Title: Two in twenty million
Author: Loz
E-Mail: loz06@y...
Rating: PG 13, moves to R in one place
Category: Leo/Margaret
Series: Stand-alone
Spoilers: One slight mention of Bruno so anything current in Season
3, though doesn't take into account campaign, MS or anything else
Season 3.
Archive (if applicable): National Library
http://westwingstories.com/library
Feedback: The good, the bad and the very ugly it's all appreciated.

Summary: When Leo faces the consequences of his life, Margaret is
there for him. (Terrible summary I know)

Author's Note 1: It occurred to me that after many years of drinking
Leo might suffer some long term repercussions which haven't been
explored on the show and thus, this story was born.

Author's Note 2: In some places where the info ran out, I've used my
common sense on what I thought would happen, fortunately that's not
in too many places.

Author's Note 3: I've tried to make this as accurate as possible, but
I'm sure there's someone on the list who has had first hand
experience with this disease and can tell me something is wrong.

Author's note 4: I've done masses of research; I've done my best. I'm
not going to provide you with a long list of URL's of where my info
is from like a reference list for a paper I'm handing up. If you want
to know more, email me, I don't bite.

Author's note 5: I really hope this doesn't end up like an ER fic,
I've tried to explain the medical procedures and put most things in
plain English.

Author's note 6: There'll be an Author's End note, even after all
this, I'd put it in now, but I'd have to write story spoiler and
that's just stupid.

Author's note 7: What it is about a long story that spawns long
Author's notes?

THANKS: To Melissa for her patience, complements and encouragement.

Disclaimers: I have no association with anyone associated with TWW,
the Richmond Hospital exists - http://www.vcuhealth.org/transplant/,
the doctors names have been altered slightly…they deserve recognition
for a job well done IRL. Traveling times and routes are courtesy of
Yahoo! Maps.

Apologies: If the parts are a little short. I'd much rather post in
whole but I know Yahoo! would protest and cut me off somewhere before
the end

~*~


"Margaret." CJ slips quietly behind the red headed secretary shutting
the door that divides her office from Leo's. "He looks..."

"I know." Margaret spins in her chair to face CJ, keeping her voice
low. Her hair bobs as she nods in her agreement with Leo's unhealthy
looking state.

"He's getting thinner, have you noticed that?" CJ sits on the edge of
Margaret's desk.

"He's not eating, he never goes and gets himself anything to eat
because he's too busy but he always eats what I bring him, the other
night I found him asleep on the desk and last week he had to hurry to
the bathroom twice."

"There's a yellow tinge about his skin as well." CJ nods along in
agreement.

"I'm worried CJ."

"So am I."

"He won't go and see anyone, he refuses to acknowledge anything is
wrong." Margaret shakes her head in despair.

"Will he see Dr. Bartlet?"

"That's who I've tried to get him to see... he refuses and then yells
at me."

"You have to do something...yellow skin tones usually means a persons
liver is not working right..."

"... And everyone knows Leo's liver has had a bashing over the
years." Margaret concludes her eyes settling on the door that divides
them.

"He knows Margaret...he just needs you to push him so he can hear it
from someone else."

"He has a regular doctor listed on his emergency from who has a
private practice..."

"Make an appointment..." CJ gets in before the door swings open.

"You wanted to see me CJ." he looks up at her as he places a folder
on Margaret's desk.

"I'm fine, Margaret helped me."

~*~

"I cancelled Bruno at three, your appointment is two thirty you need
to be going soon."

"About that...cancel it."

"I can't." Margaret replies stiffly, she hates going against his
wishes.

"It's a meeting with Bruno, he's been on the road for a month, I need
an update, I need to know where we stand, I can't just shove him on
the bottom of the pile."

"I have instructions to get the Secret Service to frog march you out
of the building if you won't co-operate." Margaret's voice betrays
her attempt at confidence.

"Instructions from who?" Leo growls.

"The President." Margaret replies meekly.

"I don't care." Leo returns.

"Leo you have to, people are starting to ask if you're all right,
they're worried about you." she holds out his coat, convincing him
with her soft caring tone.

"Don't let the country fall apart while I'm gone." he instructs
taking the coat and heading out the door.

~*~

"I didn't hear you come back." sitting behind his desk, glasses on
the edge of his nose it's as if nothing has happened. "How'd it go?"
Margaret broaches.

"Fine...where's Bruno?" he replies curtly.

"Late...what did they say." she presses.

"I need to eat, sleep and live better and to come back next week." he
looks up at her for the first time and she swears he looks frightened.

"Well that doesn't sound so bad, same could be said for most people
in the building." she attempts to be up beat.

"Bruno!" his voice rises beckoning the solid man who fills the
doorway into his office.

"Thanks Margaret." he says signaling her to return to invisible on
the other side of the closed door.

~*~

"I don't know how long I'll be..." later that next week Leo struggles
with his coat. Appointment number two is in a half hour and in a week
she's been able to get nothing more from him and by now CJ's
insistent queries about what's going on is starting to irritate.

Margaret nods her head as she bites her bottom lip, for a
professional politician and an above average poker player his face is
giving away the trepidation he's obviously feeling.

"Leo..." she stops him as he starts to walk away and instantly
regrets it, her own trepidation at the question she wants to ask
playing its way across her face. "Would you like me to come with you?"

His answer comes in a silent nod; Margaret grabs her own coat and
phone, walking side by side with him out the door.

~*~