The Return of Elliott Eastman (19 page)

Chapter Forty-Five

The third day after his fall Elliott was resting comfortably in a private hospital room and waiting to be fitted with a walking cast. Dr. Yates spoke several times with the attending physician and insisted tests be run to determine if the bone cancer had spread and if the ankle was made particularly weak as a result of the cancer. The physician performed his job admirably and also made sure that Elliott’s painkillers, which he no longer resisted taking, were very effective. The tests revealed the bone cancer had spread, but there was no conclusive evidence that the ankle break could be attributed to that unfortunate development.

At the same time, Elliott was watching C-Span and fielding calls from Phoebe, the President’s personal secretary, who’d been instructed to keep him informed of the action in the Conference Committee. Apparently there had been an extremely begrudging acceptance of all the parameters of the bill. As required by the rules of Conference Committee, a Joint Explanatory Statement must accompany the report. The deep divisions within the committee revealed themselves in the Joint Explanation. The statements by Cobbings, Bainer, Whitback and Graham revealed the depth of their anger at being coerced by unseen forces into agreeing to the bill. Whitback was predictably demurring in his criticism of the bill saying ‘the true costs to the economy are unknown at this time.’

Bainer was more forceful in his critique saying it was a ‘poorly designed bill with many flaws yet to reveal themselves,’ while Cobbings barely concealed rage appeared as ‘the true cost of the measure and the damage done to the economy will take generations to repair.’

Those in support of the bill sang a different tune. Bennett praised it saying, ‘I am proud to advance this bill to those charged with the stewardship of America, for this single bill will return America to prosperity and its rightful place as the world’s richest economy.’ Portman went on to say, ‘it is with tremendous confidence I endorse the first major economic initiative which will restore America’s position of greatness and even more importantly restore the faith of everyday Americans in their elected officials.’

Rosa Sparks said in her normal blunt fashion, ‘America’s future had begun to dim but this bill paints a brighter picture of the future than many of us could have imagined.’

So the Conference Committee report and the Joint Explanatory report were placed on the legislative calendar and expected to be opened to floor debate in three legislative days which, taking into account the weekend, was a mere five days away.

The cast was placed on the injured limb and an hour later the doctor stepped back in the room and said, “Here are your release papers. Please sign where indicated by red arrows. If there is any discomfort please call me directly. Here is my card with my direct line.”

“Thanks Doc,” Elliott said. “You could do one more thing for me. Could you direct me to a phone? I want to arrange for a ride.”

“I’m sorry. I thought one of the nurses told you. There’s a taxi out front ready to take you to the airport where Air Force One is waiting for you.”

For a moment Elliott was taken aback, but then he said, “Not Air Force One again. I told him I was tired of the same old ride. I guess I’m going to Washington.”

Smiling, the doctor said, “It would seem so.”

Chapter Forty-Six

Elliott sat in bed leaning against a pile of pillows dressed in pajamas and a silk robe, surrounded by crumpled pieces of paper.

“What a time to get writer’s block,” he grumbled as he crushed yet another piece of paper and tossed it on the floor. He’d spoken briefly with the President who had insisted he prepare a speech on the defense spending aspect of SB 1190, just in case.

“People respect you and will listen to you.”

Elliott agreed to the request, but felt defense spending was a no-brainer. There were larger issues that demanded immediate attention that he wanted to address. The President was not sure when Elliott might be called upon, but instructed him to be ready.

Setting the legal pad down on the bed beside him he picked up the TV remote and began flipping through the news channels. He stopped on a channel and listened to Bono saying, “So here it is people; the time is now. You, each and every one of you, have an opportunity to change the world, a chance to change your future and the future of your children for generations to come. So get out there. Get out to the Capitol and make your voices heard. I am Bono and I paid for this message.”

Elliott smiled and said to the television screen, “Nice work Bono. You’re a good man.”

He continued clicking through the channels and stopped at MSNBC where a news anchor said, “Now we’ll go to our man at the Capitol Mall, Jim Fields. How’s it going out there, Jim?”

“It’s an unbelievable scene here, Bob. I hope you can hear me. There has got to be at least a half million people here. Pennsylvania and Independence Avenues are shut down. People are bathing in the reflecting pool. The music you hear is Bon Jovi live belting out, ‘It’s my life, it’s now or never,’ which seems to be the anthem of the day. Taylor Swift has already been on. Crosby, Stills and Nash are scheduled for later. Stevie Wonder and Bob Dylan are going to sing a duet of ‘Blowin’ in the Wind’ tonight. Rumor has it Sir Paul McCartney has enlisted Mick Jagger, Keith Richards and others to join him in singing, ‘You Can’t Always get What You Want’ and ‘Gimme Shelter’. Clint Black, Tim McGraw and Faith Hill are scheduled to sing tomorrow. Jackson Browne is rumored to have written a song called, ‘Don’t Tread on 1190’ and is going to debut it tomorrow. Bono has coaxed John Mayer to join him in a duet of ‘Waitin’ on the World to Change.’”

As Jim spoke into the camera, behind him a young man in stocking cap, with a stubble of beard on his chin and a broad smile, jiggled a sign from side to side that asked the question; ‘I don’t own a derivative. Do you?’

Elliott switched to CNN. The newsman was standing on a small ridge of grass overlooking the Potomac saying, “All manner of vessels are out there. From ninety foot yachts, Boston Whalers, canoes and rubber dinghies, they come in all shapes and sizes. Some are saying they have never seen so many ships crowding the Potomac since the inauguration of Teddy Roosevelt. They have filled the tidal pool behind the White House and the nearby Atascosa River. I would guess that one could walk from one shore to the other without getting ones feet wet! Back to you Marie.”

“And by the looks of it one might agree with you. I can’t see any water at all,” the news anchor in the studio said with a laugh.

Elliott changed channels to a local affiliate.

“Traffic is snarled for fifty miles in every direction,” the newswoman was saying, “and our eye in the sky says it’s going to get worse as traffic levels are elevated for this time of day in every major artery leading into the city.”

Elliott felt a smile cross his lips.

‘Stephanie you are an angel,’ he thought.

For a moment his hand was poised near his cell ready to call her, but then a sudden rush of nausea overwhelmed him and he hobbled from the bed to the bathroom where he threw up violently several times. Returning to the vanity, he washed his mouth out and stared at himself in the mirror. It was a haggard, worn countenance that stared back at him. His ‘moon-faced’ appearance had waned and his cheeks were now sunken and hollow. It was a death’s head he was looking at. Wobbling between his prosthesis and cast he managed to stand on the scale for a few seconds. He weighed 157 pounds. Subtracting about ten pounds for his plaster cast and robes he was less than 150 pounds. ‘I haven’t weighed less than 150 since my freshman year in high school,’ he thought. With a measure of dejection he returned to the bedroom and picked up the notepad again. He’d lost sixty pounds in the last two and a half months. ‘How much time do I have left?’ he wondered. Dr. Yates had guesstimated six months. That was three months ago, and he felt Yates was being overly optimistic. Could he last one more?

He began to write.

Chapter Forty-Seven

The House of Representatives chambers were packed with reporters from every corner of the globe. Cameras flashed as the Speaker of the House, Nick Cobbings was introduced by the Presiding Officer and he approached the podium.

“House will come to order. Members please register.”

He turned to the Clerk of the House, “Have all registered?”

The clerk nodded.

“A quorum is present. The Chair recognizes Representative Brian Hughes to introduce our pastor of the day.”

Brian Hughes stood saying, “Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Members, it is my pleasure to introduce Pastor Don Garner to lead us in prayer this morning.”

The pastor stepped up to the podium and read the prayer of the day. When the Pastor was done, the Pledge of Allegiance was recited by every member of Congress. The Speaker then stepped forward and said, “The House is now in session. Is there any unfinished business? None?”

Representative Rosa Sparks stood to be recognized.

“The Chair recognizes Representative Sparks.”

“Thank you Mr. Speaker. Esteemed members of the House; The Conference Committee Report, supported by 850 pages of the joint explanatory statement, has concluded that the bill as written has been approved by the committee with the recommendation that the Senate recede from their amendments. I move we proceed to consideration of the report, and with a quorum being present, I further move we vote on the conference report. I return the floor to the Speaker.”

Representative Bruce Bennett stood.

“The Chair recognizes Representative Bennett.”

“Thank you Mr. Speaker. I second the motion.”

“No objections?” Speaker Cobbings said slowly.

No one spoke.

It was difficult for Cobbings to send the conference report to vote. He was reliving the embarrassment he’d experienced just a few weeks before. He decided to delay as long as possible.

“I will remind the members that the conference report is open to debate under the one hour rule.”

No one spoke.

The faint strains of Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young’s famous anthem, ‘Treat your Children Well’ penetrated the thick walls of the building.

“We will now move to a reading of the Conference Committee Report,” Cobbings said.

Representative Portman understood this was another delaying tactic. The report was 350 pages and the joint statement was another 850. It would take days to read. Portman stood up instantly.

“The Chair recognizes Representative Portman.”

“Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I move for a vote by unanimous consent to waive the reading.”

Representative Sparks stood.

“The Speaker recognizes Representative Sparks.”

“Thank you Mr. Speaker. I second the motion.”

Representative Bainer stood to be recognized.

“The Chair recognizes Representative Bainer.”

“I move for a Motion to Recess.”

“Recess? We just got here,” Portman said.

Cobbings slammed the gavel down. “You are out of order, Representative Portman. You will wait for the Chair to recognize you before speaking.”

Representative Bennett stood to be recognized. Cobbings was tired.

“The Chair recognizes Representative Bennett.”

“Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I would like to remind the Chair that a Conference Committee report is considered privileged business. The vote should move forward as requested.”

“Acknowledged, Representative Bennett, the House will proceed to a Unanimous Consent vote to waive the reading of the bill.”

The ayes carried the vote easily.

“They ayes have it,” Cobbings said. “The House will now move to an electronic vote on the Conference Committee report asking the Senate to recede from the addition of the three amendments.”

It took less than a half hour for the vote to be completed. SB 1190 was approved by a vote of 418 for, 12 against and 5 abstaining, and it was forwarded to the Senate for final approval.

Chapter Forty-Eight

After the vote Cobbings, Graham, Bainer and Coryn met in Cobbings’ office. There was an air of resignation in the room.

“We cannot amend a conference report in the Senate,” Graham said.

“You could try a filibuster,” Coryn offered.

“Listen to the people out there,” Bainer said. “There must be a million or so. Do you want to be identified as the Senator who attempts a filibuster?”

“Certainly not,” Coryn responded. “Besides, they will just invoke cloture and close out the filibuster.”

“These are not the days of ‘Mr. Smith Goes to Washington,’” Bainer growled.

The four men fell into silence.

“We can send it back to conference committee by refusing to recede,” Coryn suggested.

“There is a lot of support for the bill in the Senate. We don’t have the votes to send it back,” Graham said.

“The big banks are going to have our asses,” Cobbings said. “I’ll never get re-elected.”

“Apparently the President has already sent a message to the Clerk of the Senate indicating he’ll sign the bill if the Senate approves the House version,” Graham announced in a dull monotone.

“You know, it’s far more difficult to kill legislation when the whole world is watching. How did we get into this situation?” Cobbings lamented.

“Somebody out there has been coordinating this from behind the scenes. Somebody with a lot of money and willing to break the rules,” growled Bainer with a quick squint-eyed look at Cobbings, “but as they say, it’s never over till the fat lady sings.”

“You say the President has already said he’ll sign the bill?” Bainer asked Graham.

“That’s what I heard.”

Bainer rubbed the stubble on his chin between his thumb and forefinger. “Maybe we can set this up so the President can’t do anything but veto it.”

As much as Graham disliked the fat man with the gimlet eyes and bulbous red nose, his political acumen was undeniable.

“What have you got in mind?” Graham asked.

“A little of the old tried and true, but this time a massive dose of it,” Bainer explained.

“Talk to us,” Cobbings demanded.

A half hour later the men shook hands, each tasked with their own part of the plan and the meeting broke up.