Russell was stretched out at one end of the sofa, feet on coffee table, surrounded by books and papers. Stevie was at the other end, curled up with her tablet. Russell still worked late at the office if it was necessary for him to be there but whenever possible he brought work home instead. He hadn't done that much with Carol because she was often at the hospital so he might as well be at the White House. Stevie was usually studying and it was companionable to be together even if they were both busy. Tonight she was on a different mission.

"What are you doing?" Russell asked without looking up.

"Picking a baby name."

Of course. The ultrasound yesterday had shown they were having a girl. That was one reason they had decided to find out instead of being surprised, so they could pick one name instead of two. Last night they had admitted that, although a healthy baby was most important, they had each secretly hoped for a daughter.

"No fruits," Russell said.

"Are we talking about things missing from your diet?"

"Clever," he said in acknowledgment. "I'm not a fan of names like Apple, Berry or Cherry. Ditto minerals and stones – no Pearl, Ruby or Jade."

"Jade Jackson is cute."

"Hide it in the middle if you want but not a first name."

"What about Diamond? We could call her Di."

"When you have a serious suggestion I'll be glad to hear it. Son of a bitch!"

"Don't swear in front of the baby."

Russell ignored her, which Stevie expected. He had a laser focus about work and might not even have heard her. He reached for a thick report, paged through it and compared it to the first report he had been scanning. He punched a number on speed dial and got a busy signal. A call was waiting so he clicked on it. "Bess?"

"I was calling you but it was busy."

"We're probably calling about the same thing. Discrepancy in the budget?"

"Page 238. I'll get my staff on it. How's Stevie?"

"Picking weird baby names to annoy me."

"Tell her not to choose something too unusual."

"Thank you. I'm putting you on speaker. Stevie, listen to your mother."

"Sweetheart, some names seem unique but they end up sounding odd."

"I was just messing with Russell. I've already picked the name. It's normal but not overused."

"What is it?"

"You'll find out the name and sex when the baby is born."

"I can wait. That's wise not to tell. Sometimes friends take a name you love."

"Bye, Mom."

"Are you going to share it with me?" Russell asked.

"Ivy Elizabeth Jackson."

"My mother and yours."

"You approve?"

"Very suitable. But she might get called Poison Ivy."

"It doesn't have to be a negative. It's kind of a cool nickname. Dior has a perfume called Poison."

"Or she might get called Intra, short for Intravenous."

"IV. Nice one. If she tests well, she could be Ivy League."

Stevie and Russell's decision to let the name and sex of their baby be a surprise was received with polite agreement when announced to the family but it soon became clear that everybody had an agenda to find out before the others. The phone calls began, some to Stevie and some to Russell.

"Stevie, it would mean a lot to know if I'm going to have a brother or sister. I don't even care about the name."

"That's too bad, Logan, because I can't give up the sex but I might have been talked into the name."

"I'll settle for the name."

"We're considering Chris, Pat and Lee."

"You're adding to the wicked stepmother trope."

"You'll be our second phone call, right after your brother."

"Russell, it's Jason. As your only brother-in-law I'd be honored if you trusted me with the sacred news of the baby's name and sex."

"Pass."

"C'mon man, I destroyed evidence of cheeseburgers for you."

"I told Stevie about it later."

"Why? We got away clean!"

"I knew you'd try to blackmail me eventually."

"This is very disappointing."

"If you ever get in trouble, you can call me instead of your parents. You'll still have to tell them but you can call me for help if you want to."

"That's better than finding out about the baby. Thanks, Russell."

"This is the kind of stuff you share with a sister."

"I can't, Ali. You'll understand when it happens to you."

"It's not like I'm going to post it on Facebook or tweet about it."

"The fact that you even mention it makes me afraid."

"Dad, as your firstborn, I think I should know. What if something happens to you before the baby is born and then Stevie is unconscious after she delivers? Someone should know what to name the baby."

"That is so wildly improbable that it might actually happen. Okay, here goes. Are you listening? We're having a [Russell made a static sound] and the name will be [another static sound]. Did you get that?"

Ken hung up.

"Stevie, it's Dad. You know Mom is stressed out and I think it would be nice for her to hear some happy news."

"She told me she could wait to find out."

"It's four more months and she is your mother."

"She's with you, isn't she? She made you call because she thinks you can get me to tell."

"I lied," Elizabeth said. "I want to know. I need to know."

"Hi, Mom. I knew you were in this together. Savor the anticipation."

"Bess and Henry not so jokingly suggested I sign an executive order compelling you and Stevie to reveal the name and sex of your baby."

"Sounds illegal, Mr. President."

"As your best and oldest friend, Russell …"

"Begging is beneath you, sir."

Stevie woke up one Sunday morning before Russell, a rare occurrence. He was lying on his back. She edged closer and put one hand on his chest. After a moment she moved it down between his legs. She had felt a flutter of muscles as she passed his stomach so she wasn't surprised when he spoke.

"Don't start something I may not be able to finish."

"Not finishing would mean you lost the use of your tongue, hands and this." Stevie squeezed gently. "And since your tongue is still working we're good to go."

It turned out everything was working. They didn't have sex morning and night, although it had happened a few times, but Russell was ready when either of them initiated. Stevie supposed that might change as time went on but she wasn't worried about being frustrated.

"We should have names to call each other."

"Whatever bursts out in the heat of the moment is best. And when did we reach the name-calling stage? Did I miss a fight?"

"You know I mean pet names."

"Must we?"

"I feel like it would be intimate."

"I thought you called me 'Oh god yes' when we were intimate."

"And you called me 'You're so wet'. I mean something affectionate when we're not having sex."

"Your parents call each other babe. We can't use that."

"There are plenty of others: sweetie, honey, darling, dear."

"Carol called me dear or sweetheart sometimes so let's skip those. I suppose you can call me honey or darling in private if the spirit moves you."

"What will you call me?"

"You'll find out."

Russell came home early one day in March. It was Friday and at first Stevie thought it must have been a rare slow afternoon but one look at his face and she knew something was wrong.

"Sit down. Don't you feel well?"

"I need a drink."

"Not if you're in the middle of a health crisis."

"It's not my heart. It's my father."

Stevie got Russell's coat off and settled him on the sofa. She poured a finger of scotch which he tossed back. He handed her the glass again expectantly. She poured another finger.

"That's all you get so make it last. Tell me what happened."

"A woman called from a hospital in L.A. Douglas Jackson is in intensive care. He won't last more than a day or two. He claimed his son was White House chief of staff so she called the switchboard and was transferred to Adele. She was convincing enough that Adele put her through to me."

"Are you sure it's your father?"

"He's got the paperwork and he told her a couple of things to pass along to me. It's either him or he knows Douglas Jackson well enough to fake it. They're going to confirm but I have a feeling it's him."

"He wants to see you?"

"He didn't say so, just asked them to call. Apparently he had the decency to know he had no right to expect me to show up."

"What are you going to do?"

"I don't know. I don't want to see him. I hoped he was dead."

"You've never tried to find him?"

"No. And I could have. Easily, since I have access to intelligence agencies. He left, Stevie. It's been almost fifty years. I was nine. He didn't come back when Kenny was killed eight years later. He didn't get in touch when my mother died ten years ago. Why couldn't he leave me alone and just quietly die?"

"You could ask him."

"You think I should go?"

"You have to decide which you can live with best: going or not going."

"I may regret it but I suppose I'll go."

"I'll be with you."

"No. You're not flying. You're six months pregnant."

"I'm healthy, the baby is fine and there have been no complications. It's safe."

After a moment Russell nodded. "We'll go first class. It'll be more comfortable."

"I'll arrange the flight and hotel. Do you want to let Ken and Logan know?"

"They've never known him and there's no time to change that now. I don't want them to feel they have to go but it should be their decision. I'll call them."

Russell went to his study. Stevie made calls from the sofa. Russell emerged fifteen minutes later.

"I told the boys it was up to them. They're going to talk about it. At least it's spring break so they won't miss class if they decide to come."

"Last year they met my family over spring break," Stevie said. "This year they may meet yours."

"They knew their grandmother. That man isn't family, he's just a biological ancestor. Did you get a hotel and flight booked?"

"Our hotel is near the hospital. Wheels up at Andrews at twenty-hundred hours. Eight pm to us civilians."

Russell paused for a moment, thinking. "I forgot FLOTUS is flying to California tonight to speak to a women's group tomorrow."

"I called Lydia. She's delighted to let us hitch a ride. I'll pack. You call Adele and POTUS."

Stevie also called her mother and explained what had happened.

"That's a tough situation," Elizabeth said. "I know how much his brother's death affected Russell on top of his father leaving. I hope this goes as well as possible. Russell is lucky to have you. You're always there for his crises."

They ate the dinner Elena had left for them and Thomas got them to Andrews half an hour before takeoff. Flight time was four and a half hours but gaining three time zones would put them in L.A. at nine-thirty. Lydia greeted them and then excused herself to work on the speech with her staff. She had heard about Russell's father and thought that Russell and Stevie might prefer to talk privately on the way to California.

"You've never mentioned your childhood," Stevie said. "I should have asked but I didn't want to pry."

"It was a long time ago. I didn't want you to get caught up in all my baggage."

"We're married, Russell, baggage and all. Not sharing with me makes me think you don't believe I'm strong enough or smart enough or love you enough to deal with it."

"I don't think any of those things. I may have been trying to avoid talking about it. You didn't used to see through me and everything I say. Why did you have to take a critical thinking course?"

"So I could keep up with you."

"All right, you asked for it. My parents got married because Kenny was on the way. People did that back then. Kenny told me later he didn't think the marriage ever worked well but that the first years were okay. Not great but not terrible. Like a lot of marriages. After awhile it got rocky so they had me. People did that, too, had a baby to save the marriage. He stayed until Kenny was sixteen. Then he was just gone. No alimony, no child support, no visits or phone calls or birthday cards. There was never much money but that was true of the entire neighborhood. We were blue collar middle class. That changed after he left. We dropped pretty fast. We lived in Baltimore which was in decline. It was a tough city, especially for an undersized white boy. I didn't look threatening but I was scrappy. I could kick the ass of anyone my size or a little bigger. I didn't have much chance against a big guy but I could hurt him enough to make him think twice about trying me again. I wear suits now and I know how to play the game but scratch the surface and the street kid is right there."

"I'm so sorry for what you and your family went through but I have to admit I find that image of you very appealing."

"Good girls like bad boys?"

"You think I'm a good girl?"

"You come from money in Virginia horse country and I grew up barely above the poverty line in urban Maryland."

"I know it wasn't easy but I think your background is part of why I'm attracted to you."

"I hoped it was the sex."

"That's the other part."

Harrison Dalton arrived with the limo for the first lady. Seeing her son was a bonus for visiting California. Lydia descended the airstairs to meet him and be officially greeted. Russell and Stevie waited on the plane until they had departed then took a cab to the hotel, checked in and went to the hospital. Visiting hours were over and his father was asleep but Russell wanted to see the man without having to speak to him yet.

There were few photos of Douglas Jackson back home. It wasn't a generation that documented every minute of life. Jackson had usually operated the camera so he wasn't in many photos himself. Stevie had seen a wedding portrait, a family portrait taken when Russell was four and Kenny eleven, and a picture of the boys with their father when Russell was eight and Kenny was fifteen. Jackson had left a year later. Father and son hadn't looked much alike when Russell was young but Stevie saw a resemblance now.

Jackson was eighty-two and bald. He looked smaller than Russell, probably shrunken by age and illness. Maybe they had been the same size at one time; perhaps the father had even been taller. Kenny had been taller than Russell and both Ken and Logan were taller than their father.

Jackson looked frail and ill. The staff told them he had a mild heart attack thirty years before and recovered well but never did anything to prevent another one. It had taken a long time but a second attack had damaged his heart muscle. There was nothing to be done but make him comfortable.

Back at the hotel Stevie asked Russell what he felt when he saw his father.

"Nothing, really. I thought the anger would come back. When I didn't feel it in DC I expected it to kick in out here. It hasn't. There's no connection with him. I have some memories of him. They're not bad but any good times were overshadowed by his leaving. I just don't care anymore."

"Do you want to go back tomorrow? You don't have to."

Russell shrugged. "We came all this way. I might as well."

They went back to the hospital after breakfast. The staff had told Jackson that Russell had come. He was awake but his eyes were closed. Stevie asked if Russell wanted to go in by himself but his hand tightened on hers and he said no. They went in together and stood by the bed. Jackson must have heard them because his eyes opened and father and son saw each other for the first time in forty-seven years.

"Russell." The old man's voice was weak.

"Why did you call?"

"I wasn't going to but I changed my mind. Not sure why."

"And?"

"I'm glad to see you. I don't blame you for not feeling the same."

Russell was silent.

Douglas caught sight of Stevie. "Is that your daughter?" His eyes moved down. "And a grandbaby?"

Russell's mouth tightened.

"I'm Russell's wife," Stevie said. "Stephanie McCord Jackson."

The old man looked at Russell. "I married young. You married late."

"I was married before for twenty-three years. She died."

"Kids?"

"Two sons."

"Like me."

"Not like you."

"I guess not."

Stevie saw two figures entering the ICU. She squeezed Russell's hand and he turned to look and saw Ken and Logan. He motioned them in.

"Ken, Logan, this is Douglas Jackson."

The boys said hello stiffly. The old man nodded.

Before the silence could become awkward Stevie's phone beeped. "It's Mom. I'll step out and take it."

Five minutes later she was back. It was possible not a single word had been exchanged while she was gone.

"Everything okay?" Russell asked.

"Conrad is sending her to The Hague."

A TV was on but muted. Russell unmuted it and changed channels to a news feed.

"Secretary of State McCord is on her way to The Hague. President Dalton has asked her to be present at the United Nation's International Court of Justice trial which begins …"

A picture of Elizabeth flashed on the screen.

"Did you say your name is McCord?" Jackson asked Stevie.

"Yes. That's my mother."

"So you married into politics as well as working in it," Jackson said to Russell.

"I married into medicine first. Ken and Logan's mother was a pediatric surgeon specializing in transplants."

"You didn't know any of this?" Logan asked.

"He knew Dad was chief of staff," Ken said.

"I saw that in the news years ago," Jackson said.

The four men were silent again. Stevie said to the boys, "I'll get you a room at our hotel." She left to make the call.

Russell and his sons followed a few minutes later.

"He's tired. Staff said to let him rest."

They went back to the hotel. Ken and Logan checked in and went to their room. They had traveled all night and needed to catch up on sleep. Russell and Stevie went to the assisted living facility Jackson had lived in the past two years and spoke with the director.

"Douglas has had no visitors. He is on good terms with the residents but I'm not aware that he is close to anyone. I would call them acquaintances rather than friends. He provided no next of kin information to us. I was surprised to hear that he had done so at the hospital when he was admitted yesterday."

"There's been no contact for decades," Russell said. "He left my mother, brother and me when I was nine. We never heard from him again. I'm the only one alive. Apparently he didn't remarry nor have other children."

"It seems unlikely. He said once that he was married long ago and wouldn't do that again. He never mentioned children. His medical records indicate he had a vasectomy in 1964."

"A year after I was born. Is there a work history?"

"He held a low level position for seventeen years here in California before retiring fifteen years ago. He spoke of similar positions in Missouri and Colorado."

"Sounds like he worked his way from the east to west coast. Are his finances in order?"

"He is a Medicaid resident. There are a few charges that won't be covered."

"I'll take care of anything outstanding."

"Would you like to see his room?"

There was little to see. No mementos, no photos, nothing very personal at all. Some clothes and a few small pieces of furniture.

"It's as if he tried to erase himself from life," Stevie said.

"Was there ever a diagnosis of mental illness?" Russell asked.

"No," the director replied. "An evaluation was performed soon after he came here. We were concerned about his disengagement but there was no indication of mental illness or dementia. He simply preferred to limit his interactions with the world."

"Starting with his family almost fifty years ago," Russell said. "That seems to have been his pattern."

Russell and Stevie lunched with Ken and Logan and they all went back to the hospital. Jackson had visibly deteriorated in a few hours. They watched from outside his room.

"He looks really frail and sick," Stevie said. "You may not get closure after all."

"I won't confront him," Russell said. "If he was in better health I might have tried but he's dying and I didn't come here to make that harder. I thought I wanted answers but I can't imagine what he would say to explain himself anyway. It might be better not to know. He may not know himself."

"I thought he looked like you at first," Logan said. "But after a few minutes he seemed completely different."

"There's something passive about him," Ken said. "I don't think it's because he's old and sick. It's his character."

"That's definitely not like your father," Stevie said. She wasn't surprised at Ken's insightfulness. He was in pre-med and planned to be a psychiatrist.

Jackson died Saturday evening. Russell was relieved rather than angry or sad. "I remember calling him Daddy when I was little. He was Dad by the time he left. Now he's just a man who used to be my father."

Jackson hadn't made arrangements for his passing but the assisted living facility had a standard form for disposal of remains that he had signed when he went to live there. He would be cremated and his ashes scattered at the far end of the property. Normally the paperwork and cremation process would take several days but President Dalton called to request that it be expedited. There was a brief service Monday afternoon at the assisted living facility. The director and two staff members attended along with several residents who didn't seem upset by Jackson's passing. They were more like professional mourners who went to every funeral whether they were close to the deceased or not. Lydia Dalton had stayed an extra day in California so that she could attend out of respect for Russell. Harrison accompanied her. The director, staff members and residents were excited to meet the first lady and it turned into a social occasion.

"Glad to see you." Harrison shook hands with Russell when he arrived. "Sorry about the circumstances."

"Thanks. You probably heard that we weren't in contact."

"Yeah, bad situation. But you look good. Marriage agrees with you." Harrison turned to Stevie and kissed her cheek. "Gingy! Marriage agrees with you, too. And pregnancy."

"Thank you, Harrison. You look well." It was true. Harrison's eyes were clear and alert; he looked calm and happy. The real emotions, not the artificial calm of downers or the frantic bliss of uppers.

"I'm much better out here. DC wasn't good for me." Harrison moved on to Russell's sons. He was several years older and they weren't close friends but they had known each other for years. "Guys! Spring break, right? Stay a few days with me in Santa Barbara and we'll go surfing."

Ken and Logan looked at each other and smiled. "We're in."

The Jacksons and Daltons dined together that evening. Lydia, Stevie and Russell were in the air a few hours later and would be back in DC early Tuesday morning. After takeoff Lydia offered the bedroom to Stevie and Russell: "I never sleep well when flying, even at night. Stevie should lie down. Russell, you probably haven't slept much since we got here."

Stevie and Russell suspected it wasn't entirely true that Lydia couldn't sleep but the first lady would have her way so they accepted.

They were both tired and dropped off easily. Stevie woke up two hours later, unable to sleep again. Russell was already awake.

"Are you all right?" Stevie asked.

Russell nodded. "I don't mind that he's gone because it's finally over."

"Is it? Seems like you still have something on your mind."

"I was wondering if you ever joined the mile high club."

"Okay, thinking about sex is healthy, I guess. I'm not a member. Are you?"

"No. I've flown regularly for twenty-five years and never really thought about it."

"Until now. Do you think the bedroom on air force two with the first lady and her entourage on board is appropriate timing?"

"They won't know. Don't you want to comfort me?"

"Are you playing the dead dad card for a man you despised?"

"It ought to be worth something."

"Well, we won't have a better opportunity than this. Make sure the door is locked."

Russell spooned Stevie and entered from behind. It was a good position during the third trimester to avoid pressure on the uterus and bladder. It also reduced penetration even with hard thrusts. Stevie pulled Russell's arm around her abdomen and guided his hand between her legs. His fingers moved as he kissed the back of her neck. Stevie moaned and tightened around him. It was Russell's turn to moan.

Dressing afterward, Russell tucked his button down into khakis and pulled his crew sweater over it.

Stevie said, "I only agreed to this because preppy is a cute look on you." It was true. Russell looked good in suits but the casual clothes made her want to hug him and then tear his clothes off.

"Thanks for faking the enthusiasm."

"I never have to fake it. I'm just saying your outfit helped sell the idea."

"The outfit you practically ripped buttons off to get me out of?"

"Told you I wasn't faking."

Paparazzi were waiting to see who emerged from cars and limos at the Kennedy Center two weeks later. There were a few celebrities arriving but most were political figures. DC loves Hollywood but power in politics is of greater interest than celebrity fame. Russell and Stevie were considered a power couple among the DC elite. They were photographed and stopped for questions on their way in.

There was an unexpected encounter at intermission. Dee, the sec def's wife, had just moved on from speaking with Stevie when a familiar voice said, "Stevie?" and she turned around to see Arthur Gilroy with an attractive woman his age.

Arthur's eyes widened as Stevie turned. She didn't look pregnant from the back but she was seven months along and it was very noticeable from any other angle.

"Wow, I didn't know …" Arthur's voice trailed off. "Congratulations."

"Thank you, Arthur. It's nice to see you."

"Zoe Andrews, this is Stephanie McCord Jackson."

"I'm glad to meet you," Stevie said, meaning it. "Arthur told me about you when I stopped at the office last year."

"Pleased to meet you," Zoe said.

"My husband is here somewhere." Stevie looked around. Russell was coming toward her. "Zoe Andrews and Arthur Gilroy. Arthur is director of the microloan program in DC."

"Russell Jackson," Russell said, offering a hand.

"Honored to meet you," Arthur said.

"Likewise. The success of the microloan program is a bright spot in the administration. You should be proud of the work you've done."

"I've had a lot of help, including your wife years ago."

"Stevie told me she handled a phone call in French a minute after walking in the door."

Arthur laughed. "Probably the oddest job interview she's ever had."

"Up to that point, but a few years later she gave me CPR when I interviewed her. After that I felt like I owed her a job."

Meanwhile Stevie had asked Zoe what she did.

"I'm a teacher. Public school, not private."

"I went to public school," Stevie said.

"Really? I would have thought with your mother's position …"

"I graduated high school in Virginia before Mom became secretary of state. My sister and brother attended Westmore Prep Academy. Alison graduated but Jason was invited to leave."

Zoe smiled. "Those Quakers are tough."

"Quite. Jason went to Monroe public after that and loved it."

A bell rang signaling the end of intermission.

On the way back to their seats Zoe said, "When you told me there was an age problem because Stevie was twenty when you dated, I assumed you meant you were too old for her."

"I thought so, too. Turns out I was too young."

At home that night, Russell stripped efficiently by the time Stevie had only taken off her shoes and jewelry.

"Need help getting peeled out of that dress?" Russell asked.

"Yes. Was it too tight?"

"Almost, which is exactly right. You are an outrageously sexy pregnant woman."

"Is that why you like to see me in my underwear every morning and night?"

"The underwear is optional. I like to see you because your entire body looks like a bowl of ripe fruit."

"Cantaloupes and watermelon?"

Russell brushed his hands against Stevie's cheeks. "You've also got peaches." He kissed her mouth. "Cherries." His thumbs flicked her nipples. "Raspberries."

"Is that a banana in your boxers?"

Later, Russell brought up an online fashion column complete with picture. He read it aloud:

Stevie Stuns at Seven Months

White House chief of staff Russell Jackson and wife Stephanie McCord Jackson attended the ballet at the Kennedy Center this evening. Mrs. J, expecting their first child in June, revealed her baby bump in a one-shoulder form fitting seafoam green gown perfect for a spring evening in April. Her hair was up, displaying a pearl and diamond choker. Mr. J sported a matching seafoam green tie and pocket square with a tiny design that we couldn't see well enough to identify. When asked, he said to check with the designer, Ali Mac. Asked if he was consulted about Stevie's ensemble, the chief of staff replied that he contributed the baby and the choker.

"Why didn't you tell them the design was the symbols for male and female?" Stevie asked.

"And deny Alison the satisfaction of being bombarded by fashion reporters?"

"Yeah, she'll love being asked." Stevie hesitated. "What did you think of Arthur?"

"His idealism is a good fit for the microloan program. I can see why that appealed to you. But he's so earnest."

"I know, right? He's the same about everything. It was too much."

"Two down, two to go."

"What do you mean?"

"Apparently I'm destined to run into everyone you slept with in DC. First Harrison, then Arthur."

"Jareth is in England and Dmitri is in Alaska. You're safe now."