The Oval Office ✓ (Book One)

Chapter Thirty Seven

                                  Kyle's P.O.V

There was nothing that could've prepared me for seeing her like this. She's alive- but all life has left her eyes. Breathing, but not without assistance. She's looking past everybody like she doesn't even realize they're there. "Keep your shit together-" I tell myself. "You're not the one with the trauma."

Still, I can't stop the tears from falling out of the corners of my eyes. I lightly place my hands over hers, careful to avoid any burns, and she jumps. " It's okay it's me-" I say. "It's just me. I love you- I freaking love you."

She moves a couple of her fingers- all she can really manage, wrapping them around mine. Even moving her facial muscles is difficult, so I crouch in front of the table within her line of sight. "I'm so, so sorry-" I start.

"Shut up." She interrupts. " I can't let myself think that this was your fault...... you were the only thing keeping me alive while I was in there. I don't blame you."

"There had to have been something I could have done to find you faster-"

"Kyle, no. Stop blaming yourself. Just stop." She says, grimacing at her own facial movements, which causes her to be in even more pain.

"Okay. I love you. I love you so-" She passes out again, and one of the surgeons shoves me out of the way.

"I'm sorry, Mr.President- I'm going to need you to step out. We'll keep you updated by the second." He says. I lean my head against the wall in the hallway, exhausted. Exhausted from not sleeping at all the past two days, exhausted from seeing her like that.

Exhausted from dealing with everybody's shit for three years. Ethan's name pops up on my phone- a call that I've really been dreading, but again, can't avoid. "Yes, Ethan?" I answer. I can hear his voice cracking before he even starts talking.

"Is it true? Is Aileen... is she..."

"Yeah..." I sigh. "She's dead, Ethan."

—Ethan's P.O.V—-

No. No no no no no no no- She can't be dead. She's Aileen, for fucks sake. She can't....

"Ethan?" Ryan asks, just about the same look on his face."Did he.. confirm it?" My silence answers for me. Slowly, the reality starts to sink in for everybody in the room. Joe's face loses all emotion as he sits down, trying to process what we now know is true. Ryan doesn't even move.

Aileen was like a sister to me-if you could adopt legal adults my family would have adopted her without a second thought. When we were told that Kylie- Kylie out of all people, was the second traitor, we were in denial. This was our boss- Joe's girlfriend, Ryan's best friend. If this week has taught any of us anything, it's to never trust anybody, even people you think of as part of your family. The fact that her and Aileen are both dead now makes it even worse.

I feel like we should be angrier than we are- I guess we're just in too much shock right now to be angry. Though none of us say it, we know we'll be attending both funerals- even though Kylie lied to us for years and was instrumental in the First Lady's kidnapping- because even with all of that, she's been like family for three years too."She...Kylie killed..."Ryan's voice trails off, not knowing what to say, because what the fuck do you say to that?

I'm the first to speak up. "We can't...sit around." I say. "We still have work to do and it'll be a good distraction right now anyways. Joe...you have to go over that congressional bill with the Vice President. Ryan, you still need to finish the press release explaining what happened to the First Lady - leave out certain details, before somebody leaks it. Both of you...go."

They don't bother to argue with me- they welcome the distraction that work brings them. Thinking about it now, Kylie never hired a deputy chief of staff. I wonder how long they spent planning this- and how long they've know that it probably wouldn't work out in the end. She was planning on fucking us over from the beginning. Now, the president'll have to take his time choosing a new chief of staff, which can take weeks, instead of the job automatically falling to the deputy chief of staff like it normally would if we had one. I'm the last person to leave Ryan's office, and I almost slam straight into Ambassador Felix. "Excuse me-" he says. "Is the press Secretary in his office?"

  "Not at the moment- he had to grab a couple of things for work. I can pass a message on, if you'd like." I reply, not trusting him in the slightest.

  "Yes-" he replies. "This is my statement for the press release. Get it to him as soon as you can."

  "Don't do it." I tell myself, the sealed envelope screaming at me to open it. "Oh, fuck it."

  I carefully pull the statement out, slowly scanning over every word.

  "My fellow Americans, due to recent events, I can see why you wouldn't trust me. If I have to swear under oath to make all of  you understand I had nothing to do with and no knowledge of the attack planned by the royal family, that is what I will do. Whenever the trials take place, I fully intend on cooperating, as you will find that I have nothing to hide, and have upheld my oath of office from day one." Christ- the man's certainly not a public speaker. I'm tempted to edit it myself, but my watch dings, calling me to command opps, so I drop the speech on his desk.

"What is it?" I ask the general.

"We need you to interrogate the prince." He says.

"Sir, respectfully... I'm a hacker."

"You've also worked very closely with Agent Aileen throughout the past three years, have you not?"

"Well, yes sir."

"Good- then you know how her brain works. You two have just about the same base education- just different specialties. We need you to become her until the president hires a new Head of Investigations, which- with everything going on, will probably be a while."

"I'm sorry, I'm not sure I follow?"

"Damnit Ethan-" an aide interrupts, causing the general to raise an eyebrow. "Sorry. Continuity of government.. doesn't just apply to the president. The head of investigations is a position that should not go unfilled for more than a few hours. You are now the acting head of investigations."