Allies: Home Front

Chapter 2

"Courtney can you get Ben a hotdog?" P asked Jan's eldest daughter. The little girl nodded and took Ben's hand, leading him across the grass to the set up of picnic tables.

"When are the fireworks?" a little voice questioned. P looked down to see Pauly, another one of Jan's children, pulling on the hem of her red day dress.

"Soon! The sun is about to go down." P smiled at Pauly and patted him on the head. "Why don't you make sure you have enough food?"

Pauly scampered away, leaving P to scan the lawn. The Labor Day cookout was commencing. P had just invited Jan and her kids, Bobby's brother- and assistant attorney general- Charlie and his family, and Ida and Charles. A Life Magazine photographer was also roaming the event, but was mostly a fly on the wall.

Across the South Lawn, Bobby was playing with the kids, but still had the same vacant look in his dark eyes. P sighed. There was little she could do, especially with everyone around.

The sun quickly sunk behind the horizon, leading to excited squeals from the children. P led the crowd back inside of the White House and up to the Truman Balcony. Chairs had been set up to seat the Conoroys and their guests, along with tables stocked with lemonade and ice cream.

"Look at all the flashes," Jan's son Michael Jr. noted, pointing out across the lawn. The little boy was right, the camera flashes were incessant. Tourists and photographers seemed to be visiting the White House much more frequently after Michael's death, perhaps hoping to see a glimpse of the family that had only ventured out of the home once or twice since. The Labor Day fireworks added to the crowd, hoping to get a free show.

"Three, two, one," an aide counted down with a grin on her face. The sky above the lawn was suddenly full of colorful bursts. Everyone oohed and ahhed, smiling in delight. P snuggled Ben on her lap, and felt him slowly going limp. P was enjoying the last few months with Ben as her baby, knowing that she would soon have another child clamoring for her attention.

P looked to her left at Jan and smiled. Her sister in law looked serene, a bright flash from a blue firework reflected in her dark eyes. "Jan?" P whispered.

Jan turned her head and raised her eyebrows. "Hm?"

"I was thinking about names for the baby last night. I have a few names picked out for the girl, but I am mostly concerned with names for a boy."

"What were you thinking?" Jan asked.

"Well, I was thinking Patrick."

Jan's eyes softened as P continued. "Michael Patrick obviously would have been my first choice, but you already have a Michael Jr. What do you think?"

"That's beautiful, thank you." Jan reached over to P and pulled her into a tight hug. "He would love that."

"I'm glad you approve," P said honestly. "I was worried you wouldn't like the idea."

"It seems like everything else in the country is being named after him," Jan whispered, looking lovingly at the sleeping Ben. "Now it's something personal, you know? I love it."

---

"Goodnight, Nannie." P leaned down to kiss her daughter and tucked the blankets around her.

"Night, Mommy. Will you come in later?" Mannon asked.

"No, I'll sleep in my bed with Daddy." P smiled at her daughter and patted her hand.

P closed Mannon's door gently and walked out into the sitting hall. Liza was packing up her brief case after a long evening of planning for the next state dinner- the first one after Michael's death. It was difficult, P felt as though she shouldn't do anything as normal because things weren't normal. Michael was dead.