Title: Pain Relief by Jac
Synopsis: CJ's in some pain.
Spoilers: Anything up to season 4, California 47th
Characters: CJ, Josh, Donna, Leo & Toby
Rating: G
"You okay?" Toby asked CJ when she sat gingerly down across from him and Josh.
"Bit sore. It's okay when I'm stood up, but when I sit down it niggles."
"Niggles?" Josh asked.
"Yeah, like it's mocking me."
"Your back's mocking you?" Josh asked with a faint smile.
"Yes, do you have a problem with that?"
"No," Josh replied and quickly looked back down at his notes.
Larry glanced at CJ, "Why don't you stand up then?"
CJ glared at him. "It's a six hour flight, Larry, my legs will ache."
"How we doing?" Leo made the mistake of asking when he walked into the cabin.
"Well I'm in some pain," CJ rounded on him. "You?"
"No, I'm fine," Leo replied, looking a little nervous and quickly turning to Toby. "I meant with the replies."
"We're fine," Toby assured him.
"Good. Josh," Leo summoned as he left the cabin with Josh close behind. "What's wrong with CJ?" he asked.
"She slipped yesterday and hurt her back. Toby says it's quite a bruise."
"How does Toby....? No actually forget that. Russell's office have issued a statement on funding cuts."
"In support of us?"
"Not completely," Leo told him.
"You want me to talk to Will?"
"Yeah, when we get back, and I want to see him, but talk to him first find out what the hell's going on. Don't say anything to Toby, let him finish the remarks first."
Josh nodded and walked away to find a phone and call Will.
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When Josh returned to the staff cabin he found CJ standing reading a memo. "Still sore?" he asked."Yes."
"You did see a doctor didn't you?"
"Yes, it's just badly bruised." CJ sighed as she gingerly sat back down.
"Have you taken anything?"
"The doctor gave me something, but they're too strong, they make me zone out."
"So you haven't taken anything?" Josh asked.
"No, Joshua. I thought the press secretary should probably be conscious." She turned to the rest of cabin, "Have any of you got anything?"
"Donna will have," Josh supplied. He caught CJ's pleading look, "I'll go and find her."
Josh found Donna in the galley area with Toby. "Have you got any pain killers?" he asked.
"Your back or your leg?" Donna asked.
"There's different ones?"
"No. I was being concerned," Donna replied as she handed Toby some sugar.
"Neither, they're for CJ."
"They're in my purse, I'll bring her some."
As Josh walked back to the cabin Toby gave him a questioning look. "Doesn't she trust you with your own medication?"
"I have my own," Josh protested. "Donna steals them off me."
"Prescription medication?" Toby asked.
"Yeah."
"Isn't that illegal?"
"When I say 'steals', I mean she takes half of them off me, so that when I forget them....."
"Yeah," Toby chuckled.
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"Try lying down," Donna suggested."How would that help?"
"It might take the pressure off. Why don't you ask Admiral Goodwin if he can give you anything?"
"He'll give me the stuff that knocks me out. Do you have anymore of those you gave me?"
Donna dug around in her purse and took out a bottle of pills. "You can only have three more in the next 20 hours."
"Why?"
"Because it's a maximum of four in 24 hours. They're very powerful."
"Did you steal them from someplace?" CJ asked. "No actually I don't care, just give me one. I don't know how people live with constant pain."
"You get use to it," Josh commented without thinking.
"Leo, Josh," Charlie interrupted, "the president wants you."
As Leo and Josh walked to the president's cabin, Leo asked, "You get use to it?"
"I'd imagine," Josh added.
"So where does Donna get prescription pain relief from?" Leo asked, not waiting for Josh to answer. "They're yours?"
"Yeah."
"Why didn't you tell me?"
"That Donna steals my medication?" Josh asked with a smile.
"Where's the pain?" Leo persisted.
Josh considered denying that there was any pain, but he knew it'd be pointless. "My back and my leg."
"You should have said."
"Why, what would you have done?"
"I don't know. Nothing I guess, but I'd have known."
"It's not that often."
"Really?" Leo's tone was doubtful.
"My back is pretty much most of the time," Josh admitted. "It's not a big deal."
"You get use to it?" Leo asked.
"Yeah, sort of. You only notice it when it's not there. Which I know sounds dumb."
"Just a little," Leo agreed. "Isn't there anything they can do."
"Not about my leg, no. They could operate on my back, but they're reluctant to because there's a chance they could do more harm than good, so I'd rather they just left it alone."
"Okay," Leo agreed.
"Don't do that."
"What?"
"Don't use that tone, that sympathetic, head tilted slightly to one side, tone. It drives me nuts and it's the reason only Donna and Toby know."
"I'll do my best not to show I care," Leo replied.
"I know you care, you just don't have to pull out chairs for me and use that tone," Josh smiled.
"How come Toby knows?"
Josh grinned, "We were stranded in the middle of no mans land for twenty hours, we did a lot of walking and traveling in very uncomfortable vehicles. He caught Donna slipping me medication, I think he thought I was ill or on drugs, I'm not sure which."
"He didn't use the tone when you told him then?"
"Can you really imagine that?" Josh asked with a smile. "He said fine, he didn't care as long as it was legal and then started complaining about the plane being delayed."
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A RECEPTION THAT NIGHT"Not dancing?"
CJ turned at the sound of Josh's voice and smiled. "No, standing is about as much as I can manage, and only 'cos it's better than sitting."
"You have to see the doctor," Josh told her.
"Why, when I have Dr Donna," CJ grinned.
"Please tell me you're not drinking alcohol if you're still taking those."
"St Clements."
"Huh?"
"Orange and lemonade. I got strict instructions from Donna. Apparently she's had experience of someone drinking while taking these," CJ laughed at Josh.
"Yeah, well that's true," Josh grinned.
"Are you in a lot of pain?"
"Do I look like I am?"
"No."
"Well then," Josh helpfully replied.
"Then why....?"
"Just in case."
CJ let it drop, but she was pretty sure doctors didn't prescribe strong painkillers, 'just in case'.
"So you think she has a thing for speech writers?" Josh nodded to where Mallory and Will were dancing, closely, across the other side of the room.
"I think he's brave," CJ commented.
"Or he hasn't spoken to Sam about this."
"Leo doesn't seem to have noticed yet. Will does know who she is doesn't he?"
"I dunno."
"Josh! How did you introduce her to him?"
"I said, 'hi Will this is Mallory."
"You didn't mention who her father is then?"
"I may have neglected that part," Josh grinned.
"Retribution for the statement?"
"Would I?"
CJ laughed, "Well she certainly seems to like him, they've been dancing for quite some time now and they can't take their eyes off each other. He must be her type."
"Do women really have a type?"
"Well Mal seems to have a liking for slightly geeky but cute guys who wear glasses."
Josh laughed, "I wouldn't have called Richard Andrewchuk geeky, at least not to his face."
"He was the exception"
"Plus, I'm not sure most guys would to be called geeky or cute."
"Really."
"I wouldn't."
CJ nearly choked on her drink. "I don't think anyone's ever going to call you cute, Josh."
Josh tried to look offended. "You don't think I'm cute?"
"Oh no, I'm not getting into this, I know when to stop digging a hole."
Josh smiled, "So Mal's type is cute and geeky you reckon, what's yours?"
"No," CJ replied. "Yours?"
"Hey if you're not playing...... I think Donna's is Republicans," Josh commented as he watched Donna and Joe.
CJ followed his look and smiled. "Yes, you see. Everyone has a type. Although I think you think yours is different to what it really is."
Josh looked at CJ, "Could you say that again in English?"
CJ wasn't easily deterred."You always go for power mad overachievers who treat you like crap."
"Always?"
"Well, twice."
"So what is my type then?"
CJ glanced back towards Donna and grinned, "Blonde, smart, funny Democrat women from a Republican family."
"Not much chance of that I don't think."
"Well not if you don't make an effort, no."
"She seems quite happy with Joe."
"Maybe, but I bet she doesn't carry a supply Joe's medication around just in case he forget his own."
"True. Though that's probably because he's super healthy and doesn't rattle when he walks."
CJ grinned, "I wondered what the noise was in the corridors."
"Anyway she steals them, she doesn't carry them for me."
"If you say so," CJ grinned.
END