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 7: Revelations
Ainsley took Sam on a quick tour of the house, showing him the large dining room, ballroom turned playroom, library, lounge, and living room. She briefly explained the history of the house and pointed out the original furniture from 150 years ago, but both she and Sam were fading fast, so she avoided going in to too much detail.
Sam grabbed their bags as they headed upstairs. "If you don't mind," Ainsley said, "I'll show you the rest of the rooms later. I'm really exhausted, as I'm sure you are."
"Not a problem," said Sam as she led him into the last bedroom at the end of the hallway. As soon as he spotted the bed Sam realized that he'd been up for nearly 26 hours. He dropped their bags on the floor and walked over to the bed. He kicked his shoes off and sat on the bed, unbuttoning his shirt. He wasn't really thinking about what he was doing, he was thinking about desperately he wanted to sleep. He tossed his shirt onto a nearby chair and fell back onto the bed. For the first time he noticed that actual room. This must have been Ainsley's bedroom. It had little touches of her all over: books, stuffed animals, pictures of family and friends. He wondered briefly if this was where he was supposed to be staying and then decided he was too tired to relocate.
Ainsley had watched the seen with interest. When Sam began to unbutton his shirt, she became mildly concerned how much of his clothes he was going to take off. When he stopped with the shirt, Ainsley had to admit she was slightly disappointed. She always wondered what Sam would look like with his shirt off. He certainly looked good enough in his white undershirt and jeans.
She hesitated as she saw him settle into the bed. She was going to give him the room across the hall from hers, one of the rooms typically reserved for guests. But here he was in her room, in her bed… And she was really tired. She took her own shoes off and walked softly to the bed where Sam lay. She draped a blanket over him and was about to leave when Sam reached out and grabbed her hand. He tugged her lightly, encouraging her to lie down next to him. Suddenly feeling like a teenager, Ainsley wondered if she'd get in trouble for taking a nap with a man who wasn't quite her boyfriend. "Ainsley," she said to herself, "you're nearly 30 years old. Just get in bed with him!"
When she lay on the bed next to him, Sam turned from his back to his side and draped his arm around her. He smiled as he snuggled in close, reveling in her softness. Ainsley slowly felt her entire body relax as she settled into Sam's embrace feeling a warm calm envelop her body. Within minutes, both were asleep.
Mrs. Baker tiptoed down the hall to Ainsley's room and glanced in. She smiled as she softly shut the door.
~*~*~*~
Sam woke up first, thinking he heard the door squeak open. He felt Ainsley stir next to him and smiled, wrapping his arms around her. She moved in close next to him, asking sleepily, "What time is it?"
He turned his head and glanced at the clock. "Just about 3. We really should get up." He tightened his arms around her.
"Yeah, we really should," she said, snuggling in closer. They lay there for another minute before they heard a little giggle, followed by a "Shhhh!" They both lifted their heads off of their pillows, puzzled expressions on their face. Suddenly, two small children launched themselves on the bed and began jumping up and down yelling "It's time to get up!"
"Oh, is it?" Ainsley said, grabbing the little boy and tickling him while Sam grabbed Emma and did the same. Before long both children were red faced from laughter and trying to squirm away. Finally the boy said, "Okay, okay, we give up!"
"Who sent you up here?" Ainsley asked.
"Mrs. Baker. Mom said she thought we shouldn't wake you up because we might see something… um… in a propiate," he said stumbling over the word. "What does that mean?"
Ainsley wasn't sure if she or Sam was blushing harder. "Inappropriate means…" Ainsley began, "that… You know what, Max? Why don't you go ask your mommy what it means."
Max nodded. "Okay, I will. Who's that?" he asked pointing to Sam.
It was Emma who responded. "That's Uncle Sam. He's going to marry Aunt Wee and they're going to move down here and have babies so we'll have more cousins to play with. This is my brother Max, he's five."
Sam laughed as Ainsley fell back onto the bed and covered her face with a pillow. "Well, Emma, you certainly have an active imagination. We've gone from marriage to moving here and having children. You work quickly." Emma looked at him, confused. "Max, it's very nice to meet you, I'm Sam. I work with your aunt at the White House."
"Cool!" Max replied, and then got a serious expression on his face. "Are you one of the good people or bad people?"
"What do you mean?" Sam asked.
"Well, Grandpa says that Republicans are good people and Democrats are bad people."
"Start them young, do you?" Sam said, pulling the pillow out of Ainsley's hands, finding her choking back laughter. "It's not funny! How will be grow up to be a well rounded political figure if you're filling his head with this nonsense?"
Ainsley couldn't hold back any more and erupted into laughter. When she had calmed down, she turned to Max and said, "Sam's a Democrat, but he's not one of the bad people. He's a good person. There are… one or two Democrats that are good people."
"Like the President?" Max asked.
"Yeah, like the President."
"Yeah, the President even likes Republicans after he sees them in their bathrobes, singing in their office," Sam whispered into Ainsley's ear. She opened her mouth wide and then grabbed a pillow and whacked Sam with it. Of course this led to an all out pillow fight that stopped only because Paige had entered the room. She'd heard the noise coming from upstairs and had come to investigate.
"I'm glad to see you two are such good role models for small children," she said sardonically, as she grabbed the pillows out of her children's hands. "Come on, kiddies. We have to go home and Aunt Wee and Uncle Sam have to get ready to go to the hospital."
"Do we have to?" Max asked.
"Yes, we do. Come on, you can see them tomorrow. Say goodbye." Emma gave Sam a big hug and he kissed her cheek, making her giggle. Max, who had entered that stage where he was a little wary of hugging, reached out his hand for Sam to shake. "Nice firm grip," Sam said as he shook the little boy's hand. "That's impressive." Max beamed as he waved goodbye.
The room was suddenly very quiet as each thought about the other. Sam was thinking about how he enjoyed seeing Ainsley in this atmosphere, playing with her niece and nephew, lying in bed next to him, relaxed and fun and sweet. Ainsley's thoughts were a little less positive. Yes, she had enjoyed being in Sam's arms, but that was part of the problem. She enjoyed it a little too much. She could feel her self really beginning to fall for him. Who wouldn't love a man who was nice to kids, smart, funny, and who would drop anything to help you if you needed it? What Ainsley was having problems overcoming was her past. She would not allow herself to get hurt again, no matter what.
She suddenly got out of bed and to Sam's puzzled expression replied, "I need to get a shower. I'd really like to go see my father."
"Okay," Sam replied, slowly. "Are you alright?"
"Yes, fine. Just worried." Sam looked unconvinced but didn't press any further. Ainsley almost fell apart just then, both at Sam's concern and the fact that he didn't try to make her talk when she didn't want to. She quickly pulled herself together and headed for the bathroom, leaving Sam still sitting on the bed wondering what had just happened.
~*~*~*~
When he had finished showering, Sam found Ainsley sitting on the window seat, staring out onto the grounds below with a distant expression on his face. For the last half an hour Sam had been struggling to find out what he might have said or done to upset Ainsley, but had come up empty.
He walked over to where she was sitting and scooted in behind her, leaning her against his chest. At least she didn't move, that was a good sign, Sam thought. She was silent for what seemed like hours. Finally, she said, "I wish I got to come home more often. From the time I was very little I used to love to sit here and look out the window, read books, write in my journal, for hours on end. It was my special spot where I could escape from everything that was bothering me." Sam wondered if there was some hidden meaning behind that last statement and stiffened.
"Is that why you're sitting here now?" he asked hesitantly.
Ainsley sighed deeply, and Sam didn't take that as a good sign. "I suppose so… Everything with my father…" she paused. "I haven't really done this since, well, since Eric and I broke up."
Sam had the feeling this conversation wasn't heading in the right direction. "That must have been hard for you…" Ainsley shifted.
"It was," she said. Her voice had a hard edge to it. "I had no where else to go. I almost didn't go back to graduate school. My father forced me to, and how, in hindsight, I am so glad that he did. God… I thought I was so in love with Eric and then everything just collapsed around me…" And I will not let that happen again, Ainsley added to herself.
She suddenly stood up. "We really should get going." Fierce. Cold. It was the only way to ensure that she wouldn't get hurt again. The worst part was that she knew she was hurting Sam and it was tearing her apart.
"Ainsley, what's wrong?" She couldn't respond. Sam was confused, a bit frightened. The last time he'd heard her use that tone of voice was when she spoke of Brookline and Joyce. What was going on here?
"Ainsley, don't shut me out, don't do this. Talk to me, tell me what's wrong." He walked over to her, placed his hands on her shoulders, and looked her straight in the eye. He saw they were wet with unshed tears. It took all of her strength to back away from him and keep those tears from falling.
In a voice barely above a whisper, she replied with, "I'd really like to see my father now." Sam got angry, unable to keep himself under control. "Fine. Let's go." He stormed out of the room and Ainsley let out a sob, no longer confident she was doing the right thing. Right now, hurting Sam was feeling far worse than she had ever imagined.
~*~*~*~
They rode in stony silence to the hospital, Sam growing more concerned and Ainsley growing into a deeper depression. She wanted to make things right, but couldn't find the words to erase Sam's hurt. They pulled into the parking lot of the hospital 20 minutes later, but to both it had seemed like hours. They got out of the car, and walked wordlessly up to the fourth floor, to Thomas Hayes' hospital room.
Ainsley's mother was in with her husband, and Marc was coming out of the room when he spotted his sister and her not-quite-boyfriend approaching. He could immediately tell that something was wrong, but not one to interfere in his sister's personal life, he refrained from asking.
"How's Dad?" Ainsley asked in a tense voice.
"Better, actually," Marc said. "He's recovering. Very slowly, but recovering. He's still sedated and completely out of it, but the doctor thinks that he may be fully conscious in another 24 to 48 hours. Right now it's a waiting game. Mom's been in there talking to him all afternoon. I was barely able to get her to eat something for lunch."
"I'm glad you were here with her. Why don't you head on home to Susanna and the kids. Relax a little. I'll stay here for a while and see if I can get Mom to go home and rest."
"Okay, Wee," he said, moving over towards her and hugging her. As he did so he whispered in her ear, "Everything okay with you two? You could cut the tension with a knife. He do something mean to you?"
When Ainsley drew back, she had tears in her eyes again. "No, don't worry," she whispered sadly. "It's me this time, big brother." Marc looked at her a minute longer, then realizing he wasn't going to get anything more out of her nodded, said a quick greeting to Sam, and left.
Suddenly Sam was at Ainsley's side, misinterpreting her tears as a result of her father's condition. "Why don't you go in and see him?" Sam asked gently. Ainsley looked at him, her heart overwhelmed with conflicting emotions. Surely she didn't deserve him.
She slowly took a step further and walked hesitantly into the hospital room, Sam standing just outside of the room, giving Ainsley and her mother privacy in their grief.
Ainsley had tried to prepare herself to see her father, expecting him to not look like his usual formidable self, but she hadn't expected this. He was so pale, almost translucent, with IV's in each arm, electrodes strapped to his chest monitoring his heartbeat, with machines everywhere, some beeping and some eerily silent.
Her mother stood and hugged her, the two women sharing tears. "He's over the worst, angel," Barbara said soothingly, both for Ainsley's benefit and her own. "He just needs his rest." Ainsley and her mother sat in the two chairs that were next to the bed, Ainsley resting her head on her mother's shoulder.
"You do to, Mama. You need your rest. You really should go home, eat a good meal, and sleep for while."
Barbara smiled. She had raised three wonderful children. "I will, Ainsley, in a little while, I promise. I just want to sit with him a little longer." They sat together in silence looking at the man who had so impacted their lives. It was Barbara who spoke first. "Where's Sam?"
Ainsley sat up and buried her face in her hands. "What's wrong? Something happen?" Barbara asked with concern.
"Yes… No… I don't know…" Ainsley stammered. "How do you know, Mom? How do you know when something is worth the risk of being hurt?"
Barbara Hayes wrapped her arms around her daughter. "Sweetheart, every relationship comes with risk; friendships, marriages, it doesn't matter which. The only way you'll ever know if a relationship is worth the risk is if the person you want is worth the risk. I know that Sam cares about you a great deal. I can see it every time that he looks at you. And I see it when you look at him. I know you've been hurt in the past, but that was a different kind of hurt. You were young, and Eric was blind to not see what he had in you, and honestly, I don't think that you were ever really in love with him. Not in true love, anyway. Sam is well aware of what a treasure you are, my little angel. You need to clear your heart of all of the fear and doubt and confusion and see what's left. If you find that you need him standing beside you, not in front of you or behind you, but right next to you for the rest of your life… Only then will you know if he's worth the risk."
Ainsley hoped that one day she would be half as good a mother as her own. She hugged her mother tightly. "Thank you, Mom. That's exactly what I needed."
"I have to admit I've worried about you, Ainsley, working in such a place of animosity. But you've always been my strong one, always willing to stand up in the face of adversity. You've been so focused… First on school and then on work, always so serious. Now it makes me very happy to see you falling in love, even if it is a bit traumatic."
For some reason this statement made Ainsley laugh. Perhaps it was the irony, perhaps it was the emotional roller coaster she'd been on for the last 12 hours, she didn't know, but she broke into a wide grin and peals of laughter, Barbara Hayes joining in with her daughter's giggles. Sam tentatively made his way into the room, curious as to what was going on in room 429. He peeked out from behind the wall, finding mother and daughter heads together in laughter. He was about to turn around and leave when Barbara spotted him.
"Sam! Please come in." Both she and Ainsley stood.
Sam stood where he was for a moment, unsure of what to do. "I didn't mean to interrupt… I just heard noise…" Barbara smiled at him and offered him her hand. Sam walked over to her, taking it into his and kissing her on her cheek.
"I'm glad you're here, Sam."
"Me, too," said Ainsley. Sam turned to look at her, hope in his eyes. Their gazes locked for a moment and then Ainsley took a step closer to him. Sam closed the distance between them and pulled her close. Ainsley shut her eyes as she savored the warmth he filled her with every time they touched. And suddenly her heart was clear.
~*~*~*~
"I'm going to go get some fresh air," Barbara Hayes said, interrupting the moment between Sam and Ainsley. "Why don't you stay here with your father? Talk to him, he likes that." She smiled and made her way out of the room.
Sam and Ainsley sat next to the bed, Sam holding on to Ainsley's hand. He didn't know what changed, all he knew was that he was much happier now than he was a few, short minutes ago.
Ainsley started talking to her father. "Daddy, I want you to meet someone. This is Sam, and I'm not going to tell you too much about him because you don't have the strength right now."
"Hey!" Sam replied, feigning hurt.
"I'm just referring to the "D" word. His heart's pretty weak right now."
"I think I'm insulted."
A smile spread across Ainsley's face, then faded. She let go of Sam's hand and grasped her father's. "Daddy… I'm not ready to say goodbye, so that means that you have to get better. I may be on my own now, but I still need my father. You've always been the strongest person I've known, never one to back down from a fight." Ainsley paused, realizing she was describing her father much in the same way her mother had described her. "So view this as a challenge, Dad, one I know you can win."
Ainsley settled back into her chair, leaning on Sam's shoulder. Barbara Hayes returned a short time later and sat down on the other side of the bed, the three sitting in silence, each with their own private wish for Thomas Hayes' recovery.
~*~*~*~
By eight, Barbara was beginning to show serious signs of wear and Ainsley and Sam were feeling the full impact of the last 24 hours.
"Mom?" Ainsley asked. "Why don't we go home, have some dinner, and get a good night's sleep."
Barbara nodded at her daughter. "I think that would be a really good idea. I'm getting quite tired." Ainsley linked her arm through her mother's, Sam doing the same on the other side. The trio walked out of the hospital, catching a view of a beautiful sunset.
