Page 15 of The Senator's Wife

“This is Athena Karras, Senator,” she said, and left the room.

“Hello, Ms. Karras. Thank you for coming in today.” Whit rose from his seat behind the ornate wooden desk and, extending his arm, indicated a chair. “Please, won’t you have a seat?”

“Thank you,” Athena said. “I’ve never been in this building before. It’s just beautiful.”

“Yes, it is. The Russell is the oldest of all the Senate office buildings.”

“Oh, I didn’t know that. So much history here. I saw a tour group downstairs when I came in.”

He tilted his head as if struck by a thought. “Would you like to take a tour with one of my staff when we’re finished here?”

“Oh my gosh, I would love that!” Athena exclaimed.

“Make sure you ask to see the Caucus Room if you’re interested in history. The investigation of the sinking of theTitanictook place in that room. Also, the investigations into Teapot Dome and Watergate.”

“How interesting. That’s so kind of you. Thank you.”

“You’re welcome.” He smiled and looked down at the pages in front of him for a few seconds. “Before we begin,” he said, “I want you to know that my wife is very independent and doesn’t like asking others for help.”

Athena said nothing, waiting for him to go on.

“She’s having hip replacement surgery next week. She’s been living with lupus for over twenty years, and her meds have kept it mostly under control, but when she has a bad flare, it can render her very ill. Hopefully the surgery won’t stress her body and put her into a flare, but that is a possibility.”

“I’ve worked with lupus patients before. I’m familiar with its ups and downs.”

“You know that this is a live-in position, and not your typical healthcare job, in that it involves more than just care. We’re looking for someone who will also act as an assistant to Mrs. Montgomery. Help her with administrative duties and drive her where she needs to go. According to your résumé, your computer skills are up to date, and I infer from your study of communications that your writing skills are up to par?”

She met his steady gaze. “Absolutely. I was planning oncombining my love of patient care with writing, after a marketing internship with a national assisted-living company.” She paused. “My personal circumstances changed, and I ended up moving to Greece. At that point I found work in home healthcare, and I’ve never looked back.”

“What made you return to the United States?” he asked.

“Well…my husband died, and it was time to start over.”

“I’m sorry for your loss.” Whit cleared his throat. “All right, I’d love for you to meet my wife tomorrow.”

“That would be great. And in terms of assisting with her schedule and appointments, the agency made that clear, and I’m more than happy to help with that.”

“Normally I wouldn’t be too worried, but given that Mrs. Montgomery has lupus, I want to take extra precautions. Make sure she doesn’t push herself too hard after the surgery. She hasn’t had a flare in almost two years now, but since lupus can involve the central nervous system, her condition can turn urgent very quickly, and her organs can be affected. She’s always been worried about it attacking her brain, so you must let me know if you see any decline in her mental condition so we can stay on top of things. Right now she’s not experiencing any symptoms, but I’m hoping you will be able to see that she doesn’t overdo it, that she gets rest and follows doctor’s orders.”

Athena nodded. “I think I can manage that without making her feel she’s no longer in control of her life. And I’ve also worked with many patients in chronic pain. Several integrative therapies might be helpful as an addition to regular treatment—but certainly not as a replacement.”

“Like what exactly?” he asked.

“There are several Eastern modalities that might be helpful. Touch is important.”

Whit frowned. “As long as she’s not in a flare, I suppose that would be okay. She experiences joint pain sometimes, which massage could exacerbate.”

“Absolutely. Massage would be contraindicated during a lupus flare. But extremely gentle and light touch is so important for the patient.”

Whit glanced briefly again at the paper in front of him and said, “I see that you’ve been with the agency for three years. You say you’re familiar with the illness.”

“Yes. I’ve cared for two patients with lupus, and also patients with other autoimmune conditions. I believe that’s why they recommended me for this position.”

“Good,” he said, and then went on. “Mrs. Montgomery takes her work at her foundation very seriously and won’t be kept away. You’ll need to drive her back and forth to Alexandria on the days she works. Of course, we wouldn’t expect you to use your own vehicle. One of our family cars would be at your disposal.”

The interview continued for another half hour, and finally he said, “You’ll need to sign a nondisclosure agreement pertaining to our personal matters as well as foundation business. Do you have any problem with that?”

“None whatsoever,” Athena replied.

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