After sending Sam into surgery, Nick wanted a stiff drink. Seeing his usually unflappable wife seriously undone had rattled him. A fractured hip, of all things. The doctors had told him the surgery would take three hours, followed by another hour in recovery before he could see her.

“Let’s go home,” he said to Brant, even though he’d prefer to wait at the hospital. He had to do the security briefing, and setting up a secure space at GW would be too involved.

“Yes, sir. The main entrance and the door we used to get in are overrun with media since the statement was released, so we’re looking for a better way out.”

While Vernon and Jimmy remained posted outside the operating room, Brant and the other agents escorted him through a random exit that hadn’t been discovered by the press.

On the ride back to the White House, he glanced at Twitter and found an outpouring of concern for Sam and their family. She would hate being the center of attention but would appreciate the well-wishes. He took a call from Terry.

“How’s she doing?”

“Pretty well, all things considered.”

“It’s such a bummer.”

“She’d say literally.”

“Yes, she would,” Terry said, laughing. “I wanted to tell you I heard from the FBI that they have LeRoy Nevins in custody on the bomb.”

“That name rings a bell.”

“It should. He’s the one who’s been ranting to anyone who will listen that Americans shouldn’t have to live under an unelected president.”

“Ah, right. It’s all coming back to me now. So, he went so far as to build a bomb and leave it at the gates?”

“The FBI isn’t saying much other than they have a suspect in custody, and they believe it was related to him. Whether he was the one who left the bomb remains to be determined.”

“Well, that’s something, I guess. I’m on the way back now.”

“I heard. You need to make a statement about the storm and the resources the federal government is making available, etc. Will is writing something for you now. They’re saying it could take a week to get the region back up and running.”

“Wow. In Massachusetts, it would’ve taken a day. We never got a second snow day.”

“Welcome to the Mid-Atlantic, where snow is a full-on calamity.”

“I always find that amusing. I’ll be there in ten.”

As soon as he ended the call with Terry, his personal BlackBerry rang with a call from Freddie.

“How is she?”

“Not happy, as you can imagine.”

“In other words, you took one for the team with her today.”

“Yes, I did, but she’s going to be fine, and I have no doubt she’ll bounce back quickly.”

“But she’s gonna be hell on wheels—literally—until then.”

Nick chuckled. “Quite possibly.”

“Will you text me when we can visit?”