The Hospital

Word finally came that Mallory had arrived at the hospital. With the immediate threat alleviated, Ron assigned three agents to Leo and the four headed off to Bethesda. When they reached the emergency wing, Leo ran ahead of the agents to the entrance and through the doors. He skidded to a halt next to the desk. "Ensign, I'm Leo McGarry. Where's my daughter, Mallory O'Brien?" he said breathlessly.

"Mr. McGarry, your daughter is being prepped for surgery. She's in Trauma Room Two, right over there, Sir." The young officer pointed to a set of double doors behind Leo.

"Thank you." Leo started to the door, but hesitated as he imagined what he might see. He'd been told his daughter was shot twice, once in the leg, once in the shoulder, and he knew from experience that the scene would be anything but clean. Yes, he'd seen gunshot wounds, shrapnel wounds, burns, injuries so severe that the victims were beyond any recognition, but this was his daughter, dammit.

Slowly, he opened the door and found an organized chaos; there were no less than twelve doctors and nurses hovering over Mallory. As Leo approached, they parted and he saw his daughter for the first time. His legs threatened to go out from under him, as he found himself struggling for control. He glanced over and saw that there were two IV's and a unit of blood already hanging next to her. A blood-filled bag draped from the gurney was attached to a tube coming from her chest, and there was an oxygen mask over her nose and mouth. Leo stepped up to his daughter and gently pressed her right hand to his cheek. Tears filled his eyes again, "Mallory, it's Dad. Can you hear me?"

At the sound of her father's voice, her eyes fluttered open. She found his face and tried hard to focus. "Dad?" Her tongue felt thick and heavy, "What happened?"

"Shhh. You're gonna be okay, Baby."

She struggled to reach up and tug the mask down under her chin, "Where am I?"

"You're at Bethesda Naval Hospital. You were shot, Mallory. At the school. A man pulled a gun . . ."

"Oh, no . . . The kids?" There was panic in her voice as she tried desperately to push herself up off the gurney. Leo put his hand on her shoulder and gently restrained her.

"Take it easy, don't try to move. Everyone's okay. They were all in the gym when it started. The gunman never went that far. The kids, the staff, everyone's okay, Mallory." Her eyes bore into his, searching for a lie as she squeezed his hand tighter. Leo gently wiped the drops of perspiration from her forehead. "Please, Mallory, just try to relax. You're gonna be okay, and the kids are fine. Trust me." Leo vaguely wondered whether or not his face betrayed the emotions he was feeling.

Suddenly remembering, Mallory groaned, "Jonathan! Dad, Jonathan was with me!"

"Shhh, Mallory. Jonathan has been taken care of. A bullet grazed his head, knocked him out. He's got one helluva headache, but he should be okay." Leo let a small sigh escape as he considered what Mallory's friend had done. "He tried to get the gun away from the guy and protect you."

"He's going to be okay?"

Leo nodded, "The doctors are pretty confident. They gotta keep an eye on him but he seems to be stable for now." He managed a knowing smile, "You know him, he's an Airman. We all have hard heads."

"Thick skulls is more like it," she said wearily.

A hand landed on Leo's shoulder. "Mr. McGarry, I'm sorry but we have to go," the trauma doctor apologized.

"Okay." Leo looked back at his daughter who gave him a faint smile. "I'll see you in a few hours, okay?"

"'kay," she whispered as he moved the mask back over her mouth.

Leo gave his daughter's hand a gentle squeeze, as he leaned over to kiss her forehead. "You're going to be okay, Mal. I love you, Sweetheart."

She closed her eyes, "I promise I won't give up. And Dad?"

"Yeah, Baby?" he smoothed the hair away from her face.

"Keep the faith."