Disclaimer: These characters do not belong to me. They belong to the very talented Aaron Sorkin. I make no money from writing this; it was purely for something to do.
Feedback: Of course, always appreciated.
Spoilers: What Kind Of Day Has It Been.
Mentions to: Galileo, Celestial Navigation, Lies, Damn Lies and Statistics, and 17 People.
Category: Angst, definitely angst. Drama.
Rating: PG-13 for some swear words.
Notes: I wrote this in the gap between What Kind Of Day Has It Been and In The Shadow Of Two Gunmen. It was my take on who was injured from the shooting. It's my first West Wing fanfiction, and I'd like to you keep this in consideration whilst writing a review! I definitely prefer the other version, because if this had actually been the outcome, then we wouldn't have had the fantastic ITSOTG or the brilliant Noël. I've concentrated more on the characters, and not the motives or anything political, mostly because I'm English, and I don't understand our politics, let alone any other countries!
The West WingAll Things Considered
By Katie
The area outside of the Newseum was hectic before the assassination attempt. People were conversing, milling around trying to catch a glimpse of the President. A feeling of helplessness fell across all the people as the shots were fired. Sam Seaborn launched himself at CJ Cregg as the second shot was fired, and pushed her to the ground, momentarily remembering to protect her head from the hard ground. He landed on his back, and her head hit his stomach. People ran for cover, behind cars, walls, anything that could protect them from the gunshots. Josh Lyman looked around, in shock. Toby Ziegler was pushed back by people running from the shots, and ducked behind a car. Charlie Young hit the ground, his hand over a bullet wound in his chest. Leo McGarry spun around, the force from a bullet hitting his shoulder knocking him to the floor. Secret Service Agents dove onto the President and Zoey Bartlet, and then grabbed both and pushed them in limousines, the cars pulling away quickly.
For about thirty seconds after the Agents shot dead the shooters, everyone was silent, all breathing heavily. Then the atmosphere turned frantic, the injured calling out for help, people looking for their families or friends, and the White House Staff surveying the scene. Josh rubbed his hand on his cheek, looking around. The first person he saw was Leo, and he ran over there, worried as he watched Leo clutch his shoulder.
"Leo!" Josh yelled. "You alright?"
Leo turned, and Josh saw the blood coming from his shoulder and a cut on his cheek. "Yeah, I got hit in the shoulder. Anyone dead?"
"The shooters, but other than that, I don't know. I really don't know. Get to the hospital, that looks bad, Leo. I'm gonna go find everyone, see what's going on," Josh said. "Are the President and Zoey in the cars?"
"Yeah. Come find me when you've got everyone." Leo said as a paramedic approached him. Josh nodded, and walked off. He joined up with Toby, who was looking as worried as Josh felt.
"Any of our people hit?" Toby asked, rubbing his side where he had hit the ground.
"Leo was hit in the shoulder, I haven't found anyone else. The shooters are dead, and the President and Zoey are in the cars," Josh said. Toby absorbed the information and sighed.
"Is that Charlie?" he said, suddenly noticing a figure on the ground. Josh didn't pause, he ran straight over to the person. It was Charlie, and he was unconscious, holding his chest.
"Shit," Josh muttered, before yelling, "I need a doctor over here!"
*
Sam relaxed as he heard the news the shooters were dead. He lifted CJ's head from his lap, sat up, and rested on his heels as he called CJ softly. "CJ, it's okay, the shooters are dead." The woman moved slightly, and groaned.
"Sam, I think I was hit," she murmured, opening her eyes, and looking at Sam, scared. He swallowed the awful taste that had just appeared in his mouth, and looked at CJ again. Blood was soaking her jacket, and her face was pale.
"Can we get a doctor over here, a woman's been hit!" Sam screamed. CJ flinched.
"Sam, don't yell, it gives me a headache," CJ said, her voice slightly slurred. "I'm cold, Sam, and my chest hurts." Sam shrugged off his jacket, supporting her head with one hand, and covered her with it. She smiled, weakly.
"CJ, a paramedic's on the way, we're going to get you to hospital, okay?" Sam said, trying to sound soothing.
"Okay, Sam," CJ mumbled. She reached out with one arm, and tried to struggle to see Sam. Everything was blurry. That wasn't right. "Sam? Sam, are you still here?"
"Of course I'm here," Sam whispered, leaning over her, close to her face. "I'm not leaving you, I promise you. You're going to get help, okay? And then you're going to come with us all back to the White House, and…"
The paramedic came up to them, and started attending to CJ.
"Ma'am, we're going to get you to hospital-" CJ cut him off.
"Don't call me ma'am. And Sam's already told me. Don't leave, Sam, I'm scared," she whispered. Sam nodded, and watched, helplessly, as the paramedics lifted her onto a stretcher, and into the waiting ambulance. He could see Josh and Toby in the distance as he entered the ambulance with CJ, and considered briefly yelling them. But then the fact the CJ was grabbing for his hand, and the fact that she didn't want him to yell stopped that idea, and he took her hand as the paramedics attended to him. There was a hospital nearby, something Sam was very grateful for, and he kept reassuring CJ, as they got closer to the hospital.
"CJ, we're nearly there, I just want you to hang on a bit longer, okay?" he murmured. She nodded, barely.
"Was the President hit?" she mumbled. Sam shook his head, and she closed her eyes. "Good." They drove up to the hospital and stopped abruptly, the doors flying open, and CJ being pulled out on the stretcher all in a matter of seconds. Sam followed her as more ambulances drove onto the car park, with people he didn't recognize spilling out of them.
"No exit wound, internal bleeding, pulse dropping," the paramedic yelled to a doctor.
"Name?" the doctor asked Sam, who snapped out of his daze.
"Sam Seaborn," he said. The doctor gave him a strange look. "Oh, you mean her name? Claudia Jean Cregg, but she prefers CJ."
"Thank you. Okay, prep Ms Cregg for surgery! Sir, you can't be in here," the doctor said, an apologetic look on his face. Sam nodded, and squeezed her hand, before leaving. A piercing, continuous beep started as he reached the door, and it took him a few moments to realize it was the heart monitor flat-lining. He watched from the door as the doctors resuscitated CJ, until the continuous beep stopped, and began quiet, steady beeps. Holding his bloodstained coat, the one that he had covered CJ with, he ran to the toilets, into a stall, and vomited into the toilet.
*
Toby was the one talking when he, Josh and Charlie entered the hospital. Charlie was still unconscious, but the doctors were a lot happier with the odds of him surviving than CJ's chances. Firstly, there was an entrance and exit wound, secondly he was breathing on his own, and from what the paramedics anticipated, the bullet had neglected to hit any vital organs.
No one but Sam and the doctors knew CJ had been hit, and only Josh, Toby and the paramedics knew Charlie had been hit. Josh hung back as Charlie went into a room, surrounded by Toby and doctors, and he picked up the payphone on the wall. He dialed the first number for the White House he remembered, and waited as it rang. On the first ring, an operator picked up.
"White House."
"Hi, this is Josh Lyman. I need to speak with the President right away," he said. Leo entered the hospital, arguing with a doctor. He threw a glance at Josh.
"The Oval Office," Mrs. Landingham said. Josh gestured one moment with his finger, and Leo nodded, still arguing.
"Hi, Mrs. Landingham, it's Josh. Is the President there?" Josh asked, praying he was.
"He's just come storming through, Josh. I'll get him for you," Mrs. Landingham said, kindly.
"Thanks." Leo came up to Josh, holding a piece of gauze to his shoulder. Josh whispered, "Charlie was hit." Leo winced, and muttered something under his breath.
"Bartlet," the President snapped.
"Mr. President, it's Josh. Is Zoey with you?" he asked, watching the doctor kind of drag Leo down the hall.
"No, she's not, she's in the Residence with her mother. Who's been hit, Josh, they won't tell me anything," Jed told him.
"Leo's been hit in the shoulder, but he's alright. Charlie was hit in the abdomen, he's unconscious. As far as I know, that's all of our people. Are you and Zoey alright?" Josh asked. He watched as Sam staggered out of the men's room, holding a bloodstained coat.
"We're fine. I'm going to go tell Zoey… Both of us will be down within the hour, Josh. Thanks for calling me." The President hung up, as did Josh. He walked over to Sam, who was looking out of it, leaning against a wall.
"Sam?" Josh said, quietly ignoring the chaos.
"I wasn't fast enough," his friend replied. "I wasn't fast enough. Her life is in danger because I paused for three damn seconds."
"Who's life?" Josh asked, confused. Sam looked at his coat, then back up at Josh.
"CJ was shot." Josh started shaking, and sat down on the nearest chair. Sam joined him. "It's bad, Josh, real bad. As I left the hospital room she flat-lined." Josh's eyes widened, and he immediately panicked. "She's alright, they resuscitated her, but she died on that table for a few seconds. And it's my fault."
"God," Josh whispered. "God. Charlie was hit, in the abdomen, but they think he'll be all right. And Leo was hit in the shoulder, but he's fine."
"Why is this happening to us?" Sam muttered. "What the hell did we ever do?"
*
Fifteen minutes after the phone call from Josh, the President entered the Residence, dreading seeing his daughter, for once in his life. He nervously entered her bedroom, where he knew she was with Abbey. Zoey was sitting on her bed, reading a book, and shaking. Abbey was sitting on the sofa, critically watching her youngest daughter.
"Zoey, honey, are you alright?" he asked. Zoey looked up, and nodded, tears falling down her face. Abbey took one look at her husband's face, and realized something was wrong.
"I was so scared, Daddy. Is anyone hurt?" Zoey asked, in a quiet, frightened voice. Jed paused for a moment, and Abbey stood up, to be with her husband.
"The shooters are dead. A few people in the crowd are at hospital now, but nothing serious. Leo was shot in the shoulder, but he's okay. Zoey, baby," Jed walked over to her bed, and hugged her tightly. "Charlie was hit."
Abbey gasped, and reached out for her child. Zoey stared at a spot on the wall, not blinking, tears streaming down her face. Jed explained it wasn't as bad as it sounded, and he was going to be all right. Zoey was in the middle of insisting she go see him when the phone rang. Jed paused, and Abbey took over the job of hugging their baby whilst Jed walked to the phone outside.
"Yeah?" he said, tiredly.
"It's me again. Charlie's conscious, they're putting him under anesthesia to check him out," Josh told him. Jed smiled, and nodded.
"Great. Tell him Zoey's throwing a fit because I'm telling her to wait for a few minutes before we get on our way to the hospital. And tell CJ to get down here, the reporters are having a field day in the press room," Jed ordered his Deputy Chief of Staff. He paused for a long time, trying to figure out how best to break the news of CJ's surgery to the President. "Josh, you still there?"
"Yeah. Um, I don't think CJ's going to be able to make it to the White House for a while, Sir."
"Why the hell not?"
"She's kinda in surgery… She was hit, and it's looking pretty bad, Sir. From what I've heard, her heart's already nearly stopped twice, and she's losing blood fast. They're saying the next few hours are vital." Josh sighed, and looked at his friend through the window. She was lying on the bed, and the doctors around her were literally holding her life in their hands.
"Oh, right. I'm getting down there." Jed slammed the phone back into its cradle, and felt like screaming. Instead, in a very calm voice, he said as he entered his daughter's bedroom, "If those fucking bastards weren't already dead, I would go in and throttle them for doing this to us."
"Why, what's happened?" Zoey asked, fearing the worst about Charlie.
"Charlie's fine, honey, they're putting him under anesthesia to check him out, but he's conscious," Jed said, hugging his daughter tightly, not being able to stop thinking it could have been her in the hospital right now, not CJ or Charlie.
"Then what's wrong?" Abbey asked, resting a hand on her husband's shoulder.
"It's, um, CJ was shot. Her heart has nearly stopped twice already, and it's not looking good at all. There's a strong possibility she's not gonna make it through the night."
Zoey stifled a sob, and walked out of the room, more tears running down her face. Abbey sat on her bed, and pulled Jed down next to her.
"I'm hoping against hope you're not thinking that in any part this is your fault, Bartlet," Abbey said, faking a smile for his benefit. Jed stood up, and took his wife's hand.
"Charlie is in hospital after being shot. My little girl is out there, worried sick about her boyfriend. My best friend was shot in the shoulder, and CJ is dying in hospital because she was in the wrong place at the wrong time. Abbey, I love that woman like one of my girls. She's my fourth daughter, and I know the rest of the staff feel the same. If she dies… I don't know what we'll do." Abbey stood up and hugged him as he cried into her shoulder, hurting even more with every sob that came from him.
She knew exactly how he felt. She couldn't love CJ more if she'd have given birth to her herself. They had gotten exceedingly close during the campaign, and, although their schedules prevented them from seeing as much of each other as they'd like, but they still found time to go for lunch together once a month. Abbey silently prayed she would have the chance to do that again.
"Honey, lets go to the hospital. Zoey can see Charlie, you can see Leo and CJ, and I can order the best doctors for CJ and find out what's going on."
"Yeah, okay."
*
The mood in the waiting room was somber. Leo was sitting on a chair, his freshly bandaged arm in a sling and a plaster on his cheek. Sam was sitting by himself in the corner, telling everyone to leave him alone. Toby was on the payphone talking to the White House, and Josh was pacing in the corner. The door opened and Jed entered. Leo stood up, and both Josh and Toby acknowledged his arrival. Sam stayed in the corner, and Josh knew he wasn't aware of the President's arrival.
"How is she?" the President asked, in a voice much quieter and more serious than the ones he used in meetings. Leo spoke first.
"Not good. They've found the source of the bleeding, and have closed it up, but she's still bleeding internally. They're also repairing her lung, but on the plus side her heart hasn't stopped again," Leo said, distractedly. The President, obviously satisfied with that answer, sat down next to him.
"How's your shoulder?"
"Fine. They gave me painkillers."
"Okay. I really hate to do this to you all, but they need you back at the White House," Jed said, regretfully. Josh nodded, and picked up his coat. Toby finished his phone call, and hung up. Leo stood, and opened the door. Only Sam remained in the corner, his head bowed, and his fingers in a steeple position. The President knew there was some underlying thing to his prayer, and decided to question Josh about it. They were halfway to the door when Zoey bounced up to her father.
"Hey Daddy, he's okay! He's still under the anesthesia, but he knew I was there. He squeezed my hand. Oh, God, Leo, what happened to your shoulder?" Zoey finally noticed her father wasn't alone. They stopped thinking of the Secret Service detail as companions long ago. Leo sighed, and squeezed Zoey's upper arm.
"I'm fine, kiddo. You wanna go wait in the waiting room for your Mom?" Leo suggested. Zoey nodded, realizing that they were all worried to death about CJ. She fleetingly wondered why her father was making them work.
"Sure. I'll call you in a bit, Daddy, when Charlie wakes up," Zoey said. Jed nodded, and kissed his daughter on the top of her head, and then she walked off in the direction of the waiting room. Josh called her back.
"Zoey, leave Sam alone. He's not the best company at the moment, and he'll probably snap at you if you talk to him." Zoey nodded, curious, and headed into the waiting room. The President looked at Josh.
"What's up with him?" he asked.
"He blames himself for CJ being shot. Apparently he was with her, and he pushed her to the ground, but he paused for a few seconds before he pushed her, and those few seconds were enough to let her be shot. And he thinks it was his fault, that if he'd gotten her down immediately, she would be okay," Josh explained.
"Doesn't he realize that if he hadn't got her down, she might be dead?" the President asked, incredulously. Josh shook his head.
"Abbey." Leo greeted her as she walked down the corridor. She nodded at Leo, and went straight to Jed, burying her face into his shoulder. Jed wrapped his arm around, and looked at Leo, briefly. Leo turned to Josh and Toby. "Alright, we're gonna go get in the limo, the President will be with us shortly." The three walked outside the building, and into the waiting limo as Jed pulled Abbey into a small room.
"Abbey, honey, what's wrong?" he asked, concerned. Abbey looked up at him, her face tearstained.
"I just seen her, Jed. She's so pale, she's practically translucent. And she's bleeding so bad. I really don't think she's got a chance," Abbey said. Only Jed Bartlet would see her this vulnerable. He embraced her again, and kissed the top of her head.
"She's a fighter, Ab. You know what she's like; you know that she's strong. If she can handle the press corps every day she can handle a little gunshot wound." Abbey laughed, weakly. "Go see Zoey, she's in the waiting room surrounded by agents. I've gotta get back to the White House."
"Okay, honey. I love you."
"I love you too."
*
"Alright, I hate to have to tell you to do this, but forget about CJ for the next few hours. I'm gonna have Abbey phone me every half hour; she'll tell us any changes in her condition. Josh, I want you to phone CJ's parents, and tell them everything we know. Don't leave anything out. Toby, can you tell Carol that for the next few hours she's the Press Secretary. Write a brief statement, and get a conference set up; let Carol tell the reporters the basics. Say there are two fatalities, the shooters, and the injury count is low. Say CJ's been shot, it's critical, and say the doctors are working on her. Tell them about Leo's injury, the shooters being dead, and Charlie's condition. No more. Don't let her take questions. Leo, you're helping me with the FBI to get anything on the identity of the shooters. Any questions?"
Everyone shook their head, and Toby and Josh shuffled out of the room, mumbling "Thank you, Mr. President." Jed paused for a second, gathering his thoughts. Leo absentmindedly pressed his hand carefully against his shoulder, the painkillers were wearing off.
"I'm going to go into my office, see Margaret," Leo said. Jed nodded, lost in thought. "Are you okay, Mr. President?"
"Yeah. Go see Margaret." Leo nodded, and after studying his friend once more, walked through the doors that connected his office to the President's. He walked through his office, straight into Margaret's area. She looked up at him, her face tear-stained.
"How's your shoulder?" she whispered.
"Fine. Listen, it's gonna get a bit chaotic in here in a while, okay?" Leo said. Margaret nodded.
"I was so scared, when I heard… I didn't know what to do. I was listening to my radio, and I was on my way home… I didn't know who was shot, whether anyone was shot, so I just turned around and got back here as soon as I could. Were you the only one who was shot?" Margaret asked, her face portraying nothing but innocence. The names of the people who were injured weren't know by the public yet, and only a few people in the White House knew who was shot and who was not. Reporters had mobbed Leo when they watched him leave the hospital with his shoulder bandaged up, but he refused to comment.
"Charlie was hit, the two shooters are dead, and CJ." Margaret let out a little gasp. Leo reached over to hug her with his good arm. "Charlie's going to be okay, they're not sure about CJ. But it's not looking good." Margaret rubbed at her eyes, and smiled weakly at Leo.
"Okay. I'll take messages, okay?"
"You do that."
*
Toby entered CJ's darkened office area, apprehensively. Carol was sitting at her desk, on her computer. He knocked on a wall so as not to startle her.
"Carol?" he said. She stood, and turned on a light.
"She's been shot, hasn't she?" Carol said, her voice detached.
"Yeah. We need you to be the Press Secretary until she's well enough to come back to work," Toby told her. The younger woman nodded, and chewed her lip. "I've written a brief statement, just say this, don't answer any questions they ask. You okay?"
"Yeah. Is she going to come back?" Carol asked, staring straight at Toby. He shrugged, sadly.
"At this point it's anyone's guess. Here's the statement, once you've done it, you can go to the hospital if you want."
"Sure." Carol took the statement from Toby's fingers, and walked into the Press Room, taking a few deep breaths in order to keep her composure, at least until she was out of the Press's sight. She walked up to the podium, keeping her head low, and ignoring the flashing cameras. She looked up and started to read.
"Good evening. Um, I have a brief statement to read. Tonight, the President was shot at as he left the Newseum, in Rosslyn, Virginia. The shooters were shot down through the window 9.2 seconds after the first shot was fired by the Secret Service. We have nothing at the moment on identity of the shooters, nor their motive. Several people were injured in the crowd, but at the moment, other than the shooters, there are no fatalities. Bullets hit three White House staff members. Chief of Staff Leo McGarry was hit in the shoulder, but is back at work. Presidential Aide Charlie Young was hit in the abdomen, but all signs are pointing to a full recovery in a matter of weeks. And finally, Press Secretary CJ Cregg is undergoing surgery to remove a bullet, stop internal bleeding and repair a punctured lung. We will update you on her condition and any new information we have on the shooters at a later point. Thank you."
Ignoring calls for her name, she walked out of the room and into the nearest toilet, where she leaned against the wall, and started to cry.
*
Donna Moss passed her desk, dropping her bag on it, and went straight into Josh's office. It was dark, the only illumination coming from the outside lights. She could see he was on the phone, but she could see him, and he was alive, and she was relieved. He looked up as she entered, and sat down in the chair. She picked up a piece of paper and a pen and started to write a note to her boss.
Josh. Are you okay? You look terrible. Who was shot? I heard on the news three White House staffers. I was so scared one was you. Who are they?
The simple message on the piece of paper conveyed none of the emotion Donna had felt driving to the White House, every minute being more and more scared that one of the injured was Josh.
He looked at the paper, and sighed, writing a reply as he spoke on the phone. He was speaking to a woman, that much she could get from the conversation. And it was about one of the injured.
Hi. I'm fine. Are you okay? It was Leo, who was hit in the shoulder, but he's working right now, Charlie, who was hit in the abdomen, but he's going to be all right, he's under anesthesia at the moment, but he's all right.
She read the note, and frowned. That was only two.
Who's the other one? And I'm okay.
Josh listened to the woman on the other end. Eva Cregg. CJ's mother. She sounded just like CJ, Josh noticed. If he didn't know he was talking to Eva Cregg, then he might think it was CJ herself on the phone.
"Josh, we can't get into Washington. All the airports are closed. Can you keep calling us with any news at all about her?" Eva begged, sniffling.
"Of course, Ma'am. And the President is thinking of you during this difficult time, as well as all the White House staff members. I will call you as soon as we know more, okay?"
"Thank you, Josh. From what Claudia told us about you, you were-are-a great friend to her," Eva told him. Josh sighed, and said goodbye to Eva. He hung up the phone, and looked at Donna.
"Josh. Who was the third?" Donna asked, scared. He stood up and walked around his desk until he was standing near to her.
"It was CJ. Donna, it's not looking good. She's lost a lot of blood, she's got a collapsed lung, and her heart's stopped twice already." Josh awkwardly hugged Donna as she started to lose her calm façade.
*
The door to the waiting room flew open, and a small black girl stood in the entrance, nervously playing with the bead on the end of one of her braids. She looked at the four people in the room, looking for someone she recognized. Ah. Zoey Bartlet was sitting on one side, talking to an older woman.
"Zoey?" The girl, Deena Young, approached Zoey. She turned at the voice, and stood up to hug Deena.
"Dee, I'm sorry. Charlie's going to be alright, I meant to call you to tell you," Zoey apologized. She sat Deena down, and then sat next to her.
"He's going to be alright?" Deena repeated.
"He's going to be alright," Zoey confirmed, smiling. Deena hugged her, again. "He's under anesthesia at the moment, but there's no damage, and he's going to wake up soon. Oh," Zoey pointed to her mother, the older woman Deena had seen her talking with. "This is my Mom. Mom, this is Deena, Charlie's sister, Dee, this is my Mom, Abbey."
"It's a pleasure to meet you," Deena said, graciously. Abbey smiled.
"It's lovely to meet you, too, Deena. Charlie speaks a lot about you," Abbey replied, keeping one eye on Sam's figure across the room.
"All good things, I hope," Deena joked. Abbey smiled again, and walked across the room to where Sam was seated. Zoey and Deena immediately started talking, about the shooting nonetheless.
Abbey went up to Sam, apprehensively. His head was still bowed, and he was rubbing his fingernails lightly with the corresponding finger from the other hand. Abbey knew he hadn't moved from that position since she had entered, nearly an hour ago. She sat next to him, and started rubbing his back.
"Sam, honey, walk with me, will you?" Abbey said. Sam nodded, and stood up. Abbey's hand moved from his back to his hand, where she grabbed it, and didn't let go. Sam was slightly surprised by the handholding, but was grateful to the First Lady. They passed a Secret Service Agent, who began to follow them, until Abbey turned around. "Hey, look, give me a second, okay?" The agent did as he was ordered, and Sam and Abbey were walking alone. "So, Samuel, why are you acting like you are?"
"Because I am as guilty for putting CJ in that hospital bed as the shooters, Mrs. Bartlet."
Abbey frowned. "Sam, I'm confused. See, I thought you were against guns. Why would you shoot her?"
"I am against guns. I didn't shoot her, but I let her get shot. I paused for three seconds when the first shot was fired, and if I had pulled her down immediately then she wouldn't have been hit. She wouldn't be fighting for her life right now." Sam paused, and Abbey took this as an opportunity to speak.
"Sam, you are not ordered to push people to the ground during shootings. You had no obligation to get CJ out of the line of fire. You did so because you are a kind person, and obviously a great friend. We pay Gina Toscano to take a bullet for Zoey. We pay you to write speeches, not take bullets. You were not under any requirement to get her away from the bullets. It's not in your job description."
"But, Mrs. Bartlet-"
"I know nothing I'm going to say will make you feel any less guilty, but let me say this, at least. The bullet got a head start. The sound came after the bullet, and by the time it registered in your mind, the bullet would have hit CJ anyway. You did save her life, if you'd have paused any longer, that bullet would have gone straight to her heart, and it would have killed her. She has a much better chance of surviving because it didn't go straight to the heart, it caught the heart, but it's easier to repair a heart than find a new one in time for her to have a transplant, and still be alive. You may have saved her life, Sam, and I don't want you to come to me saying you may as well have shot her."
"With all due respect, Mrs. Bartlet, I didn't come to you saying I may as well have shot her. You came to me, remember?" Sam snapped. The lack of sleep he had had in the past few days was now showing. Abbey sighed.
"How do you imagine her parents must feel right now? How about her brothers? They can't get into Washington because all the airports are closed, because we're hunting for a third accomplice. Their only daughter is having major surgery right now, and their only contact with her is through us. In a few hours their child may be dead, and you're standing here whining about how you were to blame. Do you have any idea how petty your whining is? She's not dead yet, stop concentrating your energy on a crime you had no chance of preventing, and start considering her welfare instead of your own. Make sure she has no work outstanding, talk to her parents, and start thinking about her and not yourself!" Abbey's tone was getting louder and louder.
Sam was slowing coming back to reality, and he watched, mute, as Abbey turned on her heel and walked back into the waiting room. Sam turned and walked the same way as Abbey, but passed the waiting room, and walked out the door, the cold air hitting him. He kept walking until he reached a bench, where he sat, in silence, considering everything Abbey had just told him.
"Sam? Sam, is that you?" He looked up to see Mallory O'Brien standing over him. She was wearing a thick wool coat, and a black hat was covering her auburn curls.
"Mal? What are you doing here?" he asked, a feeling of dread rushing up inside of him. Damn photo. Damn himself for not phoning her…
"I came to see how CJ and Charlie were. I heard on the radio Dad was hit, but when I got to the White House I couldn't find him anywhere, so I thought…" She trailed off.
"Mallory, your Dad is fine. Trust me, I was a bit out of it when he was in the waiting room, but he got shot in the shoulder, and he's back at work. You okay?" Sam asked. Mallory nodded.
"It's cold out here, what are you doing?" she asked, rubbing her gloved hands to warm them up.
"I got yelled at by the First Lady," Sam admitted. Mallory laughed.
"Come inside. You're going to catch pneumonia at this rate, and then the Senior Staff will just have Josh and Toby. And, I don't know about you, but I don't trust those two to help run my country," Mallory giggled. He smiled, his first proper smile since the shooting.
"Hey, Mal, the photo?" Sam had to bring it up. She looked at him as he stood up, and linked her arm with his.
"Don't worry about the photo. It was one friend hugging another friend because they'd graduated. Granted, the other friend was a hooker, but still. Anyway, despite all the warnings that you've been throwing at me since we first met, I trust you."
"Mal… You wanna explain that a bit better?" Sam asked, confused at the mixed signals he was being sent. Mallory paused as they entered the hospital, and leaned up, kissing Sam. When she pulled away, Sam shook his head. "Okay, explanation understood."
"Sam, this is neither the time nor the place for us to get into an in-depth study of our relationship. Give it a few hours, then we'll talk, once we know a bit more, okay?"
"Okay."
*
"Zoey?" Charlie said, groggily. He was still suffering the effects of the anesthesia, but was awake enough to see his girlfriend sitting next to him, and his sister in the doorway. "Hey, Deena, get over here."
"You okay?" Zoey asked, concern etching over her features. Charlie nodded, and reached out for her hand. She placed it in his, and he squeezed it, weakly. Deena slowly walked to her brother, and smiled.
"Hey, Charlie, what do you think you're doing, getting shot?" she joked. But in her eyes was pain, and Charlie knew it was because of the way their mother had died.
"I'm thinking I've never been so happy in all my life for painkillers," he teased. Deena smiled, and took Charlie's other hand. Zoey smiled encouragingly at Deena, who grinned back.
"Granny and Grampa send their love," Deena said. "Actually, I better go phone them, you know how they panic." She walked to the door. "I'll see you in a bit, Charlie."
"I love you, Dee," Charlie called after his sister as she walked out of the room. Then he turned to Zoey, who was grinning stupidly. "Are you hurt?" he asked, anxiously.
"Nope. Not even a scratch. You, on the other hand…" Zoey rolled her eyes. "You had to get me and Dad worried and get shot!"
"Your father was concerned about me?" Charlie asked, confused. Zoey nodded, and Charlie looked surprised. "Who else was hurt?"
"The two shooters are dead, and I can't say I'm not happy for that," Zoey said, furiously. "Leo got hit in the shoulder, but he's fine. A few people in the crowd were injured, and CJ's in surgery." Charlie sighed.
"How bad is it?" he asked, softly. Zoey bit her lip, and looked at her lap, her brown hair swinging across her face. "Zoey, it's going to be okay. Do we know if the shooters had a motive?"
"If Dad knows he hasn't told me," she murmured. Charlie squeezed her hand.
"Stop worrying. CJ is going to be fine," Charlie said, trying to convince himself as much as Zoey. "She's going to survive and she'll be back at work in no time, I promise." If only, he thought, if only I believed that.
The door opened, and three Secret Service Agents entered. Two stood by the door, one by the window. The one to the left of the door muttered something into his wrist, and the President entered the room.
"Charlie, it's good to see you," Jed said, warmly rubbing the younger man's shoulder.
"Thank you, Sir, it's good to see you too," Charlie replied, politely. Jed nodded, smiling slightly.
"Hi Zoey. Where's Mom?" Jed asked her. She shrugged. "Thanks for the help, darling. Charlie, has Zoey told you about the other, um, incidents?"
"You mean CJ, Sir?" Charlie questioned. Jed nodded. "Yes, she has. Is there any more news?"
"Nope. She stopped breathing again during surgery," he replied, sadly. Zoey wiped a tear from her eye, and Charlie looked at the ceiling, upset.
*
"Carol? It's Donna." She entered CJ's assistant's office, and leaned against the wall. Carol looked up, her eyes red from crying, and smiled forlornly at Donna.
"Hey Donna, what's up?" she asked, swallowing back tears.
"I just wanted to know if there was anything I could be helping you with," Donna offered. Carol paused for a few moments, tears once again appearing in her eyes, and she shook her head, not trusting herself to speak. Donna nodded, and rubbed Carol's shoulder, sympathetically. "Well, if there is, I'll be around, okay?"
She paused once more, before leaving Carol's office. As Donna passed through the doorway, Carol called her back. "Donna, actually…"
Donna returned, an expectant look on her face. "Yeah?"
"Do you think you could feed Gail? The poor thing probably thinks we've abandoned it." The request was simple enough, but Donna hesitated before entering CJ's office, not wanting to disturb the still atmosphere. She entered eventually, and flipped on a light. The fish was still in the bowl, her tail swaying back and forth. The liveliness of the fish was gone, as if she knew what was going on.
Donna looked around for the fish food. "Carol? Where's the fish food?"
"In the top desk drawer on the right," Carol called back. Donna went to her desk, and clasped her hand around the handle. She felt uneasy going through CJ's drawers, if only to find the fish food. Nevertheless, she pulled open the drawer, and found the small bottle in the front left corner, in front of a small, framed picture.
Curious, Donna picked up the photograph, and studied it. It was from the campaign, before Donna had started… Or during those few weeks where she had gone back to Wisconsin. It was CJ, Toby, Sam and Josh, all working and arguing in the back of the campaign bus. Both CJ and Josh were laughing, Sam was smiling, and Toby had a threatening look on his face. It was just so… them.
A sudden pang of guilt hit Donna, and she put the photo back in the drawer, pushing it shut. She sprinkled the fish food into Gail's bowl, and put the food back into CJ's drawer. She walked slowly out of the room as Gail swam about finding the food.
*
Leo entered Josh's office, quietly. He watched his deputy as he read something in the dark office, occasionally sighing or groaning.
"Josh, you alright?" Leo asked. Josh looked up, blankly. Leo paused for a second, before sitting in the visitor's chair. "They caught a third suspect. He's the brother of the two shooters, he confessed to masterminding the shooting planning, and said it was a vendetta against the President which caused it."
"What kind of vendetta?" Josh asked, tiredly rubbing his forehead. He looked at the picture on his desk; the same one Donna had been looking at in CJ's office. It wasn't usually on his desk, but the shooting had given him the urge to keep it near him.
"Their brother was given the death sentence or the murder of eleven people, but they seem to think he was doing good. It was a Caucasian town where they lived, and they wanted to keep it that way, but a family of Asians moved into their town."
Josh knew the story, and finished Leo's version. "He killed the Asians, and was imprisoned, but the three brothers decided he was right to kill them, and are mad at the President for not stopping the lethal injection."
"Yeah," Leo said, quietly. "They wanted to kill the President to get him back for what they think was the wrongful death of their brother."
"Our friends nearly died because of some bastard who's brother's a idiotic racist?" It was more of a statement than a question, but Leo still nodded. Josh stood up, and slammed his fists on the desk, making it shake and knocking the cup of pencils from the end. "Those shooters should be thankful they're dead, because I want to kill them right now. I want to kill their brother, but I want him to go to jail and rot, the death of his brothers on his mind all the Goddamn time!" Josh, furiously, threw his coffee mug across the room. It hit the chalkboard and shattered into a million pieces. Leo flinched slightly at the sound of impact, and Donna appeared in the doorway, a shocked look on her face. Josh kicked the trashcan, severely denting it. Then he stared at the squashed trashcan, breathing heavily; the sight of the trashcan and the sight of the smashed mug seemed to placate him.
Donna bent down to pick up the pieces, shaking slightly. Leo stared at Josh, who turned around and looked out the window. Donna dropped the pieces in the trashcan, the second victim of Josh's anger. It was just about useable.
"Josh, I'm gonna be… in my office if you want to talk, at all, okay?" Leo got no response, and glanced at Donna, who nodded, slightly. He walked out the door, and towards his office.
"Josh? All things considered, I think we're gonna be okay," Donna whispered, coming up behind him. Josh turned, his shoulders slumped, and a look of defeat on his face. He ran a hand through his hair before answering.
"Yeah. We're gonna be okay. CJ won't… We will." Donna silently wrapped her arms around his waist and hugged him.
*
Mrs. Landingham silently entered the Oval Office, a worried look on her face. The phone call had finally come through, the phone call the whole White House had been half anticipating, half dreading since the shooting. Jed looked up at her, and she quietly said, "Mr. President, the hospital."
This was the phone call. He didn't want to have to answer it, didn't want to hear the news… but also needed clarification. Despite assuring everyone that CJ was going to be just fine, the President was almost certain she wasn't going to pull through. Once he'd heard the words spoken over the phone from the doctor, there would be no more questions. No more waiting, and either elation or despair from all those who loved the White House Press Secretary.
He nodded, and picked up the phone, not ignoring the fact that Mrs. Landingham was hovering around the door. "Jed Bartlet."
Mrs. Landingham nervously waited in the doorway. She'd done her job as the President's secretary, but needed to hear the news.
"Yes, Doctor, I understand, can you just tell me whether…" He trailed off, listening to the doctor for a minute, and slumped back in his chair. Mrs. Landingham couldn't tell whether it was a slump of relief or one of sorrow. "Thank you, Doctor."
He hung up, and paused for a few moments, before standing up, a blank, emotionless expression on his face, and walking out the door. As he passed Mrs. Landingham, he turned to her, and gave her a tiny smile, and a nod.
"Get Leo, don't tell him anything, please, Mrs. Landingham!" the President called back to his secretary. She nodded, and walked slowly to Leo's office.
The Secret Service were having a hell of a time trying to keep up with the President. He practically ran through the West Wing hallways, a sight not many people would ever see. A few moments later he turned a corner and could see the Communication's bullpen, where the majority of all the staff who worked in the West Wing had congregated, all working silently or at least attempting to work. He could see Toby at one desk, quietly tapping the keys of his laptop.
Leo came up behind the President, followed by Margaret and Mrs. Landingham. The President spoke quietly to Leo. "Go get everyone else here, now. I… have an announcement to make." With that, Leo turned in the opposite direction and went to find the rest of the staff, and the President entered the bullpen. Chairs shuffled as everyone stood. Jed told everyone to sit; he assumed that once they'd heard the news they'd need to sit, anyway.
Within 30 seconds, the rest of the West Wing staff were in the same space as the President. Jed silently observed the people he worked closely with on a daily basis… Toby had closed his laptop, Josh was standing with Carol on one side, and Donna supporting his waist on the other side. Leo was standing behind Josh, giving the President a pleading look, as if to say, 'don't tell us bad news, please'.
Jed cleared his throat, and began to speak. "About three minutes ago I received a phone call from the hospital where CJ underwent her surgery." He unconsciously chose words that wouldn't give away the ending too fast. "I spoke to her doctor, Doctor Greenfield. He told me the chances of her surviving were slim in the first place. As many of you know, she had many blood transfusions, and her heart nearly stopped several times during surgery. However, despite this, the surgery went on, and was completed about an hour ago." The President paused, allowing a huge smile to creep across his face. "She woke up fifty-five minutes later, and the first thing she said was 'When can I get back to work?'"
Smiles and cheers erupted in the bullpen. Toby, uncharacteristically, smiled, and didn't push Ginger away when she hugged him, in fact, he hugged her back. Josh, laughing, hugged Donna, then Carol, who was nearly in tears of happiness. Leo walked over to the President, and the two grinned, joyfully.
As things slowly got back to normal, the level of talking much higher than before, the members of the Senior Staff got together in Toby's office, along with the President, Margaret, Donna, Mrs. Landingham and Carol. Josh picked up a piece of paper, and glanced at it.
"Hey, Toby, is this the statement?" he asked, waving it in the air.
"If it says CJ in the top right corner, then yes," Toby replied. Carol took the paper from Josh, and paused in the doorway.
"Is it alright if I go and read this now?" Carol asked. Everyone nodded, and all asked Leo if it was okay if they go in as well. The President shushed them.
"Carol, if you don't mind I'd like to read the statement, and you can all come into the Press Room if you wish," the President said. Carol nodded, and passed the paper to the President, and they all, smiling, entered the Press Room. Cameras flashed as they entered, and the President laid the paper down on the podium, smiling for the cameras.
"I have a short statement to read regarding CJ Cregg's condition, then Carol will take any questions you have, okay? Good. At 9:33 PM Eastern Time, shots were fired at myself and other members of the public at the Newseum, in Rosslyn, Virginia. One of these bullets hit White House Press Secretary CJ Cregg, who underwent surgery at George Washington Hospital, to repair a punctured lung, remove a bullet, and stop internal bleeding. She had to have five blood transfusions, and her heart nearly stopped several times during surgery. Despite the injuries, the doctors completed the surgery an hour ago, and approximately five minutes ago, she woke up, and is expected to make a full recovery in a matter of months. However, her recovery will be long, so don't expect her back at work for a while." The President paused, and ran a hand through his hair. "And finally, the third accomplice has been caught. Washington is now open, and we're back in business, ladies and gentlemen!"
The applause from the press corps and the staff members was something generally unheard of in CJ's Press Room for what should have been a normal press briefing.
* * *
The doctor entered, and started to check the machine readings. The whole room was oblivious to him.
A stir and a mumble silenced the room, and ten pairs of eyes focused on the bed, where CJ was sleeping.
"What's a guy like you doin' in a place like this?" CJ said. Her voice was quiet, and sounded like it hadn't been used in days rather than hours, but to Jed Bartlet it was the best sound he'd heard in ages. He smiled, and leaned over to see her.
"Waitin' for a gal like you to wake up," he replied, brushing his lips against her cheek. CJ smiled, and opened her eyes to see the President, Leo, Josh, the First Lady, Toby, Carol, Mrs. Landingham and a doctor standing around her. She could also see Charlie in a wheelchair at the foot of her bed, with Zoey holding onto the handles.
"How do you feel, Ms Cregg?" the doctor asked. CJ looked at him.
"Like I've been shot," she said, casually. The doctor nodded, and slipped out of the room, pausing to whisper something in Mrs. Bartlet's ear.
"Alright, if, at any time, CJ feels claustrophobic, you've all gotta get out, give her some breathing space," Abbey announced. Everyone grudgingly agreed, all wanting to talk to CJ, and check that she was all right.
"Who's been looking after Gail?" CJ asked, the thought popping into her head.
"Me and Danny have, CJ," Carol answered. "By the way, I have a whole new respect for you."
"You did the Press Conferences?" CJ asked, surprised. Carol nodded, and CJ turned to the President. "I know I agreed that I would do the press briefings even if a herd of bison trampled me, but I was otherwise engaged in trying not to die, so, Mr. President, is it okay that Carol did the briefings?" She said it in a joking tone, but no one laughed. It was the truth, and the after-effects of the shooting were still too much on everyone's minds to laugh about it. CJ noticed this. "I'm taking it we're not ready to joke about it yet."
Josh noticed the uncomfortable atmosphere, and took it as his responsibility to lighten the tone. "Well, I think she did well, CJ. She didn't invent a secret plan to fight inflation-" Leo, the President and Toby all groaned, Josh laughed. "But, in my defense, Carol had everything written out for her, I had to wing it."
"You didn't do a very good job at winging it, Josh," Toby muttered. CJ looked around the cluster of people.
"Someone's missing." CJ realized. Abbey and Leo exchanged a look, as CJ figured out who wasn't there. "Sam. Where's Sam?"
"He went to get a cup of coffee with Mallory," Zoey offered. Leo looked at the First Daughter, and Zoey laughed. "Oh, relax Leo, it's not a date, it's a cup of coffee, in a hospital."
"Okay. If anyone sees him, tell him to get in here." CJ yawned. Abbey noticed this, and immediately took charge.
"Alright, the patient is tired, everyone out," she told everyone. Slowly, they all exited, until just Josh was left in the room.
"I'm really glad you're okay, CJ," he murmured. CJ moved her right arm, with a little bit of difficulty, and reached out for him. He took her hand, and squeezed.
"I'm really glad you didn't go into my press room," she replied. Josh smiled, and exited. CJ closed her eyes, and fell to sleep, her last thoughts about the throbbing in her chest.
*
"Sam." Sam looked up as Leo McGarry strode purposefully towards him and Mallory. Mallory looked at Sam, and tightened her grip on the coffee mug.
"Uh oh, busted," she said, sing song. Sam glared at her as Leo sat down at the small table.
"Hey, Mal, you okay, babe?" Leo asked his daughter. She nodded.
"How's your shoulder?" she asked. Leo gestured so-so with his hand, then turned to Sam.
"She wants to see you."
"Who does?" Sam asked, confused.
"CJ. After making a rather un-funny joke about the shooting, she asked for you. Go see her."
"How is she?" Sam asked, staring into his coffee.
"She's CJ." That was all Leo needed to say. Sam nodded, and stirred his now-cold coffee.
"Yeah."
*
She was sleeping when he entered her room. Every time Sam closed his eyes, he could see her scared face asking him to stay with her. The same face was in front of him, with a bit more color in it, and she looked at peace. Sam reached for her hand, and bought it up to his lips, where he softly pressed a kiss onto the back of it. She stirred, and opened an eye.
"Hey, Sam," she mumbled. Sam, relieved she was talking, smiled faintly.
"Hey yourself. You okay?" he asked. CJ opened the other eye, and gave Sam a look.
"Oh, yeah, brilliant," she said, smiling, weakly.
"Well, that's good," Sam replied, letting go of her hand, and twisting his hands together, nervously.
CJ nodded, completely drained of energy. When she next spoke, her voice was barely audible. "I… I can't remember what happened, Sam, and that scares me. I need to know what happened, Sam… If you can remember."
Sam swallowed. He had been reliving those moments in his head time and time again, and had them down pretty clear, but to say it out loud… But he had to. For CJ's sake. "We were on our way back, you were laughing about a face this guy was making. We heard one shot, and you looked at me, and then by the time the second shot was released, I panicked, and I pulled you to the ground. Um, the gunfire stopped, and I told you, because I thought you were in shock. But you whispered to me you thought you were hit, and you got scared I was going to leave you…" Sam trailed off, the memories were too painful.
CJ heard the anguish in his voice, and squeezed his hand. "Sam, it's okay, you don't need to carry on." He looked at her, slightly surprised. "Oh, by the way, thank you for protecting my head. Your back's alright?" It was the one part of the experience she remembered.
"A little bruised, but… y'know, nothing that can't be fixed," Sam told her, smiling slightly.
"Good. Thanks for saving my life, I owe ya one." CJ closed her eyes, and was soon asleep, leaving Sam to shake his head and smile. He left her room after watching her breathe for a few seconds, and met up with Mallory.
"Is she okay?" Mallory asked, concerned.
"Ah, she'll be fine," Sam said, taking Mallory's hand and walking down the corridor. "She'll be just fine."
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THE END.
Feedback is always welcome.
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