The Oval Office ✓ (Book One)

Chapter Sixty Eight

Two Days Later

  Have you lost your mind?" I shake my head. "No. You had a heart attack exactly forty hours ago."

  Sometimes I wish he'd worry about himself more. If he had, the likelihood of him being here would be slim to none, yet here we are. He lies in his hospital bed now, frustrated that he's not allowed to leave it. The Scene is all too familiar- as I was in his position just a few weeks ago. It does feel different from this end. You don't realize until you see someone like that just how much it would hurt them if the roles were reversed.

  Now they are- and I'd do anything to get him out of here faster, but his doctors have ordered that he stay for at least five days. If it were anybody else they could have been sent home by now- but with him still being the president, an abundance of caution has been taken. I walk over to his bed from the bathroom, sitting down on the edge of it. He's tried to convince the doctors to let him out to go to Marisol's inauguration, and the answer was a resounding no. When we looked over his scans and tests, the doctors determined that it looked about fifteen years older than it should. I'm not surprised-he hasn't slowed down for a single second his entire term.

  Though I don't really have any room to talk. I didn't slow down at all until his term, when I retired from the fbi. It wasn't much of a workload relief for me, but at least I started being able to get a full night of sleep. For him, it was the exact opposite. Now, in the hospital- he's pretty much been forced to sleep. "I can't just not go." He sighs. "I mean that's a..three hundred year tradition. One that Williams broke and.. I don't intend on doing the same."

  "Your situations a little different." I smile. "He was just.. an asshole."

  I lay down beside him, a couple inches away. The doctors said he would be fragile for a few weeks-  that any physical activity that's not absolutely necessary is a risk he doesn't need to take. "Come here." The look in his eyes says. I sigh- knowing his doctors are going to yell at me for this, and scoot a little closer. He wraps his arm around me, but I don't lean my head on his chest.

  The doctors also said pressure on that area wasn't the best idea, and since i fully intend on keeping him alive for another forty years, I'v made him listen to them. "Anniversary's on Monday. Maybe they'll let you out by then." I suggest- though I doubt it.Monday's only in three days.

He opens his mouth to say something, but is interrupted by Ella knocking on the door. I roll my eyes. "Come in." I say, trying to hide the annoyance in my voice.

"The motorcade's ready." She informs me, and I nod. There's still a few hours to go before the inauguration- but nowadays they make sure everything's set up ridiculously early in case something were to happen.

  For the remainder of that time, we lay in silence, just enjoying each other's company. The peace of today is a type that doesn't occur often. Even with what happened a few days ago, a calm seems to have fallen over the entire country. In the hours after his heart attack, the video clip of it happening was played over and over again- but after Ryan informed them that he was okay, they started focusing on other news.

  When it's time to go, Ella reminds me again. I sigh, reluctantly getting up. On the way out, I look back at him- mouthing "I love you." I'll never make the mistake again of forgetting to say it even though we both know, with the events of the year. I'd rather my last words to someone be "I love you" than just "bye".

  For that same reason, I refuse to die by anything but natural causes. I'm a little rusty on certain moves, so I've signed up for the FBI's self defense classes again. They're usually only offered to agents, but they couldn't exactly say no to me. At this point- regardless of the number of secret service on my security team, I don't trust them with my safety. I've always been safer when I'm protecting myself. For that reason, in a few days, I'll be declining further protection.