The crew was gathered in the press room, prepping the president for the next day's Q & A with kids from the local public school's gifted program. Shannon's assistant Megan stepped in and handed her a note. Shannon read it, then got up and followed her to the anteroom at the back. There Megan conveyed what additional information she had. It was the screaming that garnered the attention of everyone up front, including the president.
"He what?!" Shannon shouted at the hapless aide. "Is he serious?! How can he do that? CAN you just do that?!"
Megan's reply was brief and muffled. She had her head held high against her boss's tirade.
For a moment the women stood, just staring at each other. Both wore slightly mournful faces.
"Is everything all right?" the president called in a voice designed to carry.
Shannon started to step down from the back observation room/work area. "Yes, sir. If I can just have a moment?"
He nodded in his friendly manner and redirected his attention to the question CJ had asked him. Shannon spoke very briefly with Megan and then rejoined the group.
"What's up?" Josh asked, leaning forward to speak into her ear as she sat once more.
"Nothing." Shannon was lying and everyone in the room knew it.
"The bill?" Toby asked.
"No." She shook her head, then sighed. "It's personal."
The prep continued. Afterward Shannon raced to her office to take a call via satellite.
Later that afternoon as everyone was considering dinner options, Toby was admitted to Leo's office.
"I...um...I have to go," he announced bluntly. In fact his coat and brief case were in a chair beside Margaret's desk.
Leo looked up, surprised. "Why?" the distress in Toby's voice and face were of concern.
"My brother..." Toby swallowed. "My brother's children are at the hospital. I need to go."
"Is everything all right? They okay?"
Toby shook his head. "I don't know. The babysitter was in a car accident and they were in the back. My...um...my father is older and he can't..."
"What can we do, Toby?" Leo asked, rising and coming around the desk.
"The kids are with Children's Services. They're at the hospital. They got banged up. My father can't take care of them. My brother's orbiting the atmosphere again. My sister can't do anything. And they have my name." Toby was getting worked up, throwing his arms out with each new sentence. Leo called him back to the here and now.
"Talk to Shannon."
"I'm sorry?"
Leo's face was sincere. "Talk to Shannon. She's had to deal with some of the same kind of thing today."
"Shannon, as in Shannon Guyse, the Junior Deputy Chief of Staff?"
"Yeah. As a matter of fact...MARGARET!...you're headed for the airport? And your brother's family is in Texas?"
"Florida, actually," Toby corrected.
Leo's assistant burst in. "Yes, Mr. McGarry?"
"See if Shannon's left yet and see if she'd mind if Toby rode with her."
"Yes, sir."
"Leo. What the hell?"
"Shae's on her way to pick up her brother's kids. His almost-ex-nanny picked the closest airport and that's as far as she's willing to take them."
Toby's face made it clear that Leo hadn't really given him any appreciation of the situation.
"Her brother decided since his wife left a couple months ago that he'd rather not be a single parent. He called today to let her know that she could have the kids if she wanted them."
Toby blinked a couple of times and then shook his head once.
"What?"
"Something's going on. He's in the space program. I don't know all the details." Leo's face lit up. "Hey, just like your brother!"
"Leo, despite my differences with David, I really don't believe that he'd offer his children to someone else on a whim." Toby sighed. "Never mind. Yes he would. I didn't even know she had a brother."
"Yeah, well, she's never run around with 'I love Stephen' buttons on. She hates his guts. He really is a jackass. He wouldn't take her when their dad died." Leo looked around the office. "It'll probably be said that this is for the best in the long run."
"Okay, then."
"Go. I'll fix things up with the president."
Shannon chose that moment to enter.
"Shannon, can Toby catch a ride with you to the airport?"
Toby started to speak. "Actually, I..."
Leo interrupted him. "Forget it. Either you ride with her or you take a cab. I don't want you driving like this. Better her at the wheel pissed off than you worried and distracted."
"Okay, then."
Shannon nodded and started to leave. She still hadn't spoken.
Leo caught her arm. "Wait up, kid." He cupped her face in his palms and pulled her down, kissing her forehead. "Anything you need, you call me. Any time-day or night."
She smiled a crumpled smile, blinked several times to hold back tears and answered him. "Thank you, Leo. I should be back tomorrow. I just don't know what I'm going to do for..."
"We'll figure it out. That's why you have friends. Don't rush anything, don't kill anybody. Just take care of yourself and the kids and keep me in the loop." He offered his hand to Toby next. "Same for you. Day or night. Any hour."
"Thank you, Leo."
They bustled out the door, stopping to pick up Toby's things and then heading to Shannon's office to grab hers.
In the car they were pretty much silent. Shannon jumped a mile when his cell phone rang. He answered it and then announced, "It's the president."
With the phone on the speaker setting he held it so that both of them could easily hear and be heard.
"Go ahead, sir," he told their boss.
"Leo's told me what's going on-with both of you."
"Yes, sir," Toby replied.
"I want you to know that you're in our thoughts and prayers, both of you. Shannon, Sam knows a lawyer-he says a good one-who specializes in custody disputes."
"Thank you, sir, but I don't even know what jurisdiction this will fall in. I think Stephen's going to have to work with me a little bit to iron out the legalities. And his wife will need to be found before we can move on anything permanent. What I need first is power of attorney for the kids."
"It wouldn't hurt to talk to him."
"No, sir. You're right, sir."
"And I'm right about this, too. There will be no mad rush to get back tomorrow. Nothing's going to happen on a Friday anyway. And until you've had a baby you can't really appreciate how they wear on you. Toby, Mrs. Landingham's calling now to get some reservations for you. She'll let you know something."
"Yes, sir. Thank you, sir."
"Now, don't either one of you get prickly on me-and neither one of you answer until you've thought about it...are you okay for cash?"
Shannon laughed. Toby, too, cracked a smile. He lived on his government salary-certainly not a fast track to luxury, but not too big a hardship since he never got out of the office to spend anything; asking Shannon if she needed money was tantamount to asking a Rockefeller. "Yes, Dad," he quipped.
"I don't think that's funny. Here I am, trying to help-trying to be supportive."
"It was a very sweet offer, sir." Shannon told him.
"Don't you try to butter me up. You laughed first!"
"Yes, sir."
"And children are expensive. Babies especially." He stopped for breath and they could envision him drawing himself up in his characteristic way. "Now, drive carefully and let us know if we can do anything for you."
Both replied with a chorus of "yes, sir" and "thank you, sir" and words to that effect.