin the moment, didn't you?" Blake said.

At home with Russell, Stevie said, "Since we're getting married, maybe we should start trying for a baby."