Chapter 16

Doctor Sean Barkley faced the middle-aged couple sitting across his desk as he gazed at the report for the umpteenth time. This was no ordinary couple in his office. This was the Vice-President of the United States and her husband. It had been two weeks since Smith noticed the lumps on the side of her neck. The exact spot where Chris had been licking, kissing and nibbling her lobes when they broke her office in as they did everyone she occupied.

"Madam Vice-President. I'll just get right to the point." Barkley cleared his throat. "I did the biopsies and we are confident that we caught this thing in time. You are in Stage One of Hodkins disease. We also found that you have that you have the Epstein-Barr virus. Have you been overly fatigued in the past?"

"What is that?" Chris asked.

"A disease that is difficult to detect but can be the beginning of Hodgkins. Let's skip this, we know you have the disease, we have to discuss how to arrest it so it won't spread any further. I suggest beginning with radiation treatments and later chemotherapy. See how this progresses. This can all be done here at Bethesda at your convenience seeing how busy you are with the Supreme Court and all your other duties your position requires."

"What the hell... ?" Chris asked.

"We'll start our regime as soon as possible. Give us a day in advance and we'll set things up at your convenience. You come in, we set you up, give the treatment right away. Then you can dress and leave. I trust you will have two female secret service agents here guarding you."

"Yes, that's right," she pointed behind her where one was at the door with her hands behind her back and her eyes darting everywhere. "The President gave me mostly women to take care of me. I'll only protest if one tries to sleep between me and my husband."

Everyone laughed including the agent.

Riding with her limo provided by the Secret Service, Chris held her hand. He was far more worried than she appeared. Although she was concerned, it could be far worse. If Ray's wife hadn't had this affliction, it might have gone unnoticed for another year or so and then it would be too late. With Millie Smith gone, Ray knew what to look for.

"Senate Building coming up," an agent told them from the front seat. Mr. Cunningham we're dropping the Vice-President off at her entrance then we'll take you to your car."

"Fine," Chris nodded. The couple exchanged a chaste kiss as she left the car. She felt in better spirits since Ray noticed the lumps. She wore a flare blue wool skirt and a white silk blouse with heels. Her strap purse weighed a ton as she walked briskly to Senator Smith's office.

By the time Raymond greeted her, she had already forgotten that she was a very sick woman. She sat down with the others on the committee to plan their best tact against the other party trying to block Crabbe's appointment to the highest court in the nation.

"They used the skirt chaser on Thomas, they succeeded getting Bork to back down, and they are going to use the abortion and homophob on Crabbe," Garbielle put in. "True his rulings are Pro-Life and anti-gay. He gives the gays everything under the rights they deserve regarding the Constitution but will not go any further. He is against labels like hate crimes and thus. I don't know the thinking of our congress when it was under the democrats. You shoot a person and it is murder. You shoot a person of another race or lifestyle it's a hate crime. The killing of another person is a hate crime. I just think we ought to hit them before they hit us."

"We all agree to that, but how?" another senator asked.

"I have a plan but I have to clear it with the President," Gabrielle said.

"What would you do if you in Thompson's place?" Ray asked.

"Take a couple doses of alka-seltzer, pray, then hit them where they are the most vulnerable. Bring out a few sins of their own. It might not do any good with this vote coming up but we might be able to take enough seats from them to widen our side of the aisle."

"But where does that leave us with Crabbe? They'll filibuster the life out of us if we allow them," Senator Barry Howell (R) AZ said.

"They're going to play dirty with us. We'll have to play a little dirtier. Where is Everett Dirksen when you need him?" Gabrielle said, still feeliing the after effects from the radiation treatment.

"Go back to Illinois, dig him up, and bring him here," John Braxton (R) IL laughed.

"Not funny," the Vice-President snorted. "Ray, why don't we all get what we can and meet back here tomorrow same time?" She was tired and wished to take a nice long nap."

"I don't think we're going accomplish any more than we have," Smith agreed. "Besides, we've got that agricultural vote coming up in about an hour. Just enough time to grab a bite and get to the chambers."

Gabrielle nodded to one of the Secret Service agents. She spoke into her mic to prepare the rest to get into their positions.

"I don't want to hear anymore remarks like you said," Gabrielle told Braxton as they headed for the exit. "You're a United States Senator now. You don't talk like an idiot like that." Her nostrils were flaring at the large man.