TITLE: War! Huh!
SERIES: Leo Series, Story 1/3(?)
AUTHOR: Kasey
RATING: PG-13? Violence, Implications, Angst
SUMMARY: When Leo's drafted into the Vietnam War, he meets two people who do a fair share in changing his experiences...Meanwhile, events back on the homefront change the life he'll return to once the bloody war is over.
DISCLAIMERS: I know nothing about 'Nam, really, so if you know something I don't,
lemme know! Also, I just recently found out a startling piece of information. I...don't...own them! Go figure! These characters were invented by Sorkin et. al, and
therefor are property of him, the writing God, but hey. Someday I'll have my own characters and people will be writing disclaimers 'cause the characters they're writing about are mine! Weird, eh? ::Grins::
"Honey? Are you in here?" Leo called to his wife as he entered their small Boston townhouse. "Jenny?"
His wife of six months entered the front hall where he stood. "Hey. What's wrong?"
He crossed the floor to her and hugged her tightly, as if someone was about to try to physically pull them apart. "I love you, I love you, I love you," he whispered into her hair. "I love you, I love you..." He kept whispering it over and over again, like a Native American chant.
"Leo, what's wrong?" Jenny asked again. "I - are you sick? Did something happen?
What is it?"
"They're doing a thing where if you can vote, they put your name in a hat, and if they draw you name...I'm going to Vietnam..."
"PLEASE tell me you're talking about a business trip."
"What would Douglas and Chenney be doing in a warzone?" he asked of the firm where he practiced political law. "I have to report to training in a week."
"A week?" she exclaimed. "But I...it's too SOON!"
"Yeah, I know," he whispered. And it was much too soon indeed. It seemed like the week was only a day, until it was finally the night before he had to report to training.
He'd taken Jenny out to a beautiful, extravagant restaurant. She'd protested, saying he was spending too much money, but he took her there anyway.
Dinner was eaten in silence with an occasional tear from Jenny or worried sigh from Leo.
Toward the end of dinner, she finally completely broke down, so Leo paid the lavish bill and escorted his wife outside to the car, his arm protectively around her. He held her hand tightly in his all the way home, and as soon as they were in their home, he hugged her tightly in his arms.
"It'll be okay," Leo whispered, trying to believe it himself.
"If anything happens to you -"
"It won't. I"ll be back as soon as we win, and then things will be okay again."
"The world could end tomorrow," she whispered.
"Then tonight, the world belongs to us," came the whispered reply.
~*~*~*~
Leo awoke the next morning, Jenny still clinging to him, even as she slept. "Honey," he whispered, unable and unwilling to go without waking her up.
"Tell me it's not morning," she mumbled.
"I wish I could. I was just gonna go get ready."
"Okay." Tears were already gathering in her eyes.
Leo gently thumbed away her tears. "You know I don't want to go, but I don't have a choice. But I am gonna come back to you in a couple years and wrap you in my arms nd
it will take brute force to tear us apart."
"You promise?"
"I swear it upon the grave of my father." Gently stroking her hair, he kissed her. "I've
gotta get ready."
"Yeah." She nodded. Ten minutes later, he returned from his shower and picked up his suitcase from in front of the closet door.
Suddenly, he caught sight of his clock on the table. "Damn," he whispered, his own eyes misting over. "The cab'll be here any minute."
Jenny started sobbing as she clung to Leo. After a minute or two, they heard a horn blow. "I'll write every day," he promised between quick kisses. "Every single day." Another honk of the horn. "I love you," he whispered as they parted, and he picked up the suitcase and walked out.
~*~*~*~
"Knock, knock?" Jed Bartlet called through the screen door of the McGarry townhouse.
A tired-looking Jenny went to the door to see Jed and his new wife, Abby, on the stoop.
"Hey, guys," she said weakly. "What are you doing here? I thought you'd just gotten back from London."
"We did. But we came down to see you," Abby answered. "How're you holding up?"
"I...not great," she admitted. "But the man's true to his word - one letter every day for the past 24 days."
"What's he say?" Jed asked.
"He's flying planes in training. Which is better than most things he could be doing, I guess. He still starts shaking whenever he's around guns..."
"Reminds him of his father," Jed said quietly, having known him when the whole incident occurred.
"I"m so worried...I know I've gotta deal with the fact that there's every chance he will never come back except in a body bag, but I can't...No child deserves to never know their father..."
"Child?" Jed and Abby asked in unison.
"Did I just say that out loud?" Jenny whispered.
~*~*~*~
After training, they moved Leo's detail off to Vietnam. He was flying cover for ground troops, as well as occassional recon. missions. They were stationed very near to the village of Qi Chai, and on free times they could visit. Leo wasted no time - the guns and brutal atmosphere were starting to get to him.
He was nearly to the center of the village when a girl of about 2 1/2 or 3 ran over to him and flung herself at his leg. "Well, hello there," he said, chuckling.
She looked up at him with startlingly American blue eyes in stark contrast to Asian complexion and jet black hair. "Daddy," she said distinctly in English.
The girl's mother dashed over and began to scold her daughter, also in English. "I'm sorry," she told Leo as she picked up her daughter. "She runs too quickly for me."
"Oh, it's okay," he assured her. "She's adorable."
"Daddy," the girl said again, pointing at him.
"No, Ming Na, it's not Daddy."
"He has big eyes just like you said Mama."
"It's another man, not Daddy," her mother assured her.
"She speaks perfect English," Leo marvelled. "I've known American children who didn't speak it as well."
"Yes. Andrew taught us."
"Who?"
"No one. Just another soldier we knew." Leo could tell there was more, but didn't want to pry. "I am Ling Sa Chy." She extended one hand.
"Leo McGarry." He shook her out-stretched hand.
"Well, Mr. McGarry, since Ming has taken such a liking to you, I would be honoured if you would join us for dinner."
Leo checked his watch. "So long as I'm back at the bunks by 8."
"Of course." She led him to the tiny hut which they called home, and they talked as she cooked and Ming Na played with a ragged doll. "So do you have a large family, Mr.
McGarry?"
“Please, call me Leo. Large family? Just my wife, Jenny. We wanted a whole houseful of kids, but..." he shrugged as if to say "here I am."
"And you love her?"
"With all my heart."
"Then you can be happy," came her odd reply. "Dinner is served," she said, changing the subject as she set the food on the table.
~*~*~*~
For several months, there was startlingly little activity. Leo grew closer and closer to Ming and her mother. Ming still called him "Daddy", but truth be told, he really didn't mind it at all.
Word came that they'd be moving troops in two days. Leo broke the news to his adopted family, and Ming Na blinked up at him. "Daddy's leaving?"
"I'm sorry, honey," he said quietly. "I have to." Ming burst into tears and Leo hugged her. A few minutes later, she wriggled out of his arms and got her doll - her favourite, ragged, faded doll - and pressed it into Leo's hand.
"For me?" she nodded. "You want me to have it?" Another nod. "Thank you," he whispered, his voice thick with emotion. "I'll keep it always." Ming Na smiled at him, then left to do something else.
Leo stood to hug Ling Sa Chy. "Thank you for everything," he said quietly. "Is it bad that she still thinks I'm her father?"
"She has as much of a chance of finding her father as I do mine, and he died years ago."
"Her father -"
"Andrew. He was MIA until months later, at which point he was confirmed dead."
"I"m sorry," he said quietly, seeing his own possible future flash before him and shuddering. The idea of Jenny having to endure that sort of pain made him sick to the bone.
"Don't be. Thanks to you, she can at least associate a man with that name." They hugged again before Leo had to leave, still clutching the doll in his hands.
~*~*~*~
Two years later, the doll was still in his possession as he was flying a recon. mission to Qi Chai. Rumour was that the VietCong had infiltrated in order to kill unsuspecting
American troops stationed nearby. Leo was sent to investigate, being most familiar with the area.
He flew over the village and glanced down. Lying in the dirt streets were dozens of dead bodies. They looked as though they'd all been drug from their homes and then shot while they still wondered what was going on.
The figures weren't entirely clear from his position, but he immediately knew the identity of a small girl and her mother. The scene hit him like a ton of rocks in the stomach. He was so engrossed that he forgot what he was doing and started to lose altitude. By the time he thought to pull up, it was too late.
When Leo next awoke, he was in the middle of the street, lying next to the bodies of
Ming Na and Ling Sa Chy. Their hands were still clasped together, and somehow that made the scene more devastating. She'd tried to keep her daughter near to her, and been shot in the process.
He couldn't stay there. It'd be a death sentence. His entire body felt numb, but as soon as he tried to pull himself to his feet, sharp pain washed over him.
And he wasn't unnoticed anymore...
~*~*~*~
"Daddy?" the young American girl with flaming red hair asked, pointing at a photograph.
"Yes, Honey, that's Daddy."
"Where is he?"
"He'll be home soon," her mother whispered. She could only hope it was true. She hadn't gotten a letter in five days.
"Mommy? Why you sad?"
"I'm not sad, Honey. I just have something in my eye," she lied.
~*~*~*~
Leo awoke in a fair amount of pain in a hospital bed. As he sat up, a nurse saw and went over to him. “Hello, Coporal McGarry,” she said, checking his chart. “Are you feeling okay?”
“My head…my leg hurts…” A thought occurred to him and he immediately looked down. He breathed a sigh of relief to see that all the necessary appendages were still attached.
“A nasty gash, but you’ll be up and about in no time,” she assured him brightly. “But since it hurts, I’ll get you some more painkillers. You were due for more anyway.” Leo nodded slowly. She returned a few minutes later with a syringe. He winced as the needle went in, but started feeling better as soon as it kicked in, so he didn’t complain.
“Am I gonna go home?” he asked before she left.
“As soon as the doctor declares you well enough to travel.”
The ten days he was cooped up there were the longest of his service. And then he was given the okay and transportation home.
He stood on the step of the Boston townhouse and took it all in. 2 ½ years was a lifetime to be away from all you knew, he thought. Grinning, he walked to the door and threw it open. “Anyone home?” he called.
Jenny was in the kitchen as Mallory, her 21 month-old daughter, ate lunch. She knew that voice, as it had echoed in her thoughts for the 2 ½ years. “Leo!” she cried, running and throwing herself into his arms.
Mallory toddled out into the front hall. “Daddy home?” she asked.
“Yes,” Leo whispered. “Daddy’s home.” The voice of a small child calling him Daddy made his eyes tear up. She sounded so very much like Ming Na. His daughter sounded like the girl who he had cared so much for only to see her dead in the streets. He set his bag on the floor and carefully extracted the doll. “C’mere,” he told his daughter gently. “This is for you. A close friend of mine gave it to me, so I want you to take good care of it, okay?” She nodded eagerly and immediately hugged the doll to her, taking off to her room.
“Mallory McGarry!” her mother started to call. “Oh well. Lunch can wait.”
“Yes,” Leo said, smiling.
“So I assume you’ve figured out that you have a daughter.”
Leo nodded. “So she’s…what? Almost two?”
“Yeah. And so smart, Leo…I…She would look at the picture of you on the mantle and point to it and say ‘Daddy? Daddy not home? When Daddy get home?’ And I would tell her you’d be here soon…but she’d then ask the next day…every day…And after awhile she just sorta knew that you weren’t gonna be home…” Leo was choking back tears of his own as he thumbed away the small rivers on Jenny’s cheeks. “…But here you are…” She threw herself into his arms again, burying her face in his shoulder.
“Yes,” he whispered. “Home at last.”