Lady in Red Pt. 02 Ch. 22

"I'm afraid that I am part of the problem," confessed Ted. "I recognized early on that Paula and Diane, and even their mother, have a bit of an exhibitionist side. It turns out that my daughters are exhibitionists to some extent as well and they're happy, respected, and doing great.

"I did my best to suppress Paula's. I told her she was a wife and a mother and needed to behave like one. You remember how I was when you first met me. I was a tight assed, sanctimonious asshole at times. I allowed my insecurities to affect my relationship with my family. It's only since I met you and your friends that I realize that trust is the key to a relationship, not control. I've learned to trust you, and I certainly trust Paula. I need to show her how much. I only ask that you don't embarrass me, or hurt Paula, or the girls."

Later that afternoon, Steve and Gwen began singling out their friends from the group and chatting with them. The couple was surprised at how much they didn't know about their friends' concerns and hopes. Stephanie was wondering if she should sleep with James to keep him interested. Gwen counseled against that while Steve volunteered to speak with James soon.

Lisa was back in great shape after having Theresa and wanted to appear in more films. She also wanted Jason to be able to appear with her. She felt it would be something they could do together and always be able to look back on as they aged.

Becky had been offered a big part in a movie being filmed in Spain. There was no part for Pete and she didn't know what to do, or even how to tell him the situation. Steve offered to look into the production company more thoroughly to be certain everything was legitimate. It was well known that some of the smaller film companies used pretty girls as props for their movies, which usually included being naked or topless for no apparent reason.

Naomi was concerned about continuing her career in the Navy. She enjoyed being an officer and her father was extremely proud that she was. But Jared was leaving the service before too long and she didn't want to continue being away from him so much.

Kate seemed quite content. Her law school classes were going well and she enjoyed the writing part of movies and planned to star in one with her mother and Steve. Her relationship with Chip was strong and she felt very fortunate.

Diane was ecstatic. Will couldn't stop talking about her movie role. He was extremely proud of how great she looked, how well she acted in it, and the incredible choreography job she had managed.

Cindy Quick admitted that she had to work hard to remain sober and clean. She told the couple that having a granddaughter gave her an even better reason to stay on the straight and narrow. Then she asked if she could appear in some films, even in smaller roles. She spoke of her pride for Jordan and how she'd like to have some good memories for herself.

Ashley was happy working in Washington. She confessed that being with Richard Drake and his daughter was a big reason she was enjoying her time there. She was a little worried that Richard might tire of her and move on now that his life was on track. Steve made another mental note to speak with him before too long.

Steve found that his male friends were happy as long as the woman in each of their lives was doing well. They liked their work and Jared was looking forward to playing professional football. He felt like he was in the best shape of his life and ready to take on the challenge. His enthusiasm carried over to Steve, who began giving football more serious thought. Playing on the same team as Jared was a big plus. They could support each other in their efforts to make the team and maybe play full time.

The TV show was a big ratings success, as expected. Gwen performed in various bikinis while Jordan didn't feel comfortable wearing one since she had not yet regained her hourglass figure. She more than made up for it with suits that displayed her amazing milk swollen breasts. Male viewers were groaning all over the country every time Jordan shimmied on stage. Steve and Charlie wore board shorts and were bare-chested the entire time. It did seem pretty strange counting down to midnight at six PM and with the sun shining brightly, but the time difference to the east coast made it necessary.

By midnight in Hawaii, the friends were pretty much played out. Everyone gathered for a late buffet at the hotel and retired for the night soon afterward. It was a happy, well rested group that returned to the mainland two days later.

Gwen flew to Washington with Steve, Naomi, Kate, Ashley and Richard and Ingrid Drake. Gwen's immediate family also traveled with them to Washington to see Gwen once again take the oath of office. On the flight, Steve found the opportunity to speak with Richard Drake in private and was surprised at what the man asked him.

"I know I've made some mistakes. I was pretty much at rock bottom that day I helped Gwen from the river. Your company has given me purpose and restored my pride. Ashley has given me her love," began Drake.

"I would like your permission to ask Ashley to marry me," he continued. "She thinks of you as the one man that cares about her welfare. She's beginning to believe that I care deeply as well. I'm asking for your blessing."

Steve had not been expecting anything like this to happen. He had planned to ask Drake what his plans were regarding Ashley. Now he knew.

"Richard, I can't make myself too clear on this. Ashley is extremely dear to me. She has a place in my heart. I will never stand by and allow her to be hurt in any way if I can prevent it. If you love her and treat her with the respect she deserves, I'll be your biggest supporter. But if you ever stop showing her love and respect, I'll come down on you so hard you won't even know what hit you. Can you live with the knowledge that I'll always be a part of Ashley's life and will do whatever I feel is necessary for her happiness?"

"I expect no less," replied Richard Drake. "She's a wonderful woman and Ingrid loves her like a mother. If I go stupid and do something to harm Ashley, please do what you feel necessary to straighten me out. I don't think you'll ever find the need for that, however."

"Then Gwen and I will always be there for your family. You realize you'll be getting more than a beautiful wife, right? You're getting the entire family that is Lady in Red Productions. Welcome to the family!" declared Steve as he shook Richard Drake's hand.

A short while after Steve and Richard rejoined the others, Richard Drake dropped to one knee by Ashley's seat. Ashley's eyes suddenly got very big as she gasped in surprise.

"Ashley, I've loved you from the moment we met. Will you do me the great honor of becoming my wife?"

Ashley had tears streaming down her cheeks as she looked at the ring Richard pulled from his jacket pocket. Then she turned to look for Steve. Finding his face, her smile increased as he returned her smile and nodded his head.

"Yes! I'll marry you. You've made me so happy. I love you and Ingrid so much," cried Ashley as she flung her arms around her new fiancé. Ingrid had been sitting next to Ashley and she quickly wormed her way into the couple's embrace.

"It looks like we're going to be attending a lot of weddings," observed Gwen as she squeezed Steve's hand. "Is that what you and Richard were discussing a little while ago? Did he ask for your approval?"

Steve barely managed to nod a yes to Gwen before Ashley landed in his lap. "Thanks, Steve! I'm so happy. Richard said that he spoke to you before he asked me. That was the right thing to do. I need you and Gwen in my life. You've helped me so much and shown more faith in me than I had in myself at times."

Ashley planted a big kiss on Steve's lips and then moved over to embrace Gwen. "I'm so happy that I have a good guy of my own. I won't be leaning on your guy quite so much from now on. Thanks for understanding what Steve meant to me and letting me embarrass myself over him so many times. Now I'll be embarrassing myself with Richard. He's my guy!"

Gwen's family, along with Steve, attended Gwen's swearing in at the Capitol Building. Unlike the year before, Steve and Gwen were able to return to their hotel for a reception for her constituents without taking a quick dip in the frigid Potomac.

Gwen had Steve by her side as she did her best to meet and greet everyone that took the time and made the effort to attend. The pride the voters from Gwen's district felt was obvious to all. Even as the tremendous wealth of the couple increased almost exponentially, their accessibility remained the same. They used first names for almost everyone from Sparta. One woman, upon being introduced to Gwen for the first time, actually curtsied, much to the surprise and delight of everyone watching.

"Mom, that woman acts like Gwen is a queen or something," whispered Kate to her mother. "We call her our queen at Asgard, but it looks like other people are thinking along those lines. My law professors think that Gwen and Steve are the top power couple in the world today. They sure seem to garner a lot of respect from everyone here."

As sometimes happens, the curtsy went viral on the internet within minutes. TV and web sites played it over and over. The lady was interviewed by various news agencies about her actions. Her response was simple, yet eloquent.

"I've followed Gwen Anderson's achievements over the years. I watched 'Rise of the Queen' a hundred times. I've seen and heard about all of the generous, kind acts she's performed, mostly for children and the less fortunate. I couldn't believe it when I actually met her. She's so beautiful and regal looking that I just felt that she deserved a curtsy. She's everything a real queen should be!"

Gwen spent the week in Washington going over proposed legislation and meeting with various representatives, lobbyists, and more constituents. Her final semester in Medical School began the following week. She would be returning to Washington on January 20th for the inauguration of President Rosen. In February, she and her friends would again host the Academy Awards. Her schedule was extremely full.

Gwen found herself somewhat flustered when more and more women she met for the first time would curtsy, much like the lady had done in the viral internet video. Men began bowing to her upon introduction, or when they were simply near her. She decided that she would be relieved to go back to Stanford where she was just another med student. She was certain that the being treated like royalty thing would fade as quickly as it started. To her surprise, more than a few of the underclassmen at Stanford began to bow or curtsy to her. She could be in a line for a cup of coffee and a bagel when a random young woman unknown to Gwen would simply walk up to her and curtsy.

After she finally got over being embarrassed by the action, Gwen began smiling and graciously thanking the person, even though she felt she was being shown far more respect than her position deserved. The first dozen times it happened, Gwen had attempted to assure the person that she was just a regular citizen and she neither required nor warranted such treatment. Eventually, Gwen gave up trying to dissuade people from what she hoped was a passing fad. It seemed to make people unusually happy when they greeted her like that, so she simply smiled and thanked them.

Gwen returned to Washington two days before the inauguration. That same day, the nominations for the Academy Awards were announced. Not surprisingly, Steve and Gwen received nominations. 'Billy Jean' was nominated for best picture. It became interesting when the couple learned that Jordan and Charlie also garnered best actress and actor nominations while 'Jurisprudence' was also nominated for best picture!

The friends were delighted with the success of their films and the Oscar nominations, but they all seemed to take special pride when Diane's name was announced in the supporting actress category. Gwen, Jordan, Paula, and Diane spent well over an hour chatting about the nominations, with Gwen participating on Skype from Washington.

Steve was surprised when she insisted that she go to Senator Chatham's office with him the next morning, but he readily agreed. When he entered the office, Senator Chatham explained that they were going to the White House. That was when Steve realized that Gwen knew something was going on, that he did not. She had taken the time to have his dress uniform dry cleaned and ready for him to wear that morning.

Once inside the White House, they were shown to a small office. Once again Steve was surprised to see his grandparents, Aunt Janice, and Cousin Jen along with Gwen's parents and sisters waiting for him with huge grins. They refused to answer any of his questions.

Soon they were summoned by a White House staff member and led out to the Rose Garden. They were seated in the front row with dozens of photographers and reporters. Steve was extremely curious by this time. His glances at Gwen resulted only in her smiling back.

Everyone stood when President Hanson strode up to the podium. He welcomed everyone and then began a glowing account of Steve's adventures while Hanson had been in office. It began with the river rescue which had occurred just after Hanson had been elected and continued through to Steve being injured while rescuing the girls on the recent ill-fated bus trip.

Finally, Steve was asked to come forward to receive the Presidential Medal of Freedom! Steve was caught totally by surprise. Luckily, all he had to do was stand still as Hanson asked Gwen to come forward to help affix the medal to his uniform. Once Gwen managed that feat, Hanson nodded to her and she immediately pulled off his old ranks from his uniform to reveal new ones underneath them.

"Congratulations, Lieutenant Commander Hammer," grinned President Hanson. "You've just been promoted. Stand at ease and greet your loved ones."

Gwen wasted no time wrapping her arms around Steve's neck and kissing him soundly as cameras recorded everything. Kate and Lisa quickly followed suit with kisses. Steve was surprised at how warmly Paula kissed him. Then his grandmother wrapped her arms around him. Tears trickled down her cheeks.

"You're such a fine young man. I've never been so proud of anything or anyone. Thank you for letting me be part of your life," was all she said before William Patterson reached out to proudly shake Steve's hand. His Aunt Janice was next, followed by Jen.

"I thought you were angry with me," suggested Steve to Jen. "I haven't seen you much in the past few years. What've you been up to?"

"After I finished my masters in business, Grandpa put me in charge of his company's Australian office," responded Jen. "I haven't been back to the states in over a year, but you know that. You read my emails and write back."

"Yeah, I knew you were in Australia, but I missed you. I hear you're doing great there and you're being groomed to take over the whole business someday."

"That's what Grandpa tells me, but I'd feel better if you took more interest in the business. I know how good you are at negotiating and how well people respond to you. We could really grow the company if we worked together."

"My plate is plenty full right now. Besides, you're doing a great job from what I hear. If you ever need me, just let me know and I'll do anything to help," promised Steve.

"Not to interrupt you two catching up, but we've been asked to go inside where it's warmer for some photographs," whispered Gwen. "We can't keep the President waiting!"

Reporters and camera crews went inside with the group to set up for more pictures and possible interviews. The White House photographer was speaking to an assistant when Gwen was approached by a member of the staff.

The young woman gracefully curtsied before asking Gwen what beverage she would prefer. Gwen, being somewhat used to being approached in that manner, smiled and asked for a bottle of water.

That little byplay was captured by two network cameramen. The young woman returned with beverages and a short time later the pictures were taken. Once it was announced that questions would be allowed, a network reporter asked if the young woman standing off to the side could be questioned. He was assured that as long as it pertained to the ceremony, it would be fine.

"Miss, we all saw you curtsy to Gwen Anderson when you approached to ask her what she would like to drink. Was this because it's become some sort of new fad?"

"Sir," responded the young woman earnestly. "I've seen the video where that lady first curtsied to Miss Anderson, but that wasn't why I did it. It simply made it easier for me. My grandfather is a wounded Vietnam veteran. He has health issues, so he went to the VA near our home. They kept giving him prescriptions for medicine that was expensive, and didn't help.

"Lady in Red Productions recently rehabilitated an older hospital in Nashville and let everyone know that no veteran would be refused care, so Grandpa finally went there. They wouldn't even let him leave after his tests came back. He told them that he couldn't afford the bills, and he was told that there'd be no bills! He had triple by-pass heart surgery the next day. That was three months ago and he feels great!" gushed the young woman.

"You're asking why I treated Miss Anderson like a queen? It's because she and her company treat veterans and children like royalty every day. I promised Grandpa that if I had the chance, I'd thank her for him and for so many others that she's helped so much."

Gwen was obviously caught by surprise at the woman's response to the reporter's question. She quickly moved over to the young woman and embraced her.

"I'm so happy to learn that your grandfather is doing well! He's exactly the reason why we're rehabilitating some older hospitals. With the success of the recent movies we've released, we'll have enough capital for more projects in other cities. Thanks so much for sharing that with me. Could we exchange contact information later?" asked Gwen.

Steve couldn't stop the smile that spread across his face. The interview that was supposed to be about his promotion and being awarded the honor of the Presidential Medal of Freedom had been usurped by a discussion of Lady in Red's generous acts and the appreciation of a young woman working on the staff at the White House. Steve was delighted. He had no real desire to be in the spotlight.

Eventually, he was asked about the award and why he appeared to be surprised by it and his promotion. Steve admitted it was a total surprise, but a very pleasant one. He thanked the Navy, the President, and his family and friends for the support required to perform at the level he hoped to maintain.

Then Gwen was asked a totally unrelated question. "Do you feel it's proper for you to co-host the Academy Awards when there is so much controversy around the awards?" asked a newsman from a large Washington paper.

"Are you referring to the discussion about diversity?" replied Gwen calmly. "The film industry often leads the cultural changes of society with its totally uncensored product. That same industry also reflects society and its values. My company makes movies. We try to use family and friends. We do not discriminate. We do have a limited number of black, Asian, and Hispanic friends. I do believe that we need to work on widening our appeal and the ethnicity of our films. That said, we are a private, family owned company and reserve the right to determine what films we make, and who will appear in them."

Steve was then asked to comment. "We do not tolerate discrimination in any form. Naomi Wilson has appeared in our movies and even won an Oscar. We hope to make a 'buddy movie' this summer with friends and that should include Jared and Naomi. We are always open to new ideas and suggestions, but as Gwen pointed out, we will make the final determination regarding every aspect of our films. Giving up freedoms and rights in an attempt to gain a momentary balance of some kind is pure folly.