PART 2
10 WEEKS LATER
Sam Seaborn's dejected, forlorn figure walked through the hallways of the White House to get to the Communications Bullpen; he didn't look as if he had had any sleep in the past few nights and he seemed suddenly to be twenty years older than he had the previous Friday.
"Sam?" C.J. Cregg said, as her tall form obstructed Sam's route and she herded him in the direction of her office. "Come talk to me."
"C.J. it's fine. It really is."
"Spanky, I can see it's not. You look as if you're going to fall down if you don't sit down before long. Come to my office."
Sam stumbled over his own feet as C.J. led him to her office. She put a steadying hand on his arm and slowed her pace. "Steady there, Sam. One foot in front of the other."
"Sorry Ceej."
"Don't be." Sam stumbled again. "Sam, when did you last have something to eat?" C.J. asked suspiciously.
"I don't. yesterday morning, I had a banana."
"You last had a proper meal when?"
"C.J. ."
"Sam, you need to eat proper meals."
"I had a banana yesterday."
"Sam, in no world or realm does a single banana constitute a proper meal!"
"I wasn't hungry."
"Are you sick?" C.J. made to feel his forehead for a fever, but Sam ducked away, successfully evading C.J.'s hand.
"C.J. I'm fine. I promise you that I am fine."
That would have been a lot more convincing, Spanky, if you didn't look so much like you were about to pass out because you haven't been eating properly." C.J. directed Sam past Carol, through her office door and sat him on the couch. "Tell me what's wrong."
"Nothing."
"Sam, have I got to fetch Josh?" Sam flinched a little.
"No. Anyway, he won't be in yet, he'll be having a sleepover with Amy Gardner."
"Ah, did their meeting a few weeks ago lead to a sordid little tryst?"
"Apparently so."
"Well, at least let me see you eat something. I'm gonna go find you a candy bar or something. Sit tight while I see what my detective prowess can unearth."
Sam stayed where he was told as C.J. left the room, closing the door behind her, as she went to look for something he could eat.
Sam compliantly sat on C.J.'s couch as he watched Gail swim around in her bowl, he was mesmerised.
X ~ X ~ X
My father didn't pick up a cocktail waitress, Leo. He's had a woman in an apartment in Santa Monica... for 28 years.
The real question is how did he not get caught until now?
I don't know why you'd think I was like that. I mean, for fun, but... I don't know why you'd think I was like that.
The truth isn't good?
This ground holds the graves of people who died for it, who gave what Lincoln called the last full measure of devotion. Of fidelity.
This girl's going to find out who her father was.
It's just there are certain things you're sure of... like longitude and latitude.
X ~ X ~ X
He remained like that for an indeterminate amount of time until he heard the click of the door open; he did not however, take his eyes from the enchanting fish.
"Sam?" a quiet voice said. "C.J. says you're sick and that you've not been eating. She came to steal a candy bar from me for you."
"Look, Toby, I've already told C.J. and now I'm telling you: everything is fine, perfectly and absolutely fine."
"Crap!"
"I'm sorry?"
"It's crap Sam. You are not fine, you know that, I know that, C.J. knows that and most probably Gail knows that too. We all know that there is something wrong; what is it?"
Sam just sat there, inspecting his hands, which were tightly clasped together. His hair covered his blue eyes and the bits of them that could be seen looked dull and lifeless.
"It's a family thing. You wouldn't understand."
"Believe it or not, Sam, I have a family too, and we have our problems, our ups and downs; you were there for me when David was on the Columbia and they were having problems with the payload bay doors. I was married to Andi for several years, which did not end well and we did not live happily ever after. I might surprise you Sam, I might understand. What's wrong?"
"My Dad left my Mom again."
"I thought that she had taken him back. I thought it was over between him and. well, you know."
"So did she, but she didn't like to ask too many questions. She didn't want to put too much pressure on him. She didn't want to scare him off. It turns out, however, that she was wrong. The only reason he went back to her was to sort out his, hmmm affairs, financial and the rest, and to sneak some things he wanted out of the house when Mom wasn't home."
"You're kidding?!"
"I am not."
"I'm sorry."
"Why Toby? I knew I shouldn't trust him again. It's just that when he came back, Mom was so happy."
"It's a very mean-spirited thing to do Sam. It's cruel and heartless and mean. I know I'm not one to talk about successful relationships, I mean, just look at me and Andi; but we still get on amicably and I would never dream of ever doing anything like that to her nor she to me. It's cold and capricious, Sam. It's just down right dirty pool."
"I didn't want to believe that he'd changed, Toby. I was mad with my Mom when she took him back, asking know questions, but believe I did. I don't know why I was so stupid; naïve."
"He's your father, Sam, of course you wanted to believe the best."
"He's not my father any more. I want nothing further to do with him. He's welcome to his family in Santa Monica, the lives of his other kids, as he's no longer welcome in mine!"
"Sam?" Sam rested his elbows on his knees and rested his head in his hands. Toby quickly ran his right hand over his beard while his left hand dipped into his pants pocket and produced a candy bar. "Here, eat this. I'm not gonna promise it'll make things better, but it'll certainly give you a sugar boost that I know you need right now and if it lets me distinguish you from your dress shirt, that would be an added bonus."
"Thank you, Toby."
"Do you want to go home? Take the day off?"
"No, thank you. I don't think that I could face being alone any longer."
"When did you find out?"
"Mom called me Friday night when I had gotten home."
"You've known the whole weekend? And Josh let you get into that state?" Toby sounded disgusted with Josh at the prospect that he had allowed Sam to get in such a bad way.
"Josh doesn't know, Toby. He was away at the weekend. I haven't been able to contact him yet. I don't think I could face him now."
"O.K. C.J. says you can use her office if you want five minutes to get your head straight."
"Thanks."
"Are you going to be alright for Staff?"
"Sure."
"O.K. Just one more thing before I leave you to get your game head on."
"What?"
"Eat the candy bar. And you are going to join me for lunch today, I'm gonna make sure you get something to eat - proper food. C.J. will also be keeping an eye on you, though she can't join us for lunch and between the both of us we will begin feeding you up!" Toby sounded determined.
"O.K. Thanks Toby."
"See you at Staff in five." Toby left Sam alone with his thoughts and the candy bar, quietly closing the door behind him.
X ~ X ~ X
After talking with Toby and eating the candy bar, Sam felt marginally human again, sufficiently so to go to Staff. Sam knew that Toby would tell C.J. about his parents, but he hoped that he would not tell Josh. He did not need Josh to know, Josh probably wouldn't want to know anyway, not with Amy Gardner on the scene.
X ~ X ~ X
Sam walked to the Outer Office to the Oval Office after a few minutes in time for the meeting between the President and the Senior Staff. When he got there, Charlie waved him in. Sam took a seat on the big plush sofa next to C.J., across from Toby. Leo was seated in one of the high-backed armchairs and the President in the other. There was no sign of Josh.
"Sam." President Josiah Bartlet said, "I'm so sorry to hear about your parents."
"Toby told you?!" It was more of a statement than a question. Sam shot a quick glare across at Toby, who had the good grace to look sheepish.
"It may have slipped out."
"And you couldn't shove it back in again?"
"Well, no."
"It's a tough break, kid." Leo said, jumping in to rescue the Communications Director, although he had been mildly amused earlier on (as had the President), when they saw the concerned side of Toby that seldom came out to play. "Toby says you want to stay and work."
"Yes, sir."
"You should go home Sam, you don't look so hot."
"All due respect, Mr. President, but I want, no, I need to stay."
"Leo, are we good to go with the meeting, I have to meet with the Cabinet in ten minutes and I had hoped that some time to read the briefing notes Charlie's just getting me wouldn't be completely out of the question." Charlie chose that moment to enter the Oval Office with a file in his hand.
"Here are the cheat sheets for the Cabinet meeting, Sir."
"I think you mean briefing notes, there, actually Charlie."
"Er, yes Sir." Charlie handed the file to the President and then left again.
"So, Leo, can we get started now?"
"We're waiting on Josh, Sir."
"Yes, I noticed that he was conspicuous by his absence. The room seemed very quiet."
"Anyone know where he is?" Leo asked.
"He had a matinee with Amy Gardner yesterday." C.J. said helpfully.
"Aw. I'll bet he was hoping for a two show day!" The President grinned and Leo did his best not to look too amused by Toby's wry comment.
"We'll go without him. Make him stay after class as punishment for his tardiness, Leo."
"I'd count on it."
"Right. What do we have?"
"I'm meeting with Stackhouse. We need to liaise with him over the opening of the new autism research center in Chicago." Toby offered. "I need to get C.J. in too, so that our two staffs, well, their staff can do what our staff tells them so we can sort out the finer details for the smooth running of the event."
"Do you have time for that, C.J.?"
"Yeah, I'm clear apart from a meeting with Steve. He's sniffing around after something."
"When will I get finalised details, Toby?"
"Seriously, Sir? Probably not until after the thing." C.J. interrupted before Toby had the chance to open his mouth.
"Noon tomorrow at the latest, then we should be able to start prepping you for it."
"What else?" Leo asked.
"I have a meeting with Congresswoman Wyatt about whatever's bothering her and the Ethics Committee at the moment, though no doubt it will be entirely inconsequential."
"What's next?"
"I've got some things I want to run past the Counsel's office on 657, then I'm meant to be meeting with three Congressmen from industrial districts that rely on the key polluting, big corporations for funding, that I'm taking with Josh. We're gonna show them how 657 and the CARE initiative will actually help and not hinder them and their constituents."
"Leo, will Josh be in, because I'm not happy with Sam having to take the meeting by himself?"
"I can handle it Toby."
"I know you can, but us sending our green wonder boy alone makes the rest of us look uninterested and lazy, which in turn makes us look weak. My thing is, will Josh be here?"
"Charlie!" The President called loudly.
"Sir?" Charlie stuck his head around the door that led to the Outer Office.
"Can you find out for me please, if Josh has called in sick, ask Donna, ask Margaret, ask whoever. If no one has heard from him please call his house. When there is no answer from there, call him at Amy Gardner's and tell him that the curtain doesn't stay down if one of the main actors doesn't show up, they fill in with someone else who is just as capable of playing the role and hope it doesn't have to turn into a permanent arrangement! Tell him all that, would you please, and then if he still doesn't get it, tell him to get his ass down here now, and that is a directive from the Oval Office."
"Yes Sir." Charlie went off on the trail of Josh.
The Staff sat in nervous anticipation while they waited for Charlie to return with news on the whereabouts of the Deputy Chief of Staff. The President flicked through his briefing notes for the impending Cabinet meeting. Charlie re-entered the room a couple of minutes later, very apprehensively.
"What news, Charlie?"
"He's just leaving Amy Gardner's now, Sir."
"And he hasn't left before because?"
"He said he was discussing a work thing." Toby tutted and C.J. rolled her eyes.
"Fix this Leo."
"Yes Sir."
"Thank you, everyone. It is to my regret that I will have to do something that is one of the least pleasurable of my constitutionally required duties and leave this cosy little group, but I leave on this note; whatever you do to Josh, do it away from this office, I don't want anything that stains being tracked into the carpet. Get to it everyone."
"Yes Sir." C.J., Toby and Sam said.
"I'm gonna tell Donna to send Josh's ass straight over here. Sam, don't go into your meeting until I've finished with him. If it takes that long, send in Bonnie or Ginger and get them to say you're dealing with something unforeseen that cropped up. Thanks everyone." They filed out.
"Sam, come back to my office a moment before you go see the White House Counsel." Toby instructed.
"O.K." Sam followed Toby to the Bullpen as they parted from C.J., who went to her own office.
When they arrived at the doorway to Toby's office, he turned to Sam and said:
"Come in here." He shut the door behind Sam and closed the blind of the glass partition that made his office seem so much like a fish bowl. "Sit, sit." Sam did as he was told.
"What do you want , Toby?"
"Are you gonna be alright in this thing with Josh?"
"Sure, why not?"
"I've seen how you two have been lately, you'd have to be blind not to notice and besides, I imagine he will be insufferable after Leo has finished with him. We all know what an ass he can be."
"It'll be fine, Toby."
"Don't forget you're coming to lunch with me."
"I can't just walk out in the middle of a meeting."
"Yes you can."
"But Josh."
"So Josh'll be pissed. Screw it, Sam, I don't care! Either you guarantee you are going to come to lunch with me or I go to tell Leo right now that you are not fit to be working. I'll come and get you at lunch." Toby walked from his intimidating stance directly over Sam to his desk. He opened a drawer and pulled something out, which he proceeded to throw at Sam. "Eat this now; in here, where I can see you." It was a BLT sandwich Toby had been and gotten from the Mess while Sam had been collecting his thoughts in C.J.'s office.
"Since when did you turn into the nutrition to police, Toby?"
"Since you proved incapable of looking after yourself."
"Touché." Sam reluctantly undid the sandwich wrapper and picked his way through it under Toby's watchful eye. By the time he'd finished picking through it, only a little had actually been eaten, though it was more than he'd eaten for a while.
"Now tell me that that didn't make you feel at least a touch better!"
"It did, a little." Sam admitted.
"O.K. Go do the thing. And don't forget, wait for Josh before you go into the meeting."
"No Toby."
"I'll meet you at lunch." Sam rolled his eyes but said nothing further as he left Toby's office. He walked to his office next door to gather the papers he needed to run past the Counsel's office and began his wait for Josh.
X ~ X ~ X
"Josh!" Donna Moss called to her boss as he walked briskly through the lobby of the West Wing.
"Not now, Donna. I have a thing to do and I have a meeting."
"No Josh, Leo wants to see you."
"Why?"
"Well, Margaret didn't say, but I'm just going on a hunch here that it may be because you are late."
"Really?"
"Just a stab in the dark, which incidentally I've heard Leo is trying to organise."
"What?"
"Go see him now, Josh."
"What about the meeting on 657?"
"I've been told not to let you in until you've received further instructions from Leo."
"Maybe I should just go home now before Leo sees me, then I can say I came down with a mystery."
"Just the man I wanted to see." Came Leo's yell from down the corridor. "Get your ass into my office, now!"
"Er. Ahkay." Josh trotted off to Leo's office, wondering what Leo would have to say. He walked through the open door, which Leo slammed behind him, and then each man held the other's gaze for a long moment until Leo McGarry, White House Chief of Staff began interrogating his Deputy.
"Where the hell have you been?"
"I had trouble getting in today."
"You mean you had trouble finding your way out of Amy Gardner's."
"Leo!"
"I was gonna say neighborhood, Josh; really!"
"It won't happen again."
"You're damn right it won't happen again."
"Come on Leo, tell me no one else in this place has allowed their private life into the professional, not even once."
"I don't think I like where you're going here."
"I mean, Leo, look at C.J. Her relationship with Danny almost caused us trouble any number of times, and Sam, I mean, the example par excellence."
"Really, Josh, don't talk like that."
"Come on, Leo; the hooker, your daughter, the way he behaved with Lisa doing the interview, the way he handled the President's M.S. disclosure and to say he didn't let personal interfere with professional when his parents."
"Leave it Josh."
"No, Leo, when his parents split up. You cannot preach to me about blurred lines."
"Josh. Leave it! I will not let you go any further." Leo shouted. "I can't believe you sometimes; seeing Amy's having a very bad effect on you. You really should take your head out your ass. Now, go find Sam and go have your meeting!"
"Yes, sir." Josh left the room with an indignant air, he couldn't understand how one of his regular whines could have provoked such a response from his boss; it seemed to him to be entirely unprecedented but he did not know about the latest 'Sam' development.
X ~ X ~ X
Sam glanced at his watch; 12.30. Toby would be along any moment to collect him for lunch. Sam could tell from the way Josh had been for the duration of the meeting up until that point that he would not be pleased. Sam had spent the meeting attempting to placate the Congressmen, who had been getting progressively more riled by Josh's bad attitude. There was a knock on the door.
"Come in." called Josh. Toby opened the door.
"Can I take Sam for a little while?" Sam made to stand up, but stopped when Josh signalled him to do so.
"If you hadn't noticed, Toby, we're kind of in the middle of something here."
"Yes Josh, I see, but if it wasn't important I would not have interrupted."
"I'm a little hungry." Congressman Reid said. "Maybe we could take a break for lunch."
"Fine. We reconvene in thirty minutes."
"Sam's going to be an hour, Josh." Toby stipulated.
"Well, then. Looks like we reconvene at 1.30 for the convenience of Mr. Seaborn." Josh walked out the room and its other occupants began to breathe once more.
X ~ X ~ X
Sitting in the Mess behind plates filled with food; Toby and Sam were talking comfortably about work.
"Your thing go O.K. in the Counsel's office?"
"Yeah. I think we've now ironed out all the creases and any potential creases that may appear."
"Good." Toby took a mouthful of his food. "How's your meeting going?"
"Well, Josh is on a thing. I think Leo really fired him up."
"Do you think you can save it?"
"I hope so."
"This is why you had to take Sam? Why you needed him?" Josh demanded as he invited to sit himself down at their table. He had gone down to the Mess to grab a quick sandwich to eat while he sorted through paperwork. He had not anticipated seeing Sam in there with Toby. He had assumed that they would be in the office of one or the other of them. "I assumed you both had something important you needed to do. Boy, was I wrong?"
"This is important, Josh. Sam is having lunch with me." In actual fact, Sam was just picking at his food and actually eating hardly anything.
"Of course. Sam." Josh shifted the weight of the focus of his glare to Sam, "Get back to the meeting, and I mean stat." Sam began to stand to leave, as he had done earlier, a parody if you will.
"Sit down, Sam. We're finishing lunch." Sam did as he was told, torn between the contradictory instructions from Toby and Josh.
"What's so important?"
"There were some problems at the weekend." Toby began.
"I mean, I split up with Amy this morning after the best weekend of my life and you two find lunch important."
"You and Amy split up?" Sam asked concerned. "Are you O.K.?"
"And he finally asks. I've needed to talk to you about this all day, but you obviously see lunch as a higher priority than your best friend. That's why I was late this morning, you know; I was begging Amy to take me back. I don't know how I'll go on without her. How selfish are you Sam?" Everyone in the Mess was listening to Josh now, and all eyes rested on him: Sam blanched and sat stock still. Toby looked around.
"What are you all looking at? There's nothing to see here. Get on with. whatever."
Josh stood up and began to leave, turning back to say:
"If you think you could spare me the time, Sam, then I need to talk to you about this." Sam simply nodded. "Don't be late back to the meeting. If you want to see me first I'll be in my office. You could come see me and we could go back to the meeting together." Sam nodded and Josh turned back on his course, leaving Sam and Toby alone at the table.
"Poor Josh." It was Sam that broke the silence.
"Sam! Sometimes you are beyond belief. You had an awful weekend, and by the way you still look like you had an awful weekend; you're pale, you look as if you haven't slept in a week."
"You really know how to make a guy feel good, Toby."
"Seriously, you look pretty bad. At what point during the course of things has he asked you if you're O.K.?"
"He has other things on his mind at the moment."
"Oh come on Sam! Don't give me that crap! C.J. said she thought you were going to pass out this morning and I have to say you really don't look that much better now. He's too caught up in himself."
"Please, Toby; don't talk like that. He's my friend and he needs me. I'm going to go be with him."
"Sam, you hardly touched your lunch, in fact, I'm not entirely convinced you did anything other than chase it around your plate with your fork."
"I'm fine. Really."
"Sam.!" And Sam had gone in search of his best friend. He was determined that although Josh may turn his back on him from time to time, he would not reciprocate.
When Sam reached the Bullpen outside Josh's office he saw Donna sitting at her desk.
"I'm going in to see him Donna."
"O.K. Make him feel better."
"I'll do my best."
Sam knocked softly on the door to Josh's office and slipped in.
"You managed to tear yourself away from lunch with Toby, then?"
"Josh, please don't." Josh nodded an affirmative. "So what happened to make her want the final curtain?"
"I don't know. I thought we both had a great weekend, hell, we both did have a great weekend, Sam, we did the sorts of things that normal couples do; we watched movies together; we had romantic meals and we a had a lot of sex, a lot of good sex at that, then, this morning over breakfast, she said that she wanted us to stop seeing each other. It came completely out of the blue, Sam. I thought we could have had something special, I really did."
"I know buddy."
"Sam, what went wrong?"
"I don't know, Josh."
"I mean, really, what went wrong?"
"It just wasn't meant to be; some things aren't."
"I know you really don't mean that."
"Why not?"
"Because would you have said that about your parents when they split up last year, that it's just not 'meant to be'. I know they got back together, but Sam, you do understand why I can't accept that as a reason, right?" Sam bit his lip and nodded.
"I really am sorry, Josh. I know that she made you happy."
"She did. She really did. Sam; what am I gonna do?"
"I can't answer that for you Josh. I don't think that anyone could."
"Yeah."
"Do you wanna head back to the meeting?"
"Sure. Let's do it. Sorry I've been such an ass today, but this Amy thing has really knocked me for six."
"It's O.K. Let's go."
10 WEEKS LATER
Sam Seaborn's dejected, forlorn figure walked through the hallways of the White House to get to the Communications Bullpen; he didn't look as if he had had any sleep in the past few nights and he seemed suddenly to be twenty years older than he had the previous Friday.
"Sam?" C.J. Cregg said, as her tall form obstructed Sam's route and she herded him in the direction of her office. "Come talk to me."
"C.J. it's fine. It really is."
"Spanky, I can see it's not. You look as if you're going to fall down if you don't sit down before long. Come to my office."
Sam stumbled over his own feet as C.J. led him to her office. She put a steadying hand on his arm and slowed her pace. "Steady there, Sam. One foot in front of the other."
"Sorry Ceej."
"Don't be." Sam stumbled again. "Sam, when did you last have something to eat?" C.J. asked suspiciously.
"I don't. yesterday morning, I had a banana."
"You last had a proper meal when?"
"C.J. ."
"Sam, you need to eat proper meals."
"I had a banana yesterday."
"Sam, in no world or realm does a single banana constitute a proper meal!"
"I wasn't hungry."
"Are you sick?" C.J. made to feel his forehead for a fever, but Sam ducked away, successfully evading C.J.'s hand.
"C.J. I'm fine. I promise you that I am fine."
That would have been a lot more convincing, Spanky, if you didn't look so much like you were about to pass out because you haven't been eating properly." C.J. directed Sam past Carol, through her office door and sat him on the couch. "Tell me what's wrong."
"Nothing."
"Sam, have I got to fetch Josh?" Sam flinched a little.
"No. Anyway, he won't be in yet, he'll be having a sleepover with Amy Gardner."
"Ah, did their meeting a few weeks ago lead to a sordid little tryst?"
"Apparently so."
"Well, at least let me see you eat something. I'm gonna go find you a candy bar or something. Sit tight while I see what my detective prowess can unearth."
Sam stayed where he was told as C.J. left the room, closing the door behind her, as she went to look for something he could eat.
Sam compliantly sat on C.J.'s couch as he watched Gail swim around in her bowl, he was mesmerised.
X ~ X ~ X
My father didn't pick up a cocktail waitress, Leo. He's had a woman in an apartment in Santa Monica... for 28 years.
The real question is how did he not get caught until now?
I don't know why you'd think I was like that. I mean, for fun, but... I don't know why you'd think I was like that.
The truth isn't good?
This ground holds the graves of people who died for it, who gave what Lincoln called the last full measure of devotion. Of fidelity.
This girl's going to find out who her father was.
It's just there are certain things you're sure of... like longitude and latitude.
X ~ X ~ X
He remained like that for an indeterminate amount of time until he heard the click of the door open; he did not however, take his eyes from the enchanting fish.
"Sam?" a quiet voice said. "C.J. says you're sick and that you've not been eating. She came to steal a candy bar from me for you."
"Look, Toby, I've already told C.J. and now I'm telling you: everything is fine, perfectly and absolutely fine."
"Crap!"
"I'm sorry?"
"It's crap Sam. You are not fine, you know that, I know that, C.J. knows that and most probably Gail knows that too. We all know that there is something wrong; what is it?"
Sam just sat there, inspecting his hands, which were tightly clasped together. His hair covered his blue eyes and the bits of them that could be seen looked dull and lifeless.
"It's a family thing. You wouldn't understand."
"Believe it or not, Sam, I have a family too, and we have our problems, our ups and downs; you were there for me when David was on the Columbia and they were having problems with the payload bay doors. I was married to Andi for several years, which did not end well and we did not live happily ever after. I might surprise you Sam, I might understand. What's wrong?"
"My Dad left my Mom again."
"I thought that she had taken him back. I thought it was over between him and. well, you know."
"So did she, but she didn't like to ask too many questions. She didn't want to put too much pressure on him. She didn't want to scare him off. It turns out, however, that she was wrong. The only reason he went back to her was to sort out his, hmmm affairs, financial and the rest, and to sneak some things he wanted out of the house when Mom wasn't home."
"You're kidding?!"
"I am not."
"I'm sorry."
"Why Toby? I knew I shouldn't trust him again. It's just that when he came back, Mom was so happy."
"It's a very mean-spirited thing to do Sam. It's cruel and heartless and mean. I know I'm not one to talk about successful relationships, I mean, just look at me and Andi; but we still get on amicably and I would never dream of ever doing anything like that to her nor she to me. It's cold and capricious, Sam. It's just down right dirty pool."
"I didn't want to believe that he'd changed, Toby. I was mad with my Mom when she took him back, asking know questions, but believe I did. I don't know why I was so stupid; naïve."
"He's your father, Sam, of course you wanted to believe the best."
"He's not my father any more. I want nothing further to do with him. He's welcome to his family in Santa Monica, the lives of his other kids, as he's no longer welcome in mine!"
"Sam?" Sam rested his elbows on his knees and rested his head in his hands. Toby quickly ran his right hand over his beard while his left hand dipped into his pants pocket and produced a candy bar. "Here, eat this. I'm not gonna promise it'll make things better, but it'll certainly give you a sugar boost that I know you need right now and if it lets me distinguish you from your dress shirt, that would be an added bonus."
"Thank you, Toby."
"Do you want to go home? Take the day off?"
"No, thank you. I don't think that I could face being alone any longer."
"When did you find out?"
"Mom called me Friday night when I had gotten home."
"You've known the whole weekend? And Josh let you get into that state?" Toby sounded disgusted with Josh at the prospect that he had allowed Sam to get in such a bad way.
"Josh doesn't know, Toby. He was away at the weekend. I haven't been able to contact him yet. I don't think I could face him now."
"O.K. C.J. says you can use her office if you want five minutes to get your head straight."
"Thanks."
"Are you going to be alright for Staff?"
"Sure."
"O.K. Just one more thing before I leave you to get your game head on."
"What?"
"Eat the candy bar. And you are going to join me for lunch today, I'm gonna make sure you get something to eat - proper food. C.J. will also be keeping an eye on you, though she can't join us for lunch and between the both of us we will begin feeding you up!" Toby sounded determined.
"O.K. Thanks Toby."
"See you at Staff in five." Toby left Sam alone with his thoughts and the candy bar, quietly closing the door behind him.
X ~ X ~ X
After talking with Toby and eating the candy bar, Sam felt marginally human again, sufficiently so to go to Staff. Sam knew that Toby would tell C.J. about his parents, but he hoped that he would not tell Josh. He did not need Josh to know, Josh probably wouldn't want to know anyway, not with Amy Gardner on the scene.
X ~ X ~ X
Sam walked to the Outer Office to the Oval Office after a few minutes in time for the meeting between the President and the Senior Staff. When he got there, Charlie waved him in. Sam took a seat on the big plush sofa next to C.J., across from Toby. Leo was seated in one of the high-backed armchairs and the President in the other. There was no sign of Josh.
"Sam." President Josiah Bartlet said, "I'm so sorry to hear about your parents."
"Toby told you?!" It was more of a statement than a question. Sam shot a quick glare across at Toby, who had the good grace to look sheepish.
"It may have slipped out."
"And you couldn't shove it back in again?"
"Well, no."
"It's a tough break, kid." Leo said, jumping in to rescue the Communications Director, although he had been mildly amused earlier on (as had the President), when they saw the concerned side of Toby that seldom came out to play. "Toby says you want to stay and work."
"Yes, sir."
"You should go home Sam, you don't look so hot."
"All due respect, Mr. President, but I want, no, I need to stay."
"Leo, are we good to go with the meeting, I have to meet with the Cabinet in ten minutes and I had hoped that some time to read the briefing notes Charlie's just getting me wouldn't be completely out of the question." Charlie chose that moment to enter the Oval Office with a file in his hand.
"Here are the cheat sheets for the Cabinet meeting, Sir."
"I think you mean briefing notes, there, actually Charlie."
"Er, yes Sir." Charlie handed the file to the President and then left again.
"So, Leo, can we get started now?"
"We're waiting on Josh, Sir."
"Yes, I noticed that he was conspicuous by his absence. The room seemed very quiet."
"Anyone know where he is?" Leo asked.
"He had a matinee with Amy Gardner yesterday." C.J. said helpfully.
"Aw. I'll bet he was hoping for a two show day!" The President grinned and Leo did his best not to look too amused by Toby's wry comment.
"We'll go without him. Make him stay after class as punishment for his tardiness, Leo."
"I'd count on it."
"Right. What do we have?"
"I'm meeting with Stackhouse. We need to liaise with him over the opening of the new autism research center in Chicago." Toby offered. "I need to get C.J. in too, so that our two staffs, well, their staff can do what our staff tells them so we can sort out the finer details for the smooth running of the event."
"Do you have time for that, C.J.?"
"Yeah, I'm clear apart from a meeting with Steve. He's sniffing around after something."
"When will I get finalised details, Toby?"
"Seriously, Sir? Probably not until after the thing." C.J. interrupted before Toby had the chance to open his mouth.
"Noon tomorrow at the latest, then we should be able to start prepping you for it."
"What else?" Leo asked.
"I have a meeting with Congresswoman Wyatt about whatever's bothering her and the Ethics Committee at the moment, though no doubt it will be entirely inconsequential."
"What's next?"
"I've got some things I want to run past the Counsel's office on 657, then I'm meant to be meeting with three Congressmen from industrial districts that rely on the key polluting, big corporations for funding, that I'm taking with Josh. We're gonna show them how 657 and the CARE initiative will actually help and not hinder them and their constituents."
"Leo, will Josh be in, because I'm not happy with Sam having to take the meeting by himself?"
"I can handle it Toby."
"I know you can, but us sending our green wonder boy alone makes the rest of us look uninterested and lazy, which in turn makes us look weak. My thing is, will Josh be here?"
"Charlie!" The President called loudly.
"Sir?" Charlie stuck his head around the door that led to the Outer Office.
"Can you find out for me please, if Josh has called in sick, ask Donna, ask Margaret, ask whoever. If no one has heard from him please call his house. When there is no answer from there, call him at Amy Gardner's and tell him that the curtain doesn't stay down if one of the main actors doesn't show up, they fill in with someone else who is just as capable of playing the role and hope it doesn't have to turn into a permanent arrangement! Tell him all that, would you please, and then if he still doesn't get it, tell him to get his ass down here now, and that is a directive from the Oval Office."
"Yes Sir." Charlie went off on the trail of Josh.
The Staff sat in nervous anticipation while they waited for Charlie to return with news on the whereabouts of the Deputy Chief of Staff. The President flicked through his briefing notes for the impending Cabinet meeting. Charlie re-entered the room a couple of minutes later, very apprehensively.
"What news, Charlie?"
"He's just leaving Amy Gardner's now, Sir."
"And he hasn't left before because?"
"He said he was discussing a work thing." Toby tutted and C.J. rolled her eyes.
"Fix this Leo."
"Yes Sir."
"Thank you, everyone. It is to my regret that I will have to do something that is one of the least pleasurable of my constitutionally required duties and leave this cosy little group, but I leave on this note; whatever you do to Josh, do it away from this office, I don't want anything that stains being tracked into the carpet. Get to it everyone."
"Yes Sir." C.J., Toby and Sam said.
"I'm gonna tell Donna to send Josh's ass straight over here. Sam, don't go into your meeting until I've finished with him. If it takes that long, send in Bonnie or Ginger and get them to say you're dealing with something unforeseen that cropped up. Thanks everyone." They filed out.
"Sam, come back to my office a moment before you go see the White House Counsel." Toby instructed.
"O.K." Sam followed Toby to the Bullpen as they parted from C.J., who went to her own office.
When they arrived at the doorway to Toby's office, he turned to Sam and said:
"Come in here." He shut the door behind Sam and closed the blind of the glass partition that made his office seem so much like a fish bowl. "Sit, sit." Sam did as he was told.
"What do you want , Toby?"
"Are you gonna be alright in this thing with Josh?"
"Sure, why not?"
"I've seen how you two have been lately, you'd have to be blind not to notice and besides, I imagine he will be insufferable after Leo has finished with him. We all know what an ass he can be."
"It'll be fine, Toby."
"Don't forget you're coming to lunch with me."
"I can't just walk out in the middle of a meeting."
"Yes you can."
"But Josh."
"So Josh'll be pissed. Screw it, Sam, I don't care! Either you guarantee you are going to come to lunch with me or I go to tell Leo right now that you are not fit to be working. I'll come and get you at lunch." Toby walked from his intimidating stance directly over Sam to his desk. He opened a drawer and pulled something out, which he proceeded to throw at Sam. "Eat this now; in here, where I can see you." It was a BLT sandwich Toby had been and gotten from the Mess while Sam had been collecting his thoughts in C.J.'s office.
"Since when did you turn into the nutrition to police, Toby?"
"Since you proved incapable of looking after yourself."
"Touché." Sam reluctantly undid the sandwich wrapper and picked his way through it under Toby's watchful eye. By the time he'd finished picking through it, only a little had actually been eaten, though it was more than he'd eaten for a while.
"Now tell me that that didn't make you feel at least a touch better!"
"It did, a little." Sam admitted.
"O.K. Go do the thing. And don't forget, wait for Josh before you go into the meeting."
"No Toby."
"I'll meet you at lunch." Sam rolled his eyes but said nothing further as he left Toby's office. He walked to his office next door to gather the papers he needed to run past the Counsel's office and began his wait for Josh.
X ~ X ~ X
"Josh!" Donna Moss called to her boss as he walked briskly through the lobby of the West Wing.
"Not now, Donna. I have a thing to do and I have a meeting."
"No Josh, Leo wants to see you."
"Why?"
"Well, Margaret didn't say, but I'm just going on a hunch here that it may be because you are late."
"Really?"
"Just a stab in the dark, which incidentally I've heard Leo is trying to organise."
"What?"
"Go see him now, Josh."
"What about the meeting on 657?"
"I've been told not to let you in until you've received further instructions from Leo."
"Maybe I should just go home now before Leo sees me, then I can say I came down with a mystery."
"Just the man I wanted to see." Came Leo's yell from down the corridor. "Get your ass into my office, now!"
"Er. Ahkay." Josh trotted off to Leo's office, wondering what Leo would have to say. He walked through the open door, which Leo slammed behind him, and then each man held the other's gaze for a long moment until Leo McGarry, White House Chief of Staff began interrogating his Deputy.
"Where the hell have you been?"
"I had trouble getting in today."
"You mean you had trouble finding your way out of Amy Gardner's."
"Leo!"
"I was gonna say neighborhood, Josh; really!"
"It won't happen again."
"You're damn right it won't happen again."
"Come on Leo, tell me no one else in this place has allowed their private life into the professional, not even once."
"I don't think I like where you're going here."
"I mean, Leo, look at C.J. Her relationship with Danny almost caused us trouble any number of times, and Sam, I mean, the example par excellence."
"Really, Josh, don't talk like that."
"Come on, Leo; the hooker, your daughter, the way he behaved with Lisa doing the interview, the way he handled the President's M.S. disclosure and to say he didn't let personal interfere with professional when his parents."
"Leave it Josh."
"No, Leo, when his parents split up. You cannot preach to me about blurred lines."
"Josh. Leave it! I will not let you go any further." Leo shouted. "I can't believe you sometimes; seeing Amy's having a very bad effect on you. You really should take your head out your ass. Now, go find Sam and go have your meeting!"
"Yes, sir." Josh left the room with an indignant air, he couldn't understand how one of his regular whines could have provoked such a response from his boss; it seemed to him to be entirely unprecedented but he did not know about the latest 'Sam' development.
X ~ X ~ X
Sam glanced at his watch; 12.30. Toby would be along any moment to collect him for lunch. Sam could tell from the way Josh had been for the duration of the meeting up until that point that he would not be pleased. Sam had spent the meeting attempting to placate the Congressmen, who had been getting progressively more riled by Josh's bad attitude. There was a knock on the door.
"Come in." called Josh. Toby opened the door.
"Can I take Sam for a little while?" Sam made to stand up, but stopped when Josh signalled him to do so.
"If you hadn't noticed, Toby, we're kind of in the middle of something here."
"Yes Josh, I see, but if it wasn't important I would not have interrupted."
"I'm a little hungry." Congressman Reid said. "Maybe we could take a break for lunch."
"Fine. We reconvene in thirty minutes."
"Sam's going to be an hour, Josh." Toby stipulated.
"Well, then. Looks like we reconvene at 1.30 for the convenience of Mr. Seaborn." Josh walked out the room and its other occupants began to breathe once more.
X ~ X ~ X
Sitting in the Mess behind plates filled with food; Toby and Sam were talking comfortably about work.
"Your thing go O.K. in the Counsel's office?"
"Yeah. I think we've now ironed out all the creases and any potential creases that may appear."
"Good." Toby took a mouthful of his food. "How's your meeting going?"
"Well, Josh is on a thing. I think Leo really fired him up."
"Do you think you can save it?"
"I hope so."
"This is why you had to take Sam? Why you needed him?" Josh demanded as he invited to sit himself down at their table. He had gone down to the Mess to grab a quick sandwich to eat while he sorted through paperwork. He had not anticipated seeing Sam in there with Toby. He had assumed that they would be in the office of one or the other of them. "I assumed you both had something important you needed to do. Boy, was I wrong?"
"This is important, Josh. Sam is having lunch with me." In actual fact, Sam was just picking at his food and actually eating hardly anything.
"Of course. Sam." Josh shifted the weight of the focus of his glare to Sam, "Get back to the meeting, and I mean stat." Sam began to stand to leave, as he had done earlier, a parody if you will.
"Sit down, Sam. We're finishing lunch." Sam did as he was told, torn between the contradictory instructions from Toby and Josh.
"What's so important?"
"There were some problems at the weekend." Toby began.
"I mean, I split up with Amy this morning after the best weekend of my life and you two find lunch important."
"You and Amy split up?" Sam asked concerned. "Are you O.K.?"
"And he finally asks. I've needed to talk to you about this all day, but you obviously see lunch as a higher priority than your best friend. That's why I was late this morning, you know; I was begging Amy to take me back. I don't know how I'll go on without her. How selfish are you Sam?" Everyone in the Mess was listening to Josh now, and all eyes rested on him: Sam blanched and sat stock still. Toby looked around.
"What are you all looking at? There's nothing to see here. Get on with. whatever."
Josh stood up and began to leave, turning back to say:
"If you think you could spare me the time, Sam, then I need to talk to you about this." Sam simply nodded. "Don't be late back to the meeting. If you want to see me first I'll be in my office. You could come see me and we could go back to the meeting together." Sam nodded and Josh turned back on his course, leaving Sam and Toby alone at the table.
"Poor Josh." It was Sam that broke the silence.
"Sam! Sometimes you are beyond belief. You had an awful weekend, and by the way you still look like you had an awful weekend; you're pale, you look as if you haven't slept in a week."
"You really know how to make a guy feel good, Toby."
"Seriously, you look pretty bad. At what point during the course of things has he asked you if you're O.K.?"
"He has other things on his mind at the moment."
"Oh come on Sam! Don't give me that crap! C.J. said she thought you were going to pass out this morning and I have to say you really don't look that much better now. He's too caught up in himself."
"Please, Toby; don't talk like that. He's my friend and he needs me. I'm going to go be with him."
"Sam, you hardly touched your lunch, in fact, I'm not entirely convinced you did anything other than chase it around your plate with your fork."
"I'm fine. Really."
"Sam.!" And Sam had gone in search of his best friend. He was determined that although Josh may turn his back on him from time to time, he would not reciprocate.
When Sam reached the Bullpen outside Josh's office he saw Donna sitting at her desk.
"I'm going in to see him Donna."
"O.K. Make him feel better."
"I'll do my best."
Sam knocked softly on the door to Josh's office and slipped in.
"You managed to tear yourself away from lunch with Toby, then?"
"Josh, please don't." Josh nodded an affirmative. "So what happened to make her want the final curtain?"
"I don't know. I thought we both had a great weekend, hell, we both did have a great weekend, Sam, we did the sorts of things that normal couples do; we watched movies together; we had romantic meals and we a had a lot of sex, a lot of good sex at that, then, this morning over breakfast, she said that she wanted us to stop seeing each other. It came completely out of the blue, Sam. I thought we could have had something special, I really did."
"I know buddy."
"Sam, what went wrong?"
"I don't know, Josh."
"I mean, really, what went wrong?"
"It just wasn't meant to be; some things aren't."
"I know you really don't mean that."
"Why not?"
"Because would you have said that about your parents when they split up last year, that it's just not 'meant to be'. I know they got back together, but Sam, you do understand why I can't accept that as a reason, right?" Sam bit his lip and nodded.
"I really am sorry, Josh. I know that she made you happy."
"She did. She really did. Sam; what am I gonna do?"
"I can't answer that for you Josh. I don't think that anyone could."
"Yeah."
"Do you wanna head back to the meeting?"
"Sure. Let's do it. Sorry I've been such an ass today, but this Amy thing has really knocked me for six."
"It's O.K. Let's go."