EPISODE 16: CONNECTIONS
Harrison couldn't figure out what had woken him up so early - the sun was barely over the horizon - never mind why he was out running in the crisp, cold November pre-dawn.
A part of him was mocking himself about it. What was he thinking to put himself through this early morning torture when he was currently living in the land of no-holds barred five star room service?
That was something he let his mind ponder as the rhythm of his run beat itself into his body.
Maybe it was inspiration from yesterday's event at the Caldwells, the heady anticipation of knowing that something big was about to go down, something with a historical impact and something he was going to have a hand in. Even if ultimately few people would know about it, he'd know - and that was more than good enough for him.
This was what working for Olivia Pope gave him. They were more than lawyers; they were gladiators that not only changed lives, their actions often changed the course of history.
One thing that he could be certain of was that all of this was going to tie into the president's presidential race. Olivia was going to be deep in that, which meant OPA was going to be deep in that and this may be one of the last times of peace and quiet that Harrison was going to get the chance to enjoy.
And meanwhile, he was wasting perfectly good room service because of it. So, who was the smart guy?
Mocking himself was nothing new to Harrison, and using his morning runs to tell himself the truth was more of the same. In this case, laugh all he'd like at his missing the luxury of his five-star hotel suite, but the truth was that he was feeling invigorated by the fresh mountain air and the sense of silence surrounding him. It was as if he was blowing out the cobwebs from the corners of his mind that he hadn't even realized were there. Harrison was thinking that he should be grateful for the sensation because something was telling him that he was going to need it in the days and weeks and probably months ahead.
He shrugged internally; room service was something that he could get anywhere, but while his insides were telling him that there were worse ways of spending his time, they were also telling him that something major was coming his way - their way - and his head was telling him to get ready for it every way that he could.
And that was probably the reason his guts had him out here running at the break of dawn.
So he listened to that inner voice the way that he knew Olivia would want him to. Thinking of her approval brought a smile even as he let himself fall into the rhythm of his body, feeling the rush of power flow through his veins, his heart pumping and his mind totally woke and operating on all pistons.
Harrison's mind leapt ahead, looking to find every and any possible scenario that might get in the president's way. He knew this would be one of Olivia's priorities - which made it one of his priorities. The cast of characters that this might involve was staggering, including not only their present hosts but any of their allies or opponents. There might be more indulgent ways of spending his morning, but in the moment, he couldn't think of anything better of being the gladiator in a suit that he was.
His mind caught up in the whirlwind of his thoughts, Harrison didn't see the person ahead of him on his path until he was almost on top of them - or should he say before he almost knocked them over as they collided and Harrison found himself suddenly and unexpectedly with an armful of female as he grabbed at her in a struggle to keep them both on their feet.
He was surprised to find himself greeted with a familiar voice. "Harrison?"
From her expression, Harrison saw that Shireen Davis was just as surprised to see him as he was to see her.
"What are you doing out here?"
The fact that they asked the same question at the same time made them both laugh.
"Seriously - what are you doing here?" he asked again.
"Couldn't sleep - too much on my mind and I was hoping to clear my thoughts with some fresh air." Shireen said. "What are you doing here?"
"The same as you - couldn't sleep and was hoping to clear my mind with the same fresh air." Harrison said as they began walking along side by side.
"How's that working out for you?" Shireen asked.
"Meh." Harrison waved his hand for an answer. He hadn't found any answers yet. Hell, he hadn't found any questions yet and he said so.
For a few minutes they walked in a mutual silence, neither one of them knowing how to start a conversation for the same uncomfortable reasons - because after the scene of their last encounter they were obviously both being very careful to not discuss it because that might lead to a discussion of the state of the relationship between Shireen and Jake.
Harrison thought that she was probably very grateful for that and to tell the truth, so was he. He was determined to be very careful not to cross any lines - that scene was her business and if she wanted to keep it that way, it was mostly fine with him.
Mostly.
They found themselves exiting the park and still not saying much, they end up in a coffee shop near the hotel. Only after they'd been seated, ordered and had been served coffee did they try to find a neutral source of conversation, but it didn't really work. Harrison decided that he might as well try another angle, asked Shireen why she'd been out in the park at such an early hour. That seemed safe enough - at least until he'd seen the shadow that briefly crossed her face. "You don't have to answer that if you don't want to." He said.
"I don't know what I want." Shireen admitted finally.
Harrison watched and waited as she stirred the spoon in her coffee cup slowly.
"We're sharing a suite, my mother and I - and I just didn't want to be there when she woke up." She lifted her gaze to his. "Sorry."
Harrison shook his head. "You have nothing to apologize for." He said. "Not to me or anyone else."
Along with the rest of OPA, Harrison knew what a crazy, tumultuous year Shireen had had. What had started off as what they'd assumed was a local case had instead turned into an international matter, even though most of it had been buried for the sake of the republic and would never see the light of day.
In the course of that investigation, Shireen had found out about her hidden birthright as a daughter of a murdered prince, his assassination engineered, aided and abetted by the powerful tycoon Hollis Doyle as a purely political grab for international power and influence.
Even more unbelievable was the role that her mother had played; not only had she'd been a willing party in the deception - she'd been more than the NSA Special Envoy that Shireen had been raised to think her mother had been, that instead she'd served the country in ways that Shireen had never dreamed of and in ways that would never be made public.
That truth had caused a rift between her and her mother; Harrison got the sense that this was the first time that she was opening up about it. After all, who could she talk to about it without breaching national security? Probably Jake, he thought - and considering their jobs, they were sure to have differing opinions on the subject.
He couldn't help but wonder if anyone in the government had even stopped to think about the toll this whole situation had taken on her. Yes, the bad guy - Hollis Doyle - had been stopped, relationships between the two countries were on their way to being normalized. Yes, Jocelyn had served the president and the country well - but Shireen's life had been been forever changed. Who, Harrison wondered - who had taken the time to measure what the emotional damage had been to Shireen?
That perception colored his words; after all, wasn't a gladiator allowed to have feelings? "Now that you're back, how are you?"
His words hit their mark; it was there in the look that Shireen shot his way. Her eyes held his for a moment before dropping back down to her cup. Harrison knew better than to press her, instead he watched quietly as Shireen took her time to answer. She needed this, he realized. To talk without her words being filtered by political necessity, to have someone to just listen. Harrison could see that this was what Shireen needed more than anything.
Her next words proved him right.
"My mother means well - I mean all this time while we've been traveling, she's tried to explain over and over again why she did what she did. She's tried to make it up to me what has happened." Shireen said. "But she can't. It's not that I don't get it - in my head I can understand her choices…"
"But…" Harrison said.
She smiled again, but it was a smile that was sadly muted at its edges. "But…"
His gaze was compassionate as Harrison watched Shireen as she took a deep breath before continuing. "How am I supposed to respond to all of this - knowing that my mother deliberately made my entire life into a lie? I don't have to tell you how big this lie was - you were there for it. You know that it was literally world-changing. Some could argue that it was bigger than me - but what am I supposed to do with that?"
Harrison had no answer for her; he had to wonder if anyone could answer her, His normally glib mind was at a loss; he couldn't think of anything off the top of his head - nothing that could be truthful, at the very least. He could spin her a pretty lie, but what good would that do for her?
He was surprised to realized that this was something that suddenly mattered very much.
Harrison hoped that Shireen knew how true this was. "I wish that I could wave a magic wand and hand you an answer that would solve all of this for you, but we both know that I can't. What I can do is be an ear to listen whenever you need one."
Harrison found himself promising himself that this was the least he could do. In the moment, he couldn't think of anything better. He looked across the table at Shireen. "Until you're ready for that, what do you think about an early breakfast?"
The smile he got in return brightened his thoughts and at the same time put a new thought into Harrison's head… maybe missing that perfectly good, five star room service hadn't been a total waste after all.