“Banner Headline,” Hood Replied. “What’s The Fallout So Far?” “Security-Wise, Bob Herbert’s On Top Of That,” She Said. “You’re The Only Face On A Team That Helped Kill Terrorists From Three Different Countries. Bob’s Just Starting To Sift Through The Possible Links They Had With Other Terrorist Groups Or The Sicko Nationalists Who May Want To Avenge Them.” “Yeah, Well, Forgive Me For Not Having Worried About That,” Hood Said Bitterly.
“This Isn’t A Question Of Blame Or Forgiveness,” The Press Liaison Said. “It’s About Special Interests. It’s What I’ve Been Telling All Of You For Years. Spin Control Isn’t A Luxury Anymore. The Way Every System In The World Is Interconnected, It’s A Necessity.” That Symbiosis Was True, Hood Had To Admit.
And It Was Sometimes True In Unexpected Ways.
Fifteen Years Before, Intelligence Collected By Bob Herbert’s Cia Team Was Routinely Made Available To Other American Intelligence Groups, Including Naval Intelligence. When Naval Analyst Jonathan Pollard Turned Over U.S. Intelligence Secrets To The Israelis In The 1980’S, Several Of Those Secrets Were Subsequently Given To Moscow In Exchange For The Release Of Jewish Refugees. Hardline Communists In Moscow Used That Intelligence To Plot Against The Russian Government. Years Later, When Op-Center Became Embroiled In Thwarting The Coup Attempt, Herbert’s Own Data Was Used Against Him.
“How Is This Playing In The Press?” Hood Asked. “On The National Oped Pages It’s Playing Very Well,” Ann Said. “For The First Time In History, The Liberal And Conservative Press Are United.
They’re Portraying You As A “Hero-Dad.” His “And On The International Oped Pages?” He Asked.
“You Could Run For Prime Minister In Great Britain And Israel And Probably Win,” She Said.
“Other Than That, The News Isn’t Good. The Secretary-General Described You As “Just Another Impatient American With A Gun.” She’s Demanding An Investigation And House Arrest. The Rest Of The World Press I’ve Seen So Far Has Picked Up That Mantra.” “Bottom Line?” Hood Asked.
“Just What You Said,” She Told Him.
“You’re Being Evacuated. No One In The State Department Or The White House Has Decided How To Play Any Of This Yet. I Guess They Want You Here To Help Figure It Out. Though I Will Tell You That Bob Has Taken The Precaution Of Contacting The Chevy Chase Police And Ordering Up Some Security For Your Home. They’re There Now. Just In Case.” Hood Thanked Her, Then Woke Alexander To Get Him Ready. Hood Had Always Been Very Open With His Kids, And As They Dressed, He Told The Boy Exactly What Had Happened The Night Before. Alexander Was Dubious Until The Nypd Showed Up To Escort Hood And His Son From The Hotel. The Six Officers Treated Hood As One Of Their Own, Commending Him As They Led The Two Through The Basement To The Garage And A Waiting Motorcade Of Three Squad Cars. The Rock-Star Exit Impressed Alexander More Than Anything He’d Experienced In New York.
The Hoods And The Other Families Flew Back To Washington, D.C., On An Air Force 737.
Sharon Had Been Very Quiet During The Hour Flight.
She Sat With Harleigh Beside Her, The Young Girl’s Head On Her Shoulder. Hood Had Sat Across The Aisle, Watching. Like Most Of The Young Musicians, Harleigh Had Been Given A Mild Sedative To Help Her Sleep. Unlike Most Of The Girls, However, Her Sleep Was Punctuated By Tiny Whines, Shouts, And Spasms. Maybe The Greatest Tragedy Of All, Hood Realized, Was That He Hadn’t Saved Harleigh From That Damn Room. The Poor Girl Was Still There In Spirit If Not In Body.
The Aircraft Landed At Andrews Air Force Base, Ostensibly So The Military Could Assure The Privacy Of The Children. But Hood Knew Better.
Andrews Was Where Op-Center Was Based. After They Taxied, Hood Saw Op-Center’s White Van Waiting For Him On The Tarmac. Lowell Coffey And Bob Herbert Were Both Visible In The Open Side Door. Sharon Didn’t See The Men Until She Was On Her Way Down The Steps. Hood Acknowledged Them With A Nod.
They Remained In The Van.
The State Department Had Provided Wheelchairs For Anyone Who Wanted Them. They Also Provided A Bus To Bring Everyone Home. An Official Told The Parents That Their Cars Would Be Collected From The Airport Later That Day.
Sharon And Hood Both Helped Harleigh Into A Wheelchair. Alexander Manfully Took His Place Behind The Chair As Sharon Turned To Her Husband.
“You’re Not Coming With Us, Are You?” Sharon Asked.
Her Voice Was Flat And Withdrawn, Her Eyes Distant.
“I Honestly Didn’t Know They’d Be Here,” He Said, Jerking A Thumb Toward The Van.
“But You’re Not Surprised.” “No,” He Admitted. “I Did Kill Someone On Foreign Soil. There’s Going To Be Fallout From That.
But You’ll Be Okay. Bob’s Arranged For Round-The-Clock Police Protection At The House.” “I Wasn’t Worried,” Sharon Said And Turned Toward The Chair. Hood Took Her Hand In His. She Stopped. “Sharon, Don’t Do This.” “Do What?” She Asked. “Go Home With Our Children?” “Don’t Shut Me Out,” He Said.
“I’m Not Shutting You Out, Paul,” Sharon Said.
“Just Like You, I’m Trying To Stay Calm And Deal With Things. What We Decide Over The Next Few Days Is Going To Affect Our Daughter For The Rest Of Her Life. I Want To Be Emotionally Ready To Make Those Decisions.” “We Have To Be Ready To Make Those Decisions,” Hood Said. “That’s Our Job.” “I Hope So,” Sharon Said. “But You’ve Got Two Families Again. I’m Not Going To Waste Any More Energy Fighting For Equal Time.” “Two Families?” Hood Said. “Sharon, I Didn’t Ask For This To Happen. I Was Out Of Op-Center! If I’m Back, It’s Because I’m In The Middle Of An International Incident. I-We Won’t Be Able To Handle This Alone.” Just Then, The State Department Official Came Over. He Told Them The Bus Was Loaded And Waiting.
Sharon Told Alexander To Go Ahead. She Said She’d Be There In A Moment. Hood Gave His Son A Wink And Told Him To Keep A Careful Eye On His Sister.
Alexander Said He Would.
Hood Looked Back At His Wife. Sharon Was Looking Up At Him. There Were Tears In Her Eyes.
“And When This International Incident Is Finished?” Sharon Asked. “Will We Have You Then? Do You Really Think You’ll Be Happy Helping To Manage A Household Instead Of Running A City Or A Government Agency?” “I Don’t Know,” Hood Admitted. “Give Me A Chance To Find Out.” “A Chance?” Sharon Smiled.
“Paul, This May Not Make Any Sense To You, But Last Night, When I Heard What You Did For Harleigh, I Was Angry At You.” “Angry? Why?” “Because You Risked Your Life, Your Reputation, Your Career, Your Freedom, To Save Our Daughter,” She Said. “And That Made You Angry?” Hood Said. “I Can’t Believe That-Was “It Did,” She Said. “All I Ever Wanted From You Were Little Bits Of Your Life. Time For A Violin Recital, A Soccer Game, A Vacation Once In A While. Dinner As A Family. Holidays With My Parents. I Rarely Got Any Of That. I Couldn’t Even Get You To Sit With Me Last Night While Our Baby Was In Danger.” “I Was Too Busy Trying To Get Her Out-” “I Know,” She Said. “And You Did. You Showed Me What You Can Do When You Want To. When You Want To.”…Are You Saying I Didn’t Want To Be With My Family?” Hood Said. “Sharon, You’re Stressed Out-” “I Said You Wouldn’t Understand,” She Told Him. The Tears Trickled Down Her Cheeks. “I’d Better Go.” “No, Wait,” Hood Said. “Not Like This-Was “Please, They’re Waiting,” Sharon Said. She Withdrew Her Hand And Ran Toward The Bus.
Hood Watched His Wife Go. After The Accordion Door Was Shut And The Bus Growled To Life, Hood Started Walking Toward Coffey And Herbert.
Now Hood Was Angry.
He Couldn’t Believe It. Even His Wife Had Found Fault With What He’d Done In The Security Council Chamber. Maybe She And Chatterjee Should Hold A Press Conference.
But The Anger Began To Pass As Hood Walked Toward The Van. And Just As Suddenly, Something Else Began To Eat At Him. It Was A Mixture Of Guilt And Doubt, And It Started Bubbling Up The Moment Hood Saw Bob Herbert Stretch Out His Big, Welcoming Hand. The Moment Hood Realized That He No Longer Felt So Alone. The Moment Paul Hood Had To Ask Himself The Honest And Very Painful Question: What If Sharon Was Right?
Washington, D, C. Sunday, 10:00 A.M.
The Greetings Were Warm, And The Good Wishes Were Sincere As Hood Entered The Van. There Was No Driver. After Herbert Shut The Door And Hood Had Settled Into The Passenger’s Seat, Coffey Drove The Short Distance To Op-Center. The Attorney Informed Hood That They’d Only Be At Op-Center Long Enough For Him To Shower, Shave, And Put On A Clean Suit Herbert Had Brought From The House. “Why?” Hood Asked.