They say you can't take it with you
When you go
Well I believe it
But taking what I've got or being
Here with you, you know
I'd rather, I'd rather leave it*

Danny couldn't get over how dark the room was. There were plenty of
lights, but at this time at night, things always seemed darker. CJ had gone
to get some food for them. Josh and Donna had left to go home. Danny didn't
know if they went home together. He also had no idea where Toby or David
were. All he could think about at the moment was the still form of KD Brody,
his ex-lover who was resting on the bed in front of his eyes, nearly a dozen
machines running in and out of her system. The respirator was gone. When she
had had her vomiting fit earlier, the doctor thought it was the best move to
replace the damn thing with an O2 mask. She was breathing on her own now, but
the breath was raspy and almost irregular.

"This has been going on for too long, Katy. You've got to pull out of
this." Danny suddenly exclaimed softly, breaking the hospital room silence
into pieces. "Too many good times for it all to end like this." He murmured
softly, staring at her frame. "We both have found our happiness. Why are
you trying to leave us behind? Fight, damn you." He added sharply and then
sighed.

"I know you are fighting," He admitted and looked at the ceiling. "but
you've always been one to beat the odds." He added softly and looked back at
her face. His eyes were brimming as he watched her. "I always thought we'd
have a wedding together. Now it seems we won't marry each other like we
originally planned, but what do you say to a double wedding? You and that
Ziegler guy, with me and CJ? Could it work?" He asked, attempting a childish
grin, but the pain was too great and he couldn't work it out. The first tear
finally fell as he sobbed once. "You have to pull through for us to find
out." He whispered.

It's amazing how dark a city can seem when someone you know is on their
potential deathbed. Toby pondered this as he walked down the slick wet
sidewalk. The night air was crisp, biting at his face. He hadn't been to the
hospital in nearly a day, and he didn't know when he would go back. He wasn't
sure where to find the strength to be able to go back. He listened to the
gentle sound of his shoes on the hard ground. He bit his lip as he walked,
watched as his breath exploded into mist around him. He refused to cry.

Jed stared at his food absentmindedly. He was surrounded by silence.
Across the table, Abbey slowly picked up her fork and put another piece of
chicken into her mouth. Zoey and Charlie stared at each other across the
table. Things hadn't been the same for days. Would they ever be the same
again, Zoey wondered. She'd invited Charlie to dinner because she thought
that maybe his presence would cheer up her parents a little, or better yet,
cheer her up a little, but the plan wasn't working. She felt like she was
going to cry. KD had babysat her years ago, and now she was dying. KD had
been a part of Zoey's childhood, and now she could die. Suddenly, Zoey felt a
soft touch on her hand. She looked at her father with watery eyes and smiled
weakly. Jed smiled back as he held his youngest daughter's hand in his own.
Silence still surrounded them.

Josh didn't know what to think. In only a few months, KD had become his
colleague, his friend, his sister even. He'd lost a sister before, years ago.
He couldn't stand the thought of losing another one, not like this. He stared
at the small cup of coffee that sat in front of him. Under the table, he felt
Donna's foot rubbing up against his leg absent mindedly as she stared at her
own latté. Sam held Mallory against his shoulder in the small booth. The four
of them sat in a small coffee shop that rested between the hospital and the
White House, awkwardly so, but so. Mallory clung to Sam's side as she thought
silently. The four of them just sat in silence, thinking about the past seven
days.

Leo stared out his window in the dark office. Only one light was left on.
He was alone. He wanted to be alone. He felt like his heart had broken. He
didn't want to go home. Suddenly he heard a creak at the door. He turned and
saw Margaret standing there, a solemn smile on her face. He wanted to return
the smile, but for some reason he couldn't. His assistant moved into the room
and walked to his coat rack. She grabbed his overcoat and brought it over to
him. He looked at her with eyes that told her the truth. He didn't want to go
anywhere. He couldn't stand to go home, to face Jenny with one more night of
no information. Margaret smiled a little wider and forced the issue. He
allowed her to place the jacket over his shoulders but then refused to move.

"Go home to your wife, Leo." She insisted softly before gently pushing
him towards the door. He paused and then started to move on his own towards
the parking garage. Behind him Margaret switched off the lamp and locked up
his office.

CJ put the food on the passenger seat and then closed her car door behind
her. She paused to stare forward into the night sky. What was happening to
her, she wondered as she began to cry. She wanted everything to be okay. In
the past week, her newest best friend had gotten shot. Since then, the only
thing that had changed at work was that everyone was grieving. She'd still
gotten up every morning and made her way to the office. She still got up in
front of the cameras and kept the country updated with news from the White
House. That was her job. But it felt wrong to walk away from the cameras and
then walk by KD's office and see it empty. Nine months ago, CJ didn't even
know KD existed. Now she couldn't imagine what life would be like without her.

David stared at the book in Ginger's hands. Another day had gone by, and
he still wasn't sure that he wanted to go back out into the world. Ginger had
convinced him to get a haircut, and he'd agreed to shave off the growth on
his face. Now he sat on his couch, an arm stretched back along the edge as
Ginger leaned against him. He'd told her about the book and she'd given him a
gift. She'd given him a personalized photo of the President to send to his
father. 'To David, never let one person stop you from trying, truly, Jed
Barlet' it had said. Now, tonight, Ginger had brought over some Chinese and
they talked together softly in the dim light of his apartment.

Toby leaned into the hospital room and watched KD with soft brimming
eyes. He stood there for a moment, just leaning against the doorframe and
watching her. He could of sworn his heart was broken, or at least breaking.
Danny was napping in his chair. Toby glanced at him. God, what was their
connection that Danny would be here so long, he wondered. Danny snorted in
his sleep and then blinked his eyes open.

"Toby. Hi." Danny exclaimed and then paused. "Um, I have to. . . go to
the bathroom." He added slowly, springing to his feet and moving out of the
room. Toby smiled weakly and looked back at KD, moving into the room.

"So here you are." He whispered as he moved up close to her and took her
IV'ed hand in his own. He gazed at her closed eyes as a tear dripped down the
left side of his face. "Can you imagine how much it hurts to see you like
this? If that's not enough, I have to deal with people who see me like this."

He added with a weak chuckle as another tear fell. "You're not allowed to die
on me, you know that? I've had one love of my life run out on me, and it's
not going to happen again." He insisted softly but fiercely. "I'm not
pretending to know what you and Danny have done together in the past, what
your relationship was. But I can see he cares almost as much as I do." He
added softly, wondering if she could hear him. He paused long enough to kiss
her hand gently.

"You're not going to die on me." He insisted darkly. "You're not going to
let that bastard win. You're not going to leave Leo, Jed, Josh, CJ, Sam,
Danny, Abbey, all of us. . . me." He said finally, as if he didn't want to
before. "You're not going to leave us behind." Behind him, Danny leaned in
the door in time to hear the last comment.

"You wouldn't let her, even if she wanted to." He said softly. Toby
glanced back halfway and tried to wipe away the tears.

"Yeah, well, she's strong." He retorted shakily. Danny frowned.

"You don't have to be, you know? This is hard." He said, trying to assure
the other man.

"I don't need lessons about my own emotions from you, Canconnon." Toby
retorted, still trying to put on a front.

"Maybe you don't." Danny agreed. "But maybe I do, you know? You going to
go through all this all by yourself? Fine, then. Just realize that everyone
else is hurting too. You're not the only one who loves her." He added
sharply. Toby glanced back at the reporter and then at KD's face.

"No one else loves her in the same sense that I do." He whispered.

"I do." Danny retorted. Toby looked at him abruptly.

"What do you mean?" He asked softly. Danny sighed and sat down in one of
the chairs by the door.

"She and I were together for a little over two years. We loved each
other. We did things that I'm not about to tell you about. But first and
foremost, we were friends." He explained softly. "Time went by, and something
very serious happened, and we just couldn't be together anymore. KD moved to
LA and I moved on."

"I didn't realize that you guys were that close." Toby admitted softly.
Danny smiled weakly.

"She'll always have a place in my heart, but right now I love CJ more
than I could her. I'll always love Katy, but CJ is the one I want now." He
said softly, glancing at KD's face.

"Good." Toby exclaimed after a pause. Danny glanced at him in confusion.
"If you love my girlfriend more than you love your own, I would have to take
you out back and beat you up." Toby explained. Danny chuckled and nodded.

"Wouldn't you rather have the secret service do it? No blood on your
hands." He retorted playfully.

"Probably, but in this case, I'd have to beat up the secret service too."
Toby replied as he thought about the incident.

"Let me guess. They kept you in the House, but there was no danger."
Danny suggested. Toby nodded.

"They kept us in for nearly three hours as a precaution." He said
sardonically. Danny sighed and shook his head.

"Well, if it makes you feel any better, I was here taking care of her."
He said with a playful smirk.

"No, that doesn't make me feel much better, thanks." Toby replied with a
chuckle. Danny laughed too. The mood was starting to feel a little lighter,
and the room seemed almost a little brighter.

"Who would believe you're actually such a great guy there, Ziegler?"
Danny asked with a chuckle after a pause.

"Yeah, well, don't spread it around. I've got a reputation to protect."
Toby retorted. Danny laughed.

"See . . . " A weak voice interrupted. "He has to . . . pay me . . . to
keep that . . secret." The voice finished. Danny and Toby looked directly at
the source and could barely contain their reactions.

"Katy?" Toby whispered weakly.

"God, was that you?" Danny added.

"I'm not God." KD replied very softly. "Toby gives me . . . twenty bucks
and a kiss every month to keep it quiet how great he is." She said weakly
before coughing a couple of times.

"You're with us." Toby proclaimed in almost disbelief and certain joy,
his eyes starting to brim again.

"I'd better be. If this is heaven, I'm in trouble, and the scenery here
is too good for me to be in hell." She whispered. Toby reached forward and
stroked her forehead gently.

"Don't talk so much, you'll waste your strength." He whispered. She
smiled weakly at him, barely able to move her head to see him.

"Funny how we wait around for you to wake up and talk to us, and then
once you do, we tell you to shut up." Danny mused as he watched her with
tearful eyes. KD smiled a little wider.

"Who let the stray dog in?" She murmured.

"Danny, get a doctor, somebody." Toby insisted. Danny nodded and moved
out of the room to do so.

"Shouting orders as usual." KD whispered. Toby smiled and blinked back
the extra tears. He reached forward and stroked her matted hair back with a
gentle touch. She smiled under his fingers.

"Don't ever do that to me again." He whispered as he leaned his head in
close to hers, close enough to feel her breath on his face, breath that
assured him she was indeed still alive.

The End

*(Lyrics from Something Happened On the Way To Heaven by Phil Collins)