Turkey Misgivings
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“It’s perfectly safe.”
“I don’t want Ben near the turkey.” Donna reiterated.
“The President gets near the turkey. Do you think the Secret Service would let the
President near the turkey if it was at all dangerous?” Josh countered.
“Josh…President Santos knows better than to make any unexpected moves around the
turkey. A two year old does not.”
“You’re not going to claim you grew up on a farm again, are you? I have pictures of the
condo.”
“All I’m saying is keep Ben away from the turkey while I’m meeting with Helen. I’ll only be
about an hour and then we can all go home together.” Donna instructed.
“I can take care of our son for an hour, Donna. I’ve done so many times in the past.” He
reminded her.
“Stay. Away. From the turkey.” She repeated.
“Tell Mommy we’re fine, Benjamin.”
“We’re fine.” Ben repeated dutifully and earned a smacking kiss from his father as well as
a rueful one from his mother. She was well aware her husband had not promised to stay
away from the turkey, but she was going to be late for her meeting with the First Lady if
she didn’t leave now. So she left.
“Benjamin Thomas Lyman!” Sam Seaborn called from the doorway of the Chief of Staff’s
office. “I heard you were visiting today. What are you up to?” Ben raised his hand for the
‘high five’ he always got from uncle Sam.
“Turkey!” Ben replied.
“Uh…you’re going to eat turkey tomorrow?”
“No! Pet turkey!” Ben answered.
“Ben wants to see the turkey President Santos pardoned.” Josh explained. “We can’t pet
the turkey Ben.”
“Pet turkey!” Ben insisted.
“Turkey’s don’t like to be touched.” Sam explained and put Ben on his lap. “We just look
at turkeys.”
“And eat them.” Josh murmured quietly.
“Let’s not go there today.” Sam decided. “I’m not up for the whole circle of life discussion.”
“Want to come with us to see Gobbler?” Josh referenced the turkey President Santos had
pardoned.
“Isn’t he packed up to go to the zoo yet?” Sam asked warily.
“He leaves later today. I checked.” Josh grinned.
“Gobbler!” Ben piped up and jumped up and down on Sam’s lap.
“Come with us.” Josh invited as he scooped up his son.
“Does Donna know about this?” Sam inquired.
“I don’t need my wife’s permission to take my son to see a turkey.”
“I notice you didn’t answer the question, counselor.” Sam replied.
“Are you coming or not?”
“Not. See you later, Ben.” Sam exited quickly.
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“Donna?” her assistant poked her head into the First Lady’s office.
“Not now, Angie.”
“It’s your husband.” Angie explained. “He’s calling from the White House Physician’s
office.”
Donna stood up quickly and ran to grab the phone, thoughts of heart trouble or worse
running through her head. “Josh?”
“Hi, Donna. Everything’s fine.” Josh hastened to assure her.
“Josh?” She repeated. She could clearly hear Ben crying in the background.
“Ben’s a little upset. Could you come down here?”
“What happened?”
“Nothing…really. Doctor Zuckerman got him all cleaned up and…”
“Cleaned up?”
“You know…from the blood.” Josh said quietly.
“Blood?!”
“Just a few drops really.” Josh rushed on and Ben howled louder. “He really wants you.
Will you please come down and I can explain everything.”
Donna hung up the phone and turned to see the curious face of the First Lady.
“I have to go kill my husband and rescue my son now.” She announced.
“If you need help, let me know.” Helen grimaced and excused her.
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“Mommy!” Ben wailed. “Gobbler’s mean!” He son jumped into her arms, his bandaged
fingers clinging to her.
“We just went to look.” Josh said lamely. “Who knew turkey’s could peck like that?”
“I did!” Donna retorted. “And so did you.”
“You did not tell me they could peck. You just said to stay away from them.”
“Don’t pull your attorney crap now, Joshua. Benjamin, are you okay?” Donna cooed to
her son.
“My fingers hurt.” He complained and held up his hands with several bandaids on them.
“You poor thing. Let’s get you home.”
“We treated the area with antibiotic ointment. He should be just fine.” The doctor assured
her.
“Oh, Ben will be fine. It’s Josh’s well being you should worry about.” Donna replied and
turned to leave without a word to her husband.
“Got an extra place at your table for me for Thanksgiving dinner, Doc?” Josh asked.
“Go home and take your medicine son.” The doctor advised.
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“He just moved so fast!” Josh tried to explain…again.
“Ben or the turkey?” Donna drawled.
“Both!” Josh shook his head. “I really don’t think it’s safe to have a dangerous animal like
that at the petting zoo. If he hurts a kid after receiving a Presidential pardon…”
“Are you honestly telling me your concern right now is the political ramifications of a
turkey injury?”
“It could be a turkey mauling!” Josh corrected her.
“And you took our son to pet it!”
“No, just to look at it. Even Sam told Ben not to touch!”
“SAM knew about this?”
Josh realized the hot water he’d just put Sam into but misery loved company. “Sure. It
shouldn’t be a big deal to go peak at a turkey.”
“I told you no turkey.” Donna.
“I thought you meant no eating one before dinner tomorrow.”
“You did not.”
“Donna, I’m sorry. It’s just when Ben looks up at me with your blue eyes and asks for
something I turn to goo.” He tried to reason with her.
“Nice. Try.”
“It’s true.” He pulled Donna into a gentle embrace. “I can’t resist either one of you.”
“So if he asks to drive tomorrow and bats his blue eyes at you?” Donna cued him.
“Well, if he’s on my lap…”
“Joshua, this is not funny.”
“I know! I was there. Can you imagine how horrified I was when I saw his little fingers
bleeding? I had to hold him while he was crying and they were cleaning him up. I have
been punished enough.”
“I doubt it.”
“Come on, Donna. The Santos family is at Camp David. We’re off for a few days. Mom will
be here tomorrow. It’s nothing but a mellow holiday weekend from now on.”
“Promise?”
“What could go wrong now?”
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“The turkey smells wonderful, Donna.”
“NO! No turkey!” Ben ran from the dining room crying.
“What on earth?” Sarah Lyman gasped at the rare outburst from her grandson.
“Ask your son.” Donna suggested through gritted teeth.