JUSTUS, JUSTITIA, JUSTICE!
PART IV
"Everything OK in here?" Toby asked as he re-entered his office. He looked concerned, he could plainly see that Sam hadn't moved an inch all the time he'd been gone.
"He's been very quiet and subdued since you left."
"Well, you're both free to go. Leo's given you both the all clear. Take it easy, OK? Any problems, call me, Josh." Toby instructed.
"Yeah."
Toby held out his hand to help Sam to his feet. This time he did not spurn it. He accepted it gratefully and got wearily to his feet. He was less steady on his feet now, so consequently Toby decided that he would walk them both down to Josh's car. Sam was tired now, that much was evident. His movements were more clumsy than usual, made so by a heavy feeling of lethargy that had descended over him. Josh slipped his arm around Sam's waist and was quite surprised at how much of Sam's weight fell against him.
"Toby, you wanna give me a hand here?"
"Sure." Toby fell in step on the other side of Sam, he too putting his arm around Sam's middle. "God. Is he supporting any of his own weight?"
"I doubt it. He's not saying much either. Toby, I'm worried."
"Sam?"
"Yeah." Sam sounded distant.
"How are you feeling?"
"I'm fine."
"Sam."
"Yeah?"
"How are you feeling?"
"Like I've been run over by a tank."
"A tank hey?" said Toby, trying to be jovial. "It was only a truck earlier."
"It grew." Toby smiled.
"It's good to hear that the old Seaborn wit is still in need of improvement." Toby turned to Josh. "We'll stop by your office, get Donna to get the First Lady down."
"Yeah." They about-turned and walked the short distance to Josh's office. "Donnatella!"
"What is it Joshua?" she asked, indignant at the interruption, then she saw who was with Josh. "Oh my God. I mean, oh my God. Josh, something's wrong with Sam. What's wrong with Sam?"
"Donna, can you go and get the First Lady down here, and call 911." Josh instructed.
"Why?" asked a disoriented Sam.
"You're not well, Sam."
"I'm OK. I don't need to go to the hospital."
"Yeah, you do." Josh responded.
"Perhaps we could compromise." Toby suggested. "We'll not call 911 until after the First Lady has told you that you're an idiot and that you need to go to hospital." Sam scowled, but resigned peaceably, allowing himself to be led into Josh's office and put into a chair. Toby went to shut the office door, while Josh pulled a couple of extra seats, closer to the one in which Sam had just been put.
"You want some coffee? I could get Donna to."
"No thank you." Toby answered.
"I could murder a cup of coffee."
"You're not touching anything, Sam. Not until the First Lady has checked you out." Toby admonished.
"You said you were alright Sam. You lied to me." Came a familiar voice in the doorway. "Keep your seats." It added as Toby and Josh began to rise to their feet.
"Sir." They said.
"Samuel?" Another familiar voice.
"Oh God." Sam groaned.
"How are you feeling?"
"I suddenly got a whole lot worse." Sam muttered at the arrival of the daunting Abigail Bartlet.
"What was that, Sam?"
"Nothing."
"Let's take a look at you."
"I'm OK Ma'am, really I am."
"Yeah. Sure." Said Josh.
"What happened?"
"He's been very quiet, lethargic, unsteady on his feet."
"You been overdoing it Sam?"
"No Ma'am." Abigail Bartlet took another look at Sam's head, and once more got him to trace the movement of her index finger."
"I think he's just been over exerted. I do think he needs to be checked out at the hospital, though. Just to make sure everything's in working condition."
"Told you so." Said Josh smugly. "Donna." He yelled. "You can call 911 now."
"I am doing Joshua."
"Wait!" called Mrs. Bartlet.
"Yes Ma'am?" Donna asked, sticking her blond head around the door.
"Don't call 911. It will be sufficient for someone to drive him. Josh, that's your cue. Take Sam straight to G.W. I'll call ahead to let them know that you're on your way."
"Thanks Mrs. Bartlet. Come on, Sam. Let's get you out of here."
X ~ X ~ X
15.34pm EST
"I told you that I was OK. That I was just tired."
"It's best to be on the safe side, Sam."
Josh and Sam had just arrived at Sam's apartment, having got back from the hospital. Sam had been given the all-clear, he had, however, been sent home to rest, provided of course that there was somebody there who could supervise him until the morning; Josh obviously won that particular role. All was a consequence of the concussion and the shock of the whole experience. He had been given the instruction to get a good night's sleep, then everything would look much better (and much less green), in the morning.
When they arrived back at Sam's apartment, he flopped down onto the sofa. Josh caught sight of a flashing light that emanated from the answer phone.
"Ooh. You got a phone message. Want me to play it back for you." You could tell from the tone of Josh's voice that curiosity wanted him to say 'yes' so that he too would be able to hear the message, even though it was most likely of no consequence to him in the slightest.
"Sure." Josh hit the play button and a familiar voice came from the speaker.
"Sam, it's Toby. Are you doing OK? Perhaps you could give me a call when you pick up this message. Talk to you later. Bye."
"Want me to call him?"
"Yeah. If you wouldn't mind. It might be about something important." As Josh dialled the number, Sam mused. "You know what I'd really like?"
"What?" he asked Sam.
"Closure. I would like for this whole thing to be over with closure. I want to see the police catch the people that did this and I want to see justice. I want to see the justice that we fight for and defend in action."
"I know. Oh. Hey. Toby? It's Josh. We're back at Sam's place and we just picked up your message. Yes. He's fine, just tired. Sent home to rest. I'm stopping here the night to play baby-sitter, just to make sure that he's OK. What did you call about?. Really? [laughs] It's good for something then. OK. Thanks Toby. Bye. I'll see you tomorrow." Josh replaced the receiver, then went to sit by Sam on the sofa.
"Toby wanted to make sure that you were all right. He also said that there was some news that you might be interested in."
"What's that?"
"The police called him a little while ago. They've got the guys that mugged you in police custody."
"They caught them?" Sam was impressed.
"Not exactly."
"Say what?" Sam rubbed his eyes wearily. What had seemed straightforward only a moment before had suddenly got particularly complicated.
"They turned themselves in and they confessed to several similar incidents."
"What made them do that?" Josh smiled.
"You'll just love this. It'll crack you up. When they were going through their spoils, they read your opposition prep." Sam's mouth dropped open. "Uhuh. They found out your 'position' on those sort of things. They figured that you were influential and that you could go a long way in seeing that those draconian measures were introduced and used to their greatest extent. It scared the crap out of them. So much so, that they turned themselves in hoping that it might prevent them from falling victim to any such measures."
"Why did they do it?"
"Toby didn't say. It certainly looks like you got your justice, though."
"I guess I did. I got my closure and I got my justice."
"You also discovered a nice easy way of getting criminals to confess, too. It could save a fortune for the police budget as far as man-hours are concerned. All you have to do is terrify them into submission." Josh good- naturedly put his hand on Sam's shoulder and gave it a squeeze. Sam smiled ever so slightly.
"Justus, Justitia, Justice!"
Finis
PART IV
"Everything OK in here?" Toby asked as he re-entered his office. He looked concerned, he could plainly see that Sam hadn't moved an inch all the time he'd been gone.
"He's been very quiet and subdued since you left."
"Well, you're both free to go. Leo's given you both the all clear. Take it easy, OK? Any problems, call me, Josh." Toby instructed.
"Yeah."
Toby held out his hand to help Sam to his feet. This time he did not spurn it. He accepted it gratefully and got wearily to his feet. He was less steady on his feet now, so consequently Toby decided that he would walk them both down to Josh's car. Sam was tired now, that much was evident. His movements were more clumsy than usual, made so by a heavy feeling of lethargy that had descended over him. Josh slipped his arm around Sam's waist and was quite surprised at how much of Sam's weight fell against him.
"Toby, you wanna give me a hand here?"
"Sure." Toby fell in step on the other side of Sam, he too putting his arm around Sam's middle. "God. Is he supporting any of his own weight?"
"I doubt it. He's not saying much either. Toby, I'm worried."
"Sam?"
"Yeah." Sam sounded distant.
"How are you feeling?"
"I'm fine."
"Sam."
"Yeah?"
"How are you feeling?"
"Like I've been run over by a tank."
"A tank hey?" said Toby, trying to be jovial. "It was only a truck earlier."
"It grew." Toby smiled.
"It's good to hear that the old Seaborn wit is still in need of improvement." Toby turned to Josh. "We'll stop by your office, get Donna to get the First Lady down."
"Yeah." They about-turned and walked the short distance to Josh's office. "Donnatella!"
"What is it Joshua?" she asked, indignant at the interruption, then she saw who was with Josh. "Oh my God. I mean, oh my God. Josh, something's wrong with Sam. What's wrong with Sam?"
"Donna, can you go and get the First Lady down here, and call 911." Josh instructed.
"Why?" asked a disoriented Sam.
"You're not well, Sam."
"I'm OK. I don't need to go to the hospital."
"Yeah, you do." Josh responded.
"Perhaps we could compromise." Toby suggested. "We'll not call 911 until after the First Lady has told you that you're an idiot and that you need to go to hospital." Sam scowled, but resigned peaceably, allowing himself to be led into Josh's office and put into a chair. Toby went to shut the office door, while Josh pulled a couple of extra seats, closer to the one in which Sam had just been put.
"You want some coffee? I could get Donna to."
"No thank you." Toby answered.
"I could murder a cup of coffee."
"You're not touching anything, Sam. Not until the First Lady has checked you out." Toby admonished.
"You said you were alright Sam. You lied to me." Came a familiar voice in the doorway. "Keep your seats." It added as Toby and Josh began to rise to their feet.
"Sir." They said.
"Samuel?" Another familiar voice.
"Oh God." Sam groaned.
"How are you feeling?"
"I suddenly got a whole lot worse." Sam muttered at the arrival of the daunting Abigail Bartlet.
"What was that, Sam?"
"Nothing."
"Let's take a look at you."
"I'm OK Ma'am, really I am."
"Yeah. Sure." Said Josh.
"What happened?"
"He's been very quiet, lethargic, unsteady on his feet."
"You been overdoing it Sam?"
"No Ma'am." Abigail Bartlet took another look at Sam's head, and once more got him to trace the movement of her index finger."
"I think he's just been over exerted. I do think he needs to be checked out at the hospital, though. Just to make sure everything's in working condition."
"Told you so." Said Josh smugly. "Donna." He yelled. "You can call 911 now."
"I am doing Joshua."
"Wait!" called Mrs. Bartlet.
"Yes Ma'am?" Donna asked, sticking her blond head around the door.
"Don't call 911. It will be sufficient for someone to drive him. Josh, that's your cue. Take Sam straight to G.W. I'll call ahead to let them know that you're on your way."
"Thanks Mrs. Bartlet. Come on, Sam. Let's get you out of here."
X ~ X ~ X
15.34pm EST
"I told you that I was OK. That I was just tired."
"It's best to be on the safe side, Sam."
Josh and Sam had just arrived at Sam's apartment, having got back from the hospital. Sam had been given the all-clear, he had, however, been sent home to rest, provided of course that there was somebody there who could supervise him until the morning; Josh obviously won that particular role. All was a consequence of the concussion and the shock of the whole experience. He had been given the instruction to get a good night's sleep, then everything would look much better (and much less green), in the morning.
When they arrived back at Sam's apartment, he flopped down onto the sofa. Josh caught sight of a flashing light that emanated from the answer phone.
"Ooh. You got a phone message. Want me to play it back for you." You could tell from the tone of Josh's voice that curiosity wanted him to say 'yes' so that he too would be able to hear the message, even though it was most likely of no consequence to him in the slightest.
"Sure." Josh hit the play button and a familiar voice came from the speaker.
"Sam, it's Toby. Are you doing OK? Perhaps you could give me a call when you pick up this message. Talk to you later. Bye."
"Want me to call him?"
"Yeah. If you wouldn't mind. It might be about something important." As Josh dialled the number, Sam mused. "You know what I'd really like?"
"What?" he asked Sam.
"Closure. I would like for this whole thing to be over with closure. I want to see the police catch the people that did this and I want to see justice. I want to see the justice that we fight for and defend in action."
"I know. Oh. Hey. Toby? It's Josh. We're back at Sam's place and we just picked up your message. Yes. He's fine, just tired. Sent home to rest. I'm stopping here the night to play baby-sitter, just to make sure that he's OK. What did you call about?. Really? [laughs] It's good for something then. OK. Thanks Toby. Bye. I'll see you tomorrow." Josh replaced the receiver, then went to sit by Sam on the sofa.
"Toby wanted to make sure that you were all right. He also said that there was some news that you might be interested in."
"What's that?"
"The police called him a little while ago. They've got the guys that mugged you in police custody."
"They caught them?" Sam was impressed.
"Not exactly."
"Say what?" Sam rubbed his eyes wearily. What had seemed straightforward only a moment before had suddenly got particularly complicated.
"They turned themselves in and they confessed to several similar incidents."
"What made them do that?" Josh smiled.
"You'll just love this. It'll crack you up. When they were going through their spoils, they read your opposition prep." Sam's mouth dropped open. "Uhuh. They found out your 'position' on those sort of things. They figured that you were influential and that you could go a long way in seeing that those draconian measures were introduced and used to their greatest extent. It scared the crap out of them. So much so, that they turned themselves in hoping that it might prevent them from falling victim to any such measures."
"Why did they do it?"
"Toby didn't say. It certainly looks like you got your justice, though."
"I guess I did. I got my closure and I got my justice."
"You also discovered a nice easy way of getting criminals to confess, too. It could save a fortune for the police budget as far as man-hours are concerned. All you have to do is terrify them into submission." Josh good- naturedly put his hand on Sam's shoulder and gave it a squeeze. Sam smiled ever so slightly.
"Justus, Justitia, Justice!"
Finis