"CJ," Sam walked in and sat in the chair next to her. "The doctor is
allowing people to go back now."
"Yeah," CJ mumbled while looking away from him.
"Maybe you want to."
"Sam, I told you that he's going to be fine. I don't need to see him," CJ cried.
"You can go last if you want."
"I'm not going," CJ wiped away some of the tears. "It's not like him to give up."
"He's not giving up CJ, it's just." Sam found it hard to talk.
"Sam?" CJ looked over at him.
"Yeah?"
"Have you been up since the accident?"
"Yes," Sam nodded and grabbed her hand.
"I'm sorry," She whispered.
"Don't be sorry CJ. It's a hard time for all of us right now."
"It will all be better soon. When Toby wakes up," CJ smiled. "You'll see."
"Yeah," Sam smiled weakly at CJ. "I should go out with the others and let you rest."
"Okay," CJ smiled. "If you see Toby before I do, tell him I'm okay."
"Okay CJ," Sam nodded and walked out.
"How is she?" Josh walked up.
"She's not excepting this yet. She still thinks Toby's going to wake up."
"Did you tell her what's."
"I did. But she refuses to listen to anything. She doesn't want to hear the truth."
"Should I talk to her?"
"No. Let her rest for now," Sam looked back in.
"Donna, Margaret, and Carol came out," Josh looked down.
"How are they?"
"There're hurting," Josh took a deep breath. "It's one thing to know that he's in surgery, but to know that he's going to die." Josh leaned against the wall. "I don't know what to do here."
"Neither do I," Sam wiped his tears away. "This doesn't feel real yet."
"I know," Josh looked down. "Leo called the President. He's on his way with Abbey."
"Who's going in next?"
"Leo," Josh answered.
WAITING ROOM
"Leo!" Jed bellowed from down the hall. "I need to speak with you."
"I'm on my way in to see Toby," Leo said.
"I just finished talking with Sam. CJ refuses to see him." Jed seemed upset. "She needs to be able to say goodbye Leo."
"I know," Leo nodded, adding softly, "But she thinks everything will be okay."
"I have an idea," Jed said. Turning to a nurse that was nearby in the corridor, "Excuse me, I need a wheelchair."
"Are you feeling alright sir?" the nurse asked.
"Jed?" Leo gave him a confused look.
"Leo, do you mind if CJ went before you?" Jed asked while the nurse gathered up a wheelchair.
"Not at all, but how."
"Just let me play boss for a minute," Jed said. "I don't want CJ to regret not being able to say goodbye to her best friend."
"Here you are sir," the nurse smiled.
"Thank you." Jed took the wheelchair and strolled it towards CJ's room.
"What's he doing?" Josh asked, running up beside Leo.
"Helping a friend," Leo whispered.
"Claudia Jean!" Jed shouted as he walked into the hospital room and saw CJ flipping through channels on her television.
"Mr. President?" CJ said, looking surprised.
"How are you my dear?" Jed asked, kissing her forehead.
"I'm doing a little better," CJ answered, smiling weakly.
"Why don't we go for a little ride?" Jed pointed to the wheelchair that he left behind.
"The doctors don't want me to do too much," CJ replied.
"I'm the boss today," a smiling Jed proclaimed. "Come on."
"Okay," CJ smiled.
"Good," Jed responded, walking out into the hallway and calling for some nurses to come in to help.
"Careful," Jed demanded as the nurses slowly moved CJ from the bed to the wheelchair.
"Are you okay?" one of the nurses asked.
"Yeah," CJ nodded while trying to get comfortable. "It's just that I've been in one place for so long."
"I understand," Jed smiled. "Come on." He took ahold of the back of the wheelchair and pushed her out. As soon as they got to the hallway, CJ saw Abbey.
"Hello CJ," Abbey said, smiling and hugging her gently. "How are you?"
"I'm fine," CJ said, nodding a little. "Just a little tired."
"Jed will take care of you," Abbey responded, smiling at CJ, then turning towards Jed.
"I know what I'm doing," Jed whispered in Abbey's ear.
"You better," she whispered back.
"I'll be waiting here until you get back." Abbey smiled at CJ.
CJ nodded her head towards Abbey as Jed pushed her down the hall.
"It feels good to get out, doesn't it?" Jed prompted.
"Yeah," CJ said quietly. She had a feeling that Jed knew exactly where he was going and she was a little worried.
"Mr. President."
"We're here," Jed said softly. Bending down to her level, he added, "You need to do this CJ."
"Do what?" CJ asked confused.
"You need to say goodbye to Toby," Jed whispered.
"No," CJ said, shaking her head. "No. He's fine Mr. President." She felt tears forming as she said the words.
"If you don't say goodbye to him, you're going to regret it for the rest of your life," Jed whispered softly taking CJ's hand. "This is something we all need to do."
"I can't," CJ cried. "This is my fault."
"Honey," Jed whispered, kissing her forehead. "This was not your fault. It was an accident."
"He's my best friend," she cried. "I can't see him like this."
"CJ, I promise. You'll feel better after you do this," Jed said as he rose to his feet. "Will you go in?"
CJ waited for a minute and tried to calm down. She was crying hysterically and couldn't seem to get her thoughts in order. She looked up into Jed's eyes and saw his own tears. Looking towards her feet, she nodded.
"I'll take you in," Jed said as he strolled her into Toby's room.
TBC
"Yeah," CJ mumbled while looking away from him.
"Maybe you want to."
"Sam, I told you that he's going to be fine. I don't need to see him," CJ cried.
"You can go last if you want."
"I'm not going," CJ wiped away some of the tears. "It's not like him to give up."
"He's not giving up CJ, it's just." Sam found it hard to talk.
"Sam?" CJ looked over at him.
"Yeah?"
"Have you been up since the accident?"
"Yes," Sam nodded and grabbed her hand.
"I'm sorry," She whispered.
"Don't be sorry CJ. It's a hard time for all of us right now."
"It will all be better soon. When Toby wakes up," CJ smiled. "You'll see."
"Yeah," Sam smiled weakly at CJ. "I should go out with the others and let you rest."
"Okay," CJ smiled. "If you see Toby before I do, tell him I'm okay."
"Okay CJ," Sam nodded and walked out.
"How is she?" Josh walked up.
"She's not excepting this yet. She still thinks Toby's going to wake up."
"Did you tell her what's."
"I did. But she refuses to listen to anything. She doesn't want to hear the truth."
"Should I talk to her?"
"No. Let her rest for now," Sam looked back in.
"Donna, Margaret, and Carol came out," Josh looked down.
"How are they?"
"There're hurting," Josh took a deep breath. "It's one thing to know that he's in surgery, but to know that he's going to die." Josh leaned against the wall. "I don't know what to do here."
"Neither do I," Sam wiped his tears away. "This doesn't feel real yet."
"I know," Josh looked down. "Leo called the President. He's on his way with Abbey."
"Who's going in next?"
"Leo," Josh answered.
WAITING ROOM
"Leo!" Jed bellowed from down the hall. "I need to speak with you."
"I'm on my way in to see Toby," Leo said.
"I just finished talking with Sam. CJ refuses to see him." Jed seemed upset. "She needs to be able to say goodbye Leo."
"I know," Leo nodded, adding softly, "But she thinks everything will be okay."
"I have an idea," Jed said. Turning to a nurse that was nearby in the corridor, "Excuse me, I need a wheelchair."
"Are you feeling alright sir?" the nurse asked.
"Jed?" Leo gave him a confused look.
"Leo, do you mind if CJ went before you?" Jed asked while the nurse gathered up a wheelchair.
"Not at all, but how."
"Just let me play boss for a minute," Jed said. "I don't want CJ to regret not being able to say goodbye to her best friend."
"Here you are sir," the nurse smiled.
"Thank you." Jed took the wheelchair and strolled it towards CJ's room.
"What's he doing?" Josh asked, running up beside Leo.
"Helping a friend," Leo whispered.
"Claudia Jean!" Jed shouted as he walked into the hospital room and saw CJ flipping through channels on her television.
"Mr. President?" CJ said, looking surprised.
"How are you my dear?" Jed asked, kissing her forehead.
"I'm doing a little better," CJ answered, smiling weakly.
"Why don't we go for a little ride?" Jed pointed to the wheelchair that he left behind.
"The doctors don't want me to do too much," CJ replied.
"I'm the boss today," a smiling Jed proclaimed. "Come on."
"Okay," CJ smiled.
"Good," Jed responded, walking out into the hallway and calling for some nurses to come in to help.
"Careful," Jed demanded as the nurses slowly moved CJ from the bed to the wheelchair.
"Are you okay?" one of the nurses asked.
"Yeah," CJ nodded while trying to get comfortable. "It's just that I've been in one place for so long."
"I understand," Jed smiled. "Come on." He took ahold of the back of the wheelchair and pushed her out. As soon as they got to the hallway, CJ saw Abbey.
"Hello CJ," Abbey said, smiling and hugging her gently. "How are you?"
"I'm fine," CJ said, nodding a little. "Just a little tired."
"Jed will take care of you," Abbey responded, smiling at CJ, then turning towards Jed.
"I know what I'm doing," Jed whispered in Abbey's ear.
"You better," she whispered back.
"I'll be waiting here until you get back." Abbey smiled at CJ.
CJ nodded her head towards Abbey as Jed pushed her down the hall.
"It feels good to get out, doesn't it?" Jed prompted.
"Yeah," CJ said quietly. She had a feeling that Jed knew exactly where he was going and she was a little worried.
"Mr. President."
"We're here," Jed said softly. Bending down to her level, he added, "You need to do this CJ."
"Do what?" CJ asked confused.
"You need to say goodbye to Toby," Jed whispered.
"No," CJ said, shaking her head. "No. He's fine Mr. President." She felt tears forming as she said the words.
"If you don't say goodbye to him, you're going to regret it for the rest of your life," Jed whispered softly taking CJ's hand. "This is something we all need to do."
"I can't," CJ cried. "This is my fault."
"Honey," Jed whispered, kissing her forehead. "This was not your fault. It was an accident."
"He's my best friend," she cried. "I can't see him like this."
"CJ, I promise. You'll feel better after you do this," Jed said as he rose to his feet. "Will you go in?"
CJ waited for a minute and tried to calm down. She was crying hysterically and couldn't seem to get her thoughts in order. She looked up into Jed's eyes and saw his own tears. Looking towards her feet, she nodded.
"I'll take you in," Jed said as he strolled her into Toby's room.
TBC