The Waiting On Both Sides (part 9/?)
Margaret takes off her jacket, folds it and places it under Leo's head. She lays down next to him holding his hand. Leo starts to stir and she rubs her hand up and down his arm in an effort to comfort him.
"Margaret", Leo moans in a panic.
"Sh.. Leo, I'm here". She rises on her side so that he can see her face.
"I'm sorry", Leo mouths.
"Leo, will you stop it, we've covered that already. You have to stop it".
"Ok" But he really didn't mean it and his eyes gave him away.
"Leo, PLEASE, I just wish that it hadn't taken this for me to tell you how I feel about you".
"Me too", Leo whispered while trying to catch his breath. "But, hopefully us knowing will help us get through this". "Margaret, you know.., the President is doing all he can to find.. us.." His face is wrought with pain.
"I know, but I'm still scared" Margaret lends down and rests her head on his shoulder.
Using his good hand. Leo runs his fingers through her hair and kisses the top of her head. "Margaret, Jed will find us".
"Leo, I'm mostly scared for you. You haven't been able to stay conscious for any length of time and you seem to be having trouble breathing. I'm worried about internal injuries".
Margaret sits up and removes his tie and unbuttons the first couple of buttons on his shirt.
Leo flashes her a brief grin, "Margaret, I know I told you I love you, but do you really think that now is a good time to.."
"LEO, you old fool, I'm just trying to make you more comfortable".
Leo's grin is now a full smile. "Margaret, you are too easy.." Those few words cost him dearly. He starting coughing and blood appeared at the corner of his mouth.
Margaret is on the verge of panicking. "Leo, you're coughing up blood. You need to try and stay still" She tries to get him to settle down.
"But, I have so much I what to tell you.." Leo whispers.
"It can wait, you need to try and stay still and not talk". Margaret looks down at Leo with so much worry on her face that Leo finally stops trying to speak.
Leo lets out a very soft "Ok".
Margaret is quietly talking to him when the kidnappers come back into the room.
Back at the White House in Leo's office Jed and Abbey are quietly talking across the room from Jenny and Mallory on the couch. Abbey is still very upset from the images she has just seen. She is in full doctor mode and is worried about Leo and his injuries. "Jed, even before the last beating he seemed so weak, now I can't even begin to imagine what he is like now. The blow to the chest could have caused some major damage. He needs to be found and rescued quickly!"
"Abbey, I known, I wish the secret service would come up with a lead."
"Jed, the group that is responsible for this, have they done something like this before?" Abbey's face was full of fear waiting for her husband's response. "JED, do you know something?"
"Abbey, yes they've done it before and it didn't end well. Their hideout was discovered and they killed the hostage".
Before Abbey could respond, a voice became raised elsewhere in Leo's office.
"Mother, how could you say that!" Mallory was staring at her in disbelief.
The shock has worn off for Jenny and now all of her old pentup feelings have surfaced. "I'm just saying that if Margaret wouldn't have struggled your father wouldn't have been beaten the first time or maybe not at all" Jenny looked back at her daughter with intense angry in her eyes. "And if she hadn't of forced Leo to take her home like I imagined she did, it might not of happened at all."
"Mother, I know Margaret, she would have never asked daddy for anything! And from what Uncle Jed has said, this was a planned kidnapping, Daddy taking Margaret home had no bearing on it".
"He would have been more careful if it wasn't for HER!" Jenny is now standing up and screaming at her daughter."
Jed has crossed the room and gotten in front of Jenny. "Well, I for one am glad she is with him, she will take care of him like she always has. She has always been there for him and has never deserted him!" Jed is fuming over the comments from Jenny, he can't believe she is acting like this. Mallory needs support, not angry and resentment.
"Jed, you have no right to say that." She turns her attention to her daughter not wanting to let Jed derail her from the path she wants to go down. "Mallory, your father choose her and work over me, how do you think that makes me feel". "Its all her FAULT and now she is causing your father to suffer even more!"
"Daddy didn't choose Margaret over you. She has never been anything more the most loyal and dedicated assistant that you could ask for. And daddy didn't choose anything, you left him! AND if it wasn't for Margaret, he would have never have made it through the divorce without crawling back inside a bottle". He told me how she was there for him the day the divorce papers came and how she looked out for him!"
"You see, I told you Margaret was more than his assistant!" Jenny was totally out of control now.
Jed and Abbey could not believe she felt this way. Leo had been so in love with Jenny and would never have done anything on purpose to hurt her. Her leaving him and almost been his undoing and they were both well aware that Margaret had kept him inline and were thankful she had been there for him.
They had been watching the two of them these past couple years after the divorce and had noticed a shift in their relationship, but they were sure that the two of them were in denial or not even aware of how they felt about each other. They were just happy that Leo was starting to become his old self again and they were sure that Margaret had a lot to do with it. They also knew she played no part in Leo's divorce. They were now starting to see Jenny in a different light, one that they were not pleased with.
Jed was about to unload on Jenny when Ron came into the room.
Margaret takes off her jacket, folds it and places it under Leo's head. She lays down next to him holding his hand. Leo starts to stir and she rubs her hand up and down his arm in an effort to comfort him.
"Margaret", Leo moans in a panic.
"Sh.. Leo, I'm here". She rises on her side so that he can see her face.
"I'm sorry", Leo mouths.
"Leo, will you stop it, we've covered that already. You have to stop it".
"Ok" But he really didn't mean it and his eyes gave him away.
"Leo, PLEASE, I just wish that it hadn't taken this for me to tell you how I feel about you".
"Me too", Leo whispered while trying to catch his breath. "But, hopefully us knowing will help us get through this". "Margaret, you know.., the President is doing all he can to find.. us.." His face is wrought with pain.
"I know, but I'm still scared" Margaret lends down and rests her head on his shoulder.
Using his good hand. Leo runs his fingers through her hair and kisses the top of her head. "Margaret, Jed will find us".
"Leo, I'm mostly scared for you. You haven't been able to stay conscious for any length of time and you seem to be having trouble breathing. I'm worried about internal injuries".
Margaret sits up and removes his tie and unbuttons the first couple of buttons on his shirt.
Leo flashes her a brief grin, "Margaret, I know I told you I love you, but do you really think that now is a good time to.."
"LEO, you old fool, I'm just trying to make you more comfortable".
Leo's grin is now a full smile. "Margaret, you are too easy.." Those few words cost him dearly. He starting coughing and blood appeared at the corner of his mouth.
Margaret is on the verge of panicking. "Leo, you're coughing up blood. You need to try and stay still" She tries to get him to settle down.
"But, I have so much I what to tell you.." Leo whispers.
"It can wait, you need to try and stay still and not talk". Margaret looks down at Leo with so much worry on her face that Leo finally stops trying to speak.
Leo lets out a very soft "Ok".
Margaret is quietly talking to him when the kidnappers come back into the room.
Back at the White House in Leo's office Jed and Abbey are quietly talking across the room from Jenny and Mallory on the couch. Abbey is still very upset from the images she has just seen. She is in full doctor mode and is worried about Leo and his injuries. "Jed, even before the last beating he seemed so weak, now I can't even begin to imagine what he is like now. The blow to the chest could have caused some major damage. He needs to be found and rescued quickly!"
"Abbey, I known, I wish the secret service would come up with a lead."
"Jed, the group that is responsible for this, have they done something like this before?" Abbey's face was full of fear waiting for her husband's response. "JED, do you know something?"
"Abbey, yes they've done it before and it didn't end well. Their hideout was discovered and they killed the hostage".
Before Abbey could respond, a voice became raised elsewhere in Leo's office.
"Mother, how could you say that!" Mallory was staring at her in disbelief.
The shock has worn off for Jenny and now all of her old pentup feelings have surfaced. "I'm just saying that if Margaret wouldn't have struggled your father wouldn't have been beaten the first time or maybe not at all" Jenny looked back at her daughter with intense angry in her eyes. "And if she hadn't of forced Leo to take her home like I imagined she did, it might not of happened at all."
"Mother, I know Margaret, she would have never asked daddy for anything! And from what Uncle Jed has said, this was a planned kidnapping, Daddy taking Margaret home had no bearing on it".
"He would have been more careful if it wasn't for HER!" Jenny is now standing up and screaming at her daughter."
Jed has crossed the room and gotten in front of Jenny. "Well, I for one am glad she is with him, she will take care of him like she always has. She has always been there for him and has never deserted him!" Jed is fuming over the comments from Jenny, he can't believe she is acting like this. Mallory needs support, not angry and resentment.
"Jed, you have no right to say that." She turns her attention to her daughter not wanting to let Jed derail her from the path she wants to go down. "Mallory, your father choose her and work over me, how do you think that makes me feel". "Its all her FAULT and now she is causing your father to suffer even more!"
"Daddy didn't choose Margaret over you. She has never been anything more the most loyal and dedicated assistant that you could ask for. And daddy didn't choose anything, you left him! AND if it wasn't for Margaret, he would have never have made it through the divorce without crawling back inside a bottle". He told me how she was there for him the day the divorce papers came and how she looked out for him!"
"You see, I told you Margaret was more than his assistant!" Jenny was totally out of control now.
Jed and Abbey could not believe she felt this way. Leo had been so in love with Jenny and would never have done anything on purpose to hurt her. Her leaving him and almost been his undoing and they were both well aware that Margaret had kept him inline and were thankful she had been there for him.
They had been watching the two of them these past couple years after the divorce and had noticed a shift in their relationship, but they were sure that the two of them were in denial or not even aware of how they felt about each other. They were just happy that Leo was starting to become his old self again and they were sure that Margaret had a lot to do with it. They also knew she played no part in Leo's divorce. They were now starting to see Jenny in a different light, one that they were not pleased with.
Jed was about to unload on Jenny when Ron came into the room.