Title: Finding Comfort
Author: Erika
Spoilers: ITSOTG Parts I and II
Note: I know Zoey isn't typically used for fics, but I thought it would be interesting to see what she was going through after the events of Rosslyn.
Disclaimer: I don't own any characters that have appeared on The West Wing, though owning Bradley Whitford/Josh Lyman is something I really wouldn't mind.

Zoey Bartlet wandered around the bullpen like a fish out of water. It was something she made a point of doing every time she happened to be in the area, what she had come to know as a routine. Her first stop was always Josh's office. She'd share a quick hello with Donna, make sure her "brother" was available, and pop into his office for a pleasant conversation. It was one of the brightest points of both his and her day. Today, though, she wouldn't be stopping in Josh's office. A week had passed since the Rosslyn shooting had taken place, and she still hadn't been able to face the Deputy. She just stood by the cubicles, staring at the closed office door, wondering if her guilt would ever subside enough to allow her a visit to her friend. Her thoughts were disturbed by a hand that touched her shoulder.

"Zoey, are you okay?"
Zoey shook her head and looked up at the speaker. "Oh, C.J., hi. Yeah, I'm fine."
"Are you sure?" the Press Secretary asked. She suddenly seemed to realize what Zoey had been staring at and squeezed the young girl's shoulder in understanding. "Hey, do you want to come to my office? We can do stuff."
"What kind of stuff?"
C.J. shrugged. "I don't know. Girlie things."
Zoey smiled. "So we can tell each other government secrets?"
"I can tell you Josh secrets," C.J. said with a small chuckle. "I've got some great stories. And I have Coke in my fridge."
"Sounds good," Zoey replied, following the older woman to her office. She sighed as she plopped down on C.J.'s couch and dropped her faux Louis Vitton bag on the floor. She accepted the can of soda from C.J. with an appreciative smile before pulling the tab and taking a sip.
"So what's up?" C.J. asked, sitting next to the teenager.
Zoey gave her a pointed look. "You got me here. I want to hear the secrets."
C.J. laughed. "Okay, well, did you hear about the time Josh had to wear Sam's fishing waders?"
Zoey raised an eyebrow. "Come again?"
"It was the first time he met Joey Lucas...You know Joey Lucas, right?" Upon Zoey's confirmation, C.J. continued. "Well, apparently, Josh had gone to a party the night before, and Donna found him sleeping in his office the next morning."
"His office?"
"He couldn't find his keys," C.J. explained. "And he was drunk."
"Sensitive system," Zoey said knowingly.
"You have no idea."
There was a moment of silence before Zoey asked, "So...why was Josh wearing Sam's fishing waders?"
"Oh! Well, according to Donna, he smelled like death and spilled coffee all over himself and since he had a meeting with Joey Lucas..."
"I see. Did he get his suit back?"
"Eventually. Donna went out and got the suit dry-cleaned, but she was a little too late."
"Joey saw him?"
"She did."
"Oh, no."
"Right? I wish I had been there!"
"That is just so Josh in a nutshell," Zoey said with a sad smile.
"Mmm-hmm." There was another moment of silence. "Zoey, have you been to see him yet?"
Zoey felt herself tense up. She glanced at C.J., but found herself unable to keep eye contact. "No," she murmured.
"Why not?"
"I don't know."
"I thought you two were close."
"We are!" Zoey exclaimed. "I just...I can't."
"You feel guilty," C.J. said, the words coming out more as a statement than a question.
"Yes," came the quiet reply.
C.J. nodded. "He doesn't blame you," she said softly, knowing perfectly well that would do nothing to help.
"How can you be so sure?"
"Because you're Zoey, and he's Josh."
Zoey gave C.J. an odd look. "What do you mean?"
"He loves you, Zoey. He would never blame you for this. And I know you know that."
"It's just...Those guys were aiming for Charlie and me."
C.J. bit her lip. "Those guys" hadn't been aiming for the President's daughter, but the President's aide alone. But she knew it wasn't right to say so, not to Zoey's face. "Zoey...I'm no psychiatrist, and I don't know if anything I say to you now will help you feel less guilty, but I can assure you that Josh has placed no blame on you or Charlie. The only people he blames are the people who were holding the guns. The people you should be blaming, the people Charlie should be blaming are the guys who were holding the guns. It wasn't your fault."
"I just don't understand how anyone could do something so horrible," Zoey said, her eyes brimming with tears.
C.J. took a deep breath, then exhaled slowly. "I don't think any of us can, Zoey. What you have to realize is, we all think we're righteous. Virginia White Pride don't believe that interracial relationships are right, so they figured the best way to go was shoot at us."
"But they didn't shoot Charlie or me, they got Josh!" Zoey exclaimed.
"Yes, they did," C.J. said calmly. "But they're just as happy to have hit a Jewish man than you or Charlie."
Zoey looked away and stared at the can she was holding. "Have you seen him a lot this week?" she asked, changing course of subject.
"I've gone to the hospital every day."
"Is...Is he in a lot of pain?"
"The gunshot wound was serious," C.J. said carefully.
"So that's a yes?"
"Pretty much. It's very...uncomfortable for him."
"Does he talk much?"
C.J. smiled. "It's Josh. You can't expect him to keep quiet for long."
Zoey nodded in agreement. "I guess I should go visit him," she said, as if asking a question.
"He'd like that."
"Yeah?"
"You can bet on it."
"Thank you, C.J."
"Anytime."

To Be Continued