Thank you (as always) for you continued interest and reviews. Thank you for hanging in here with me for the long haul. You are all the best.
Elizabeth fiddled with her wedding rings. Her diamond and her wedding band never strayed far from her left hand and they were taking the brunt of her anxious energy. Earlier in the evening, she'd tried to sit but found that she couldn't keep her legs from shaking. She opted to stand behind the main circle of chairs and try to listen to the negotiation that was taking place. She'd felt Jay's concerned gaze following her more than once. Glancing out the window, she caught her own reflection in the darkened glass. She looked as pale as she as felt. Seeing herself, she was reminded of Allison. She and Henry had always joked with their youngest daughter that she could be Snow White. Allison's hair, so different from her own blonde, and porcelain skin always reminded Elizabeth of the Disney princess. The dark against the snow now reminded her how much she wished she could be at home.
When the door opened and one of Conrad's staffers stepped in, Elizabeth welcomed the distraction. "Sir. I'm sorry to intrude. I wanted to make you aware that all air traffic has been grounded for tonight. The storm has hit hard. We have to wait for permission to fly back to D.C. In the meantime, the hotel has blocked off a floor of rooms for everyone to stay tonight."
Irrationally, Elizabeth felt herself well up with tears. The day had been long and taxing. She was hungry. She wanted to have dinner and climb into bed and to wake up cocooned in Henry's arms under their fluffy comforter. She wanted to listen to the kids raucous voices as they made late morning pancakes.
She leaned against the windowsill and met Jay's eye. He shook his head in disbelief. His sister-in-law had called earlier. She was going into the hospital to deliver her first child. Her husband, Jay's brother, was stationed in Afghanistan and Jay had promised them he'd be there for her when she delivered his nephew. His sister-in-law had told him not to rush, not to panic, and that she would keep him posted. Elizabeth had listened with a smile the entire plane ride as Jay told her about his family and this brand new baby boy who was about to make his entrance into the world. Baby Chloe now had a cousin right around her age...
As the hours passed, Danielle's texts became more frequent and Jay grew anxious. Elizabeth had told him to go more than once, but he'd stayed by her side. Now, it was too late and they was stranded in New York for the night. He walked towards her and Elizabeth touched his arm, whispering, "I'm so sorry, Jay."
She felt selfish for wanting to be home now, when Jay should be the first one on a flight back to D.C. His sister-in-law and little nephew's birth were important. She wasn't missing anything important. It wasn't Jason's birthday, Allie's spring art show, or Stevie's project presentation day. She wasn't missing anything, other than her family. She shook herself mentally to get rid of the feeling of unease that had been plaguing her all night. She took a deep breath and saw Jay's disappointed but gentle gaze. She wasn't missing anything. She wasn't.
Stevie took a bite of cold spaghetti as her cell phone buzzed from the table. "Oh, it's Al," she said, her mouth full. "Ah-llieee, where the heck are you?"
The voice that fell on Stevie's ear wasn't her sister's, but a stranger's.
"Hello, My name is Mary. Is this Stevie?"
Stevie swallowed hard, "Yes, this is she. I'm sorry, who did you say you were?"
Stevie met Jason's curious look, as he glanced at her over the back of the couch.
"Stevie, you don't know me, but my name is Mary and I'm a nurse at Providence Hospital."
Stevie's heartbeat sped up and her mind struggled to keep the same pace. She dropped her fork onto the plate with a loud clatter.
"What? What happened?" Jason asked, urgently.
"Stephanie, your dad and your sister were in an accident this evening," the woman's soft voice was supposed to be soothing, but Stevie couldn't breathe.
"Oh my God, are they okay? Do you know what happened? Where- oh my God!"
Stevie felt Jason beside her an instant later, "What?" he whispered, more insistently. She looked at him and shook her head. He read her frightened expression correctly.
"No!" he cried, and Stevie leaned heavily against the table as Jason bolted for the front of the house. She heard him at the front door, shouting to the agents outside. "We've gotta go, Stevie!" he yelled, panic filling his voice.
A moment later, Stevie grabbed Jason's hand as he pulled her into the back of one of the black SUV's.
"What happened?" he exploded, the second she was beside him. The agents in the front seat were speaking hurriedly amongst themselves. Stevie clutched her phone, pressing her mother's number with her shaking fingertip.
"I don't know," she muttered, "There were in an accident. They think somebody ran a red light." It seemed so surreal to Stevie to say those words to her brother, here in their giant safe SUV surrounded by some of the most well-armed and highly trained security officers in the nation.
The phone rang and rang..."Damn it! Pick up the phone, Mom!" she shrieked, losing her temper.
"Stephanie, your mother has been briefed as to the situation and we're making plans to get her home," one of the agents, Michael, told them reassuringly.
Stevie repeated exactly what the nurse had said, to Jason. "They're at the hospital. She couldn't tell me anything about their conditions. She said that she and her family live near where the crash happened and they-" Stevie's voice caught in her throat and she gasped. "I don't think I thanked her," she whispered, swallowing her tears. She felt Jason press his hand to her back and they rode the rest of the way in silence.
Blake's phone buzzed incessantly. He rolled his eyes. This night could not get worse. It was freezing, they were stranded in New York, the snow was piling up, and his patience, on the contrary, was wearing thin. All he wanted - the only thing they all wanted was to go home. He was standing in the hallway of the hotel, making sure that Elizabeth's overnight bag was brought to the correct room when his phone vibrated again. "All right, all right," Blake sighed in annoyance, pulling the device from his pocket. His heart stopped as he read the message and he was on the phone with Frank an instant later. "We have to get her to that hospital!"
Blake didn't often run, but the thought of what had happened was enough to make his panic complete. He raced down several flights of stairs to the second floor of the hotel, where the Secretary was being held in a meeting. He flashed his badge to the security outside the room and knocked before entering.
"Ma'am?" he called, looking for her blonde hair in the sea of graying men in suits and ties.
He spotted Elizabeth standing up against the wall and he motioned for her to join him. "Excuse me, Mr. President. I need to see the Secretary immediately," he said, throwing protocol out the window.
Elizabeth came toward him with Jay close at her heels. "Blake? What's wrong?" she asked, her voice tired but tinged with apprehension. Blake tried his best to stay calm as he lead her from the room and out into the hallway. He wasn't about to give her this kind of news in front of a crowd of people. She deserved privacy, she deserved dignity, she didn't deserve-
He turned back to her and he watched the color fade from her cheeks. "Blake, tell me-"
He mustered the courage to say, "Ma'am, I'm so sorry to tell you this, but your husband and daughter were in a car accident earlier tonight."
"What?" Elizabeth cried breathlessly, already reaching for her cell phone and hurrying toward the elevator. Blake followed in step. "I have to call-" she hit send without thought and heard: Hi, you've reached Henry McCord-...
"Oh God," she gasped, realizing what she had done. "Blake, what happened? Are they all right?"
"I don't know any details right now, Ma'am, but they are both at Providence Hospital," Blake felt his voice tremble at the look on her face. "All air travel has been halted, but Frank has a police escort ready to drive you back to D.C. I have your overnight bag packed and the car is waiting. Your other children have already arrived at the hospital-" he steered her toward the Emergency exit.
"Ma'am, You take care of your family," Jay said, trying to reassure her. As Blake helped her put one arm into her coat, she struggled to push the door open and stepped out into more than a foot of snow.
"Wait!" she cried, turning around. "Jay! Come with me! Your sister-in-law-"
Frank grabbed her hand, helping her into the car.
"Ma'am, are you sure?" Jay questioned.
"Get in the car!" Blake commanded and then as Jay moved past him out into the snow, he pressed a full bottle of pills into Jay's hand, keeping his voice low.
"If she starts to have a panic attack..." Jay nodded, understanding. "Take care of her," Blake told him.
At the last instant before the car door slammed, Elizabeth looked back at Blake, standing alone in the cold.
"Blake," she said frantically, realization coming quickly now, "Henry and-?"
"Allison,'' he answered her, gravely.