Incest/Taboo Lady in Red

"Madam President! Can you tell us what you hope to accomplish here?" shouted the first reporter to catch her breath.

"I have no time, so listen closely," snapped Gwen impatiently. "My friends and I are going to be extremely busy rescuing and treating injured people. I shall allow no questions and no interference from the media for any reason. The Secret Service will enforce that. If any of you would care to put down your cameras and microphones and actually help us, it will be greatly appreciated. Anyone getting in the way will be removed as quickly as possible with whatever force is required. Now, please excuse me."

Gwen had seen another tractor trailer pull into the field with Lady in Red logos prominently displayed. The driver pulled to a stop not far from Gwen. A passenger climbed down from the driver's side and approached her cautiously as armed Secret Service agents moved to intercept him.

"Madam President! I speak English. We have several large medical tents to erect," managed the man in a loud voice as he was patted down by the agents. The driver and I will need help setting them up, once you show us where you want them."

"We'll set them up over there," pointed Gwen as she turned back to the media representatives that had been filming the truck's arrival. "I'm asking you people for help. There are many badly injured people that will require medical attention. We need to get these tents up as quickly as possible. Will you help us?"

Without hesitation, the large media following began placing their equipment off to the side, removing jackets, and rolling up sleeves. With their assistance, as well as any of the Secret Service agents not required for security, three large tents were quickly erected. By the time they had finished, Gwen, Laura, and Charlotte, assisted by several local doctors and nurses, were treating the injured as they were being brought to them.

Even with six doctors and three nurses, they were unable to keep up with the flow of patients. Within the first hour, Gwen had dispatched all six helicopters to carry the most severely injured to hospitals better able to care for them.

Within three hours of Gwen's landing, two large RV's rolled up alongside the tents. Gwen quickly determined that they were the units to be used for surgery. She had a young girl carried inside one of them as soon as it was ready and was soon operating on a badly broken leg. Laura was inside the second unit, operating on a man with two broken arms. Between the two vehicles, there were facilities to accommodate four operations or other medical procedures, and they were sorely needed.

Both women were pleased that there were very capable nurses and an anesthesiologist on site to assist. A few members of the press corps served as interpreters within the bi-national medical teams. The day wore on with no break for the medical staff as they worked to save lives and prevent permanent maiming and disabilities.

Steve and the other men had quickly climbed aboard the various pieces of heavy equipment and headed into the rubble that had recently been a prosperous town. Jason and several local men went to look for obvious opportunities to rescue people buried by landslides, as well as many that were pinned or partially covered by large pieces of building material.

All of the men felt tremendous pride when they were able to help pull a survivor from the rubble. They also felt tears streak their faces when they found mangled bodies beyond any earthly help. Each of the men stopped for a sandwich and bottle of water after they had been working for several hours. The volunteers that had carried the refreshments were obviously extremely grateful for the efforts of the Americans, as well as the other volunteers, as they worked tirelessly to move debris and uncover victims.

Since the helicopters were in constant demand to carry the injured to hospitals, the children in Gwen's group were being kept away from the hospital tents, as well as the tragedy of the destroyed town. They were provided blankets and food in a small tent under the watchful eyes of Paula and her mother Caroline. The tent had been set up late in the afternoon.

Saint was sitting by himself, just outside the tent, thinking about ways he might be able to help people, when he saw a blonde girl approach from the direction of the town. Her clothes were torn and she had blood on her left hand. When she noticed Saint watching her, she nodded to herself and headed directly for him.

"You are President's son?" asked the stunningly pretty girl. Saint had never seen a girl with hair so white and eyes so blue. She was a little shorter than Saint and a fair amount lighter.

"Yes, my mother is President Hammer," responded Saint once he found his voice. "She's real busy right now, so you can't meet her."

"I need your father, not your mother," replied the platinum beauty. "Many people need help. I need a man with the strength of ten and the courage of a lion. Your father is the only man like that."

"I don't know about that," responded Saint, "but if you need Dad, I can help you find him. He's running heavy equipment someplace in town. We can go right now."

Saint knew he was disobeying his grandmother and would be serious trouble for it, but he found the blonde girl's request impossible to refuse. He wanted to be the one to help her with anything she may need. For her part, the diminutive girl looked up at him, nodded and grabbed his hand. Soon the two were trotting off in search of Steve.

Ruth had seen the strange girl approach Saint and pointed her out to Theresa. The two girls watched the two engage in a short conversation before they joined hands and headed toward the destroyed town.

"We'd better see where Saint goes," reasoned Ruth. "He could get into a lot of trouble."

When Saint and the strange girl reached the outskirts of the town, Saint asked the girl her name. "Lena Kiss," replied the girl simply as she pulled Saint toward a half destroyed building.

"They are in there," stated Lena as she pointed to the building.

Saint felt the hairs on his neck stand up as he surveyed the shaky building. It was obvious even to his young eyes that what was left of the building would not remain standing much longer.

"It is worse now than before!" cried the girl as she let go of Saint's hand and rushed to the rubble that was once a large building. She scampered over some wooden flooring that was twisted on edge and climbed to what was left of a second floor window. Without a backward glance she went through the opening and was lost from sight.

Saint stood transfixed for a few seconds, debating whether to search for his father or go help the girl. Suddenly, he spotted Ruth and Theresa and he knew what he had to do.

"Girls! Go find Dad and tell him I went into that building to help that girl. She said there are a lot of people in that building," shouted Saint as he began running toward the large, dangerous structure.

Ruth and Theresa watched in horror as Saint nimbly scampered up over the rubble covering much of the front of the building and disappeared inside!

The two girls wasted no time as they turned and headed toward the sounds of large machinery. It was very important that Uncle Steve knew where Saint had gone and why!

Steve was driving a backhoe and pulling rubble from a business when he noticed movement out of the corner of his eye. He was stunned when he saw Theresa and Ruth waving frantically. He urgently stopped the machine and leapt off to send the two girls to safety. They began speaking rapidly before had the opportunity to reproach them for being in such a dangerous area.

"Uncle Steve!" cried Theresa. "Saint followed some girl into a building that looks like it's falling down! She told him there were people there that needed help! He told us to get you."

"Ruth! Your dad's down the street running a dozer. Go get him and bring him back to the building that Saint's in. Theresa will be there waiting for you. Theresa, let's run back to that building. You need to show me where Saint went."

It only took Steve a few minutes to reach the building. Even as he looked it over, the structure swayed visibly!

"They went in that window over on the side," pointed Theresa to her uncle. It looks smaller now! I think it's going to fall down!"

"I want you to wait here, away from the building. When the others get here, show them the window. I'm going in to get Saint. It'll be okay. Just wait for your dad and the others," urged Steve as he raced towards the doomed building.

Getting through the window was the easiest part of the ordeal for Steve. He had to squeeze through several openings before he found a broken set of stairs. Glad he was wearing gloves and had a flashlight in his pocket, Steve climbed downward, calling Saint's name as he moved. Steve estimated that he had gone down at least three stories and was well below ground level when the stairs ended on a stone floor.

"Over here, Dad!" came a yell from around a corner of the stone foundation. Steve felt relief surge through his system as he hurried around the corner only to stop suddenly. In front of him were at least thirty people, mostly women and children. Many of them were obviously injured and barely able to move.

"Dad, I found a hole in the foundation. It looks like a tunnel. I think we need to get into it really quick. The building is starting to collapse!"

Realizing that Saint was correct about the building, he immediately made his decision. "Okay, everyone follow Saint! Help those that can't walk, but get moving!"

To emphasize his point, Steve leaned over and easily lifted an obviously pregnant woman gently into his arms. That was when the light from his flashlight illuminated a beautiful platinum blonde girl as she helped a small boy to his feet and half dragged him to the hole in the wall that Saint had just entered.

Above ground, reporters had increased in number as the afternoon had progressed. They managed to video a few structures crashing to earth as aftershocks rippled through the small town, seeking to destroy what few buildings were left standing.

Thus, a network reporter was on hand to video Steve as he climbed over the debris to disappear through a twisted window frame. He then turned his camera to the men that were rushing up the street. They were led by a young girl while another girl stood waiting. The reporter recognized the children as belonging to Lisa and Jason Hunter and Charlie and Jordan Burns. He kept his camera trained on the men as they reached the Hunter girl.

"Uncle Steve went through that window!" pointed the girl that had been waiting for her father and his friends. The men turned as one and hurried toward the structure just as the earth shook again and the entire building collapsed upon itself. Everyone was knocked to the ground, including the reporter. He quickly righted himself and resumed filming.

"Girls, stand back by that old car!" ordered Jason as he climbed back to his feet. Men, get every piece of equipment we have up here as fast as possible! We've got a damn slim chance to find Steve and Saint and time is wasting!"

Gwen had spent the day in an operating room of the mobile hospital. She had managed one bathroom break and silently thanked Jason for thinking of having portable toilets brought to the scene. She hadn't realized that the sun had set until Charlotte came into her RV.

"Gwen, you need to rest for a while. More doctors have just arrived. They can handle things for a bit. Let's go check on our kids and get something to eat."

"Sounds good," agreed an exhausted Gwen. "I just want to visit a few of my patients and I'll join you."

Gwen walked through the large tents that had been erected earlier, speaking to the injured, offering encouragement and consolation. Her Secret Service contingent, as well as a reporter that had been serving as her interpreter followed, but not too closely as she made her way through what she considered her ward.

She stopped to check on a small figure in a cot in a dark corner. She could barely make out the old woman lying there. Her face was covered in bandages and her body appeared bent and gnarled. As Gwen touched the woman's forehead, she felt her wrist gripped tightly.

"My Queen! You have come home to save your people!" croaked the woman as Gwen suddenly trembled in recognition.

"It's you! The fortune teller! How is it possible?"

"You need to listen, My Queen. Your warrior and his son are in grave danger. Your son has met his future queen, but you need to pray for her as well. Only you can save them. Listen closely. Pray to Saint Stephen, the patron saint of Hungary. Pray that your warrior and your son and his future bride will be spared and will be returned to you, their Queen, to your daughter, and to the unborn child that you conceived as this day began. Your warrior will have another son, but you must act quickly if he is to ever see his child!"

"That can't be!" argued Gwen. "Saint's with my mother and grandmother. He's safe!"

Even as she outwardly discounted the old woman's words, Gwen somehow knew that the woman was speaking the truth. Giving the old crone's hand a grateful squeeze, Gwen turned, fled the tent, and ran across the field to temporary quarters of the children.

Charlotte had arrived just before Gwen burst inside, tears flowing down her cheeks. The change in Gwen from a few minutes prior was incredible. She was ashen faced, trembling, and sobbing as huge tears streamed down her cheeks.

"Saint?"cried Gwen. "Is Saint here?"

"The kids saw him leave a while ago with a little blonde girl. Vicki is here and she's fine. Theresa and Ruth followed Saint and the girl. Kate and Lisa went looking for them half an hour ago," explained Paula. "I'm so sorry they got away from me, but it's no reason to panic. We'll find them."

"No, Mom, we won't! Saint and Steve are in tremendous danger even as we're speaking. I've got to get to them!" exclaimed Gwen as she fled the tent and ran toward the destroyed town.

"Madam President!" called a Secret Service agent. "We have an ATV here. Please let me give you a ride. I don't think our men can keep up with you."

Reporters were lined up along the perimeter of the dig site as Jason, Chip, Charlie, Jared, Ted, and the others dug with machines and bare hands in hopes of freeing Steve, Saint, and the others.

Cameras were rolling as Gwen stepped from the ATV and approached Jason, who had immediately silenced his dozer when he saw Gwen. He jumped down and rushed to stop her from going any further.

"Gwen, it's real bad. Saint and some girl climbed into the building. Theresa and Ruth saw them and fetched Steve. He rushed over and went inside as soon as he got here. There was another aftershock and the building went down before we could even begin to get to them. We've been digging as hard and fast as we can to get to them out. We'll keep it up as long as necessary. We won't stop until we bring them out!"

By this time, Kate and Lisa had joined Gwen and reached out to support her as she began to collapse. "Thanks, Jason. I know you men will do everything you can. I need to find a quiet place. Let me know when you find them.

"Kate, Lisa, would you walk with me?" asked Gwen quietly. "I need your support."

Cameras rolled as news crews sent live broadcasts back to the United States. The situation was grave as people around the world tuned in to learn the fate of Steve Hammer and his son.

Americans had actually watched on live television as President Hammer received the news that Steve and Saint were buried in the building. While it was approaching midnight in Hungary, it was just four PM in the United States and men and women coming home from work and school watched in fear and overwhelming grief as President Hammer trembled at the news, needing the assistance of her sisters to remain standing.

Work lights from generators lit the main street of the demolished town as Gwen walked slowly up the street. "Is there a church nearby? I need to find a church," insisted Gwen.

Lisa and Kate exchanged worried glances as they walked with Gwen. Was she thinking rationally at the moment?

"I'll ask," responded Kate as she turned to examine the many people watching them, looking for something that would help her identify someone that could be of help. Then Kate's eyes fell on a couple that stood to the side, watching Gwen intently.

"Excuse me, do you speak English?" asked Kate politely as the couple quickly nodded and came closer.

"I am Hanna Kiss and this is my husband, Adam. We speak English very well. I am an astrophysicist while Adam is a seismologist, as well as a geologist. We have both studied in the United States and Great Britain."

"Wow!" responded Kate. "My question will seem pretty simple to you. Can you tell us where there is a church?"

"Just ahead is the only church close by and it's been badly damaged by the earthquake. We would be proud to lead you there, but I'm afraid you cannot get inside. The front half of the building has given way," answered the very blonde Hanna Kiss gently.

"Please walk with us," requested Gwen as she studied the couple more closely. "Have we ever met? I feel like I know you."

"I am afraid not," replied the blonde woman. "I fear that you may hate me for what I am about to tell you. My daughter, Lena, was the girl that led your son into that building. She's always been a very good girl. I don't know why she did it, and I'm so very sorry about your husband and son. They are very brave."

"It was your daughter?" exclaimed Gwen as she moved to embrace the bewildered woman. "I'd forgotten about Saint meeting his queen! How old is your daughter?"

"She is seven, but she is not a queen of any kind, certainly not like the Lady in Red, President of the United States, and Queen of the World!" said Adam, speaking for the first time. "Still, we love her dearly and fear for her survival."

"Your daughter is with my son and my husband. They'll protect her and bring her out safely," insisted Gwen to the concerned couple. "That's why I need to find a church. Prayer is needed to save those people trapped under the debris."

"Well, that is all that is left of St. Stephen's church, Madam President. As you can see, no one will be entering that church for a very long time. The entire front half has crumbled into itself. I fear..."

"Wait!" cried Gwen. "Did you say St. Stephen's? That's the name of the church?"

"Yes, it has been for hundreds of years. Is the name of the saint so important?" asked the surprised Hanna. "St. Stephen is the patron saint of Hungary. He is regarded as the protector of kings, masons, stonecutters, and bricklayers, as well as children suffering from severe diseases."

"We need to get back to Jason right now! Please come with me; you're family!" insisted Gwen as she turned and began the trek back through the ravaged town. Every step Gwen had taken had been viewed my millions of Americans. It was obvious to those watching President Hammer hurry back down the street that she was very determined, even as her sisters appeared totally mystified.

Once again Jason turned off his dozer to listen to Gwen. Cameras caught every word and gesture exchanged between the two.

"I want you to stop digging here and move everything up the street to the old church on the corner. You need to clear away the debris so people can get in and out of the section still standing," ordered Gwen clearly.

"Gwen, ah, Madam President, we're making headway here. All we need is a few more hours. Then we can start work on the old church," reasoned an obviously perplexed Jason.

"Jason, the only hope we have to save Saint, Steve, and the rest is to gain access to that church! Please move the equipment immediately," demanded Gwen forcefully.

Exasperated, Jason turned to Kate and Lisa for help. "Have you seen a map or something to indicate they could be in the church? Has some old timer told you some story? I'd like some facts to back up this strange decision."

"Jason, I've seen Gwen like this before. She's in that zone," stated Kate firmly. "I can tell you right now that Chip will be moving his machine up there as soon as I speak to him. I'd strongly urge you and the others to do the same."

"Kate's right," insisted Lisa. "Gwen has a way of knowing where Steve is when he needs her. Right now she's telling you that you have to open that church. That's the only fact you need right now. There are no rational explanations, but she knows when Steve needs her."

"This goes against everything I've ever learned as an engineer, but we'll move up there as quickly as possible," conceded Jason. "I just want to see this nightmare through and get Steve and Saint out safely."

With that, Jason pulled his crew and equipment from the task at hand and explained that they were moving a couple hundred yards up the street and across it to the old church on the corner.

As the men relocated the equipment, reporters took to the airwaves. Amber Stahl was extremely emotional as she reported on the situation.

"Almost five hours ago, President Hammer's young son, Saint, followed a girl into a heavily damaged building, hoping to assist injured people inside. A few minutes later, President Hammer's husband, Steve, fearlessly climbed through the same window and disappeared, even as the building shook and groaned from the effects of the earthquake. A few short minutes after that, the entire four story stone building crashed to the earth.

"President Hammer's sisters' husbands, along with Charlie Burns, Jared White, Ted Anderson, Billy Marsh, Coach Watson, and many more friends and volunteers have worked tirelessly to remove debris carefully to not endanger any possible survivors below the rubble.

"Just now, President Hammer instructed the men to stop work at this site and move up the street to an old church, pretty much telling everyone that she believed it was necessary to save her husband, son and however many others are trapped in the earth. She based that order on her 'gut', and nothing else, or so it appears.

"Those of us who have followed President and Mr. Hammer since their early days have come to trust the seemingly impossible connection between the two. I have absolute confidence that this is the right decision. Once that church is safely opened, the President will be reunited with her warrior husband and their wonderfully capable young son!"

Very few others shared Amber's faith in Gwen's decision. Reporters and politicians back in the United States began weighing in on Gwen's bizarre order.

"The small window to save the people trapped in that collapsed building is rapidly closing and President Hammer has arbitrarily decided to move the rescuers way up the street to search for her husband and son," observed Senator Lancer. "World leaders don't base decisions on gut instinct, voodoo, or blackmagic. Cold, hard, facts should be the basis of all decisions, especially when it involves the lives of so many people. This decision by President Hammer is ill advised and indicative of her erratic governing style. Sadly, it will likely result in the deaths of people that could possibly have been saved, including her own son and husband."

The excavation of the church was extremely slow. Jason insisted that supports be set in place before anything was removed. That alone took a couple of hours. Then came the painstaking labor of carefully removing huge chunks of rock and stone that had comprised the walls of the old church for centuries.

Not far from the church was a small cemetery, also centuries old. Once the men began working on the excavation, Gwen found a grassy spot and knelt down and bowed her head. She had been told to pray for her son and husband. She was determined that was exactly what she would do.

"Gwen, are you okay? The guys will be working for hours. Why don't you get some rest?" asked Kate.

"Kate, I just spoke with the old blind woman we met the day after my wedding. I'm sure you remember her. She told me I had to pray for the safety of Saint and Steve. Saint had found his future queen, but all would be lost if I didn't pray to St. Stephen. I intend to do exactly that until my husband and son are safely in my arms."

Kate was stunned. She had personally heard the old crone predict Saint's conception as well as his future heroics. With renewed hope, Kate sent a text message to her family.

Shortly after Gwen had knelt down, she was joined by Hanna Kiss and her husband, Adam. Gwen found herself holding and squeezing the hand of the blonde Hungarian woman as she silently made her peace with the universe and whatever Gods ruled it. Within half an hour, Jordan, Cindy, Charlotte, Laura, Naomi, Paula, Nadiya, Stephanie, and Ashley were kneeling close to her. The hours dragged by, but Gwen refused to consider moving, even when asked to do so by the concerned Secret Service. Local residents began joining Gwen in prayer. By dawn, five hundred people were kneeling around her, heads silently bowed. The inspiring scene was broadcast live around the world.

The sun was just beginning to peek into the mammoth cavern that had once been the dome of the church, when a wave of excitement swept across the exhausted crew that had worked so hard. Even with the front excavated and the remaining walls and roof reinforced, the building was less than stable. Jason had determined that digging through the debris that still made access to the back of the church impossible would create an unacceptable risk to rescuers as well as to any survivors possibly located in the bowels of the old church.

To that end, he had a hole cut in the roof once it had been blocked and strengthened enough to carry the rescuers' weight. Chip climbed into a basket was slowly lowered into the building by a crane that had arrived in the middle of the long night. Cameras caught the scene as the huge machine stopped dropping cable and remained still. Several minutes later, the crane began winding the cable up again.

Roars sounded from the thousands gathered to watch the historic event as a young woman with an infant no older than a couple of hours in her arms slowly rose into view from the hole in the roof. She was carefully helped from the basket that had carried her up, and then assisted to a ladder. Jason gently took charge of the infant as the woman needed both hands to descend the ladder. Jason effortlessly followed her down and returned the child to its mother, who was weeping in relief as her grateful husband emerged from the crowd to support her.

While it was six AM in Hungary, it was prime time in the United States. The entire nation was glued to their televisions and computer monitors as women and children were slowly brought to safety. News stations had been keeping a tally of those making their way to freedom.

The count was at thirty seven when a tremendous roar swept across the crowd as Saint and a thin but beautiful little platinum blonde girl came into view. The two were escorted off the roof safely before they ran to their mothers. Americans across the nation cried in relief as they watched their president reunite with her son after a long and grueling ordeal. No comment was made by Senator Lancer.

Saint threw himself into his mother's arms as Lena did the same with her mother. Soon she was in her father's arms as he unashamedly cried into her hair. Then as if by agreement, Lena left her father and moved over to Gwen who swept her into her arms and fiercely hugged her.

"You're the one! I'm so very happy for Saint. You're such a beautiful little thing," sobbed Gwen as she clung to the frail blonde girl.

Once again Kate, Lisa, Jordan, Naomi and the other women exchanged glances, knowing that Gwen believed she was embracing her future daughter-in-law and mother of her grandchildren. Another surprise occurred when the normally reserved Saint moved to eagerly hug Hanna Kiss. Lena's mother embraced the boy tightly as tears cascaded down her cheeks.

A loud roar from those gathered around the damaged church brought Gwen out of her embrace with the girl. Steve was standing on the roof of the church! He was shirtless and dirty with several nasty scratches on his face and torso. Most of them were caked with dried blood.

Jason had wrapped his arms around his friend and the two men grinned and shared a few private words as the world watched. "I've never been so happy to see your ugly mug. Gwen knew we had to dig here to find you. I don't understand it, but I'm glad as hell that she was right. You need to take care of her. She's been up since yesterday morning. She operated on injured kids all day and knelt in that cemetery and prayed for your sorry ass all night. She must be exhausted, mentally and physically."

Steve nodded to his friend before carefully climbing down the ladder and walking over to the cemetery and his waiting wife. Gwen was standing as he approached and took her shoulders in his hands. The two simply looked into each other's faces for what seemed a very long time. Unable to wait any longer, Gwen finally threw her arms around Steve's neck and pulled him down for a lingering, passionate kiss.

Steve felt her tears on his bare chest as he clutched her trembling body. Then she simply collapsed. Steve deftly caught her and swung her up into his arms. Gwen was now sobbing loudly as she buried her face in her husband's grimy embrace.

As Steve held his wife, a Secret Service agent stepped in close enough to get Steve's attention. "Sir, we have a U.S. Navy helicopter nearby, as well as a Navy doctor. Would you and your family please climb aboard? We need to care for the President, your son, and you. The President's parents will go with you. Please let them lead you to the chopper now."

Paula and Ted nodded to Steve and then began the long walk back down the street and to the open field that held the waiting helicopter. Ted carried Vickie on his hip as he escorted Paula. Saint walked behind his grandparents with the little blonde girl and her parents, who Gwen had insisted join them. Steve was right behind them, carrying Gwen as if she weighed very little. Gwen was now lightly sobbing as she wrapped her arms around her strong husband's neck while, exhausted as he was, he carried her effortlessly through the badly damaged village.

Dirty, bruised, and battered people lined what was left of the main street of the town, clapping and cheering for the Americans. Gwen became aware of the people watching and lifted her tear-stained face and smiled. This caused an even louder cheer from those watching.

No one could doubt the profound effect Gwen and Lady in Red had made on the survivors of the disaster. The humanitarian efforts of the wealthy Americans had saved numerous, probably hundreds of lives and the people were extremely grateful. As Steve reached the end of the street and entered the impromptu landing field, Gwen saw rows of tents had been erected for temporary living quarters. Portable toilets were set up near every tenth tent or so and a large community shower/bathroom was under construction. Large machinery was everywhere, and much of it displayed the Lady in Red logo.

Trucks loaded with building materials were pulling into an area on the far side of the field. It was apparent that as soon as the cleaning up was complete, building would commence. This small town in the mountains of Hungary had experienced the incredible generosity and courage of President Hammer and her group and it would never be forgotten.

Gwen and Steve had been delivered to their hotel in Budapest shortly after ten AM. Once she was certain that Saint was asleep in an adjoining suite, she climbed into bed and snuggled with her naked and exhausted husband.

"We'll talk about everything later," promised Gwen in a soft whisper. "Right now, I just want you to hold me while we sleep."

A state dinner had been scheduled for that evening. The Hungarian government was extremely pleased and more than a little surprised when it was informed that the President would be attending and there was no need to reschedule.

Steve and Gwen were awakened at six PM and an hour and a half later, were announced as they walked hand in hand into the large banquet hall. The applause was very loud and continued for a very long time as Gwen smiled and bowed, acknowledging the honor while clinging to Steve's hand.

Once they were finally seated, the festivities began. The Hungarian officials couldn't praise and thank Gwen and Steve enough. All they could talk about was the personal and heroic efforts President Hammer, along with her husband and friends, made to help the people of a small, completely unknown Hungarian town.

Steve noticed that Gwen merely pressed her lips to the rim of her champagne glass when the Hungarian President proposed his toast. "Is your stomach bothering you? Normally you sip a glass or two of the champagne when you're being toasted."

"Husband of mine, I won't be drinking any alcohol for at least the next nine months, and who knows for how long after that. Not when I'm nursing your second son," responded Gwen with a smile. Steve suddenly gasped, which caused champagne to dribble down his chin as he tried to stifle his shock.

The room was silent as everyone watched the interaction between Steve and Gwen. They all knew what a trying day it had been and were concerned that Steve was not feeling well.

Steve's mind was whirling with emotion as he assimilated Gwen's news. Suddenly, he stood and raised his champagne in salute. "Ladies and Gentlemen, I propose a toast to the President of the United States, the Lady in Red, my Queen, my incredible wife and partner, who has just informed me that she'll soon be bearing us another son!"

Gwen was taken totally by surprise as her delighted husband proposed a toast to her pregnancy. She had assumed that he'd be very happy and sneak off to tell Jason, Charlie, Chip, Jared, and Billy as soon as possible but it was so unlike him to be so public with his emotions. He was almost giddy with excitement.

She was unable to be upset with Steve. He was still seeking equilibrium after spending so much time trapped by the earthquake. Gwen had to admit to herself that she was very pleased with Steve's joy. Their child would be loved. That was obvious!

Steve surprised her again seconds later. The room had broken into tremendous applause at his announcement. He smiled broadly as he took Gwen's hand and helped her to her feet before sweeping her into his arms and kissing her passionately in front of everyone, including the many reporters with cameras recording it all.

Gwen realized that nothing else mattered. Her husband loved her and the child she carried! She returned his kiss as ardently as she was able. Slowly Steve pulled his lips from hers and hugged her fiercely. Only then did she realize that he was quietly sobbing into her hair. She gently stoked the back of his head as the world watched. Her husband needed this and Gwen was very willing to give him the love he desired. She considered the ordeal he must have faced as he remained strong for the people with him even as he wondered if he and Saint would survive.

Paula and Ted had been stunned by Steve's announcement and very surprised to see him clinging to Gwen as his emotions controlled his actions. He was always the calm one, steady, cool, and measured in his response. Now and then he revealed his very human side, but seldom in such a public venue.

Everyone stood quietly and waited patiently as the scene played out. The fact that the very tough, determined Steve Hammer was demonstrating a far softer, more human side did not go unnoticed. Many of the women in the room reached for their napkins so they could dry their eyes. To love and be loved as fiercely as this amazing couple was something for which every woman longed!

Steve finally moved back enough to look into Gwen's eyes and speak softly so only she could hear. "I love you so much it hurts. When we were trapped under that church, I worried that I'd never be able to tell how much you meant to me. Now I've embarrassed you, as well as myself."

Gwen kissed him soundly on the lips before turning to the still silent crowd. "My husband was just telling me how much he loved me. You could argue that this wasn't exactly the right place or time, but I'm always happy to hear it, regardless of where I am, and who I'm with. This amazing man is my rock, my confidant, and my lover. I'm very, very proud of that!"
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I thank Tex Beethoven for editing this chapter and making it a better read.
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