A Silence Full of Sound [hiatus]

4.2 - Leo: The Intern

The staffers who had gathered around to listen to Josh's angry words dispersed quietly, as Leo opened the door to his office and stepped inside. For a moment, he stood there, thinking quietly, before he turned to the left and entered the Oval Office.

The President was in the middle of a briefing that didn't require Leo's presence but, when Jed noticed his chief of staff over the top of his glasses, the President turned to the men and women in front of him and excused himself. They nodded and began talking amongst themselves, the slight drone of conversation a perfect cover for what Leo had to say.

"I just got done talking with Josh."

"Is he alright?" Jed glanced at his audience. Thankfully, none of them seemed to be paying attention.

"He and an intern got a little heated earlier. He's fine now."

But something in the way Leo said he was fine made the President pause. He turned to the men and women gathered in the office with a warm smile. Nothing was amiss. At least not according to them.

"If you'll excuse me, ladies and gentlemen. Something's come up. We'll have to continue this another time."

The men and women all gathered their briefcases and bags, and quickly left the office, leaving Leo and the President alone. Jed crossed the room to the resolute desk and sat behind it, careful to set his glasses down where he wouldn't lose them.

"Should we be sending him home? When is this new therapist supposed to start? Can we call her in early?"

"She starts next week. He has an appointment at eight on Tuesday. Donna told me."

"If he'll go." Jed stated plainly. "You know he'd just as soon do one of your confounded big block of cheese days before he'd talk about himself, least of all to a therapist."

"No need to remind me of that," Leo said dryly.

"You're doing another one of those soon, aren't you?"

Leo's eyes narrowed slightly. "Next Tuesday, in fact."

"You planned that, didn't you?"

"No, I did not." Leo wasn't the least bit amused.

"Have you spoken to her, this new therapist? Does she know what else she's getting herself into?"

"I don't think she does. Dr. Keyworth hasn't mentioned anything about it either."

"What are you waiting for?" Jed asked, clearly confused as to why Leo would suggest something, and then not follow through with it.

"Sir, I think the best way to handle this is to come up with a list of potential names first. Bipartisan, preferably, to appease both sides of the issue."

It was Jed's turn to narrow his eyes as he regarded his chief of staff closely. Leo knew exactly what he was thinking. Republicans would be less receptive to the idea. They would rather stick their heads in the sand than acknowledge gun violence was an issue. In addition to that, they weren't exactly mental health advocates. Again, they'd rather stick their heads in the sand and pretend nothing bad ever happened. The joys of working with the right and, more particularly, the Christian right. Jed was a Christian, but even he knew that there was more to mental health than praying to God for relief from anxieties and worries. Involving the Republicans was going to be a bad idea all around.

"Both sides of the issue? Leo, don't pretend that the Republicans care about mental health or gun violence and the side effects of it."

"I'm just saying it's a good idea to entertain a few names. You said it yourself, this is a bipartisan issue."

Leo was right and Jed knew it. "I'm sure you'll have no problem reaching out and drawing up that list. Just make sure her name is on it. I don't want any surprises when it comes down to choosing." He shuffled some folders around to keep his hands busy for a moment. "And if she's not the right fit, we'll look somewhere else."

"Yes, sir."

No sooner had Leo spoken, Jed was shouting across the office for Charlie, who promptly entered the room. "Mr. President?"

"Schedule fifteen minutes in the day somewhere so I can finish up that meeting I just dismissed."

"Yes, sir."

Charlie turned to leave. Leo kept watching the President. When shuffling folders wasn't enough to occupy his mind, Jed looked back up at his chief of staff. Leo could see the worry etched in Jed's face, the way the anxiety settled in the wrinkles of his forehead, and the lines at his eyes. There was something weighing on Jed's mind, but Leo could tell he wasn't keen on speaking about it. If he were to, it would give that anxiety a voice, and it wouldn't just settle in the wrinkles of his face. It would settle in the office, and follow him wherever he went, an elephant in the room that would slowly engulf every nook and cranny of the building. They didn't want that, but what other choice did they have?

Jed sighed heavily. "Give it to me straight, Leo. If this keeps happening, how long before I have to pull the plug?"

Leo feigned innocence. "Sir?"

"Josh. The staff will start talking. That, uh, intern today. How much do you trust him to keep his mouth shut?"

"Not at all, sir."

"Exactly. How long before this starts hurting us?"

"I won't let it, sir."

"Leo--"

"No, Mr. President. So long as I have a job, he has a job." Jed fixed him with a hard gaze, but Leo didn't back down. "It's Josh. He'll be fine. Give him time."

Jed wasn't too sure, but he let out a long breath and nodded anyway. "I couldn't fire him anyway. You'd be lost without him."

Leo snorted softly. "Whatever you say, Mr. President."

"You would be. We all would be."

Jed wasn't wrong, and Leo knew it all too well.

He stood there in the silence, letting the implications of their conversation settle between them before he spoke again. "I'm late for a budget meeting."

"Ask Donna to keep an eye on Josh, won't you? I'm sure she already is, but it doesn't hurt to remind her every once in a while."

There was a small flicker of a smile on Leo's face. "Will do, sir."

With that, the conversation was over. Leo left the Oval Office feeling a renewed sense of duty for his young deputy. The uncertainty and the anxiety were still settled in his chest and the pit of his stomach, but he felt better for the first time in over two weeks. If this "Dr. Brewer" was as good as Stanley made her out to be, Leo had no doubt that Josh would be on the mend before anyone knew it, and hopefully before the reelection campaign kicked off.

His thoughts wandered to the conversation he'd had with Toby that past Wednesday in the Oval Office as he returned to his own and sat at his desk. He wondered if a new consultant on mental health would bring down their favorables. He knew most people didn't accept most mental health diagnoses as legitimate, and there was still so much they didn't know about things like depression, addiction, and PTSD. But he hoped that maybe, just maybe, this would be a step in the right direction. They would figure it out, he mused, as he took out a piece of paper and jotted a few names down. He paused as he appraised the names before adding Dr. Brewer's name to the list. Then he sat the list aside, picked up a few folders, and left his office for the Roosevelt Room, and the dreaded Budget meeting.