Felt this little piece speak to me while watching Killer Robots today. May expand into a solo multi chap story in a few weeks.
Bren
...
The clenching of her gut coupled with the abject anger and total disappointment always made her want to cry.
She knew humans were imperfect. She knew people made mistakes and let you down sometimes as often as they lifted you up and came through for you.
This one hurt though. Ed Parker - Admiral, one of her closest advisors, someone she thought mostly approved of her and a man she had respected throughout her tenure as Sec State and again as POTUS- well, today he had thrown away his career because he didn't approve of her decision to send in Navy SEALS instead of UGV's.
He had the gall to tell her she had violated her prime directive.
She knew he would never have said that to Conrad. He betrayed his country because he disagreed with her.
She knew being the first female President was going to be historic in so many ways. Many of them good. Some of them would be painful.
Today hurt. She knew her missteps were only because she was learning. Ed Parker was supposed to respect the office. Instead his patriarchal past had reared its head. He deliberately went against her because she was a woman.
It was embarrassing and humiliating and she didn't like how it made it her feel.
So that night while Henry was making tea and the new dog was deciding whether or not to accept her, she had a moment of doubt. A creeping doubtful minute where she wondered if maybe she should just quit and run away to the farm and ride one of their horses (not Buttercup because he had died ) into the wind until the wind dried the tears on her cheeks and her aching soul was too tired to care.
But then the dog came to her and greeted her. Hope. A minute later Henry came back with hot tea and a bowl of popcorn.
She decided that as hard as betrayal was to take; she could always manage with this beautiful man by her side. The man who found the perfect dog. The man who stood beside her as she upended their quiet lives to take on this larger than life dream she didn't even know she wanted until Conrad came and gave her no options.
The cheap blouse, mom jeans and pigtails. That was her then. This surreal journey. She was worthy of the test.
She took a moment to kiss her husband's hand. This was a man who would be there. She took a moment to consider what would happen if he were to betray her and she realized that it made no sense.
Nothing in life was one hundred percent. Henry's love was a close as it came though. She would be better tomorrow because he would hold her to that.
He knew this job was impossible sometimes, and he would stand beside her as she fumbled. But she wouldn't collapse because he wouldn't let her. No matter how brutal it got she could pause and breathe - and he would send her back into the ring. Ultimately that's what she needed to do. Always.
And today he brought her a dog.
...