A West Wing Story

By Dani L.

Rating: PG

Disclaimer: I do not own these characters, they belong to the great Aaron Sorkin and Warner Bros.

Spoilers: Take this Sabbath Day & Let Bartlet be Bartlet

Archive: Yes, but please advise me beforehand. Thanks! Also, HTML version is available upon request.

Summary: A quiet sailing trip turns into tragedy and leaves Sam Seaborn's life hanging in the balance.

This is my first West Wing story and there are a few people I would like to thank namely Charlotte for the info you gave me in regards to marina locations in the DC area. My lovely, wonderful, inspiring and life saving Beta Readers, Janie Harper and Robyn. You 2 are the best!!! Big Hugs and Kisses!!! And I can't forget Captain Red! Your take on Sam in "Demons" inspired me to write this story and I thank you immensely. Thank you for giving us the ESF Group and you are the best, but above all, "You are evil on so many levels!"<VBG>

This story is dedicated to all The West Wing Fans out there, especially the SamFans. :-)

The following events take place before "What Kind of Day has it Been".

CHAPTER 2

Washington, D.C.

Josh Lyman had decided a long time ago, that on his first day off, he would sleep, sleep and then maybe sleep a little more. He viewed that as normal for a guy who sometimes got home sometimes around 10 or 11 o'clock at night and had to be back at work for about 7 the next morning. He had become used to that schedule, having done so for so long, but just the thought of turning off the alarm clock, sleeping in and just laying in bed was certainly a rare treat in his line of work. He was just going to do nothing and love every minute of it. By 3 o'clock in the afternoon, though, he decided that lazy time was over. He was enjoying it a little too much, and realized that that wasn't a good thing to get into the habit of doing. He slowly took a shower, made himself something to eat and watched a little television, which was something that he also rarely did.

He was looking forward to his night out with Sam. Their plans were pretty basic: 2 best friends, a few drinks and a lot of laughs. What more could a person ask for?

At 7:30, Josh called for a cab and made his way to Sam's apartment with a huge smile on his face.

A few blocks from Sam's place, Josh pulled out his cell phone and dialed his friend's home number to give him a heads up on his arrival. It rang a few times, then Sam's voice answered: "Hi, you've reached Sam Seaborn. I can't take your call right now, but you can leave me a message or contact me on my cell phone at 555-6427. Thanks." Beep!

"Sam, pick up! It's me. I'm about 3 minutes from your place. Sam! Pick up, Buddy!" Josh guessed that Sam was probably on his way down to the lobby to meet him, so he hung up and dialed his cell phone number. It rang a couple of times before an automated voice kicked in: "The person you are trying to reach is currently out of the service area. Please try again later."

"What do you mean, out of service area?" asked Josh, staring at his phone as if it would answer him. He tried the number again, and got the same response. The cab suddenly stopped and Josh realized that they had arrived at their destination.

"Just hold on here for a minute," he told the cabbie as he jumped out of the car. The cabbie just shrugged and put the car in park. Josh ran up to the main entrance and entered the lobby. He headed over to the panel that displayed the names of the all the tenants and their dial-in codes. Knowing Sam's dial-in number from memory, he immediately proceeded to press the code for his apartment. A regular beeping noise could be heard over the speaker.

"Come on, Sam, where are you?" Josh asked out loud. There was no answer, just the continuing monotony of the beeping. He cut the line and tried Sam's cell phone again, but still he got the same message: "The person you are trying to reach in currently out of the service area. Please try again later." That message left him very perplexed. 'How could he be out of the service area?' Josh asked himself over and over again. He knew that Sam couldn't have forgotten about their night out. They had confirmed it with each other the night before when they left the office, and besides, he knew Sam too well to know that he wouldn't leave him hanging like this. If he were held up, he would have found a way to get in touch with him.

Josh knew that there had to be a logical explanation for Sam being late, but a little voice in the back of his head kept whispering to him that something was wrong. He quickly dismissed that thought. 'Hey, we're talking about Sam here!' he muttered aloud, annoyed with himself for having those kind of thoughts, but the message from Sam's cell phone was still echoing in his head. He looked down at his cell phone again. 'How far away is out of the service area?' he thought again. Just then, his cell phone rang.

"Well, speak of the devil," he said, with a heavy sigh of relief, picturing Sam at the other end of the line.

"Samuel Seaborn, where the hell are you?" asked Josh sarcastically. For a few seconds, no one answered. Then, an unknown voice was heard.

"Uh, I'm trying to reach Joshua Lyman", said the stranger, a little taken aback. Josh was suddenly embarrassed by his outburst.

"Oh, I'm sorry. I thought you were someone else. Yes, this is Joshua Lyman," he replied in a calm and professional manner.

"Oh, Mr. Lyman, my name is Scott Adams. I'm with the Soloman's Island Yacht Club. I'm calling regarding Sam Seaborn." Again, there was silence on the line, both men waiting for the other to say something. The little voice in the back of Josh's head returned, and this time, it was yelling that something was wrong. The man's tone was neutral, but Josh could tell that whatever he was going to say wasn't good news.

"What about Sam?" Josh asked nervously.

"Mr. Seaborn has named you as the person to contact in case of an emergency. Well, please do not get alarmed, but we might have one on our hands. Mr. Seaborn hasn't returned from his outing and we are unable to reach him by radio. We have tried on all bands with no result. It's not like him to sail at night, and the weather conditions right now are getting rough. We've contacted the other local marinas to see if he might have docked there, with no luck. The Coast Guard has also been notified, " Mr. Adams declared, efficiently laying everything out for Josh. His account of the situation was followed by a moment of silence, giving Josh time to absorb the information. "Mr. Lyman, one thing you have to keep in mind is that he could have had motor trouble, his radio might simply not be working, or... it could be a multitude of things. The steps we are taking are normal procedures for such events," he added, as to somewhat appease the man on the other end of the line.

Josh's mind was now working on overdrive. What was this man saying? What was he implying? He abruptly realized that he was extremely tense, his muscles flexed to their limit.

"I tried calling him on his cell phone and it said that he was out of the service area," Josh said, not really aware of having spoken; the words simply flowed out of his mouth as if on automatic.

"So did we, and we got the same answer," replied Mr. Adams. Josh could tell that the man at the other end of the line was trying to be comforting, but he could see the seriousness of the situation, and it scared him to no end. After coming to that conclusion, Josh didn't know what to say. 'What can I say?' he asked himself. Nothing that came out of his mouth now could change the situation. Suddenly, an image started forming in his mind. An image of a body floating face down in the water. A body being tossed left and right by the powerful waves. A body. A dead body. Sam.

"Mr. Lyman? Mr. Lyman, are you still there?" The sudden realization that his name was being suddenly called ripped the image out of his mind, and for that he was thankful. His body was even more tense then it had been a few minutes ago and despite an attempt to relax, his muscles wouldn't obey. His mind was in control, and it was on the verge of derailing. His thoughts were overlapping each other, and he knew that he had to get a grip on himself. He had a serious situation on his hands and he needed a clear head to be able to deal with it. He couldn't put aside the fact that his best friend might be in serious trouble, or hurt, but he would have to act on two fronts: one as a guy worried to death about his best friend, and the other as the Deputy Chief of Staff of the White House, who had to take control of a situation involving the Deputy Communications Director. You could take the man out of the White House, but you couldn't take the White House out of the man, so the latter would have to take precedence. For the time being at least until someone else had control of the situation - or until he completely lost it.

"Yes. Yes, I'm still here," he finally responded, having regained some of his composure.

"Mr. Lyman, there is another matter that I wanted to bring to your attention. I tried to keep this situation as quiet as possible, but somehow the information that Mr. Seaborn is... " he hesitated for a moment before continuing, picking his words as tactfully as possible, "...might be missing has leaked to the media. We are already receiving calls from them asking for details. Taking into consideration Mr. Seaborn's position within the White House, I'm not sure how this should be dealt with."

"What have you told them so far?" asked Josh, slowly regaining his professionalism.

"Simply that it's in the hands of the Coast Guard. I didn't give them any further information. How did they find out about this so fast?" asked Mr. Adams, somewhat perplexed.

"Any which way they can. That's their job. Besides, once the word got out, it probably spread like wildfire. Listen, who were you speaking to at the Coast Guard?"

"Lieutenant Brian Harvey." Josh sighed heavily as he realized that he didn't have anything to write on and was still standing in the lobby of Sam's apartment building. He made his way back to the cab, running to avoid getting too wet from the heavy rain that had been falling on the city for the past couple of hours.

"OK, listen, uh... what was your name again?" Josh asked, the Deputy Chief of Staff half of him taking a step forward, but his other half, the friend, still peering over his shoulder.

"Scott Adams," the man replied.

"OK, Mr. Adams, I want you to call me back in about 20 minutes. By then, I should be in my office."

"Sure, of course. And Mr. Lyman, Mr. Seaborn is a good sailor. I'm sure there's a reasonable explanation for this and that he's fine." Josh appreciated the words of comfort from the man, but they didn't quiet the dreadful voice still present in his head.

"Thank you Mr. Adams. 20 minutes," he reminded, before hanging up. Josh then realized as he combed his hand through his damp hair, that it was now pouring rain, and the wind was picking up. 'If it's bad here, I can only imagine what it's like on the water', he suddenly thought. He quickly closed his eyes and pushed the thought away.

"Where to now?" asked the cabbie, bringing Josh out of his daze.

"The White House," he responded while dialing a number on his cell phone. The cabbie starred disbelievingly at his passenger through the rear-view mirror for a moment. With a shrug of his shoulders, he pulled into the traffic and headed for 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue.

As he listened to the line ringing in his ear, a list of things that he had to do was forming in his mind. All the people he had to contact, get together and organize. They were all piling up a little too fast for him to keep track of. He was relieved when the voice on the other end of the line made him refocus his thoughts.

"CJ Cregg."

"CJ, it's Josh. Listen, where are you?" he asked, his voice betraying his tension.

"I'm home. Why?" she replied, detecting his urgency.

"I need you go to get to the White House now. We have a situation on our hands and I've confirmed that the press is already onto it," Josh told her hastily.

"Josh, what's going on?" she asked with concern. Whatever it was, she knew that she wasn't going to like it. Josh was silent for a moment before answering.

"Sam's...... missing," he said, finally forcing himself to say the words.

"What?" cried CJ. "What do you mean, missing?" she asked, panic growing in her voice.

"He went out sailing this afternoon and he hasn't returned. He can't be reached over the radio. I got the call about 10 minutes ago. I'll tell you the rest when you get there. I'm on my way now. OK?" CJ didn't answer right away. It was now her turn to assimilate the news. Josh hoped that she was handling it better than he had, but he doubted it.

"Oh my god! Oh my god! Oh my god!" whispered CJ, absorbing the shock. Josh could picture the expression on her face; her mouth gaping open, her eyes wide, and her hands shaking. He had to catch her before she lost it.

"CJ! CJ! Did you hear what I said? I need you, okay? The press is going to be banging on the doors, so I want you ready for this. You can do this!" he assured her. "We don't know for sure what happened, but we have to stay positive," he added, realizing that he should also be swallowing the medicine he was dishing out. Josh listened to her breathing heavily on the other end of the line, trying to compose herself.

"OK. I'm on my way. I'm leaving now," she finally responded.

"I'll see you in a bit," he said before cutting the line and sighing heavily. He looked out of the window to situate himself, guessing that he was about 10 minutes away for his destination. He opened a line on his cell phone and went through a mental list of the people he had to get in touch with first. He had expected the reaction he got from CJ, but while dialing the next number, he drew a blank. He was going to have to play it by ear. The phone rang a few times before its owner finally answered.

"Toby Ziegler."

"Hey, Toby. It's Josh. Listen, uh, something has come ...... ahhh...... there's a situation, and I think that, well, we're going to need you at the office." As soon as the words left his mouth, Josh knew that it was a faux pas.

"Josh, what's with the ums and ahhhs? Will you get to the point. What's going on?" Toby said in his usual gruff and annoyed tone. "You know how much I hate vagueness." Josh didn't know how to tell him. He didn't even know if he could say it again. Toby was a straightforward guy and he knew that at a time like this, it was better for him to be straightforward as well.

"It's Sam. He went sailing this afternoon and he hasn't returned and he can't be reached." Josh listened to the silence at the other end of the line for a moment, somewhat dreading Toby's reaction.

"I'm leaving now," Toby said simply, all the gruffness and annoyance gone from his voice, and hung up. For a few seconds, Josh listened to the disconnected line buzzing in his ear, letting it drift him away from himself. He wanted so badly to simply shut his eyes then open them to find himself in a bar with Sam by his side, having a drink, just talking about everything and nothing, just being 2 best friends having a good time on the town. He wanted that so badly he could taste it, but reality grabbed him by the collar and dragged him back when the cabbie honked his horn at a driver who cut him off. Quickly shaking off his daze, he realized that he still had the phone to his ear.

Toby's reaction left Josh to wondering. He knew that the Communications Director was very fond of his Deputy. Toby often showed the opposite sentiment towards Sam, especially when it came time to write a speech. Toby would always criticize the young man; not enough action verbs, too much fluff! But in the end, Toby was always pleased with Sam's work. Sam knew it and Toby knew it. Josh regularly wondered about those two and the odd relationship they shared, but he knew for sure that it was solidly based on friendship and respect.

Josh refocused his thoughts and dialed the next number.

"Leo McGarry," his boss answered after a couple of rings.

"Hi Leo, it's Josh. Listen, we have a situation. Where are you right now?"

"I'm in my office," Leo responded. "What's going on Josh?" With that question, Josh found it safe assume that the news had not yet reached the White House, so he was going to have to explain it once again. He dreaded having to speak those words. The last 2 times he had said them, he had felt a twinge of pain in the bottom of his stomach. He closed his eyes and sighed.

"Sam went sailing this afternoon and he hasn't returned yet. He can't be reached by radio. I got a call about 15 minutes ago. And the press knows about it. CJ and Toby are on their way in and I should be there in about 5 minutes," Josh blurted out.

"Is anyone out looking for him?" Leo asked, his voice laced with concern.

"The Coast Guard has been notified but I haven't spoken to them myself yet. I'm expecting a phone call in the next few minutes with contact information."

"OK," responded Leo, followed by a worried sigh. Then something occurred to him.

"Mallory."

'Oh my god, Mallory', thought Josh, closing his eyes and leaning his head back. He had totally forgotten about her. He then remembered that she was supposed to be with Sam today. He could only imagine how she was going to take this news. Sam and Mallory had become very close over the past few months and their relationship was blossoming. One could tell just by looking at them together that they were happy and that there was definitely love between them.

"I have to call her," Leo said, almost in a whisper, obviously realizing how much this news was going to hurt her. Like with the others, they were both silent for a few seconds, trying to gain strength from each other.

"I'll be in the office in a few minutes," Josh finally said.

"OK," Leo answered and hung up.

Josh closed his phone and placed it in his pocket. He quickly glanced at his watch. 8:27. On impulse, he reached for his phone and dialed Sam's cell phone number. He kept his eyes closed as he listened to it ring....once....twice...."The person you are...." He didn't want to hear that message again. He decided that he hated that voice. Hated it! He now regretted making the call, but he had thought that maybe, if by some chance...

With all his might, Josh was trying to keep it together. He solemnly stared out of the window as the rain beat against it monotonously. He couldn't help but fixate on the streams of water dancing against the glass. A shiver ran down his back as his mind suddenly transformed those simple streams into waves. Raging ocean waves. And on those waves, a body was being tossed left and right. A dead body. Sam.

To be continued...

Your comments are welcome and very much appreciated......

Thanks

Dani L.