Title: Insomnia
Author: Cathy Miller (cam7192003@yahoo.com)
Rating: Mature
Disclaimer: Oh, I wish I could make money for these, but it would be illegal and I’m
generally a good girl.
Feedback: This should be a requirement…don’t you think?
“Donna…Donna can you hear me?”
“Hmmmmm…”
“Donna, are you awake?”
“What timzit?” she mumbled.
“My crappy watch says 3:18. So do I add 15 minutes or subtract 15 minutes to get the
right time?”
“Add. It’s 3:33…wait, in the morning? It’s 3:33 in the morning? Why are you waking me
at 3:33 in the morning? What are you doing in my apartment at 3:33 in the morning?”
:Okay, now it’s 3:34, but I’m guessing the same questions apply.”
“Joshua! You’re in my bedroom at 3:34 in the morning. What’s going on? Are you sick
or hurt or something?”
“See you keep asking me questions but you don’t give me a chance to answer.”
“So answer.”
“I couldn’t sleep.” He told her.
“You couldn’t sleep? Is it PTSD, a bad dream, physical pain, what?”
“I was thinking about what you said before you left tonight. It keeps going over and
over in my head and now I can’t sleep,”
“So instead of waiting until after the sun comes up to ask me this burning question,
you break into my place-“
“I used my key.”
“Joshua! Get out!” she ordered.
“I don’t think you understand the seriousness of my problem. I can’t sleep, Donna.”
“So if you can’t sleep, then I can’t sleep?”
“Yeah, that sound right.” He answered. “We have to talk about what you said tonight.
Maybe after we talk about it, I can get some sleep.”
“In no other job in this nation is an assistant required to cure her boss’ insomnia.”
“You caused it!” he accused her.
“Just how do you figure that?”
“If you hadn’t said what you said earlier, I wouldn’t be wondering about it all night and
be unable to sleep.”
“What exactly did I say that has one of the greatest political minds all flummoxed at 3:
30 in the morning?”
“Greatest political minds?” he picks up on the part of the statement he likes best.
“Joshua…Tell me what I said earlier, so I can take it all back and go to sleep?”
“You don’t remember what you said earlier?” he seems genuinely hurt that Donna
can not instantly recall which phrase, out of the thousands they exchanged during
the day, has him unable to sleep.
“When you said you wouldn’t stop for red lights…” he began.
“Oh my God. Is that what this is about? It’s just an expression!” Donna attempts to
burrow deeper under the covers.
“An expression? I don’t think so. I’m very familiar with forms of expression in the
English language, having scored 760 on the verbal portion of the SAT. THAT is not an
expression I am familiar with.”
“It’s just an expression meant to indicate a friendship that would override basic
traffic regulations.”
“You just made that up.” He accused.
“I just want to go to sleep.”
“I just want to know what you meant by that.”
“Nothing. Absolutely nothing. Get me a Bible I will swear on it.” Donna sat up and
Josh noticed what she was wearing.
“Hey, that’s my Harvard shirt!” he objected.
“They happen to mass produce these things, Joshua.” Donna argued.
“Maybe so, but that one is mine.”
“Prove it.” Donna challenged.
Josh smiled and reached behind her, pulling her toward him, and Donna’s heartbeat
sped up as she inhaled his cologne and felt his breath on her neck. His hand moved
to the back of her neck and their eyes met. Josh’s fingers fumbled for a moment.
Everything and everyone froze for 3 solid beats. Then Josh’s fingers dipped down
into the back of the shirt and pulled the tag out.
“Ha-ha!” He crowed triumphantly. “J. Lyman, in permanent marker on the tag! The
prosecution rests. Would the defendant like to make a plea for mercy?”
“Maybe I wrote that myself to remind me of someone I know who went to Harvard.”
“The jury is never going to buy that, Donnatella, any more than they would buy ‘I
wouldn’t stop for red lights’ is just a form of expression.”
“Well in this case, it’s true.” Donna’s blue eyes met Josh’s brown eyes. If she was
bluffing, she was good.
“Ah-kay.” Josh got up off her bed and started for the door.
“That’s it?” Donna asked suspiciously.
“You say it’s just an expression, then it’s just an expression.” He answered. “I
thought it meant something else and I rushed over here, ignoring several red lights
by the way, to discuss it with you, but you said it’s just an expression, so go back to
sleep.” Josh shut her door quietly and a few seconds later, she heard the front door
close as well. Thank God. Now she could go back to sleep.
She dove deep into the covers and pulled them up to her chin. Honest to
God…coming over here at 3:30 in the morning to clarify some off hand comment she
made hours ago? Josh Lyman needs a keeper.
Suddenly, she sat up in bed as his last statement hit her conscious mind…
“I thought it meant something else and I rushed over here, ignoring several red
lights by the way, to discuss it with you, but you said it’s just an expression, so go
back to sleep.”
He thought it meant something else and he ran red lights to come over here to
discuss it with me? What the hell was that supposed to mean? Donna fell back onto
her pillow. She might as well get up and have some coffee. She wouldn’t be getting
back to sleep now.
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
“Joshua?”
“Hmmmm…?”
“Josh, wake up. I need to talk to you.” Donna told him quietly so as not to startle him.
Josh peeled open his eyes to look at the clock which read 4:48.
“Has there been a national emergency of some kind?” he asked blearily.
“Kind of. Well, not a national emergency, as such, but an emergency.”
“What kind of an emergency?”
“A personal emergency. I need to know what you meant when you said that earlier.”
“Said what earlier? Is this some form of punishment for waking you earlier?”
“No. I can’t go back to sleep until you tell me what you meant when you said you
thought what I said meant something else.”
“Okay, I have no idea what you said just now, so I can’t possibly comment on
something you said earlier.” Even half asleep, Josh Lyman could banter.
“You said you ran several red lights because you thought what I said meant
something else. What did you think I meant?”
“This is what’s giving you insomnia now?”
“It gave you insomnia earlier.”
“Fair point. Look, I just misread the situation. Hardly something new for me, right? Go
home and go back to bed.” Josh told her wearily.
“What did you think I meant?” Donna insisted.
“My God, woman, you could try the patience of Job himself, you know that?” Josh
exploded as he snapped the bed covers off and started to pace next to the bed. “I
needed an answer, you have me one, end of story.”
“Then why run red lights?” Donna asked quietly. “The thing is, when I said it was just
an expression? I may have been overstating things a bit.” She admitted which
stopped Josh in his tracks.
“Overstated things a bit? How much did you overstate there Donnatella?”
“You’re really going to make me say this first?”
“I really am.” He moved closer to her and took her face in his hands. “But I’ll hold you
while you do; promise not to let you fall.”
“When I said I wouldn’t stop for red lights…I meant that when someone you love
needs you, traffic regulations should be ignored.” A grin broke out on Josh’s face
and Donna’s heart started to pick up speed again.
“When I ran the red lights to get to you tonight, it was because I’ve needed you for so
long and I finally thought you were telling me you needed me too.”
“I was…I do…” That was all Josh needed to hear. His lips fused with hers as he
walked her back toward the bed. He tumbled them down onto the bed and began
exploring every inch of her body. He began by removing his Harvard shirt from her.
“You just want your shirt back.” Donna teased.
“Ah-ha, you admit it’s mine!”
“I admit that I may have borrowed it while I stayed with you and you never requested
that I return it.” Donna ran her hands through his hair and kissed his face.
“Ah-kay.” Josh capitulated quickly.
“We’re going to have to call CJ.” Donna reminded him as she took off his t-shirt.
“In the morning.” He agreed.
“Then she’ll be up all night tomorrow worrying about it.”
“It’s only fair that we pass the insomnia around.” Josh noted. “We shouldn’t be the
only ones suffering with it.”
“Speak for yourself, mine’s just been cured.” Donna laughed as he flipped her over
so that he was lying on top of her. Although both might admit to not having had much
sleep, neither would blame it on insomnia.