There was no chance Henry would catch one wink of sleep this evening. It was always difficult when Elizabeth was away, but the uncertainty surrounding both her whereabouts and her condition were enough to keep him wired until he layed eyes on her again.
He stared at the ceiling, finally throwing the covers from his body and rising to pace the room. He had never felt so helpless. Correction, the only other time he had felt this helpless was when she went to Iran.
He had his reservations then, but she assured him she would be fine. This trip, though it wasn't deemed a danger at all, left him feeling just as defeated as he had months ago. 'I should have gone with her. She asked me to make the quick trip with her and I said no, because I had to grade. I should have been thereā¦'
His thoughts trailed off track as he spotted a family picture on the dresser. It was only after seeing the faces of his innocent children that he was able to hear a subtle, yet undeniable, voice of reason run through his mind. 'If you were there, the chance that those kids would become orphans is astronomical. Don't do that to yourself. Don't do that to them.'
He felt nauseous even considering the fact that she may not return home safely. He sat at the foot of the bed, resting his elbows on his thighs tensely. This was all out of his control. There was nothing left for him to do but pray to God she remained unharmed. He was a man who preferred to be in control, and though he knew his wife was a strong, cabaple woman, it didn't change his need to protect her, to keep her safe.
The light of his phone illuminated the dim bedroom, pulling his attention to the bedside table behind him. A direct call from Russell Jackson must have meant there were developments. He blew an exhale through his nose before answering the call.
"Henry?" He grumbled in response, fearing his voice would betray an appearance of calmed control. "We have confirmation that her plane has gone down." +Henry braced himself upon the small end table, feeling his head begin to spin.
"How bad?" He managed to breathe.
"Unconfirmed. But we have gotten attempts of communication from both her and her detail, which is a good sign."
"Thank you." He quietly returned the phone to its place on the table and made his way into the closet, grabbing one of her favorite sweaters. He knew, without a doubt, her scent would linger within the threads. He slipped under the covers, sliding closer to her pillow, where he placed the sweater under his chin and his bloodshot eyes stared longingly out the window at the setting sun.
Elizabeth's eyes fluttered open, meeting the cold, dusky sky. She didn't remember exiting the plane, she barely remembered the impact. Her eyes suddenly widened as she shot up, pain radiating through her body. She squeezed her eyes, a choked cry leaving her throat. She did her best, however, to ignore the pain, searching frantically for her security detail.
After standing, she was immediately lowered by a steady hand and a calm voice. "Ma'am, we're all here." She nodded silently, feeling the sharp wind of the January air blow right through her. "A rescue team is approximately four minutes out." Again she could only nod, feeling her throat constricting tightly with stress and shock.
Moments later, their relief came in the form of several unmarked cars, followed by multiple police cruisers. Slowly, she walked toward the motorcade, hands shaking as she opened the back door.
"Ma'am, we need to have you checked out before we can allow you to go home." She slid into the back seat, continuing to nod in response to the prompts. The door slammed, causing her muscles to twitch ever so slightly, as her mind shifted to her family.
'You're alive.' She repeatedly reassured herself. 'Your children have a mother. Your husband has a wife.' She closed her eyes, finding it increasingly difficult stay awake. She did, however, remember texting Henry before the flight went down. Curiously, she searched her coat, finally remembering the pocket in which she had shoved it.
Her heart began to race when seeing multiple texts and missed calls from Henry. Without missing a beat, she immediately dialed his number, each ring creating even more anxiety within her chest.
Henry stroked his hand over her pillow, hoping he would hear back from Russell soon. She had to be okay. He could deal with injuries; they could hand that together. He simply needed her to return home first.
His mind became foggy as he stared, unaware of the direction his eyes landed. He had zoned out, completely losing focus of his surroundings, so much so that he nearly missed the vibration of his phone moving across the bedside table.
He slowly rolled to his side, immediately sitting up when he saw her name written across the screen.
"Baby? Elizabeth?" Choked sob escaped his lips as he heard her voice ring through the phone.
"Henry." It was the first she had spoken since she awoke on the shore. Her voice was pained, raspy, hushed, barely audible through the noise that surrounded her.
"Baby, are you okay?"
She nodded once again, forgetting he wasn't able to see her. When she received no response she closed her eyes forcing out a wounded sigh of affirmation.
Henry was finally able to feel a breath of relief wash over him. "Baby, where are you?" She silently shrugged her shoulders, finding words increasingly difficult to find. "Elizabeth, talk to me."
"Ma'am we'll be arriving at Georgetown University Hospital in 30 minutes." Henry was thankful for the indirect information from her detail, springing out of bed with the phone still pressed against his ear.
"I'm sorry." She managed to force through the silence.
"This isn't your fault, baby." He tried his hardest to soothe her, feeling his heart break with her words. "I love you." He reluctantly hung up, rushing to find a pair of jeans and a t-shirt. After shoving a pair of sweatpants and his marine crewneck, along with various other necessities, into a duffle bag, he quickly rushed down the stairs, slipped on his shoes and bounded toward the Jeep, nearly forgetting a jacket in the process.
He knew he would beat the motorcade to the hospital, yet that didn't delay him from leaving as soon as he knew where they would be taking her. He felt his heart race with anticipation with each light he drove through. He thought that hearing her voice would have settled his fears, yet the fact that she was barely able to muster three words did little to ease his mind. He was left feeling just as helpless as he had felt after hearing the news of the lost communication.
He circled the visitor parking lot, finally pulling into a space before grabbing the bag, locking the doors and rushing inside. The words he spoke earlier flashed through his subconscious as he paced the empty waiting room, pending the arrival of both his wife and her detail.
'You better pray she comes home unscathed, or I swear to God I am holding both you and the president responsible.'
A/N: your reviews have absolutely made my week. Thank you so much for following along with me! There is still plenty more to come, with a plot twist coming in a chapter or two!
