by D J Small
When she reached the main floor, Summer made her way to the East Wing. The conversation with Val continued to play in her mind, and the more she dwelled on it, the angrier she became for putting herself in such a situation.
Summer stalked through the East Wing, stopping at Nina’s office. “Follow me,” she snapped before walking away. The two of them went to the main office and Summer said, “Find me a short-term apartment in D.C. I also want to offer you a job with the foundation.” She had been an idiot for not taking Nina with her the first time she had left the White House, but she wouldn’t make the same mistake twice.
Nina stammered a bit before she asked with some trepidation, “Can I give you an answer at the end of the day?”
“That’s fine,” Summer said as she began to gather up her paperwork. “But I need a new apartment by then. Call Secret Service and let them know I am leaving so they can coordinate with my security. I’ll be going to the Residence to pack my stuff when I finish here.”
“Okay, Colonel,” Nina remarked quickly. “I will have everything taken care of by the time you’re ready to go.”
Summer gave her a brief nod then gestured for her to leave the office. After the door closed behind Nina, Summer dropped into the office chair and expelled an angry breath before kicking the sturdy oak desk. Everything had blown up in her face, and she only had herself to blame. Summer knew Val didn’t have warm, fuzzy feelings towards her, so why she had tried to do something as asinine as this, she didn’t know. Luckily, she had a plan B, and it was almost foolproof. Almost.
~~~
Staffers jumped out of Val’s way as she took quick, angry strides through the West Wing, making her way to the Oval Office. Still reeling from her conversation with Summer, Val decided it would be best to throw herself into some work, and not think about the absurd idea Summer had come up with. Val scoffed and shook her head. Never in a million years would she let her unstable ex-wife partner with the White House on a project. It would ultimately set them both up for failure. To some degree, Val had made the decision because of her presidency, but she had also done it for Summer. This was the best thing for her.
“She has lost her fucking mind,” Val muttered to herself as the absurdity of Summer’s request hit her once again. She reached Addison’s office, and barged into it. “Come to the Oval,” she ordered before turning to leave.
“Oh, she has pissed you off,” Addison said as jumped off the small couch and followed Val out of the office.
The remark fed into Val’s anger, and she pressed her lips together, causing a deep scowl to mar her face. The thing that angered Val the most about the situation wasn’t Summer’s request, but the fact she had hoped lunch would be something more. Val huffed quietly to herself as she walked into the Oval Office. Once again, Summer had made a fool out of her.
As she walked over to her desk, Addison closed the door and asked, “Do you want to talk about it?”
Val sat down and logged into her computer. “I do not want to talk about it. What I want to do is get an update on the missing troops and find out how we’re going to get them home. I want an update on California and when I will be meeting with the congress members from the state. I want the information on the Iraqi leaders that I requested. I want to know where Congress stands on war and I want to deal with this fucking tax bill.” Her gaze cut into Addison. “That is what I want to do. So, what do you have for me?”
Addison straightened her posture and cleared her throat. “I have been in contact with the governor of California, and he has declared a state of emergency in several cities and counties. The representatives of the state will be meeting with the Armstrong Foundation later today and will depart for California after it. When you land in California on Friday, you will be meeting with the state’s senators and Governor Zavala, then the four of you will embark on a tour of the cities and towns that were hit hardest by the earthquake.”
Val couldn’t help but to be impressed, but then again Addison made sure her administration worked like clockwork. It was one of the reasons why she had made history for occupying the role of chief of staff for as long as she had. Addison continued her update. “Michelle is keeping an eye on the events in the Middle East, and has been in frequent contact with Secretary Kanaan.” She grimaced. “Information on the president and prime minister has been hard to obtain, Madam President.”
Val narrowed her eyes. “Information on them hasn’t been hard to obtain, Addison. You just aren’t contacting the right people.”
“I have spoken with almost every senator and representative in the intelligence committee, the armed services committee, and the committee of homeland security. Each one of them has given me the runaround,” Addison argued, and Val could tell she had offended her.
Val sighed and shook her head. “That’s not what I’m saying.” She paused then said, “I know you don’t agree with me digging into Hasem and Nasir, but it needs to be done. These insurgents are getting funded somehow, and we need to make sure it isn’t from the Iraqi government. You know who you need to talk to, Addison.”
Addison drew in a deep breath and held it for a second before releasing it. “If I do that, I won’t be able to tell you anything.”
Val smirked. “I know, but you have ways of bringing things to my attention and into the light. Remember the questionable appropriation of funds that were used to create a program within the Department of Education that made no sense?”
Addison laughed. “I stumbled onto that, Val. I didn’t know it would lead to corruption.” Val laughed with her, but as the two of them calmed down, Addison pointed out, “This would be intentional, ma’am.”
Val opened a brown folder sitting on her desk. “I know, but what you do to get me that information is up to you.”
Addison sighed. “I hate when you say that.”
The smile on Val’s face widened, but fell as soon as she read the brief on a bill being introduced to the House at the end of the week. Val shook her head. It was another asinine bill based off of archaic ideologies from the twenty-first century. She closed the folder and held it up for Addison to take. “Have this killed, brutally.”
“What is it?” Addison asked as she took the folder from her. She read the document inside it, and after a few seconds she looked up at Val and broke into a fit of laughter. “Are they seriously trying to roll back environmental protections?”
Val rolled her eyes. “Of course they are, and they’re using the same tired argument, stating the government overstepped its boundaries. But those environmental protections prevented a majority of the country from joining the oceans.”
Addison shook her head and chuckled. “I will have this killed, and publicly.”
A momentary lapse in their conversation occurred, and Val looked at Addison, seeing a question coupled with the uncertainty shining in her eyes. “What, Addison?”
“What happened?”
Val picked up her pen and opened another brown folder, staring down at the page inside of it while she figured out how to respond to the question. She pressed her lips together and lifted her head, meeting Addison’s gaze. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“Bullshit, Val.”
“I’m only going to say this once, Addison, and that’s it,” Val warned as she held up a finger. “Do not bring up she-who-will-not-be-named again. Now, can you please go do what I asked you to?”
Addison sucked in air through her teeth. “Damn, she really did piss you off.” Val pinned her down with a scathing glare, and Addison held up the folder in her hands. “I’m off to go have this killed then I will take care of the other things you asked me about.”
She made a brisk exit from the office, and as soon as the door shut behind her, Val dropped the pen in her hand and leaned back in her chair. Letting her eyes close, she blew out a slow breath. The day wasn’t as bad as it could be, but Val would definitely be glad when it ended. When her thoughts drifted to Summer she sat up. There was no poin
t in reviving the anger and frustration she felt over what Summer had asked. Val waved her hand over the holo-phone and said, “Call Senator Yvonne Harris.”
The phone let out a monotonous tone as Val waited for the call to be answered. Seconds later, the senator’s cheerful face filled the translucent screen. “President Hawkins, this is a surprise. What can I help you with?”
Val smiled and asked, “I’m sorry to bother you, Senator, but I have a favor to ask of you if possible.”
“You are not bothering me, ma’am, and I would love to assist you. What do you need?"
Senator Harris had supported Val through both terms of her presidency, and she viewed her as an ally on the Hill. She also used to work for a covert part of the intelligence community, which was why Val had contacted her. “Do you still have your contacts in the CIA?” Val asked, trying to keep her tone casual.
Yvonne nodded. “I do.”
Val smiled. “Then I do believe we can be of help to one another, Senator.”
Chapter Nine
Summer had completely forgotten about her meeting with the senators from California, but it had been a productive one, despite her being a little out of sorts at the beginning of it. The senators had brought along a few of their colleagues from the House to make sure she had enough information about the destruction of the state. Together, they went over the damaged areas and pinpointed the ones that were in desperate need of relief. The information Summer had gathered from the congressmembers would be passed along to the person she put in charge of California’s relief effort.
They had also discussed structural damage and what the local governments were concerned with in terms of repairs. By the time the meeting had ended Summer realized a tremendous amount of repairs and construction would need to be done before the severely affected areas could go back to being somewhat functional.
As she showed the congressmembers out, Senator George Stewart smiled at her and said, “It’s nice to have you back in the White House, Colonel. Your presence here resonated with the American people.” He chuckled. “I know you’re from a well-off family, but your background isn’t like the president’s. You weren’t born into a political family, nor did you go to an Ivy League school.” Senator Stewart gave her a sad smile. “Then you showed people your humanity, and that your life wasn’t as perfect as they assumed it to be.”
A tense smile formed on Summer’s face. “I’m nothing special, Senator.”
He nodded. “Of course, you’re not, and I’m not trying to make you out to be something you’re not, but you have shown the world your humanity, which makes it easier for people to relate to you.” Senator Stewart sighed, but a shadow of a smile crossed his face. “Having you involved with the relief effort will be beneficial.”
Summer tried not to huff in irritation. Leaving Val in the middle of her first term as president shouldn’t have made her relatable to people, and the fact it had made her question the public. “My involvement shouldn’t influence people’s desire to help those in need, sir. Everyone should feel compelled to help the citizens of your great state after seeing what they’ve been through.” She opened the office door. “Nina will be in contact with your offices to arrange the events for this weekend.”
Summer closed the door after saying goodbye to the congressmembers. She walked over to the couch and sighed as she sat down on it. The day needed to come to an end, but she wasn’t quite done with it yet. Getting her backup plan underway needed to start as soon as possible, but first she needed to take off her prosthetic. It wasn’t uncomfortable, but wearing it for most of the day annoyed her. Summer drew in a deep breath and got off the couch, making her way to the office’s private bathroom.
As soon as she was inside the bathroom, Summer took off her pants then removed her prosthetic. Taking it off wasn’t a complicated task, all she had to do was wiggle it a little to loosen up the medical glue that kept it attached to her residual limb. Summer let out a breath of relief when the leg came off. Reaching for the shorts laying on the bathroom counter, she decided not to wash off the remnants of glue that stuck to her. Summer hopped out of the bathroom once she had the shorts on, and used the wall to help her cross the distance between the bathroom and the desk.
She was almost at the desk when Nina walked into the office. Her eyes grew wide, and she rushed over to Summer. “Goodness, Colonel. Why didn’t you call me? I would have helped you.”
Summer rolled her eyes and waved her hand towards Nina when she started to fuss over her. “Cut it out. I don’t need your help. I’ve been doing this for two years, and I’ve gotten it down better than walking.” She sat behind the desk when she got to it and glanced at Nina who still had an uncertain look on her face. Summer blew out an irritated breath. “If you’re going to worry about me, I’m going to have to get a new assistant. I have one leg, that doesn’t make me a complete invalid.”
Nina quickly nodded. “Of course not, Colonel. I—” She paused, but then continued. “I’m just curious as to why you took your prosthetic off.”
The question annoyed Summer further, but instead of losing it on Nina she explained as best as she could. “Wearing it for most of the day gets annoying as hell, so I take it off.” She gestured towards Nina. “It’s like taking your bra off after a long day of work.”
Nina laughed, and Summer couldn’t help but to smile at her response. “I completely understand now, Colonel. Thank you.”
Summer shrugged. “Do you have something for me?”
Nina walked closer to the desk and handed her a white folder. Summer took it, and as she opened the cover Nina said, “I found you an apartment. It’s three blocks from Lafayette Park, and it has two bedrooms and one and a half bathrooms. There’s a terrace, and I do believe it has a nice view of the city, but I wasn’t able to check it out since I was under some stringent time constraints.”
Summer looked up from the pictures of the inside of the apartment. “Are you complaining?”
Nina shook her head. “No, not at all, Colonel.” She finished her run down of the apartment. “For the most part, it’s all set for you to move in. I notified Secret Service of its location, and they have teamed up with your security detail to make sure it’s ready for you to actually move into by the end of the day. I also arranged for furniture to be delivered to the apartment.”
“How did you manage to do that?” Summer asked.
Nina bit her bottom lip, then in one breath, said. “I used my credit card, and I hoped you would reimburse me.”
Summer stared at her for a moment then began to laugh. Nina definitely had initiative, and it was something she needed in an assistant. She didn’t like it when people asked a million questions to get a job done. When she gave an order, she expected it to be followed, no questions asked. Summer’s laughter eventually subsided, and she said, “Do not ever do that again, but I will make sure you are reimbursed.”
“Thank you, Colonel. I thought about your offer.” Summer arched an eyebrow, and Nina smiled. “Thank you for the opportunity, and I would love to come work for you at the Armstrong Foundation.”
A genuine smile graced Summer’s features. “I’ll make sure human resources takes care of the paperwork as quickly as possible so the transition is a smooth one for you. I recommend putting in your two weeks with the White House as soon as possible.”
“I will do that once I leave for the day.”
Summer nodded. “Is there anything else?”
Nina shook her head. “Not at the moment.”
Summer couldn’t think of any reason to have Nina to stay for the rest of the day. “You can leave once you set up the meetings with the members of Congress from California.”
“Certainly, and thank you, Colonel,” Nina said before turning to leave. Summer finished gathering up the documents she had accumulated during her short stay at the White House, then she called Secret Service to have someone come help her.
An hour later, she and two Secret Service agents were leaving
the East Wing, and as they entered the East Colonnade they ran into Addison. “Nina put in her notice. Told me an opportunity with the Armstrong Foundation had become available,” she said as she walked closer to Summer. “Why are you pumping the White House for talent?”
Summer adjusted her grip on the handles of her crutches and grinned. “If I do recall, I’m the one who hired her in the first place.” She chuckled. “I should have taken her with me the first time around, but I wasn’t in the best place. I’m not any better, but at least I have direction now.”
Addison rolled her eyes, and when she looked beyond Summer, her eyebrows knitted together. “What’s going on? Why are they helping you with your stuff?”
“Val said I could leave,” Summer simply replied.
“Why?”
Summer grunted. “Go ask your boss.” She walked around Addison and said, “Either way, I’m leaving, and I need to go pack my stuff in the Residence.” She didn’t bother to look back.
Once they got to the Lincoln Room, Summer packed up the few belongings she had then one of the agents took her bags. They went to the first floor of the Residence and exited through one of side entrances where a big SUV idled. Summer and the agents got into it and left the complex, heading to her new apartment.
Leaving the White House for a second time wasn’t hard, but this time Summer wasn’t weighed down by emotional and traumatic baggage she hadn’t learned to suppress. She still carried the same baggage, but it had been wrangled into something that allowed her to give off the illusion of being a functional human being.
Fifteen minutes later, the SUV pulled up to an apartment building, and Ryan Olsen, the head of Summer’s security detail, walked out. He helped her out of the SUV and said, “It is good to see you again, Colonel.” Summer shot him an annoyed glance and he chuckled. “I’m going to speak with the agent, then we’ll go into the new place.”