Disclaimer: The characters from the show aren’t mine, they belong to others. No copyright infringement intended. Any characters you don’t recognise are mine. Again, if someone’s used the name(s) or storyline(s) elsewhere, the same applies.

Category: West Wing hurt/comfort fic

Rating: PG-13

Characters: Leo, Alex and the WW gang

Series: Yes – Part Four

Spoilers: From Series 1 onwards

Summary: Leo crashes the car. That’s the least of his problems.

Archive: Just tell me where it’s going

Additional ‘stuff’: Medical squicky stuff alert!

Bartlet sat with Mallory, both of them watching Alex as she slept on a sofa, covered with a blanket. 'She hasn't slept for...' Mallory looked at her watch...'twenty-seven hours.'

Bartlet frowned. 'She must have got some sleep last night.'

'I don't think so. Every time I woke up, if Dad was awake they were talking, if he was sleeping she just sat there watching him.'

'Never mind. They're here now.'

Reassured by Bartlet's kindness, Mallory smiled. 'If Dad wakes up, tell him I'll come by this evening.'

'Okay.'

'And say thanks to Alex. I wouldn't have known what to do if I'd got there first.'

Bartlet hugged Mallory. 'I will. Don't worry about your Dad. He's in good hands. Abbey and Alex will take care of him.'

Mallory pulled on her coat. 'I know. I thought it'd be weird, you know, being with her, but it wasn't at all. She and Dad just seem...'

Bartlet nodded. 'I know.'

'See you later.'

'Bye Mallory.'

As the door closed, Alex woke, startled, and looked around her, trying to work out where she was. Bartlet walked over and said: 'Hi. '

Pushing the blanket off her legs, Alex began to get up. 'How's Leo?'

'He's sleeping. Abbey's with him. Admiral Hackett's been. He says Leo's gonna be fine.'

'I must look such a mess.'

'You look fine. When you're ready, I'll have someone drive you home so you can shower and change.'

Desperately tired, Alex began to cry. 'You should have seen him, Sir...'

Bartlet walked across and sat at Alex's side. 'Mallory says you were great.'

Alex took the handkerchief the President offered her. 'She's really nice. It must have been very uncomfortable for her, seeing me with her father, but she...'

Bartlet put a hand on Alex's arm. 'Apparently, Mallory said that, contrary to expectations, it wasn't at all uncomfortable.'

'She did?'

'She did. She also said the two of you seemed...'

'Seemed what, Sir?'

Bartlet shrugged. 'She didn't say.'

Alex smiled. 'I'll just tell Leo I'm going home for a while.'

'Okay.'

Alex took Leo's hand as he reached for her, his face a mixture of pain and tiredness. 'I'll see you for dinner. The President and Mrs Bartlet have invited me. Everyone wants to come and see you, but I told them they should wait until tomorrow.'

'You're not stay...' Leo was interrupted by a knock on the door. 'Come in.'

'The car's downstairs when you're ready.'

'Thank you sir. I'll see you later.'

'Do you need a hand bringing any of your stuff over?'

'Sir?'

'From your apartment?'

'I'm going there to change, then I'll be back for dinner, Sir.'

Alex looked from the President to Leo, suddenly realising what he had meant. 'I'm sorry if there's been a misunderstanding Sir. Leo is staying here. I am not.'

Ignoring Leo's obvious embarrassment, Alex said firmly: 'I'm a good Catholic girl, Sir. Until Leo and I are married...' Not wanting to embarrass Leo further, Alex stopped in mid-sentence.

Misunderstanding, Bartlet began to laugh. 'For a moment, I thought you were serious!'

Alex waited until she had Bartlet's attention again. 'I am, Sir.'

Bartlet looked at Leo. 'She's not, right?'

'Oh, she is, Sir. Besides which, her Dad already took a shot at me. I don't wanna give him a reason to try again when I'm in no position to defend myself.'

Leo and Bartlet both flinched as the door slammed.

*************

Abbey heard Alex coming up the staircase, and stood for a moment, watching her struggle with a large suitcase. Sure it wasn't, Abbey asked: 'Everything OK?'

Alex fought back her tears. 'I've just been to get some things, and now I'm back. I mean, everyone assumes I'm sleeping with Leo. I might as well be. My father and Leo came to blows over it. Your husband couldn't contain his amusement at the idea that I wasn't. Am I so old-fashioned?'

Abbey put her arms around Alex as she sobbed, shaking her head at her husband who was coming down the stairs, wondering what his wife and Alex were arguing about. He retreated back upstairs, and Abbey steered Alex into the sitting room. 'If it's important to you, don't let anyone else tell you what to do. I have an idea. Stay here.'

***************

Within a short while, Alex and Abbey were enjoying a pre-dinner drink, both stopping occasionally to listen to Bartlet and Leo upstairs, obviously enjoying themselves.

A uniformed soldier came into the room. 'Father Cavanaugh's here Ma’ams.'

Abbey got up. 'Please show him in.'

The elderly priest smiled as he saw Abbey. 'Hello Abigail. Sorry I was so long. The car wouldn't start.'

'Father, this is Dr Alexandria Jamieson. She's a friend of Leo's.'

'Father.'

'Dr Jamieson.'

Abbey Bartlet smiled. 'I have some things to do. Have someone find Jed before you leave. He'd be cross if he missed you.'

'Sure.'

**************

'Goodbye Father. Thank you.'

Father Cavanaugh hugged Alex. 'You're welcome my dear. Now I must find Jed.'

Abbey came back into the sitting room. 'Jed's in with Leo. Just follow the noise.'

'Goodbye Abigail.'

'Bye Father. Thanks for coming.'

The noise level increased as another voice joined the two already in the bedroom along the corridor, and Abbey smiled, shaking her head.

Alex laughed too, relaxed for the first time in days. 'I wish my parish priest was half as nice as yours.'

'Did he help?'

'Yes. Thank you.'

'Leo's been happier these past few weeks than he has in months. That's down to you. And when Leo's happy, it rubs off on Jed. Which is good for everyone.'

***************

Abbey turned over, realised her husband was already awake, and they had both heard to the sound of Alex returning to her room. Bartlet moved to put his arm around his wife. 'Remember when we did that at your parents' house?' Abbey settled in her husband's arms. 'My Dad didn't seem to mind. My Mom gave me a really hard time.'

'So it looks like it's down to you to give Alex the talk, then?'

'Okay. Have you noticed Leo's stopped wearing his wedding ring?'

Bartlet sat up. 'No.'

'I guess he is divorced, and it must be nice for Alex, but it seems weird, you know.'

'Yeah. I wonder how Jen is?'

Abbey pushed her husband. 'You always liked her.'

'I like Alex too, but I've known Jen a long time.'

'Call her.'

'I wouldn't know what to say.'

'Yes you would. Call her.'

Bartlet turned to his wife. 'You wouldn't mind?'

Abbey shook her head. 'Just don't do it from the Oval Office, okay?'

'Okay. Are you free for lunch? About one?'

'Yeah. What did you have in mind?'

'The new chef says he can do wonders with fish. I wanna let him try.'

Abbey laughed. 'Okay. You got a date.'

Bartlet's eyes widened. 'Who with?'

Abbey pulled the pillow from under her head and hit her husband with it.

Bartlet wrestled it from her grip and pinned her to the bed with it. She lay still and he kissed her gently. 'I love you. I know I don't say it often enough.'

'It's nicer when you do.'

They lay quietly for a while, and then Charlie knocked on the door. 'Mr President?'

Wearily, Bartlet pulled himself out of bed. 'Okay, Charlie. I'm up.'

*****************

Alex took her piece of toast into Leo's room, and sat on the bed. 'Finish your breakfast, take your iron pill, then we'll try and get you out of bed.'

Leo pulled a face. 'I don't feel like it.'

'That wasn't what you said earlier.'

But Leo wouldn't smile. 'It'll hurt.'

Alex leaned down and kissed Leo's frown. 'It will be a lot more painful if you leave it another day.'

'Okay, okay.'

'And you'll need to be able to walk soon. It's only a few days until the Memorial Day thing.'

Leo shook his head. 'I never go.'

Alex stared at him. 'Leo! You are the most prominent member of the senior White House staff who is also a Vietnam veteran and you don't go to the Veterans Memorial Service?

‘Why not?'

'I don't want to be reminded of back then.'

'Do you not think the people who turn up in the middle of winter deserve someone who was actually in Vietnam at their memorial service?'

'They get someone.'

Alex was cross now. 'Who? A White House cleaner?'

'Alex, you can go. I won't.'

'Fine, I'll lay a wreath on your behalf. I'll tell the crowd that there was no medical reason why you didn't turn up. You just never go.' Alex had closed the door before Leo could think of a reply.

Bartlet opened the door a couple of minutes later. He had heard the raised voices, and wanted to make sure Leo was all right. 'You okay?'

'Yeah. Alex wants me to go to the Vietnam thing on Memorial Day.'

For the first time, Bartlet was able to be honest. 'I think you should go.'

'You always said it was up to me.'

'Yeah. But this time you'll have to deal with Alex if you don't.'

Leo smiled. 'Good point.'

**************

The people gathered at the memorial were surprised to see the White House Chief of Staff lay a wreath at the foot of the tall structure. They were even more surprised when he gave a short speech. But they were intrigued when they saw the woman who helped him back into the car. The gossip spread among the crowd. The woman who held his arm as he climbed awkwardly into the back seat of the car was definitely not his wife. She was a doctor.

Several people offered the opinion that if the Chief of Staff still needed a doctor at his side, it was a measure of how he felt about Vietnam that he had managed to attend the Memorial, despite still obviously suffering from his car accident. No-one, as far as Danny could hear from where he stood among the crowd, speculated on any other reasons for having Alex with him. He tried not to be disappointed that no-one seemed to remember his piece on the art gallery. Or surprised that no-on commented on the fact that this was the first time in a number of years that Leo had ever attended, let alone lead, the Memorial Day proceedings. 

**********************

The day after he had his cast removed, Alex and Leo left to spend a few days in Long Island, then returned, refreshed, and excited. At least Leo was refreshed and Alex was excited. Alex had done no work, Leo had hardly stopped, but they had both clearly enjoyed the change of scene. Leo had even acquired a slight tan, having taken some of his work into the garden, ignoring Alex's teasing that as a closet vampire, he would probably die if exposed to sunlight.

*******************

Abbey and Jed waited in the sitting room until Leo and Alex had unpacked. When they finally came down, Abbey let her husband mention the idea they had discussed. 'We thought you might like to have the wedding reception here. One less thing to worry about.'

'I think we'd like that very much Sir. Wouldn't we, Leo?'

The President and First Lady exchanged a glance. Alex was already beginning to ask Leo before making decisions. Moving from being a single woman to a wife.

Leo nodded. 'Yeah. That'd be great.'

'Father Cavanaugh's coming by later to discuss the arrangements for the ceremony.'

*******************

Cavanaugh shook his head. 'You should have told me sooner. I can't marry you to a divorced man, let alone a divorced Catholic, my dear.'

Alex began to panic. 'I didn't know mattered that much.'

Leo put a hand on her arm, felt her shaking and asked: 'Is there nothing you can do?'

'You should never have agreed to your wife's request for a divorce. As a close friend of the President, your actions may have damaged his reputation, if it were felt he in any way sanctioned your divorce. Or your attempt to re-marry.'

'I'll talk to the President this morning.'

Leo began to get out of bed. 'We both will.'

Cavanaugh had thrown them a lifeline. A Papal dispensation to marry. They just needed to get the President to ask the Pope to allow the wedding to go ahead. It sounded simple, in theory.

*******************

The Secret Service agent stared at Leo and Alex as they approached the President's room. 'Hello, Ron. We wanted a quick word with the President before the day started.

 'I'm sorry, ma'am, you can't...'

Hearing the voices outside, Bartlet called: 'Its okay Ron, let 'em in.'

********************

'What if the answer is no?'

Alex took a deep breath. 'Then the wedding is off.'

Bartlet ran a hand through his hair, looked from his wife to Leo and Alex, then shrugged. 'I'll give it a go.'

Leo said: 'Thank you Sir.'

Alex simply hugged Bartlet.

Abbey called from the bathroom: 'Good luck.'

Leo, ever the pessimist said sourly: 'I figure we're gonna need it.'