The First Counsel

* * *

I wait a full minute after he leaves before I go for the door myself. Regardless of what the schedule says, when it comes to trips, almost nothing moves on time. If they're running late, I can still catch her. Following my usual path, I tear toward the West Wing. But as soon as I hit the night air, I know I'm cutting it close. There's no Marine guard standing under the light outside the West Lobby. The President's not in the Oval. Rushing full speed through the West Colonnade, I fly into the Ground Floor Corridor. As I run, I hear clapping and cheering echoing through the hallway. In the distance, there's the chug of a steam train. First slow, then fast. Faster. As it picks up speed, it's pulsing. Whirring. Humming. The helicopter.

Halfway down the hallway, I make a sharp right into the Dip Room and crash head-on with the last person I expect to see at a departure.

"Where're you heading?" Simon asks, sounding unsurprised.

My jaw tightens. I can't help but picture him and Nora in the backseat. Still, I fight it down. "To watch the departure."

"Since when are you such a tourist?"

I don't answer. I need to hear it from her. Turning away, I step around him.

He seizes me by the arm. It's a tight grip. "You're too late, Michael. You can't stop it."

I pull away. "We'll see."

Before he can respond, I push forward, shoving open the doors of the South Portico. On the driveway, a small crowd of twenty-five is still cheering. Remnants of the post-Dateline celebration. On the South Lawn, Marine One is about to take off. I have to squint against the swirling winds, but I still see the fat army-green copter lift off the ground. As my tie and ID are whipped over my shoulder, the force of the wind from the spinning blades crashes against my chest like a wave. Behind bulletproof glass, and in his armor-lined seat, the leader of the free world waves goodbye to us. Two seats back, Nora's caught up in a conversation with her brother. I lift my chin and watch their ascent. Simon's right. There's no way to stop it. It's out of my control. In a heartbeat, the helicopter's lights go off, and the First Family disappears in the black sky. With nothing left to cheer for, the crowd starts to disperse. And I'm left standing there. Alone. Back to a world of one.