Everyone Notices Part 6
See part 1 for details.
Part 6
Leo shows up at the hospital early Friday morning and surprises Margaret with her favorite pastry and coffee from Starbucks. He had thought about driving out to Panera, but he knew that Margaret would scold him about it. So, he walked from his hotel to the hospital, and stopped at the Starbucks behind the hospital. He only visits with Margaret and Tommy for a few minutes, but promises to come back later in the afternoon for a proper visit.
When Leo leaves, he takes his daily walk down and around the National Mall and eventually stops to rest on a bench by the Tidal Basin, overlooking the Jefferson Memorial. He watches the tourists taking advantage of the mild February weather that they have been having in DC this week.
Leo stares at the water and can't believe that it was only a year ago he sat on this very same bench, freezing his ass off, as he listened to his old friend Kenny, confess his wrong doings. Leo had been close to throwing away his whole career in defense of his friend. He had told the President he wouldn't desert his friend. Leo never even suspected that Kenny would discard his morals just for the sake of money.
Leo knows that he easily could have fallen into a bottle again, if it hadn't been for Margaret. He smiles at the memory of how she hovered for days afterward, driving him crazy by constantly checking on him, bringing him food, forcing him to eat it and making him go home at a decent hour. She has always been there for him, and now he's going to be there for her.
Leo gets up from the bench and starts back towards his hotel. He stops at a small deli a couple of blocks from his hotel and grabs something to take back to his room to eat. Leo watches CNN while eating his lunch on his couch. He starts to get upset with the anchor, so he turns the TV off. He'd rather be with Margaret and Tommy, but he knows if he's there, Margaret won't rest.
Leo picks up a book off his coffee table and starts to read it. He's only been reading it for a short time when his eyelids grow heavy and he starts to nod off. After his head jerks forward for the third time, he puts down the book, stretches out on the couch and is soon fast asleep.
Leo wakes from his nap and is surprised to discover that he's been asleep for almost three hours. He gets up, showers and decides once again not to shave. Since his heart attack, he normally doesn't shave if he's not going into the White House. He did at first, but after a valuable lesson about life from his homecare nurse, he started to change the way he lives.
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"Hey, Margaret," Leo says, as he strolls into her hospital room around five o'clock.
"Leo," she looks up from the food tray sitting in front of her. "You're just in time for dinner."
"Great, hospital food. Like I didn't get enough of that, last year," he sarcastically laughs, as he walks over to the basinet and checks on a sleeping Tommy.
"Actually, the food here isn't bad. I had a really nice breakfast this morning," she smiles.
"Ya did," Leo grins as he walks over to sit down on the bed, since Margaret is sitting in the chair, eating dinner.
"So, what did you do on your day off today?" She asks, just before taking another bite of food.
"After I left here, I walked down to the mall area."
"Is it really as nice as they say it is outside?" She wipes her mouth with a napkin.
"Yeah, there were a lot of people out walking around the monuments today."
"So, how was the Jefferson?" She smiles, giving him a knowing look. She knows he loves to sit by the Tidal Basin and look towards the Jefferson Monument.
"It was… fine," he shakes his head, at how well she knows him. It's no wonder he never gets anything by her. She's been with him before on his walks and seems to enjoy sitting by the Tidal Basin, just as much as he does.
"What else did you do?"
"I tried to read a book, but I had no luck keeping my eyes open. So I finally had to give up and lay down."
"You napped?" She asks, in a surprised voice.
"Yeah, almost three hours. That's why I'm later than I thought I would be here."
"Leo, don't worry about, 'cause you're probably still years behind on your sleep," she gives him a small frown.
"I'm sure the same could be said about you… and besides, I've done a lot of catching up this past year."
"Yes, but only because you were forced to and… I'd bet you're still way overdrawn at the sleep bank, I can just imagine how much." She smiles.
"Sleep bank, Margaret?" He gives her a little smirk.
"Yes, sleep bank," she takes a drink of milk. "Oh, you just missed the doctor." She quickly shifts gears. "He said I get to go home tomorrow."
"Great."
"Yeah, I'll be glad to sleep in my own bed," she says, as she rubs her back. "These beds here are killers on the back."
"Yeah, I know. I can't stand lying flat on my back like that, it just kills me." Leo informs her as he makes a face at the memory of the pain.
"Leo, does your back still brother you?"
"Nah, not really," he arches his back a little.
"Are you telling me the truth?" She moves her tray and stands up.
"Yes, Margaret."
"Why don't I believe you?"
"Hey," Leo smiles as he stands to give her back her bed.
"Go ahead and sit there, I'm heading to the…" she points towards the bathroom.
"Would you prefer the chair or the bed?" He asks.
"I would prefer my couch at my apartment, but since that's not going to happen tonight, I'll settle for the bed."
"K," Leo says, as he walks over to the basinet. "Someone is thinking about waking up, I think." He comments, after seeing Tommy's eyes fluttering.
"He probably heard his Uncle Leo and wants to see him," Margaret smiles.
"Yeah," Leo smiles as he reaches out to touch Tommy's cheek.
"Leo, go ahead and pick him up, I know you want to," she tosses back, just before shutting the bathroom door.
"Hey there, Tommy. Are ya waking up?" Leo checks his diaper and discovers he needs to be changed. He grabs a diaper and some wipes and then proceeds to change him. When he's done, he scoops him up and heads for the chair. Leo sits down, brings Tommy up to him and gives him a kiss on top of his auburn hair. He stares at the little one in his arms and smiles at the overwhelming love he already feels for him. "Have you been a good boy for your Mama, today?"
"Of course he was," Margaret informs Leo, as she steps out of the bathroom and heads to her bed.
"He was wet, so I changed him."
"Thanks," Margaret sits down on the bed and sighs.
"What's wrong?"
"Leo, he still isn't nursing that much and…"
"Margaret," Leo warns.
"I know… but"
"If the nurses aren't concerned about it, then you shouldn't be either. They know what they're doing. Besides, if he wasn't getting enough he wouldn't be needing diaper changes, and he seems to be doing well in that regard."
"Well, that's probably because he's getting water. They don't want him to become dehydrated."
"Margaret, you're a first time mother. I think you need to listen to the nurses."
"Okay, I'll try to stop worrying about it, but…"
"Hey, you're not going to believe what that jackass… I mean that anchor on CNN said this afternoon."
"Leo, what have I told you about your language and if I've told you once, I've told you a hundred times that they can't hear you when you yell at the TV." She shakes her head at him.
"I didn't yell… I… well, maybe I did a little, but he deserved it that…" Leo stops from saying what he really wants to call the anchor.
"Leo," Margaret laughs.
"What?" He replies in his best innocent voice, as he looks down at the baby in his arms. "Your Mama is picking on me," he softly laughs.
"Your Uncle Leo deserves it, too." Margaret is so happy that Leo is here with her and she can't believe how quickly things have changed between them. She never in her wildest dreams thought that she would be spending her time in the hospital with Leo by her side. They spend the next few hours, taking turns holding Tommy, talking, and just enjoying each other's company. Leo doesn't leave until well past the regular visiting hours.
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Leo wakes up Saturday morning, and quickly realizes it's still early so he tries to go back to sleep. He has no success, because all he can think about is Margaret and Tommy. Leo sighs, rolls over on his side to check the time and discovers it's only six-thirty. His alarm isn't set to go off until seven-thirty, but he knows there's no use staying in bed. He gets up and heads for the bathroom. After he showers, he dresses in jeans and a long sleeve polo and then goes downstairs to the restaurant to have breakfast.
After Leo gets back from eating breakfast, he sits down and works the New York Times crossword puzzle. He is just getting ready to leave his hotel room and spend the morning at Margaret's apartment, getting it ready for her homecoming, when there's a knock on his door. He walks over, looks out through the peephole and finds his daughter standing in the hallway.
"Hey Baby," he says, opening the door.
"Hey, Daddy," hugging her father after she enters the room. "Are you wearing jeans?"
"What are you doing up so early on a Saturday?" Leo decides to ignore her jeans comment.
"I was going to drive up to spend the day with Mom, but now… I'm thinking that maybe I might stay in town," she comments, as she follows her father over to the living area, hiding something behind her back.
"Okay, so what changed your mind?" Leo asks, as he takes a seat on the couch. Leo wonders if Mallory and her mother are getting along any better. Mallory was not happy when her mother married Howard. Just like the President and Abbey, Mallory thought her mother could have done a lot better in her choice.
"Daddy, why do I have to find out that Margaret had her baby, by reading it in the paper?" She asks, holding up a copy of it in front of her.
"Mallory, I'm sorry. I never even thought… it's just that…"
"I know," Mallory frowns. "You were too busy at work and…" she shakes her head. She thought that his heart attack had changed him.
"No, not really," he smiles. "I wasn't at work."
"Daddy, I didn't think you were traveling much these days."
"I wasn't away."
"Were you at the doctors? Are you feeling okay?"
"Why is it that everyone automatically jumps to conclusions… the second I take a couple days off from the White House," Leo starts to lightly rant. "Margaret was all over me about the same thing."
"You took a day off?" Mallory's face is full of surprise.
"Yes, I took Thursday and Friday off. I had some things to do."
"What kind of things?" She lightly glares at him.
"I did some things for Margaret. She obviously wasn't planning on the baby coming almost three weeks early."
"Is the baby okay?"
"Yeah, he's fine," Leo grins.
"What did she name him? The paper doesn't say," Mallory throws the paper down on the coffee table.
"Thomas… Thomas Alan," Leo smiles with pride.
"Oh Daddy, you must be thrilled," she smiles, and then quickly adds. "Is there any particular reason that Margaret called him Thomas? Is there anything that you would like to share with me?" She laughs, as she mentally calculates and quickly determines that Margaret probably got pregnant within a week or two of her father's heart attack, so there's no way that he could be the father. Not that it would matter to her. She would love it if her dad would find someone to share his life with, and she thinks Margaret would be the perfect one.
"He's not mine," Leo eyes grow dark with envy.
"Yeah, but you wish he were." She surmises, after noticing the look in her father's eyes.
"Whatever gave you an idea like that?" He tries to feign anger.
Mallory moves over closer to her father, and lays her hand on his. "I know that you care a great deal about Margaret, and I think you may even be… in love with her. I've noticed a change in you, since your heart attack."
"Gawd, am I that transparent?" He says, deciding there's no reason to lie to his daughter. He's done that enough in the past.
"Just to those who really know and love you," she smiles. "Are you going to do anything about it?"
"Mallory, she just had someone else's child and…"
"I know and that doesn't seem to matter to you. I saw how your eyes light up when you say his name."
"But, she has so much going on right now, I really don't think it would be fair to her to confess my feelings right now. She's still very… shall we say hormonal."
"How long do you plan to wait?"
"I don't know. Right now, I just plan to be there for her and help her again way I can."
"So, where were you off to?"
"I was going over to Margaret's apartment to get it ready for her and Tommy."
"Would you like some help?"
"Yeah, I'd love it," Leo bends over and kisses her on the cheek.
"Well, lets get going. When do they get to come home from the hospital?" Mallory asks, as she stands and heads for the door.
"This afternoon," Leo opens the door and guides his daughter down the hallway. "Oh, by the way. I'm going to be staying overnight with her the first couple of nights. The doctor was going to keep her an extra day to rest, if she didn't have anyone there for her."
"Oh, Daddy. I would love to see you change a diaper," she laughs. It's hard to picture her father doing anything like that.
"Well Missy," Leo laughs. "You've already missed your chance, cause I've already changed him a few times."
"Margaret let you change his diaper?"
"Yes, the first time I was trying to prove to her that I do have some abilities, when it comes to babies."
"Oh, I bet she just loved that. Did she have to walk you through it?" She asks, pressing the button for the elevator.
"No, I did it all on my own and then I feed him a bottle of water while Margaret showered." He proudly announces.
"Did you offer to help her dry?" Mallory smirks.
"Mallory," Leo growls, as he puts a hand to her back and guides her into the elevator.
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"McGarry," Leo answers his cell phone.
"Hey, Leo."
"Hey, Margaret," Leo smiles and then gives Mallory, who's making kissing sounds, an obtrusive look.
"What are you doing?" Margaret inquires, noticing that Leo seems a little out of breath.
"Helping Mallory," he informs her.
"What's she got you doing, moving furniture?"
"Yeah, something like that," he doesn't want to ruin the surprise. Mallory and he have been busy the last couple of hours getting Margaret's apartment ready. They had just finished and were discussing lunch plans and a shopping trip, so Mallory could get something for Tommy.
"Well, I called to let you know that Tommy and I are being released at three this afternoon."
"Okay, great," Leo says, as he looks at his watch and discovers that he has a couple of hours before he has to be there. "How's Tommy?"
"He's fine…"
"But… what, Margaret?" Leo knows her too well. He can tell by the sound of her voice that she's worried about something.
"He's still not nursing very good," she sighs. She feels like such a failure as a mother, already.
"Margaret, don't worry about it," he rubs his forehead. He's not about to tell her that he concerned, too. "The nurses said it would come with time."
"I know… but."
"I know, it's hard not to worry about your children, no matter how old they get," Leo puts his arm around Mallory and gives her a squeeze.
"Daddy, I want to talk with her, when you're done," Mallory whispers, as she leans he head on her father's shoulder.
"So, it's something that you never out grow," Margaret concludes, as she stares down at her young son, who's asleep in the basinet.
"Yeah, speaking of children, Mallory would like to talk with ya."
"Okay, I'll see you at three?"
"Yeah, I'll be there, bye." He hands the phone to Mallory.
"Hey, Maggie, congratulations!" Mallory is one of the few people outside of her family that can get by with calling her that.
"Thanks, Mal." Margaret has always loved Mallory and she feels bad that she forgot to call her to let her know she had the baby.
"How are you doing?"
"I'm still a little sore and very tired," She hasn't been this tired since the first campaign.
"I'm sorry I haven't been by the hospital to visit, but I didn't know you had the baby until I read it in the paper this morning," she gives her dad a teasing look. "Daddy somehow forgot to tell me, go figure."
"Mal, don't pick on your father too much. He's been a big help. I don't think I could have gone through the delivery without him there," she confides as she wonders if Leo's hand is still sore from where she squeezed it so hard.
"Daddy was in the delivery room with you." Mallory says in a surprised voice, as she quickly glances at her father, who just shrugs his shoulders.
"He even cut the cord," Margaret smiles, knowing that Mallory will give her father hell for not telling her all the details.
"I'm surprised he didn't pass out," she smirks at her father.
"He did get a little pale a couple of times. I thought for sure he was gonna hit the floor when he watched Tommy being born."
"He watched!" Mallory gasps.
"Mallory," Leo rolls his eyes at his daughter.
"Yeah," she laughs. "Umm… Mal, does Leo look like he's going to kill me?" Margaret asks.
"I'd say that's a yes," Mallory snickers. "Hey, I'm sorry, but I can't make it by to visit, today. I'm supposed to go see my Mom, but if it's okay with you, I'd like to drop by your apartment tomorrow and meet the new man in your life?"
"Sure, we'd both love to have you."
"Okay, I'll see you tomorrow. Do you need to talk to Mr. Closed Mouth again?" Mallory smirks, as she looks at her father.
"No, I think I told him everything I needed to."
"Okay, see ya tomorrow, bye."
"Bye, Mal," Margaret smiles at Mallory's use of one of her father's favorite words. She is so much her father's daughter.
Mallory looks at her father. "It seems… that you left out some important details about your involvement in Tommy's birth."
"Yeah, I guess," Leo puts his hands in his pockets, slightly frowns and looks down at his shoes.
"Daddy, why didn't you tell me?"
Leo raises his eyes to hers and sighs, "Cause I wasn't in the room when you were born and…"
"Daddy," Mal goes over to her father and wraps her arms around him. "That doesn't matter to me."
"Mal, I'm sorry, I know that I've not always… been there for you… so many times in the past."
"Daddy, it doesn't matter anymore. I love you and I'm so proud of you."
"Mal, please don't make light of it… I nearly ruined your childhood and…"
"And the past is the past, and we can't change it. Besides, you're too hard on yourself and everything that happened back then is not all your fault."
"Mal, it is," Leo lowers his eyes.
"Daddy please… don't say that."
"But…"
"Daddy, I want you to be able to enjoy Tommy and not worry about the past. I know you care a great deal about Margaret, and I want you to have this… second chance," Mallory wipes a tear from her eye.
"Mal, I love Margaret so much and… I hope someday I can convince her to marry me and let me adopt Tommy." Leo's eyes are misty as he pulls his daughter in for a tight hug.
"Daddy, I think all you would have to do is ask, 'cause I know that Margaret has loved you for years."
"How do you know that? Did she tell you?" Leo pulls back, and tilts his head a little.
"No, she's never said anything, but trust me Daddy, I know."
"Women's intuition?" Leo smirks.
"Whatever, Daddy," she playfully swats his arm. "Scoff all you want, but I get to be the first one who gets to tell ya, I told ya so," she teases.
"Okay, I'll reserve that right just for you," he smiles. "Mal, I love you. I know I don't say it enough or see you enough, but…"
"Daddy, I love you too," she kisses his cheek. "So, where are you taking me to eat? I'm starving."
"Anywhere ya want, Baby."
TBC in Part 7
Special thanks to readers (love2readfanfic, kursk, purplestamp and caia) who provided such wonderful feedback on chapter 5. Thank you for your kind words and suggestions. There are still lots more Leo, Margaret and Tommy to come!