The Steadfast Wind In the Senator's Sails

Marjo Talbott, head of the Maret School, where Vicki Kennedy's kids attended and she served on the board, said Kennedy was one of the first to arrive on the scene in 2003 when word spread that a fire had ripped through the school in the wee hours. "She was here at 7 a.m. with coffee and doughnuts for 100 people and firefighters," Talbott said.

Friends also note that she is particularly knowledgeable on medical issues and will jump in to find the best care, as she did for the senator's daughter, Kara, when she was diagnosed with lung cancer several years ago. (Kara is cancer-free now, said a Kennedy spokeswoman.)

Vicki Kennedy also enjoys a good laugh and isn't shy about sharing the stage with her husband. "They love to have fun," said Linda Douglass, the television journalist who recently went to work for Barack Obama. "If they know it's someone's birthday, they'll get up and instantly create an hilarious song and sing it. You rarely see that level of fun and devotion in a couple."

Ted Kennedy has for years entertained staff and others at an annual "off-the-record" Christmas party, during which he shows up in various costumes. Vicki jumped right into the tradition early on in the marriage when she showed up dressed as a little girl, with a braided blond wig, and skipped in with Ted dressed as Barney the purple dinosaur.

They brought down the house by dancing to the Barney theme song, and launching into a racy skit. When she kidded him about being a dino, he quipped, "They don't call me 'Tyrannosaurus sex' for nothing." When she referenced the Hubble Space Telescope and how the astronauts tried to screw in parts while floating in space, he shot back, "Floating screw . . . that's what people used to call me."

It was in such moments that those closest to Ted Kennedy knew he had found his match. She helps prep him for talk shows, works on his speeches and played a pivotal role in his decision to endorse Barack Obama, whom she's been helping court Catholic votes. Her political skills and grace are such that there has been quiet speculation that she could succeed her husband in the Senate one day.

For now, they are taking life one day at a time, looking for answers and racing with the wind when they can.