CJ looked over at me. “You know what he’s talking about?” she whispered.

“It’s…my old firm…he could never remember the name…” I smiled slightly at the irony. When he was in perfect health and coherent, he couldn’t remember the name to save his life, but when he was bleeding profusely and nearly unconscious, he could say it without even realizing it.

The EMT’s lifted him gently onto the stretcher and started to take him over to the ambulance. I looked over at where he’d been lying. The blood was already staining the cement…So much blood…Blood that should’ve been in him, giving indication he had a better than even chance of making it through the next HOUR, let alone for years to come. I swallowed hard as I stared at the bright red pool, and CJ touched my arm gently. “He’s gonna be okay, Sam.”

“Yeah.”

“Really.”

“Yeah.”

“C’mon, let’s go.” I followed her silently to the car that was waiting for us to take us to GW, following the ambulance. And I did my best to stay in control the whole way there. Toby sat by the window, staring stonily through the smoked glass, and CJ kept a gentle hand on my shoulder. “They have the best doctors in the country, there are people trained specifically for this sort of thing in case of things like this…He’s gonna be okay, Sam.” I was amazed how together she managed to sound…Not five minutes before, she’d been more freaked out than I had.

He’d looked so bad…His skin pale where it wasn’t covered in blood, his very slight movements weak and slow, his mumbling unintelligible…As he’d fallen into Toby’s arms, he’d looked dead. And he wasn’t far enough from it that it wasn’t a possibility.

I scrambled out of the car when we reached the ER, and ran alongside the stretcher as they wheeled him in. He’d changed from mumbling about my former law firm to social security…His shirt had been cut open and a paramedic was holding a blood-soaked gauze pad to his chest where the bleeding was. The neck brace was restraining him, but he still tried to sit up. “I have to get to New Hampshire…!”

“You went to New Hampshire, we both did. You came and got me.” I squeezed his hand, willing him to be okay, trying to convince myself that he had a good chance…and feeling my heart rebel.

The doctors basically told us all to get out, and a nurse led us to a private waiting room. Leo was going to just leave, but he took one look at me and did his best to give me a confidant smile of sorts, but he was too tired. “He’s gonna be fine, Sam.”

“Yeah, I know, it’s -“

“I mean it. So try not to worry yourself to death, okay?”

“Yeah.” He nodded and headed back out, knowing where he was needed most was at the White House. I sat down a few chairs down from CJ and settled in to wait.

He was my best friend…had been for five years…He’d been the one who’d gotten me to where I was, and for that I was grateful. I never would’ve left Gage Whitney had it not been from him, and aside from the thing with Lisa, it had been the best thing I’d ever done…Plus he was just sorta always THERE, making every one of us laugh - well, save Toby, but so far none had been found that could make Toby laugh…I couldn’t bear the thought of walking into a staff meeting and not seeing him there, or of his office belonging to someone else…Donna working as someone else’s assistant…God, the thought was horrible. “He CAN’T die,” I muttered to myself. “I won’t let him.” I think CJ heard me, but she didn’t say anything, nor did Toby who’d probably also heard it…I looked down at my notebook. I was supposed to write remarks…But what the hell could I say? “My best friend’s been hit, does that answer your questions?”

Blinking back tears, I started to work.