Disclaimer: See previous chapters

Acknowledgments: I would like to thank my magnificent Beta Reader, Robyn. You're a life saver. Hugs and Kisses.

As Leo made his way to the Residence, he was running scenarios in his head. How could he tell the President that one of his senior advisors was lost at sea and that they had no idea whether he was alive or not? After the conversation with Lieutenant Harvey, the 4 remaining members of the Senior Staff sat in silence, the information they had just received slowly sinking in. Leo would never forget the expressions of despondence and heart-break etched on their faces. CJ sat beside Josh, holding his hand, a lonely tear running down her cheek. Josh, his gaze fixed on the floor, fighting a losing battle with his emotions. Toby, sitting on the sofa, his face hidden in his hands, attempting to refocus the outpour of anger and fear that escaped through his rough carapace. Leo himself felt almost numb after hanging up the phone. For a moment, he imagined what it would be like in the West Wing without Sam, but quickly dismissed that thought, angry with himself for even thinking it. He wanted to join his friends in their silent torture, but based on their demeanors, he knew that they weren't in any condition to take control of the situation. He was going to have to take the reigns.

"Listen, I know all this sounds grim, but we can't give up on him. He wouldn't give up on any of us, now would he?" Leo asked, trying to get a reaction from them. Josh and CJ simply nodded. Toby remained immobile.

"Okay. CJ, with the information we just received, I want you and Toby to prepare something for the press. Toby will fill you in on the information you missed. If you have to, call Lieutenant Harvey back for more details." He stared at her with concern, waiting for her reply. She looked up at him, another tear rolling down her cheek. She quickly wiped it away with the back of her hand and nodded. Leo then turned to Josh.

"Josh, right now, what I need you to do is stay by this phone." Leo stood and looked down at his deputy. Leo knew that Josh was in no condition to do any real work. If he let him go he would simply lock himself in his office until more news came their way. He wouldn't allow the young man to isolate himself. If they were going to get through this night, they were going to have to stick together.

"Where are you going?" Josh asked him.

"I'm going up to the Residence to tell the President," Leo answered, making his way to the door. Before exiting, he stopped and turned, noticing that his friends were not moving.

"Come on, people. We have work to do," he finally said, trying to encourage them. Leo carefully watched Toby rise from the sofa. The Communications Director's red and watery eyes met those of the Chief of Staff. The sight grabbed at Leo's heart. He always knew that Toby cared for Sam in that "Big Brother" kind of way, and it saddened him that it had taken this situation for those feelings to come to the surface. Toby's hard exterior was now breached and his inner feelings were seeping out. 'Only Sam could accomplish such a feat,' Leo thought, but quickly corrected himself. It was Sam's absence that was the culprit.

**********

As Leo approached the entrance to the residence, his nervousness grew. Even after all this time as the President's Chief of Staff, no matter the situation, he hated giving him bad news, but this was different. It didn't involve national security, nor an international conflict, but something more profound and closer to home. Leo turned to one of the Secret Service Agents standing guard.

"Where's the President?"

"He's in his private living room with the First Lady."

"Thank you," said Leo, heading in the direction. He approached the door and took a long breath of air before knocking.

"Come in". Leo opened the door to find the President and the First Lady sitting side by side on a large sofa, watching a movie on the television.

"Leo!" the President exclaimed joyously upon seeing his best friend. "Come and have a seat," he added, pointing towards the armchair to his left. Abbey took the remote and pressed the mute button.

"Mr. President, Abbey," Leo said, giving them both a nod. "I'm sorry to disturb you during your private time sir, but there's a situation developing that you should be aware of." The President slowly got to his feet, studying the seriousness in Leo' face. His welcoming smile vanished and was replaced by the same frown that appeared on Leo's face.

"What is it, Leo?"

"It's Sam, sir. He's missing." The President simply stared at him. Upon hearing those words, Abbey got up and walked over to her husband, placing her arm around his.

"What do you mean?" she asked.

"He went sailing this afternoon. Around 8 o'clock tonight, Josh got a call saying that he hadn't returned to port yet. We actually just got off the phone with the Coast Guard. They've commenced a Search and Rescue mission, but they don't really know where to start looking. His emergency beacon hasn't been activated and the storm front and winds are rough out there."

"Are they sure that he's out there? Couldn't he have just docked somewhere else?" asked the President, trying to come up with a plausible explanation for Sam's absence. Leo shook his head.

"They checked that out even before they called Josh. According to Josh, Sam was supposed to be back around 5. Him and Josh were going to meet tonight. If he was going to be late, he would have called Josh."

"What about his radio? His cell phone? He always has it on him," the President asked, again drawing at straws. Leo could tell that he was desperately trying to come to terms with the situation and that he wasn't going to take this information very well, and was grateful for Abbey's presence. She was his anchor, she kept him grounded. Leo knew that his best friend was a strong man who dealt with many crisis, armed conflicts and potential wars and was able to maintain decorum, strength and a steady mind and hand to deal with those situations, but this touched a little too close to home, and Leo was now seeing his vulnerable side.

"He's not answering radio hails and his cell phone is out of the service area," Leo said, shaking his head. "Based on the information they have, the Coast Guard have assumed that he's out there and incapacitated." The President mutely tightened his grip on Abbey's arm at that moment. "That would explain why he isn't answering the radio or activated his beacon. We're pretty much playing the waiting game now. The Coast Guard has a helicopter and a cutter out there searching with a special radar....."

"What do you mean, *a* helicopter and *a* cutter? You mean to tell me that there are only 2 teams out there looking for him? Do they realized that a member of the Senior Staff of the White House is out there?" the President yelled, cutting him off.

"Jed," pleaded Abby, trying to calm his outburst, but at the same time understanding where it was coming from.

"Mr. President," Leo said with a calm, reassuring voice, "they're very much aware of who he is and they are doing everything they can. Without a beacon to zero in on, they don't know where he is. All we can do is wait and pray that he's okay." Leo and the President maintained their gaze, trying to gain understanding and strength from each other. Leo was relieved to see his friend calm down a little.

"Josh, CJ and Toby are in the West Wing. Josh called them in. The press is aware that Sam's missing and are starting to ask questions. CJ's going to be giving a briefing soon. I'll inform you as soon as we get more information. I have to get back down there, Mallory's on her way over." Leo said as he headed for the door. Abbey placed her hand over her mouth and murmured Mallory's name, having obviously forgotten about the young woman who had fallen for the handsome young man.

"Leo, how are they all holding up?" the President asked, his anger dissipated, now replaced by sadness and concern. Leo wasn't sure how to answer that question. When he had left them a few minutes ago, they looked like they were all going to fall apart at the seams, but he couldn't bring himself to tell that to the President.

"As well as can be expected, sir," Leo answered, but his expression deceived him and the President caught him in the slip.

"I'll be down in a little while, Leo," the President told his friend.

"Thank you, Mr. President." Leo nodded and left the room, leaving his best friend and his wife to ponder the information.

**********

Pacing the room seemed like a good idea at the time, thinking that it would calm his mind that was running on overdrive, but after a few minutes, he realized that it was only making things worse. More questions popped up and more uncertainties started piling up.

"Jed, please sit down," asked Abbey.

"How long can he survive out there? What if he fell overboard? How long could he survive in the water?" he asked, ignoring her plea for him to sit.

"Jed, I don't know. It all depends on the water temperature, if he's hurt, if he's wearing a lifejacket..... but you can't start imaging all these things, honey. You know Sam is a good sailor and he's prudent. I'm sure that there's a reasonable explanation for all this. Now, please sit down," she pleaded with him again. This time, he simply stared down at her, nodded and sat down close beside close her. He put his arm tightly around her shoulders, wanting to feel her close to him.

"Abbey, be honest with me. You don't think there's a reasonable explanation for this, do you? he asked her with a sad grin. She quickly opened to mouth to support her claim, but caught herself. She wanted it to be true, she really wanted to believe, but deep down, she knew that reality was on a crash course with the White House and its occupants, and that reality was going to be difficult for most to accept. It would leave them with a void, an absence that could never be replaced, for Sam's uniqueness was what made him who he was. Abbey could only hope that he was still alive. In this situation, she knew better then to hide the truth to her husband, that it would only make things worse, and this went far beyond sparing his feelings. She stared deep into his grieving eyes, and shook her head.

"No, Jed. I don't. I'm sorry", she said softly, touching his cheek with her hand, trying to comfort him in any way possible.

**********

As she entered Leo's office, Donna had to adjust her eyes to the darkness of the room. The only light was a small lamp on the desk. She made out a silhouette slumped in Leo's chair, facing the window, but couldn't make out who it was. She also noticed that that person was on the phone.

"You have my word. As soon as I know anything, I'm on the phone....... I know.... I will......You too......So do I, with all my heart, I pray to God that it will be.....I'll talk to you later.....Okay.....Bye." Donna instantly recognized Josh's voice and simply listened to the conversation, not really knowing what to make of it. The receiver still hanging in his hand, he brought his other hand up to his face and covered his eyes, slowly rubbing them.

"Josh?" He was taken by surprise and quickly sat up and turned in her direction and placed the receiver back on the phone. She was shocked when his face became visible. Even with the shadows reflecting on it, she could see the sadness, fear and traces of tears on his cheeks.

"Josh, what's wrong? What's the matter? Who were you talking to?" she asked him, her voice heavy with concern. She knew her boss to be strong, and to see him like this scared her like never before.

"That was...uuhhmm... Mr. Seaborn, Sam's father," Josh explained.

"Sam's father? But, why...........oh my god! Did something happen to Sam?" She suddenly felt weak at the knees and quickly sat down in the chair in front of Leo's desk.

"He's, uuhhmm...." he let out a sigh, composing himself before continuing. "Sam's missing. He never came back from his sailing trip. He can't be reached and they don't have a clue where he is out there. The Coast Guard is out there looking for him, but...." He closed his eyes tightly, trying to compose himself. She suddenly felt a ball of guilt form in the pit of her stomach as she remembered what she had said on the phone when he had called her earlier, teasing him about Sam standing him up. She realized that her guilt on the matter wasn't important right now and pulled her chair closer to the desk, and reached out and took his hand in hers. She wanted to say something, but no words would come out of her mouth. She could only imagine what was going through him mind. Sam was his best friend, that was a known fact throughout the West Wing, and the thought of losing Sam could only be killing him.

"Josh, if he's out there, they will find him."

"Donna, don't you understand! He's in the middle of the bloody ocean," Josh exclaimed, standing up from his chair. He made his way over to the window, slowly running his hand through his hair. Donna was taken by surprise by the sudden mood swing, but she could tell that Josh's frustrations and inability to do anything for Sam were weighing heavily on him.

"Why the hell did he go out there to begin with? He knew that the weather wasn't the greatest! And he went out there alone! Alone! What was he thinking? For a smart guy, he can be so utterly clueless and stupid sometimes," Josh was yelling at this point, throwing his arms in the air, his sadness now replaced by anger. He was silent for a moment, his face displaying the emotional turmoil occurring within him.

"What am I thinking? What am I doing? He's my best friend and here I am, getting mad at him for......" His voice cracked a little and he sighed heavily. "I almost forgot to call his parents, do you realize that? I was too caught up with myself .....I could have stopped him. I could have gone with him, but I wanted to sleep in. Now how pathetic is that? I wanted to sleep in. Sam's mother is crying her heart out right now because I decided to sleep in instead of going with him." Donna knew that Josh was simply venting, that he really didn't mean what he was saying, but he seemed to believe every word he said and that scared her. She looked at him with concern, his eyes wild and his breathing heavy, waiting for him to fall off the wild horse he was riding. She got up and slowly approached him. Not knowing exactly what to say, she said nothing. He didn't run away from her when she placed her hands on his shoulders and looked deeply into his eyes, hoping that she could convey her strength to him. She saw that he was about to fall off the horse and took him in her arms. He lazily let his head fall on her shoulder.

Oh my god...... He's my best friend, he's all alone out there and I could have prevented this."

"Josh, you know darn well that's not true. You know that. And you know that Sam wouldn't want you doing this," Donna said with a stern yet calm voice.

"I don't want him to....... " He couldn't bring himself to say the *D* word. "I just want him back here, where he belongs." Donna slowly rubbed his back, holding him tightly against her. She suddenly felt Josh's shoulders shake, followed by muffled sobs.

"It's okay, Josh. I know. Just let it out," Donna said softy as she continued to rub his back and gently sway left and right, holding Josh in her arms. As a tear found its way down her cheek, she silently prayed that Josh's wish would come true, that Sam would come back to where he belonged.

**********

CJ wasn't looking forward to the next few minutes. As she made her way to the briefing room, she desperately tried to come to terms with what was actually happening. For the past 30 minutes, she had been sitting in an office with Toby, compiling the information they had with that of the Coast Guard. The calls from the media were increasing, begging for information and confirmation regarding the missing Senior Staff member.

Having dealt with the press on a daily basis for the last year, she had come to understand their need to get the story. That was their job. But in regards to this situation, CJ was feeling nothing but contempt for them. 'Don't they understand what's going on here? Don't they realize that we're talking about Sam? Can't they respect that?' she had asked herself. Unfortunately, the press didn't see the situation with the same eyes as the White House staff. They saw a story, and they all wanted a piece of it.

She wanted to disassociate herself from the press and the whole process, but like them, she had a job to do. She finally concluded that she wasn't doing this briefing to feed the press' hunger, but for Sam. CJ wasn't a very religious person, but she did believe in good thoughts and that sometimes, they can go a long way, and the more people who knew of Sam's predicament, the more good thoughts would hopefully make their way to him. She thought that her thinking was a little corny, but without it, she wasn't sure if she would be able to function. Nonetheless, she decided to keep her thoughts to herself. 'It's either that or hope to find a needle in a hay stack', she debated.

As she approached the door leading to the briefing room, she stopped before opening it, giving herself a moment to fully compose herself. She quickly wiped her eyes, making sure that no tears were visible. With a deep breath, she opened the door and entered.

In the room, there was about 15 journalists sitting, impatiently awaiting her arrival. No one had denied nor confirmed the information that was spreading and their patience was wearing thin.

"CJ! CJ!" they yelled, trying to get her attention. She put her hand up, indicating to them that she was in control of the briefing, not them.

"I'm going to read an official statement from the White House and after, I'll answer a few questions." She took out a sheet of paper that Toby had approved only a few moments ago.

"The White House wishes to confirm information pertaining to the whereabouts of Sam Seaborn, the Deputy Communications Director for the White House. At approximately 8 o'clock, eastern time tonight, Joshua Lyman, the Deputy Chief of Staff, was contacted by a Mr. Scott Adams from the Soloman's Island Yacht Club in Maryland, stating that Mr. Seaborn had not yet returned from his sailing afternoon excursion. Following normal procedures and taking in consideration the bad weather conditions and the tardiness, they immediately proceeded to contact Mr. Seaborn via radio without any results. Marinas in the area were contacted, making sure that he hadn't docked at any other location.

We have confirmed that that is not the case. Attempts to contact Mr. Seaborn by cell phone were also fruitless. According to the cell phone company, his phone is currently out of the service area. At that point in time and confirming that Mr. Seaborn was scheduled to return to port around 5 o'clock, eastern time, the Coast Guard was notified of the situation and initiated a radar search for Mr. Seaborn's EPIR, which stands for Emergency Position Indicating Radiobeacon.

Mr. Seaborn's sailboat is equipped with such a device and registered with the Beacon Registration Database through the Coast Guard. The Coast Guard has confirmed that his beacon has not been activated and therefore cannot determine Mr. Seaborn's exact location. Based on his usual route, time elapsed and the weather pattern, the Coast Guard have established a quadrant of the Atlantic Ocean off the coast where they presume he might be and have begun a Search and Rescue operation. They have dispatched a HH-60J Jayhawk helicopter and a Island Class Patrol Cutter. Both are equipped with radars designed to locate small crafts, especially in these weather conditions. We are in constant contact Lieutenant Brian Harvey of the Chincoteague Coast Guard Station in Virginia." CJ put down the sheet of paper and sighed heavily. She had amazed herself by being able to get through that without losing her composure. She felt so strange referring to Sam as Mr. Seaborn. It was almost as if she was talking about someone else altogether.

"I'll take a few questions now," she said after clearing her throat and removing her glasses. The reporters all raised their arms, calling out her name.

"CJ! CJ!"

"Katie."

"CJ, you say that due to the fact that his EPIR hasn't been activated, the Coast Guard can't locate his craft. So why are they concentrating their search in the Atlantic? Why not the Potomac or the Chesapeake Bay? And what are the current weather conditions out there"

"Well, because his cell phone is currently out of the service area and the service area includes the Potomac and the Chesapeake Bay. They have concluded that he is still out there, which was his original destination. In terms of the weather conditions, as of about 10 minutes ago, waves were estimated at between 3 to 4 meters high and the wind is blowing at approximately 40 to 60 knots. Fortunately, the weather conditions are slowly improving, which will definitely help the Search and Rescue effort."

"CJ! CJ!"

"Al."

"What makes you so sure that he has his cell phone with him?"

"It's a known fact amongst the staff that Sam doesn't go anywhere without it, even on a day off, which was the case today and if he had forgotten it at home, it wouldn't be out of the service area."

"CJ! CJ!" She surveyed the room and her gaze fell upon Danny.

"Danny," she said, her mind on automatic.

"How are the President and the staff dealing with these events?" The question took her completely by surprise. She was expecting something more of a technical question from Danny. This took her totally off guard and she had to choose her words carefully. She cleared her throat again before answering.

"We are all distraught and worried about Sam, but we are remaining confident that this will have a positive outcome." She decided to keep her answer short in case she said too much and her true feelings surfaced.

"One more question. Kevin."

"What explanation do you have regarding the fact that his EPIR hasn't been activated?" CJ focused her thought on the answer itself and not on the words or what they meant. She was dreading this question and promised to kick herself for taking one more.

"There are many possibilities. His beacon could be damaged or there is a possibility that he is unable to activate it; that he is in some way incapacitated." There again, she decided to cut her answer short. She was on the verge of losing it, and she definitely didn't want to do so in front of the press.

"I will be back in about an hour with more information or as soon as more information becomes available. Thank you." She grabbed her portfolio and dashed out of the room before anyone else could accost her. Walking down the hall back to her office, she kept her head down, not wanting to face anyone at this time.

"CJ!" came a familiar voice behind her.

"Danny! Not now! This is not a good time!" she practically yelled at him. He caught up with her and put his hand on her shoulder.

"CJ. I just wanted.... I just wanted to make sure that you're okay." She looked up at him, her eyes red and glazed.

"What do you think, Danny?" she asked him sarcastically.

"CJ, I'm sorry," he said, taking his hand off her shoulder. She looked into his eyes and saw that they were filled with concern and sincerity.

"No, I'm the one that's sorry. Look, I can't really talk right now, but thanks for your concern. I really appreciate it and I'm sure Sam would too." He simply nodded and headed back to the briefing room. Before he turned the corner at the end of the hall, CJ turned around.

"Danny," she called out. He stopped and faced her.

"Yeah."

"Think good thoughts," she simply said. He smiled back at her.

"I already am, CJ. I already am," he replied. She gave him a short lived smile and continued her way back to the communications bullpen.

**********

In his imaginary world, Sam was swaying with the calm waves. His eyes closed, he concentrated on keeping the pain at bay. It was starting to seep into his world of make believe. He knew that he couldn't stay there forever. Soon, both worlds would collide and he wouldn't be able to determine which was which. He wanted this nightmare to end before that happened. 'But how?' he asked. 'Think! Think! Think!' he ordered himself. The pain was creating a haze in his mind and preventing him from conceiving clear thoughts. Then it suddenly donned on him: The EPIR. If he activated it, they would be able to find him, then he could get warm, go home and hopefully the pain would go away, but he couldn't move. Or could he? With all his strength, he forced his mind to go back on the deck of his ship, with the rain and the cold. He slowly opened his eyes and turned his head. Pain exploding within his skull, but he pushed it aside. He could see a dim light coming from inside the cabin. He knew that he had to move, his life depended on it. Sam had many dreams and aspirations, and he was fulfilling them by serving his country as Deputy Communications Director for the White House. The dream had only begun and he wasn't going to let this get in his way. Painfully, he concentrated all his strength on turning himself onto his stomach. He was amazed when he managed to do so, but cried out in sheer agony as the pain in his chest exploded. He concentrated on his breathing as darkness started to invade his vision. 'I can do this. I have to do this,' he told himself. Agonizingly, he started dragging himself with his good arm across the deck. Inch after painful inch.

To be continued.....