Three years ago Josh Lyman, now the deputy White House chief of staff
worked for John Hoynes, now the Vice President of the United States. Then
Lyman left to work for Josiah Bartlet, now the President of the United
States. Lyman and Hoynes have, obviously, had contact during the campaign
and the first few years of the administration. But according to many, the
relationship has been chilly since Lyman left the then Senator's office
rather abruptly in late 1999. However, although the bond between Lyman and
John Hoynes has been strained, it has remained tight and strong between
Lyman and Diane Hoynes. Diane is the daughter of John and Amelia Hoynes.
She is the youngest of their three children and the only one to still live
at home. Diane has Down syndrome. She met Josh Lyman when he began
working for her father and it was apparently love at first sight.
According to a Hoynes staffer, Diane, in her innocent outgoing manner, decreed that Lyman would join the ranks of her boyfriends. "They met at a reception for new staffers at the Hoynes' Maryland home and Diane just claimed Josh. He was charming, kind and attentive. Over the years, he always remembers her birthday and Valentine's Day and Christmas. During the campaign he would send her postcards from some of their travels. Josh and Diane share a love of baseball, although Diane is a Yankees fan while Josh remains true to his Mets. He would often bring Diane a baseball souvenir from a city where they were campaigning. When he traveled overseas in the last few years he would always remember Diane. He has just been incredibly sweet to her."
Last Monday night, Josh Lyman was with the presidential entourage when shots were fired. Four people, including the president, suffered gunshot wounds, and Lyman was the most seriously injured. He was shot in the chest, has undergone 14 hours of surgery on heart-lung bypass, and is currently listed in serious condition at George Washington University Hospital. John and Amelia Hoynes were shocked at the brutality of the attack and for a while, the uncertainty of presidential succession. Once it became clear that President Bartlet would recover from his relatively minor wounds, Amelia Hoynes worried about the effect of the news of Lyman's critical injuries on her daughter.
"For a while, Josh's life was in danger. I was terrified for him, but also selfishly, greatly concerned about how Diane would react. She thinks the world of Josh, and I wanted to shelter her from the news." But Diane, as was her habit, was watching evening television and learned about the attack at the same time as the rest of America. She was frantic. "She came running into the room where I was on the phone with John. At that time it wasn't public knowledge that Josh was the senior staffer who was critically injured. John told me that and I knew I had to decide how to tell Diane." In the end mother and daughter sat down and Amelia shared what she knew. "We cried and prayed together. Diane is a devout Catholic with a simple child-like faith and she has a well-used favorite rosary, a legacy from her grandmother. We went up to her room to get the rosary and there on her shelf were the photos of her "J" boyfriends: Jesus, Joe (Torre) and Josh. My heart just ached. We went back downstairs and prayed until she fell asleep on the couch."
John Hoynes never made it home that night. He was needed at the White House. When he finally came home to change clothes on Tuesday he was able to bring Diane good news. Lyman had survived the surgery and although still in critical condition, the doctors were cautiously optimistic about his prognosis. Diane had one request. "She has a special rosary given to her by the archbishop of Washington. She wanted Josh to have it so he could pray. She was adamant and very determined. She had her one special rosary and she wanted him to have her other special rosary so they could each pray." Josh Lyman is Jewish. "She doesn't really understand about other religions," Amelia smiled. "Josh always just listened when Diane told stories about Jesus and said Amen at the end of her prayers. He told her he was honored to be on her boyfriends shelf, right there between Jesus and Joe." Amelia's voice became emotional, "he has just been a sweetheart to her. If anything happened to him I don't know how she would cope."
Amelia called Lyman's office and arranged a hospital visit. Then she had to decide whether to bring Diane with her. "Donna said Josh was pretty medicated and drifting in and out of consciousness. He was hooked up to several monitors and had IV's and tubes in his arms and chest. I decided that it would be better if I went alone. I thought that Diane might be afraid to see Josh like that, and if he was groggy and didn't recognize her she might not understand why."
As it turned out John Hoynes was able to meet his wife at the hospital and together they visited Lyman's ICU room. "It was a short visit since Josh had trouble staying awake, but he was quite alert when we were there. It was strange to see him so still since Josh is such an energetic guy. The first thing he asked was if Diane knew." Amelia assured him that Diane was aware of the situation, that she was handling the news and that she had sent her parents on this mission. "I took his hand and put the rosary in it. I told Josh that it was from Diane and that she wanted him to have a rosary so he could pray." Amelia fought back tears. "He smiled and nodded. He said to tell her that she was his best girl. That's what he always called her, his best girl. I told him I would tell her and then gave him a kiss on the forehead." Then Amelia went home and told Diane about the visit while John went back to the White House. "Diane seemed at peace then. Her faith is such that she truly believes that God will heal Josh. And who am I to argue."
According to a Hoynes staffer, Diane, in her innocent outgoing manner, decreed that Lyman would join the ranks of her boyfriends. "They met at a reception for new staffers at the Hoynes' Maryland home and Diane just claimed Josh. He was charming, kind and attentive. Over the years, he always remembers her birthday and Valentine's Day and Christmas. During the campaign he would send her postcards from some of their travels. Josh and Diane share a love of baseball, although Diane is a Yankees fan while Josh remains true to his Mets. He would often bring Diane a baseball souvenir from a city where they were campaigning. When he traveled overseas in the last few years he would always remember Diane. He has just been incredibly sweet to her."
Last Monday night, Josh Lyman was with the presidential entourage when shots were fired. Four people, including the president, suffered gunshot wounds, and Lyman was the most seriously injured. He was shot in the chest, has undergone 14 hours of surgery on heart-lung bypass, and is currently listed in serious condition at George Washington University Hospital. John and Amelia Hoynes were shocked at the brutality of the attack and for a while, the uncertainty of presidential succession. Once it became clear that President Bartlet would recover from his relatively minor wounds, Amelia Hoynes worried about the effect of the news of Lyman's critical injuries on her daughter.
"For a while, Josh's life was in danger. I was terrified for him, but also selfishly, greatly concerned about how Diane would react. She thinks the world of Josh, and I wanted to shelter her from the news." But Diane, as was her habit, was watching evening television and learned about the attack at the same time as the rest of America. She was frantic. "She came running into the room where I was on the phone with John. At that time it wasn't public knowledge that Josh was the senior staffer who was critically injured. John told me that and I knew I had to decide how to tell Diane." In the end mother and daughter sat down and Amelia shared what she knew. "We cried and prayed together. Diane is a devout Catholic with a simple child-like faith and she has a well-used favorite rosary, a legacy from her grandmother. We went up to her room to get the rosary and there on her shelf were the photos of her "J" boyfriends: Jesus, Joe (Torre) and Josh. My heart just ached. We went back downstairs and prayed until she fell asleep on the couch."
John Hoynes never made it home that night. He was needed at the White House. When he finally came home to change clothes on Tuesday he was able to bring Diane good news. Lyman had survived the surgery and although still in critical condition, the doctors were cautiously optimistic about his prognosis. Diane had one request. "She has a special rosary given to her by the archbishop of Washington. She wanted Josh to have it so he could pray. She was adamant and very determined. She had her one special rosary and she wanted him to have her other special rosary so they could each pray." Josh Lyman is Jewish. "She doesn't really understand about other religions," Amelia smiled. "Josh always just listened when Diane told stories about Jesus and said Amen at the end of her prayers. He told her he was honored to be on her boyfriends shelf, right there between Jesus and Joe." Amelia's voice became emotional, "he has just been a sweetheart to her. If anything happened to him I don't know how she would cope."
Amelia called Lyman's office and arranged a hospital visit. Then she had to decide whether to bring Diane with her. "Donna said Josh was pretty medicated and drifting in and out of consciousness. He was hooked up to several monitors and had IV's and tubes in his arms and chest. I decided that it would be better if I went alone. I thought that Diane might be afraid to see Josh like that, and if he was groggy and didn't recognize her she might not understand why."
As it turned out John Hoynes was able to meet his wife at the hospital and together they visited Lyman's ICU room. "It was a short visit since Josh had trouble staying awake, but he was quite alert when we were there. It was strange to see him so still since Josh is such an energetic guy. The first thing he asked was if Diane knew." Amelia assured him that Diane was aware of the situation, that she was handling the news and that she had sent her parents on this mission. "I took his hand and put the rosary in it. I told Josh that it was from Diane and that she wanted him to have a rosary so he could pray." Amelia fought back tears. "He smiled and nodded. He said to tell her that she was his best girl. That's what he always called her, his best girl. I told him I would tell her and then gave him a kiss on the forehead." Then Amelia went home and told Diane about the visit while John went back to the White House. "Diane seemed at peace then. Her faith is such that she truly believes that God will heal Josh. And who am I to argue."