AUTHOR'S NOTES: That last chapter, wow... took a little out of me.
Many thanks to slim and outtabreath. Man, you guys make an incredible cheering section.
I was always intrigued by the fact that Leo never called the President "Jed". They were old friends and yet, there was a line that was never crossed between them. The idea gave rise to this chapter in which our two favorite boys discover it's time to shit or get off the pot.
xxx
C.J. had dubbed the campaign plane Flying Circus One. It was a reference that many of the younger staffers certainly didn't get, but one that made the older staffers giggle and occasionally mimic the Ministry of Silly Walks through the aisle.
They were on their way back from stops in the Midwest, trying to capitalize on their substantial lead on the rest of the Democratic candidates. It had been a long week and everyone was looking forward to getting back to Washington. They were scheduled to appear at a DNC fundraiser in that night, but had a day of "rest" before they hit the road again.
Josh stood behind the curtain that separated the press from the candidate and the staff and listened to Donna field questions. He couldn't hear the reporters, but he could certainly hear the sharp and, he had to admit, witty responses she threw back at them.
That's my girl.
"... Steve, you know I can't comment on Sutherland's internal polls. But I'll tell you this... if I thought he was going to win, I wouldn't have sold my house in Wisconsin for a sickeningly undermarket price and flown halfway across the country to work for minimum wage. Not that I don't love the company... Jennifer?...Dr. Seaborn will be wearing a black, Ralph Lauren column dress, Manolo Blanik shoes and her own jewelry this evening. And no, you can't claim dibs on the dress for your sister's wedding on Saturday because my name is next on the list. And that, my friends, is all I have for you right now..."
Donna pushed her way through the curtain smiling. She loved working with the press and found it exhilirating to be the voice of the campaign. The fact that Sam gave her the opportunity made her love her friend even more. Lost in her thoughts, she ran straight into Josh who was still standing in the aisle.
"Hey!"
"I'm sorry!"
He leaned in toward her and whispered in her ear, "If you wanted to run over me, I'd have no complaints, but I would prefer it be done in a much more private setting."
Donna blushed and looked around to see if anyone was watching them. It was common knowledge around the campaign that the two of them were an "item" and it was generally ignored on the whole, but they had promised one another that they wouldn't make public displays of their relationship.
"Josh..."
He grinned at her wickedly and turned around to walk back up the aisle. On his right, C.J. was on the phone making arrangements for their West Coast stops for the following week. She was gesticulating with her hands wildly and raising her voice in a way that let Josh know that the person on the other end of the line was receiving a tongue lashing to end all others. In the past, he had often been on the receiving end of that anger and firmly tried to avoid it at all costs. Giving C.J. a wide berth, he continued up through the plane.
To his left, Toby was working on the speech that Sam was to give that night at the party. Every so often, he would rub his hand over his head, reach for a sunflower seed and pop it into his mouth. Thwack. The shell would be spit into the cup at his side and the cycle would start over again. Believing that discretion was not the better part of valor, Josh sauntered over to sit down next to the older man.
"Go away."
Josh grinned. Toby was in rare form. This would be fun.
"So, Toby..."
"Go away, Josh." Thwack.
"You working on the speech?"
Chew, chew. Thwack. Toby looked over at Josh with a look that had caused lesser men to run screaming.
Josh grinned. "That good?"
"Go the fuck away, Josh." Thwack.
"You know, we only have three more hours before we land."
Rub the head, pop a sunflower seed.
Thwack.
"Thank you, Captain Obvious. Now leave me alone in my misery."
Chuckling, Josh stood up and moved a few steps away. "You know, we'll need to circulate..."
"Go away!" Thwack.
Laughing, Josh bounced up the aisle toward the forward cabin where Sam and Suzanna normally kept "court". Suzanna was seated just in front of the curtain, looking over press photos with Donna. The two women sat with their heads close together and Josh felt a sudden surge of tenderness sweep over him when he looked at the blonde and the brunette. He knew that Donna made him happy and he was certain the Suzanna made his best friend just as happy in their relationship. In fact, Josh had never seen Sam as happy as the day the two married two years ago.
We are very lucky men.
Walking through the curtain, Josh found Sam sitting alone reading papers from his Senate office. He stopped to look at the younger man, studying the figure he cut in his glasses, crisp white shirt and tie.
He looks Presidential, Josh thought.
The thought rocked Josh to his core. It was the first time he truly saw his friend in such a light and Josh knew that they needed to make the American public see him the same way. Up to this point, the campaign had been something of a lark, the casual atmosphere around the candidate leading to undefined boundaries. Josh knew that if they wanted the public to perceive Sam as someone capable of leading the country, things had to change. Josh had been contemplating raising the issue with Sam for some time now, but had never found the opportune time.
Walking over to the seat across from Sam, Josh sat down and looked at his friend.
"How's the speech coming?" Sam asked without looking up from his papers.
"Toby's working on it," Josh replied, rubbing his hand over his chin and looking out the window. He knew the conversation he wanted to have with Sam would not be received well. Sam prided himself on is accessibility and friendliness. He wanted the staff to feel a part of a team that included the candidate, remembering the early days of the Bartlet campaign that had made all of them uncomfortable.
"Senator..."
Sam's head shot up.
"Don't."
Josh sighed, "Look, Senator..."
"Damn it Josh. I'm Sam. I've been Sam for the last twenty years, I'm still Sam."
The two men eyed one another. The tension between them was beginning to rise and it was an uncomfortable third party in the conversation.
"No. You're not. You're the junior Senator from California and if we want people to respect you, we have to remember that."
"Do you think I've forgotten that?" Sam asked sharply, taking off his glasses and rubbing his eyes.
Josh looked out the window for a moment. It was Sam's vulnerability and openness that made the staff so devoted. It also made him look like a kid and Josh knew they needed to bulk up their image if they wanted to defeat the Republicans in November.
"Yes. I think you have."
Sam felt his temper rise. What the fuck?
"How dare you!"
Josh, equally as quick tempered, felt himself grow angry. "I dare, Senator, because I'm running your campaign and right now, it looks like we're throwing fucking flying fraternity party!"
The two men were now standing and were within a foot of one another. Their voices continued to grow and it would simply be a matter of time before someone in the next cabin caught wind of the fight that was brewing.
"What the fuck does that mean, Josh?"
"It means that you want to be President. We want the American public to see you as President. We can't do that when no one can tell the difference between you and your staffers. It means that it's my fucking job to get you elected and you're not doing me any goddamned favors!"
"I thought I was clear when we went into this..."
"Goddamn it, Sam! Stop thinking like that kid I found at Gage Whitney. Stop thinking like that kid who sat in that office in the West Wing. Damn it, Sam! You aren't trying to stand in front of the desk in the Oval Office. You're trying to stand behind it. Now fucking act like it!"
At that moment, Suzanna and Donna came through the curtain that separated the two men from the rest of the plane. Suzanna caught one look at Josh's face and heavy breathing and knew things had gotten out of hand. Walking over, she took Josh's left wrist in her hand and calculated his pulse.
Josh put one hand up on the overhead compartment to steady himself and looked out the window. His heart was racing and his breath was labored. He knew he shouldn't have let things get to the point of yelling, but he hadn't been able to control himself. Sam stood with his arms limply at his side and watched his wife check his best friend's heart rate.
"Sit down, Josh," Suzanna said firmly, pushing the older man with her hand. "Sam, can you please go get Josh a bottle of water?"
Silently, Sam walked around the corner and disappeared into the galley.
A moment later he was joined by his wife who found her husband standing in front of the coffee pot, arms crossed, head bowed.
Watching him for a moment, she quietly stepped up next to him and said, "You know, it won't jump off the burner and pour itself. No matter how long you stand there and stare at it."
Sam said nothing but stepped back to lean against the bulkhead wall. His arms were crossed across his chest and he slowly scuffed his shoe on the carpet.
Knowing her husband was deeply upset, Suzanna quietly took a cup out of the cupboard and poured herself some coffee. She had gotten the gist of the argument from Josh (and from overhearing the raised voices) and knew that while her husband valued his friendship with his staff, Josh was right. She also knew that it pained Sam to think that his friends would no longer treat him in the manner they always had.
Taking a sip of coffee, she looked down and rubbed her finger across the lipstick mark on the rim of the cup.
"He's right."
Sam groaned and leaned his head against the wall, "Suze..."
"Sam, he's right and you know it." She stood across from her husband and watched the emotions roll across his face. He's like an open book.
Looking up at the ceiling, Sam felt tired. In all his years in law and politics, he had never felt the aching weariness and loneliness that he felt at this moment.
"I don't know if I can do this, Suze."
He lowered his head and looked her in the eye. The hours of talking and debate that had preceded his decision to run had been emotionally trying for both of them. A political daughter, Suzanna had never deluded herself regarding the rigors of the campaign or the changes and sacrifices that would need to be made. Ever the dreamer, Sam had not considered that it would be this hard.
"Do you want to call it off?"
His wife's quiet question sank to the pit of his stomach. In the back of his head, a voice shouted Yes! Yes! Let's call if off, go home, open some beers and laugh about what a good time we had. At the same time, he knew that they had a good chance of winning. A better chance than Bartlet that first time or even the second time. They had a chance to continue the work they had all lived for in the beginning, the dreams and ideals they bled for in those early years.
Sam looked at the cupboard above his wife's head and heard the voice of Jed Bartlet in his head. One day, Sam, you'll be President...
"No."
His wife quietly nodded and took another sip of coffee. "Then you have to let him do his job."
Closing his eyes, Sam sighed heavily. He felt his wife's arms snake around him and he rested his chin on the top of her head.
"How is he?"
Suzanna chuckled softly, "He'll be fine. I told Donna to make him rest for the next couple of hours. Doctor's orders."
The two stood for a few more minutes and then separated. Sam walked around the corner into the cabin and stopped in his tracks. He felt Suzanna walk up behind him and place her hand on the small of his back.
Donna and Josh were in the row of seats directly in front of the curtain separating the two front cabins. Josh was stretched out across the seats with his head in Donna's lap, sleeping. Donna was quietly stroking his hair and looking at him with a look so loving Sam felt as if his heart would break.
Sam walked over and squatted down beside Donna.
"Donna..."
Taking her free hand, Donna reached over and put her fingers across Sam's mouth.
She knew what had happened between the two men and it made her want to cry. In the dark quiet hours of the night, when the two had been together, Josh had confided in her about the need to change the campaign. In those same quiet hours, Josh had also told her that he felt Sam was the best of all of them – the one with the greatest dreams, the highest morals, and the loftiest ideals. Josh believed that Sam was one of the greatest men he had ever met and he would sacrifice his life to put his friend in the White House. She knew now that whatever had happened, the tone of the campaign and their friendship would never be the same.
"It's okay."
Sam gently took her hand in both of his. The shadow that resided in Donna's eyes had been there ever since Toby had told her of Josh's terrible secret. Even when she smiled, Sam saw the fear lurking in the background.
Leaning down, Sam softly kissed Donna's fingertips. To Suzanna, who was watching from the front of the cabin, it wasn't an erotic or flirtatious gesture. It was simply an act of tenderness from a man who valued his friends as family. The simplicity of the action made her cover her mouth with her hand and tears rise to her eyes.
Rising from beside Donna's seat, Sam turned to his wife and reached out his hand. Suzanna quickly walked up and took the outstretched hand and followed her husband through the curtain into the next compartment.
Donna looked down at the man sleeping in her lap and smiled. Tears slowly slid down her face as she realized what a thin line it was that they had to walk.
Josh would put everything on the line to put Sam in the White House and the entire time she would be desperately fighting to keep him alive.
