Half Full

He looks like your father you know. Even lying there, surrounded by all that, he still looks just like Josef. Apart from his eyes, he has his mother's eyes, and he has your smile. 

I wish I could tell you why this happened old friend, but I will find out. We will find the signalman and we'll bring him to justice, we'll find out why they did this to your son. Josh should have been in the car with me you know, but he was behind us, he'd stopped to talk to someone. Now why doesn't that surprise you?

How does an evening go from being so good to so bad in the space of a few hours? You'd think, having worked in Washington for as long as I have, I'd be use to it by now. But nothing before has prepared me for this. Nothing has prepared me for the sight of Josh lying on that hospital gurney. Nothing could prepare me for the looks of fear and disbelief on the faces his friends. CJ and Toby, their hands covered in blood, neither knowing what to do. Sam's anguished cry to Josh. Charlie fighting back tears. And Donna, sitting with Mrs Landingham, refusing to go anywhere until she knows he's alright. He has good friends does your son, and he's a good friend in return, you taught him well.

I called Ruth and told her, she sounded scared, but I think she's okay. You think she'll forgive me for lying to her? You know as well as I do that his chances aren't good. Fifty fifty Abbey said, the glass is half empty or it's half full. You tried to teach me that it's half full, but I was never sure how you could believe that, not after everything that happened. How did you keep your faith? You lost your mother and your sister to the Nazis and they did their damnedest to take your father as well. You lost your daughter. You beat cancer only to have it come back. Yet you kept believing that the glass is half full. I really don't know how you did that.

You know, I was so relieved when they said the president was alright, when I spoke to him and saw his injuries weren't severe. And then another ambulance arrived and this nightmare began. 

I have to go back to the White House now, so you need to keep an eye on Josh for a while, but you won't be alone. His friends are all driving back and forth between here and work, they won't leave him and I hope they believe that he won't leave them.

Ruth can't get here yet, the city's locked down until they do find the signal, so you might want to keep an eye on her as well, though I'm sure you always do. She'll be here by the time he wakes up though. You see the glass is half full after all.

END