-NOTE-
The next two chapters were tough to write and edit. A lot of moving parts and some might be tough to read. Hopefully, I edited these correctly. Reviews expected even if they are constructive.
Chapter Three
Elizabeth rocked their sweet baby as she nursed. The tears slowly covering her cheeks. She used her right hand to wipe them away.
She whispered to her, "Don't worry, baby. I will bring your Daddy home. I promise you that. You will not live a life without your Daddy."
The comfort of the lilac blanket over the back of the rocker gave her a soft space to rest her head back. She closed her eyes to give herself just a moment. Her thoughts going to him as a husband and not a Daddy.
Their memories swirled in her mind. The first moment she laid eyes on him and he on her in that UVA classroom. Their eyes caught each other and the energy between them seem to ignite. She was shy and nervous, almost afraid of love. But, now she can't even imagine ever living without it. To lose love and then gain the greatest love makes you cherish it all. Their days were are spent cherishing every moment together; the waking and the sleeping ones, the laughing and crying, the bad and the good. This was definitely not one of their best moments but she just knew she was not alone. Their bond allowing her to feel his presence with her. She could hear his voice. That deep soothing voice of his in her head, rising above all others, telling her to find him.
Stevie fussed taking her out of her thoughts. She lifted her to her shoulder as she fixed herself. She missed him. She missed him coming in with that smirky grin and no shirt on, taking their baby on his shoulder and giving her a break. One of her favorite views was watching his gorgeous naked back walk away with Stevie nestled up on his shoulder.
The slight knock on the door brought her out again. Marie stood there leaning against the door frame. Their eyes met. Henry's eyes matched his mother's.
"I made you some breakfast," she whispered.
"Not hungry," Elizabeth answered glancing out the window, purposely not making eye contact. The street below was brighter as the sun beamed from higher in the sky. "9 am" she thought to herself.
"Elizabeth, you have to eat and drink. Don't do this. You cannot feed her without sustenance for yourself," she argued.
The steely, crystal blue of her eyes glared at her mother-in-law even though she knew she was right.
She took a deep breath and stood up. Marie stepped in, Elizabeth waved a hand at her, "I got her. But, thank you. I will be right down."
Marie turned and left, as Elizabeth swayed with Stevie as she stepped to the changing table. She put her in a white infant outfit that snapped from her collar down to her right ankle, cutting across her torso. Elizabeth smiled as she looked at the little red hearts dotting the outfit. The red ruffled collar rimmed her neck.
"How's my Daddy's girl? Are you happy now that you are fed and comfy?" she lifted her up as Stevie's eyes brightened and she smiled back at her.
She carried her downstairs and laid her on the floor mat. The smell of her favorite breakfast filled the room. Marie's omelets and muffins. As she entered, the kitchen the table was set for both of them.
Elizabeth went to the coffee pot and poured herself a big cup. She would pump and dump at work. She met Marie at the table and sat in the chair starting with the banana muffin. She slowly pulled it apart to eat it. Taking her bites easily. Not much was said.
A knock came to the door, they both looked at each other as the door opened.
"Bess!" Isabelle called out as she walked in following the brief knock.
"In the kitchen," she yelled back at her.
Isabelle stepped in wearing high heeled boots and a black skirt with a maroon top that hugged her figure. Elizabeth got up and hugged her friend. A hug that lingered longer than normal.
"Conrad called me. He doesn't want you driving to work," she said evenly not giving her a chance to argue.
"Just let me finish eating and shower and then I will be ready to go," she gave her the unsure smirk. Isabelle made eye contact with Henry's mother.
"Muffin?" Marie asked handing her a plate with a muffin on it. Isabelle smiled and didn't dare say no as the smell of the muffins hit her as soon as she entered the house. But that was Henry's mother, she always brought comfort in times like these.
"What do you mean you kidnapped an American?" Sean McWilliam's Irish brogue beamed through his office. "That was not part of the plan."
The voice on the other end of the line was garbled but they could tell it was Yuri Saslov.
"I'm Irish. I can't have that hanging over me! You stupid fool! Where are you?" McWilliams was screaming.
"Turkey! Where in Turkey? How are you in Turkey?" McWilliams asked fuming at his counterpart.
They could not hear Saslov's answer but their suspicions of where they had taken Henry were correct.
Bess' work was not only bringing truth to their suspicions that McWilliams' was the ringleader of an international crime organization but she had also brought them closer to finding Henry.
Conrad shook his head and thought, "She is bringing him home. Nobody else."
"Try and get that audio cleared up a bit so I can present this to the President and we can bring him home," Conrad ordered the men in the room. As he headed to Bess' office he spoke to his assistant, "Please have my car pulled up and ready to go to the White House. Ask for the NSC to be there as well."
The only thing that Bess could hear was George's voice.
"They were secretly patrolling the air space here in the northern part of Syria on the Turkish border. According to the flight deck, Henry's jet lost an engine somewhere along here. Now, I think they were hit because he should have been able to fly with one engine," as his voice filled her office, the bile grew in Elizabeth's stomach and she went white.
Grabbing her basket, she spilled most of her stomach into the trash barrel. Isabelle stepped over to hold her hair back while she glared at George.
"What? She asked me to tell her everything!" George had his hands up staring back at her.
Conrad stepped in. "Director," George and Isabelle greeted him. Elizabeth put the barrel down and was tying up the bag, she said "Hey…any news?"
Conrad closed the door behind him. Elizabeth immediately sat down and said, "Oh this can't be good!"
"No, no. We have no reason to believe that Henry isn't alive," Conrad leaned against the wall and crossed his arms.
"Well, the look on your face and the gray suit kind of suggest otherwise," Elizabeth joked as Conrad smirked at her.
"I think George is right. We just got firm confirmation that the RTI is holding Henry hostage," he said evenly. "From the bug you planted."
"Shit!" Elizabeth mumbled. "Is my cover blown? Did they take him because of me?"
"Bess, don't spiral. They have no idea who you are. But, I am going to send Isabelle back to Turkey. That is where they are holding him," he looked to Isabelle. "You three work together on this one."
"I'm going with her!" Elizabeth was firm with him.
George immediately fired back, "Like hell you are! You were just in Ireland. They will know your face. They're dumb but not that dumb! You will blow your cover and potentially lose Henry at the same time. Nevermind, you have an infant daughter at home, who needs her mother!"
Elizabeth fired a look back at George and then to Conrad.
"Sorry, Bess! You need to stay here," Conrad put his hand on her shoulder. "Part of your agreement from staying on this case is that you stay put to take care of your daughter." He dropped a copy of one file on Elizabeth's desk and handed Isabelle the other.
Conrad motioned for Isabelle to join him in the hallway. Out there he handed her the file and told her to go through identity transformation and the jet would be waiting for her.
She looked up at him and whispered, "How do you plan on keeping her contained?"
"First, she is your handler. Make sure she knows your every step and every move. Work with her. She can track him down. The more she knows and helps, the less anxious she becomes. Second, I've known her a long time. I got this." He tapped Isabelle on the shoulder. "You just go do your thing," Conrad walked away from her.