Title: Leave a Light on Author: Cathy Miller (www.cathyswestwing.com) Rating: R for themes Disclaimer: None of the West Wing characters are mine Feedback: Even Martin Sheen and Brad Whitford like getting it. This was inspired by an amazing experience I had watching the above actors perform in an incredibly powerful play called “Speak Truth to Power” Josh’s POV: I close my briefing book and lean back in the very comfortable chair that Donna bought for my home office. It’s late, almost 1 am, and I have to admit I’d go to bed right now if I wasn’t waiting up for Donna. She had some deal with the First Lady tonight, but I thought she’d be back by now. I could make one phone call and find out exactly where she is, but she always finds out when I do that and then she gets pissed. I can wait up a little longer. I wish I could remember where they were going. It was at the invitation of Ethel Kennedy, I know. I remember that because I thought to myself. “How much trouble can Helen and Donna get into while in the company of Ethel Kennedy?”  The truth is that I was just excited about getting some alone time with Ben tonight. I flew out of work at an unusually early hour to pick Ben up from daycare and have a guy’s night. Since Ben is only 6 months old, his major contribution to guy’s night was burping a lot. However, we had dinner together (his was pureed) and mocked Republicans together before I tucked him into his crib and came down to the office to do some work and wait up for my wife. I was kind of hoping he’d wake up again and I could give him a late night bottle and rock with him in the nursery awhile, but not a peep has come from the nursery monitor. There’s just something peaceful about rocking a baby in the complete darkness of the night. It fills me with a sense of calm I don’t feel at any other time. I pick up the remote to turn on the TV when I hear music coming from the nursery. What the hell? Ben is extremely bright and talented but climbing out of his crib and turning on the CD player on the shelf is still a little beyond his abilities. I scramble upstairs to see what is going on and stop short at the sight of Donna rocking Ben; only a dim floor lamp next to the window casts shadows on them. “Donna? I didn’t hear you come home. I didn’t hear Ben either and I’ve been listening for him I swear.” I move over to where they’re rocking to the beat of the lullabies and notice tears streaming down Donna’s face. “Donna?” She hears the concern in my voice and turns to me with a smile meant to reassure me, but doesn’t quite achieve its’ purpose. I look down at Ben and see that he’s still sound asleep. “Sorry. I didn’t mean to scare you. I just wanted a little peace and quiet.” She tells me and goes back to rocking our son. “What’s wrong Donna?” I ask her and take a seat on the floor next to them.    “The play…the whole night…it was just too much for me, I think.” She admits but keeps her eyes on the light in the window. “What was the play?” My curiosity is roused now, but she rolls her eyes and sighs deeply. “Do you pay any attention to the First Lady’s scheduled events?” Her reply has a little more bite than it normally does when we argue about the fact that she doesn’t think I take East Wing business seriously enough. “You were with Ethel Kennedy tonight.” I spout out the one detail I remember with absolute clarity. “Her daughter wrote a book called “Speak Truth to Power” and the play tonight was based on her book. It’s about worldwide Human Rights violations and the people who have been jailed, tortured, and sometimes killed to defend Human Rights.” Donna explains. “Sounds pretty heavy.” I acknowledge. I get the briefings. I know what happens in dark, hidden rooms all around the world. “Some of it was very heavy.” She agreed. “Almost stifling. But then some parts of it were so filled with humor and hope…it was very well done and the fact that it highlights true stories of Human Rights Defenders just makes it all the more powerful.” “What these people have gone through…it’s criminal Joshua.” “We can’t police the entire world. We have no control over what some corrupt leader in another country does.” I attempted, but I could see that argument went nowhere with my wife. “I met a woman tonight from El Salvador.” She told me. “She introduced me to her son, who she explained, had been jailed with her when she demanded information about where her husband had disappeared to. Her son was jailed with her!” “I know. I get the reports.” “Another woman there was beaten repeatedly and lived with daily death threats for starting a support group for battered women in Belarus.” Donna continued. “We’re working with the Government there to help.” “Everyday all these people are in fear for their very lives.” Donna explained. “We’re working on it.” I repeated. Donna turned and her tear filled eyes met mine. “All I wanted to do was come back here and hold Ben and thank God that we don’t live in a place like that.” “We take a lot for granted here, don’t we?” “They asked us to keep a light on in a window to show solidarity with the monks in Myanmar who are risking their lives to try to improve things there.” Donna added, her gaze focusing on lamp she’d turned on in the nursery. “It doesn’t seem like anything at all, to leave a light on. We have to do better.” “We’re working on it, Donnatella. We’re working on it.” “Work faster.” She whispered. I nod my head in agreement, and although I don’t know what more I can do at this moment, the faith she has in me to fix all this motivates me as always. I watch her as she gently places Ben in the crib and stands beside him rubbing his back. I place a kiss on the top of her head and go back to my office. “Colonel, this is Josh Lyman. Can you get me the latest update on Myanmar? That would be great, thanks. Then I need you and your team to put together some intervention options…I’ll look at them when I get in at 7. Thanks Colonel.” I hang up the phone and sigh thinking that it’s not much, but it is something… we need to work faster.