It was late and Leo knew Russell was already back at the Observatory, so he asked his driver to take him to his hotel. He realized that there was only one thing he could do to help his best friends find their way through his and it would take several phone calls to arrange it.

The first call was to Russell. "Mr. President, I'm sorry to bother you so late. But I just let GW."

"That's okay, Leo. How is Mrs. Bartlet?" Leo had to tell the President what Abbey needed before he could leave.

"Not good, Sir. They think she may be on the edge of having a nervous breakdown." The other option was just too horrible to discuss with others. "They have admitted her for observation tonight, given her medication and will reassess her tomorrow. What with what happened in Australia and then with her husband, the stress has been intense."

"Absolutely, Leo. Absolutely. What did you want to talk to me about?"

"Sir, I am requesting some leave. I have about 200 hours of personal leave and I would like to take some of that. Right now, I am estimating a week but it could turn out to be more. Josh is well qualified to step in and Sam can assist him with his domestic issues. And if emergencies arise, I would also be available by phone."

"Is this related to the issues that the former President and Mrs. Bartlet are experiencing right now?"

"Yes, Sir. It is."

Leo could tell that Russell really didn't like the idea that Leo would not be there so early in his administration to guide him, but then he did have a heart, unlike some critics of his who had written articles bemoaning the fact that he may not.

"Sir, the Bartlets and I have been very close to each other for many, many years and Jed and I go back even before he married Abbey. I know this is a huge inconvenience to you, but it is something I feel very strongly about."

The silence on the other end of the line continued. Finally, Leo couldn't stand it any longer. "Mr. President, I don't want to do it, but if you won't grant me leave which I have earned, I will resign immediately. And I am not bluffing. My relationship with the Bartlets means more to me than the Chief of Staff position to the Presidency."

That seemed to get the President's attention. "Okay, Leo. Take whatever time you need. Please bring Josh up to speed on items on your desk. And give my best to Jed and Abbey at the appropriate time. Good night, Leo." As the line went dead, Leo breathed a sigh of relief. Now the real work started.

He spent the next hour on the phone with Josh, who wasn't really surprised at Leo's decision. He was well aware of Leo's relationship with the former First Family and knew how much the three of them meant to each other. Josh promised to let the Senior Staff and Margaret know first thing in the morning. And help CJ with the press announcement. Any thought of keeping all of this with the Bartlet's low-key with the press had just evaporated with Leo's decision, but that was the chance he had had to take.

By the time he got off the phone with Josh it was midnight. It was too late to call the girls but he would call them first thing in the morning before he headed back to GW. But it wasn't too late to make another call. This one to California.

Leo let the phone ring a couple of times, hoping Stanley was in his office. On the fourth ring there was a pickup. "Dr. Keyworth."

"Stanley? Leo McGarry."

"Leo, good to hear from you. Isn't it late on the East Coast?"

"Yes, it is Stanley. But I had to talk with you tonight."

"Is Josh okay?"

"Yes, he's doing fine. Hasn't had any episodes as far as I know."

"Is it about the President? Well, I guess I should say the former President. I was sorry to hear about his fall, but the last I heard he was doing better."

"Indirectly Stanley. A few hours ago, Abbey Bartlet had what an ER doctor described to me as either a prelude to a nervous breakdown or a prelude to a suicide attempt."

"I see."

"They, I mean the on-call psychiatrist, gave her what he called an antipsychotic medication, didn't say what it was, and admitted her overnight for observation."

"What symptoms were she exhibiting?"

"Let me give you some background. Jed had been awake and in a great mood and then he heard something about Russell being President and Abbey described it as 'he kind of freaked out'. After they talked, he started shaking so she requested a standby sedative be given to him. He went to sleep and slipped back into a light coma. When his doctor made rounds, he put Jed back in ICU for observation. And Abbey blamed herself. By the time she called me to the hospital, she was sobbing uncontrollably and repeating that she was responsible for his condition. One of the floor nurses took her to the ER where they then assessed her and sedated her. That's pretty much the whole story."

"Interesting."

"What do you think, Stanley? I know you said you won't diagnose long distance. Abbey has been under intense stress for the past few weeks. You've probably heard about her plane ditching in the Indian Ocean off Australia. All through it she has kept her cool, her authority. Even when she got back to Washington and saw Jed, I don' think she let down much. Oh, there were a few times where she cried but most of the time she was in charge, putting on a façade of strength. First for the plane passengers, then for her family, then for her husband. I wouldn't be surprised if the diagnosis was a nervous breakdown and the trigger was the slip back into the coma. But again, you're the expert."

"That's right, Leo. Do think I would be of any help if I came out there?"

"Stanley, I would be thrilled if you could come out here. I would pay for your services and first-class airfare. Tomorrow, excuse me, later this morning, it will be announced that I will be taking an indefinite leave of absence from my position for personal reasons. I just cannot leave my friends to navigate this on their own."

"Okay. Let me look at my schedule." There was momentary silence as Leo heard pages being flipped. "Well you're in luck. I'll text you my flight number. I'll take the redeye leaving tonight at midnight. See you sometime tomorrow."

"Stanley, thank you so much. I really appreciate it."

"You're welcome Leo. See you soon. Bye."

Leo hung up, knowing that finally something was going to go right. But there were so many other things that could still go wrong.