Title: Complicated

Author: AAV

Feedback: Please! Alexis2100@hotmail.com

Summary: Romance, especially when you work at the White House, is never easy.

Rating: PG, for slight sexual innuendo and mild language

Disclaimer: I don't own any of it… The West Wing, Aaron Sorkin, the songs featured in the story, not any of it. This is just my humble attempt to create a story I would have liked to seen played out on screen. No infringement was intended.


Chapter 6: The Family

Sam pulled into the parking lot of Susini Memorial Hospital at 8 in the morning. Sam felt like he'd been awake for days… but then he realized that he had. He pulled into a parking space and turned off the ignition. He waited for Ainsley to do something, say something, but she didn't move.

"Ains?" he asked.

She was silent for another minute staring ahead, and then spoke, her voice quiet. "Sam, I'm so scared."

Sam unbuckled his seatbelt, got out of the car, and opened Ainsley's door. She stepped out of the car and Sam shut the door behind her before he pulled her close. He held her for a minute saying, "Don't worry. We'll get through this together." He pulled back and quickly kissed her on the lips then took her hand and headed inside.

"He's on the fourth floor," Ainsley said as they entered the lobby. They took the elevator and got off, walking into the Surgical Intensive Care Unit. Ainsley headed to the Nurse's Station and asked for her father's room. The nurse's nametag read Renée Jones. She smiled politely and Ainsley knew instantly something was wrong. The nurse walked from behind the desk. "You're his daughter?"

Ainsley nodded. "Yeah, Ainsley Hayes."

Renée shook Ainsley's hand. "Your family said you were coming. They're in the waiting room. Your father just got out of surgery. The doctor will be down soon to explain."

"But… he's alive?"

Renée smiled again. "Yeah, he's alive"

Ainsley let out the breath she was holding and felt Sam's grip tighten.

"It's still serious," the nurse continued, "but he's still alive. I'm sure you want to see your family." She led them down the hall to the waiting room.

Ainsley's mother was sitting in a chair nervously clutching a handkerchief. Her sister, Paige, was sitting next to her mother patting her back. Ainsley say her brother's coat sitting nearby, but she didn't see Marc in the room.

"Mama?" Ainsley said and her mother looked up and smiled, glanced at the man holding her daughter's hand, frowned, and looked back to Ainsley, a half smile and puzzled look on her face. If she wasn't so worried, Ainsley might have laughed.

Her mother and sister came toward her and Ainsley hugged them both. "I'm glad you came," her mother said. "You look tired."

"Mom… I'm fine. Sam drove, so I got some sleep on the way in," she smiled at her mother.

"Thank you for bringing my daughter to me, Mr. Seaborn."

"Please, call me Sam, Mrs. Hayes," he said as he shook her hand.

"And call me Barbara. It's nice to meet you. My daughter has told me precious little about you," she smiled, "so all I know is what I have read in the papers."

Sam blushed, feeling like he was 15 again and meeting his first date's parents. "Well, I hope what you've read is all good, but let me remind you, you can't always believe what you read."

Barbara Hayes offered a small laugh, then looked to her daughter. "I have to admit, for a Democrat, he's pretty good looking." It was Ainsley's turn to blush.

In the background, Ainsley's sister cleared her throat, and everyone turned to look at her. "Hi, yeah, how ya doing?"

"Oh, sorry Paige. Sam, this is my sister, Paige Oliver. Paige, Sam Seaborn." The two shook hands, Sam saying, "Nice to meet you." Paige Oliver looked to be in her early 30s, with the same long blond hair as Ainsley. The two sisters looked strikingly alike, with the only difference Paige being a few inches taller.

"Guess I got back in time for the party," a voice piped up from the doorway.

"Marc!" Ainsley squealed and threw her arms around the young man who had just come in.

"Ainsley! How's my favorite baby sister! In from the big, bad city. It seems like they keep you locked up there. What hold do those democrats have on you anyway?"

"More than you'd think…" Paige offered with a hint of laughter in her voice as she pointed to the bashful looking Sam.

"A democrat on the premises. Interesting. I'm Marcus Hayes. Mind if I call you Sam?"

Sam shook the pro-offered hand. "Not at all."

Suddenly a woman in a lab coat entered the waiting room. "I'm Dr. Beidler. Are you the Hayes'?"

"Yes, I'm Barbara," said Ainsley's mother, crossing to the woman. "Are you the doctor who operated on my husband?"

"Yes, I am. Please, sit down. I have some details for you about your husband." Barbara took a seat on a couch by the doctor, Paige sitting next to her. Marc stood to his sister's left and Sam stood behind Ainsley, a comforting hand on her waist.

"I have some good news," the doctor began, "but I also have some bad. Mr. Hayes was in cardiac arrest when he went into surgery. We were able to clear the blockage in two of his arteries, but then we ran into some problems. Have any of you had major surgery before?" They all shook their heads. "And Mr. Hayes hasn't, either, according to his medical records. Unfortunately, when he was on the table, we discovered he has a genetic disease that makes him have an adverse reaction to anesthesia. He developed a condition called malignant hyperthermia. As soon as we saw signs of the condition, we injected him with Vantrium, which reverses the effects by slowing the metabolism. We were able to get him stabilized, but he is in critical condition."

Sam felt Ainsley grow progressively tenser during the doctor's speech. He pulled her closer to him and she gratefully leaned into him.

"For now, he can't have visitors. I suggest that you all go home and get some rest. As long as he remains stable, you should be able to go in and see him this evening. Don't give up hope. Having fixed the blockages, his heart looks good. It's going to be a long road to recovery, and the next 48 hours are vital, but keep up the faith. I'm going to be on call for the rest of the weekend. The nurses know how to get a hold of me at all times. Please, don't hesitate to contact me if you have any questions."

"Thank you, Dr. Beidler," Marc said, shaking her hand. "We appreciate everything you've done for my father."

"I only wish I could do more." She offered a smile. "Do you have any questions for me now?"

"Is there anything at all we can do?" Ainsley asked quietly.

"You can get some rest so you'll be at your best when you get to see your father. And if you do so, go ahead and pray." She gently patted Barbara on the shoulder and then left.

The group sat in stunned silence for a minute before Marc took charge. "Mom, you should do as the doctor suggested and go home and get some rest. You haven't been home since Dad collapsed. I can hold down the fort here in case something happens."

Barbara smiled at her only son. "Thank you, Marcus, but I want to stay here. I can't leave him. But you kids should get some sleep."

Paige spoke up. "I think I am going to head out. I need to make sure the kids got off to school. I'll come back as soon as I can, though."

"Ains, Sam looks exhausted and you're not looking much better. Why don't the two of you go back to the house and I'll stay with Mom. Susanna's with the kids and work knows I'm here," Marc offered.

As much as Ainsley wanted to stay near her father, she had to admit she was tired and Sam looked like he could fall asleep standing up. The idea of sleeping in a real bed for a few hours was extremely appealing. She looked to Sam. "We can stay or go," he said, "it's up to you. If you want to stay with your Mom, that's fine with me." Ainsley smiled at him, thankful for his support. "Actually, I was just thinking I could use a couple more hours of sleep. Let's head home for a little while. Mom?" she said, turning to her. "We're going to go back to the house for a little while. We'll be back around 4? Would that be okay?"

"That sounds perfect." She kissed her girls and sat back down on the couch, Marc beside her.

Paige, Ainsley, and Sam walked out of the hospital together. Before they split to head off to their cars, Paige hugged Ainsley. "He'll be okay, won't he?" she asked.

"You know Dad's a tough old bird," Ainsley replied. "And you know he wouldn't give up the chance to hassle a real live Democrat who has a direct line to the President." Paige chuckled. "That's the truth. See you around 4." Paige headed off to her car.

Sam took Ainsley's hand into his as they walked to his car. "You okay?" he asked.

"Yeah. It could have been worse. He could have… died," Ainsley barely managed to get out the last word. "Right now, I just want to sleep in something other than the front seat of a car."

Sam smiled. "Then let's go."


~*~*~*~

The Hayes family estate was, putting it mildly, breathtaking. One of the few remaining pre-Civil War era homes, it stood on the top of a grassy hill, overlooking farmland. Red brick with white pillars, it stood three stories high, majestic as it dominated the countryside. An embossed wooden sign marked the entrance to the family land and proudly emblazoned the name of the estate: August. Sam had a feeling it had less to do with the month and more to do with the word's alternate meeting of grandiose, stately.

"Wow," he said as he drove up the long drive.

Ainsley smiled. "The family used to own all of the surrounding farmland before the war. We actually had very few slaves. My great-great grandfather was opposed to slavery. He mostly employed indentured servants or other paid labor. He was a kind man, so many of his employees stayed around for many years, even after the war. Over the years, the family ended up selling off most of the farmland, and when the depression hit, they sold off the rest. We still own the land the house is on along with the 40 surrounding acres, including a portion of the woods over there," she said pointing beyond the left of the house.

"What about the estate name?" Sam asked.

"Well, that's really a double entendre. It was named for my great-great grandmother, August Hayes, but as you can tell by the size of the land and the house… The name was also intended to impress."

Sam smiled. "Well, it definitely does that."

"Come on," Ainsley said, grabbing his hand, "let's go inside." Sam shouldered his bag and picked up Ainsley's, and walked into the estate.

The house smelled like freshly baked bread and seemed surprisingly empty. It seemed to Sam that a house this large should be filled with laughing children and smiling adults, and he imagined under different circumstances it often was. He set their bags down and when he looked up he saw a small child running straight for Ainsley and squealing "Aunt Wee!"

"Aunt Wee?" Sam whispered to Ainsley. She groaned. "When Kathryn, my first niece, was about two she had a lot of problems saying my name. It ended up getting shortened and then it kind of stuck," Ainsley explained.

"Don't worry, I won't tell anyone at work," he paused, "yet…"

Ainsley scowled at him and then grinned broadly at Emma, picking her up and spinning her around. "How's my Princess Emma?"

"Good! I missed you. Why don't you ever come to visit?"

"Well, I've been busy with work, but I'm here now, aren't I? And I brought a friend. This is Sam. Emma is Paige's youngest."

Emma turned and looked skeptically at the man. She squinted her eyes and stared hard. "Do you like my Aunt Wee?"

"Very much," Sam replied, smiling.

Emma offered him her squinty stare again. "Okay…" she said, drawing the word out. "I think I like you then."

Sam laughed. "Well I'm very glad, Princess Emma. I like you, too. I'm always so honored to meet royalty." He reached out and took her little hand, kissing the back of it. Emma giggled and exclaimed, "I really like you!"

It was Ainsley's turn to laugh as she set Emma down. "I think you've made a friend for life," she said into Sam's ear. He turned his deep blue eyes on her. "In you or the princess?"

Before Ainsley could formulate a response, a middle-aged woman appeared from around a hallway, wiping her hands on a towel. "Oh, Ainsley! It's so nice to see you, welcome home." The woman walked to Ainsley and gave her a big hug.

"It's great to see you too, Mrs. Baker. And it's wonderful to be home," she sighed happily.

Emma spoke up. "Ainsley brought her boyfriend. His name's Sam and he's really nice."

Ainsley blushed as she made introductions. "Mrs. Baker, this is Sam Seaborn. I work with him at the White House. Sam, this is Mrs. Baker, our housekeeper, nanny, substitute mother…" Ainsley looked at the woman with true affection.

"Well, I certainly have helped raise this brood. Sam, it's very nice to meet you," she said, looking him up and down, appraising him. Finally, she nodded as if in satisfaction then said, "I bet you're both starved and exhausted, so first some food and then you can rest."

They entered the spacious kitchen and sat down on stools at the large island, plates and silverware already set out. Sam had been right when he entered the house; there was a fresh baked loaf of bread in front of them, still warm from the oven. Ainsley reached out and took a slice, popping a piece into her mouth and smiling with contentment. Sam always loved Ainsley's obsession with food. He found it refreshing.

Sam hadn't realized until now how hungry he was and when the plate of eggs and bacon was placed in front of him he immediately dug in. Ainsley did the same, both enjoying having a home cooked meal and neither able to remember the last time they had one. Over breakfast, Ainsley filled Mrs. Baker in on her father's condition and Mrs. Baker filled her in on the latest town gossip.

Sam finished his meal and sat observing the conversation between Ainsley and the housekeeper. Ainsley seemed perfectly at ease, barely recognizable to Sam. She was never this relaxed at the office and rarely was this relaxed on the few occasions he'd seen her outside of the office. Ainsley loved her job and was the best legal council around, but she had to admit she missed her family, missed this house, missed the feeling of home. Sam could tell all of this just by watching her talk as she ate her breakfast. He suddenly felt compelled to give up his dreams of presidency, and when Josiah Bartlett's second term was up, leaving politics entirely and settling down somewhere like this as a lawyer, with Ainsley by his side. Or one step ahead of him, as she often was. He smiled at the thought.

By this time Ainsley had finished her meal and was looking at Sam expectantly. "Is something wrong? Do I have food sticking to my face or something?"

Sam reached out and touched her cheek. "No, you're absolutely perfect." Ainsley blushed and looked at him quizzically.

"Sam?" Emma piped up. "Are you and Aunt Wee getting married?"

It was Sam's turn to blush. He cleared his throat and looked everywhere but at Ainsley. Fortunately, Mrs. Baker came to the rescue. "Emma! Clean up the mess you've been making with those crayons. Your aunt and her friend need to go get some rest now. Ainsley, why don't you show him the house and then go find a room and take a nap."

"Good idea," Ainsley managed to stammer.

"Thank you, Mrs. Baker," Sam said once he'd recovered enough to talk. "The food was exquisite."

"You're most welcome."