Chapter Eight

"He wanted to see what would happen?" Bartlet threw his glasses onto the desk and stormed over to Ron. "You're telling me that the man who chaotically poisoned innocent people in over five States did so because he wanted to see what would happen?"

Ron nodded and waited for Bartlet to calm down. After a few moments, he walked over to the sofa, sat down and gestured for Ron to do the same.

"He wanted to see what would happen?" Bartlet repeated quietly with an air of disbelief.

"He was sitting watching news coverage of the poisonings when they arrested him. Apparently he didn't resist and confessed immediately. The officers said it was almost as if being arrested was part of the plan, like he wanted to find out what that was like as well. He kept asking questions about what they were doing and why. He was disappointed that they had discovered him so quickly but apart from that he didn't show any signs of regret."

"This is just…" Bartlet held his hands up. "I don't know what it is but it's definitely not what I was expecting to hear. At least there was a reason, wicked and ludicrous though it was, for what happened at Rosslyn. At least there was a tangible foe. This is just…" Bartlet laughed at his inability to make sense of a senseless act. "I don't know what to say and I'm glad Leo isn't here to hear that!"

"Two agents are on their way there now. We'll know more when they've interviewed him."

"Do we have a name yet?"

"Hannity, Joseph Hannity."

Bartlet sighed and rubbed at his neck in an attempt to soothe his muscles that were still protesting from the night spent in an office chair. "Okay, we'll just have to wait for more information. In the meantime…"

Ron couldn't help but smile at the President's hopeful face. "In the meantime I'll start making the necessary arrangements for you to visit Sam, sir." For the first time since he had entered the room, Ron saw Bartlet smile. "It will be very late at night or in the early hours of the morning."

"Fine, and whatever other power crazed restrictions you want to impose on me you just go straight ahead, Ron. If it means being allowed to…" Bartlet opened Leo's door and checked that his friend wasn't in his office, "…visit Sam, I'll do whatever you want. Although it's worth remembering that you have the easy job."

"I do, sir?" Ron watched as Bartlet walked over to the other door to make sure Leo wasn't in the outer office.

"You do. You just have to make a route through DC and into GW secure. I have to find a way to sneak out of here without my Chief of Staff or wife realising where I've gone." Bartlet rubbed at his neck once more before shaking Ron's hand and returning to his desk.

Sam hadn't woken from his drug induced sleep and Toby had taken the opportunity to take a break from his bedside. He bought a bottle of water and went and sat outside to eat the pie that Ginger had brought him. He watched the family and friends of other patients walk past him towards the hospital and when the pie was finished he opened the water, took a long swig from the bottle and let his head fall back against the wooden bench.

Sam's dad had been a revelation. Toby knew very little about the circumstances surrounding Sam's parents' divorce but he knew that Michael Seaborn had lived a lie and that discovering that had damaged Sam. He had been surprised at how quickly Sam had been reconciled with his father but while waiting for Sam to come to the bar the night he and Josh had planned to get him drunk, Josh had told Toby that he wasn't at all surprised and that if Toby ever met Sam's dad he would understand why. Now Toby had met him and he did understand. In the brief time he had spent with him, Toby had realised that Michael Seaborn was a likeable man. There was something so charming and affable about him that Toby couldn't help but like him and could see why Sam had found it so easy to forgive him. Toby allowed himself a smile at the memory of the look of relief that had flitted across Michael's face when told that Diane Seaborn had not yet arrived.

Toby closed his eyes and savoured the sunlight that warmed his face and the cool breeze that vied with the warmth. He heard his name called and threw the bottle and pie wrapper in the bin before turning around to see Josh approaching. He wondered if he looked as bad as Josh did and decided he must look worse as at least Josh had managed to grab some sleep during the past twenty-four hours.

"Are you heading back in?" Josh asked as he approached Toby.

"I'm going back in. Sam's asleep so I thought I'd get some air." Toby decided not to tell Josh just yet that Sam was asleep because they had pumped sedatives and paralytics into him to stop him from having another fit.

"You ready?"

"Yeah." Toby stood up, ignoring the dull ache in his back. As they walked towards the hospital, Toby told him about Sam's latest setback and the revelation that it had been meeting his father.

Sam couldn't move and that, he decided, was almost as bad as floating. He could hear his father's voice and he tried to focus on that instead of panicking that nobody was holding onto him anymore.

He could see the ceiling and just make out the shape of a screen around his bed making the surroundings darker than they had been before. The light from above his bed was gone too and Sam was glad that its harsh beam had disappeared. A sudden slash of light by the side of the bed told him that more people had arrived and he listened carefully in order to try to make out who they were.

One was Toby. Sam had come to recognise his presence even in the dimness. He recognised the second person's voice and felt the warm hand as it was gently placed on his head.

Sam wanted to talk to Josh and Toby. He had so many questions to ask. He wasn't sure where he was anymore. His dad had told him he was at home and he supposed he was but he couldn't lift his head to see any more than the ceiling and indistinct shapes. He tried to lift his hand but that too was hopeless. He closed his eyes and let exhaustion once more pull him away from his friends.

With the curtain pulled around the bed, there was very little room. Toby watched as Josh shook hands with and was then pulled into a hug by Sam's dad. He checked to make sure Sam wasn't awake and then left the bed and walked into the corridor outside. An agent had been outside the ICU since Sam had been admitted and Toby watched as he talked into his phone, rolled his eyes and then walked over to the nurses' station. Toby didn't have to hear what was being said to know that a visit from the President was imminent. One of the nurses whooped with excitement and another started to inspect her stained uniform with dismay. Toby returned to Sam's bedside and told Josh and Michael of the impending visit.

"So, the President's going to come in here tonight, visit Sam, then disappear as quietly as he arrived?"

Toby nodded.

"Boy, is Diane going to be pissed about missing him." Michael's face lit up at the thought of telling his ex-wife that she had missed meeting the President of the United States.

Josh had stayed by Sam's bedside for an hour. When it became clear that Sam wasn't going to open his eyes anytime soon, Toby went home for a shower and something to eat. Michael told Josh about the game of golf he had been winning when the call had come through from the White House and both men enjoyed the reprieve the story offered from talking about Sam and when he might open his eyes again.

"That was the closest I'll ever come to beating Bill Mathers." Michael shook his head and absently placed a hand on Sam's cheek. "Hear that, Sam? Your old dad nearly beat Bill Mathers."

Sam felt the warmth and nestled into it. He didn't open his eyes but the movement and signs of awareness were enough to make Josh and Michael look up at each other and share a smile. Their smiles grew at the sound of Sam's voice. "Bill...here?"

"No, he's not here."

"Good…Bill's…jack…jackass."

"That he is," Michael answered simply but his face showed the relief he felt at hearing his son's words.

"It's the second floor, he's got it wrong. It's the second floor and the room is to the west of the elevator." The agent placed the phone back into his pocket and nodded at Josh through a gap in the screens before rejoining the nurse who was showing him the windows and other entrance to the ICU.

"He'll be here soon then?" Michael asked and Josh nodded. "Sam, can you hear me?"

Sam opened his eyes. He was finding it a little easier to move and managed to nod his head in reply.

"The President wants to visit you. Is that okay?"

It had never occurred to Josh that it wouldn't be but now that Sam's father had asked the question he realised that a visit from the President might be the last thing Sam wanted.

Sam turned his head away from Michael and towards Josh. "Is it?"

"It's up to you, Sam. You don't have to see him. Is that what you mean?"

A frown formed on Sam's face and he shook his head in frustration. "No, safe…is it safe?"

"Oh! Yes, of course it is." Josh didn't know what Sam was thinking, where he thought he was or what he remembered but Josh remembered waking up after Rosslyn knowing that something terrifying had happened and not knowing who else it had happened to. "Everyone's safe and you're safe too now."

Sam turned his head slowly back to his father. "Okay, but…need…you'll need to…move my car."

"Oh don't worry about that, Sam, it's all taken care of." Michael placed his hand again on Sam's face and watched as his eyes closed once more.

Toby hadn't achieved much since arriving home. He had sat down to take his shoes off and had remained there. The longer he sat, the less he wanted to return to the hospital. He rested his head back and sighed.

The door buzzer startled him and glancing at his watch he realised he had fallen asleep. He looked down at his shoes that lay discarded before him and his stomach turned as he remembered why he had fallen asleep in his chair in the middle of the afternoon. "Hold on!" he called as he quickly got up and tried not to think about who was calling for him and why.

The smell of pizza greeted him as he opened the door and he looked beyond the proffered box to see CJ. "It's got anchovies, the thought of which makes me want to hurl, but I bought it anyway."

"Andy never would."

"Is that why you got divorced?"

"It was a contributory factor." Toby closed the door behind her and followed her to the kitchen. He watched as she got out plates and started to slice the pizza, carefully picking the anchovies off her slice.

"You're going back?" CJ asked although she knew that Toby would be.

He nodded and chewed through a string of cheese before replying. "I fell asleep before you called. I only meant to come home for a shower. Anyway, Josh is there and Sam's dad too."

"You shouldn't feel bad about taking a break. Hey," CJ waited until Toby looked up at her, "Sam will be okay." She smiled but it was tired and uneasy. "Would it make you feel better if I ate an anchovy?"

Toby shook his head but CJ saw the small smile that played on his lips before the bottle was lifted to them.

Michael didn't know what to expect when the President arrived and so when a few men in suits appeared, swiftly followed by a man in jeans and a sweatshirt, he had to look twice before he realised it was indeed the President who had just appeared in the doorway to the ICU.

Michael and Josh stood. Josh introduced Michael and the two men shook hands. "Mr Seaborn, it's a privilege to work with your son."

Michael, normally a man who was unfazed by most situations, found himself touched by Bartlet's warm and sincere words. "I know he feels the same, Mr President."

Michael gestured to his chair then, making excuses about needing some fresh air. Josh followed him and pulled the screen back around the bed behind them.

On the way over, Bartlet had been remembering a night when he had found himself alone in the West Wing and hearing that Sam was still there had gone looking for a late night chess game. When he had reached Sam's office he had found him fast asleep, shoes off and his feet on his desk. Bartlet had called Sam's name and watched with some amusement as the dishevelled man slowly woke, saw the President and jumped from his chair knocking his laptop and papers to the floor in the process. On seeing how mortified Sam was on being found asleep by him, Bartlet had managed not to laugh out loud and had mentioned it since far fewer times than he would normally have enjoyed.

If he was embarrassed at being found sleeping, Bartlet could only imagine how Sam must be feeling now. As soon as he set eyes on him though he realised that Sam was clearly beyond feeling anything but sick, exhausted and bewildered and caring what the President thought of him was the last thing on his mind.

Bartlet reached forward and placed his hand on Sam's head. Sam's gaze was still on the space where his father and Josh had disappeared through the screen and it was only the touch on his head that made him aware that someone else was there. He slowly turned his eyes towards his visitor. He recognised the warm smile that greeted him and tried to think of the name that went with it. His forehead furrowed into a frown. "Jed?" He knew that wasn't right, that there was something else he should call this man.

"That's right, Sam. I wanted to see you. I hope you don't mind."

Sam shook his head. "Good you…came…nice…you…to…" Sam's voice trailed off and Bartlet nodded to show he understood what he was trying to say.

"Sam, the man that did this to you, they caught him. I don't want you to worry about that. He's locked up and he's got five States after him for what he did."

Sam knew that someone had done something to him and so hearing that whoever it was had been caught made him feel slightly safer. He knew there were others as well as he remembered seeing ambulances next to the one he went in. "Others?"

Bartlet wasn't sure what Sam meant and told him that it was only one man that had been caught.

"No, others hurt, were there…how are…others?"

"Oh, they're fine, Sam. Don't you worry about them. Just concentrate on getting well."

"Concentrate," Sam repeated.

Bartlet smiled and nodded. "Abbey sends her love. Leo would have sent a message but he doesn't know I'm here on account of me sneaking out without telling him."

That gained a smile from Sam. "Leo cross?"

"Oh he will be, Sam, but it was worth it. I'll have to go soon because Ron is having some sort of breakdown in the corridor out there." Bartlet leaned closer to Sam and placed his hand on his shoulder. "I doubt I'll be able to come here again but I'll see you when you get back to work. Remember my speech to the environmentalists is coming up? I'll need you for that, Sam. So we'll make it a date shall we?"

Sam nodded slowly and was relieved to find that he was able to lift his hand from the bed. He raised it but could only move it slightly above the covers. He felt it taken, held firmly and placed gently down.

Bartlet stood and looked down at Sam, whose eyes had closed. They half opened when Bartlet removed his hand from Sam's shoulder and placed it on his head. Fingers gently brushed the bangs away and even more gently straightened the strap to the oxygen mask that had become twisted above his ear. "I'll see you soon."

Sam could only manage a slow nod of agreement before his eyes closed once more but he felt his hand taken and held tightly again before the sound of the screens being moved told him his visitor had gone.