Sam couldn’t deny that the surgery had left him diminished. He seemed smaller and grayer and older in the aftermath. She told herself he’d rebound the way he had before, after the initial injury, but she also wondered how much trauma one body could take before it ran out of gas altogether. Worst of all, he was in pain. Nerves that had been dormant for three long years while compressed by the bullet were coming alive again. Not enough to allow him to move the way he once had. No, just enough to cause him relentless pain in his extremities.

Doctors told them the pain should be temporary, but they really weren’t sure as his case was somewhat unprecedented. Despite the pain, Sam saw some of his old sparkle as he took in his son-in-law, who would soon be sworn in as vice president.

“We’re so proud of you, Nick,” Skip said. “I sure hope you know how much I’d love to be there.”

“I do know,” Nick said as he squeezed Skip’s right hand out of habit. “Of course I know.” Nick stepped aside so Sam could lean over the bed and kiss her dad.

“Take lots of pictures for me,” Skip said to Scotty.

“I will. I’ll come show them to you when we get home.”

“I’ll be waiting—and watching.”

“We’d better get going,” Nick said. “The vote is at nine. I think they sort of expect me to be there.”

“Thanks for stopping by on the way out. Means a lot to me.”

“We’ll see you later, Skippy,” Sam said as she left him with a smile. “Thank you for that,” she said to Nick after they said goodbye to Celia and headed for the front door to meet the Secret Service.

“That was for me as much as it was for you,” Nick said. “I love him too.”

While they waited for the agents to get the black SUV in position, Sam curled her hands around Nick’s arm and rested her head on his shoulder. This was a big day—a very, very big day. But at the end of that very big day, she’d get to sleep in his arms. She could endure whatever else came her way as long as she had that reward to look forward to.

* * *

In the end, the vote went as expected—seventy-five to twenty-five in the Senate and two-twenty to two-fifteen in the House, which was actually one vote more than they’d expected from the lower chamber. Nick would’ve preferred a more resounding mandate, but he was realistic enough to know that wasn’t going to happen in the hotly charged political environment in which they worked. The simple majority was enough, and they had that.