Title: Leo's Dilemma part 5/9 Private Times 5 /?
Written By: chipmunk Daylight Series
Pairing: Leo/Margaret
Rating: R
Spoilers: None really
This is AU, doesn't matter the year or the situation.
Plot Development By: Lynn lhjessome@yahoo.com
Beta and Mentor By: Lee pigletnpooh@comcast.net
Disclaimer:
The characters are from the NBC, WB, Bravo, A John Wells Prod.,
TV show, 'The West Wing'.
They own them; therefore, they do not belong to me.
They are the creation and property of Aaron Sorkin. I only borrowed them.
No copyright infringement is intended.
No monetary benefit is received or anticipated.
A 'grateful' and 'enormous' thanks, to the actors and actresses,
who portray the characters 'brilliantly' and bring them to life in my head.
May I never embarrass them or me. This is a learning process for me.
Any mistakes found in this fic, are totally my own fault and ignorance.
Feedback: I'd love it hear your opinion! PLEASE! It helps to improve my writing!
Archived at:
Summary: Leo is attacked. Margaret is a target.
Note: CURSE WARNING: Leo's hurting and not too careful with his words.
It gets a little warm in some sections.
****
Leo finally emerges and has his shirt on, but he's ribs are not wrapped.
"Leo, why didn't you let Margaret wrap your ribs up?" Margaret is behind him holding up the elastic bandage.
"It's too warm with it on, Abby," he has a defensive whine to his voice, tired after the whirlpool and treatments. "Right now, with the pain meds and the bath, it feels well enough for me to go a little while with out it." He firmly declares.
"OK, Leo. I know you hate to be warm. You wear a jacket most of the time at work, but you roast in it and don't tell anyone." Abby concedes a little ground, "You can sit up and have breakfast and then it goes back on. You'll be hurting again in a few hours and will hate yourself."
Margaret is finally realizing that the First Couple really does know Leo as a family member. She has known about his 'roasting' for years, but she's amazed that they know all the little things about him that she's just discovering.
"All right, at least it's off for a little while." He's not looking forward to Abby snuggly wrapping him back up. "I can't help it if I'm just a warm blooded male."
Margaret confirms that innocently, "I can vouch for that." She's remembering all the discussions they have had about him being too warm at the apartment. Of course some of that might have been due to their necking, as much as the temperature setting of the furnace.
"Well, that's too much information for me," Jed teases Margaret. Abby just rolls her eyes that Margaret walked right into that one.
Margaret immediately turns bright red, when she reviews what she said in that light.
"Not like that!" Leo rolls his head slightly in despair, "Your getting to be a dirty old man, early, aren't you my friend?"
"I just couldn't resist, Leo." Jed is grinning at the two of them. "It was too good to pass up."
"Well, you try being around someone that's cold nine months of the year," Leo honestly challenges. Knowing both of them are warm bodies, like he is.
"Must be fun, keeping her warm," Jed teases and insinuates more.
"Yeah, it is," Leo admits. He then looks at Margaret and seeing the blush on her face. "Hey, stop, Jed. Now, you're going to get me in trouble all over again," he protests to his friend.
"I'm keeping a list on both of you," Margaret reminds them; she's just hoping her face is returning to normal.
****
After breakfast, Leo's left resting on the couch, while the other three go to shower and dress. Margaret wears her jeans from yesterday and Abby loans her a tank top to wear. Even with the A/C on, it still can get warm in the second floor Residence. Washington in summer is hot and humid. The land was once swampland and it still retains humidity well. Jed returns in jeans and Notre Dame T-shirt. Abby has opted for some soft cotton knit pants and a tank top. It's Sunday and they're not scheduled to go to Mass, as they should still be at the farm. Security would not be in place.
It's 9am and all of them are settled in, watching 'George and Gracie' on the TV Land Channel. Leo's not reminding Abby about the rib wrap. The phone rings and Jed answers, "Hello, Josh. Yes, we came in during the night. ……Yeah, I had to see him for myself and Abby had to check him out. We were just worrying too much, not knowing. ……OK, Sure. Come on up and bring her with you. It's fine, I'll tell the agent to let you in the elevator. See you in a bit." Jed hangs up the phone and calls down to the first floor of the Residence and informs the agent to admit Josh and Donna up to the private second floor. He then returns to the sitting area and sits on the end of the couch. Leo is sitting sideways on the couch with his legs stretched out, to relieve the pull on his ribs.
"Hey Leo, you're going to have visitors in a few minutes." Jed, being a smartass, asks, "Guess who just called?" He loves having Leo with him for some casual time. He really misses that the most since coming to the White House.
Leo sighs, but smiles softly, "I know, Josh and Donna." Leo suddenly becomes alert and growls out a warning, "Jed, don't you touch my feet. I can't jerk away."
"OK, I promise, but your bare feet are awfully tempting. It's a real challenge not to make you beg," Jed just grins at the fact that Leo remembers that he likes to tickle any bare feet he sees. The girls would hide their bare feet in the summer when he entered a room and little Mallory wasn't excluded from this tickling either. Bare feet are bare feet.
Leo still sees a gleam in his eyes, "Jed, we're not teenagers any more. You just promised me."
"Jethro, leave him alone! You two are worse than the girls, when they were little and watching TV." Abby scolds him in a no nonsense tone.
"Yes, Abby, and don't call me that. I was just looking at his feet. I didn't touch him, Mom," he grins at Abby and back to Leo, to share the joke. "I just wanted to see you smile, Leo." Jed gently rubs Leo shin in sympathy. "Are you OK, with Donna coming up and seeing you on the couch and not in a suit?" Jed tries to sound serious to get a dig at Leo.
Margaret snorts unladylike at that question and grins at Leo. The First Couple both look at her, with amusement, for her to enlighten them. Jed's curiosity can't wait and his eyes have a happy shine, hoping for gossip, "Margaret, you know something that I don't. Care to share it or will Leo kill you?" Jed hooks a thumb over at Leo and leans forward to get her to reveal the amusement between the other couple.
Margaret brightens up, "It's just that Josh and Donna have been coming over to spend time with us and to enjoy some 'movie nights'. They also stayed over when helping me to pack and move. Donna has seen Le, in less than he has on now. I mean, Leo's a private person, but he's not shy around those he lets into his family circle. With Josh being sorta like a son and them both at the apartment so much, plus, we all like to go the hot tub." Margaret rattles some, happy to have something that she can share and converse about with the First Couple.
"I know that Josh and Donna are a couple, like you two guys," Jed confirms and his curiosity is peaked, "but I didn't know that they stayed over. Sounds like a slumber party. You say you have movie night?" Jed's really interested in this casual off-hour arrangement. "I bet, Josh 'is' fun to have around like a family member and making himself at home."
"Yeah, he really is." Leo smiles at the wonderful times they've had with the other couple. "We enjoy having them around on the weekends. It's a challenge for me to keep him fed." Leo reveals the ongoing teasing, "He's like baby. You feed him every two hours, all weekend. Then he starves himself all week at work," Leo grins remembering the mountain of food that he's carried in to feed Josh.
Jed's really captivated now, "So, tell me how you have this movie night." Jed's interested in details, "You guys go out and see the movies? I don't see Leo doing that. I didn't think he went out in the public, since we started at the White House. You have to drag him away from his office, as it is."
Leo doesn't even try to refute Jed, "No, they come over to the apartment and I fix us dinner. Then we go down to the hot tub and when everyone's hands are wrinkled."
Margaret interrupts Leo and gives a little tidbit. "That's Josh's rule. We practically have to drag him out."
Leo smiles at the truth in that and nods his head to the side before he continues, "Then we go back up stairs and everyone changes into soft clothes. We stick in a video or catch a movie on TV and lounge around the living room." He shares a smile with Margaret, "We stake out the couch to cuddle. Josh and Donna pack themselves into the recliner."
Since Leo's comfortable with the other couple knowing they cuddle, Margaret decides it's all right to indirectly give Jed and Abby more info on Leo and her, at the apartment. "They stay up later then we do and that's when they take over my huge couch. Josh 'loves' old horror movies. You know, the Bela Lugosi ones that come on late at night."
They heard a knock on the door. Jed looks over the back of the couch and calls, "Enter."
"Hello, Mr. President," Josh crosses to the sitting area, with Donna in tow by the hand. She's a little intimidated by the private quarters and worried about seeing Leo. "How are you feeling today, Leo?"
"I'm sore as hell and those two females over there, have done their best to torture me into recovery." Leo smiles as he looks at Margaret and Abby on the other couch, looking at magazines together. Abby's helping Margaret to decide on a new décor for the apartment.
"I agree with, Leo," Jed backs up Leo's statement, while he's fighting the remote, to turn the sound down. "You'll either recover fast or you just say you did, to keep from be killed by their kindness."
"Jed, you know, we can hear you," she smiles at the guys on the couch.
"I'm trouble again and it's just 10am on a Sunday." Jed looks at the clock on the VCR. "Must be Leo's fault."
Leo cuts in from his end of the couch, "You always blame me"
"Boys," Abby cuts off the friendly banter.
Josh just grins, he understands how guys can fall into trouble, just sitting and doing nothing.
Donna moves around to crouch down, beside the couch, facing Leo. "Oh, Leo." She has tears in her eyes as she sadly looks at Leo bruised face, "Josh told me you would be really colorful, but I think he underestimated." She gives him a small hug with one arm and rests her head in sympathy on his shoulder. She's afraid where to touch him and he can tell that she is.
"It just looks really bad, today, Donna. I'll be fine." Leo leans down the side of his head, to rest in on hers. "Abby and Margaret are trying to hurry up the healing process for me." She gently lifts her head, with his, and gives him a quick, tiny kiss on the corner of his forehead as she rises and sits on the arm of the couch by his shoulder.
Jed would be a little amazed at the casualness between Leo and Donna, if it wasn't for the conversation they had before she arrived. The foursome is surprisingly close and Jed's happy that Leo's learning to let others into his life. He's also happy to include them into his, as an extension of Leo's.
"So, Dr. Bartlett, what 'are' the extent of Leo's injuries?" Josh looks between her and Leo, "I know he won't tell me."
"Josh, it's Abby, in my home. We have a rule about that here. First names only used, unless its business. We still can't get Charlie broken of it during off-hours. It's probably because he's so formal all day in the Oval office." Her face softens at the arguments they've had with Charlie, but he doesn't back down. The young man's a saint with Jed. "As for the damage to Leo," she looks at Leo for permission.
"Go ahead and tell them, Abby," he agrees. Donna's eyes get big as she looks down at his face, fear showing on hers and thinking that he's hiding something.
"The only other damage he has that's not in full view is his bruised ribs and I'm told a bruise on his rear end." She glances as smile at Margaret. "He's really colorful under that shirt." She looks at the man in question, "Leo," she addresses him in a 'you know what time it is' tone. "You need to be wrapped again, or the pain's going to get to be more than you can handle and it's a long time till your meds tonight."
Leo growls and looks at Jed, since he's not helping. "OK, but I'm not walking all the way to the bathroom." He looks over at her hopefully, "You can wrap me here, can't you, if I stand up?"
"Sure, Leo, Josh is here to help you up". Abby agrees, "The wrapping will go faster if you stand."
Leo looks up at Josh, "I seem to recall, you mentioning to me last night, that you would rescue me anytime."
"I did, Leo," Josh admits he seriously answers with a twinkle in his eye, knowing where Leo's going with this question.
"Then get me some clothes and get me away from the 'Florence Nightingales' around here."
"Sorry, Leo. I'm on their side, in this." Josh lays a hand down on Leo's shoulder, "You're hurt and you need help this weekend." He pauses debating how to convince Leo, "Tomorrow, you're going to be fighting to get to the office and I think your doctor here has some limits for you." Josh knows Abby is a 'terror' when she's in full doctor mode.
Jed turns sideways to directly face Leo and reinforces Josh's prediction, "Leo, you know Abby's not going to let you just resume your regular crazy schedule." He now points out some important considerations, "Josh is taking your meetings. You can do staff meetings here and work out of your office, in the middle of the day." Jed gives one more logical point. "That way you'll not have to walk around a great deal."
Josh is planning for tomorrow and looks at Leo and is thinking out loud, "I still haven't figured out how to get you into your office without the press or junior staff seeing you."
"We can sneak him in from the portico and then through the Oval Office," Jed suggests.
Donna hesitantly points out, not wanting to interrupt the President, "At least holed up in his office, he can sit like he is now on his office couch."
Margaret joins them, since Abby went to get the wrapping, which she had returned to Jed's bathroom. "I hate to be indelicate here, but has any of you guys addressed Leo's problem of needing the restroom at work? As in, where and who gets to help him?" She's looking at three blank faces and not a peep from any of them. "It's not like he's going to wear elastic waist pants to work and he can't use the staff restroom, with his face looking like that. Besides being helped to walk through the halls." All three men still look at her with startled faces. Obviously they had not considered this. "Well, you better think of something, he can't really use his hands much." She lists her final bit of information, "Abby has said it might be the middle of the week before he can and that's if he doesn't develop any infection in the cuts." Margaret finishes outlining the problem to them. She moves to join Donna and Abby, outside the bathroom door where Abby's rolling the elastic wrap to make it easier to control. Abby was filling Donna in on the treatments that they have used to speed up his healing.
Jed looks at the guys and comes up with another suggestion. He's on a roll now and he loves planning, as much as Margaret "OK, he can use my private restroom, outside my office and we can take turns helping him or who ever is available at the time can go with him."
"You make it sound like you're taking care of a two year old," Leo grumbles but knows he doesn't have any choice. "OK, it'll have to do. I'm not staying here all day again tomorrow." Leo is running this scenario in his head. He makes a non-debatable decision, "Josh will have to take me, because the President of the United States is 'not' going to leave the Oval Office to take me to the rest room."
"Sure, Leo, I can help you," Josh volunteers. "Just have Margaret call if you need me. I'll also be stopping by your office a few times, about the meetings." Josh understands Leo's thinking, " I'm sure you want to keep this whole incident isolated to a few people. No press."
"Leo, you know Charlie's going to need to know and he is my body man." Jed points out, "We may need to call on him for assistance with you. He'll be here at the crack of dawn tomorrow and obviously see you."
"OK," Leo agrees. "We'll add Charlie to the group. That's it, outside senior staff and Donna. The rest of the White House can just wonder and speculate." Leo grumbles at the mere thought of Toby taking him to the men's room.
Abby and the other females return with the wrap. Abby organizes the team, "Josh, you need to get mostly on his right side and just gently lift and steady him. Move him out a little. Ladies, can you get on each of him and hold the shirt up?" Margaret takes the left side with the bruising and Donna lifts the other side. She draws in a sharp breath when she sees his left side.
"WOW, Leo that 'is' some bruise you have there." Josh is amazed, "No wonder you can't move around." He steadies Leo and holds up the weight of his arms for him.
"How'd you get 'that much' bruising, Leo? Did they kick you?" Donna's hands are a little shaky at the sight of his ribs.
"No, Donna." He softly reveals to her, "That's from when they slammed me on the car." He knows Donna and knows that she's like Margaret. She needs to know the details or she'd worry all the more. He jokes to calm her, "I still like to point out, it was two against one and they were younger."
"Oh, Leo. You were so brave. I'm just so sorry it happened to you at all." She pauses reflecting, "Now we get to take care of you for a change," Donna brightens at the last part.
"Hey, you don't ever tell me that I'm brave," Josh is disappointed.
"I don't ever want to, if you have to look like this first," Donna honestly admits.
Josh leans over and gives her a kiss in understanding.
"Josh," she quietly scolds and gently pushes Josh away, not wanting to get Leo off balance, but kissing in front of the First Couple is a little hard to get used to, even in the Residence.
Jed points at Josh and Donna, "I saw that, you two are sneaking kisses." He decides to break her in right, "Donna that's grounds for inappropriate behavior, in front of governmental officials." Donna's eyes get as round as saucers. Jed bursts out laughing and Josh and Leo join in, but Leo's comes out as a broken moan.
"Jed, you're killing my ribs," Leo complains sadly. "I can't laugh and you caught her flat cold on that one."
Donna looks questionably at the men and then at the women.
"Get used to it, Donna," Margaret advises. "They do it all the time, to close friends and family." She smiles sarcastically, "The President holds the record on making me blush and looks like he's going to see how often he can make you jump."
"Just keep your self a list, Donna," Abby now advises her. "They have to get out of office sometime and then we can take turns killing them."
"That sounds like good advise, Abby." Donna glares at Josh, since he kissed her. "I can add a few things to Josh's list right off the bat." Donna looks thoughtfully at the President and he just grins at her with a 'gotcha' kind of smile. Donna addresses her comment to Margaret, "It was tough for me to at get used to Leo's teasing, but the President's going to be a lot harder." She points to Jed with her free hand.
Leo now complains, "Abby, do you have to wrap it so damn tight? I might go numb around the middle." He's watching her fasten the end. "Any tighter and I'll look like I have breasts hanging over. That would be embarrassing."
"Leo, stop complaining." She adjusts the edges of the bandage. "It has to be tight to support the ribs."
Jed smiles and taunts him, "Don't worry Leo. You're to skinny, to have any breasts, to hang over."
Leo smirks back and shuts him down, "Anyone can tell you wouldn't have any problem hanging over, if you were being wrapped, Sweetie."
Leo looks up at Josh, "I told you they're torturing me and you come in here towing another one. You missed all the fun they had this morning. After Abby stripped me to the waist and poke the ribs real good. Margaret gets me into Jed's whirlpool tub and they proceed to put hot and cold compress to my face and they have sea salt in the water for achy muscles that still stings my hands." Jed is laughing at Leo's description of torture. "Josh, I wasn't kidding, when I wanted clothes to escape here." Leo nods at Jed, "He even makes me wear Notre Dame shirts. They're all really 'enjoying' taking care of me, but I may have to recover from the treatments."
Josh redirects Leo main complaint. "I did notice the shirt there, Leo. Did he pick it out just for you?"
"He did, this morning." Leo admits and complains, glaring at and plucking at the logo, " Margaret says that's all she found in his closet last night." He looks right into Josh's eyes and seriously asks, "What am I to do?"
Before Josh can construct an answer, Jed jumps in the conversation, "So, Margaret went rummaging through my clothes last night?" Jed sounds like the start of an investigation and gives her a stern look.
Leo confirms it, since Margaret can't harm him in front of witnesses, "Yeah, I could hear the slam of your top drawer all the way into the bathroom."
"Margaret," Jed's wearing a shocked look and places his hand on his chest, "were you messing with my boxers last night?" Jed is challenging her, to get a good blush.
"No," she quickly exclaims, "I slammed the drawer closed immediately, just like Leo said," she wants to fade away into nothing.
"Yeah, Jed. You missed her best blush, yet," Leo gets a dig at his disappointed friend.
"You mean the agents didn't burst in and protect my personal belongings?" He's testing to see how far he can push Margaret on this.
Margaret eyes got as big as Donna's did before and blushed all over again.
The guys just laugh at her blush. Leo did better with the wrap, this time, but he still just managed a chuckle. He needs to sit back down afterwards. Josh helps Leo back down, after Margaret yanks his baggy pants back up, before Donna can see his tattoo. Leo looks around at her and grins. He knows what she trying to hide.
Once down he turns back to serious business. "Jed, we need to check in with Ron and Coop. To see if they have any news on the two men that attacked me," Leo wants to move things along. He hates just sitting.
"Yeah, we can call them up here." Jed also is anxious to find out how close they are to nailing the attackers, as well.
Leo suggests, "Just call them on the speakerphone, no sense dragging anyone else up here. I'm sure Ron has seen my pictures by now."
"OK, Leo." He moves toward the phone. "Josh, you want to stay." Jed looks over at the fidgeting young man, "You don't have anything pressing on a Sunday morning, do you?" Jed lifts the phone to make the call.
"No, nothing pressing and yeah, I'd like to stay," he looks over at Donna and the other women. They are happily discussing wall decorations.
"Sit down, Josh," Jed invites since he's staying.
"Yeah, Josh. You always look like a cat on a hot tin roof," Leo literally states the truth. "Josh, it'll take Jed awhile to figure out that the only time you possibly hold still is when you're asleep."
Before he can dial the number for Ron's SS office, Abby pipes in from where the ladies are looking at the catalogs again. "Jed, we women are leaving now anyway, I'm going to my office for a little while. Margaret wants to check in at Leo's office and Donna's going out to buy us some more decorating magazines." She stands and walks over the couch, "You think, you guys can stay out of trouble?" She looks at Leo's face and runs the tips of her fingers though his hair to straighten it. "I 'd like for Leo to try and get some sleep today, if he can. It helps with the healing process."
"Yes, Abby, we'll manage for a little while." Jed mockingly assures her as he looks at his COS and his DCOS. "We just run a country. We surly can take care of Leo and keep him out of trouble."
"There you go again, Jed. Making me sound like a two year old, again," Leo grumbles, aware that he does need help, but he doesn't have to be happy about it.
Margaret stops and leans over the couch to reassure Leo, "I think you must have been adorable at two, Leo. With trouble in your eyes and a dimple on your face." She cups his face with one hand, to lift it to hers and gives him a kiss in sympathy.
"Abby, I want to complain," Jed, booms out. "Everyone's getting kisses this morning, but me."
"Maybe your just shy, Jed," she grabs his face with both hands and kisses him passionately. He almost drops the handset to the phone, as he wraps his arms around her.
"Abby, that's even worse, than no kisses," Jed's still not happy. His breathing is a little shaky after that. She just chuckles and uses her thumb to wipe off the lipstick from his lips. A motion she has done for years as a politician's wife. He wouldn't want to appear in front of a camera wearing lipstick.
Donna slips over to Josh and gives him a quick kiss good-bye and he flashes his dimples just for her, knowing she's really being brave to kiss him in front of the First Couple. All of the couples are feeling closer today, after Leo's attack last night.
****
They finish checking in with the SS office and there's no news. Ron confirms that they'll update everyone tomorrow morning, at the meeting they have scheduled for relocating Leo to a permanent residence. If anything develops during the meantime, they'll contact the President and Leo immediately.
"They're going to screw it up again, Jed." Leo closes his eyes in dread, "I'll have to deal with Margaret knowing about it now and in keeping her safe." Leo opens his eyes and seriously informs Jed. "I'll hire my own security team for her, if I have to, but she won't be speaking to me if I do. Josh knows how she is about me using my money, for her needs." Leo continues to point out another irritating hardship that he has to deal with until the attackers are caught. "Plus, I'll have to deal with my own the extra security. You know how having agents just drives me nuts."
"Leo, you have to have protection now," Jed firmly states. "If they make another attempt, they could accidentally beat you to death." Leo is still not agreeing to Jed's argument. So, Jed continues, "I'm sure they're not happy you defended yourself all over their faces and left them empty handed. Next time, they'll be even more ready to succeed in taking you."
"I guess, Jed," Leo reluctantly concurs and drops his head back onto the couch and closes his eyes, tired of the whole situation.
"OK, that's it. You, my friend, are going to rest now," Jed's getting bossy with Leo, but he's concerned that Leo will over extend himself today. Plus, the fact that Abby will kill him if she comes back to find an exhausted Leo.
"Now is a good time for me to check back at my office, since Donna was drafted to go get decorating magazines," Josh's being mock sarcastic at her being drafted, he knows she went willingly. But he's not going to be upset with her, because he knows that today, she's the only one of the three women, who can leave the safety of the White House.
"Hang on, Josh. You need to stand Leo up, for me." Jed explains to Josh another problem that they may need him for, in the coming days. "Abby has forbidden Margaret or me from doing it, with our bad backs. If you get him up, I can steady him to the bathroom and get him down on the side of the bed."
"Hi, Josh. We've really got to quit meeting this way," Leo jokes with him, as Josh holds out his hands, towards Leo to help.
"Sure, Leo. We'll not tell the girls about us," Josh can't resist teasing back, in a mock whisper. Leo is looking at him, with a smile on his bruised face. He had really asked for that dig.
Teasing is just in the nature of the three men in the room. Jed's face is red from suppressing his chuckling at the amusement he's enjoying from the other two.
"Easy, Josh. Just lift me from under the arms, when I lean forward." Leo instructs as he swings his legs off the couch with Jed's help. Josh bends at the knees and gently lifts. Leo tries to do most of the standing. "Oh, Damn. That's just gotta get easier by tomorrow." He's still having trouble straightening completely up. "It's going to be a long week."
****
Jed has him in the spare bedroom, off the master bedroom. Leo tries to sway his friend's decision, "Jed, I could have used the guest room, off the main sitting room. Margaret used it to shower in last night."
"Oh, no. You're staying where Abby and I can keep an eye on you." Jed tells Leo about arriving back last night. "That's why Abby didn't want you moved in here last night. She was very pleased, that you two fell asleep on the couch. She wanted to be able to hear you if you needed her and to listen to your breathing. She's very protective that way. Someone hurt our Leo."
"I know and I do appreciate it. I guess, I am tired," Leo finally admits, between all the walking and the treatments.
"Wait, don't lie back till I get all the pillows behind you. Abby said you might do better more upright." Jed is in full caregiver mode. A position he rarely is in and is, as usual, giving it 110% effort.
"Thanks, Jed." Leo's finally lying back on the pillows and holding his side, from using the muscles. "I grumble, but I am glad I'm here today. I don't think Margaret could have or should have tried to take care of me, all by herself, this weekend." He pauses and then admits, "She would have hurt herself trying." Leo's more tired than he thought after his busy morning.
"Leo, you need to sleep." Jed advises, "Yell if you need anything. I'll be right outside the door."
"Yeah. Thanks." Leo's eyes are closed and he's quickly drifting to sleep, as his best friend watches in the doorway. Jed knows that this situation could have turned out so much worse. He's going to have a little talk with Ron, outside in the hallway, where he won't wake or be overheard by Leo. This was just too close to home for him.