"We have the great pleasure to have in the studio today CJ Cregg, former press secretary for the Bartlet administration, founder of the popular newsmagazine Inside Politics and Pulitzer Prize winning journalist," the host announced excitedly, striding across the stage to offer his hand to the elegant woman before him.
"Well, Gordon," CJ greeted him warmly, "I see that you've been reading my resume." The two shook hands and settled into the studio chairs. CJ crossed her long legs and reclined back in the chair, as ever eminently comfortable in front of the cameras.
"So, Ms Cregg, how does it make you feel that even now, more than twenty years after the Bartlet administration ended, that you're still hailed as his former press secretary?"
"I don't think that it's a reflection of my skill," she answered candidly. "I think that it's a measure of President Bartlet's."
"That same sentiment comes across in High Flight, a book by up-and-coming political operative Mark Goldstein." On the screen behind them, the cover of the book flashed up. "Do you have any comments about Mr Goldstein's book?"
"Well," CJ responded, leaning forward a bit, "I don't know if I'd say that he's an up-and-coming political operative.. I've known that he has a fine political mind since the day that President Bartlet first introduced us; other people are just starting to figure it out now."
"Goldstein's book talks of the 'Bartlet Legacy'," Gordon explained for the audience members. "Could you explain what exactly that phrase means, Ms Cregg?"
"What's this I hear about the Senate Minority Leader retiring after this term?" Jed asked, his voice weak but his mind still sharp.
"He's been thinking about it for a year or so now," Josh broke in excitedly, nearly bouncing off his chair. "He and Donna have been working…" He cut himself off abruptly, realizing that perhaps he shouldn't be saying too much about it.
Jed's eyes were sparkling excitedly. "Is the gag order my wife's or yours?" he asked, his voice unable to convey his enthusiasm and happiness.
"A little of both," Josh told him. "Donna and Walliser don't want too many people to know about it until everything's set in place. She's been chairing more and more committees since they first started talking and he's been passing as much off to her as he can. Her profile still isn't quite high enough, but that might help her come election time because she won't have as much baggage to carry around."
"Do you regret that it isn't you?"
"Maybe from time to time," he admitted, "but you and I both know that I'd probably have messed it up the first day by insulting someone. Donna's much better at the whole public image thing. I stay behind the scenes and screw things up from there."
"Sounds about right," Jed commented faintly, leaning back against the pillows as his strength started to fail him.
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"How did you hear about the Minority Leader anyway?"
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"He's a friend of my chief of staff," Sam answered. "I knew that he was looking at you, Donna, but I didn't want to say anything in case it fell through."
"There are still a lot of things that could go wrong; Josh could open his mouth, for example," Donna pointed out happily. "But we're pretty sure that it'll happen. This is what we've been working towards."
"He's been in there an awful long time," Margaret fussed worriedly, glancing over at the closed door leading to the library. As Jed had become weaker and weaker, it had been converted into a bedroom for him. The library had always been his favourite room in the house.
"It hasn't been that long," Leo told her. "Abbey's a stickler with the stopwatch."
"When is everyone else supposed to get here?" Donna asked nervously. When they got the summons out to Manchester, they had all hurried out as fast as they could. Jed seemed to be in good spirits and as healthy as he had been in months, but he had asked for them. It instilled a feeling of urgency in everyone.
"CJ and Toby are on their way down from DC. The girls and their families went into town to bring something back to eat and to get the kids out of the house for a while," Margaret ticked off efficiently. She was glad to have something to do. It occupied her mind. "Mark and Sarah went to pick up Jack at the airport."
"Alex?" Sam asked. He knew that the girl had become one of the closest to Jed; he had stuck with his position at the university for an extra year so that she could finish her master's degree with him. She had been the last student Jed had chosen, a year behind the other three he had brought home that weekend.
"Probably somewhere over the Atlantic Ocean," Margaret told him.
"Wasn't she supposed to be defending her thesis sometime this week?" Sam wondered.
"Oh, God," Donna said, dropping her head into her hands, "that's right. I didn't even think of that when I called her."
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"You called her?"
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"Of course, someone called her," Abbey reassured Jed, leaning over to adjust the flow of liquid from his IV bag.
"You're sure that someone called her?" he repeated, feebly swatting her away as she tried to fuss over him.
"Donna said she would do it," Abbey reassured him. It worked and Jed relaxed. He knew that if Donna had given her word that she would do it, that it was better than done. "Now get some rest. The others will be getting back soon."
Jed nodded, finding that he didn't have the strength for words, and drifted away into sleep. Abbey checked on a few more things, and then quietly left, leaving the door cracked open behind her.
"Is he sleeping?" someone asked anxiously as she exited. She nodded her head.
"Could you give us the room?" Leo asked firmly, bringing back memories of their days in the White House. Everyone swiftly vacated the room. They all knew better than to argue with Leo when he used a tone like that.
"Oh, Leo," Abbey said once they were alone. He opened his arms to embrace the wife of his best friend as the man slept in the next room. It sounded like the plot for one of those cheesy soap operas that Margaret watched from time to time. "I don't know if I'm ready to lose him."
"You think that's what this is?" Leo asked. He had figured that's what it was but hadn't wanted to admit it.
Leo started with another question, but as he said the words, he knew it was an answer. "He's calling us back to say goodbye." It was exactly what Jed was doing.
"I don't know how much longer he's going to hold on. The priest was here yesterday," Abbey said brokenly, resting her head on Leo's shoulder. "I expected him to be gone half a dozen times already. I think sheer willpower is the only thing…" Her voice broke and she couldn't continue.
"Sheer willpower is the only reason that he's done half of the things that he's done," Leo answered, guiding her over to the couch. Her hair had gone completely grey and he suddenly realized for the first time how old they all really were. Even Sam, whose boyish good looks had seemed as though they would never fade, was grey at the temples.
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"I don't know what I'm going to do."
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"You're going to walk into that room and pretend absolutely nothing is wrong, do you hear me?" Toby said firmly, his eyes wandering away from the road for a second. "You're going to pretend that it's just one more time in front of the press."
"Toby," CJ said, her voice stricken, "I don't know if I can do it. This man is like a second father to me. He came to my father's funeral even though he had never met the man before." She dabbed at the corners of her red eyes with a tissue. "He walked me down the aisle."
Toby shoulder-checked and pulled over to the side of the road. He turned to face her, taking her hand in his. "CJ, look at me."
She turned her head to look into his eyes. She saw the same barely suppressed grief that she had seen only once before, when Josh was in surgery after Rosslyn. He was barely in control and they both knew it. "We're going to be there soon. Just one more time in front of the press, okay?"
She sniffed, nodding.
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"Just one more time in front of the press."
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"The press?" Jack broke in nervously, all but stepping between Mark and Sarah as they reassured each other. "No one mentioned any press."
"They're camped outside the airport," Mark told him. "They were on the road from the farm too but the state police kicked them off."
"Legally I don't think that they can do that," Jack said, trying to distract himself.
"Look, you've got the governor-elect of California, the senior senator for Connecticut, the attorney general for New Hampshire, and a whole slew of other people flying in to sit vigil at a former president's bedside," Sarah pointed out. "I think that it's a nightmare from a security standpoint."
"I'm just saying," Jack maintained, noting that Sarah hadn't said 'to sit vigil at a former president's deathbed'. It was good that no one was using that term yet. "You're off the record I'm assuming."
"I'm off the record," Sarah said, sounding a little indignant. "The Post is just my job; this is more important."
"Look, when I'm nervous I run off at the mouth," Jack reminded her. "I didn't mean anything by it."
"I know," she sighed. "Things are just a little tense. Everyone dropped everything to get here. Sam cancelled everything and hopped on the first plane that he could get. Josh pulled Donna out of a committee meeting. I think that it's a good thing the twins are on a band trip or they probably would have forgotten about them."
"She walked out on a chance to cover Nicholson's Indiana trip," Mark added, jerking his thumb at Sarah. They neared the glass doors and saw the group of reporters waiting outside. "Are you ready to brave the fire?"
And then they were outside, fighting their way through the questioning group to the SUV that had been parked as close to the doors as possible.