Everyone Notices Part 4
See part 1 for details.
Part 4
Leo has no difficulty finding the Baby Superstore in Rockville MD, but he does have a problem finding the particular crib that Margaret wants. He realizes now that he should have written down the information, but he had no idea there were so many different brands, models and colors. He's wandering around, looking very puzzled, when a young sale's lady approaches him.
"Hi, I'm Margaret, can I help you find something?" She smiles, thinking that he's buying something for his grandchild.
Leo smiles at the fact that her name is Margaret. "Yeah, I'm looking for a crib for my… ah... for a friend," Leo almost refers to Margaret as his assistant. He still can't get used to her not being his assistant anymore. He catches himself at work every once in a while still bellowing for her from his new office.
"Do you have any specific style in mind?"
"Well she told me the model number, but I only remember some of the number. I'm pretty sure there was a three and a five in it." He frowns, 'cause he knows he's going to be in trouble if he gets the wrong crib.
"Okay, that's a start," she replies, trying to be supportive, but thinking that it's going to be hopeless. "Do you remember the brand name, maybe the color or possibly the type of wood?"
"No," he shakes his head and the suddenly remembers something. "It's supposed to go on sale this Sunday," Leo discloses with a small smile of satisfaction.
"Oh, I think I know what one you are talking about. I was showing that crib to an expectant mother last weekend. I remember her because we share the same first name. She decided to wait for the sale. I told her I was working on Sunday, so I hope to see her then, since we work on commission."
"Was she a tall red head?" Leo asks, with a small grin.
"Yes she was," she replies in a surprised tone. "How did you know?"
"Well, she won't be coming on Sunday. Margaret had her baby early this morning. I'm here to pick it up a crib for her."
"Oh, that's wonderful. What did she have?"
"A boy."
"What's his name?"
"Thomas Alan," Leo announces with the same kind of pride that a new father would have.
"Will you tell her I said congratulations?"
"Yeah. I sure will. Thanks."
"The crib she wanted was over here," she says, as she walks over to the next aisle. "Here it is."
"This is the one she loved?" He asks, noticing that it more unadorned than most of the others on display next to it.
"Well no, she couldn't afford the one she really wanted. I believe she said she was on a tight budget."
"Could you show me the one she really wanted?"
"Sure, it's over here," she quickly strides over a couple of displays. "This is the one she loved," she points to a beautiful light mahogany crib.
"Yeah, it's very nice," Leo agrees, as he rubs his hand along the rail. He also notices that there's also a matching dresser and rocker. "I'll take it and the dresser and rocker, too."
"Wow, did she win the lottery or something?"
"No, I'm going to surprise her with them."
"That's so nice of you. She's very lucky to have a friend like you."
"Yeah, I guess," Leo slightly sighs, wishing that he were more than a friend. "Do you think it's possible to get them delivered today?"
"I can check," she seems doubtful. "But we rarely make same day deliveries."
"I'll pay'em two hundred dollars cash, if they can deliver it this afternoon and set up the crib for me," Leo gives her his best impish grin, as he reaches for his wallet and pulls a couple of hundreds from it.
"I'll check," she smiles. "Oh, do you want to look at mattress, while I'm checking about the delivery?"
"A mattress?" Leo gives her a puzzled look.
"Yes, cribs don't come with them."
"In that case, yeah. Do you have any suggestions for what else a newborn might require?"
"Oh yes, just a second, I'm going to go talk with our delivery guy. I don't think he's left yet. Let me go see if I can convince him to help you out. I'll be right back to help you," she quickly walks away, thinking this is going to be one of her best day of sales.
"Thanks," Leo calls after her.
An hour or so later, Leo leaves the store with a satisfied grin on his face. He bought a crib, mattress, dresser, rocker, bedding, infant car seat, port-a-crib, a carriage and a ton of other smaller things. The delivery guy was more than happy to work him in this afternoon and is going to deliver all his purchases. Leo looks at his watch and decides to stop by the White House for a quick visit, since he doesn't have to be at Margaret's apartment until three this afternoon. He has an idea that he wants to run by CJ.
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Leo is on his way to the White House when his stomach grumbles. He realizes it's been a while since breakfast that consisted of only coffee and toffee covered biscotti. For a second, he considers grabbing something at the Mess at the White House, but quickly disregards that when he sees a Panera on the next street corner. Panera is the place that Margaret is always going on about. They don't have any in the District yet, so he's never tried them. He pulls into the parking lot, parks his car and heads inside.
Leo has just received his food and is looking for a place to sit down, when his cell phone rings. He puts down his tray and grabs his phone without checking to see who's calling. "McGarry," he huffs, after flipping open his phone.
"Hey Leo."
"Josh, or should I call you… Sugar Ray Leonard," Leo says evenly. He's still not very happy with him.
"Leo, I called your office, and the message said that you were not going to be in today. Are you okay?" Josh ignores Leo snide remark.
"Yeah, I'm fine," Leo shakes his head. He really needs to work harder on his new laid back image. "Josh, I had some things that I needed to take care of today and tomorrow."
"You're taking off two days." Josh says in a surprised voice. He can't help but wonder if his little escapade with Toby has anything to do with it. Leo was really upset with him when they last talked.
"Josh, get over it," he rolls his eyes. "So, did you need anything or did you just call to harass me?"
"No, I was just… umm… I was worried after you didn't show up at the DNC Event last night," Josh explains. "I called your hotel last night, but you never picked up. I also called your office."
"You know… I do have an answering service. Ya could've left a message." Leo starts to mess with his food.
"Yeah, I just… are you sure you're alright? I called and talked with the manager on duty last night at one in the morning, and he said you weren't there and you weren't at the White House either."
"I was at the hospital with…"
Josh interrupts him without letting him finish. "Leo, what happened? Oh shit, it was because of me and Toby wasn't it. Man, Leo, I'm sorry I didn't mean to get you upset and…"
"Josh, will you shuddup and let me finish," Leo growls.
"Okay, sorry," Josh shyly says, sounding like a schoolboy in trouble with the principal.
"I was at the hospital with Margaret. She went into labor last night, right before the event and…"
"Is she okay? Did she have the baby?"
"Josh!"
"Sorry."
"Yes, she had a baby boy last night," Leo smiles, calming down after thinking about Tommy's birth.
"A boy," Josh smiles. He can't believe that Margaret's a mom. He didn't even know she was pregnant until he noticed yesterday. "Did everything go okay?"
"Yeah, Margaret and the baby are fine."
"What did she name him?"
"Thomas Alan," Leo pauses and waits for Josh to say something. He knows that Josh won't be able to keep his mouth shut.
"Thomas?"
"Yeah, Thomas."
"Leo, did I miss something after I left the White House?" Josh teases. "I always thought that dating one's assistant was against the rules."
"Josh… he's not my son," he slowly breathes out. "And… besides…Margaret is no longer my assistant."
"So then, are you considering dating her now?" Josh snickers.
"Josh, what is it with you?"
"Leo, listen. I know you think I'm not very aware when it comes to… certain things and that I don't notice much, but… I've known you for a long time, and I've seen a big change in you and… in how you look at Margaret since your heart attack."
Leo pulls the cell phone away from his face and stares at it. He's not sure what to say. He really thought he'd done a better job of hiding his feelings. He puts it back up to his ear.
"Leo, ya still there?"
"Yeah," he says softly.
"Leo, look I need to go. They just made the last call for my plane. Is it okay if I call ya later tonight?"
"Yeah."
"Leo… I really feel bad about what happened yesterday. I…"
"Josh, you and Toby need to sit down and work this out." Leo knows that Margaret is right.
"I know, but I had to leave and…"
"You could have done it last night," he points out the obvious.
"Yeah, I know but he wasn't at the event either and…"
"Josh."
"I know. It's just that he… well… I don't seem to know how to talk to him anymore. He's still pissed at me because I left."
"I know, but Josh, he's had a rough time lately, and you know he won't talk about it with anybody. I tried yesterday, but…"
"So, I wasn't the only one who got a visit from the principal?" Josh laughs.
"I am not…"
"Leo, I really have to go. The attendant at the flight counter is giving me an evil glare."
"Okay, when are you going to be back in DC?"
"I'm not sure."
"Well, I want you to stop by and see me."
"Okay, if they let me back in the White House."
"I want you to come see me at my hotel."
"Okay, I'll call ya soon."
"Bye… Josh." Leo almost called him son. He really does think of him like that, but he's always had a hard time telling him. That's one of the things he wants to talk to him about that… and he wants to discuss his feelings for Margaret with him, too.
"Bye, Leo."
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"Hey, CJ," Leo smiles, as he causally strolls into her office. It's amazing how much more he enjoys being at the White House, since he's no longer Chief of Staff. He didn't realize how much that job was destroying him until it was almost too late.
"Hey, Leo," CJ quickly returns, as she looks up from the stack of files she's been trying to sort though on her desk for the past hour or so. She can't believe what a mess the office has become already, with Margaret having only been gone for one day.
"What ya doing?" Leo asks, noticing that she seems frustrated.
"Wading though this crap that used to be your responsibility," she flippantly says, as she gives him more than a cursory look this time and finally notices his attire. "Wow, Leo, are those jeans you're wearing?"
"Yeah," he rolls his eyes. He'd forgotten he had them on.
"Leo McGarry in jeans," she comments as she picks up the phone on her desk. "Give me a second, I need to call Annabeth and tell her that I have a major announcement for the next press briefing." She taunts.
"Ya know… you used to be my favorite," Leo softly smirks, as he walks over to one of the chairs in front of her desk and sits down.
"Really," CJ gives him a mischievous grin as she hangs up the phone. "Funny, I always thought that… Margaret was your favorite," CJ teases.
"Shuddup," Leo growls, as he leans back in the chair and folds his arms.
"Have you been by to see Margaret and Thomas yet today?" CJ arches an eyebrow when she says Thomas. She was really surprised when Margaret told her what she had named her son. "The President and First Lady went to visit her early this morning."
"No, I haven't been by to visit them yet, but I've talked with her on the phone and she told me she had some visitors," Leo chooses to ignore her reaction to the baby's name. He knows he's going to get lots of those looks, but he doesn't care. The only thing he's worried about is how it's going to affect Margaret. He's afraid that her naming the baby Thomas is going to fuel the rumor mill at the White House.
"How's she doing?"
"She was fine," Leo stops, looks at his watch, "thirty minutes ago, when she called me for the third time today," he lightly grumbles.
"She's keeping close tabs on you even on your day off?"
"Yeah."
"I guess that's a hard habit for her to break after all these years."
"Yeah. I keep reminding her that she has Thomas now and that she needs to stop worrying about me."
"Yeah," CJ laughs. "Like that's ever going to happen."
"Tell me about it." To be honest, Leo really doesn't mind the attention from her, but he does wish she would stop worrying about him as much as she does.
"Hey, I hear someone… almost passed out in the delivery room last night," CJ mellifluously snickers. She still can't believe that Leo was in the delivery room with Margaret.
"Look, I didn't come here to be tormented by ya," he smirks, as he leans forward in his chair.
"You didn't?"
"No, if I wanted to be harassed," Leo glances towards the Oval Office. "I would have gone to see the President."
"You're lucky, he's tied up right now with Kate." She blurts out and immediately regrets saying it.
"Is something going on?" Leo turns serious.
"Nothing major."
"CJ?"
"Leo, don't worry about it."
"Ya know, I used to say that to you all the time, didn't I?"
"Yeah, but seriously Leo, it's not a big deal. There's no reason for you to cancel your leave and get involved."
"Okay." One thing Leo had learned since his heart attack, sometimes it's better to just let it go. It's someone else's job now to worry about the country twenty-four seven.
"So, Leo, why did you decide to grace me with your presence on one of your rare days off?"
"My, aren't we lippy today," he smirks. "Well… I had some time to kill before the delivery men arrive at Margaret's apartment later this afternoon, so I thought I'd stop in and run something by ya."
"Delivery men? Are you moving in to Margaret's apartment?" CJ can't resist teasing him.
"No, and will you stop," Leo rolls his eyes at her.
"Okay," she relents. "So, the delivery men?"
"Margaret didn't have a crib bought yet and well…I'm having a few other things delivered that Margaret might need… for Tommy." Leo's hazel eyes twinkle, when he says the baby's name.
"So, how does it feel to have a little one named after you?"
"It was very nice of Margaret to do that," Leo smiles.
"So… are you still sticking with the he's not mine story?" CJ can't help but wonder, especially after Leo helped in the delivery room and took a couple of days off.
"CJ, he's not my… son," Leo answers with sad eyes.
"But, something tells me that… you wish he was," CJ stares at him with knowing eyes.
"CJ," Leo warns. "I really don't know where you get these crazy ideas from," Leo says in an even voice, refusing to look her in the eyes.
"Okay, so what was it that brought you here, if not for my quick wit," she tries to lighten the moment.
Leo looks at CJ. "I had an idea while I was at Margaret's apartment earlier today. I was wondering if you and some others ladies here at the White House, could maybe give Margaret a… thing. She doesn't have much bought for the baby and… well she doesn't have any family here."
"A thing?" CJ asks.
"Yeah, ya know… one of those things where you gals gather and bring her presents for the baby."
"Oh, a baby shower."
"Whatever you call it," Leo smirks, trying to sound like he doesn't really care that much about it.
"Carol and I were just talking about that this morning. We couldn't really do it before, since she never announced her pregnancy."
"Right," Leo agrees.
"We were thinking about having it here in the Roosevelt Room. With the crazy hours we all keep here, we thought that way more people could come and the First Lady, too."
"That sounds perfect," Leo stands, grabs his wallet, and pulls out several hundred-dollar bills. "Here, this should cover the party expenses and use the rest to get something nice for Margaret."
"Leo, put that wad of cash, away. The ladies and I will pay for the party and you… should do your own shopping for a present for Margaret," CJ stands, shaking her head at the amount of cash that Leo has in his wallet.
"But I did go shopping for her and Tommy today," he slightly whines.
"What did you get them, besides the crib?"
"Some… things." He refuses to look at her.
"What specific type of things, Leo? I need to know so we don't get duplicates for her, or did you leave us anything to get her for the baby?" She smirks at him.
"Well the crib," Leo puts his hands in his pockets and mumbles, "and a mattress, dresser…"
"Speak up Leo," CJ crosses her arms.
"I said, a crib, mattress, dresser, rocker, bedding, infant car seat, port-a-crib and… oh, a carriage, too." A sheepish Leo stands there, looking down at his feet, waiting for CJ to comment.
CJ decides to leave him alone, "All top of the line, I'm sure. Well then, you don't need to pay for the party, too." She smiles.
"Nah, I guess you're right," he shyly looks over at her. "Well, I need to get going," Leo quickly heads for the door, hoping to get out of there before CJ changes her mind and teases him about buying too much for his namesake.
"Leo," she calls after him, causing him to stop.
"Yeah."
"Give them both a kiss," CJ smiles.
Leo gives CJ his best impish grin, "I already did that, last night," Leo winks, and then quickly exits her office.
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Leo doesn't have to wait very long for the deliverymen to show up at Margaret's apartment. He has them set up the crib in her bedroom against the wall. There is just enough space for the dresser to fit between the crib and the closet door. He has them leave everything else out in the living room.
After they leave, Leo finds the perfect spot for the rocker, just to the left of her couch. He sits down on the couch, opens up the car seat box, and starts to read the installation directions. He pulls out the infant seat and heads for his car. It only takes him about three tries to get the car seat installed properly.
Leo gets in his car and drives to a favorite little shop of his, downtown. On his way over to Margaret's apartment this afternoon, he got an idea for what he wants to buy for Margaret in celebration of Tommy's birth. Within minutes, he pulls his car into a parking garage, hands the attendant his keys and walks towards the store.
"Good afternoon, Mr. McGarry, It's so nice to see you again," the manager, says, after he notices one of his favorite customers coming through the door. He makes his way over to Leo and the two men shake hands.
"Hey Stuart," Leo replies, happy to see him working this afternoon. Leo has been shopping here for years for gifts for his ladies in his life.
"What can I show you today?"
"Well, I'm looking for a necklace."
"Any particular type?"
"Yeah, I want to buy a birthstone necklace for a new mother," Leo offers, hoping that Stuart doesn't ask any questions.
"When was the baby born?"
"Last night or rather early this morning."
"Then you would need something with an Amethyst stone." The manager explains, as he walks over behind a display counter. "We have some nice ones here," he says, as he pulls out some samples and lays them on a display cloth.
Leo immediately sees the perfect one, it's a white gold necklace, with a matching cross pendant and a gorgeous Amethyst stone in the center, surrounded by some smaller diamonds. "I'll take this one," he informs Stuart, as he gently touches it and imagines it around Margaret's neck.
"Perfect choice. This is one of our finest pieces," he informs Leo. "I'll get this wrapped right away for you. Do you want this on your account?"
"Please," Leo nods.
A couple of minutes later, Stuart is back out with a beautiful wrapped jeweler's box.
"Thank you Stuart, I'll see you again soon, I'm sure," Leo smiles, as he takes the package from Stuart and heads for the door
"Anytime, Mr. McGarry," the manager calls after one of his best customers.
TBC in Part 5
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