Post by papaof2 on May 11, 2019 9:27:23 GMT -6
Chapter 22
11 December, 7:20PM
beep!beep!beep! beep!beep!beep! beep!beep!beep!
'Footloose.'
'We're about 15 minutes out. Is supper ready?'
'I'll wait ten minutes and then add the water to the self-heating MREs.'
'Good enough. We could have a lot of people eating MREs and being grateful them in the very near future.'
'That's a future we'd like to avoid.'
'That's what I hoped to hear from you. Now tell me how.'
'First you eat and unwind for a while then you tell me where you are and what outcomes you want. Then we discuss the future.'
'Sounds like a reasonable plan. We're pushing trees and big limbs off the road as we go so maybe clearing things will be a little easier when you start out.'
'Having the tracks break up the ice will also help.'
'Tank One out.'
'Footloose out.'
"Em, do you want to meet the President and try eating with us? Your medication should be good for maybe two more hours. It's still OK to say you want jammies and your bed."
"I love you too, Best Daddy Ever. Can you get the blue sweater from the shelf in my closet so I don't hafta climb up to get it?"
"I can and I will. Anything else you need?"
"A hug."
"I buy those in bulk so I always have some available."
"You goof!"
"But I made you smile."
"You did. I'll be ready in five minutes."
---
"Do my ears tell me our guests have arrived?"
"So do the cameras, Love. I opened the gates remotely when I heard them coming. When the second tank is inside, I'll close the gates and lock them."
"Daddy, why are all those people getting out with guns in hand?"
"Those are the Secret Service agents who guard the President. They're very much on edge because they couldn't do their usual surveys before he arrived and they didn't have an advance team to check things out or place snipers on the rooftops. It's OK for you to be armed; just don't go to the door with a rifle in your hand."
"Hello the house!"
"Hello, Dave. Bring your crew in where it's warm."
"Hi, Jack, Mrs. Wilson. I thought you said your girl was sick with the flu?"
"She's been in bed all day but she wanted to meet you and to eat supper with the group if she didn't tire too quickly."
"Miss Wilson, I'm Dave Richards, the current US President. I'm very pleased to meet you."
"Me too, Mister President! And my name is Emily."
"That's a nice name. My oldest daughter is also an Emily."
"Is she my age or all grown up?"
"She's in-between - she's 14."
"Tell her I said 'Hi'."
"I will."
---
"Dave, if you can calm your people down enough to holster their weapons and wash their hands, we can eat. Em, you eating with us or going back to bed?"
"Back to bed, Daddy. Come tuck me in?"
"Yes. Dave, the pot's on the stove, the bowls are next to it and the cornbread is on the table. The pitchers have sweet and unsweet tea and there's a pot of coffee on the counter by them. Serve yourselves while I get Emily back in bed."
"OK, people. You heard Jack. Dive in."
---
"Mnph! Daddy, help me with the sweater! I can't get it off!"
"It's wet, Em. You've been sweating a lot so I think your fever is up again - maybe up a lot. You sure you want me to undress you?"
"I may be almost ten but other than the length of my hair, my upper half looks just like Junior's. I wish I did look like a girl there."
"As long as you're comfortable with it."
"I'm always comfortable with you because you always keep me safe. Just get me out of it!"
"Arms up. I'll pull the bottom edge up over the rest of it and peel it off you. Your skin is also very warm. Put your lightweight jammies on and I'll get the thermometer."
"OK."
"Tip of the thermometer under your tongue. You can hold it with your teeth while I get a watch to time it."
"Jack, you're taking a long time getting her to bed."
"She's burning up. Feel how wet the sweater is."
"Time for more acetaminophen. How high is it?"
"102."
"That's the highest so far. Em, take these and I'll put the baby monitor in here in case you start feeling worse."
"OK. Read to me, Daddy?"
"'All the Way to the Moon'?"
"Un huh."
"Love, tell Dave I'll probably be here less than ten minutes."
"He's already said to take your time as they're here until daylight and as much longer as needed."
"Daddy, can I snuggle?"
"I think I can read in that position. 'I Love You to the Moon and Back'…"
---
"Back so soon, Jack?"
"Dave, this strain of the flu is hitting Emily hard so it doesn't take much to get her to sleep. The book was one she became attached to when she was about five and it's a very short read. She was snuggled with her head on my shoulder and was snoring before I finished the book. We have a baby monitor in there in case she needs us during the night."
"I hate that I'm keeping you away from caring for a sick child."
"We're doing what we'd be doing if you weren't here. She needs rest more than anything else so the room is almost dark and the door is closed to keep it quiet. We'll check her before we go to bed but we'll mostly be listening for any change in her breathing or any hard coughing."
"And you're wearing the monitor so you don't miss anything."
"I might like her a little bit."
"I'm pretty sure she knows that."
---
"Ma'am? How long did you spend getting this meal ready? It must have taken hours!"
"About 20 minutes prep time, an hour to simmer, another 15 minutes for the potatoes and peppers to cook. And I'm Karen, Mister President."
"It's not a gourmet recipe that takes hours of prep time?"
"No. Just good food that's quick and easy to fix."
"You said 'peppers'. I didn't see any."
"They go in a cheesecloth bag so they can be removed after cooking as not everyone likes bell pepper but it's a good flavor for this dish."
"I couldn't identify the flavor but I can certainly taste the GOOD! Would you be interested…"
"No, Mister President. I'm not interested in working in the White House kitchen. I will give you a copy of the recipe to take with you."
"Thank you. We've already gotten more than some of these people expected from this visit but now I need to pick Jack's brain for a while."
"The library is almost soundproof with the door closed."
"Then let's go there."
"Coffee in an hour, Jack?"
"Yes, Love. Thank you. You take the monitor."
---
"Momma? Momma! MOMMA!"
"I'm here, Em. What's wrong?"
"I think I wet the bed in my sleep."
"Not when your hair and jammie top are this wet. You've really been sweating but you look like you feel a little better. Let's check your temperature again while you change into dry jammies and I put dry sheets on the bed."
"OK. I'm thirsty."
"Considering how much fluid you've lost in the last hour or so, I'm not surprised that you're thirsty. Let's get you back in bed and I'll bring a glass of the electroly…"
"Yuck!"
"I know it doesn't taste that great but it puts back the things you sweat out and that your body needs to function normally."
"I know. That's what you told me last time and it worked - but the taste is still 'yuck'."
"I'll get your glass of 'yuck'."
---
knock. knock.
"Yes?"
"Your pot of coffee and some shortbread cookies."
"Thank you, Love."
"We've been here an hour already? It seems like we just sat down. But I guess these pages of notes tell me we have been here a while. Jack, tell me more about your take on the India-Pakistan conflict."
"Let me draw some of the border changes…"
---
knock. knock.
"Yes?"
"Jack, this is your 1AM reminder."
"Thanks, Love."
"We've been here four hours?"
"You're on your second notebook."
"I guess we have been. I need to sleep on this and ask questions in the morning. Thanks, Jack."
"You're welcome, Mister President."
"And you're reminding me to button and tuck in my shirt before appearing in 'public'. Thanks for that, too. How's Emily?"
"Karen slipped a note under the door that Em's fever broke about a couple of hours ago after a marathon sweating session that left her jammies and the sheets soaked. That's a good sign. She should sleep OK the rest of the night and be on the mend tomorrow."
"Hopefully, we can get some international things 'on the mend' tomorrow as well."
---
11 December, 7:20PM
beep!beep!beep! beep!beep!beep! beep!beep!beep!
'Footloose.'
'We're about 15 minutes out. Is supper ready?'
'I'll wait ten minutes and then add the water to the self-heating MREs.'
'Good enough. We could have a lot of people eating MREs and being grateful them in the very near future.'
'That's a future we'd like to avoid.'
'That's what I hoped to hear from you. Now tell me how.'
'First you eat and unwind for a while then you tell me where you are and what outcomes you want. Then we discuss the future.'
'Sounds like a reasonable plan. We're pushing trees and big limbs off the road as we go so maybe clearing things will be a little easier when you start out.'
'Having the tracks break up the ice will also help.'
'Tank One out.'
'Footloose out.'
"Em, do you want to meet the President and try eating with us? Your medication should be good for maybe two more hours. It's still OK to say you want jammies and your bed."
"I love you too, Best Daddy Ever. Can you get the blue sweater from the shelf in my closet so I don't hafta climb up to get it?"
"I can and I will. Anything else you need?"
"A hug."
"I buy those in bulk so I always have some available."
"You goof!"
"But I made you smile."
"You did. I'll be ready in five minutes."
---
"Do my ears tell me our guests have arrived?"
"So do the cameras, Love. I opened the gates remotely when I heard them coming. When the second tank is inside, I'll close the gates and lock them."
"Daddy, why are all those people getting out with guns in hand?"
"Those are the Secret Service agents who guard the President. They're very much on edge because they couldn't do their usual surveys before he arrived and they didn't have an advance team to check things out or place snipers on the rooftops. It's OK for you to be armed; just don't go to the door with a rifle in your hand."
"Hello the house!"
"Hello, Dave. Bring your crew in where it's warm."
"Hi, Jack, Mrs. Wilson. I thought you said your girl was sick with the flu?"
"She's been in bed all day but she wanted to meet you and to eat supper with the group if she didn't tire too quickly."
"Miss Wilson, I'm Dave Richards, the current US President. I'm very pleased to meet you."
"Me too, Mister President! And my name is Emily."
"That's a nice name. My oldest daughter is also an Emily."
"Is she my age or all grown up?"
"She's in-between - she's 14."
"Tell her I said 'Hi'."
"I will."
---
"Dave, if you can calm your people down enough to holster their weapons and wash their hands, we can eat. Em, you eating with us or going back to bed?"
"Back to bed, Daddy. Come tuck me in?"
"Yes. Dave, the pot's on the stove, the bowls are next to it and the cornbread is on the table. The pitchers have sweet and unsweet tea and there's a pot of coffee on the counter by them. Serve yourselves while I get Emily back in bed."
"OK, people. You heard Jack. Dive in."
---
"Mnph! Daddy, help me with the sweater! I can't get it off!"
"It's wet, Em. You've been sweating a lot so I think your fever is up again - maybe up a lot. You sure you want me to undress you?"
"I may be almost ten but other than the length of my hair, my upper half looks just like Junior's. I wish I did look like a girl there."
"As long as you're comfortable with it."
"I'm always comfortable with you because you always keep me safe. Just get me out of it!"
"Arms up. I'll pull the bottom edge up over the rest of it and peel it off you. Your skin is also very warm. Put your lightweight jammies on and I'll get the thermometer."
"OK."
"Tip of the thermometer under your tongue. You can hold it with your teeth while I get a watch to time it."
"Jack, you're taking a long time getting her to bed."
"She's burning up. Feel how wet the sweater is."
"Time for more acetaminophen. How high is it?"
"102."
"That's the highest so far. Em, take these and I'll put the baby monitor in here in case you start feeling worse."
"OK. Read to me, Daddy?"
"'All the Way to the Moon'?"
"Un huh."
"Love, tell Dave I'll probably be here less than ten minutes."
"He's already said to take your time as they're here until daylight and as much longer as needed."
"Daddy, can I snuggle?"
"I think I can read in that position. 'I Love You to the Moon and Back'…"
---
"Back so soon, Jack?"
"Dave, this strain of the flu is hitting Emily hard so it doesn't take much to get her to sleep. The book was one she became attached to when she was about five and it's a very short read. She was snuggled with her head on my shoulder and was snoring before I finished the book. We have a baby monitor in there in case she needs us during the night."
"I hate that I'm keeping you away from caring for a sick child."
"We're doing what we'd be doing if you weren't here. She needs rest more than anything else so the room is almost dark and the door is closed to keep it quiet. We'll check her before we go to bed but we'll mostly be listening for any change in her breathing or any hard coughing."
"And you're wearing the monitor so you don't miss anything."
"I might like her a little bit."
"I'm pretty sure she knows that."
---
"Ma'am? How long did you spend getting this meal ready? It must have taken hours!"
"About 20 minutes prep time, an hour to simmer, another 15 minutes for the potatoes and peppers to cook. And I'm Karen, Mister President."
"It's not a gourmet recipe that takes hours of prep time?"
"No. Just good food that's quick and easy to fix."
"You said 'peppers'. I didn't see any."
"They go in a cheesecloth bag so they can be removed after cooking as not everyone likes bell pepper but it's a good flavor for this dish."
"I couldn't identify the flavor but I can certainly taste the GOOD! Would you be interested…"
"No, Mister President. I'm not interested in working in the White House kitchen. I will give you a copy of the recipe to take with you."
"Thank you. We've already gotten more than some of these people expected from this visit but now I need to pick Jack's brain for a while."
"The library is almost soundproof with the door closed."
"Then let's go there."
"Coffee in an hour, Jack?"
"Yes, Love. Thank you. You take the monitor."
---
"Momma? Momma! MOMMA!"
"I'm here, Em. What's wrong?"
"I think I wet the bed in my sleep."
"Not when your hair and jammie top are this wet. You've really been sweating but you look like you feel a little better. Let's check your temperature again while you change into dry jammies and I put dry sheets on the bed."
"OK. I'm thirsty."
"Considering how much fluid you've lost in the last hour or so, I'm not surprised that you're thirsty. Let's get you back in bed and I'll bring a glass of the electroly…"
"Yuck!"
"I know it doesn't taste that great but it puts back the things you sweat out and that your body needs to function normally."
"I know. That's what you told me last time and it worked - but the taste is still 'yuck'."
"I'll get your glass of 'yuck'."
---
knock. knock.
"Yes?"
"Your pot of coffee and some shortbread cookies."
"Thank you, Love."
"We've been here an hour already? It seems like we just sat down. But I guess these pages of notes tell me we have been here a while. Jack, tell me more about your take on the India-Pakistan conflict."
"Let me draw some of the border changes…"
---
knock. knock.
"Yes?"
"Jack, this is your 1AM reminder."
"Thanks, Love."
"We've been here four hours?"
"You're on your second notebook."
"I guess we have been. I need to sleep on this and ask questions in the morning. Thanks, Jack."
"You're welcome, Mister President."
"And you're reminding me to button and tuck in my shirt before appearing in 'public'. Thanks for that, too. How's Emily?"
"Karen slipped a note under the door that Em's fever broke about a couple of hours ago after a marathon sweating session that left her jammies and the sheets soaked. That's a good sign. She should sleep OK the rest of the night and be on the mend tomorrow."
"Hopefully, we can get some international things 'on the mend' tomorrow as well."
---