Chapter 6
Don't tell Mom, but she was right again. The phone call came. In
fact, 3 of them came while I was waiting for Donna to wake up. I sent
them all to voice mail at the time, but now I've heard them and I
need to make some decisions. It all comes back to priorities. What
are my priorities?
Kate Harper said my Palestinian contact talked the chairman into
meeting at Camp David and told the chairman I was reasonable and
trustworthy. I said I could find any number of Republicans who would
disagree with that assessment, but Kate Harper was not amused. The
President needs me at the summit and we need some time to prepare
beforehand. Commander Harper tells me I've been booked on a flight
out tomorrow afternoon.
It hits me then that no one has asked me if that's okay or if that
will work for me. There wasn't even the courtesy question about how
Donna is doing. I serve at the pleasure of the President and the
President wants me to return to D.C. tomorrow at 5:37. End of story.
Maybe that would have been fine a few weeks ago, but not now. I am
really struggling here. If I go, I'll only have about 18 hours left
with Donna. What if something else happens? I need more time to
think and I certainly need more sleep. I lay down on the bed next to
Donna and let sleep take over.
I wake up to the touch of Donna's hand stroking my head.
"Good morning." I croak.
"You need to shave again."
"Maybe if you'd stop scaring the hell out of me, I'd have time to
shave and take a shower. Your folks planned to have breakfast with
my Mom. They're both going to be 10 pounds heavier when she's
done with them. How about you? Ready to try some broth or juice?"
"I could try some juice."
"Would Madame prefer apple, orange, or grapefuit juice for her
morning repast?"
"Apple would be fine." She watches me as I go to the mini fridge in
her room and pour some apple juice in a cup with a straw.
"I think Madame will enjoy this mornings beverage, having come from a
particularly rich crop of apples in New England." I bring the cup to
her with a flourish.
"Josh, what's wrong?" Why can I never hide anything from this woman?
"Nothing. I personally would have gone with the orange juice, but
whatever."
"Joshua. Talk to me."
"I got a call from the White House. The President wants me on a
flight back this afternoon."
She nods and smiles a little but two tears escape before she can stop
them.
"Of course. We were lucky they let you come in the first place." She
unknowingly echoes my Mom.
"What time do you leave?"
"If I go, the flight is at 5:37. Why do they always schedule flights
at weird times like that? What's wrong with 5:35 or 5:40? Of course
with my crappy watch it's all academic anyway."
"What do you mean `if' you go?"
"I haven't decided whether I'm going or not."
"Josh the President has ordered you to go. You go."
"Maybe serving at the President's pleasure isn't what I want to do
anymore."
"Of course it is. It's the only thing you've ever wanted to do."
"Things change."
"Not that."
"We'll see…"
"Joshua."
"I don't want to talk about this anymore right now Donna." I snap and
her face flinches.
"Don't use me as an excuse to quit the only job you've ever wanted.
You'll only end up hating me later for it." She tells me quietly.
"Look, Elena, our Sleeping Beauty is awake." Patrick announces as
the parents arrive.
"Yes, and she's been served a light breakfast of apple juice." I
announce to the ooh's and aah's of the parents.
"Mr. Lyman?" A nurse interrupts us. "There's an urgent call for you
at the desk. Would you like me to transfer it in here?"
"Yes, thanks." I pull out my cell to see the battery has gone dead. I
was going to put it in the charger last night, but I just fell asleep.
I pick it up when it rings and Mom tries to distract the Moss family
with a story of something stupid I did when I was like 6. There is a
brief pause on the line and then CJ's voice comes on.
"Josh? Are you there?"
"Yeah, CJ, it's Germany not Mars."
"I have some news." She tells me.
"I would hope so, being that you're the Press Secretary. Did you leak
the summit info yet?"
"It isn't about Gaza, Josh, listen to me a minute." She pauses and it
sounds like she's crying and trying to pull it together.
"Is it the President? What time is it there?" I know MS attacks can
be more frequent with stressful situations and this has been one long
week of stress.
"The President is fine. It's Leo. He had a heart attack. Margaret
found him in his office this morning. They took him to GW. The
President and the First Lady are on their way there now."
"Oh God, Leo?" My mind is busy trying to take this in and the room
falls silent around me.
"Margaret told me you're scheduled to leave there in a few hours, but
you need to turn on your cell so we can give you updates and get
advice. Josh, are you there?"
"Yeah, my battery is dead. I'll…I'll get it charged. They don't have
any prognosis?"
"It was a massive coronary episode; that's all I know. Josh, we've
got the leaders of the Middle East coming for a peace summit in 3
days, and the President is getting close to ordering an air strike on
the training camps that are responsible for the Gaza bombing. I'm
supposed to brief in 2 ½ hours…Help!"
"Okay, has anyone got the word on Leo yet?"
"I don't think so. Even at the White House there aren't that many
people here at this hour."
"Grab Greg Brock or someone else you trust and give them the story.
Give them bare bones medical facts and stress that this unfortunate
development in no way deters or distracts from the peace summit or
the President's ability to punish those responsible for Gaza. I'm
going to need Toby." There is a click and a pause.
"We're both here on speaker, Josh." Toby tells me.
"We're going to need a spin speech Toby. If this strike happens-"
"When it happens." He interrupts me.
"When it happens, he needs to say that although the individuals
responsible deserve retribution, this does not detract from our
ultimate goal of achieving peace."
"So, any resemblance this air strike has to, you know, war, is
strictly coincidence."
"You got it. Bailey has a lot of experience with the diplomatic
writing, why don't you tag him for some help with language, then fax
me a rough draft. Margaret has the number. I'm going to buy an extra
cell phone battery right now. I'd like updates every 30 minutes."
"Right." "Got it." they reply.
"Talk to you soon." I turn to see everyone staring at me.
"Leo's had a massive heart attack. They just took him to GW." My
eyesare only on Donna now. She knows what this means.
"I'm going to go back to the hotel and pack. I'll be back as soon as
I can."
After a quick stop to get another couple batteries, better safe than
sorry, I pack my stuff at the hotel. There isn't much to pack, and
without Donna to yell at me, I pretty much just shove it all in my
bag. I do take a minute to shave since that seems to be a sticking
point with Donna.
By the time I get back to the hospital, CJ has an update for me.
They're doing bypass surgery and expect him to be in surgery for the
next few hours. The President will be giving the green light on the
air strike within the hour. He's receiving a security briefing at the
White House as we speak. I rattle off a couple more ideas for her
press briefing and remind her about who to tag for spin until I get
back. My flight leaves at 5:37 PM and I land in D.C. at 8:54 PM. Nice
trick, isn't it? Ride a plane for 10 hours and land 3 hours after you
left.
Everyone clears out of Donna's room when I get back. I lay on the bed
with her, careful not to jostle her at all, and pull her into my arms.
"You know if it weren't for Leo, I wouldn't be leaving you."
"You're not leaving me Josh, you're going to work where you are
seriously needed right now. Besides, I'm in very capable hands here
between my parents and your mother. Frankly, I think one of them
should go to look after you. You don't have a very good track record
for taking care of yourself."
"I guess not. I just wish-"
"I know. I do too, but it won't be long before I can fly home."
"That's not good enough."
"It'll have to be. Even Josh Lyman can't increase the rate of a
healing body. Go see Leo, and help the President. Whatever you do,
don't rearrange anything in the office while I'm gone."
"Too late."
"Josh!"
"You were gone a whole week! What was I supposed to do?"
"Leave things alone until I got back?"
"Nah, this way when you come back you'll see how much I need you."
"You should get something to eat before you go to the airport. You
never eat airline food."
"Nope. I am spending every minute until I leave right here."
Chapter 7
It's around 9:30 when I finally get to the White House. I desperately
want to get to GW to see Leo, who is off bypass now, but first there
are a few fires I need to put out. CJ meets me in the lobby and
starts firing off information almost faster than I can take it in.
We're getting world reaction to the President's air strike. Toby and
Will did a great job with his speech and opinion is mostly favorable.
Congress, including Haffley as I predicted, are all standing squarely
behind the President now that the strike has happened. Don't think I
didn't watch CNN and CSPAN in Germany and make a list of the
Congressmen and women I will be visiting later.
I'm having a hard time resisting the urge to call Donna, but it's
2:30 in the morning there and she needs her rest more than I need to
hear her voice...but only just barely. After CJ gives me the update on
her end, I am ushered into the Oval where the President is surrounded
by staff. He doesn't notice me at first. I'm thinking I haven't seen
him look so tired and old before. That's what that job does to you I
guess.
"Josh, welcome back, we're glad to see you." He tells me when he
spots me at the door.
"Thank you sir. I see you've been busy while I've been gone."
"Well, you know, I hate to be bored. Can I have the room please?¨ At
the quiet question everyone quickly exits. "Have a seat Josh."
"Yes, sir. CJ tells me Leo is off bypass."
"I just left him a little while ago. He's weak of course, and he's
not out of the woods yet, but he's in good hands. At least that's
what my wife tells me. Anyway, with Leo out of commission I'm going
to need you to step up to the plate and take over his office."
"I'd be honored to serve as interim Chief of Staff until Leo comes
back."
"Leo isn't coming back, Josh."
"Not for awhile, no, but-"
"Not at all. We talked and I've accepted his resignation. I'm talking
about a permanent position as my Chief of Staff."
"Sir, I'm flattered of course, but I can't accept a permanent
position as Chief of Staff."
"Excuse me?"
"The events of the last couple weeks have caused me to re-evaluate
my priorities and I'm not sure yet what that means in terms of my
current assignment here, but I do know I am not prepared to take
anything more on without talking to- without time to consider the
impact a career move like that would have on my life."
"I need you Josh."
"And I'm here for you sir, just as an interim COS instead of a
permanent one."
"Let's do this. I'll have CJ announce that you're serving as interim
COS. You take some time and see whether it's something you might
be able to take on permanently and I'll ask you again once we've
passed through the current crisis and had time to decompress."
I smile at his obvious chess move, but it's not an unreasonable
request given the circumstances.
"I can live with that, Mr. President, but you need to have a plan B
for when I step down."
"I can live with that. I'll hand the job of developing a plan B over
to my new interim COS." Yeah, I know; check and mate.
At 2 AM the President sends us all to get some sleep and I crash on
Leo's couch. At 3:30 my phone rings and it's Donna. Oh shit. I really
should have called her before I went to sleep. I think about taking
the coward's way out and letting it go to voice mail. I dismiss that
idea quickly. I'm in the White House now and Donna has all those
numbers. She could get in touch with any number of people who work
here and get them to drag my ass to a phone. Time to take my
medicine.
"Hi honey, how're you feeling." I ask her drowsily.
"Don't you 'honey' me, Joshua Lyman. Don't you think you should
have called me with news like this?" Oh, is she pissed. Well, I guess
she has a right to be, even though we talked about this possibility
before I left...in detail.
"I certainly should have." I agree immediately, but this doesn't take
the wind out of her sails as I hoped it might.
"You're damn right you certainly should have. I have to hear the news
that you're the new White House Chief of Staff from CJ? From CJ on
the news?"
"Baby, don't get upset, it's not good for you."
"Then why are you doing things that make me upset, Joshua?"
"It's only temporary." She hurrumphs at me. "It is! I made the
President promise."
"Then why was CJ announcing on the news that the President has
every hope of making it permanent?" She said that? I've got to get a
copy of the news clip. In the meantime, damage control.
"I'm sure they're just trying to present an air of permanence and
stability. We're in the middle of an international crisis here,
Donnatella."
"I'm in the middle of this particular international crisis, Joshua."
"Oh, yeah, that's right."
"That's right. Are you eating anything decent?"
"Yeah, the First Lady brought healthy provisions for all of us."
"How about sleeping?"
"I was sleeping pretty good until the phone woke me. Seriously, I got
plenty of sleep on the plane."
"No you didn't."
"No, I didn't but I got plenty of rest."
"Josh, please take care of yourself and no more life altering
announcements on CNN, okay?"
"I promise. I love you."
"Love you too. Good night."
The world may be going to hell in a hand basket, but in the world of
Josh Lyman, life is pretty good.
Chapter 8
Day 2 Camp David
"What you fail to understand Mr. Lyman, is the oppression that my
people have suffered at the hand of your people in Gaza."
"There aren't any American soldiers in Gaza, Mr. Chairman."
"Not Americans Mr. Lyman, Jews." I laugh, I actually laugh.
"You find the treatment of Palestinians in Gaza humorous?"
"No, I find it humorous that you consider them 'my people'. Toby
Ziegler would tell you I'm hardly qualified to speak on behalf of any
Jews let alone the devout Jews in Gaza. What you fail to understand,
Mr. Chairman, is that my ultimate goal is about a fair, equitable
settlement for both parties, and I'm not about to derail that by
playing favorites based on the religion I was raised in."
"The partition lines drawn-"
"Were arbitrary to begin with, sir. Since that solution pleased
absolutely no one, let's throw the entire thing out the window and
start from scratch." I pause and let my words sink in for a
moment. "We can start over and try to do a better job of this, but we
can't start at all as long as you and the Prime Minister are more
concerned with listing past grievances rather than future plans."
"Future plans are built on the history between us."
"They can't be. I'm sorry sir, but you can hang on to the injustices
done to you or you can forge a new relationship with Israel that will
help your people, but you can't do both. I think they need a new
beginning with Israel more than they need their pride."
"And what of their part in this?"
"I promise you they are getting the same advice from Kate Harper that
I am sharing with you right now. Let' find a compromise. Let' start
with Jerusalem."
"We would be willing to make some concessions on the supervision
and administration of some of the Holy sites."
"Great, let's start there. Name them for me, please."
"We're stuck." I pound my head against the wall I have been standing
up against for the past two hours. "We are so close, and to get stuck
now is-"
"Suicide inducing?" the President chimes in as he digs into another
carton of ice cream.
Kate Harper is lying on the floor and Toby Ziegler is face down on
the couch. To say we have hit rock bottom might be overstating it a
bit. That thought makes me smile as it reminds me of Donna. We talk
several times a day and I get many emails from her reminding me to
dothis or that, but it isn't enough.
Finally, tomorrow she comes home. She still has a long road ahead of
her in terms of rehabilitation and recovery, but I don't know anyone
as strong as Donna. Toby mumbles something from between the
cushions of the couch and I snap back to the present conversation.
"What was that Tobus?"
"I think he said he'd rather have the President read a speech written
by Elmo than go back to the negotiating table." Kate provided and I
laughed.
"Boy, having children has really changed your frame of reference,
hasn't it?" I mock him.
"Just wait until it's your turn. You'll hate Elmo even more than me,
I promise you."
Will comes in with the items typed up that we have been able to get
agreement on so far and gets CJ on the speakerphone to get us all
caught up on the details. Maybe a fresh voice will inspire us.
"Hey, Ceej. Nice work at your 8:00 briefing. Leo will be so proud
when he sees how you rejected the premise of every question in the
room."
"I can only work the material you give me, mi amour. Got anything new
I can announce?"
"Apparently, Elmo will be writing the President's next major
address." I offer.
"Are you guys drunk over there?"
"I wish. You can let them know we've had another day of-"
"Migraines and gastrointestinal issues." Toby interrupts.
"I was thinking more along the lines of progress and open dialogue."
"Well you say potato." Toby puts his face back into the couch
cushions.
"All parties remain hopeful of a positive outcome." Kate adds.
"Sure they do." CJ interjects. "I'm going to need another update
before I throw myself into the lion's den tomorrow at noon. Can we
schedule another conference call at 11?"
"Yes." "Sure" "Works for me" is chorused until I remember something.
"No, I'm not available at 11." The President stops eating ice cream
and looks over at me.
"Have you got a hair cut appointment or something?"
"Donna's flight arrives at 11:28 tomorrow and I'm picking her up."
"Josh-"
"Mr. President, we discussed this. Acting as interim COS doesn't mean
I'm going to change my priorities."
"I am sure if you picked up the phone right now and talked to Leo he
would tell you that some parts of this job require temporary
readjustment of those priorities."
"But I can't talk to Leo right now, Mr. President, since he's
recovering from a massive coronary episode because he didn't have
any balance in his life. He is also divorced because he put his job
before his marriage. I don't intend to make the same mistakes he
did."
"Tell you what, Josh, when your wife starts complaining about your
hours and responsibilities in this job, you can be excused from them."
"Okay, but she's over the Atlantic at the moment, so you'll have to
wait until her plane lands in D.C. at 11:28 tomorrow." Dead silence..
wait for it..
"What the hell are you talking about?" Toby is now sitting up,
staring at me.
"Donna married you?!" This from CJ.
"When did this happen exactly?" the President demands. Will and Kate
just stare with their jaws open.
"We got married the afternoon I left." I decide to answer the
President first since CJ's question was just insulting. "Our parents
were there, and I just didn't want to wait another minute to marry
her."
"Josh, that is so romantic, and completely unlike you." CJ is
laughing.
"Mazel Tov, my friend." Toby gives me a one handed hug. "Asked her
while she was still on major pain medication, huh?"
"I figured it could only help."
"Well, now, Joshua, this changes things a bit. It seems I have
deprived you and Donna of any kind of honeymoon. When you go
pick her up tomorrow, bring her back here with you. Camp David may
not be an ideal Honeymoon spot, but at least you'll be together."
"That's kind of you sir, but we've arranged to have some help for her
at home until I get back."
"Then un-arrange it, got it?"
"Yes, sir." I smirk as I think about what Donna's reaction to
the 'invitation' is going to be. Middle East peace summit, Donna's
return, and a Honeymoon ordered by the President of the United
States. Tomorrow is shaping up to be a very interesting day.
Chapter 9
I look at my watch again, even though Margaret swore to me that she
would alert me when it was time to head to the airport. Three hours
until she lands, and I am an absolute basket case. It's that old
adage; a little knowledge is a dangerous thing. I know enough about
embolisms to know that traveling for several hours, sitting in the
same position can be dangerous in terms of developing more clots.
Yes, she's on medication to thin her blood, and yes, she promised to
do her moving and stretching every hour, but it's not helping my
anxiety.
To further complicate things, the agency I hired to help with Donna's
rehab and recovery didn't pass the secret services' vetting process,
a subject to which I will be returning to later since Ron Butterfield
was pretty sketchy on the details. Now it looks like Donna will be
enjoying the medical skills of the First Lady of the United States
until we can make other arrangements.
I glance at my watch again as I listen to Kate Harper extol the
virtues of the latest compromise and I'm not the only one who has
lost interest. The President notices this as well, and calls for a
break until the afternoon. People get up and scatter before he
changes his mind.
"Getting a little anxious, Josh?" We're the only people left in the
room, the President and I.
"Yes, sir. I don't think I'll be able to relax until she's on the
ground."
"She'll be here very soon now. I know it'll be awhile before she's
fully recovered, but you should think about taking a belated
honeymoon trip when she is."
"I think she'd like that very much, sir. It's going to be tough for
her for awhile. Maybe that would give her something to look forward
to. A long term reward."
"Yes, people can get through almost anything if they know there's a
big payoff in the end." He tells me.
"A big payoff..." I repeat. "A really big payoff...Mr. President, I
think we need to bring our people back in here. I've got an idea."
# # # # # # # # #
I am holding a cardboard sign with the words "Mrs. Lyman" written on
it. I am pretty sure I know how this will be received, but I also
know Mrs. Lyman would expect nothing less from me. Finally she is
pushed down the gate in her wheelchair and her mouth twitches when
she sees my sign.
"Is your Mother coming?" she asks me.
"No, just my beautiful wife."
"Then your sign is wrong. There's no hyphen."
"Donna..." I whine
"We discussed this and I was very clear about having a hyphen."
"I thought it was just the drugs you were on."
"Moss-Lyman with a hyphen, Joshua. You promised."
"Just think of the special treatment you'll get in Washington when
you use Mrs. Lyman."
"You mean from all the enemies you've made in that town?"
"All the enemies? Please. Besides they won't be vocal anymore now
that I'm Chief of Staff."
"Hyphen, Joshua."
"We can discuss it on the way to Camp David. I have a van waiting so
you can stretch out during the trip."
"On the way where?"
"The President has arranged for a personal physician to take care of
you at Camp David."
"I though we already arranged for a nurse to stay with me at your
place."
"Our place, and yes, we did, but the President overruled us on that
one."
"Then by 'personal physician' would you be referring to the First
Lady?"
"Hey, not many people get to say their doctor is the First Lady of
the United States."
"I'd be willing to forego that honor. Josh, I"d really just rather go
home. I don't want everyone to see me like this."
"Like what? Is it the wheelchair that makes you self-conscious or the
lovely compression stockings you have on to prevent clotting?"
"Josh.." she practically growls at me and I smile because I've missed
her growling at me so much over the last week and a half.
"Truly, they are quite fetching. Maybe I'll get you to wear them even
after you're fully recovered. Hey! I can get the ones I wore after
Rosslyn and we'll match!"
"My head is starting to hurt."
"Then I will let you rest during the trip to Camp David and fill you
in on 'the rules' later."
"Excuse me? Rules?" Yeah, she growls again.
"I take your recovery and rehabilitation very seriously. I have a
list of appropriate...let's call them guidelines, drawn up by Dr.
Bartlet and your doctor in Germany." At this point, we get to the van
and my detail helps me ease Donna from the wheelchair into the van
and I take a seat next to her. I gently guide her head down to lay on
my lap and I stroke her hair.
"Just relax and I'll tell you stories of my brilliant foreign policy
ideas."
"That shouldn't take long."
"What happened to love, honor and cherish, Donnatella. Doesn't that
imply supporting and encouraging your husband's ego?"
"Didn't read it in the fine print."
"It was in German." I quip and start to fill her in on how
negotiations are going. Donna's here and I get to bounce my ideas off
her brilliant, quirky mind. It feels right and comfortable all at the
same time. I was a little afraid that getting married might change
how we work together, but after our conversation/debate on the way to
Camp David, I realize that fear was unfounded. This is how it was
meant to be all along.
Chapter 10
A/N: Big, big, HUGE thanks to Amy for her medical information and
willingness to answer my ignorant questions about medical procedures
and rehabilitation. She is an amazing resource and any mistakes of
medical lingo or descriptions are mine alone.
Well, we've laid the groundwork for the big push with the chairman
and the Prime Minister. It took several hours to get through all the
details and answer their questions, but it's out of our hands now. I
return to my cabin to find Donna being tortured under the supervision
of the First Lady. Apparently, the First Lady believes Donna capable
of doing a couple more reps of stretching and Donna feels that she is
not. They don't come right out and say this of course, but my keen
people skills pick up the sub-text.
"I notice you stand out of my reach when you say that." Donna is
telling her.
"Stretch a little farther and maybe you'll be able to reach me
tomorrow." Dr. Bartlet replies.
"You better hope not, Abby, or you're going to need that secret
service protection of yours."
"5 more Donna and we can call it quits for the night."
"Who the hell is WE?"
"5 more."
"No way. I am done. Do you hear me? Done."
"Well, you'll be done after you do 5 more. Until then you're just a
pain in the ass."
"Abby, I can't! I seriously can't! Just help me get back in bed."
Donna is now on the verge of tears and I can't have that.
"Here, let's get you-" I start only to have Abby slap me away from
Donna.
"Get out, Josh." She orders me.
"Mrs. B., she's had a long day. Let her just rest for now."
"She's going to have a lot of long days, Joshua. You of all people
know that recovery is a long, painful process. Now go away until
we're done and then you two can bitch about me later." I meet her
eyes and see two things: sympathy and determination. It's the
combination of those two that seal the deal for me.
"Okay, Donna, let's finish up here. The President promised there'd be
French fries on the menu for you tonight. 5 more and you can steal as
many off my plate as you want." Abby nods at me in encouragement.
"Josh, I can't. My leg is throbbing and cramping so badly." She turns
on the waterworks and even uses the pout, but I know Abby is right.
"You can do it, Donna. You're the strongest person I know. Just think
of it as one more to get you started. That's how you'd always trick
me, remember? You'd say 'One more Josh' like 10 times in a row and
I'd be so busy listening to your voice I wouldn't notice how many '1
mores' you were telling me."
"Yeah, but I'm not likely to fall for that shit, now am I? And why do
I have to have the First Lady doing this to me? I can't even hit her
because of the secret service."
"Well, the first rehab provider didn't pass vetting due to some
unfortunate choices he made in his past." I tell her trying to
distract her. "One more now."
"What unfortunate choices?"
"Did you know someone can be a licensed therapist even if they have
a felony conviction..or two?" I ask her. "Now another one, good job."
"A felony conviction? You hired a felon to do my rehab?" Now she's
pumping her leg in the stretches without my encouragement.
"In all fairness, you were always the one to research and vet people
we needed before this. So, it's really your own fault that it was
left to me."
"You couldn't ask Margaret, or I don't know, one of Toby's twins to
help you?"
"I wanted to do it myself. You know, to show you I could take care of
YOU instead of always the other way around."
"That didn't work so well for me, did it?"
"Sure it did. You've got Dr. Bartlet here, one of the greatest
physicians in the country, personally overseeing your rehab, and
because of me we found out the other guy had drug and assault
convictions." I smile like I personally saved her from a dope dealing
thug. Abby laughs.
"Okay, Donna, you did ten! You are done for the day. Josh, why don't
you go bring some food back for your wife while I get her settled
back in bed to rest?" Abby decides.
Donna is still scowling at both of us, but I'm smiling so hard my
dimples about bust off my face 'cause Dr. Bartlet just said 'your
wife'. So I do as I'm told and go get her some food.
# # # # # # # # #
After dinner, I take Donna for a wheelchair ride through Camp David.
We stop on a bridge to just take it all in.
"The President says I should take you for a belated honeymoon when
you're well enough."
"That would be nice." She's still very quiet; has been since I walked
in on the end of her therapy session with Dr. Bartlet.
"I think you should pick where we go. Think of someplace special and
make the arrangements. It might help to have something to work
towards." I tell her.
"Why bother? The Chief of Staff can't just take off on a vacation
with all these high level meetings going on." She's not even looking
at me now, so I squat down next to her and turn her chair around
until we're eye to eye.
"I'm interim Chief of Staff and I already promised you we come first
in my list of priorities. I'm sorry about before, Donna, but I
thought Mrs. B. was right. You're going to have to push past your
comfort level. It's the only way to get you better."
"And what if I don't?" she asks quietly.
"Excuse me? Where is this coming from?" I ask puzzled.
"I can read a medical report. There was severe damage to my leg
bones and muscles. There's a chance I won't be able to fully recover."
"There is no chance of that. It is going to take hard work, no
question, but you are going to fully recover. I promise you that."
Tears slide down her cheeks and I want to take this burden away from
her so badly, but I can't. Instead, I simply hold her.
Will comes running over to the bridge and gestures me over to him.
"What's up? Did we get an answer from someone already?"
"I think you need to come back with me. Can you leave Donna with Dr.
Bartlet?"
"Why? What's going on?"
"CJ just called. There's something she wants you to see." There's an
urgent tone to his voice I don't like, but I don't want to ignore it
either.
"Yeah, okay, will you bring Donna back for me?" he nods. "Donna, I
need to go check on something for CJ. I'll come get you as soon as
I'm done." She nods sadly but smiles to let me know she understands.
When I get to our conference room, it's so quiet you could hear a pin
drop. This does not bode well.
"I'm here, what's so important?"
"CJ wanted us to show you this tape." Ed says without making eye
contact with me.
The TV turns on and the tape rolls. It is Colin Ayres and he is being
interviewed from a studio in London. He begins with his first hand
account of the bombing in Gaza and goes on to discuss his close
relationship with a top White House Aid. My blood is already boiling
when he segues into my appearance in Germany and how I was
orchestrating top secret meetings with Palestinian officials there.
I sink down into a chair as I think through the implications of this
interview. The Prime Minister is going to blow a gasket as he already
thinks I'm leaning too much in favor of the Palestinians. I keep
going with this line of thought as Ayres drones on about the
impossibility of peace in Gaza. Apparently, he's a photojournalist
and a foreign policy expert...how handy.
"First, we need to shut this guy up. Why didn't we get a heads up on
this before it aired? Never mind, that's water under the bridge.
Next, someone besides me needs to see that the Prime Minister gives
no credence to anything Ayres says." I stop because I'm interrupted
by the entrance of the President.
"Good evening, sir."
"Josh. How bad is it?" he asks me.
"Pretty bad, Mr. President, but it'll get worse if you don't send
someone to talk to Prime Minister Zahavy immediately." I hardly have
the words out of my mouth, however, when the man himself appears. I
ask the rest of the staff for the room.
"Mr. President. Mr. Lyman. I came here in good faith in an effort to
reach a peaceful agreement with Chairman Farad, even though I had
grave misgivings about his trustworthiness. Never did I think I had
to question the trustworthiness of the members of the Unites States
delegation!" He is practically shouting now.
"Mr. Prime Minister, I assure you-" I start but the President
interrupts me.
"That's insulting, sir. EVERYONE has come here in good faith to
negotiate peace. Yes, Josh did meet with Palestinian officials in
Germany, on my orders, but the sole purpose of that meeting was to
facilitate this one. That's all."
"I don't believe you Mr. President. It's been obvious to me from the
beginning that Mr. Lyman has sided with the Palestinians on these
issues. I can no longer stay here and participate in this farce. The
Israeli delegation will be leaving first thing tomorrow morning." He
marches out without giving us an opportunity to respond.
"That could have gone worse." Says the President grimacing.
"How exactly is that, sir?"
"They could have left immediately." He quips.
"Got any brilliant ideas for how to get him to stay?"
"As a matter of fact I do." He walks over to me and puts his arms
around my shoulder. "I think it's time you introduce Prime Minister
Zahavy to your lovely wife."
"I'll get right on that, sir, as soon as I take care of Colin
Ayres.
"Fine, but take care of him quickly. He's not worth any of your time
to begin with."
"Yes sir."
Don't tell Mom, but she was right again. The phone call came. In
fact, 3 of them came while I was waiting for Donna to wake up. I sent
them all to voice mail at the time, but now I've heard them and I
need to make some decisions. It all comes back to priorities. What
are my priorities?
Kate Harper said my Palestinian contact talked the chairman into
meeting at Camp David and told the chairman I was reasonable and
trustworthy. I said I could find any number of Republicans who would
disagree with that assessment, but Kate Harper was not amused. The
President needs me at the summit and we need some time to prepare
beforehand. Commander Harper tells me I've been booked on a flight
out tomorrow afternoon.
It hits me then that no one has asked me if that's okay or if that
will work for me. There wasn't even the courtesy question about how
Donna is doing. I serve at the pleasure of the President and the
President wants me to return to D.C. tomorrow at 5:37. End of story.
Maybe that would have been fine a few weeks ago, but not now. I am
really struggling here. If I go, I'll only have about 18 hours left
with Donna. What if something else happens? I need more time to
think and I certainly need more sleep. I lay down on the bed next to
Donna and let sleep take over.
I wake up to the touch of Donna's hand stroking my head.
"Good morning." I croak.
"You need to shave again."
"Maybe if you'd stop scaring the hell out of me, I'd have time to
shave and take a shower. Your folks planned to have breakfast with
my Mom. They're both going to be 10 pounds heavier when she's
done with them. How about you? Ready to try some broth or juice?"
"I could try some juice."
"Would Madame prefer apple, orange, or grapefuit juice for her
morning repast?"
"Apple would be fine." She watches me as I go to the mini fridge in
her room and pour some apple juice in a cup with a straw.
"I think Madame will enjoy this mornings beverage, having come from a
particularly rich crop of apples in New England." I bring the cup to
her with a flourish.
"Josh, what's wrong?" Why can I never hide anything from this woman?
"Nothing. I personally would have gone with the orange juice, but
whatever."
"Joshua. Talk to me."
"I got a call from the White House. The President wants me on a
flight back this afternoon."
She nods and smiles a little but two tears escape before she can stop
them.
"Of course. We were lucky they let you come in the first place." She
unknowingly echoes my Mom.
"What time do you leave?"
"If I go, the flight is at 5:37. Why do they always schedule flights
at weird times like that? What's wrong with 5:35 or 5:40? Of course
with my crappy watch it's all academic anyway."
"What do you mean `if' you go?"
"I haven't decided whether I'm going or not."
"Josh the President has ordered you to go. You go."
"Maybe serving at the President's pleasure isn't what I want to do
anymore."
"Of course it is. It's the only thing you've ever wanted to do."
"Things change."
"Not that."
"We'll see…"
"Joshua."
"I don't want to talk about this anymore right now Donna." I snap and
her face flinches.
"Don't use me as an excuse to quit the only job you've ever wanted.
You'll only end up hating me later for it." She tells me quietly.
"Look, Elena, our Sleeping Beauty is awake." Patrick announces as
the parents arrive.
"Yes, and she's been served a light breakfast of apple juice." I
announce to the ooh's and aah's of the parents.
"Mr. Lyman?" A nurse interrupts us. "There's an urgent call for you
at the desk. Would you like me to transfer it in here?"
"Yes, thanks." I pull out my cell to see the battery has gone dead. I
was going to put it in the charger last night, but I just fell asleep.
I pick it up when it rings and Mom tries to distract the Moss family
with a story of something stupid I did when I was like 6. There is a
brief pause on the line and then CJ's voice comes on.
"Josh? Are you there?"
"Yeah, CJ, it's Germany not Mars."
"I have some news." She tells me.
"I would hope so, being that you're the Press Secretary. Did you leak
the summit info yet?"
"It isn't about Gaza, Josh, listen to me a minute." She pauses and it
sounds like she's crying and trying to pull it together.
"Is it the President? What time is it there?" I know MS attacks can
be more frequent with stressful situations and this has been one long
week of stress.
"The President is fine. It's Leo. He had a heart attack. Margaret
found him in his office this morning. They took him to GW. The
President and the First Lady are on their way there now."
"Oh God, Leo?" My mind is busy trying to take this in and the room
falls silent around me.
"Margaret told me you're scheduled to leave there in a few hours, but
you need to turn on your cell so we can give you updates and get
advice. Josh, are you there?"
"Yeah, my battery is dead. I'll…I'll get it charged. They don't have
any prognosis?"
"It was a massive coronary episode; that's all I know. Josh, we've
got the leaders of the Middle East coming for a peace summit in 3
days, and the President is getting close to ordering an air strike on
the training camps that are responsible for the Gaza bombing. I'm
supposed to brief in 2 ½ hours…Help!"
"Okay, has anyone got the word on Leo yet?"
"I don't think so. Even at the White House there aren't that many
people here at this hour."
"Grab Greg Brock or someone else you trust and give them the story.
Give them bare bones medical facts and stress that this unfortunate
development in no way deters or distracts from the peace summit or
the President's ability to punish those responsible for Gaza. I'm
going to need Toby." There is a click and a pause.
"We're both here on speaker, Josh." Toby tells me.
"We're going to need a spin speech Toby. If this strike happens-"
"When it happens." He interrupts me.
"When it happens, he needs to say that although the individuals
responsible deserve retribution, this does not detract from our
ultimate goal of achieving peace."
"So, any resemblance this air strike has to, you know, war, is
strictly coincidence."
"You got it. Bailey has a lot of experience with the diplomatic
writing, why don't you tag him for some help with language, then fax
me a rough draft. Margaret has the number. I'm going to buy an extra
cell phone battery right now. I'd like updates every 30 minutes."
"Right." "Got it." they reply.
"Talk to you soon." I turn to see everyone staring at me.
"Leo's had a massive heart attack. They just took him to GW." My
eyesare only on Donna now. She knows what this means.
"I'm going to go back to the hotel and pack. I'll be back as soon as
I can."
After a quick stop to get another couple batteries, better safe than
sorry, I pack my stuff at the hotel. There isn't much to pack, and
without Donna to yell at me, I pretty much just shove it all in my
bag. I do take a minute to shave since that seems to be a sticking
point with Donna.
By the time I get back to the hospital, CJ has an update for me.
They're doing bypass surgery and expect him to be in surgery for the
next few hours. The President will be giving the green light on the
air strike within the hour. He's receiving a security briefing at the
White House as we speak. I rattle off a couple more ideas for her
press briefing and remind her about who to tag for spin until I get
back. My flight leaves at 5:37 PM and I land in D.C. at 8:54 PM. Nice
trick, isn't it? Ride a plane for 10 hours and land 3 hours after you
left.
Everyone clears out of Donna's room when I get back. I lay on the bed
with her, careful not to jostle her at all, and pull her into my arms.
"You know if it weren't for Leo, I wouldn't be leaving you."
"You're not leaving me Josh, you're going to work where you are
seriously needed right now. Besides, I'm in very capable hands here
between my parents and your mother. Frankly, I think one of them
should go to look after you. You don't have a very good track record
for taking care of yourself."
"I guess not. I just wish-"
"I know. I do too, but it won't be long before I can fly home."
"That's not good enough."
"It'll have to be. Even Josh Lyman can't increase the rate of a
healing body. Go see Leo, and help the President. Whatever you do,
don't rearrange anything in the office while I'm gone."
"Too late."
"Josh!"
"You were gone a whole week! What was I supposed to do?"
"Leave things alone until I got back?"
"Nah, this way when you come back you'll see how much I need you."
"You should get something to eat before you go to the airport. You
never eat airline food."
"Nope. I am spending every minute until I leave right here."
Chapter 7
It's around 9:30 when I finally get to the White House. I desperately
want to get to GW to see Leo, who is off bypass now, but first there
are a few fires I need to put out. CJ meets me in the lobby and
starts firing off information almost faster than I can take it in.
We're getting world reaction to the President's air strike. Toby and
Will did a great job with his speech and opinion is mostly favorable.
Congress, including Haffley as I predicted, are all standing squarely
behind the President now that the strike has happened. Don't think I
didn't watch CNN and CSPAN in Germany and make a list of the
Congressmen and women I will be visiting later.
I'm having a hard time resisting the urge to call Donna, but it's
2:30 in the morning there and she needs her rest more than I need to
hear her voice...but only just barely. After CJ gives me the update on
her end, I am ushered into the Oval where the President is surrounded
by staff. He doesn't notice me at first. I'm thinking I haven't seen
him look so tired and old before. That's what that job does to you I
guess.
"Josh, welcome back, we're glad to see you." He tells me when he
spots me at the door.
"Thank you sir. I see you've been busy while I've been gone."
"Well, you know, I hate to be bored. Can I have the room please?¨ At
the quiet question everyone quickly exits. "Have a seat Josh."
"Yes, sir. CJ tells me Leo is off bypass."
"I just left him a little while ago. He's weak of course, and he's
not out of the woods yet, but he's in good hands. At least that's
what my wife tells me. Anyway, with Leo out of commission I'm going
to need you to step up to the plate and take over his office."
"I'd be honored to serve as interim Chief of Staff until Leo comes
back."
"Leo isn't coming back, Josh."
"Not for awhile, no, but-"
"Not at all. We talked and I've accepted his resignation. I'm talking
about a permanent position as my Chief of Staff."
"Sir, I'm flattered of course, but I can't accept a permanent
position as Chief of Staff."
"Excuse me?"
"The events of the last couple weeks have caused me to re-evaluate
my priorities and I'm not sure yet what that means in terms of my
current assignment here, but I do know I am not prepared to take
anything more on without talking to- without time to consider the
impact a career move like that would have on my life."
"I need you Josh."
"And I'm here for you sir, just as an interim COS instead of a
permanent one."
"Let's do this. I'll have CJ announce that you're serving as interim
COS. You take some time and see whether it's something you might
be able to take on permanently and I'll ask you again once we've
passed through the current crisis and had time to decompress."
I smile at his obvious chess move, but it's not an unreasonable
request given the circumstances.
"I can live with that, Mr. President, but you need to have a plan B
for when I step down."
"I can live with that. I'll hand the job of developing a plan B over
to my new interim COS." Yeah, I know; check and mate.
At 2 AM the President sends us all to get some sleep and I crash on
Leo's couch. At 3:30 my phone rings and it's Donna. Oh shit. I really
should have called her before I went to sleep. I think about taking
the coward's way out and letting it go to voice mail. I dismiss that
idea quickly. I'm in the White House now and Donna has all those
numbers. She could get in touch with any number of people who work
here and get them to drag my ass to a phone. Time to take my
medicine.
"Hi honey, how're you feeling." I ask her drowsily.
"Don't you 'honey' me, Joshua Lyman. Don't you think you should
have called me with news like this?" Oh, is she pissed. Well, I guess
she has a right to be, even though we talked about this possibility
before I left...in detail.
"I certainly should have." I agree immediately, but this doesn't take
the wind out of her sails as I hoped it might.
"You're damn right you certainly should have. I have to hear the news
that you're the new White House Chief of Staff from CJ? From CJ on
the news?"
"Baby, don't get upset, it's not good for you."
"Then why are you doing things that make me upset, Joshua?"
"It's only temporary." She hurrumphs at me. "It is! I made the
President promise."
"Then why was CJ announcing on the news that the President has
every hope of making it permanent?" She said that? I've got to get a
copy of the news clip. In the meantime, damage control.
"I'm sure they're just trying to present an air of permanence and
stability. We're in the middle of an international crisis here,
Donnatella."
"I'm in the middle of this particular international crisis, Joshua."
"Oh, yeah, that's right."
"That's right. Are you eating anything decent?"
"Yeah, the First Lady brought healthy provisions for all of us."
"How about sleeping?"
"I was sleeping pretty good until the phone woke me. Seriously, I got
plenty of sleep on the plane."
"No you didn't."
"No, I didn't but I got plenty of rest."
"Josh, please take care of yourself and no more life altering
announcements on CNN, okay?"
"I promise. I love you."
"Love you too. Good night."
The world may be going to hell in a hand basket, but in the world of
Josh Lyman, life is pretty good.
Chapter 8
Day 2 Camp David
"What you fail to understand Mr. Lyman, is the oppression that my
people have suffered at the hand of your people in Gaza."
"There aren't any American soldiers in Gaza, Mr. Chairman."
"Not Americans Mr. Lyman, Jews." I laugh, I actually laugh.
"You find the treatment of Palestinians in Gaza humorous?"
"No, I find it humorous that you consider them 'my people'. Toby
Ziegler would tell you I'm hardly qualified to speak on behalf of any
Jews let alone the devout Jews in Gaza. What you fail to understand,
Mr. Chairman, is that my ultimate goal is about a fair, equitable
settlement for both parties, and I'm not about to derail that by
playing favorites based on the religion I was raised in."
"The partition lines drawn-"
"Were arbitrary to begin with, sir. Since that solution pleased
absolutely no one, let's throw the entire thing out the window and
start from scratch." I pause and let my words sink in for a
moment. "We can start over and try to do a better job of this, but we
can't start at all as long as you and the Prime Minister are more
concerned with listing past grievances rather than future plans."
"Future plans are built on the history between us."
"They can't be. I'm sorry sir, but you can hang on to the injustices
done to you or you can forge a new relationship with Israel that will
help your people, but you can't do both. I think they need a new
beginning with Israel more than they need their pride."
"And what of their part in this?"
"I promise you they are getting the same advice from Kate Harper that
I am sharing with you right now. Let' find a compromise. Let' start
with Jerusalem."
"We would be willing to make some concessions on the supervision
and administration of some of the Holy sites."
"Great, let's start there. Name them for me, please."
"We're stuck." I pound my head against the wall I have been standing
up against for the past two hours. "We are so close, and to get stuck
now is-"
"Suicide inducing?" the President chimes in as he digs into another
carton of ice cream.
Kate Harper is lying on the floor and Toby Ziegler is face down on
the couch. To say we have hit rock bottom might be overstating it a
bit. That thought makes me smile as it reminds me of Donna. We talk
several times a day and I get many emails from her reminding me to
dothis or that, but it isn't enough.
Finally, tomorrow she comes home. She still has a long road ahead of
her in terms of rehabilitation and recovery, but I don't know anyone
as strong as Donna. Toby mumbles something from between the
cushions of the couch and I snap back to the present conversation.
"What was that Tobus?"
"I think he said he'd rather have the President read a speech written
by Elmo than go back to the negotiating table." Kate provided and I
laughed.
"Boy, having children has really changed your frame of reference,
hasn't it?" I mock him.
"Just wait until it's your turn. You'll hate Elmo even more than me,
I promise you."
Will comes in with the items typed up that we have been able to get
agreement on so far and gets CJ on the speakerphone to get us all
caught up on the details. Maybe a fresh voice will inspire us.
"Hey, Ceej. Nice work at your 8:00 briefing. Leo will be so proud
when he sees how you rejected the premise of every question in the
room."
"I can only work the material you give me, mi amour. Got anything new
I can announce?"
"Apparently, Elmo will be writing the President's next major
address." I offer.
"Are you guys drunk over there?"
"I wish. You can let them know we've had another day of-"
"Migraines and gastrointestinal issues." Toby interrupts.
"I was thinking more along the lines of progress and open dialogue."
"Well you say potato." Toby puts his face back into the couch
cushions.
"All parties remain hopeful of a positive outcome." Kate adds.
"Sure they do." CJ interjects. "I'm going to need another update
before I throw myself into the lion's den tomorrow at noon. Can we
schedule another conference call at 11?"
"Yes." "Sure" "Works for me" is chorused until I remember something.
"No, I'm not available at 11." The President stops eating ice cream
and looks over at me.
"Have you got a hair cut appointment or something?"
"Donna's flight arrives at 11:28 tomorrow and I'm picking her up."
"Josh-"
"Mr. President, we discussed this. Acting as interim COS doesn't mean
I'm going to change my priorities."
"I am sure if you picked up the phone right now and talked to Leo he
would tell you that some parts of this job require temporary
readjustment of those priorities."
"But I can't talk to Leo right now, Mr. President, since he's
recovering from a massive coronary episode because he didn't have
any balance in his life. He is also divorced because he put his job
before his marriage. I don't intend to make the same mistakes he
did."
"Tell you what, Josh, when your wife starts complaining about your
hours and responsibilities in this job, you can be excused from them."
"Okay, but she's over the Atlantic at the moment, so you'll have to
wait until her plane lands in D.C. at 11:28 tomorrow." Dead silence..
wait for it..
"What the hell are you talking about?" Toby is now sitting up,
staring at me.
"Donna married you?!" This from CJ.
"When did this happen exactly?" the President demands. Will and Kate
just stare with their jaws open.
"We got married the afternoon I left." I decide to answer the
President first since CJ's question was just insulting. "Our parents
were there, and I just didn't want to wait another minute to marry
her."
"Josh, that is so romantic, and completely unlike you." CJ is
laughing.
"Mazel Tov, my friend." Toby gives me a one handed hug. "Asked her
while she was still on major pain medication, huh?"
"I figured it could only help."
"Well, now, Joshua, this changes things a bit. It seems I have
deprived you and Donna of any kind of honeymoon. When you go
pick her up tomorrow, bring her back here with you. Camp David may
not be an ideal Honeymoon spot, but at least you'll be together."
"That's kind of you sir, but we've arranged to have some help for her
at home until I get back."
"Then un-arrange it, got it?"
"Yes, sir." I smirk as I think about what Donna's reaction to
the 'invitation' is going to be. Middle East peace summit, Donna's
return, and a Honeymoon ordered by the President of the United
States. Tomorrow is shaping up to be a very interesting day.
Chapter 9
I look at my watch again, even though Margaret swore to me that she
would alert me when it was time to head to the airport. Three hours
until she lands, and I am an absolute basket case. It's that old
adage; a little knowledge is a dangerous thing. I know enough about
embolisms to know that traveling for several hours, sitting in the
same position can be dangerous in terms of developing more clots.
Yes, she's on medication to thin her blood, and yes, she promised to
do her moving and stretching every hour, but it's not helping my
anxiety.
To further complicate things, the agency I hired to help with Donna's
rehab and recovery didn't pass the secret services' vetting process,
a subject to which I will be returning to later since Ron Butterfield
was pretty sketchy on the details. Now it looks like Donna will be
enjoying the medical skills of the First Lady of the United States
until we can make other arrangements.
I glance at my watch again as I listen to Kate Harper extol the
virtues of the latest compromise and I'm not the only one who has
lost interest. The President notices this as well, and calls for a
break until the afternoon. People get up and scatter before he
changes his mind.
"Getting a little anxious, Josh?" We're the only people left in the
room, the President and I.
"Yes, sir. I don't think I'll be able to relax until she's on the
ground."
"She'll be here very soon now. I know it'll be awhile before she's
fully recovered, but you should think about taking a belated
honeymoon trip when she is."
"I think she'd like that very much, sir. It's going to be tough for
her for awhile. Maybe that would give her something to look forward
to. A long term reward."
"Yes, people can get through almost anything if they know there's a
big payoff in the end." He tells me.
"A big payoff..." I repeat. "A really big payoff...Mr. President, I
think we need to bring our people back in here. I've got an idea."
# # # # # # # # #
I am holding a cardboard sign with the words "Mrs. Lyman" written on
it. I am pretty sure I know how this will be received, but I also
know Mrs. Lyman would expect nothing less from me. Finally she is
pushed down the gate in her wheelchair and her mouth twitches when
she sees my sign.
"Is your Mother coming?" she asks me.
"No, just my beautiful wife."
"Then your sign is wrong. There's no hyphen."
"Donna..." I whine
"We discussed this and I was very clear about having a hyphen."
"I thought it was just the drugs you were on."
"Moss-Lyman with a hyphen, Joshua. You promised."
"Just think of the special treatment you'll get in Washington when
you use Mrs. Lyman."
"You mean from all the enemies you've made in that town?"
"All the enemies? Please. Besides they won't be vocal anymore now
that I'm Chief of Staff."
"Hyphen, Joshua."
"We can discuss it on the way to Camp David. I have a van waiting so
you can stretch out during the trip."
"On the way where?"
"The President has arranged for a personal physician to take care of
you at Camp David."
"I though we already arranged for a nurse to stay with me at your
place."
"Our place, and yes, we did, but the President overruled us on that
one."
"Then by 'personal physician' would you be referring to the First
Lady?"
"Hey, not many people get to say their doctor is the First Lady of
the United States."
"I'd be willing to forego that honor. Josh, I"d really just rather go
home. I don't want everyone to see me like this."
"Like what? Is it the wheelchair that makes you self-conscious or the
lovely compression stockings you have on to prevent clotting?"
"Josh.." she practically growls at me and I smile because I've missed
her growling at me so much over the last week and a half.
"Truly, they are quite fetching. Maybe I'll get you to wear them even
after you're fully recovered. Hey! I can get the ones I wore after
Rosslyn and we'll match!"
"My head is starting to hurt."
"Then I will let you rest during the trip to Camp David and fill you
in on 'the rules' later."
"Excuse me? Rules?" Yeah, she growls again.
"I take your recovery and rehabilitation very seriously. I have a
list of appropriate...let's call them guidelines, drawn up by Dr.
Bartlet and your doctor in Germany." At this point, we get to the van
and my detail helps me ease Donna from the wheelchair into the van
and I take a seat next to her. I gently guide her head down to lay on
my lap and I stroke her hair.
"Just relax and I'll tell you stories of my brilliant foreign policy
ideas."
"That shouldn't take long."
"What happened to love, honor and cherish, Donnatella. Doesn't that
imply supporting and encouraging your husband's ego?"
"Didn't read it in the fine print."
"It was in German." I quip and start to fill her in on how
negotiations are going. Donna's here and I get to bounce my ideas off
her brilliant, quirky mind. It feels right and comfortable all at the
same time. I was a little afraid that getting married might change
how we work together, but after our conversation/debate on the way to
Camp David, I realize that fear was unfounded. This is how it was
meant to be all along.
Chapter 10
A/N: Big, big, HUGE thanks to Amy for her medical information and
willingness to answer my ignorant questions about medical procedures
and rehabilitation. She is an amazing resource and any mistakes of
medical lingo or descriptions are mine alone.
Well, we've laid the groundwork for the big push with the chairman
and the Prime Minister. It took several hours to get through all the
details and answer their questions, but it's out of our hands now. I
return to my cabin to find Donna being tortured under the supervision
of the First Lady. Apparently, the First Lady believes Donna capable
of doing a couple more reps of stretching and Donna feels that she is
not. They don't come right out and say this of course, but my keen
people skills pick up the sub-text.
"I notice you stand out of my reach when you say that." Donna is
telling her.
"Stretch a little farther and maybe you'll be able to reach me
tomorrow." Dr. Bartlet replies.
"You better hope not, Abby, or you're going to need that secret
service protection of yours."
"5 more Donna and we can call it quits for the night."
"Who the hell is WE?"
"5 more."
"No way. I am done. Do you hear me? Done."
"Well, you'll be done after you do 5 more. Until then you're just a
pain in the ass."
"Abby, I can't! I seriously can't! Just help me get back in bed."
Donna is now on the verge of tears and I can't have that.
"Here, let's get you-" I start only to have Abby slap me away from
Donna.
"Get out, Josh." She orders me.
"Mrs. B., she's had a long day. Let her just rest for now."
"She's going to have a lot of long days, Joshua. You of all people
know that recovery is a long, painful process. Now go away until
we're done and then you two can bitch about me later." I meet her
eyes and see two things: sympathy and determination. It's the
combination of those two that seal the deal for me.
"Okay, Donna, let's finish up here. The President promised there'd be
French fries on the menu for you tonight. 5 more and you can steal as
many off my plate as you want." Abby nods at me in encouragement.
"Josh, I can't. My leg is throbbing and cramping so badly." She turns
on the waterworks and even uses the pout, but I know Abby is right.
"You can do it, Donna. You're the strongest person I know. Just think
of it as one more to get you started. That's how you'd always trick
me, remember? You'd say 'One more Josh' like 10 times in a row and
I'd be so busy listening to your voice I wouldn't notice how many '1
mores' you were telling me."
"Yeah, but I'm not likely to fall for that shit, now am I? And why do
I have to have the First Lady doing this to me? I can't even hit her
because of the secret service."
"Well, the first rehab provider didn't pass vetting due to some
unfortunate choices he made in his past." I tell her trying to
distract her. "One more now."
"What unfortunate choices?"
"Did you know someone can be a licensed therapist even if they have
a felony conviction..or two?" I ask her. "Now another one, good job."
"A felony conviction? You hired a felon to do my rehab?" Now she's
pumping her leg in the stretches without my encouragement.
"In all fairness, you were always the one to research and vet people
we needed before this. So, it's really your own fault that it was
left to me."
"You couldn't ask Margaret, or I don't know, one of Toby's twins to
help you?"
"I wanted to do it myself. You know, to show you I could take care of
YOU instead of always the other way around."
"That didn't work so well for me, did it?"
"Sure it did. You've got Dr. Bartlet here, one of the greatest
physicians in the country, personally overseeing your rehab, and
because of me we found out the other guy had drug and assault
convictions." I smile like I personally saved her from a dope dealing
thug. Abby laughs.
"Okay, Donna, you did ten! You are done for the day. Josh, why don't
you go bring some food back for your wife while I get her settled
back in bed to rest?" Abby decides.
Donna is still scowling at both of us, but I'm smiling so hard my
dimples about bust off my face 'cause Dr. Bartlet just said 'your
wife'. So I do as I'm told and go get her some food.
# # # # # # # # #
After dinner, I take Donna for a wheelchair ride through Camp David.
We stop on a bridge to just take it all in.
"The President says I should take you for a belated honeymoon when
you're well enough."
"That would be nice." She's still very quiet; has been since I walked
in on the end of her therapy session with Dr. Bartlet.
"I think you should pick where we go. Think of someplace special and
make the arrangements. It might help to have something to work
towards." I tell her.
"Why bother? The Chief of Staff can't just take off on a vacation
with all these high level meetings going on." She's not even looking
at me now, so I squat down next to her and turn her chair around
until we're eye to eye.
"I'm interim Chief of Staff and I already promised you we come first
in my list of priorities. I'm sorry about before, Donna, but I
thought Mrs. B. was right. You're going to have to push past your
comfort level. It's the only way to get you better."
"And what if I don't?" she asks quietly.
"Excuse me? Where is this coming from?" I ask puzzled.
"I can read a medical report. There was severe damage to my leg
bones and muscles. There's a chance I won't be able to fully recover."
"There is no chance of that. It is going to take hard work, no
question, but you are going to fully recover. I promise you that."
Tears slide down her cheeks and I want to take this burden away from
her so badly, but I can't. Instead, I simply hold her.
Will comes running over to the bridge and gestures me over to him.
"What's up? Did we get an answer from someone already?"
"I think you need to come back with me. Can you leave Donna with Dr.
Bartlet?"
"Why? What's going on?"
"CJ just called. There's something she wants you to see." There's an
urgent tone to his voice I don't like, but I don't want to ignore it
either.
"Yeah, okay, will you bring Donna back for me?" he nods. "Donna, I
need to go check on something for CJ. I'll come get you as soon as
I'm done." She nods sadly but smiles to let me know she understands.
When I get to our conference room, it's so quiet you could hear a pin
drop. This does not bode well.
"I'm here, what's so important?"
"CJ wanted us to show you this tape." Ed says without making eye
contact with me.
The TV turns on and the tape rolls. It is Colin Ayres and he is being
interviewed from a studio in London. He begins with his first hand
account of the bombing in Gaza and goes on to discuss his close
relationship with a top White House Aid. My blood is already boiling
when he segues into my appearance in Germany and how I was
orchestrating top secret meetings with Palestinian officials there.
I sink down into a chair as I think through the implications of this
interview. The Prime Minister is going to blow a gasket as he already
thinks I'm leaning too much in favor of the Palestinians. I keep
going with this line of thought as Ayres drones on about the
impossibility of peace in Gaza. Apparently, he's a photojournalist
and a foreign policy expert...how handy.
"First, we need to shut this guy up. Why didn't we get a heads up on
this before it aired? Never mind, that's water under the bridge.
Next, someone besides me needs to see that the Prime Minister gives
no credence to anything Ayres says." I stop because I'm interrupted
by the entrance of the President.
"Good evening, sir."
"Josh. How bad is it?" he asks me.
"Pretty bad, Mr. President, but it'll get worse if you don't send
someone to talk to Prime Minister Zahavy immediately." I hardly have
the words out of my mouth, however, when the man himself appears. I
ask the rest of the staff for the room.
"Mr. President. Mr. Lyman. I came here in good faith in an effort to
reach a peaceful agreement with Chairman Farad, even though I had
grave misgivings about his trustworthiness. Never did I think I had
to question the trustworthiness of the members of the Unites States
delegation!" He is practically shouting now.
"Mr. Prime Minister, I assure you-" I start but the President
interrupts me.
"That's insulting, sir. EVERYONE has come here in good faith to
negotiate peace. Yes, Josh did meet with Palestinian officials in
Germany, on my orders, but the sole purpose of that meeting was to
facilitate this one. That's all."
"I don't believe you Mr. President. It's been obvious to me from the
beginning that Mr. Lyman has sided with the Palestinians on these
issues. I can no longer stay here and participate in this farce. The
Israeli delegation will be leaving first thing tomorrow morning." He
marches out without giving us an opportunity to respond.
"That could have gone worse." Says the President grimacing.
"How exactly is that, sir?"
"They could have left immediately." He quips.
"Got any brilliant ideas for how to get him to stay?"
"As a matter of fact I do." He walks over to me and puts his arms
around my shoulder. "I think it's time you introduce Prime Minister
Zahavy to your lovely wife."
"I'll get right on that, sir, as soon as I take care of Colin
Ayres.
"Fine, but take care of him quickly. He's not worth any of your time
to begin with."
"Yes sir."
Priorities
chapters 1-5
Priorities
chapters 6-10
Priorities chapters
11-15
Priorities
chapters 16-20
Priorities
chapters 21-25
Priorities
chapters 26-30
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