PART VI
Mark stopped outside the trauma room door and took a deep breath.
He let it out slowly, erasing any signs of fear or distress from
his features. Another pause, then he opened the door.
He took in the scene quickly. Three nurses busied themselves
setting up IVs and removing the patient's clothing. He swallowed
his horror at the sight of the man's bruised body. He moved to
stand beside the bed and put his hand on Jesse's shoulder. The
young doctor looked up at him gratefully and stepped back.
"Has he been conscious?" Mark asked as he began his
examination.
Jesse nodded. "Just for a minute. He seemed
disoriented."
"What about-" He turned as a voice interrupted him.
"How is he?"
Mark turned. "Dr. Bartlet." He waved her over.
"I've just begun my examination."
Abbey looked down at her husband and her professional mask
cracked. "Oh, God…"
Mark touched her arm, his eyes warm and compassionate. "Dr.
Bartlet, I think it would probably be better if you waited
outside. Dr. Travis or I will let you know as soon as we have any
information for you."
Her eyes flashed and for a moment he thought she was going to
argue. But it seemed her better judgement took over as she
realized it was the sensible thing to do. She nodded and reached
out to brush her fingertips over Jed's temple lightly. The tears
that had been threatening since she entered the room fell, though
she didn't seem to notice.
Their eyes met and she froze. There was no recognition in his
gaze.
"Jed…?"
He blinked in confusion. He opened his mouth as if to speak, then
his eyes fluttered closed.
Abbey choked back a sob.
Mark's hand settled on her shoulder and squeezed gently. For a
moment, she stood there, gazing down at her husband and absorbed
the silent comfort from the man behind her. Steeling herself, she
nodded again, firmly, and stepped back. "I'll be right
outside." Mark gave her a reassuring smile. When the
door closed behind her, he returned to his physical examination
of the President's injuries. After a minute, he stopped, his
hands resting lightly on Jed's chest. He turned to Jesse.
"You ordered x-rays?"
"They took them right before you came in. We should have
them any second now."
The older doctor nodded. "I need to see them. Prep him for
surgery and call Dr. Morris."
Jesse was already moving.
Mark looked back down at his patient. "Everything's going to
be just fine, Mr. President. You're going to be all right."
Though the President's eyes were open again, Mark didn't think he
heard him, or understood if he did. Because he only whispered one
word.
"Leo…"
***
Mark returned the chart to its slot and picked up another. He
read it as he entered another exam room. The Secret Service agent
standing outside opened it for him without hesitation.
He smiled at the man on the bed; not surprised to see he had a
visitor. "Mr. McGarry, Dr. Bartlet," he greeted.
"How are you feeling, sir?"
"I'm fine. How's the president?"
Mark nodded to himself. It was clear where this man's priorities
were. "We've taken the President into surgery." He
continued before the questions could be asked. "He suffered
four broken ribs in addition to his other injuries. One rib
separated and created a puncture in his right lung. Luckily, it
appears that the bone itself held in place and kept air from
escaping into his chest cavity. There is blood in the lung, but
it could have been worse. If the wound hadn't sealed it could
have caused enough pressure to collapse the lung. Dr. Morris is
our best surgeon and Dr. Tate, our head of pulmonary respiration
is assisting. We should know more in an hour or so."
Abbey had her hands clasped tightly in her lap. "What about
the MS?"
"He's definitely had a relapse. We've given him IV
Solumedrol. He'll likely have to have several infusions to
hopefully induce remission again."
Abbey nodded. "What about Prednisone?"
"I'd like to see how he responds to the Solumedrol, first.
I'd rather not put him on Prednisone if I can help it. It's a
good drug that has its uses, but I don't like to use it if I
don't have to. And in his condition, I'm afraid it could be
dangerous if we needed to change the dose. I've been working
closely with our head of the Neurology department."
Leo spoke up. "Wait a minute. You said 'hopefully' induce
remission. I thought his type of MS always went into remission
after a relapse."
Mark shook his head. "Not always. His chances are good,
given his history, but it could take time. Longer than you're
used to. This was not a minor relapse."
Abbey gripped Leo's hand. "Thank you, Dr…" She
tilted her head. "I don't think I got your name."
"Mark Sloan." He moved to stand closer to Leo.
"And now, Mr. McGarry, I would really like to get a little
more information than 'I'm fine.'" He smiled to soften the
rebuke. "We've given you a saline IV for the dehydration,
Motrin and Compazine. Are you still nauseous? Any pain?" He
leaned over and shone a penlight in the other man's eyes.
"No." Leo tried not to wince away from the light.
"The officer that found us. How is he?"
Mark pulled back, his blue eyes darkening. He looked away.
"He's in surgery." He picked up Leo's chart and stared
at it. He didn't see the look Abbey and Leo exchanged.
"Dr. Sloan?" Leo's voice was still rough and hoarse.
Mark looked up, his expression pleasant, his eyes haunted.
"What's the prognosis?"
"I-I don't know. I should have more information soon."
Leo narrowed his eyes. "Doctor…" He paused.
"Sloan. The detective said his name was Sloan."
Mark swallowed. "He's my son." The quiet words were
heavy with pain.
Leo stared at him for a long moment. Then he cleared his throat.
"Tom was trying to shoot the President. Your son saved
him."
Mark nodded. "And I'm so proud of him. I just
wish…"
Abbey took his hand. "I know. I know exactly what you
mean."
Mark looked at her. She smiled sadly. "I feel like Jed is
risking his life every day, just by being who he is. Sometimes, I
want to try to make him stop, to change him, but I know I can't.
And at the same time, I love him for it. All of it."
"Even for the thing things that might take him away from
you?"
She smiled sadly. "I guess those are the things I admire the
most."
"Thank you." He squeezed her hand tightly, then let go.
Taking a deep breath, he turned back to Leo. He gave him a stern
look. "Now, Mr. McGarry, are you going to let me do my job,
or do I have to turn your care over to Dr. Bartlet?"
Leo nodded agreeably, but his expression was distracted. His
attention was back with his best friend.
***
"CJ?" Mark held a cup of coffee in each hand. He handed
one to CJ and sat beside her. "How are you doing,
honey?"
"Mark!" She put down the cup and put her arms around
the older man, drawing him into a hug. He returned the embrace.
She pulled back. "Is there any news?"
"You know the President's in surgery." She nodded.
"He seems to be doing well, considering the extent of his
injuries. All we can do is wait. The First Lady is in with Mr.
McGarry. More than anything, he needs someone to talk to and for
the President to be okay, I think."
"And Steve?"
"He's still in surgery. The bullet struck his left kidney
and he's lost a lot of blood."
"Is he going to make it?"
Mark shook his head. "I hope so."
"God." She picked up her coffee cup and held it
tightly, as if she could absorb its warmth into her soul. She
sighed. "This week has been such a nightmare. I keep seeing
the President in that room, what they were doing to him… and
now Steve." Tears began to fall, but she didn't seem to
notice.
Mark slipped an arm around her shoulders. "I know. CJ,
I-"
"Dr. Sloan."
Mark and CJ looked up. Mark stood. "Dr. Morris. Is there
news?"
The other doctor nodded and looked at CJ questioningly. Mark
quickly introduced them. "How is he?"
"The President made it through the surgery well. We've moved
him into an observation unit in the ICU for now. I'm going to
want to leave him there until we can be sure he is out of the
woods. He should be awake by morning."
"Thank God," CJ breathed. Mark squeezed her hand.
"Is the First Lady with him?"
"Yes. She wanted to sit with him until he woke."
***
"Donna, I can't." Josh resisted the urge to throw the
cell phone into the wall of the quiet hospital lounge. "Tell
him it's going to have to wait. If he doesn't like it, he
can-"
"Josh, I said it's taken care of." Donna's voice was
only slightly distorted by static. "Don't worry about
it."
"Oh." He ran a hand through his hair and blew out a
breath. "I'm sorry."
"It's okay." She was silent a moment. "How is
he?"
"Still in surgery. We're waiting."
"I'll be down there as soon as I can." She sounded
calm, but Josh could hear the tears in her voice.
"Okay." He glanced at the window into the hallway.
"The surgeon just went by. I'm going to go see if there's
news."
"Call me?"
He nodded. "Hurry down here." He snapped the phone shut
and rushed out into the hall. He rounded the corner quickly and
narrowly missed running into Sam.
"Hey!" He stopped his momentum with his hands on the
other man's shoulders. "You chase off the press?"
"No." Sam sighed. "I answered the questions I
could but they wouldn't go away. So I called Ron. They're back a
couple blocks now."
"Good. Have you seen Toby? I just saw the surgeon go
by."
Sam shook his head. The two men hurried after the doctor.
"He was pacing the halls when I left. I'm sure he's back
with CJ by now." He glanced at Josh. "You think he's
okay?"
"Toby?"
"The President."
"He'd better be."
"Yeah."
***
"Jed? Jed, can you hear me?"
He slowly opened his eyes.
"Jed?"
He blinked dry eyes. "Abbey?"
She leaned closer to put herself in his field of vision.
"I'm right here, Jed."
"I'm in the hospital?"
She brushed a hand over his hair. "Yeah, honey. You're in
the hospital."
"Leo?" His voice cracked.
"He's here. He's okay." She smiled. "He's pretty
anxious to see you."
"When?"
"When what?"
"When can I see him?"
"You just got out of surgery, Jed. Give it a while."
"Abbey-" He broke off in a painful, yet weak cough.
"Later. You can see him later. You need to rest."
He shook his head, trying to catch his breath.
"I'm calling the nurse." Abbey stood, ignoring Jed's
negating wave. She pressed the call button and within moments a
nurse appeared.
"The doctor's being paged." She removed the nasal
canula and replaced it with a mask. "Take slow, even
breaths, sir."
Dr. Morris entered and Abbey stepped back, her gaze fixed on her
husband. It was going to be a long night.
***
"Abbey?"
She looked up to see Leo standing in the doorway. He leaned
heavily on the IV pole beside him. "Leo," she said
wearily. "Come sit down." She waved a hand at the seat
on the other side of the bed.
"How is he?" He asked quietly as he settled into the
chair.
She sighed. "He woke up a while ago, but they had to give
him a sedative. He was in a lot of pain."
Leo grimaced. He looked down, his gaze taking in his best friend.
He was so grateful to see him here, alive. But just looking at
him made his heart lurch painfully. Even in sleep, Jed's face was
tense with pain. The features so familiar to millions were barely
recognizable through the swelling and bruises. His gaze drifted
downward. Jed's hospital gown was pulled down around his
shoulders and upper chest to allow for the wires and electrodes
needed to monitor his heart; and pushed up at the bottom where a
large tube entered his chest just below his ribs to drain fluid
from his left lung. A blanket covered his lower body, but Leo
knew that even his legs were covered with bruises made by
steel-toed boots mercilessly striking unprotected flesh. He
swallowed against the nausea that rose in his throat as the
memories threatened to overwhelm him.
"Leo." Abbey reached across her husband to offer a
comforting hand.
He grasped the fingers momentarily, then withdrew. "I'm
okay."
She shook her head. "You're not. None of us are. But we will
be. All of us." She looked back down at Jed.
Leo nodded and rubbed a hand over his face. "Yeah."
They sat in companionable silence, united in their love for the
man between them, until they both drifted into uneasy sleep.
***
"No… please…"
Leo jerked awake at the pain-filled whisper. Jed flailed weakly
in the bed, his eyes still tightly closed.
"Oh, God… Don't…"
Leo reached out, his left hand gently gripping Jed's fingers as
his right brushed over the other man's forehead. He saw Abbey was
doing the same, whispering softly comforting words.
He didn't seem to hear her. "No!" he cried out, his
back arching off the bed. Abbey looked helplessly at Leo.
Leo leaned closer. "Jed, it's okay. You're safe." His
fingers combed through the thick hair. "It's okay."
Jed's body slowly relaxed. "Leo…" he whispered.
"I'm here. We're safe."
Jed sighed in his sleep. Abbey stared at Leo, her eyes wide with
fear and worry.
He shook his head. "It was bad," he said simply.
Abbey's eyes filled with tears and she looked away.
Leo sat straighter in his chair, resolved to protect his friend
from the memories of the reality that he hadn't protected him
from.
***
"Mark." Jesse shook the other man's
shoulder.
Mark's eyes snapped open. He sat up, wide-awake.
"Steve?"
"He made it though the surgery. We're moving him to
ICU."
He let out a breath. "Thank God. Were you able
to save the kidney?"
Jesse sat down next to the older man. "We were able to
repair it. That's mostly what took so long."
Mark placed his hand on the other man's arm. "Thanks,
Jesse. How's he doing?"
"He lost a lot of blood. We're giving him one more
transfusion tonight." He smiled encouragingly.
"It looks good, Mark. Steve's strong and
healthy. We'll know more when he wakes up, of course.
But I think he's going to be all right."
Mark wiped a hand over his eyes. "I need to see him,
Jess."
"ICU is going to page me as soon as he's settled in.
We'll go down together." He rubbed his hand over his
jaw. "How's the President?"
"He came out of surgery a couple of hours ago. He's
doing better."
Jesse nodded. "That's good to hear." He
paused. "When I saw what they did to him…"
"I know." Mark shook his head. "It's a
miracle he survived. He's going to have a long road ahead
of him. He and his Chief of Staff. The physical
wounds will heal, but the emotional ones… Those will
take a lot longer."
***
Jed glanced at the clock beside his bed then stared at the wall.
He wished the room had a window so he could see the sun rise.
He turned his head and smiled at the nurse who was busying
herself adjusting his IV. She returned it, shyly. She headed for
the door, then paused.
"Is there anything you need, Mr. President?"
"Is my wife out there?"
"Yes, sir. She was here while you were sleeping. She went to
check on Mr. McGarry a little while ago. She's waiting to come
back in."
"That's the only thing I need."
"Yes, sir." She hesitated again, her hand on the door.
"Mr. President, I just want you to know, we're all very
proud of you."
Jed gave her a self-depreciating look. "I didn't exactly do
much."
The nurse flushed. "You were so brave, the way
you…" She trailed off. "We're all really
proud." She ducked out the door before he could respond.
He puzzled over her remark, wondering what people could possibly
be proud of. That he survived? That he was dumb enough to get
caught? That he got five agents killed? Five good men and women.
He sighed and rubbed his forehead with his left hand. IV lines
caught on the bed rail and he swore, tugged at them gently before
giving up and dropping his arm back to the bed.
"Hey, pumpkin."
"Abbey!" Jed tried to sit up straighter on the reclined
bed, and froze as pain shot through him. He tried to cover it
quickly by tugging at his IV lines again.
"Jed, don't." Abbey gently untangled the lines then
slid into the chair beside him.
"I hate this." He waved vaguely to indicate all of the
tubes and wires. "I had more mobility when I was being held
prisoner."
Abbey winced. "It won't be for long."
"When are they going to take this thing out?" He
touched the chest tube.
"In a day or two. When your lung stops draining fluid."
She reached out and brushed his hair back from his forehead.
"How do you feel?"
"Like I went fifteen rounds with Mike Tyson."
"You kind of look like it too." She smiled
sympathetically. She let her hand drift down to his cheek gently
touching the bruised, swollen flesh. She looked closer at the cut
over his eye. "The stitches look good."
"How's Leo?"
"He's doing good. I stayed with him while you were in
surgery. He has a concussion and was pretty dehydrated. He's
worried about you."
"I want to see him."
"Jed, you just got out of surgery. This isn't like Rosslyn.
This is very serious. You could have died."
"Getting shot wasn't serious?"
"You know what I'm talking about."
He sighed. "I really want to see him."
"I know. Dr. Sloan is going to let him come here later
today."
"Why later?"
"He just wants him to rest a little longer. He was in here
last night while you were sleeping and he needed to sleep in a
bed. But I think he's getting tired of listening to him complain
about not seeing you, too." She smiled.
"He was here?"
"You were asleep."
"Okay." He took a careful breath. He looked down,
lifted the sheet on either side of him.
"What're you looking for?"
"The button."
She pulled on a black cord and handed him the control button for
his morphine IV. "Is the pain bad?"
"Nah…" He pressed the button. And pressed it
again. And again.
"It only works once every seven minutes, Jed."
He stared down at it. "Oh." He sighed again. "I
hate it. It wears off when I fall asleep so the pain wakes me
up."
She twined her fingers in his. "It's the only way to
regulate it so you don't get too much. Morphine can be
addictive."
"Right now, I don't really care."
"I know," she said sympathetically.
"Where's Charlie?"
"He's here. I'm sure he'll be in later."
Her tone was too casual. He narrowed his eyes. "Abbey…
What's wrong? Is he all right?"
"Jed, would you worry about yourself for a change?"
"What's wrong with Charlie?"
Abbey sighed. "He feels guilty. He saw the-"
She broke off. He narrowed his eyes. "What," he said
flatly. Saw the what?"
"It's nothing, Jed." She fussed with his pillows, the
IV lines. "That morphine should be working. You should try
to rest."
"Abbey…."
She sighed again and slumped in her seat. "You're going to
find out soon enough, I suppose." She looked around the
room, drawing out the moment, before meeting his eyes.
"There were videotapes. They sent one a day, to CNN and to
us." She drew in a deep, shuddering breath.
"God, Abbey, I'm so sorry."
She stood. "You're sorry! Damn it, Jed! Like it's your
fault! They tortured you. They almost killed you. If the price we
had to pay was to sit and watch, it was nothing compared to what
those bastards did to you!"
He reached out his hand and was surprised when she grabbed at it
almost desperately. He pulled her into a gentle embrace.
"You're going to hurt yourself," she rebuked him,
without conviction.
"Hush."
For a long moment, they just held each other, and it was enough.
Finally, she pulled back. "You really should rest. You're
exhausted."
He nodded. "Go see Charlie, would you? Talk to him. Tell him
I want to see him."
"Okay." Her fingers brushed his cheek in the lightest
of touches and she leaned over to kiss him. "I love
you."
His eyes were shining with emotion as he looked up at her.
"I love you, too." He watched her intently until the
door closed behind her. He laid his head back with a sigh and
closed his eyes.
A few moments later, they snapped open again. He looked around
and shifted uncomfortably. He wished he were at home, in his own
bed, with his wife beside him. He wished he could see Leo.
It was too quiet. Hospitals were supposed to be noisy. He
wondered who was outside, in the hall. He opened his mouth to
call the agent, then realized how ridiculous that would sound. He
squirmed a little more and clicked the button again.
The door opened and Josh looked in. "Mr. President?"
Jed smiled. "Josh! Come in." He waved him in.
Josh returned his smile. "How are you feeling, sir?"
"Exhausted, really."
Josh stopped in mid-step. "I'm sorry," he said, half
turning to go. "I should go."
"No!" Jed said a little more forcefully than he'd
intended. Josh looked at him in surprise. "I mean, I could
use the company. Sit down."
Josh nodded and sat slowly. He looked down, his eyes drawn to the
tubes. Remembered pain made his chest ache. He looked back up.
"Sir…"
Jed swallowed. "I didn't feel like being alone."
"Yeah." They sat in silence. Josh nodded toward the
button in Jed's hand. "Morphine?"
"Yeah."
"Doesn't work long enough, does it?"
Jed snorted. "No. I can't sleep." He shook his head and
scowled at himself. "How is everybody?"
"They're good. CJ's still a little shaky. She drove a truck
into the building."
Jed stared at him, his quick mind dulled somewhat by the
morphine. "She drove a truck… Oh. Really?"
"Yes sir. Ron told me. She called him then figured you guys
needed a distraction until he got there."
"What was she doing there?"
"She was with Lt. Sloan. I think they know each other from
when she lived out here."
"He was the officer that found us."
Josh nodded.
"I'd like to talk to him. To thank him."
Josh rubbed his forehead. "You don't know?"
"What?"
"He was shot."
"Oh, man." Jed sighed. "Damn. I thought I
remembered hearing shots. I saw him, for a moment. He…
Damn." He stared at the wall. "How is he?"
"He's in ICU." He took a breath. "The bullet hit
him in the back."
"God."
Josh stood. "I should go. I'm sure you need to rest."
Jed held out his right hand, heavy with the brace the orthopedic
surgeon had put on it. "Josh… Stay. Please. You're
right. I am tired. But…"
For a long minute, Josh just stared down at the floor. He
shuffled his feet. "Sir, you know all about my problems with
PTSD from the shooting. What I went through was a picnic compared
to what happened to you and Leo. You guys went through
hell." He took a deep breath. "I don't know if I'm
overstepping my bounds here, sir. But I care about you. I want to
help."
"I don't know what I'm feeling right now." Jed stared
down at his hands. Dark, ugly bruises radiated out from under the
brace on his right hand. His left wrist was wrapped in a soft
bandage, but he could still feel the cuff's bite. "I just--
I'm scared. I don't like feeling this way."
Josh sat back down beside him and leaned forward. "I know
what you mean. I hated being in that hospital, I couldn't wait to
get home. I felt so…" he searched for the right word.
He shrugged. "Vulnerable, I guess."
"Yeah." Jed's eyes were still locked on his hands.
Josh reached out and put his hand on the President's arm.
"We're here for you, sir. Whatever you need."
Finally, Jed smiled, a little. "You guys always have been,
even when I didn't deserve it."
"You always have, Mr. President." Josh swallowed hard.
He leaned back in his chair but didn't move his hand. "I'll
just hang out for a while. Zoey brought some good
magazines."
Jed met his eyes. "Thanks."
Josh just smiled. He watched as Jed's eyes closed and his
breathing evened. When he was sure the President was asleep, he
slipped the control button out of his hand and watched as the
timer reached the seven-minute mark, indicating another dose
could be administered. He pressed the button and waited.
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