Chapter 16
Victory is mine, sweet victory is mine. I have won the bet, and now
Donna must pay up. Though technically we now share a bank account,
the point is that she has to write a check to me for the amount of the
tickets for our belated honeymoon, and I get to choose where we go. I
am going to make her write `to my infallible husband' on the note line
at the bottom, then I will have it framed and hung in my office. I
offered to go double or nothing on the sex of our child, but she claims
that is vile.
Yes, Donna is now walking without crutches or a cane. She tried to fake
needing it another week but when I told her the President was at the
door, you should have seen how fast she moved unaided. She tried to
claim that was an unfair trick, but desperate times/desperate measures,
plus I have some ethical issues with her pretending to need the walking
assistance for another week just to win the bet. Anyway, having spent
the last two weeks bored out of my mind, I am ready to take our fun
filled trip to California. Donna has not been as enthusiastic as I would
have liked, but once she sees Napa Valley and the 8 mile drive, she will
get over it I'm sure.
"Donna...are you done packing yet?"
"Do you mean, am I done packing for you?"
"If you want to be technical, you're really packing for the family."
"Which consists of you and I. I have already packed my things, so that
leaves your things."
"Don't forget the baby. You need to pack for the baby."
"What exactly do you imagine the baby needs?"
"Stuff for her Dad. If her Dad is out wondering around California in the
same clothes day after day, she'll be embarrassed." I reach around
Donna's waist from behind her as she finishes zipping her suitcase.
"Your SON is going to be embarrassed by you his entire life, so he might
as well get used to it now." I chuckle and kiss her cheek as I stroke
her stomach.
"Maybe someday we will have a son who will be terribly embarrassed by
everything I say and do, but THIS baby is a girl."
"So you keep saying Dr. Lyman." she shrugs me off and starts to pull the
suitcase off the bed.
"No, I'll do that. You go sit until the cab comes." She goes without an
argument which only confirms my suspicion that she's still pissed about
California. It wasn't exactly where she wanted to go, but do I have to
remind everyone who won the bet? Then she wanted to meet up with
Sam, but I convinced her that this was our time and that we could always
meet up with Sam later. We are now gainfully unemployed and can go
wherever we want whenever we want. Again, not happy, but...
Some of her good humor has returned during the flight. I know this
because she starts spouting trivia about the great state of California
from a book she has brought along in her bag. It makes me smile as I lay
my head on her shoulder and she reads to me about the Petrified
Forest. We've done a lot of work with Stanley over the past few months,
and I am feeling more relaxed and confident about life than I have in
years, maybe ever.
Donna has expressed concern on several occasions that I am going to
regret leaving the White House. She can now point to the recent two
weeks of boredom as evidence of her concern, but as I pointed out to
her, we haven't started on the book yet. I've just been cleansing
the palette. The only thing that keeps her from begging the President to
reconsider accepting my resignation has been Stanley's steadfast
support of my decision. He seems to agree with me that we both need a
break from the frantic pace and emotional stress that we've had to
endure for the last several years. He's reassured her that if and when
we want to return to politics, those doors will be open for us.
We land in California around 1 PM, having gained several hours on our
trip west and I feel excited and refreshed since my nap on the plane. We
get down to baggage to find a familiar face holding a Mr. and Mrs.
Lymansign and huge grin on his face. Donna breaks away from me and
runs into his arms
"Sam! Oh my God, what a great surprise!" I watch my best friend
envelope my wife, and daughter, in a hug for a minute or so.
"That's enough. That's enough; break it up you two." I pull them apart
and give Sam a hug myself.
"Hey, man, thanks for meeting us." I tell him as I take Donna's hand
again.
"No problem, DAD." Yeah, we had to tell Sam right away. Okay, I had to
tell Sam right away. "No pressure or anything, but Sam would be a great
name for a boy or a girl."
"We'll keep that in mind." Donna assures him. "I'm so glad to see you."
"Me too. When Josh called and asked if you guys could stay with me, I
was thrilled. Let's get your stuff and bring it to my place." Sam heads
to the luggage carousel ahead of us and Donna turns her head to me,
her eyebrows raised.
"Surprise?..." I smile.
"Not that I'm unhappy to see Sam, or even to spend time with Sam, but
staying with Sam? This is supposed to be our honeymoon, Joshua."
"When I told him we were coming out here, it just sort of evolved. Come
on, it will be fine."
We spend the afternoon on Sam's boat and it is glorious. No one falls
overboard, and the combination of the sun and the movement of the
water put Donna to sleep. It's the only real change I've seen in her since
we found out she was pregnant. She sleeps...a lot... No morning
sickness, thank God, but lots of naps.
"You want a turn as Captain?" Sam asks me.
"I think we're all better off in your hands at the moment." I respond.
Sam is still staring at me with a goofy grin on his face. "What?"
"You're going to be a Dad!" He's practically beaming now, like he had
something to do with it.
"You don't have to remind me. I'm scared to death about it, half the
time."
"You don't look scared; you look...relaxed." he decides with a nod of
his head. "Seriously, Josh, I don't think I've ever seen you look
happier. Any pangs of regret leaving the White House?"
"No. I thought I would, but I don't; at least not yet. I just have this
feeling that I'm right where I'm supposed to be.
"How are things going at the firm?" I ask him. "You never
really say much about it."
"I like it here. I've convinced them to work a lot more pro bono
cases which in turn has garnered a lot more publicity, which brings us a
lot more work, so the partners love me."
"Ahhh, capitalism at work. Your Mother must be so proud."
"Ahhh, the condescension. How I've missed it so."
"You should get up off the mat and run again, Sam. The 47th was an
aberration, but the party will not forget how you took one in the teeth
for them. You could name your seat."
"Hey, of the two of us, you're the only one unemployed. Maybe
you should run for something instead of pushing some well intentioned
sucker into it."
"Nah, I'm not the guy, I'm the guy the guy counts on."
"Excuse me?" he's laughing at me now.
"Just something the President said to me once. You're the guy.
You've got to get back in the game." He looks back at me with a
skeptical glance.
"Hey, Donna. Tell your husband I'm perfectly happy in my current
profession." He tells Donna who has awakened and joined us at the
helm.
"Husband, Sam is very happy in his current profession. You're
going to have to bring up the Deputy Chief of staff position directly if
you want to lure him back to D.C. Sam, is there any food on board?"
Sam and I do a double take.
"Baby, I wasn't talking about the DCOS position."
"Well, you should. Sam would be good. Sam…food?"
"In the cooler behind me, Donna. How are you feeling?"
"Tired and hungry. Constantly." She smiles ruefully. "Whose
heart are you breaking this week, Counselor Seaborn?"
"I'm taking this week off in honor of a visit from my two good
friends." He quips back.
Donna goes to bed early, leaving Sam and I to drink beer on his balcony
and I have to admit, the lifestyle that he has become accustomed to is
pretty sweet. Still, I can't help thinking he isn't finished in
politics. Maybe he's just taking a break like me. I like
that…Sam and I are on Spring Break, just like the old days, except I
already have a date now. I only have a couple beers, at least that's
my story and I'm sticking to it. Since Donna was snoring when I got
into bed she has no way to know any different. But when the alarm went
off at 7:30 AM we both groan. Then I remember why I set my alarm.
"Come on, Donna, we have to get up." I rub her back as I fight
to keep my eyes open.
"Noooo..akeuv;oudeugbai `cation." Right, I got the words no
and `vacation' I think.
"Donna, Sam's making breakfast…." Her eyes open and she
sit up.
"You better not be kidding." She glares at me as she puts on her
robe and stomps into the kitchen. I follow right behind her.
"Why are we up eating breakfast at 7:30 in the morning on our
vacation." She asks as she helps herself to one of the pancakes Sam
has waiting for us.
"Because Sam has to be in court at 9:30 and I want him to drop us
off at the airport before he goes." I tell her scooping a couple
pancakes on my plate as Sam watches us from the other side of the
table. He is already dressed and ready for the day. I find that just
disgusting.
"Idiot. We just got here. You promised me two weeks AND you made me
buy the tickets, too, so I have proof that we are not leaving
today."
"Hold on, you made Donna buy the tickets for your honeymoon?
That's just so wrong." Sam interjects.
"I didn't make her do anything. I've NEVER been able to make
her do anything. She lost a bet; fair and square."
"Still tacky, my friend." He shakes his head and looks at his
watch. "We better get going soon. Traffic is a killer. I'll get the
luggage in the car."
"I see there are way more than 4 beer bottles on the counter, is
that why you two are addled about when we're flying back to
D.C.?" She polishes off the pancake and reaches for another. Sam
stops mid-stride and leans up against the door jamb to watch the show.
"We're not flying back to D.C., I'm taking my daughter to
Hawaii, but since you're more or less a package deal, you can come
with us." Donna drops her fork and stares at me, then looks over at
Sam.
"Is he kidding?" she asks him. Hey, I'm sitting right here.
"Is it possible he's still drunk?"
"Nope. He wanted to surprise you and he was worried about the long
flight time between D.C. and Hawaii, so he thought he could break it up
into two days and kill two birds with one stone." Sam smiles like he
thought of it himself.
"Ahhh!" Donna cries and launches herself at Sam. "You are so
wonderful, Sam." Then she turns around and nearly tips us both over
as she lands in my lap on the chair and kisses me senseless. "You, I
love with all my heart!" and kisses me a little more for good
measure. Sam coughs twice.
"I'll just,,,uh,,,get the luggage…we really have to get
going soon, though…" he backs out of the kitchen and leaves us
alone.
"What do you say Donnatella? Ready to explore the Hawaiian
Islands?"
"Oh, yeah…" she lays her head on my shoulder.
"Oh, wait, I have something for you before we go." I disentangle
myself from her to get a Barnes and Noble bag from the counter and
hand it to her. She opens the bag and laughs as she sees several
guidebooks for Hawaii.
Chapter 17
There is indeed a reason they call this place paradise. We have two
more days before we're scheduled to return home and I can't say
I'm anxious to go. We have been `unavailable' for the most
part. We brought our cell phones and left them on to retrieve messages
but up until now, they've been of the "hope you're having a
great time" variety. Although, Toby and CJ have been taking turns
requesting obnoxious tourist items, presumably for each other unless
Toby really wants a grass skirt and coconut bra for himself.
Today, though, when we came in to shower and change for dinner, there
was a message from Debbie Fiderer asking me to return for the
President.
Checking to see if Donna was still in the shower, I hurriedly hit the
speed dial button on my cell that I have yet to erase, and in a
surprisingly short amount of time, I'm on the line with the
President of the United States.
"Hey, there Josh. How's Hawaii? How's Donna feeling."
"It's paradise, sir, and Donna is alternately tired and hungry,
but constantly happy."
"I'm glad to hear it. Give her my love, will you?"
"Yes, sir. How is everything there?"
"Well now that you mention it, I need you to do me and the D triple
C a favor."
"I already talked to Sam about making another run, sir, but he may
need a little more time."
"I wasn't talking about Sam. I need your help on the health care
bill."
"I assume you're having trouble with someone in particular?"
"Matt Santos from Texas is causing a bit of a dust up, and I need
you to do whatever it is you do to get him on board."
"See the thing is, sir, I'm in Hawaii… with Donna…and
this isn't exactly my job anymore."
"What isn't your job anymore?" Donna asked as she joined me
in the living room. I mouth `It's the President' and she
gives me a warning glare.
"Donna says `hi' sir."
"I bet she does. I'm not asking you to cut your trip short,
Josh. You get back on Sunday. Santos can see you Monday afternoon
at 2. The vote's not scheduled until Wednesday, but I'd feel better if
you didn't leave it until the last second."
"M. President, with 3 term Congressmen like Santos all you need to
do is play the re-election card. Your favorability numbers are at an all
time high. There's no way he's not going to want you stumping
for him."
"He's not running for re-election. The D triple C would
appreciate it if you could do something about that. Apparently he's
decided he wants to do something meaningful in his last term in
Congress."
"I hate it when that happens. Have CJ try-"
"CJ has tried Josh, but she doesn't have a relationship with the
man, yet. Seriously, she's stepped into the job very well, but on
this one thing, we need the Lyman touch. Monday at 2, then. Tell Donna
I want to see her and some Hawaiian pictures when you get back. Bye,
Josh."
"Mr. President…" I'm talking to a dial tone. I look up at
Donna who's watching me carefully. I drop my eyes from her.
"I KNEW this would happen. I KNEW you couldn't stay out of White
House business. I said `don't commit to 2 weeks if you can't
commit to 2 weeks." I reach up, pull her down on my lap and kiss her
into silence.
"We're not leaving early. I promise. The President wants me to
meet someone on Monday afternoon; the day after we get back. He
needs some help on the health care bill with a particular Congressmen
and-" she shakes my arm.
"You don't have to leave early?" she clarifies
"No, and this appointment won't take long, I swear."
"That's fine. Let's go have dinner." She starts to get
up.
"That's fine; let's go have dinner? The hell? You aren't
going to give me a speech about wading back into politics less than a
month after I left?"
"Of course not." She tells me as she fastens her earrings.
"Just for future reference, could you tell me why not?"
"Why would I? First, the President asked for your help and the
health care bill is very important. Second, the decision to get out of
politics was yours in the first place. If and when you want to get back
in is entirely up to you. I'd like to discuss it with you. I'd
like to know what's going on in your head so I can feel like
we're together in this, but as long as you're taking care of
yourself it doesn't matter to me if you're working on the Hill,
or making sandwiches at the local deli."
"Sam said I should practice law with him." I throw out and she
laughs.
"He did not! You can't practice law."
"I do have a law degree, Donna."
"Yes, but practicing law requires that you have…you
know…organization and lawyer type skills. You should stick to making
and reforming the law. Let's go, I'm starving." And as
simple as that, Donna settles the matter.
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
"Mr. Lyman, Congressman Santos will be right with you. He's just
finishing up a conference call."
"Thanks." I wander the waiting area a bit. It feels strange to
be back here; like it felt after I recovered from the shooting, like I
don't belong here anymore. I pick up the news paper and start to
read just as the door opens.
"Ronna, you said I had a meeting with Josh Lyman. This man can't
be Josh Lyman; he has a tan and looks all relaxed." He shakes my
hand and I smile in acknowledgment of the barb.
"Congressman. Good to see you."
"I heard the damnedest rumor the other day." He said as he led
me back into his private office. "Has that incredible wife of yours
actually agreed to have a child with you?"
"Amazing, isn't it? She's searching for a new family sized
place as we speak. Apparently, a 2 bedroom apartment is inadequate for
us and a child the size of a football."
"It's not the child; it's all the paraphernalia they come
with."
"I guess. Speaking of rumors…what the hell is this nonsense
about you not running again? I would've called the person who told
me the rumor a liar except that it was the President."
"It's not a rumor. I'm done Josh. 3 terms is enough for me.
I want to go back to Texas while my children still recognize me."
"You're too good at this to quit."
"I'm not quitting, I'm retiring. Speaking of retirement,
what is so important that Bartlet brings his pit bull out of
retirement?"
"The health care bill-"
"Is not nearly adequate and you know it."
"It's a step, Congressman, an important step, and the only one
we can take without a majority in Congress and you know it."
"Yeah, which is why I'm working with the majority office."
"The majority? You get a little too much sun on your last swing
through Texas? The majority is not in favor of health care reform,
Congressman."
"But they do love the money, don't they?" he asks smiling.
"The money? The PAC money?"
"PAC money, lobbyist money, all kinds of money, Josh. It also sends
the health insurance companies running to us with much better
options."
"What kind of better options?"
"So far, universal immunizations and well checks for all children
under 3, but I have another meeting with them after you and I are done.
I'm going to push for children to 10 years of age and settle for 6.
I also think we can get a decent prescription plan."
"So you haven't left the reservation so much as taken Custer for
a tour of the reservation."
"That's one way to put it I guess. I get a whole lot more
leverage working with Haffley on this than the President. Tell him to
keep playing good cop, and I'll play dead when it's time."
"He'll be very happy to hear that. Is there some reason you
couldn't tell CJ Cregg all this?"
"She's the White House Chief of Staff. I'm not cooperating
with the White House right now." He drawls.
"You really need to re-consider running for re-election."
"I am NOT running for Congress again, Josh. I am going to go back to
Texas, spend time with my family, and never negotiate another deal
again unless they have to do with the distribution of household chores;
but thanks for stopping by." He rises and holds out a hand.
"Congratulations on the baby, Josh. Take good care of your
family."
"Well now we got immunizations and well checks for the first few
years so we're off to a good start." I return. "Thanks for
your time and your hard work."
I spend the rest of the afternoon checking in on some of the members of
Congress I hate the least and accepting congratulations on the baby.
I'm not sure how news of the baby got circulated, but I'm
betting it can be traced back to Margaret who heard part of the phone
call Donna made to her parents from my office the day she gave me the
news.
Donna and I have been invited to dinner in the residence with the
Bartlet's this evening. So I pick her up at home, where she is
stuffing her face with chips and salsa by the way, before we head to the
White House. I remind her that we're going there for dinner, but she
merely gives me a look and a shrug before stuffing two last chips in her
mouth.
We clear security and Charlie comes out to greet us with hugs and a
smile before walking us up to the residence.
"How you feeling, Donna?"
"Good Charlie, thanks. How have things been going around here?"
"A little quieter since we kicked this one out of the building."
He indicates me. "The President tells me you're going to be
working on a book about the first campaign." he says to Donna.
"Actually, that would be me Charlie." I pipe up.
"Of course it is." He responds sarcastically. "The President
wanted me to tell you he's cleared it with the staff for you to get
quotes from whomever you need." He goes back to addressing Donna.
"Thanks, Charlie. How's Zoey?"
"She's doing great." He laughs at some inside joke. "She
wanted to join you for dinner." He says as he opens the door.
"Surprise!" comes from all over the room as we're joined by
the Bartlet family (incuding Zoey) and our friends and colleagues from
the West Wing.
Zoey is the first to run up and give me a hug. "Hey, Daddy, you sure
you're ready for this?" she teases.
"I've managed to deal with you all these years, so I have some
practice now don't I." I give her another hug, genuinely pleased
she's here. Then the President asks for everyone's attention.
"Since you two essentially eloped, although I suspect Josh just
wanted to take advantage of Donna's weakened state in Germany, I
decided we need to celebrate the Wedding as well as the blessed even
that will be taking place in just a few months." Champagne is passed
to me with sparkling grape juice for Donna. "Josh, Donna, you are
both missed around here, but there isn't a soul present who
doesn't wish you and your growing family the very best and brightest
future. To the Lyman family…Cheers!"
After the President's toast, which has reduced my wife to tears, we
get passed from friend to friend and asked the same questions over and
over again about the baby, Hawaii, and the book deal. Toby, predictably
starts a baby pool, but foolishly bets against me and wagers that
it's a boy. When I make it over to CJ, she reluctantly hugs me.
"I'm not sure I've forgiven you yet."
"You're doing a great job, even the President says so."
"Yeah, but he called you on Santos."
"Only because I know him better and Santos wasn't taking any
calls from the White House. Turns out it's a head fake to the right.
He's one of the good guys. I tell you if I could get him to run for
re-election…"
"Maybe if you offered to run his campaign. You know, Bartlet's
pit bull tames the wild west. We could get you a big hat."
"Wardrobe considerations aside, Texas isn't my kind of town.
Hoynes kind of soured it for me. Besides, Donna might have something
to
say about me ditching her and the baby to go to Texas."
"A baby. Pretty heady stuff, mi amore." I glance over at where
Donna is getting baby advice from several women of the West Wing
including Dr. Bartlet.
"Pretty heady alright. Fill me in on 483." I mention a hotly
contested bill sitting in the house right now. She starts telling me
about the inner goings on for a few minutes before she stops abruptly.
"Is this for the book?" she teases.
"The book is strictly about the first campaign. I'll have my
assistant get in touch with you for an interview for the book."
"Better not let Donna hear you say that."
"I am not afraid of my wife, Claudia Jean. In marriage, somebody has to
be in charge; that somebody is me. It's a dynamic that has worked
well in our professional lives as well as our personal lives. She knows
it as well as I do." At this point CJ literally spits our her drink
and I go pale. "She's standing right behind me now, isn't
she?" CJ nods as she tries to get her breath.
"Hi, Donna. CJ and I were just talking about the book."
"I heard. So who is this assistant you've hired?" she asks
and CJ starts sputtering again.
"I haven't hired one yet, but it would probably be a good idea,
don't you think? I don't want you to overdo." I try to
cover.
"I think an assistant would be a great idea, Joshua. I'll start
interviewing next week."
"Great…" Dinner is served and Donna speeds off to the buffet as
CJ continues to laugh at me. Ahhh, it's good to be back.
Chapter 18
At seven months pregnant, Donna is huge. I mean beached whale huge.
Not
that I am stupid enough to mention this. Well, not stupid enough to
mention it twice anyway. The first time I may have let it slip that her
stomach was getting fat she cried and wouldn't talk to me for the
rest of the day. In my own defense, she had spent the two previous
weeks
asking me several times a day if I could tell she was pregnant yet. So I
thought she would be excited to know I could finally tell…not so
much..
The whole hiring an assistant thing was a big ruse. Every once in
awhile, when I'd suitable annoy her, she would pretend to look over
various resumes she'd accumulated from somewhere or other, but
nothing actually came of it. She just did it to scare me. We've
gotten through the bulk of the book. There's only one chapter left
to write, although Donna's still editing and filling in some
pictures and details I don't have the patience for.
The White House still taps me occasionally to help on a variety of
issues that come up. Sometimes the President calls to pick my brain, or
bore me with trivia. Donna has split her time between helping me with
the book and getting our new home ready for the arrival of our daughter.
No, I don't know for sure, for sure, but I do know for sure.
We've been arguing over names. Donna only selects boy names and I
only select girl names. We're not getting very far in our decision
making except that the nursery is done. Donna went with a Winnie the
Pooh theme, claiming all children love Pooh Bear. I didn't find it
completely objectionable, although I still say my daughter would like a
Mets themed room.
Today, I'm on the Hill having lunch with Matt Skinner. We are having
a friendly argument about the odds of the new fuel standards passing
the
House when my phone rings.
"Josh Lyman."
"Mr. Lyman, this is GW hospital calling. Your wife was just brought
in for pre-term labor, and she's asking for you." I swear I
didn't hear anything past the words GW hospital. The blood rushed
from my head and I fumbled as I tried to stand. Matt looked up in alarm.
"Is she okay? What about the baby? It's too soon for the
baby." I stammer.
"At this point, they're both fine. We're giving your wife
medication to try to stop the labor, but we suggest you get over here as
soon as possible."
"I'll be right there." I hang up and give Matt the bullet
points. He slips some money on the table and quickly catches up with
me.
"I'll drive you." he says and I simply hand him my keys. The
ride to GW seems interminable. When we get there, we're directed to
the labor/delivery floor and I don't take that as a good sign. I
haven't called either of our parents yet, not wanting to alarm them
and not having much information to give.
I ask for Donna's room and I am pulled aside by a charge nurse who
explains that since talking to me, Donna's water broke, so stopping
the labor is no longer an option. She instructs me to keep Donna calm
and positive. She reassures me that although the baby is coming early,
they are prepared to for every eventuality and I shouldn't panic.
Right. Matt tells me he'll wait in the lounge down the hall and I
nod absentmindedly as I follow the nurse to Donna.
She looks small and scared in the hospital bed. Her hair is in a
ponytail, and with her face devoid of make up and racked with tears, she
looks like she is about 17. I rush over to her side and hold her while
she cries.
"Shhh, Donnatella, it's going to be okay. Take a breath."
"I'm so scared." She confesses. I know the feeling.
"Listen to me now. You and our daughter are going to be just fine.
This nurse here, Shannon, who is my new best friend by the way,
assures
me this is a walk in the park around here. They do this all the
time."
"Yeah, but I don't, and I think you mean our SON." Happy to
have gotten a rise out of her on any subject I continue.
"I'm gonna humor you because I think you're having a bad
day, but in a little while when our daughter comes out to meet us,
you're going to have apologize to her."
There is a flurry of nurses that parade in and out of our room while the
machine that monitors our baby's heartbeat, shows a reassuring
rhythm. Donna tearfully explains how she went out to get a couple things
for the home office and forgot to take her phone. After a few minutes at
the store, she started feeling twinges in her lower back which quickly
moved to cramps around her stomach. The fast thinking store clerk
dialed
911 and got her to the hospital in record time. Remind me to get
something….really nice for that guy.
Donna is starting to calm down a little and the doctor comes in to do
her thing and tell us it will probably be a few hours yet, since Donna
is only dilated to 4 centimeters. Donna snorted at the `only'
comment. I called our parents to let them know what was going on and
promised frequent updates. I brought Matt up to speed and told him he
should go, but he insisted on waiting. He's a pretty decent guy for
a Republican.
Normally, I'm guessing that the waiting is harder on the
mother-to-be than on the father-to-be, but normally I'm guessing the
father-to-be is more patient than I am. I hate seeing Donna in pain, and
Donna in pain is not fun to be around. In fact, she's decidedly
crabby.
For instance, I was watching the monitor which has two different needles
to indicate the baby's heartbeat and the intensity of the
contractions. The needle for the contractions went about half-way up as
Donna was doing her breathing and muttering expletives at me.
"Hey, that's almost done now and it only went halfway up.
That's not too bad." I point out. As soon as the contraction
finishes, she hits me with the back of the hand closest to me.
"Shut the fuck up, Joshua!"
"I'm just telling you the needle only went-"
"I don't want to hear about the fucking needle do you understand
me?! I already have two needles monitoring me and the baby and
another
needle stuck in my arm. I've had more than enough of needles."
"Okay…why don't we try some ice chips?" I offer and
bring them to her.
She hits them out of my hand. "I don't want any goddamned ice
chips. I want whiskey, straight up."
"I don't think that's good for the baby, Donna."
"Then she shouldn't stay in there anymore should she? She should
get the hell out so I can have a drink and some sleep." This is the
first time she has ever referred to the baby as a girl, but I keep that
to myself. I also don't mention that according to the baby book I
read, she can't have that whiskey even after she gives birth since
she will be breastfeeding. See how smart I'm getting?
I run the cold washcloth over her forehead. "Hang in there, honey,
just a little longer and you'll be holding our baby. Just
concentrate on that."
"It hurts so much, Josh."
"I know. You are so strong." I look over at the monitor to see
where this contraction is headed, but the line is holding steady. A
moment later bells start to go off and the baby's heartbeat line
dips dramatically. I'm unceremoniously pushed aside as nurses and
doctors assess the situation. I move back to take Donna's hand and
notice her eyes are drooping closed.
"Donna. Donna look at me." But she doesn't respond.
"Mr. Lyman, we're going to need to do an emergency c-section.
The baby's heart rate has dropped and your wife's blood pressure
is too low." They start wheeling her out of the room.
Nurse Shannon takes my arm. "Let's get you into scrubs, Mr.
Lyman, so you can join your wife after they prep her."
"I don't do so well with…medical procedures." I tell her
as I start putting on the scrubs she hands me. She then propels me to a
sink where she helps me scrub my hands and arms.
"We're going to sit you right next to her head, where you can
talk to her and hold her hand, but we can face you the opposite
direction so you don't have to watch the procedure, okay?"
"Yeah, I can do that." I hope I sound more convincing than I
feel.
"If you start to feel faint or nauseous, put your head between your
knees and call me." Apparently I didn't sound that convincing to
my new best friend Shannon. After we've finished washing, she brings
me to Donna, who is awake but drunk looking.
"You've got a funny hat on again." She notes.
"You're so funny, Joshua. Your book is funny too."
"Yeah, I'm a laugh riot, Donnatella. How are you feeling?"
"I can't feel anything." She tells me than drops her voice
to a whisper. "They gave me drugs."
"That's good. That's just fine." I tell her. "Do you
think you could share?" I take one glance around the room before I
decide I should just concentrate on her face. There is a drape over the
bottom half of her body and I think that's wonderful idea.
The doctor gives us a running commentary on what she's doing and
Shannon tells me I'm doing fine several times along the way, which I
pass on to Donna. In what seems like hours, but it actually about 10
minutes, the doctor announces we have a baby girl. I see a glimpse of
her before she is taken to the incubator to be cleaned and cared for.
She doesn't cry but makes a little mewing sound and she is way too
small.
"Donna, we have a daughter and she is just as beautiful as her
Mom." Donna smiles and a tear slips down her face.
"She weighs 4 pounds and 2 ounces." Shannon announces from the
incubation unit. I stroke Donna's face as the Doctor finishes
whatever the hell she's doing. Next thing I know Shannon is handing
me my daughter.
"You can hold her for a minute, but then she needs the light and
heat from the incubator." Shannon smiles at me. "You look good
there Dad. Have you and Mom picked a name yet?"
"What do you think Mom? Look what you did." I kiss Donna and
hold the baby right next to her face. "I'd let you pick a name,
but all you've got are boy names on your little list, Donna."
She gives me a watery smile.
"I have a girl's name, too." She counters.
"Just one?" I tease.
"Just one…Abigail Joan." She looks at me for my reaction. I
look down at the baby in my arms. "Hi there, Miss Abigail Joan
Lyman. We're so glad to finally meet you." Shannon takes her
from my arms and I think about fighting her for Abigail for a second,
but decide against it.
"I'm so tired, Joshua." She slurs.
"Try to sleep then, Donna. Abigail is fine. You did great. Get some
rest and I'll take care of you two for awhile."
"I love you Joshua."
"I love you too, Donnatella. Sleep now." I stare in wonder from
my wife to my daughter and back again. We get settled back in our room
and I sit in a rocker between my two women, with an hand on each of
them. My last thought before i slip into sleep is that Toby is going to
have to pay me 50 bucks. I told him not to bet on a boy...
Chapter 19
When I get back from my search for coffee, the hallway to Donna's
room is empty but for several gentlemen in dark suits and earpieces.
Even in my sleep deprived state I know very well what this means. I nod
a greeting to the agents at the door and prepare myself for a
conversation with the President and First Lady.
A.J. had a good night. They're continuing to monitor her breathing
since sometimes preemies lungs aren't fully developed. She stays
hooked up to extra oxygen when she's in her incubator, stays under
the McDonald's warmer, and has an apnea monitor which resembles a
small black belt that fits around her chest and beeps obnoxiously if her
heart rate dips or the contacts move away from her skin. Right now,
thought she is being held by the President of the United States while
the First Lady fights for her turn.
"There he is." Bartlet beams at me as he hands A.J. to his wife.
"So what do you know now, that you didn't know yesterday?"
"I would appoint a Republican as Surgeon General if she asked me
to." I tell him simply. He nods in acknowledgement. "Of course I
intend to raise her to know better than that, sir."
"Of course. When are they saying you can take her home?"
"That's going to depend on A.J. She has to be able to keep her
body temperature stable without the warming light, take all her feedings
without needing supplements, keep her oxygen level up and steadily
gain
weight. They're guessing it will be at least a couple weeks."
"You're going to need some help for awhile." He notes as he
watches the women coo over the baby.
"All the Grandparents will be here by this afternoon. After that,
I'll be lucky to hold her." I tell him.
"That's a good thing, Joshua." The First Lady chimes in.
"Skin to skin contact has been proven to be extremely beneficial for
preemies. They'll teach you how to do baby massage here, too. Also,
music helps regulate breathing and heart rate."
"Easy there Abigail, you're on information overload and these
new parents haven't had much sleep." The President remarks.
"I'll write it all down for them. I want my namesake to have all
the help she can get." At this point, Ms. Claudia Jean Cregg comes
in bearing gifts.
"Hey, look at her! Donna, she's so beautiful!" CJ exclaims
as she moves closer to Abby to get a better look.
"Why does Donna get all the credit for that?" I ask. CJ just
gives me a dirty look.
"Would you like to hold her?" Abby asks.
"Would I ever. Just a second, though. First, I have something for
Mom." She hands Donna a basket filled with bottles of scented stuff.
"And something for Abigail Joan." She hands over another basket
with tiny little girlie clothes, but what captures my attention is the
itty bitty little Mets hat that perches on the top.
"Check that out? How did you know which team hat to get her?" I
ask suspiciously.
"I have known you for how many years, Joshua Lyman? Do you think I
haven't heard you talk about this team for years?"
"So Toby helped you?"
"A little bit, yeah, but first he tried to trick me into the New
York Yankees, so I should get credit for knowing that was wrong."
She tells me.
"Fair enough. Thanks Ceej. Wait, where's my gift?"
"Why should you get a gift? You didn't do anything
difficult."
"Donna hit me several times, and she swore at me a lot."
"I'm sure you deserved it. Your gift is that you get to take
these beautiful women home with you." Abby joins in as she passes
A.J. to C.J.
Now I'm tired, but I'm not stupid, so I just nod and smile even
though I still think I got gypped in the gift department.
"We have to get back, Josh, but if there's anything you need,
don't hesitate to let us know." The President tells me as he
shakes my hand. "Take care of your ladies."
"Yes, sir, you know I will. Thanks for coming by. Thanks for
everything Dr. B. and I do mean everything." I tell her softly and
she knows I mean all the help since Germany.
"My pleasure, Joshua. Try to get some rest."
"Well there has to be some comfort in knowing she takes after you,
Donna." CJ is telling her. "She has your looks and your sense of
timing; early rather than Josh's perpetual lateness."
"I think I would have been okay with her being a little late in this
case." Donna says wistfully. The doctors were in this morning with
the list of possible complications for preemies. It was a long list. On
the plus side though, she has some advantages; she made it past the
critical 28 week mark having been born at just over 30 weeks, she's
breathing on her own, her heart rate is stable and Donna's been able
to feed her twice already. I prefer to focus on these issues and the
fact that both the Moss and Lyman genes provide strong overcoming
adversity components.
"She is a lucky little girl." CJ continues. "She's got
two pretty great parents." I hug CJ from behind and gaze over her
shoulder at my baby girl.
"Thanks Claudia Jean. It's nice of you to come…now
where's my $50 from Toby?"
"Actually, that's in my pocket having picked a girl, and being
the closest to the birth date and weight." I groan and both women
laugh. "If it makes you feel any better I blew most of it on the
gift."
"Which I didn't personally receive." I point out.
"Sure you do, just indirectly." I look over and see Donna's
eyes getting heavy. CJ follows my gaze and takes the hint.
"I'm going to go so you three can rest. She reluctantly hands my
baby girl back to me and I in turn, reluctantly place her under the
warming light in her open incubator as she tells Donna goodbye.
"See you later, Dad." She hugs me goodbye. "You did
good." She whispers and leaves flanked by her agents.
Ruth Lyman is not a quiet person; she celebrates loud, mourns loud,
laughs loud, and lectures loud. So I'm not sure how she managed to
sneak in and snatch her Granddaughter without waking up either Donna
or
me. Nonetheless, when I wake up the sight that greets me is my Mother
rocking A.J. while singing her a song in Yiddish that I remember from
childhood. I quietly get up so as not to wake Donna and make my way
across the room to them.
"She's absolutely precious, Joshua. Absolutely precious."
"I know." I tell her as I try to sneak a look over at her
monitor. Mom catches me.
"The nurse said it would be okay to hold her for awhile. I've
got her wrapped up nice and warm, and look how strong her heart is,
Joshua. She has a strong steady heart, just like her Father." My
eyes well up and I kiss her cheek.
"Thanks Mom. I'm glad you're here…I talked to Donna
earlier. We wanted to ask you if you'd stay with us awhile; help
with A.J."
"There's no place I would rather be. You and Donna will probably
have to kick me out."
"You're going to like our new place. Donna's made it a real
home for us."
"I'm sure she has. Her parents won't mind that I'm
staying?"
"Her Mom hasn't been doing too well health-wise. I don't
think she'd be up to it even if she wanted to."
"Okay then. You're stuck with me."
"Looks that way. Bummer for me, great for A.J."
"Joshua Lyman!"
"I just mean you and Donna are going to be ganging up on me all the
time."
"Only when you deserve it. First we need to discuss this baseball
cap. You do know you have a baby girl, right?"
"My daughter will proudly wear the Met's hat that the White
House Chief of Staff bought for her as well as any other Met's
accessories her Father deems appropriate."
"I'll talk to Donna about it."
"No, Mom, this is what I'm talking about-"
"Lower your voice, Joshua, you'll wake one of your girls. I was
only teasing."
I am rescued by the arrival of Donna's parents and Mom graciously
passes A.J. to Elena and the ensuing chatter wakes Donna. That starts a
whole new round of hugs and exclamations. I decide to take advantage
of
all the company and go home for some rest. I kiss my girls goodbye and
sleep drive home.
I try to fall asleep with CNN on in the background and feel somewhat
relieved that the growing problems in North Korea aren't my problem,
but it just doesn't feel right without Donna next to me. I miss my
girls.
Chapter 20
It's been three long weeks, but today A.J. finally comes home.
Weighing in at 5 lbs, 4 Oz, Abigail Joan Lyman, in her Winnie the Pooh
ensemble and Met's cap entered her own room for the first time. I
think Donna and I just stared at her for a good five minutes before Mom
called us down to lunch. Mom has been amazing. She's done the
cooking, the cleaning, and everything else we needed. She went back to
Florida for a couple days to pack additional necessities and I thought I
was going to die. Don't tell her I said that.
Today is a celebration. Everyone is home where they belong. So I
answer
the phone with a smile on my face.
"Did she throw up on the bear yet?" is the opening salvo from
Toby Ziegler who is having `artistic differences' with Donna
over the theme of the nursery which is Winnie the Pooh.
"You know, Toby, I'm not honestly sure she can make out the
characters yet."
"Tell Toby she loves it." Donna shouts guessing the nature of
his remarks.
"You know he isn't even American?" he counters.
"Who isn't American?" I'm lost already, but still
smiling.
"The Bear. He's English, you know. Couldn't she at least
pick an American retarded cartoon character?"
"I think we're just happy she is in the nursery at all right
now." I ignore his other comment.
"I guess." He says, sounding remarkably like Eeyore. What? Donna
made me watch it with A.J. in the hospital.
"I guess." I chuckle at the image of Toby as Eeyore.
"What's up?"
"I have a head's up for you and a question for you." He
tells me.
"Okay, shoot."
"You're going to be hearing from a couple people soon. Will
Bailey has been asking about when it might be appropriate to approach
you about spear-heading Russell's campaign for President."
"You're joking."
"I am not." He grunts. "Bingo Bob running for high office is
NOT a joking matter."
"Ok. Well that's a no brainer. What else you got?"
"Hoynes has been – " I don't even let him finish.
"Yeah, he sent me an autographed copy of "Time to Lead"; it
even had an inscription. I may reciprocate when mine comes out next
month. What else?"
"You aren't tempted at all?"
"He burned too many bridges and he's not the real thing. I
wouldn't waste my time."
"Then who? Bingo Bob?" he's getting agitated.
"I don't know. Why is this getting you all worked up,
buddy."
"Cause of the thing I'm going to ask you next." He pauses
and I wait for him to gather his thoughts. "Who do you think will be
our strongest opposition next year?"
"Hell, Toby, I'm not as plugged in a I used to be, but I'd
guess Haffley or Walken off the top of my head." Where is he going
with this?
"What about Vinnick?"
"Vinnick is good, but he's like 100 years old; no way is he up
to a National campaign. Besides, he's a shoo-in in California, I
wouldn't think he'd be interested in higher office."
"Oh, I think he's interested."
"What makes you think so?"
"He told me he was when the President sent me to his office today to
offer him an Ambassadorship and he turned it down." Silence as I
think this through in my head. Vinnick; moderate on the right,
pro-choice, lock on California…Holy Shit. Arnold Vinnick? I sit down
as the import of this news hits me in the chest and wraps around my
throat.
"We've got no one who can beat him, Josh. That's what
I'm saying. We got no one. Do you see what I'm saying?"
Yeah, I see it alright.
When Donna's done feeding A.J., I offer to bring her back to her
crib. She still has the apnea monitor on, just as a precaution, so I
have to hook her back up to it when I lay her down. I watch her a minute
and I start to think about the President and what he's done to make
the world a better place for her and then I start to wonder if the next
guy will just undo it all. Who's next? What's next?
The book's done and I'm feeling at a loss for the first time since I
left the White House. I have plenty of offers to teach, but I'm not
ready for that yet. There have been offers to run Senate and
Congressional seats; and even offers to run Presidential campaigns, if
Toby is to be believed. Nothing resonates. Donna has bounced idea
after
idea off of me, but nothing has that zing. Maybe you only get one
`zing' point in your career and I've had mine already. God,
that's depressing. I sit down in the living room and turn the TV on
low. News headlines…great.
I feel the cushion of the couch move and Donna puts her arms around
me.
"Can't sleep?"
"Nope. You should go back to bed." I flip through all the cable
news stations and back again before settling on MSNBC. Our old pal
Chris
Matthews is interviewing Matt Santos and Chris Wick about legislation
they've co-authored. Chris has come a long way, but it's clear
who the driving source was on this one. God, I wish he would run again.
He's got it all; brains, charm, looks and integrity. You can't
teach that and you can't fake that. What a waste. Go back to Texas
and do what? Accomplish what? If only he'd-
I sit forward on the couch and turn up the volume.
"Chris and I realized there was a vital piece missing in the welfare
system. Once you realize there's a hole in the road, aren't you
honor bound to fill it before someone gets hurt?" Santos is giving
an impassioned plea.
"But what do you say to critics who say it's going to end up
costing the average taxpayer a lot more money for little results?"
Matthews presses him.
"In the short term, there will be a small jump, that's true, but
in the long term it will actually cost taxpayers less as this provision
will help more people get off welfare for good."
"You're friends on the right insist they shouldn't have to
pay for the food and rent of people who won't work. Why do you think
we should?"
"I don't agree with your premise, Chris. Are there people who
try to take advantage of the system? Of course there are. There always
will be. But 1 in 3 of the poorest of our poor are children."
Now Donna leans forward. "Did he just say…?"
"Yes." I answer without looking away from the screen.
"They don't have the option to get a job or change their
economic circumstances. Many of the people on welfare want to get off,
and want an opportunity to be self-sustaining." Chris Wick
interjects.
"A woman in my district, who left her abusive husband and is trying
to care for her 2 small children alone, actually loses her welfare money
if she gets a part time job to supplement her income or pay for school
so she can get a degree. She gets monetarily punished for trying to
better herself and her family situation. Her story is not unusual."
"So there should be no time limits on welfare checks. They should be
able to receive them indefinitely?" Matthews baits him.
"That's not what we're suggesting. We want to use the
bureaucracy already in place to help lift these people up as long as
they're attempting to better their situation; reward them monetarily
instead of punish them. We are the richest country in the world. Are you
really trying to tell me we can't afford to make sure everyone here
has what they need; especially when they're willing to work for
it?" Matt hits it right back.
"That's all the time we have tonight. My thanks to Congressmen
Santos and Wick for taking the time to explain the details of their new
plan to us this evening. Thanks for watching Hard Ball; I'm Chris
Matthews. Goodnight."
"ZING!"