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slavery…
    Fortunately, the phone startled Sterling out of his trance, vibrating in his pocket as it buzzed at him. He sat up and fumbled for it, taking several seconds before he was able to get it out of his pocket and swipe his finger across the surface. “Hello?” he said, unable to keep a note of hopefulness out of his voice.
    “Hello, is this Senator Sterling?” Sterling recognized the voice on the line. It was the female FBI agent, Carol, who had seemed moved by his plight when he had gone in to give his statement.
    “Yes, it is,” Sterling replied. He quickly searched his memory for the associated name. “Agent Gates, what can I do for you? Do you have new information for me?”
    “Unfortunately, not at this time,” the agent said, but she was kind enough to put a sympathetic spin on the words. “However, we would like for you to make a statement to the press this evening, if you’re willing. We believe that more visibility will be helpful for our case, and if you feel comfortable enough to speak in front of cameras, we could assemble the reporters at your house to put this in the media right away.”
    Sterling took a deep breath. “I think I can handle that,” he replied. He had also been speaking with his chief of staff, and while the man had expressed his dismay and hope that the situation would resolve itself, he had also pointed out that this tragedy could provide a boost in support in the polls. Sterling couldn’t fault the man for thinking along such callous lines; that was his job, that was why the man was such a powerful member of his campaign staff. The man would be happy to hear that the senator was taking his advice.
    There was a brief pause at the other end of the line, and then Carol spoke up once again. “We will schedule the conference for a couple hours from now, before the sun has set,” she said, her tone revealing that she was probably looking at some list at the same time as she spoke. “I’ll be there, of course, to issue an official statement from the FBI as well.”
    Sterling was about to hang up, put the phone away and reflect on this new trial he would have to now endure, but then Carol said something else. “How are you doing?” she asked. This time, unlike the conversation up until now, her voice was softer, less hardened and professional.
    The senator opened his mouth, words already springing to mind. Hanging in there. Getting through it. Trying to stay positive. Lots of different phrases, all deflecting the question and not giving any sort of a true answer. But this wasn’t what came out of his mouth.
    “I’m having trouble,” he said, the words halting and punctuated with hesitation. “I keep on thinking about my daughter, about all the times that she got hurt, or scared, or panicked. I keep on seeing her like that in my mind, and it’s hard to focus on anything else.”
    For a moment, the phone was silent, and Sterling worried that he had overstepped the bounds of the new and tenuous relationship between him and this woman. But then, just as he was raising his hand to hit himself in the forehead, Carol spoke up. “I know what you mean,” she said, her tone filled with caring. “And that’s perfectly normal. People say that you should put it out of your mind, but that’s bad advice - no one can do that. So instead, try and visualize everything working out, a happy ending.”
    Sterling closed his eyes and tried to picture his daughter returning home, her smile stretching wide across her face. He tried to see her running across the front lawn towards him, throwing her arms wide and tackling him in a bear hug, laughing and crying all at once. And, to his surprise, it did help a little bit. Not a lot, but a little. If nothing else, it replaced those nightmares that had been on repeat inside his head.
    “Thank you,” he said softly into the phone. “That works.”
    “I’m glad,” Carol replied, equally softly.
    Sterling said his goodbyes and hung up, but