MONDAY NIGHT.
It was evening in the white house and the sun had just set over the capital building. She stared out the window and in her mind, heard her phone ringing. She looked to see, who the message was from: Danny.
Oh great.
Her heart was pounding in her ears. Her mind was saying: 'Don't call him back' but her heart was saying something different. Her mind was screaming louder than her heart however, and reason prevailed. She glanced one last time at the message on her phone and sighed.
She picked up her car keys to her 65 blue Mustang and quickly exited through the north west lobby door, her high heels tapping loudly on the floor.
CJ quickly eased her car out of the gate after having said goodnight to the security guard. She turned down her radio and started to drive even faster, unaware of the tears falling down her cheeks. She couldn't wait to see his name in the morning paper.
TUESDAY MORNING: 5 AM
Having quickly dressed, in her light blue Armani suit she sighed and set about making herself some coffee. While the coffee was percolating, she quickly checked outside her apartment door and saw a fresh copy of the Washington post.
"Yes!" her heart screamed "it's his paper"
As she unfolded the grey pages and smelled the fresh ink, her heart skipped a beat. She went through the contents of the paper, finding his name in a byline of an article relating to the Iran Nuclear Weapons Program.
She was then aware of her phone ringing again in her bedroom. She dropped the paper haphazardly next to her coffee mug, and ran to answer the phone. Her caller ID screen said: POTUS. She immediately picked up the phone and said:
"Good Morning Sir, You should still be in bed, it's 5 in the morning."
She had assumed the responsibility of being his chief of staff only two months earlier, and was beginning to act like his wife, Abby. Though she shared the president's love for making a foreign policy deal, it was 5 in the morning...and she was tired. And she couldn't seem to stop thinking about that special someone who had given her a fish a few years ago, by the name of Gale.
The president continued, "Did you see Danny's story this morning? It's going to make trouble."
"Yes sir"
"We need you to come in as soon as you can," he stated matter-of-factly.
"Very good sir, I'll be right over"
Groaning and complaining, she decided to take the paper with her to work, and read his whole story. He was now in a different part of Washington, covering President Bartlett's news from home. He no longer frequented the press bullpens and frankly, CJ missed him. In fact, that was an understatement. She had never really professed her love for him as it could be a danger to her job. But she didn't care anymore. She would call him tonight and make sure he knew. Her heart would finally triumph over her worried mind. But for now, she had to deal with the humdrum of Iranian missiles and a press story gone awry.