My eyes sprang open but I didn't move. How long had I slept? I glanced at my watch. Four hours. That's about all my body is conditioned for right now. The weight on my shoulder felt nice. Right. I looked out the window into the black night. A vacation? During Transition? WWLD?

I thought back to his funeral. Mrs. Bartlet had cornered me.

"He gave everything for this country." She looked at me fiercely. I had expected her to tell me I had big shoes to fill. As if I didn't already know that. As if I had any idea how I would manage without his guidance. But then her face had softened. Her next words had surprised me.

"He had regrets." She looked across the room and my eyes had followed, landing on the only reason I was holding it together at all. Then Mrs. Bartlet said-

"He wouldn't want you to have them too. He loved you like a son." And she walked away.

I looked back down at my shoulder. She sighed softly in her sleep. I gently kissed the top of her head. I closed my eyes and promised Leo that I would have a life.