Murray’s attention was glued to the nineteen inch old style Cathode Ray Tube television hanging from the ceiling, facing Todd’s hospital bed. Dottie had been keeping vigil at the hospital since the accident in which Todd sustained severe head trauma. He was put into a medically induced coma to allow his brain to heal. The fourteen year old boy had not regained consciousness since the accident.
In some odd way, Dottie thought that may be for the best for now. Two of his closest friends were dead and another was paralyzed from the waist down. She knew she would eventually have to tell Todd when he woke up, but that wasn’t her first concern right now. She just wanted him to get well. The doctors were very hopeful that Todd would recover, at least to a reasonable degree. She had great hopes for her only child.
Those hopes did not translate to their marriage. Even before the horror of the accident, things were not going well. Murray was jet setting around the country with American Royalty and God knows who else. Meanwhile the rest of the Murrays felt as if they were relegated to second class citizens in Jack’s eyes. She did her best over the last few weeks, going on overnight trips with Todd’s team and his teammates’ parents. An outgoing and vivacious woman, Dottie made new friends with ease.
She glanced from her son to her husband as he watched the television. She sensed a cold, distant vibe she never felt before from Jack. If Jack didn’t want to be around her, why should she care about being around him? Dottie could not believe she felt that way. She also could not believe how at peace she was with that scenario.
While he was away, the frequency of phone calls and texts had diminished and the more the couple stayed apart, the easier to it was to remain apart. Even now, Jack was in the room but his mind was in some studio in Washington DC. All she had was the back of his head as he stared at the boob tube while a 300 year old boob debated a fifty-something year old twit.
She took a deep breath and tried to stay calm. She knew this was not all Jack’s fault. She urged him to go on this crazy adventure but resented him when he did. Dot knew that deep down he was a good person and a great father to Todd. But he didn’t come home right away when he heard about Todd’s accident and that cut her deep. She felt like she didn’t know Jack anymore. Maybe a stepchild was not the same as your own flesh and blood.
Jack watched the silent pause between Washington and Fredericks as he felt his wife’s glare of tension burn on the back of his head like a laser. But he steadfastly refused to turn away from the TV, knowing that if he did, another fight would erupt. He had no more words to explain his actions of the past four days, and he wasn’t about to try to find new ones.
He did love Todd and he adored Dottie. She had to know that, but he was literally and figuratively not himself right now. This was not all his fault and she knew it. She encouraged him and then hated him for it. Besides, he had heard a few disturbing stories about goings on in the motels at the baseball tournaments after the kids went to bed. The phone bill he reviewed online revealed some long phone calls and texts to Tim Jenson and a 202 area code phone number he did not recognize in DC.
So the adult Murrays sat quietly around Todd’s bed. Jack focused on the picture on the screen while Dottie held young Todd’s hand. She listened to the show too, but feigned non-interest, not wanting to let her husband know at that moment that she still cared about his cause.
Walters was not amused by Fredericks’ opening salvo, but decided in that instant to take the high road, figuring it would take William off his game. The candidate peered down toward his questioner and startled the host by replying with a sincere thank you from the Walters’ campaign. Fredericks had helped raise money and found volunteers to help the injured and all the families involved in the deadly bus crash. Mr. Walters explained that the son of one of his campaign members was still in the hospital recovering.
“Your money has helped ease a few burdens through this terrible time. As for the member of our immediate family, we hope to see a full recovery, thanks to your audience’s faith and prayers, as well as a few good doctors.”
Fredericks was not aware of a connection to the Walters’ campaign. He immediately turned to one of his people off stage and mouthed the words “get on it.” As he turned back to his guest, the names of the grief stricken families started to race through his head.
What he could not remember was what Dottie knew all along. The voice of the liberal establishment had personally called Dottie and the other affected family members to offer his condolences and prayers for their boys’ recoveries. He even offered additional money if she needed it. Fredericks may be a twit, but he was there for her and the community, raising significant donations for medical and funeral expenses. It was a lot more than her history professor husband had done so far.
But what moved Dottie the most was when Fredericks shared the story of his own loss several years earlier. Fredericks had never spoken about it publicly, but one of his sons, Harry, had drowned in a neighbor’s pool at the age of three. It still affected him deeply and he never got over his loss.
Mrs. Murray saw goodness in the heart of the man that her husband despised. She wanted to say something to Jack, but a hospital room was not the right place for a conversation of that nature. She continued to keep an eye on the television.
Walters saw that his gracious thank you may have taken Fredericks away from his initial focus. But his answer would surely get Fredericks back on track. The guest addressed his host in a purposeful condescending tone.
“We went through this once before, William. You and your attack hounds have tried to dig things up on me but to no avail. And that is because I have nothing to hide. What you see is what you get. What you hear is what you get. Now stop this nonsense.”
Murray clenched his fist in delight to the reply while Dottie thought Mr. Walters was unnecessarily nasty to the William she knew.
The tone and last comment got William’s blood boiling. He started in on Walters’ lack of experience and public record. He then turned toward Walters’ family history. The host described that Walters’ son had been arrested in college for DUI, criminal mischief and disorderly conduct. He asked how Frank could leave his business in the hands of a person of questionable character.
When he intimated rumors of an inappropriate relationship involving the wife of a member of Walters’ team, Murray cursed audibly and popped out of his chair. He shot Dottie a quick glare and then looked away. He didn’t want to fight but the voice in the room had just turned his thoughts upside down.
Dottie’s face froze as she looked at her husband. He continued to stare at the TV, but she could read his mind. She knew in her heart that she hadn’t done anything wrong over the past few weeks. But the guy she had recently found a new admiration for had just said something to a national audience to intentionally hurt her.
A gloating Fredericks glanced in the direction of his wife for approval. Sophia, who had recently arrived, stood just off the set as the guest pondered the question.
Frank Walters’ composure was being tested on the air once again. But he was not about to let his adversary get away with this one.
“Mr. Fredericks, to speak evil of anyone, unless there are unequivocal proofs of their deserving it, is an injury for which there is no adequate reparation. My son is an honorable man as are all members of my team and their families. Not all of us were born with a silver spoon in our mouths. I am running for the office of the presidency. My son is not. The fact that you have stooped so low as to bring a good man such as my son into the conversation and then attack my staff based on nothing but gossip shows you to be a man of very weak character. I’ll remind you and your audience that good moral character is the first essential in a man.”
Walters finished his thought by explaining that he came on the show a second time to discuss the policies needed to right the ship that was the USA.
“Why don’t we begin?”
Fredericks pushed harder as he felt the candidate’s defenses rising. “Mr. Walters,
if you are going to call the show and beg us to put you on, you have to face the issues and answer the questions. I ask you again, how can you entrust your family business to a person with a criminal record?”
Walters understood that the battle was now joined. He looked at the smirk on the host’s face as he gloated again at the redirect. But nobody was better at obtaining genuine insider information than Ken Rader. He had provided a set of notes that Walters memorized prior to the show. The candidate counter punched.
“We asked to come on your show because we felt the left side of the aisle needed to be educated about what America is all about, something they do not get from the carousel of uninformed and anti-American guests you parade here on a daily basis. So you see, Mr. Fredericks, I am not going to cower under your attacks and innuendo.”
Murray blurted out, “Go get him, George!” which won him an odd look from the nurse changing the IV drip.
“Two can play at this game. I ask you Mr. Fredericks, why did you fly your wife into town last night? I see her standing over there. Why is she all of the sudden here? And why did your children not accompany her? Did you need the support of your spouse today knowing that you were entering the battlefield with an adversary such as me?”
Fredericks was alarmed at the turn of events. Most of his adversaries allowed him to discuss their families but never replied in kind. Walters stared at him, creating dead air and a very uncomfortable set. The teacher had scolded his pupil but he was not finished.
“Tell me this, young man. Was it I who begged to be on the show? Or was it your producer who begged you to put me on the air? Or was it your boss who called you and insisted you interview me or you be fired?”
Fredericks looked toward the camera and said that they would be right back. The show went to commercial and Fredericks made a beeline for Sophia. The candidate followed his every step, never taking his eyes off the host. Rader tried to get his client to step from the set but Walters waved him off, leaning back in his chair with his hands clasped behind his head. Rader turned to Hahn next to him and said what everybody already knew. “Welcome back to the Frank Walters Show!”
Both men let out a big laugh that echoed through the studio as Fredericks made his way back to his chair behind the desk.
Excited, Murray asked Dottie if she had heard all that. Dottie replied in a subdued tone that it was impossible not to with all his yelling. She went back to tending to Todd, bathing his face with a warm compress.
As the red light reappeared, the sullen host welcomed the audience back with a question about the candidate’s health situation.
“Yes. As you have repeated over and over, I am a cancer survivor” said Walters. “A number of years ago I went for a routine colonoscopy, which revealed a blockage. I had the tumor removed but unfortunately, the cancer metastasized to my liver. However, we were lucky enough to catch it early. I had a small concentration of cancer on my liver that the surgeons were able to cut out and remove. The liver is an amazing organ in that it can regenerate itself and that is what my liver has done. I am happy to say that at the moment, I am cancer free.”
Fredericks nodded and quietly said that it was good news that the popular candidate had one less thing to worry about on the campaign trail. But before he could utter another question, Frank Walters interrupted. “But William, I did not come here today to talk about spouses or children, closed door conversations or abdominal CT scans and X-rays. I am here today to challenge the President of these United States to a debate, one on one, just he and I, next week on the steps of the Federal Hall building in lower Manhattan.”
Fredericks laughed before looking at the candidate’s serious expression. He stated that he could not be serious.
“I am serious, very serious. Man on man, an old-fashion debate based solely on the issues. If the president is a man of honor like he consistently portrays himself to be, he will accept my challenge and make arrangements to leave the golf course behind for a day and show up in New York. He can choose the topics, prepare the questions in advance, and even decide what issues are forbidden. I will even agree to allow him a tele-prompter on the dais.”
“What the hell is he doing?” asked Murray to no one.
Audible laughs in the background could be heard on the air, undoubtedly belonging to Hahn and Ken Rader. Fredericks was now wide-eyed and he immediately changed his persona to that of PT Barnum.
“Well, ladies and gentlemen, you heard it here first on The World Today. Frank Walters, the candidate of no political party, has challenged the president of the United States of America to a political debate in New York next week. Whether the president accepts or not will be seen. But the gauntlet has been thrown down on our show by the gentleman from Virginia. More newsworthy events brought to you courtesy of William Fredericks.”
They went to commercial once again. Walters stood and walked the few steps to the host seat. He extended his hand to Fredericks, thanking him for the time. Fredericks stayed seated and shook his hand, uttering neither a thank you nor a good luck. The guest had struck a nerve in the host by mentioning Sophia.
Fredericks wondered how much more this Walters bloke knew about him. Did he know about Them? Fredericks was shaken both inside and out and had to compose himself for the remainder of the show. He gathered his notes for the next segment as Frank Walters exited the studio to congratulations and well deserved handshakes. Even Sophia Fredericks, outside of William’s line of sight, introduced herself and shook Walters’ hand. Hahn pulled Walters to the side.
“I knew you would do it, I just knew. That was awesome. Did you see the look on his face? Priceless.”
Mr. Walters cautioned Hahn not to get ahead of himself as Rader appeared at his side.
“I guess I have a lot of work to do over the next week. Federal Hall? Do you think it’s safe? You couldn’t have picked Madison Square Garden, some place we can rent out that doesn’t have high rise buildings with open windows all around?”
The man who would not be king put both his hands on Rader’s shoulders as he addressed him.
“I wanted to be in a familiar environment and among some old friends. Mr. Rader, I have every confidence in your ability to pull this off. Now, let’s go back to the hotel for some libations.”
Murray just stared at the commercial on TV and continued to shake his head.
“What on earth is this guy doing?”
Chapter 27
Jack Murray felt the pressure coming from all sides.
He was summoned back to the Mount Vernon estate by the boss himself for an important summit of all the new founders.
As if his life was not already in a crisis, Murray would once again be apart from his family. The doctors remained hopeful, but his son still lay in coma, now at Rockingham Memorial Hospital (having been transported closer to home at Dottie’s insistence). Dottie had become just plain hostile, continuing to project her fear and anger about Todd. Jack knew her patience was at its end, but he had to be with the team. There was nothing he could do to make his son wake up from his coma. That was up to the doctors. There was nothing that could make Dottie feel better about their time apart.
He understood how traumatic situations could quickly rip even the closest families apart. Jack feared he could easily lose his son and his wife, but he suppressed his doubts as he fled the hospital and entered the livery car waiting for him.
The ride was uneventful, leaving Murray to his own thoughts. He had to put his wife out of his mind for the next few hours and deal with the tasks at hand. He had been away from the campaign for a week, which made Jack feel like an outsider. He needed to catch up and fast. He had to figure out how he would deal with Fredericks’ attack on George’s identity and his unfounded remarks about infidelity within the team.
Murray had seen movies in which people came back from the dead, only to encounter physical or psychological problems. He wondered if life was now imitating art with George’s half-cocked challenge to debate the president one on
one at Federal Hall in New York. Did he realize that there were four other candidates in the Republican tent that were vying for the office as well? Or that nobody would take him seriously? It sounded like something Hahn would think up.
Of course the president snidely derided the founding movement as he tried to put the Walters’ team on the defensive. Even the Republican establishment quietly set out to undermine the Walters’ campaign by questioning his qualifications. The Tea Party base had started to voice persistent fears that Walters would “sell out” to the Republican establishment. Even infighting among the team had arisen when Walters snubbed Josh to go on Fredericks’ show for second time.
And now Walters decided to disrupt Murray’s life yet again.
Not a man comfortable with conflict of this sort, Murray didn’t know where to turn. He would normally confide in Dottie, but that was out the window as she was suddenly one of his major concerns. He had felt a closeness and connection to Tim Jenson, but that was before he left the campaign to go home and do his radio show.
Murray kept telling himself that he was just imagining things, but he wasn’t even sure if he could trust Jenson after hearing the infidelity allegations and seeing his phone number appear on her cell phone bill. Dottie explained that Jenson had been there to talk with her while Murray was on the road. Even if it wasn’t physical infidelity, Murray’s feeling that she was emotionally cheating on him hurt him just as deeply. With everything in his life turned upside down, Murray actually looked forward to reconnecting with the other new founders.
The New Founders Page 24