“Mr. President,” Terry said. “If I could have a minute, please?”

“I’ll be right there,” Nick said to Sam as she headed for their suite to change her clothes.

Terry handed Nick a sheet of paper. “We’ve drafted a statement from you and the first lady.”

Nick scanned the words, still in disbelief that this was necessary. The President and First Lady regret to announce the death of their beloved brother-in-law, Spencer Radcliffe, at five after eight o’clock this evening. Spencer, the husband of the First Lady’s sister Angela, passed away at the George Washington University Hospital, surrounded by his wife, parents, the First Couple and other loved ones. “Our hearts are broken for Angela, Jack, Ella and the Radcliffe family,” the President said. “We will support them in every way that we can in the days to come. We ask for privacy as we grieve the tremendous loss of a husband, father, son and friend we loved very much.”

“That’s perfect, Terry. Thank you.”

“Of course, Mr. President. And on a personal note, I’m heartbroken for Angela and the kids. Spencer was a nice guy.”

“Yes, he was. It’s so hard to believe.”

“You never know what’s coming.”

“That’s a fact. I’m going to check on Sam. Thank you for taking care of the statement.”

“Please let me know if there’s anything else I can do.”

“Thank you.”

When Sam emerged from the bathroom in their suite, Nick was waiting for her. “I’d ask if you were all right, but…”

“My phone is blowing up. Everyone is so upset.”

“I thought we should spend a few minutes with Scotty. I called him earlier, so he’d hear the news from us.”

“Yes, for sure. Thanks for thinking of that. This whole day is just a blur. Was it only this morning that we woke up at Camp David?”

“It was, but it feels like a lifetime ago.”

“Gonzo said it’s getting nonstop coverage on every network.”

“What can they have to say to give it that kind of airtime?” Nick asked.

“I guess it’s a big story when a member of the president’s family suffers a medical emergency at Camp David. It’ll become an even bigger story when we’re forced to release his cause of death.”

He reached for her and drew her into a hug. “One thing at a time.”

Sam wrapped her arms around him. “I feel guilty taking this from you when Angela’s love is gone.”

“Don’t feel guilty. She wouldn’t want that.”

“I thought it was horrible when Dad died, but this…”

“It’s a whole other level of tragic because he’s so young.”

“Yeah,” Sam said. “Poor Jack. He broke my heart.”

“Mine, too.”

“Let’s go see our own boy and try to make some sense of this for him.” How would they do that when it didn’t make sense to them? “What will we tell him?”

“I think we say it’s possible he had a bad reaction to some medication for now,” Nick said. “Until the cause of death is confirmed, there’s no sense talking about drugs to him or anyone.”