Changes Ch 10
“What the hell!” Leo, Sam, and Josh exclaimed
when Toby walked into Leo’s office.
“Toby, what are you doing here?” Leo asked.
“I work here.”
“Toby, we know you work here, but isn’t there
somewhere else you should be?” Sam said.
“Like...maybe...oh I don’t know the hospital. You
know the one your wife is in at this moment.” Leo
said.
Josh just stood there and stared at Toby in
disbelief.
“Are all of you finished?” Toby asked. When they
were silent he continued. “I told CJ you would do
this. It was her idea I come here today. She said
that if I stayed at the hospital I would drive both of
us crazy.”
“She has a point.” Josh said.
“So, she decided it would be better for you to drive
*us* crazy.” Sam said.
“Shut up.”
“How is she, Toby?” Leo asked.
“She’s as well as can be expected.”
“How long are you staying today?” Sam asked.
“Not the entire day. Probably until three or four.”
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Josh had announced that CJ was hospitalized during
the morning briefing. He said that updates on her
condition would be issued daily. But that the cause
for her hospitalization would not be disclosed.
“Are you up for a visitor?” Danny asked as he walked
into CJ’s hospital room.
“Yeah, as long as you are here as a friend, and not
as a member of the press corps.”
“A friend.”
“Good.”
“I guess this was the reason you changed the subject
on me yesterday.”
“What ever would make you think that?”
“You didn’t come back to work after your doctor’s
appointment the other day. So whatever it is you
found out then.”
“Yeah.”
“What’s wrong with the baby?”
“Why do you assume it’s the baby?”
“Oh, no. There’s something wrong with you?”
“Yeah.”
“Do you want to talk about it?”
“No.”
“CJ...”
“Look I know you wouldn’t print it. I just don’t
want to talk about it. Did I tell you what the baby
is?”
“No.”
“A girl.”
“Really?”
“Yeah.”
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Toby looked up as the door to his office slammed
shut.
“You were the one I left off the list.” He mumbled
to himself.
“Really, I guess you thought I was still in Romania.”
Abbey Bartlet said.
“I guess so.”
“Why the hell are you here?”
“I work here.”
“You work here, you WORK here. Even when your WIFE
is in the hospital and your place ideally would be
with her!”
“Mrs. Bartlet, I know that everyone thinks I’m
being...
“A jackass.”
“Inconsiderate. That’s the word I was thinking of.
It seems to everyone that I’m being inconsiderate by
being here, but *CJ* told me to come to work today.”
“Why?”
“She seems to think that if I were at the hospital
all day, I would drive both of us crazy.”
“I’m inclined to agree with her.” Abbey laughed.
“Okay, I’m sorry for coming in here and reading you
the riot act over this. How is she?”
“She’s scared, but not for herself but for the baby.”
“She’s a mother now. You put your children ahead of
yourself.”
“Even if it could cost you...well your own life?”
“Have things progressed that far?”
“No, but there’s no guarantee it won’t.”
“They’ve caught this early, right?”
“Yeah.”
“That’s something. Toby she’s going to be fine, and
in three months you’re going to be the proud father of
a beautiful baby girl.”
“And if I lose CJ in the process?”
“Toby, you are such a pessimist. Let it go for now.
CJ and the baby are going to be fine.”
“You know what the ultimate irony is in all of this.
The first time I went to the doctor with CJ, the
doctor told us that the baby was conceived on
Valentine’s Day or thereabouts. I wanted our first
Valentine’s Day together as a married couple to be
special. And that may in the end cost me the woman I
love.”
Abbey watched Toby standing by the window in silence
for a few minutes. “She knows you very well.”
“What?”
“CJ knows you very well. She sent you to work today,
so you would let all of this out. She knew one of us
would dig at you enough. And in the end you would let
everything that is bothering you out.”
“If that was her plan, it worked remarkably well.”
“Yes it did.”
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
When Toby got back to CJ’s room that night she was
asleep. He sat in the chair and watched her sleep.
After an hour and a half she woke up.
She turned her head on the pillow, and saw him
sitting in the chair watching her. “How long have you
been there.”
He moved the chair closer to the bed and took her
hand before answering. “A while.”
“Sorry I’ve been such boring company.”
“You haven’t been.” He said as he brushed the hair
back from her face and kissed her.
“Yeah right.”
“I watched you sleep.”
“That must have been exciting.”
“It gave me time to think.”
“About what?”
“A lot of things.”
“You’re not going to tell me.”
“Not right now.”
“Okay.” After a moment she moved his hand until it
was resting on her stomach.
“She’s very active tonight.” He said as he felt the
baby kick.
“Yeah she is. I’m starting to believe she’s okay.”
“You’re going to be too.”
“I plan to fight for her, and for me.”
“Good.”
“She’s part of you and part of me. That means that
she is a helluva fighter. She’s going to be fine
too.”
“You know what I was thinking earlier?”
“What?”
“How much I love you.”
“What made you realize that?” She laughed.
“Someone pointed out to me exactly what you did
today.”
“Who finally got you to talk?”
“Mrs. Bartlet.”
“She’s back from Romania?”
“Yeah.”
“I knew you wouldn’t talk to me. At least not right
now, and you needed to talk to someone.”
“I’m glad you did it.”
“Do you feel better now?”
“A little.”
“I’m glad.”
Toby traced his finger around her cheek. “I love
you.” He whispered and then bent and kissed her.
CJ just smiled at him, with tears in her eyes.
“I’m making you cry again.” He laughed.
“It’s okay. They’re happy tears.” She whispered.
to be continued...