The Bellator Saga: The First Trilogy (Dissident, Conscience, and Sojourn) Page 5

  “Just like California,” Maureen murmured.

  “I know,” Ted said grimly. “I’ve heard rumors that President Santos is going to let them leave on the condition that they allow all American troops and government employees to leave peacefully.”

  Maureen wasn’t totally in tune with her roots, but her memory was long. The Texas Legislature only met every two years. “The Lege did this? They’re not even in session right now.”

  “Looks like they decided to make a special trip to Austin.”

  She froze as the pieces came together in her head, and sprang out of her chair. “I have to call Aimee.”

  Bill grabbed her arm. “Have you checked on Ms. Gerard today?”

  “Not yet.” She hesitated. “Is there any cause for concern?”

  “I don’t think so. Make sure she’s comfortable. How often are the nurses popping into her room?”

  “Once every couple of hours, I guess.”

  “Make it every hour. And you do the same, if you have the time.”

  Maureen frowned. That request was overly cautious, even for him. “What’s going on, Bill? She’s only been here a few days.”

  Bill lowered his voice. “They’re breathing down my neck. That’s why I was late. I gave them some bullshit about needing to keep her here another week or so. But they’re going to get restless the longer this goes on.”

  He glanced back at the TV screen, where two pundits were quarreling loudly about whether or not Texas leaving the United States would cause any real damage, economic or otherwise. They were both making the same tired, predictable partisan arguments, except there was a palpable cautiousness in their tone. And a noticeable lack of criticism of the Santos Administration.

  Maureen rubbed her eyes. “This is bad, isn’t it?”

  “Can’t see how it could get much worse.” Bill kept his voice low. “There have been rumblings about insurrection out in California. Who knows if there’s anything to it. I’d be shocked if Santos let them go just to have them rise up, though.”

  “Shit. I really need to call Aimee.”

  Bill cleared his throat. “Be careful what you say.”

  “Excuse me?”

  “You heard me.” He dropped his voice even further. “Don’t get too personal.”

  “What the hell is that supposed to mean?”

  Bill leaned in closer toward Maureen. “I got the distinct impression after speaking with our nice friends over at INSCOM that our conversations may not be private.”

  “Any of them? I declined a government cell. I have my own phone.”

  “Lower your voice, Maureen. You think they can’t get a wiretap on your personal phone? Come on. How do you think they found out what Representative Gerard was doing?”

  The room suddenly seemed chilly. There were a lot of things Maureen hadn’t wanted to think about lately and Bill was doing his best to make sure they were in the front of her mind.

  “What was she doing?” she asked.

  She hadn’t bothered asking too many questions when Gerard had been admitted to the hospital. Hadn’t even recognized her the first time she’d seen her. The sight of the woman’s beaten and bloodied face had almost made her sick. That hadn’t ever happened, not even in medical school.

  Bill pinched the bridge of his nose. “According to INSCOM, she’s wanted for questioning on federal charges related to seditious conspiracy.”

  She shook her head. Maureen wasn’t exactly fully engaged in the political process, but reality was still her good friend. “That’s ludicrous. And you take them seriously?”

  “You should take them seriously too, Maureen. We’re all potential targets. Especially if we appear to be aiding the enemy.”

  “But you told me to keep her safe.”

  “You should. Just be aware that as someone who has close contact with one of the government’s most wanted, there’s a good chance that they’ll be keeping an eye on you too. Looking for signs of weakness. Of collaboration.” He paused. “Our young Lieutenant Mitchell was noticeably absent from the meeting I just had with the folks at Fort Belvoir.”

  Maureen shivered, thinking of the babyfaced officer. He had seemed far too sympathetic and reflective during their previous meeting, even though his questions had been routine. Maybe all her paranoia hadn’t been for naught. “I really need to call Aimee,” she said. “She must be freaking out.”

  “Tell her to stay in Texas.”

  “Are you kidding? She’s coming home.”

  Bill’s voice had a hint of warning. “No. Have her stay there. It’s safer.”

  Maureen pressed her palm to her forehead. “I don’t want to think about this. How are we even having this discussion?”

  “It doesn’t matter how we got here. We’re having it. And you’re living it. Keep your child safe. Your parents are in Texas, right?”

  “Yeah. My in-laws are there too.”

  “You have some vacation time you need to use. Perhaps a family reunion is in order. I hear Galveston is beautiful this time of year.”

  “My job is here.”

  “Yes, it is. But you could really use some time to yourself. You’ve been under a lot of stress lately. A leave of absence isn’t unreasonable.”

  “I’m fine. I have an obligation to the patients in this facility. I’m not leaving them. Not right now.”

  “I’m telling you to think about it. Long and hard.” Bill flipped the TV off. “I’ve got to go talk to some other folks about this. A fractured nation is going to make our lives more complicated both in a personal and professional sense.”

  Maureen turned toward the door, then spun to face the older man. “Be careful, Bill,” she said softly.

  “You too. Keep an eye on our patient.”

  Maureen sighed. “I will.”

  * * * * *

  Dr. Savage noticed none of the other members of the medical staff made eye contact with her as she walked down the hall. She tried to relax her expression. After the terrible phone call she’d had with her daughter, she knew she appeared cold and unapproachable. She couldn’t have that. Her staff needed to know she was there for them, especially since they had little guidance from anywhere else.

  Maureen walked up to the Nurse’s Station. “Hi, Sarah. How’s Ms. Gerard today?” she asked, grabbing her chart.

  “Fine,” the nurse responded. “I just checked on her a bit ago. Vitals are good. Meds are steady. I thought I heard her mumbling something but I couldn’t make out what it was.”

  “Has she woken up?”

  “No, ma’am. Some odd restlessness, but she has not regained consciousness.”

  “Good. I’m going to peek in on her if that’s okay.”

  “Yes, ma’am.”

  The room was sparse and poorly lit. Maureen would have liked to put the woman in a more comfortable space but they’d been instructed to put her in one of the less well apportioned rooms. They still had all the medical equipment they needed, for now. Who knew when that would change?

  The patient’s heartbeat and blood pressure were steady, according to the machines near the bed. Maureen sat down next to her and held her hand.

  “I’m sorry this is happening to you. I truly am.” She squeezed the hand and stood up.

  Maureen checked her watch. Her shift was almost over. She’d normally go back to her office and update her files but tonight she wanted to go straight home. Maybe have a drink. Or ten. She turned around and gave Representative Gerard a final glance before leaving the room. It was unfair. Terribly, awfully unfair. And she couldn’t think of any way to change what was inevitably going to happen.

  Chapter Four

  Caroline

  February

  Caroline had a meeting for the Congressional Caucus for Women’s Issues in ten minutes but she’d left something at her desk. She hadn’t assumed a leadership position and never planned to, but as one of the highest profile female Democrats in Congress she was expected to take a larger role at meetings anyway. Whic
h was why she was running down the hallway in Rayburn instead of popping in somewhere near the Hill for a nice, relaxing lunch.

  She flung open the main door to her office. “Late,” she huffed, as her receptionist Laura gave her a look. “Forgot something for the meeting.”

  “Caroline, wait-” Laura called, but Caroline had already burst in. Jen and Kathleen were standing near her desk, near an enormous bouquet of flowers. Jen had a small card in her hand.

  “Sorry.” Caroline stopped short of them both. “Did Eric send you flowers?”

  Jen appeared guilty, and Kathleen wouldn’t look at her.

  “Um, no,” Jen said softly. “They’re for you.”

  Caroline felt a surge of dread. “Are they-?”

  “No.” Jen smiled uneasily. “Read the card.”

  Caroline took it out of Jen’s hand.

  A woman like you deserves flowers on Valentine’s Day.

  Jack

  “Oh,” she said.

  “I’m sorry.” Jen looked extremely upset. “I know I shouldn’t have opened the envelope but-”

  Caroline squeezed Jen’s shoulder. “It’s all right, Jenny.” She laughed. “I’d forgotten what day it was.”

  Kathleen walked over and put her arm around Caroline. “I told her not to do it.”

  “You would have done the exact same thing,” Caroline told her. “Don’t blame Jen.”

  “I probably would have,” Kathleen said. “A lot faster than she did, too. You give me more latitude than her so I wanted to be the fall guy.”

  “It’s fine, you two. Really.” Caroline scooped some papers up off her desk. “Shit, I’m going to be so late now.”

  Jen gave her a pained look. “I really am sorry.”

  “Stop apologizing. They’re flowers from a friend. You can pretend that some other man gave them to you, if you want to make Eric jealous.”

  Jen laughed uneasily. “Okay. I won’t do it again.”

  “I can’t make any promises, though,” Kathleen interjected.

  “It’s not a big deal, Jenny.” Caroline squeezed her chief of staff’s shoulder again then turned to Kathleen and puckered her brow. “I know better than to trust you.”

  Kathleen shrugged. “As long as you know the score.”

  Caroline grinned. Katie really was impossible sometimes. “I’ll see you later. Gotta go.”

  She texted Jack on the way to the meeting.

  Thank you for the flowers. That was very sweet.

  He texted back a few seconds later.

  You’re very welcome. May I buy you lunch?

  Caroline smiled as she wrote.

  Sure, since you’re buying. I’ll call you when I get back from the Women’s Caucus.

  He again responded almost immediately.

  It’s a date.

  Caroline blushed and dropped her phone back into her purse.

  * * * * *

  “You freaked the hell out of my staffers,” Caroline said, after they’d settled in for a quiet lunch at an Italian restaurant near Dupont Circle.

  “How’s that?” Jack asked. “They didn’t think those flowers were from a stalker, did they?”

  “No, but they did read the card.”

  “Why would they do that?”

  “It’s okay. It’s not like you put anything weird in the note. Flowers from a friend. It was a nice surprise.”

  “No, really. Why’d they freak out?”

  Caroline bit her lip. “I shouldn’t have said anything. I was trying to be funny and I failed.”

  “Caroline, come on.” Jack’s tone was persistent.

  Her throat tightened. She really didn’t want him to feel bad. “Nicky died a few weeks before Valentine’s Day last year. He must have ordered me flowers before…you know.”

  Jack ran his fingers through his hair. “Jesus, Caroline. I didn’t even think-”

  “It’s okay.” She tried to smile at him, but the unpleasant memory creeped into her thoughts anyway. “It was only a few days after I’d gone back to work and when I walked into my office the flowers were on my receptionist’s desk. I could tell that my staff didn’t know what to do with them. They were staring at them, then at me, and Jen tried to hide them. I grabbed the card out of her hand, read it, flipped out and…well, it was bad. Really bad. I was quite awful to all of them, even though they didn’t deserve it.”

  “I feel like an asshole,” he said quietly.

  “You had no way of knowing what happened, Jack. Please don’t feel that way. It was very thoughtful of you. I don’t want to discourage you from doing things like that. I’m sure most women appreciate those gestures.”

  “But you didn’t?”

  “I told you, I thought they were lovely.” Her forced smile faded. “I shouldn’t have said anything.”

  “Don’t be. I’m glad you told me. You can tell me anything you want.”

  He really was a nice guy. Caroline was starting to wonder why people were so reluctant to speak well of him. “Poor Jenny and Katie. They looked so guilty when I walked in. But if it helps, I think they know not to open cards addressed to me anymore.”

  Jack laughed. “Good to know. Should I apologize to them?”

  “That’s not necessary. You might want to send Jen some flowers, though. I get the feeling her boyfriend forgot what day it was.”

  “I’ll do that.”

  Caroline could tell that he was serious. “You don’t have to do that. I was kidding.”

  “I want to,” Jack said. “She’s a nice woman. Just like her boss.”

  “She might have a different opinion of my personality than you.”

  He picked up his menu. “I highly doubt that.”

  “How’s your new townhome?” she asked.

  He looked up at her. “It’s not bad.”

  “I’m sorry, you probably want to figure out what you’re having for lunch.”

  He put the menu down. “I’m in no hurry.”

  “Are you settled in yet? I imagine living in a hotel the past few weeks couldn’t have been all that much fun.”

  “Sadly, I spent a lot of my early career traveling a lot, so I’m used to it. But I’m glad I got that house when I did. It was a steal.”

  Caroline choked back a laugh.

  “What?” Jack asked.

  “Nothing around here is a steal. I checked the listing after you gave me the address.”

  “I got a great deal on it,” he insisted.

  “I’m sure you did.”

  “You saw the selling price, didn’t you?”

  “Yep.”

  Now he looked a bit uncomfortable. “You think I paid too much?”

  “I know how much historic townhomes cost, Jack. Most government workers couldn’t even dream of living in DC proper. Why do you think I live in Rockville? I hope you know how lucky you are to live the way you do.”

  Jack sounded defensive. “I needed a place to stay.”

  “I know you did.”

  “Does my wealth bother you?” he asked.

  Well, he was nothing if not direct. She stared down at her menu.

  “I don’t want you to feel that way,” he said.

  Caroline brought her head up. “I’m sorry. I brought it up. I shouldn’t have said anything. You have every right to spend your money as you see fit. I shouldn’t pry into your private affairs.”

  “I mean it. I really don’t want you to feel that way, Caroline. I-” Jack looked down at his hands.

  “What?”

  His discomfort was growing. “Remember when I did all that research on you before coming to that party?”

  “Did you find something bad? What kind of rumors are floating around out there? This is why I don’t Google myself.”

  “It wasn’t bad,” Jack said.

  Caroline gave him a hard look. “Honestly, Jack. Just say it.”

  “Roll Call might have listed the net worth of members of Congress in an article I read about you.”

  She blew out
a hard breath. “So you figured out I’m near the bottom, relatively speaking.”

  “For those who aren’t carrying around massive amounts of debt, yes.” Jack smiled. “You’re just a regular middle to upper middle class woman, I guess. Who happens to be in Congress.”

  Caroline had no desire to return his grin. “I’m not destitute, Jack. And my relative lack of affluence compared to many of my colleagues is not something I’m ashamed of.”

  “You shouldn’t be. A lot of politicians with much more money than you have been very irresponsible with it.”

  “I mean, I had a hard year with only one income but-”

  “Do you need help?”

  She glared at him.

  “I’m sorry.” Jack sounded upset. “I should not have said that.”

  Caroline rubbed her forehead. This was easily the most difficult conversation they’d ever had, even more so than the first time they’d met, and it was not getting easier. “I should not have brought this topic up. All you wanted to do was take me to a nice lunch and I’m wrecking it.”

  “You’re not wrecking it. Tell me what’s really bothering you.”

  She was more than happy to drop it all but he apparently wanted her to dig in her heels. “You bought a house in Georgetown at the drop of a hat for five million dollars. And I bet you don’t have a mortgage. Am I right?”

  “I don’t like debt.”

  She assumed that was a yes. After deciding it was safe to tell him the truth, Caroline now wanted nothing more than to change the subject. Immediately. “This isn’t fair to you. You shouldn’t be made to feel bad for what you have. A lot of people can make do with less. And I’m not in the poorhouse. Not even close.”

  “I didn’t mean to imply that.”

  “I was probably one of only a handful of members of Congress who got a raise when I was elected. For the first time, I made more than Nicky. And I’m still in the upper tier of income earners in this country, even without him. So I have no self-pity. And it’s not as if I don’t have friends who have much, much more than I do.”

  “I know. I was in Christine’s house, remember? Does her money bother you?”