A/N: The following chapter departs from who was shot and seriously injured during "In the Shadow of Two Gunmen, Part I." We were going to take it in one direction and the writing process took it in another. It deals with the aftermath of the shooting in a little more depth than the show and how the characters are affected by a shocking development.

It was 9:30 at night as the limos peeled onto the highways of Washington, DC.

"Where are my daughters?" were the first words out of Abbey's mouth as the sirens of the police cars in the motorcade screamed.

"Gina got Zoey and Charlie in a car. Donna's with Felicity in an SUV right behind them." Ron explained.

"Let me talk to Zoey," Abbey said.

"I can't," Ron replied.

"Why ever not?"

"She's vomiting in the car, ma'am."

"What about Felicity? Was she hurt?"

"I…don't know, ma'am," Ron admitted. He was stunned and gobsmacked by the whole evening.

"Well, find out!" Jed barked. "We need to talk to Donna now!"

Adrenaline pumping through Jed's veins made it nearly impossible to feel that he had been injured. But he felt a burning sensation.

"Abbey, are you hurt?" He asked, also worried.

"I'm fine, Jed. I need to know how my babies are," Abbey said with worry in her voice. She looked over at her husband and saw that he was pale. "Jed, are you all right?"

Before he could answer her, Abbey started checking him over. That's when she saw the blood on his suit jacket. She pulled it back and saw the blood blooming over his shoulder.

"We need to get to a hospital. GO!" She commanded in a voice that hardly any people had ever heard her use outside of work.

"GW! BLUE! BLUE!" Ron yelled to the driver, who did an immediate 180-degree turn.

At the same time, Donna held a crying Felicity on her lap in the SUV driving behind the limousine carrying Charlie and Zoey. It lacked a car seat for Felicity. But they were just a few blocks from the White House, having driven here in half the time it would have normally taken to travel back from Rosslyn. Suddenly, both limousines in front of them did immediate 180 degree turns, one following the other to go back in the other direction. The SUV kept driving. Felicity was to be secured in the White House per security protocols.

"It's OK, Felicity, it's all right." Donna soothed.

"Mama." Felicity cried weakly.

"I know you want your mama. We'll see her in no time at all." Donna tried to sound reassuring, but inside, she was terrified for her friends-CJ, Sam, Toby, Josh…

She closed her eyes. She didn't know what she would do if something had happened to Josh. Especially now.

But suddenly, she was distracted. Something wasn't right. Felicity's breaths were hitching between cries, more and shallow. She looked closer, and in the flashes of light coming through the window, she could see that the baby's lips were blue.

"Dada?" Felicity asked, her voice barely above a whisper now.

Then she wheezed and her chest contracted. Felicity spit-up. It was bloody and dribbled down her chin and neck, onto the sky-blue dress.

"Oh," Evelyn Shaw, her detail leader, breathed, seeing the blood from her position beside Donna on the seat. "CHILDREN'S NATIONAL — NOW! GO!" She said to the driver before speaking into her earpiece. "Lightning Bug's detail reporting in. Need route clearance to Children's National immediately. Critical injury."

The SUV sped forward, flying past the turn it would have taken to the White House.

"Children's National," said another agent in the front passenger seat urgently into the radio. "We have a Code White. Critical injury incoming. ETA 8 minutes. Have a trauma team on standby."

"Oh, God," Donna whispered. "Felicity."

"Do-Do-"

"Shh…" Donna murmured. "Don't try to talk. It's all right. You're gonna be fine." Her voice was thick with tears. She began to hum softly to the tune of the only song she could think of at the moment, "Somewhere Out There" from the movie, "An American Tail, as the SUV screeched and honked its way to Children's National.

The SUV sped through Washington, DC with lights flashing and made it to Children's National Medical Center in six minutes thanks to a cleared route. It turned into the emergency room entrance and stopped. As requested, a team of doctors in trauma gowns waited just outside the door. They swarmed the vehicle and helped Donna and Felicity out. The baby was put on a gurney, and they wheeled her inside. Once in the light, a bullet hole was visible through the sleeve of the sky-blue dress. Blood oozed from it and another wound just under Felicity's arm.

"You must be Donna Moss," said a pediatric ER nurse as Felicity was wheeled ahead of them into a trauma room. "Are you authorized to give consent for treatment?"

"Yes," Donna said shakily, remembering the forms she had to sign shortly after Felicity was born as a precautionary measure. "I don't know where her parents are."

"That's all right, Donna, I'll get an update," Evelyn said before directing her team to secure the treatment room.

Donna heard the sounds of doctors and nurses voices asking for things and talking to Felicity. She expected to hear Felicity whimper or protest because she hated being poked and prodded, But for the first time since she was born, Donna couldn't hear Felicity at all.

"Gunshot wound, no exit!" A doctor called. "Pulse is weak and thready, BP's 30 palp."

The doctor put a mask on Felicity's tiny face. Her eyes were wide with fear and pain. She tried to move her hand to push it off. But she couldn't move it. "Set up for a pediatric chest tube and call for a pedes vent. We need to get her to the OR!"

They rushed her past Donna, who leaned against the wall, suddenly nauseous as she saw the blood covering Felicity's exposed arm. She didn't think that so much blood could come out of such a tiny body.

"Ms. Moss?" She turned to see Evelyn standing in the doorway. "We need to tell the First Lady."

Donna nodded blankly. "Is there any word on the President?"

The woman hesitated. "I'm afraid I have some troubling news."

At GW, Jed was also being prepared to be wheeled into surgery to extract a bullet from his shoulder. The doors of the emergency room opened from the outside and Josh was wheeled in. "Male, 30s, gunshot wound to the abdomen," A paramedic called.

"Josh?" A stunned Sam called, rushing over to his friend from where they waited just outside the trauma room the President was in.

"I'm OK," Josh said, grimacing.

"What happened?"

"I got stuck by the gate looking for Donna…" His eyes widened. "Donna? Where is she?"

"I don't know, buddy," Sam replied. "But I'll find out."

"Tell her…" Josh paused to take a breath as they wheeled him to the trauma bay. "Tell her I meant it."

"What?" Sam asked, confused.

"About our kiss…tell her I meant it."

And that was all Sam heard before the curtain got pulled around Josh's bed. While he was struggling to process the huge news that Josh had dropped on him, he was interrupted by his pager beeping. It read: "FELICITY. CHILDREN'S NATIONAL. CALL NOW."

Sam's heart started racing. He pulled his cell phone out of his pocket and called Donna's number. She answered immediately.

"Sam?" She said on the other end of the line. "Do you know where the President and the First Lady are? I need to talk to them. Felicity was shot."

"What? They—the President is being prepped for surgery. Let me see if I can get them," He said, feeling ill.

Sam walked quickly over to the trauma room and went through the door, ignoring protests that he couldn't be in here. The President was on a gurney and the First Lady was at his side listening to doctors tell them what was next.

"Ma'am, Donna's on the phone," He said, his chest tightening with every word. He held it out to her.

Abbey took the phone wordlessly. "Hello?"

"Dr. Bartlet?"

"Donna?"

"Felicity's been shot."

Three little words and Abbey felt as though she had been shot herself. She gasped. "Where?"

"In the arm," Donna managed to say. "I had her on my hip and the bullet— it must have—-It went through her arm and into her chest. The bullet hasn't come out and Felicity is on her way to surgery now. We're at Children's National."

"I want to speak with the surgeon." Abbey heard herself say. She had to know what was happening. "Is she conscious?"

"Yes, but barely," Donna admitted. "How's the President?"

"He was hit in the shoulder. He'll need surgery, but it should be minor. Now, is there someone I can speak with about Felicity?"

"Yes, ma'am. Let me find out."

As Abbey waited for Donna to come back to the phone, she looked at Jed and made a split-second decision to not tell him about Felicity until he was out of surgery and stable. He would be devastated, and that could be detrimental to his health.

"Abbey, what is it?" Jed asked from where he lay on the gurney. His shoulder hurt like hell now. But he would get through it.

"Mr. President, we have to go now," his surgeon said, indicating for the team to start moving the gurney.

"You need to go, Jed," Abbey said, turning to her husband. Every ounce of her training as a doctor was keeping her together. "I love you."

"Abbey—-" He said. The look in her eyes told a different story. "What happened?"

"It doesn't matter," she said. "I need you to go into surgery and come out better than you left here. Do you understand me?"

Jed took this to mean she needed him after surgery. Whatever it was. She needed him.

"I love you, too Abbey."

Abbey moved back over to the gurney and kissed him goodbye. In that split second, they both felt something splinter, like someone had taken a hammer and tried to smash the bond between them.

When they parted, Jed was wheeled away through the doors and towards the elevator.

Abbey returned the cell phone to her ear. "Donna?"

"Dr. Bartlet, I found the surgeon. He has a few minutes."

A male voice came over the phone. "Dr. Bartlet, my name is Dr. Forrest. I'm the pediatric trauma surgeon who'll be operating on Felicity."

"Where's the bullet now?"

"As you may know, it entered her arm and went into her chest, specifically her lung, causing a pneumothorax. It also caused damage to her lung tissue."

"Can they re-inflate with a chest tube?"

The doctor's voice was grim. "She's not tolerating the procedure. We're going to have to go in and try to repair the lung primarily."

"Is she otherwise stable?" Abbey asked.

"Yes. And we're working to keep her that way. It's going to be a long and delicate procedure. In cases like Felicity's, I would repair what I could and then go back later. But given Felicity's age and her size, the stress on her body would be too much. The risk that she would not make it would increase significantly with further surgeries. I will be making all the necessary repairs tonight. The heads of cardiothoracic surgery, general surgery, orthopedic surgery, and vascular surgery will be assisting me to keep Felicity's time on the table to a minimum."

"Thank you, Dr. Forrest. I know my daughter will be in good hands," Abbey replied with a lump in her throat. There was a very good chance Felicity might not leave the operating room alive.

"She will be, Dr. Bartlet. The very fact that Felicity is alive and fighting is a positive sign."

Abbey could only nod as the doctor walked away and handed the phone back to Donna.

"I just want you to know, Dr. Bartlet," Donna said to her, "I'm not leaving. I'm staying until Felicity is stable."

Abbey swallowed deeply. "Thank you, Donna. I'm coming now."

"But what about-"

"They can page me when Jed's out of surgery. I need to be near my baby."

"All right." Donna agreed.

"Thank you for calling. And Donna?"

"Yes, ma'am?"

"We need to control the press."

"Of course, ma'am. I'll see you when you get here."

Abbey hung up the phone without another word. She rushed to the door with her agents.

Abbey's detail led her back outside to a waiting black town car. Just as she got into the back of the car, CJ got in on the other side.

"Someone should be with you, ma'am," she said in a lowered tone of voice. "Leo is staying for the President. Sam and Toby will head back to the office as soon as there is news on Josh."

Abbey nodded, "CJ, we need to control the press. When they get wind of this—-"

"I will, ma'am. The most important thing is Felicity and I will make sure every reporter respects that."

"Thank you."

The car pulled away from the hospital, speeding along to make the 20-minute journey to Children's faster.

Meanwhile, Zoey and Charlie had arrived at the hospital. Due to the chaos, no one had informed Zoey of her sister's condition.

They breathlessly ran into the waiting room where Sam and Toby waited anxiously.

"Is there any word on my dad?" Zoey asked.

"The President's going to be fine," Toby said.

"Thank God," Zoey replied in relief. "That's such a relief. They wouldn't let me call anyone, and I couldn't get ahold of my mom, and I figured Donna had her hands full with getting Felicity to bed, so I didn't want to bother her. I was shaking…"

"Zoey." Sam cut gently into her rambling. He didn't think it was his place to do this, but it was clear he had to.

Zoey looked up.

"Felicity was hit."

Zoey was blank. "Hit with what?"

"She was shot. In the chest."

"She's at Children's National in surgery right now. Your mom's with her." Toby explained.

"I don't understand," Zoey said immediately. Charlie was next to her, ashen-faced. "I-I don't understand. Is it serious?"

"Yes, it's critical," Sam told her, gently touching her arm. "The bullet collapsed her lung and damaged some major tissues."

"That—that can't be right," Zoey said, feeling tears well up in her eyes. "Fizzy is so little—why would anyone hurt her?"

Charlie wrapped an arm around her, "It'll be okay, Zoey," he said to try to comfort her. It was shocking news to him too. He didn't know what else to say.

"Leo's waiting upstairs for your dad to get out of surgery. I can take you up there if you want to wait," Sam offered. Seeing the anguish on her face was terrible. He couldn't do anything to ease it either.

Zoey nodded, absolutely numb. "I-I need to call my sisters."

"We can do that when we get upstairs," Sam told her. He and Charlie steered Zoey toward the elevator, accompanied by Gina.

Leo stood as Zoey stepped off the elevator.

"Zoey…" Leo said with a heaviness to his voice. He knew right away that she knew. He opened his arms.

Zoey ran into them, crying. "Leo, Fizzy was shot. My baby sister was shot."

"I know," Leo said simply as he held her. As he hugged his friend's daughter close, he sent up a silent prayer that they would come through this night with six members of their family.

CJ returned to the White House 45 minutes after driving with the First Lady to Children's. She received a summary from the other doctors and nurses on Felicity's team and already had updates about the President, Josh, and other civilians hurt at the scene. Now she had to brief the press, and she didn't want to for the first time since taking the job.

"Can I get you anything, CJ?" Carol asked as she came out of her office.

"No, just make sure those briefing packets are ready," CJ replied, walking to the press room. When she entered the room and walked to the podium, cameras started clicking rapidly.

"CJ! CJ!" Reporters shouted.

"I have updates on the shooting at the Newseum," She said, opening her briefing book and placing it on the podium. "The President was hit by a bullet in the shoulder. He is currently in surgery at GW University Hospital. He is expected to be out within the hour. Deputy Chief of Staff Josh Lyman is also in surgery after being shot in the abdomen. They are both expected to make full recoveries," She said and paused. "There is a third victim of the shooting tonight. After I provide the update on her condition, I will not be taking any further questions about it.

Felicity Bartlet was shot by a bullet in the arm, and it moved into her chest. She is in critical condition at Children's National Medical Center undergoing a lengthy surgical procedure that is expected to take most of the night. Further, updates on her condition will be provided at the discretion of her family.

Questions?"

"How long is Felicity expected to be in surgery?"

"It is unclear, but based on what we know, her procedure is expected to take anywhere from 10 to 12 hours."

"Have the President and First Lady been notified?"

"The First Lady has been informed, and she is currently at Children's National. The President will be informed when he is out of surgery. That's all for now."

Cameras clicked, and the press shouted as CJ left the podium.

"… If you're just joining our coverage, White House Press Secretary CJ Cregg has just announced from the podium that President Bartlet is expected to be out of surgery shortly after being shot at the Newseum in Roslyn, Virginia earlier this evening. In a shocking and sad development, the President's youngest daughter Felicity was revealed to be critically injured during the shooting…"

Pictures of Felicity flashed on the screen. Her very first official photo was first. It showed Jed and Abbey sitting in the Yellow Oval Room on a sofa. Jed had one arm around Abbey and the other resting on top of Abbey's hand as she held tiny baby Felicity in her arms. She stared up at them in wonder. The next photo was of all four Bartlet daughters gathered in the living room of the Residence. They stood together with one arm around each other. Liz had Felicity in her free arm. They were all smiling.

Ellie arrived not long after Zoey and Charlie. When the surgeon came out to tell them all that the surgery went well and that Jed was awake in the recovery room, Ellie knew she was going to be the one to tell her father what happened. It was the kindest thing to do in her mother's absence. Taking a deep breath, Ellie walked out of the waiting room, where the TV mounted in a corner showed muted news coverage of the shooting and went to the recovery room. She slipped inside and closed the door behind her. Jed sat up in bed looking a little groggy but otherwise alert.

"Hi daddy," Ellie said, giving her father a small smile. "How are you feeling?"

"Hi sweetheart," Jed replied, returning the smile. "The shoulder hurts like hell. But I'll live. Where's your mother?"

"She's with Felicity, Dad."

"Is Felicity all right?"

Ellie shook her head slowly, fighting to keep her composure, "No, she's not. Felicity was shot, daddy. "

Jed looked and felt as though he had been slapped in the face. "How? I thought-Donna had her! I saw them get in a car."

"Donna had Felicity in her arms," Ellie explained. "The bullet went through her arm and into her chest. It collapsed her lung and damaged some tissues.

"Is she alive?" Jed asked quietly.

"Yes." She answered. "She's in surgery at Children's National. Mom's there, Donna's there, Zoey and Charlie are there, and the Boston and Connecticut contingent are on their way. I think Uncle Richard and Alex are close."

Jed looked devastated. His baby girl was in surgery, and it was his fault. Worse, his wife was going through this alone.

"The nine-month-old is currently undergoing surgery at Children's National Medical Center in Washington, DC. There has been no word on what the motivation of the shooting was, though it is thought that it was an assassination attempt. President Bartlet will be notified of his daughter's condition once he is out of surgery. Our thoughts are with the President, the First Lady, and their family at this terrible time."

More recent photos of Abbey and Felicity traveling were shown with Felicity ever-present on her mother's hip with Donna and Amy usually behind them. The final photo before the news broadcast went to break was a black and white photo taken in the Oval Office from the side. Jed sat at the Resolute Desk. Felicity stood on his lap facing him and leaned in to give him a kiss.

The news chyron below the photo read, "First Daughter Felicity Bartlet in Critical Condition After Virginia Shooting."