Two Heartbeats — A Quiet Between Storms
Plot Beats
The narrative micro-steps within this event
The doctor enters and begins the sonogram, shifting focus to the medical procedure.
Toby and Andy hear the twins' heartbeats and see their images on the monitor, momentarily setting aside their conflict for shared wonder.
Who Was There
Characters present in this moment
Anxious and defensive about physical risk and privacy, then awed, softened, and emotionally grounded when confronted with the fetal heartbeats.
Andy sits on the exam bed, defensive about keeping the pregnancy secret during the first twelve weeks, rebuts Toby's press-first stance, and then becomes quietly reverent and present as she listens to the twins' heartbeats and looks at the monitor.
- • Protect the health and privacy of her pregnancy during the vulnerable first trimester
- • Resist politicizing a deeply personal matter until she feels it is safe
- • Maintain control over timing and personal disclosure
- • Preserve emotional and bodily autonomy against political pressure
- • First 12 weeks are medically risky and warrant discretion
- • Public knowledge of the pregnancy would invite invasive scrutiny
- • Her body and the pregnancy deserve protection from political calculus
- • Personal life should not be instrumentalized for campaign gain
Urgent, tactical and slightly exasperated at first; stunned, softened and quietly astonished after hearing the heartbeats.
Toby arrives with news from C.J., urges an immediate press release and offensive disclosure strategy, lectures about Meet the Press risk, then abruptly stops mid-argument when the sonogram monitor emits heartbeats and shifts to awed tenderness watching the twins' heads.
- • Prevent media spin by controlling the narrative proactively
- • Protect Andy's political viability and the campaign from surprise leaks
- • Reassert agency by drafting and releasing an official statement
- • Claim a role as protector/father by taking responsibility for messaging
- • If the campaign controls the announcement it reduces damage
- • Media outlets like Roll Call and broadcasters will exploit any unguarded appearance
- • Public vulnerability can be weaponized against political careers
- • Acting decisively is both professionally and personally responsible
Neutral and businesslike; focused on clinical procedure rather than the couple's political concerns.
The nurse prepares the sonogram equipment and the room before the doctor arrives, enabling the scan to proceed smoothly and setting the practical stage for the emotional reveal.
- • Prepare equipment correctly for the sonogram
- • Support the doctor and ensure the appointment proceeds on schedule
- • Proper preparation prevents delays and patient discomfort
- • Routine clinical work should remain steady despite external stresses
Neutral, professional—engaged in routine clinical care while aware of the couple’s emotional stakes but remaining observational.
Doctor knocks, enters, exchanges dry, routine niceties, asks perfunctory health questions, runs the sonogram, and provides the monitor image and heartbeats that catalyze the emotional pivot in the room.
- • Complete the sonogram and convey medical information accurately
- • Offer reassurance through standard procedure
- • Maintain a calm, professional environment for the examination
- • Medical protocol and routine questions structure patient care
- • Clinical detachment helps patients focus on the information
- • Providing clear visuals (monitor/prints) aids patient comprehension
Impersonal and calculating (as inferred from its leaking action)—no direct emotion shown, but its actions create pressure and distrust.
Referenced by Andy and Toby as the source whose information reached Roll Call, the Office of the Congressional Campaign Committee functions as the alleged origin of the leak that precipitated the argument about disclosure.
- • Influence intra‑congressional or electoral dynamics by leaking advantageous information
- • Apply pressure on the White House or the campaign for political leverage
- • Strategic leaks can shift power and narratives on Capitol Hill
- • Personal information about politicians can be used as political currency
Objects Involved
Significant items in this scene
The sonogram monitor produces the audible twin heartbeats and displays the fetal images that abruptly dissolve the argument. It functions as the emotional catalyst, shifting focus from media strategy to private awe when the couple sees the heads and hears the rhythm of life.
The padded examination bed anchors the intimate, clinical staging—Andy sits on it throughout the exchange, physically embodying vulnerability and motherhood while the political argument happens around and then dissolves on this surface.
Toby invokes the idea of a press release—his proposed release is a conceptual object in the scene representing control and narrative ownership; he offers to draft one as a literal first act of fatherhood and political management.
Organizations Involved
Institutional presence and influence
Roll Call is the news organization that published or prepared to publish the pregnancy story, creating the crisis that prompts Toby's push for a proactive release. Its scoop drives the scene’s political urgency by converting a private medical fact into a public news event.
Meet the Press functions as an implied threat in Toby's argument—he invokes its host and reputation to illustrate how televised interviews could expose an obvious pregnancy, thereby motivating proactive disclosure to minimize surprise and speculation.
Narrative Connections
How this event relates to others in the story
"C.J. informs Toby about the leak of Andy's pregnancy, leading directly to Toby discussing it with Andy during their sonogram."
"C.J. informs Toby about the leak of Andy's pregnancy, leading directly to Toby discussing it with Andy during their sonogram."
"Toby and Andy's shared moment of wonder at hearing their twins' heartbeats parallels Abbey and Bartlet's intimate moment after the victory speech, both showcasing personal vulnerability amidst public responsibilities."
"Toby and Andy's shared moment of wonder at hearing their twins' heartbeats parallels Abbey and Bartlet's intimate moment after the victory speech, both showcasing personal vulnerability amidst public responsibilities."
Key Dialogue
"TOBY: "Roll Call has the pregnancy.""
"TOBY: "Get the information out early, get it out yourself, do it on your own terms.""
"TOBY: "Andy, you-you can see their... heads. My kids have heads.""