Chapter 13
“You’re looking better.” Ainsley commented when she got to Donna’s room just
before lunch.
“20 hours straight of lower blood pressure. I’d celebrate, but it might pump my
numbers back up.” Donna drawled.
“Nah…if you weren’t pregnant we’d be having cocktails to celebrate right now.”
“If I weren’t pregnant, I wouldn’t be here in the first place.”
“Fair point.” Ainsley admitted. “They’re still planning on springing you this
afternoon?”
“I’ll have one more check in with my doctors during round this afternoon and as
long as my numbers hold, I’m out of here.” Donna sighed. “Have you seen Josh
today?”
“No, I haven’t seen him since last night. I know he was planning on going back
to the office after we left the airport, and he mentioned something about
interviewing a media consultant after lunch today. That’s all I know. Haven’t you
spoken to him today?”
“Yes, I talked to him twice, but it was quick and he sounded distracted.” Donna
replied.
“He’s been working on the responses to the 527 ads, I know.” Ainsley added.
“Yeah…I just feel out of the loop, you know?”
“Sure. How could you not? You’re usually up to your eyeballs in all of this and
suddenly the rug has been pulled out from under you and you’re cut off from
everyone and everything.”
“Now I feel much better.” Donna rolled her eyes.
“I didn’t mean it like that.” Ainsley rubbed Donna’s arm. “You’ll be back in your
own bed by dinner and I don’t have anything going on tonight or tomorrow, so I’
ll catch you up and we’ll do some campaign strategizing of our own. Deal?”
“Deal.” Donna smiled her appreciation of Ainsley’s thoughtfulness.
***********************************
Josh skidded to a stop in front of Donna’s door. “Hey, I’m here.” He said out of
breath.
“I was about to call a cab.” Donna admitted getting out of bed.
“Sorry. I got caught up in an interview and it was hard to exit gracefully without
appearing to be ducking the guys’ questions.” Josh explained. Donna reached
down for her bag of personal items, but Josh intercepted her and took it himself.
“Can we please go home? Or at least go to our temporary home?” Donna
asked wearily.
“That’s what I’m here for.” Josh smiled, trying to lighten the mood. “I thought we’
d pick up some food on the way there, then you and I can have a family dinner
with Ben and Mom.”
“I’m not really hungry.” Donna replied.
“There isn’t any disgusting food you’re craving?” Josh asked.
“No, I’m just craving a quiet place to escape medical personnel.”
“That I can provide, but I’m still going to stop to get some food in case you get
hungry later.” Josh planted a quick kiss on her forehead. “I’ve missed you so
much.”
“You’ve been too busy to miss anybody.” Donna responded. “Ruth said you
never even went home last night.”
“It was after 2 when Fred and I finished. It would have wasted time to drive all
the way home only to turn around and drive back a few hours later, so I just
crashed on my couch.” Josh took her arm and led her out of the hospital room.
“Besides, I don’t like sharing our bed with Ben; he kicks.”
Donna gave him the first genuine smile he’d seen since his arrival. “I’ve missed
his kicks.”
“Sorry, you’ll have to forego them again tonight. Tonight, it’s just you and me….
and Ladonna, of course.” Josh teased.
“Joshua…” Donna growled good naturedly at him.
******************************************
“She did. She said ‘Dada’!” Sam insisted.
“Unfortunately, she said it while she was playing with her doll.” Ainsley pointed
out.
“She was calling to me, to bring my attention to the doll.” Sam corrected.
“Yeah…you have got the spin thing down pat.” Ainsley laughed. “Caitlin, come
see Mommy.”
Caitlin expertly maneuvered herself from a sitting position to her stomach where
she was able to army crawl to her mom. Sam’s eyes bugged out.
“Hey! No fair!” Sam protested. “You’ve been practicing with her while I’ve been
gone.”
“You snooze, you lose, Samuel.” Ainsley sing-songed. “Caitlin knows the
difference between her doll and her dad.”
“That’s it. I’m staying right here until-“ Sam broke off as he felt the ground move
beneath him.
“Sam?” Ainsley held Caitlin tightly in her arms. Sam grabbed Ainsley and
shoved them quickly under a desk next to an interior wall. The rumbling
continued for a bit before Sam felt safe enough to move everyone back out.
Sam grabbed the remote to turn on the TV. Reports were coming in about a
major quake in the San Francisco area; registering 6.6 on the Richter scale.
Emergency responses were already underway.
“The Bayfront Expressway and the Dumbarton Bridge…damn.” Sam muttered
as he read the breaking news ticker noting areas that had been damaged. He
picked up the phone and called Josh.
“Everybody alright over there?” was Sam’s first question.
“Fine.” Josh reported. “Though we’re seriously reconsidering our move out
here.”
“Hey, you can’t move back until you’ve experienced the mudslides and
wildfires.” Sam replied, relieved his friend’s family was safe. “The emergency
response teams have already been mobilized. The news ticker is reporting
damage to the Bayfront Expressway and the Dumbarton Bridge. San Francisco
is reporting extensive structural damage.”
“I’m looking at it.” Josh told him. “It measured 6.6?”
“That’s what I heard. Listen, I’m going to ride up to San Francisco; see what
kind of help they need.”
“Pick me up on your way out.” Josh instructed before he hung up the phone to
tell Donna about the change in plans.
*************************************
“I’ll read it to you, Benjamin.” Ruth tried to cajole her Grandson away from his
mother, but he wasn’t having any of it.
“Mommy weed it.” He replied firmly. He hadn’t moved from Donna’s side since
she got home from the hospital. Donna couldn’t say she minded at all.
“He’s fine, Ruth.” Donna assured her mother in law. “I missed him so much. I
missed all of you.”
“We missed you too. I’m just relieved you and this baby girl are doing okay. I
can’t believe my son took off like that on your first day home.”
“He and Sam will be able to help a lot with all their combined disaster response
experience.” Donna answered, although Ruth thought it sounded weak. “What
book did you bring me, Ben?”
“Go, Dog, Go.” Ben informed her. It was his favorite book and he had it
memorized, but he still liked his mom to read it to him. He liked it best when his
mom and dad both read it to him and they did the funny voices, but he was
happy to settle for his mom.
Donna had decided to endure her ‘bed rest’ on the living room couch so she
could at least feel like she was involved in the activity going on around her. As
she read the book to Ben she could hear the faint hum of the television in the
kitchen and could pick out the occasional word or two from the breaking news
reports.
She tried not to worry about Josh being in the thick of things in the city where
there had been damage from the earthquake. Wisconsin didn’t suffer from that
particular act of God and she hadn’t ever felt one personally before. While she
knew they were a good distance from the epicenter, that shaking had been
enough to scare her very well. Josh had insisted on taking her blood pressure
before he left with Sam.
She had just finished the book when she heard Sam’s voice through the
television.
“Ruth? Can you turn that up please?” Donna requested and Ruth immediately
complied.
“Daddy!” Ben shouted when he spotted his father on the screen behind Sam.
They were directing Red Cross volunteers and helping to unload cases of water.
“Yes, there’s Daddy.” Donna confirmed.
“California’s emergency response system is among the best in the country.
Despite the tragic loss of life and structural damage we’ve endured today, we
should be very proud of the volunteers and well executed emergency
procedures. I’ve spoken to President Santos personally and he will be declaring
a Federal disaster area and dispatching FEMA to help in the recovery process.”
“Senator Taylor issued a statement about-“
“I’m not interested in Senator Taylor’s statement.” Sam interrupted. “We’re here
to help in the recovery effort today. There will be plenty of time to campaign for
Governor once this work is done.” Sam turned away from the camera and took
a case of water from Josh’s hands and walked it into the emergency shelter.
“You could have responded to Taylor’s statement.” Rose pointed out as she
followed Sam inside.
“Who are you?” Sam asked.
“I’m your new media consultant.”
“I thought I already had one of those. Josh?” Sam called to his campaign
manager. “This woman says she’s my new media consultant.”
“Yeah, I hired her yesterday.” Josh confirmed. “Rosita Sanchez, this is Sam
Seaborn.”
“Will you explain to Ms. Sanchez that I don’t do politics at a disaster site?” Sam
spoke to Josh but kept his gaze firmly locked on Ms. Sanchez.
“No, we wouldn’t want ANYONE to think you have a commanding presence in
the face of a Federal disaster.” Rose said sarcastically. “I managed to get 3
affiliates here to cover your work in the relief and recovery effort. The least you
could do is respond to their questions.”
“Josh…” Sam’s tone was getting into the danger area.
“Rose, back off.” Josh directed her. “Sam, relax. She’s just doing her job.”
“Maybe I don’t want someone working for me who looks at this scene and thinks
about the political upside.” Sam replied heatedly.
“Then it’s a good thing I work for Josh Lyman and not for you, isn’t it?” Rose
snapped back.
“Enough!” Josh shouted. “Back to your neutral corners. Rose, we have serious
work to do here. Do whatever you need to do, but you’ll do it from a minimum of
50 feet away from Sam.”
Rose huffed and turned on her heel to schmooze the press.
“I already have a media consultant and I know you know that because you’re
married to her.” Sam whispered urgently. “So what the hell…”
“Donna can’t do media consulting now, Sam. She can’t do it. And if you think
there’s anyone more upset about that than me, you’re dead wrong. Even at
100% Donna would have been out of her element here. She’d have pulled it
together, but…She can’t do it now. Rose Sanchez has the contacts and
experience we need right now.”
“I don’t like her.” Sam stated.
“You don’t have to. She can do her job from a distance. Leave it to me.” Josh
walked away.
Sam thought about what Josh had said. There probably wouldn’t be anyone
Sam would approve of when it came to taking Donna’s place on the campaign
staff. But Josh was right. They needed someone to cover it and Josh, even with
Billy’s help couldn’t do it. Sam let out a sigh of defeat. He’d have to make an
effort to start over with Rose Sanchez. He looked around at the buzz of activity
around him and gave himself a temporary reprieve. Rose Sanchez would have
to wait until tomorrow.
******************************
“Sam?”
“Yeah, it’s me.” Sam said wearily. “What are you doing up?”
It was after 2 AM and his wife appeared to be wide awake. “Caitlin got up a little
while ago. I just got her back down.”
“Is she okay?” Sam’s relaxed appearance immediately disappeared to be
replaced by the countenance of a concerned father.
“I think she’s teething again. She’s fussy and out of sorts.” Ainsley reported.
“Me too. You think I’m teething?” Sam grimaced.
“You’re cutting your teeth on Statewide politics; it’s roughly the same thing.”
Ainsley unbuttoned her husband’s shirt. “How did things look in person in San
Francisco?”
“Ugly.” Sam’s one word answer told Ainsley more about her husband’s
assessment of the damage than the news reports she’d been listening to all
night.
“Why don’t you take a hot shower and get a layer or two of dirt and grime off
you?”
“That’s probably a good idea.” Sam agreed and walked slowly into the adjoining
bathroom. He stripped in the bathroom, dropping his clothes on the floor in a
heap. Then he stepped into the hot blast of the shower and leaned his head
back and closed his eyes.
He yelped in surprise when the shower door opened and Ainsley stepped in.
“I thought you might need help washing your back.” Ainsley drawled.
“Who can’t use help with back washing?” Sam nodded. “God, you feel so
good.” He told her as his hands ran over her body. He tipped her chin back so
he could kiss her lips while his hands continued to roam. “I love you so much.”
“I love you, too.” Ainsley told him between kisses. She was sure Sam expected
her to wax on about the earthquake or the media coverage, but she stayed
silent and let her body speak to him. After washing all the soap off them both,
Sam reached back behind him and shut off the water. He wrapped a soft towel
around Ainsley’s body and dried himself off before carrying her to bed.
They made love slowly and although it relaxed Ainsley it seemed to energize
Sam; like his batteries had been re-charged. So when their daughter woke
again an hour later, it was Sam that responded to her call. Caitlin was sitting in
her crib; tears running down her cheeks. Her face lit up when she spotted her
father.
“Da, da, da, da…” She held her arms up for her dad and Sam smiled.
“You know the difference between Dad and doll, don’t you, baby?” Sam picked
her up while she continued to babble to him; telling him all about her day.
“I know.” He consoled her. “Getting new teeth in just sucks, kiddo. I know just
what you need.” He half-walked, half –jiggled her down to the living room where
he reached down to the bar and grabbed a bottle of whiskey one handed. “Now
the drinking age here is 21, so this is going to have to be our little secret; got
it?”
Caitlin just looked at him solemnly, so he decided to take that as a ‘yes’. He
poured some whiskey in a shot glass and dipped his thumb in it before rubbing
his thumb on his daughter’s gums. She made an adorable face as her taste
buds registered the whiskey, but after repeatedly rubbing her gums with the
whiskey her whimpers stopped completely.
“See? Daddy knows things too.” Sam explained.
“Does Daddy know he’s aiding and abetting a minor?” Ainsley asked from
behind him.
“Look Caitlin! Mommy’s up.” Sam twirled the baby around and made her giggle.
“Look Mommy, my gums feel better!”
“Uh-huh.” Ainsley grinned at the picture the two of them made together in the
soft lamp light. “Since you were able to cure our daughter’s teething, maybe
you could get her back to sleep for your next trick.”
“We’re just starting to have fun.” Sam complained.
“Hand over the child, Samuel.” Ainsley held her arms out and Sam reluctantly
placed his daughter in the arms of her mother.
Ainsley gave him a smile and a kiss before she turned to take the baby back to
the nursery. She hadn’t made it three steps, though, when her daughter began
to cry again.
“Da, da, da, da!” Caitlin held her arms out for her dad and sobbed for him.
Ainsley looked at her in surprise.
“Ummm…I think that’s her “da,da” she’s asking for.” Sam pointed out, tongue in
cheek.
“It would appear so.” Ainsley handed Caitlin back to her father and her crying
ceased instantly.
“There’s my girl.” Sam twirled her again.
“Excuse me?” Ainsley asked.
“Our girl. Caitlin is our girl, of course. She’s just a little more mine at the
moment.” Sam teased.
“She can be all yours for the moment. I’m going back to bed.” Ainsley left them
alone, dancing in the living room, while she went to catch up on all the sleep
she’d lost.