Part 5
Margaret steps off the elevator and is on her way to find Leo's new room when she notices Secret Service Agents in the hallway and a familiar face sitting nervously in the waiting room. "Zoey," she greets the President's youngest daughter as she walks into the room.
"Margaret," Zoey smiles, as she stands to greet her.
"It's so good to see you," Margaret wraps long arms around the young girl and engulfs her in a huge hug. "You look great. How are you feeling?" Margaret asks, as she steps back a little, after releasing her.
"I'm… fine," Zoey hesitates a little before she smiles, as she sits back down in her chair.
"That's so good to hear," Margaret announces as she sits down in the chair next to her. "I'm sorry I never got a chance to… visit you before you left the White House for New Hampshire," Margaret softly says, as her hands nervously fidget in her lap. She's not sure what to say to her.
"Not many did. Mom sorta took me away pretty quick after I was… after I got back," Zoey slightly frowns. "I never even got to see Un…" Zoey stops herself from referring to Leo as Uncle Leo. She hasn't called him that in a few years. But, right now she feels so young and maybe even a little vulnerable that it almost slipped out.
"He's… missed you," Margaret offers, as she purses her lips in a tight smile.
"Really?" Zoey says in a very shy voice.
"Yes," Margaret pauses, and then asks, "Zoey, why are you sitting out here?" Motioning with her hand to the waiting room.
"Well, I wanted to see Leo, but Mom thought… she should see him first," Zoey explains.
"Mrs. Bartlet is here?"
"Yeah, I was supposed to umm… wait in the car, but I made my agent bring me up here," Zoey shifts uneasily in her chair.
"Why were you supposed to wait in the car?" Margaret asks without really thinking it through.
Zoey gives Margaret a surprised look. She figured that Margaret knows almost everything going on with Leo; at least it always appears that way. "Mom wouldn't let… Leo come to see me and…"
"Oh, Zoey. I'm sorry I asked. I wasn't thinking. I only found out about that yesterday… I mean… that she did that. I knew something had happened between them… but Leo…"
"That's okay. I never knew either until this morning when Mom and I had a long talk," Zoey pauses as she studies the woman next to her. "Margaret, are you okay? You look exhausted."
"Yeah, I'm fine. I've just been… worried about him for some time now," she softly confides.
"It wasn't his fault," Zoey quickly blurts out. "Leo didn't make those men… take me."
"He still blames himself and I can't get him to…" Margaret pauses, afraid that if she continues that she'll break down and Zoey doesn't need that.
"I know he does… but he shouldn't," Zoey shakes her head at her honorary uncle's stubbornness and then looks at Margaret, "Mom told me everything," she says, with a knowing smile.
"Everything?" Margaret lightly gasps.
"Yeah, about his fall, his weight loss, his smoking, his snapping at the staff… and blaming himself for what happened to me."
"Oh, okay," Margaret, breathes a sigh of relief.
"What did you think I meant?" Zoey smiles. Her mom didn't have to tell her some things, because she's suspected for some time now that Margaret's had romantic feelings for Leo. She wishes that things could be different for them, because they both deserve some happiness in their lives.
"Nothing," Margaret slightly blushes.
"Well…. if you're wondering if Mom told me everything you two talked about. I'm sure she didn't. But, I can guess, judging by your reaction," Zoey pauses and gives a nervous looking Margaret a knowing smile, "You're in love with Leo."
"Zoey," Margaret feigns a surprised look.
"Margaret, there's no denying it. Mallory and I have known for some time, now," she confesses.
"You and Mallory?"
"Yes, we've discussed it several times and… you should know that Mallory's fine with it."
Margaret realizes that there's no longer any reason to deny it, "Yeah, she told me on the phone last night."
"Great, so have you told Leo, yet?"
"No," she snorts, "not really."
"You should. Cause I think he loves you, too."
"Why do you say that?"
"Just a hunch, but it's really hard not to miss, once you know it's there. Trust me." Zoey smiles.
"I've never picked up on it. I mean I know he likes me or why else would he put up with me all these years," Margaret sighs.
"Well, he guards it well when he's near you, but I've seen the way he looks at you when he thinks no one else is looking."
"I don't know…" Margaret stops, when a Secret Service Agent enters the room.
"Miss Bartlet, you're cleared to enter Mr. McGarry's room," he informs her.
"Okay, thanks. I'll just be a couple more minutes," Zoey tells her agent.
"Okay, Miss Bartlet. Whenever you're ready," the agent replies, then turns quickly and goes back out into the hallway.
Zoey rolls her eyes at her new agent, "I keep telling him to call me Zoey."
"He seems very nice, especially if he let you come into the hospital after your mom told you to wait in the car," Margaret comments.
"He wasn't in the Residence when Mom told me," Zoey softly laughs. "How long do you think I should wait?" Zoey asks, looking at the clock on the wall.
"At least another three to four minutes," Margaret suggests.
"How does he look?" Zoey asks.
"His head looks worse than it is. His face is swollen and bruised, but he's the same Leo," Margaret sighs.
"Mom said he's going to be fine. Is that true?"
"Yes, Zoey. The doctor said he just needs lots of rest and a healthy diet," Margaret reaches over and takes Zoey's hand. "He'll be back to running the White House, soon."
"And I know you'll have him toeing the line, too."
"Yes, I will," she laughs. "There's going to be some new rules for him to follow, and I won't hesitate to go to your father, if he doesn't follow them."
"I just bet you will. Leo's a lucky man to have you. I hope you two find a way to each other," Zoey says, as she stands and prepares herself to go see Leo.
"We'll see," Margaret says, but hopes inside that they do. "I'll wait out here until you're done and please don't rush. I'm sure that Leo's tired of looking at my face," she smiles.
"I somehow doubt that," Zoey says, as she heads for the door.
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"Abbey, before Zoey gets here. I umm… wanted to a… well… while I was out… I thought or maybe even dreamed things. I mean it seemed so real. I heard people talking. Can that happen? Was it real?" Leo asks.
"Who did you think you heard?" Abbey raises an eyebrow.
"The President, CJ, and… Margaret," Leo confides.
Abbey smiles when Leo mentions Margaret's name, "Do you remember what they said?"
"Some of it, I think," Leo says in a raspy voice.
"Well, Jed was here last night talking with you and so was CJ and you know that Margaret's been here the whole time."
Leo nods his head.
"So you remember anything that Margaret said?" She asks, hoping that he remembers Margaret's confession of love that she had overhead.
"Yeah, I think I do." Leo nods his head. 'I must, since I remember CJ telling me about the reporter when I was unconscious,' he thinks to himself.
"And?"
"And what?" Leo smirks.
"Are you going to share?" Abbey asks, giving him a pointed look.
"I don't think so," Leo smiles. He's still not sure if it really happened, but he sure wishes it was true.
"You know… Margaret and I had a long talk last night," she informs him, almost implying that she knows what was said.
"About what?" Leo wants to know.
"You," she smiles.
"Me?"
"Yes, you."
"And?" He almost growls, growing tired of the run around he's getting from Abbey.
"And what, Leo?" Abbey smirks.
"Okay… okay," Leo shakes his head a little, "I can see that this… is going nowhere," Leo frowns.
"So, what do you think we discussed?"
"I have no idea," Leo grumbles.
"Right. Well, lets just say, that I think you and Margaret need to talk about…" Abbey stops, when she hears the door open. She turns to see her youngest daughter standing in the doorway. "Come on in, Zoey."
Zoey walks over to her mother's side, "Hey, Leo," she says shyly.
Leo looks up at the young girl in front of him, and his eyes grow misty, "Hey, kid," he whispers in return.
Zoey takes a step closer to the bed and scrunches up her face "Oh, Uncle Leo… your head. That's gotta hurt."
"Yeah, it does… a little," he briefly smiles when she calls him Uncle. It's been a while since she's called him that.
"More than a little, I bet," she informs him as she glances at her Mom and then back down at her father's best friend.
"Maybe," he softly says.
Zoey stands there for a few seconds, not sure what to do or say next.
"Zoey, I'm…"
Zoey holds up her hand to interrupts him, "Don't say it. I wasn't your fault. Let's just move on, please." Zoey's eyes plead.
Leo looks at the young woman before him. He's so proud of the person she's become. He's not sure if he'll ever be able to forgive himself for what happened to her, but he knows it's time to move on, at least for Zoey's well-being. "Come're, kid," Leo tells her, as he holds out a hand.
Zoey moves toward him, but ignores his hand, as she gives him a careful hug, "Are you sure you're alright?" She whispers.
"Yeah, I'm fine," Leo whispers back with a voice full of emotions.
"Really?"
"Yeah," he says, as he looks at her as she pulls from his arms. "What is it with you, your Mom, and Margaret," he smirks, as he looks around Zoey and gives Abbey a smile.
"We all love you, Leo. That's what's wrong with us," Zoey giggles.
Leo looks at Zoey and then at her mother, trying to read Abbey's face. Maybe he did hear Margaret tell him that she loves him when he was unconscious.
"I can live with that," Leo grins.
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"Did you enjoy your visit?" Margaret asks, as she walks into Leo's room.
"Yeah, it was nice," he smiles.
"Someone seems to be in a better mood," she says, walking over to his bedside. "Bet, it's nice to be in your own pajamas."
"Yeah, it is and thanks again, for getting them."
"Leo," she hesitates to start up their old conversation.
"Margaret, don't worry about it. I'm going to call my sponsor and start going to meetings again, until… I get past this."
"Okay," she's not really sure that he'll ever stop blaming himself, but at least he's finally willing to call his sponsor. She's not sure if that's enough, but for right now she'll leave it alone.
"So, what'd ya do with the bottle?" He asks, knowing that there was no way that she left it there in his hotel room.
"It's in the trunk of my car," she informs him.
"How long did ya search the rest of my room, looking for… other bottles?" He wonders out loud.
"I didn't check my watch," she shakes her head at him, "but I searched until I was sure there weren't any others."
"You've had some experience with that?" He softly smirks. He knows she used to search his office while he was Labor Sectary.
"Yeah, but none lately, and I better not have to do it again," she quickly points out to him.
"I'll keep that in mind," he returns.
"So," Margaret decides to change the subject, "do you feel up to talking with Mallory? I promised her I'd call her from your room today."
"Yeah," Leo raises his bed up a little.
Margaret walks over to the phone, dials the number and waits, "Hello, umm… hi Mrs. Mc… I mean Je… umm… Mrs. O'Brien." Margaret kicks herself mentally from starting to call her Mrs. McGarry. She has never able to call her Jenny in all the years she's known her. It always seems to stick in her throat. That woman has always rubbed her the wrong way.
Margaret looks down at Leo who is grimacing and he mouths, "Sorry," to her.
"Hello, Margaret, I guess you want to speak with Mallory," the older woman says in a spiteful voice.
"Yes, if she's available," Margaret plays nervously plays with the phone cord.
"She's not here right now, and I don't know when she'll be back. I'll tell her you called."
"Than…" Margaret starts to say, but before she can even continue, Mrs. O'Brien hangs up the phone. She pulls the phone away from her ear and stares at it. It takes every being of her fiber not scream 'BITCH' at the phone. She slowly places the phone back in the cradle. "Mal's not there right now, but she'll have her call when she gets back."
"Yeah," Leo sighs. He knows that his ex-wife was rude to Margaret on the phone. He can tell by the way she's acting and the face that she made while talking with her. "Margaret, sorry about that. She…"
"Leo, stop making excuses for her," Margaret blurts out and then quickly blushes at her boldness.
"I wasn't going to make an excuse… I was just going to tell ya that… she's always been jealous of you," Leo grumbles.
"What? Jealous of me. Whatever for?" Margaret demands, thinking of the woman who had it all and threw it away. Yes, Leo is an alcoholic, and she's sure that Jenny put up with a lot while he was drinking and doing pills, but God he was worth it. Besides, it's an illness and he couldn't help himself. She had watched how it had eaten away at him. He so wanted to be a good husband to Jenny and a good father to Mallory. She knows he still carries the guilt from his failed marriage.
Leo smiles at his assistant, she really has no idea just how beautiful she is and what a special person she is, too. "Well, first off, you're very beautiful," Leo shyly whispers.
"Leo," Margaret gives him a surprised look as she slightly blushes. 'That's twice today that he's said that about me,' she thinks to herself.
"And there's the fact that you stayed longer than just a couple of weeks as my assistant, even though I was… somewhat of a hand full at the time," Leo softly smirks. "In addition, you followed me into the private sector and then into the campaign without ever doubting me. No matter what happened, you stayed by my side and supported me. All of which… drove Jenny absolutely crazy."
"Leo, I'm sorry. I never knew," she whispers.
"Margaret, there's nothing to be sorry about. It wasn't your fault," Leo shifts uncomfortably in his bed. He's not so sure if he should have told her about Jenny's jealously, but decides that since he's being honest with her that maybe he should tell her how he feels. "Margaret, I need to tell ya something… I umm…. well ya see…. I think that…"
Leo doesn't get a chance to finish his sentence, because his phone starts ringing. Margaret jumps up to answer it, "Hello, Leo McGarry's off… I mean room," she shakes her head at her mistake.
"Hey, Margaret, little confused there are we," Josh laughs.
"Yeah, it's been a long couple of days," she sighs.
"Year, I bet it has. I hear Leo's doing a lot better and is out of the ICU, now."
"Yes, he's doing much better."
"Margaret, I need to quickly talk to him about something. Do you think he's up to it?" Josh cautiously asks, hoping that Margaret doesn't yell at him for bothering Leo in the Hospital.
"No, that's fine. Here he is," Margaret puts her hand over the phone. "It's Josh, there's something he needs to talk to you about. I'm going to ah… step out for a minute."
"Okay," Leo says, as he takes the phone from her slender hand. "Hey, Josh what do ya need?"
"Well, first off, how are you doing?"
"I'm fine, Josh," Leo sighs into the phone. He's starting to get a little tired of everyone's concern.
"Yeah, well I was out there to see you last night and you didn't look very fine then," Josh informs him.
"I'm a quick healer," Leo smirks. "So, what's up?"
Josh tells him about a situation that is going on at the White House and Leo tells him who to call and what to say. Leo doesn't say anything, but he knows that Josh knew what to do and was just using this as an excuse to call him and check up on him. 'He's so like me,' he thinks to himself when it comes to showing people how you feel about them. Leo hangs up the phone and lays his bed back down and closes his eyes. Truth be told, he's more than a little tired. The whole thing with Margaret and the bottle and then Abbey and Zoey, has worn him out. Within a couple of minutes, he's fast asleep.
Margaret walks back into the room and is surprised, but happy to find Leo asleep. She sits down in the reclining chair that Abbey had them put in Leo's private room and soon falls asleep, too.
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Leo opens his eyes when he hears the thunderous footsteps coming down the hall. He smiles knowing that they're about to get a visit from the President.
"Margaret, we're about to get a visitor," Leo says as he adjusts his bed, so that he's sitting up.
"Huh," a bleary eyed Margaret says as Ron appears in his room and does a quick sweep and then gives the all clear into his wrist mic.
"Ron," Leo says, with a small grin.
"Leo," Ron nods his head.
"So, ya couldn't keep him away huh?" Leo smirks, as he watches Margaret fight with the recliner, trying to get up.
Ron shakes his head, "Didn't even try this time." He informs Leo with a tight-lipped smile as he stands stiffly against the wall.
"Leo," the loud voice booms from the doorway. "So, Margaret. How's the worst patient in the world doing today?" The President asks, moving over to her.
"He's doing much better, Sir." Margaret informs him.
"Are you making sure he's following orders?"
"Well, he can't really get away with too much, here in the hospital, Sir." She smiles, and then looks over at Leo who is rolling his eyes. "I think I'll go grab some dinner, Mr. President and leave you two alone to visit," Margaret says, as she quickly flees the room.
"Mr. President, you'll pardon me if I don't stand," Leo says, holding up his arm with the IV in it.
"Don't you dare even try," Jed orders, as he walks over to Leo's bedside. "You're not supposed to be doing much, from what I hear."
"Have you been talking to Margaret or to Abbey?" Leo asks, in a gruff voice. It really doesn't matter which one, cause both of them would tell the President everything. "They won't even let me get up and go to the bathroom by myself yet," he announces with disgust as he throws his hands up in the air.
"Leo, what do you expect after the stunt you pulled in your office yesterday?" Jed informs his long time best friend. His friend… who has sacrificed so much for him get him elected as President and then sacrificed even more to keep the wheels from coming off.
"Yeah… well… I still say I tripped. I got my feet caught up…" He tries to explain, but is interrupted.
"Leo," Jed growls. "What about your twenty pound weight loss, the fact that you were severely dehydrated and that your blood pressure was very low? And the fact that you were unconscious for several hours."
"Okay, okay," he reluctantly yields. "So maybe I did pass out… but that's still no reason to…"
"It's every reason in the world my old friend," Jed says, as he lays his hand on Leo's arm. "It means it's time for you to slow down before you… kill yourself," Jed's eyes show his deep concern as his voice grows serious.
"I'm fine, Sir," he softly replies. "Really I am."
"Leo, I'd have to say that… judging by your present surroundings," Jed motions around the room with his hand, "that you're not fine." Jed quickly points out.
"Yeah, well… maybe. But look… I'll be fine, Sir. I'll be back to work in a couple of days," he informs Jed.
"Leo," Jed almost shouts. "You will not be coming back to work in a couple of days. From what Abbey says, you'll just be getting out of here in a couple of days that is if you're lucky."
"Great, we haven't been lucky since Super Tuesday," Leo reminds his best friend.
"Leo." The President pronounces every syllable.
"But Sir, I think Abbey and the other doctors are making way too much out of this. I was just tired and…"
"And I think you're not taking this as seriously as you should," Jed tersely says and then takes a deep breath before he continues. "Leo, I can't do this without you, but you need to slow down. And you're gonna, even if I have to force you to. So… as of right now you're on sick leave until further notice."
"What?" He brusquely asks. "Sir, you can't do that."
"I can, and I am. You're going to take time off whether you like it or not. And I mean a vacation. As in… away from DC, somewhere that all there is to do is relax."
"Sir, you can't be serious."
"Leo, you scared the hell out of Margaret and all the rest of us too." He quickly snaps back at his friend.
Leo lowers his eyes, "Yeah, I suspected that by the way she's been hovering over me," he softly admits.
"Abbey was the first one to get here to the hospital after they bought you in and Margaret was… let's just say… she was a mess. She even yelled at Abbey, that's how scared she was," the President informs him.
"What?" Leo furrows his brow. He can't believe that Margaret would do that. She might get deservedly lippy with him sometimes, but never with the First Lady or the President.
"And… don't you dare say a thing to her about it," the President practically yells at his friend. "She was totally distraught and not thinking straight," he pauses and then softly continues. "You know… you really don't deserve her."
"I… know," Leo agrees, as he calms down.
"So my friend, you're going to take a vacation and I'm going to send Margaret along with you to make sure you follow my orders," he announces with a smile, very pleased with himself for coming up with such a great idea.
Leo feels really bad about scaring Margaret the way he did. She's been by his side at the hospital ever since he was admitted and she's looking almost as haggard as he is. She could use a vacation, too. The prospect of them going away together really appeals to him. He'd almost told her that he loves her this afternoon.
"Fine, be that way," he offhandedly says, trying to hide his excitement about taking a vacation with Margaret.
"Glad to see you finally see it my way," he laughs, knowing that there has to be a reason behind Leo's sudden change in demeanor. He thinks back to what was just said and realizes that Leo calmed down immediately after Margaret's name was mentioned.
"So, do ya have any idea where I'm going on vacation?" Leo asks, with a smirk of a grin.
"I think I'll leave that up to Margaret," Jed smiles. "I know how she hates it when you make your own schedule changes."
"Yeah, she does like to keep me in line." Leo quickly agrees.
"Yes she does," Jed agrees and then changes the subject. "Leo, I was serious about what I said earlier, you need to slow down but more importantly… you need to get yourself a life outside the White House."
"Yes he does, Mr. President," says the voice from the door.
Both men turn toward the voice, "Margaret," the President turns and greets her. "That was a quick dinner."
"I forgot my purse," she says, pointing to it on the floor. "Is he giving you trouble, Mr. President?" She smiles knowingly.
"Nothing that I can't handle, Margaret," he laughs.
Margaret walks in the rest of the way and over to Leo's bedside, "I forgot to ask before I left. How's your head? Do you still have a headache? Do you need anything before I go?" She rattles off as she fluffs his pillow.
"Margaret, stop fussing, I'm fine," Leo rolls his eyes.
"Okay, I'll be back in a bit," she walks over and gets her purse.
"Margaret, take your time. Leo and I have a lot of catching up to do," the President smiles as he looks down at Leo and sees him glowing happily from her attention. The President watches Leo's eyes follow Margaret as she makes her way back out the door and to her dinner. "Like I said before… you really don't deserve her."
"Yeah," Leo says as he turns his attention back to the President.
TBC
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