Story [The West Wing] Little Lion Man (Josh/Sam AU vignettes)

Title: Little Lion

Series: The West Wing (AU)

Timeframe: Various (mostly 1999)

Characters: Josh Lyman, Sam Seaborn, Leo Lyman-Seaborn (OC), other show characters

A/N: This is going to be a drabble/vignette series following a Josh/Sam AU that has been floating around in my brain and I piloted in my Mav-and-Bri verse. This does feature a (re-imagining) of mavjade’s OC (Leo Lyman) but you don’t have to read that verse to get this story. This is basically just new, brainless fluff that my brain needed (not really told in any sort of logical order with the exception of the first post). I was also working on this as I was figuring out my new keyboard so I needed something brainless to work on. This is going to be pure fluff and probably not medically accurate at all.

Three drabbles/vignettes to begin with. Hopefully more will come! @mavjade I'm tagging you again so you can see this and hopefully that will inspire me to write more cuteness.

The Call (1999)


Phone calls at 4:23 in the morning rarely brought good news. Though this news was one of pain and ending, it was also one of joy and hope for the future.



But it was still 4:23 in the morning.



“Sam,” Josh Lyman, white house deputy chief of staff groaned into the silence. “If the president ran another bike into a tree, I swear to god Sam, I swear to god....”



Sam Seaborn deputy White House Communications Director rolled over in the tangle of blankets and answered the cordless phone. “Seaborn.” Then he went quiet for awhile. “Let me talk to Josh.” Sam turned on the light and held the phone to his chest. “Josh, it’s Sara.” Sara was their social worker. “Theres a little boy in the ICU. There was a fire and his parents perished. They are searching for family but at this point they are doubtful. Sara is going to meet us at the hospital with more information but they are pretty sure he’s going to need a long term, stable, quiet home.” Sam was tired, excited and blabbing.” He’s two years old, he’s probably going to have a long recovery, but his name is Leo, Josh. And he needs daddies.”



“Well that name is going to get confusing.” Josh rubbed his eyes as he sat up. “Yeah. This is why we decided to become foster dads.” Josh felt so overwhelmed in this moment. When they discussed becoming foster dads, they has done so under the expectation that they would likely take in (and hopefully adopt) an older kid. A toddler - and one in the ICU - would need so much more care. One of them would need to probably stop working. But Sam looked so bright and hopeful.



Sam brought the phone back to his ear. “We will be right there.”



* * *



Sara didn’t sugarcoat things. “It was a meth lab,” she sighed with ever tired eyes as Josh and Sam put on yellow gowns over their jeans and sweaters. They had to worry about infecting little Leo in the paediatric ICU. “The house is completely gone. The fact that we can’t find any available family is unsurprising given his parents’ records. He has a biological aunt in New York in prison and that’s it. Both parents aged out of the foster system. I’m hoping the same fate won’t befall this cutie.”



Sam nodded. “Us too.”



“What’s his prognosis?” Josh asked.



“He has burns over his entire body - his legs are particularly bad - and several broken bones. The doctors will be able to tell you more.” She took in a large sigh. “There’s evidence of abuse and neglect. The doctors were so worried about his weight that they had to put in a feeding tube. Thankfully he’s fairly sedated and will likely be that way for a few days. Why don’t you guys sit with him for a bit, talk over fostering him - it’s going to be a lot of work but I’m really hoping to get him into a quiet, stable family like yours - and I’ll come by later this morning with some paperwork?”



They nodded, then shook Sara’s hand. A nurse then lead them into the ICU. “He’s adorable but it’s heartbreaking, I’ve never seen a toddler so little.” He led them to a room. “You won’t be able to pick him up or hold him, and he’ll probably sleep for much of the day, but talk to him - he’ll get used to your voices - and hold him hands. I think any comfort will help him.” He went ahead of them to lower the side of the ICU crib.



“Sam, wait,” Josh said in a hushed tone.



“What?”



“We’re going to fall in love with this little guy, aren’t we?”



“Yeah, probably.”



“And it’s going too crush us if we fall in love and don’t get to adopt him.”



Sam cupped Josh’s cheek. “Probably. But that isn’t going to happen.”



“We’re going to have to learn how to change diapers and read bedtime stories.”



“Yeah. We’re going to be fathers.”



Hand in hand they walked around to the open side of the crib, and fell in love with their son.







Figuring it Out (five hours later)



Josh and Sam had officially become Leo Willson’s foster fathers and had already indicated to Sara that they wanted to start the adoption process.



Leo was their son and they just knew it in their heart. The name was just fate, and something about their shared stories involving house fires made Josh just want to scoop Leo up and promise him the world.



Sam had already taken a leave of absence from the White House - he’d help out with the big stuff on contract basis: State of the Union, stump speech for re-elect, stuff like that. Josh would go back to work on Monday and they would figure it out from there. They would need to get everything for Leo: a crib, clothes, diapers and clothes. But for now, they were just holding Leo’s hands and rubbing his head.



A child psychologist had come in to speak to them. Perhaps a bit of a silver lining to this all was that little Leo would understand very little and remember pretty much nothing in the long term. He wouldn’t really understand that his parents had died (though Josh believed good riddance by the evidence of how they treated Leo), he’d probably be scared and frightened at the new surroundings and people and just want comfort.



“Josh, what’s so wrong with referring to ourselves as Daddy and Abba?” Sam asked. Josh had just returned from eating some lunch in the cafeteria. This was their first minor hiccup.



“We don’t know if he’ll want to -.”



“He’s two. I don’t think he’ll really understand or care. All I’m saying is that Abba and Daddy will be easier for him to grasp and understand and probably say once he starts babbling.”



“Sam, I just don’t want to confuse him. If we don’t end up having him for the long term….” He didn’t want Leo to get too attached. Josh didn’t want to get too attached. Josh sighed as he looked over at the toddler. Leo’s eyes were open… barely, and looking around in pure terror. “Sam… He’s awake.”



“Hey, Leo.” Sam’s voice was kind and up beat. They were going to be clear with Leo from the start and tell him that his parents had died - even if he couldn’t understand it - but not right away. Poor kid was drugged, in a new environment with strangers, and probably scared to death. “My name is Daddy Sam,” he said, giving a slight side-eye to Josh. “This is Abba Josh.”



Josh gave Sam a slight roll of the eyes, but leaned forward. “Hey Bud, we know you’re scared, but we’re here to take care go you.” Josh had no idea how to talk to little kids. The poor kid was trembling and Josh just wanted him to smile and laugh. He picked up the stuffed yellow and white dog (he and Sam had already made a run to the gift shop for some comfort items) from the end of the crib and set it beside Leo, who just flinched. It broke Josh’s heart. “Here’s a blankie too,” he said, spreading out the soft blue blanket they had bought.



“How about a story?” Sam suggested, picking up a picture book they had also book.



Reading to Leo seemed to help calm him. He grew more curious as Sam read, but also more dopey (the doctors did say Leo was on a whole lot of drugs), falling back to sleep.







Cuddles (a few weeks later)


The next few days followed a pattern. Leo slept most of the time - the nurses kept him fairly drugged, particularly when changing his bandages. Leo was eventually moved out of the ICU and into the paediatric ward. Sam and Josh were told they could pick Leo up and cuddle with him, but it was clear Leo merely tolerated Josh and Sam’s efforts to comfort him. Leo let them hold his hands and rubbed his hair but flinched if they moved closer while he was awake.



But he loved stories. His face just lit up whenever Josh or Sam read him from the growing pile of picture books on the beside table. This room also had a TV with a VHS player and a library of VHS tapes. Josh and Sam had put on a few movies which drew Leo’s attention but didn’t engage him as much as the books.



Everyday he was more alert. Josh had gone back to work but Sam was at Leo’s side almost all day and Josh would come by every evening. Some days they traded off nights.



This particular day, Leo had been a bit withdrawn but Sam had read him plenty of stories (a few times each).



“My mom sent another package,” Josh said with a sigh as he entered the hospital room with a package. He smiled when he saw Leo was awake and leaning back on a pile of pillows. He was clutching the stuffed dog Josh and Sam had given him on that first meeting. Leo never let that dog out of his sight (despite amassing a pile of stuffed animals from White House employees and residents at the end of his bed). “Leo, Gramma Miriam has gone crazy and is punishing me for telling her not to come visit you till you are at home and settled in. You wanna open the box.” Josh was still getting used to talking to a little kid and was kinda disappointed Leo didn’t perk up to greet him (or at least see what was in the box).



“I don’t think he’s feeling well today,” Sam said with a sigh. “How was your day?”



Josh heaved a sigh before leaning down and kissed Sam. “It was big block of cheese day.”



Sam chuckled. “Sorry I missed it. What did boss-Leo force you—.”



Sam was interrupted by retching. Leo’s eyes were full of panic. Sam called the nurse as Josh tried to calm Leo down. Leo ended up vomiting everywhere including through his feeding tube and nose. Leo just began whimpering.



“I know, I know, I’m sorry bud, your feeling so sick,” Josh said, trying to calm him as he took off Leo’s hospital gown.



Nurses came in and began cleaning Leo up and suctioning out his feeding tube. Leo’s doctor, Dr. Locke, came in and began examining Leo, who was letting out the littlest sobs.



“I think it was just a case of a bit too much food in his little tummy.” Dr. Locke said with a calming smile “I’m thinking it’s time to try getting him off the tube. We can try and see if he’ll eat or drink the calories he needs. I’m going to take the feeding tube out now and hopefully that will make him a happier little one.”



After much frightful groaning and fearful looks around the room from Leo, the feeding tube was out and he and his bed were cleaned up. Dr Locke and all the nurses started to clear out.



After the madness, Leo, in his fresh pyjamas, sheets and blankets just looked at Josh and Sam and burst into tears. Full on waterworks for the first time Josh and Sam had met him. Leo just stuck his arms before he really knew what he was doing and Josh just instinctively scooped Leo (and his stuffy) up into his arms. Josh sat down in the rocking chair beside Leo’s bedside and just held him close.



“It’s okay, it’s alright. That yucky feeding tube is out and you’re safe in my arms. Daddy Sam is going to get you a new blanky,” Josh said as Sam did just that, getting a soft blue quilt kept at the end of Leo’s bed and helping Josh gently wrap him. “And maybe a story? Gramma Miriam probably sent at least a few new ones.”



Sam opened the parcel that had been discarded on the floor. “Oh, your mother really had lost it,” he sighed. “There’s a whole package of new building blocks in here.” He pulled out a stack of new picture books. He looked down at Leo and sighed. “I love you, kid, but you aren’t playing with blocks this week. I don’t think you will have the energy.” He put the stack of books with the growing pile and selected the top one. Sam sat beside Josh and began to read.



Josh looked down and Leo just had the happiest (and dopiest) little smile.