Alright, this is it. Thank you so much for all your wonderful feedback. I
love you all (well, except Lexi, but that's beside the point ( ). I'll be
back soon with a couple more West Wing fics I have written and some Harry
Potter. Again, thanks so much. You all rock!
CHAPTER 6/6
It was his birthday. Donna couldn't remember how old he would be; only that it was too young. She was sitting at her desk thinking, but pretending to work, when Sam came in. He looked at her and nodded. She smiled slightly, tears filling her eyes for the umpteenth time in days. He sat down on her desk and took her hand. His eyes were bright with tears.
A moment later CJ came in. "I was looking at my calendar and—"
The other two nodded. "Are you okay?" she asked.
Again they nodded, not sure if they could speak. CJ moved a little like she was going to leave, but kind of lingered in the doorway.
Toby came in. "Sam? Did you finish that thing?"
"No."
"Then why...oh."
He too went to leave, but stopped. He paced a small circle over and over for several minutes. CJ leaned against the doorway. Nobody spoke. They were all caught up in memories, some painful, many sweet.
Leo walked by Donna's desk on his way to Carl's office. He passed the group, stopped, then backtracked through the doorway.
"What are you doing?" he asked.
They just looked at him with somber eyes. Leo realized what this was probably about. "It's today, isn't it?"
Toby nodded. "Alright. But remember that you have to do your work today. The country won't be turned to chaos for Josh's birthday. Though that would be fitting..."
He knocked on the office door, then walked in. Toby stopped pacing. "He's right." He said, "Sam, we have to go finish."
"Yeah." Sam stood up and reluctantly followed Toby away.
"I have a briefing in ten minutes." CJ said, "Are you alright, Donna?"
"No, but I'll be okay soon."
"Want to get lunch together later?"
"Yeah. I'd like that."
"Great. Meet me in the mess at noon."
"Okay."
CJ left. Donna waited until she turned the corner before collapsing into silent tears.
"I'll go tell Donna to set up a meeting with him." Carl told Leo. "Hang on."
He stepped outside and closed the door. "Donna, could you call Bill Fryer's office and- Donna?"
Donna lifted her head from her desk. Her eyes were red and mascara lines ran down her cheeks. She wiped her eyes quickly on the back of her hand. "Yes?" she said, "And what?"
"Donna, what's wrong?"
"Nothing."
"Seriously."
"Today's his birthday."
"Whose?"
"Josh."
"Oh."
She was trying not to cry again but Carl could see she was failing. He walked over to her desk and stood there uncomfortably, wondering what he should do. He didn't have very much experience in matters like this.
She lost it. It was slightly mortifying to be acting like this in front of this man but she couldn't help it, no matter how much she screamed at herself inside.
Carl awkwardly patted the sobbing woman's shoulder. He tried to think of something to say. She'd obviously loved Lyman very much.
"You know, I met him once." Carl said after a minute.
"You did?" Her head was bowed.
"Yeah. I staffed for Leo before the election, and then worked on the campaign for a few months. Leo went down to get this guy he knew and when he came back he wouldn't shut up about this 'great political mind' and on and on and on. I knew the guy would be nothing. Murphy's law. But then he came up and I spent one meeting with him. It was incredible, Donna. He knew what he believed in and fought for it the entire time, even though everyone else in the room disagreed with him."
Donna sniffled and gave him a watery smile. "Yeah, that sounds like him."
"Then on his way out of there after the meeting he tripped on his shoelace and fell down a flight of stairs."
"That's definitely him."
She wiped her eyes again. "We've been awful, haven't we?"
"No, no, you haven't."
"We have. I'm sorry."
"Okay, maybe a little bit. But I get it. It's okay."
The following silence wasn't quite so awkward. He smiled at her and she returned it, looking directly into his eyes.
The door creaked open behind them and Leo came out. "Carl, are you ready to go?"
"Yes sir." Carl said, "Donna, you'll call Fryer's office and schedule a meeting?"
"Yes." She said.
"Thanks."
He and Leo walked away. Donna watched them leave, and then reached for the phone. Then she stopped and opened the top drawer of her desk. Searching through the papers and junk, she finally pulled out a wooden picture frame. She set it up on her desk and looked at the picture inside. Josh smiled out at her, his arm slung carelessly over her own shoulder. Both of them had been laughing about something when this picture was taken. There were no posed, cheesy smiles.
It wasn't quite so painful now, looking at that picture. He was never coming back. She knew this. But she could still feel him there with her, his arm wrapped around her shoulder.
Carl isn't a bad guy, she decided. He's not Josh but he's not evil either. He'd just better not expect any more coffee.
THE END
So how'd you like it? My next story is taking a quick break from writing angst and trying humor. Sam thinks Toby's an alien. What's going to happen? A one-shot thing that I just had to write. And then I'll finally start posting the sequel. Damn, I gotta think of a name for that.
CHAPTER 6/6
It was his birthday. Donna couldn't remember how old he would be; only that it was too young. She was sitting at her desk thinking, but pretending to work, when Sam came in. He looked at her and nodded. She smiled slightly, tears filling her eyes for the umpteenth time in days. He sat down on her desk and took her hand. His eyes were bright with tears.
A moment later CJ came in. "I was looking at my calendar and—"
The other two nodded. "Are you okay?" she asked.
Again they nodded, not sure if they could speak. CJ moved a little like she was going to leave, but kind of lingered in the doorway.
Toby came in. "Sam? Did you finish that thing?"
"No."
"Then why...oh."
He too went to leave, but stopped. He paced a small circle over and over for several minutes. CJ leaned against the doorway. Nobody spoke. They were all caught up in memories, some painful, many sweet.
Leo walked by Donna's desk on his way to Carl's office. He passed the group, stopped, then backtracked through the doorway.
"What are you doing?" he asked.
They just looked at him with somber eyes. Leo realized what this was probably about. "It's today, isn't it?"
Toby nodded. "Alright. But remember that you have to do your work today. The country won't be turned to chaos for Josh's birthday. Though that would be fitting..."
He knocked on the office door, then walked in. Toby stopped pacing. "He's right." He said, "Sam, we have to go finish."
"Yeah." Sam stood up and reluctantly followed Toby away.
"I have a briefing in ten minutes." CJ said, "Are you alright, Donna?"
"No, but I'll be okay soon."
"Want to get lunch together later?"
"Yeah. I'd like that."
"Great. Meet me in the mess at noon."
"Okay."
CJ left. Donna waited until she turned the corner before collapsing into silent tears.
"I'll go tell Donna to set up a meeting with him." Carl told Leo. "Hang on."
He stepped outside and closed the door. "Donna, could you call Bill Fryer's office and- Donna?"
Donna lifted her head from her desk. Her eyes were red and mascara lines ran down her cheeks. She wiped her eyes quickly on the back of her hand. "Yes?" she said, "And what?"
"Donna, what's wrong?"
"Nothing."
"Seriously."
"Today's his birthday."
"Whose?"
"Josh."
"Oh."
She was trying not to cry again but Carl could see she was failing. He walked over to her desk and stood there uncomfortably, wondering what he should do. He didn't have very much experience in matters like this.
She lost it. It was slightly mortifying to be acting like this in front of this man but she couldn't help it, no matter how much she screamed at herself inside.
Carl awkwardly patted the sobbing woman's shoulder. He tried to think of something to say. She'd obviously loved Lyman very much.
"You know, I met him once." Carl said after a minute.
"You did?" Her head was bowed.
"Yeah. I staffed for Leo before the election, and then worked on the campaign for a few months. Leo went down to get this guy he knew and when he came back he wouldn't shut up about this 'great political mind' and on and on and on. I knew the guy would be nothing. Murphy's law. But then he came up and I spent one meeting with him. It was incredible, Donna. He knew what he believed in and fought for it the entire time, even though everyone else in the room disagreed with him."
Donna sniffled and gave him a watery smile. "Yeah, that sounds like him."
"Then on his way out of there after the meeting he tripped on his shoelace and fell down a flight of stairs."
"That's definitely him."
She wiped her eyes again. "We've been awful, haven't we?"
"No, no, you haven't."
"We have. I'm sorry."
"Okay, maybe a little bit. But I get it. It's okay."
The following silence wasn't quite so awkward. He smiled at her and she returned it, looking directly into his eyes.
The door creaked open behind them and Leo came out. "Carl, are you ready to go?"
"Yes sir." Carl said, "Donna, you'll call Fryer's office and schedule a meeting?"
"Yes." She said.
"Thanks."
He and Leo walked away. Donna watched them leave, and then reached for the phone. Then she stopped and opened the top drawer of her desk. Searching through the papers and junk, she finally pulled out a wooden picture frame. She set it up on her desk and looked at the picture inside. Josh smiled out at her, his arm slung carelessly over her own shoulder. Both of them had been laughing about something when this picture was taken. There were no posed, cheesy smiles.
It wasn't quite so painful now, looking at that picture. He was never coming back. She knew this. But she could still feel him there with her, his arm wrapped around her shoulder.
Carl isn't a bad guy, she decided. He's not Josh but he's not evil either. He'd just better not expect any more coffee.
THE END
So how'd you like it? My next story is taking a quick break from writing angst and trying humor. Sam thinks Toby's an alien. What's going to happen? A one-shot thing that I just had to write. And then I'll finally start posting the sequel. Damn, I gotta think of a name for that.