TITLE: Back To Before
AUTHOR: Jo T
GENRE: Angsty Drama
RATING: PG - some language but nothing stronger than you would find in the show itself.
SUMMARY: Further down the line from SGTE, SGTJ; Sam's life changes more as things back home cross the bridge of the country
FEEDBACK: Good, bad or indifferent, all feedback helps and is gratefully received, meetjoynoone@yahoo.co.uk
ARCHIVE: Sure, would be an honour, just let me know where.
DISCLAIMER: Much as I would love them to be mine, the characters alas do not belong to me, I'm simply borrowing them to have a little fun. Included in PART 2 are also some excerpts from SGTE, SGTJ, which obviously do not belong to me either.
SPOILERS: Just to be on the safe side, I would say anything up to and including Season 3.
AUTHOR'S NOTE: As bizarre as some of this may sound, it is actually loosely based on real life events, the finer details and obviously Sam's reaction to things is not real but the scenario happened and this was just me getting a few things off my chest.
Just one other thing, want to apologise to a degree because of the lack of description, but I wanted the focus to be the characters and the dialogue, plus I'm assuming familiarity with the setting and stuff.
O.K. Enough of my ranting, here goes!
PART 1
"Sam? Sam?" Deputy Chief of Staff Joshua Lyman called as he scoured the Communications Bullpen full of frantic activity, for the Deputy Communications Director, Sam Seaborn. "Sam?" Josh peered into Sam's dimly lit office but all he could see were mountains of files covering his desk, shelves bowing under the weight of files and boxes full of files piled high on every free surface. Josh was looking in a state of mind that was so frantic it almost matched his wild hair and he failed to notice the looming figure of Press Secretary, C.J. Cregg approach him from behind.
"Woah, Josh. Where's the fire? The Mural Room?"
"Very funny Claudia Jean. I need Sam!"
"Anything I need to know about? Though I gotta say, it doesn't come as too much of a surprise."
"Huh? Wait. Oh. That is not funny, C.J. and I'm not kidding, I really need Sam."
"What's wrong mi compadre?"
"I gotta find Sam. I need him to take a meeting with me. I've been set up."
"Who by?"
"By whom!" Corrected Toby Ziegler as he came out of his office. "And why is there all this fuss outside my office. Can't you take it somewhere else?"
"No, Tobias, we cannot, as I am here to see you and my friend Josh, here, is looking for your elusive deputy because he's been set up, and here I am guessing, and it is only a guess mind you, that Samuel is in some way responsible or that he is needed to help extinguish the fire that has been lighted under Joshua."
"What the hell, C.J.?" Toby turned his attention to Josh. "And you; have you been playing with kerosene in the Mural Room again?"
"No. Let me be absolutely clear on that, no. I have not caused damage to any government property whatsoever!"
"So what's your problem?" asked Toby.
"Mrs. Bartlet has arranged a meeting for me. She's having a little fun with me."
"What kind of wise-ass thing did you say to her?"
"I didn't Toby, well, at least nothing I can think of, anyway." Toby raised his eyebrows. "Can you believe it? The First Lady organising such things to have some personal amusement at my expense!"
"I can't understand why she would want to pick you. I mean, who could possibly find it amusing to pop a pin into your quite frankly over-inflated ego?" Toby sniggered.
"You've still not told us who you're meeting with."
"With whom you are meeting." Corrected Toby. C.J. shot him a most piercing glare, Toby shrugged in response.
"Amy Gardner. The First Lady has organised a meeting for me and Amy Gardner."
"And you need Sam to save you from alienating every single woman in the country?" asked Toby.
"No. I need him to come agree with me."
"I could sit in your meeting with you if you can't find Sam."
"No thanks, C.J."
"It would be interesting. Besides, I owe you one after that time you sat through my meeting with the Cartographers for Social Equality."
"Ceej, it's fine, really. You don't have to do that. Besides, didn't you hear me say I wanted someone who would agree with me and you, most definitely would not."
"I might. What's it about?"
"You wouldn't. It doesn't matter. Now, if you could just point me in the direction of Sam."
"He's in his office." Said Toby.
"He's really not, Toby. I've already looked in there." "I'm telling you, Josh, he's in there. He's probably hiding behind a stack of files. He's just had a large delivery and he has to read the whole lot by the week's end."
"He's in there?"
"Yes, he is. Now C.J. What did you want me for?"
Josh walked all the way into Sam's office and looked round.
"Sam?"
"Yeah?" a disembodied voice replied from behind a very large stack of files on the desk.
"I was calling for you a bit ago."
"Huh?" Josh moved around the desk so he could see his friend.
"Sam, didn't you hear me calling for you?"
"No. I was just on the phone. I had a call."
"O.K."
"I was talking to my Mom. She had some news."
"Do you wanna talk about it?"
"What do you need?"
"I wanted you to sit in a meeting with me; the First Lady's having a little fun at my expense."
"She set you up with Amy Gardner again, huh?"
"Yep. Wanted to operate the buddy system. Safety in numbers, you know?"
"Sure. I'll help you out there. What time are you meeting with her?"
"In about a half hour. We got time to grab a coffee first. You could, you know, tell me about your news or something."
"Sure. What's the meeting about?"
"A woman thing, you know the sort of thing Mrs. Bartlet usually sets Amy on to me about."
"O.K."
"You wanna come to the Mess, then?"
"Sure." Sam stood and followed Josh out of his office. They walked past Toby and C.J. who were talking outside Toby's office. Sam interrupted them: "Toby, I'm going to the Mess and then I'll be sitting in Josh's meeting with Amy, if you need me."
"O.K." Toby returned his attention to C.J. "I got your memo, by the way."
"Memo, which one?"
"The one about the summit - New deli!"
"Well, good."
"I was just wondering, is it that new place on K Street, 'cos I wouldn't have thought it would be big enough, and quite frankly, I think that the place is a hole."
"Toby, I have absolutely no idea what you're talking about." Toby reached his arm into his office and pulled a loose piece of paper from the arm of the sofa and shoved it right in front of C.J.'s face.
"You've been letting Carol go ahead unchecked again, haven't you?"
"She missed out the 'h'?" C.J. guessed, unable to focus on the piece of paper as it was too close to her face.
"Yes she did. She missed out the 'h'. You should really talk to her about that."
"I should. In fact, I have. On several occasions."
"And yet it still happens. It speaks volumes about your personnel management skills, C.J." Toby said, a grin clearly obvious under his beard.
"Shut up!"
X ~ X ~ X
Josh joined Sam at a table in the Mess with two cups of coffee.
"Was it bad news you got?"
"What?"
"The call from your Mom."
"Do you know, Josh, I honestly couldn't say."
"Why not?" Sam just sat there opposite Josh, swilling the contents of his coffee cup. "Come on, Sam. What's wrong? I can see it's bugging you."
"Well, it's. so my Dad's moved back home with my Mom."
"Well, Sam, surely that's a good thing. You should feel happy."
"I know I should, but I feel numb. I feel nothing Josh. I am entirely indifferent to the whole thing."
"Man; why?"
"I just don't know."
"How does your Mom feel?"
"She's over the moon. I've not heard her so happy for a long while; since he left."
"Surely that's all that matters."
"It should be, I know, but I guess I'm a little suspicious of him, still. I remember what it felt like when he first left and how my Mom was then."
X ~ X ~ X
"Mom, what's wrong? Please stop crying."
"It's about your father."
"Dad? Is he O.K.? Has he had some kind of an accident? He's not. he can't be."
"No, Sam. He's fine. More than fine in fact."
"Well why did you call me, Mom, if he's fine?"
"Your father and I have split up."
"Split up. You split up? Why? Why did you split up? How could you do that? He's my Dad!"
"He's been having an affair, Sam."
"I don't believe you. He would never do that."
"It's true."
"No. It can't be."
"He has."
"For how long?"
"What? Oh, I don't think that really matters."
"For how long?"
"Twenty-eight years."
"Twenty-eight years? He's been having an affair for twenty-eight years and you're just telling me now?"
"It's not just you that hasn't found out about it before now, Sam, and I think you're forgetting; I loved him too. I chose to love him, you were born his son; the choice was not yours to make."
"Who is she?"
"She lives in Santa Monica."
"Santa Monica? So when he was away on business all that time."
"He was with her. He was with his other family."
"Other family? Wait. This is too much. Other family? I have brothers and sisters I didn't even know about?"
"Two brothers and one sister, apparently."
"Do they know about me?"
"Sam, how should I know? If I'm honest, I can't even say that I care."
"Don't say that, you don't mean it; you can't mean it."
"Sam, the way I feel toward your father right now, I'd be happier if he had died. If something had happened to him. I trusted him and he betrayed me. He played me for a fool and used me as a convenience: the dutiful wife. I wish that he had died."
"That's not true. You love him."
"I did love him but he's not the man I thought I knew. How can I love a stranger; how can I forgive a person I don't even know?"
"Mom, please don't cry, please don't cry. I don't know how much." Sam broke off, struggling to catch his breath.
"Sam. Sam honey?"
"Sam? Sam, you O.K.? You look as if you've seen a ghost. Give me the phone." Josh had been passing through the Bullpen to see Sam. Josh took the receiver from Sam's tightly clenched hand and calmly spoke into the mouthpiece, unaware of who was on the other end and why they had called. "Hi, this is Josh Lyman. Sam's not too well at the minute, can I get him to call you back. Thanks." Josh slammed down the receiver regardless of the person on the other end. "Sam, buddy, what's wrong?" Josh crouched down in front of Sam and rested a hand on his shoulder to get the younger man's attention. "Who was that on the telephone Sam?"
"It was my Mom." Sam's voice was icy. "My father has been having an affair. They're splitting up. It has been going on for twenty-eight years now, with a woman in Santa Monica and between them they have parented three further children. I have to brothers and a sister, whom I have never met." Sam snapped.
"Sam, calm down. You'll hurt yourself." Sam had balled his fist tightly around the nearest thing to him, a letter opener that had been sitting on the desk in front of him.
X ~ X ~ X
"Sam, calm down. You'll hurt yourself." Sam put down the knife he had picked up (the nearest thing to hand), back down on to the table in the Mess.
"Sorry, Josh."
"You weren't with us there for a minute, you were lost."
"I was thinking."
"Maybe you shouldn't do that, it seems too dangerous. Josh prised opened Sam's hand, the one that had been wrapped so tightly around the knife, to reveal a thin sliver of blood.
"You wanna go and clean that? It doesn't look like it's done any permanent damage. I'll tell you one thing, though, it's a good job that they don't keep the knives in here too sharp." This made Sam smile; his bangs flopped forward over his eyes and he looked for all the world like a forlorn little boy. "Let the anger go Sam. Your Mom has been able to forgive him. You can't harbor this hostility forever. He's changed, he must have. They've both moved on."
"Josh." Donna said as she approached them, her long blond hair strewn over her shoulders, "Your nemesis is here. She's waiting for you in the Mural Room."
"O.K. Thanks, Donna. Before I go, could do me a favor and go find a band- aid."
"Are you all right?"
"I'm fine. It's just that Sam's been a klutz again. Can you meet me back here with it?"
"Sure thing." Donna marched off in search of a band-aid for her boss.
"Sam, why don't you go clean that now, meet me back here, we'll put the band aid on and then we'll go and take down Amy Gardner and whatever dumb thing that no one actually cares about, is bothering her and the First Lady today."
"O.K. Thanks Josh." Sam smiled and got up to go to the bathroom to clean his hand. Josh shook his head as he waited for Donna. He was happy for Sam's parents being able to make it up like that, the only question that remained though, was why wasn't Sam?
X ~ X ~ X
"Amy, could you, I don't know, stop talking for just one minute?"
"J. ."
"I mean, you've not shut up since Sam and I stepped in here and I know you think you have a point to make but."
"I do have a point to make; in fact, I have many points to make and most of them are issues that the First Lady is concerned about."
"Oh, no. No, no, no, no, no. Amy, you are not taking me there. You are not hijacking me with Mrs. Bartlet. It really doesn't impress me, you know, you two ganging up on me time and time and time again."
"Well, J, it should, because women make up fifty percent of the population, they live longer than men, not to mention the fact that women constitute a higher number of voters who turn out than men and that's not even mentioning that they are more likely to vote for you. How do you like them apples J?"
"Amy, number one, I know all of what you just told me, I've been in this business for quite a while now and number two, would you shut up, please, about the apples."
"You should support women candidates more; vocally and financially, then they may stand more chance of winning something."
"We do support women candidates, Amy."
"Not as much as the men."
"We support them the same as the men, they both - men and women - receive the same level of support from the White House."
"Why is there not gender parity in the House or the Senate, then?"
"Because not as many women as men want a career in politics. They don't put themselves forward and if the do not do that, there is very little that we can do. Not to mention the fact that we do not possess the majority, in case you hadn't noticed."
"Answer me this; you support Andrea Wyatt, do you not?"
"Yes, Congresswoman Wyatt has our support, often to the consternation of Toby."
"So does Becky Reeseman?"
"Yes. Amy, I don't see."
"Looking at that J, it seems to me that the only women you support seem to have a very close connection with this White House. And while we're on that, I heard about Toby's plan to fill that recess appointment last year with Josephine McGarry. Congresswoman Wyatt is the ex-wife of your Communications Director, Becky Reeseman and her husband are good friends of the Bartlets and while we're on this subject I feel I ought to point out that Josephine McGarry is the sister of the White House Chief of Staff. So, J. How do you like them apples?"
"Amy, what is this thing you have with apples? Would you like an apple? Are you hungry? We could break for lunch."
"No, Sam, I'm fine."
"The apples are just Amy's little quirk, to be honest with you though, I'd be grateful if she latched onto another piece of fruit. By now she must have put a price on the head of every apple in the country."
"Why shouldn't there be gender parity, Josh?"
"There should be."
"Sam, you were brought in here to agree with me."
"No, really, there should be but there can't be, not yet. We do need equality in Congress, we need more women to enter the political process and win seats. Change has to happen over time, though, otherwise you get a lot of freshmen with no idea about the world of politics and much to the satisfaction of cynics, they will fail. Believe me, Amy, they will fail. Nor can we favor women over other candidates, we give them the support that is owed to them and we can do no more, especially if there are just not the candidates. We cannot use all-women short lists, it was tried in Britain and was found to be ideologically flawed. We need the women's lobby to work harder, we need to make sure groups like EMILY's List are still reaching out. Yes, there needs to be change, there will be change, but it cannot come right now and it cannot come straight from the White House. Change, when it comes, will come from people like you, you who stand up there, you who spur women forward and you who show them what they can achieve, when all they have to do is put forward their name. This is how change will happen, and it will, Amy; you know that it will be because of people like you."
"Nice speech."
"Thanks Amy. How much of it did you buy?"
"Very little."
"O.K. But it'll hold you and Mrs. Bartlet at bay for a little while, at least?"
"I guess."
"Thanks. Josh, are we done now? I have a phone call to make."
"Yeah? I think we're done. Amy?"
"I suppose it'll do for me for now." Sam stood and headed for the door until he was stopped by Josh calling him back, he turned his attention to his friend.
"Sam."
"Yeah?"
"It's good to have you back, buddy."
"Yeah." Sam left the Mural Room and returned to his office.
On the way through the Bullpen he ran into Toby, who had temporarily stepped out of his office to top up his coffee mug.
"How'd the meeting go, Sam?"
"It was good."
"Really?"
"Yeah."
"Are you gonna get on now, with reading all the files that were delivered. I nearly fell over all the stacks of boxes earlier when I had to go and pick up the draft for the President's speech for Wednesday."
"I'll get to it as soon as I've made a phone call."
"Really?"
"Yeah."
"O.K."
Sam walked into his office and quietly closed the door behind him. He walked to the back of his desk and sat down in his swivel chair and picked up his phone receiver. For a moment Sam sat frozen in time, then he dialled for an outside line followed by the familiar California number that would reach his Mom.
"Hi Mom? It's me."
AUTHOR: Jo T
GENRE: Angsty Drama
RATING: PG - some language but nothing stronger than you would find in the show itself.
SUMMARY: Further down the line from SGTE, SGTJ; Sam's life changes more as things back home cross the bridge of the country
FEEDBACK: Good, bad or indifferent, all feedback helps and is gratefully received, meetjoynoone@yahoo.co.uk
ARCHIVE: Sure, would be an honour, just let me know where.
DISCLAIMER: Much as I would love them to be mine, the characters alas do not belong to me, I'm simply borrowing them to have a little fun. Included in PART 2 are also some excerpts from SGTE, SGTJ, which obviously do not belong to me either.
SPOILERS: Just to be on the safe side, I would say anything up to and including Season 3.
AUTHOR'S NOTE: As bizarre as some of this may sound, it is actually loosely based on real life events, the finer details and obviously Sam's reaction to things is not real but the scenario happened and this was just me getting a few things off my chest.
Just one other thing, want to apologise to a degree because of the lack of description, but I wanted the focus to be the characters and the dialogue, plus I'm assuming familiarity with the setting and stuff.
O.K. Enough of my ranting, here goes!
PART 1
"Sam? Sam?" Deputy Chief of Staff Joshua Lyman called as he scoured the Communications Bullpen full of frantic activity, for the Deputy Communications Director, Sam Seaborn. "Sam?" Josh peered into Sam's dimly lit office but all he could see were mountains of files covering his desk, shelves bowing under the weight of files and boxes full of files piled high on every free surface. Josh was looking in a state of mind that was so frantic it almost matched his wild hair and he failed to notice the looming figure of Press Secretary, C.J. Cregg approach him from behind.
"Woah, Josh. Where's the fire? The Mural Room?"
"Very funny Claudia Jean. I need Sam!"
"Anything I need to know about? Though I gotta say, it doesn't come as too much of a surprise."
"Huh? Wait. Oh. That is not funny, C.J. and I'm not kidding, I really need Sam."
"What's wrong mi compadre?"
"I gotta find Sam. I need him to take a meeting with me. I've been set up."
"Who by?"
"By whom!" Corrected Toby Ziegler as he came out of his office. "And why is there all this fuss outside my office. Can't you take it somewhere else?"
"No, Tobias, we cannot, as I am here to see you and my friend Josh, here, is looking for your elusive deputy because he's been set up, and here I am guessing, and it is only a guess mind you, that Samuel is in some way responsible or that he is needed to help extinguish the fire that has been lighted under Joshua."
"What the hell, C.J.?" Toby turned his attention to Josh. "And you; have you been playing with kerosene in the Mural Room again?"
"No. Let me be absolutely clear on that, no. I have not caused damage to any government property whatsoever!"
"So what's your problem?" asked Toby.
"Mrs. Bartlet has arranged a meeting for me. She's having a little fun with me."
"What kind of wise-ass thing did you say to her?"
"I didn't Toby, well, at least nothing I can think of, anyway." Toby raised his eyebrows. "Can you believe it? The First Lady organising such things to have some personal amusement at my expense!"
"I can't understand why she would want to pick you. I mean, who could possibly find it amusing to pop a pin into your quite frankly over-inflated ego?" Toby sniggered.
"You've still not told us who you're meeting with."
"With whom you are meeting." Corrected Toby. C.J. shot him a most piercing glare, Toby shrugged in response.
"Amy Gardner. The First Lady has organised a meeting for me and Amy Gardner."
"And you need Sam to save you from alienating every single woman in the country?" asked Toby.
"No. I need him to come agree with me."
"I could sit in your meeting with you if you can't find Sam."
"No thanks, C.J."
"It would be interesting. Besides, I owe you one after that time you sat through my meeting with the Cartographers for Social Equality."
"Ceej, it's fine, really. You don't have to do that. Besides, didn't you hear me say I wanted someone who would agree with me and you, most definitely would not."
"I might. What's it about?"
"You wouldn't. It doesn't matter. Now, if you could just point me in the direction of Sam."
"He's in his office." Said Toby.
"He's really not, Toby. I've already looked in there." "I'm telling you, Josh, he's in there. He's probably hiding behind a stack of files. He's just had a large delivery and he has to read the whole lot by the week's end."
"He's in there?"
"Yes, he is. Now C.J. What did you want me for?"
Josh walked all the way into Sam's office and looked round.
"Sam?"
"Yeah?" a disembodied voice replied from behind a very large stack of files on the desk.
"I was calling for you a bit ago."
"Huh?" Josh moved around the desk so he could see his friend.
"Sam, didn't you hear me calling for you?"
"No. I was just on the phone. I had a call."
"O.K."
"I was talking to my Mom. She had some news."
"Do you wanna talk about it?"
"What do you need?"
"I wanted you to sit in a meeting with me; the First Lady's having a little fun at my expense."
"She set you up with Amy Gardner again, huh?"
"Yep. Wanted to operate the buddy system. Safety in numbers, you know?"
"Sure. I'll help you out there. What time are you meeting with her?"
"In about a half hour. We got time to grab a coffee first. You could, you know, tell me about your news or something."
"Sure. What's the meeting about?"
"A woman thing, you know the sort of thing Mrs. Bartlet usually sets Amy on to me about."
"O.K."
"You wanna come to the Mess, then?"
"Sure." Sam stood and followed Josh out of his office. They walked past Toby and C.J. who were talking outside Toby's office. Sam interrupted them: "Toby, I'm going to the Mess and then I'll be sitting in Josh's meeting with Amy, if you need me."
"O.K." Toby returned his attention to C.J. "I got your memo, by the way."
"Memo, which one?"
"The one about the summit - New deli!"
"Well, good."
"I was just wondering, is it that new place on K Street, 'cos I wouldn't have thought it would be big enough, and quite frankly, I think that the place is a hole."
"Toby, I have absolutely no idea what you're talking about." Toby reached his arm into his office and pulled a loose piece of paper from the arm of the sofa and shoved it right in front of C.J.'s face.
"You've been letting Carol go ahead unchecked again, haven't you?"
"She missed out the 'h'?" C.J. guessed, unable to focus on the piece of paper as it was too close to her face.
"Yes she did. She missed out the 'h'. You should really talk to her about that."
"I should. In fact, I have. On several occasions."
"And yet it still happens. It speaks volumes about your personnel management skills, C.J." Toby said, a grin clearly obvious under his beard.
"Shut up!"
X ~ X ~ X
Josh joined Sam at a table in the Mess with two cups of coffee.
"Was it bad news you got?"
"What?"
"The call from your Mom."
"Do you know, Josh, I honestly couldn't say."
"Why not?" Sam just sat there opposite Josh, swilling the contents of his coffee cup. "Come on, Sam. What's wrong? I can see it's bugging you."
"Well, it's. so my Dad's moved back home with my Mom."
"Well, Sam, surely that's a good thing. You should feel happy."
"I know I should, but I feel numb. I feel nothing Josh. I am entirely indifferent to the whole thing."
"Man; why?"
"I just don't know."
"How does your Mom feel?"
"She's over the moon. I've not heard her so happy for a long while; since he left."
"Surely that's all that matters."
"It should be, I know, but I guess I'm a little suspicious of him, still. I remember what it felt like when he first left and how my Mom was then."
X ~ X ~ X
"Mom, what's wrong? Please stop crying."
"It's about your father."
"Dad? Is he O.K.? Has he had some kind of an accident? He's not. he can't be."
"No, Sam. He's fine. More than fine in fact."
"Well why did you call me, Mom, if he's fine?"
"Your father and I have split up."
"Split up. You split up? Why? Why did you split up? How could you do that? He's my Dad!"
"He's been having an affair, Sam."
"I don't believe you. He would never do that."
"It's true."
"No. It can't be."
"He has."
"For how long?"
"What? Oh, I don't think that really matters."
"For how long?"
"Twenty-eight years."
"Twenty-eight years? He's been having an affair for twenty-eight years and you're just telling me now?"
"It's not just you that hasn't found out about it before now, Sam, and I think you're forgetting; I loved him too. I chose to love him, you were born his son; the choice was not yours to make."
"Who is she?"
"She lives in Santa Monica."
"Santa Monica? So when he was away on business all that time."
"He was with her. He was with his other family."
"Other family? Wait. This is too much. Other family? I have brothers and sisters I didn't even know about?"
"Two brothers and one sister, apparently."
"Do they know about me?"
"Sam, how should I know? If I'm honest, I can't even say that I care."
"Don't say that, you don't mean it; you can't mean it."
"Sam, the way I feel toward your father right now, I'd be happier if he had died. If something had happened to him. I trusted him and he betrayed me. He played me for a fool and used me as a convenience: the dutiful wife. I wish that he had died."
"That's not true. You love him."
"I did love him but he's not the man I thought I knew. How can I love a stranger; how can I forgive a person I don't even know?"
"Mom, please don't cry, please don't cry. I don't know how much." Sam broke off, struggling to catch his breath.
"Sam. Sam honey?"
"Sam? Sam, you O.K.? You look as if you've seen a ghost. Give me the phone." Josh had been passing through the Bullpen to see Sam. Josh took the receiver from Sam's tightly clenched hand and calmly spoke into the mouthpiece, unaware of who was on the other end and why they had called. "Hi, this is Josh Lyman. Sam's not too well at the minute, can I get him to call you back. Thanks." Josh slammed down the receiver regardless of the person on the other end. "Sam, buddy, what's wrong?" Josh crouched down in front of Sam and rested a hand on his shoulder to get the younger man's attention. "Who was that on the telephone Sam?"
"It was my Mom." Sam's voice was icy. "My father has been having an affair. They're splitting up. It has been going on for twenty-eight years now, with a woman in Santa Monica and between them they have parented three further children. I have to brothers and a sister, whom I have never met." Sam snapped.
"Sam, calm down. You'll hurt yourself." Sam had balled his fist tightly around the nearest thing to him, a letter opener that had been sitting on the desk in front of him.
X ~ X ~ X
"Sam, calm down. You'll hurt yourself." Sam put down the knife he had picked up (the nearest thing to hand), back down on to the table in the Mess.
"Sorry, Josh."
"You weren't with us there for a minute, you were lost."
"I was thinking."
"Maybe you shouldn't do that, it seems too dangerous. Josh prised opened Sam's hand, the one that had been wrapped so tightly around the knife, to reveal a thin sliver of blood.
"You wanna go and clean that? It doesn't look like it's done any permanent damage. I'll tell you one thing, though, it's a good job that they don't keep the knives in here too sharp." This made Sam smile; his bangs flopped forward over his eyes and he looked for all the world like a forlorn little boy. "Let the anger go Sam. Your Mom has been able to forgive him. You can't harbor this hostility forever. He's changed, he must have. They've both moved on."
"Josh." Donna said as she approached them, her long blond hair strewn over her shoulders, "Your nemesis is here. She's waiting for you in the Mural Room."
"O.K. Thanks, Donna. Before I go, could do me a favor and go find a band- aid."
"Are you all right?"
"I'm fine. It's just that Sam's been a klutz again. Can you meet me back here with it?"
"Sure thing." Donna marched off in search of a band-aid for her boss.
"Sam, why don't you go clean that now, meet me back here, we'll put the band aid on and then we'll go and take down Amy Gardner and whatever dumb thing that no one actually cares about, is bothering her and the First Lady today."
"O.K. Thanks Josh." Sam smiled and got up to go to the bathroom to clean his hand. Josh shook his head as he waited for Donna. He was happy for Sam's parents being able to make it up like that, the only question that remained though, was why wasn't Sam?
X ~ X ~ X
"Amy, could you, I don't know, stop talking for just one minute?"
"J. ."
"I mean, you've not shut up since Sam and I stepped in here and I know you think you have a point to make but."
"I do have a point to make; in fact, I have many points to make and most of them are issues that the First Lady is concerned about."
"Oh, no. No, no, no, no, no. Amy, you are not taking me there. You are not hijacking me with Mrs. Bartlet. It really doesn't impress me, you know, you two ganging up on me time and time and time again."
"Well, J, it should, because women make up fifty percent of the population, they live longer than men, not to mention the fact that women constitute a higher number of voters who turn out than men and that's not even mentioning that they are more likely to vote for you. How do you like them apples J?"
"Amy, number one, I know all of what you just told me, I've been in this business for quite a while now and number two, would you shut up, please, about the apples."
"You should support women candidates more; vocally and financially, then they may stand more chance of winning something."
"We do support women candidates, Amy."
"Not as much as the men."
"We support them the same as the men, they both - men and women - receive the same level of support from the White House."
"Why is there not gender parity in the House or the Senate, then?"
"Because not as many women as men want a career in politics. They don't put themselves forward and if the do not do that, there is very little that we can do. Not to mention the fact that we do not possess the majority, in case you hadn't noticed."
"Answer me this; you support Andrea Wyatt, do you not?"
"Yes, Congresswoman Wyatt has our support, often to the consternation of Toby."
"So does Becky Reeseman?"
"Yes. Amy, I don't see."
"Looking at that J, it seems to me that the only women you support seem to have a very close connection with this White House. And while we're on that, I heard about Toby's plan to fill that recess appointment last year with Josephine McGarry. Congresswoman Wyatt is the ex-wife of your Communications Director, Becky Reeseman and her husband are good friends of the Bartlets and while we're on this subject I feel I ought to point out that Josephine McGarry is the sister of the White House Chief of Staff. So, J. How do you like them apples?"
"Amy, what is this thing you have with apples? Would you like an apple? Are you hungry? We could break for lunch."
"No, Sam, I'm fine."
"The apples are just Amy's little quirk, to be honest with you though, I'd be grateful if she latched onto another piece of fruit. By now she must have put a price on the head of every apple in the country."
"Why shouldn't there be gender parity, Josh?"
"There should be."
"Sam, you were brought in here to agree with me."
"No, really, there should be but there can't be, not yet. We do need equality in Congress, we need more women to enter the political process and win seats. Change has to happen over time, though, otherwise you get a lot of freshmen with no idea about the world of politics and much to the satisfaction of cynics, they will fail. Believe me, Amy, they will fail. Nor can we favor women over other candidates, we give them the support that is owed to them and we can do no more, especially if there are just not the candidates. We cannot use all-women short lists, it was tried in Britain and was found to be ideologically flawed. We need the women's lobby to work harder, we need to make sure groups like EMILY's List are still reaching out. Yes, there needs to be change, there will be change, but it cannot come right now and it cannot come straight from the White House. Change, when it comes, will come from people like you, you who stand up there, you who spur women forward and you who show them what they can achieve, when all they have to do is put forward their name. This is how change will happen, and it will, Amy; you know that it will be because of people like you."
"Nice speech."
"Thanks Amy. How much of it did you buy?"
"Very little."
"O.K. But it'll hold you and Mrs. Bartlet at bay for a little while, at least?"
"I guess."
"Thanks. Josh, are we done now? I have a phone call to make."
"Yeah? I think we're done. Amy?"
"I suppose it'll do for me for now." Sam stood and headed for the door until he was stopped by Josh calling him back, he turned his attention to his friend.
"Sam."
"Yeah?"
"It's good to have you back, buddy."
"Yeah." Sam left the Mural Room and returned to his office.
On the way through the Bullpen he ran into Toby, who had temporarily stepped out of his office to top up his coffee mug.
"How'd the meeting go, Sam?"
"It was good."
"Really?"
"Yeah."
"Are you gonna get on now, with reading all the files that were delivered. I nearly fell over all the stacks of boxes earlier when I had to go and pick up the draft for the President's speech for Wednesday."
"I'll get to it as soon as I've made a phone call."
"Really?"
"Yeah."
"O.K."
Sam walked into his office and quietly closed the door behind him. He walked to the back of his desk and sat down in his swivel chair and picked up his phone receiver. For a moment Sam sat frozen in time, then he dialled for an outside line followed by the familiar California number that would reach his Mom.
"Hi Mom? It's me."