Page 151 of State of Grace (First Family 2)

“Shall we list all the things you can’t do on a flip phone?” Freddie asked.

“No, we shall not. What’s happening with Lucas, and what’re you hearing from Gonzo at the Ouellette office?”

“Lucas is at HQ being processed on multiple charges. Gonzo is at the scene at Mark’s office and waiting for the ME. The rest of the staff had already left for the day, so there were no witnesses, but Gonzo says there’re security cameras. He’s working on getting a warrant.”

“Okay, good,” she said, relieved. “That’s good.”

“See?” Anderson said without looking up from what he was doing to her arm. “They can function without you.”

“But we’d rather not,” Freddie said with a smile for her.

Sam spent three hours steaming in a hospital bed before Anderson signed the discharge papers with orders for her to rest and relax for the next few days so she wouldn’t risk reopening the wound.

“Take me to HQ,” Sam ordered Freddie when they were in her car with him at the wheel.

“The only place I’m taking you is home.”

“I gave you a direct order!”

“Which I’m defying. You heard what the doc said. If you reopen that wound, you’re going to be right back in the hospital again. You’re going home.”

“I’m going to write you up for this.”

“Knock yourself out. Oh wait, you already did that today.”

“You think you’re so funny, but I’m not kidding. I want to check in at work before I go home.”

He drove toward Pennsylvania Avenue. “I’ll check in at work and report back to you.”

“I mean it when I say you’re going to take a rap for this.”

“Okay.”

“At what point did you stop being afraid of me as your boss?”

“Um, like, the first day?”

“That is not true! You were afraid of me for a long time after that.”

“Nope.”

“Yes!”

“Not even kinda.”

While she fumed at his insubordination, he drove up to the White House security gate.

“I’ve got the first lady,” he said, showing his badge and ID as required by the Secret Service.

The agent working the gate bent to make sure Sam was actually in the car before waving them through.

Freddie drove up to the entrance and put the car in park before getting out to come around to help her.

“I don’t need help. My arm is injured, not my legs.”

“You got shot, Sam. Do what any sane person would do after getting shot and take a minute to recover.”

“I guess I’m not sane, then, because I don’t want to sit around and recover when I could be at work recovering.”

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