Lame Duck - 1. Lame Duck

The whir of the electronic wheelchair was deafening to Jared Bourdais as he rolled himself off the plane and onto the tarmac. He could feel their eyes on him, the grim-faced ghoulish bureaucrats certain he'd soon leave office, especially with this new tragedy to face. They'd called him a lame duck the moment he took office when he'd only had a cane, or at least the opposition had. Now he was certain all of them did.

He'd contracted DH-20, a virus so vile it didn't even have a proper name yet. The effects were similar to Polio, crippling those whom it infected by weakening the muscles, tendons, and ligaments. At first it had been only Jared's right leg, and he'd been able to get by with a leg brace and a cane. It wasn't until the virus took hold of his hip, then spread across his body to affect his left leg, that it became truly debilitating.

With effort, he could still bend his legs, and, if he were properly braced, he could even walk with a pair of crutches, but that seemed far less dignified than the wheelchair, much as he hated it. It wasn't his fault he couldn't shift his weight, but he had to take the option which was best for everyone. He couldn't shift his policies, either. They'd worked so far, and they matched his campaign promises as he gunned for a second term as president.

Lame duck. He hated the term, and even more so because when he'd first heard it on the campaign trail he had to pretend to know what it was until he went home to look it up on the internet. He didn't have the luxury of feigning ignorance, no matter how bad things got. That's what politicians did in the face of tragedy, and he'd made a commitment to never be one of those weak-willed cowards.

Even if he couldn't stand on his own, he'd take the stands no one was brave enough to take. He wouldn't deny the truth. Lame duck? No, President Bourdais was no duck, though lame he might be. His second term had been marked with personal tragedy, but he had risen above it and brought the United States back to a position of economic leadership and exemplary moral conduct.

If only he hadn't been forced to do most of it alone. If only there were others who— "Are you ready to go, Jared?" a voice said from his side. Jared looked up into the eyes of his husband, Thomas Gilgen Bourdais. What the spectators saw as loving devotion in Thomas' eyes, Jared saw as pity. Where they saw tenderness in Thomas' touch, Jared felt only the coldness of Jared's hands.

"Yes. We're in Roswell, Tommy," Jared said, smirking as he glanced across the tarmac toward the desert. "You've wanted to come here your whole life, haven't you?"

Thomas laughed and leaned in to kiss Jared on the cheek. Jared stiffened at the contact, and when Thomas pulled away he had a look of total confusion. "What's wrong?"

"I know, Tommy," Jared said flatly. "You left your phone on the nightstand when you showered this morning. I know why you wanted to bring me here."

"Wait a minute . . ." Thomas said, then hesitated as Jared started rolling away from him. He rushed to stay in line with Jared and said quietly, "I think you've misunderstood. That's not—"

"Governor Fredrickson, it's a pleasure to see you again," Jared said, ignoring his husband as he stopped in front of a tall, balding man with a rigid jaw and dark eyes. Gerald Fredrickson cut an imposing figure with his broad shoulders and regal stance, but he was one of the kindest men Jared knew, and one of few politicians Jared respected.

Governor Fredrickson took Jared's offered hand and said, "Yes. Unfortunately we haven't been able to meet since I left the Senate. I trust you've been fully briefed on what this is about?"

"Yes," Jared said, "unlike some of those who once held this office, I pay attention to my intelligence briefings."

They shared a laugh at that, both remembering the nation's blunders in the earlier part of the century when the country had really taken a turn for the worse. They'd been kids when a reality TV star became president and threw the country into chaos. They hadn't known each other then, but if they had, they would've likely become friends long before serving in the Senate together.

After a few more brief introductions, Governor Fredrickson, the Secret Service, and the New Mexico National Guard swiftly put the next stage of the event into motion. Jared and Thomas were placed in a large, black SUV together, with a Secret Service agent in the passenger seat and a member of the National Guard at the wheel.

Thomas looked like he wanted to speak, but Jared wouldn't have any of it and avoided his husband's eyes. He was already trying to forget what he'd read that morning, even though he knew he'd have to address it eventually. That didn't have to be now, even if they were getting closer to the facility where Thomas had spent the better part of Jared's first term.

But the more Jared avoided talking to Thomas, the more his thoughts betrayed him. He remembered the email so clearly, it still stung him like a smack in the face. He'd heard Thomas' phone buzz, and he'd reached over so he could hand it to Thomas as soon as his shower was over. Then he saw the subject line of the email. He hadn't been able to stop himself from reading it.

To: Dr. Bourdais

From: Dr. Hannigan

Sub: I'm ready, and I don't want to keep this secret any longer.

I know you're coming to see me today. It's been awhile, Tom. How have you been? People still talk about you all the time out here, you know. You're a legend with the work you did on the "Flying Saucers". I can't believe they still call them that in the official records. They're not even saucer shaped!

I'm going to cut to the chase. I've missed you, and I want to be a part of your life again, even if I'm stuck at a top secret facility and you're first lady... You know, I've been getting ready for your visit for a while now, and I think you know what I'm getting at. I'm ready, and I want to try out the new technique. I know, you're worried about what Jared will think. You're scared he's going to… yeah, I know. I really do. But this is about you and me, Tom. This is about all that time we spent together, working side by side in that hot, little laboratory. It's time we let the world know about what we've been doing.

Our chemistry was always great, wasn't it?

I'm waiting for you, and I'm ready. Please, consider it?

Love,

A.

Jared didn't need a photographic memory to have every line play through his mind like a tragically broken audio track. At the time of reading it, he hadn't known what to do, didn't know how to face Thomas, so he'd marked the email as unread and placed Thomas' phone back where he normally kept it.

And then he'd set about getting ready for the day, using the distraction of the upcoming briefing as a means of avoiding contact with his husband. It was bad enough that the virus had stolen the use of his legs, but what the public did not and never would know was that it had also stolen his virility and ability to experience sexual pleasure. This had been frustrating in their marriage, but until now it seemed that Thomas was committed to their love and hadn't needed the sex.

Because he's been getting it on the side. The voice in Jared's head told him. Because whoever A. Hannigan is, he's stolen my husband's heart. There was no way A. Hannigan wasn't a man, if he'd managed to attract Thomas' interest. Thomas was gay, as gay as a man could be, something Jared found out when they used to check out people together. Jared would point out a beautiful woman and Thomas wouldn't understand at all. No, A. Hannigan had to be a man, and likely a man bristling with sexual prowess; after all, wouldn't that be what Thomas felt was lacking in his marriage?

The line of SUV's rolled to a stop outside the fence of a massive government facility. The name of the facility, Area 94, had become famous a few years earlier, when the knowledge of extra-terrestrial visits to Earth finally became fully declassified. This was the facility where the earliest alien spacecraft had been stored after the Roswell incident. It was only a few miles outside of town, buried in the desert. The fence and the surface buildings all were new, built since the declassification. The only old structure in the area was an old RV, which had served as the front for the base. A retired CIA agent, Ricky Donaldson, had lived in the RV for years posing as a crazy alien hunter, crazy enough to drive everyone else away from where he parked his RV. That same RV now rested on the cement just inside the fence, protected as the monument it was.

After clearing security, the vehicles drove into the base and into the parking garage. They traveled down two stories until finally leaving the vehicles behind. A small delegation of scientists and military officers stood ready to greet them at the edge of the garage. Jared's eyes narrowed as he considered the tall, suave man in a white lab coat standing near the center of the delegation. He had dark hair and wore glasses, both things Jared knew Thomas favored. Jared glanced at his husband and watched as he and the doctor exchanged smiles of recognition.

"Mr. President," Governor Fredrickson said as he led Jared and the others to the awaiting delegation. "This is General Knight, and Drs. Hannigan and Stevens, the two doctors currently heading up research on finding a way to combat the effects of DH-20, well, since Thomas left us a few months ago, anyway."

The general said something by way of official greeting, and Jared heard himself reply with something rehearsed but uninteresting. He barely looked at the general, instead keeping his focus on the tall man in front of him. "Dr. Hannigan, I presume?" Jared said, extending his hand.

"I'm afraid not," the man replied. "I'm afraid I don't quite have the fortune of being quite as beautiful as Dr. Hannigan, Mr. President. I'm Dr. Stevens." He took Jared's hand and shook it firmly.

"I'm Dr. Hannigan," the woman at Dr. Stevens side said. Jared turned to her in surprise, finding a short, plump woman with dyed blonde hair and freckles. She appeared almost ten years older than him and Thomas, which meant she was pushing sixty. "I can see how you can confuse us, though. Dr. Stevens is actually the beautiful one."

General Knight snorted and said, "I'm glad we were able to keep this professional. Shall we get on with the tour, then?"

Jared nodded and then fell silent as the tour of the facility began. He'd misunderstood, and now he had even more to consider. He doubted that he'd completely misjudged Thomas for the two decades they'd known each other, so why would he be having an affair with a woman? But there was still the matter of the email . . .

The tour paused at an elevator which would take them deeper into the Earth, and Jared realized he'd been asked a question but hadn't heard it. He turned to Thomas and said, "What?"

"I said, or we could take the stairs," Thomas said, smiling slyly.

Jared's eyebrows raised. If there was something Thomas could say which could alleviate Jared's confusion, this wasn't it. In fact, pointing out something impossible such as Jared taking stairs anywhere seemed more insensitive than Jared could handle given his current feelings toward his husband. "You've got about thirty seconds to explain before I push you down some stairs, Thomas."

Thomas chuckled nervously and said, "Well, I know this is a bit forward, and probably even illegal to be suggesting this, but that's the fun thing about covert operations. I received an email from Amanda this morning, and she said—"

Jared's eyes flashed at the mention of the email, and he raised his hand to stop Thomas from speaking. "Hang on, I just need a minute." He took several deep breaths, bracing himself for whatever was to come. "Okay, you can continue."

"She thinks we're ready for human trials of a potential DH-20 cure, and, well . . . she's been wanting me to tell you about this for a while, but, we thought you might want to be the first one," Thomas said, biting his lip nervously.

Jared was stunned. This wasn't what he'd expected at all. There was a cure for DH-20, and they wanted to test it on him? Was this some elaborate cover-up for their affair? Or had he completely lost his mind? In the background, he heard the others talking, General Knight and Governor Fredrickson arguing with Drs. Hannigan, Stevens, and Bourdais, about the ramifications, and Jared slowly came to the realization that this was real. This was the real reason they'd called him here; Thomas had planned this all along.

"Is it safe?" He heard himself asking.

Dr. Hannigan turned toward him and smiled pleasantly. "Yes. There may be some mild discomfort if it doesn't work, but the worst that could happen would be . . . well, would be that it doesn't work."

"I'll do it," Jared said. General Knight opened his mouth to protest and Jared added firmly, "It's the President's duty to serve as a beacon of hope for the people. I'll do it. If it works, then we can release the cure to the public, and that'll be that, right? If it doesn't work . . ."

Governor Fredrickson cleared his throat and said, "With all due respect, Jared, we don't actually know that there'll be no side-effects—"

"Gerald," Jared said quietly, interrupting his friend. "Someone has to be the first one. If my husband says it's safe, I trust him. I should've always trusted him."

Jared saw the look of confusion in Thomas' eyes, and knew there'd be a conversation later, but for now there were other matters to worry about. "Take me to the lab, and let's get this show on the road, shall we?"

~    ~    ~    ~    ~

The series of shots they injected into his leg were full of some serious painkillers as well as the treatment itself, and Jared felt delirious for nearly a day, but he knew one thing; Thomas almost never left his side. His husband stayed for the treatment and the recovery, just waiting for him to be lucid enough to talk.

After waking up from a short nap, Jared felt a bit better, and he reached out to Thomas and asked for a glass of water. Thomas quickly obliged, and after Jared coughed down some liquid, he set the cup back down on the nearby nightstand.

"How do you feel?" Thomas asked anxiously.

Jared smiled weakly. "Like I've been in a drug-induced coma for a few weeks. What was in that shot?"

"Chemical compounds you wouldn't understand if I named them," Thomas replied, shrugging. "Sorry, love, but unless you want a college level chemistry lecture, it's better to just say, 'hopefully the cure'." He laughed and Jared chuckled along with him. "Have you tried moving your legs yet?"

Jared shook his head and bent his knee. It took only minimal effort, though his muscles still felt weak and sluggish, but his knee bent and his leg rose toward his stomach. Thomas gasped in delight while Jared stared at his leg, unable to fully grasp what was happening. Then it hit him. They had done it; the cure was working!

"Wow," He said, whispering the word like a prayer. "You . . . you cured me."

Thomas practically leapt out of chair, then, much more gently, he wrapped Jared up in a hug and kissed him deeply. "You're cured! You're cured!"

Jared felt his body respond. He felt every part of his body respond, and he knew the cure had taken hold. He was back! "Oh God, I love you, Tommy . . . I love you so much!"

They continued in their joy for a moment, celebrating the miracle and each other until finally they pulled apart. Thomas told a lab assistant to find Dr. Hannigan and the others as quickly as possible, then returned to his seat at Jared's side.

"Now, before the others get here, I need to ask you," Thomas said quietly. "Are you still mad at me?"

"Mad?" Jared asked, momentarily forgetting ever being mad at his husband, but after a few seconds it came rushing back to him. "No," he said, looking away. "Just confused."

"About what?" Thomas asked.

"It seems so silly now," Jared said, "But I read your email from Dr. Hannigan. I thought . . . I thought you might be having an affair."

Thomas stared at Jared for a few, long moments until he started laughing. He laughed so hard and so long that Jared thought he might pass out from lack of Oxygen. When Thomas finally stopped, he wiped the tears from his eyes and said, "Honey, I'm gay. I've always been gay, always will be, and do you want to know the best part?"

"I'm dying to," Jared said dryly.

"Amanda's as lesbian," Thomas said, laughing again. "When we started working together, all our colleagues kept telling us we were going to fall in love. Eventually we just created the joke that we 'had chemistry'. The email you read was about the treatment we just gave you. Sorry to keep it secret, but I wanted it to be a surprise, and Amanda was dying to give it to you. She knew I wanted to see you happy again."

"So . . ." Jared said carefully, "No affair?"

"Jared," Thomas said, lifting Jared's chin so their eyes met again. There was love in those eyes and tenderness in that touch, and Jared knew, he knew Thomas had never once stopped loving him. They kissed, and the world didn't seem to matter anymore, no matter how much the general protested about how unprofessional this all was.