Through It All

Learn Fast

"I know," Irene smiled.
      "Mama!" Katie squealed.
"Hi, sweetie."
After the family fussed over Max and Louis, Jack and Jackie tools the kids home while Irene rested with the twins.
A few days later Jack and the Secret Service came to get Irene and the twins from the hospital, "Irene, there's a crowd that's gathered to catch a glimpse of you and the babies."
"We can take you out a different way," Clint told Irene.
    "Why are people gathering?"
    "I think they want to see the former assistant Attorney General's child, but we don't have to..."
    "No, we'll go out the front. Let those damn Texans see in the papers what they've done to me and my family."
    "Alright, Irene," Clint said quietly.    
    Jack stepped in the room and picked up Louis, "Hey there, Louis. Are you ready, Irene?"
    "I'm ready," she said picking up Max.
    They walked out the doors of the hospital and only paused for a moment while the press snapped a few pictures.
    They climbed in the car and Clint drove them back to the White House with the rest of the motorcade following behind them.
    When they arrived home, the kids and Jackie came to greet them.
    Jack handed Jackie Louis and Irene bent down as the other children gathered around to see Max.
    That night, Irene got no rest. One of the babies was constantly crying and finally exhaustion got to her around three in the morning and she began to sob. She needed her husband to help her care for these twins and he wasn't there. While she sat sobbing on the floor of the nursery, Jack walked in, "Kiddo, have you gotten any sleep. You look like hell."
      "Thanks, Dad," she sniffed.
      He sat down on the floor next to her groaning in pain, "Damn back."
     "Dad, what am I going to do?"
     "I don't know, Irene. I don't know what I'm going to do."
     "Why?"
     "I didn't want to tell you this with everything going on, but Jackie and I are..."
     "Dad, spit it out."
     "Irene, Jackie's... She's done with all of this. She's done with being First Lady."
     "You're not getting a divorce... Are you?"
    "She's going to Greece and then we'll revisit our marriage when '69 rolls around. She doesn't want anything to do with the presidency."
      Irene sighed and kissed her father, "What about the kid?" she whispered.
      "Well, you and I will be taking care of six children. So we better learn fast."