| Extra Credit Chapters 11-15 Chapter 11 After they finished dessert, Josh went with Donna to pick up Jake before taking them both home. He played with Jake a bit, crashing matchbox cars, before Donna declared it was past Jake's bedtime. He stayed while Donna tucked her son into bed. When she was finished she joined him on the couch; exhausted. "I think it may be past your bedtime, too." Josh noted as he put his arm around her shoulders and she laid her head against him. "Yeah, we both have early mornings tomorrow." Donna agreed, but neither moved. "Is tomorrow book store day or waitress day?" Josh asked referring to Donna's two jobs. "Bookstore day." She replied "Good. I like you working there much better." Donna bristled. Josh had made it perfectly clear during previous conversations that he didn't like her waitress job. "It's only for a few more months, until I complete my Masters. Then I'll get a safe, boring, government job, I promise." "Okay, okay. I really need to go. I have senior staff at 7 tomorrow. Walk me to the door?" Donna nodded and followed Josh to the door, but before she could open it, he leaned in and pressed his forehead against hers. "I couldn't help but notice that when you said `goodnight' to Jake, you gave him a kiss too." "That is part of the standard `goodnight' ritual. Keeping a `goodnight' routine is very important to children. It establishes an emotional bond, builds trust, and develops a sense of order and predictability in their lives." Donna explained. "Boy, I sure could use some order and predictability in my life." He hinted. "I've seen your office Joshua. I think it may be too late for you." she teased. "I think in the interest of scientific research, we should conduct an experiment to see if a goodnight routine increases order and predictability in my world." "I really don't want to impede scientific discovery…" Donna tilted her head up until her lips met Josh's. The first kiss was gentle and full of curiosity. Josh pulled back for a moment to read the expression in Donna's eyes. Finding the answer he was looking for, he leaned back towards her to kiss her with increasing passion. Soon, Donna felt herself being walked back into the family room and gently pushed Josh away. "Josh, 7:00 senior staff; remember?" she reminded him and began walking back towards the door. This time she got it open before he leaned against it. "That's all your fault too." He pretended to complain. "How is an early senior staff meeting my fault?" "When the President read my briefing memo on unfunded mandates in special ed programs, he insisted we get on it immediately, which means early staff." He explained. Donna's mouth fell open as he revealed the topic of his senior staff meeting. Josh gently closed it before he dropped one more kiss on her lips and walked out calling, "Goodnight Donnatella." Chapter 12 A/N: Okay, if I did this right, you should need kleenex by the end of this chapter...fair warning. She still hadn't recovered from dessert with Josh's sister and father, even though two weeks had passed, and now he wanted her to go with him when he met his parents for dinner. Was he nuts? He must be, since he wanted her to bring Jake,too. Hadn't he learned the hard way that dinner out with a pre-schooler was dicey at best? To be fair, Josh was always patient with Jake. It's true that he laughed when Jake threw his food at the waiter stating, "The kid's right. This place is pretentious and the waiter was being snooty. Let's get out of here." He also tried his best to keep up with the signing conversation, even though he was depressed to learn finger spelling was wasted on Jake since he couldn't yet spell. Josh simply decided he would teach Jake to spell despite the fact that Jake hadn't turned 5 yet. However Donna knew from experience that it would be a disaster to combine dinner out with Josh's parents and Jacob. In the end, they did as they always did, and reached a compromise. Donna would bring Jake to dinner with Josh's parents as long as they had it as Josh's apartment. Josh was okay having it at his apartment as long as they brought dinner in so no one had to cook or clean up afterwards. That worked fine for Donna and Ruth (Josh's Mom) since neither of them was stupid and knew Josh wouldn't be the one cooking or cleaning. So everyone was pleased with the solution that had Josh opening his door to Noah and Ruth Lyman for dinner with Donna and Jacob Moss. Josh hugged both his parents and ushered them into the living room as he got them something to drink. Ruth was happily surprised to see several pre-school toys scattered about the place. She had received reports from both her husband and her daughter about Donna Moss and heard about Jake from Josh himself, but this tangible proof of her son's relationship pleased her very much. "Donna and Jake should be here any minute. I hope they beat the food; we ordered Italian tonight. Jake loves spaghetti. How was your trip out?" "Fine, but we both agreed it's time for you to make the trip out to see us for a change." Noah replied. "Why don't you have this conversation with Leo, Dad? I'm sure if you asked him, he'd arrange for some time off so I could make the trip." "Good idea. In fact, I'll have your Mother call him. He could never say `no' to your Mother." Noah smiled as he concocted the plan. Ruth and Noah jumped as there was a loud banging on Josh's door. Josh just smiled and went to answer the door. "Don't worry, we're not under attack. That's just Jake announcing himself." Josh told them as he opened the door. Jake launched himself at Josh and gave him a hug before starting to sign to him. Donna followed cautiously behind her son. She was still a little nervous about this evening. "Wow, slow down, buddy, you know I can't go that fast. What are you saying about your Mom?" "He's telling you his mean mom wouldn't let him eat before we came tonight." Donna interpreted. "He wants you to get him a snack because he's hungry." Josh shook his head while he signed `sorry, no'. "Spaghetti will be here soon. Come with me, Jake." He took Jake's hand and led him over to where his parents were sitting. Then he hunkered down so he was at Jake's eye level before he simultaneously signed and said, "Jake this is my Mom and Dad." Both Lymans smiled and said `hello' before turning to Donna. Ruth got up and met her halfway across the room. "And this must be Donna. I'm Ruth, Donna, and I can't tell you how nice it is to finally meet you." "The pleasure is mine, Ruth. Noah, it's nice to see you again." "You too, Donna. You have a handsome young man here, Donna." The young man was currently half hidden behind Josh's legs. Donna, Ruth, and Noah all smiled at the picture that made. If any members of Congress saw him like this, they might think Bartlett's pitbull had lost a few teeth. Then there was another knock at the door. Josh tapped Jake's shoulder and signed, `dinner is here'. Jake's face lit up and he ran to the door, pulling Josh behind him. Dinner itself, was uneventful, though the area around Jake was pretty messy. When Jake was done with his spaghetti, Donna washed his face and took him into the living room to find something for him to play with while the adults finished their wine. "Jake is certainly a charmer, Joshua." Ruth commented. "Donna has done an amazing job with him; 2 jobs, school, and a child with special needs. That's quite a load to handle." Josh replied. "A heavy load is always easier to carry when you have a partner, don't you think?" she asked innocently. "Don't start, Mom. We're not there yet." Josh warned. "I'm not starting anything, Joshua. You started this. There are toys in your living room, bibs in your kitchen, and you're learning sign language. I don't know what that adds up to in your alternate universe, but to a mother, it means-" "I'm telling you it doesn't mean anything. Look, I enjoy being with Donna, who wouldn't? Jake is a great kid. I need to know some sign to communciate with him. That doesn't mean I'm ready for a family. The toys, the bibs, that's just about convenience okay?" Josh got up and started to clear dishes, getting more and more defensive as he built up steam. "It's a pain to go out with a pre-schooler so mostly we hang out here or at Donna's. When we're here we need things to keep Jacob clean and entertained. It's that simple. Just convenience; it's all about convenience, got it?" he turned around from gathering dishes and found Donna standing in the doorway looking stricken. Josh's heart fell to his knees. "Donna- " "I'm sorry Ruth, Noah, but Jake's getting tired and crabby. I think it would be best if I took him home now. It was really nice to see you both." Donna turned to collect Jake from the other room, where, Josh noted, he was playing quite happily with the checkers board Josh had purchased for him. "Donna, wait, let me explain." he began. "No explanation necessary, Joshua. We both agreed we would just see where this goes, right?" "Please, Donna, let me take you and Jake home. We can tuck him in and then you and I can talk this out." "I drove my car here, Josh." Donna walked past him and told Jake it was time to go. Jake protested, signing that Josh promised to play checkers with him after dinner. They argued back and forth, both their signs becoming more urgent and heated. Josh couldn't follow all of it, but he caught Donna signing the words `mom is sick" and finally Jacob capitulated. Donna picked him up and headed for the door. "Donna, you're upset. You shouldn't be driving. Leave your care here, and let me take you home." "I'm sorry, Joshua. That just isn't 'convenient' for me." Donna opened the door and walked out without another word; Jacob waving goodbye to Josh over his Mother's shoulder. Now Josh felt sick. Donna wearily got out of her car, exhaustion in her every step. She and Jacob had spent the night at Molly's, but she had no change of clothes for work today, so here she was at 7 AM looking like something that cat dragged in as she walked up the sidewalk to her townhouse. When she got there, she stopped short. Sitting on her front step was none other than the White House Deputy Chief of Staff, looking no better than she did. "You're trespassing, Joshua. What are you doing here?" "I need to talk to you, Donna. You have to let me explain." Donna started to contradict him. "Okay, you don't have to let me explain, but I would be so grateful if you would give me the chance to explain. Five minutes, Donna, then I'll leave without another word if that's what you want." Donna hesitated, then walked past him to unlock the door and enter her townhouse. She left the door open, so Josh took that as an invitation to go in. "How long have you been sitting there, anyway?" she asked as she made herself some coffee. "Which time? The first time I came out was about an hour after you left my place. The second time was around midnight, and let me tell you panic began to set in by then, Donna. I had all sorts of images of you and Jacob helpless in a ditch somewhere because of me." Donna flinched at that image of herself. "After I called the hospitals and was assured you hadn't been brought in by ambulance, I finally wised up and called Molly. She told me that you and Jake were there safe and sound and that I should stay the hell away from you since she watched you cry yourself to sleep over the stupid things I said." "I need to get ready for work, Josh." "But she must have felt a little sorry for me, because she called me 15 minutes ago to tell me you were on your way here to get some fresh clothes. She also said I shouldn't make her regret giving me this heads up…God, Donna, I am so sorry. I didn't know what I was saying or why I was saying it. Mom started making comments about how serious things looked between us and I panicked!" "Things have progressed quickly between us I guess, but the transition has been so smooth that I didn't realize how invested I was in this relationship until Mom started ticking off the points out loud. I was trying to get Mom to back off, so I downplayed what you and Jake mean to me. It was wrong, absolutely wrong, and I know I hurt you, but I need you to forgive me, Donna." "You have to forgive me because as I sat here waiting for you to come home, as I called every hospital in the area, I realized that I'm way past the point of no return here. Donna, I love you. It's that simple. I love you and I love Jake and I need you both in my life." When Josh dared to look up at Donna, he saw tears running down her face and her hands were shaking. "Joshua Lyman, you are without doubt, the most exasperating man I have ever met. You worm your way into my heart, and Jake's, when itwas the last thing I wanted. Your ego is the size of a small planet, but it has to be somewhat justified, cause I'll be damned if there isn't a bill in the House of Representatives requiring full Federal funding for early childhood special education." "You let my son beat you at Candyland, and pretend he knows how to play checkers because you know it makes him feel grown up and connected to you. You let me start to hope and fall in love with you and then you cut me off at the knees in front of your parents. You broke my heart, Joshua." "I know and I'm so sorry. Will you please forgive me, Donna?" There was the longest pause in Josh's life, and then, "Don't ever do it again." At her words, he pulled her into his arms and rocked her where they stood. After a minute, Josh cleared his throat to speak. "Donna, while we're clearing the air here, I think there's something you should know." Josh began and Donna pulled out of his arms to look at him. "What is it?" "I don't `let' Jake win at Candyland." "Joshua!" "I think he's figured out a way to stack the deck, Donna. Your son is cheating. No way someone `randomly' pulls double blue cards two times in a row." "Joshua…" "We have to stop this cheating behavior now, Donna, or he could grow up to be a Republican. How disastrous would that be?" Donna laughed as she poured them each a cup of coffee. "I think we should get together tonight and confront him about the cheating, just lay the cards out on the table, so to speak." "Well, I work until 5, but you could come over after that, at which time I will supervise a game of Candyland to determine whether or not there is a cheating issue that needs to be addressed." "I can live with that…wait! Damn, I forgot all about the town hall meeting tonight. See how you distract me? We've been prepping for it all week; I don't know how I could forget about it." "That's okay, Josh, I know your job is important. We can do something tomorrow?" "I don't want to wait until tomorrow. Let's have dinner together before the thing. It will have to be in the mess, but at least we'll get to spend some time together." "I don't like to bother you when you're at work." "Come on Donna, bring Jake and have dinner with me. I don't have to leave for the Newseum to staff the President until 7. That gives us plenty of time. I could probably get you extra credit in your grad school class…" "What makes you think I need extra credit, Joshua Lyman?" "Okay, how about a job reference from the Deputy Chief of Staff?" "How about you spring for dinner, and clean up Jake afterwards?" "Deal." Chapter 14 Later, his friends would comment on the picture they made sitting together in the mess; how they had never seen Josh Lyman looking so happy and relaxed. There would be speculation about the effect this woman was having on the White House Deputy Chief of Staff and curiosity about when he learned to sign. Rebecca would recount how her job B.D. (before Donna) had been amiserable position deserving of hazardous duty pay, but A.D. (after Donna) it was a pleasant and productive position to have. Josh got his own damn coffee, either used the intercom or came to her desk to talk to her, and always remembered to do something nice for her when she stayed extra late for a project or did something a little out of her job description. Sam would recall Jake's laughter as Sam mangled the signs he was trying to teach him and how Josh's face filled with pride when Jake beat Sam at Candyland which Jake had brought with him to the White House. C.J. engaged Donna in a discussion about the special ed bill and got some new insight into what this would mean to families who have children with special needs. She also got some insight into Donna's relationship with her friend. Donna was warm, bright, funny, and a joy to be around. C.J. wondered if Josh realized he was in love with her yet. Josh headed to the Newseum in the Presidential limo and didn't even mind as the President talked on and on about the girls softball game that he would be watching after the town hall. Donna felt like she flew home from the White House. She and Jacob went through their regular night time routine and both of them couldn't keep the smiles off their faces. Donna allowed Jake to `con' her into 2 stories at bedtime, before she finally turned off his light and kissed his forehead goodnight. Since she wouldn't get to spend time with Josh tonight, she decided to catch up on the household chores she had been putting off. She cleaned the kitchen while she danced to the music playing on the radio. She scrubbed the floor, made out a grocery list and was just folding the last load of laundry, when the music abruptly stopped. "Ladies and Gentlemen, we are interrupting our broadcast to bring you this breaking news: Shots have been fired at President Bartlett following his town hall meeting this evening. Witnesses reported hearing between 3-6 shots which appeared to be fired directly at President Bartlett and his staff. We have no confirmation on the President's condition at this time. As soon as we have more information, we will pass it on to all of you… Donna slowly sat down on the floor; the clothes she had been folding still in her hands. "Josh…." Chapter 15 Shit. Shit. Shit….Where is it? Where is it? He gave it to Jake and Jake gave it to me. I was wearing my tan pants, blue jacket, and had my small black purse, so it HAD to be in one of those places. No sign of it in the purse. Okay, what about the blue jacket? Nope, not in there either. That leaves the tan pants…Where did I put the pants… Donna searched her room frantically looking for tan pants that might contain the business card Sam had given Jake earlier in the evening. It had been a bit of a joke… (flashback) "He says he knows Josh is more important that you, because Josh has a card with his name and all his phone numbers on it" Donna relayed her son's reasoning to Sam. "Oh, yeah, well so do I, hotshot." and with that Sam presented his card to Jake with a flourish. Jake immediately handed the card to Josh for verification. "It says `Sam Seaborn, White House Jester." Josh quipped which only confused Jake more. So instead of explaining, Josh began to sign each of the letters in Sam's name. He was so determined to teach Jake to spell. When they'd gone through it twice Jake handed the card to his mother, clearly unimpressed. Everyone had laughed, except Sam. Donna put the card in the front pocket of her pants. (back to present) Donna was thrilled to have remembered where she put it until she realized she had thrown the pants in the last load of wash. Digging through the freshly laundered clothes she reached into the pocket of her pants, saying every prayer she remembered and pulled out a jumble of shredded paper that used to be Sam's business card. She started to cry. She wouldn't have needed the damn thing if Josh or anyone who worked for him would simply answer the damn phone. She has been in the bull pen. She knew there were tons of people swarming through the place constantly. Why did no one answer? Suddenly, her home phone rang, and she made a dive for it, answering it before it could ring a second time. "Josh?!" Donna waited for him to answer her, but there was only silence for a moment. "Donna, it's Sam." "Sam, are you okay? Is everyone alright? No one on TV seems to know anything and Josh isn't answering his phone. I'm sure it's chaotic there now, but what is the point of having a cell phone if you don't use it in case of emergencies-" "Donna…." There was a long, emotionally charged pause as Sam struggled to find the right words. "No. No, Sam. I'm glad you're alright, but I need to speak to Josh now. Please put Josh on the phone. He can go back to running the country in a minute, but I need to talk to him first, please." "Donna, listen to me.. "No. no. no!" "A car from the White House is coming to pick you up. They should be there any moment. Josh needs you to come down here to GW." "Sam?" "Just get in the car, Donna. I'll be waiting here at the door for you to make sure you can get through security." "But Sam…Jake. What will I do about Jake?" Donna wondered aloud. "Bring him with you, Donna. I'll take care of him once you get here. Just get you and Jake into the car as quickly as possible. Josh needsyou." "Okay, okay. I'll get Jake right now." she promised as she hung up the phone. Just as Sam predicted, the car from the White House was waiting outside for her when she exited her townhouse with a sleeping Jake in her arms. The ride to GW was a blur and seemed to take forever. Even after they arrived, it was going to take several minutes for the car to be cleared through the roadblocks that had been set up. Finally, Donna just opened her door and walked the rest of the way to the emergency room entrance with Jake on her shoulder. The voice inside her head kept saying, `Hurry, hurry'. She saw Sam the moment she stepped inside. He took Jake from her and whisked her into an elevator. From there, they went down a long corridor past several more secret service agents and into a private waiting room. Still, Sam didn't say a word and Donna's heartbeat got faster and faster. She wanted to ask the question, but was afraid of the answer. Sam put Jake down on one of the couches and seated Donna next to him before he crouched down in front of her. "Sam?" There were a hundred questions in that one word. "Donna, Josh was shot in the assassination attempt tonight. It's very serious, but that's all I know right now. Dr. Bartlett was going to get an update for us; look, here she is now. Ma'am. This is Donna Moss. Can you tell us what you found out?" "Donna, we have the best doctors in the region helping Josh right now. Take a breath, Donna. That's it. He sustained some serious damage from the bullet. It caused his lung to collapse, broke 2 ribs and nicked an artery in his heart." Donna gasped. "The biggest issues right now are repairing the damage to his heart and stopping the internal bleeding. They will likely be operating for the next several hours. Is there someone who can pick up your son?" "My…my sister Molly." "Okay, maybe we can give her a call in a little bit." "Dr. Bartlett, did they say…those injuries sound very serious. Did they say what his chances are?" No, Donna." Abby lied. "Even if they gave us numbers, those statistics can't measure the single best predictor in these cases and that's the personal will of the injured person. Do you know anyone who has more personal will than Josh Lyman? I don't. So let's take it one step at a time and not think about all the `what ifs' okay?" "Yes, Ma'am." Donna looked up at the clock as Sam took her hand in his. It read 11:43. It was going to be a very long night. |