Chapter 24
"Where the hell do you get off telling Leo that I'm emotionally unstable?!" she demanded.
"That's not what I said."
"Well that's not what Leo told me! He said that you told him that emotionally I’m unfit to continue working and that he should make me take some time off! Where do YOU get off telling
him that?!"
"Because it's the truth!"
"THE HELL IT IS!!"
"The hell it ISN'T! Your mother died a month ago. You buried her on a Thursday and Monday morning you were back at work. Against the advice of everyone! Since then, you've thrown
yourself into your work. You're here at the crack of dawn and you don't leave until the early morning hours!!"
"Some people might call that dedication!"
"And I call it self-destruction!"
"Whatever!"
"No, not whatever! Damnit, Kelsey, a week ago I find you in your mother's bedroom sobbing uncontrollably. It took almost an hour for me to get you settled down enough to even talk to
me. The next day, you treat me like a pariah! You won't talk to anyone about what's really going on!"
"Tell me, oh great master of emotions, what would you have me do?! "
"You could start by seeing someone."
"This coming from a man who can’t take off his wedding ring even though he's been divorced for several years! I'm really going to listen to you about seeking professional help!" declared
Kelsey.
"If you're not going to listen to me, why don't you listen to everyone else who thinks the same thing!"
"What do you mean by that?!"
"Everyone in the office has noticed your mood swings, Kelsey! One minute you're laughing and joking around and the next you're ready to take off someone's head! No one knows how to
deal with you lately!"
"Great! So you've been sharing your theories with the entire office! Well, thank you!!"
"We're concerned because we care," replied Toby.
"Well, let me tell you where YOUR concern has gotten me! Not only has Leo pulled me off the Sunday morning shows but also I'm being FORCED to take a week of vacation starting today
AND when I do come back, I CAN'T handle press briefings for another week! So, THANK YOU SO MUCH for ruining my career!" she yelled and turned towards the door.
"Where are you going?"
"HOME! And do me a favor, don't call, don't come over, in fact, I don't want to see your face again!"
Kelsey turned and stormed out of Toby's office, heading down the corridor to her own. She threw some files into her briefcase, packed up her laptop and headed out of the West Wing, ignoring
everyone.
"What's going on?" Josh asked as he walked into Toby's office.
"Get out!" growled Toby.
Josh turned around and walked down the corridor towards his office, running into Sam along the way.
"Hey, Josh. Is Toby in?"
"Yeah. But if I were you, I'd stay as far away from him as possible right now."
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Toby tried to get work done that afternoon, but failed miserably. All he could think about was the argument. Okay, maybe he had been wrong to go to Leo about Kelsey, but he didn't know
what else to do. She was clearly grieving the loss of Anne, but she didn't want to talk about it. He had tried to get her to open up, but somehow he just made matters worse just like he had
today. Granted he wasn't exactly the easiest person in the world to open up to, but she had always been able to talk to him before. Why was she shutting him out now when she needed him
the most?
He sat with his back to the door staring out onto the White House Lawn contemplating the argument and what he could do to fix it. Everyone had stayed out of his way and for that he was
grateful. He needed time to deal with this latest turn of events himself.
Shortly before five, Bonnie knocked softly on the door, knowing full well the kind of mood her boss was in.
"Toby," she said quietly.
"What?" he asked, still facing the window.
"There's a call for you on line 1."
"Take a message."
"It's GW. They say it's an emergency."
Toby whipped around and picked up the phone, hitting the blinking red button with purpose.
"Toby Ziegler…yes…I see…when?…how bad?…all right…yes…I'll be there shortly."
He hung up the phone and rushed about the office, grabbing his jacket and briefcase. As he walked out the door he yelled to his assistant.
"Bonnie, call Leo and tell him to meet me at GW."
"What's wrong?"
"Kelsey's been in an accident!" he replied and then raced out of the White House.