Ghosts in the Smoke part 32

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 32

The Oval Office

“Mr. President you have a one o’clock budget meeting and...” Charlie began.

“I’m going to rip him apart. I swear that if all of this is true!!” Jed ranted ignoring Charlie’s reading of the schedule.

“Senator Herman sir?” Charlie asked.

“No Abraham Lincoln, of course I meant Senator Herman. I don’t know who he thinks he is, but they had better make damn sure that this doesn’t happen again, or I’m not signing another congressional bill.” Jed raved.

“Mr. President, with all due respect but I highly doubt that this was Congress’s doing.” Charlie interjected.

“Well, I gotta blame somebody and it’s easier to blame all of them. How could they not know what he was up to?” Jed asked.

“They are trying to find out that information out right now, sir.” Charlie assured him.

“What’s next are they going to try and bomb the White House?” Jed asked.

“I think that....” Charlie began but was cut off.

“How could we have not seen this coming? Tell me that we would be able to stop a bomb before it reached the White House. We are able to at least still do that aren’t we?” Jed asked.

“I would hope so, sir.” Charlie answered.

“Well, I suppose that is comforting.” Jed retorted. “Did you have time to check on their conditions yet?”

“Sir, I called the agents at the hospital like you wanted and they reported that there hasn’t been any change in either Josh or Sam’s condition.” Charlie admitted sadly.

“They are both like my sons you know? You are two for that matter. I just don’t know if this administration can really handle being without them for to long.” Jed stated quietly.

“I think everyone here agrees with that assessment, sir.” Charlie replied.

“Push back my budget meeting a little, I want to go up and sit with Donna for a few moments.” Jed stated.

“Sir...” Charlie objected.

“Please Charlie don’t fight me today.” Jed urged and he walked towards the residence without waiting for a response.

Georgetown Hospital-Sam's Room

"Do you feel better now Sam?" Toby asked after a few moments of silence.

"It kind of feels like a huge burden has been lifted off of my shoulders. I can think of him now without being extremely angry." Sam replied.

"That's a step in the right direction I guess." Toby admitted.

“Toby how’s Josh? I mean aside from the new bruises I gave him?” Sam asked quietly.

“He’s still in a coma Sam. They don’t know how long it will take him to wake up.” Toby admitted.

“But he will wake up right? I mean he’s not going to die is he?” Sam asked.

“I think they are pretty sure that he will wake up. His body just needs some extra time to heal.” Toby assured him, not sure himself if the answer he was giving was a lie or not..

“Yeah I guess.” Sam replied with a sigh.

"Excuse me but what are you doing here?" Dr. Bleuer asked as she came into the room.

"I am a friend of Sam's…" Toby began.

“He’s my friend. Please don’t get too mad at him.” Sam interceded.

"May I speak with your friend in the hall for a moment please?" Dr. Bleuer asked coldly.

“Toby?” Sam questioned.

"I'll be right back Sam." Toby assured him.

"Okay." Sam replied, fearing that Dr. Bleuer wasn't going to allow Toby to come back in.

Dr. Bleuer marched out of Sam’s room like a woman on a mission. She knew that she was just moments away from being pulled off of Sam’s case. But she also knew that Toby wasn’t aware of this yet, so she could still extract a little bit of authority.

"Mr. Seaborn is in a very fragile condition right now. Just a few hours ago he attacked a comatose man and gave him a bunch of new injuries including a black eye. His behavior has been described as erratic and he is a danger to others. What the hell were you doing in his room without permission?" Dr. Bleuer demanded.

"Doctor, I'm not quite sure who you are but I work with Sam and…" Toby began but was cut off.

"You work with him so it means you can disregard any of the rules that I set in place? I can't believe this. I mean I know that he works for the White House but he is still my patient and he still has some severe mental problems." Dr. Bleuer scolded.

"Doctor, I believe that I got through to Sam today." Toby replied.

"Oh you think you got through to him huh? Just how naïve do you think you are? Problems like his can't be solved with a snap of the fingers. I thought people who work for the President are supposed to be smarter than that." Dr. Bleuer ranted.

"I'm sorry, but I really think I helped him." Toby protested.

"Well, I will just see about that." Dr. Bleuer stated as she stormed back into Sam's room.

The door slammed menacingly behind her, Sam who had been trying to hear their conversation startled on the bed. Dr. Bleuer just glared at him. Since he hadn't died like he was supposed to, it was her job to destroy his spirit, which she couldn't very well do if he got better on his own.

"I'm sorry for what I did to Josh." Sam said quietly.

"What?" Dr. Bleuer said as she stopped fuming for a moment and looked at him.

"I'm sorry that I attacked Josh. I know now that it was wrong." Sam replied looking down at the blanket on his bed.

"You now know that it was wrong? I thought you didn't remember it?" Dr. Bleuer asked.

"I started to remember pieces of what happened. I know that I knocked C.J. down too. She looked really scared. I made her scared of me. I need to apologize.” Sam stated.

Dr. Bleuer stared at Sam. He had been crazy just a few hours earlier, partly because she had injected him with an experimental drug after his initial outburst. The drug was supposed to keep him in the delusional state that he was already in. Apparently, it hadn’t worked and Sam was showing remorse. Dr. Bleuer was very unpleased.

“That’s right Sam you do need to apologize.” She stated after a few moments.

“I need to see Josh again too. I need to apologize to him as well.” Sam stated softly.

“I’m afraid that I can’t let you do that. You aren’t ready to see him yet.” Dr. Bleuer replied.

“I understand.” Sam murmured.

“What did your friend say to you?” Dr. Bleuer asked.

“A lot of things I needed to hear.” Sam said acting a little leery of his doctor.

“Are you still hearing any voices?” Dr. Bleuer asked.

“No, I let go of him.” Sam replied.

“You let go of him?” Dr. Bleuer shrieked.

“Wasn’t that part of my problem?” Sam asked.

“Yes.” Dr. Bleuer admitted slowly.

“So that means I’m cured right?” Sam asked.

“Not so fast.” Dr. Bleuer replied, trying to think of a way to turn Sam back into the shell of a man that he had been earlier.

“What else do I need to do?” Sam asked.

“I really came here to tell you that your friend Josh, just died.” Dr. Bleuer stated gently.

“Josh is dead?” Sam’s voice cracked with emotion.

“Yes, I’m very sorry for your loss. Your friend just didn’t have the guts to tell you.” Dr. Bleuer consoled.

“It’s all my fault. And why didn’t Toby tell me? Why couldn’t he tell me that I killed Josh?” Sam moaned.

“Why yes, Sam of course it is. Your friend died because he thought that you had abandoned him.” Dr. Bleuer taunted, in Matt like fashion..

“Toby lied to me. How dare he do that? And I broke a promise to Josh that I swore I would never break and now he’s dead.” Sam moaned nearly in tears.

“Uh huh and now his death is on your shoulders.” Dr. Bleuer replied as she watched the composed Sam turn back into the out of control one he was a few hours earlier.

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