Where Freedom Reigns

Chapter 99

The Third Day

And the third angel sounded, and there fell a  

great star from heaven, burning as it were a 

lamp, and it fell upon a third part of the rivers, 

and upon the fountain of waters...

Revelation 8:10

Washington, D.C. - 0600 Hours ET

Jeremiah Kincaid was awakened by a light knock on the door to the bedroom in the Congressional bunker, deep underneath the Capitol building. The door opened slightly, letting in a shaft of light that sliced across the room and cast a glow about the bed upon which he lay. 

"Mr. Speaker," said George Ross, as he stood silhouetted in the doorway, outside which two uniformed Secret Service Agents stood watch. 

Kincaid opened his eyes and squinted into the light, "Yes?" 

"It's me, sir." 

"Come in, George." 

Ross did so. "Watch your eyes, sir," Ross flicked on the overhead light and closed the door behind him. 

The Speaker sat up and shielded his eyes with one hand. 

"There's a telephone call for you, sir." He paused for a split second and added, "It's from your son." 

"Which one?" asked the Speaker. 

For an instant, Ross hesitated. During all the years that he had worked for the Speaker, he rarely mentioned T.J.'s name, and he often told others that he had only one son. "It's from Jake." 

"Is he..." 

"He's fine. Shall I have the operator put the call through?" 

"Of course," he said, as he sat up on the edge of the bed and lowered his feet to the floor. 

George spoke a few words into his smartphone, and the telephone console on the table beside the bed chimed. Ross stepped out of the room and closed the door, as the Speaker cleared his throat and picked up the wireless receiver. 

"Jake?" 

"Hello, dad." 

"Hello, son," the Speaker said with controlled anxiety in his voice. "Where are you?" he asked and then caught himself. "Sorry, I should know better than to ask that." 

"Dad, I can't talk long. I just called to tell you that Sarah and I were married yesterday." 

"Yes, I know, son." He paused, and then in as positive a tone as he could muster given the situation, he added, "Your mother and I are very happy for you. You know how much we adore Sarah." 

"Did you know she was in Boise?" 

The Speaker's expression clouded over. "Yes. Army Intel informed me that she was safe and under the protection of your brother." 

"Have you heard from her?" 

"No." 

There was a pause, and then Jake spoke again, more softly and with deep emotion in his voice. "There's something else, dad. She and I are going to have a child." 

At first, the Speaker seemed surprised and confused, but his expression quickly brightened. "That's wonderful, Jake. But I didn't think..." 

Jake quickly interrupted him. "I know, dad."