A Couple Months Later
Huntzberger Publishing Group
"Hey Rory, your appointment is here." Doyle said, popping his head into Rory's office on his way down the hall.
"Ok, I'm just finishing feeding Ayribella, but I'll be ready in a few minutes. Are they down in reception?"
"No, they're up here in the waiting room. I can bring them back when you are ready."
"That's ok Doyle, I don't mind walking out there. Do you know who it is? I haven't had a chance to look at the schedule."
"It's an old friend of yours from your campaign days."
"Oh! Did you get a name?"
"His name is Joe."
"Joe? Uh... Hmmmmmmm... I'm trying to remember a Joe being on the trail with me."
"You will recognize him the second you see him. Is there anything that I can do for you? Do you need any coffee?"
"Coffee would be great. Thank you Doyle."
"No problem. I can take Ayribella for you when you are done, if you'd like."
"She's almost asleep, but thank you."
"Alright, I am going to go grab your coffee."
"Thank you Doyle." Rory smiled, looking back down at the baby in her arms as he left. "Come on Sweet Girl, it's time to finish up. Mommy has someone waiting."
Rory let Ayribella nurse for a couple more minutes before going to put her down to sleep in the nursery connected to her office, and closing the door. Rory grabbed the baby monitor off her desk, making sure to turn it on to a low volume before heading out of her office to greet her appointment.
"Mr. Biden!" Rory said, completely shocked by who she found waiting for her outside her office. "Wow, my assistant wasn't kidding when he said an old friend from my campaign days was here."
"Rory, it is so great to see you." Mr. Biden smiled, giving Rory a quick hug. "You remember my wife, right?"
"I do. how are you Jill?"
"I am doing wonderful! How are you, Honey?" Jill asked as she wrapped Rory in a hug.
"I am fabulous! Surprised to see you, but thrilled that you are both here. Come on in. Would you like some coffee or something to eat? We have all kinds of snacks here."
"Thank you Rory, coffee would be great."
"No problem. Hey Doyle, would you mind grabbing a couple more cups of coffee?" Rory asked as she led her guests toward her office.
"Sure, no problem."
"Will you also call downstairs to Logan and ask him to come up?"
"Already done. He'll be here after he finishes up with his patient."
"Thank you Doyle." Rory smiled as she held her arm out for her guests to enter her office.
"Rory, your office is absolutely gorgeous! I've never seen such a pretty and inviting business office." Jill gushed as she looked around.
"Thank you, you are so sweet. My grandmother actually surprised me with this a few months ago, while I was out on maternity leave. I asked her to redecorate after I took over when the former CEO retired, but I never in a million years expected all of this. She literally ripped everything out and started all over from scratch. But it turned out absolutely amazing. I honestly love it."
"It is so beautiful and homey. You said that your Grandmother did all of this?"
"She did. I think she completely missed her calling as an interior designer. She did an incredible job! Please, make yourselves comfortable. What brings you guys here today?"
"Well, to be honest, we had a business proposition for you, but seeing as that you are now running a national newspaper publishing company and no longer just a reporter, it seems pretty anticlimatic." Mr. Biden told her as both him and his wife took seats in front of Rory's desk.
"What business proposition?"
"Honestly? We were going to ask you how you would feel about possibly helping us out with another campaign."
"Help how?"
"Rory, you were so great to work with when you were with us a few years ago, writing for Barack, and we just fell in love with you. You are an incredible writer! You were always so professional yet sweet and personable too. The way you wrote things really sucked your readers in and made them feel like they were right there at the events with us. We loved getting to know you, and we were really impressed by how professional and honest you always were. You are a breath of fresh air in an industry dominated by vultures "
"Wow, thank you! You are so kind." Rory smiled.
"I was going to ask you how you might feel about working with me as a campaign staff writer, but seeing how much you've grown, and that you are now the CEO of a such a large and important company, I could never ask for you to leave."
"Rory, we are so proud of you! We aren't even surprised by how much you've grown and everything that you've accomplished." Jill told her. "You are such an incredibly talented young woman, and you've worked so hard. We've read some of your recent articles, and I was surprised you worked for the Huntzbergers when my assistant tracked you down for me. She gave me your work address, but we had no idea that you run this place, until we got here, and asked for you. We were initially shocked, but you honestly deserve this, and so much more!"
"Thank you. I really appreciate your words. I am so sorry, would you give me just a moment? Someone needs my attention." Rory said, hearing a quiet cry come over the baby monitor clipped to her pants pocket. Rory quickly got up from her desk and moved across her office to the nursery door, stepping through it and returning a moment later with her daughter. "Jill, Joe, I would like you to meet my daughter. This is Ayribella."
"Oh my goodness! Rory, she is absolutely gorgeous! Can I hold her?"
"Yes, of course." Rory agreed, happily placing the baby in Jill's arms.
"Rory, she is just precious. How old is she?" Joe asked.
"She is 4 months old."
"Congratulations Rory!"
"Thank you!"
"Honey, how are you liking motherhood? Are you adjusting alright?"
"I think so. It's definitely been a learning curve, but I am slowly finding my way. I've had to make a lot of adjustments, but I wouldn't trade it for anything."
"It is so hard to be a working Mom."
"Yes it is. It definitely takes a toll on your mental health."
"Do you have help?"
"I do, I have a ton of it. I am really lucky. Not everyone is as fortunate as I am. I am in a position where I can bring my baby to work with me. She has her own nursery, right inside my office. My assistant is a huge help, and Ayribella absolutely loves him, and my husband has an office down on the first floor, so he's able to spend a lot of time up here helping out as well."
"What does your husband do?" Joe asked.
"He is actually a doctor. He runs our company medical clinic. We opened it about 6 months ago to provide discounted medical care to all of our employees and their families."
"Wow! That is incredible! You have definitely been busy."
"Yes, I definitely have." Rory agreed, as they heard a knock at the door, causing everyone to look up as it opened.
"Hey Ror, sorry to interrupt, but Doyle said I should join you." Logan said as he stepped into the office. "Oh, wow!"
"Logan, I would like to meet a couple friends of mine from my days on the Obama campaign; Joe and Jill Biden. Joe, Jill, this is my husband, Logan Huntzberger."
"Mr. and Mrs Biden, it is an honor to meet you. " Loan said, extending his hand to greet Rory's guests.
"Doctor Huntzberger, the pleasure is all ours." Joe told him. "When we talked about coming to see Rory, we had no idea that she was married, or had such a prestigious position in such a powerful company. You must be very proud."
"I am. I really really am. Rory is an incredible person. She was the perfect person to take over the company when my Father retired. I'm sure you both know what an amazing writer she is. We couldn't possibly ask for a better person to be running this place."
"Your father is Mitchum Huntzberger?"
"The one and only." Logan conformed. "I see you've met our daughter."
"We have and she is absolutely beautiful! Looks exactly like her mother."
"Yes, she does. I am very lucky."
"Logan, why don't you pull up a chair." Rory told him.
"Mr. and Mrs. Biden, what brings you to our neck of the woods?" Logan asked as he moved a chair to the side of Rory's desk, and took a seat.
"Well, we came to see Rory. We wanted to see how she was doing and talk to her about a business proposition, but that is an entirely mute point now. We never expected to see Rory running such a large company. We are very surprised, but so proud of her. We knew that Rory would do great things with her life."
"What kind of business proposition?"
"Here's the thing." Joe started. "With the political climate being what it has recently become, I've been getting a lot of questions about how I could allow something like this to happen, and why I refused to step in to stop it. And it's not that I refused, I was just busy and in need of a break. Being the Vice President of this country is an exhausting job. I was at the end of my 8 year term, and looking forward to a vacation, and taking a nice break with my family. I thought about running for president myself, but at the time I just felt like it was time for someone else to step in and take the reigns. It was time for a new administration, time for change."
"Oh we definitely got change alright." Logan chuckled.
"Yes, we sure did. And honestly, it's kind of been a rude awakening."
"You can definitely say that again. It's been an interesting year so far."
"Being in the industry that you are, how has all of this change affected you guys?" Jill asked.
"Well..." Rory started, looking toward Logan. "It's been interesting, that's for sure. I've had multiple reporters attacked and accused of spreading false information because someone didn't like what they had to say. I had one reporter publicly berated just last week, after asking for clarification on a statement that was made. Journalists are worried about their jobs, and their reputations right now. They are being attacked and slandered for simply doing their jobs. They are being threatened over things that they've written and how it makes a certain someone sound to others. The company that I worked for, while I was out on the campaign trail with you guys, asked that I buy them out. I absorbed the entire online magazine into HPG as a favor to my old boss, because he didn't have the funding to defend himself and his staff from the constant brutal attacks coming from supporters of this new regime. My old boss is now on my board of directors, and my former coworkers are now my employees. It's been great for them, but the fact that the independent press is now terrified of losing their livelihood, all because of an angry man with a really big mouth, is baffling. And if I didn't know better, I would swear that some of his supporters are carrying pitchforks and gasoline. They attack the press all the time, screaming 'fake news' at everything that is reported. They are trying to force us to publish exactly what they want, or they try to destroy us. It's an exhausting battle."
"I know what you mean, those are the exact things that I'm seeing and hearing about from everyone around me, and it is very concerning." Joe commented.
"We had a meeting just last week, with all of our political reporters, and let them know that as long as they are doing their job, and being honest, we will fully support them, and have their backs. Rory and I are willing to spend the money to defend ourselves, and our staff, because we believe in honesty and transparency. We don't feel that it is right to censor the media, and pressure us to print whatever nonsense some random person wants the public to believe. This isn't North Korea, but yet this guy is acting like a dictator. He's stripping this country of our basic rights that have been guaranteed to us by the constitution. It reminds me of the old saying 'those who don't study history are doomed to repeat it'." Logan added.
"As a teacher, I completely agree with that." Jill agreed. "I can't tell you how many times I have said that very line to my students over the years."
"You know what is really amusing to me? So many supporters of this new regime are clearly uneducated. Or they were badly educated. They sit here screaming 'fake news' all over the place, trying to censor the media, forcing us to print only what they believe to be 'facts'. They have no idea that the Constitution establishes and guarantees every citizen of this country, certain unalienable rights, including the freedom of press. They yell and scream, starting riots, fighting over absolutely ridiculous things, refusing to acknowledge that the Constitution even exists, and trying to rip our rights away from us. Yet, at the exact same time, they sit there screaming about their right to bare arms, and insisting that the government is trying to take their guns away. They scream 'second amendment' at you, until they are blue in the face, yet they are completely clueless about any of the other amendments or even the constitution itself. Those people have zero knowledge of history, or the constitution at all, yet they sit there screaming 'it's my second amendment right'. Every time I hear it, I literally sit here thinking 'have you ever gone to school at all? Do you even know what the constitution is? No one is try to take your gun. The government isn't even trying to limit your access. All they are trying to do, is make firearms less available to people who might not be the best suited to own them. They are trying to limit access to people who are of concern due to mental illness. People receiving treatment by reputable medical professionals, who feel that the patient might be at risk of abusing others by owning a fire arm. I am all for background checks, and I do believe that they should be universal. You shouldn't be able to walk into a store and walk out with a gun. I myself, am perfectly happy with a 72 hour background check. I have no problem filling out all of the paperwork, and submitting proof of mental capacity, as well as proof of identity. I have no problem submitting my fingerprints as part of a background check when purchasing a firearm. It's actually amusing how many people are crying about that, yet don't even stop to think that they previously provided their thumbprint when obtaining a drivers license. They yell and scream about the government tracking them by wanting firearms to be licensed, but yet they eagerly run to the DMV to get a license the second they are eligible and never say a single word about all the identity requirements."
"I'm not sure if Logan ever went through it, but I had to get Federal security clearance while I was out on the campaign trail. I was right there, on the bus with Barack, and and with the two of you, and I had to submit all of my paperwork to the federal government, just so they could make sure that I had the mental capacity to do my job, and determine that I wasn't a threat to you, or to national security. Submitting your information for a drivers license or a fire arm, is completely different than submitting for federal security clearance. I had to fill out piles of paperwork; share every address I ever lived at, every job I've ever had, my parents, grandparents, and siblings information. I had to submit my high school and college transcripts, as well as the information for the elementary and junior high school that I attended. I was fingerprinted, and photographed from every angle. I had to undergo a psychiatric evaluation. It was not an easy process, by any means. And for people to sit around screaming about having to fill out a one page form, before they can buy a firearm, it's just ridiculous! The federal government knows every single thing that there is to know about me, and every day I hear people whining about having to sign their name on a piece of paper in order to buy a shotgun." Rory told them.
"I actually got a phone call when you went through all of that." Logan told her. "I was asked questions about our relationship and whether I thought that you were mentally sound."
"Exactly my point! Logan and I weren't even together at the time. We had been broken up for two years at that point. He was my ex-boyfriend, and he got a phone call asking if I was sane enough to sit on a bus with Barack Obama. I know Logan well enough to know that he would never bad mouth me to anyone, but how many other people have been in my same position, and then been blackmailed by their ex, and had it cost them their job? How many people aren't lucky enough to have an ex like Logan? How many people have an ex who told the investigator that they are a psycho and should be added to the homeland security watch list? My college boyfriend received a phone call, questioning my mental stability, and lazy keyboard warriors want to scream about basic background checks. It all just completely baffles me. So many people are utterly clueless about life and government powers, and it just amazes me. If I can submit every tiny detail of my life for government scrutiny, then Joe Busdriver can sign his name on a piece of paper and submit his fingerprints for a simple background check, and a 3 day wait before buying a gun. I honestly can't understand what the huge deal is."
"People are throwing massive fits about the most random stuff because they don't understand the basic principles of our government. It all comes down to having an education.
And I'm not even saying that you need to be college educated. Having a high school education is perfectly fine to me. But if you are going to go to war over something that you are passionate about, you should first make sure that you have all of the facts. You need to educate yourself on the subject, and so many people completely fail to understand that."
"I agree with you one hundred percent." Jill told them.
"You know what bothers me the most about this subject?" Logan started.
"What's that?" Joe asked him.
"My father has been friends with Donald for years. It makes me feel sick to my stomach to think that I've been to events with him, and even had dinner with him in my parents' home. All those times I've had to be around him, and I never truly knew who he was, or what he was capable of."
"You know Trump?" Rory asked, suddenly shocked and feeling rather confused.
"My Dad does. I've met him several times. The guy has always creeped me out. He used to make eyes at my sister. I remember him commenting once about what a beauty she is. It rubbed me the wrong way at the time, but thinking back on it now, it is absolutely repulsive! I am honestly hoping that my sister has blocked it out, because it's enough to make me sick."
"Your sister is much too smart for him. Not to mention educated. She's not his type at all."
"But it definitely wouldn't deter him from trying."
"Gross! Let's change the subject." Rory suggested. "Jill, how is your family? How are you Grandkids? What are you guys doing now that you are retired from Washington?"
"Everyone is doing very well, thank you for asking. Our grandchildren are growing like weeds. They are so smart, and getting so grown up. They are mostly teenagers now, and it's been so fun to watch their personalities change and develop. But I do miss them being small like your little one. We haven't had a baby in our family in quite some time, and I have to admit that I miss being able to just sit and snuggle with them. I am loving the chance to love on your little one. She is absolutely precious."
"I hate to be that parent, but would you mind if I took a picture of you guys with her?" Logan asked.
"Yes, absolutely! Please do." Joe told him. "Let me get in the shot with them."
"Thank you, she looks so happy and content right now." Rory said as Joe rose from his seat and moved closer to his wife's side, crouching down next to her as Jill held Ayribella. Logan got up and moved next to Rory, snapping the picture, before returning to his seat.
"Thank you for that. Someday, when Ayribella is old enough, and learns about who you are, we will show her the picture of the day she met you." Logan told them.
"She is such a mellow, happy baby." Jill commented.
"She really is. Mom mom says that Ayribella reminds her of when I was a baby." Rory agreed.
"She definitely has some big shoes to fill when she is older." Joe smiled. "You two seem like really great parents."
"Thank you. We are doing our best."
"You guys are pretty close with your family, are you enjoying getting to be more hands on with your Grandkids since you've been free from political responsibilities?" Logan asked.
"We definitely are." Joe responded. "Our family has always been our absolute first priority. Jill and I talk to every single one of the kids and Grandkids at least once a week, several of them daily. I've interrupted some very important meetings to take their calls, and I have never regretted a single minute of it. We attend every single sporting event, and have weekly family meals."
"My mom and I used to have weekly dinners with my Grandparents, while I was in high school and college. I missed it a lot after I graduated." Rory told them.
"We recently added an addition to our home, to give Rory's grandparents their own home here in the city, so they could be close to us." Logan spoke up. "They were talking about finding an apartment close to us, so they could be nearby after Ayribella was born, so we decided to add to our home, and give them unlimited access. They live here about 50% of the time, and are absolutely amazing with Ayribella. Rory's grandfather even helps out here in the office. He stepped in as interim CEO while she was out on maternity leave."
"That is go great. Not everyone is close with their family, and it is such a shame." Jill commented. "My greatest joy has been being a mother and now a Grandmother. Raising our children, and now being there for our Grandkids has been such a memorable and absolutely incredible experience. It is the best thing that I have ever done, and my absolute greatest accomplishment. Your Grandparents must be incredibly proud of you."
"They are. They have been there with me through so much. My Grandparents helped to put me through prep school and then paid for most my college education while I was attending Yale. I can't even begin to imagine what my life would be like without them." Rory agreed.
"Was it hard for you to be away from your family for the four years that you were on the campaign trail?"
"It really was. I gave up a lot to take that job. It was a very difficult time for me, but one that I would never trade for anything. I was fresh out of college, just ended my relationship with Logan, and suddenly completely on my own, very far away from everything that I had ever known. It really made me grow up and learn to live for myself. My mom and I have always been incredibly close; she is my very best friend, and for the very first time, I was completely without her. I could call or text her whenever I had some free time, but I never got much of it. I was always so busy traveling from one place to the next, and writing stories from the road. It was really tough to keep up with everyone, and the short breaks we got to go back home, just weren't ever long enough. I would fly in and then leave again two days later. It was hardly enough time to even do all of my laundry."
"You were so amazing out there though. I never heard you complain even once." Joe told her.
"There was no point to complaining. I would complain privately to my roommate at the hotel, or on the phone to my mother, but it's not like complaining changed anything. Yes, I missed being home, and I missed my family and friends more than I ever thought possible, but I had a job to do. I was very lucky to able to be there, and to have all of the experiences that I did. Being a campaign reporter was such an incredibly amazing experience. Especially for someone fresh out of college, just starting their first job. I was so grateful to be given the chance to be there. I was the youngest and least experienced reporter out there."
"But you did a remarkable job. You were always extremely professional, very polite, and had a way of putting everyone around you at ease. You weren't pushy at all, you made an effort to get to know people, and you always did your research and educated yourself on everything that was going on. Your knowledge and thoughts on the platforms and initiatives was incredible. You were such a wealth of knowledge, and always eager to learn. I told Jill that I hope our youngest daughter Ashley, and our Granddaughters look up to women like you. Ashley is actually a lot like you, and it makes us so proud."
"I got to speak with Ashley quite a few times while I was on the trail. She is only a few years older than me. We had a lot in common. She is amazing! You guys are wonderful parents. All of your kids speak so highly of you."
"Thank you, we are very proud of all of our children." Jill told her. "We have been very blessed."
"So what are you two doing with all of your free time now?" Logan asked.
"We've done some traveling, and spent time regrouping, and trying to decide what it is that comes next for us."
"Did you ever consider extending your political aspirations?"
"Actually, it's funny that you asked that, because that is exactly what we came to speak to Rory about. With everything going on lately, the idea has been brought up, that I should run for President in the 2020 election. Now, I know how far off that is, especially considering that I just left office 8 months ago. But Jill and I have been meeting with our team, our family, and all of our advisors, trying to establish a game plan, and figure out what the best move would be for us. If I were to decide to run, I would need to put together a powerful team of support staff. In doing so, Jill and I were thinking about who we think would be a good fit to join with us, and Rory, your name came up. Originally, we wanted to ask how you would feel if we were to announce my candidacy, and we were interested in having you join us as a one of our lead campaign writers. You would be a direct campaign staff writer, helping with not just reports about the various events that we would be taking part in, but you would also be helping to prepare speeches, and press events. However, seeing everything that you have accomplished in few years since we've last seen you, and seeing as you are now running a larger newspaper publishing company, we couldn't possibly ask for you to give all of that up. It would have been an absolute honor and privilege to have you as part of our team, but we absolutely would never want you to give up all of the success and notoriety that you have earned, in order to come work with us."
"Wow! Really? That would have been such an absolutely incredible offer, and a year ago, I definitely would have eagerly jumped at the chance to join you. It would be such an unbelievably amazing, completely life changing experience, and I would have been crazy to pass that up. A small part of me would still love to do it. I am very flattered that you even thought of me. It kills me to have to turn you down."
"Rory, don't be sorry, we completely understand. You have accomplished so much in the last few years, and we are unbelievably proud of you. It takes a special kind of person to run a company like this, and you are doing an amazing job. This is clearly the best place for you. And if we do decide for Joe to run for office, you can definitely still help out with the campaign by sending us your best writers. It would be such an honor for us to work with you, and with your staff. We could never ask for you to give everything up to join us. That wouldn't be fair. We would never want that, or even dream of asking that of our own children, and we definitely won't do it to you either. You have an incredible life here, and a beautiful little girl who looks up to you. This is where you belong, right here, with your family. We would never dream of asking you to give all of this up." Jill told her.
"That's right." Joe agreed. "You have such an incredible career, right here, running this company. It is the perfect place for you, Rory. And if I do decide to run for office again, you will definitely be who I come to when there is a release that I want to go out. In fact, if I do decide to do this, it would be an honor if you were the one to break the story."
"Wow, that would be amazing! I would be honored to. And if you decide to go ahead with the campaign, I will absolutely give you my very best political writers to join your team. I am more than willing to help you out however I can. That being said, I do have a few caveats."
"What would those be?"
"While you are definitely good friends, and I do truly believe that your running for office would be of great benefit to this country, being that I run a large media publishing company, I fully believe in the freedom of press, and while I support you, as my own person, I can not in good conscience use my company and my position, to support any specific candidates. I would love for you to run for office, and I would absolutely love it if you won. But as far as this company goes, I would personally support you, but I can't publicly come out in support of you. I have to publicly remain non biased, and do my best to share all the facts, good and bad. I have to be willing to print everyone's opinions, both for and against your campaign, whether I agree with what is being said or not. It wouldn't be fair or right of me to throw my personal support behind anyone, and try to influence anyone to vote one way or another. It is my job to provide all our readers with the honest facts, and educate them to make informed decisions. I pride myself in remaining neutral. I turned down an invitation to the inauguration this year, because I didn't want it to appear as though I can be bought, or as though I support any one person. I do my best to keep both my religious and political beliefs to myself, and not allow my personal opinions to influence those around me. If directly asked if I know you, I will definitely say that I do, and that we have a great working relationship, but I absolutely can not admit to having any kind of close friendship with you, even though I do consider us to be friends. You two have always been so kind to me, and I am beyond flattered that you would even think about asking me to join your team. But as it stands, career wise, I just can't be seen as being anything other than neutral."
"Rory, we completely understand." Jill told her.
"We do absolutely understand, and I will definitely give you the same courtesy." Joe agreed. "If asked, I will absolutely admit to knowing you, and acknowledge your efforts to have a professional, non biased working relationship. If the subject comes up, I will definitely praise your hard work on the campaign trail four years ago, and tell everyone what a wonderful job you did, and continue to do now with your own newspapers. And I will happily tell everyone that I wish you all the best, and that you have some incredible people on your staff, and that I am a fan of your honest reporting and work ethic. I would never ask you to to step outside of your comfort zone, and use your power and influence to help push anyone's agenda. I am actually very happy that you have your convictions and standards, and that you aren't willing to take sides with any candidates. You are an incredible person, Rory."
"Thank you. That being said, I do absolutely support you as a person, and I am more than happy to do whatever I can to help you out, as long as I can remain neutral. I will give you my personal phone number and email address, and you can send me whatever you would like to be released through the media, and I will absolutely publish it in every one of our papers. I am more than happy to do that for you. I will help you in any way that I can, as long is it isn't a conflict of interest and doesn't require me to share my personal opinion."
"I can definitely abide by that. Thank you, Rory. We will definitely keep in touch with you, and let you know what we decide to do."
"We do need to get going, but I wanted to ask you about your business here." Jill started.
"Alright . . ." Rory agreed.
"You said that your husband is a doctor, and runs a medical clinic downstairs."
"Logan, why don't you tell them about your office." Rory smiled, toward her husband.
"I would love to. I would love to give you a tour as well, if you are interested."
"Oh absolutely! We want to know all about it. It is very unusual to have a medical clinic inside of a business. Is it just for your employees? Or is it open to the community?" Joe asked him.
"I'll start from the beginning, just so I don't jump around, and it makes it easier to answer your questions. When Rory took over as CEO, a close friend of ours mentioned one night that she knows someone who works for a large corporation that provides their employees with discounted medical through a private practice associated strictly with that company. The employees and their immediate family members can receive medical care at a very low, discounted rate at that specific clinic, compared to what they would get going anywhere else. The clinic has a partnership with the company's health insurance provider to provide care to all of the employees. Rory and I thought that it was an interesting concept, and wondered if it would even be a possibility here at HPG. I went to Yale with Rory, and then went to medical school right here in the city, at Columbia University. I did my residency in the hospital, and then was hired on full-time post graduation. I had been working in the emergency room, which I absolutely loved, and I was very happy there and never even dreamed of leaving. But when the idea was brought to us, and we started talking about it, we decided to go to the hospital board with the idea, and asked them for their opinion, and if they thought it might be possible to do. Rory and I had done our research, and while the original idea that had been proposed to us had been for me to leave my position with Columbia University, and to step back and run a private practice, it just didn't really feel right to me. Rory and I also realized that if we were to open a medical practice here at HPG, it would cost a ton of money. We would need to find a doctor, get permits, work with the medical board, secure equipment, vaccines, medication and endless amounts of supplies. It would be extremely expensive. And then, even though we would be guaranteed patients with our employees, they were guaranteed to need additional treatment outside of what any small medical clinic could possibly provide. Our employees, would need asthma doctors, dentists, eye doctors, an OBGYN, oncologists, cardiologists . . . There is an entire world of care that we wouldn't possibly be able to provide in a small medical clinic, and it would be our job to do the research and confidently refer our employees to their needed physician. Being a Columbia employee myself, I was very confidant and comfortable referring my patients to whatever doctor they needed to see, right within the Columbia University system. We have every doctor we could possibly need for our patients, right at the hospital, and whenever I provide my patients with referrals through the University medical system, they go right through instantly, and there isn't a week or two wait required by the patient while waiting for their referrals to be processed before they are able to make an appointment to see a specialty doctor. Many of the patients could leave the emergency room, with a specialty appointment already scheduled. Rory and I realized that if we did want to open a medical clinic, it would be a giant benefit to everyone, if we were to partner with Columbia University, and open a private subsidiary clinic. We ran the idea by the hospital board, and they loved it. We even decided that being a Columbia employee myself, and partnering with the University to provide medical care to HPG employees, which I also am and basically have been since I was born, it would be even more beneficial if we opened the medical care up to the University employees as well. And we also provide care for everyone in the employee's immediate family, who is covered under their health insurance policy. Columbia University Medical Systems provides us with all of the equipment and supplies needed for our small medical clinic, and we provide them with free office space. There is no charge for rent, or utilities. Columbia also provides us with a doctor, and nurses to run the clinic. Because I am here anyway, and prior to opening of the clinic, I was splitting my time between both places, spending 3 days a week working in each building, we came to an agreement with the hospital that I would be the doctor over the clinic, and that my salary would be split between the two businesses. Both Columbia University and HPG share the cost of my salary, which allows me to work in both places. I run the clinic here at HPG, and I still have full treating privileges at the hospital. I am free to pick up hours in the ER if I want to, or if they need extra help. And I am also free to help out Rory if she needs it. When I don't have patients to see, I can usually be found up here in this office, working on whatever project Rory throws at me. I've been on the HPG board literally my entire life, and been attending shareholder meetings since I was about ten years old. My Dad raised me here in this office, and always wanted me to take over as CEO when he eventually retired. Because I am incredible slacker, I had other ideas, and went to medical school, rather than working for my Dad for the rest of my life. When it came time for my Dad to step down, I was busy with my own career, and wasn't willing to step away from it, so I asked Rory to step in and run things here. She had been working for the New York Times at the time, and had no idea how to run such a large company. She hadn't been raised here the way that I had, so I worked my schedule out to where I could work both here and in the hospital, and I spent 3 days a week here with Rory, helping her acclimate herself to the business, and get her footing, and then 3 days in the emergency room. But now that my salary is split between the two businesses I can do both jobs without any problems, and I don't have to work a million hours a week. I am here Monday through Friday from about 8am to 5 or 6pm, unless I decide to take some time off. I get to see my wife and my daughter all the time, and I don't ever have to be away from them, or sacrifice time with them to do my job. I can see patients for a few hours down in my office, then come up here, and rock my daughter to sleep while Rory works. I come and go as I please, and I schedule my time around when patients need me. I am basically always on call, but it works out great for us." Logan told them.
"We have a scheduling app built right into our computer system that allows our employees to schedule doctors appointments right from their desk, and it adds them right to the calendar on Logan's phone. And he is able to schedule his own time off as well, allowing him to be elsewhere when needed and the app automatically updates the schedule so appointments can only be scheduled when Logan is free. When I was put on bed rest during my pregnancy and went out on maternity leave, the hospital provided a doctor to step in for Logan while he took time off. Any time that Logan needs time away, there are other doctors that can step in to run the clinic. One of my best friends is actually an OBGYN at Columbia, and she has come in several times to help out in the clinic while Logan has been out with me." Rory added.
"That is incredible! So you only accept employees from here, and from the hospital, as patients?" Joe asked.
"That is correct. It alleviates the doctors at the hospital from having to double schedule or try to work employees in that need care. They can come right over here, and usually get same day appointments. Our patients only pay a $5 co-pay which is about 75% less than they would pay anywhere else. After that initial $5, there are no other expenses to be seen here. We have portable x-ray and ultrasound machines, and we can run minor tests right in office, such as flu, strep, iron and CBC. More invasive lab tests, we can draw blood for, and immediately send the vials to the hospital via courier, to be processed, and we usually have results within 24 hours." Logan answered.
"That is truly awesome! What an incredible service for you to provide for your employees."
"Unlike most companies that provide private medical services, we also allow our employees to schedule their appointments during the work day, and receive treatment while on the clock. Even if they have to run home to pick up a child who needs to be seen, as long as they are on our property, they are encouraged to remain on the clock. We ask that they use their own digression in order to maintain the integrity of our work here at HPG and ensure that all deadlines are met and work is completed, but we have no problem providing needed medical care while still paying our employees for their time. We've been open for 7 months now, and we have yet to have any problems. Our employees are grateful to receive medical treatment while being paid, and we haven't had any conflicts with work not getting done or being up to par. We take care of our employees, and in turn, our employees take care of us."
"That is absolutely incredible!" Jill commented. "I love that you are able to do that! Reliable healthcare is so needed in this country, and so many businesses don't even provide their employees with insurance options. I love that you not only provide insurance, but that you also provide onsite, discounted medical care. That is just incredible! Your employees must be so grateful."
"We like to do things differently here." Rory told her. "I refuse to be a big corporate giant. I was raised by a single mom, in a tiny town in Connecticut, a couple hours from here. My mom struggled for a long time, to give me a good life. I was never handed anything the way that some other kids were. Like Logan, for instance. We had very different childhoods. He has no idea what it was like to grow up the way that I did. He's never experienced it. I had to work incredibly hard, for everything that I wanted. So now, as an adult, I know exactly how fortunate I am, and I do my best to give back. I worked with Logan's sister to set up a charitable foundation right here within the Huntzberger Publishing Group that gives to less privileged families and helps to provide them with the necessities that they need to survive. I also partnered with a charity while I was pregnant with Ayribella; Moms4Moms, and donated everything from my baby shower, directly to them, to distribute to families in need. I am fortunate enough to be able to provide my daughter with literally everything she could possibly ever want, and I didn't feel that it would be right for me to be thrown a baby shower, and given a ton of free gifts, when there are so many other people out there, young mothers, just like my own, who struggle to provide for their children. My mom was only 16 when I was born. She gave up so much to have me, and to raise me. I wanted to honor her, and our journey together, so I rather than receiving gifts, I asked that donations be made to Moms4Moms. I don't remember the exact amount that we received, but I know that it was over $100,000 in monetary donations, and a large moving truck full of gifts. It was absolutely incredible! I was very surprised by it, but thrilled that we were able to give so much to people in need. And through my partnership with the charity, I was asked to speak at their annual summer event, about who I am, and my journey as a child with a struggling parent, to get to where I am today. It's been a really humbling experience for me. I have so much, more than I ever imagined. But at the end of the day, I don't actually need any of it. I don't wear designer clothes. Anything designer that I own, was given to me by someone else. It's just not who I am. I might be the CEO of a multi national company, but I'm still the same small town girl from Stars Hollow. I like to hang out at home, wearing pajamas and reading a book rather than going out to fancy places. I eat tacos and stuff my face with junk food. Having a big fancy house is great, but I still love the house that I grew up in. I don't need all of this stuff, and I am perfectly happy to donate all of it to someone who needs it. As part of the Huntzberger Foundation, I am sponsoring a full-ride Journalism scholarship to Yale University, for an underprivileged student. And maybe in the future we can expand it to 20 students, or even 100. We'll see how things go. But for right now, I just feel like it is my job to give back to the community that raised me, and help them raise other kids, just like me."
"You are incredible, Rory. We are very very proud of you." Joe told her.
"Thank you. I've worked very hard, and I still don't always feel like I deserve everything that I have. I've been very blessed."
"How about we give you guys a tour of the office." Logan suggested.
"That would be lovely." Jill agreed, looking to her husband for confirmation.
"Would you like me to take the baby?"
"Actually, would you mind if I took her for a few minutes.?" Joe asked.
"Be our guest." Rory smiled as they all rose from their seats.
Logan held a hand out for Rory as she moved around her desk, pulling her into his side and placing a soft kiss on her forehead before leading her toward the door with the Bidens right behind them.
"Hey Doyle?" Logan said, seeing Rory's assistant sitting in his office, across the way for Rory's. "Would you mind calling down to Carlos, and letting him know that we are going to take a tour of the building?"
"Sure, no problem." Doyle answered, as he reached for his phone.
"Alright so this is floor used to be more a newsroom, but was remodeled a few months ago, to be more of a corporate floor. All the writers and editors who used to work up here were moved downstairs so they wouldn't be interrupted by people coming in and out for meetings." Logan explained as he led everyone out of Rory's office. You guys met Rory's assistant, Doyle McMaster, right?"
"We did." Jill answered.
"Perfect! Well here we have one of our two conference rooms. This one is the larger of the two, and next to it we have our board room. We've got board meetings once or twice a month, and weekly editor meetings that are all held here. Down the hall we have our kitchen area that was designed almost in the style of a restaurant, in case we decided to have any kind of gatherings on this floor. It's got a full chef's kitchen available for use. We only have a few individual offices here on this floor that are occupied by our support team. Richard." Logan said as the group approached Rory's Grandfather's office, where they could see him sitting at his computer. Richard immediately rose from his desk, and quickly moved to his office door to greet everyone. "Jill, Joe, this is Rory's Grandfather, Richard Gilmore. He is on our board, and fills in for Rory when she needs to be out of the office. Richard, this is Joe and Jill Biden."
"Hello Mr. Biden, Doctor Biden. It is an absolute honor to meet you." Richard said, extending his hand to the guests. "I see you've met our little Angel."
"Please, you can call me Jill. The pleasure is all ours." Jill smiled as she shook Richard's hand.
"You can call me Joe. It is great to meet you. You have an incredible family, Mr. Gilmore. You must be very proud."
"Thank you, I am. Rory and Logan are incredible people."
"Oh, it looks like someone wants your attention." Joe chuckled, seeing the baby he was carrying, reaching for Richard.
"Ayribella adores my Grandpa." Rory told them, as Richard reached to take the baby in his arms.
"There's my little girl! How is my sweet Angel doing today?" Richard asked, placing a kiss on Ayribella's head as she snuggled up against his chest.
"Ayribella is a Grandpa's girl. Richard is her favorite person in the world." Logan told them.
"One of our Granddaughters was the same way. Naomi and Joe are very close." Jill commented.
"Richard, we are giving the Bidens a tour of the building."
"You go, I'll take care of her. Princess Ayribella is in great hands."
"Thanks Grandpa." Rory smiled. "See if you can get her to go back to sleep."
"Will do. Would you mind if I go rock her in her nursery?"
"Not at all. Help yourself."
"Wonderful! I will see you guys when you make it back upstairs." Richard told them, giving a small wave, then stepping past the group, and heading toward Rory's office.
"Are you close with your family, Logan?" Joe asked.
"Not so much. My sister and I are extremely close. She actually lives across the street from us, and has a baby who is about a month younger than Ayribella. It was just the two of us growing up with Nannies while our parents worked and attended charity functions. Our Grandpa was around a lot, but he was more of a warden than anything else. I haven't minded it though. I never knew any different, and I have my sister."
"Logan's sister is amazing!" Rory agreed. "She welcomed me into the family the second she met me."
"And she likes you more than she likes me most of the time."
"That is not true. I am my sister's favorite person."
"You're the bratty son that we all hope her son never grows up to be like."
"You've got a point there." Logan chuckled. "Alright, let's head downstairs, and I'll show you guys the clinic."
"Mr. Huntzberger." Carlos greeted as the group stepped into the reception area.
"Hey Carlos. Have you met Joe and Jill Biden?"
"I have not. I've been in my office watching the cameras with their security team. Doyle called to let me know that you are giving them a tour of the building, so I thought I would come join you."
"Jill, Joe, this is Carlos, he is the head of our security team. Carlos, this is former Vice President Biden, and his wife, Doctor Biden. I worked with them when I was out on the Obama campaign trail." Rory said, as she introduced her friends.
"It is an honor to meet you Vice President Biden. Doctor Biden." Carlos said, offering his hand to the couple in front of him. "I a big fan of the Obama/Biden Administration."
"Thank you Carlos. It is a pleasure to meet you. And thank you for your security team today, and for being so diligent in your duties. We really appreciate it." Joe said as he shook the younger man's hand, before stepping out of the way for his wife.
"Hi Carlos. It is great to meet you. I am very sorry that we didn't give you any notice before showing up at your office. It was a spur of the moment decision while we are in town."
"It is no problem at all. We are fully prepared for visitors such as yourselves." Carlos ensured them. "Having some notice is nice because we can get a specific team in place prior to your arrival, but it is not at all necessary."
"You have quite the security team here from what we've heard."
"Thank you, I have a great team of guys here. They all do their jobs incredibly well."
"Carlos used to do security for Dwayne 'The Rock' Johnson." Rory commented.
"You know Dwayne Johnson?" Joe asked.
"I do, he's a good friend of mine. He stopped by here a few months ago when he was in town shooting a movie." Carlos recounted.
"We love The Rock's work. We are fans of his." Jill told him.
"I am thrilled to hear that. Dwayne is a great guy. I will shoot him a message a little later and let him know that I met the two of you, and that you are fans. Are you ready for your tour? I've got my guys in place, and the building is fully secure."
"That sounds great." Joe agreed.
"Alright, right this way. Let's head downstairs." Carlos said as he took a few steps backwards, and reached behind him to press the button to open the elevator doors, where they were greeted by two men from the Biden's Secret Service detail.
An Hour Later
"Wow, what a day!" Logan said as he dropped himself into the chair behind Rory's desk, and held his arm out for his wife to join him.
"Were you surprised to see the Bidens here when you first came up?" Rory asked, as she took a seat on Logan's lap, smiling as his arms wrapped around her.
"I was. I knew that you had worked with them on the campaign trail, but I never expected to see them in your office. It was a complete surprise. And that job offer . . . Ace, that was just incredible!"
"Right?! I was very shocked."
"That job was your dream."
"I know. And I would have loved to take it."
"You still can if you want to. We can find someone else to take your place here."
"No, Logan. No. I'm happy here. I have no reason to leave. And there is no way that I could go back out on the campaign trail. Not now. Not with a baby."
"You can do it if you want to, Rory. I don't want to hold you back from anything. If you want to take the job, then I think that you should do it. We could figure out how to make it work."
"Thank you, but no. I could never leave you, or Ayribella. I had a great time out on the campaign trail, but that was a long time ago, and my life is completely different now. I have everything that I could possibly want, right here. I promise you, I'm happy. This is all that I need."
"I promised you when we got into this mess, that you and I would travel, and you could be the international news correspondent that you've always dreamed of being. I won't hold you back, Rory."
"I know, and you aren't. I do want to travel, and write. But my dreams have changed in the last year. I have you and I have Ayribella. I love being a Mom. And I love being here. This is my home. You are my home."
"We could make a home somewhere else though. Ayribella and I could go with you, wherever the Biden campaign would take you."
"I know. But that isn't fair to the two of you. And working on the campaign trail is a lot of stress and so much traveling. I enjoyed doing it after college, but I'm older now. I would much rather be at home, in my own comfortable bed, with my hot husband at the end of the day. I really am perfectly happy, right here with you. I don't want to go back out on the campaign trail. I like my nice cushy job, in my pretty pretty office. There isn't anywhere else that I could possibly work, where I can sit around making out with my husband all day."
"You like sitting around making out?"
"Have I ever complained even once?"
"Do you want to head home, and I'll make out with you while I make us some dinner?"
"That depends? What were you thinking of making?"
"I will make whatever it is that you want me to. I am so proud of you, Ace." Logan smiled, pressing a kiss to his wife's lips.
"Thank you, Logan. I love you."
"I love you more."
"I don't know about that."
"Should we go track down our daughter?"
"That would probably be a good idea." Rory agreed, giving Logan another kiss, then standing up, and taking his hand, before following Logan out of the office.