“It sure does. I’m sorry you’re going through this.”

“We’re both going through it since it’s going to put us out of business for weeks.”

“Oh, no, it won’t,” he said with the devastatingly sexy grin that had made him the fantasy of women around the world since he’d been catapulted into the Oval Office. “We’ll just have to be creative.”

“Nick… I don’t want to have surgery. I hate this.”

He sat carefully on the edge of the bed and held out his arms to her.

She leaned forward to fall into his embrace and breathed in the scent of her love. “Bust me out of here.”

“Not happening. It’s in my best interest to get you pinned back together so everything works the way it’s supposed to.”

“Don’t make me laugh when I’m pissed off.”

“I’ll try not to. Just hold on to me. I’ll be right there with you through it all.”

“You’ve got your security briefing.”

“Only because that briefing can’t be done just anywhere, I’ll go to the White House while you’re in surgery and be back by the time you’re out. You won’t even miss me.”

“Yes, I will.”

Anderson returned with a nurse he introduced as Mindy. “She’ll be setting up your IV and getting you ready for surgery. And yes, I warned her about you.”

“I’m not worried,” Mindy said with a peppy smile that had Sam gritting her teeth, even as she appreciated that Mindy didn’t freak out the way people normally did when encountering the first couple. “What happened there?” She pointed to Sam’s upper arm.

“Oh, I got shot right before Christmas. The stitches come out in six days.”

“You’re having a week!”

“I’m giving you ten punches on your frequent-flier card for the busted hip,” Anderson said.

“Go away,” Sam said. “You’re enjoying this too much.”

“Nah, not really,” he said, chuckling. “We’re all better off when you’re out catching killers.”

“Exactly! That’s why I don’t have time for this.”

“Trevor has a statement ready to go out to the media,” Nick said. “What do you think?” He handed her his phone.

First Lady Samantha Cappuano slipped on ice yesterday afternoon, fell and fractured her right hip. She’s undergoing surgery this afternoon at the George Washington University Hospital and is expected to make a full recovery within four to six weeks. The first couple asks for privacy as the first lady recovers.

“Is that okay?”

“No, but I guess you can release it. People will find out soon enough that I’m a klutz with a busted ass.”

Mindy giggled.

“Don’t repeat that,” Sam said.

“My lips are sealed, ma’am.”

“And don’t call me ma’am. My name is Sam.”

“Sam, I need to start an IV. Have you had one before?”