In the Woods
The door opens, and a middle-aged woman is standing there, looking at me appraisingly. She has deep brown eyes and curly, brown hair.
"Good morning!" I greet her.
"Good morning," she counters and smiles. "I take that you lost your way in the forest."
"Yeah, that about right. We spent the night in the forest, and…" I tell her, and I could smack myself on the head for that slip.
"We as in your family and you?" she asks me, pointing toward Donna and the kids. I couldn't see them if I didn't know that they are standing there, how comes that she can? Well, she is home, I guess, she must know the vicinity enough to spot any anomalies.
"Yes, ma'am. Could we get some water and maybe we could use your phone?" I ask her, beckoning my companions to me.
"But of course. My name is Rebecca Royce," she says, and I mumble my name too. She doesn't seem to recognize me, but that's okay with me right now. Otherwise I might be offended, but I don't care at the moment. "I guess you must be pretty hungry too," she says, and the kids are nodding their agreement with the sentiment. I make introductions, and they shake hands. "I have cornflakes and milk, if that's okay with you," she tells them. Miranda nods fiercely, Peter scrunches his face at the milk, but I guess he is too hungry to be picky.
Our hostess guides us into her house, and we take in our surroundings with silent awe. The house is magnificent but homey at the same time. She ushers us into the kitchen, but Donna tells her that we need the bathroom first. We take our turns, washing our hands and taking care of other business. The kids are already in the kitchen, eating their cereals, when Donna and I enter.
"Coffee?" she asks us, and I nod. Donna shakes her head and asks for a glass of milk. Peter is looking at her like she lost her mind. I guess he is not used to someone voluntarily drinking milk. We sit down and watch the kids eat, while our hostess makes us a few toasts and scrambled eggs. I never knew I would be so thankful for food. I can go without food for a day, but right now I couldn't go on for another ten minutes. Peter asks for eggs too, Miranda says she had enough. We are chatting about the house and the forest while we eat our breakfast, carefully avoiding any other topics.
"My Blackberry is in my study," she says after we finish our breakfast. I feel like a human again, although my clothes are still dirty and my shoe is killing me too.
"You have a Blackberry?" I ask incredulously. I know it might seem rude but somehow I couldn't picture this lady with a Blackberry, maybe a laptop to surf the web for recipes or something, but certainly not a Blackberry. I know, I know, that'd be the time Donna whacks me. Bear with me, I can be a jerk on my best days, and this is certainly not one of them.
"Yep, I don't have a phone line; it's too far from town. My publisher gave me a Blackberry, and I have to agree it's quite useful," she explains.
"Oh, that Rebecca Royce!" Donna exclaims, and I'm lost. I've never heard of her, but that's not surprising, I read memos and memoirs. I plan to read more when I retire, but right now I really don't have the time.
"Yes, dear," she says and looks at her.
"I liked your last one the best," Donna says honestly, and then we proceed into the study.
"Maybe you could give me your charger, and then I could use my own," I tell her, and she nods, rummaging in one of the drawers.
"I'll leave the two of you alone," she says, giving me the charger and pointing out the outlet. "I don't have cable TV but I have a DVD player and a documentary about the Seven Wonders of the World. Would that be okay for the kids to watch?" she asks Donna.
"Definitely," Donna agrees. "Their clothes are pretty dirty, Ms. Royce, they shouldn't sit on the couch."
"That's okay dear, I have a quilt, I'll drape that over the couch."
"Thank you," Donna says, and I finally manage to switch on my Blackberry. "You are calling Toby again?"
"Yes," I tell her and take her hand into mine. She squeezes my hand while I wait for Toby to pick up.
"Toby Ziegler," he says, and Donna leans closer to hear his voice too.
"It's me, Josh," I tell him and I hear him sigh with relief.
"Are you okay?" he asks finally.
"Yeah, we are okay. Where are you?"
"At Camp David with Andie," he informs us, and now it's time for me to sigh in relief.
"Can I talk to the President?" I ask him.
"On my way to Aspen Lodge," he says. "Are you really okay?"
"Yep, we took a risk and we are now in a house. Rebecca Royce's house," I tell him.
"The writer?" he asks back, and now I really feel dumb. Everybody knows who Rebecca Royce is but me. I guess I should take the time to read.
"Yup. Listen, Toby, how is Helen?"
"She is okay given the circumstances. She was brought to GW, they say that that bandage saved her legs. But she sustained other injuries so she is not out of the woods yet," Toby tells me honestly. "She had internal bleeding, they had to operate, but they say she has good chances for a full recovery."
"I see. Did you find the two agents?" I ask, dreading the answer.
"Yeah, they were not far from the chopper. They were both shot. One of them is in the morgue, the other one is over at Langley," he imparts. "Listen, the investigation is still under way, and we don't know what happens next. They say that there must have been at least one more agent but they can't find him. So stay put and don't let anybody else into the house but Ron or me."
"Yeah, there was at least another one," I tell Toby and then explain the situation. And then I register what he said earlier and ask, "Are you coming for us?"
"Yes, we have Gregory Lymburg here, he has a chopper and he will fly Ron and me to the house. I'm here," he says then, and I hear him tell the President that it's me on the phone.
"Josh," I hear Matt's voice.
"Mr. President," I greet him. "The kids are okay. They are watching a video about the Seven Wonders right now, but Donna can call them," I say, and I feel Donna slide away.
"Josh, how can I ever thank you for this?" Matt asks, and I'm really touched by his voice. It's my job to do this for him, so I don't think that I deserve any thanks. Besides, they are kids and it's every grown-up's job to keep them safe.
"Sir, any news on the First Lady?" I ask, not knowing what to say.
"No, Josh, she is asleep at GW, they are optimistic but we have to wait. Those bandages saved her leg by the way," he tells me what Toby already told me.
"It was Donna, sir, you know me and blood," I tell him and I hear him laugh. "They are here, sir." I give the phone the kids, telling them that it's their Dad on the other end.
"Daddy!" they both shriek, and I'm really touched to see their faces alight with excitement.
"Yes, Daddy," I hear Miranda's answer and then I zone out. I'm thinking about our baby, praying to whatever God is out there that we'd never live through the same.
When I come back to reality, Donna is on the phone with Toby again, she obviously asked Rebecca for directions because she dictates the route. And then the phone is handed back to me, Ron wants to speak to me about the third agent. I tell him everything I know about Tim, but I'm no great help when it comes to directions, I can't tell Ron where he finds him.
I also ask Ron to make arrangements to take us to GW straight away, and he consents. I want to make sure Donna's okay, and the kids should be checked out too, I guess.
"Listen, Ron, can he leave Camp David?" I ask him at the end of the conversation.
"After we picked you up, Gregory will come back for him. Why?"
"We are good here, take him to GW first," I tell him.
"No, Josh," I hear the President.
"Yes, Mr. President. You have to by her side and you can meet us there later," I tell him. "You want to see your wife and your kids, this is the shortest way to ensure that," I try to persuade him.
"But Josh, your safety is…"
"Yeah, yeah, yeah," I wave him off. "We are safe here, we won't open the door, and nobody knows we are here. The kids are fed and warm. Have Greg take you to the hospital, and then Toby and Ron can pick us up."
"Okay," Matt gives in, and I grin. "And wipe that grin from your face, Josh," he tells me.
"Sorry, sir," I say, the grin growing larger at his admonishing words. "Bye, sir. Give Helen a hug from me," I tell him, and he thanks. We hang up, and I turn to Donna. "You up for the Seven Wonders?" I ask her, and she nods with a smile.
We step into the living room, where the kids are glued to the TV. I guess this must be a pretty good documentary. Rebecca gives us another quilt, and we sit down in front of the couch. Donna's using my thighs as her pillow, and in about five minutes she is asleep. The kids never see the Lighthouse of Pharos and the Colossus of Rhodes. When the show is over, Rebecca comes in, and gives me a knowing smile when she sees the kids and Donna asleep.
"Rough night, eh?" she asks in a whisper.
"Yeah. Ms. Royce, you await someone this morning?" I ask her, knowing how strange that question sounds.
"No, Mr. Lyman, why?" she asks me.
"Please, don't open the door to anyone. You took a risk by taking us in, and I appreciate that. It's for your own safety too that you don't open the door."
"Can I help you any other way?" she asks me.
"No, ma'am, thank you for everything so far," I tell her, and she squeezes my shoulder when she leaves, handing me a pillow. I gently lower Donna's head onto it and follow her out.
"You were familiar," she tells me, when we reach the kitchen.
"Yeah, I'm the White House Chief of Staff," I confess. "Donna's my fiancée, but the kids are not ours. They are Miranda and Peter Santos."
"I see," she says with a nod, and hands me another cup of coffee. "Will they pick you up?"
"Soon, ma'am."
"You want me to give a hand with the lunch?" she asks me then, and I nod although I warn her that I'm not that good in the kitchen. "You are not used to it, that doesn't mean you are not good at it," she retorts, and I have to admit, that sentiment has logic.
We talk about the NEA and public schools, I ask her about her books, admitting that I've never heard of her before. She laughs at that, taking no offense when I tell her what my usual reading material is comprised of. We prepare lunch together, and we are almost done when Donna walks into the kitchen, I get a kiss, and she encircles my waist from behind while we watch Rebecca stirring the soup in the pot.
So this is how normal people spend their Sundays, I admit it it can be relaxing. Maybe we should try this out. When I impart my newfound wisdom to Donna I get another kiss from her. Guess I said something sweet. I can be sweet sometimes.
My Blackberry rings and I sprint to pick it up before the kids wake up. It's Sam, and we talk for a few moments before I hear a distinctive knocking. Rebecca, she asked me to call her by her given name, goes to the door, Donna and me in tow.
"This is Toby Ziegler, Ms. Royce," we hear, and I nod to Rebecca that it's safe to open the door.
Toby steps in, immediately scanning me and Donna for any visible injuries. I give him a reassuring grin, and he nods. Ron follows him inside, and through the crack of the open door I see some agents securing the perimeter. Finally, Toby envelops Donna in a bear hug, and Donna hugs him back fiercely. I knew they were close, I knew they met every week but I didn't know Toby liked her this much. Although they always had some kind of special relationship, even during the first campaign for Bartlet, and especially after Rosslyn.
"How are Huck and Molly?" Donna inquires while I lead Ron into the living room. He scoops up Miranda, and I lift up Peter.
"We left them with their grandmother," Toby says. "Andie sends her hugs," he adds then.
"Rebecca," I say, turning to our hostess. "Thank you for everything. You need anything just give us a call."
"Thank you, Josh," she says, gives Donna a brief hug, and we are out of the house. A black SUV is waiting for us, taking us to the helicopter, and we are whisked off to the GW Hospital.
Peter is still asleep when we enter, and I place him into Matt's hands as soon as I spot him. Miranda goes to hug her father, and the President an I merely nod at each other before I turn to the nurse, instructing her to get a gynecologist at once. I'm using my Leo-face (a remarkable achievement, especially knowing how it gave me the creeps every time I was at the receiving end), and soon we are escorted into a separate examination room, complete with ultrasound.
"Good morning, Donna, I'm Dr. Keller," a doctor greets her with a smile. "What can I do for you?"
"Well, we are mostly here to reassure Josh that nothing happened to the baby," she says with an indulgent smile.
"How far are you?" Dr. Keller asks, and I await the answer too. I still don't have that information, and in the back of my mind I find it both embarrassing and irritating.
"About six weeks," Donna tells her, and the doctor nods.
"Okay, change into this, and I'll come back with a brochure on pregnancy for Josh," she says, and I help Donna into the hospital gown.
"I hate these things," she exclaims, just when Dr. Keller enters. She gives us a smile and a brochure for me. Great, it has pictures!
"Okay, you probably won't be able to see anything but a blob and maybe a tiny hand or feet," she tells us. "I will try to make it move," she says and gels Donna's tummy. The ultrasound gives us a picture, but she was right, I can't make out anything. She points to a spot where our baby is, and I stare at it but to the best of my ability I can't see anything. Well, the important thing is that she sees it. And then I notice a tiny movement for a mere second.
"It moved!" I exclaim, and Donna giggles which results in another tiny movement.
"Well, it seems to me that everything is alright with the baby," the doctor says. "You have an ob/gyn, Donna?"
"Yes, thank you," Donna says, while Dr. Keller wipes her tummy clean.
"I understand that you spent the night on a cold ground," Dr. Keller says.
"Yes," Donna answers with a nod.
"You should schedule a check-up with your doctor then, just to be sure that there is no infection or inflammation."
"Thank you, I'll do that," Donna says and wants to change back into her clothes.
"They brought you a new set of clothes," Dr. Keller says, pointing at a bag on the floor.
"Thanks," we say in unison, and she leaves us.
I too change, and then we make our way back to Matt and the kids.
"Is everything okay?" Matt and Toby ask simultaneously, and Donna nods. The kids are nowhere to be seen, guess they have a check-up too.
"How is Helen?" Donna asks the president then.
"She was awake for a brief period of time," the president tells her, and Donna squeezes his hand. They continue their conversation in whispers, so I turn to Toby.
"Thanks for everything, Toby. I will call Andie later to thank her too. Did you two have a hard time to come through?"
"No, not really," Toby says. "I asked for Ronna, and they put me through immediately. She recognized me as Bob," he says, and we both chuckle. "To get to Camp David was definitely harder, but Andie's presence made it easier, that's why I asked her to accompany me. You can't imagine the look Ron gave me when he first saw me."
"You two seemed okay when you picked us up."
"Yeah, I guess the messenger got a little shine from your heroics," he says with a self-deprecating chuckle.
"Did they find Tim?" I ask him sotto voce, not wanting to upset Matt or Donna.
"Not yet, but they are on it," Toby tells me.
"Did he call President Bartlet?" I ask then, gesturing towards Matt with my head.
"Yeah, he was fantastic, but Josh, he sounded so weak," Toby tells me, and I know how deep his regret runs. I know he didn't want to cause any grief to President Bartlet, I know how he respected him. He merely did what his heart dictated. I don't know what I would have done in his place, maybe yelled at the President, at CJ and maybe even at the Joint Chiefs. What he did was treason, but he did it to mend a broken promise to the American people. The promise that their government will ensure their safety above all.
"I know, I talked to him last week," I tell Toby, not knowing what to do. I mean with CJ and Donna I know how to handle these things, I'm a tactile person, I hug them to reassure them. I would even hug Sam if he were here and would be at the same situation, but with Toby, I don't know. I look him in the eye, trying to tell him without words that everything will be okay. "I asked Donna to marry me, and she said yes," I tell him, trying to change the topic and chase away the residual awkwardness.
"She was always somewhat crazy if you ask me," Toby says, and Donna and Matt both chuckle at his remark. "Congratulations, Donna, he doesn't deserve you," Toby says, and Donna hugs him again. "But the two of you deserve happiness," he adds then in a whisper, and I think he didn't mean me to hear that, but I did and I'm touched. Matt gathers me in a hug too and he pats my back congratulatory.
"Sir, the kids are ready to see you," a nurse informs us, and Matt retreats, leaving us standing around on the floor.
"Listen, Toby can drive you home, but I want to wait for the president and I also want to check on Helen if that's okay with you," I tell Donna, and I see she wants to protest.
"Donna, I have this," I say, waving the brochure in my hand, "and it tells me that you most likely experience fatigue. Spending the night in the forest and then sleeping on the wooden floor is not what I would call resting. Go home, take a shower and get in bed. I should be back around six."
"You promise?" she asks me, and I nod.
"And stop at a restaurant, Toby, she needs something to eat," I tell them, my mind already back at work.
"Okay," Toby says, and I see an agent flanking their side as they leave. I don't know when I can fully trust random Secret Service agents again, all I know that I trust Ron.
"Mr. Lyman?" a nurse calls me, and I turn to her. "Mrs. Santos is awake. She asked for you."
"Thank you," I tell the nurse, and I venture into Helen's room, bracing myself for the sight.
It's not that bad as I remembered from the last time, but then again, Donna was blown up in a car.
"Hi, ma'am," I greet her with a grin and I get a slight smile.
"Josh, come here," she tells me, and when I lean down, she kisses me on the cheek. "Thank you for taking care of my kids."
"Nothing to thank for, ma'am," I tell her, and she nods.
"You know, at least in these times you should call me Helen."
"I'll try," I tell her with another grin. "I'm bringing happy and sad news for you, ma'am, sorry, Helen."
"Really?" she asks me.
"I asked Donna to marry me, and she said yes, although I'm sure you were aware of my proposal."
"We talked about it, yes. Donna was clearly upset yesterday morning, so I pestered her until she spilled the beans."
"Well, then you know that she is pregnant," I tell her, and she nods. "That would be the bad news for you." I grin at her.
"Donna promised me to work for me after the baby was born, Josh. We will arrange something," she tells me, looking at me with narrowed eyes.
"Okay, I didn't know that, but okay, I guess," I tell her, not wanting to betray my disappointment.
"Josh, I need Donna, and she needs this job. You can't expect her to stay at the house, do nothing else but feed the baby and wait for you to get home."
"Is that really bad?" I ask her in a whisper.
"Not bad, Josh. But Donna wouldn't want that. Talk about this with her, but please, please don't put your foot into your mouth again," she implores me.
"I'll try, Helen. May I ask for a favor though?"
"But of course, Josh, anything," she tells me.
"Would you keep an eye on her during this pregnancy? I know I will switch into overprotective mode soon and that I will irritate the hell out of her, so I need an ally."
"I'll keep an eye on her," Helen promises me, and I grin at her again.
"Oh, you think you are so smart!" she exclaims, coughing a bit.
"Why is he smart?" I hear the president's voice, and I turn around. He is standing in the doorway, Miranda and Peter at his side.
"He wanted me to keep an eye on Donna, but he asked me to do this because of me and not because of Donna."
"Thank you, Josh," Matt says, and I want to retreat, leaving the family alone.
"I know that physical therapy sucks, Helen, but believe me, it's worth the effort," I impart a wisdom I've learnt some five years ago, and then depart, seeking out Ron. We talk about upping the details of the First Family, and agree that new background checks should be run on every Secret Service agent. That's when Sam, Annabeth and Lou appear at GW. I bark my orders to Lou and Annabeth to head off a PR-disaster, Sam hands me a folder on our way to the limo. We have a country to run, and I have a home to return to, so we move fast and work efficient. Just like every other day, except that this day will never fade into the endless string of normal days. No, I'll never be able to forget this day again. Because this is the day we came out of the woods.
THE END