Object

Tissue Toby Uses on Huck

Toby grabs the tissue and wipes newborn Huck's mouth in the dim hospital room, a precise caretaking gesture during his first moments with twins Huck and Molly. Soft disposable paper absorbs spit-up as nurse watches, grounding Toby's joked names and soft admissions before TV footage echoes the act with Bartlet and Zoey.

2 appearances

Purpose

Clean newborn's mouth during fatherly caretaking

Significance

Anchors Toby's intimate bond with Huck, mirroring Bartlet's care for Zoey on TV and thrusting personal fatherhood against national crisis

Appearances in the Narrative

When this object appears and how it's used

2 moments

S4E23 · Twenty-Five

Toby's Quiet Moment — Huck and Molly

Toby uses a tissue to wipe Huck's leaking mouth — a small, intimate caregiving gesture that concretizes his role as father and underscores the tenderness of the moment before duty calls him away.

Before: In the hospital room within reach of Toby (likely on a bedside surface or provided by the nurse).

After: Carried/used by Toby during the moment; left in the room or disposed of after use (implied), no further narrative role.

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S4E23 · Twenty-Five

Mirror on the Screen

A tissue is actively used by Toby to wipe newborn Huck's mouth, a small caretaking gesture that concretizes the intimacy of fatherhood and creates the visual echo mirrored by the home movie of President Bartlet doing the same.

Before: Clean, unused; accessible to Toby near the bedside.

After: Used to wipe the infant's mouth and likely left on or near the bed after the action.

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