before speaking.
"There's apparently a small blood clot in the brain, Mr. President,
interfering with the functioning of the efferent nerves."

"Permanent?"

"We don't know yet, sir. We hope not."

President Cannon sighed. "Well. Thank you, commander. And now, if you
don't mind, I'd like to speak to my brother--alone."

The commander glanced at Dr. Frank, then back at the President.
"Certainly, sir." He turned to leave.

"Just a moment, commander," Dr. Frank said. "There'll be news reporters
out there. Tell them--" He frowned a little. "Tell them that the
President is conscious and quite rational, but that there is still some
weakness. I don't think anything more than that will be necessary."

"I agree. Certainly, doctor." At the door, the commander paused and
said: "I'll keep everyone out until you call."

"Thanks," said Dr. Frank as the door closed behind the Navy man.

As soon as it closed, President Cannon struggled to get up.

"Don't try it, kid," the doctor said, "those muscles are paralyzed, even
if you aren't sick. Here, let me help you."

"How did it come off?" Cannon asked as his brother propped him up.

"Perfectly. No one doubts that it's a stroke. Now what?"

"Give me a cigarette."

"All right, but watch it. Use your right hand, and smoke with the right
side of your mouth. Here." The doctor lit a cigarette and handed it to
his brother. "Now, what's the next step?"

"The next step is to tell Matthew Fisher," said the President.

* * * * *

Dr. Frank Cannon scowled. "Why? Why not just go through with the thing
and let him be fooled along with the rest? It seems to me he'd be ...
well, more secure in his own position if he didn't know."

"No." The President hunched himself up on his pillows. "Can't you raise
the head of this bed?"

Dr. Frank touched a button on the bedside panel, and the upper portion
of the bed rose smoothly at an angle. "Better?"

"Fine. Much better."

"You were saying--"

"Yeah. About Matt Fisher. He has to know. He'll guess eventually, in the
next four years, anyway--unless I hide away somewhere. And I have no
intention of doing that.

"Oh, I'm not trying to show Matt what a great guy I am, Frank. You know
better than that, and so will he. But Matt will have to have all the
facts at hand, if he's to do his job right, and it seems to me that this
is a pretty important fact. What do you say, Frank?"

The doctor nodded slowly. "I thi