Chapter Six

Incul and Javier came running into the corridor. Sam saw them and pushed himself away from the wall. At the same time John Delaney pulled out of the drive onto the road still smiling at his mother's suspicions about her new neighbours. His smile faded as he saw Sam. John thought the man looked ill, he also noticed the bruises and way he was holding his wrist to his chest. John pulled up beside him with the intention of finding out if he needed help. Like the man before him he leant over to the passenger side but instead of locking the door he opened the window.

Sam's eyes widened in fear as he saw Incul headed across the road towards them. "Please!" John followed his gaze and on seeing the angry man coming their way, he made his decision. He pushed the door open and pulled Sam inside. He didn't wait to shut the door but held onto Sam's belt to keep him in the car. When they were out of sight of the house he shut the door and helped Sam to sit up.

"It's okay, I'm going to get you to a hospital." He looked nervously behind him but no car had turned out of the road after him. He started to drive again and picked up his cell. "Mom…yeah, you need to…mom, listen! You need to lock yourself in the house and call the police…I don't know…I don't know, mom, just do what I say." He ended the call and shook Sam. "Hey, hey, stay awake. What's your name?" John was already dialling another number on his cell as he talked to Sam.

"Sam Samborn...err…Seaborn."

"Okay Sam, well, I don't know what's happened to you but you're safe-" John turned his attention back to the cell phone as he heard the operator's voice. "Yes, police please." He started to tell them what had happened and where he was headed. John didn't know Washington well but he knew he had to get away from his mother's neighbourhood. He looked for street signs as the operator tried to work out where he was. Once she had worked out the nearest control centre she put him through. John explained to them that he didn't know where the hospital was. He told them about Sam and when he said the name Sam Seaborn the woman stopped him.

"Repeat his name please, sir."

"Sam, Sam Seaborn." John looked at the man sitting next to him. "Holy shit," he muttered as the week's news coverage came into his head and he realised who he had in his car.

"Sam Seaborn," Sam mumbled.

"Yeah, we know who you are, Sam. It's okay, you got away." John pulled over and muttered, "It would be more okay if I knew how to get to the damn hospital." He spoke into his cell, "Listen, I'm going to switch the phone to speaker." Before he did that, he leant over and helped Sam to sit up again. Sam's eyes were closed and John thought his breathing sounded strained.

Sam opened his eyes. "Thank you," he mumbled. When he closed them again John shook him.

"Stay awake, Sam. I need you to read the road signs for me." John clipped the earpiece in place and started the car. "Okay, I'm on route 355." He listened to the calm voice of the police officer and focused on that. "Yeah Maryland, I saw it…okay…Wisconsin Avenue…yeah…no, not yet." John wiped his hand on his pants and rolled down the window. "Left? Did you say left? Okay, yeah…21st Street, is that right?" The sound of sirens in the distance was the most beautiful sound John had ever heard. He carried on driving as the sirens came closer. A policeman on a motorbike pulled up to the car and gestured for him to slow down. A police car passed him, another drew up behind him and then another motorbike pulled up to the other side of the car.

"Thank God," John muttered as the car in front set off and he accelerated to keep up with it. "Wow, Sam, this is pretty surreal, I suppose you're used to this sort of stuff. Do you think the President will give me a medal or something?" He shook Sam until his eyes opened. This time they stayed open as Sam focused on the man beside him. "Maybe even a tour of the White House?" John was saying the first thing that came into his head. His last comment had got a small nod from Sam. "Although I think I'd prefer a medal or at least a commendation."

"Thank you," Sam said again.

"Hold on, we're nearly there." John stopped talking and grabbed Sam's hand instead.

The motorcade swept into the emergency bay and before John could do anything doctors and nurses were removing Sam from the car. He stayed in his seat staring at the flashing blue lights. They splashed across the hood of his car in a rhythm that matched his heartbeat. He didn't realise he was shaking until he tried to remove his phone from the holder on the dashboard. An officer who was waiting to talk to him reached past him and unclipped the phone. "When you're ready sir, we'll go inside."

John just nodded, he wasn't ready yet. In fact he was pretty sure that if he tried to stand up now he would fall flat on his face.

CJ and Josh had moved to Toby's office. Toby was sorting through his desk. The contents of every drawer lay scattered across the top of it and Ginger was quietly seated by his side making a collection of pens.

CJ was reading notes that Carol had given her for the briefing. Josh was surrounded by files, he picked them up randomly, reading and making notes. He threaded his pen through the spiral of one of the jotters and then cursed when he couldn't get it out again. CJ wanted to lean over and help him but something in his expression warned her off.

She returned to reading and ignored the sound of Josh cursing under his breath.

"This is Donna's pen," Ginger said as she removed it from the pile. "And, this is mine, and this is…" Her voice trailed off.

Toby took the pen she was holding and read the initials that were engraved on it. "Go put it back on his desk." Ginger headed out of the office. She was met in the doorway by the President.

CJ and Toby stood but Josh who had his back to the door chose that moment to fling the jotter across the room while shouting, "Fucking spiral bound piece of crap!"

Bartlet raised his eyebrows. "Is it all spiral bound stationery you have a problem with or just that particular one?"

Josh sighed loudly and run a hand through his hair. "Sorry, sir, just that one."

Bartlet walked over to the pad and picked it up. He removed the pen effortlessly and handed it back to Josh. "Leo's pacing and shouting at Margaret so I thought I'd come and sit in here for a while before he could start on me." He sat down on the sofa. "Did you go to Synagogue this morning Toby?"

"Yes."

Bartlet nodded and joined Josh in his study of the floor. The only sound in the room was of Toby sorting through objects on his desk and occasionally the runners of his drawers as he put items back into them.

Leo was smiling, that was the first thing Ginger noticed as he strode through the Bullpen and towards Toby's office. "They found Sam!" he announced from the Bullpen.

Toby and Bartlet leapt to their feet, CJ used the bookcase to help her upright, she stared at Leo, encouraged by his smile but fearful of what came next.

"Actually, by the sounds of it, Sam found them. I don't know, I don't know the details yet but Sam is at GW, he just got there."

"CJ, I need you here," Leo said and CJ nodded. Toby was already grabbing his coat. "I want you to call me and CJ as soon as you know anything. I want you back here in an hour. Talk to Ron too, he's already on his way there."

CJ hurried off to find Carol but not before squeezing Toby's arm and whispering, "Phone me first." Leo headed back to the Oval with the President.

Toby looked down at Josh. He hadn't moved since Leo had made his announcement. Toby was going to tell him to hurry up until he noticed Josh's clasped hands and white knuckles. "I'm just going to make sure someone phoned Sam's parents, I'll see you at the car." He squeezed Josh's shoulder and then left the office, shutting the door behind him.

When they arrived in the ER Toby and Josh soon found Ron and a group of agents. Ron broke away from the group and walked towards them. He pointed towards a private waiting room and they followed him inside. "He's still in the ER, they haven't told me anything yet."

"How did you find him?" Josh asked.

A flicker of something flashed across Ron's face. "We didn't. I don't know what happened but a man called John Delaney saw Sam on the street and brought him here." Ron went on to explain how the man hadn't known where the hospital was and was escorted here by the police.

"And the men who had Sam?" Toby asked.

"They weren't in the house by the time the police got there. But I doubt they'll get far."

Josh stared past Ron, out into the corridor. He stood and rushed to the door. Toby joined him in time to see Sam being wheeled past on a gurney. A doctor walked past, peeled off his gloves and threw them in the bin. He wiped a hand over his face and walked towards Josh and Toby. They stepped back into the waiting room and bumped into Ron who was charging out. "I think we've got one of them," he said as ran towards the exit followed by the other agents.

The doctor waited for Toby and Josh to sit before talking. "I'm Doctor Chenner."

"Toby Ziegler, this is Josh Lyman," Toby said quickly, impatient for news of Sam.

"Sam has gone up to the OR. We had to stabilize him first as he had gone into shock. He needs surgery to his right hand which is broken as well as his fingers. He also has internal bleeding. He has two broken ribs and several lacerations to his face. His front and back are covered with bruises which I would think have been sustained from several beatings. He is dehydrated and has developed pneumonia."

"His hand…is it…will the injuries...are the injuries going to cause permanent damage?" Toby asked.

"It's difficult to say. It depends on the type of fracture, muscle damage, there are lots of factors. It's possible that there may be some deformity or possibly arthritis. We will know more after the surgery."

"Was he conscious?" Josh asked.

"No, from what I understand he was in the car, but he wasn't by the time I saw him. The surgeon will come and speak to you later." Doctor Chenner stood and Toby shook his hand and thanked him.

He looked at Josh who was sitting in the same position he had been on Toby's sofa earlier. "I'm going to make some calls."

"Did he say his hand would be deformed?" Josh asked.

"He said it might be." He walked over and sat next to Josh. "I'm going to make some calls," he repeated.

"Yeah, okay."

Toby stood outside the hospital and let the cool air blow away the stuffy, oppressive atmosphere of the waiting room. He pulled his phone out of his pocket and scrolled through the names. He phoned CJ first.

"For crying out loud will you pack that in!" Toby hissed.

Josh looked up, startled, from the other side of the bed. "What?"

"Breathing!" Toby whispered.

"You want me to stop breathing?"

"I want you to stop doing that weird sighing-breathing." There was a pause and then Josh took a deep breath in and blew it out in a long sigh. Realising that was exactly what Toby was talking about he mumbled an apology and went back to staring at his hands.

Josh was more uncomfortable than Toby because since he had entered the room he had only glanced at Sam. Toby had sat staring at him, taking in the bruises, cuts and cast on his arm and the tubes and machines. Toby had reconciled himself to the Sam that lay unmoving before him. Josh couldn't even bring himself to look at him.

After Toby had made his calls, Josh had gone back to the White House. Toby had stayed and waited for Sam to return from his surgery. Now they were both waiting for him to wake up.

A nurse entered the room and Josh watched her work, recognising many of her tasks from his own stay in hospital. After she had finished Toby announced he was getting them something to drink and left the room leaving Josh alone with Sam.

He was sitting on Sam's left side and so he didn't have to look at the cast. He looked at Sam's good hand instead, letting his gaze travel past the drip attached to his hand and up to his shoulder. He followed the tube that ran to the cannula and finally looked at Sam's face. They were the most colourful things in the room, Sam's bruises. They stood out brilliantly against the white walls and pale blue sheets. Josh stood and gently placed his hand on Sam's head. With his other hand he uncurled Sam's fingers and wrapped his own around them.

When Toby returned, Doctor Chenner was with him. He flicked through the chart on the end of the bed and then walked over to Sam. He called Sam's name a few times but he didn't stir. He placed his hand on Sam's forehead and called again.

The first thing Sam felt was warm, then he felt the hand on his forehead. He could hear his name being called but he didn't want to open his eyes. He felt warm and safe and the hand touching him was warm also. He remembered the last time he had felt this hand, he had felt safe then. He had heard his name called then too but when he had opened his eyes it had been Mael's hand on his head. Sam wasn't going to let them fool him again. The hand, the warmth, the soft voice- they were all tricks.

He tried to move away but couldn't, his right arm felt heavy. Sam knew he had to get away because they were going to kill him today. No one was going to help him, he was on his own. "Fuck," Sam mumbled and Doctor Chenner just continued to tell him to open his eyes. Sam tried to swipe at the hand but could only manage to raise his own the height of the bedrail. Josh jumped as Sam's arm thumped against the metal. "No!" Toby was amazed at the aggression in his tone. "No!" Sam tried to raise his arm again but couldn't even lift it from the bed.

"Tell him you're here," Doctor Chenner told Toby. Toby walked closer to Sam and placed his hand on the pillow beside his head.

"Open your eyes, Sam. You're safe. It's Toby, Josh is here too. It's okay." Slowly, Sam's eyes opened.

"That's it, Sam, well done," Doctor Chenner said, "Sam can you tell- open your eyes Sam, can you tell me your full name?"

"Samuel."

The doctor smiled, ask a stupid question, he thought. "What's your last name?"

"Seaborn."

"Do you know where you are?"

Sam looked at Toby again. He'd thought Toby had said Josh was here but he couldn't see him. He looked at the lights above him and listened to the sounds of the machines beside him. "Hospital?"

"Are you asking me or telling me?"

"Telling."

Doctor Chenner smiled again. "Okay." He asked him if he knew why he was in the hospital but Sam started to get agitated. He mumbled something about John driving. The doctor decided to leave the questions for a while. He briefly explained Sam's injuries to him but used simplistic terms.

All Sam wanted to do was to go back to sleep. He tried to concentrate on what the man was saying but he couldn't seem to register the words. Toby was there, he would be able to listen to the man. "Tell Toby," Sam said and he closed his eyes and let their voices fade away.

He didn't wake again until the next morning. The room was empty. Sam lifted his hand and felt the weight of the cast.

"What hand did you use to write that fucking shit with?"

So vivid was the memory of Incul's words that Sam instinctively moved his arm. When the nurse entered Sam was cradling his hand to his chest, his breathing was rapid and his eyes were squeezed tightly shut.

"Are you having difficulty breathing, Sam?" He opened his eyes and stared at her and shook his head. He opened his mouth to reply but was struck by a coughing fit. The nurse noticed how Sam tried to suppress it. She helped him to sit up slightly and told him not to fight it. "I know it hurts but you won't do yourself any favours if you try to hold it in." Sam just nodded, he wasn't afraid of the pain. It was the noise that worried him. The sound of him coughing had often been enough to rile Incul and cause him to 'visit' Sam, especially in the middle of the night. Sam knew he didn't have to worry about that anymore, but it was hard to let go of the strategies he had used to protect himself. When he had finished, he lay back and closed his eyes. He wondered if Toby or Josh would visit him soon. Toby had told him that Josh was here yesterday but he hadn't seen him. Josh had tried to help him, Josh had been running towards him but then he had stopped. With those muddled thoughts, Sam fell back to sleep.

Graham finished packing up the last of his equipment and placed it neatly into a case. Leo watched him click the latches down and then walked over to him. "You did a good job. Ron says you're the best in your field."

"Thank you, Mr McGarry. I'm just sorry I wasn't able to find him for you."

In all the time Leo had watched Graham scurrying around his office on his hands and knees, or appearing from under his desk, he had never seen a flicker of an emotional response to the job he was doing. Now that his wires and machines were neatly packed away, Leo realised that Graham's pride in his ability had been knocked by not being able to help the President.

"Wait here for a moment will ya?" Leo went into the Oval Office and appeared a few moments later with the President. Bartlet walked over to Graham, his hand outstretched.

"Graham, are you rushing off?" he asked and Leo smiled at Graham's surprised face.

"Well no, I can stay and…"

"Chat, Graham, stay and chat." Bartlet placed his hand on Graham's arm and led him towards the Oval, "Now, you can set me straight on something, the Federal Government has ordered that all cell phones be equipped with wireless tracking. Isn't that going to put you out of a job?"

"Well, that's not strictly true but what you have to consider is that even though all the phones will have the technology it will be down to the cell phone regulators to make sure that…"

Graham's voice trailed off as the door to the Oval Office closed behind them. Leo shook his head and smiled.