Astronaut

Chapter Two: Horse Fights and Birthday Lists

Spending time with his siblings went well, to begin with until fights broke out and crying ensued. All bickering about whose turn it was to ride Caroline's two ponies, Macaroni and Leprechaun. How to solve the dilemma? Verbally fight with one another until someone breaks and starts bawling their eyes out, claiming that they're telling on the rest of their siblings to their parents. Agent Hill of course tried to resolve the situation that the squabbling sextet have found themselves in, which thankfully worked so now they're not all fighting each other and no one's been told on. After yesterday's frightening ordeal, the Secret Servicemen who are protecting the First Family has been given orders to keep a close eye on the six children, which can sometimes be a challenge when you have one there and five missing, two there and four missing and so on. With Harvey's sixth birthday coming up on the 31st, he wonders what his dads have got planned for him. He hasn't even told anyone what he wants yet, never mind what everyone else has got planned, he needs to start writing down a list of things he'd like. So, he heads back inside the White House with his siblings in tow and goes into his room, grabs a pen and paper (that he probably stole out of someone's office) and starts to jot down some ideas that he would like for his upcoming birthday:

Harvey's Birthday List

Red Fender guitar

Telescope

MopTop haircut

New Beatles album (Revolver)

Trip to Florida to see the NASA Launch Operations Center

After writing his little list, he goes downstairs again to find where his dads are so he can show them what he has written down for his upcoming birthday. He goes all the way down to the ground floor of the residence building and starts the long trek towards the West Wing to the Oval Office where he suspects at least one of his dads are in there, if not he may have to start looking elsewhere which could take a while considering the distance he has to travel to get from A to B. He doesn't find his dads during his journey in searching for them, he instead comes across his Uncle Ted in the main hallway of the residence building, he runs up to him whilst gleefully shouting:

"Uncle Ted! Uncle Ted! Look what I've written for my birthday presents!" The youngest Kennedy doesn't even get a chance to say hello to his nephew as he is getting paper thrust into his face from the jumpy child in front of him. He takes the sheet from the boy's hands and speculates it intently, trying to decipher the childish scrawl of:

Red Fender guitar

Telescope

MopTop haircut

New Beatles album (Revolver)

Trip to Florida to see the NASA Launch Operations Center

After reading the sheet of paper, he looks down at his nephew and says:

"Wow! That's impressive, Harvey! I'm not quite sure if you can go on the trip to Florida, I think you would have to see what your dad has scheduled but you might get the chance to go," he sees his nephew look up at him with a pout and his blue eyes looking sad. He has to think of something quick so he can cheer up the little boy who looks as though he's teetering on the edge of crying his eyes out; he was happy a moment ago until Uncle Teddy had to ruin it.

"I'm not saying you can't go, Harv, I'm just saying it depends on when your dad is free, if not then maybe your daddy can take you, or even your Aunt Joan and I, your Uncle Bobby and Aunt Ethel, Aunt Jean and Uncle Stephen, Aunt Eunice and Uncle Sarge, Aunt Patricia or your Uncles Jon and Robert could take you if you wanted?"

"What about Grandma and Grandpa? And Grandma Marguerite?" Harvey reminds his uncle of his three grandparents

"Oh yeah! Them too!" Ted replies as the penny drops that he's forgotten about his parents and his brother's mother-in-law. With his nephew finally back to his normal atypical self, Ted walks along the main hallway with his nephew beside him as he leads him in the direction of the Blue Room, where he was told that his older brothers would be; they reach their destination and enter the aptly named large room and sure enough, Jack and Bobby are in here. Harvey makes his way toward his dad and asks:

"Can we go to Florida for my birthday?"

"Why do you want to go to Florida?" Jack asks confused

"Because I want to visit the NASA Launch Operations Centre,"

"I knew it was something to do with space!" Chimes in Bobby

"Uncle Ted said I would have to see if you were free so we could make the trip to Florida," Harvey says to his dad

"Well, he's right, but I can free up my schedule and we can take you to the Operations Centre," Jack replies

"We?"

"Yeah. Me, you, daddy, Caroline, John, June, Rachel and LJ can go to Florida if I manage to clear my schedule running up to your birthday, Harv,"

"How would we be getting there?"

"On Air Force One of course," after hearing his dad say this, Harvey looks wide-eyed in shock because he's never been on a plane before and already he is thinking of the worst scenarios that he can think of. Jack of course acknowledges the worried look on his son's face and says calmingly in a low tone:

"You'll be fine. You've been on Marine One with John before, haven't you? You handled that pretty well,"

"After the slight meltdown, yeah I "handled it,""

"But that was just because you were doing something you have never done before,"

"No, that was because of my sensory issues because of my ears popping and the pain I was experiencing for a few seconds,"

"Why didn't you say anything? And was it the noise of the propeller blades that triggered it as well?"

"Yeah, that was the main issue. How do I cope with the ear-popping and the engines of Air Force One?"

"Well, we can see if we can get you some sort of ear defenders to block out some of the noise," Jack suggests hoping that the young boy likes the sound of his idea.

"Whereabouts in Florida is the Operations Centre, Harv?" Asks Bobby

"Merritt Island it's called, Uncle Bobby," answers Harvey

"How did your time playing outside with Caroline, John, June, Rachel and LJ go?" Wonders Jack

"It went okay, until we started fighting about whose turn it was to ride Macaroni and Leprechaun," Harvey replies sounding slightly ashamed of his arguing with his brothers and sisters earlier on

"You'll need to learn to share with one another. You share your toys with the others, don't you?"

"Yeah."

"So, the same rules apply when you're outside with the horses,"

"Oh, okay I get it."