The Prime Minister and Her

Long Recovery

Cassie smiled down at the picture Johnny had sent her of Dani from this morning. He was there keeping an eye on her while Cassie had to go into surgery. Carlton was with her, of course, but he was currently on the phone with some very angry people about his decision to extend his trip. 

"I will be back next week," he told them, "and I will be staying there until the end of my term. I won't have any reason to make a trip back here because Cassie and Dani are coming to live with me in London." He turned to Cassie and smiled, before saying, "They'll be coming in once Cassie is fully recovered."

He then started getting into some deals and trips he had to make, while Cassie looked out of her hospital room window and enjoyed the view of the White House. She's going to miss this place, but with her retiring and not being able to be completely alone in case she gets sick, there's no reason for her to be here anymore. 

Carlton hung up his phone and sat down next to her on the bed. "Hey," he said, as he ran his hand down her hair, pulling her out of her thoughts. She looked over at him and he gave her a small smile. 

"It's going to be alright," he assured her. "After this, everything is going to be fine." She sighed and leaned into his touch. "How do you know that?" She quietly asked.

He placed a small kiss on her lips and said, "Because I'm always right." She smirked as she shook her head and rolled her eyes. A moment later, the surge came in and prepped her for the surgery. 

He gave her everything she needed, including the anesthetic. "I love you, Hansen," Carlton said, as he held on to her hand. "I'll be right here when you wake up, baby." He kissed her head and watched as her eyes drifted close. 

She was wheeled away into the surgery room and Carlton made his way into the waiting room. He texted Johnny and told him she was in surgery and that it shouldn't take more than a few hours. 

He was then sent a selfie of Johnny and Dani both smiling with the caption of wishing Cassie good luck. Ben chuckled and was amazed at the resemblance between Dani and Johnny. 

It was understandable since Cassie and Johnny looked like twins and Dani was already getting her mother's traits; her hair, her eyes, her nose, everything.

For the remainder of the time that he was in the waiting room, he got phone calls from several people. He would talk to them, but stood in front of the surgery board to keep an eye on Cassie's status as he did.

"Just make sure the nursery is set up before next week," he told Jacob. "I want it in the room next to ours so we can keep a good eye on her. And I want absolutely no press when they arrive, understand? I want my family out of the spotlight."

He kept looking at Cassie's status. It's been green since she went in, which was a great sign. This wasn't a major surgery, only a minor one even if it was for a major disease. 

About two hours later (a little longer than expected), her surgeon came into the room and Carlton quickly stood up. "The surgery was a success," he was told. 

He let out a breath of relief, then asked, "Is there anything I should know for her recovery?" The surgeon nodded, then told him, "Yes, a few things. She can only drink water and eat liquids like soup. She will loose weight from it, but that's common. She can resume her chemotherapy as scheduled and...I'm sure you are aware that it is impossible for her to have any children."

Carlton gulped, but nodded and told him, "Yes, I'm...I'm aware." Even though it stung to hear those words, he was at least grateful that they had Dani. The surgeon continued, "She will need to stay in bed for at least a week. Other than that, it should be a pretty easy recovery."

"When will she be able to travel?" Carlton asked. "She's moving to London with me and I want her there as soon as possible." The surgeon thought for a moment, then said, "Give her about three weeks and she should be fine. Anything else? She should be back in her room, so you're more than welcome to go see her."

Carlton shook his hand and said, "Thank you." He walked down a few halls, until he reached her room. She was sound asleep in the hospital bed, only hooked up to an I.V. this time. He brought over a chair and sat down next to her. 

He knew she wouldn't be up for a while, so he texted Johnny the updates and told him to come down and see her when he wanted. Seeing as it was almost midnight, Johnny said he'd come in tomorrow with Dani. 

In the meantime, Carlton decided to get some shut eye himself. He rested his head by Cassie's arm on the bed and held on to her hand as he yawned and slowly started to drift to sleep. 

It only felt like a few minutes later when he felt something run gently through his hair. He opened his eyes to the harsh morning light in the hospital room and looked up to see Cassie looking down at him. She was running her fingers through his hair. 

"Hey, you," he groggily greeted, as he sat up and stretched his sore back. "How are you feeling, love?" She grimaced and said, "It hurts." She put her hand over her stomach and winced. 

As quickly as his sleepy state would allow, he got up and found a nurse in the hall. "This is not uncommon after that kind of surgery," she assured them, as she checked Cassie's bandages and I.V.. "You'll be in pain for a few days, but that's what these are for."

She handed Cassie some pain medication and Ben helped her put it in her mouth and swallow it with water. Soon after, the pain was gone. "Feeling better?" He asked, as he stroked his thumb over her cheek.

She nodded and told him, "I feel...gross." He chuckled as he watched her feel her unwashed, spiked hair. "I'll see what I can do about getting you a shower or a bath," he told her. "For now, you need to sleep. You've got a long recovery ahead of you."

He ran his hand over her hair, as the pain medication started to kick in and make her drowsy. It only took a few minutes until she was out. With a loud sigh, he got up and went out of the room to go grab some coffee. 

When he came back, he saw Johnny just starting to sit down with Dani in his lap. "Hey," Ben whispered. Johnny turned to him and said, "Hey. How's she doing?" Ben nodded and told him, "Really well, actually. How's my princess been?"

He set down his coffee and picked up Dani. She smiled when she saw her daddy and gurgled a laugh as she pinched his cheeks and nose. "She's been great," Johnny told him. "I'm gonna miss her when you guys leave."

Carlton pressed a kiss to Dani's head, then said, "You can always come with us. There are schools in London that would love to have you, I'm sure. I know Cass would love it if you came with us." 

Johnny let out a light laugh, then said, "Nah. I can't leave this place. I'll be sure to visit, though, maybe during summer break." Carlton smiled as he said, "I'll be sure to arrange the flight whenever you want to visit."

He went back to cooing over Dani after a moment. "You've been a good girl, haven't you? You're being so good for mummy and daddy. We love you so much, pumpkin." He fluttered kisses on her cheek, making her giggle. 

Despite the cruel reality of not being able to have anymore kids--because he would love to give Dani a little brother or sister--he's never been more grateful for anything in his entire life. It was all going to piece together, he just knew it.