Madam President ✓

6. An Oath

Tanya

  When Katie was born, they thought she was a stillbirth. I sat there hyperventilating while they wrapped her tiny, premature little body up to go to the morgue. It was a different kind of cry than the one that normally came out of me- instead of sadness it was pure fear.

  Had I done something wrong that I just missed? I followed all of my doctor's guidelines for exercise and what not to consume and how not to move or walk or even breathe. Was god punishing me? I mean, it's not like I believe in a god- but so many things ran through my head.

  And then, nearly five minutes after she was born- a tiny gasp came from her, still wrapped in cloth, and she cried hard.

  They whisked her away almost immediately to pump her premature body full of things I can't pronounce to this day, and while she was in the NICU I just sat there. With rich parents- I could afford to do that, and then they died and it became my money, every last bit of it. My father and I were pretty close. It took some time but I actually felt relief over my mother's death.

  But the moment I was told they died- I felt frozen.

  And that's how I feel now; sitting in the ambulance, not hearing a word coming out of Agent Wei's mouth.

"As the only known congressional survivor, you are essentially the acting speaker of the house..... which makes you the acting president of the United States."

I am still stuck on that part. I let it be known.

"I'm sorry wh..... this isn't possible there-"

"Congresswoman, I really hate to interrupt you but we need you in that motorcade now. Right now." She grabs my hand. "We quite literally cannot afford to lose you too and we don't know if it is safe here or not."

"No there's no way... th- there has to be someone with more experience why can't a former president do this or just-"

"Because, Congresswoman- all of them were at the inauguration and the Secretary of State is confirmed dead. Car. Now." Just as she's going to pull me to the car, she turns back. "Please."

It takes encouragement from my daughter to get us in the vehicle with an already open door. The ten or so start pulling away immediately, and then everything really sinks in.

I am the president of the United States. I am the president of the United States. I cannot do this. I'm gonna get every single person on planet earth killed.

I never planned on running for an office higher than congresswoman.

"How does.... How does this work?" I manage to stutter out. "The whole.... acting president thing?"

"You'll be sworn in by the Maryland Chief Justice who was in town for a meeting with the Supreme Court chief." Agent Wei talks so fast I have a hard time understanding her. "Her hotel was within walking distance of the White House. A military general knew about the meeting and went to fetch her himself. Now under normal circumstances you'd be able to choose who swore you in but.... I don't think I have to tell you these are not normal circumstances."

"Of course....." I mumble, and then a thought occurs to me and I curse myself for not asking before. "Where are my congressional staff?"

"Already looked into it. They were in your office in the Rayburn building when it happened- which was unaffected by the blast."

Oh thank god.

"Can you send people to bring them to the White House?" I ask. "They are.... the only ones I know I can trust right now."

"Consider it already done." Agent Wei says, sending a quick text to some fellow secret service agent. Normally, someone texting and driving would make me nervous- but this is an individual who, at the secret service academy- was trained in driving alone for three months.

When we get through the White House gates, I nearly have a heart attack. I blink over and over again, rubbing my eyes a few times- waiting on this to be a nightmare.

Maybe I'm becoming schizophrenic and this is all in my head. Yes that must be it-

"Congresswoman-" Another secret service holds the door open for me, just feet away from an entrance to the west wing. "Agent Bay will take your daughter up to the residence. Right this way."

My movements are not my own. My feet swing over the edge of the vehicle, and I take the agent's hand automatically. My mind races in a thousand directions while my body moves forward, understanding more than I do how essential my presence is right now. Faintly, I register that my daughter and one of the agents have stopped following me and that an elevator's turned on. I keep going.

The west wing staff who were fortunate enough to not be attending the inauguration stare as I'm guided down the hallways.

A few janitors stand gathered around a tv- watching the news, with cleaning not really being a priority right now, knowing they won't be fired for not doing it.

Upon entering what looks like a meeting room, a dozen people I don't recognize and the Maryland Chief Justice stand up.

For a second, I admire how ready these people were to jump into action. While I was sitting in that ambulance, still trying to process what happened- they were already looking into who the commander in chief would be, and somehow came to the stupid fucking conclusion that the responsibility would fall onto me.

We are all doomed.

"Congresswoman-" the Chief Justice says. "Please place your left hand on the constitution, raise your right, and repeat after me."

I listen- because I don't have much of a choice.

Somebody's cell phone camera snaps away as she asks me to repeat the oath every politician has engrained into their mind.

"I- Tanya Clark, do solemnly swear that I will faithfully execute the Office of President of the United States, and will to the best of my Ability, preserve, protect and defend the Constitution of the United States."