Ghosts in the Smoke Part 35

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 35

D.C. Police Department

“May I help you sir?” A receptionist asked as she saw Leo.

“I need to talk with one of the officers in charge of investigating the hotel fire last night.” Leo replied.

“That would be Detective James, he’s right over there.” The receptionist replied as she pointed over to a detective hunched over a desk.

“Excuse me, Detective James?” Leo asked as the detective looked up.

“That would be me. How can I help you?” The detective asked.

“My name is Leo McGarry. I am the White House Chief of Staff and I need to speak with you about the fire last night.” Leo began.

“Well, I have to work that case along with the FBI since it involved some government employees. Why they couldn't have just died I will never know. But anyway I need to have someone from the FBI with me. Would you let me call Agent Davidson so I don’t get charged with leaving him out of the loop?” The detective asked, and it was clear to Leo that he disliked government employees.

“That would be fine, but I think you should know that I am the boss of the two people who were injured last night.” Leo said in a voice that warned him that his previous comment about Josh and Sam was uncalled for.

“I see, then I definitely need to talk with you.” Detective James replied before picking up the phone and calling Agent Davidson.

Agent Davidson arrived a few minutes later and then they moved into a interview room. Leo wasn’t sure what they thought about him but he didn’t care. He had nothing to do with what happened except for making the mistake of agreeing to send Josh and Sam to the hotel.

“How can we help you?” Agent Davidson said after they had sat down.

“I understand that Sam Seaborn and Josh Lyman weren’t supposed to make it out of the hotel last night. That has been made even clearer to me today because it is obvious that someone still wants them dead.” Leo replied being sure not to mention Senator Herman's name because of the anger that he knew would come with it.

“Why do you say that?” Detective James asked, though it was clear that he meant, how do you know that.

“Both have had strange incidents happen to them at the hospital, and I think that someone in the hospital is involved." Leo replied.

"I highly doubt that this is a conspiracy." Detective James muttered.

"I understand that Josh is in a coma, and they aren't sure that he is going to make it, is that true?" Agent Davidson asked, ignoring the detective's comment.

"Yes, but his doctor told me today that there is no medical reason for his coma." Leo replied.

"That doesn't necessarily mean that someone else caused it, does it?" Detective James asked.

"No, but the doctor was pretty sure that someone had." Leo replied.

"Okay is that the strange incident that happened with Josh?" Agent Davidson asked making notes on a notepad as he spoke.

"Yes." Leo replied.

"And what has happened with Sam?" Agent Davidson asked.

"His doctor has been making his condition worse. He's being driven insane." Leo replied.

"And you have proof of this?" Detective James asked.

"Yes, I even have a witness. If you don't believe me talk with the first lady. She also has reached this conclusion." Leo answered.

"Okay, we will look in to that in a little bit. There are a few questions that we needed to ask you, and since you are here we might as well ask them now." Agent Davidson replied once he looked up from his writing.

"Okay." Leo answered.

"What made you send them both to the hotel?" Detective James asked.

"Sam was at a meeting with Senator Herman over some votes that we needed for a bill. Josh was supposed to go with him, but never got the message. Anyway, Sam angered the Senator by spouting off his mouth. When he called later he said that he would give us his vote on the bill and make sure that his couple of friends would too if Josh and Sam attended this charity function that he was supposed to be having." Leo answered.

"So to get votes you sent to of your employees to the D.C. Hilton?" Detective James asked.

"Yes, and I have specifically told them not to piss the senator off so I thought that they deserved it." Leo replied.

"Did you know that there wasn't really an event planned?" Agent Davidson asked.

"No I did not. I normally would have checked up on it a little bit more but I was mad at them and I didn't have much time to check." Leo replied.

"So you had no idea that they were about to walk into a trap?" Detective James asked, in a disbelieving voice.

"Josh is like a son to me, I have known him all of his life. And Sam is kind of like one too. I would never have sent them if I even had any inkling of what was going to happen." Leo replied a little put off by what he was being accused of.

"When did you find out that it was a set-up?" Agent Davidson asked.

"Earlier this morning when the director of the FBI told me, but there was some suspicion last night." Leo replied. "When did you talk to the director of the FBI?" Detective James asked. "This morning when he briefed the President I was right there in the room with him." Leo replied a little upset.

"Is that normal?" Detective James asked Agent Davidson.

"Yes, the FBI director keeps the President as up to date as possible on high level events." Agent Davidson replied.

"Look, I'm sorry but I have to get back to work. Would you please look into the hospital? Sam's doctor is a woman named Allie Bleuer." Leo replied.

"We will get right on that." Agent Davidson replied as Leo got up and left the room.

"Do you think he's hiding something?" Detective James asked.

"Are you that much of a moron? Do you really think that someone from the White House if in on this?" Agent Davidson asked.

"Hey stranger things have happened." Detective James replied.

Georgetown Hospital-Josh's Room

"Hey Josh I meant to tell you that I saw Donna earlier. She's a wreck, I guess her life revolves around running yours." Sarah said with a small laugh.

She had been sitting by his bedside for a little while. Some tears had fallen down her cheeks but for the most part, she had ignored them. She had once read somewhere that talking to a coma patient sometimes relaxes them and can make them wake up faster. She looked over at Josh's face but he still was sound asleep.

"I know that you help to run the country and all and that you get many nights of little or no sleep. I know that you are probably trying to make up for all of that lost time, but it doesn't work like that sweetheart. Oh Josh there are so many things that I wish I could tell you, so many things that you need to hear." Sarah stated softly.

She rubbed the hand of Josh's that she was holding a little to get it warmer. They said that he had begun to develop an infection along with everything else. But to her it didn't feel like he had a fever. It felt like he had a cold.

"Josh do you remember when you were about four and you had the chicken pox? Joanie had a school musical that you really wanted to attend. And we said that you couldn't go because you had the chicken pox and you had a fever? Do you remember what you did? Do you remember that you snuck into the back of our station wagon before we left and you fell asleep? We were scared to death that something had happened to you, but then your father got back in the car to drive around the block and look for you, you started crying because you were scared?" Sarah asked.

She looked up and saw the same sleepy expression on his face that had been there all day. She sighed a little. But then she had to start laughing at the memory. Noah had brought Josh into the house and he acted like he had been in his bed the whole time.

"You really scared me that day. Just like you are scaring me now. I wish that you would just open your eyes and tell that it was all a big misunderstanding. I wish that you would just say that you were playing hide and go seek with me again." Sarah whispered softly.

Fresh tears rolled down her cheeks as she remembered the last time that she had heard that phrase. They had just told Josh that Joanie wasn't coming back. And he looked up at them and asked if Joanie was could come back and play hide and go seek with him. He didn't begin to cry until after he realized that Joanie would never play games with him again.

"Please Josh, please don't go to her yet. Please wake up. You've got plenty of friends here that I'm sure would humor you in playing a game of hide and go seek." Sarah whispered. "Please wake up soon."

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