Everyone Notices Part (2?)
See part 1 for details.
Part 2
Kate watches a distraught looking Donna hurry from Leo's office, and then she turns to Leo. She's very concerned by the anxious look on his face. She takes a step towards him, "Leo, are you all right?"
"Ah… yeah," he lies, as he quickly looks over at his shelves and then back to Kate. "Did ya need something?" Leo asks, trying to get his mind off the conversation he just had with Donna.
"It wasn't that important," Kate pauses, watching Leo tiredly rub his face. "I heard about… Josh and Toby," she offers.
"Yeah," Leo sighs, as he motions to Kate to have a seat.
"Is Donna worried about Josh?" Kate asks, knowing that something has to have Leo this worried looking. She knows that Josh and Leo are very close.
"No… well… no more than usual," Leo almost smirks.
"I'm sorry. I don't mean to pry. I just assumed…" Kate tires to explain.
"She was here about Margaret," Leo promptly divulges, without really thinking about it.
"Is Margaret okay?" Kate asks in a concerned voice. Even though she's only worked in the White House for a few months, she knows that Margaret is very important to Leo and vice versa. Everyone in the White House knows that.
"Yeah, I guess," Leo indicates with little confidence.
"Leo, I know this is know of my business and I really don't know her that well, but… you do realize that she's…" Kate hesitates.
"Pregnant, yeah… I'm well aware of that," Leo sighs, looking down at his hands.
"Yeah, I figured you did," Kate pauses for a couple of seconds, wondering if she should continue. "Leo?" She almost whispers.
"Yeah," Leo raises his eyes to Kate.
"Since you brought up Margaret, I think you should know that some… rumors are going around about her." Kate can't believe she's about to pass on rumors that she's heard. She normally wouldn't, but these could prove to be trouble, if the press gets a hold of them.
"Okay," Leo cautiously replies, not sure that he wants to know what's being said about his former assistant.
"I hesitate telling you because you've only been back a few short weeks and… well I really don't know much about heart conditions and…" She already feels guilty enough about her role in the events that lead up to Leo's heart attack.
"Commander," Leo shakes his head, as his frustration level starts to build. "You're not going to shock me into my grave. I wish to hell that everyone would stop coddling me. I'm fine," Leo growls.
"Well, the obvious rumor is that Margaret is pregnant, but the other one going around her concerns… you."
"ME?" Leo demands.
Kate nods her head, "Rumor has it that… you're the father of Margaret's baby," Kate cringes, waiting for Leo to explode.
"I am NOT the father of Margaret's baby," Leo roars, as he immediately jumps up. "Why the HELL would people think that she would have anything to do with an old man like me? My God, she could have the pick of any man, so why in the world, would people think that it would be me"
"Leo, please calm down," Kate implores, as she stands and promptly moves to Leo's side.
"I think… I'm perfectly calm for someone who's just been accused of getting his beautiful assistant pregnant," Leo quickly points out as he starts to pace back and forth.
'Beautiful assistant' echoes in Kate's head. It's not just the words he said, but it's the way he said them that makes her think that maybe Leo is harboring some feelings for his long time assistant. She has always felt that Margaret was in love with Leo, but she always assumed that it was one sided.
"Leo, I wasn't accusing you of anything. I was just telling you what was going around the West Wing and… to tell you the truth Leo, I didn't find the rumor to be that far fetched." She softly smiles at him.
"What?" Leo stops in his tracks and looks at her like she's insane.
"Leo, ever since I got here I've noticed… some things," Kate abruptly stops, when she feels the presence of someone standing in the doorway.
"Commander," a young Naval officer interjects. "Sorry to interrupt, but they need you in the Situation Room."
Kate turns towards the officer, "Okay, I'll be right down," and then back to Leo, "Sorry, I need to go."
"Yeah," Leo mumbles, as he is still thinking about what Kate had been trying to tell him.
"Leo, are you available… if I need you downstairs?" Kate diffidently asks. She still relies on his valuable experience and knowledge.
"Yeah, sure," Leo replies as he heads for his desk.
"Thanks," Kate turns and follows the officer out of the office.
Leo slowly drops down in his chair behind his desk, thinking that this day will never end and slowly picks up some files that he had been trying to read all day and blankly stares at them for a few minutes. No matter how hard he tries he can't seem concentrate on them. Frustrated, he puts them down sharply and wearily rubs his face. He has a pounding headache from the draining day that he's had, and he suddenly feels totally exhausted. He knows his body is telling him something, maybe he'd better listen to it. He gets up slowly, walks over, closes his office door, and then sits down on the couch. He lays his head back and struggles to sort things out in his head. He finds himself nodding off to sleep, so he grabs a pillow, lies down on his couch, and he's fast asleep in just a few short minutes.
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Margaret slowly makes her way towards Leo's office. She's had a long, tiring day and isn't in the mood for twenty questions. She's pretty sure that Leo doesn't have any actual work for her, but instead probably just wants to talk to her about her pregnancy. She's surprised that he hasn't done it before now, but she is also glad he hasn't asked about it. She's not sure she'll be able to keep from telling him about the circumstances about how she got pregnant.
She reaches Leo's door and is surprised to find it closed. She softly knocks and waits for an answer. After a couple of seconds, she knocks again and this time cracks open the door a little and peeks inside, "Leo," she calls out in a whispered voice.
Margaret is surprised to find him asleep on his couch, because she was sure that he hadn't been taking naps at the White House for a while now. She slowly opens the door further, allowing just enough room for her to enter and then quietly closes the door behind her. She makes her way over to the chair in front of the couch and sits down. She smiles at how cute and relaxed Leo looks when he's asleep. She breathes a heavy sigh, wishing for things she knows she can never have.
Margaret has been watching Leo sleep for only a few minutes, when he wakes up, "Hey," Leo says, rubbing his eyes.
"Hey," Margaret smiles back.
Leo slowly sits up, "Have ya been waiting long?"
"No, maybe four or five minutes… at the most. I was enjoying the peace and quiet after this long day," she brings her hand up to cover her mouth as she yawns. "Sorry."
"Don't worry about it," Leo yawns in return. "What time is it?" He asks, squinting at his watch. His glasses must be on his desk.
Margaret glances at her watch, "A little after six-thirty." Margaret almost says something about him needing to be at the DNC event in the Green Room at seven, but she quickly decides against it. She hopes that maybe he has forgotten about the event and will just go home for the evening.
"Okay, I still have some time before I have to be at the event," Leo says, as he rubs his face, checking to see if he should shave before the function.
"Yeah, CJ just left to get ready for tonight. That's why I'm here, she sent me home," Margaret explains.
"Then what are ya doing here?" Leo asks, confused by Margaret's logic.
"You asked me to stop by," Margaret slightly frowns that he seems to have forgotten that he wanted to see her.
"Margaret," Leo rolls his eyes. "I know I asked you to stop by, but if CJ sent you home early, you should have gone home," he informs her. "You could probably use the rest."
"I could say the same about you," she lightly throws back at him.
Leo holds up a hand at her, "Okay, lets not go there."
"Okay," she pauses. "I did… kind of want to talk to you about something, anyway."
"Okay."
"Well, I was just wondering what you're doing about the thing between… Josh and Toby?" Margaret asks in a slightly demanding tone.
"Margaret," he sighs as he disapprovingly shakes his head. He thought for sure she was going to tell him that she was pregnant.
"Well, what are you going to do about it?" Margaret gives Leo a glare as she fold her arms over her chest.
"I'm not going to do anything about it. They're both grown men. I'm not going to interfere in their little spat," Leo says a little sharply.
"Leo, you need to do… something before Josh leaves the White House today," she says brusquely.
"Why is it up to me? It's not my job to play principal, anymore, CJ is Chief of Staff, now," he throws back to her.
"Leo, I'm well aware that you're no longer Chief of Staff, but I would think that you would be concerned. It is Josh we're talking about."
"Look…"
"Leo, I know you talked with them, separately," Margaret informs him.
"Yeah," Leo raises an eyebrow. He should have known she would still know his every move.
"But, you need to more. You need to lock them in a room together until they come out…" She practically orders.
"Margaret, I think you have enough to worry about, without concerning yourself with Josh and Toby, right now," Leo huffs.
"What do you mean by that?" Margaret asks defensively.
"Gawd Margaret, everyone's noticed… you're pregnant," rolls out of his mouth before he can stop it.
"And what's that got to do with the price of tea in China," she immediately hollers back at him.
"What?" Leo growls.
"You know what I mean," Margaret says, as she gets up as quickly as she can and storms toward his office door.
"Margaret," Leo calls after her as he gets up.
"You can go to Hell Leo McGarry," Margaret yells back at him as she reaches the door, opens it and slams it loudly on her way out.
"Great," Leo says in disgust, as he falls back down on the couch. "That sure as Hell didn't go as I had planned it."
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Margaret's tears start to fall as soon as she's out of Leo's office. She can't believe she just acted so inappropriately with Leo. She has never done anything like that ever before. She decides that she needs to immediately turn around and go back to apologize to him when suddenly a sharp pain hits her as something wet runs down both her legs. "Oh no," she says, grabbing her stomach and leaning heavily against a desk in the bullpen. "It's too soon," she cries, as the pain eventually subsides.
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Leo sighs as he finally gets up from his couch and looks at his watch. He feels guilty that he didn't go chasing after Margaret, but with the mood she was in, he didn't think it very wise at the time. Leo fights a yawn, as he heads for his desk. Despite a two-hour nap, he's still really tired. He quickly decides that he's going to skip the DNC event tonight and head for home. He's in no mood to deal with anybody tonight, let alone a bunch of candidates.
Leo calls his old office, but gets no answer. He thinks that Margaret probably left the White House. He decides to go to Margaret's apartment and making things right with her. He calls for his driver, grabs his briefcase and heads out of his office. He rounds the corner and is shocked at what he sees, "Margaret," he yells, as he drops his briefcase and rushes to her side.
"Oh Leo, I'm so sorry about before," she cries, holding her belly, standing in a puddle. "I don't know what got into me."
"Margaret, are you… having the baby?" Leo asks, ask he grabs a hold of her arm, and helps her the chair next to the desk.
"Yes, but Leo. It's too soon," she gasps with another pain approaching.
"When are you due?"
"Not for a little over two weeks."
Leo grabs the phone from the desk and starts to call the White House operator.
"Leo, what are you doing?"
"I'm calling for the medics and an ambulance."
"No," she grabs the phone from his hand and hangs it up.
"Margaret," Leo growls.
"Leo, I'm having a baby not a… heart attack. I don't need an ambulance. I just need to get to the hospital."
"Hence… the ambulance," Leo starts to pick up the phone again.
"No, there's no reason to make such a big fuss. The reporters will have a field day," Margaret explains.
"I don't give a damn about the reporters," Leo points out.
"Did you call an ambulance for Jenny when she went into labor?" She prompts.
"No, I drove her to the hospital," Leo admits.
"Thanks for proving my point," Margaret smiles, as she starts to get up from the chair.
"Okay, I called Eddie right before I left my office. So he should be waiting. I'll take you to the hospital," Leo relents, offering her an arm.
"Leo, I need my coat and purse from my office."
"Okay, I'll go get them. You sit back down, and I'll be right back," Leo offers as he helps her back into the chair and quickly takes off for his old office. He's only gone for about a minute.
"Okay, let's try this again," Leo reaches out to give her a hand up.
"Thanks, Leo," she says, as Leo helps her on with her coat and then she slides her arm in Leo's. "Oh, Leo, your briefcase."
"It's fine where it's at, something tells me, I'm not going to need it tonight," he smiles.
"Did you shut down the office and turn off my computer?"
"Margaret, will you stop. I'll call back here later tonight and have everything taking care of. Right now, we're getting you to the hospital."
"Okay, thanks, Leo," she smiles.
"No problem, now can we go?"
"Yeah."
Leo helps Margaret down the hall, towards the southwest exit. She's relieved that they don't run into anyone on the way out. Most staffers were given the night off because of the DNC event. She's even more relieved to see Leo's service car and Eddie waiting for him.
"Margaret are you alright," Eddie asks, noticing that she seems in pain and is moving slow.
"Yes, Eddie, I'm fine. I'm just having a baby, but Leo acts like its huge deal," Margaret smirks.
"It is," Eddie agrees, as he quickly opens the door.
"See, I told ya," Leo smirks, as he helps Margaret inside the back of his car and then goes around to the other side and climbs in.
"Which hospital?" Eddie calls over his shoulder, after he gets in the car.
"George Washington," Margaret requests.
"Do you think we need a police escort?" Eddie asks, in a panic.
"No, just drive, Eddie," Margaret commands.
"You heard the lady, just drive," Leo tells Eddie, after he looks at Leo. "But hurry," Leo adds.
"Yes, Sir," Eddie says, as the tires squeal as he pulls away from the White House.
"Margaret, it's going to be okay," Leo says, as he takes her hand.
"I wish I could believe you," she pants. "The baby is coming too soon."
"When have I ever lied to ya before?" Leo offers.
Margaret gives him a pointed look.
"Margaret, trust me. It's going to be fine," he tries to reassure her as he squeezes her hand. "I don't think that two weeks is that early."
"When did you become a doctor?"
"Margaret."
"I'm sorry. I'm just nervous."
"You'll feel better after your doctor sees ya, I bet."
"Oh no, I forgot," she gasps.
"What?" Leo's voice is full of concern.
"Leo, my doctor is out of town. I can't be having the baby now," she tells him, as she starts to panic.
"Margaret, there are plenty of doctors at the hospital who can deliver your baby, and besides, I'm sure your doctor has someone covering for him, while he's gone." Leo tries to soothe her.
"I know he does, but I've only met the man once before, and it's just not the same." Margaret fights back the tears.
"It will be fine," he offers again. "How long have you been having contractions?"
"I think since late this afternoon…" Margaret thinks back.
"Then why the Hell didn't you say something sooner?" Leo growls.
"Because, I thought they were Braxton Hicks." Margaret informs Leo.
Leo has a puzzled look on his face, "What was?"
"I thought they were false labor pains, I've been having them off and on for weeks," she explains. "But, then the pain was really sharp and my… water broke."
"Well, there's nothing false about that, now is there," Leo smiles.
"No," Margaret says, as her face turns slightly red.
"Margaret, is there someone I should call? Your family, a friend, or maybe the baby's fa…"
"No," she interrupts Leo as she shakes her head and then quickly remembers, "Oh yes, I need to call the doctor's office."
"I don't think anyone is probably there, this late at night."
"I have a number to call during after-hours," she tells him, as she reaches for her purse. "Oh…" Margaret cries, as another labor pain hits her.
"Eddie, how much longer?" Leo shouts to his driver, wishing now that he had ignored Margaret and let Eddie get them an escort.
"Maybe five more minutes. Traffic is really heavy for a Wednesday night," Eddie calls back over his shoulder.
"Just do the best you can," Leo replies. "Margaret, how far apart are your contractions?"
"Six or seven minutes," she finally manages to say, after the contraction subsides.
"What the Hell is it with the traffic tonight?" Leo wonders aloud.
Margaret finally manages to get the paper out of her purse, with the doctor's number on it, from her purse, "Here, will you please call it for me?"
Leo has just finished calling the Doctor's evening hours number and leaving a message with the service, when they pull up to the Emergency Room entrance to George Washington. Eddie jumps out of the car and is already back to the car with a wheelchair, by the time Leo gets Margaret out of the car.
"Leo, you're staying with me, aren't you?" Margaret pleads in a scared voice as she reaches for his hand.
"Yeah, I'm not going anywhere," he reassures her as he pushes her towards the entrance doors.
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After they arrive at the hospital, their roles have reversed. Margaret is now calm, and Leo is frantically pacing around the admitting area.
"Leo, would you please calm down," she smiles, "Remember, I'm the one having the baby."
"I'm perfectly calm," he quickly informs her, as he continues to pace, while Margaret fills out the paperwork.
"Right," Margaret smirks. "You shouldn't have hassled that poor nurse about having to fill out this paperwork. She's only doing her job."
"I know, I know," Leo stops and looks over his shoulder. "Are ya done yet?"
"It's kinda hard to concentrate with your pacing all around me," she lightly scolds. "And the labor pains aren't helping either."
"Sorry," Leo sighs, as he walks over to the chair next to Margaret and sits down. "Are they getting closer together?"
"I don't know, I stopped timing them after we got here," she discloses as she returns to the paperwork. "I'd liked to have seen you try to fill out these damn forms when they brought you into the hospital," she mutters.
"I heard that." Leo looks off to the left and then back to Margaret. "Come to think of it. I never did fill out any paperwork for my stay," he shrugs his shoulders. "I guess Mallory must have done it."
"I did it," Margaret whispers. "It took me forever. I was shaking so badly, and I was having a hard time reading the forms and…" She divulges, without thinking.
"Margaret, I'm sorry you had to go through that. I never even… I don't think I… no I know I can never repay you all you did for me after my heart attack." Leo gently takes her hand and places a soft kiss on it.
"You surviving was all I prayed for. That… was thanks enough," Margaret softly surmises, as she gets a little teary eyed at the memories that surround Leo's heart attack. She quickly looks back down at her paperwork, trying to hide her tears.
"Thank you… Margaret." Leo's voice is husky with emotion.
Margaret bobs her head and continues to fill out her paperwork. A couple of minutes later, she finishes and gives the papers to Leo and he takes them to registration.
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"Leo it's all my own fault," Margaret sighs, as he hovers in the doorway to the waiting area.
"Whatdaya mean?" He asks, as he crosses the room. Sits down in the chair next to her and takes her hand.
"I was supposed to have already filled out the paperwork, but I thought I still had plenty of time," she rests her free hand on her belly. "I guess the baby has a mind of its own."
Leo smiles, covering up his concern. They sit in silence for a few minutes until another labor pain hits, and Leo gets antsy again.
"Why the Hell haven't they admitted you yet. Don't they realize you're in labor," Leo growls, as he jumps up and starts to pace again.
"Leo, you know… babies usually don't just pop out," Margaret tries to smile, riding out the last labor pain.
Leo stops pacing, walks over to Margaret and sits down next to her. "Yeah, I think I might have heard that somewhere, before," he smiles, after having his own words thrown at him. He reaches over and takes her hand. He had told her the very same thing as they were leaving the White House.
"Margaret McGuire," a young nurse calls, as she enters the admitting waiting area.
"Yes," Margaret replies without hesitation.
"They've got a birthing room ready for you," the nurse smiles.
"Thanks," Margaret says in a relieved voice.
"Will your husband be joining you during the delivery?" She asks, motioning towards Leo.
"We're not married," a blushing Leo and Margaret say in unison, as they quickly drop hands.
"Sorry, well the father is still welcome to join you," the nurse smiles.
"He's… not the father," Margaret says in a slightly regretful voice, as she glances at Leo, who is intently staring at his shoes, now.
"Oh… do you have a labor coach?" The nurse tries again, trying to figure out how the man who brought Margaret into the hospital fits into the picture. She also can't stop thinking that she knows him from somewhere.
"She's… busy right now," Margaret looks at Leo and then back to the nurse. "Can I have whoever I want with me?
"Of course, you can," the nurse smiles.
"Leo," Margaret says in a voice, slightly above a whisper. "Will you… stay with me?" She holds out her hand.
"Yeah," Leo raises his eyes to meet hers. His ears are tinged with red. "Are you sure?" He asks, as he takes her hand.
"Yeah, I'm sure," Margaret half smiles.
The nurse watches the touching exchange between the two of them and can't help but think that there's more going on between them than they are willing to admit.
"You ready?" The nurse asks, breaking the silence.
"Yeah," Margaret turns her attention back towards the nurse.
"Sir, would you like to wait here until we get her ready?"
"Yes, I would and please, call me Leo."
"I'll be right back down to get you after she's settled in." She informs him, as she moves behind the wheelchair.
"Thanks," Leo tells the nurse and then looks down at Margaret, in the wheelchair. "See ya in a bit," Leo reluctantly lets go of her hand.
"Okay," Margaret utters in a scared voice.
"Margaret, it's going to be just fine," Leo calls after her, trying to reassure her.
Margaret bobs her head as a single tear slides down her face.
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"Your friend seems a little nervous," the nurse, comments, as she pushes Margaret down the hall and toward the elevators.
"Well… I'm not sure you can classify Leo as a friend. I used to work for him. I was his assistant for almost fifteen years. That is, until he had his… heart attack last year."
"That's why I thought I'd seen him before. He's Leo McGarry the ex Chief of Staff," the nurse grins, having finally solved that mystery.
"Yeah, that's him," Margaret replies.
"He seems very nice."
"He can be very sweet, but don't tell him or the Republicans on the Hill, that I said that," Margaret slightly laughs.
"He looks very good, too. I hope he's up for this." The nurse pushes the button for the elevator.
"Oh, I never thought about that," Margaret slightly panics. "Maybe it's not a good idea for him to coach me."
"I'm sure he'll be fine. You're the one who going to be doing all the hard work. I was just wondering if he's ever seen a baby born and if he can handle it. You know, some men pass out." She explains her concern.
"He has a grown daughter, but I don't think he was in the delivery room with his ex-wife, when Mallory was born."
"Well then, this is going to be a great and new experience for him, too."
"Yeah, I guess," Margaret sighs.
"And honey, judging by the way he looks at you and the way he's been acting since you got here, I'd have to say that you mean a great deal more to him than you think," the nurse, informs her as she pushes her into the elevator.
"You think?" Margaret turns to look at the nurse's face.
"Oh yeah," the nurse smiles, as the doors to the elevators close.
TBC in Part 3
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