Sam swallowed. A faint panicked-look was quickly replaced by an uneasy smile. "Oh, nothing." He looked at his watch. "Gee, look at the time... Um, I have to go now..." he trailed as he raised himself off of the seat.

Abbey pulled him back down onto it. "Sam!" She gazed at him as the lawyer stared at the floor. "Hodgkin's Disease?"

"Yeah," Sam confirmed.

"Mike's sure about this?" Abbey continued, despite knowing how thorough her friend was before making a diagnosis.

Sam nodded. "I still wasn't feeling well a while ago and had another stupid fever and was coughing all over my sleeve, when Leo ordered me to take a few days off. He thought that maybe it was just a cold and he didn't want it spread around the office. I didn't tell him that you saw me and told me to see Dr. Alcott. So I called Dr. Alcott and told him that I had a few days off, so he ordered some tests to be done, starting that afternoon." Sam paused. "I still can't believe that he was able to order them so quickly. I mean, it's just not done."

Abbey smiled. "Mike's a fairly good doctor. He's in a position that when he orders something, it pretty much gets done quickly enough."

"Oh." Sam gazed at the First Lady. "I went through some tests and afterwards, he put me on some antibiotics just to make sure that maybe it wasn't some virus like mono. If it was, the swelling would go down." The doctor nodded in confirmation. "The swelling still wouldn't go down so I called him again, and he scheduled me for more tests. As soon as possible, once again--so last week, I took two personal days--it was easy to get away with it, because hey, it was the anniversary of my parents deaths, so I used that as an excuse--which was pretty ingenious I would say--"

"Sam, you're babbling again."

"So I went through a biopsy--which was painful by the way and I had a hard time with the discomfort the next day, so I was glad I had it off..." At the look given by Dr. Bartlet, Sam stopped to take a breath. "But after that, I went back to work and basically tried to forget about it. Then again, I actually convinced myself that it was nothing, so that's why I was trying to forget about it. Until today that is."

Abbey nodded. "What type of Hodgkin's do you have?"

A blank look came upon the Deputy Director's face. "There's more than one type?"

Abbey nodded. "Yes," she confirmed as she twisted in her seat to look more closely at her friend. "He did tell you, right?"

"To be honest, I, ah, I don't know. I can't remember."

"Did he tell you what stage the cancer was in?"

"I can't remember that either," Sam said hesitantly.

"I don't suppose you know what time your appointment is for," Abbey stated dryly.

"Unfortunately...yes," Sam admitted. "It's for 2:30."

Abbey nodded. "Okay. I'm going with you."

Sam looked horrified. "No, Mrs. Bartlet, there really is no need for you to do that. Really! I mean, I probably won't go to it anyway, as I'm just *swamped* with work! And besides, that would mean that Lily would have to juggle around your schedule and I'm already on her bad side as it is..."

"Sam, I'm going with you," Abbey said with finality. "It's obvious that you're a bit shell-shocked, so you need someone to ask questions. And who better than someone who is a doctor?"

"Yeah, but..."

"Sam, I'll only tell my husband where I'm going and why. Only him! And believe me, he won't tell anyone."

"Does the President really have to know?" Sam asked nervously, then backed down at Abbey's look. "But what about the guys? The press?"

"My husband sneaks out so often that it's not funny.--to do shopping, nothing else I assure you," she added at Sam's shocked expression. "And so do I," Abbey admitted. Sam still seemed hesitant. Abbey leaned over. "Sam, you're a good friend. In a lot of ways, from our conversations, you're sort of like the son that Jed and I never had." Sam went red at this and was beginning to get flustered when the First Lady spoke, "Forget I said that."

Sam sighed in relief. "Thank-you, Ma'am."

Abbey smiled. "GW, right?" Sam nodded. "Okay, we'll leave at 1:50. Be at my office five minutes beforehand."

"Sure." Sam got up to leave. "Thanks, Mrs. Bartlet. I... I appreciate this."

"You'll be alright, Sam. Hodgkin's Disease has one of the highest rates of cures in the cancer family."

"I'll guess I'll be learning more about stuff like that. Then again, I'll have to, won't I?"

Abbey got up. "You'll be learning a lot more by the time that we get through this." She motioned for him to go. "You better get as much done as possible, before we have to leave."

"Thanks once again, Mrs. Bartlet."

"It's not problem, Sam. You guys are family to Jed and I. Family's always there for each other. Whether we want them to be or not."

"I guess. Though it's not always true."

"I thought that you were the optimist of the lot," Abbey kidded. "Go."

"Oh, I was wondering if..."

Abbey smiled, knowing what her friend was thinking. "This will only be between you, Jed, and myself. Josh, CJ or anyone else will hear of this from me. But they will have to know soon."

Sam swallowed. "I know. I just...I just want to get enough information before facing the barrage of questions that I'll have to face. And I also want to get used to...this."

Abbey nodded. "I understand. Now go."

Lily Mays had been wondering what had been going on when her boss' door opened. She quickly glanced back down at the papers before her as Sam left the office. "Lily?" The woman looked up. "Could you please reschedule my appointment with Congressman Reeseman for a later date?"

"Yes, Ma'am. Which reason would you like for me to give?"

"Family matters," was the answer given, as Abigail Bartlet began to walk into the corridor. "Oh, and if anyone needs me, I'll be seeing my husband for a few minutes."