The Not-So Merry Month of May
By Ginny
This started off as a challenge to write about Josh and Donna ten years after the administration ends. It somehow spawned itself into a nice little universe. Look for more stories to follow.
May 2013
Donna sat next to Josh idly flipping through a magazine waiting for the plane to take off. Their sons, Jacob and Jessie were in the row behind them. Jacob was turning 7 the next day and Jessie was five. They were deep in a discussion about the new video game Jake had gotten as an early birthday present. Josh was quieter than usual; sitting next to the window he was looking out at the planes stacked up on the runway. He was fidgeting as usual, tapping his fingers on the window, playing with the end of the seatbelt, humming quietly to himself.
"We're going to be late." he muttered as he rubbed his eyes.
"We rented a car, don't worry about it." said Donna as she squeezed his hand.
They were on their way to New Hampshire to visit Jed and Abbey. They had moved there permanently after Jed's heartbreaking loss in the 2002 election. As hard as the staff had tried, the MS issue was just too big to overcome and Jed was defeated by a fairly large margin.
Josh and Donna had been married in a small ceremony in the spring of 2004 and Jake was born almost exactly 2 years later. Jessie was a surprise, arriving a mere 19 months after his brother.
The family had settled in a nice neighborhood in Bethesda; in a house with a big yard and plenty of room to grow. After having two boys in a row they had decided to take a little break in the baby department. But when Jessie was two they thought about having another baby but it just never worked out that way. Now Donna was just past 40 and Josh was 53 so they decided that the two blessings they had were just right.
The trip had been Jake's idea. He wanted to celebrate his birthday with his Uncle Jed and Aunt Abbey. And with his birthday in the middle of May it worked out well. Now, even 13 years later, May was a hard month for Josh and Donna.
So they decided to make the trip up for a long weekend. Back in the fall Josh had decided to take a few semesters off from teaching Political Science at Georgetown. His health hadn't been the greatest over the past year. Despite medication and reluctant exercise his blood pressure was still high. He had been having increasing difficulty with his right side over the years. He used a cane when he went out but didn't bother with it around the house. It bothered him when he wasn't able to run and rough-house with the boys. But they understood as well as any boys their ages could understand.
Donna had taken the time to complete her degree after they left the White House. She was on the staff of a freshman Senator named Billy Fernandez, the same Billy who had ended up on Josh's list many years earlier while on a trip to the White House with the Presidential Classroom program. She loved the job and found it very rewarding.
With Josh taking time off they had been able to let the nanny go and just get by with an occasional babysitter. Josh found staying home to be rewarding in its own way. He did some political consulting when he felt like it. He had decided at 53 it was time to learn how to cook. Much to the surprise of Donna and the boys, he had actually become quite good at it. An occasional lecture broke up the cycle of car pools and basketball practice.
Although Josh had been tired and run down the last few weeks life in general was good for the Lyman family.
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Donna felt Josh squeeze her hand as the plane taxied down the runway. Flying usually didn't bother him in the least so Donna leaned over to make sure he was ok.
"Josh, what's wrong?" she asked as she tipped his chin towards her.
She was startled for just a second as he turned to face her. He was incredibly pale and shaking slightly. "Josh, talk to me." she said a little more forcefully as she put a hand on his forehead. No fever. Just the opposite, he was cool and clammy.
"Headache." he whispered as he put his head back and closed his eyes. Donna reached for his backpack that was on the floor under the seat in front of him. She grabbed a few Advil and a bottle of water he had stuffed in there before leaving the house earlier.
"Here, take these." she said as she put the pills in his hand and opened the water.
Josh took the Advil and drank some water. He pushed the seat back a little and curled up facing the window. Donna got him a blanket and pillow from the flight attendant. She turned sideways in her seat and rubbed his back until he fell asleep. He slept restlessly for the rest of the flight; waking just as the plane began its descent into Manchester.
"You feel any better?" she asked.
"A little I guess." he answered as he struggled to buckle the seat belt with his right hand.
Donna reached over and did it for him. Josh sat back in the seat, opening and closing his right hand and wiggling his fingers.
"What's wrong?"
"Don't know." he said holding up his right hand. "My hand was tucked under my head, it must have fallen asleep."
Donna took a hold of his hand and brushed her lips against his knuckles.
"You need to get some sleep this weekend."
"I know." he said wearily.
Donna made a mental note to talk to Abbey about a couple of things over the next few days.
They landed in Manchester only 10 minutes behind schedule. Abbey had wanted to send a car to pick them up but Donna insisted on renting a car and driving out to the farm.
The boys dozed in the back seat while Donna drove. Josh fiddled with the radio until he found NPR. Donna drove with one eye on the road and the other on Josh. He knew she was watching his every move and he made an effort not to show just how bad he was feeling. The feeling of pins and needles in his hand had gone almost as quickly as it had come. With the help of the Advil and some sleep his headache had lessened to a dull throbbing.
Donna called Abbey from the car and when they pulled into the long driveway she could see Jed and Abbey waiting for them on the porch swing. The boys were out of the car almost before Donna had a chance to put it in park. They flew up the front steps and into Abbey's arms. After they had kissed their "Aunt" the boys climbed onto the swing to greet Jed. Donna got out of the car and waved before walking to the passenger's side and opening the door for Josh.
"You ok, you need your cane?" she asked as he swung his legs out the door.
"No. I'm just a little stiff from sitting. Just give me a minute. You go ahead." he said motioning towards the house.
Donna gave a sigh and climbed the familiar wooden steps to greet their friends. She gave Abbey a big hug. The boys had already run around the back of the house and were on the tire swing hanging from the large oak tree.
"Josh ok?" asked Abbey.
"Just a little stiff and stubborn. Please don't fuss." said Donna, her eyes pleading slightly.
"I won't."
Abbey went down the stairs and over to Josh. She kissed his cheek and tucked her arm in his while Donna sat down on the swing next to Jed. He was looking pretty good. A little grayer than the last time Donna and Josh had seen him, a little wearier but with blue eyes that were still as bright as ever.
"How was the trip?" Jed asked as he took Donna's hand in his.
"Fine. The boys were great on the plane, Josh slept, I managed to read a whole magazine with no interruptions."
They chatted about Donna's job for a minute, until Josh and Abbey stepped onto the porch.
"How about we go in for some tea? Dinner will be ready in about and hour and a half." said Abbey as she opened the front door.
"I'll be there in a minute. Let me just get the stuff out of the car."
"Nonsense. Someone will get it out for you." said Jed as he let Donna help him to his feet. She handed him his wooden cane that had been resting against the porch railing.
The four friends went into the farmhouse's large kitchen and sat around the table with their tea. They caught up on all the latest news from the rest of Bartlet's staff. Abbey and Donna were careful to steer the conversation away from any unsettling paths. There were no mentions of MS, high blood pressure or anything remotely medical.
After dinner the boys played basketball in the driveway while Jed and Josh went into the study to talk politics. Abbey and Donna took a walk around the pond to catch up.
"Donna, how's Josh, really?" asked Abbey as they stopped and sat down on the boulder that overlooked the small pond.
"Not so great. I thought when he took time off he would be able to relax a little, get some rest, get some strength back."
"Josh, relax? You're kidding right?" teased Abbey.
"Apparently so. He says he likes being home. He's even learned to cook but there are times he just looks so...lost."
"Think he's depressed?"
"Maybe a little. His blood pressure's been high the last six months. The doctor's tried a few medications without much success. He'd like to see Josh exercise a little more but there's only so much he can do. He's frequently unsteady on his feet. He's not big on using the cane around the house but when he goes out to walk he does take it with him. He walks the boys to school every morning and then goes to pick them up in the afternoon."
"Well, I can certainly sympathize with you about having a husband reluctant to use the cane." said Abbey with a grin. "But, actually Jed's doing well. He did quite a few speaking engagements this spring. The MS is still relapsing/remitting; although the relapses come more frequently he does usually recover from them quite quickly. He just had one last week and the limp seems to be hanging on so he's one with the cane again for probably another week or so."
"He looks good. How's he..uh.."
"Mentally?"
Donna nodded.
"Sharp as ever. Which is actually a surprise. He still reads three papers a day and keeps up with all things political. He does a little consulting under the radar. He and Leo talk almost everyday.
"Yeah, Josh talks to Leo a few times a week. He was down in DC about a month ago. He stayed with us for a few days. He looks great. The boys had a great time with him."
They sat in silence for a few minutes, watching the boys play basketball. Jed and Josh had wandered out onto the court. Josh motioned for Jake to toss him the ball.
"You have your medical bag handy?" asked Donna as she smiled and waved at Josh.
"Oh yeah, right inside the house."
Josh took a dozen or so shots, managing to make about half of them.
"Not bad." said Abbey. "Donna is Josh having trouble with his hand? He keeps opening and closing his fist and flexing his fingers."
"That's something new. It happened on the plane but we both thought it was just because he had fallen asleep with his hand tucked behind his head. He said it felt like pins and needles. Why? Do you think something is wrong?"
Abbey shrugged a little. "It's probably nothing. My doctor senses are just running wild, I guess."
"Ask him about it later, but don't say I told you anything."
"Sure."
They turned their attention back to the court. Jed had just made a shot with one hand while holding the cane with the other. The "boys" played for a while longer, until Donna took the little boys in to get them ready for bed. After much discussion about sleeping in the barn they settled down in the twin beds that used to belong to Elizabeth and Ellie. Donna kissed them good-night and went to make a few phone calls.
Jed had gone up to get ready for bed. Despite his more frequent relapses he refused to have the master bedroom moved to the first floor. So some days it took him longer to navigate the stairs. Josh had wandered down the hall to use the bathroom. Abbey went to the kitchen to put some water on the stove. Josh wandered in a few minutes later, flexing the fingers on his right hand. He stopped as soon as he realized Abbey was in the room.
"Hey Josh, you want a cup of tea?" asked Abbey.
"Sure, thanks." he said as he sank down into a chair at the table. He grabbed a banana out of the fruit basket in the middle of the table.
They chatted about the boys and how they were doing in school while they waited for the water to boil. When it did, Abbey set two mugs on the table and sat next to Josh.
He knew he was about to get a medical grilling. "Abbey, please, just ask whatever you want to ask, say whatever you want to say." he said with a small smile.
"Fine. What's with your hand?" she asked as she took his right hand in her own hands, turning it over and patting it before putting it back on the table.
Josh went on to tell Abbey the same story Donna had.
"This the first time it's happened?"
Josh sighed a bit and fidgeted in his seat a little. "No. It happened one day last week too. The sensation came and went for a few hours and then disappeared all together."
Abbey was quiet while she mulled over a few things in her head.
"Josh, I want to take your blood pressure."
"Fine." he agreed. "I can tell you now, it's going to be high." he said as he pulled his sweatshirt off over his head.
Abbey got her bag out of the bedroom and returned a minute later. Josh had been right, it was a little high, but nothing to panic about.
"You feel ok otherwise?"
"Had a headache on the plane. It was probably just the cabin pressure or something." replied Josh, wanting desperately to steer the conversation in another direction, any direction. "So how are the grandchildren?"
"Misdirection isn't going to work on me, Joshua. You and I are going to do some serious talking this weekend."
Josh rolled his eyes as Abbey laughed. "The grandchildren are fine. Annie's just finishing her first year of law school. Zoey and Charlie were up here with the twins last week. I can't believe they are 4 already."
"And how is Ellie?"
"She's good. Too busy being a neurologist to give me more grandchildren but she is seeing someone at the moment. He's a doctor at Johns Hopkins, where Ellie is working. We saw them a few months ago in Baltimore when Jed was down there giving a speech. He seems nice although I don't know that Ellie is looking to have a husband and a family anytime soon."
Josh realized the uncomfortable portion of the conversation was over and he settled back with his tea. He let the warmth relax him both inside and out as he wrapped his fingers around the steaming mug.
By the time they finished their tea Abbey was yawning.
"Why don't you go to bed? I'm just going to have another cup and then go to bed myself."
"OK. But don't stay up too late. You need some rest, Josh." warned Abbey.
"Yes, mom." he said with a smirk as Abbey leaned over to kiss the top of his head. "Sleep well, see you in the morning."
"You too." said Abbey as she turned to go up the stairs.
TBC