Reappearance of Summmer

by D J Small

Summer’s heart started to beat faster. Desperate for a distraction, she brought up the first thing she could talk about. “About your position with the foundation, I was thinking you could be my assistant and proxy. You would fill in for me at certain events and press conferences. How do you feel about that?”

  Nina didn’t say anything for a moment and Summer closed her eyes, forcing herself to focus on her breathing.

  “I wouldn’t mind being your proxy, Colonel, but I would like to see how you run the foundation before taking on such a significant role.”

  Summer nodded in understanding. “Of course. You wouldn’t be doing it frequently. It would only be at certain times.” Times where she wouldn’t be able to get her shit together, and her anxiety was more than she could handle. Right as Summer was about to continue the conversation, someone tapped on the window. She almost screamed.

  Once she had recovered from the scare and made sure she wouldn’t suffer a heart attack, Summer looked out the window. Addison stood next to the car. She proceeded to get out of the vehicle and gave her a curt nod. “Addison.”

  “Colonel, it’s nice of you to join us on this trip.” Not certain if she were being genuine or not, Summer forced her lips into a tense smile.

  “I saw your press conference the other day, you did a nice job.”

  Summer held back a snort. “Thank you, I’m glad you enjoyed it.” In her opinion, the press conference had been a complete disaster. Aside from almost sweating through her suit and clutching the podium as if her life depended on it, Summer had rushed through the announcement and refused to take questions afterward, telling the press she had to prepare for her trip to California. In actuality, Summer had been on the verge of a full-blown anxiety attack, which would have resulted in her ripping her clothes off and being reduced to a crying mess.

  She had gone home immediately after the press conference, and had taken enough sedatives that she ended up sleeping for sixteen hours. Something she was less than thrilled about, but it was better than the alternative, “I also appreciate the endorsement. It did more than you think.”

  “I didn’t do anything,” Addison said with a small chuckle. “Val respects the relationship the foundation has with the White House, and she refuses to be the first president to disrupt it. I think she said it would be a disservice to the country if she did.”

  Summer almost laughed at the diplomatic explanation. The way Val could maintain her political façade while repressing what she truly felt had always impressed Summer, but she knew the toll it took on her. With the tight smile still plastered on her face, Summer said, “Regardless, tell her I said thank you for the endorsement.”

  “Summer, we’re going to be on a six-hour flight together,” Addison said with a laugh. “You can tell her yourself.”

  Summer’s body tensed up and she swallowed hard. There was no point in telling Addison what she had done, but would as a warning. “I will not be conscious for the flight.”

  Addison’s eyebrows furrowed, and the smile on her face fell. “I’m sorry, what?”

  Before the conversation could continue, the presidential motorcade rolled onto the tarmac. “Looks like your boss is here,” Summer commented before getting back into the town car. Addison stood by it for another second, then walked over to where the motorcade had come to a stop.

  Summer watched Val get out of the large armored SUV. The corner of her mouth twitched in a failed attempt at a forming a smile, and the brief fondness she felt for Val went as quickly as it came. Val gave the press a brief wave then made her way to Air Force One. Addison joined her and the two of them spoke briefly, then Val looked at the idling town car. Fearing Val would see her through the dark window, Summer turned her head away from it, letting it fall back against the headrest as she blew out a deep breath

  By the time Summer and Nina were given clearance to board the plane, Summer felt the sedatives begin to take effect. Once their luggage had been taken care of, they boarded Air Force One and Summer sat down in a seat close to the front, but away from the presidential suite which took up the front plane. Nina walked by her seat and headed for the back of the craft to speak to Addison and Val. Summer had given her instructions to speak to Addison only, but since Val had sat with her, Summer figured she would hear the message too. “Not my problem,” she mumbled to herself as she got a blanket and reclined the seat.

  “The president is not happy,” Summer heard Nina say next to her after she sat down. She was trying to block out the noises the plane made as the crew and pilot went through their checks. Even with the sedative dulling her responses, the noises still affected her anxiety.

  “She can talk to me when we land.”

  “I don’t think she’ll be agreeable once we land.”

  Summer grunted softly putting an end to the conversation. Both gradually and all at once, sleep came over her. The last thing to cross her mind was what she would tell Val when they landed in San Francisco.

  ~~~

  The words on the report were foreign to Val, and they were starting to become a blurry mess. She flicked the cover of the folder closed and sighed. Staying up to date on the situation in the Middle East was more than important, but Val couldn’t focus on the latest report. Summer sat less than fifteen feet away and had not uttered a single word to her, and it bothered her. Nina had been the one to speak to them before takeoff, telling Addison not to wake Summer until the cabin door of the plane was open and Val had gotten off it.

  The strict orders from her ex-wife’s personal assistant ate at Val, and the more she thought about it, the more irritated she became. “I was generous enough to let her fly with us, and what does she do? Fall asleep before the plane takes off without saying a damn word. That’s disrespectful.”

  Addison sighed and looked up from her laptop. “You’re supposed to be reading the intelligence reports about the Kuwait-Iraq situation. Why are you thinking about Summer?”

  “Because it’s irritating, Addison,” Val said as she gestured in the general direction of where Summer sat. “Then to make matters worse, she sends her fresh-out-of-grad-school assistant over to tell us to not wake her up.” She forced out an annoyed breath. “This is my plane, and I’m not going to be disrespected like this.”

  Val got up and Addison whispered, “This is not the way to do this, Val. We are several thousand feet in the air, and there are limited places for either of you to go.” Val scowled at her, and Addison sighed. “Fine, do what you want.”

  Val made her way over to where Summer and Nina sat, and when she was close enough, Nina smiled at her. “Madam President, is there something you needed?”

  Val glowered at Nina. There were several things about Nina that annoyed her, but the overt crush she carried for Summer made Val want to be not-so-pleasant towards her. “I wanted to speak to the colonel.”

  Nina grimaced. “I do apologize, ma’am, but she has given me explicit instructions to not wake her. Not even for an emergency.”

  The scowl on Val’s face deepened as she glanced at Summer then back at Nina. “What is going on with her, Nina?”

  “I am not at liberty to say, President Hawkins,” Nina replied politely. “You are more than welcome to ask the colonel when we’ve landed.”

  Val had reached her breaking point with the non-answers from Nina and the unnecessary rudeness coming from Summer. She placed her hand on the back of Nina’s seat and leaned down so they were eye-to-eye. “I know you’re following orders,” Val began in a soft voice, “but if you don’t tell me something real in the next few seconds, I will make sure your life is a living hell for the foreseeable future. Do you understand?”

  Nina nodded before biting her bottom lip. Val almost felt bad for threatening her when uncertainty began to shimmer in her eyes. After a few more seconds, Nina said in low voice, “On the way to the base the colonel took a bunch of pills, and on the ride over it looked like she was having a nervous breakdown.” She sighed. “Before you ask, I don’t know what she took,
President Hawkins.”

  Val didn’t have to think twice to know what Summer had taken, but it did answer a question she had been wondering about. Val placed her hand gently on Nina’s shoulder. “Thank you, Nina, and I’m sorry for what I said.” She stood up straight, and before she left the younger woman alone, Val said, “Do not tell her about this. She will be pissed at both of us for it.”

  Nina nodded in agreement and Val made her way back to her seat. As soon as she sat down in the comfortable chair, she closed her eyes and squeezed them tight. Deep down, she knew Summer’s relationship with flying wasn’t a good one, but with the amount of time she had spent traveling around the world the last two years made it seem like Summer had come to a good place about flying. “What happened?”

  Val opened her eyes and stared at the back of Summer’s seat. “Summer has to sedate herself to fly. Nina said she took some pills on the way to Andrews and seemed to be on the verge of a breakdown,” Val explained in a soft voice.

  “Dammit,” Addison swore quietly. The following silence weighed heavily upon them. Val’s heart broke. She didn’t know what to do to help Summer, and seeing her go through so much hell and try to survive it shredded her heart to pieces. Everything in her wanted to help Summer, but Val didn’t know if her help would be welcomed. Even if there was a chance Summer wanted her help, there was a possibility they would fall back into the unhealthy and vicious habits they had created before she left the White House the first time. Addison sighed. “She needs help, Val. What she’s doing now is only going to hurt her in the long run.”

  Val agreed, but she couldn’t say anything. All she could do was stare at the back of Summer’s seat, her heart breaking for the woman she loved.

  ~~~

  Ryan moved his hand to the small of Summer’s back as they got off the plane. The sedatives were still in her system, and he knew from past incidences she would not be steady on her feet, but Summer’s deadly grip on the railing meant she made it down the stairs and onto the tarmac with little trouble.

  Summer swallowed a few times to moisten her perpetually dry mouth, a side effect from the stupid pills she had taken. As much as she hated taking them, they were a necessary evil. She and Ryan walked over to Nina, and she asked in a hoarse voice, “Where’s the car? I need to get to the hotel and sleep this shit off.”

  Nina blew out a frustrated breath. “One moment, Colonel.” Summer’s brow furrowed as she watched her assistant walk away. If her mind wasn’t under a drug-induced haze she would have been pissed. Seconds later, Nina came back with Addison and said, “Tell her what you told me.”

  Summer didn’t miss the scathing glare Addison cast towards Nina, and she smirked.

  Addison let out a deep breath and said, “When travel arrangements were being made, someone thought you were accompanying the president as her escort.”

  Summer’s brain slowly registered what Addison said, and a frown formed on her face. “What does this have to do with my car?”

  “There is no car for you, Colonel,” Addison said in one breath, then she explained, “You will be riding with the president to the hotel, and you and your entourage will be on the same floor as her.”

  “This explains why Secret Service wanted to coordinate,” Ryan said as he snapped his fingers. The noise aggravated the sedative-induced headache beginning to form on the left side of Summer’s head.

  She massaged her temple and grimaced. “Okay, fine. We’ll ride together. I just need to get to the damn hotel.”

  “There is one more thing,” Addison said, and Summer dropped her hand, glaring at her. “We would like it if you escorted Val into the hotel.”

  Summer may have not been entirely with it, but her brain functioned enough to rebel against the request. Unable to shake her head, Summer narrowed her eyes at Addison. “No, I will not be escorting her into the hotel and putting on a show for the press. I am not the White House’s puppet.”

  “Summer, it’s not for the press. It will show the country—”

  “No, you cannot spin this. It is a show for the fucking press, Addison,” Summer argued, and she brought her hand up to massage her temple, instantly regretting the decision to get involved in this conversation.

  “May I ask what the holdup is?” Val’s pleasant voice asked, and Summer couldn’t tell if it annoyed or relaxed her.

  Addison answered Val’s question. “I may have asked the colonel to escort you into the hotel. Show the country The Armstrong Foundation and the administration are united and dedicated to helping the people of California.”

  Val nodded in understanding, and Summer clenched her jaw. All she wanted to do was go to the hotel and go to bed. Why this was such a difficult thing to do she couldn’t understand, but she was seconds from losing it.

  “She’s not doing that,” Val said a second later, and when Addison gawked at her, she explained, “I only invited her to join me on the flight to California. Nothing else.” She smiled at Summer. “I’m sure we can part with one of the vehicles. Addison, Mr. Olsen, can you talk to Banner and see what we can do to make sure the colonel gets to the hotel in a manner that is comfortable for her?”

  Summer stared at Val, stunned by the response. Their audience left, and once she and Val were alone she said, “Thanks.”

  Val gave her a small smile. “I’m sorry about the mix-up, and about Addison.”

  “It’s not your fault she is a raving bitch.”

  Val chuckled quietly, “She’s only looking out for my image.”

  Summer grunted, but uncertainty came over her when she realized she didn’t know what to say. After another moment of silence she cleared her throat and said, “I wouldn’t have minded riding to the hotel with you, and I don’t mind us sharing the same floor, but escorting you…” she sighed. “I can’t do it, Val. I can’t put on a show for the press.”

  “I understand, and I’m not going to force you to do something you don’t want to,” Val said with a smile.

  The conversation and the consideration Val showed were too much for Summer’s drug-addled brain. She honestly didn’t know what to expect when Val had interjected the conversation, but this definitely went beyond their more recent interactions. Val seemed more empathetic towards her, and Summer wondered if their last conversation had anything to do with the change.

  Ryan walked over with a huge smile plastered on his face. “The Secret Service is willing to part with an SUV and will make sure the service entrance is all set for you to enter, Colonel.”

  Summer nodded and smiled at Val. “Thank you again.”

  Val waved off her gratitude and remarked, “I didn’t do anything.” She smiled “I’ll see you at the hotel.”

  Val walked away, and a second later Summer realized a faint smile still played on her lips. Regardless of their pleasant exchange, Summer didn’t know what to make of it. Because of her vulnerable state, the desire to run after Val and seek refuge in the one person who always seemed to make the world right was an incredible one, but there was a part of her that remembered what she had done to Val, and believed she was nothing but a cancer to her and her life. Summer sighed. “Can we get out of here, please?”

  “Sure thing, Colonel,” Ryan replied. Summer and her entourage walked over to the waiting SUV and got into it. As soon as her head hit the headrest Summer closed her eyes. The conversation with Val played in her head along with the phone conversation they had before Summer’s press conference. She didn’t know what her reaction to any of it signified, but wisdom told her to let it go since there was no point. Summer exhaled a deep breath and let the lull of the moving vehicle put her in a light sleep.

  Chapter Twelve

  Val could feel exhaustion creep up on her as she went over the damage report for California. The state would need a lot of help and funding, and she honestly didn’t know where any of it would come from, but she and Congress would figure it out. Val squeezed her eyes shut and drew in a deep breath through her nose. The fatigue she felt was due
to lack of sleep, touring various towns and cities, and not having eaten dinner yet. There had also been periodic reports from Basara throughout the day, and they had only added to her exhaustion.

  After they had landed last night, Val and Addison had gone over her schedule for today and held several impromptu conference calls with Secretary Kanaan about the situation in the Middle East. The calls had lasted late into the night, so when Val woke up this morning she felt like several shades of crap. Touring the numerous cities and towns affected by the earthquake had only made the feeling worse, but she had managed to get through it somehow.

  Meeting with victims that were in the hospital had been Val’s first stop during her visits, then she met with those whose family members had died because of the disaster or they were still unaccounted for. Those meetings had been emotionally draining, and had more of an effect on her than her physical exhaustion did, but the hope people had truly inspired Val, and she told them she would do everything in her power to make sure they got the help they needed.

  Walking through the destruction had put Val on an emotional rollercoaster, and there were a few times where tears had come to her eyes because of the empathy she felt for those who had lost almost everything. The loss of their homes and businesses was one thing, but their autonomy and sense of peace would be a difficult thing for people to recover. It added more weight to Val’s emotional fatigue, and she carried it for most of the day.

  Val did have a reprieve from the destruction and the emotions she felt, and it came in the form of Summer. Throughout the day, their paths had intersected several times, and Val was surprised by how amazing she looked. Each time they ran into each other, Summer appeared to be refreshed, present, and very much engaged in her tours through the towns, contrasting greatly from when they had arrived in California the previous night. The night before, Summer had looked haggard and out of it, but today she looked like the face of The Armstrong Foundation, ready to do her job. As much as it amazed Val, it also irritated her. She was pretty certain she didn’t look half as good as Summer did, and when Val saw her under the California sun, with the breeze blowing her hair, she almost swooned.