Ghosts in the Smoke Part 11

Disclaimer: I don't own these lovely characters, Aaron Sorkin and his friends do.

Sam and Josh are caught in a hotel fire.

Spoilers: Everything up through The Leadership Breakfast (set two days later)

Archive: Anywhere you want, just please e-mail me Partnrpal@aol.com

Ghosts in the Smoke

By Mer

Part 11

C.J.’s Office

“C.J. do you really think that something bad is going to happen to them? I mean something that could delay my trip?” Toby asked.

“They are already trapped in a fire, what else could go wrong? And if you hadn’t of tried to show Ann Stark who was boss you wouldn’t have to go on the trip. Why did you do that again anyway?” C.J. asked.

“I don’t know.” Toby said as he began to pace around her office.

“Toby, we just have to be prepared…I’m not saying that anything is going to happen, but we have to be prepared. That’s why your trip has been pushed back a little, so you can be here just in case I need help.” C.J. explained quietly.

“I know because a reporter will ask a stupid question and I’ll have to help you play spin doctor.” Toby said icily.

“Toby, I’m the press secretary it’s my job to prepare these kinds of statements…though usually we don’t get to watch them happen live.” C.J. said.

“I know.” Toby said pausing his pacing to look at the window.

“I should be the one to die.” Sam screamed through the television.

“What the hell?” Toby said as he turned and looked back up at the television in time to see Sam being loaded into an ambulance.

“How did they get that close? And Sam looks like hell.” C.J. commented angrily.

“Well, he has been trapped in a fire C.J.” Toby snapped.

“That’s not what I meant.” C.J. protested.

“Where are they taking him to?” Toby asked anxiously.

“I don’t know…Georgetown maybe?” C.J. stated gently.

“Sam looks like he snapped…do you suppose that something happened to Josh? I mean do you suppose he’s dead?” Toby asked in a quiet voice.

“I don’t know.” C.J. answered scanning the screen for signs of Josh.

“Sam would know. Oh God, C.J. I have to go to him. I have to help him through this. I need to become his best friend.” Toby stated as he jumped up.

“Toby!” C.J. exclaimed.

“I didn’t mean it like that and I think you know that. I just meant that Sam looks like he needs a friend right now. He’s just been through hell C.J.” Toby said as he ran out of her office.

“Do you mean he went through hell or you went through hell without him?” C.J. muttered to herself.

D.C. Hilton

After Sam had been successfully rescued, some more debris came crashing down. It wasn’t anything major but it slowed the remaining fire fighters from bringing Josh down. They were just starting to pull Josh out of the stairwell when Sam was being loaded into the ambulance.

However before they could go downstairs it was determined that their exit wasn’t safe and they now were all effectively trapped on the fifth floor, but outside of the stairwell. There had been some concern that this might happen so a large cushion had been placed on one side of the building so that they could jump down, this would have worked if Josh hadn’t been so injured, they weren’t about to toss him out of the window when he couldn’t prepare himself for the landing.

“Uh Chief we have ourselves a problem here.” Kenny said into the radio.

“What would that be? Can’t you guys just jump down?” Fire Chief Davis asked.

“Um, we can but the guy who was trapped in here can’t, he’s too severely injured.” Kenny replied.

“And he probably can’t walk down a ladder can he?” Fire Chief Davis asked.

“No, he can’t.” Kenny replied sadly.

“Okay you guys just hold tight, while we figure out the best way to do this.” Fire Chief Davis replied.

Jason and the other firefighter looked up at Kenny. Kenny knew what they were thinking and he tried to dismiss that option. He looked down at Josh who seemed like he was really struggling to stay alive.

“He hasn’t survived this long to let us, abandon him now.” Kenny said tersely.

“I know but we can’t save everybody Kenny.” Jason replied softly.

“Jason has a point there.” The other firefighter said.

“Jimmy that’s not an option right now okay? As long as the fire is contained to that stairwell for now we have bought ourselves some time.” Kenny protested.

“I guess your right. And you saw how crazy that other guy was getting when he was pulled out first. I think he would kill us if we left him behind to die.” Jason remarked.

“Yeah. Not to mention the President.” Kenny agreed.

Georgetown E.R.

“Patient was caught in that hotel fire at the Hilton, is very delirious, we had to give him something to calm him down. Kept screaming that he should be the one to die.” A paramedic said as they wheeled Sam into the E.R.

“Does he know his name or anything like that?” A doctor asked.

“We couldn’t get him to say anything except he should be the one to die.” The paramedic replied.

“He sure looks familiar though.” The doctor stated.

“Yeah he works for the White House.” The paramedic replied before he turned to go back to his rig.

“The White House huh? Great that means I am going to be hounded.” The doctor grumbled to himself.

They moved Sam on to the examining table. He was a little dazed but the drug was beginning to wear off. He began to struggle as the doctors and nurses worked around him.

“Hi I’m Dr. Magus. Can you tell me your name?” Dr. Magus said as he tried to listen to Sam’s chest.

“Sam. Sam Seaborn.” Sam replied groggily.

“Decreased breath sounds, probably due from smoke inhalation.. Dr. Magus called out to nurse who jotted something on a chart.

“Sam can you tell us what happened?” A nurse asked trying to be helpful.

“There was a fire…Josh is still in there. You have to get him out. I promised him that I wouldn’t leave him. You have to get him out.” Sam said trying to fight the medical staff again.

“Sam we need you to calm down. They are working on getting Josh out right now.” Dr. Magus soothed.

“You have to get him out.” Sam kept repeating and there were tears rolling down his cheeks.

“What’s wrong?” The nurse asked.

“He’s probably starting to go into shock from his leg wound. Leaving behind his friend probably is triggering a guilt complex. But from the look of his keg he needs surgery. Get Dr. Andrews from Ortho down here now.” Dr. Magus stated.

“I’m already here.” Dr. Andrews said as he came through the door.

“Look at his leg.” Dr. Magus said as he pointed to Sam’s leg.

“Yup, definitely needs surgery. Why is he yelling?” Dr. Andrews asked.

“He was in that hotel fire. We think he’s either going into shock or he inhaled a little too much smoke.” Dr. Magus said.

“Probably both. Call up and make sure that there is an O.R. ready.” Dr. Andrews said.

“Shouldn’t you wait until he’s a little more stable?” Dr. Magus asked.

“Ideally yes but an infection has probably already set in and I don’t want to have to amputate his leg if I don’t have too.” Dr. Andrews replied.

“Amputate his leg?” Toby yelled as he barged into the room.

“Josh?” Sam cried out hopefully.

“No Sam it’s me Toby.” Toby apologized.

“They have to get him out!” Sam cried.

“Sir, who are you and what do you think you’re doing in here?” Dr. Magus asked.

“I’m Toby Ziegler and I work with Sam.” Toby replied.

“Well, Sam needs to go to surgery and I guess you can come up if you want.” Dr. Andrews said.

“Are you going to amputate his leg?” Toby asked as he avoided looking at it.

“Not if I can help it.” Dr. Andrews replied as they started to wheel Sam up to surgery.

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