The Omaha Incident
by
Brenda

Title: The Omaha Incident
Author: Brenda
Fandom: The West Wing
Category: Hurt-Comfort
Rating: PG
Season: The West Wing pre-S1
Spoilers: A few for In the Shadow of Two Gunmen flashbacks
Summary: In the early days of the Bartlet campaign, a fall in a hotel for Sam turns into a very nasty scare for Josh. What happened with Sam and the muscle relaxants in Omaha. (Sequel-Prequel to ‘Eight Miles High’.)
Characters: Sam Seaborn, Josh Lyman, Toby Ziegler, C.J. Cregg, Leo McGarry, President Jed Bartlet, Dr. Abigail Bartlet.

"Didn't they teach punctuation at Princeton?"

"The sentence has a period at the end of it. How much more punctuation do you want, Toby?"

Josh was used to the sarcasm in Toby's voice and usually just tuned it out, but the unexpected testiness in Sam's tone brought his head up. In fact it was so unusual and out of character that it had pretty much frozen everyone in the Bartlet campaign suite. They momentarily stopped what they were doing and looked over at the speechwriters while trying to make it look as if they weren't. Sam and Toby had been working in their corner of the room for the last few hours, hammering out a speech Governor Bartlet was to deliver to the state-wide gathering of farmers in two days. It was a very important speech, needed to cover a lot of issues and reassure farmers in Nebraska that Bartlet was on their side and deserved their support. And it was also, according to Toby, seriously lacking in punctuation and focus.

"A few more facts and a little less rhetoric, Sam." Toby was standing behind Sam, reading the screen of his laptop as Sam typed.

Josh saw Sam close his eyes and take a deep breath. He looked like he was fighting a nagging headache. "The Governor is giving a speech, Toby, not a seminar," Sam said, his voice strained. "A speech needs to have some passion, it needs to strike some emotional chords with the audience --"

"It needs to have focus," Toby interrupted firmly, "and less rhetoric. Take out that paragraph."

Sam whipped off his glasses and turned around to glare at Toby. Even from across the room Josh could see the disbelief in his eyes. "We can't cut that paragraph," he objected. "That's the whole heart of the speech."

Toby gazed down dispassionately at him. "It's not the Governor's voice. Cut it."

For a moment Josh thought Sam was going to refuse. Either that or throw the laptop across the room. He actually tensed to get to his feet but caught Leo's gaze from across the room, and sank back into the sofa as Leo gave his head a little shake. He'd been watching the exchange as had everyone else, but he hadn't interfered. Sam's mouth tightened, but he put his glasses back on and deliberately held down the delete key to erase the paragraph.

The couch dipped as CJ sat down beside him. "They're tired," she murmured.

"We're all tired."

"Sam looks especially tired. Is he okay?"

Josh sighed and rubbed his eyes. "I don't think he's sleeping. He's worried about his writing. He keeps saying he can't find the Governor's voice when he writes." He frowned at the pair across the room. "And Toby's not helping."

"It's just Toby's way."

"Sam's a damn fine writer," he said, keeping his voice low enough for only CJ to hear. "We're lucky to have him."

"Toby knows that."

"Well it would be nice if he shared that knowledge with Sam sometime." He turned and looked at CJ, who was holding a pen and clipboard but was still watching Sam and Toby. "Sam's trying to find the voice of a guy who doesn't even remember his name, CJ."

CJ winced but said, "He doesn't remember any of our names."

"He remembers yours."

"Oh gosh, do you suppose that's because I happen to be the only female in the room most days?"

That got a grin out of Josh. "Yeah, could be." They both looked up sharply as voices were raised in the writers' corner, but this time Leo was on his feet and joined them.

"Why don't you two take a break?" he said, his tone making it clear it was an order, not a suggestion ."Get some fresh air, stretch your legs, go see a movie, take a drive to Kansas for all I care. Just get away from each other for a while, got it?" He gave them a long look. "And then get back together when you're ready to work as a team."

Ouch. Josh grimaced in sympathy as Sam went completely still, then very deliberately took his glasses off and tucked them into his pocket. "I think I'll get some air," he said quietly and got to his feet without making eye contact with anyone.

"Yeah, me too," Josh announced. "I need to clear my head." He shot Toby a look as he followed Sam to the door, but Toby was busy studying the pen in his hand and didn't see it.

They were silent during the elevator ride to the lobby, Josh waiting for Sam to speak first. They were outside in the autumn sunshine before Sam said quietly, "He hates me."

"Who, Toby? Nah." Josh waved that away. "Toby's that way with everyone."

"He doesn't think I can write." Sam gave a short, sharp laugh. "And I'm starting to believe he's right."

Josh said firmly, "He doesn't think that, Sam. No one thinks that." The Sheraton was situated just inside Omaha and had been landscaped with care. The manmade pond with its mallard ducks was a frequent gathering place for guests seeking some quiet time and peaceful surroundings, and with a light hand on Sam's elbow, Josh steered him in that direction. They didn't speak again until they were standing on the little dock, staring down into the water as ducks silently glided by.

"I haven't found his voice, Josh," Sam said quietly.

"You will." He had rock solid confidence that Sam could find anyone's voice.

Sam shook his head. "I'm not sure. I just..." He rested his elbows on the railing of the dock and gazed into the water below. "I don't want to let you down."

"Whoa!" Josh straightened sharply and put his hands on Sam's shoulders, turning him around to face him. "Where did that come from?" Finally getting a good look at Sam in daylight Josh saw what he should have seen before now. Combined with his crisis of confidence Sam was also exhausted from lack of sleep. His fingers tightened on the slumped shoulders. "In the first place," he said carefully, "this isn't about me. No, wait a minute, that's the second place. The first place is..." He gave Sam a gentle shake. "You could never let me down. Sam, you're here because we need you here. I need you here. This is it. This is what we've been waiting for, the real thing. Bartlet is the guy we've always wanted to work for." He began gently kneading Sam's shoulders. "It's going to be fine, Sam. You'll find his voice, and you'll write the best damn speeches he's ever given, and you'll be writing them for the President of the United States."

After a moment, a little grin teased at the corners of Sam's mouth. "I didn't know it said cheerleader on your resume, Josh."

"Hey, I'm a versatile guy." He gave Sam's shoulders a final squeeze and stood back, opening his arms. "I could give you a hug if you like."

Sam spluttered and finally laughed just as Josh had hoped, the tension draining out of him. "Go on back to the suite. Let me try out a few ideas on the ducks and see what they think. If they like them, I'll try them out on Toby."

When Josh got back to the suite everyone was back at work, immersed in their own tasks, and Toby was jotting down notes on a legal pad. Josh walked over to the table where he was working and sat down in the chair beside him.

"Don't start," Toby said.

"He's a good writer, Toby."

"He's a great writer. The man makes mad, passionate love to words; he's smart, he's quick, he's funny, he cares, he sees the big picture, he knows the details --"

"Then what's the problem?"

"I said he was a great writer. He needs to be a great speechwriter. He needs focus." He stopped writing and looked at Josh. "And he needs to listen when I tell him that."

"A little encouragement might go a long way," he said quietly.

Toby turned his attention back to his legal pad. "He can get encouragement from his friends," he said pointedly. "From me, he gets direction."

Josh let his gaze wander around the room. "He's worried he won't find the Governor's voice."

"He'll find it," Toby said, and Josh was surprised at his confidence. "It'll come to him like a bolt of lightning, and once he has it, he'll never lose it." Finally he laid down his pen, stood up and stretched his back, sighing in relief. "But until he does, I'm going to keep pushing him and pushing him because he's got it, Josh. He's got it inside him. He hasn't tapped into it yet, but he will. And I want to be there when he does, because it's going to be something to see."

Josh stared at Toby, at a loss for words; all he'd offered Sam was a hug. If Toby had said only half of this to Sam, he might be sleeping at night and he might have found Bartlet's elusive 'voice' by now. Laughter sounded from the other side of the room and Josh idly watched an animated conversation between Abby Bartlet and CJ. "Where's Leo?"

Toby nodded toward a closed door. "In with the Governor."

Josh had piles of printouts to go over and he'd put it off long enough. He stood up and walked over to the coffee pot to get himself a caffeine fix. He had just lifted the pot when Donna slammed down the phone. "Josh! That was the front desk. Sam's had some kind of accident."

"What? Some kind of - I left him alone for like five minutes!" He put the coffee pot back down with a clatter. "What happened? Did he fall into the water? Was he attacked by a rogue mallard?"

Donna was clutching the pink telephone message pad tightly. "I'm not sure. They want to take him to the hospital, but he's refusing to go."

"Hospital? Jesus." Josh whirled around and headed for the door, barely aware of CJ and Toby following close behind.

"Wait a minute," Abby ordered sharply. Everyone automatically responded to her authoritative voice and stopped in their tracks. "Running down there like a herd of panicked gazelle isn't going to help Sam," she said firmly. "Josh, you and I will go see to Sam, the rest of you stay here, please. We'll let you know what's going on." She crossed the room and led the way out. "Josh."

Josh hurried to catch up with her brisk, no nonsense pace. To tell the truth, he was grateful to have Abby calmly take charge. While the words 'accident' and 'Sam' used in the same sentence wasn't always cause for alarm, the word 'hospital' sent his stomach into a free-fall. The elevator seemed to take forever to reach the lobby, and Abby must have noticed his anxiety because she patted his arm gently. "If it were serious they would have already called the ambulance, and Sam wouldn't have had any say in the matter. Try not to panic, Josh; I'm sure everything will be fine." Josh appreciated her reassurances, but he still had to hold himself back from pushing past Abby when the elevator finally did stop.

It didn't take long to find Sam. There was a knot of people milling around one of the chairs in the lobby, and Abby headed in that direction. "Excuse me, I'm a doctor," she announced in a voice that immediately parted the crowd. Sam was sitting in one of the plush lobby chairs, holding a frozen gel pack to his forehead. On the small coffee table in front of him lay his glasses, uselessly bent, and Josh saw that he was sitting unusually straight and stiff. But he wasn't missing any limbs and he didn't seem to be bleeding, and Josh finally allowed himself to breathe.

"Sam?" Abby said, kneeling down in front of him.

He looked up at the sound of her voice, then groaned, mortified. "Mrs. Bartlett. They shouldn't have called you."

"Now, now," she said, patting his hand. "I'm a doctor, remember. Let's see what's under that ice pack." She gently removed his hand and pulled away the ice, studying the purpling lump on his forehead, then checked his eyes and made him follow her finger as she moved it back and forth. "What happened?" she asked calmly.

"I tripped."

"A little more information, Sam?"

He sighed. "I decided to take the stairs instead of the elevator. I was...writing something in my head, and I tripped and I kind of...fell up, and when I tried to get up, I fell back down a couple of steps."

Feeling calmer now that he saw Sam didn't look like he needed to be rushed away in an ambulance, Josh tried and failed to stifle his chuckle. When Sam threw him a resentful look, Josh patted him gently on the shoulder. "Oh, come on, Sam. Only you could manage to fall both up and down stairs in one accident."

Abby ignored the by-play. "Where else does it hurt?"

Sam hesitated as if trying to decide how little disclosure he could get away with and Josh crouched down beside him. "She's going to find out anyway," he told him. "Might as well fess up."

"I think I bruised my back," he admitted. He rotated his left shoulder and winced. "And my shoulder."

"Can you turn around a little? I'd like to get your sweater up and take a look."

Sam's cheeks darkened and he glanced up at the curious on-lookers who hadn't yet moved on. Josh immediately got to his feet and asked sharply, "Who's in charge here?"

An attractive young woman with her hair pulled back in a severe bun and a pencil thin figure stepped forward. "I'm the Assistant Manager, Gloria Fields."

"Hello, Gloria. I'm Josh Lyman," he said, giving her a friendly smile. As they shook hands, he kept smiling but said in a steely tone, "The circus isn't in town, Gloria, so would you like to move the audience away to give my client a little privacy please?"

"Your client?" she asked uncertainly.

"I'm Mr. Seaborn's attorney."

"Josh!" Sam hissed.

"Let Josh have his fun, Sam," Abby murmured. "She wasn't doing her job. There's no excuse for not dispersing that crowd by now. Okay," she continued, leaning forward and carefully raising his sweater in the back. "Let's have a look."

By the time Josh got back to Sam's side, he was once again sitting very straight and stiff and was holding the ice pack against his forehead. "The hotel's pretty insistent about taking you to the hospital, Sam. Hotel policy."

"That's actually what I'd recommend," Abby told Sam apologetically. "I think you've just got some bruises and maybe some pulled muscles, but it's best to make sure. Go to the hospital, get the X-rays, and the hotel's happy and I'll be a lot happier knowing you don't have any hairline fractures, okay?"

Sam looked unhappy but resigned and he nodded, "Yes ma'am." Then he sent a glare across the lobby to the assistant manager, who was watching him with a slight frown. "But I'm not going in an ambulance," he stated stubbornly.

Abby compressed her lips to suppress a smile. "I don't think an ambulance is necessary. Josh, would you do the honors?"

Josh put a steadying hand under Sam's elbow and carefully helped him to his feet. "Come on, buddy. It's not like we haven't made the occasional run to the ER in the past, you know," he commented cheerfully, remembering a certain ski trip.

Sam shot him a warning look. "Josh..."

But Abby's interest was already piqued. "Do tell. And I mean that, Josh," she said, taking Sam's other arm. "I expect to hear all about it later. But right now, let's get this boy to a hospital."

Josh glanced over at Sam once again as he waited for the stop light to turn green. The hospital had taken the X-rays and cleared him of everything except some contusions and pulled muscles. When Josh questioned him, he said only that the doctor had given him something to take for the pain in case he had trouble sleeping. As Sam had been completely pre-occupied the entire time they were at the hospital Josh wasn't sure how much he'd actually been paying attention, but the hospital had sent them on their way and they were headed back to the hotel, so he didn't press it. On the way to the hospital Sam had made Josh stop at a Walmart and buy some legal pads, and as soon as Josh got back into the car, Sam had grabbed one and began writing. He wrote all the way to the hospital, all the time they spent in the ER waiting room, leaving it to Josh to take care of the hospital paperwork, and for all Josh knew Sam may have written while he was on the X-ray table. He refused to be parted from his legal pad and wouldn't let Josh read what he'd written, but there were pages and pages of it, and he was now muttering to himself and scratching things out and replacing words.

Josh couldn't help grinning as he pulled into the Sheraton parking lot. Sam was on to something, tapped into the zone. There was an air of suppressed excitement and an incredible focus to Sam when he was really tuned in, and right now he was radiating it in waves. Something was going on with him, something Josh hadn't seen since Sam had joined the campaign. He had to say his name twice before Sam looked up and saw they were back at the hotel.

Getting out of the car was slow and painful for Sam, and Josh winced when saw how bloodshot his eyes were. He wished one of them had remembered to grab Sam's extra glasses from his room before they left, but he hadn't thought Sam was going to spend the last two hours writing. "You'd probably better lie down

for a while, maybe take some of those pills."

But Sam clutched his legal pad to his chest. "I need to see Toby first."

As they walked into the hotel Josh looked away so Sam couldn't see his grin. "The ducks liked your ideas?"

Despite the careful way Sam was walking there was an air of confidence in him that hadn't been there before. "Something like that."

As they rode the elevator up to the suite, Sam pulled out his pen to make some more changes and Josh lifted it deftly from his fingers. "Hey!"

"It's done, Sam."

Sam looked like his fingers itched to snatch the pen back. "How do you know?"

Josh said calmly, "I know." He gave Sam a gentle prod as the elevator doors slid open. "Come on, let's go."

After a brief stop to pick up Sam's spare pair of glasses from his room, they continued on to the suite. When they walked in, everyone there turned their way. Bartlet and Abby were on the other side of the room, dressed up and looking like they were about to go out. Josh saw Abby lean over to her husband and whisper something, and he nodded, then made a bee-line for them.

"Sam, how are you? Abby tells me you took quite a spill."

Sam looked surprised, then pleased that the Governor had called him by name, and Josh shot a look at Abby, who winked at him. "I'm fine, sir. Just some bumps and bruises."

"What did the hospital say, Sam?" Abby asked, moving up to join them.

"No breaks," Sam smiled. "Just some pulled muscles. The ER doctor gave me something to help relax my muscles if I had trouble sleeping."

"Make sure you eat something first. Don't take them on an empty stomach."

"Yes, ma'am."

Abby took Bartlet's arm and announced airily, "My husband is taking me out for a very expensive dinner. Don't wait up."

As they swept from the room with everyone calling out their wishes for a good evening, Sam walked over to Toby who was still at the table they'd been working at, and held out his legal pad. "I worked on the speech. I kept it more focused and tried to keep the rhetoric to a minimum. But this is the Heartland, and we have to use the fact that these people want some sweeping phrases and something they can take away in their hearts as well as their heads. And it wouldn't hurt if a few newspapers picked up a catchy phrase or two either."

Toby looked at him for a moment, then accepted the legal pad. "You wrote this in the hospital?"

"And the car. When Josh wasn't taking turns like a driver at Indianapolis."

"Hey!" Josh protested.

Toby grunted and began reading. Sam made no move to sit down, and Josh was aware of Leo watching the exchange closely while CJ looked up from a folder she was reading to watch the proceedings.

After Toby read the last page, he laid down the tablet, then picked up a sheaf of typed pages by his hand and held them up. "I worked on the speech too." Josh saw Sam's shoulders slump a little, but then Toby held out his hand and dropped the loose pages into the wastebasket by his side. "Yours is better. We'll use yours." He tapped a finger on the legal pad. "Do you know why this is better than what you were writing earlier?"

"It has focus."

Toby nodded. "Anyone can write focus. Come on, Sam. You know the answer."

As Sam locked gazes with Toby, Josh almost saw the intangible connection sparking between them; it was the connection that was going to make Toby and Sam an unbeatable team as speechwriters. Sam said with confidence, "I found his voice."

Toby nodded. "It still needs polish."

"Of course."

"And punctuation."

"It's got -" Sam wrestled with himself, then swallowed what he was going to say and conceded, "Yes, it probably does."

"Okay then. We can work on it tomorrow."

"Or we can work on it now."

Toby gave him an assessing look, obviously taking in the purplish bruise on his forehead and the stiff way he was standing. "Sure you're up to it?"

"I'm up to it."

Toby used his foot to nudge the adjacent chair out from under the table as an invitation, and Sam carefully lowered himself into it. "Grow them tough at Princeton, do they?" Toby murmured with what sounded suspiciously like grudging respect.

"You bet'cha," Sam said, holding his hand up for Josh to give him his pen. "The Princeton Gilbert and Sullivan Society kicked ass."

Leo caught Josh's attention from across the room and nodded his head in approval. Josh grinned and gave Leo a subtle thumb's up. CJ patted him on the back as she walked past him on her way to the coffee pot and murmured, "It's a marriage made in heaven." Josh watched Toby and Sam for a few moments, their heads bent over Sam's legal pad, then went back to his own work. He felt like whistling. It was all coming together, and life was good.

When Josh and Leo finally finished up their strategy meeting, Josh was surprised to find it was nearly midnight and there were only four of them left in the suite. He looked over to where Toby and Sam were still sitting. They'd finished polishing the speech some time ago and were now apparently playing 'Stump the Geek' by throwing out obscure quotes to see if the other could correctly identify it. "Why can't they just bond over a beer like normal guys?" Josh asked.

"That's bonding?" Leo questioned, watching as Toby and Sam argued over whether a particular quote came from a Commentary written by Joseph Story or Noah Webster.

"Geek bonding," Josh confirmed.

"Whatever it is, I'm just glad to see it," Leo said in a low voice. "We need them both, but we need them working together." He closed the folder they'd been going through. "We've got a seven thirty tomorrow morning. You'd better break it up and make sure Sam gets some sleep. He's been looking like hell the last few days, and Abby said he took a pretty nasty fall."

"He's been worried about his writing," Josh explained, glancing over again at the two speechwriters. "But I think he'll sleep okay now."

Leo was watching Sam thoughtfully. "You were right about him, Josh."

Josh nodded, feeling a surge of pride for his friend. "I know." He pushed himself to his feet and walked over to the pair who were still arguing over the quote in a way that convinced Josh it could go on all night, or until one of them thought to go onto the internet to look it up. "You about ready to call it a night, Sam?" Taking a look at Sam's upturned face, he could see the fine lines of pain around his mouth and gave a sympathetic wince. "Hey, dude, I think maybe it's time you took some of those pills."

"You should've said something," Toby frowned, actually looking a little concerned. "We could have done this tomorrow."

"No, no," Sam said immediately, "I didn't want to wait." He blinked tiredly but nodded with satisfaction. "It was a good session."

Toby nodded, a little smile on his lips. "Yeah, it was."

"Okay, come on, my little geek friend, let's get some of those pills into you." Josh slipped a hand under one of Sam's arms to help him to his feet. Sam made it upright, but his face paled alarmingly and it took him a while to straighten his back. Josh noticed with a little frown that Sam had barely taken two bites of the now cold slices of pizza on the paper plate by his elbow. Obviously Abby's admonition to eat something before he took his medication went in one ear and out the other. "Okay?" he asked, waiting for some indication from Sam that he could actually move.

"Yeah. Fine." But Sam was tight-lipped with pain as he carefully stepped away from the table and turned toward the door. Josh saw Toby frown as he watched Sam move like an arthritic old man, but when Sam finally reached the door, Toby said quietly, "Good work today, Sam."

That straightened Sam's shoulders like nothing else could have. "Thanks," he said sincerely, and then Josh steered him out the door.

Josh listened to Sam all the way back to his room, grinning at his enthusiasm. Toby was a writing genius. He'd learned so much from Toby in just a few hours. Toby had listened to his suggestions for the upcoming campaign speeches in California. Toby wanted his ideas on the Education Reform speech. Sam was still extolling the virtues of Toby Ziegler when Josh pulled him to a halt in front of his hotel door.

He took Sam by the shoulders, looked him in the eye and taking care that Sam understood every word, said, "Toby Ziegler said your speech was better than his."

Sam was practically vibrating with excitement. "I know," he breathed. "How cool is that?"

"It is the coolest of the cool," Josh told him solemnly. "You're da man, Sam." He grinned impishly. "You're the bruised, stiff, limping man, but you're da man."

"I am," he agreed. "For a few hours anyhow." He blinked, then smiled widely. "It feels good."

"It's going to feel a lot better after you get some pills into you," Josh told him, turning him around to face his door. "Remember, we have a seven-thirty tomorrow morning," he reminded him, watching Sam fumble with his key card. He had to slide it through twice before it released the lock. "I'll be by around seven-twenty."

"I'll be ready."

"Are you going to be all right? Remember Abby said you need to eat something before you take those pills."

Sam waved a hand. "I'll be fine, and I'll get something to eat from the mini bar." Then he turned around before shutting the door and looked at Josh, his voice filled with hushed awe. "It feels good, Josh. This is better than anything I've done before. This...this means something. Bartlet is the real thing."

"Yeah," Josh agreed. "He is."

Sam flashed a tired grin at him. "See you tomorrow."

"Get some sleep, buddy. 'Cause you're -"

"--da man!" they both finished, high-fiving like school kids. The effect was rather ruined when Sam winced at the movement, a silent 'ow' forming on his lips. He gave Josh a rueful look before closing the door, and Josh shook his head for a moment, then ambled down to his own room, whistling softly under his breath.

***

Josh rapped on Sam's hotel room for the third time, loud enough that he knew he was probably disturbing other people on the floor who were trying to sleep. When there was still no answer, he pulled out his cell phone and dialed Sam's cell phone number. Inside he could hear the phone ringing which made him frown as he finally flipped his phone shut. Sam was either in the shower, in which case he was going to be late for the meeting, or he was already in the campaign suite but had left his phone behind, which wasn't like Sam. Hoping it was the latter, because Leo was unforgiving when it came to tardiness, he headed to the suite.

But Sam was conspicuously missing from the suite, and Bartlet, Leo, Toby and CJ were already seated around the table when he got there. "Where's Sam?" Leo asked immediately.

"I thought he was here."

"He's not," Leo said tersely.

"Yeah, I can see that. Look, I knocked on his door and called his phone, but he didn't answer." Josh ran a hand through his hair. "I'm a little worried that maybe those pills really knocked him out."

"Or he went out for a walk and he's late," Leo said pointedly.

Before Josh could open his mouth to defend Sam, defense came from an unexpected source. "Sam doesn't impress me as the type to be late," Toby said quietly, studying the pen in his hand. "I think we should check it out."

Josh looked at Leo, but it was Bartlet who responded. "You'd better call the front desk and explain the situation, Josh, and see if they can get someone up here with a key. I'm sure Abby will be happy to go with you, to make sure he's okay."

"Thank you, sir." Josh picked up the receiver to the nearest phone and dialed the desk. He was nearly finished explaining what he needed when he stopped and listened to what the desk clerk was saying. "Are you sure? You're sure it was him?" After getting confirmation, he put the receiver down and turned back to the others. "The desk clerk said Sam left the hotel over an hour ago," he said slowly.

"What?" CJ looked at her watch. "He left the hotel at six thirty a.m.? Why? Did he say where he was going? Was he sure it was Sam?"

"Oh, he's sure it was Sam," Josh confirmed, recalling how the clerk had described his 'beautiful blue eyes' and 'that dark, thick hair' and 'that sweet smile,' and had given a disconcertingly good description of the clothes he was wearing. "He said he mumbled something about going to a meeting and he was afraid he'd be late."

There was a brief, charged silence, and then CJ murmured, "Well that doesn't sound good."

It was Toby who frowned up at Josh. "What kind of pills was he taking?"

Before Josh could admit he didn't really know what type of pills they were, Bartlet was on his feet. "I'll get Abby," he said grimly. "You get the key to Sam's room and get those pills."

Twenty minutes later, Abby looked up from the foil envelope of pills she was holding in her hand. "These are pills dispensed by ER doctors to see a patient through a day or two until they can see their own doctor." She gave Josh a level look. "He would have given Sam verbal instructions."

"I'm not sure how much Sam was paying attention," Josh admitted, feeling like the world's most incompetent friend at the moment. Why hadn't he asked the right questions before they'd left the hospital? He knew Sam had been distracted with his writing. Right now the sharp worry in Abby's eyes was terrifying him. "He was kind of writing that speech in his head."

"He's probably writing quite a few speeches in his head at the moment," Abby retorted acidly.

"Abby," Bartlet remonstrated, "just tell us what you think is going on, would you? Is Sam in trouble?"

Abby held up the packet of pills. "At the most, he should have taken two tablets -- with food. There are four tablets missing, and Josh tells me he barely ate anything last night. On top of that, I could see Sam was exhausted. When was the last time he had any real sleep?" she demanded.

He really hated discussing Sam's insecurities in front of everyone, but Abby had him pinned like a bug on a wall and was waiting for an answer. "He was worried about his writing," he admitted. "I think it's been a while since he really slept." He heard Toby draw in a breath behind him, then mumble something to himself.

Abby nodded as if that were no more than she expected. "No food, no sleep. It's a recipe for disaster when you're taking these. It's rare, but people can have rather severe reactions to this medication. That's why it's so important to only start with a small dose to see what reaction it causes. If Sam left the hotel talking about going to a meeting, and we know the meeting is right here, I'd say he's disoriented and confused, probably suffering from impaired coordination and distorted perception. He could quite possibly be suffering from hallucinations as well."

Josh felt his breath catch in his throat and CJ asked cautiously, "You mean Sam's...high?"

Abby nodded briefly. "He may as well have smoked some pot and had an amphetamine chaser. We need to find him and find him fast," she told them crisply. "He's wandering around Omaha in a daze and in no condition to take care of himself or make reasonable decisions." She looked at Josh and whatever she saw in his face made her soften her tone and lay a hand on his arm. "In Sam's state of mind at the moment, a reasonable decision to him could be to step out of a third story window. It has nothing to do with depression and everything to do with altered perception." Josh felt a shudder travel through him, and she tightened her fingers. "He could also decide to spend four hours riding a merry-go-round, but I don't think we should count on that." At that moment Josh couldn't think of anything they could count on. Along with the packet of pills in his hotel room, they had found his cell phone and wallet, so wherever Sam was, he had no ID and no money, and they had no way to contact him.

"He could still be on the hotel grounds," CJ said suddenly, her tone hopeful.

"Yesterday we went down to the pond," Josh remembered, latching on to CJ's optimism. He could've gone back there."

"I'll check it out," Toby said abruptly, and turned to leave the room.

CJ turned and followed. "I'll check the rest of the grounds."

As Josh moved to join them, Abby held him back. "Josh, you need to sit down for a few minutes."

He rounded on her, his voice desperate, "No, I can't. I've got to help find Sam!"

"She's right, Josh," Bartlet said firmly. "Toby and CJ will check the grounds. You need to sit down for a few minutes and we need to plan what we're going to do if they don't find Sam outside."

It was Leo who took him by the arm and led him over to the sofa. He dropped down wordlessly, pressing the heels of his palms into his eyes. "I can't believe I let this happen," he whispered.

"You didn't let anything happen, Josh. We'll find him." He was grateful for the reassuring weight of Leo's hand on his shoulder, but all he wanted right now was for Toby and CJ to come through the door with Sam in tow. He didn't care if he was as high as a kite or as drunk as a sailor, as long as he was safe. "But if they don't find him, then we have to have a plan."

Josh was still trying to convince them to let him search the grounds with Toby and CJ when they burst back into the room, their faces grim. "He wasn't at the pond," Toby reported.

"He's nowhere on the grounds," CJ added. "Some staff helped us look. And the desk clerk said he never saw him return -- and believe me, he would have noticed -- so he's not in the hotel."

"Okay, so we have to get out there," Josh insisted, gesturing toward the door.

"Wait," Toby said quietly.

Josh glared at him. "For what? We need to find Sam!"

Toby nodded. "I know. But where do you propose we start? Do we drive east when he may have gone west? Do we just drive aimlessly through Omaha and hope we find him?" He paused. "Sam could have gone in any direction. He's been gone an hour, and he could be anywhere by now. He may have started off in one direction and changed to another. He could be wandering down residential streets, taking a tour of the Livestock Exchange Building, be hitchhiking along any one of half a dozen major highways, or floating down the Missouri River in a raft for all we know." Toby had obviously given the possibilities some thought and his voice had gradually risen throughout his speech as his frustration escalated.

"We've got too much ground to cover," Leo said flatly, "and not enough of us. We need help."

"We need to call the police," CJ insisted.

"Call the police, call out the National Guard," Josh burst out, jumping to his feet. "Make all the calls you want, but I've got to be out there looking for Sam. I can't just sit here and hope someone else finds him."

"He's right," Abby agreed, looking at Bartlet. "We need to be out there now. Sam's already been on his own too long in his condition."

Bartlet nodded and abruptly took charge, rapping out orders as he pulled a small notebook out of his pocket. "We need to start with the highest risk areas. You said there are half a dozen major highways within walking distance," he directed at Toby. "What's the closest?"

"I-80," Toby answered immediately. "It's north of here. He could have followed the streets and sidewalks or just cut across parking lots."

"Josh, you take Toby and CJ and head north. Next closest?"

"Twenty-nine South," Toby answered.

"Leo, you and Abby take that direction. I'll stay here in case Sam somehow finds his way back." He opened his notebook and reached for the phone, "And I'll arrange for reinforcements. Everyone keep in touch." He gave them all a long look. "Let's find that boy."

Toby had plucked the car keys from Josh's hand without discussion and got behind the wheel. Josh hadn't protested; he wanted to be able to focus all his attention on looking for Sam. It was tense and silent in the car as Toby drove toward the interstate, all of them searching for any sign of Sam along the way. Once CJ thought she spotted him down a side street, and tires squealed as Toby executed a sudden turn. But it turned out to be someone dressed in a dark sweater and jeans walking his dog. After that disappointment they continued on their way.

Josh's heart caught in his throat after they took the exit onto I-80 and the first thing they saw were the flashing lights of an ambulance along the shoulder. Josh felt CJ's hand on his shoulder, squeezing tightly, and he let his breath out in a ragged sigh of relief as they slowly drove by and saw it was a fender bender, and the injured party being checked over was a female. "Damn it, Sam, where are you?" He didn't realize he'd spoken out loud until Toby murmured, "We'll find him."

CJ's shriek of "Over there!" almost sent Toby skidding into the next lane. Amid car horns blaring he managed to slow down and pull the car off onto the shoulder, sending stones spinning angrily.

"Where? Where?" Josh demanded.

CJ leaned over the front seat and pointed up ahead. On the other side of the interstate, across four lanes of traffic and a meridian strip of grass, they saw him.

"Oh my god." Josh's initial flash of relief at finding Sam quickly turned to horror as he watched his friend stumbling clumsily and dangerously close to the traffic roaring by him at speeds in excess of sixty-five miles per hour. "He's going to get killed!" Josh threw open the passenger side door of the car and jumped out.

"Tell him to stay where he is!" CJ shouted in his ear above the roar of the traffic. "We'll drive around and pick him up."

"He'll never hear me." Josh put his hands around his mouth and shouted, "Sam! Sam! Over here!"

Sam continued to wander aimlessly along the shoulder of the interstate, tilting his head to stare at something in the sky. The sudden blaring of a car horn made Josh and CJ jump and they looked around to find Toby grimly sounding the horn, trying to get Sam's attention. It worked. Sam looked across the road and Josh could see his face light up with a delighted smile. He immediately took a step toward them just as a tractor trailer bore down on him, air horn blaring.

Josh was sure he was dead. He was convinced Sam had been hit by the semi. He didn't realize his eyes were squeezed shut and he was choking out a half-remembered Yiddish prayer when CJ was once again shouting in his ear and smacking his arm. "He's alive, Josh. Open your eyes and stop him!"

Josh's eyes snapped open and he saw Sam slowly pick himself up from the gravel where he'd been literally blown backwards off his feet by the air backwash of the truck. Across the highway, Sam gazed at the palms of his hands, then slowly wiped them on his jeans and turned his attention back to the highway standing between him and Josh. With a happy wave to Josh, he once again set on his way.

Josh waved his hands over his head, then held them out in front of him in a 'stop' gesture. "No! No! Sam, just stay there!"

Misinterpreting, Sam happily waved back. When Josh saw he was heading once again for the traffic-packed interstate, he frantically looked at the oncoming traffic on his side of the highway, gauged his chances, and then tensed his muscles to run. He got one foot on the highway when he was sharply pulled back.

"Are you nuts?" Toby yelled into his ear.

There was a blare of horns on the opposite side of the highway and Josh saw traffic swerve as Sam put a foot on the road. "He's going to get killed!" He gave a jerk that nearly pulled him free from Toby's iron grip. "Let me go!" They'd stumbled too close to the road's edge and a driver in a pick up blared the horn and yelled something rude at them as he sped by. Josh felt hysteria bubble up in him as he searched for Sam, expecting any moment to hear the scream of brakes and the sound of a body hitting metal. Oh god, please don't let this be happening. Don'tletthisbehappening. He was pleading, "Let me go, Toby. I've got to get to him!"

"You'll never make it," Toby growled. "You can't help him if --"

"Josh, wait! Look!" CJ jerked on Josh's arm and pointed.

Josh could hear it now, the sound of a siren getting closer. With relief he saw a Nebraska State police car roaring up the interstate, blue and red lights flashing. It stopped neatly by Sam, and the trooper quickly jumped from the car and took his arm, backing him firmly away from the highway. The next thing Josh knew he was sitting on gravel because his legs simply gave out in sudden relief. Toby and CJ were kneeling beside him. CJ was hugging him and crying, and Toby was thumping him soundly on the shoulder. As they watched, Sam pointed over at them, and the trooper nodded, then gently led him to the passenger side of the police car, steadying him when he stumbled. He managed to get the uncoordinated man into the car, then reached in and buckled his seat belt. Sam seemed to be talking to him because the officer was nodding and then shut the door and went around to the driver's side.

They watched as the police car pulled back into traffic, lights still flashing. Within moments he had crossed the grass meridian strip and crossed the other two lanes of traffic as cars and trucks gave way to the flashing lights. He pulled in behind their car, and they all scrambled to their feet. The trooper got out of the car and carefully put his hat back on before walking around to join them. "Compliments of the Governor of Nebraska. Your boss called my boss, and we've been combing Omaha for Mr. Seaborn ever since." He looked into the side window where Sam's head was resting against the window, his eyes closed. "He's pretty tired, but he doesn't seem to be hurt, just confused. We were told he was in an accident yesterday, and that bruise on his forehead doesn't look fresh."

"Thank you," Josh said feelingly. "He was on some medication and --"

The trooper held up a hand. "We got the whole story, and we've already been told if we open our mouths about this, it'll be our heads. Dispatch got a call from a motorist reporting a drunken pedestrian, and I was the closest. I thought it might be Mr. Seaborn. I'm just glad I got here in time." He looked back at Sam. "It was close."

"We know," Toby said, sounding winded. "We saw."

In the background Josh could hear CJ making phone calls to let the others know they'd found Sam and he was safe. His heart was still beating wildly in his chest and he was trying to get his breathing back to normal. He felt lightheaded and his legs were still trembling from the scare. He didn't think he would ever be able to erase the scene from his mind of Sam stepping onto an interstate filled with rush hour traffic, completely oblivious to the danger.

"Well, I'm sure you folks are ready to get him back, so let me turn him over to you." He opened the door and quickly moved to steady Sam when the support for his head was removed. "We've found your friends for you, Mr. Seaborn," he told Sam cheerfully, and reached around to release his seatbelt. "They'll take you to that meeting."

"Okay." Sam gave the officer a sweet smile. "Thank you."

"You're welcome, sir." He helped Sam out of the car and held him steady until Toby took over, gripping him by the arm. "Have a good day," he told them all, and got back into his car and once again pulled smoothly out into traffic and went on his way.

Josh still hadn't made a move toward Sam and didn't yet trust his voice to speak. But when Sam smiled happily at him, completely unaware that he'd just terrified Josh beyond all measure, something inside him snapped. "What the hell did you think you were doing?" he demanded, striding over and grabbing Sam by the shoulders, giving him a shake. "You could've gotten yourself killed out there. Didn't you see me tell you to stop? Don't you ever, ever --"

"Josh, stop it!" Somehow CJ managed to insinuate an arm between him and Sam. "You're scaring him," she said sharply.

Josh let go of Sam's shoulders as if he'd been burned and took a stumbling step back, horrified. She was right. Sam's expression was a combination of shock, hurt and fear. CJ grabbed his arm and yanked him around away from Sam.

"What do you think you're doing?" she hissed. "Calm down. It wasn't his fault."

"I know, I know," he groaned, rubbing his face. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to do that. I was just so --"

"Terrified," CJ supplied softly. "We all were. He's safe, Josh, but he's also confused and now he thinks he's done something wrong because you're mad at him."

"I'm not mad at him," he said immediately.

"Tell him that." She turned him back around and they were faced with a most unexpected scene. Toby had an arm around Sam's shoulders and he was talking quietly to him. There was a little frown on Sam's face, but he was listening intently and nodding at whatever Toby was saying. When Josh turned around, Sam threw him a wary look and actually flinched a little, which sent a fresh wave of guilt through him.

"Hey, buddy," he said softly, stepping closer. "I'm sorry. I'm not mad at you. I didn't mean to shout like that, okay?"

There was no fear on Sam's face now, only concern. "Toby said you were really upset. Are you okay now?"

Josh let out a shaky laugh. "Yeah, I'm okay now. How about you?" He let his gaze run over Sam as he gently ran hands over his arms, checking for injuries. "Are you okay? How's your back? Did I hurt you?' he asked anxiously. "Are you in any pain?"

Toby snorted softly.

"I feel fine," Sam told him earnestly. "But I couldn't find the meeting, Josh. Am I late? Is Leo mad?"

The innocent worry in Sam's eyes was Josh's undoing. He pulled him into a sudden, hard hug and felt Sam immediately reciprocate. "No one's mad at you, Sam," he said a little hoarsely, almost overwhelmed by the relief at feeling Sam's solid, warm body in his arms. "It's okay. We're going to go back to the hotel now and we'll have that meeting, and then you can get some rest, all right?"

Josh felt Sam sigh against him. "Okay. I am a little tired."

Josh felt his lips twitch as he released his grip and steered Sam to their car with an arm around his shoulders. "I'll bet you are. You've had a busy morning."

Josh and Bartlet sat in chairs over by the patio window in Sam's room while Abby examined Sam, who was lying in bed and having a hard time staying awake. "How are you doing, Josh?" Bartlet asked him.

"Me? I'm fine, sir. I wasn't the one playing in traffic."

Bartlet nodded his understanding. "Toby said you had a bad scare out there today."

Josh let his gaze travel over to Sam's bed where his friend was drowsily responding to Abby's questions. "I thought I was going to have to watch him die right in front of me."

"Yeah. He's a very lucky young man, and we're all very grateful he's back safely." Bartlet paused, then added in a level voice, "And none of this was your fault, you know."

Josh grinned mirthlessly. "Am I that transparent?"

"You've pretty much been beating yourself up ever since we found out Sam went missing."

"I brought him into this campaign, Governor," he said quietly. "He left a huge salary, a big law firm where he was about to be made partner -- and a fiancé who'll never forgive him for that, by the way -- and joined the campaign on my say-so."

"So that makes everything that happens to him from here on out your responsibility?"

"No. Yes. No." Josh shrugged helplessly. "Would you repeat the question?"

"I doubt Sam would view it that way, you know. He strikes me as the sort of man who makes his own decisions, no matter how tough or unpopular they might be."

Josh frowned, then gave Bartlet a long look. "All due respect, sir, but how would you really know what Sam thinks? I mean, you haven't spent any time finding out who he is or what he brings to the table." He paused and added pointedly, "Or his name for that matter."

For a moment Josh thought he may have gone a step too far as Bartlet pierced him with a steely gaze. Then the Governor nodded his agreement. "You're right. I haven't had the time I'd like to spend with everyone who's working so hard for me. In many ways I've let Leo be my eyes and ears, and he's very impressed with Sam." He looked over at where Abby was taking Sam's blood pressure. "But don't think I'm completely oblivious in our meetings, Josh. I've seen Sam stand up for issues he believes in and make strong arguments for them; I've seen him pull facts from his memory that I wouldn't have expected him to know; I know he's passionate, smart, earnest, intense, and if you mention education reform to him, he'll talk your ear off; and Toby tells me the last speech he wrote was better than his own. So I know a little something about him." He took a drink of his coffee and added dryly, "And I doubt I'll forget his name from now on."

"Yes sir," Josh replied, a little surprised by Bartlet's statements, but pleased for Sam.

"There's a spark inside him, Josh, a real passion, and from what I've read of his writing, he's able to put that passion into his speeches. I'm just glad he's on my team and not my opponent's."

"You should tell him that sometime, sir."

"I'll make sure I do."

They both stood up as Abby left Sam's side, tucking her blood pressure kit into its case.

"How is he, ma'am?"

"He'll be fine, Josh. He's asleep already and will probably sleep most of the day. Blood pressure's a little low, so I'm going to keep an eye on that. But by tonight he should have slept off the effects and he probably won't remember a thing."

"Lucky him," Josh murmured.

"You had a rough few hours, Josh," Abby told him sympathetically. "I wish I had pressed him about the kind of medication he was given at the hospital. We might have been able to avoid all this."

"Now, Abigail, it wasn't anyone's fault, and we've got Sam back safe and sound, so let's move on from there." Bartlet turned to Josh, his tone dry, "I assume you'll be here if we need you?"

Josh nodded, his gaze on Sam. "I don't plan to take any chances this time."

Abby patted his arm. "I'll be back in a couple of hours to check his BP. Coming, Jed?"

"I'll join you in a minute, Abby." After Abby left the room, Bartlet asked, "Why did Sam join the campaign, Josh?"

"I told him I was going to New Hampshire to hear this guy speak, and I would let him know if he was the real thing."

"And he joined because he trusted your opinion."

Josh nodded. "Yes, sir."

"So is he staying because he trusts you or because he believe I'm the real thing?"

Josh knew the answer to that, but he only smiled. "I think you should ask Sam that, sir."

Bartlet nodded. "I will."

A muffled moan was the first indication Josh had that Sam was waking up. He looked up from the polling statistics he'd been going through to find Sam blinking at him sleepily.

"Josh? Is this my room?"

"Yep."

"Are we sharing a room?"

"Nope."

"Are we having a meeting in my room?"

Josh got to his feet and walked over to the bed, sliding his hands into his pockets. "Do you remember taking those pills last night? The ones the ER doctor gave you?"

Sam seemed to put a lot of effort into thinking over that question for a moment, then nodded. "Yeah. My back was really hurting." He looked surprised. "Feels pretty good today though."

"I'm not surprised. Sam, you had a bad reaction to the medication. Everyone was really worried about you."

"Bad reaction?" Sam looked over at the window, his confusion deepening. "Josh, what day is this?" he asked apprehensively.

"Relax, it's Tuesday, but you've been asleep most of the day. You were really knocked out."

It took a moment for the pieces to fall into place, but then Sam's eyes widened in horror. "I missed the meeting, didn't I? Oh my god, Leo must be furious. Why didn't you wake me --?"

"Sam, Sam, take it easy. Leo rescheduled the meeting for this evening. We've got plenty of time, just relax." He leaned a little closer, taking a good look at Sam's face. The dark circles under his eyes were just about gone, and he looked more rested than Josh had seem him in a while. "You feeling okay? Really? Abby said your blood pressure was a little low, but the last time she checked she said it was getting back to normal."

"Mrs. Bartlet was in here? While I was asleep?" Sam covered his face with his hands and groaned. "She was checking me out while I was asleep?"

"She wasn't the only one checking you out," Josh murmured to himself, remembering the desk clerk who apparently knew all Sam's comings and goings along with his clothing choices. "Relax," he soothed, patting him on the shoulder. "She's a doctor."

"She's the Governor's wife," Sam wailed. "Why didn't you stop her?"

"Stop Abby Bartlet? Sure, I'll get right on that."

Sam lowered his hands and peered miserably at Josh. "Did I do anything, you know, idiotic or embarrassing? I mean, the last thing I remember was taking those pills and trying to get to sleep. I didn't say anything to anyone, did I? Insult someone? Or make a pass at Mrs. Bartlet? Or cluck like a chicken or anything?"

Josh's lips twitched. He'd have to tell Sam the whole story eventually, but that was a conversation for another time. Sam really didn't look like he was in any shape to handle it at the moment. "You weren't hypnotized, Sam; you had a bad reaction to medicine."

"You didn't answer the question, Josh," Sam said darkly.

Just then Sam's stomach growled loudly, and Josh took the opportunity to change the subject. "You hungry?"

"Starved," Sam said, looking a little surprised.

"Okay, here's the plan. You grab a shower and change, and we'll go down and get a decent meal for a change, and we'll be back in time for the meeting." Without giving Sam a chance to ask any more questions, he clapped him lightly on the shoulder and headed for the door. "I'll just let everyone else know where we are."

Sam was too busy eating to press the issue about what happened while he'd been under the influence of the medication. Josh watched him put away more food in one meal than he'd seen him eat over the course of days and even have some ice cream for dessert. When they had crossed the lobby to go into the restaurant Josh noticed the desk clerk's appreciative gaze on Sam, and he sent a stern look in his direction as he subtly put a hand in the small of Sam's back and guided him into the restaurant. The clerk straightened abruptly, and then quickly turned to some paperwork in front of him. When they came back out of the restaurant, Josh noticed with satisfaction that the desk clerk was conspicuously busy as they passed in front of him.

As Josh put his hand on the door handle to enter the suite, Sam whispered, "Are you sure I don't need to apologize to anyone?"

"Sam, I swear. There's nothing for you to apologize for."

CJ was the first to see them when they stepped inside. She immediately came over and exclaimed, "Sam, you're looking much better." He was about to reply when she wrapped him in a hug. "Good to have you back."

Josh saw his eyes go wide, but he cautiously put his arms around her and rather awkwardly hugged her back. "Well, I wasn't really gone."

CJ looked like she was going to say something, then abruptly changed her mind. "I'd like your help on something when you have some time. School vouchers. I'm expecting some questions on that, and I know you've got some ideas on the program, so I'd like to go over some points with you."

"Sure. I'll be happy to."

"Thanks." She gave him another smile, then moved back to the TV to continue monitoring the news.

"Sam, how are you feeling?" Leo clapped Sam on the shoulder and nodded at his reply. "Good, because we're going to need you at a hundred percent. We've got a lot of work to do."

"I'm ready."

"Samuel." Sam cringed a little as Abby glided up to him and studied his face closely. "You're looking a lot better than the last time I saw you."

Obviously remembering the last time Abby saw him was when he was sleeping, Sam's cheeks reddened and he mumbled something about feeling a lot better.

"Good, I'm glad to hear it. How is your back feeling?"

Sam wriggled his shoulders a bit and replied, "Surprisingly good. Josh said I had a bad reaction to those pills, which I don't remember at all, but they must have worked."

Josh heard a coughing sound behind him as Toby apparently choked on his coffee, but somehow Abby managed to maintain the smile on her face. "Well, if you have any stiffness or soreness I recommend Tylenol and using ice and then heat. And if you have any problems in the future, I do think you should mention to your doctor that you have a rather bad reaction to muscle relaxants and he should look for an alternative."

Sam looked a little confused at her serious tone, but he nodded obediently. "Yes, ma'am."

As she patted his arm and moved on, Toby stopped by his side. "We need to start working on the education reform speech. I want you to take the lead on that. See me after you're finished with CJ and we'll go over the points."

Josh grinned at the way Sam's face lit up and his fingers twitched as if he wanted to reach for a pen and start writing immediately. "I've got some ideas on that," he said enthusiastically.

Toby rolled his eyes at Josh as he turned away, but his tone held some amusement as he said, "I know you do."

Josh nudged Sam's arm. "Come on, let's get some coffee. I want to bring you up to speed on the latest polls."

They were turning for the coffee machine when Jed Bartlet burst out of one of the side rooms with the force of a Category Four hurricane, "How is everyone?" he asked, rubbing his hands together. Without waiting for an answer, he plowed on. "I feel like a walk. Who wants to join me? Sam? Would you like to take a walk with me?"

Sam blinked in surprise, but immediately nodded. "Yes, sir. I'd like that."

"Good." The Governor glanced at Josh as he walked over to Sam and put an arm around his shoulders to lead him out. "There are some things I'd like to hear your thoughts on."

As they disappeared out the door Josh got his cup of coffee and went to join Leo who was waving his ever present list of things to do. Yep, things were definitely coming together, and life was definitely good.

*fin*

DISCLAIMER: The West Wing and its characters are the property of Aaron Sorkin and NBC. No copyright infringement is intended. This story is for entertainment purposes only and no money exchanged hands. The original characters, situations, and story are the property of the author. This story may not be posted elsewhere without the consent of the author.