Unwelcomed Changes Part 24

Unwelcomed Changes

By Mer

Part 24

Rosslyn Long-Term Care-Sam’s Room

The next morning

Sam had all night to stew about what Mandy had said. He knew with deep regret that what he had done was wrong. He also hated the fact that Mandy had been right. He knew that he was going to owe her one big time.

Sam arranged to visit with Dr. Winters his head doctor. He hoped that he would be able to convince him to go over to Georgetown and wait for news on Josh with his friends. He knew that it would be a tough sell, but he had the skills to do it.

He also knew that he did need to get some help. His outbursts had hurt too many people for them just to be forgiven outright. And the fact that he had the capacity to do such a thing boggled his mind. He was going to need at least some sort of counseling.

“Well, well, well.” A voice said as the door to Sam’s room opened.

“Senator Herman.” Sam replied as he felt a chill go up his spine.

“Glad to see that at least your memory wasn’t affected by the fire.” Senator Herman replied.

“Aren’t you supposed to be in prison?” Sam asked.

“Supposed to be is the key word.” Senator Herman replied.

“What do you want from me?” Sam asked.

“I’ve come here to distract you.” Senator Herman replied.

“Why?” Sam asked.

“Because I don’t want your friends to know the truth about you, they are already worrying enough about Josh. You wouldn’t want them to divert their worrying by hating you for what you have done, so you?” Senator Herman asked.

“That wasn’t my intention.” Sam replied.

“Sure it wasn’t. Sam I don’t know if you remember but I tried to have you killed once, what’s to stop me from trying to do it again?” Senator Herman asked.

There was a long pause in the room. Sam knew that the Senator was a sick man who had almost succeeded in getting Josh and himself killed. And since he was out of prison there was nothing that would be able to stop him.

“Nothing I guess.” Sam replied bitterly.

“Good answer.” Senator Herman replied with an evil smile.

“So you are planning on killing us both then?” Sam asked.

“Nature is probably going to kill Josh on its own.” Senator Herman replied with an evil smirk, though he silently added that paying a doctor off wasn’t going to hurt.

“What have you done?” Sam asked.

“You’ll find out in due time.” Senator Herman replied.

“What do you want from me?” Sam asked.

“For you to allow yourself to be committed to the mental hospital, to have your career taken away from me the way that mine was taken away.” Senator Herman replied.

“Yours deserved to be taken away. To tried to kill the both of us and then poison us once you didn’t succeed the first time.” Sam protested.

“That part was all my sister’s doing. But since I was locked up I decided that it would have been a good plan if it had worked. And as for the fact that my career deserved to be taken away, I’ve come to believe that so does yours. And I know just the plan that will do it.” Senator Herman replied.

“What makes you think that I will go along with your plan?” Sam asked.

“I have my ways of getting what I want. I mean you all fell hook line and sinker for that charity scam, you think that I won’t be able to pull that off again?” Senator Herman asked.

“They will be alerted to your escape. You are a marked man this time.” Sam replied.

“That’s the beauty of it. Sam you are already a demented, crazy man and they are never going to believe your rantings even if they are true.” Senator Herman replied with a smile.

“You’ll never get away with this.” Sam protested.

“Watch me.” Senator Herman replied.

The Senator leaned closer to Sam and all of a sudden Sam felt a needle being jammed into his shoulder. He tried to fight the Senator off but he couldn’t and the drug went in as it was intended to. It didn’t take Sam very long to feel some of the effects of the drug. The Senator hid in a closet as he waited for the doctor to arrive.

Dr. Winter entered the room a few minutes later and he studied Sam’s chart for a minute before speaking.

“Do you have something that you wish to say to me?” Dr. Winters asked.

Sam couldn’t respond as the drug made him powerless to move. The Senator’s response was to lunge at the doctor; he wrapped his hands tightly around the doctor’s throat. Dr. Winters tried valiantly to escape the Senator’s hold but he couldn’t. The Senator didn’t relinquish his hold on the doctor even after he stopped breathing. When he finally did the doctors limp body fell to the floor and made a sickening thud. The Senator picked the doctor back up and he wrapped Sam’s hands in the exact position that his had been on the doctor’s neck before walking away.

A nurse entered the room a few minutes later and her screams echoed throughout the ward. She became afraid of Sam who was just starting to get his mobility back. And it wasn’t until she had left the room that Sam realized how much trouble he was going to be in.

Georgetown Hospital-Waiting Room

Leo, Sarah, Donna. C.J, Toby, and Abbey were all anxiously waiting for news on Josh’s condition. Charlie made frequent calls for the President who had previous engagements that he couldn’t get out of. Casey and Mandy were left to help hold down the fort.

“Abbey do you think this operation was a wise one considering all the risks?” Leo asked.

“Leo he would have died in a few days if he didn’t have the surgery. At least it betters his chances.” Abbey replied though everyone caught the double edged meaning of her words.

The room grew quiet, once they realized that Abbey didn’t have much hope for his survival. C.J. and Donna clung to each other. Toby could only shake his head up in silent prayer.

Leo’s cell phone rang and it broke the somber silence of the room.

“Leo here.” He stated simply.

“Leo, you need to get back here and bring Toby and C.J. with you.” Charlie said hurriedly into the phone. “Donna probably needs to be brought back as well.”

“Slow down Charlie. You’re talking too fast for me to understand you. All I caught was the part about Donna. What’s wrong Charlie?” Leo asked.

“Leo, it’s Sam. One of his doctors was found strangled to death in his room.” Charlie replied slowly.

“And they think that he did it?” Leo asked not believing what he was being told.

“Leo, they found…” Charlie began.

“They found what?” Leo urged.

“They found his hands wrapped around the guys neck.” Charlie stated with deep shock in his voice.

“Charlie make sure that you alert Oliver Babish. Tell the President that we are on our way.” Leo replied somberly.

“Leo what happened?” Abbey asked.

“I can’t tell you right now. But I need C.J, Toby, and Donna to come back with me to the White House immediately.” Leo replied.

“Me too?” Donna asked.

“Donna, I know that you are worried about Josh but right now I think that Casey is going to have his hands full with this.” Leo replied.

The trio expressed their well wishes to Josh’s mom before turning and leaving the room with Leo. It wasn’t until they had reached the safety of Leo’s SUV before he told them all that he knew.

Right after the group had left, Josh’s doctor made a grim trek down the hallway. He hadn’t operated in time and Josh had died. That would be the official story that he would tell the grieving friends and family members. The true reason was that Senator Herman had forced an extreme amount of money into his hands and told him to make the death look like an accident.

Dr. Schwartz entered the waiting room and found that only two people were in it at the moment. He took a deep breath once he realized that one of the women was the First Lady. He prayed to God that he had covered up what he had done well enough, because Dr. Bartlet would be more adapt to noticing his negligence.

“I’m Dr. Schwartz, Mr. Lyman’s primary surgeon and I’m afraid that I have some rather sad news to relay.” Dr. Schwartz stated softly.

Sarah let out a shriek of grief before the doctor could even continue. The fact that Josh was dead hit her like a ton of bricks. Abbey comforted her as best as she could, as she also kept one ear open to what the doctor was saying. But no matter how much comforting she could give, it still didn’t change the fact that Josh was dead.

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