Title: Male bonding - Take these broken wings: The conclusion Saturday No-one noticed the small bird which struggled through the door as Bartlet, Leo, Sam, Josh, Toby and CJ all walked into the Oval Office. They were too busy to see it wander across the West Wing and into Leo’s office. Settling into a quiet corner, the pigeon closed its eyes, enjoying the warmth after the bitter November cold outside. ***************** Leo got up, stretching tiredly. Almost ten, and he was ready to go home. It had been a hectic day. As he lifted his coat off the hook, his scarf slipped to the floor. Bending to retrieve it, Leo watched as the scarf moved. A second later, a small feathery head emerged from under the thick wool. ‘What the Hell..?’ The pigeon looked up at Leo and Leo shook his head. Wrapping the pigeon in his scarf, Leo carried to the Oval office door and let it walk free, ruffling its feathers angrily at the indignity of its removal from the warmth of the office. ********************* ‘Okay, get in. But if anyone sees you, I have no idea how you got in here, okay?’ Leo opened the door, tipped the box on its side and waited until the pigeon walked into the box before lifting it up, covering it with his scarf. ********************** Leo stroked the pigeon’s head as the vet examined it. ‘What’s wrong with it?’ ‘It’s a little malnourished, a little dehydrated, and it has a broken wing.’ ‘I know.’ ‘Did you see it get injured?’ ‘No, but it’s been hanging round for a week.’ ‘You should have bought it here earlier, sir. It must be in considerable pain.’ ‘Can you fix it up?’ ‘Yeah, it’ll be around fifty dollars.’ ‘Fifty dollars! What is it, a rare species?’ ‘It’s Saturday afternoon, sir, and this is just a pigeon. We only see emergencies on Saturdays.’ ‘What do they eat?’ ‘Almost anything, sir. But we can give you a wild bird food pack. Should last about a week.’ Leo’s frowned. ‘How much?’ ‘Ten dollars, sir.’ Leo opened his wallet. ‘Okay. ‘And the antibiotic drops need to go into the water.’ Leo shook his head. ‘Just give me the final bill, huh?’ ‘Seventy-eight fifty, sir.’ Leo handed over his credit card. ‘Do you have other pets, sir?’ ‘No.’ ‘Good. They don’t get on well with cats or dogs.’ ‘I’ll remember that.’ ‘And it’ll need to be kept caged while its wing heals. Do you have a dog or cat basket?’ Leo stared at the young man. ‘Oh, and you’ll need to bring it back to have the splint removed. Make an appointment for a weeks’ time.’ ***************** Sunday morning In its new white wire cage, the pigeon walked around contentedly, occasionally pecking at the dish of food at the far end. Leo retrieved the newspapers from outside his apartment door, then turned back. The pigeon was watching him as he neared the cage, and backed off as he approached. ’Hey, I saved your scrawny neck, okay. If I was gonna eat you, I’d have done it by now. I still might. A hundred and ten dollars. Christ!’ He looked up as the doorbell rang. He was torn between making whoever it was wait while he hid the pigeon, and knowing that, in a one-bedroom apartment, there was nowhere except the bedroom that a visitor wouldn’t go. And he definitely did not want the bird in his bedroom. ‘Mal.’ ‘Hi Dad. What is that?’ Leo sighed. ‘It’s a pigeon.’ ‘What happened to its wing?’ ‘It was broken.’ ‘Who by?’ Resenting the implication, Leo said sharply: ‘Not me, okay.’ ‘Okay. Wanna go out for breakfast?’ ‘Sure. Why are you here at…’ Leo looked at his watch. ‘Seven forty-five?’ ‘No reason.’ ‘Mal?’ ‘Okay, I have some good news.’ ‘Yeah?’ ‘Not here. Take me somewhere nice.’ Reaching for his coat, Leo sighed. ‘Okay.’ The pigeon watched Leo as he pulled on his overcoat. Forgetting his daughter standing only feet away, Leo said quietly: ‘I won’t be long.’ Mallory only just managed to restrain the urge to tease her father. ******************** Sunday afternoon ‘Hi Leo.’ ‘Josh, Sam.’ ‘Mallory said you’ve got a new pet.’ Leo sighed, standing aside so the two younger men could walk into his apartment. Sam bent down, kneeling at the side of the cage ‘Is it POTUS?’ ‘How the Hell would I know?’ Leo snapped. ‘Did you try calling it by its name?’ Leo looked crossly at the Deputy Communications Director. ‘No Sam, I didn’t.’ ‘Where did you find it?’ ‘In my office.’ Sam frowned. ‘Leo, I was just asking, okay?’ ‘Sam, the damn bird was on the floor of my office when I left Saturday. Probably came in through a window or something. I put it in a box, took it to the vet and it’s here, okay?’ ‘What did the vet say?’ Leo was bored with the topic and said sharply: ‘That I should wring its neck.’ The look he got from Sam and, strangely, from Josh too, made Leo uncomfortable. ‘Hey POTUS.’ The pigeon came towards the voice and stood against the bars of the cage while Sam stroked its back. Leo watched. ‘How do you do that? When I get within ten feet, it backs off.’ Josh was watching Sam too. ‘That’s cos it knows you wanna kill it Leo.’ ‘I do not!’ Startled by Leo’s loud voice, the pigeon moved to the far end of the cage. Josh said what he and Sam were both thinking. ‘See?’ ********************* ‘How’s the bird, Leo?’ ‘Sir…’ ‘Mallory told Sam, Sam told Abbey and Abbey told me.’ ‘Great. Is there anyone on the planet who doesn’t know I’ve got an injured pigeon in my apartment?’ Bartlet pretended to consider the question for a second. ‘There are some people in Antarctica who won’t know until the next mail drop.’ Leo groaned and walked out. ‘Margaret, what the Hell is this?’ As he walked into his office, Leo saw a small box with various brightly-coloured plastic things in it. ‘I used to have canaries Leo. I thought POTUS might like some toys to play with. It must be bored in the cage all on its own. Especially with you at work all day.’ Leo walked out of his office and stood in the doorway. ‘Right, listen up. I have a pigeon in my apartment. It’s got a broken wing. I will not be issuing a Press statement or posting a daily update on its condition on the bulletin board, okay? Now can we all get some work done?’ Cathy walked by on her way to Sam’s office. ‘Sure Leo. Are you going home at lunchtime to check on it, cos Sam wanted a couple of minutes with you at twelve-thirty?’ Leo slammed the door of his office. ********************* ‘What is this? Kindergarten? Get out of my apartment!’ Continued (and concluded) in Part Five Home