Chapter 18
Josh, along with his padawan apprentice, had planned every minute of the Bartlet visit down
to the time of wheels up the night they left. He had talked endlessly with Donna and C.J.
about campaign strategy in the final stretch. They had everything mapped out and Josh was
ready for anything…except the phone call he got just hours before the Bartlet’s left.
“What’s up, Mom?” Josh asked when he answered the phone Billy had handed to him.
“Everything is fine, Joshua.”
“This is how we start a conversation? Everything’s fine, Joshua?”
“I just want you to know everything is fine before I tell you the next part.” Ruth explained.
“What’s the next part?” Josh asked sitting down as his stomach dropped down to his knees.
“I’m taking Donna to the hospital; contractions have started. Ben is with us. I need you to
meet us there.”
“It’s too early.” Josh said tonelessly.
“It’s a LITTLE early.” Ruth replied.
“5 WEEKS!” Josh exclaimed. “A couple days, maybe a week; that’s a little early. 5 weeks is
way too early!”
“Joshua, I understand your concern, but we’re on our way to the hospital, so maybe you
could spare me the pregnancy and childbirth lecture and just meet us there?” Ruth
suggested in a low warning voice. “And when you get here, leave your hysteria at the door.
Donna is worried enough already.” Ruth whispered the last part into the phone.
”Right.” Josh agreed readily. “I’ll meet you there. Take care of her, Mom, until I get there,
okay?”
“I promise. Now get moving. Your daughter is anxious to meet you.” Josh hung up without
another word and grabbed his coat and backpack.
“Fred!” Josh called out as he walked through the campaign office.
“Yes, sir. “Billy replied when he caught up to his boss, and fell in step with Josh without
missing a beat.
“Mom is taking Donna to the hospital. I need to leave now.” Josh explained.
“You want me to drive you?” Billy asked.
“No! I need you here to run things while I’m gone. Make sure the rest of the Bartlet trip goes
off without a hitch. I won’t be able to use my cell at the hospital but I’ll call and check in when I
can.”
“Maybe you should call C.J.?” Billy suggested.
“I will, but you’re in charge for however long this takes. Got it?” Josh asked.
“I don’t know if I’m-“
“You are. I trust you, Billy.” Josh stopped a minute to let Billy see the truth in his eyes. “When
you’re all done here you can come down and meet my daughter. Talk to you later!”
Josh hadn’t driven so fast since the last time Donna had made the trip to the emergency
room. He kept saying one mantra out loud to himself all the way to the hospital; “They’re both
okay. They’re both okay.” It was as if he could speak his prophecy into being by invoking
those simple words.
He took the stairs after pressing the up elevator button several times failed to achieve the
desired results. He rushed into the hospital room his mother had called him with just minutes
ago. Ben was happily playing with the television remote while Ruth spoke in quiet calming
words to Donna who looked like she was barely managing to hold back tears.
“Ah, there he is.” Ruth announced. “Daddy’s here Ben.”
Ben jumped up from his chair and dropped the remote on the floor. “Daddy! We’re gonna
see my sister now.”
“I heard, buddy. That’s very exciting.” Josh gave him a big hug, but kept his eyes on Donna.
“Ben, why don’t we go downstairs? We can get a treat for you and a present for your sister.”
“I think my sister wants a truck.” Ben nodded sagely.
“Let’s see what they have down there.” Ruth avoided the fight with her Grandson neatly. She
took his hand and led him out the door. Josh went immediately to Donna’s side just as she let
the first of her tears fall.
“Donnatella, it’s going to be fine.” He assured her. “Look at it this way, by tomorrow you will
be officially off bed rest.” That just made her cry harder. “Okay, by tomorrow you’ll be holding
Ladonna Lyman in your arms.”
“We are NOT naming this child Ladonna, Joshua.” Donna took a break from crying to shout
at him.
“Then you have a better suggestion, right? Because I have to say that the clock is winding
down on you here.”
“I have a name picked out already. I made lists on cards.” Donna told him and made him
smile.
“Of course you do. So what’s it going to be then?”
“I thought I’d have more time to think out a persuasive speech about it first; ease you into it.”
“I’m afraid you’re going to just have to jump in with both feet on this one. What is it?”
Donna mumbled something quietly. “What is it?” he asked again.
“Allison Joan.” Donna said quietly but clearly. “Allison Joan Lyman.”
Donna became more nervous when Josh didn’t respond at all. “Josh?” she called his name
and seemed to snap him out of his daze.
“It’s perfect Donna; absolutely perfect.” He assured her. “You need to get this show on the
road so I can meet Joanie’s namesake.”
“I don’t really have a choice. The contractions are too close together to try to stop the labor.”
“It’s going to be just fine; I promise.”
“You can’t promise that.” Donna complained.
“Yes, I can. I promise, Donnatella. Trust me.”
Donna looked into his eyes and nodded, then winced as another contraction hit. Josh
followed the strength and the duration of it on the monitor.
“That one didn’t look too bad.” He noted right before Donna pulled on his ear.
“Owww!” Josh complained.
“That’s just a tiny fraction of how much it hurts to have a baby. Don’t ever say anything as
stupid as that to me while I’m in labor. Do you understand me?”
“Absolutely. I was an idiot please forgive me.” Josh knew this part of the drill. It was the time
to abuse the father portion of the program. Donna let go of his ear, but continued to glare at
him.
“I’m never doing this again, Josh.” Donna told him as another contraction hit. Josh was
careful to move out of her reach before he replied, “That’s what you said during Ben’s labor.”
“I really mean it this time.” Donna swore.
“Ah-kay, you don’t ever have to do this again, but there’s no getting out of this one.” Josh
told her. Donna just glared.
Dr. Bachmann chose that moment to make her entrance. “Well, my favorite patient is back.
Just couldn’t stay away, could you?”
“God knows I tried.” Donna muttered.
“Well, let’s take a look and see what’s going on. Josh, would you mind stepping out for a
minute?” Josh shot a look at Donna, and when she nodded he left.
“Your daughter’s heart rate is good. All your vitals are fine and you’re already 80% effaced
and dilated to 7. We’re going to be meeting this young lady soon, Donna.”
“It’s too soon.” Donna whined a bit. Dr. Bachmann put her hand on Donna’s shoulder.
“Lots of people deliver at this point. Would it be better if she had a little more of your
patience and a little less of your husband’s impatience? Yes, it would, but you’re both doing
fine and I see no reason to think things won’t continue to be fine. You need to stay calm and
do your breathing. Got it?”
“Got it.” Donna replied and took a deep breath to prove it. “Can you send Josh back in? I
know it seems counterintuitive, but having him in here actually calms me down.”
“I’ll send him right back. The nurses will call me as soon as you’re ready to deliver. It shouldn’
t be more than an hour or two.”
As good as her word, Dr. Bachmann barely passed through the door when Josh came back
in. “The Doc says you both are doing fine.”
“We are.” Donna said with more confidence than she’d felt since they left for the hospital.
*********************************************
“Benjamin, what are you doing here so late?” President Bartlet asked his honorary Grandson.
“Grandpa Jed! I’m waitin for my sister.” He answered as he hugged Jed and then Abby. “You
wanna stay and meet her too?”
“That’s what we’re here for.” Abby told the oldest Lyman child. “Sam and Ainsley are here
too.”
“Did they bring Baby Caitlin?” Ben asked.
“Yes, they did. She wants to meet your sister too.” Jed sat next to the boy.
“It’s takin soooo long.” Ben whined.
“Why don’t I tell you a story while we’re waiting?” The former President suggested.
“Absolutely not.” Abby interjected. “This child is tired and excited; telling him the history of the
Federal Reserve will put him over the edge.”
“We brought some books in our bag.” Ruth offered it to the former President.
“I think I could come up with something suitable on my own, but okay.” President Bartlet dug
around in the bag until he found something he could live with. “Ah, here we go; Jack and the
Beanstalk. A perfect example of what happens when Republicans try to trick you into
spending your money on worthless DOD programs.”
“No, Grandpa Jed, he’s buys the beans.” Ben corrected.
“Right.” Jed agreed and shared a smile with Ruth and Abby.
When Sam, Ainsley and Caitlin arrived with Peyton is tow, they found Benjamin Thomas
Lyman sitting on the lap of the former leader of the free world.
“Someone should take a picture of that.” Peyton commented, smiling at the picture they
made.
When Ben heard Peyton’s voice he jumped off Jed’s lap and ran straight into Peyton’s arms.
“You’re back! Guess what? We’re waiting for my sister.” Ben told him.
“Who is this man who has you leaving me over here?” Jed pretended to be insulted.
“It’s Peyton!” Ben called back as if Grandpa Jed should know Peyton already.
“President Bartlet, I’m Peyton Forbes. It’s an honor to meet you. Dr. Bartlet, you look even
lovelier in person than you do on TV.”
“Grandpa Jed’s reading a story. Come on!” Ben pulled Peyton’s arm until they were both
seated next to the former leader of the free world while he read the fairy tale to them. About
20 minutes in, Jed noticed Benjamin had fallen asleep on Peyton’s lap.
“He’s a pretty special boy, isn’t he?” Jed asked Peyton.
“This whole group is pretty special if you ask me, sir.” Peyton replied as his gaze traveled
around the assembled group. Danny and C.J. had just arrived with a tired and crabby
Tommy. They were fighting over who got to hold Caitlin who was considerably lighter than
their son. Sam and Ainsley were listening to their debate with amused grins on their faces.
Dr. Bartlet was getting an update from one of the nurses while Ruth stood by her side. Then
Billy Fernandez ran into the waiting room.
“Did I miss it?” Billy asked out of breath.
“Not yet, Billy, but it should be soon.” Sam assured the young man.
“Everybody’s okay?” Billy clarified.
“Everyone’s fine.” Ainsley added. “Come sit by us.” She patted the bench next to them and
Billy reluctantly sat down. It was Ruth Lyman though, who snapped a few pictures of the
group for posterity.
Nearly 30 minutes later, Josh came around the corner carrying a tiny bundle in his arms. He
stopped short when he saw all the people who had gathered while he had been watching his
daughter come into the world.
“Who have you got there Joshua?” President Bartlet asked and everyone’s head shot
around to Josh. Ruth took a couple steps closer. Josh looked from the President to his
mother. Now the President was the President of the United States of America, but his mother
took precedence in this particular situation.
“Mom, I’d like to introduce you to your Granddaughter; Allison Joan Lyman.” Ruth peered
closer to see the swaddled infant.
“She’s so beautiful, Josh.” Ruth ran her finger delicately over Allison’s cheek. “You named
her after Joanie?”
“It was Donna’s idea.” Josh admitted quietly and watched his mother’s eyes brim over with
sentimental tears which he wiped away with his free hand.
“She’s healthy even though she was early?” She asked worriedly.
“She’s a peanut; weighed in at 5 pounds 8 ounces, but her lungs are working great and her
apgar score was good. She won’t even have to go to the NICU.”
“How is Donna?” Ainsley asked.
“She’s fine except for her right arm. I think it’s probably pretty sore after breaking all the
bones in my hand during the last hour.” Josh joked. “She’s tired, but she’s fine. You can go
in and see her in just a little bit. Where’s Ben?” Josh searched the group for his son.
Peyton lightly shook Ben’s shoulder and he struggled awake. When he saw his dad, he
jumped up and staggered over to him. Josh hunkered down so the baby was at Ben’s eye
level.
“That’s my sister?” he asked.
“Her name is Allison Joan.” Josh told him.
“Alli- Alla-“ Ben struggled with the long name at this late hour. “Ally.”
“Yeah, this is Ally.” Josh confirmed. “Want to hold her?” Ben nodded yes. Josh motioned for
him to sit in one of the waiting room chairs before carefully placing the baby in her brother’s
arms.
“She’s really little.” He exclaimed and made everyone laugh. “Look, it’s my sister Ally!” he
called out and the group took turns getting a closer look at the newest member of the family.
When Ben could no longer contain his yawns, Ruth talked him into going home with her after
a short pit stop to see his mom.
When they got the all clear, the group moved into Donna’s room and congratulated her on
her beautiful new daughter.
“Wow.” Billy said simply. He’d never seen a newborn baby before and the whole experience
seemed to overwhelm him. Josh slung an arm over Billy’s shoulder.
“Just wait until it’s your turn. Wow doesn’t even begin to cover it.” Josh admitted.
“Donnatella, she’s as beautiful as her mother.” President Bartlet told her.
“Thank you, sir. I thought you and Dr. Bartlet would be long gone by now.” Donna said
wearily.
“And miss the arrival of our honorary granddaughter? Not a chance.” Jed replied.
“It looks like you brought the fundraiser with you.” Donna noted as she realized how many
people were in her room.
“You have a lot of people who care about you.” Ainsley chimed in. “Allison Joan is a lucky girl
to have you for a mother.”
“What about having me as a father?” Josh complained.
“I’m sure she’ll be able to overcome that.” Dr. Bartlet responded to the laughter of everyone
in the room. “But right now, it looks like Donna could use some rest. Everybody out.”
“I just need a minute with Sam. I’ll be right back.” Josh whispered to his wife and gave her a
quick kiss. He caught up with the group and asked them to wait for a minute.
“Peyton, this is C.J. Cregg-Concannon. I’m going to need you to switch hats and work with
her on media strategy.” Josh announced.
“Why is it that we can’t keep one person in that job?” Sam asked.
“No one can stand to work with Josh that long.” C.J. offered. “I know Mr. Forbes by
reputation. Your work on proposition 26 was particularly impressive.”
“Thank you. It was an issue I was very passionate about.” Peyton told her. “And it’s Peyton,
Ms. Cregg.”
“C.J.” Claudia Jean returned. “Think you can put up with me for the final push?”
“It would be my pleasure.” Peyton answered.
“Excellent. We’ve blocked some time for debate prep in the next few days. That needs to be
our number one priority.” Josh told them and looked to Sam for confirmation and any
additional ideas.
“Our number one priority, not yours.” Sam added.
“What?” Josh questioned.
“You’re on family leave for the next three days.” Sam decreed. “Billy is up to speed on the
debate prep and with Peyton and C.J. we’ll be fine. We can call you if we need you, but we
won’t be accepting calls from you for the next three days.” Sam looked around at the others
to make sure he was understood by his staff and saw answering nods all around.
“I’m not allowed to work for the next 3 days?” Josh repeated.
“Nope.” Sam said simply.
“Ah-kay.” Josh replied.
“That’s all you have to say on the subject?” Sam asked.
“No, I’d also like to say that since I’m officially off duty, I’m going to go take a nap with my wife
and daughter.” Josh smirked and walked away from the slack jawed group watching him.
Sam recovered first. “That was almost anticlimactic. Everyone home to bed, we’re going to
meet at 7:30 in the conference room.”
The group broke up after giving the Bartlet’s a farewell hug. Sam hung back though and
peeked back in through Donna’s door. He couldn’t tell if Josh was already asleep, but his
eyes were closed and he was lying down next to Donna with one arm around her shoulders
and the other arm covering his daughter in a protective embrace. They all looked perfectly at
peace and Sam hoped they could continue to hold onto that feeling for the next few days.
******************************************
“…so the result has been a huge economic upturn for big businesses, but the citizens living
here are breathing the most polluted air in the country.” Sam finished up.
“Change citizens to people.” Peyton called out. “Citizens sounds too clinical.”
“Reverse the order of the answer, too.” C.J. suggested. “The people living here are
breathing the most polluted air in the country while big businesses make record profits.”
‘Anything else? Am I standing correctly? Want me to change my tie?” Sam drawled.
“We’ll get to the aesthetics after we get the content down.” Peyton grinned as Sam rolled his
eyes.
“I still don’t like his answer on early childhood education funding; it’s too convoluted.” C.J.
remarked.
“I like the passionate response. They can tell he really believes what he’s saying.” Peyton
argued.
“Which would be great if people understood what he was saying.” C.J. shot back.
“Do you need me for this?” Sam asked.
“No, you can take a break, Spanky.” C.J. called over her shoulder to him.
“He needs to make it about economics.” Billy opined.
“What?” C.J. asked. “Early childhood education is going to cost taxpayers more money, why
would we want to highlight the economics?”
“Because there is study after study that shows that investing in early childhood education
saves tax payers money down the road.” Billy explained and he pulled out a sheet of paper
from his prep file. “7 longitudinal studies show that for every dollar invested in early
childhood education, the return cost savings to the community is between $3 and $17. That’s
3-17 dollars that the community then has available to spend on other priorities. We need to
focus on the program as an economic investment.”
C.J. raised her eyebrows at Peyton.
“The kid’s good.” Peyton replied.
“Write it up in a 90 second response and we’ll try it out when Sam gets back.” C.J. directed
Billy who immediately opened his laptop and began typing away.
Toby thundered into the room waving several pieces of paper in the air; Billy didn’t even look
up.
“You tell Sam to keep his fingers off of my work, you hear me C.J.?”
“I take it Sam made some adjustment?”
“He completely re-wrote the last two paragraphs.” Toby shouted.
“It IS his speech.” Peyton pointed out.
“Shut.Up.” Toby replied and turned back to C.J. “You’ll talk to him.”
“Yes.” C.J. promised and Toby stomped back out of the room. “It’s really simpler to agree
with him. Then we can all go about our business.”
“Ah…” Peyton nodded. “How you coming there, wonderboy?”
“There is no better fiscal investment than early childhood education. One dollar invested in
our children, all of our children, can generate a return of up to $17. That’s $17 we can use to
help pay for health care costs, disaster preparation, Department of Transportation costs…
We can help our children, improve our community, and make money for other important
issues all in one fell swoop. I have a daughter and I want her to have every opportunity that’s
available, but more importantly, I want all her peers to have those same opportunities
regardless of where they live or how much their parents make. It’s a moral decision for our
children, it’s an ethical decision for our families, and it’s a fiscally responsible decision for
California.” Billy ended his answer.
“The kid’s good.” C.J. agreed and Billy beamed.