Residual Scarring 12/?
Author: natlski
All disclaimers apply
Author's note: If you are trying to figure out the timeline with this
story don't strain yourself. It takes place between the events of Two
Cathedrals and Manchester Part I. I realize Sorkin dates Manchester four
weeks after Two Cathedrals and his timeline doesn't allow for mine. So I'm
stretching things a bit. I'm allowed- I'm not making any money from this
and I have a little thing called artistic license on me side.
West Wing- Office of Chief of Staff
Toby shifted his weight from foot to foot, uncomfortable in the silence. He glanced to his left were C.J. sat on Leo's couch, arms crossed, mouth set in a grim line. He then looked to his right to were Sam stood by a chair, hands on his hips; his face set much like C.J.'s. Toby heaved a sigh and looked up when Leo spoke.
"And what do you two think about this?"
C.J. and Sam exchanged a look then Sam spoke. "It's a monumentally bad idea."
"Josh is going to get creamed."
Leo looked each of his staffers in the eye before speaking. "What does Josh think?"
"We haven't talk to him yet."
"But you are going to. After all this is his life we're talking about here."
"Yeah." Toby responded, keeping his gaze on the rug. "I'm going to go see him at lunch time."
"Go easy on him."
"Yeah."
"Anything else?" Leo again studied the faces of his staff. When he got no further response he spoke again. "Good. Go do a job." Leo turned his attention to the numerous papers on his desk as the Senior Staff filed out.
GW Hospital
Toby stopped just inside the hospital room door. Josh appeared to be asleep and Toby reached behind him for the door handle. He was about to leave when Josh opened his eyes and gave him a weak smile. He moved awkwardly across the room and stood nervously at the bedside.
"Hey!" Josh's voice was still muffled by the ever present oxygen mask yet sounded a little stronger then the last time Toby had seen him.
"Hi." Toby replied softly.
"I'm dying to know what's going on at the office. Donna won't tell me." Josh wheezed. "She insists I need to rest and that I won't be able to if I'm getting stressed out about work."
Toby allowed himself a small smile, remembering how stringent Donna was about 'The Rules' while Josh was recovering from the shooting. "She's right."
"Toby." Josh whined. "Come on be a pal. I promise I won't get worked up. Did we get the votes for 582? We were so close."
The Communications Director shifted uneasily at Josh's words; his conversations with the others playing in his mind. He lifted his gaze from the floor to his friend. Despite the younger man's exhaustion and wheezing breaths, he was practically bouncing in the bed. The brief glimpse of what could be called 'the old Josh' brought a smile to Toby's face.
"Yeah. Leo took the rest of the meetings. The bill is going to pass easily."
Josh sank back against the pillows, his energy spent. He smiled a full dimpled smile that lit up his tired features. "Good."
Toby's stomach dropped knowing what he had to do and anticipating Josh's reaction. He dropped his gaze, looking everywhere but at Josh. When he looked up he found Josh studying him with a quizzical expression and self- consciously dropped his gaze again.
"What's going on, Toby? Did Sam accidentally sleep with a call girl again?" There was just a hint of a smirk on Josh's face.
"He's never going to live that down."
"Not likely." Josh's chuckle dissolved into coughing. When he regained his breath he turned serious. "What aren't you telling me?"
Toby shuffled his feet, looking around the room, then back to Josh. "I want C.J. to announce your PTSD."
There was a stunned silence as the men stared at each other. Then Josh spoke, "I'm sorry, could you repeat that? 'Cause it sounded like you just said you wanted to help me create political suicide!" Josh's voice began to rise in anger.
"We don't know how long Lillienfield will sit on this. If we pre-empt him, we can control it." Toby slipped his hands into his pockets and rocked on the balls of his feet. His gaze was locked on the side of the hospital bed.
"This isn't something they let you have and work for the President." Josh's breath was coming in short gasps. He shifted uncomfortably in the bed, his chest tightening as his agitation increased. "Toby, you can't! Where do you get off even thinking that?"
"Josh, calm down."
"The hell! This is ridiculous!" Josh yelled. He began coughing and gasping, his face loosing all color.
Becoming panicked, Toby put a hand on Josh's shoulder. "You need to settle down."
"Don't touch me." Josh snapped as he clutched his chest and struggled to breathe. Toby reached across him to press the call button.
A nurse stepped into the room, the smile immediately leaving her face when she saw Josh's distress. She stuck her head out the door to yell for a doctor then rushed to the bedside. Toby stood by the bed, not knowing what to do. The door burst open as a doctor and a nurse ran into the room, Donna trailing behind them. The doctor and nurses hurriedly began to treat Josh.
Josh was hunched over coughing and gasping. His pale face was beginning to take on a bluish-grey cast as he struggled to breath. Donna turned to Toby, horrified. "What happened?"
He dropped his gaze.
As realization hit, Donna's eyes narrowed in anger. "Get. Out." She spoke through clenched teeth and barely controlled rage.
Without a word Toby Ziegler turned and walked out of the room.
White House- Oval Office
Josiah Bartlet scanned the papers in front of him. "We're going to go ahead with the federal aid to Grand Isle, Louisiana."
"Yeah."
"And Sam will meet with Jacobson about the environmental bill?"
"Yeah."
Bartlet looked over the top of his glasses at his Chief of Staff. "Now I remember why you're not my speech writer."
Leo McGarry frowned at the President. "There is probably going to be a thing."
The President removed his glasses and placed them on top of the papers he'd been reading, leaning back in his chair. "Do I want to know about this?"
"Lillienfield, for some inexplicable reason, is still sitting on what he knows about Josh's trouble at Christmas."
"You think he's going to announce something soon."
"Toby wants to head him off with an announcement of our own."
Bartlet took a moment to absorb Leo's words. When he spoke his voice was filled with concern and disbelief. "He wants to announce that Josh has Post Traumatic Stress? That's an incredible risk, politically and emotionally. What does Josh think?"
"Toby is going to talk with him this afternoon. Toby's pretty sure about this; the others not so much."
Bartlet slowly shook his head. "Seems like it only gets harder. Keep me updated."
"Yes, Sir."
"Anything else?"
"No, Sir."
"Okay."
"Thank you, Mr. President." Leo stood and walked through the door to his office, feeling a hundred years old.
West Wing- Communications
"Any messages?" Toby asked Ginger as he strode into the Communications Bullpen. His assistant handed him a stack of pink message slips and turned back to her typing. He leafed through the messages, trying to keep his mind off Josh's distress and Donna's anger. He sank into his chair, rubbing a hand over his bald head.
"Hey." C.J. Cregg appeared in the doorway. She leaned against the doorframe; arms crossed, and studied her friend.
Toby looked up to meet concerned eyes. He sighed and sagged back in his chair.
She stepped into the room and settled on the couch. "Did you talk to Josh?"
"Yeah." Toby looked up to see Sam Seaborn standing in the doorway, looking shell shocked. "Sam?"
"Donna just called." He looked back and forth between C.J. and Toby with a puzzled expression on his face as he tried to process the information he was delivering. "Josh is back in ICU."
~~tbc~~
West Wing- Office of Chief of Staff
Toby shifted his weight from foot to foot, uncomfortable in the silence. He glanced to his left were C.J. sat on Leo's couch, arms crossed, mouth set in a grim line. He then looked to his right to were Sam stood by a chair, hands on his hips; his face set much like C.J.'s. Toby heaved a sigh and looked up when Leo spoke.
"And what do you two think about this?"
C.J. and Sam exchanged a look then Sam spoke. "It's a monumentally bad idea."
"Josh is going to get creamed."
Leo looked each of his staffers in the eye before speaking. "What does Josh think?"
"We haven't talk to him yet."
"But you are going to. After all this is his life we're talking about here."
"Yeah." Toby responded, keeping his gaze on the rug. "I'm going to go see him at lunch time."
"Go easy on him."
"Yeah."
"Anything else?" Leo again studied the faces of his staff. When he got no further response he spoke again. "Good. Go do a job." Leo turned his attention to the numerous papers on his desk as the Senior Staff filed out.
GW Hospital
Toby stopped just inside the hospital room door. Josh appeared to be asleep and Toby reached behind him for the door handle. He was about to leave when Josh opened his eyes and gave him a weak smile. He moved awkwardly across the room and stood nervously at the bedside.
"Hey!" Josh's voice was still muffled by the ever present oxygen mask yet sounded a little stronger then the last time Toby had seen him.
"Hi." Toby replied softly.
"I'm dying to know what's going on at the office. Donna won't tell me." Josh wheezed. "She insists I need to rest and that I won't be able to if I'm getting stressed out about work."
Toby allowed himself a small smile, remembering how stringent Donna was about 'The Rules' while Josh was recovering from the shooting. "She's right."
"Toby." Josh whined. "Come on be a pal. I promise I won't get worked up. Did we get the votes for 582? We were so close."
The Communications Director shifted uneasily at Josh's words; his conversations with the others playing in his mind. He lifted his gaze from the floor to his friend. Despite the younger man's exhaustion and wheezing breaths, he was practically bouncing in the bed. The brief glimpse of what could be called 'the old Josh' brought a smile to Toby's face.
"Yeah. Leo took the rest of the meetings. The bill is going to pass easily."
Josh sank back against the pillows, his energy spent. He smiled a full dimpled smile that lit up his tired features. "Good."
Toby's stomach dropped knowing what he had to do and anticipating Josh's reaction. He dropped his gaze, looking everywhere but at Josh. When he looked up he found Josh studying him with a quizzical expression and self- consciously dropped his gaze again.
"What's going on, Toby? Did Sam accidentally sleep with a call girl again?" There was just a hint of a smirk on Josh's face.
"He's never going to live that down."
"Not likely." Josh's chuckle dissolved into coughing. When he regained his breath he turned serious. "What aren't you telling me?"
Toby shuffled his feet, looking around the room, then back to Josh. "I want C.J. to announce your PTSD."
There was a stunned silence as the men stared at each other. Then Josh spoke, "I'm sorry, could you repeat that? 'Cause it sounded like you just said you wanted to help me create political suicide!" Josh's voice began to rise in anger.
"We don't know how long Lillienfield will sit on this. If we pre-empt him, we can control it." Toby slipped his hands into his pockets and rocked on the balls of his feet. His gaze was locked on the side of the hospital bed.
"This isn't something they let you have and work for the President." Josh's breath was coming in short gasps. He shifted uncomfortably in the bed, his chest tightening as his agitation increased. "Toby, you can't! Where do you get off even thinking that?"
"Josh, calm down."
"The hell! This is ridiculous!" Josh yelled. He began coughing and gasping, his face loosing all color.
Becoming panicked, Toby put a hand on Josh's shoulder. "You need to settle down."
"Don't touch me." Josh snapped as he clutched his chest and struggled to breathe. Toby reached across him to press the call button.
A nurse stepped into the room, the smile immediately leaving her face when she saw Josh's distress. She stuck her head out the door to yell for a doctor then rushed to the bedside. Toby stood by the bed, not knowing what to do. The door burst open as a doctor and a nurse ran into the room, Donna trailing behind them. The doctor and nurses hurriedly began to treat Josh.
Josh was hunched over coughing and gasping. His pale face was beginning to take on a bluish-grey cast as he struggled to breath. Donna turned to Toby, horrified. "What happened?"
He dropped his gaze.
As realization hit, Donna's eyes narrowed in anger. "Get. Out." She spoke through clenched teeth and barely controlled rage.
Without a word Toby Ziegler turned and walked out of the room.
White House- Oval Office
Josiah Bartlet scanned the papers in front of him. "We're going to go ahead with the federal aid to Grand Isle, Louisiana."
"Yeah."
"And Sam will meet with Jacobson about the environmental bill?"
"Yeah."
Bartlet looked over the top of his glasses at his Chief of Staff. "Now I remember why you're not my speech writer."
Leo McGarry frowned at the President. "There is probably going to be a thing."
The President removed his glasses and placed them on top of the papers he'd been reading, leaning back in his chair. "Do I want to know about this?"
"Lillienfield, for some inexplicable reason, is still sitting on what he knows about Josh's trouble at Christmas."
"You think he's going to announce something soon."
"Toby wants to head him off with an announcement of our own."
Bartlet took a moment to absorb Leo's words. When he spoke his voice was filled with concern and disbelief. "He wants to announce that Josh has Post Traumatic Stress? That's an incredible risk, politically and emotionally. What does Josh think?"
"Toby is going to talk with him this afternoon. Toby's pretty sure about this; the others not so much."
Bartlet slowly shook his head. "Seems like it only gets harder. Keep me updated."
"Yes, Sir."
"Anything else?"
"No, Sir."
"Okay."
"Thank you, Mr. President." Leo stood and walked through the door to his office, feeling a hundred years old.
West Wing- Communications
"Any messages?" Toby asked Ginger as he strode into the Communications Bullpen. His assistant handed him a stack of pink message slips and turned back to her typing. He leafed through the messages, trying to keep his mind off Josh's distress and Donna's anger. He sank into his chair, rubbing a hand over his bald head.
"Hey." C.J. Cregg appeared in the doorway. She leaned against the doorframe; arms crossed, and studied her friend.
Toby looked up to meet concerned eyes. He sighed and sagged back in his chair.
She stepped into the room and settled on the couch. "Did you talk to Josh?"
"Yeah." Toby looked up to see Sam Seaborn standing in the doorway, looking shell shocked. "Sam?"
"Donna just called." He looked back and forth between C.J. and Toby with a puzzled expression on his face as he tried to process the information he was delivering. "Josh is back in ICU."
~~tbc~~