Title: Robbed: 5/?
Author: McWillow22 (aka, little-starling)
Rating: PG-13
Disclaimer: The characters portrayed hereon in do not belong to me, nor
did they come from my imagination. They belong to a bunch of people who
have a lot more money than I do. So please don't sue.
Pairing: Jed/Leo friendship
Spoilers: None
Feedback: Yes please! (clairesmail@email.com)
Summary: A traumatic event has more of an impact on Leo than first
thought.
A/n: Sorry about the delay in posting friends, I'll try and get the next
up as soon as possible. Talking of next chapters, I think there may be
only one more chapter to go, but I'll just have to see were my muse takes
me with this. As always, if anyone has any suggestions or comments I would
be more than happy to hear them. Just one more thing; I would like to
thank everyone for their encouragement and support not just with this story
but with all my writing. xxxxx
Margaret had a system for everything in her office. Whether it was filing, note-taking or appointment making, it was a given that Margaret had a specialised, tried and tested system in place to make it run smoothly, thus saving precious minutes which could mean the world in the office of the White House Chief of Staff. Because of the nature of the systems in place, the complexities and uniqueness of them, it was very easy to spot something that was out of place, something that hadn't been dealt with the proper way, something that had slipped through the system. Such as the simple sheet of paper Margaret now held in her hands, found only seconds before on Leo's desk. Margaret frowned at it, her eyes quickly skimming over the content, her lips pursed in a way that would tell those who knew her that she was none too pleased about the lapse in paper protocol. With a tight sigh she made her way to her immaculate desk and sat down, the piece of paper placed in front of her, her hands reaching for the top desk drawer. So consumed with the task of righting the system, Margaret failed to notice the figure leaning casually in the door frame of the outer office, watching with a knowing smirk. Margaret extracted the stamp and very carefully marked the date on the top left of the sheet, before marking her initials under it. Then a paper folder was collected from another drawer, a bright small rectangular piece of cardboard inserted in the top right pocket and the piece of errant paper deposited inside. It wasn't until Margaret stood from her position to walk the short distance to the filing cabinets that she finally noticed her observer.
" Mallory"
Mallory stood straight and smiled warmly at her dad's assistant.
" Hey Margaret, just thought I'd stop by and see how you were doing"
Margaret deposited the file in the cabinet with a little happy sigh and turned to face her boss's daughter.
" I'm pretty good. How did your dad get on at the hospital?"
Mallory moved further into the office and deposited her bag on the floor against the wall.
" He was surprisingly patient. Only yelled four times the whole time we were there. As for his medical..it seemed to go ok. We wont get some test results back for a few days but his scans and x-rays came back fine. They said his wounds were healing nicely."
Margaret nodded her head rapidly, her read hair bouncing.
" So did they have any idea what caused his dizziness? I mean, could they confirm it was the prescription drugs?"
Mallory hesitated before answering. Margaret was certainly not stupid, and Mallory did think of her as extended family, but after earlier she would not betray her fathers trust.
" I think they'll know more when they get the results back."
Margaret eyed her seriously for a moment or two before again bobbing her head in acceptance. She was just about to open her mouth and draw breath to speak again when a presence behind Mallory caused her to close it with a little snap, and straighten.
Mallory frowned and was just about to ask if Margaret was ok when a familiar voice sounded from behind her, making her jump ever so slightly.
" Afternoon Ladies"
Margaret nodded her head firmly as the President walked calmly into her working space.
" Good afternoon Mr President"
After walking past both woman the President stopped and spun on his heel, effectively facing both of them. His eyes met Mallory's across the short distance.
" Is he ok?"
There was no need to clarify who 'he' was; Jed Bartlet knew there was really only one 'he' Mallory could be referring too.
" He's sleeping. He was pretty exhausted when you left."
Jed couldn't keep the disapproving tone out of his voice and watched with a tiny tendril of satisfaction when Mallory dropped her gaze to the floor. The sound of Margaret's voice interrupted his glare.
" Was there something you needed Mr President?"
Jed spun to face his Chief of Staff's assistant, standing with her hands clasped in front of her and eyes showing her eagerness to help.
" Actually it was Mallory I was looking for."
Mallory's head came whipping up so fast she almost lost her balance.
" Do you mind if we use Leo's office for a few minutes?"
Margaret nearly laughed at the absurdity of the question but instead nodded her head eagerly and opened the heavy mahogany door for them to enter.
Jed stepped to the side and with a sweep of the arm, motioned Mallory to enter first. He watched as she hesitated, eyes narrowing, before timidly stepping forward and walking past him into her father's office. Jed walked in behind her and with a few whispered instructions to Margaret, finally closed the door behind him.
Mallory stood uneasily in front of her father's desk and watched as the President slipped his hands in his pockets, his eyes not yet meeting hers. This wasn't looking good. Might as well get it over with.
" Was there something you needed Mr President?"
Jed looked up from where he had been staring at the light hitting the desk, and met his goddaughter's eyes. He could tell she was slightly nervous, a little jumpy even, and that only helped fuel his mission.
" Actually there is something you could do for me Mallory..you could start by cutting the crap"
Mallory winced slightly but jutted her jaw and shook her head.
" I'm sorry sir, I don't know what you're talking about"
" Really?", the Presidents took a step forward.
This time Mallory hesitated slightly, her hands nervously rubbing together behind her.
" Sir perhaps if you tell me what it is you want, I may be able to."
" What happened at the hospital?"
Mallory let out a sigh, and shifted where she stood.
" I thought my dad would have filled you in Mr President."
" What happened at the hospital that Leo wont tell me?"
" I don't know what your talking about sir"
" Don't play dumb with me Mallory, I want to know."
Mallory again winced as the President's tone jumped up a notch, his frustration clearly evident in his voice. Mallory had been on the receiving end of a few dressing downs from this man in her childhood and teenage years, when her father had been too busy with work and alcohol to even know half of the rebellious things she had done, never mind reprimand her for them. She had been intimidated then, and as she stood before him now, his face and voice hard, his presence every bit as scary as it had been when she was thirteen, she realised she was fighting a loosing battle.
" Mr President, if you want to know what happened at the hospital then my dad is the one you need to have this conversation with, not me."
" Well your dad is a stubborn old fool who has some foolish notion that he has to protect me from any kind of bad news, else I'll crumble in a heap. So I'm having this conversation with you."
" It isn't my place", Mallory could hear the slight quiver in her own voice, and knew the man standing in front of her would be able to hear it too.
" I can only help him if I know what the hell is going on Mal!"
" You can't help him if he doesn't want to help himself!"
" Perhaps not, but it won't stop me from trying!"
" This isn't fair Jed!"
Both paused, a little breathless, at the breach in protocol, at the shift in conversation. Mallory moved from the spot she had been rooted too since she entered the office to the couch, eventually slumping down. She had already thrown protocol to the wind, might as well give it all she had, she thought a little bitterly.
Jed rubbed a hand through his hair, leaned against the desk and released a heavy sigh. This wasn't going exactly as he had planned. Looking over to the slumped form on the couch he felt a momentary twang of guilt. Leo was right, Mallory was a passionate person, and when it came to those she loved she was fiercely defensive, much like him. He remembered the same qualities when she was younger, only then she didn't know how to channel those intense feelings. He couldn't stop a chuckle forming on his lips as he remembered one particular example.
Mallory glanced up from were she had been studying the far wall, her forehead showing tiny creases as she watched the president's trademark smirk appear and disappear on his face, as though trying to hold back a louder laugh. She felt a little angry that he could find humour anywhere in this situation, especially after the shouting match that had just occurred.
" What's so funny?"
Jed snapped back to reality with the angry tone and looked over to her, watching the play of emotions over her face.
" Do you remember the Camden's? If memory serves I believe they lived about four houses down from me."
He didn't need an answer to his question, the sudden blush that replaced the slight paleness told him she knew exactly who he was referring too.
" I was just thinking back to the time you ran into the house like your tail was on fire, nearly knocking me over in the process, and ran straight up the stairs into Elizabeth's room. You must have been about fourteen? Thirteen at the time? The next thing I knew there was a knock at the door, and there stood Mr Robert Camden, a very angry Robert Camden with his fifteen-year-old son, who if I remember rightly was sporting a rather ugly looking swollen lip. As it turned out, after much shouting and promises of retribution, you had slugged this boy for saying something derogatory about your dad."
Mallory's tight lips melted into a slight smile of recollection.
" His name was Robert Camden Junior, and we were both fourteen at the time. God, I can't believe you would remember this of all ice breaking stories. I remember sitting in Liz's room listening to the yelling, and then the door slammed. It was quiet for about ten seconds, and believe me I was holding my breath, before you yelled my name. I sat on the bed determined not to move, after all I hadn't done anything wrong, or so I thought at the time. Next thing I know the door fly's open and there you are. I had ten minutes of yelling, five minutes of stony silence; followed by thirty minutes of how violence in our society is effecting our youth, and the action equals reaction theory. I remember the times because I was looking at my watch the whole time."
Jed smiled warmly at the memory. Gods how easy those days were. Looking back to Mallory he sighed deeply, his tongue forming familiar words.
" What happened at the hospital Mal?"
Mallory sighed too. The atmosphere in the room had melted into something she recognised, warm, friendly, relaxed. There were no other light-hearted stories to tell. Now was the time for hard truths.
"They want him to get some professional help. Professional psychological help."
Her voice was little more than a whisper but it made the President stand none the less.
"They what?"
Mallory looked up at him as she spoke.
"During the tests, the doctor discovered that Dad's Cortisol levels were abnormally low. I can't really remember what exactly it was that he said but it was something along the lines of Cortisol being a key hormone and how it could eventually begin something called a Corticotrophin Release. Basically meaning that he would start to get jumpy, maybe loose his temper, feel emotional, that sort of thing. He asked dad a few questions about his recent episode, and about his general state of health since the accident. But you know what he's like; the questions he did decide to answer were one- word answers at best. That's when the doctor suggested an appointment with a colleague of his, a Dr Brownly I think it was."
Mallory stopped for breath, her eyes falling to stare blankly at the shined black shoes in front of her.
"What was his preliminary diagnosis Mal?"
Mal could feel the lump bob in her throat, and swallowed convulsively. When her breathing hitched audibly, she raised her hands to her cover her face, embarrassed by her reaction. She felt the cushion next to her sink with his weight and soon she was pressed against his side, his hands holding her tight against him.
"He thinks it might be acute PTSD, triggered by the attack. Of course dad thinks he's a quack looking for a quick reputation, and nearly took his head off for suggesting it in the first place. The poor doctor actually dropped his clipboard."
The President rubbed soothing lines up and down Mal's arm, as he listened to her account of what had happened.
" I tried to talk to him when we got back but."
" He can be quite a scary guy when he wants to be"
Mal nodded her head against the President, her cheek rubbing against the soft cotton of his shirt. There was silence in the room for several minutes while they both digested the news, and thought about what the next steps would be.
The President frowned and craned his neck to look down when again he heard and felt a sniffle coming from the young woman lying firmly against his side.
" Mal? What is it?"
" I'm really sorry for not telling you Uncle Jed. It's just that."
" Don't apologise Mallory, I understand your predicament. I find myself in enough of them on a regular basis to know what it's like, so don't give it another thought ok?"
" Yes sir"
" I think I liked Uncle Jed better.it took me back a few years"
Mallory giggled around her handkerchief and sat up, straightening her clothes as she did so.
" Well I'll keep that in mind next time I want something from you. And it's been more than a few years"
" Lets just keep that little titbit to ourselves"
" Deal"
The smiles faded just as quickly as they had appeared.
" So what now? I mean he's adamant in refusing to even talk."
Jed stood, his hands clasping and unclasping as he slowly paced in front of the sofa.
" You can't order him to get treatment Jed, I know that. He'll go were you point but it will shift your friendship into unknown territory, and I'm not sure that's something you can get back out off."
The President was nodding his head as she spoke, his eyes locked on a spot in the far corner.
" No. No orders. No pointing. I've never given Leo an order and never intend too."
There was a moment of silence.
" Then what?"
Jed looked up from were he had been staring to look at Mallory.
" I'm going to talk to him. I'll lock him the room if I have to, but he's not leaving this building until we've hashed this out. I wont let him ignore his own health for the sake of this administration. For me. If the positions were reversed he wouldn't let me either. I've nearly lost one member of my family to this before because he was too intent on the repercussions for me if it got out. I'll be damned if I'm gonna stand by and watch it happen again."
And with that he strode towards the door, opened it, and left Mallory sitting on the sofa in her father's office wondering if she had done the right thing.
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Margaret had a system for everything in her office. Whether it was filing, note-taking or appointment making, it was a given that Margaret had a specialised, tried and tested system in place to make it run smoothly, thus saving precious minutes which could mean the world in the office of the White House Chief of Staff. Because of the nature of the systems in place, the complexities and uniqueness of them, it was very easy to spot something that was out of place, something that hadn't been dealt with the proper way, something that had slipped through the system. Such as the simple sheet of paper Margaret now held in her hands, found only seconds before on Leo's desk. Margaret frowned at it, her eyes quickly skimming over the content, her lips pursed in a way that would tell those who knew her that she was none too pleased about the lapse in paper protocol. With a tight sigh she made her way to her immaculate desk and sat down, the piece of paper placed in front of her, her hands reaching for the top desk drawer. So consumed with the task of righting the system, Margaret failed to notice the figure leaning casually in the door frame of the outer office, watching with a knowing smirk. Margaret extracted the stamp and very carefully marked the date on the top left of the sheet, before marking her initials under it. Then a paper folder was collected from another drawer, a bright small rectangular piece of cardboard inserted in the top right pocket and the piece of errant paper deposited inside. It wasn't until Margaret stood from her position to walk the short distance to the filing cabinets that she finally noticed her observer.
" Mallory"
Mallory stood straight and smiled warmly at her dad's assistant.
" Hey Margaret, just thought I'd stop by and see how you were doing"
Margaret deposited the file in the cabinet with a little happy sigh and turned to face her boss's daughter.
" I'm pretty good. How did your dad get on at the hospital?"
Mallory moved further into the office and deposited her bag on the floor against the wall.
" He was surprisingly patient. Only yelled four times the whole time we were there. As for his medical..it seemed to go ok. We wont get some test results back for a few days but his scans and x-rays came back fine. They said his wounds were healing nicely."
Margaret nodded her head rapidly, her read hair bouncing.
" So did they have any idea what caused his dizziness? I mean, could they confirm it was the prescription drugs?"
Mallory hesitated before answering. Margaret was certainly not stupid, and Mallory did think of her as extended family, but after earlier she would not betray her fathers trust.
" I think they'll know more when they get the results back."
Margaret eyed her seriously for a moment or two before again bobbing her head in acceptance. She was just about to open her mouth and draw breath to speak again when a presence behind Mallory caused her to close it with a little snap, and straighten.
Mallory frowned and was just about to ask if Margaret was ok when a familiar voice sounded from behind her, making her jump ever so slightly.
" Afternoon Ladies"
Margaret nodded her head firmly as the President walked calmly into her working space.
" Good afternoon Mr President"
After walking past both woman the President stopped and spun on his heel, effectively facing both of them. His eyes met Mallory's across the short distance.
" Is he ok?"
There was no need to clarify who 'he' was; Jed Bartlet knew there was really only one 'he' Mallory could be referring too.
" He's sleeping. He was pretty exhausted when you left."
Jed couldn't keep the disapproving tone out of his voice and watched with a tiny tendril of satisfaction when Mallory dropped her gaze to the floor. The sound of Margaret's voice interrupted his glare.
" Was there something you needed Mr President?"
Jed spun to face his Chief of Staff's assistant, standing with her hands clasped in front of her and eyes showing her eagerness to help.
" Actually it was Mallory I was looking for."
Mallory's head came whipping up so fast she almost lost her balance.
" Do you mind if we use Leo's office for a few minutes?"
Margaret nearly laughed at the absurdity of the question but instead nodded her head eagerly and opened the heavy mahogany door for them to enter.
Jed stepped to the side and with a sweep of the arm, motioned Mallory to enter first. He watched as she hesitated, eyes narrowing, before timidly stepping forward and walking past him into her father's office. Jed walked in behind her and with a few whispered instructions to Margaret, finally closed the door behind him.
Mallory stood uneasily in front of her father's desk and watched as the President slipped his hands in his pockets, his eyes not yet meeting hers. This wasn't looking good. Might as well get it over with.
" Was there something you needed Mr President?"
Jed looked up from where he had been staring at the light hitting the desk, and met his goddaughter's eyes. He could tell she was slightly nervous, a little jumpy even, and that only helped fuel his mission.
" Actually there is something you could do for me Mallory..you could start by cutting the crap"
Mallory winced slightly but jutted her jaw and shook her head.
" I'm sorry sir, I don't know what you're talking about"
" Really?", the Presidents took a step forward.
This time Mallory hesitated slightly, her hands nervously rubbing together behind her.
" Sir perhaps if you tell me what it is you want, I may be able to."
" What happened at the hospital?"
Mallory let out a sigh, and shifted where she stood.
" I thought my dad would have filled you in Mr President."
" What happened at the hospital that Leo wont tell me?"
" I don't know what your talking about sir"
" Don't play dumb with me Mallory, I want to know."
Mallory again winced as the President's tone jumped up a notch, his frustration clearly evident in his voice. Mallory had been on the receiving end of a few dressing downs from this man in her childhood and teenage years, when her father had been too busy with work and alcohol to even know half of the rebellious things she had done, never mind reprimand her for them. She had been intimidated then, and as she stood before him now, his face and voice hard, his presence every bit as scary as it had been when she was thirteen, she realised she was fighting a loosing battle.
" Mr President, if you want to know what happened at the hospital then my dad is the one you need to have this conversation with, not me."
" Well your dad is a stubborn old fool who has some foolish notion that he has to protect me from any kind of bad news, else I'll crumble in a heap. So I'm having this conversation with you."
" It isn't my place", Mallory could hear the slight quiver in her own voice, and knew the man standing in front of her would be able to hear it too.
" I can only help him if I know what the hell is going on Mal!"
" You can't help him if he doesn't want to help himself!"
" Perhaps not, but it won't stop me from trying!"
" This isn't fair Jed!"
Both paused, a little breathless, at the breach in protocol, at the shift in conversation. Mallory moved from the spot she had been rooted too since she entered the office to the couch, eventually slumping down. She had already thrown protocol to the wind, might as well give it all she had, she thought a little bitterly.
Jed rubbed a hand through his hair, leaned against the desk and released a heavy sigh. This wasn't going exactly as he had planned. Looking over to the slumped form on the couch he felt a momentary twang of guilt. Leo was right, Mallory was a passionate person, and when it came to those she loved she was fiercely defensive, much like him. He remembered the same qualities when she was younger, only then she didn't know how to channel those intense feelings. He couldn't stop a chuckle forming on his lips as he remembered one particular example.
Mallory glanced up from were she had been studying the far wall, her forehead showing tiny creases as she watched the president's trademark smirk appear and disappear on his face, as though trying to hold back a louder laugh. She felt a little angry that he could find humour anywhere in this situation, especially after the shouting match that had just occurred.
" What's so funny?"
Jed snapped back to reality with the angry tone and looked over to her, watching the play of emotions over her face.
" Do you remember the Camden's? If memory serves I believe they lived about four houses down from me."
He didn't need an answer to his question, the sudden blush that replaced the slight paleness told him she knew exactly who he was referring too.
" I was just thinking back to the time you ran into the house like your tail was on fire, nearly knocking me over in the process, and ran straight up the stairs into Elizabeth's room. You must have been about fourteen? Thirteen at the time? The next thing I knew there was a knock at the door, and there stood Mr Robert Camden, a very angry Robert Camden with his fifteen-year-old son, who if I remember rightly was sporting a rather ugly looking swollen lip. As it turned out, after much shouting and promises of retribution, you had slugged this boy for saying something derogatory about your dad."
Mallory's tight lips melted into a slight smile of recollection.
" His name was Robert Camden Junior, and we were both fourteen at the time. God, I can't believe you would remember this of all ice breaking stories. I remember sitting in Liz's room listening to the yelling, and then the door slammed. It was quiet for about ten seconds, and believe me I was holding my breath, before you yelled my name. I sat on the bed determined not to move, after all I hadn't done anything wrong, or so I thought at the time. Next thing I know the door fly's open and there you are. I had ten minutes of yelling, five minutes of stony silence; followed by thirty minutes of how violence in our society is effecting our youth, and the action equals reaction theory. I remember the times because I was looking at my watch the whole time."
Jed smiled warmly at the memory. Gods how easy those days were. Looking back to Mallory he sighed deeply, his tongue forming familiar words.
" What happened at the hospital Mal?"
Mallory sighed too. The atmosphere in the room had melted into something she recognised, warm, friendly, relaxed. There were no other light-hearted stories to tell. Now was the time for hard truths.
"They want him to get some professional help. Professional psychological help."
Her voice was little more than a whisper but it made the President stand none the less.
"They what?"
Mallory looked up at him as she spoke.
"During the tests, the doctor discovered that Dad's Cortisol levels were abnormally low. I can't really remember what exactly it was that he said but it was something along the lines of Cortisol being a key hormone and how it could eventually begin something called a Corticotrophin Release. Basically meaning that he would start to get jumpy, maybe loose his temper, feel emotional, that sort of thing. He asked dad a few questions about his recent episode, and about his general state of health since the accident. But you know what he's like; the questions he did decide to answer were one- word answers at best. That's when the doctor suggested an appointment with a colleague of his, a Dr Brownly I think it was."
Mallory stopped for breath, her eyes falling to stare blankly at the shined black shoes in front of her.
"What was his preliminary diagnosis Mal?"
Mal could feel the lump bob in her throat, and swallowed convulsively. When her breathing hitched audibly, she raised her hands to her cover her face, embarrassed by her reaction. She felt the cushion next to her sink with his weight and soon she was pressed against his side, his hands holding her tight against him.
"He thinks it might be acute PTSD, triggered by the attack. Of course dad thinks he's a quack looking for a quick reputation, and nearly took his head off for suggesting it in the first place. The poor doctor actually dropped his clipboard."
The President rubbed soothing lines up and down Mal's arm, as he listened to her account of what had happened.
" I tried to talk to him when we got back but."
" He can be quite a scary guy when he wants to be"
Mal nodded her head against the President, her cheek rubbing against the soft cotton of his shirt. There was silence in the room for several minutes while they both digested the news, and thought about what the next steps would be.
The President frowned and craned his neck to look down when again he heard and felt a sniffle coming from the young woman lying firmly against his side.
" Mal? What is it?"
" I'm really sorry for not telling you Uncle Jed. It's just that."
" Don't apologise Mallory, I understand your predicament. I find myself in enough of them on a regular basis to know what it's like, so don't give it another thought ok?"
" Yes sir"
" I think I liked Uncle Jed better.it took me back a few years"
Mallory giggled around her handkerchief and sat up, straightening her clothes as she did so.
" Well I'll keep that in mind next time I want something from you. And it's been more than a few years"
" Lets just keep that little titbit to ourselves"
" Deal"
The smiles faded just as quickly as they had appeared.
" So what now? I mean he's adamant in refusing to even talk."
Jed stood, his hands clasping and unclasping as he slowly paced in front of the sofa.
" You can't order him to get treatment Jed, I know that. He'll go were you point but it will shift your friendship into unknown territory, and I'm not sure that's something you can get back out off."
The President was nodding his head as she spoke, his eyes locked on a spot in the far corner.
" No. No orders. No pointing. I've never given Leo an order and never intend too."
There was a moment of silence.
" Then what?"
Jed looked up from were he had been staring to look at Mallory.
" I'm going to talk to him. I'll lock him the room if I have to, but he's not leaving this building until we've hashed this out. I wont let him ignore his own health for the sake of this administration. For me. If the positions were reversed he wouldn't let me either. I've nearly lost one member of my family to this before because he was too intent on the repercussions for me if it got out. I'll be damned if I'm gonna stand by and watch it happen again."
And with that he strode towards the door, opened it, and left Mallory sitting on the sofa in her father's office wondering if she had done the right thing.
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