A/N: Post-Administration J/D, but not really... you'll just have to read on to know what I mean...
The Day that Changed Everything"Honey, did you get the mail?" Donna Yates called from the kitchen of her Doylestown, PA home.
"Yeah," her husband of 25 years, Max, replied from the couch in the living room.
It was a quiet Saturday afternoon in the Yates household – as most Saturday afternoons were. Donna and Max rarely saw each other on weekdays, so they reveled in the peace that weekends brought.
Almost 17 years ago, Donna and Max moved their family of four from the hustle and bustle of Washington, DC to the quiet Philadelphia suburb of Doylestown. Max was inching ever closer to retirement as American Government teacher at Pennsbury High School – about 45 minutes from their home – and Donna was gearing up to return to politics as Josh's assistant once again.
In the last year of President Bartlet's administration, Maxwell Yates had been brought in to the White House as an advisor for an exploratory study into a national education standard. As the one of the most revered public school teachers in the country, and a passionate advocate of the cause, Max was more than delighted to serve at the pleasure of the President. Especially when he discovered the woman that gave him the grand tour of the White House – Donnatella Moss, head assistant to the Deputy Chief of Staff.
During Max's visit, the two really hit it off and began a long distance dating relationship that lasted two years before finally turning into marriage.
For 8 years, the Yates' made their home just outside Washington. During that tenure, Max served at Secretary of Education for two different presidents, setting up a national education system that revolutionized the world, and Donna continued her life as Josh Lyman's trusty deputy through all of his various jobs.
At the end of Max's second term, he was missing teaching so much it hurt. So, after much debate, Max, Donna, their 7-year-old daughter, Maeghan, and 5-year-old son, Caleb and the dogs and moved to Bucks County, Pennsylvania so Max could take a position at his Alma Matter, Pennsbury High School.
The distance of miles and time had not weakened the relationships of Donna's presidential family. She still kept in close contact with just about everyone she served in the White House with – especially with Presidential Candidate Josh Lyman. The lifelong bachelor was Uncle Josh to both Maeghan and Caleb and had been guest lecturer many times in Max's classes.
So, it was no surprise to Donna to see a letter with Josh's distinctive handwriting scrawled across the envelope as she sorted through the stack of mail on the kitchen table, but it was a nice treat.
Smiling to herself, she slit open the envelope and removed the single slip of paper from it. Her countenance quickly changed as she saw the five words written in glaring black ink on the starch white gubernatorial stationary.
"Donna –
I have cancer.
Josh."