Title: Hearts Alone (5/5)
By: adoreleo
Rating: PG-13. This part contains some strong language and some sexual innuendo.
Characters: Leo, Margaret, Mallory, CJ, Abbey and Jed
Spoilers: Anything up to and including Liftoff.
Disclaimer: The characters are from the NBC, WB, TV show The West Wing; they do not belong to me.
Beta and Brainstorming By: Lynn, who always goes beyond the call. THANKS!!!!
Feedback: Is greatly appreciated!
Author's Notes: I messed with the timeline and have Leo's heart attack occurring about two months before Thanksgiving. In addition, obviously the nurse in this story is not the same one that is on the show.
Part 5
Friday
When Leo awakens early the next morning, he finds his face covered with soft red hair and he smiles. He's really enjoying having Margaret's warm body curled up next to his. After he wakes up a little bit more, he realizes that the wonderful feelings in his lower region are not the lingering effects of a dream but are occurring because Margaret has an arm flung over his lower region. He's obviously enjoying having her arm resting on him down there from the reaction he's having. Leo's embarrassed and thrilled at the same time. He doesn't want her to find him in this condition, but he's pleased that he's having this reaction. This is the first time this has happened since his surgery that he can remember.
Leo carefully picks up Margaret's slender arm and places it on his chest. He arranges the covers over him so that his distension is no longer showing. He lays his head back on his pillow and tries to think pure thoughts to help his problem go away. He tenses when Margaret stirs next to him and breathes a sigh of relief when she doesn't wake.
Leo lies there for a few more minutes taking pleasure in the fact that Margaret is lying next to him. He doesn't want to get up, but his water pill can't be denied any longer. He slowly slips out from under her arm and quietly makes his way to the bathroom. When he comes back, he's surprised to find her still asleep. He thinks about making some coffee for them, but decides that climbing back into bed, and lying next to Margaret sounds a lot more enjoyable.
Leo slowly inches back into the bed, and lays Margaret's arm back on his chest. He smiles when he hears her let out a contented sigh as she snuggles closer against him. He closes his eyes and drifts back off to sleep as he pretends that this is how he spends every morning.
----------
It's after nine in the morning, and Leo has been awake for almost ten minutes. He's amazed that Margaret is still sleeping. He's just starting to get worried about her sleeping this late, when he feels Margaret stirring next to him, "Morning," he whispers into her hair, after he sees her eyes open.
"Morning," she whispers back.
"Did ya sleep okay?"
"Yeah," she sighs, as she holds onto him. Then all of a sudden in sinks in where's she's at and who she's clinging onto. "Oh my God," she cries out as she jumps away from him as quickly as she can, causing him to grunt out in pain as she pushes off on his chest with her hand, "Oh Leo. I'm so sorry. I…"
"Margaret I'm… fine," he tries to convince her, even though his brow is furrowed in pain.
"I didn't mean to… and your chest… oh my God," Margaret continues to rant as she starts to pace.
Leo sits up too quickly, causing himself even more pain, "Damnit Margaret," he roars as he grabs his chest. "Will you just stop it," he manages to get out through clenched teeth.
Margaret abruptly stops when she notices Leo holding his chest. She rushes to his side, "Leo, are you okay? Did I hurt you?" She asks in a panic, as she places a hand on his leg.
Leo looks at her with pained filled eyes. He's more hurt that she found lying next to him so repulsive that she immediately jerked away after waking up. The pain from his incision is nothing compared to the heartache he feels.
"Oh, Leo, I'm so sorry… I never meant to hurt you. I lo…" Margaret immediately stops.
Leo looks at her, "You what, Margaret?"
"Nothing. Are you sure, you're all right? Should we check your incision? Are you in a lot of pain? Oh Leo, I'm so sorry. I just… I would… never… I didn't…" she nervously stammers.
Leo reaches up with both hands and tenderly takes Margaret's face in his hands. He gently pulls her face towards him and kisses her ever so softly on the lips.
Margaret is shocked by Leo's actions. She pulls back, brings a hand to her face and touches her lips, "Why did you do that?"
"To get you to shut up," he smirks, "and… to let you know that I love you too." He smiles.
"You… love me?" She whispers back to him as a smile grows on her face. She waited for years to hear him say that.
"Yes and I think you feel the same way about me too, at least that's what I think you almost admitted a little bit ago," he offers.
"Well… I do," she slightly bobs her head.
"Good, so how about some breakfast?" He asks, as he takes a hold of her hand and brings it to his lips and kisses it.
"Just like that," she tilts her head and gives him a puzzled look that slowly turns into a smile.
"Yeah… I'm hungry," he explains, "and we can talk some more over stuffed French toast." Leo stands and holds out a hand to Margaret.
"French toast?" Her voice goes soft.
"Yeah," he replies.
"Okay."
"Great, I'll meet you out in the living room in a couple of minutes," he informs her as he gives her hand a squeeze.
"Okay" she says, as she looks down at their joined hands and then back up at Leo. "I'll order some breakfast for us and make some coffee. Do you want tomato juice, too?"
"Yeah and I want some of that stuffed French toast you're always going on about."
"Strawberry topping?"
"Yeah," he smiles, as he releases her soft hand.
----------
"Hmm… that smells good," Leo says, wrapping his arms around Margaret from behind.
"Hmm… and that feels good," she replies, loving the way his arms feel around her body.
"How come your coffee always tastes so much better than what I make? I buy the same brand, but it just never tastes like yours."
"I don't know Leo. Maybe you're coffee challenged," she laughs, as she turns in his arms.
"You're a funny girl," he whispers against her neck.
"You mean I'm no longer a good girl," she coos back.
"Shuddup and kiss me," Leo mumbles, as he encircles her with his arms.
"Okay," she gets out just before Leo's lips press against hers.
----------
When breakfast arrives, they sit down side by side at the table and enjoy their food. Both of them are fairly quiet, but they keep touching each other, almost as if they are afraid that their confessions of love this morning were only a dream.
After a while, Margaret gives Leo a nervous smile, "What?" Leo asks as he touches her hand.
"Are you sure about this?"
"This?" Leo motions between the two of them.
"Yeah, about us."
"I should be the one asking you that," he smiles.
"I'm sure. I've loved you for years," she confesses.
"Me too," he whispers, taking her hand and kissing it.
They finish their breakfast and are on their way to the couch, when Leo pulls her over to the set of French doors that lead out onto the balcony. He wraps his arms around her and starts kissing her. They stand there for several moments until Leo is forced to lower his arms due to the strain on his incision.
"Do you need to sit down?" Margaret asks.
"Yeah," Leo says, taking Margaret by the hand and guiding her to the couch. He sits in the corner of the couch and gently pulls Margaret down next to him. He positions himself so that he's facing her and starts his assault on her lips again.
"Leo," she says, pulling away for a breath, "Should we… be doing this?"
"I don't see why not. Especially since, we've finally told each other how we feel."
"No, I didn't mean that. I meant… you know… your heart."
"Margaret," he sighs. "It's fine," he informs her as he takes her hand and places it on his chest letting her feel it beat. "See."
"I just don't want…"
"Shh… don't worry about it. You're going to have to trust me."
"I do… I just... it's," Margaret's eyes fill with tears.
"Baby, don't cry, really I'm fine," he reaches out and gently wipes the tears from her face.
"Oh Leo, I came so close to losing you and it hurt so bad that I couldn't tell you how much I loved you," she says as she dissolves into tears.
"Shh… Baby, it's over with. Please don't cry," Leo says, as he pulls her into his arms and runs his fingers through her hair. Leo continues to hold her like this for a long time, letting her get it all out of her system. He realizes now just how much this has affected Margaret. He places soft reassuring kisses in her hair and repeatedly tells her that he loves her.
Eventually, Margaret raises her head and looks at Leo with her tear stained face, "Leo, I'm…"
"Don't say it Margaret," he interrupts as he reaches out with a hand, touching her face, and traces her jaw line with his fingertips.
Margaret bobs her head and leans against him, "Are you comfortable? Do we need to get up and switch places?"
"Nah, I'm fine. We're okay for a while like this," he whispers.
After a few more minutes though, Leo needs to change positions, "Margaret." He whispers.
"Hmm…" A half-asleep Margaret mumbles.
"I hate to do this, but I need to get up," he sighs, into her hair.
"Leo, why didn't you say something?" She quickly clamors, carefully getting up off him.
"I just did," he smiles.
"Okay," she sweetly smiles in return as she gets up from the couch and offers him a hand.
"Thanks." Leo stands, "I'll be back in a couple of minutes. I think I'll get out of these," he motions at his pajamas.
"Me, too," Margaret says, as she walks over to her bedroom.
----------
They spend the rest of the morning on the couch. Leo works on some crossword puzzles, and Margaret reads a book. Both of them are quiet, but they do share occasional glances and knowing smiles. They are quite content just to be sitting side-by-side, shoulders touching and holding hands.
----------
"Margaret it doesn't look like rain, so lets go to the park today." He says, after he looks out the balcony doors.
"Okay," she replies, happy that she doesn't have to force him to take his walk this time.
They put on their coats and head out the door. When they get to the street, Leo offers Margaret his arm and she slides hers though it.
"What's the name of the park?" Margaret asks, as they cross the street.
"I don't know."
"You'd better not let the President hear you say that, or you'll be in for a lecture," she laughs knowing she is right.
"Yeah, just what I need," he softly laughs.
They reach the park, and Margaret stops just outside the ivy covered archway, "Oh, Leo, this is beautiful."
"Yeah, Mallory likes it, too."
"I never knew this was even here."
"Me either," Leo adds, as he pulls her closer to him.
"How did you find it?" Margaret asks even though she is pretty sure of the answer.
"Mallory asked the doorman about places close by to walk to and he recommended this," Leo motions.
Margaret gives Leo a pointed look, "You mean to tell me that you've lived here for almost seven years and you never knew this beautiful park was a couple of blocks away."
"Yeah… well… in my defense it was usually dark when I left for work and most times even darker when I came home. Plus, my guy usually drove me and I never pay attention when I'm not driving."
"Well, those days are over. You don't need to sacrifice your health anymore. There are others to help you and to take over where you left off. You need to think of yourself first from now on."
"I don't know if I know how to be any other way," Leo softly admits as he glances down at his shoes.
"Well, you're going to have to learn or I will go to the President and have him fire you."
"He already did that," slips from his mouth.
"What?" Margaret almost yells.
"At Camp David, we had another strong willed discussion about Gaza and well..." Leo tries to explain.
"He fired you?" An exasperated Margaret growls.
"Yeah, but…" Leo lowers his eyes again, wishing he could take back the last few seconds.
"But nothing, Leo. How the hell could he do that to you after all you've sacrificed for him? You almost died because of that damn job!"
"Margaret, I had been pushing him and we didn't agree on how to deal with the aftermath of Gaza. I told him that my council was of no value to him. He took it as a threat and told me to find someone to replace me."
"I still can't believe he would do that to you. Not after…" Margaret abruptly stops. "Leo, when did he fire you?"
"That doesn't matter," Leo tries to convince her.
"Leo?"
"That last night at… Camp David," Leo whispers, as he looks off to his left and then back at her.
"Leo is that why you… walked out into the woods?"
Leo nods his head, "Margaret my getting fired did not cause my heart attack. We've already covered this. It's no one's fault, but mine. I didn't take care of myself, and I ignored all the signs. I thought I was invincible and that it couldn't happen to me. But I was… wrong," he says sadly.
"But…"
"No, Jed feels terrible about this and I've tried to tell him that he didn't cause it, but he's just as stubborn as you," Leo informs her, taking her in his arms. "Margaret that day in the hospital when I woke up from surgery, he tried to get me to stay, I'm the one who told him he needed a new Chief of Staff. I resigned."
"I'm not stubborn," Margaret implies, realizing that Leo is right, but she still isn't happy that it happened. Leo has dedicated his life to this President. His best friend. But, she decides that it's best just to let it go. She's just found what she needs and that's what's important right now. That and getting Leo healthy again.
"Okay, if you say so," Leo smirks, as he takes her arm and guides her under the archway.
"I'm not."
"Okay," he laughs, as he guides her on his normal pattern through the park.
They have only been walking a few yards when Margaret takes a deep breath, "Oh Leo, I love that smell."
Leo does the same and all of a sudden; he stops walking. The smell of wet leaves triggers some powerful memories that he would prefer to permanently forget. His breath catches as he remembers the immense pain in his chest, the falling to the ground, and the gasping for air, the loneliness and the waiting.
Margaret hears Leo's gasp and sees him grow pale, "Leo, are you okay? What is it?"
Leo brings a hand to his chest in an attempt to calm his rapidly beating heart.
"Leo," she shrieks, as she helps him to a park bench that is just a few feet away. She makes him sit down, "Leo, are you having another heart attack?" She asks, as she fumbles with her coat pocket, desperately trying to get her cell phone out.
"No," he pants, as he reaches out with his hand to stop her from calling anyone.
"Leo, what's going on?" She demands.
"I… need to get… back to the hotel," he says, as he suddenly stands.
"Leo, you're scaring me," she cries out, as she joins his side.
"Please Margaret, I have to get out of here," he yells back at her, as he heads for the archway.
"Leo, slow down," she implores as she catches up with him and takes him by the arm.
Leo refuses to look at her as they head quickly back to the hotel. They enter the hotel, cross the lobby to the bank of elevators and then up to his room. Once they get inside his suite, Leo makes a beeline for his bedroom, slamming the door behind him.
Margaret stands in the living room wondering what the hell has just happened. She takes off her coat, throws it over the back of the chair and heads fro his bedroom door, "Leo, what's going on?"
"Go away," he yells from the other side of the door.
"I won't," she says, as she opens the door and finds Leo sitting on his bed.
"Margaret," he implores, "please."
"Leo, tell me what's going on and tell me right now or so help me I'm calling for an ambulance to come haul your butt back to the hospital."
"I don't need… an ambulance or the hospital."
"Well then just what the hell do you need?" She asks. "Leo, I can't help you if you don't talk to me. You've kept things bottled up inside too many years and look where it's gotten you."
Leo is surprised by the anger in Margaret's voice, "I…" He wants to tell her, but he's afraid to open up.
"Leo, please," she begs, as she sits down next to him on the bed.
"The leaves…" he whispers.
"What about the leaves, Leo?" Her voice softens.
"The smell of… wet leaves… it reminded me… of the… woods."
"Oh Leo, it's okay. You're safe now," she says as she pulls him into her arms.
"I felt the pain again… felt the dampness of the ground. I… didn't think… anyone was going to … find me…" Leo whispers in a raspy voice as a tear rolls down his face.
"Oh God, Leo. I wish I had been there for you," Margaret feels Leo's chest heave with a muted sob.
"I… felt like I was… back in NAM, lying on the damp ground, covered with leaves." Leo looks into Margaret's eyes and sees nothing but love and kindness. He realizes he needs to tell her everything. "The leaves… Kenny would hide me in leaves while he'd go look for water. I'd lie there just waiting to be… captured. That musty wet leafy smell… When I smelled it in the park… memories came flooding back about my heart attack and NAM… and I… panicked…" He starts to sob. He has held this in for too long and can't control it anymore.
Margaret doesn't know what to say, so she just tightly holds him in her arms and lets him cry. She moves them so that they are lying down and holds him close as she whispers words of love into his ear. Eventually, Leo's calms down and he falls asleep in Margaret's protective arms before she lets herself relax and fall asleep too.
----------
A couple hours later, Leo wakes up. He has a pounding headache from all the emotions that have surfaced today. He wants to stay in the safety and comfort of Margaret's arms, but he needs to get up and use the bathroom. He tries to untangle himself from Margaret without waking her.
Margaret opens her eyes when she feels Leo pull from her arms, "Leo?"
"Yeah," he replies, looking down at her.
"You okay?" She asks in a soft voice.
"Yeah… I umm… just need to a…" He hesitates and then points towards his bathroom door.
"Okay, don't let me hold you up," she smirks.
"Very funny, Margaret," he scoffs.
Margaret lies there for a few moments, and then gets up from bed, stretches before she heads to the kitchen for something to drink.
"Do you need something for your headache?" Margaret asks, after Leo emerges from his bedroom.
"How'd ya know I had a headache?"
Margaret gives Leo a sad smile, "Let's just say from experience."
Leo nods his head in understanding and then informs her, "There's some Tylenol in the cupboard over the sink. I'll take two please."
"Here," she hands him a bottle of water and two pills.
"Thanks."
"Are you feeling better? Well… I mean besides the headache," she rubs his back as he swallows his pills.
"Yeah… I am. Thanks."
"I'm sorry about yelling at you earlier, but I just…"
Leo put a finger to her lips, "Margaret, it's fine. Let's not spend the rest of the day worrying about it."
"Okay, I'll try. But, it's a hard habit to break with you," she smiles.
"You worry too much," he offers with a smirk of a grin.
"Well, stop giving me reasons to worry," she counters.
"Okay, I'll try. Hey, ya wanta watch a movie?"
"Sure, what's on?"
"I don't know," he answers, moving towards to couch. "But if we can't find something we can always rent one."
"We're not renting a movie from the hotel movie service. They charge $12.95 for a movie. That's outrageous!" She says, shaking her head as she takes a seat next to him on the couch.
"I can afford it," he grins.
"Yeah, I'm sure you can, but it's the principle. I'm sure we can find something on one of the other movie channels you get."
"Okay… Okay, you win," he softly laughs, as he turns on the TV and starts to search for something for them to watch.
----------
They spend the rest of the afternoon and evening on the couch. Neither of them have much energy after the draining walk they took earlier today. They get up occasionally, but for the most part they talk, watch movies, eat and cuddle on the couch. Margaret learns more about Leo in these few hours than she has in all of these years working for him. He finally opens up and tells her everything there is to know about the real Leo McGarry and she loves him even more for it.
When its time to go to bed, Margaret is unsure of where she should sleep. She's spent the last two nights in Leo's room but she doesn't want to presume that she will spend it with him again. She's unsure of what Leo wants, so her insecurities get the better of her.
When Leo comes out of the bathroom, he looks at a hesitant Margaret, "Ready for bed?" He asks with a smile, as he motions her to join him in bed.
"Yeah," she shyly smiles as she walks around to the other side of his bed and crawls underneath the covers, as Leo turns out the lights.
Leo reaches for Margaret, and she slides over next to him, brushing a kiss against his cheek. She turns on her side and carefully places a hand on his chest, moving her fingers through the opening of his pajama top and touches his skin.
Leo lightly moans at her touch and presses his lips to hers. Margaret willingly parts her lips, allowing Leo to fully explore her mouth. They hungrily kiss, while their hands roam each other's bodies.
Suddenly, Leo pulls from her arms, "Margaret, umm… we need… to stop."
"Oh Leo, I'm sorry. We're going to fast. I…"
"No baby, it's not that at all. I umm… well the doctor hasn't cleared me for umm… certain activities, yet," he softly says, as he lowers his eyes. He desperately wants to make love to her and is embarrassed that he can't right now.
"Oh," Margaret blushes, then notices Leo face. She reaches out with her fingertips and turns his face towards her. "Leo, it's okay. We're in no hurry. I love you. We need to wait until the doctor clears you. Besides, there's no reason to rush things."
Leo's heart melts at the sincerity in Margaret's voice, "I love you too and someday I'll show you just how much."
"I know you will," she coos into his ear.
"I have a doctor's appointment next week. Would you like to go with me? Maybe we can ask him together?" Leo asks with a lopsided smile. He's so happy to have someone to share things with. He never realized until recently just how much he's missed that.
"If you'd like. Are you sure?" Margaret asks.
"Yeah," he places a kiss on her nose.
Margaret snuggles against Leo's side and lays her hand on his shoulder. "Okay, then I'll go. I might have some questions for him too."
They quietly lay in bed for a couple of minutes. Both of them thinking about the future.
"So, do ya wanta tell people?" Leo breaks the comfortable silence.
"Tell them what?"
"About us," he softly laughs.
"What do you want to do," she asks, unsure of what she really wants to do. It's still so new, but part of her wants to tell the world.
"I'd like to tell Mallory, Abbey and… the President," he suggests as he strokes her soft hair.
"That's sounds good to me. The others can wait, because I want you all to myself for a while," she softly murmurs against his neck.
"I can deal with that," Leo places a kiss in her hair.
"Leo?"
"Yeah?"
"I love you."
"I love you, too."
"Night," she kisses him.
"Night," he returns her kisses as they snuggle further into the bed and soon drift off to sleep.
----------
Margaret wakes up and is surprised to find Leo still asleep. It's almost nine thirty. She happily sighs at how relaxed his face looks. Sometime during the night, Margaret draped her leg over him. She catches herself from giggling aloud when she realizes that Leo must really be enjoying having her leg resting on him, because he's fully awake below the waist. She leans up and kisses his face. She just can't resist touching or kissing him.
"Morning," Leo mumbles.
"Leo, you're awake," she says, as she moves her leg off him.
"Yeah… in more ways than one," he grins.
"So… I see," she giggles, looking at the peak in the sheets.
"Very funny," he shakes his head at her.
"Are you okay?" She asks, never withdrawing her eyes from the sheets.
"Margaret, are you going to ask me that every time this happens, cause if so, you're going to be asking it a lot, apparently."
"Apparently?"
"Yeah, I had a similar reaction to your arm, yesterday morning."
"Sorry," she blushes.
"I'm not. I rather enjoyed it, plus it was… umm… well it was the first time since my surgery that it's happened," he confesses.
"Really?"
"Yeah, 'apparently' you bring the best out in me," he laughs as he takes her in his arms.
"Glad to help," she replies as she captures his lips with hers. They both are too busy enjoying themselves to hear the knock on his hotel door or the door to his suite opening.
"Daddy," Mallory calls as she enters her father's hotel room. She's surprised not to find Margaret or her father up and moving about. She notices that both bedroom doors are closed, and she sighs. She had hoped that her father would finally see the light and maybe tell Margaret how he feels about her. That's one of the main reasons she wanted Margaret to come stay with him. "Daddy," she calls out again as she opens her father's bedroom door.
"Good morning Daddy, Margaret," she smirks, after she discovers them kissing in bed.
"Hey Baby, back so soon," Leo comments with smile, as Margaret quickly ducks under the covers.
"Yes… and I see now," she motions towards the bed, "that there was no reason for me to rush over here and relieve Margaret from taking care of you. She seems to have matters… well in hand," Mallory grins.
"Hey Mal," Margaret peeks her head above the covers.
"It's about time you two got a clue," Mallory informs them with smile.
"You knew," Leo asked in a surprised voice.
"I… suspected. I just never thought you would do something about it, but I umm... guess I was wrong," she smirks.
"You're fine with this?" Margaret asks.
"Oh yes, Margaret. I'm very happy for you two. Besides, I can use all the help I can get with keeping Daddy inline."
"Yeah, I know what you mean," Margaret agrees.
"He doesn't make an easy patient, does he?"
"I hear that," Margaret laughs.
"Hey," Leo speaks up. "You two do realize I'm still in the room, right?" Leo smiles.
"Yes," they say in unison.
"Great," Leo slightly pouts as he sinks lower into his bed.
"Why don't you two get decent and we can order some breakfast from room service," Mallory suggests. "I don't know about you two, but I'm hungry."
"How about, I take you two beautiful red heads out somewhere for breakfast?" Leo offers, as he slowly sits up in bed.
"You want to go out to a restaurant and eat?" Mallory asks, with surprise showing in her voice.
"Yeah," Leo smiles.
"Oh Margaret, I love you. You've finally gotten Daddy to come out of his shell. I haven't been able to get him to go anywhere since his surgery."
"Mallory," Leo rumbles.
"What'd I say," she laughs. "Oh and Margaret, after we get back from breakfast, we're going to sit down and talk about what your intentions are towards my father," Mallory proclaims in her best parental voice.
"Mallory Ann," Leo growls, as Margaret laughs.
"Daddy, I thought you said you were not a threat right now to anyone… and so I go away for a couple of days, and then come back only to find you kissing a beautiful woman… in your bed."
"Young lady, you're lucky I'm not able to get out of bed right now or…"
"Oh Daddy, why can't you get out of bed right now? Are you having some trouble? Do you need me to help you," she starts towards the bed.
Margaret ducks her head back under the covers, "Tell me when she's gone," she laughs.
"Mallory don't take another step," Leo quickly implores. "I'm fine and if I need some help, Margaret can do it."
"Oh I'm sure she can," Mal smirks with a huge grin.
"Mallory," Leo grouses, as he shakes his head.
"Okay… okay. I'll go wait in the living room for you two, but if you take too long I'll come back in here and get you out of that bed," she teases, as she heads for the door. She suddenly stops and turns, "Oh and Daddy?"
"Yeah?"
"I love you and I'm so happy for you two."
"Thanks Baby, we'll be right out."
"Margaret, she's gone," he laughs, as he pulls the covers off her and kisses the top of her head.
"You two are terrible."
"Yeah, I guess we are."
"True, but I love you both, very much," Margaret kisses him.
"Well… we'd better get up and get ready. I want to find out why she's back a day earlier than planned." Leo says in a slightly worried voice.
"Jenny?"
"Yeah, probably," Leo sighs.
"Do you want to go out to breakfast by yourselves?" Margaret wonders out loud.
"Nah, I want my two best girls with me."
"Okay," she says, watching Leo get out of bed.
"Come on," Leo offers her a hand. "Let's go get some clothes on and find out what happened between Mallory and her mother."
"Okay, so you want me to stay in here while you talk with her." Margaret offers.
"No, I want you by my side."
"Okay, I like being there," she smiles, as he pulls her into his arms.
"Me, too," he replies as he kisses her.
----------
"Mallory," Leo says, as he walks over to his daughter with Margaret by his side, holding his hand.
"Hey, Daddy, Margaret," she looks up from the magazine that she was reading. "You look so much better than you did when I left. Margaret is so good for you," she smiles.
"Yes, she sure is," Leo affirms as he squeezes Margaret's hand. "Mallory, I wanted to talk with you about why you're home a day earlier than planned. Do you mind if Margaret stays?"
"No, of course I don't mind," Mallory answers, putting the magazine down on the coffee table.
"Okay," Leo sits down on the couch next to his daughter and Margaret takes a seat next to Leo. "So?"
"Well… it wasn't going too bad until Mom overheard me make a comment after I had tried to get a hold of you on my cell phone, Friday."
"We were probably out walking," Margaret comments.
"What did you say?" Leo asks Mallory.
"Something along the lines of, 'He's fine, I'm sure Margaret's taking good care of him.' I didn't know she was standing there. I was just worried, because I had been calling for around thirty minutes or so and…"
"We weren't walking the whole time," Leo quickly glances at Margaret. "We sat on a park bench for a while."
Mallory looks at Margaret who is bobbing her head in agreement. The glance that is exchanged between her father and Margaret makes her think that it was more than just a break on a bench, but she's not going there right now. "When Mom heard my comment, she launched off into a rant and rave about how you… well you can guess what she was angry about."
"How I was never there for…" Leo lowers his eyes.
"Daddy, I don't feel that way. Look… besides, the past is the past. Things are so different now."
"Baby, I'm so sorry… I…" He feels terrible that she is stuck in the middle of that whole mess.
"Daddy, don't," she implores as she lays a hand on his knee.
"But, still…"
"Leo, you have to stop punishing yourself for the past. It wasn't all your fault, " Margaret pleads as she rubs his back.
"Daddy, Margaret's right. I grew up in that house. I know how things were."
"Okay… okay," he sighs. "If you two are going to gang up on me, I guess I have no recourse but to listen."
"You bet your…"
"Margaret," Leo growls, as he shakes his head at her. Leo then looks back at his daughter, "Mallory, I know more than that was said to make you leave early, cause we've both heard that from your Mother for years. Baby," Leo takes her hand, "what else happened?"
Mallory looks over at Margaret and then back to her father, "She accused you and Margaret of having an affair for years."
"She what!" Leo yells as he jumps up off the couch. This sudden movement causes him pain, and it immediately shows on his face.
"Daddy," Mallory says as she jumps up.
"Leo," Margaret says as she too jumps up from the couch.
"I'm fine," Leo breathes out, as he holds his chest, trying to get the pain to stop. "Mallory we never I mean…"
"Daddy, please calm down. I never, for one second, thought it was true. I got right in her face and told her that, too. I know you two." She informs him as she makes him sit back down.
"Leo, are you sure you're okay?" Margaret asks, joining him on the couch. "Is it your incision?"
"Yeah," he answers, as he starts to calm down. "Baby, it's true that I've loved Margaret for years, but it was after the divorce that I discovered that I was 'in love' with her. I never…"
"Daddy, I know that. I never once thought that and besides, Margaret would never have been able to look me in the eye. She would have given herself away," Mallory looks at Margaret and smiles. "Why do you think I suspected she loved you? She isn't that great at hiding things from me."
"Mallory, I have been 'in love' your father for years. I cared for him deeply when he was married, but… it wasn't until after…" Margaret stops and lowers her eyes.
"Margaret, after what?" Leo softly asks, turning towards her.
"The shooting… That's when I realized I loved you," she softly says, laying her head on his shoulder. She'll never forget that hour and a half after the shooting when she didn't know if he was dead or injured.
Leo places a kiss in her hair, "I'm so glad you weren't with me that night," Leo admits.
"I'm not. I went crazy until you called me. I thought…" Margaret vividly remembers how all she could picture in her head that night was him laying on the asphalt covered in blood.
"Yeah, well nothing happened to me then and I'm going to be fine now, too," Leo reassures her as he takes her in his arms and holds her tight.
After a few moments, Leo slowly pulls from Margaret's arms and looks over at Mallory who has a tear in her eye, "Okay, how about some breakfast? I really am hungry."
"Me, too," Mallory says, as she wipes the tear from her eye.
"Leo, I hope they have French toast wherever you're taking us." Margaret says, with a smile.
"Margaret, you need to branch out, try different things." Leo suggests.
"This from the man who orders tomato juice every morning for breakfast," Margaret quips.
"Hey, I happen to love tomato juice."
"Yeah, so I've heard, Daddy, several times I might add," Mallory laughs.
"Hey, it's not nice to pick on someone who's just had major surgery," he advises with a smile.
"Didn't seem to be slowing you down this morning in bed," Margaret smirks.
"Okay, I give. I should know better than to try and argue with you both at the same time," he says as he stands. "Come on ladies. I want to take my two favorite girls out for breakfast."
"Okay," Mallory and Margaret say in unison, as they stand and get their coats.
Once they get outside the hotel, the doorman hails a cab for them. Leo holds the door for them as Mallory and Margaret get in, "Hey, if it's still this nice when we get back, let's go for a walk to the park."
Margaret hesitates before she gets into the cab, "Are you sure Leo?" She asks, laying a hand on his arm.
"Yeah, cause with you by my side, I can get through anything," he whispers to her, just before he captures her lips in a kiss.
"Will you two stop it and get in here," Mallory calls to them, from the inside of the cab. "You two are worse than teenagers."
"Okay, okay… we're coming," Leo groans, as he takes Margaret's hand and helps her into the cab. Leo gets into the cab next to her and whispers into her ear, "I can't wait for my doctor's appointment next week."
"Me, too," she whispers back, as the cab pulls away from the curb.
"Me, too," Mallory laughs, having overheard their not so quite whispers.
"Mallory," Leo growls.
"Hey, can I help it if you guys can't whisper softly enough. After we get back from breakfast and take a walk, I think I'll go home. I have a lot of things to catch up on at my apartment and now that Daddy has you," she looks at Margaret, "maybe I can find the time to start dating again. I want to have what you two have finally found. I miss that in my life."
"Just as long as he doesn't play hockey," Leo proclaims with a frown.
"Hey," Mallory shakes her head at her father. She'd say more to him, but she's so happy that he's starting to act like his old self that she doesn't mind him picking on her boyfriends.
"Leo, leave her alone or do I need to bring up… Jordan," Margaret practically spits out her name, as she rolls her eyes and gives Mallory a wicked smile.
"Okay, I give. You two win," Leo shakes his head.
"You bet your ass," Mallory pipes in.
"Mallory, you've been hanging around Margaret too much."
"I could say the same about you, too. But I like the effect she has on you," Mallory informs her father.
"Yeah, I do too," Leo agrees, as he takes Margaret's hand and squeezes it. "And I plan on spending a lot more time with her, too. That is, if you'd like?" He turns towards Margaret, as he asks her.
"Oh I like alright," she says, as she leans in and kisses him.
"Margaret, I know this is sudden, but… I want you to… move in with me. I never want to spend another night not waking up in your arms," Leo asks, forgetting that his daughter is in the cab with them.
"Really?"
"Yeah."
"Okay," she bobs her head. "But can we think about moving into an apartment or condo?" Margaret requests.
"We can start looking today, if you'd like?" Leo informs her.
"Yes, Leo, I'll move in with you," she answers.
Leo turns to his daughter and asks, "Is all of this okay with you?"
"More than okay. I couldn't be happier for you two," she gives her father a sweet smiles. "And, can I add, it's about time you moved out of that damned hotel," she smirks.
"I second that," Margaret adds.
"Is this how it's always going to be from now on, you two ganging up on me?" Leo wonders out loud.
"Pretty much," Margaret says.
"That's what I'm thinking, too." Mallory adds.
"Great, just great," Leo says.
"Yeah and you love it," Mallory observes.
"Yeah, I do," Leo agrees with an impish grin. "Hey… we're here." Leo comments as the cab slows and pulls to the curb. "Come on ladies let's go eat," Leo says, as he steps out of the cab and helps them both out and guides them towards the entrance of the restaurant.
"Daddy," Mallory touches his arm, causing him to stop and face her as Margaret continues towards the entrance.
"Yeah, Baby."
"I love you and I'm so glad you have Margaret in your life in this new way."
"Me, too," Leo kisses his daughter on the cheek. "I'm so lucky to have both you and her in mine."
Margaret pauses at the door and looks back at the tender scene between Leo and his daughter. She can't believe how quickly her life has changed for the better. She gives Leo a smile, after he notices her watching them. Leo walks up to her, with Mallory holding onto his arm, and he offers Margaret his other arm she takes it and they head off to breakfast and their future together.
The End.