Hello FanFiction! Welcome to my latest story!
I own nothing EXCEPT the characters Ben Raymond, Helena Carper, and this story. They are mine!
So, with nothing further ado...
Jealous
Sam appeared in the doorway of Toby's office. "Hey, Toby, do you have a minute?"
Toby nodded, not looking up from his laptop. "Yeah."
"Josh is driving me crazy."
Toby almost smiled. "And that's something new?"
"No, but it's been getting worse lately."
"He's too-"
"Edgy?"
"I was going to say irritable."
"So you've noticed it?"
"Sam, I think that the entire West Wing has noticed it."
"Do you think I should talk to him?"
Toby looked up at Sam in clear annoyance. "We are dealing with the unemployment rate rising, an education system graduating kids who can't read, and you're worried about someone acting a little edgy?"
Sam swallowed. "I should probably get back to work."
"Yeah," Toby sighed, going back to his work.
"Sam?"
Sam turned to see Toby walking towards him. "Yeah?"
The expression on Toby's face spoke volumes as he said, "Talk to Josh."
Sam tried not to smile as he watched Toby walk away.
"All right, people," said Leo, sitting down at his desk. "That's it."
Josh was the first person up and out of the room. Toby gave Sam a look and Sam hurried out after his friend.
"Josh," he called, coming up behind him. "Hey, Josh?"
"Yeah?"
"Do you have a minute? It can wait, if you're busy. It's not that important."
"No, go ahead, it's fine."
"Okay. It's just – and I'm only saying this because we've been friends for so long –you've been kind of edgy lately."
Josh looked at him, incredulously. "What are you talking about?"
"Actually, other people have started to notice it, too."
"What? I'm not edgy! I'm jocularity personified!"
Sam tried not to laugh. "Josh, you have never been jocularity personified. In fact, I don't even know if you've ever even been jovial."
"I get it, Sam," huffed Josh.
Sam walked silently beside Josh for a moment, before he suddenly had an epiphany, and asked, "So, what do you think of Ben Raymond?"
"Donna's new boyfriend? Why would you ask me that?"
"Because you are always jealous of the guys Donna dates."
"I'm not jealous! I'm never jealous," Josh defended.
"You sabotaged her relationship with the last guy."
"He wasn't good for her!"
"Yes, he was. You were just jealous."
Josh sighed, "Sam, I'm not jealous of Ben Raymond! Just because the guy is tall and good-looking and always surprising Donna with romantic stuff and…" Sam raised his eyebrows and Josh sighed again. "Okay, so maybe I'm just slightly jealous."
"Slightly?"
"Don't you have something to do?"
"Yeah, probably."
"Great."
Sam followed Josh into Josh's office, and said, "You don't have to be Ben Raymond. You don't need to be jealous-"
"Thanks, Dr. Seaborn, but I've got work to do." He started sorting through some papers on his desk, throwing a few into a nearby trash can.
Sam turned, and looked in the bullpen. His eyes widened when he saw a vase of flowers sitting on Donna's desk. "Nice flowers, Donna," he called.
"It's been new flowers every week since they started dating," muttered Josh.
Sam looked at Josh, then at the flowers, then back at Josh. Smiling, he asked, "Do you like Donna?"
"Yeah, sure, she's a great assistant."
"That's not what I meant."
Josh dropped the paper he had been holding. "What?"
"Is that why you're jealous?"
"No, absolutely not!"
"Okay," said Sam, although it was obvious from the look on his face that he was not convinced.
Josh looked up. "I'm serious."
"Yeah, sure. I've got to go." Smirking, Sam left the office.
Josh looked at Donna's flowers for a moment, his eyes expressionless, before he yelled, "DONNA!"
Sam knocked on the doorframe of Josh's office. "Hey, are you busy?"
Josh looked up from the briefing memo he was reading. "No, it can wait. What's up?"
"I have a meeting with Helena Carper."
Josh's eyes widened. "Carpy?"
"Yeah. Any advice?"
"Play dead. She's evil."
Sam started to leave, but turned back. "Can I ask you something else?"
"Sure."
"Actually, it's about the whole jealousy thing."
"Suddenly this work is important and cannot be interrupted."
"Josh-"
"Seriously, Sam! Don't you have something else to do, like flirt with Ainsley, or something?"
"Wow. Really?"
"I have actual work to do. You know, running 'the land of the free' and all that stuff."
Sam sighed, "Okay."
Josh rolled his eyes as Sam left.
"You didn't," said Ainsley.
"I did," Sam responded, flipping through a stack of papers.
"You really asked Josh if he likes Donna?"
Sam sighed. "Is that wrong?"
She shrugged, sitting down in a chair in front of his desk. "Why did you ask him?"
"He's jealous of Ben Raymond."
Ainsley smiled. "The entire male species should be jealous of Ben Raymond. I'm envious of Donna for snagging him."
Sam looked up. "He's a Democrat."
"I'm working in a Democratic White House."
"So you'd date a Democrat?"
"Maybe."
They sat silently for a moment, before Ainsley asked, "Are you going to eat that muffin?"
Josh groaned as he saw Sam coming towards him. He stepped into his office, picked up the phone, and called Donna's phone.
"Josh?" she answered.
"Sam is coming."
"Okay," she said, uncertainly.
"I don't want to talk to him."
"Why?"
"I can't tell you that. Just stay on the line until he leaves."
"Josh!"
"What?"
"This is so immature."
Sam walked into Josh's office. "Have a sec?"
Josh pointed to the phone, and shook his head. "The President has always supported the research sector of the medical industry. That's not why we had to cut research funding in this year's budget." As soon as Sam was gone from sight, he said, "Thanks, Donna."
"Who were you pretending to talk to?"
"The AMA."
"Have you really cut their research funding?"
"No, it was just the first thing that I could think of." He hung up, and sighed. "Peace, at last," he thought.
"We haven't cut funding on research for the AMA," Sam said, reappearing in the office.
Josh sighed. "Yeah."
"Hey, Josh-"
"Sam! Seriously! So I'm just a tiny bit jealous of Donna's boyfriend. So, what?"
"Well, I was talking to Ainsley, and she pretty much thinks that he's superman."
Josh smiled. "She realizes that he's a Democrat?"
"Yeah."
"See? There's hope for you two, Sam."
Sam's face instantly went pale. "What? What are...no, there's nothing between Ainsley and I. Not that I even want there to be...I...uh...anyway, that's not why I came by. I came by to tell you that it's all right if you're jealous, because apparently all men should be envious of him."
Josh raised his eyebrows.
"That last part was Ainsley, not me. And, just between us, it'd be okay if you were jealous because he was dating Donna."
Josh leaned back in his chair. "Thanks, Sam."
"So it is because of Donna?"
"Get out of here!"
Joshua Lyman would only ever admit to himself that Donna was the reason behind his jealousy.
Thanks so much for reading!
God bless,
R12Fizzy