Trash. The word resonated through Leo McGarry as he stared down at his youngest child with guilt and grief. She had been treated like it and now he felt like it. He barely recognised her in the bed, she was lost beneath the thin sheets, her skin was an odd shade of grey save for the bloodstains about her nostrils and the dark shadowy hint of bruising at her eyes. The doctors had assured that she was stable and would wake in her own time but right now Leo was having difficulty imagining her waking up and he was terrified of Cadence just ceasing to exist.
Agent Casper had tried to explain what he knew to the Chief of Staff but it had become white noise. Leo had kept his stare upon Cadence whilst the agent had talked, listening hard for her soft breaths, terrified of her suddenly falling silent. It had been left for the Vice President to take in the update.
John Hoynes had felt awkward the moment he had followed Leo into the hospital room to see that Cadence was as stable as the doctors claimed. It was only when he witnessed the very subtle tremble of Leo's shoulders as he faced his daughter that John realised the personal moment he had intruded upon. Even as he felt his own conflict of emotions he had to force them all down and play neutral, putting on a front of being here to support Leo. It wasn't that he didn't care for Leo's well-being in this moment but if he thought of Leo as a father and tried to relate in that manner it made his own feelings towards Cadence seem horribly inappropriate and John wasn't ready to deal with that guilt.
There was a murmur of voices in the hall before the handle of the door bent down. The blinds in the glass were up to expose the room as the Secret Service were adamant that they had eyes on the Vice President. John had only a moment to glimpse through the window pane to see who was intruding now.
Leo registered the sound of the door opening but he kept his gaze on Cadence, wary that if he looked away she would stop breathing.
Tom Landis entered the room in a panicked hurry, he swung the door behind him without pausing to ensure it closed properly. He was wearing an untucked white shirt, grey trousers and a mismatching pair of shoes and his dark hair was in disarray.
"How is she?" he queried in a quiet awkwardness as he glimpsed Cadence's unconscious form.
The Vice President stared over at Tom with a guarded look of disdain. Much as he blamed himself for not going to Cadence when she had phoned him drunk he blamed Tom more. Tom was the one who had fought with her on Christmas Day of all days and put her in the bad mood leading her to drink heavily.
When no one answered him, Tom hastened to the bedside. It put him closer to John and he made a point of ignoring the taller man as he looked down to the unconscious woman.
"Cady," Tom murmured softly as he reached out a hand to her.
John watched with envy as Tom stroked her brow gently, wishing he could do the same. He needed her to know he had come to see her, that he had been first to her side, joint first if one was getting technical. Alright, if asked he'd play it down as supporting Leo in as much as seeing how his employee was but still, the gesture had to count for something.
Tom glanced up from her to Leo who hadn't moved or shifted his gaze. "What happened to her?" Tom demanded.
"Ask Agent Casper," John responded when Leo failed to, "he'll give you the details."
"Which one is he?" Tom quipped calmly as he continued to avoid looking to John. He had felt rage the moment he had entered the room and saw the Vice President standing there and knew if he looked at him again he'd punch him.
"Outside, just ask," John said bluntly.
John wanted Tom gone again but he knew it wouldn't be so simple, the man would linger, waiting until she woke and no one would question his presence but if John stayed everyone would be suspicious and neither he nor Cadence needed that drama right now.
"I'm not going outside," Tom replied in a brittle calm as he swallowed down his anger.
There was a soft gasp interrupting the men and drawing their attention to Cadence.
The young woman's eyes blinked open, sticky with sleep and swollen from abuse, they creaked only halfway open before the irises in them started rolling about in a blurred confusion.
Tom dropped to a crouch so he was eye level with her. "Hey Cady," he greeted softly. He made himself show a smile but it was weak and not the lopsided grin she had grown accustomed to. "Heroics on Christmas Day hmm? I'm impressed," he jested.
Cadence looked at him in bewilderment as her swollen eyes struggled to focus on him.
Tom reached out a hand to stroke her right cheek gently. "You're safe, at the hospital," he said seriously.
"Tom," she croaked out his name.
"That's right Cady."
She heaved out a laboured breath followed by a groan of pain. "Tom why aren't you wearing a jacket?" she queried hoarsely as she peered at him in puzzlement.
Tom's face lit up with mirth as he offered her a more sincere grin. "I was in a hurry to get here," he confessed. "Couldn't let you wake up and think I'd something better to do than see you."
Tom glanced over and up to Leo who was standing impatiently waiting to speak with his daughter. "Anyway, your dad's here," Tom murmured as he stood upright, stroking her hair gently as he did, "and your..." He glanced to John unfavourably before muttering, "boss."
"Tom don't go," Cadence pleaded as she tried to turn her head to look up him but was halted by a flash of pain.
Tom gave her a gentle stare, he knew she was confused, doped up, half-asleep still and maybe suffering a concussion for all he knew. When it all came back to her she might not want him here and an awkward conversation would be forced but he knew he wasn't leaving her. Even before he had known she was in trouble he had done nothing but worry about and think of her. Hell he had missed her, even as he had wondered bitterly how strong her feelings for the V.P were. He just wanted to draw a line under what he knew about her and the V.P .
"I'm not going anywhere Cady," Tom assured her.
Tom stepped back and let Leo take his place.
Leo hurried to stand closer to his daughter, putting her in his shadow as he stared down at her with worry.
Cadence turned her head slowly to face him, squinting at the lights above him as she struggled to focus on him.
"Dad, how's Zoey?" she quipped with concern.
"She's a little shaken but otherwise fine, they didn't get her thanks to you," Leo reassured her. "How are you feeling?"
Cadence attempted a smile, wincing slightly as the right corner of her mouth throbbed with the effort. "Sore."
Leo's eyes widened slightly. "Where?"
"All over but still breathing," she winced again, "so it's okay."
Leo frowned at her attempt at humour and shook his head. "Cady you don't need to pretend, you've been gone for almost three nights, it's not okay."
Cadence's shoulders tensed as her mouth settled into a thin line and her pupils shone with fear. She said nothing and turned her head away from her father.
John watched on silently, desperate to intervene but resisting because he knew it wouldn't be worth the trouble that would follow. He wanted to admonish Leo for his statement, the poor woman had only just woken up after all, there was plenty of time to try and figure out what exactly had happened to her.
"Cady we don't have to talk about it now. I know you're sore and tired and probably disoriented, I just need you to know you don't need to pretend it's okay, no one is expecting that of you," Leo said seriously.
Cadence shuddered slightly under the sheets but continued to maintain her silence.
"Come on," Tom interrupted angrily. Despite his anger he kept his tone soft and his stance unthreatening as he remained back from Leo. "That's enough for now."
Leo glowered over his shoulder at the man and found Tom glaring back at him unflinchingly.
John took his chance to step forward, putting himself beside Leo and Cadence's bedside.
"I think it's enough that Cady is safe and stable," John said calmly.
Tom frowned at the Vice President's play on his words but kept his gaze on Leo.
Leo turned back to Cadence at John's words and nodded. "Yes, you're safe Cady, that is the important thing and there are a lot of people to help you get better."
Tom folded his arms as his frown deepened with Leo's words. He was a little concerned by which 'people' and 'help' Leo might be referring to.
Cadence stayed silent with her head turned away. She had her eyes closed as it ached to keep them open and yet they still stung. Her body was tender and taut and with every flinch of pain there was a terrible memory threatening to run through her. She was confused but desperate not to make sense of the muddle in her head knowing it wouldn't be good. Zoey was safe, asking that had been enough of a confrontation with the past few nights for her.
"Alright, we'll let you rest now," Leo said gently.
Leo felt guilt threaten to smother him as Cadence continued to ignore him. This was his fault in a way, he had brought her into this life, raised her profile and her risk. He had also known she was out with Zoey that night but he hadn't questioned the security detail and considered it adequate, that had been a sloppy mistake. Feeling his guilt threaten to drown him, he knew he had to leave and attempt to compose himself.
Leo reached a hand down to his daughter before letting it hover awkwardly over her head. He was afraid she would only jerk away from his touch.
"I'm going to let Mallory and your mother know you're awake. You get some rest and I'll see you soon."
Leo turned away from the bed. He gave John a nod of thanks and gave Tom a brief, serious glance. Tom still looked cross and Leo wasn't sure what to think of that. He recalled the napkin in the restaurant with the message 'she matters' and nodded at Tom as well. He departed briskly from the room, heading out to a corridor crowded with Secret Service agents.
John waited to hear the close of the door before he chose to speak again. He was finding it hard to hold back from offering the young woman a comforting hand. The medical smells and faint odour of dried blood that clung to her were troubling and only increased his concern for her welfare.
"You were very brave Cady," John praised her, "you need to know that. Crazy too," he scolded lightly with a faint smile. "You had me more worried than I've been for a very long time and I'm more relieved than you know to see you."
Tom bristled at John's words and his eyes filled with an arctic rage as he struggled to refrain from reacting. He knew it wouldn't be fair to Cadence in her current state and he ventured that maybe it was John wanted him to do- make a scene, lose his temper and upset Cadence.
If Cadence heard John's words she didn't show it as she remained rigid in the bed with her gaze averted to the wall.
John's stare turned sympathetic. "Well I'll see you soon, get better Cady."
John turned from her, pausing to shoot Tom an accusing stare. "Don't you think you should let her rest too?" he queried calmly.
Tom was stiff against the wall as he glared back at the Vice President.
"She asked me to stay," Tom reminded him.
John raised his eyebrows slightly at this before giving a small nod. "She must have forgotten you asked her to go," he said quietly as he retained his calm.
John headed out of the room before Tom could retort.
Abbey approached the hospital room briskly, eager to see how her daughter's rescuer was. She had been desperate to come sooner but protocol, red tape and the risk of press had caused delays. Now the story was out, the press had noted the activity of Secret Service in the hospital and had already worked out that Zoey Bartlet had been present at the hotel the night all the emergency services had showed up. The story had snowballed and prompted a brief statement from the president to try and dispel some of the rumours but he had spoken too late and half the journalists were convinced he was covering up something despite his statement that it had been a localised attempt to kidnap his daughter. Terrorists, cartel, political rivals and foreign enemies had all been mentioned in the papers. Of course, given Cadence was the one in hospital, the focus was on Colombia and the C.I.A. No one was going to believe the convenience of Zoey being the only target. Hell there was even a strong suggestion that Cadence had always been the target and Zoey might have been a bonus or the president was claiming Zoey had been the target because he didn't want a war with Colombia or a fallout with the C.I.A. It was ridiculous of course but they had tried to conceal the story for too long so now no one was ready to believe the truth.
Leo had wanted to move Cadence from the hospital to the White House medical facility but she had refused to go. It was the only real reaction she had given to once again being the subject of the media. It was Leo who had told her about some of the headlines, only so she could know even as he waved them off and told her not to be concerned about them.
It was almost eleven o'clock in the evening, in some ways a terrible time to visit but in other ways perfect as Abbey was avoiding other public visitors and the bulk of the press. She was wary that one or two journalists might be skulking nearby despite being kept off hospital grounds by both the Secret Service and police as well as legal threats on the grounds of harassment, intrusion into privacy and putting people's health at risk by potentially delaying them access to the hospital with their presence. They were flimsy charges for sure but it kept most of them away, instead they looked to the press pool at the White House to get the scoop from C.J.
"Evening ma'am," Mike Casper greeted as he gave the First Lady a small smile.
Mike stood by the door in a generic dark grey suit, poised and calm giving away no clues as to how long he had been there for.
"Evening," Abbey retorted with a smile.
"Tom's sleeping," Mike advised as Abbey approached the door. "He was awake for over twelve hours."
Abbey glanced over to Mike curiously. "Doesn't he go home?"
Mike gave a quiet laugh at this and shook his head. "Not often and not for long enough. I don't think he believes we can keep her safe as well as he can." Mike's expression sobered slightly at this. "He might be right about that," he admitted grimly.
Abbey chose not to comment, her ire for the Secret Service's failure to keep Zoey and Cadence safe that night was well known. Only Jed's rebuking reminder that two had laid down their lives for Zoey had stilled her rage slightly.
Abbey reached for the door handle before hesitating again and glancing back to Mike. "What visitors has she had? Her sister, Mallory? Her mother, Jenny?"
Mike nodded. "Mallory's been a few times."
"And her mother?"
Mike looked uncomfortable as he gave a light shrug. "Not while I've been on duty," he answered vaguely.
Abbey pursued her lips slightly knowing that Mike would have asked for a list of any visitors that had come while he was off duty, he was the agent heading the protection for Cadence after all.
"I see," she retorted bluntly. "Well, I'll be quiet for Tom."
Abbey resumed opening the door and stepped into the room as quietly as she could manage. She realised another problem with picking a late visit- as it was deemed bedtime the lights were off.
The room was in various shades of grey from the light that slipped in through the door's glass pane and the gap between it and the doorway, accentuated by shadows where the stray light beams didn't reach.
Abbey held the edge of the door with one hand, reluctant to close it and plunge the room into further darkness. Her curious gaze took in its two residents. Tom Landis wasn't so much asleep as passed out. He was on a chair, rigid and bent at an uncomfortable angle, eyes shut and a grey, itchy looking blanket tossed over him.
"He needs a pillow." Cadence McGarry was wide awake, sitting upright in her bed and looking to Tom with a gaunt gaze. "Can you get a pillow for him?" she queried worriedly. "He'll hurt his neck like that."
Abbey smiled at the young woman but it was hard. Now she understood why Leo kept saying Cadence was 'stable for now' when asked after her health. The woman appeared rigid and yet oddly animated at the same time, her body stiff and yet her eyes darting about frantically. Abbey realised her arrival had scared Cadence and despite taking in who it was she was yet to be soothed by it.
"I'll have someone get one for him," Abbey assured.
Abbey turned her attention back to the corridor, leaning out to face Mike. "Agent Casper could you get someone to find a spare pillow for Tom please?" she queried calmly.
Mike smiled and nodded. "Certainly ma'am."
Abbey smiled back before retreating to the room, taking care to close the door this time. She turned back to Cadence but it was difficult to see her in the added darkness. "Can we turn out the bedside light perhaps?" she suggested.
Abbey stepped forward, taking care to move lightly all too aware of the sound of her heels upon the tiles. She reached the bedside and extended a hand out to the lamp attached to the wall, clicking it on without waiting for Cadence's answer. It was like a spotlight as it shone down on a patch of blanket on the bed. Abbey pushed it back and out slightly, fiddling with the flexible arm as she tried to expose Cadence to her a little better without blinding the young woman.
As she searched a chair her gaze lingered on the bedside cabinet, which was littered with 'Get Well' cards and a bouquet of flowers. Abbey couldn't be certain but she didn't think anything had come from Jenny. Abbey grabbed the chair seated to the left of the cabinet by the bed and brought it closer before occupying it. She looked back to Cadence and gave her a warm smile.
"Cady firstly, thank you," she addressed her seriously, "for saving Zoey. As a mother I can never truly convey the depth of gratitude I feel for what you did for my daughter." She sucked in a slight breath as her smile wavered slightly before she managed to save it. There was a brief flicker of sorrow in her gaze and her eyes shone a little more brightly as she took in the young woman before her. "I'm not even entirely sure what all you suffered," she admitted, "and I know some people have suggested that maybe you were the target but that was not the case. A student at Zoey's college made a deal with a group, she set my daughter up in exchange for money." Abbey's smile faded, her glossed lips settling into a line of anger as she tensed in the chair.
Abbey kept staring at Cadence as concern crept back into her gaze. "I know you haven't talked about it but it would be helpful because they haven't all been caught. They were part of a racist gang, so poisoned with hate and rage that they decided making an example of a prominent figure would get their point across."
Abbey stiffened against and stared momentarily at her lap as she settled her hands there and distracting herself by smoothing out the lines in her dark bronze skirt.
"They wanted her dead," Cadence finally spoke up in a voice that was hollow.
"Yes," Abbey admitted as she looked away to the door before turning back to Cadence with a faint smile and a nod. "They did, there would have been no ransom."
"They wanted me dead," Cadence said flatly, "but they were so angry with me." She shuddered and without warning let out a sudden yell. "They were so angry!"
Tom bolted upright, jolting in his chair as his eyes opened wide with the sound. "Cady?" he queried in confusion. He blinked at the figure sitting beside her and was on his feet and rushing forward.
Abbey turned round to give Tom an apologetic stare, revealing herself to him as she did.
Cadence had fallen silent again, her figure taut in the bed as she stared up at the ceiling blankly.
"I apologise Tom, I didn't mean to wake you," Abbey said sincerely.
Tom stared down at her in confusion before his blue gaze darted to Cadence. "You didn't," he retorted calmly, "she did. Cady are you okay?"
Cadence didn't react to Tom's voice. She squeezed her eyes shut and turned her head away.
Tom sighed and pushed a hand up to rub his stiff neck. "Cady, honey, you can't keep pushing it away," he murmured.
Abbey glanced up at him curiously. "Has she talked about it at all?" she pried.
Tom lowered his hand and shook his head. "Nothing about anything after Christmas Eve," he confessed. "The doctors checked, no head trauma or concussion, she's just blocking everything out. Post traumatic stress," he muttered. "Except she's really forcing it because she remembered enough to ask about Zoey's welfare."
Tom frowned, he was still waiting for her to mention Christmas Day morning and their fallout but she hadn't and he knew it was suppressed with everything else that had happened on that day and after it. Leo had made some murmurings about a psychiatrist friend he had gotten in touch with for her but Tom hadn't heard anymore about it.
Abbey nodded. "Understandable considering the circumstances," she murmured. "It's not helpful to you however Cady," she cautioned as she turned her attention back to the young woman. She reached out to her and stroked her cheek lightly with all the comfort of a mother's touch. "What has happened has happened but it won't stay in your past if you don't confront and overcome it. Why don't you try to share a little of it with me? If it gets too difficult we can stop but I think it would be good for you to talk about it. We can start at the beginning, you told Zoey to hide in a wardrobe and stay quiet and then you pretended you had urged her out a window."
Cadence let out a moan. "I don't remember that," she said hoarsely. "I remember Zoey was in trouble but that's all, there were lights and people and loud banging. There's always gunfire and rain."
"It wasn't raining that night Cady," Abbey said softly.
"It's always raining when it happens," Cadence insisted.
Tom frowned when she began to quiver under the blanket. "Can we do this some other time?" he queried. "She's meant to be getting out in two days." He lowered his voice as he glanced down at Abbey. "I don't want that set back for her."
Abbey nodded sympathetically even as she continued to stroke the woman's cheek. "Alright," she said gently. "Cady, you've done well and Jed and I are very proud of you and grateful to you. Jed and Zoey are both looking forward to seeing you."
"I just want to go home," Cadence said miserably.
"You will," Tom assured. "In a couple of days, remember? You're getting discharged and then we'll get you home."
"I just want home," Cadence repeated, her voice breaking slightly as she held back a sob.
Abbey withdrew her hand and gave Tom another apologetic glance. "I have a pillow arriving for you," she said as she gave him a small smile, "if you're intent on staying here all the time you should take better care."
Tom raised his hands to hips as he stared down at the First Lady, unsure of what to make of her comment. "Are you saying I should be somewhere else?"
Abbey gave a soft chuckle at this. "Tom, I'm being sincere and I'm very glad that you are here for her."
Tom's expression softened and he slackened his stance.
Abbey stood up from the seat at last. "I'll let you get some sleep Cady." She turned to face Tom again. "You too Tom, you look tired," she observed. "The agents are outside and the hospital is well staffed, you can rest."
"I'll rest in a couple of days," Tom murmured.
