Chapter 11

"Frank, I still don't understand why you never told me about Joseph cheating on Stephanie. I feel horrible for pushing him on her. I never would have done that had I known."

Frank controlled the urge to rub his temples. "I know you always felt sorry for Joe and what he went through as a child. You viewed him as a surrogate son. The few times I would mention something he did wrong, you'd say there must have been a mistake. You didn't want to see it. I know you think that Stephanie is nothing like you, but you are more alike than you think."

"In what ways?"

"You both try to see the good in everyone around you, especially those you care about. You make excuses for actions they do, and when the facts become too irrefutable, you bury your head in the sand. Stephanie wants to be a working mom and have her own career. In that way, she is not like you. But she always tries to please you," Frank said before pausing. "If you asked her, she would have married Morelli to hear you say you are proud of her."

Ellen was taken aback by what her husband told her. She was incredibly proud of both her daughters. Ellen loved them both equally. Okay, maybe she didn't understand Stephanie. Perhaps Ellen emphasized what other people thought too much instead of defending Stephanie's independence and free spirit. But all she knew was the Burg. Looking back, it probably would have been better to live on the Army base than in Trenton. At least on the base, she would have had women there who understood how hard it is to be an Army wife.

"I am proud of Stephanie. I could never travel around the country alone, talking to thousands of people like her. I don't mind the small engagements, especially those with the children, but I couldn't be on the campaign trail like Stephanie."

"Then you need to tell your daughter that. Stephanie feels that she is a failure and that something is wrong because she is unhappy with the traditional roles. She believes you love Valerie more than her and calls her sister "Saint Valerie" because she is the perfect daughter. Ellen, I've tried to tell you this numerous times, but you never wanted to hear it. Why now?"

"It's the threats against Stephanie. The bomb that went off in her apartment the other night, I keep thinking that we could have lost her. I wish we had a better relationship. I was afraid she would die thinking I was disappointed in her. That's why I was surprised when she told me about Joseph. To think that she kept going back to him, and it was because of me. Frank, what have I done?"

"You did your best under difficult circumstances. I never saw what was before my eyes when I was home. I was itching for the next mission. You and the girls were secondary. I didn't listen when Stephanie would tell me how she felt when I was gone. We are both to blame. However, when I retired, I vowed to do everything I could to let both my daughters know that I was proud of them and their choices. That I supported them. And you need to do the same."

"Yes, but I only hope I'm not too late."

"It's never too late, dear," Frank said as he kissed Ellen on the forehead. There was a knock on the door.

"Come in."

"Good morning, Mr. President. Good morning, Ellen. How are you feeling today?" Cynthia, Ellen's day nurse, asked.

"I have some discomfort."

"Well, let's take care of that."

"Ellen, I have a busy day, but I will try stopping here for lunch. Valerie is coming over with the girls at ten. Let me know if you need anything. Have a good day, Cynthia."

"Thank you, Sir."

Frank exited the room as Cynthia and his wife prepared for her treatment. He never understood why Ellen always failed to see how she treated Stephanie. It didn't matter how often he or his mother-in-law, Edna, told her she was harming Stephanie; she didn't want to hear it. Now, though, that she's dying, she finally sees it. Frank only hopes she has time to tell their daughter what she told him.

"Frank, we have some good news," Juniak said as he fell in step with the president, "the newest poll from Chicago shows some gains in our target group. Stephanie works her magic again. I know we won't have to worry about that demographic after she visits the youth center in LA today."

"You're meeting with the senators from Michigan today, right?"

"Yes. They want to talk about the emissions bill. They say it's going to cripple the auto industry even more."

"When will Detroit realize they must move toward electric vehicles, even hybrids? Our environment can't handle another hundred years of gas-guzzling cars."

"I don't disagree, but they will be a hard sell."

"They always are. Okay, let me know how it goes. I'm off to meet with the General."

Stephanie was impressed with the program she saw in Los Angeles. It was everything her father envisioned and then some. In addition to helping the children, there were training programs for their parents and other adults. The men could learn plumbing, electrical work, carpentry, and other trades, while the women learned nail, hair, typing, computer, and hospitality. There were also English classes. These adults' bilingual ability would help make them valuable to their community. Those slightly more proficient in English could learn real estate and banking skills. She took note of these initiatives to introduce to Trenton since she was the nonprofit's CEO.

"Senora," a woman in her thirties approached Stephanie and spoke to her in rapid Spanish. While Steph could understand some Spanish, she was far from fluent. At her deer-in-the-headlights expression, Ranger stepped beside Stephanie and translated for her. Spanish was his first language, and he spoke a few others, finding he had a knack for learning languages.

"She wants to talk to you about how this program saved her family. She originally settled in New Jersey, and her son participated in the Trenton program."

"Okay, please tell her to continue," Stephanie said, needing to hear her story.

As she spoke, Ranger translated, and tears started to form in Stephanie's eyes.

"She said that her son was thirteen and struggling in school. He was behind in reading and writing in English but could speak it reasonably well. The teachers often made fun of him, and I wasn't home much, for I worked in two hotels as a maid to make ends meet. He started to get involved in a gang. Then, this program was introduced, and his counselor recommended him for it, initially for tutoring. There, they discovered he had a learning disability and gave him strategies to help him read and write. He was introduced to masonry there and fell in love with the work. He liked to create things and knew that, as a mason, every job would be different. He started as an apprentice in a company, leading jobs out of high school. He owns his business and helped us move here so I could be closer to my sisters.

"Here, in LA, I have been able to take English classes and cooking classes. It has helped us so much that my sisters and I will open a restaurant here, all because of the program you and your father started. We are so grateful to you. Thank you!" Ranger finished translating as the woman was crying.

"What is your name?" Stephanie asked.

"Jenny Castineras."

"Jenny, that is wonderful to hear. Please let me know the name of your restaurant and its location, and I promise to dine there the next time I'm in LA."

"Gracias, Senora."

The two women hugged as Stephanie turned to Ranger, "Is it time to go?"

"Yes. Lester is waiting with the car."

Stephanie goes over to the site director, praises the great work done there, and promises to get more funding for the programs to continue and new ones to be added. She made a mental note to use Jenny's story to prove the program's success.

Frank walked back into the residence, eager to see his granddaughters before they went home. He saw Valerie and the girls leaving his wife's room.

"How was Mom today?"

"She was doing well. She wasn't up for baking, but she did play Scrabble with the girls and showed them a few more stitches. Their scarves are coming along nicely, even Mary Alice's. Mom still can't believe she wanted to make a black and silver one, but why not."

"How are Miller and Portmore?"

"Don and Doug aren't too bad. They mainly stay out of my way. It only gets cumbersome when I try to get the girls to or from school. Otherwise, it's fine. I don't understand why Stephanie didn't want Secret Service support."

"For her, they are too intrusive. However, she seems to accept the bodyguards I hired for her."

"That's good," Valerie said. "I give her credit for continuing to travel and go on alone. I would be locked in my house if the threat was made against me."

"I know, Valerie, but Stephanie was always brave and adventurous."

"Yes, that she was. I still remember when she jumped out of the garage. How old was she? About eight, right?"

"She was. Stephanie was more angry that she couldn't fly than she was about breaking her arm."

"Dad, I don't think Mom has long left. She kept talking about needing to make things right with Stephanie, letting her know how proud she was. She ended up writing something, I think a letter, but wouldn't give it to me. She said she'd give it to Cynthia."

Frank shook his head. He knows his wife has days, if they're lucky, a week. The prognosis from her oncologist last week was not promising. Knowing that she was close to the end gave Ellen the strength to do more, to try to live her life to the fullest for whatever she had left.

"I don't know why she always gave Stephanie a hard time. Looking back on it, Stephanie was just different. I see a lot of Stephanie in Mary Alice, and even though she drives me crazy when she acts like a horse, I try to encourage her. I wish Mom encouraged Stephanie more."

"Your mom was too engrained in the 1950s Burg mentality. She thrived on being the perfect wife and mother. That's all she wanted for her daughters because that was a sign of success for her. But things are different now, and I believe your mom finally understands."

"You're right. Take care of yourself, Dad, don't run yourself down."

"I won't."

"Come girls, say goodbye to Grandpa."

Mary Alice and Angie ran over and jumped into their grandfather's arms. He hugged and kissed them and bid them farewell to their mother. Once they were gone, he entered his wife's room.

Ellen was lying in bed, the nasal cannula in place and the IV line in her arm. He was used to seeing her like this, yet it was still jarring. Ellen was so full of life that to see her reduced to this bed was hard for Frank. Edna was set to arrive within the half hour. She called last night and said she needed to be near Ellen. Frank had Clara make the arrangements for Edna to stay here. He kissed Ellen on the forehead and left the room, ready to meet with the Secretary of Defense and the Secretary of Homeland Security.

An hour and a half later, Joe Juniak enters the conference, looking at Frank. Frank nodded and made his excuses before heading up to the residence. Edna met him outside of his wife's room.

"It's time, Frank."

He hugged his mother-in-law, and they went to Ellen's bedside together. They each took a hand, said they loved her, and watched as she took her last breath.

Juniak finished the meeting with the President. "Clara, cancel all the President's three-day engagements and appointments. Have a car pick up Valerie and her family, bringing them here."

"Yes, Sir. Let me know what else you need."

Juniak went up to the residence and saw Frank emerge from the room.

"I'm sorry, Frank."

"We knew this day was coming. Please call Lester Santos and inform him. Have him bring Stephanie here ASAP. I'd call her, but I know she's at a site. I don't want her to find out in a public venue. Once we receive word that Stephanie is in the air, we can break the news to the AP."

"Consider it done. Valerie, Steven, and her children should be here soon. Elisa is on her way. Let me know if you need anything else."

"We're good. Thank you, Joe."

Ranger escorts Stephanie to the car, guiding her inside and closing the door. Lester looks at Ranger. "We have a problem. We need to head back to DC immediately. The First Lady passed away."

"Shit. Let me guess; we have to tell Stephanie."

"Her father was going to call her, but she was in the facility. He is attending to the arrangements now, but I don't see how we can keep it from her since we are supposed to be in LA for two days."

Ranger sighed. He knew that she was going to take this hard. The strained relationship between her and her mother will worsen since nothing was resolved before her passing. "I'll take care of it. I'm glad we have the limo here; at least she has some privacy."

Ranger opens the back door and joins Stephanie. Stephanie was writing her reflection on today's visit, which she does after every stop. Sometimes, she sees things later on that she didn't notice at the time.

"Is everything okay? Do we need to be at the dinner earlier?" Stephanie asked.

"Babe, we have a change of plans. We are heading to the airport. We have to fly back to DC."

The color drained from Stephanie's face. Being called back to DC was not good news. "Did I get another threat?"

Ranger was surprised that her first thought was another threat. He thought for sure she'd connect the dots to her mother. "No, not a threat."

"Did something happen to Valerie or the girls? Are they okay?"

"Yes, they are fine. Stephanie, your mother passed away."

Stephanie just looked at Ranger, dumbfounded. "No, that can't be. I spoke to her last night. She sounded fine, like herself. She can't be, no, no, that's not possible."

Ranger sat next to her and put his arm around her. His embrace finally let the waterworks fall as Stephanie started to sob. She knew her mother was dying. She knew she wouldn't make the election but thought they had more time. How were they going to get through this? Whatever faults her mother had, which in Stephanie's mind were a lot, she was still her mother, and she did love her.

Lester looked in the rearview mirror and was shocked to see Ranger holding Stephanie in his lap, watching him console her. Ranger doesn't do well around emotional women. That was where Lester came in. He was able to deal with emotions. But it seemed that Lester wasn't needed to help Ms. Plum. No, Carlos was doing just fine. Lester smiled. He never thought that a girl like Stephanie would get into Ranger's, no Carlos's heart, but she did. His only question was whether Ranger would let Carlos fall in love.

When they arrived, Ranger said, "Steph, we're at the airport. Lester is bringing our bags to the plane. Wipe your face, and let's get on the plane quickly. The news hasn't broken yet. They are waiting for you to be in the air. We'll face the press in DC, but we will keep them from you. You might want to change before we land."

Stephanie looked at Ranger and nodded her head. She opened her purse and pulled out make-up wipes. She removed her eye makeup and some powder on her face to hide the red blotches from her crying. She put her stuff away and said, "I'm ready."

"Good. No one knows you're not attending tonight's event yet. Clara will cancel your appointment once the AP reports the news."

Ranger helped Stephanie out of the limo and walked her onto the jet. He nodded at the pilot and joined Lester on board. Stephanie walked over to one of the couches, laid her head on a pillow, and began to cry again. Lester started to walk over until he saw Ranger shake his head. Lester took the hint and sat in the back of the plane. Ranger approached the couch and gently buckled Stephanie in. He lifted her head and pillow and placed them on his lap as he buckled his seat belt.

Ranger ran his hand through her hair, his heart breaking for this woman who was grieving the loss of her mother. No matter how toxic the relationship is, losing a mother is almost as bad as losing a child. From what he inferred, Steph and her mother had a toxic relationship. He only hopes Stephanie can overcome it. Shortly after the plane takes off, he notices Stephanie's breathing change as she falls asleep. In a very un-Ranger-like moment, he closes his eyes and falls asleep.