Eighteen Acres: A Novel by Wallace Nicolle

Author:Wallace, Nicolle [Wallace, Nicolle]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Atria Books
Published: 2010-10-19T00:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR

Charlotte

The morphine made its way into Dale’s system quickly. Charlotte sat watching her sleep as the monitors beeped and flashed with comforting regularity.

“She’s gonna be just fine, Madam President,” the nurse said, turning to Charlotte.

“I hope so,” Charlotte said.

She leaned back in the chair where she’d spent most of the last twenty-four hours. She contemplated calling Peter again to tell him Dale had woken up, but he’d been so icy before. She’d told him again that it was her fault Dale had been hit. She’d insisted that he catch the flight to Germany and told him she was sorry she hadn’t let him out of their marriage sooner.

He’d remained silent. She knew him well enough to know that his silence was a protective measure. He was angry at Charlotte for ignoring him for nearly a decade, but he was also scared that Dale might die.

Charlotte pressed her temples and took a deep breath. She only had a few minutes until she’d have to give the statement to the press. She dialed Sam back at the White House and asked to be put through to her parents.

“Hi, it’s me,” she said.

“How are you doing, sweetheart?” her mother asked.

“I’m about to do a statement, but I need to ask you and Daddy to do me a favor.”

“Of course, honey, what is it?” her mother asked.

“I need you to head up to Connecticut and stay close to the kids for a little while. I don’t know when Peter is going to be able to get back up there,” Charlotte said. She didn’t feel like explaining the whole thing, and her mother didn’t ask any questions.

“We’re on our way, honey. Don’t worry about anything.”

“Thanks, Mom. I’ll call when I can and fill you in. I’m going to call the kids next and tell them you’re coming up for a visit.”

“Stay safe, honey.”

“I will. Tell Daddy I’ll talk to him when I call you back in a couple of hours.”

Charlotte hung up and asked the Situation Room to call the kids on their cell phones. She hated that she couldn’t speak to them in person, but her parents would be there soon.

“Hi, sweetie,” she said when Penelope picked up.

“Hi, Mom. Aren’t you about to give a speech?” Penelope said.

“I have a few minutes, and I wanted to talk to you first. Are you with Harry?” Charlotte asked.

“Yes, he’s right here.”

“Do you want to put the phone on speaker?” Charlotte asked.

“Yep. Hang on.”

“Hi, Mom,” Harry said.

“Hi, sweetheart. Listen, guys, I wish I could talk to you in person, and I promise that when I get home, we’re going to go to Camp David and talk about all of this stuff, but I need to talk about our family a little bit when I give this statement tonight.”

The kids didn’t say anything.

“Do you know where Dad went?” Charlotte asked.

“We know, Mom. He went to see his friend who was hurt in the helicopter crash,” Penelope said.

“Yes. That’s right. His friend Dale is very important to him,

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