Chapter 2

It was dark when I regained consciousness. The room lights were muted, and my ever present security agents were impatiently awaiting my return to the land of the living. When my eyes fluttered open, one ran to the door and called out, "He's awake."

In short order the room refilled with medical, security, and what I guessed to be the Governor's key staff. They arranged themselves bed to door, with the doctor, a different one this time, two nurses, three secret service agents, two State Troopers, and three people who had to be John Gray's personal secretary, and aide, and chief of staff. After being subjected to a withering glare from the doctor, everyone stepped out except for the Secret Service and nurses.

"Governor, it is good to see you awake. How are you feeling, Sir? Any pain beyond soreness?" This doctor had a mild bedside manner that put me at ease and made it comfortable to discuss my physical wellbeing.

I hesitated answering while I took an inventory of myself. Just how did I feel? "Doctor, my head is aching, and my back and hips hurt, along with a steady, throbbing in my left leg and ankle. The ankle hurts worse than everything else."

With that the doctor said, "Nurse, have the desk call the orthopedic Chief and get him in here stat for a consult..."

He was interrupted by the Secret Service. "Nurse, have the desk call and we will have agents pick him and bring him here to avoid delays." He looked at an underling and with a nod, said, "Go with her and get this done, right now." Turning to the doctor, he said, "Sorry Doctor. We'll sort out getting the other physician delivered here as fast as it can happen. I doubt the President would be very happy if we didn't. Anything else you need, we're here to make it happen."

The orthopedic doctor arrived accompanied by a couple of agents, and he went right to work, determining that beyond soreness and bruising, nothing was seriously wrong. I'm not sure that pleased him.

"Governor, your CT, and MRI look great. What troubles me is it looks too great. There is no evidence, beyond a mild concussion, that you were run down by an automobile, yesterday. That's a miracle in itself. You should have lots of visible evidence of the impact you took, yesterday, but we can find none, and other than the symptoms you described, which are perfectly normal, and to be expected, it's like you were never hit by a speeding car.

"My advice to you, as far as how to proceed, is simple, sir. Do anything you feel like doing. Don't take on anything you are concerned might be too much too soon, and you will feel like your old self in a matter of a few days. We're going to prescribe a broad spectrum antibiotic due to the imbedded asphalt in your skin, and likelihood of infection. Be mindful of an undetected concussion, but you can do anything you feel like doing.

"Governor, it is an honor to have you in our hospital, and my staff will see to releasing you, probably tomorrow, if all goes well. You should plan to go home and stay in bed for a good twelve to eighteen-hour rest. That should recharge your systems and help get you back to full activity.

"Thank you for what you did for that child and her mother, yesterday. I've seen the film a hundred times and can't believe how selflessly you threw yourself between those girls and that car. You make us all proud, sir, and it will be my honor to vote for you for President, someday." He laughed when he said that, and I got a chill down my spine.

The next afternoon I was in a wheel chair and being rolled out to a protected area, where I transferred into a Chevrolet Suburban. From there I was driven to Cedar Crest, the Governor's official residence where John Gray's cabinet was gathered waiting for him – me.

That was too much too soon, so I begged off meeting with anyone and my personal valet led me to the Governor's private suite.

Cedar Crest is situated on two-hundred and forty-four acres of pasture, walking trails, ponds, and woodland. It is the smallest Governor's residence in the United States, but is located on the largest parcel of land. Cedar crest is built based on an old Norman design, with twelve rooms, all recently remodeled, and kept up beautifully.

Finally alone, inside the Governor's suite, I was terrified.

How was I going to pull this off? With hundreds and hundreds of people who surely had a close relationship with the Governor, it was impossible to even think of faking it successfully.

Then there came a knock on the bedroom door. "Governor, I brought you your lap top, and briefing material. May I leave it out here in your sitting area?"

"Of course, and thank you very much." My reply was generic enough to get through that, surely.

"Yes sir, and thank you for what you did for that poor child, yesterday. I've watched that maniac come after her and her mom, at least a thousand times, it seems like, and then there you come, flying in like a linebacker after a quarterback, at the homecoming game, and pick them up and make them safe. It was like magic, Sir, what you did. Just like magic, and the missus and I prayed hard for you all night, we did."

"Thank you for your prayers. God listens and answers and I know He did this time."

He thanked me again and departed. For an hour I channel surfed and let the media tell me who I was, in their eyes. Of course, given the drama of it all, I was either a saint, or possibly only a Nobel Laureate if you listened to the commentators, with a little bit of, "He's kind of hot, when you think about him," thrown in for good measure.

When I had my fill of seeing John Gray murdered by a maniac in a Pontiac, I grabbed John's laptop and prayed that he was OCD about keeping track of who, what, where, and when.

He was, in spades.

More than I ever dreamed.

Governor John Gray obsessed about names, places, events, those who attended, and when they occurred. He kept track of family (even though he had no close family), friends, political alliances, who to trust and who to screw over. His notes included long commentary about each member of his staff, and their family, likes, dislikes, and behavior. John Gray kept track of favorite foods, desserts, hotels, and even room numbers. He wrote a complete report of each and every day, which was a gold mine for me, as I stumbled into his life.

The Governor's Mansion might as well have not existed, as I huddled with John's laptop, attempting to remember as much as possible. He even had photos of everyone he regularly met with, and those he thought he might meet with someday. Those photos disclosed several people I'd already seen, and some I'd spoken to, so having a little bit of knowledge was a huge benefit.