Chapter 2: Hawk is Gone

It was several weeks later, when President Kirkman woke up in his Albany mansion to a note from Penny, who had already left for school. Padding downstairs to the kitchen, and nodding to the Secret Service agents stationed out on the back patio, he poured himself a cup of coffee and turned on CNN. It was a habit of his as President that had never completely gone away, to turn on the news first thing every morning. Wolf Blitzer appeared on the screen, looking oddly grave.

"We are getting confirmed reports that Air Force One was shot down over the United Arab Emirates today. There are no survivors from the fatal crash, which included President Aaron Shore and First Lady Emily Shore. It is suspected that agents of Al Saccar based out of Afghanistan had amassed anti-aircraft weaponry in the UAE..."

Kirkman scarcely felt the coffee mug slipping from his hand, the porcelain shattering on the floor. Tears filling his eyes, he fell to his knees, just as Agent Mike Ritter burst in from the foyer.

"Mr. President! We have to get you secure..."

"Mike, what's going on?"

"We have to ensure that the President's predecessors do not go down too!" Mike bellowed into his walkie talkie. "I want statuses on Eagle, Trailblazer, Renegade, Mogul, Professor..."

Clinton, Bush 43, Obama, Trump, Moss, Kirkman rattled off in his head. Jimmy Carter, or "Deacon", had passed away a centenarian several years ago.

"Phoenix is secure. I repeat: Phoenix is secure. Where is Matron?"

Matron. That would be the Vice President, now the new Commander-in-Chief. That would be...

"Mike, Mike!" Kirkman barked as his agent maneuvered him into the study. "Tommy! Please tell me Tommy wasn't on that plane."

"He wasn't, sir," Ritter reported gravely. "He was left in the hands of a nanny at the White House."

Kirkman slumped in his armchair. "Thank God."

But then... that meant...

Two days later, Kirkman was seated inside an attorney's firm in downtown Washington D.C. He had been summoned to hear the reading of the will of the late Aaron and Emily Shore.

"...to the care of our beloved son, Thomas Kirkman Shore, we leave him in the capable hands of our beloved former boss and our son's namesake, Thomas Adam Kirkman, 48th President of the United States. Tom... you have been a loving friend and surrogate family to us and we thank you for everything you have done for us. This, our last will and testament, Aaron Shore, 49th President of the United States, and Emily Shore, First Lady of the United States."

Kirkman heavily nodded his head. "I will be sure to collect Tommy from the White House after the funeral at Washington National Cathedral."

A week after that, the remains of President and First Lady Shore were presented in the Washington National Cathedral, to be mourned before burial. Nudging his glasses down to the bridge of his nose, former President Kirkman addressed the congregation with moving remarks.

Then, Kimble Hookstraten, 50th President of the United States (and the first woman to hold the post) gave a moving eulogy to her predecessor. She had been appointed Speaker of the House after the Capitol bombing, as she was the designated survivor from Congress, then eventually went on to serve as Secretary of Education in the Kirkman administration. Kirkman had been surprised when Aaron had selected her - a member of the opposing party - to be his running mate, but had supported his Vice President's decision. And there was no denying: Hookstraten was a skilled speaker.

"Twice now in the last 20 years, our leaders have been brutally cut down. May America never see such bloodshed again for many years to come. God bless you all, and God bless these United States," Hookstraten concluded.

President Hookstraten and President Kirkman met and spoke quietly after the service.

"Tommy can have however long he needs to move out of the White House," Hookstraten assured. "I will not force him out when he is not ready, as LBJ did not for the Kennedys."

Kirkman nodded. "Thank you, Kimble. I will try to transition him as efficiently as possible."

The following month, Tommy Shore was moved out of the White House and up to the estate of his godfather, Thomas Kirkman, in Albany.

The transition was not what Kirkman had hoped.

Besides having to share the house with Penny, Tommy was thrown into a living situation that he had not expected and in some ways did not want. He would scarcely eat, and cried himself to sleep at night. Kirkman tried to not push him where he did not want to go, but also observed the boy's worsening depression with growing concern. No six-year-old should have to go through what he was going through.

At night, as he had every night, Kirkman would stand at the door of Tommy's room and knock.

"Tommy? Is there anything you want to talk to me about. I'm here, you can always tell me anything."

"Go away!" Tommy whimpered through the door. "I want my mommy! I want my daddy!"

Tears slipped down Kirkman's cheeks. "I'm here, kid. I love you. I'll be here whenever you need me. Good night." But as he walked away, the former President silently wished,

I want them back here, too. I wish they were here, too.