The entire staff was there. She couldn't see an empty desk anywhere she looked. A federal building in another state had just collapsed not 15 minutes ago and the entire place was in overdrive. She heard a woman yell, causing her to jump, "Sam! I need that statement now! My briefing is in 20 minutes!"

"Relax, CJ! 5 minutes, that's all I ask for, 5 minutes!"

"I'm watching the clock here, Spanky. You better move it!!"

Kate tentatively walked into the pen, taking her time so she wouldn't distract him from his work. Suddenly, she felt herself pushed into a wall.

"Good G-d! What the hell do you want?"

Kate was too startled to answer the bald gentleman that had run into her.

"Well?!"

"I'm sorry, sir. I'm just here to see..."

He exploded at her, which, to her, felt like a nuclear bomb.

"Well, if you're not supposed to be here, leave!! We actually do serious work here and we don't have time for someone like you! Bonnie! Ginger!"

Ginger responded first, "Yeah, Toby?"

"Call security and get whoever this," he waved his hand at her with a look of disgust on his face, "is out of here."

She spoke, raising her voice just slightly, but the tearful tremor was obvious, no matter how hard she tried to hide it.

"I'm really very sorry, s-sir. There's no need to call security. I-I'll find my own way out."

"Find it damned quick, then."

During the exchange, Sam yelled to Ginger what printer CJ's statement was coming out on and started to make his way to the door. He heard the last pieces of the exchange, which made him freeze just inside his doorway. He heard Kate's voice, still so quiet even after she'd raised it and the tremor in it was unmistakable, especially when he heard the very end of the conversation.

"I'm really very sorry..."

"She looked up at me, and I could see the tears streaming down her face and the fear in her eyes. In a very tiny voice, she said, 'I'm really sorry, Uncle Jed. I didn't mean to make you mad. I'll go if you want me to. I'd better go get dressed.' She ran out like a bat out of hell to get to her bedroom."

He felt the slicing pain in his heart and instantly knew what happened. Toby had just yelled at Kate, frightening the hell out of her, and she'd run out of there as fast as she could.

Grabbing his jacket and overcoat, he tore out of his office, nearly slamming into Toby.

"Sam, watch it!! Where the hell are you going?"

He stopped in his tracks and looked at his boss with amazement and anger. "I'm going to go check on someone that you just scared the hell out of." His tone was deadly serious, nearly bordering on anger.

"Why are you so worried about her? It's no big deal. She's probably just a friend of one of the interns. We've got to deal with this, Sam." He met Toby's angry gaze with his own.

"Fuck off, Toby. It is a big deal. I'll be back later, if I come back at all." The ice in his tone left no room for argument. Sam turned and ran down the hall.

The bullpen went quiet at Sam's last words. He never spoke like that, even if he was absolutely livid at someone. Toby saw the suspension of activity and yelled, "Let's go, people!"