As the business within the oval office for Friday the nineteenth of March was beginning to wind down, President Harwell decided to seize a few minutes of that relative evening calm in order to speak candidly with Agent Bishop. The man had been assigned to Jordan Harwell’s personal detail as the prime protectorate since prior to the election of 2024, and his work during that timeframe had always been impeccable. Beyond the scope of those duties, Heath had withstood additional rigors. At the personal request of President Harwell, his schedule had been altered since shortly after the terrorist attacks of November so that he could adhere to whatever schedule the President desired of him. Throughout that span of four months, Agent Bishop received little more than a handful of sporadic days off, but he had never uttered a single complaint or failed to perform his duties at the highest level. In full recognition of that fact, President Harwell felt that the time had come to wield some of his clout and impose an executive action of a personal matter.

Approaching Agent Bishop, the President exclaimed, “Heath, I know that you are not going to like this, but it’s going to happen anyway!”

Looking his boss in the eye, he replied, “What’s that Mr. President?”

“I’m going to interfere in your personal life by giving you a direct order.”

“I understand sir. What would you like me to do?”

“I want you to take a vacation Heath. A solid block of time off is long overdue for you, and God knows that it’s been well-earned.”

“Thank you Mr. President. That’s very nice of you to say, however I can assure you that I don’t need any time off sir.”

“That’s what I thought you would say Heath, which is why I’m making it an order.”

“But Mr. President, I have no desire to…”

With hand raised to stop the resistance, the President said emphatically, “No Heath, please don’t even try. I’m afraid that my mind is made up on this matter, and you won’t be able to talk your way out of it.”

Understanding that he would not win the debate even if he possessed the position or latitude to pursue such an action, Heath complied with the order of his boss by stating, “Yes sir. I will try to make some arrangements within the next few weeks.”

President Harwell was one step ahead of him, as he knew that Heath would delay the vacation for as long as possible in the hope that the subject would be forgotten. To counteract that possibility, the President replied with, “Oh you don’t need to worry about a thing Heath. I’ll make sure that something nice is set up for you.”

“But Mr. President, I’m sure that you have far too many other concerns. You don’t need to spend any time planning a vacation on my account sir.”

“Well Heath, that is true. I do have many concerns on a daily basis, but I already told you that you can’t talk me out of this decision. Now please don’t think of this as some sort of punishment, because that is not the intent. You are going to take some time off because you need it, and that’s final.”

It was now obvious to Heath that he would have no alternative, so he replied, “Yes Mr. President, and thank you sir.”

Returning to his desk, the President tapped a button on his phone and asked Mrs. Dawson to contact the Director of the Secret Service. When the connection was made, President Harwell spoke plainly and directly to the man by saying, “Good evening Director. First you should know that Agent Bishop of my personal detail has continued to perform his duty admirably, and I have total confidence that he will do so in the future. With that said I’m ordering him to take some paid vacation time within the next two or three weeks. I would like you to make sure that his direct supervisors become aware of the change in his schedule and make the appropriate arrangements for other agents to cover his post. My office will handle all of the details with regard to exactly when and where Agent Bishop will be going, and then that information will be forwarded to you.”

After listening for a brief moment to the reply, the President smiled and thanked the man on the other end of the line. Then Heath interjected and asked, “Am I to assume Mr. President that the Director is in agreement with your plan?”

“Yes he is, and that reveals a level of wisdom on his part. Now as for you Heath, don’t worry. I’m going to send you someplace that I believe will be really nice, and the brief time away from Washington could be a good thing for you. A vacation will provide you with an opportunity to recharge the batteries so to speak, and relax for a week or so.”