(no subject)

[krazykitkat]

Surfacing 6/?
By Katrina McDonnell

Margaret never ceased to amaze him. Within an hour, they had settled and rearranged the day's remaining business and Leo had left the West Wing on his way to George Washington University Hospital. It worried him more than a little, leaving the Nut in Chief in charge of the federal asylum. Especially when two of the inmates wanted to punch each other. He'd just have to rely on the three sanest wardens, Mrs. Landingham, Charlie and Margaret, to keep things running. Plus frequent phone calls.

He managed, with difficulty, to refrain from phoning when he arrived at the hospital. He wanted to remain on Margaret's good side. Instead, he turned his attention to finding Abbey and Danny. After receiving general directions from a nurse, it wasn't too hard to locate the waiting room with two Secret Service Agents standing outside. He greeted them with a nod and entered the room. It took several moments for the occupants to register his presence, allowing him to process the scene. They sat side-by-side, Danny resting his head on Abbey's shoulder. She had her left arm around him, her hand ruffling his hair. His hands were joined tightly and Abbey overlaid them with her right hand. She was speaking to him in a low, gentle tone. Leo couldn't make out the words.

Danny's facial expression terrified Leo. So used to seeing a confident, cocky and often annoying reporter, this was a revelation. His feelings were carved on his face, a raw, open wound, weeping with grief. A lost boy.

Leo offered a silent prayer. "You need to get through this, CJ. Otherwise, we're going to lose both of you."

"Leo." Abbey saw him and rose as Danny straightened up. He walked towards her, greeting her with a kiss on the cheek and a hug.

"Any news?"

She shook her head. "No. She's still in surgery." She held his hand and set him down on the other side of Danny, before reclaiming her seat.

Leo placed his hand on Danny's shoulder and gave it a reassuring squeeze. "How are you doing, Danny?"

The reporter shrugged, the storm shutters partially closed over his emotions. "You can tell the President that I put a severe dent in the world domination
plans of the Trash Can Guild."

A giggle escaped from Abbey.

Leo was a little confused. "Okay. I won't ask. Speaking of the President, he sends his love, best wishes and prayers. As does everyone else."

"Who knows?" Abbey asked.

"Josh, Sam, Toby, Donna, Margaret, Charlie, Mrs. Landingham and Carol, of course. I hope I didn't overstep my bounds on those few extras, Danny."

Danny shook his head. "No, they're fine. How's Carol doing?"

"Okay. Margaret's keeping an eye on her. She's busy organising the press briefings for Sam. She said she'll try to make it here after work. And don't worry, Abbey. Mrs. Landingham and Charlie are watching your husband. They've got orders to call me if there's any trouble."

Abbey smiled. "I was hoping you'd receive the telepathic messages I was sending down the phone line."

"He accused me of being in cahoots with you. I was a bit worried about leaving, the troops are pretty restless. We almost had a brawl in the Oval Office."

Abbey and Danny looked at him wide-eyed.

"Josh and Toby by any chance?" asked Abbey.

"How did you guess?"

"They're the most obvious suspects."

Leo nodded. "That's true. They were arguing over who was CJ's real friend."

"And Toby's blaming me," Danny broke in.

"Yeah." Leo grimaced. "I'd steer clear of him at the moment."

Danny leaned forward in the seat and stared at the floor. "He's never liked me. Doesn't think I'm good enough for CJ." He stood and walked towards the facing wall. "He's probably right."

Leo watched as Abbey's expression changed to one of exasperation. He could guess what she'd been going through trying to support Danny, and decided to give her a break. "Cut it out, Danny. Otherwise, the First Lady is going to strangle you. It'll probably be ruled justifiable homicide, but I don't feel like dealing with the headlines. What Toby, or anyone else thinks, doesn't matter."

Danny turned to face him. "And here I was, thinking you'd be the first in line to kill me."

"What can I say? I'm mellowing in my twilight years."

Abbey mouthed her thanks.

"Are you going to fire her? Because I promise you, she never leaked anything to me." Danny ran his words together in his rush to explain their relationship.

"How long has it been going on?"

Danny squirmed at the question.

"You might as well tell me. I know it's been at least ten weeks."

Danny replied in an almost inaudible tone. "Seven months."

"Seven months!" Leo couldn't prevent the exclamation. Abbey reached over and put her hand on his. "You two are good."

"Please don't fire her. I'm already looking for a new job," Danny pleaded.

Leo realised he'd better put Danny out of his misery quickly. "I'm not going to fire her. I can't pretend I'm thrilled by the situation you've placed us in. However, I do know that nothing has happened in the last seven months to make me doubt CJ's professionalism."

"But you doubt mine," stated Danny.

"No, I don't. You've been a good friend to this administration, Danny. And *I* know it hasn't been because you're in love with the Press Secretary. But, that isn't what they're going to think." Leo pointed out the door. "When we told CJ to stay away from you, it wasn't just to protect us. It was to protect the both of you too. You know as well as anyone how important image is."

Danny nodded. "I'm sorry."

"Don't be." Leo stood and strode to Danny, placing his hand on his shoulder in comfort. "I'm sorry you have to find a new job. But, it's the only way. You'll be a former senior White House correspondent who just happens to be dating the Press Secretary. No one else needs to know." He paused. "I'll warn you now though. If you ever hurt her, we have the full power of the US military at our disposal."

Danny snorted. "Yes, Sir."

Leo patted him on the back and pointed towards the television on the wall. "Anyone know whether that thing picks up CSPAN? Sam's briefing will be on in about five."

"Turn it on and find out," replied Abbey.

"You are a great help."

Abbey laughed. "I try."

Leo searched for the on button.

"Leo, it's on the far right."

"I was about to try that one next, Abbey. I'm used to a remote." He could feel her intently watching his actions. After more than a few seconds, he decided to give in and ask for directions. "Which one changes the channel?"

"The two in the middle. And to think they let you people play with nuclear weapons."

Danny joined in the much needed diversion. "Yeah, but they have remotes."

"Any more comments from the peanut gallery?"

"Ah, Leo. You just went past it."

"Very observant, Danny. That must be why you're a reporter." He changed buttons and went back to find CSPAN. "There." No sound. And no directions. "So, now you've decided to keep quiet?" He turned to see Abbey trying to hide a grin.

"We thought you wanted the nuts back in their shells."

Leo growled a light-hearted warning. "Abbey."

"The two just to the left of the channel buttons."

"Thank you." He increased the volume just as Sam was shown entering the White House press room. He walked back and took his seat next to Danny, all three pairs of eyes focused on the screen. They could hear a buzz from the reporters, no doubt concerned over the absence of CJ.

Sam waited for them to settle down. * "I will be taking this briefing and today's six p.m. has been cancelled. So, I'll be calling a full lid at the end." *

A reporter could be heard offscreen. * "Is CJ all right?" *

"That's Steve," commented Danny.

* "I'll get to that soon. There's some other business to attend to first..." *

"Leo, did you contact her parents?" queried Abbey.

"Yeah. They should arrive at SFO in the next half hour or so. They've got a non-stop flight, so they'll get in around ten tonight. I'm having a car meet them and bring them straight here."

Abbey nodded. "She'll be out of surgery by then. Have you met them before, Danny?"

"No. It should be fun. I feel like the boy who just got his teenage girlfriend pregnant and now has to face the wrath of her parents."

"Don't worry about it, Danny. They can only kill you." Leo kept his attention on the TV even as he tried to lighten the mood. "Sam's nearly there."

They refocused their attention on Sam's image.

* "Last, but definitely not least, CJ Cregg was admitted to hospital just over two hours ago, after collapsing in her office. She has an emergency situation that is potentially life-threatening. The White House asks the American people to join her family and colleagues in prayer for her speedy recovery." *

They heard the press room erupt, questions thrown at Sam. He held up a hand until they quieted. * "There is no further information." *

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

* "The White House does not comment on the private lives of staff. Please respect CJ's privacy. We will update you on her condition tomorrow. The lid is on." *

Josh sat with his elbows on his desk and his hands propping up his chin, as he watched Sam finish the press briefing.

"He did a good job."

His eyes tracked to the door, his head remaining still. "Yeah, he did."

"You want some coffee?"

"Please stop hovering, Donna. I'm not going to do anything stupid."

"I only asked if you wanted some coffee."

"And you never bring me coffee. I know Leo asked you to watch me. But you don't need to." He watched the doubt on his assistant's face. Donna didn't need to say a thing, her expression was enough to make him start defending himself. "I'm not going to go and hit Toby, as much as I want to. I'm not going to put my fist through the window." He lowered his voice to a calmer level. "I'm okay, Donna."

She walked over to stand right in front of him, blocking his view of the TV. "Would you tell me if you weren't?"

He looked up at her. "It's not about me. This is about Claudia Jean. And Danny needs all the friends he's got. You don't have to worry about me."

Sam appeared in the doorway before she could reply.

"Good job, Sam." Josh quickly used Sam's presence to deflect Donna. He stole a glance at her to see the 'this isn't over, Joshua' face. Oh, well. He'd do all he could to avoid that lecture.

Sam sat on his desk. "Thanks. I really don't know how CJ handles them."

"She's merciless."

"True." Sam fiddled with a stack of files. "No news?" Josh shook his head, so he continued. "Carol's going to the hospital shortly. There's nothing more she can do here. Danny could probably do with a friendly face."

"How much longer before we can go? I'm not getting anything done here."

Donna's expression changed to her 'get up from that chair and I will tie you to it' face. Kinky for a girl from a family of Wisconsin Republicans.

"Leo will call Margaret. She's the one with the day passes."

Josh whined, "But I should be there for Danny. He needs his friends. I'm his friend."

"And within twenty minutes, we'll have to pop you with the tranquilizer gun to stop you from pacing."

Donna added in her two cents. "We're probably going to have to do that anyway."

"Hey! I'm not that bad." Josh defended himself. Two disbelieving faces looked back. "I'm not."

"You are that bad, Josh. Danny needs calm right now, not you."

Josh squinted at Sam. "How are you channeling my mother?"

"She leant me her copy of 'The Guide to Joshua Lyman' many years ago." Sam shrugged.

"Please give it back."

Sam stood and faced him directly. "I need to go and check on Toby and get back to my own office, before Cathy sends the bloodhounds after me. You're to stay here and try to get some work done, until Leo sends for us. Don't annoy Donna too much."

Josh glared at his assistant's snort. "Yes, Mother."

"CJ is going to be all right, Josh. Hold on to that. And we're all going to be there for her and Danny." Sam reached across the desk and placed his hand on Josh's shoulder. "Hold on, Josh."

Josh nodded and Sam finally departed.

Donna continued to hover. "I've got a pile of papers that don't require anything more than your signature."

"Bring them in." Josh gratefully smiled.

****************


That's the end of what's typed. I've got possibly one or two other chapters on paper, but I'm in two minds of whether to type up and post them. There's quite a few scenes that really make me cringe.