Disclaimers: see Part I
***** Heartstrings - Part VI *****
Toby found himself ready to explode over the concern for C.J.
when he was finally able to leave the West Wing at six o'clock that
night. He planned to go visit C.J. with Leo, Sam, Charlie and
everybody else during the lunch break, but work kept piling up on his
desk and there was no way that he could get away from his office.
Luckily, he was able to corner Sam in his office when he came back
from the hospital after lunchtime. He loosened a bit when Sam told
him that even though she had not woken up yet, her fever already
dropped dramatically. However, he knew he wouldn't fully relax until
he saw her with his own eyes.
He pushed her hospital door open nervously with his shaking
hand. He didn't know what C.J. would do when she saw him.
"Josh, for the ten thousandth time, I am feeling fine," she
called out edgily when she heard the door click.
"Hi. How are you feeling?" He was surprised to see her
already awake when he walked into her hospital room.
"Toby! I'm sorry. I thought you were Josh. He has been
bugging me the whole afternoon; I finally talked him into going to
the cafeteria to get something to eat five minutes ago." C.J. tensed
when she saw him. She didn't know how to face him yet.
"I know Josh can be a pain in the ass sometimes."
"Yah, tell me about it. Ever since I woke up a couple hours
ago, Josh has asked me how I feel at least once every ten minutes.
He's made me want to be unconscious again," she tried to sound
irritated, but he knew she was clearly touched by Josh's concern.
"You and Josh are pretty close?" He sat down on the chair
next to her bed.
C.J. was pleased to detect the jealousy in his voice even
though he tried very hard to hide it. Did that meant she had not
lost the battle completely?
"Remember that I told you about my ex-boyfriend Brian?" Toby
nodded. "Well, Josh was his roommate and good buddy. We used to
double date a lot with Josh and his girlfriend at the time. When
Brian and I broke up, I kept in touch with Josh. He is like a
brother for me. He is always there to protect me, take care of me,
and pick me up when I fall. I count myself lucky to have someone
like Josh in my life, although sometimes his over protectiveness
nearly drives me insane." C.J. smiled, remembering the time when
Josh threatened to sue her ex fiancé because he called off their
engagement.
"So how are you really feeling?" Toby asked after a beat,
taking in her pale face and weak voice.
She rolled her eyes. "I am FINE, and I will feel a lot better
if you can get me out of here."
They fell into an awkward silence, and neither one of them
know what to say. Toby nearly winced when he saw the sight of
usually energetic C.J. lying pale on the hospital bed with an IV line
injected into her arm, and the thought that it was entirely his fault
that C.J. was out there in the rain last night made he felt even
worse. The guilt was eating him alive.
"How was the briefing this afternoon?" said C.J. when the
silence started to make her feel thoroughly uncomfortable.
"Don't worry. Sam did the briefing. Although I don't think
he was much better than Josh, at least he didn't invent any secret
plan for the President."
"That's a relief," she replied sarcastically.
"About last night..." Toby started after a beat.
"Wait. You don't have to explain anything to me." C.J.
interrupted him. She knew Toby was going to tell her that he and
Andrea were back together, and a sorry from him would not make her
bleeding heart feel any better.
"No, it is not what you think. Andrea and I didn't get back
together. She just found out that her boyfriend cheated on her
yesterday morning, and as a friend I was only trying to comfort her."
She lifted her head and looked at his eyes directly for the
first time since he came in the room ten minutes ago. The gleam in
her eyes gave him the strength he needed to tell her what he was
about to say.
"C.J." He took her right hand in his and squeezed
it, "letting you go fourteen years ago was one of the biggest
mistakes that I've ever made, and I never stop regretting it. I know
I was never good at telling people my real feelings, but..."
Toby took a deep breath, trying to gather all his
courage. "C.J., I love you, and I want to be with you. Can you give
me one more chance?"
She looked at him with wide eyes. Was that really Toby
telling her that he loved her, or was that a hallucination caused by
her fever. She had dreamed about this ever since she met Toby again
at the Bartlet family home almost four years ago, and she almost
convinced herself that it would never come true. She could not
believe it was actually happening.
"God, Toby. Are you trying to make me cry? If so, then you
are doing a damn great job," she said with a hoarse voice, and tears
started to drop from her eyes.
Toby sat by her bed, and stared at C.J. He hadn't seen C.J.
cry since that day at the London airport, and he really had no idea
what to do with a teary C.J. Finally, he did the only thing he could
think of. He got up from the chair, sat beside C.J. on her bed and
pulled her into a tight embrace. He rested his head on top of hers
and whispered words of love and caring into her ears.
That was the scene that Josh saw when he walked into the room
ten minutes later, and both C.J. and Toby were too wrapped up in
their little world to realize that they had an audience. Josh exited
the room quietly, deciding to give the reunited lovers some privacy.
*****
"Hey, Toby." Josh, who was leaning against the wall next to
C.J.'s door, called him when Toby left her room nearly half an hour
later.
"Is she asleep?"
"Yes."
"You know C.J. is like a sister to me, don't you?"
"Yes." Toby ventured warily, not sure what Josh was going to
say.
"Can you promise me that you will take care of her, and you
will never hurt her again?" Josh asked with an unusually serious
face.
"I promise." Toby extended his hand toward Josh, and he knew
that was one promise, which he had no intention of breaking.
"Good. If you make her cry again, I'll hunt you down no
matter where you are," said Josh, who shook his hand firmly.
-- The End --
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