2
Preparations
“So,how many more days until I get to see my daughter?” Mrs. Morgan asked Rusty over the phone.
The older Morgans were being kept in a secure location, as the Senator’s team worked with Rusty’s team to find the would-be killers. But Mrs. Morgan was struggling with being out of contact with Lila– something she reminded Rusty of, almost daily. How was she supposed to cope, without knowing how Lila was doing on the outside?
Like her father, Lila was adventurous, dedicated and eager to lend a helping hand to anyone around her. She had the type of personality where she could handle any stressful situation with a smile – a trait which had helped her throughout her residency.
But even knowing her daughter’s strengths and grace in any situation, Cecil Morgan still worried about her only child. Cecil had wanted more children after Lila, but complications during child birth had made it impossible. As a result, Cecil combined all of the affection she would have given her other children onto Lila.
Lila loved her mom, of course. But as she grew older, she started taking after her father. During high school, Lila had gone to Syria as a part of a diplomatic mission, against her mother’s wishes. And as soon as Lila had started college, Lila almost never returned home. She was always involved in one activity or the other taking up her time. So, Cecil was left with no choice but to make do with the periodic weekend visits and most weekends - Lila wouldn’t spend them with her.
There was silence at the end of the phone, after Cecil’s question.
Although, Cecil was a petite woman who rarely spoke, her voice always echoed respect and authority. Rusty knew the question asked by the Senator’s wife wasn’t being asked as a request for him to calm her down. All she needed to know was that her daughter would be safe.
“We already got her a bodyguard.” Rusty said, after a beat.
“Abodyguard?” echoed Cecil incredulously. “Shouldn’t she have two given the situation?”
“Yes ma’am.” Rusty affirmed. “There are other undercover security guards monitoring every step. I want to confirm-”
Cecil cut him, “Just make sure she’s okay and continues to stay okay. “
“Yes ma’am, We’ll…”
But before Rusty could even finish his statement, Cecil had already handed the phone over to the Senator.
“What’s the latest update?” Senator Morgan asked briskly.
“We’ve made contact with your provider to track every call and text sent to you. Your home continues to be closely monitored. We’ll also make sure that no further information is leaked to the press or release by the press.”
Rusty tried to keep his briefing to the Senator brief and limited to the information he most likely needed at the moment.
There was no time for pleasantries; the past few weeks had already been a stressful time for the Senator. Not only was he facing death threats, his political career was also at stake. The press wanted him to answer questions on things he couldn’t answer. His official Senate communications team had joined forces with his campaign communications team, and were doing their best to shift the public’s attention from asking questions about the Senator’s whereabouts. His campaign arm continued to share his stances on public policy. His Senate office released a podcast of Senator Morgan, reassuring the people of the state he was fine. The goal between both teams were the same – shifting the public focus from questions to concern.
And since the original death threats against the Senator had been published by the press, his campaign communications team had also used that as an opportunity. They reiterated it at every potential opportunity, reminding people that the Senator was so dedicated to serving his state, he was doing it at the risk of death threats to him and his family – resulting in a spike of sympathy points in the polls.
Now,if there was only one thing the Senator could wish for; it was the safety of his daughter.
