Chapter Ten
When they got to Leo's office Sam was pacing outside and Margaret looked like she hoped that if she carried on typing and staring fixedly at the monitor Sam, Linch and Leo would disappear.
"What happened?" Toby asked.
Sam continued to pace. "What happened? Congressman Linch decided that his time was being wasted. Congressman Linch decided he would be better off discussing his proposals with an intern. Congressman Linch is a-"
"That's enough." Toby shouted. "You went into this meeting unprepared." Toby turned and walked away from Sam. When he turned to face him he hadn't managed to calm down, "Why did you go ahead with something which you knew-" CJ and Josh watched Toby as he tried again unsuccessfully to calm down. "Give me one good reason why Leo shouldn't tell you to take a hike."
"I can't." Suddenly Sam became animated. "In fact I think he should. My writing stinks, you've been covering for me for weeks, I come in late and leave early, I haven't the slightest clue what CJ told the press today let alone last week, I'm unable to focus, I can't even prep for what should have been a straightforward meeting, and how a picture of me puking in an alley or falling off a bar stool hasn't graced the covers of the national press yet is beyond me." Sam started walking towards the closed door of Leo's office. Toby stepped in front of him.
"What do you think you're doing?"
"I'm going to give Leo the reasons why he should tell me to take a hike, they're pretty cogent don't you think?" Sam tried to step around Toby but he blocked his way again.
"Go to my office." Margaret had stopped typing and sat staring at the little dance the two men were performing.
"You go to your office," Sam answered indignantly. Toby blocked his way again.
"Toby!" Sam tried to push past him but Toby grabbed his arm and Sam found himself being pulled back.
Josh called out Sam's name as he watched Sam's arm rise. It was not a cry of warning or admonishment but of disbelief. The sight of Sam standing inches from Toby his fist clenched and raised shocked CJ and Margaret too. Toby watched as Sam's expression turned from anger to confusion and finally horror at the realization of what he was doing. Sam unclenched his fist and his hand hung loosely in the air until he lowered it to his head. He closed his eyes and still Toby held onto him.
"Go to my office," Toby repeated. Sam opened his eyes as Toby released his hold of him. Josh made to follow him but was stopped by Toby. The door to Leo's office opened and the three of them watched as Leo and Congressman Linch started a round of hand-shaking and back slapping that paid testament to Leo's diplomatic skills. As Linch disappeared Leo's smile faded.
"Would you step in here," he began quietly, "that means you, you and oh yes you." His voice rose as he pointed in turn to CJ, Toby and Josh. He walked into his office and slammed the door. "Why did I just have to spend ten minutes placating and apologising to a man who I can't stand, about his treatment in a meeting that should have been a matter of formality?"
"Could it have something to do with the fact that Sam thought he was going to a meeting with Larch?" Toby offered quietly.
"Well yeah I don't think that helped. And I don't think the Congressman was particularly impressed when Sam disclosed that information to him or proceeded to suggest that if Linch pretended he was Larch then he would be really impressed with what Sam had to say."
CJ couldn't help a snort of laughter escaping, "I'm sorry. Did he go for it?"
"No, CJ, he didn't go for it," Leo replied as he sighed and sat down behind his desk. "Where is he now?"
"In my office."
"Give him time to calm down then I want to see him. I tell you what, let's have a party, why don't you all come back in half an hour and we'll sort out this mess once and for all."
"Mess? I thought the situation with Linch was resolved?" Toby said.
"I was referring to Sam," Leo explained.
Toby's face showed his silent agreement that mess was indeed a very good adjective for Sam at the moment.
"Hey, do I need to go grab something to eat or will you be laying on a buffet?" Josh asked. "Because if you're holding a party you really should provide some sort of-"
Josh stopped abruptly as Leo slammed his hand on the desk. "From now on before you speak to me you ask yourself these questions; is what I'm about to say something that Leo needs to know? Will it be of any interest or use to him? Would my life be lengthened if I decide not to say whatever wisecrack comment is currently running through my juvenile mind?"
"Is that just for work related subjects or general conversation?" Josh was pushed firmly from Leo's office by CJ. Leo watched as Toby exited behind them. He didn't know what he was going to do when they met again with Sam but something needed to be done. He knew Toby and CJ were worried and it was killing Josh that he couldn't help his friend. Leo needed some advice from someone who had once forced an idiot to get help. He stepped into the Oval Office. He needed to ask Bartlet how he had known what to do when Leo had been the one that needed help.
When Toby arrived back at his office he didn't think much of the fact that Sam wasn't there. He supposed that he had gone to the Mess or even outside to get some air. When Ginger appeared at his door with a worried look on her face, he knew that both theories were about to be proved wrong.
"Sam said to tell you, well, he didn't say to tell you anything actually but he's gone. He just came bursting into his office, grabbed his coat and nearly knocked me flying in his haste to get out of here. I asked him where he was going and he called back that he was sick and was going home."
"This is not good, Ginger."
"No I didn't think it was."
"It's not good at all." Toby rubbed at his forehead.
Ginger waited for Toby to start looking like he knew what to do. She didn't have to wait long. "Go get Josh," he told her. As an afterthought he added, "Tell him to bring his galoshes."
Sam sat in the middle of his living room surrounded by newspapers. He knew that somewhere he had read an article about Stephen Walsh and it had mentioned where he worked. He picked up another paper, knocking over his glass of bourbon in the process. He reached for the open bottle and started to drink from that instead. He continued to browse the pages randomly until eventually he found what he was looking for. He said the name of the office building out loud three times and then stood up on shaky legs dropping the bottle on the floor as he did so. He grabbed his keys and wallet and left his apartment ignoring the phone that had started to ring. A slow trickle of bourbon left the bottle and made a swirling journey across the picture of Stephen Walsh.
"What did he say?" Josh had been waiting impatiently for Toby to come back from Leo's office.
"He wasn't pleased," Toby answered, "You know, as in absolutely livid. I did point out that we could hardly handcuff Sam to his desk but he seemed to think that sounded like a pretty good idea, so." Toby continued to lean against the doorjamb. "Try his cell again," he suggested.
Josh had tried contacting Sam with no luck and so he was taken by surprise when he suddenly heard Sam's voice. "Be quiet, Josh, I'm on a stakeout," Sam whispered.
Josh had put Sam on speaker phone and on hearing Sam's words Toby swung his hand to his forehead dramatically and closed his eyes.
"Do you want me to come and get you?" Josh asked.
"No. I've got to do this first."
"Hey, Man From Uncle," Toby shouted, "get your ass back to HQ."
Sam didn't reply. There was a loud sigh and then. "Just let me do this. Then you can come get me."
"Where are you and what do you have to do?" Josh asked calmly.
"I'm- ah, I see what you're trying to do. A good agent never reveals his location. I'll phone you I just…I have to do this, Josh." Sam hung up. He was sitting in the bar opposite where Stephen Walsh worked. He had been drinking and watching the revolving doors unaware that he too was being watched. As Sam stood on finally seeing Stephen exit the building opposite, the man sitting on the other side of the bar reached for his cell phone.
Donna pushed the door to Josh's office and found her way blocked by something. She pushed against it harder. "Hold on!" Josh shouted out. She heard the sound of something being dragged out of the way and then Josh pulled the door open. He was red and sweating slightly. As Donna surveyed the room she could see the reason why. The desk had been placed to the left of the room and a cabinet stood abandoned in the middle. She looked to Josh for an explanation.
"This isn't a Feng Shui thing, I just wanted a change. I was going to put the cabinet by the window. It worked in my head, when I planned it, but in actual real-life dimensions it seems to be a bit bigger."
"Bigger than it was in your head?" Donna clarified.
Josh nodded, "Yeah and heavier, it's a lot heavier than it was when I was moving it in my head."
Donna started picking up stray items of stationery that had fallen off the desk during its journey. "The last time you rearranged your office was when the President told you he had MS."
Josh understood what Donna was implying but he didn't want to tell her that he was worried sick about Sam. He started to deny that anything was wrong when the sound of the phone interrupted him. Josh went to his desk before realising that the phone was no longer there. He scanned the room but couldn't see it.
"It's definitely coming from over there," he muttered as he walked over towards where his desk used to be. Donna meanwhile was on her hands and knees following the lead from the phone-point on the wall. Josh reached down and tried to peer in the space between the edge of the cabinet and the wall, convinced that the phone was on the other side he hurried around, crouched down. He spotted the phone on the floor behind his chair. He crawled towards it, reaching it from his end as Donna finished trailing along the lead from hers. The inevitable clash of heads caused both of them to cry out. Donna grabbed the receiver. "Josh Lyman," she answered in a surprisingly unperturbed voice. She held her hand over the receiver and told Josh it was Matt Skinner and that he needed to talk about Sam urgently.
Josh immediately took the receiver from her, picked up the phone and began to pace. "Hey Matt, what's up?"
"Josh, it's probably nothing. I'm been sitting here waiting for Congressman Fowler who I'm meeting for lunch, he's late as usual. Anyway the thing is Sam's here and he's pretty drunk. I didn't realise at first. He just left but he's just standing around outside. I think you should get down here, Josh, he looks…vulnerable."
Josh scribbled down the name of the bar as he thanked Matt who told him that he would keep watching Sam, but once Fowler arrived he would be stuck. Josh assured him he would be there before that and hung up. He stood in the middle of his office for a few seconds then Donna took the phone from him and handed him his coat. "If I don't tell you where I'm going you won't have to lie to Toby. I've got my cell." With that he left his office, Donna standing in the middle of it still holding the phone.
Gerry Fowler passed Sam, as he walked towards the entrance to the bar, unaware of the interest of the dishevelled man to his dining companion. Matt smiled and greeted him and positioned himself so that he could talk to Fowler and continue to watch Sam.
Sam was staring at Stephen Walsh who, for the past five minutes, had been standing on the sidewalk with some of his workmates. A woman's child stepped into the road near Sam. A taxi driver hooted his horn furiously as he swerved out of the way. The sound caused Stephen to glance over. He saw Sam but turned away before suddenly spinning his head back in Sam's direction. The two men stared at each other. The people he had been talking to were so involved in their conversation that they didn't notice him walk away until he was halfway across the road. They watched intrigued as Stephen and Sam came face to face. Neither man spoke. The tension between the two men was so great it seemed to permeate the space around them. People passing stepped into the road to avoid them.
Stephen took a step towards Sam. He had a sudden urge to touch him, unable to believe at first that the man whose image had been the focus of so much hatred was standing in front of him. He had thought that his feelings of anger and hatred were diminishing but on seeing Sam he was overwhelmed by them. "And I thought you only got drunk in the morning," he sneered.
"No it's pretty much an all day thing," Sam replied. He could see the disgust in Stephen's eyes but it wasn't what he had wanted. He wanted Stephen to hate him. He wanted him to vindicate Sam's self hatred. He wanted him to justify his guilt and in so doing end its haunting of him.
"You were drunk you bastard, everyone told me, convinced me, that I was wrong but I wasn't. You were drunk and you covered it up."
All Sam had to do was explain that he had meant he got drunk all the time now. That he hadn't drunk like this before, that Stephen was wrong. But he didn't. He didn't say a word. He let Stephen believe the worst of him because it didn't matter why he blamed him just so long as he did. His reward came in the shape of Stephen's fist which landed squarely on Sam's jaw and sent him hurtling to the ground. Stephen yanked Sam to his knees by his lapels. He hit him again and the force sent him down to the ground for a second time. He was too caught up in rage to register that Sam was not fighting back. He was allowing Stephen to hit him, drag him up and strike him again and again. Stephen's friends had watched in disbelief as the normally placid man had followed his fourth punch with a vicious kick to the downed man's stomach.
Matt Skinner peered over his companion's shoulder and was relieved to see the space where Sam had stood was now empty. The next time he glanced up he was afforded a view of a very different scene. He stood up suddenly and mumbled a quick apology to Fowler as he walked hastily out of the bar.
He arrived outside in time to see Sam taking another punch as two of Stephen's friends tried to haul him off. Matt watched as the men pulled him away, clearly shocked by their friend's uncharacteristic behaviour, then walked towards Sam and knelt down beside him. He placed one hand on his shoulder. "Are you okay?" he asked but the answer came from behind him.
"Well I've had better days," Josh replied as he knelt down next to Matt and started to hoist Sam up.
"He didn't fight back," Matt said.
Josh nodded towards his car, his main priority at the moment being to get Sam into his car and out of sight. Together they half carried, half dragged Sam to the car.
"I better get back. Fowler will be…"
"Yeah, listen, thanks. I'll call you later." Josh shook Matt's hand and then turned his attention back to Sam who was trying to unfasten the seatbelt. "What do you think you're doing? We're going."
"I have to tell him. He thinks I was drunk when I..." Sam was struggling to free himself.
"You aredrunk."
"That morning he thinks I was drunk then. If I could just get this damn drunk-proof seatbelt undone!" The pain flaring through his ribs caused by his raised voice silenced him.
Josh cursed and then got out of the car and walked towards Stephen who sat surrounded by his friends. One of them saw Josh approaching and hurried towards him. "I don't know what you want but you're not talking to him."
"I don't want to talk to him. Listen, Sam said something about letting Stephen think he was drunk the morning of the accident. He wasn't."
"I know, Stephen knows really, he just lost it. I've known him for twelve years and I don't think I've seen him raise his voice let alone his fist."
"Well he must have been storing it up because he's done a pretty good job on Sam."
"Stephen should have stopped, he was out of control, but your friend didn't even try to defend himself he just took blow after blow without any-"
"I know, I know," Josh said. He didn't particularly want to listen to a description of Sam's submission and he certainly didn't want to get involved in a discussion of whose friend was suffering the most. Josh saw Stephen being led back to where he worked. He looked back at his friend and a flicker of understanding crossed between the two men. Josh watched as he crossed the road and hurried over to Stephen then he walked just as quickly back to his car. Sam had given up struggling with the seat belt and was sitting back in his seat, his eyes closed.