“You know, Dar. I always knew I’d find something to redeem you in my eyes. I just never expected it to be that you had a proper Southern daddy.” He inclined his head towards Andy. “My pardon, sir. I’ll leave her be.” He wandered over to the bar and poured himself a drink, chuckling under his breath.
Dar paced across to the window of the bus, leaned her arms on the wall and tried to stretch her tense back out. The long interview with charming Cheryl had made her stiffen up and she just wanted to get the ceremony over and leave. Kerry was curled up in a corner of the couch, the painkillers she’d been taking for her shoulder making her very sleepy, and Ceci had settled her coat over the blonde woman’s shoulders and was seated next to her, sketching.
Dar stared out at the gathering crowd, watching the various technicians preparing the platform, putting cameras in place, and setting up microphones. She felt a warm hand on her back and turned to see her father peering over her shoulder.
“You all right, Dardar?”
Dar rubbed her eyes and exhaled. “Got any aspirin?”
“Yeap.” Andrew fished in the small pouch he wore around his waist and removed a bottle. “Gave me this stuff at the hospital, after I got back.
Take care of any kind of headache you can come up with, I’ll tell you that.”
Dar accepted the tablets gratefully, walked over to the bar and poured a glass of water, then swallowed the small pills. “Thanks.” She glanced enviously at Kerry’s dozing form. “How much longer?”
“An hour, Dar.” Hamilton shrugged into his impeccably cut jacket.
“I’m going to go romance the press. I’ll send a runner over when they’re ready.” He ducked out the door and closed it behind him, leaving them in relative peace and quiet. Ceci got up and moved to a different seat, tucking one leg under her as she resettled her pad. She caught Dar’s eye, then Eye of the Storm 431
motioned towards the couch, smiling when her daughter didn’t argue and took the place she’d been sitting in and trying to relax.
Kerry must have sensed her presence, Dar mused, because the blonde woman stirred, reached out a hand and touched Dar, then reversed her position and curled up with her head in Dar’s lap and one arm tucked around her lover’s thigh.
“Aww.” Andrew chuckled.
Dar draped an arm over Kerry’s body and stretched her legs out, then let her head rest on the back of the couch. The pills seemed to be working, she idly mused, as the cramping in her back eased and the throbbing ache in her head subsided. She closed her eyes and breathed a sigh of relief.
The bus was silent for a few minutes then Dar’s mother peeked over her sketch pad and shook her head. “Out like a light.” Ceci laughed softly. “What did you give her?”
Andrew juggled the small bottle, then tossed it to her. “Don’t know, but they put me out, so I figgured they’d work on her too.”
Cecilia reviewed the label. “Muscle relaxant and painkiller.” She looked up at her husband. “Hope they wear off before the ceremony or you’ll be up there by yourself, sailor boy.”
Andrew ambled over and sat down next to her, laced his fingers together and cocked his head at her drawing. “Kid was stiffer than a board. I figured a catnap was a good idea. What is that?”
Ceci tilted the pad. “It’s that platform outside.”
Andy grunted. “It’s empty.”
His wife smiled. “It won’t be for long.”
THE WIND HAD died down, and the late afternoon sun had come out in full force, warmly lighting the platform now decorated with red, white, and blue bunting. Staff had set chairs in place as well, and dignitaries were gathered, networking together and sharing cups of distilled water while the television crews warmed up their equipment.
At last, it was time and everyone took their seats. Kerry tucked her feet under her in the somewhat uncomfortable chair in the front row of the audience and fastened her eyes on the two figures at one end of the platform’s plusher chairs.
Andrew was seated with military erectness, even though he was dressed in dark blue denims and one of his hooded sweatshirts instead of a uniform. His hands were folded in his lap and he faced forward, but his eyes flicked everywhere, watching the crowd, the dignitaries, and the security officers.
Dar looked… Kerry sighed. Her beloved friend looked like she’d just woken up, a fair statement since she practically had, and her eyes had a faintly dazed look about them as she peered around idly. “I think Dar’s toast.”
“Mmm,” Ceci agreed wryly. “I told Andy he shouldn’t have given her two of those pills. He takes them, but he forgets he’s twice her size.”
432 Melissa Good She sighed. “Poor kid.”
“Well,” Kerry analyzed, “at least she’s not nervous.” She casually turned her head and reviewed the crowd, unsurprised, but disappointed not to see her family there.
The television crew gave a signal and the mayor stepped up to the microphone and cleared his throat self-importantly. “Ladies and gentlemen, thank you for joining me here on the Mall for a celebration of gratitude to people, ordinary people, who risked their lives to save the lives of their fellow men.”
The crowd applauded wildly.
He thanked the police next, and the firefighters, and gave out a plaque to the fire company who had rescued them from the building.
Kerry smiled at that, glad to see they’d gotten some recognition. Then the mayor made a long, somewhat boring speech about how terrorists only succeeded when they inspired terror.
“Duh,” Ceci and Kerry managed to say at the same time.
And that the city would never bow to that kind of pressure, being the capital of the land of the brave, and all that patriotic stuff. Kerry, having heard political speeches all her life, tuned most of it out. She knew the mayor was up for re-election this year and most of the speech was directed more towards raising his polls than celebrating heroes.
At last, it was over, and he cleared his throat, carefully arranging two velvet cases resting on the podium.
Ceci nudged Kerry, spotting a familiar figure making his way towards the mayor. “Hey.”
Kerry was very surprised to see her father there. “What on earth is he doing?”
Roger Stuart arrived next to the mayor and straightened his jacket with a smooth motion. The mayor turned and gave him a welcoming smile.
“Senator Stuart has asked, since his was one of the lives affected by the rescue, that he be allowed to present the medals. I am honored to turn the podium over to him.”
“What?” Kerry blurted, almost falling off her chair.
“Shh. Take it easy,” Ceci whispered, as her husband and daughter exchanged identical, startled looks.
Roger Stuart placed his hands on either side of the podium and acknowledged the applause. “Thank you.” He had a low, powerful voice.
“It has been a hard, anxious week for us all.”
Applause.
“But through it, strangers and friends, family and adversaries, have come together to save lives, and push past the normal, everyday disagreements to work together in what was, without doubt, a horrible tragedy.”
“I can’t believe he’s doing this,” Kerry muttered.
“When my wife and I were trapped inside that building, we thought our lives were at an end. Instead, through the courage of the two people Eye of the Storm 433
we’re here to honor today, our lives were saved, along with those of seven helpless children and many others.”
“I think Dar’s going to lose her lunch,” Ceci commented. “I seem to remember that particular look on her face.”
“Oh yeah,” Kerry agreed. “Hope she waits till she’s up there to do that.” Her voice took on an edge of anger. “I can’t believe he’s cheapening this just for his own publicity.”