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43 / Jia
Jia stood by and watched as everyone else in the Governors
Mansion seemed to be busy. The nurses bustled back and forth,
speaking in low tones as they set up equipment in one of the guest
rooms. special mattress was brought in, placed on top of the bed,
and Timothy and !lises baby was laid on it. Governor Tedesco had a
grim look on his face as he put his arm around !lise. !ven afterrelinquishing her newborn to the medical professionals, !lise wouldnt
leave the room. "inally, #r. $cott convinced the nurses to allow !lise
to remain with her child.
!lise left her husbands side and lay on the bed with the infant,
cradling him as best she could, with all the tubes that seemed to be
sticking out of its tiny body.
Jia tapped Timothy Jr on the shoulder. %&e was the only one who
had been standing still for any amount of time. &e looked like he
didnt know what to do with himself.' ()hats wrong with the baby*+
she said in a nearwhisper, forgetting temporarily the tragic reason for
which she had come to the Mansion.
-- dont know for sure,+ said Timothy Jr. ($omethings wrong
with its brain, - think.+
/h,+ said Jia.
)hat happened to #emas*+ Timothy Jr asked turning to face
Jia, his eyes wide with worry.
Jia closed her eyes briefly as the image of her husband 0 whom
she had 1ust married five months ago 0 lying on the ground outside
the entrance of Tedesco -ndustries resurfaced. $he shuddered
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momentarily and swallowed the sob that arose in her throat. (- dont
know, - dont know,+ she choked. (&e worked late last night, and was
shot 1ust as he was leaving.+ Tears started to trickle down her cheeks.
(- 1ust dont know who would do this to him,+ she said as she sank
back down onto the couch.
Me neither,+ Timothy Jr muttered.
2ater that afternoon, after Jia told Governor Tedesco what she
knew about what had happened to her husband, 3eter Miller showed
up at the Governors Mansion. Jia 1umped up when he stepped in the
doorway of the sitting room where she had been talking with her
fatherinlaw.
3eter,+ she said. (-s everythingokay*+
/kay is the best way of putting things right now,+ 3eter said
squinting behind his glasses. &e looked past her at his former boss
still sitting in an armchair by the couch.
#irector Miller,+ the governor greeted him with a curt nod.
h, its actually vicepresident now,+ 3eter said ad1usting his
glasses and stepping fully into the room.
#ont e4pect me to congratulate you,+ Governor Tedesco said.
()hat brings you here*+
- thought that since,+ 3eter started then quickly stopped. &e
noted the weariness in Gov. Tedescos eyes. ()ell, - 1ust figured it
was my duty to let you know what is going on with your son
considering the situation as it is.+
Thank you for stopping by,+ said the governor. (5ut Jia informed
me several hours ago what happened to #emas.+
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)hat are the doctors saying*+ Jia inter1ected before Governor
Tedesco could dismiss 3eter.
They have him on a ventilator right now. The bullet tore through
his ribcage and is lodged in his left lung. &e lost a lot of blood. They
were able to get him a transfusion, but hes still unconscious and they
havent tried to wake him up.+ 3eter sighed before continuing. (They
are going to go into surgery to try to save his lung, but if that doesnt
work theyll have to see about a transplant.+
Jia felt her knees go weak. $he sat back down on the couch
slowly. $he felt nauseous 1ust thinking about lung surgery or a
transplant.
- know this is hard for youfor all of us,+ 3eter said. (5ut the
good thing is hes alive. -t could have been so much worse.+
Jia 1ust nodded, her face ashen.
The thing is who would want to get rid of him*+ Governor
Tedesco asked quietly.
Besides you, of course?was the first thing 3eter thought of
saying. 5ut he mentally chastised himself.Let the past stay in the
past.(- dont know,+ he shrugged. (The security cameras caughtsomeone lurking around the building yesterday evening shortly
before the time they estimate he was shot. 5ut the police dont have
any specifics on who it may be. Theyre still searching the woods
around the building.+
3eter got up suddenly. (-ll let you know if something comes up.+
&e fished in his pocket for a business card. (&eres my new number
so we can stay in touch,+ he said offering it to Governor Tedesco, who
1ust stared at it almost as though he couldnt see it, leaving 3eter to
wonder what else was on his mind.
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3eter set the business card down on the small table beside the
couch, gave another one to Jia, and then turned and left.
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44 / Deon
#eon spent all night talking to Mark )esley, the reporter for
the Richmond Times-Dispatch. Mark had been waiting for a while
before #eon showed up at the park and his laptop battery was about
to die, so they moved to the newspaper headquarters after most of
the employees had left for the day. Mark said only a small night crew
would be there.
$equestered in a corner office with no windows, #eon and Mark
talked into the early morning hours. Mark kept asking some questions
over and over again. 6uestions like7 ()hy are you doing this* 8ouve
worked for the governor all these years. )hy are you choosing to
come forward now*+
#eon had to think about that one for a moment. &e sat back in his
seat and stared at the dirt caked on his boots. &e wasnt sure if he
should reveal his true motives. &e wasnt even sure what his true
motives were. "inally, he 1ust said, (-m tired of living a lie+ 0 which
was mostly true. &e also thought that line would play well with the
public.
nother question Mark asked #eon was if he was willing to be
named as a source in the report which Mark planned to have
published within three days. #eon wasnt sure about that one either,
so he 1ust said, (no.+ &e figured he could easily change that in the
future.
)hen the interview %or interrogation, as #eon would put it' was
over, #eon decided to go and visit his wife in the hospital, but he
didnt know which hospital the emergency crew had taken her to.
5esides that, he needed to get home and get out of his blood
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smeared clothes before someone noticed and started asking
questions.
&e took a ta4i to his 9ape 9od single style home in the affluent
)indsor "arms neighborhood of :ichmond 0 a house that Governor
Tedesco had given to him and ;illeena as a wedding gift. #eon now
began to think of it as a bribe 0 a reward for his loyalty.
fter showering and changing his clothes, he turned the T< on as
he wolfed down a bowl of cereal. That was when he heard the news
about Governor Tedescos son being shot outside the Tedesco
-ndustries headquarters. The news anchor said law enforcement
agents were canvassing the woods surrounding the comple4 for
clues regarding the shooter.
#eon rubbed his knuckles nervously as he listened to the news
report. /ne part of him wanted to be able to say, Serves him right;
now one of his own suffers. 5ut, he knew that was wrong.
3ushing the matter out of his mind, #eon reached for the phone
and checked the messages. "ortunately, there was one from
emergency services. The operator said she was calling to reach a
relative of someone who had been in an accident and was now
hospitali=ed. ood,thought #eon. t least he didnt have to call
around to find out where they had taken his wife.
. . . . . . . . . . . .
>o, her wounds arent lifethreatening,+ the nurse told #eon after
he arrived at $t. Marys &ospital a few hours later. ($he suffered a
concussion and a few broken ribs. $hes been mostly unconscious,
but shes starting to wake up now, although she only stays awake for
a minute or two at a time.+
&as she had any visitors*+ asked #eon as he leaned on the
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desk in the information center.
The nurse clicked on the computer a couple times before saying,
(>o, she hasnt.+
9an - go in and see her now*+
$ure, go ahead. >o loud noises and no bright lights though. $he
will probably suffer from headaches for a while.+
/kay,+ said #eon as he turned to walk down the hall. &e found
room ?@@ and pushed the door open softly. The dark, cool interior ofthe room contrasted with the bright, clean whiteness of the hall
outside. green curtain was hung up around the hospital bed. #eon
pushed it aside slowly.
;illeena was awake, staring up at the ceiling. $he had a huge
bandage covering the right side of her forehead, and her arms
e4tended on the pale green blanket bore dark red bruises. t the
sound of the curtain opening, ;illeena turned her head slightly and
looked at #eon.
&ey,+ #eon said quietly.
;illeena swallowed hard. ()hy+ she started, but her voice
cracked. &er brow furrowed in concentration, and she tried again.
()hy didnt you tell me that you were working for him*+
!o,#eon thought. " don#t want to have this conversation
now.(8ou knew - was working for him,+ he said patting her hands
which were folded across her waist.
;illeena shook her head stiffly as it rested on the pillow. (>ot like
that,+ she said. (8ou were on his side all along. &ow* )hy*+ &er
eyelids fluttered closed, then snapped open again as she drifted on
the brink of consciousness.
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#ont worry,+ #eon told her. (8ou 1ust get your rest. -m on your
side now. - finished what you were going to do. 8oull see.+
8ou did*+ ;illeenas speech slurred as she slipped back below
the blanket of consciousness.
#eon sat down to wait.
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45 / Timothy
dark cloud seemed to descend on the Governors Mansion.
Timothy wasnt sure if it really was the weather or 1ust the way he felt
0 and the way everybody close to him seemed to be feeling. The
wearying days dragged onward, and the babys condition got no
better. >urses and doctors scurried about the mansion, their morbid
faces tilted downward. They seemed to be on a death watch. !liserefused to leave the babys side all day and all night. $he often tried
to play with the pale brownskinned baby boy, but the vacant look in
his eyes 0 the few times his eyes were actually open long enough 0
was disheartening.
Timothy thought he could easily distract himself in the work of his
office. /f course, after releasing a statement regarding the condition
of his son, #emas, there was much to be done, but even governing
had lost its glamour. The babys condition weighed on him heavily,
and, honestly, he couldnt understand why.
>ow, he admitted to himself that he was a cold 0 even ruthless,
at times 0 individual. &e had always been able to compartmentali=e
and push aside those things that held him back. s he sat alone in
his office, a light rain dri==ling against the window, he remembered
some of those times7 the day when he shocked ;illeena by telling her
that he was calling off their marriage plansA the day when he found
out that &elenes father was a former governors brotherA the day
when he signed the deal to take over a smaller military contractorA the
day during his $enate campaign when he decided that he wouldnt
condemn rumors against his opponent which he knew to be false. &e
also recogni=ed now that he had done the very same thing when
#emas snatched Tedesco -ndustries out from under his grip 0 with
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the shiny new prospect of a presidential bid in his future, he was able
to pretty much push the company and #emas to his peripheral vision.
Timothy wondered why he couldnt do the same with the baby
whom !lise had named /liver Jr. " don#t even $now the chi%d. &e may
not even 'e mine. "f he#s going to die, why can#t " (ust %et it go?
The only thing that he kept coming up with was that there must be
something really special between him and !lise. 3erhaps he loved
her in a way that he never loved &elene. Maybe he didnt want !lise
to be hurt by losing a child.
Timothy got up from his desk with his fists clenched. " don#t want
this chi%d to die, his insides screamed. &e decided to go downstairs to
ask the medics for the do=enth time if there was anything more they
could do.
. . . . . . . . . . . .
Timothys discussion with the doctor on duty left him feeling 1ust
as helpless and concerned as before. !ven though he normally
worked three to four more hours each day during the week, he was
so weary that he decided to call it a day. &e trudged into the library
where the fireplace had been lit and #r. >athaniel $cott and !lises
mother, 2ynda, were sitting and talking in low tones.
#r. $cott looked up when Timothy walked in. (-s something
wrong*+
Timothy shook his head dismissively. (>o,+ he said as he took a
seat in one of the plush reading chairs and quickly became absorbed
in his own thoughts again. few minutes later 0 perhaps because
his thoughts had become far too heavy for him too contain 0 he
blurted out, (- dont see how this could happen*+ &e immediately bit
his lip because he hadnt meant to say anything out loud.
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>athaniel and 2ynda looked at him. ()hat could happen*+ said
>athaniel.
This,+ said Timothy waving his hand in e4asperation. (The baby,
/livers child, this disease 0 +
2ynda and >athaniel shared a glance.
)e know the child is yours,+ 2ynda said quietly.
Timothy stopped talking for a moment and 1ust stared at them,
then he said in a near whisper, ()hat*+
)e know that you are the father of my daughters child,+ 2ynda
said slowly as she got up and sat down in a seat closer to him.
>athaniel closed the door to the library and came and 1oined them,
folding his arms and looking perple4ed.
Timothy wondered how long they had known. &e opened his
mouth but didnt say anything.
re you saying you didnt know*+ >athaniel said.
- thought it might have been, but we never made sure,+ Timothy
said.
)ell, we did,+ >athaniel said as he and 2ynda shared another
glance. Timothy wondered what was going on between them as a
cold and unyielding silence settled in the room. The only noise was
the now steady rhythm of the rain against the large library windows.
Massive, troubled clouds rumbled across a sky the same dark grey
as Timothys eyes. &e noticed a strange look pass over 2yndas face
as though she had 1ust reali=ed something horrifying, but he didnt
ask what it might be.
$o, it is what it is,+ Timothy said at length. ()hat !lise and - did
was wrong 0 and it was mostly my fault. - knew - was crossing a
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