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Officer Rhonda Sachs needed a minute to compose herself. She leaned her head
against a wall to steady the spinning in her head. She really wanted to bang
her head against it.
Rhonda took one more breath and moved to the Officer in charge of the
accident scene. He told her they'd made the preliminary notification by
phone but there'd been no official id on the body.
She offered to do it. But, in a case like this, a more personal tie was
required. Rhonda said she'd head to the White House, she would help get it
organized. It took one call to clear her access.
Rhonda nodded to a familiar face also leaving.
There are days...
Sometimes, Danny Concannon hated having a scanner at home. He was just
coming in, when it crackled with a report of an accident at 18th and
Potomac. He half listened and then the hairs on the back of his neck stood
up.
An officer mentioned a White House parking pass in one of the cars. Danny
flew out the door before that radio transmission was completed.
He worked his phone as he headed to the scene. The preliminary tip left him
shaken and sad. He felt no better when he got to the accident site and
witnessed the carnage.
Danny nodded to a familiar face as he left the scene.
There are days...
C.J. Cregg was tired beyond words. She was picking at a salad. She'd downed
some soup already. She could catch up on work, but instead her mind
wandered.
C.J. imagined the scene in the upcoming meeting in the Residence, imagined
the President's live TV appearance and the frantic news conference after
that.
But then, she imagined running away to some tropical paradise with Danny. It
was a momentary whim. Neither of them were the kind to cut and run when
tough times occurred. She knew she could call him and he'd be there to make
love to her and then to hold her close through another sleepless night. And,
he wouldn't ask questions she couldn't answer.
As if he could read her mind, Danny appeared in the doorway. Carol's head
peeked around him. "C.J., is it okay?", she asked.
Danny looked grim and said, "It has to be. Excuse us, Carol." He shut the
door.
C.J. wavered between being cheered at the sight of him to being annoyed he
was prowling around. The Press Secretary won out over the lover for the
moment. "The lid's on. You weren't paged, I don't have time for you now."
He came to sit next to her on the couch. Danny took her hand and studied her
with sad eyes. Her blood ran cold, she panicked figuring he'd heard about
the President's illness. "Danny, just tell me."
"C.J., I heard about an accident on my scanner. It was at 18th and Potomac.
I saw it, it was pretty awful."
She stared at him, unconsciously squeezing his hand. "Go on."
"I checked carefully and got it confirmed. It was Mrs. Landingham."
"God, no." Her mind raced. "Let me call Leo and then I need to get to the
hospital."
"No. C.J., I'm sorry. She's not at the hospital."
"They sent her home? That's good." C.J. looked at Danny and saw the truth in
his eyes. A tear rolled down his cheek. She wiped it away with her free hand
and then realized what it all meant. He enveloped her in his arms.
Then it hit her. She felt a wave of nausea, Mrs. Landingham was dead. C.J.
pushed away from Danny, "I'm going to be sick."
Danny grabbed the wastebasket and held her as she retched. Carol heard it
through the closed door and then heard C.J. sobbing. "I can't bear any more.
I just can't."
"Damn protocol", Carol thought and pushed open the door. "What's wrong?"
She saw her boss pale and shaking. C.J. was clinging to Danny like he was
the only stable thing in her world.
C.J. beckoned Carol in. "Close the door. We need to tell you something. I'm
not sure it should come from me, but I'll break the chain of command. I
think our phones could start ringing and I'll be in the Oval Office or
Residence. You'll need to deal with this."
"All right, C.J."
C.J. couldn't say it and looked to Danny to take the lead. He nodded.
"Carol, there was a horrible accident tonight. I'm very sorry, but Mrs.
Landingham was in it." Danny watched her go ashen. "I went to the scene.
There was nothing anyone could do. She's gone."
"She was going to pick up a new car tonight. It was blue. It had air
conditioning. We were all going to lunch tomorrow in it." Carol was rambling
as the shock set in. "Who else knows?"
Danny shrugged. "I think some people in the Oval Office know but I'm not
certain."
C.J. left his arms and moved to Carol. The two women hugged. "For now, keep
this to yourself."
"All I want to do is cry, C.J. But Mrs. Landingham will have...". Carol
corrected herself with a catch in her voice, "would have my head if I let
myself wallow in this."
"You'll have time to grieve later.", Danny said.
"Danny, I'm going to the Oval Office. What will you...?" C.J.'s gentle query
was interrupted.
"Ladies, I'm going to my desk and I'm going to work the phones. I need to
start working on my story."
"Thank you.", C.J. was grateful he understood why he couldn't wander around.
"But C.J., there is something I want. I want to talk to people, I want to
try and give Mrs. Landingham her due. That means more than just the facts of
what happened at 18th and Potomac."
Carol spoke up. "I'll talk to you Danny. We all will when we can." She went
to the door. "I appreciate both of you taking the time to tell me and being
so kind." Carol returned to her desk.
C.J. and Danny were alone. She took his hands. "The same thanks from me. You
didn't have to go there and then come here."
"Yes, I did C.J."
She nodded. "Yes, you did. It's who you are. I don't have any idea when I'll
be out of here, if at all."
"I'm not going anywhere."
"Good." She turned back to him. "Danny, the other driver?"
"Apparently drunk."
"Good Lord. That's just one more thing that will add to Leo's pain. He
always feared he'd kill someone when he was drinking."
They stared into each other's eyes and shared their pain. She kissed him on
the cheek. "I'll thank you appropriately after I brush my teeth and have
decent breath."
They left her office and headed different directions though their minds were
on the same person.
There are days...
The rhythmic bouncing of the ball against the wall didn't soothe Toby
Ziegler. The throwing and catching were smooth, the thoughts and ideas in
Toby's head were tangled.
He wasn't looking forward to the meeting with the President and the others
in the Residence. Toby was certain it would be ugly and do more to tear them
apart. They needed something to bring them back together like they were in
the early days.
Knuckles rapped sharply on his door. Toby had dismissed Ginger and Bonnie
for the evening. He decided to ignore the noise. Leo or the President would
have Margaret or Mrs. Landingham buzz him if it was important.
The knocking continued. Toby yelled out, "This better be good."
He whirled the chair around, ready to verbally pounce on his intruder.
Instead, his face softened when Rhonda Sachs stepped into his office. "Well,
hello." He stood up.
"Good evening, Toby."
"I said this better be good and it is. I didn't expect to see you."
"Me neither. Let's sit down." She perched on the desk while he settled back
into his chair. He threw the ball against the wall again, the sight of
Rhonda brought some light to his dreary day. Even in her uniform, she was
still feminine. Toby could smell her perfume.
She intercepted Toby's next throw. "May we talk?"
"Sure." Toby answered her as he tried to take the ball to continue his game.
She clenched it tight and he ended up holding her hand. "What brings you
here? Duty or personal?"
"I suppose a little of both. Toby."
He took a close look at her and saw pain in her eyes. "Are you okay?"
"Not really."
"What can I do? I'll help in any way I can."
"Toby, stop. I need to do this."
"Do what?"
"Deliver bad news."
Toby's mind immediately flashed to the President. "How could Rhonda know?",
he thought. He said aloud. "What could this have to do with the police?"
She hated to continue but was quietly insistent. "Toby, please focus. I was
part of a team on an accident call, it was a bad one. One of the worst I've
ever seen."
"That must have been awful for you." Toby was glad she'd come to him seeking
comfort. But something she'd said stuck in his mind about "bad news."
"It's awful for a lot of people, including you. Toby, the car belonged to
Mrs. Landingham."
"Right, okay." He nodded like he understood. "We have to notify the
President. We need to get to the hospital."
She put her other hand over their joined hands. Her voice was soft. "The
President knows. No one has to go to the hospital. Mrs. Landingham didn't
make it."
"That can't be Rhonda. She's one of the toughest people I've ever met."
"I was there. I saw the damage. It was mercifully quick. She didn't know,
Toby."
Toby echoed Rhonda in a hollow tone, "She didn't know." His voice quavered
and he repeated, "She didn't know."
For him it was the realization Mrs. Landingham would never have to deal with
the President's illness or its ensuing consequences. Toby was grateful her
faith in Josiah Bartlet was unshaken.
But, he was shaken knowing she was gone from their lives. "Thank you for
being the one to tell me."
She nodded. "I wanted to check on you and Charlie." She saw tears in Toby's
eyes. "Call me whenever, for whatever." Rhonda headed for the door.
Toby's voice stopped her. "Officer, before I make my one phone call, would
you hold me?"
Rhonda turned without a word and came back to him. She wrapped her arms
around him and held him close. Her own tears fell as he sobbed the way
Charlie had when she found him staring at a crystal cookie jar.
There are days....
There Are Days
by: Lida Rose
Rating: YTEEN
Character(s): Ensemble
Category(ies): General, Post-Episode
Pairing(s): - No Pairing -
Episode(s): 2-21 18th and Potomac
Crossover Shows: - No Show -
Summary: Post ep to 18th and Potomac
Author Notes: Takes place after "18th & Potomac"
Officer Rhonda Sachs needed a minute to compose herself. She leaned her head
against a wall to steady the spinning in her head. She really wanted to bang
her head against it.
Rhonda took one more breath and moved to the Officer in charge of the
accident scene. He told her they'd made the preliminary notification by
phone but there'd been no official id on the body.
She offered to do it. But, in a case like this, a more personal tie was
required. Rhonda said she'd head to the White House, she would help get it
organized. It took one call to clear her access.
Rhonda nodded to a familiar face also leaving.
There are days...
Sometimes, Danny Concannon hated having a scanner at home. He was just
coming in, when it crackled with a report of an accident at 18th and
Potomac. He half listened and then the hairs on the back of his neck stood
up.
An officer mentioned a White House parking pass in one of the cars. Danny
flew out the door before that radio transmission was completed.
He worked his phone as he headed to the scene. The preliminary tip left him
shaken and sad. He felt no better when he got to the accident site and
witnessed the carnage.
Danny nodded to a familiar face as he left the scene.
There are days...
C.J. Cregg was tired beyond words. She was picking at a salad. She'd downed
some soup already. She could catch up on work, but instead her mind
wandered.
C.J. imagined the scene in the upcoming meeting in the Residence, imagined
the President's live TV appearance and the frantic news conference after
that.
But then, she imagined running away to some tropical paradise with Danny. It
was a momentary whim. Neither of them were the kind to cut and run when
tough times occurred. She knew she could call him and he'd be there to make
love to her and then to hold her close through another sleepless night. And,
he wouldn't ask questions she couldn't answer.
As if he could read her mind, Danny appeared in the doorway. Carol's head
peeked around him. "C.J., is it okay?", she asked.
Danny looked grim and said, "It has to be. Excuse us, Carol." He shut the
door.
C.J. wavered between being cheered at the sight of him to being annoyed he
was prowling around. The Press Secretary won out over the lover for the
moment. "The lid's on. You weren't paged, I don't have time for you now."
He came to sit next to her on the couch. Danny took her hand and studied her
with sad eyes. Her blood ran cold, she panicked figuring he'd heard about
the President's illness. "Danny, just tell me."
"C.J., I heard about an accident on my scanner. It was at 18th and Potomac.
I saw it, it was pretty awful."
She stared at him, unconsciously squeezing his hand. "Go on."
"I checked carefully and got it confirmed. It was Mrs. Landingham."
"God, no." Her mind raced. "Let me call Leo and then I need to get to the
hospital."
"No. C.J., I'm sorry. She's not at the hospital."
"They sent her home? That's good." C.J. looked at Danny and saw the truth in
his eyes. A tear rolled down his cheek. She wiped it away with her free hand
and then realized what it all meant. He enveloped her in his arms.
Then it hit her. She felt a wave of nausea, Mrs. Landingham was dead. C.J.
pushed away from Danny, "I'm going to be sick."
Danny grabbed the wastebasket and held her as she retched. Carol heard it
through the closed door and then heard C.J. sobbing. "I can't bear any more.
I just can't."
"Damn protocol", Carol thought and pushed open the door. "What's wrong?"
She saw her boss pale and shaking. C.J. was clinging to Danny like he was
the only stable thing in her world.
C.J. beckoned Carol in. "Close the door. We need to tell you something. I'm
not sure it should come from me, but I'll break the chain of command. I
think our phones could start ringing and I'll be in the Oval Office or
Residence. You'll need to deal with this."
"All right, C.J."
C.J. couldn't say it and looked to Danny to take the lead. He nodded.
"Carol, there was a horrible accident tonight. I'm very sorry, but Mrs.
Landingham was in it." Danny watched her go ashen. "I went to the scene.
There was nothing anyone could do. She's gone."
"She was going to pick up a new car tonight. It was blue. It had air
conditioning. We were all going to lunch tomorrow in it." Carol was rambling
as the shock set in. "Who else knows?"
Danny shrugged. "I think some people in the Oval Office know but I'm not
certain."
C.J. left his arms and moved to Carol. The two women hugged. "For now, keep
this to yourself."
"All I want to do is cry, C.J. But Mrs. Landingham will have...". Carol
corrected herself with a catch in her voice, "would have my head if I let
myself wallow in this."
"You'll have time to grieve later.", Danny said.
"Danny, I'm going to the Oval Office. What will you...?" C.J.'s gentle query
was interrupted.
"Ladies, I'm going to my desk and I'm going to work the phones. I need to
start working on my story."
"Thank you.", C.J. was grateful he understood why he couldn't wander around.
"But C.J., there is something I want. I want to talk to people, I want to
try and give Mrs. Landingham her due. That means more than just the facts of
what happened at 18th and Potomac."
Carol spoke up. "I'll talk to you Danny. We all will when we can." She went
to the door. "I appreciate both of you taking the time to tell me and being
so kind." Carol returned to her desk.
C.J. and Danny were alone. She took his hands. "The same thanks from me. You
didn't have to go there and then come here."
"Yes, I did C.J."
She nodded. "Yes, you did. It's who you are. I don't have any idea when I'll
be out of here, if at all."
"I'm not going anywhere."
"Good." She turned back to him. "Danny, the other driver?"
"Apparently drunk."
"Good Lord. That's just one more thing that will add to Leo's pain. He
always feared he'd kill someone when he was drinking."
They stared into each other's eyes and shared their pain. She kissed him on
the cheek. "I'll thank you appropriately after I brush my teeth and have
decent breath."
They left her office and headed different directions though their minds were
on the same person.
There are days...
The rhythmic bouncing of the ball against the wall didn't soothe Toby
Ziegler. The throwing and catching were smooth, the thoughts and ideas in
Toby's head were tangled.
He wasn't looking forward to the meeting with the President and the others
in the Residence. Toby was certain it would be ugly and do more to tear them
apart. They needed something to bring them back together like they were in
the early days.
Knuckles rapped sharply on his door. Toby had dismissed Ginger and Bonnie
for the evening. He decided to ignore the noise. Leo or the President would
have Margaret or Mrs. Landingham buzz him if it was important.
The knocking continued. Toby yelled out, "This better be good."
He whirled the chair around, ready to verbally pounce on his intruder.
Instead, his face softened when Rhonda Sachs stepped into his office. "Well,
hello." He stood up.
"Good evening, Toby."
"I said this better be good and it is. I didn't expect to see you."
"Me neither. Let's sit down." She perched on the desk while he settled back
into his chair. He threw the ball against the wall again, the sight of
Rhonda brought some light to his dreary day. Even in her uniform, she was
still feminine. Toby could smell her perfume.
She intercepted Toby's next throw. "May we talk?"
"Sure." Toby answered her as he tried to take the ball to continue his game.
She clenched it tight and he ended up holding her hand. "What brings you
here? Duty or personal?"
"I suppose a little of both. Toby."
He took a close look at her and saw pain in her eyes. "Are you okay?"
"Not really."
"What can I do? I'll help in any way I can."
"Toby, stop. I need to do this."
"Do what?"
"Deliver bad news."
Toby's mind immediately flashed to the President. "How could Rhonda know?",
he thought. He said aloud. "What could this have to do with the police?"
She hated to continue but was quietly insistent. "Toby, please focus. I was
part of a team on an accident call, it was a bad one. One of the worst I've
ever seen."
"That must have been awful for you." Toby was glad she'd come to him seeking
comfort. But something she'd said stuck in his mind about "bad news."
"It's awful for a lot of people, including you. Toby, the car belonged to
Mrs. Landingham."
"Right, okay." He nodded like he understood. "We have to notify the
President. We need to get to the hospital."
She put her other hand over their joined hands. Her voice was soft. "The
President knows. No one has to go to the hospital. Mrs. Landingham didn't
make it."
"That can't be Rhonda. She's one of the toughest people I've ever met."
"I was there. I saw the damage. It was mercifully quick. She didn't know,
Toby."
Toby echoed Rhonda in a hollow tone, "She didn't know." His voice quavered
and he repeated, "She didn't know."
For him it was the realization Mrs. Landingham would never have to deal with
the President's illness or its ensuing consequences. Toby was grateful her
faith in Josiah Bartlet was unshaken.
But, he was shaken knowing she was gone from their lives. "Thank you for
being the one to tell me."
She nodded. "I wanted to check on you and Charlie." She saw tears in Toby's
eyes. "Call me whenever, for whatever." Rhonda headed for the door.
Toby's voice stopped her. "Officer, before I make my one phone call, would
you hold me?"
Rhonda turned without a word and came back to him. She wrapped her arms
around him and held him close. Her own tears fell as he sobbed the way
Charlie had when she found him staring at a crystal cookie jar.
There are days....