Title: Crash and Baby Author: Laura H Rating: PG -13 Category: Romance, Friendship? Spoilers: My version of " Election Night"-season 4 Synopsis: Sequel to "What the Head Makes Cloudy". On election night, CJ goes into labour. Disclaimers: I'm 16 and broke. I do not own the characters and feel that disclaimers are pointless because you all KNOW this already. Wait, I guess I do own the baby, although Sam helped me name it. Oh, and CJ's doctor. Author's notes: I have waited so long to do this story because the one scene in the Oval Office is the whole reason I wrote "What the Head Makes Cloudy". Anyway, enjoy! Please bear in mind that I haven't seen any of season 4, including "Election Night" , so I may not get this right. Part 1 "Good morning, sweetheart. I'm heading out now. I love you. See you at the office." Leo's freshly shaven cheek grazes hers as he bends to give her a kiss. This was the way CJ awoke every morning, because that was how she had asked Leo to wake her up. She figured if he made her come into work late and leave early, the least he could do was say goodbye to her before he left every morning. She slowly opens her eyes and smiles softly, appraising Leo in his clean, laundered suit. " Leo, it's election day. I told you to wake me up when you got up so I could go in with you." She pouts as she begins to sit up in bed, hand on stomach as she does. He begins to rub her shoulder as he settles in beside her on the bed. "Honey, it's election day which means we're gonna be up pretty late celebrating tonight when the President wins by a landslide. So, would you prefer to sleep now and be able to attend the festivities tonight, or would you rather get up now and get all hyped up today and not last `til tonight? I mean, elections may go on, but our son still needs his rest, and he can make you very sleepy very fast, especially on a day like this." Leo takes his right hand and slides it down to caress CJ's ever protruding stomach. He loves how she's filled out in all the right places these last seven and half months. Her belly, which used to be firm and taught, her cheeks, which used to be hollow and sunken with accustom tiredness, and her breasts, just from nature. He never seemed to be able to get enough of the with-child CJ. CJ sighs deeply, melting into Leo's loving hand soothing the bump that represented their unborn son. " I just wanna feel like a normal human being again. I want to be able to work normal hours. I hate people fussing over me and him… But, I guess if I have to choose I'll come in later if it means getting to stay up and celebrate. It's just, our little guy's wide awake right now and I know it's gonna be hard for me to get back to sleep." She laughs awkwardly, rubbing her temple. Leo laughs softly, turning slightly so he can face CJ's body. " Well, that's no good at 5.30 in the morning. Here, let me see if I can get him to calm down." He begins to kiss his way along CJ's collar bone as he lifts up the bottom of her nightgown. It's moments like this he craves for, moments where he can be close to her and their baby, moments where he can revel in her strength and heat and love. He kisses his way over the curvature of her enormous breasts before playing with the fabric of her nightgown in his hands and moving onto her belly. He traces small, circle patterns with his lips as he kisses and rubs her belly, something he has grown to love to do in the last few months. He can feel something move beneath his finger tips and he stops. He removes his lips from sucking at the soft skin around her navel and looks up at CJ. "Was he saying hi again?" Proudly, she nods. "Yeah. He likes it when he knows his daddy is around." They always had moments like this, and they made up for all the discomfort she could possibly feel. Leo was such a nurturing, patient husband and father-to-be. "Hey, buddy. Daddy's got ya. You be good for Mommy today." Leo whispers against CJ's roundness. "I love you." He lets his fingers drag along the smoothness of her bare skin before lifting himself up to look into CJ's eyes. "Don't worry, we had a little chat, he won't give you any trouble today." Leo smiles widely, capturing CJ's lips in a soft, gentle kiss as he does. She lived for moments like these. It was when she knew she could make it past the next six weeks until he was going to be born. It was when she could put up with all the backaches and stomach cramps and people touching her stomach and telling her she looked tired. It seemed trivial to worry about whether or not she'd be able to handle working and having a baby and whether or not she'd make a good mother, because when Leo made her feel like this, when he devoted himself to her and their child, she just knew somehow they'd find a way to work it all out. This was their son and they would find a way to give him the world together. Leo always had a way of making her feel like she was going to be a perfect mother. He pulls back, reluctantly, a frown on his face. " I gotta go. But I'll see you later. Come find me as soon as you get in. Oh, and I was thinking, if you wanna name him Josiah Talmidge, that's just fine with me." Leo can't help but smile, still holding his beautiful pregnant wife in his arms. CJ shakes her head and laughs out loud. " I don't think so, Leo. This kid's gotta make it through it elementary school. I could never put someone I love through having a name like that. Josiah Talmidge Cregg McGarry? Well, with any luck he'd be in high school before he can he even say that." Leo has to laugh, as well. Thank God his only son wasn't going to have that name. He had just wanted to make CJ happy, and if by naming their son that made her happy, he would have agreed. " Okay, well, you still want Josiah in there, right?" CJ smiles lovingly at Leo and brings a hand up to graze his cheek. "Yes, but don't worry about it, Leo. We've got six weeks before we need to have a name. Get to work, the government ceases to function without you." She pecks him on the cheek. Leo smiles lightly and straightens up, sighing. "Okay. Take good care of our little one and I'll see to it that our President doesn't do something stupid to embarrass himself right before all of America goes to re-elect him. CJ winks. "It's a deal." ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ It had been futile to try to get back to sleep. The baby was alive and kicking (no pun intended) and so sleep was not something he was going to permit her. So, CJ gets out of bed and throws on a robe and makes her way down the hall and into the nursery. The nursery had quickly become her favourite place in all the house after it was built. Every time she woke up in the middle of the night or when she just felt like she couldn't deal with the pregnancy any more, she'd slip quietly into the nursery, which looked like a page out of a parenting magazine, only with a homey touch. It was a bunch of shades of greens, blues and yellows with a "Winnie the Pooh" border and gorgeous matching mahogany furniture which included the change table, rocking chair ,chest of drawers and of course, the crib. Leo had made her her dream nursery. Well, it had been his idea and secret, but later she found out that others had helped. Josh, Toby and Sam had all came over on whatever spare time they had to paint, decorate and assemble the furniture with Leo. After all that Leo had added the finishing touches like a toy chest and numerous books and stuffed animals to fill the room. Her favourite items had been the plush Sesame Street dolls, Big Bird and Oscar the Grouch. Leo had said that Big Bird represented her and Oscar, him. She had not been able to stop laughing at that one. Now the room contained toys and gifts from everyone, especially the President and Abbey and Josh and Toby, who all vied for favouritism. CJ knew this was going to be one well loved and spoiled little boy. Every time she sat in the rocking chair in the nursery she couldn't help but let a couple of tears escape. She could imagine in a few weeks time her and Leo tucking their little bundle of joy into his crib for the first time. She could imagine countless sleepless nights rocking their child back to sleep after 3 am feedings and finally drifting to sleep in each other's arms in the rocking chair. Then they'd wake up and follow each other back to their own bed, where Leo would straddle her hips and begin kissing his way down her body. She would revel in the scent of baby powder on his neck and they would get lost in how good it felt to have made this life for themselves. There had been a time she had seriously doubted ever being able to do this, to get to this point where she could be happy and anticipating the arrival of their baby, but it was all different now. She and Leo had exchanged vows and a love that would last a lifetime and beyond. She had a ring of gold on her finger that promised her and her son forever his love and devotion, and she was finally at a place where she could trust and give herself completely to him. Now it was simply a case of making it through each day without collapsing or worrying everyone too much. If she could make it through today with the election and everything, and if her meddlesome little boy wasn't too uncooperative, she knew she could make through the next eighteen or so years. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Part 2 "Hey, how are you feeling this morning? Did you take all your pills?" Carol asks as she hands her boss a folder when she arrives at her office that morning. She follows CJ into the office and watches her moving very slowly as she does these days. CJ sighs and rolls her eyes, walking into her office. "Good morning, Carol. I'm just fine, thank you. And yes, Dr. Fitzgerald, I did take all my medication this morning." She was a little irritated at her assistant. Carol wasn't the only one who checked up on her on an hourly basis, and it was more than a little annoying. And besides, she had to sit down. Just the walk from her car to her office was killing her swollen ankles, and her baby was kicking violently, making a lot of movement difficult. Carol offers CJ an apologetic look as she slips in behind her desk. "Sorry, just wanted to be sure. How's the baby? He moving around a lot this morning?" CJ looks up from the file on her desk to Carol and sees the genuine interest and concern on the woman's face. " Yeah, he's doing the Macarena. And my back's been a little off today. I think it'll work it's way out, though. Okay, let's do messages and then I want to see my staff." And they quickly get into work banter, going through the list of calls for that morning and discussing the day's hectic agenda as CJ tries to forget about the horrible antics of pregnancy. "And don't forget Leo wants to see you before you get into anything." She smiles playfully, knowing how CJ could be bothered by Leo's over protectiveness sometimes. Ever since the two had gotten married, and more so since CJ's pregnancy had become more prominent, Leo had become in charge of CJ's schedule, it seemed. Sometimes Carol had to answer to him rather than CJ when she okayed an event or extra meeting that would go past regular work hours. CJ particularly hated this. CJ rolls her eyes. "He just wants to see I got here in one piece. Okay, thanks Carol. Now, you've got a few minutes so go vote for President Bartlet or you won't have a job tomorrow." She teases lightly, rubbing her belly under the desk. Carol smiles softly as she exists. "He's gonna win by so much it'll be embarrassing." And CJ knew it was true. Tonight would be amazing. Nothing, absolutely nothing, was going to stop their celebrating. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~ CJ winces as she points to one of the reporter waving their hand. She can barely concentrate on the briefing for the blinding pains in her lower back and the cramps in her stomach. Things had definitely intensified in the last few hours, and she was beginning to wonder if this day would ever end. Hopefully this would be the last briefing of the day. She casually rubs her baby from behind the podium and hopes the cameras don't pick up on it.. Why did her baby have to pick today to be so active? This was killing her. At this rate she was going to have to go have a nap. Well, actually, it'd be more like Josh, Toby or Leo catching her rubbing her stomach and spotting the bags under her eyes and demanding that she take a time out. Sometimes they just didn't know when to let her be. "CJ?" Greg, the reporter, prompts from his seat. "Sorry?" She looks confusedly back at him, not knowing the question he had asked. "The quote?" Greg sighs, obviously annoyed. Unfortunately these days sometimes her Press Corp suffered this pregnancy, too. Although, most of them supported her as much as the rest of the Whitehouse staff did. CJ shakes her head and attempts to regroup. "Right, I've got it here. It says Johnson said `Mr. Speaker and fellow delicates, I wholehearted' … Wait a minute, I'm pretty sure that's supposed to be `delegates'. Well, you all know how bad a speller Carol is…" Shouts of "CJ, CJ!" surround her. CJ sighs, once again. "Yeah, Chris." CJ calls on one the reporter she can focus on. The rooms seems to be swimming at this point. What was happening here? And at that point she completely tunes out again as her pains send a wave of nausea through her. Oh, God, she had to get out of here. "CJ?" Chris rolls her eyes impatiently. CJ had missed another question. CJ brings her hand up close to her head, but resists the urge to rub her temple, not wanting to give the Press Corp any reason to be suspicious or concerned. "I'm sorry, Mary, can you repeat that please?" " It's Chris, remember? And I was asking about the earlier polls and wondering if the Administration believes they will reflect how the American public will vote today. Indications show Bartlet has a strong lead and good chance winning a second term." CJ offers a smile to the crowd, the Press Corp. "Well, not if you all don't go out and vote Democrat. So, if you wanna keep your jobs and continue reporting news about the President, I suggest you go vote for him now. That's a full lid guys. We'll see you tonight after the polls close. I'm sure you'll all be there to cover the President's speech." It takes all her will to summon another smile. She grabs her folder and rushes out of room, feeling like if she doesn't sit down and get some water soon , she was going to collapse. CJ ignores Carol and pushes past everyone in the halls as she makes her way back to the office. The back pains are excruciating and she is finding it incredibly hard to walk, but she knows if she stops then she's liable to fall down, and that's the last thing she needs- to create a spectacle. Once in the safety of her office, she melts into a visitor chair and groans loudly, letting out all the pent up frustrations and pain. Why, all of a sudden, does she feel so awful? Something inside her lower stomach clenches and she immediately grabs her belly with her hand. "Oh, God. Please, honey, not now. Be good today, sweetie. Let Mommy have a good day." But the blinding contraction sends hot tears to her eyes and she immediately starts to sob. She can't sit still. She writhes in her seat, trying to find a comfortable position between accommodating for her back and stomach pains. Just then she feels a concerned hand at her shoulder. "CJ, what's the matter?" Josh's face is before her, his eyes all worry. And more tears are brought to her eyes when she sees him. "Oh, Josh. Oh, please don't worry. It's fine…. I'm, I'm fine. It's, it's the baby. He… he's moving and… back pains… I'm sorry… I'm fine… I have to go prep the President now. We're supposed to go prep him for the speeches." Josh nods, reaching out and taking CJ's hand. "Yeah, I know. It's okay. Why don't you lie down for a while? The rest of us can handle it. You definitely need a time-out." He rubs CJ's hand in his, wishing he knew what caused pregnant women to cry so much. She glares and rolls her eyes. "No, Joshua, I don't need a time-out. I need to be left alone to do my job. Just…just, help me up, will you?" He begins to carefully help CJ out of the chair, supporting her arms. " Okay, easy does it. Are you sure you wanna do this?" But the look on her face telling him to shut up shuts him up. He lifts a hand up to wipe the tears from her eyes before taking her under the arm and leading her out of the office. CJ can only hope no one sees her like this. She has to compose herself before anyone else sees her break down again. This day has got to go better than this. Nothing can ruin tonight. If only her body would cooperate. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~ "Alright, everyone, I appreciate your help. I guess we're done here. Now, if you haven't already done so go vote for me because you've all worked too damn hard to lose now. I mean it, I couldn't do what I do every day without every one of you, so thank you all so much." The President winks as he searches for something on his desk. "Thank you, sir." Toby shifts in his spot standing next to one of the couches in the Oval Office. "Uh, yes, thank you, sir." Josh agrees, his eyes on CJ. He's felt like something is seriously wrong, but he hasn't had the chance to ask her since the meeting began. CJ was doing all she could to just keep standing. She felt like sitting on the couch would just seem like she was struggling. And really, it wasn't so bad. She only got the shooting pains through her abdomen every few minutes, and she masked it very well. And now her breasts were aching so bad, and she knew it wouldn't look so good if she just starting rubbing them right in the middle of the Oval Office. She needs to distract herself. " Does, does anyone know when Leo and Sam will be getting back from voting?" Toby just shrugs at her. "We're done here." The President announces, throwing a pen down on his desk. "CJ, stay a minute. Abbey's just waiting outside and she's dying to see you." The guys leave and he calls Abbey in through the intercom. It doesn't take a minute for the First Lady to come through the door, and as soon as she does her face lights up. She rushes over to CJ and envelopes her in a hug. "CJ, honey, how have you been? It feels like it's been weeks. Are you still tiring easily? How are your headaches and back pains?" She takes CJ's hands in hers and switches into concerned doctor/mother mode. CJ smiles at her friend and rolls her eyes. Thank God for Abbey. She resists the urge to just blurt out how horrible she feels right now, because she doesn't want to worry anybody. " Well, it has been weeks, Mrs. Bartlet, because you've been away. And we've been just fine. Leo, and just about everybody else around here, has been seeing to that I take good care of your grandson." That much was so true. Almost everyone in the West Wing had some kind of dibs over symbolic relationship to this child as soon as it was born, and they were all taking bets as to when it would be born. She couldn't wait until she recovered from the birth and could bring the baby into the office everyday. They were planning on building a make-shift nursery in her office because she had no intentions of taking maternity leave. Jed can be seen smiling at the two women from behind his massive desk. "Please don't tell me you're still going to name him Josiah, CJ. I mean, I am incredibly flattered, you know that, but I do not want my only grandson growing up with a name like Josiah Cregg McGarry. I hope you pick something more traditional." "Don't worry, sir, I think we're going to use your name as his middle..." But her words are cut off as she is suddenly blinded by another powerful contraction that causes her to bend over and clutch her stomach. She groans and wishes she could be a little more discreet. Immediately tears begin to well in her eyes and she starts to feel the first signs of panic. Something was wrong here. Abbey grabs CJ's shoulders. "Honey, what's the matter? Are you okay?" But one look down at the ground around CJ and her eyes begin to dilate. "Oh, no." "Wha…what?" CJ whispers, her lips shaking. She thinks she already knows the answer, and her worse fears are suddenly coming true. Abbey tries to keep her voice level as she offers the younger woman a comforting smile and wraps her arms around her. " Don't look now, sweetheart, but I think your water just broke. Honey, you're in labour!" CJ doesn't have time to allow the panic alarm to sound because just then Special Agent Ron Butterfield opens the door to the Oval Office and steps inside. "Excuse me, Mr. President, but I'm going to have to ask you all to stay where you are. We just detected a foul substance in the air outside the lobby of the West Wing and we're in a crash right now. So, no one leave the room." ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Part 3 Jed looks from a terrified looking CJ clutching his wife, to Butterfield. " Is this a drill, because this is really an inconvenient time?" He raises his eyebrows to express his seriousness. "No, sir, not a drill. We'll let you know when it's safe to leave the room." Ron nods. He is oblivious to the terrified looking woman in labour standing beside the couch. Rolling his eyes, Jed nods in agreement. "Alright, thank you, Ron." He can't think of any else to do until he has more information about this damn crash that couldn't have come at a worse time. He swears he'll order the arrest of whoever did this. He thinks God sure has a sick sense of humour sometimes. Ron nods and opens the door. "Thank you, Mr. President." He exits quickly. Abbey tries to soothe CJ by rubbing her arms, but it's useless. It's obvious she is worried she's going to have this baby right here, and she isn't prepared to deliver six weeks early without even her doctor present. She turns to her husband and gives him an impatient look. " Jed, do something!" "What do you want me to do, Abbey, there's a threat to safety and security and the Secret Service have told us not to leave the room." Realizing he's taking his frustrations out on the wrong people, he offers both women an apologetic look. He sighs, this was not turning out to be a good evening. CJ just looks a mess. She is completely overwhelmed and on the verge of tears as her fears shine right through her face. Giving birth in the Whitehouse is something she has come to fear since the moment she had found out she was pregnant, and now it looked like it was going to happen, and in the Oval Office of all places. "Oh, God. Please tell me this is somebody's idea of a sick joke. Abbey, I can't be in labour, not now. It's.. it's too soon. I've still got six weeks. Something's just wrong." Her eyes are huge and she is begging and praying Abbey to make this not be real. Abbey doesn't know what to say to her. "It's alright, sweetie. But, you are in labour. But don't worry, these crashes don't usually last more than twenty or thirty minutes and I've never heard of a baby being born in twenty minutes, so you're gonna be fine. Just…uh…just come sit on the couch over here, honey… Come on, that's it." She leads CJ by the hands over to the couch and sits her down. "I can't do this, not now. It's election night for God's sakes. In a couple hours from now they're gonna call the results and then we're gonna celebrate. And… and Leo isn't here. And they won't let him into the building with the this and… six weeks and…" CJ is cut off when Abbey places her head against her shoulder. "Honey, call Leo." Abbey directs Jed. "Tell him to get his ass down here because his son is about to be born in the middle of a lock down in the Oval Office. And while you're at it see about getting CJ's obstetrician's number so we can call her. Talk to Ron and see how long they think this is going to last because we've got to get her to a hospital." "Yes, dear." Jed mumbles as he picks up the phone on his desk and begins to step into action. There was no way his grandson was going to be born in the Oval Office on the night he was re-elected. Although, what a story that would be. Regardless, he had to get CJ to a hospital so she could deliver safely. One look over at her told him she was more scared then she had ever been in her entire life. Meanwhile, CJ suffers through another contraction as Abbey guides her to lie on the couch and coaches her through it. "It's okay, baby. It's okay. Deep breaths, deep breaths. It'll be over in a second." Abbey soothes, smoothing CJ's hair. She doesn't bother to try to control the sobs or tears now. Sweat is already beginning to trickle down her forehead and she wonders if she has ever been in more pain in her life. Why was this happening to her now? " Abbey, please get Leo. Tell him I'm sorry but his son is going to be born right now and I can't help it. Tell him if he has any love for me at all he'll get his ass over here and not make me go through this alone." She starts to cry and Abbey takes her into her arms. "It's okay, sweetie. Jed's working on." But just then the President slams the phone down. " I can't reach him. He must not have his cell phone on." He looks helplessly at the women. CJ rubs her stomach, willing her baby to wait just one more day, or even a few more hours. " He always has his phone on. He can't live without it. Please, sir, keep trying." How could this be happening? How could she be in labour on election night in the middle of a crash in the Oval Office? She wants doctors and lots and lots of drugs and equipment, not to mention her husband. Not that she didn't appreciate all Abbey and the President were trying to do, but nothing could make up for this horror. She had to get out of here. Oh, why was her baby doing this to her? ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~ "Ron, you've gotta let him into the building. His wife's about to have a baby on my office couch!" The President is growing more than a little impatient and very concerned as the hours pass. The Secret Service still hadn't lifted the crash because apparently this unknown substance was a real threat and no one was getting in or out of the building or the rooms they were in. This was taking forever, and he thinks he's sweated off ten pounds watching CJ and his wife. Butterfield looks exhausted and like this wasn't what he had wanted to deal with today, either. "I'm sorry, sir, but there's nothing I can do right now. I understand the awkward situation we've put you in, but you must stay put. It shouldn't be too much longer now, but this is a real threat. We're going to have to pursue further investigation into this once we clean it up. I think this thing was purposely planted here to be found on election day. So, I'm very sorry, but we can't let Leo in. Believe me, he's even more upset than you are." His voice is nasally from the mask he is wearing. Giving in, Jed nods. He looks back at CJ lying on the couch. By now she is drenched in sweat, but Abbey has covered her in a quilt they had found in the room so CJ could take off her slacks and bra to be more comfortable and prepared. She looks just horrified, but more mentally and physically exhausted. "Okay, thank you. Needless to say, when you do figure this thing out the first people you see are myself and Leo. We've gotta got her to a hospital and we've gotta her with her husband." "Yes, sir. You should be hearing from me soon. I truly am sorry for all this, but we have to protect you, after all." He nods his thanks and slips out the door. The President makes his way over to the couch. "How you holdin' up, honey?" CJ's lips tremble as she tries to respond. "Fine, sir." She knows it's pointless to ask when the crash will end and she can see Leo. This is just something she had to continue to tough out. But she can feel that she's starting to get so close, and this scares her. She wonders if her doctor has arrived yet. This is not something she should be doing at her age. She wants medical assistance badly. He kneels on the floor in a spot beside CJ's head and right beside Abbey's chair. "Well, you're being awfully brave there, Claudia Jean. This is going to be one story I'll tell my grandson over and over again. Just hang in there, sweetheart. Leo and your doctor are outside just awaiting Ron's orders. Then we're gonna get you outta here and you're gonna be just fine. You're gonna give Leo the most beautiful baby boy in the whole world and we're gonna spoil him rotten." He smiles, rubbing CJ's hands in his. He then removes one hand and takes it to place on CJ's belly. " Just wait a few more minutes there, son. You really don't want your dad to miss this, do you?" And for a few minutes CJ forgets about the pain and the aching tiredness she feels all through her body. She looks deep into the eyes of two people who are here trying to make this horrible situation easier on her and thanks God for those people, and the many others, who she loves and who she knows love her and her baby. Suddenly the phone rings and Jed reluctantly gets up to answer it. "Hello… Oh, yes?… Thank God… Yes, thank you. Bye then…" He hurriedly throws the phone back and smiles widely at the girls. " The crash's been lifted! Leo and Dr. Benson are on there way here right now. And it only took them… three hours and fifty-five minutes." He quickly rushes back to CJ's side. "Oh, thank God." CJ exclaims. " `Cause I'm gonna burst, I know it." Abbey moves to tuck a piece of hair behind CJ's ear. "Don't worry, baby. Everything's going to be fine now." It doesn't take two minutes for Leo and the doctor to come bursting through the door to the Oval Office. Leo's suit is a mess and he looks about as deranged as CJ, but relief immediately floods his face when he sees her. "Leo!" CJ calls in a strained voice as she attempts to sit up and greet him. Leo runs over and envelopes his wife in the probably the biggest hug they've ever shared. Tears fill both of their eyes as they hold tight to each other and Leo rubs her back comfortingly. "It's okay, honey, it's okay." He soothes, running his hands through her hair. " I'm here. Are you alright?" He pulls back to take a good look at her limp form. CJ smiles through her hiccups and sobs. "Yeah, but no thanks to you or the U.S Secret Service." CJ's obstetrician, Dr. Benson, has moved close to CJ's side, as well. " How are we doing, CJ?" "She's been in labour for over three hours.. I've examined her a couple of times and I assume she's nearly fully dilated. I'm guessing this baby's ready to pop any minute" Abbey calls with a huge grin on her face. She and Jed have moved over toward his desk, to allow the others some room. "Okay, I'm going to need everyone who isn't a father, coach or licensed practitioner out of the room." Dr. Benson looks at Abbey and Jed and smiles apologetically as she bends to examine CJ. Abbey looks at CJ. "But I am a licensed practitioner. You're gonna need all the help you can get." The doctor nods her agreement, then looks back at Jed. " I'm sorry, Mr. President…" "Hey, now, I am a father…" Jed protests with a lopsided grin. Leo rolls his eyes, but smiles. " I think she meant the father of this baby, sir." CJ has watched the whole exchange, and is a little confused. "Hold on, what happened to the hospital? I mean, I'm gonna need a fetal monitor and… and drugs and other doctors and nurses and all the things we talked about. Why aren't we getting out of the Oval Office?" But just then she is attacked by the worst contraction she has received so far and she totally forgets all about getting to a hospital. "Alright, everyone out of here!" Dr. Benson shouts as she moves into to help CJ. "Someone see about getting some extra sheets and towels in here. We're gonna need…" And she continues to belt out orders as she opens her medical bag and steps right into action. Leo watches in stunned fascination, still trying to catch his breath from running so fast to get to the room. He lets CJ squeeze his hand and can't imagine what she is going through. He has never seen her so worn out and in so much pain, and he wonders if she just might be the bravest person he knows. Suddenly he doesn't care if his baby has to be born in the Whitehouse, as long as he and CJ could make it through, then it would be alright. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Part 3 Jed looks from a terrified looking CJ clutching his wife, to Butterfield. " Is this a drill, because this is really an inconvenient time?" He raises his eyebrows to express his seriousness. "No, sir, not a drill. We'll let you know when it's safe to leave the room." Ron nods. He is oblivious to the terrified looking woman in labour standing beside the couch. Rolling his eyes, Jed nods in agreement. "Alright, thank you, Ron." He can't think of any else to do until he has more information about this damn crash that couldn't have come at a worse time. He swears he'll order the arrest of whoever did this. He thinks God sure has a sick sense of humour sometimes. Ron nods and opens the door. "Thank you, Mr. President." He exits quickly. Abbey tries to soothe CJ by rubbing her arms, but it's useless. It's obvious she is worried she's going to have this baby right here, and she isn't prepared to deliver six weeks early without even her doctor present. She turns to her husband and gives him an impatient look. " Jed, do something!" "What do you want me to do, Abbey, there's a threat to safety and security and the Secret Service have told us not to leave the room." Realizing he's taking his frustrations out on the wrong people, he offers both women an apologetic look. He sighs, this was not turning out to be a good evening. CJ just looks a mess. She is completely overwhelmed and on the verge of tears as her fears shine right through her face. Giving birth in the Whitehouse is something she has come to fear since the moment she had found out she was pregnant, and now it looked like it was going to happen, and in the Oval Office of all places. "Oh, God. Please tell me this is somebody's idea of a sick joke. Abbey, I can't be in labour, not now. It's.. it's too soon. I've still got six weeks. Something's just wrong." Her eyes are huge and she is begging and praying Abbey to make this not be real. Abbey doesn't know what to say to her. "It's alright, sweetie. But, you are in labour. But don't worry, these crashes don't usually last more than twenty or thirty minutes and I've never heard of a baby being born in twenty minutes, so you're gonna be fine. Just…uh…just come sit on the couch over here, honey… Come on, that's it." She leads CJ by the hands over to the couch and sits her down. "I can't do this, not now. It's election night for God's sakes. In a couple hours from now they're gonna call the results and then we're gonna celebrate. And… and Leo isn't here. And they won't let him into the building with the this and… six weeks and…" CJ is cut off when Abbey places her head against her shoulder. "Honey, call Leo." Abbey directs Jed. "Tell him to get his ass down here because his son is about to be born in the middle of a lock down in the Oval Office. And while you're at it see about getting CJ's obstetrician's number so we can call her. Talk to Ron and see how long they think this is going to last because we've got to get her to a hospital." "Yes, dear." Jed mumbles as he picks up the phone on his desk and begins to step into action. There was no way his grandson was going to be born in the Oval Office on the night he was re-elected. Although, what a story that would be. Regardless, he had to get CJ to a hospital so she could deliver safely. One look over at her told him she was more scared then she had ever been in her entire life. Meanwhile, CJ suffers through another contraction as Abbey guides her to lie on the couch and coaches her through it. "It's okay, baby. It's okay. Deep breaths, deep breaths. It'll be over in a second." Abbey soothes, smoothing CJ's hair. She doesn't bother to try to control the sobs or tears now. Sweat is already beginning to trickle down her forehead and she wonders if she has ever been in more pain in her life. Why was this happening to her now? " Abbey, please get Leo. Tell him I'm sorry but his son is going to be born right now and I can't help it. Tell him if he has any love for me at all he'll get his ass over here and not make me go through this alone." She starts to cry and Abbey takes her into her arms. "It's okay, sweetie. Jed's working on." But just then the President slams the phone down. " I can't reach him. He must not have his cell phone on." He looks helplessly at the women. CJ rubs her stomach, willing her baby to wait just one more day, or even a few more hours. " He always has his phone on. He can't live without it. Please, sir, keep trying." How could this be happening? How could she be in labour on election night in the middle of a crash in the Oval Office? She wants doctors and lots and lots of drugs and equipment, not to mention her husband. Not that she didn't appreciate all Abbey and the President were trying to do, but nothing could make up for this horror. She had to get out of here. Oh, why was her baby doing this to her? ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~ "Ron, you've gotta let him into the building. His wife's about to have a baby on my office couch!" The President is growing more than a little impatient and very concerned as the hours pass. The Secret Service still hadn't lifted the crash because apparently this unknown substance was a real threat and no one was getting in or out of the building or the rooms they were in. This was taking forever, and he thinks he's sweated off ten pounds watching CJ and his wife. Butterfield looks exhausted and like this wasn't what he had wanted to deal with today, either. "I'm sorry, sir, but there's nothing I can do right now. I understand the awkward situation we've put you in, but you must stay put. It shouldn't be too much longer now, but this is a real threat. We're going to have to pursue further investigation into this once we clean it up. I think this thing was purposely planted here to be found on election day. So, I'm very sorry, but we can't let Leo in. Believe me, he's even more upset than you are." His voice is nasally from the mask he is wearing. Giving in, Jed nods. He looks back at CJ lying on the couch. By now she is drenched in sweat, but Abbey has covered her in a quilt they had found in the room so CJ could take off her slacks and bra to be more comfortable and prepared. She looks just horrified, but more mentally and physically exhausted. "Okay, thank you. Needless to say, when you do figure this thing out the first people you see are myself and Leo. We've gotta got her to a hospital and we've gotta her with her husband." "Yes, sir. You should be hearing from me soon. I truly am sorry for all this, but we have to protect you, after all." He nods his thanks and slips out the door. The President makes his way over to the couch. "How you holdin' up, honey?" CJ's lips tremble as she tries to respond. "Fine, sir." She knows it's pointless to ask when the crash will end and she can see Leo. This is just something she had to continue to tough out. But she can feel that she's starting to get so close, and this scares her. She wonders if her doctor has arrived yet. This is not something she should be doing at her age. She wants medical assistance badly. He kneels on the floor in a spot beside CJ's head and right beside Abbey's chair. "Well, you're being awfully brave there, Claudia Jean. This is going to be one story I'll tell my grandson over and over again. Just hang in there, sweetheart. Leo and your doctor are outside just awaiting Ron's orders. Then we're gonna get you outta here and you're gonna be just fine. You're gonna give Leo the most beautiful baby boy in the whole world and we're gonna spoil him rotten." He smiles, rubbing CJ's hands in his. He then removes one hand and takes it to place on CJ's belly. " Just wait a few more minutes there, son. You really don't want your dad to miss this, do you?" And for a few minutes CJ forgets about the pain and the aching tiredness she feels all through her body. She looks deep into the eyes of two people who are here trying to make this horrible situation easier on her and thanks God for those people, and the many others, who she loves and who she knows love her and her baby. Suddenly the phone rings and Jed reluctantly gets up to answer it. "Hello… Oh, yes?… Thank God… Yes, thank you. Bye then…" He hurriedly throws the phone back and smiles widely at the girls. " The crash's been lifted! Leo and Dr. Benson are on there way here right now. And it only took them… three hours and fifty-five minutes." He quickly rushes back to CJ's side. "Oh, thank God." CJ exclaims. " `Cause I'm gonna burst, I know it." Abbey moves to tuck a piece of hair behind CJ's ear. "Don't worry, baby. Everything's going to be fine now." It doesn't take two minutes for Leo and the doctor to come bursting through the door to the Oval Office. Leo's suit is a mess and he looks about as deranged as CJ, but relief immediately floods his face when he sees her. "Leo!" CJ calls in a strained voice as she attempts to sit up and greet him. Leo runs over and envelopes his wife in the probably the biggest hug they've ever shared. Tears fill both of their eyes as they hold tight to each other and Leo rubs her back comfortingly. "It's okay, honey, it's okay." He soothes, running his hands through her hair. " I'm here. Are you alright?" He pulls back to take a good look at her limp form. CJ smiles through her hiccups and sobs. "Yeah, but no thanks to you or the U.S Secret Service." CJ's obstetrician, Dr. Benson, has moved close to CJ's side, as well. " How are we doing, CJ?" "She's been in labour for over three hours.. I've examined her a couple of times and I assume she's nearly fully dilated. I'm guessing this baby's ready to pop any minute" Abbey calls with a huge grin on her face. She and Jed have moved over toward his desk, to allow the others some room. "Okay, I'm going to need everyone who isn't a father, coach or licensed practitioner out of the room." Dr. Benson looks at Abbey and Jed and smiles apologetically as she bends to examine CJ. Abbey looks at CJ. "But I am a licensed practitioner. You're gonna need all the help you can get." The doctor nods her agreement, then looks back at Jed. " I'm sorry, Mr. President…" "Hey, now, I am a father…" Jed protests with a lopsided grin. Leo rolls his eyes, but smiles. " I think she meant the father of this baby, sir." CJ has watched the whole exchange, and is a little confused. "Hold on, what happened to the hospital? I mean, I'm gonna need a fetal monitor and… and drugs and other doctors and nurses and all the things we talked about. Why aren't we getting out of the Oval Office?" But just then she is attacked by the worst contraction she has received so far and she totally forgets all about getting to a hospital. "Alright, everyone out of here!" Dr. Benson shouts as she moves into to help CJ. "Someone see about getting some extra sheets and towels in here. We're gonna need…" And she continues to belt out orders as she opens her medical bag and steps right into action. Leo watches in stunned fascination, still trying to catch his breath from running so fast to get to the room. He lets CJ squeeze his hand and can't imagine what she is going through. He has never seen her so worn out and in so much pain, and he wonders if she just might be the bravest person he knows. Suddenly he doesn't care if his baby has to be born in the Whitehouse, as long as he and CJ could make it through, then it would be alright. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Part 4 The next twenty minutes pass by in a wave of confusion, haste and exhaustion as CJ's doctor leads her and Leo through the birth. A couple of women who had experience in nursing and midwifery had come to the Oval Office to assist, although they really weren't needed. Leo can't remember anything except how worn-out CJ looks, but he knows she's never looked more beautiful to him. He bends and kisses her cheek one last time before Dr. Benson tells CJ to give one last push. "I can't, I can't." CJ protests with a groan, her eyes begging Leo to make this stop. The last contraction had made it so hard for her not to just give into the instincts of child birth and let go, but she was sure she would collapse as soon as she bore down. "Yes, you can, honey. One more push and we'll get to welcome our son into the world." He encourages, squeezing her hand. Dr. Benson looks up at the two expectant parents in front of her and has to smile. " Alright, I know you're tired and in a million kinds of pain, but you're doing great, CJ. Just one more push. " The doctor grows a little impatient as a contraction hits CJ and she fights against it. " Come on, CJ, you're fully dilated, you can go now, stop fighting it." And the next thing Leo knew, CJ was collapsing onto the bed as their baby's first cry echoed throughout the room in unison with CJ's own cries. "Congratulations." Dr. Benson smiles as she wraps the tiny infant in a blanket one of the women nurses had handed her. "This one looks real good. Crying is always a good sign." Abbey helps her wipe the baby off and helps Leo cut the umbilical cord. Leo watches carefully and tries not to fumble with the silver instrument in his hand. He can't believe how small and almost disgusting-looking his baby looks. "Hey, I don't think it's got a… ya know." He's only slightly surprised when he gets a good look at the tiny creature. Dr. Benson smiles widely. "Yeah, that must be our mistake. This is no boy, is it?" "She's a girl? We…we have a girl?" CJ's eyes light up as she tries to roll onto her side to get a better look. Every muscle in her body demands sleep and relief, but she doesn't want to close her eyes and miss anything. Leo looks so nervous, but so excited, too. The doctor and Abbey continue to wipe the blood and ickiness off the little baby girl and wrap her in a fluffy receiving blanket. She immediately stops crying. "Alright, Dad. You wanna hold your daughter and let CJ have a rest first?" Dr. Benson asks. Leo shakes his head, looking from his newborn baby to his wife. " No. I'll wait `til after CJ holds her. Mothers should be the first to hold their babies." "Okay, CJ, are you up to it?" Dr. Benson cradles the newborn expertly. CJ nods, her eyes not quite so tired now, and a little more excited. "Yes. I think I can hold her before I have to completely give into sleep." Leo watches as CJ is given the baby for the first time. He can see the many emotions flickering through CJ's eyes, the most powerful of them being love. He wonders if he's ever experienced something so miraculous. He runs his hand along her head and cheek as she gazes lovingly at their sleeping daughter in her arms. "She's so tiny." CJ whispers, not daring to move for fear of stirring the child. She's a little nervous like she expected to be the first time she held her baby, but she is also dominated by an overwhelming sense of love and devotion. Her maternal instincts make her silently vow then and there that she will always protect and love this little miracle, and that it will be the centre of her world. She can see eighteen odd years worth of memories just waiting to happen when she brushes a finger along the infant's tiny cheek. Nothing has ever made her feel so complete. Leo tentatively reaches out to touch the baby's cheek, as well. He feels the hot urge to give this little baby everything he possibly can, and to always protect her from anything that could harm her. It was the same feeling he always had about CJ, but even stronger because his daughter was defenceless and so small. He can't imagine ever feeling so much love, and he dare lets a tear trickle down his cheek. It doesn't bother him that the baby is premature and will most- likely encounter problems, because right now that seems so trivial. "I guess this means we're not going to call it Josiah after all. The President's gonna be pretty mad not to have a grandson named after him." He laughs because he's making a joke, but CJ doesn't look amused. She continues to stare at her child sleeping in her arms. It doesn't matter that she didn't give Leo a son, or the President the grandson he's always wanted. She had a beautiful, apparently healthy, little girl, and that was not something she would ever feel guilty for. " Leo, I didn't choose it this way." CJ whispers a little defensively in response to his comment. "I know. And I'm glad. Little girls are so much cuter, and they're easier to spoil rotten." The biggest smile plays at his lips. "You mean, you're okay with her being a girl?" CJ doesn't really need to ask the question, she knows already. Leo's look is a little sad, but he realizes that CJ is just confirming and not really thinking he wanted a boy more than a girl. "Of course. I love girls, they're much more affectionate. And I have some experience raising one, so I'm good to go. And I was teasing about the President. You know how much he adores his daughters and granddaughter, it won't be any different for this one." CJ is relieved because she knows what he says is true. The President and Leo definitely liked their girls. She smiles softly. " I guess we'll need a name. We haven't considered any girl names we like." She yawns and draws her attention back to the baby. "I like whatever you like." Leo kisses CJ's forehead. "But, we'll worry about that later. Right now I think you need to rest." Just then, Dr. Benson, who had been working on cleaning up the surrounding area, pipes up. " Right now I think there are about half a dozen people waiting outside this room to see you and your baby. Should I let them know it's okay to come in, or do you want to take a little nap first before you see anyone?" CJ contemplates this. She has an over whelming urge to ask her friends to wait until she has a good shower to come in and see her, but she knows they could probably care less what she looked or smelled like right now. She couldn't deny them the opportunity to hold her baby, so long as Leo got a chance to hold her first. "Sure, let them in. I guess I can last for another ten minutes or so. Does anybody know the time?" It suddenly occurs to CJ that she has no idea how long she was in labour, and how long the birth took. There were things she'd need to staff out. After all, it was election night and surely the networks would be calling the results any time, and she was supposed to be there for the President's speech. "It's 10.28" One of the nurses calls from her spot near the door. CJ immediately turns to Leo. " Oh my God! Leo, the networks will be calling the exit polls." Leo shakes his head, affectionately. " Honey, you've got your newborn daughter in your arms, you've just lost half of the inside of your body, you're exhausted beyond belief, and you're worried about the voting results?" She smiles coyly. "Yeah, well, the Whitehouse still stands and the government still functions even when there's a baby born in the Oval Office." "So, should I invite your friends in?" Dr. Benson asks, coming to check on the baby. Leo looks at CJ who nods. He answers, " Yeah, I think we've used the President's office long enough, the least we can do is let him back in. And maybe somebody will know if we've got the results or not." ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~ "Oh, sweetie, she's just gorgeous. You guys did very well." Abbey winks at CJ and Leo, who are now curled up together on the couch right beside her. She is so glad that both mother and daughter are doing well now. And CJ and Leo look so happy right now. She doesn't think she's seen Leo so relaxed. "When's it going to be my turn to hold my granddaughter?" The President fakes impatience, but can't help but smile from his seat on the other couch. CJ can't resist laying her head on Leo's shoulder. If it weren't for the half-dozen other people in the room, she would just give in right now. "You mean you're not the least bit disappointed it's not a boy, sir?" Jed laughs heartily and watches his wife holding the baby beside CJ. " Oh, of course not. I'm so used to women I don't think I'd ever know what to do with a little boy. Besides, girls look better in pink frilly dresses, and they'd much rather hug you than beat you in a wrestling match." Leo laughs, too, thinking that it is so odd to be sitting here in the Oval Office right after his baby was born. "Well, sir , I couldn't agree with you more, but I'm sorry to disappoint you by saying I don't think this little girl will be wearing too many pink frilly dresses." "Why not?" Josh smiles from his spot next to the President. "Little dresses are the cutest, why won't you dress your daughter in them?" CJ smiles widely. " Because her entire nursery is painted blue, green and yellow, almost all her possessions were bought with a boy in mind, she doesn't have one doll, and because she's my daughter and I can't imagine ever putting her through the horror of wearing dresses when they aren't required." Sam laughs out loud. " So, CJ, the feminist, is taking the liberated approach to raising a girl?" Everybody laughs because they know it's true. Even if the test results had told them ahead of time that they were going to have a girl, CJ and Leo's daughter probably still wouldn't have a pink nursery or a lot of dolls. CJ glances at Leo's watch. "Uh, guys, do we know if the networks have announced yet?" She looks around the room. Toby, who is sitting beside Josh, glances from Josh back to CJ and Leo. " Yeah, I guess we forgot to tell you `cause we were so preoccupied with the baby. The networks announced about forty-five minutes ago." "And…?" Leo watches the others expectantly. A smile creeps up Josiah Bartlet's lips. " It looks like the American people wanna keep us around another four years." CJ's eyes widen and she smiles largely. " Oh, sir, that's wonderful! Congratulations! Wait… Mr. President, why aren't you giving your victory speech?" Jed shrugs, trying to be nonchalant. " I think people'll wait. I wanted to wait and not only gloat about what an incredible and dedicated staff I have and how I couldn't make it through without them, but I wanted to announce the birth of my beautiful granddaughter and tell the story of how she was born tonight in my office. Of course, if that's alright with her doting parents?" Leo rubs CJ's hand in his and notices the inevitable lines under her eyes. He didn't think she'd be up for announcing tonight, and tomorrow she would be at the hospital. " What do you think, sweetheart? I mean, we can do it that way considering you're not going to be back at that podium for a little while. I'd do it alone, but I think it ruins the effect." CJ nods, letting her eyes close for just second. " Yeah, I'd like the President to announce for us…." "Alright, it's settled then. I'll do it tonight in my victory speech." The President claps and stands up. "Now, come on, Abbey, cough her up." "Fine, but bear in mind that there are others waiting in line." Abbey takes one last look at the dozing infant in her arms and stands to expertly place her in Jed's already outstretched arms. She moves to the other couch to let her husband sit beside CJ. And Jed can't help but smile. It's been ages since he's held a small child in his arms, and nothing can compare to this. This was the daughter of his best friend and the woman who was like a daughter to him. " You guys did do well." He winks at Leo. "Well, sir, can you hurry up `cause her favourite uncle's getting a little impatient over here." Josh grins, loving how close everybody is tonight. This was probably one of the best nights in the West Wing ever. A smile plays at Toby's lips, although he tries to cover it. " Hey, I'm gonna be her favourite uncle, Josh, we've already been over this." He loves baiting Josh about this. They've been at this the last five months, ever since CJ announced that she was pregnant. Sam throws his hands up in a defensive position. " Come on, guys, we all know how much experience both of you have had with kids." "Alright, boys, settle down." Abbey places a hand on Josh's shoulder. " We're all going to get to play a big role in this little girl's life." CJ and Leo can't help but smile at all this. Just wait until we get Carol, Margaret, Donna and all the girls in here, they both think. Just then Charlie steps into the room and announces Dr. Benson. Dr. Benson slips into the room after Charlie. "Excuse me. CJ, are you ready to go to the hospital now?" CJ had almost forgotten that she and her baby still had to be checked into the hospital. But she couldn't leave yet, there were still people waiting to hold the baby. "Umm… can we just wait a bit, Dr. Benson,? Not everyone's had a chance to see her yet, and we haven't invited in any of our assistants or everyone else who wants to see her." The doctor nods. "Okay, but you do have to hurry. And you need your rest and your daughter needs an examination and the incubator." Leo nods at the doctor. " We won't be that much longer, doctor." "You're going to go with them?" Jed asks Leo, still cradling the baby with ease. Leo looks at the President as if it would be obvious. "Well, yes, of course." "But we're celebrating tonight." Sam exclaims. Josh straightens in his seat. "Yeah, we're gonna have some drinks and talk about the last four years. I'm gonna get really drunk and piss Donna off because of it. It'll be great. You can't miss it, Leo." CJ faces Leo and gazes into his eyes. " Honey, you don't have to come with me right away. We just won re- election. You should stay here and celebrate. We've all worked so hard, especially you." Leo smiles lovingly at CJ. " As much as I'd love to stay and watch Josh make a fool of himself, I'd much rather celebrate the birth of our daughter with you, than getting re-elected with these guys. Uh… no offence…" He turns to the crowd and smiles. "None taken." Toby whispers dryly. Abbey starts to laugh lightly. "Oh, let him be. These two should be together tonight. What's winning the Whitehouse again when you just had a baby?" "Thank you, Abigail." Leo smiles softly at Abbey, then turns to Jed. "Okay, Mr. President, time to pass the baby on to someone else. We gotta get her to the hospital soon." ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ So the President gave his speech and in it announced the birth of the baby of his Chief of Staff and Press Secretary. CJ, Leo and the baby (which they had named Reagan when the President had told them the meaning of the name meant "child of the small ruler") went to the hospital as the rest of the staff celebrated re-election and the birth of Reagan Abigail Cregg McGarry. Sam teased that they were going to have to reiterate that the little girl was not named after president Ronald Reagan, and Leo had glared at that. All in all, it had been a wonderful night. Now Leo waits anxiously, pacing the small hospital room, watching CJ sleep, wanting the doctor to bring his daughter back from the incubator. He gives up, realizing it will be a long night, and goes to sit in the chair beside CJ's bed. He reaches out and takes CJ's hand and can't help but smile. She had went through so much to bring their daughter into the world, and he was grateful. He has a feeling it's going to be a while before she wakes up again, probably not until the nurse brings her the baby to feed. He can't wait until that time. He can imagine their super tiny infant sucking contently on CJ's nipple and knows that it'll be times like that that will make up for all the loss of sleep and discomfort. He can't wait to curl up with CJ and their baby and watch her feed her for the first time. It's just one of the many firsts to come that he's exhilarated to be able to be experience. Tonight will be one of many nights that he and CJ will share nurturing their child together and embarking on one of life's greatest challenges and adventures: parenthood. It didn't matter if he was fifty-six and she was forty-one, or that they worked excruciatingly long hours with no plans to quit any time soon, because they would find a way to incorporate their child into the life they love. Because over the course of a few months, and in the couple short hours since the birth, that infant had become their world. He knew it wouldn't be easy, especially with CJ not taking maternity leave and just returning in a month or so when she recovered. More than anything, though, he was thrilled to be doing this again, and doing it right-with the woman he loves. He can picture endless nights of midnight feedings followed by time spent with the two of them kissing and exploring each other the way they used to before the pregnancy had gotten in the way of their love- making. He can see bringing their daughter into the office every day and all the staff taking turns watching over her, practically fighting over who gets babysitting privileges on a particular hour when he or CJ couldn't watch her. He can't wait for the start of elementary school when CJ and their daughter will stand in the classroom doorway trying to say goodbye to each other for the first time, but all they'll be able to do is cry and hold each other because it'll be heart breaking having to let go. He imagines being so proud when Reagan's project wins first place in the elementary school science fair, and when she becomes leader of the debate team and President of Student Council in high school. And suddenly an image flashes before his eyes of a very teary CJ sitting beside him in an over-sized auditorium on Graduation night for one of the country's finest schools. It's as if eighteen years had flashed before his eyes and suddenly the sticky little creature, whose umbilical cord he had cut mere hours ago, was now grown up. He couldn't let that happen. That's what had happened with Mallory. He hadn't paid enough attention and she had grown up in a heartbeat. He vowed not to let that happen with Reagan. He was going to enjoy every moment. Every scraped knee, every report card, every heart break, every award, every fight, every kiss on the cheek, every little moment. Because he lived for little moments like that. They were the same moments he lived for with his wife, and he would remember them the same way with his daughter. He would take lots of pictures and vow to always be there for all the little moments. THE END