They landed at dawn.
As the first blush of light was breaking through the darkness of the night, Air Force One emerged from the light fog hanging over the English countryside, just south of London.
The flash of the taillight was just a tiny blip at first but the radar signal coming through was strong, pulsing intently on the screen as the sergeant kept a close eye on the instrument panel.
On board the president was awake. The first lady slept beside him, her head on his chest. He had one arm around her, holding her close, the other held the strap of the plastic container, inside which were sealed the precious tissue samples.
He'd personally stood in the room next to Louis and watched through the glass as Dr. Arnault carried out the procedure. He'd wanted to gown up and be in the room but Tony and then Dave, and finally Jill had talked him out of it.
'I know you want to be in there, Joe. But we can't afford for anything to happen to you', she told him, her voice intent.
He'd argued back at first but she reached for his hands, entwining her fingers with his. 'What about Ukraine? What about the rest of the world? What about the situation at home?' she asked. 'If anything happens to you then that's a lot of situations, a lot of people that are left very vulnerable, Joe', she said earnestly.
Unspoken was the other question running through her head. What about me? What about us, if something happens to you. But he had enough to deal with without loading that on him, she reasoned.
Finally she'd called for Glen. Asked him if the procedure carried out within the president's field of vision was sufficient, without him having to be physically in the room.
'Yes, ma'am', he assured them both.
He noted the look on the president's face. 'I've asked if it's possible for the doctors to use one of those incredible screens they use during keyhole surgery, just to enhance the field of vision for you, sir. And we can make sure the samples are packed in the room, that way you can be standing at the glass and I can accept the container at the door for you and you'll be able to see it all', he explains.
He thought for a moment and decided to express an idea he'd had a little while ago. 'Why don't we film the whole procedure too, sir, plus the handover, that way there can't be ambiguity afterwards. We'd be able to produce proof of the chain of custody if anything was queried', he said.
Seeing the way Joe's face cleared of all doubt at hearing Glen's idea made Jill want to throw her arms around the young man to show her how grateful she was, but he smiled in her direction as if he knew what she was thinking. Aware of just how risky it would be to have the president anywhere near Louis's body while there was even a remote chance of contamination there was no way it could be allowed to happen; period.
'That's a wonderful idea. That's exactly what we'll do!' Joe exclaimed, tapping Glen's chest gently with his fist. 'Good work', he said, 'very good work'.
Glen smiled. 'I'll make the arrangements, sir. It'll take some time to get everything prepared so you'll have a couple of hours to fill', he explained. 'If you need me to get you anything ...'
But Joe waved him off mid sentence. 'What you've got to arrange is far more important than getting anything for me. We'll figure ourselves out', he said looking at Jill. 'You go do what you have to', he said and held the door open for Glen to begin his delicate task.
Joe closed the door and turned back to Jill. 'Have you anything you need to do, honey. Or can you take a break for a while?' he asked.
Jill reached out and took his hands in hers. 'I'd like to just sit by Louis for a while', she said quietly. 'I know I can't go into his room but I'd just like to be close to him for a time', she explained, giving voice to the thoughts she'd had for hours now.
