Part 4

Margaret drags her tired and weary body into Leo's expensive hotel suite. She's really starting to feel the full effects of spending most of yesterday and all of last night in a chair at the hospital. She had hoped that the shower and the change of clothes at her apartment would have helped, but the revitalizing effects of them both have already worn off.

Margaret makes her way through Leo's bedroom and into his bathroom. She gathers his toiletries and places them in the bag he keeps in there. She grabs his robe off the back of the door, walks back out into his bedroom and tosses his robe on the king sized bed. She hesitates a moment by his bed, imagining him there and smiles. Her mind starts to daydream, but she quickly dismisses it. She doesn't have time for silly thoughts about what could be, right now. She needs to get back to Leo at the hospital.

Margaret walks over to his closet and picks out a pair of pants, shirt and sport coat . She walks them over to the bed and carefully folds them. She goes back to the closet and gets his carry-on bag off of the top shelf. Something clunks inside of it as she gets it down. She has a puzzled look on her face as he walks the bag over and places it on the bed. She opens the bag and peers inside, "Damnit Leo," she mutters out loud, more scared than angry, as she raises a shaky hand to her head. She stares at the suitcase for a few seconds and then plops down on the bed next to the bag and takes out the bottle of Johnny Walker Blue. She quickly examines the seal and finds unbroken, at least on this one. 'Have there been others before it?' she wonders.

Tears start to slide down her face as she continues to stare at the bottle of scotch. She puts it back in his bag and lies down on the bed. Her face lands on his robe, and she breathes in the distinctive scent of his cologne. She closes her eyes and several disturbing images, from Leo's days as Labor Secretary, flash through her mind. She starts to sob even harder as numerous painful memories come flooding back. She curls up into a ball, hanging onto Leo's robe, as she tries to make them go away. She's still clutching his robe to her face, when she finally succumbs to some much needed sleep.

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"Hey, Leo. How you feeling?" CJ asks, as she hesitantly walks into his room and over to his bedside.

"I'm fine," he replies, looking up at her with a half frown. He can tell by the way that CJ is acting that something is wrong and whatever it is, he knows he's not going to like it.

CJ looks around the room, "Where's Margaret?"

"I sent her to my hotel to get some items for me," Leo explains and then sighs, "CJ, what's going on?"

"Well… we sort of have a situation with a reporter," she begins, as she lowers her eyes.

"CJ, what type of situation?" Leo raises an eyebrow, and adjusts his bed so that he is sitting up straighter.

"Leo… during a press conference, after you collapsed, a reporter suggested that the real reason behind your fall was… because you were…"

"Drunk," Leo's raspy voice supplies with a whisper.

CJ nods her head, "Yeah."

"I wasn't, and I'm not drinking again," Leo points out with a touch of anger in his voice, the frustration growing in him.

"I didn't think so and neither does…" CJ abruptly stops.

"Neither does who?" Leo asks.

"Margaret," CJ almost whispers.

"Damnit," Leo says as he looks away, when CJ mentions his assistant's name as he suddenly remembers the bottle of scotch he has stored in his carry on bag in his hotel room. She's bound to find it, and he knows she won't be afraid to ask him about it. He turns his attention back to CJ, "Is there anything else?" He sighs heavily as he can't help but feel like he's had this conversation before with CJ, in this very room. 'Did I dream this or did she already tell me this?' He silently wonders to himself.

CJ hesitates telling him about the rumors about Jenny and his old business partner, she knows that he will eventually find out, but she doesn't want him getting upset right now. Especially without Margaret here to help calm him. She's been the only one who's had any luck at reigning in his temper, lately. "Well… we pulled his credentials and then later that day he made a statement that…"

"That what?" Leo asks.

"That you have a bottle of scotch in your hotel room," Margaret's exasperated voice rings through the room from the doorway.

CJ whips her head around and sees Margaret standing there with an incensed look on her face, pointed directly at Leo. CJ knows that there is something is obviously wrong, and she needs to get out of there quick..

"Umm… I think I'll leave you two alone," CJ says as she turns and hurries towards the door. She stops by Margaret, gives her knowing look and a comforting touch to her arm on her way out.

Margaret waits until CJ leaves the room and then walks over closer to Leo's bed. She starts to open her mouth, but Leo holds up a hand to stop her.

"I take it you found it," he sighs, knowing what's about to come next.

"Leo, what the hell were you thinking?" Her voice and eyes demand.

"I was thinking that I needed a drink. Why else would I have bought the damn bottle?" He retorts with a quick blaze of anger.

"But Leo, you're an alcoholic," she yells back at him.

"And you think I don't know that…" He roars back at her, his voice dipping in sarcasm.

"Leo… that's not what I mean… I just… it's…" her voice goes high, full of embarrassment. She's never referred to him as an alcoholic, before. She feels terrible.

"Look…" Leo pauses, gathering himself. "I didn't drink any of it," he answers her unspoken question, as he glances down at her hands that are fidgeting in front of her.

"Just this bottle or any other, Leo?" She demands in a strained voice. She has to know for sure.

Leo's eyes flash up at Margaret. Yes, she'd be the one who would be blunt. She's heard his lies and excuses before. "No, not this one… or any other bottle. I haven't had a drink since…"

"Saint Louis," she offers, with an expressive look, as she slowly moves even closer to his bedside.

Leo closes his eyes and nods, "Yeah," and then he looks back up at his assistant, "You knew?"

Margaret bobs her head as she bites up lower lip. She's always wondered about what happened that afternoon.

"You… you never said anything," Leo comments as he nervously straightens the covers on his bed.

"I… well you…" she softly stammers, trying to find the right words to explain her reasoning at the time. "I would have if… well I watched you closely for a long time. I could see the torment and… see you fighting. I didn't figure you needed anyone else that…"

"Margaret, I understand," Leo lowers his eyes and then looks back up at his assistant. "Thanks," he softly replies.

"Leo," Margaret states quietly as she takes the last step necessary to be right next to his bed and rests her hands on the bed rail. "The past is the past. Saint Louis isn't what's important, right now," she implores as she tightly clutches the bed rail, causing her knuckles to go white.

"Yeah," he slowly answers, "you're right."

"Why?" Margaret whispers.

Leo hesitates as he rubs his weary eyes, takes a deep breath and then continues, "After Zoey's…" He stops, still not able to talk about it out loud.

"Kidnapping?" Margaret provides.

"No, her rescue…"

"Her Rescue?" Margaret's voice catches. "I would think that…" she stops as her mind races, looking for a reason. It doesn't take her long to come up one. "After your meeting with Mrs. Bartlet?"

"Yeah… but don't blame Abbey for it," Leo quickly states, when he sees Margaret make a face. "I'm the one who chose to go out and buy the bottle. I'm the one who… who…"

"Who what, Leo?" She slightly demands. She knows he needs to talk about this. She's not going to let him stop now.

"Nothing…" Leo looks away from her. How can he tell her that he's the one responsible for Zoey's kidnapping?

Margaret watches Leo turn away from her and it breaks her heart. "Leo," she whispers, fighting back the tears in her eyes. "Zoey's kidnapping not your fault," she lays a comforting hand on his shoulder.

Leo refuses to look at her, "It was," he spits out.

"Leo," she begs for him to look at her as she reaches over and touches his face with her fingertips.

Leo slowly looks up at his assistant, "Margaret… you have no idea what type of a man you work for…"

"Yes… yes I do," Margaret's voice goes soft, as a tear finds its way down her face. "I work for a kind man… with a gentle and caring soul… who loves his country and has put his country first over his own well being for most of his adult life." She quickly wipes the tear from her face.

"You're wrong," he shakes his head. "I'm the one who convinced the President to… kill Shareef," Leo's informs her, his voice dropping to an almost whisper as he tries to move out from under her hand.

"You both did what you had to do for the sake of the country," Margaret trembles, as she remembers that terrible night of Zoey's kidnapping.

"Yeah and look how it turned out," a dejected Leo mumbles.

"Sometimes… doing what's right for the country… comes with a high price," Margaret reminds him.

"Too high a price," Leo's eyes flash up at Margaret.

"Yes, this time it might have been… but Zoey's back now and she's doing fine. Where others…" Margaret's voice fractures, as she briefly closes her eyes, "are… still paying for it."

"That's not important," a penitent looking Leo points out. "It's never going to be the same again," he tosses out.

"Leo, just what happened between you and Mrs. Bartlet in the Residence that afternoon?" Margaret asks, daring to finally get to the truth about Leo's downturn in mood after Zoey's kidnapping.

"It doesn't matter," Leo mumbles.

"Yes it does, Leo," Margaret argues with some intensity, "especially… if it affected you enough to go out and buy a damn bottle of Johnny Walker Blue," she points out to him as she crosses her arms over her chest and stares down at Leo with an unwavering look.

Leo looks up at Margaret and intently stares into her innocent blue eyes, "Abbey… doesn't want me in the… Residence… ever again. She doesn't want me near… her or the… girls," Leo's says in a very subdued voice as he lowers his eyes that are now threatening to overflow with tears.

"Leo, she was here, yesterday," she informs him.

"Abbey was here?" He quickly looks up at her. His voice is full of surprise. "She's back from the farm?"

"Yes, we talked some yesterday. She didn't go into any details but… I know she feels bad about what happened between you two," she explains.

"You two talked?"

"Yes… and she's coming back later today to check on you."

Leo is about to say something but quickly stops when a nurse walks into his room, "Mr. McGarry, I've got some good news for you. You're moving into a different room, since you've improved so much today. I'll be back in a few minutes to unhook you from some of the monitors and remove your catheter," she smiles.

Margaret and Leo both blush when she mentions the catheter.

"But, you're not to get up and go to the bathroom without assistance," the nurse informs him, as she heads out the door.

Leo watches her disappear from his room, "What? I don't need any help going to the…" He grumbles.

"Leo," she softly scolds. "Calm down. I'm sure they just want to make sure you don't fall and hit the other side of your head," she smiles. "You should just be happy to get out of this room," she adds.

"Yeah," Leo instantly calms, "but I'd be happier if I were at home instead."

"You will in a couple of days, when you start improving."

"Not soon enough to suit me," he informs her.

"Well, if you listen to your doctor and do what he tells you."

"I don't seem to have a choice in the matter," he mumbles.

"No, you don't," she smiles.

"Yeah."

"Well… at least now you'll be able to wear your own pajamas that I brought you," she points over to his bag that she sat down by the doorway.

"Yeah, thanks," Leo sighs. "Because, I don't even want to think about getting up and walking around here with this thing on," he motions to the hospital gown that he's wearing.

Margaret quickly lowers her eyes and blushes at his comments, because in her head she envisions Leo's rear-end hanging out as he is walking around in his hospital gown. "Ah… I brought you your robe too."

"Thanks, Margaret."

"You're welcome."

"So, what else did you bring me?" He asks with a smile

"I stopped downstairs at the gift shop and got you something," she says, as she goes over to his bag and pulls a brown paper bag from the side pocket of his suitcase. "Here," she says, handing it to him.

Leo takes the bag and pulls out the item, "Thanks, but I don't know where my glasses are?" He comments as he flips through the papers of the crossword magazine that Margaret got him.

"Oh, I've got them in my purse, I remembered to grab them on the way out the door yesterday," she informs him, as she goes over and gets them for him.

"Thanks, Margaret. You think of everything."

"Well, I figured you'd need something to do while you were stuck in here," she smiles, handing him his glasses.

"Yeah, I guess I could start on one now, since there's no TV in here to watch the news on."

"I picked up some magazines for me to read, too. I usually don't get a chance to read that much."

"No, I guess you don't," he softly laughs, as he opens up his crossword magazine and starts to work the first puzzle.

Margaret walks over to the chair, sits down and grabs one of the magazines she got today. She lazily starts to flip though it, just enjoying being in the same room as Leo.

They spend the next hour or so like this. Waiting for the nurse to come back and move Leo to his new room.

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Abbey follows her agents into the hospital. She's a little nervous about seeing Leo. She gets on the elevator and sighs.

"Ma'am, we just found out that they've moved Mr. McGarry to another room," the First Lady's lead Secret Service Agent informs her, as he presses the button for the correct floor.

After the elevator stops, they exit and head for Leo's room. Abbey hesitates outside Leo's room for a few seconds before entering.

"Leo," Abbey cautiously says, standing in the doorway of Leo's hospital room. She's not sure how he's going to react to her being here. The last time they met, she had not treated him very well. She's knows she hurt him and now regrets what she said to him.

"Abbey," Leo faintly replies and motions for her to come into the room.

"Where's Margaret?" She asks, after glancing around.

"She went for a walk while they moved me," he informs her. He wishes that she were here right now, so this wouldn't be so awkward.

"I'm surprised you got her to leave. She's been here since they brought you in here," she says, as she moves over closer to his bed. She can't help but notice how uncomfortable Leo looks.

"I tried to send her home, but…"

"Several of us tried, too." Abbey informs him.

"She's stubborn," Leo faintly smiles.

"Like her boss," Abbey adds with a hint of a smirk.

"Yeah," Leo exhales.

"So, how are you feeling?"

"I'm fine."

"Hmm… I would have bet the farm that you'd say that," Abbey slightly smiles.

"Yeah, well… I'll be out of here in a couple of days." He informs her as he nervously plays with the edge of his blanket.

"If you follow the doctor's orders," she reminds him.

"I will."

"We'll see," Abbey says and then pauses as she stands by his bed for a few seconds staring down at Leo. Finally, she takes a deep breathe and starts, "Leo, we need to talk."

"Yeah," Leo sighs, lowering his eyes as he braces himself, knowing what's coming. He's sure that Abbey's going to continue what she started in the Residence a few weeks ago. He lifts his eyes back up at her.

"I'm still a little mad at you," she softly states, as she takes the last step towards his bed.

"I… know and…" Leo takes a heavy breath, but before he can continue, Abbey starts in again.

"But, I also know that you would never do anything on purpose… to hurt the girls or me…"

"Abbey, I…"

"No Leo, let me finish. I was angry and hurt and… I was looking for someone to blame... I…"

"Abbey, it was my fault," Leo interrupts, "I talked Jed into… killing Shareef. He would have never… it's my fault that Zoey…" Leo stops, guilt flows from his eyes in the form of tears. He painfully turns his head away from her. He can't bear to look at her face. He doesn't want to see the hatred in her eyes, even though he knows he deserves it.

"Leo," Abbey says softly as she lays a hand gently on his shoulder, "look at me, please."

Leo slowly turns his head towards her and is surprised to only find kindness in her eyes.

"Leo, please, you need to stop this. It happened, and it's over with now. Zoey's home safe and sound. I know that Jed or you would never have done anything to hurt… Zoey."

Leo flinches when he hears Abbey mention Zoey's name. Of all the Bartlet girls, she has always been his favorite. "I'm so sorry, Abbey," Leo whispers, as he squints his eyes.

"Sweetie," she lays a soft hand on his shoulder. "You're killing yourself with your guilt. You collapsed from exhaustion, you've lost weight, your mood has been appalling and you're smoking again."

"I don't deserve…"

"Leo, you're a good hearted soul who deserves so much more in his life than he's been dealt these past few years," Abbey points out to him, as she takes his hand.

"I see you've been talking with Margaret."

"And Jed."

"I'm glad you're talking with the President. He… needs you," Leo gives her a faint smile.

"I'm glad, too," Abbey smiles down at Leo. "Now, lets get past all of this other stuff. First, you're going to have to make some major changes in your life style."

"Yes, Ma'am," Leo mocks, as he wipes the tears from his face.

"And…" Abbey hesitates, "someone else came with me and desperately wants to see you."

"Okay… who?"

"Zoey," Abbey says and then waits for Leo's reaction.

"She wants to see me?" Leo asks. "She must hate me…" As new tears appear, in his emotionally fragile state.

"Leo, she doesn't hate or blame you. Of all of us, she never did. She's one of the people who convinced me that I was wrong to blame you and to give you and her father a break."

"I… don't know what to say to her. I…" Leo looks panicked.

"Calm down Leo, It'll be fine," Abbey tells him as she heads for the door and motions to one of her Agents. "She's in the car and will be up in a few minutes," she says, as she walks back towards his bed.

TBC

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