The Oval Office ✓ (Book One)

Chapter Forty Two

                               Lauren's P.O.V

  When I come to, every part of my body- including my eyelids, hurt like hell. I don't even bother to attempt moving, knowing the pain that'd bring. It's the best I can do to just block the events of the week out of my head, but the images still pop up every few seconds.

  La la la la la la la la la. I'm not thinking about it. This was a completely normal week. No trauma at all. I'm just peachy.

  My eyes slowly scan the room- the Presidential suite at Walter reed. Looks like it's been upgraded again since the last time I was here. The bed's now more of a hospital bed, but still the most comfortable hospital bed I've ever been it. The curtains are black velvet- I remember saying last year that it would look nice with the rest of the room considering the way it makes the light bounce off of the walls.

  Not thinking about it not thinking about it not thinking about it not thinking about it.

  The walls themselves are now a bright, painted  white instead of the usual ugly cream color. Then there's Kyle, who just about looks like he's been drugged into sleeping, on the couch a few feet away. God he looks bad. I've never, in the twenty three years we've been together, seen him look like this much of a zombie. Not after the sleepless nights during his presidency. Not during the grieving period after his only two remaining family members died, because at least then people left him alone a little bit more. He just couldn't sleep thinking about the fact that if they'd never gotten in the car that day to go to his victory party, they would still be alive.

  And he still blames himself for that to this day. Just like I know he'll never forgive himself for what happened to me the past week. "Oh my god-" A woman says from the other side of the bed, out of my line of sight. "Mr.President!" She quickly walks around the other side to Kyle, lightly slapping him awake. I recognize her as one of the secret service that worked under James; Ella I think. We've never spoken but she has been charged with protecting us before.

Kyle's eyelids open, his head fighting his body on whether or not to sleep. Jesus- what the fuck did they give him? "It was supposed to put him out for nine hours." Ella says, almost reading my mind.

"Lauren-"

"Shh." I say. "Go back to sleep- you look like you haven't slept in decades."

"I love y-" The sleeping pill takes back over, not allowing him to even finish his sentence. I look at Ella, an "explain now" look on my face.

"We didn't know what else to do, with the president of the United States not having slept any significant amount in an entire week." She sighs. "They tried  to make him sleep a few days ago but that pill wasn't strong enough, this one has 1.8x the normal potency. He was starting to... loose it, like a lot."

  Ella has that look on her face like there's something else she wants to tell me but has decided against saying herself. Whatever it is, I don't want to know right now.

The way he tried to fight the sleeping pill, knowing that he wouldn't be able to, says enough. I can see why he'd be losing his mind. I would.

Don't think about the past week don't think about the past week don't think about the past week. I'm fine, I'm fine, I'm fine.

The doctors burst in, the monitors they've got me hooked up to letting them know I'm up. "Shit- are you hungry?" Ella asks. I suddenly become aware of the grumbling in my stomach, and nod. She jerks her head at one of the younger agents, and he scurried off to the private kitchen to go hover over the chef.

  "Ms.Wells- "My personal doctor says, repressing a smile. He's treated me for years and moved up here to work at Walter reed. "You're going to be here for.. a while. The specialists are on their way from the first floor but is there anything you need right now?"

  I roll my eyes- I just told them what I wanted. "Well I'd like some real fucking food."

  —Joe's P.O.V-

  "Has anybody told her about her mom yet?" Marisol asks.

  "I don't think so." I shake my head. "I wouldn't want to be the one to tell her- but Marisol, focus. This healthcare bill is his baby, we've been drafting it for months. If it passes it'll change the American medical system for decades in a positive way. Equal access to the best medical treatment possible for all Americans- that's a big fucking deal."

  "No shit-" she mocks my tone of voice and I can't say I didn't deserve it. "Excuse me for being a little fucking distracted when my goddamn girlfriend just got shot by yours."

  "Aileen was your-"

  "Yeah, I know, violation of ethics. Oh fuck off with that look Joe,  it's not exactly ethical to date your boss when you work at the fucking White House." She says.

  "Okay, you know what, no- we're not doing this right now. You're going to sign  this  bill and then we're going to send the final copy to congress for a vote. After that we can grieve." I reply.

  "Or we could just fuck." She shrugs her shoulders.

  "You are the Vice President of the United States-"

  "So what?"

  "Sign.The.Bill." I say. "Please. So we can both take naps."

  She does, then sits back in her chair for a second, contemplating something. "Aileen and I had only been dating for a year. She wanted to keep our relationship private because she didn't want to hurt my political career."

  "That doesn't make any sense people aren't homophobic anymore, at least not in this country-"

  "I wasn't referring to homophobia." Marisol shakes her head. "People are more anal about power plays now. She didn't want .. our relationship to come out in the media and ruin my children's lives. Said they would tell them their mom's a Roger Ailes even though that is far, far from the truth. But she was right, people are still fucking cruel even though social progress has been made."

  "I'm so, so sorry."

  "What the fuck are you sorry for?" She chuckles. "You weren't the one that killed her."

  There's that same look in her eyes- the one that's probably mirrored in mine right now. "Oh fuck it." I think, closing her office door.