Disclaimer: The West Wing belongs to the wonderful mind of Aaron Sorkin. I own nothing!
Setting: Bartlett for America campaign on a swing through visit of Ohio 3 months before the election.
"CJ, the Governor just heard about a foster home near here that's been doing great things. He wants to do a flying visit. You should have heard him! He went on for so long I can't remember the name of the place. Anyway it's on Connolly Street; you're from Dayton you can figure it out. We have an hour max. We have to get to Cleveland tonight."
"Wait Josh where are you running off to? I really don't think we have time for this. He still hasn't prepped for the speech with the teachers unions later."
"I know, but he's adamant CJ. You know how he gets. Call them and let them know we're coming ….. And that there'll be Press there. I have to go find Toby and Sam. I swear if they don't finish tonight's speech soon one of them is going to spontaneously combust. Or maybe I will ….DONNA!"
Josh takes off in the direction of the hotel lobby leaving CJ alone sitting at a makeshift desk in her room surrounded by briefing notes and press releases still in their formative stages. Sighing CJ writes down a once familiar number on a scrap of paper. She'll have her assistant Carol call the foster home and arrange the visit. She simply doesn't have time right now. The pace of the campaign had trebled since the Governor had won the democratic nomination. Sleep had become a distant memory. Tired as they were they lived for the adrenaline rush of a hard fought campaign.
This was her first national campaign and at first she had been worried she wouldn't be able to handle the constant stress and never-ending workload but she had never imagine the sense of accomplishment she would get out of the work they were doing here. It certainly beat working the entertainment accounts at her last job.
And God she had come to really love these people. Toby, Josh, Sam, Leo, Abbey and the Governor, the assistants Carol, Donna, Margaret and Mrs Landingham. They had all become a surrogate family to her over the last few months. She can't remember ever being this close to a group of people. Be that as it may, she still hadn't managed to tell them about her past. She skilfully redirected their questions every time anyone got too personal about her family or her childhood.
She tries valiantly to come up with an excuse to avoid accompanying the Governor to St. Agnes' foster home but she can't. Leaving him without a Press Secretary in a room full of Press at this stage in the campaign would be a recipe for disaster. His ability to insult whole States with one of his ill-judged jokes is fast becoming stuff of campaign legend. They certainly won't be winning Texas unless maybe John Hoynes can undo some of the damage with his unique brand of charm. No she will just have to suck it up and go along. They were all going to find out sometime. It's not like growing up in a foster home is anything to be ashamed of. She would just rather avoid the awkward questions and pitying looks that are sure to come her way when her story becomes common knowledge.
Walking through the door the memories hit CJ like a punch in the gut. She almost gasped. The place was different and yet exactly the same. It even smelled the same. Desperately hoping she wouldn't be recognised she followed Governor Bartlett and Abbey into the common area where the staff and the kids had gathered to greet them. They had certainly made an effort. Bartlett for America posters decorated the walls which had been painted a warm yellow colour in contrast to the dull grey blue of CJ's years. Breathing a sigh of relief she realised that she didn't recognise any of the staff members gathered at the top of the large room. Following the Governors lead once more she shakes hands with the staff, two homely looking women, a man about her age and a few young enthusiastic looking volunteers from the local community college. Sam was close behind her doing the same. Josh. Toby and Leo had stayed at the hotel to discuss debate specifics with Congressman Jackson's people. CJ looked for any signs of recognition among the foster home workers as she introduced herself but found none. She was in the clear for now at least.
The male social worker introduced himself as Jason Leary and led them on a tour of the building. They were followed by three members of the Press, Danny, Chris and Steve. They were all seasoned political journalists who CJ felt she could trust to be mindful of the privacy of the kids living here. As the group made their way around looking at the dorms, recreation rooms and even a makeshift library CJ had to agree with the Governor that the staff had truly been doing great work here. The improvements were astounding.
For her part CJ found it difficult to pay attention to the conversation being carried on between the Bartlett's and the staff and kids that had tagged along. She was reliving memories of her time here she had thought were long forgotten. Photographs lined the halls and she shuddered slightly when she saw a picture of herself as she had been then. Tall and gangly she smiled shyly into the camera. But her smile failed to reach her eyes. They were haunted, shadowing the pain and terror of that awful night that brought her here. She sped up slightly, wanting to leave the memories in the past where they belonged, not wanting to remember any more about that particular time in her past.
CJ could barely mask her relief when she informed the Governor that their time was up and they needed to leave. Walking out the door she felt a weight lift from her shoulders. She straightened up to her considerable height. She was no longer the terrified twelve year old girl that had lived here once. She was Press Secretary for a national campaign for President of the United States and she was doing a damn good job too. Maybe the past really could stay here where it belonged and she could get on with her job and her life.
Getting into the car she felt someone watching her. She looked up and met the curious gaze of Washington Post correspondent Danny Concannon. Her stomach clenched and a warning sounded in her head. She knew Danny a little by now and had heard much of his reputation as journalist. He was like a blood hound and would stop at nothing to sniff out a story. Josh had wasted no time warning her to be careful around him when he started following Governor Bartlett's campaign. If anyone could expose her story it was Danny. Shaking off the brief moment of panic she promised herself she would tell everyone soon. Just not today. She got into the car and listened to Josiah Bartlett talk about his plans to fix every foster home in the country once he was elected President. Smoothing a look of calm she didn't feel onto her face she pretended to pay attention as they sped away from her past back to the hotel.