A/N: Told you I'd have this up soon! I hope you guys are enjoying this!
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During a routine afternoon exam late in the first week of Josh's stay at GW, CJ pokes her head in the door. "Is he decent?"
"Sure is." Donna tells her without turning around.
"Great." CJ steps completely inside. "Josh, Mandy is here."
Donna watches curiously as Josh makes a dramatic face of irritation. "Donna, tell her I died."
"Who's Mandy?" Donna asks, trying to keep her tone neutral.
"My coworker." Josh mutters.
"She's not, actually." CJ tells him flatly, coming to stand beside Donna. "She quit three days ago, remember? Her flight leaves today, she just wants to say goodbye."
"I still can't believe she quit. She's a quitter, she always has been."
"Actually, we fired her after we were elected, if you'll remember."
"Whatever." Josh says dismissively. "Still a quitter. She's in it for the job, for the résumé. Soon as things get tough..."
"The shooting really upset her, Josh."
"She wasn't there!"
"But you were, Josh. You were shot."
"Yeah, I know. And I'm not quitting." He rebukes.
"This woman has feelings for you?" Donna can't stop herself from asking. Immediately, she looks meek. "Sorry, that's not my place. It's just, you said she was upset by your injury, and-"
"She's his ex." CJ informs her with a slight smile.
"Oh." Donna says shortly.
"We were barely even together." Josh tells her, for some reason compelled to downplay the relationship to her.
CJ snorts. "Not sure Mandy remembers it that way, pal."
"Fine. She can come in for a few minutes. But after that, Donna, you're coming in and wheeling me into emergency surgery, you got that?"
"If you treated her this well when you were together, I can't imagine why you broke up." Donna deadpans.
"Hey now." Josh gives her a reproachful look. "We broke up because she's insufferable."
"Actually, you broke up because you ignored her half the time." CJ chimes in.
"CJ, do you have to be here for this?"
"Yes, actually. That reminds me, have you returned any of Joey's calls like I told you to?"
Josh groans. "We're back on that?"
"So you're also involved with someone named Joey?" Donna asks delicately, now more comfortable joining in on the teasing.
"A woman named Joey, yes." Josh clarifies hastily. "And we're not really involved, we just..."
"Maybe you would be, if you actually called her back." CJ prods him. "She's worried about you."
"I was just shot! I haven't exactly had the time, okay?"
"You didn't exactly have the time for her before this, either."
"Go get Mandy, would you?"
CJ leaves slowly, a smirk still firmly in place.
"So what I'm hearing is..."
"I'm a player." He shakes his head. "I know, I create that illusion. But I assure you-"
"No. Asshole. I was going to say that what I'm hearing is that you're an asshole."
"I am not!" He gives her a wounded look. "I'm just busy, okay? People never seem to get that, though I tell 'em going in. My work is my life, that's just how it is."
Donna purses her lips. She supposes that she understands that. She'd been guilty of choosing work over potential partners in the past. Her last boyfriend, Chris, had broken up with her after a few too many dinners were cancelled in favor of staying overtime. "Alright, player. Whatever you say."
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"I was about to go on my lunch break, Josh. My well earned lunch break. Do you understand? I'm working a twelve hour shift, and I worked through my nine o'clock break."
"I'm not stopping you."
"But really, you are." She steps inside and leans against his wall, scowling at him. "You didn't eat your breakfast, and now you're refusing lunch."
"I'm not hungry." He says weakly.
"You need to eat, Josh. To heal, you have to sleep, and you have to eat. I can't believe we're having to go over these basics again."
"Donna." Josh groans. "I'm not moving at all. Do I seriously need that many calories?"
"So what, now you're body conscious?"
"Just not hungry."
"Do I need to call your mother? She just left an hour ago for a well deserved nap, but I can-"
"You wouldn't."
She just her chin out determinedly. "Okay. Then eat your lunch."
Josh sinks back against his pillows. "It's gross, okay! The food is gross! If I have to look at another jello cup, I'm going to puke. I want a burger. Fries. Pasta. Please. I can't live this way, I'm only a man."
Donna bursts into unexpected laughter, surprised by his outburst. "Ah, so that's it. Yeah, this happens a lot."
Josh gives her a baleful look. "I'm so hungry, Donna. But please don't make me eat another stale ham sandwich."
She chuckles again, relieved there's not actually something wrong with his appetite. "I'll tell you what. I've got a lunch packed for myself. You can have half, and I'll take your jello and half your sandwich."
Josh perks up. "What do you have for lunch?"
"A salad, a yogurt, some carrot sticks, and pretzels."
Josh wrinkles his nose. "That's almost as bad."
"Take it or leave it, pumpkin patch."
He tilts his head to one side. "I'll take it."
Ten minutes later, Donna is settled in the chair by Josh's bed, contentedly sharing food. "What are we watching?"
"This is the Orioles against the Braves."
"Do you want to talk me through it, all condescending and whatnot?"
He glances over at her as he takes a carrot stick from the tray. "You'd let me?"
"I've got some time, now."
Josh lights up as he launches into the lecture, and Donna contentedly spends her lunch break eating hospital jello and watching him.
Josh doesn't complain about the food the next day, but Donna finds herself bringing her lunch box into his room again. In the other hand, she holds a DVD. She smiles at Josh and Ruth. "Ruth, hi."
"Hello, dear! It's nice to see you."
"And you. Do you mind if I join you for lunch?"
"What do you have there?" Josh asks.
"Get ready, pal." She puts the movie in and settles into one of his visitor's chairs as the previews before A League of Their Own start playing.
"Is this that damn movie you've been-"
"We did baseball your way. Now we're doing it mine."
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"Haven't seen you in the cafeteria the past few days." Carla says pointedly as Donna pauses at the counter, scribbling something out on a chart.
"Hm?" Donna looks up with faux innocence. "Oh, I've been... Busy. With patients."
"With one patient in particular, I've noticed."
Donna freezes. "I don't know what you're talking about."
"Donna. C'mon. You and gunshot are getting pretty cozy, especially for a patient that's no longer critical."
Donna flops down listlessly onto the counter, resting her forehead on her chart. "It's that obvious?"
Carla smiles. "I don't blame you. He's cute. Don't blame that entire fan club, honestly."
"He's actually hot." Donna informs her friend dismally, picking her head up off the chart. "He is demonstrably, undeniably hot. Something I wish I didn't know, but I change his bandages twice a day. My hands shake, Carla. They shake."
"He's that fine, huh?"
"I'm not sure anymore. He could just have magical powers that I've fallen prey to."
"Magic powers, huh?"
"And abs. Abs that I look at twice a day."
"If it helps, he won't be mobile for a while, so he'll probably lose them."
"That does help, thank you."
"And I can get a nurse to change his bandages, if you want. It's not like he's critical anymore."
"No." Donna says immediately. "No, I've got it."
Carla raises an eyebrow. "Did I just hear jealousy?"
"What? No, I was just-"
"You don't want anybody else touching your man?"
Donna frowns. "That's not what I meant."
"Do you like him?"
"No! No, of course not. I'm his doctor. That's all."
"His doctor whose hands shake when she changes the bandages on his fine body, that's all?"
"It's the magic, I'm telling you. It has nothing to do with me."
"You're sure?"
"I'm sure."
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By the end of Josh's first week in the hospital, Toby attempts to ask him for some advice on a congressional issue despite the many warnings not to bring up work around him. He and Sam cluster around Josh's bed, briefing him on the situation.
"Yeah, so that's easy, you just get Alvarez with the-"
Josh is interrupted by Donna bursting into his room without knocking. He looks up at her meekly as she stands before them, hands on hips. "Hello, boys."
The three men chorus a weak, "Hello, Dr. Moss," and "Hi, Donna."
"You wouldn't happen to be working, would you?"
"What?" Josh scoffs, not making eye contact. "Of course not, we're-"
"You!" Donna points an accusing finger at Toby. "You're the one I have to watch. You're the one that tried to smuggle him that briefing memo on Monday."
Toby looks uncharacteristically intimidated. "We're not working. Um, ma'am."
She gives them one last stern, sweeping look as she backs out of the room. "I'm leaving the door open. So the nurses can hear you."
Sam waits until they can't hear her footsteps anymore. "Not to be crude, but have you noticed..."
Josh sighs. "That my doctor is insanely attractive? Yeah. I've noticed."
"It's hard not to." Toby agrees.
Josh gives them both reproachful looks. "Okay, when you two say it..."
"What?"
"She's a very competent Doctor. Very competent, very scary. She just also happens to be..."
"Hot." Josh allows. "Really, really hot."
"You doing okay with that?"
"No! It's horrible!" Josh bemoans. "She's around me all the time, messing with me, touching me, leaning over me, and then she's all 'wow, your pulse is going up.' Yeah, no shit."
Toby and Sam both chuckle. "At least she seems fond of you."
"I mean, sure, but in a Doctor way. I mean, I'm immobile. I'm pathetic, and bed ridden, and overall unappealing."
Toby smirks. "Glad you've finally realized that."
Josh glares at him. "Do you want my help or not?"
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:D this so fun! Thanks for reading, guys, let me know what you think!
