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Maggie’s schedule gave her Wednesday mornings free so she took the metro to Trish’s office around ten. She sat in the waiting room, nervous still, but ready for more help. A patient left, not making eye contact with Maggie, and then Trish came out, too. “Ready?”

“Yes.” She went inside and sat on the chair by the window. Trish took the couch. After eight sessions, this felt almost normal.

“Tell me how you are today.”

“I feel better. You were right. Talking about my problems makes me less sad.”

“I’m glad. But now we have to work on how to deal with those problems.”

“Can we talk about the letters I found that Mom wrote?”

“We can talk about anything.”

“Some of them were about what we did to have fun together. I forgot those things.”

“Was that good to read about?”

“Yeah. But one said she was worried when I turned five. I got quiet. Shy. Remote. I guess that was after I overheard her and Daddy talking about not wanting to be pregnant again. Or ever.”

“Did you discuss the letters with them, Maggie? About what you overheard specifically.”

“Not about that event. Just in general I said how I felt not wanted. Do I have to say I found the letters?”

“Do you think that would be best?”

“I guess. We need to get everything out in the open.”

“What else would you tell them besides letting them know what you overheard?”

She blurted out, “I wanna be a family.”

“You are a family.”

“No, I mean a whole family. One who lives together. One who loves each other.”

Trish hesitated and Maggie got the feeling she was concealing something. “I think your parents still care very much about each other.”

“Then why can’t they be together?”

“You can ask them that.”

Maggie shook her head. “She already has another boyfriend.”

“Have you ever told them how you feel about the divorce?”

“No. They were a wreck when they decided to split. I didn’t want to hurt them any more than they already hurt.”

“Okay. But maybe they’re ready to hear it now.”

She sighed. “All right. Can we do all this here?”

“Of course. The three of you can come in and we’ll discuss those things. But now, we need to focus on you. I’m well aware that cutting doesn’t just stop when there’s a breakthrough for patients. I’d like to know if you cut since the last time I saw you.”

Declan gave Lila a hard kiss in the car, said, “This isn’t the same as before, babe. I promise,” then walked into the hospital. Ben met him at the double doors.

“What happened?” Dec asked as they crossed to the ER.

“There was a rally by a congresswoman on the lawn of a park.” Ben’s voice was raw. “A pretty big affair, with rides and vendors. She hadn’t even begun her speech yet and someone entered the area and opened fire with a semiautomatic rifle.”

“How horrible.”

“There’re multiple victims, some critical. The congresswoman is one. So is the shooter. Apparently the injured are still arriving.”

The uniformed Secret Service agents stood inside the staging area. Declan and Ben showed their badges then faced the group. Staff was assembling, and action had to be taken now.

“You’re in charge, Dec,” Ben said. “A battlefield-trained doctor will do better than I would.”

“All right.” He turned to the thirty or so assembled group. “If I can have your attention please.”

Frightened eyes peered up at them. “We’re all safe here. You have to put aside your fear to help these people. I’m point person because I spent so much time overseas doing treatment and surgery in the field. I know that if you concentrate only on the medical treatment, not what’s happened, you’ll get through this. If any other doctors are vets, come see me after my instructions.”

Heads nodded, but fear still filled many people’s eyes.

“First off, Ben will oversee triage. Right now, residents and attendings are to check each patient and separate the most critical of those who’ve arrived. Alert Ben and he’ll assign you to start treatment on them. Nurses, attend to the patients who aren’t critical.”

They followed his directions like a well-oiled machine. Five veterans of war came up and he asked two of them to handle the incoming and the others to oversee the nurses or help Ben. Dec scanned the area, noting Secret Service agents around one stretcher. He crossed to that victim. She was laid out flat on a stretcher and doctors who’d just reached her too looked to Dec.

“Let’s get her to a table. On my count...one, two, three.” When the patient was transferred, the paramedic who brought her in said, “Gunshot in right hip. She’s been out cold since then.”

“Ease her on her side.” Dec saw the entry wound, then circled the table. Eased her to her other side. No exit wound, which meant the bullet was lodged in the woman’s body. “Did you check for symptoms of hypovolemic shock?” he asked the paramedic.

“They’re there. Pale skin, sweating, rapid breathing and heart rate.”

“The bullet must have gone through organs.” Which meant she was more than likely bleeding into the abdomen.

“We need to get her to surgery right away.” He asked the guards, “Who is she?”

“That’s Congresswoman Green.”

“Goddamn it.” The Speaker of the House. Declan found Ben. Explained the situation.

“You go up to surgery, Dec. We need our best on her.”

He hurried to the door. On his way out, he saw another victim. This one wasn’t so lucky.

He was dead.

The ER waiting room was crowded when Jim Manwaring entered it: people stood around in bloodied clothes, some sat with hands over their faces, some quietly sobbed. These were the survivors of a terrorist act. Capital guards leaned against the wall, keeping watch.

Most people looked up when Jim strode inside. Jay Talbot, his SAIC, came up flush with him. “Sir, we shouldn’t linger here.”

“Just for a second.” He threaded his way to the guards. They immediately stood at attention. “Relax, please.” Though he’d been briefed, he asked, “Details?”

A female guard responded. “We were there to cover the Speaker, sir, along with her protective agents. The shooter came out of nowhere and took down the agents first. We reacted, of course, but the shooter had a semiautomatic and got off several more rounds until we hit him with return fire.”

“The agents?”

“All of them got off shots despite their injuries. They’re wounded but not too badly, as far as we could tell.”

“Good work.” He checked the woman’s name. Jim held out his hand. He knew he had to keep a calm, leadership front, but this was killing him. “Thanks, Barbara,” and then he nodded to the rest of the guards in attendance. “To all of you, for what you do.”

As they walked to the secure waiting area, he turned to Talbot. “I’d like to speak to the medical personnel in charge when they can get free. We’ll wait till they are. I don’t want to interrupt them.”

His detail stationed themselves outside the door, and Jim was left with his own feelings. Dropping to a chair, he dug his thumb and forefinger into his eyes. He had a particular soft spot for the speaker of the house, Ashley Green. She’d come up by her bootstraps, and he was hoping she’d replace him some day—through the legal means, of course, not... Stop, Jim, this isn’t about you. Ashley was forty-three years old with a son in college and a daughter in high school. Jim had met them. His heart beat at a clip at the notion of all they could lose.

He didn’t know how much time had passed before he heard, “Mr. President?”

Jim looked up and stood. Declan Marino stood at the door, an agent behind him. “Declan? You’re on this? I didn’t even know you worked here.”

“Yes, sir, I do. And I am on this.” He noticed now the spots of blood on Declan’s clothes and how the surgical mask hung beneath his chin.

The agent behind him shut the door. Declan crossed to the President.

“I know your service record. You’re a magician on the battlefield.”

“Thank you, sir.”

“How’s Ashley?”

“The Speaker is in grave condition. I won’t lie to you. She’s been in surgery for an hour. I got the bullet out and halted the bleeding, but the shot tore some important organs and now other surgeons are working on those. I’ll go back in, but I was told you were in the building and wanted an update whenever I could get down here.”

“Where is she wounded?”

“The bullet entered her hip and shrapnel pierced other organs. Because of that, she’s lost a lot of blood.” He moved in closer to the president and put a hand on his arm. “It’s not good, sir.”

“I want you to stay on the case. Be in charge.”

“Of course. I plan to.” He studied Jim. “Are you all right? Do you want someone here with you?” Ashley’s husband was away on business in Abu Dhabi, and her kids would be transported in by the Secret Service.

“I have my detail. Don’t worry about me.”

An agent opened the door. “Dr. Marino, the OR called. They want you to come back right away.”

“Go,” Jim said. “Keep me posted when you can.”

Declan left and Jim sank into the chair. This time, he put his head in his hands. Dear God, please don’t let her die. Don’t let any of them die.

For an hour, he had to take a few calls in between updates on the victims. He was just about to jump out of his skin, when someone else came through the door. Nick Marino.

Jim bolted up. “Nick, what are you doing here? The babies, Belle, are they all right?”

“Yes, they are.”

“Why are you here?”

“Because you may be the most powerful man in the world, but you need to be with family now. Isabelle had a check-up with her doctor that she couldn’t miss, so I came. She’ll be along later.

He closed his eyes. Then he felt strong hands on his shoulders, then a male-bonding bear hug. Since few people were allowed to get this close to the president, Jim welcomed it.

Instead of going home after she dropped Dec off, Lila stopped by the Pentagon to see her mother. She was approved to enter at a gate, parked, and when she got inside the sprawling, five-winged building, she went through security and a receptionist led her back to her mother’s office. Lila had been in this fortress several times as her mother had dedicated her life to the place, but she wasn’t allowed to go anywhere without an escort. Today, there was an eerie quiet in the halls. People were probably in meetings about the shooting and its relation to national security.

Her mother met her at her office door. “Come on in, Lila. I heard about the shooting and MedStar.”

“It’s awful, isn’t it?”

“Yeah. Top people are huddling now to sort our thoughts. Too bad Declan isn’t working yet.”

“He went in, Mom.”

“Come sit.”

After she finished telling her mother the story, someone walked into the office. “Hey, Ruthie, I got this great—” The man caught sight of Lila. “Oh, sorry to interrupt.” About Ruth’s age, he was completely bald and rugged in that soldier sort of way. He wore the same uniform and rank on his shoulder as her mother. “I didn’t mean to intrude,” he said, addressing her.

Ruth Carrier actually flushed. “That’s all right. Tom, this is my daughter Delilah. She goes by Lila. Lila, meet Tom Cooper.”

Because the army was still in her blood, she stood. “Major General Cooper.”

“Ah, that’s right. You’d recognize the uniform. You served.”

“I did. I’m glad to meet you.”

“Ha! It’s a surprise. I know Ruth hasn’t told you about us. I’m mad as hell about that,” he said arching a brow at her mom.

“I was going to tell her in my own time.” Her mother’s tone was shockingly apologetic.

Tom turned to Lila. “I have adult children who already know we’re seeing each other.”

Lila couldn’t help but be amused to see him chastise her mother. They were obviously involved. He had adult children. He encouraged Ruth to tell Lila about the two of them. Suddenly, the thawing of Major General Carrier over the last few months made sense.

Preoccupied by what she’d discovered at the Pentagon, Lila walked to her car and slid in just as her phone rang.

“Hey, babe.”

“Dec. I heard updates on the radio. The scene at MedStar must be awful.”

“It’s carnage. Innumerable minor injuries and too many serious ones.”

She heard what she always had when she managed to talk to him when he was on a mission. “Tell me. I’ll understand.”

“There’re so many people hurt. And it’s not like the battlefield. Except for a few agents who acted valiantly, the majority of the people were unarmed.”

“I can see why that makes it harder to deal with.”

“It does. I feel like bawling.”

“I’ll bet.” Softly, she added, “If you were with me, you could.”

“I wish I was, love. I’m giving a press conference later today. Insecurity and fear has probably already hit the general population. I’m worried about the kids.”

“I’m in still in the city. I checked in with my mother. I can go see Maggie now. I don’t think the twins will know anything yet. They’re with Whitney. But maybe I should pick them up, too.”

“I won’t be able to help with them. The president is here and he’s asked me to stay with the teams. I can catch some z’s in the on-call room.”

“Please try to take it easy on your foot. You’re not healed yet.”

“I will. I promise.”

A buzz. “Dec, hold on a second. Maggie’s calling.”

She punched in another line. “Maggie.”

“Mom. The college is on lockdown because we’re only blocks from the shooting.”

Her pulse quickened. “But you’re safe, right?”

“I’m not even there. I had an appointment with Trish, then went to a coffee shop to work on a paper. The news came across the computer.”

“I’m in town. Dad’s been called in to help out. I can come and get you right now.”

“I want to be with you.”

Back on the phone, she explained the situation as she started the engine. “Don’t worry, I’ll take care of the home front. You go save lives.”

“How many times have you said that to me?”

“It doesn’t matter. Go. I’ll wait to hear from you.”

At six p.m. Declan’s foot screamed at him as he walked into the OR after scrubbing and suiting up. He’d been asked to return a third time. “What’s going on?”

“More internal bleeding.” The vascular surgeon looked up. “It’s hard to stop. We could use experienced hands.”

Ben assisted too. “This is even more critical than we thought.”

Blocking his foot pain, and his feelings from his mind, Dec realized this was it. Either they stopped the bleeding or the Speaker died. He came flush with the table.

“Clamp it there, Dec. It’s hard to reach.”

“I got it...”

Another vessel burst. “We need cauterization here...”

“There must be something else.” Dec pushed back the intestine. “Here it is. Intestine’s pierced.”

“Can we fix it or do we need to take a piece out?”

“Let me see... Suction... More...”

After another two hours, they finally stopped the bleeding. They’d won this round.

“Go lay down,” Ben said, walking out with him.

“After I brief the president again.”

“I can do that. I see by your face you’re in pain.”

“I am. And I’m going to rest. I can’t do anybody any good with some medication and a brief nap. But the president asked me to take the lead and I want to tell him the latest.”

Dec cleaned up some, but could still smell the sour scent of blood on him as he stopped in the supply room, got some crutches to ease the pressure on his foot and made his way to the secure waiting area. When he reached the door, he put the crutches aside and walked in. He found Isabelle holding President Manwaring’s hand, and Nick staring out the window. “Declan.” Jim stood, his face tortured. “How is she?”

“Stable right now. But it was touch and go with the bleeding. If nothing else goes wrong there, she’ll be in better shape so we can determine the rest of her injuries. She did lose a part of her intestine. And her spleen.”

As if the news weighed him down, he sank into his chair.

Dec sat next to him. “I know you want to hear she’ll make a full recovery. But we simply don’t have enough information for that.”

“I understand.” He linked his hands. “What about the others?”

“I have an update. The two agents who were shot have been patched up, but were admitted for observation. They weren’t happy about that.”

“I’m sure they wanted to get right back to duty.”

Declan smiled at the bravery of men like his brothers. “There were ten laypeople injured. They’ve been treated and five released. I’m afraid the Speaker’s aide is still in critical condition. He’s got a chest wound.”

“Fuck. I’m told the perpetrator died at the site.”

“Yes, sir.” Dec felt cold inside. “I saw his body.”

Dec hadn’t seen Nick until his brother crossed to them. “You look like hell.”

“I was going back to work next week anyway.”

“You have to rest, Dec.”

“I agree. I’ve been on it for five hours, so I’m going to lie down for a bit. Otherwise, I won’t be able to work on the case. I’ve left instructions to be awakened if the Speaker takes a turn for the worse, but for nothing else.” To the president, he added, “Even you.”

“Go on. I won’t call for you.”

“I’ll let you know when I’m on again.”

Declan made his way to the doctor’s lounge, off of which was the on-call room. Once there, he took an analgesic and laid down on a cot. His eyes closed.

Later that night, Lila nestled in Declan’s bed with the girls. The sheets were clean, but the covers retained the scent of him. Maggie sat against the padded headboard like she did, but Meli and Morgan took up the space at the bottom of the bed with Dylan and Durango. She’d told the younger girls about the shooting, and answered questions they and Maggie had. The hardest part was trying to explain to twelve-year-olds why someone would do such an awful thing. They’d ordered pizza for dinner, which was hot and cheesy, but didn’t settle well in her stomach. After they cleaned up, they took the dogs for a walk. Now, they watched the latest preteen craze on television—a show about a family with five daughters living in the suburbs. The girls all chattered at a high decibel so it was distracting.

After a while, Maggie said, “Mom, Meli and Morgy are asleep. Can we turn the TV to the news?”

“Are you sure you want to?”

“Yeah.”

Lila switched out of DVR and into live TV. On a main station, a video of the shooting rolled. “Oh, honey, this isn’t good for you.”

“Other people have worse problems than me, Mom. I’m strong enough to see it. I want to.”

The scene was right out of a horror movie: the Speaker of the House, young and vibrant, talking about health care...the piercing sound of bullets...the agents behind her falling to the ground. Then the Speaker collapsed. An aide jumped on top of her as onlookers went down. More shots. Then silence.

“That was terrible.” Mags moved closer to her. “It’s hard to believe the kind of world we live in.”

“It is.”

“What can we do about it, Mom?”

Lila gave her question serious thought. “Get involved in gun control. That man never should have had a military-grade weapon.”

“Did you ever fire one?”

“Only in training. They’re deadly.”

“Not in Iraq?”

“No, honey, I was on psychological duty. I was safe.”

Lila turned back to the TV and listened to the anchor. “We go to MedStar Washington Hospital now where the surgeons are briefing the press.”

“Oh, wow, there’s Dad.”

Who seemed rested enough, so he must have napped. Lila didn’t see him walk out, therefore didn’t know if he limped. But his eyes were so sad it broke her heart. “I’m here to brief you on the Speaker of the House. She’s in critical condition in ICU. She’s undergone a series of surgeries from a gunshot wound. A bullet went into her hip, but didn’t exit, so shrapnel lodged inside her. We got some out, but not all. A team will tackle the rest as soon as she gets her strength back.”

“That poor woman.” Lila sighed. “I hope she makes it.”

“I feel bad for her.”

The girls stirred at the end of the bed, but didn’t awaken.

Declan took questions for nearly half an hour, then the press conference ended.

“Dad looks okay.”

“I’ll bet his foot hurts like hell. He shouldn’t be on it so much.”

“He’s really a hero, isn’t he?”

“Yeah, he is.”

Morgan roused and came up on her arms. “What’s going on?”

“Daddy was just on TV.”

“Oh.” She lay back down.

“Don’t go back to sleep, honey.” Lila scrambled off the mattress. “You’ll rest better in your own bed.”

Maggie and Lila each assisted a twin to her room. They met back in the master suite. “Could I sleep in here with you?”

Lila’s heart lifted. “Of course. Let’s just settle in.”

When they were back on the bed, Maggie yawned. “Do you think Dad will be on again?”

“I don’t know.”

“I’m tired.”

“I am too. Turn off the light on your side.” Lila doused hers and the TV.

In the darkness, they slid under the covers. And Maggie cuddled into her, like she used to when she was little. Lila thanked God she was safe for now. “I love you, Mom.”

“I love you, baby.”

“I wish you were here all the time.”

“I do, too, honey.”

Maggie didn’t pick up on that and soon her breathing evened out. Lila closed her eyes and prayed for Declan and the doctors to have guidance and skill in treating those poor people.