Ghosts In the Smoke Part 3

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 3

D.C. Hilton

"This hallway is really smokey." Sam stated absently, though it was muffled by the towel.

"Uh huh." Josh mumbled in reply.

They reached the stairwell and Sam opened the fire door. Josh felt a sudden urge to run down the stairs at full speed. The smoke and the smoke alarms weren't helping him any. The smoke alarm was starting to sound dangerously like sirens. Josh could feel himself losing control of the situation.

"Leo's gonna blame this on us you know." Sam said once they began to ascend down the stairs.

"Uh..." Josh replied really at a loss for words.

"You okay?" Sam asked, stopping to look at his friend.

"Yeah." Josh lied though the visions and flashbacks were starting to get worse.

"It'll be okay, we just got to go down a few more flights." Sam assured him.

A loud cracking noise sounded before Josh could respond. Sam kind of saw it coming and he ran down the stairs a little faster. He suddenly lost his footing and he fell onto a landing. He heard his right leg crack underneath him. Wincing he concluded that it was broken as debris from the collapsed ceiling rained down on him. He also realized that their means of escape had been effectively blocked.

Josh on the other hand had no seen the ceiling cave way so he was unprepared when a piece of debris sliced through his shoulder. This knocked him off balance and he smacked the side of his head on the railing before landing near Sam. Likewise, debris rained down on him too.

"Josh, are you okay?" Sam asked in a pained voice once the debris stopped falling.

Sam got no response. He realized that most of the debris could be pushed off so he cleared himself off and he began to clear off Josh as well. He recoiled his hand back once he began to touch the blood on Josh's shoulder. Sam stared at his bloody hand for a moment and then he saw the puddle of blood that was forming near Josh. This was not good.

The Oval Office

"Toby, I really like what you guys have done with the State of the Union Address so far." Jed Bartlet said once he handed Toby back his rough draft.

"Thank you, sir." Toby replied.

"But I still need you to go to Kanas City." Jed replied as he noticed Toby's face fall.

"Can't you send Sam or something?" Toby asked, in a voice that was dangerously close to a whine.

"No. I'm sorry, you know why I have to send you." Jed said in an apologetic voice.

"I know because of what happened with Ann Stark." Toby replied somewhat bitterly.

"Partly yes." Jed nodded.

"Mr. President, I'm sorry to interrupt." Charlie said as he handed him a note.

"A fire at the D.C. Hilton huh. Thank you Charlie, but do you know why this is so important?" Jed asked confused.

"Josh and Sam had to go to some charity auction, do you think it could be that?" Toby asked helpfully.

"If those two started another fire...Charlie who sent you in with this?" Jed asked.

"Leo did, sir. I think Toby was right." Charlie said softly.

"Have we tried to call them?" Jed asked.

"I don't know, sir." Charlie answered slowly.

"Get Leo in here and C.J. if she hasn't already left for the day." Jed ordered.

"Yes, sir." Charlie replied as he left the room.

"I'm sure they are all right." Toby assured him.

"I hope so." Jed said slowly.

D.C. Hilton

"Josh, you have to wake up." Sam begged.

"I tried to save you Joanie." Josh replied as he opened his eyes.

"Um...okay." Sam replied.

"Please don't hate me." Josh said sitting up.

"Oh my God." Sam said as he noticed the cut on Josh's forehead as well.

"I won't let you die this time." Josh said as he jumped up and began clawing at the rubble with his good arm.

"Josh sit down." Sam ordered sternly.

"I'm sorry, Joanie." Josh replied practically sobbing.

He sat back down and Sam gently pulled of f Josh's tux jacket. Then Sam used one of the towels and he wrapped it tightly around Josh's shoulder. Josh never flinched even when he pulled it really tight. Sam assessed the other wound and realized it wasn't that bad, but could be part of the reason that Josh was calling him Joanie.

"Josh, we are going to get out of here." Sam assured him.

"I feel like such a failure." Josh replied softly.

"You're not a failure." Sam assured him.

"I let you die." Josh replied.

Sam was still trying to figure out what the hell Josh was talking about when he heard his cell phone ring. He reached into his pocket, but noticed that the ringing was coming deep within the ruble. He sighed and he decided to let it go. He did however pick up Josh's phone when it started to ring.

"Sam Seaborn." Sam said into the phone.

"Sam, where are you guys?" Leo asked.

"Trapped in a stairwell. My phone is buried." Sam explained.

"Are you okay?" Leo asked.

"I think my leg might be broken." Sam hesitated.

"Sam, what's wrong?" Leo asked.

"Joanie, I'm so sorry." Josh muttered.

"Who was that?" Leo asked.

"Josh." Sam replied slowly.

"Is he okay? Why is he talking about his sister?" Leo asked.

"Oh that explains that part." Sam replied.

"Sam is he okay? Is he having another breakdown or something?" Leo asked.

"He hurt his shoulder and its bleeding pretty bad. He also hit his head. I don't know if its from shock or what but he keeps going on about Joanie. He thinks I'm her. Something about not being able to save her." Sam replied.

"Sam, Joanie was his sister. She died when he was six or seven. Hasn't Josh ever told you about her?" Leo asked quietly.

"Now that you mention it I think he did. Didn't he run from a fire and she didn't make it?" Sam asked.

"He thought she was right behind him, and when he realized she wasn't it was too late." Leo replied.

"The smoke is really starting to get bad now." Sam said as he began to cough.

"Where are you?" Leo asked.

"In the stairwell between the sixth and..." Sam said before the cell phone went dead.

Leo's Office

"Sam!! Between what floors?" Leo asked before he heard a click in his ear.

"What is it?" Jed said as he entered Leo's office.

"They are trapped in a stairwell. Sam thinks his leg is broken and Josh is bleeding pretty badly from a shoulder wound. He's also not very coherent." Leo replied.

"Okay, would someone kindly tell me what's going on? I just got ambushed about some fire." C.J. said as she burst angrily into Leo's office.

"Josh and Sam are caught in a hotel fire." Jed said gently.

"I thought you told them not to play with matches anymore." C.J. joked.

"This is serious, C.J." Leo said as he turned her attention to a television set.

"They are okay right?" C.J. asked as she saw a picture of a hotel that had the top two floors collapsed on to the floors below.

"They are trapped in a stairwell." Jed said slowly.

"Are they okay?" C.J. asked softly.

"Their injuries appear to be minor...but they are trapped about here." Leo said as he pointed to an area on the television screen.

"The fire is right on top of them." C.J. shrieked.

"They are going to be okay." Jed assured.

"Leo, the fire marshals just told me..." Toby started as he entered the room but stopped once he saw C.J.

"He told you what?" C.J. demanded.

"It could take hours before they can get them out." Toby said softly.

"But can they put the fire out?" C.J. shrieked.

"Hopefully." Jed replied gently.

"Hopefully? They better do better than hopefully." C.J. exclaimed.

"We hope so to." Leo stated softly.

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