Ghosts in the Smoke Part 20

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 20
Georgetown Hospital-Cafeteria

"Toby you gotta stop blaming yourself for this. You know that even if you had protested to Leo that he probably wouldn't have let them off of the hook." C.J. soothed.

"I just feel so bad. He kicked me out of his room C.J. He thinks that I want to replace Josh." Toby replied.

"Gee I wonder why." C.J. said rolling her eyes a little.

"I never told Sam about that conversation." Toby replied.

"Yeah but Toby he's gotta notice that you aren't acting like yourself. In fact you're acting downright friendly." C.J. joked.

"Shut up." Toby replied.

"See look the moment has past." C.J. replied as Toby made a face.

"Ms. Cregg and Mr. Ziegler you are needed back in the waiting room." A secret service agent interrupted.

"By who's order?" C.J. asked.

"The President's ma'am." The agent replied.

Georgetown Hospital- Waiting Room

Everyone heard through various outlets around the hospital that something had happened when Jed was in Sam's room. So they all met in the waiting room. Abbey make a quick check with medical personnel about Josh and Sam before she arrived.

"Guys, nothing major happened." Jed assured once he saw the looks on all of their faces.

"Then what happened? I mean the agents said that you wanted to see us all in here. Why did you wants to see us if nothing happened?" C.J. asked.

"He just had to be sedated, that's all." Abbey said gently.

"What do you mean that Sam had to be sedated? What happened? And how does that not qualify as something major?" Toby exclaimed once they had all gathered back in the waiting room.

"He was just freaking out, so they gave him some medicine to help him sleep." Jed replied, trying to act as if the whole thing hadn't scared him half to death.

"He has an infection which is making him a little delirious. This is not an uncommon occurrence for people in similar situations as Sam is in right now." Abbey soothed.

"He's just delirious because he needs to see Josh. Can't you just let him see that Josh is still alive or something?" Toby asked in a desperate tone.

"Yes, but that isn't possible right now. Toby, you know that is impossible because it would only freak Sam out even more. Sam is delirious because of an infection, not because he needs to see Josh." Abbey countered, and the tension that filled the room was so thick they could cut it with a knife.

"But Sam's going to be okay right? I mean is he going to have to lose his leg or not?" C.J. asked, trying to break the tension.

"They are pretty confident that he will be able to keep his leg, but they can't promise anything. Guys, you all just need to relax. Go home and get some sleep." Abbey urged, silently praying that they would listen to her.

"No." They unanimous replied.

"Sam should sleep through the rest of the night. There is nothing more that you can do here tonight. So just go home and get some rest." Abbey replied.

"What about Josh isn't he still in surgery? I mean isn't him still being in surgery a reason enough for us to stay?" Leo asked.

"Yeah I guess it is." Abbey replied, cursing softly under her breath because Leo had played the surgery trump card.

She looked over at Donna after saying that and saw that Donna was trying very hard to hold it together. From a quick glance around the room, she could tell that everyone else wasn't in much better shape. They all were at their wits end, worrying about their two friends. But all trying to pretend like they were cool as cucumbers. It was times like these when Abbey wished she had never gone to med school.

"Why did they kick us out of the Observation Room?" Jed asked, causing Abbey abruptly come out of her thoughts.

"Because not all doctors like being watched and you guys were only supposed to be in there for a little while." Abbey lied, hoping her unexpected answer was at least a decent lie.

"Abbey…" Jed warned in a tone that told her that he had, seen through her lie.

"There were just some minor complications, but everything is fine now. They didn't want to freak you guys out." Abbey replied, still withholding the truth, but having thought out the lie more carefully.

"Sam was right, Josh is dead isn't he?" Toby asked.

"Toby, as far as I know Josh isn't dead." Abbey replied hoping that nothing else had gone wrong in the past couple of minutes.

"But he could be because we don't know when you last talked to his doctor. Sam is going to go even more nuts! He needs to hear more than mere speculation that Josh is still alive. He needs concrete proof." Toby exploded.

"Toby she never said that Josh was dead." Donna said quietly.

"She never said for sure that he is alive either. He could've died for all that we know. Doctors are only human, they can't save every life. Only people like you are stupid enough to believe that a doctor is God." Toby snapped.

"I never said that a doctor was God." Donna replied in a very calm and even voice.

"Yeah well you sure as hell act like it. You have that same hope that you had last time he needed surgery. I'm sorry to be the one to tell you this but Josh can't live forever. And we have no idea what kind of a hell it was for them both tonight. Hell, Sam is so messed up that he needs to be sedated. He acts like his health depends on whether Josh lives or dies. And Josh on the other hand, could go to the brink and decide not to come back. I mean he doesn't really have anything to look forward too. It's not like you told him how you felt about him. If Josh dies he will die because he didn't think you loved him the way that he loves you. Glad it's going on your conscious and not mine." Toby sneered.

"Toby, that's enough." Jed warned.

"I'm sure she's not as fragile as she looks. Hell she puts up with more yelling from Josh than she's getting from me right now. I just think that she's gonna have to learn someday that…" Toby began but was interrupted.

"Toby, in the hallway now." Leo ordered.

"I'm just saying…" Toby protested.

"Hallway now." Leo repeated angrily.

"Do you want me to come with?" Jed asked once Toby had left the room.

"No, I'll handle this. And Donna…" Leo said as he paused before the doorway.

"Yes." Donna asked shakily.

"Don't mind him okay?" Leo asked softly.

"Okay." Donna replied, as Leo walked out into the hallway and slammed the door behind him.

"To be a fly on the wall of that conversation." C.J. mumbled aloud.

"Oh I highly doubt that we need to be a fly." Jed replied as the sound of Leo's yelling filled the room.

Georgetown Hospital-just outside the waiting room

"Just what the hell is your problem tonight?" Leo yelled.

"You have to ask that?" Toby snapped.

"Toby, I don't know what the hell has gotten in to you. I mean you are going nuts about Sam. First you're all concerned about him and then you try and buddy yourself up with him so that you are his new best friend. And when he kicks you out you still don't get why. He can see through your act. And I want to know what is going on?" Leo asked.

"Nothing is going on." Toby mumbled.

"Why do I find that hard to believe? I mean you just yelled at Donna in front of a room full of people. Wait, I take that back, you didn't yell you tried to demoralize her. You made her think that having hope that Josh would survive was futile. Toby, he's just as important to this administration as Josh is. I know that you are worried about Sam but you have to tone it down a little bit. I will not take you yelling at other staff members just because you don't agree with how they feel inside." Leo reprimanded.

"I'm sorry." Toby replied hollowly.

"I think you need to go home and get some rest." Leo suggested sternly.

"I need to be here for Sam." Toby protested.

"Not in the mood you're in, you don't. I order you to come home and not to come back until you can act like a human being. And I will not accept no for an answer." Leo warned.

"Yes, sir." Toby replied.

"Oh and another thing I do not want to see you until after ten a.m. That should give you plenty of time to cool off. But if you pull another stunt like you just did, so help me if you get to keep your job. Do you understand?" Leo threatened.

"Yes." Toby nodded and he walked away dejectedly.

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