After their adventure to the beach Donna had decided it was time to get up off the mat. She'd fully unpacked her things and she began to take over some parts of Josh's life. It was something she could do to help and some parts of it just felt natural.

He'd told her over and over again that she didn't need to, but he eventually understood her need to be responsible for something. To find a few tasks that were accomplishable and to own them. She went to the grocery store, she did the laundry, she cleaned the apartment, she picked up the dry cleaning.

From the outside it probably looked like she was some kind of stay at home non-wife, but it was helping Donna to get back into a routine and become comfortable again, so neither of them questioned it.

She didn't have the go ahead to resume work, nor did either of the think she was ready yet, but Josh started bringing her small projects, and that made her even more motivated to find her footing.

He'd missed their discussions. He could talk through a problem with Donna and sometimes come out the other side with an entirely new perspective or theory, always for the better. She'd been meticulously reading The Post, familiarizing herself with the political climate and the key players.

The past few nights Josh had been late. He'd slept on the couch in Toby's office one evening and the other he'd come home after 3am. Donna knew he was running near empty and wasn't taking good care of himself. She could see it.

Margaret had called to say he was in the Oval with Leo and they'd probably be there until unholy hours- Josh always wanted to let her know.

Having already made dinner she packaged it up and took a cab to the White House, leaving it for him in case he had a break with a note telling him to eat his vegetables and spread some more good into the world.

She'd then gone back to his place and made note cards on a brief he'd left for her. She'd triple checked her work, wanting to make sure she did things exactly right for him.

Eventually she'd turned in, realizing there was a good chance he wouldn't be back that night. Donna was pulled from her slumber in the middle of the night. She couldn't figure out what it was. In her grogginess she got out of bed and walked into the hallway, shuffling around as she began to wake up.

"Josh?" She walked to his room. The door was slightly cracked as it was most nights. He didn't respond. "Josh?" She tried again.

He flailed around in his sleep and she could hear the panic in his voice. He began to around more and more. Not knowing what else to do she slipped into his bedroom, cupping his cheek with her hand. "Wake up," she told him. She swore she heard him mumble her name.

He contained to thrash about. "Josh!" She shook his shoulders as he began to shout. She noticed he was sweating profusely and began to worry. "Josh, wake up! I'm right here."

Eventually his eyes shot open wide. He lay still, as though there was a crushing weight on his chest, gasping for air. He couldn't move.

"Deep breaths, Josh. Everything's okay, it was just a bad dream," she assured him, having no idea what was happening. He stared at her, wide eyed and holding her gaze as his breathing began to regulate.

Eventually he swung his legs over the side of the bed and leaned forward, staring at the floor.

"Are you okay," she asked softly. He didn't answer, still clearly a little jarred from his dream.

"Josh?" She placed her hand on his shoulder, trying to pull him from his thoughts. She began to lightly rub his back when he didn't respond.

"Go back to bed, Donna," he eventually croaked out.

"We don't abandon each other, Josh," she told him, repeating the phrase he so often spoke to her. She didn't move, sitting next to him in solidarity. Eventually her fingers found the curls at the base of his neck and lingered there naturally. He sat up again and rubbed his eyes.

"You want to talk about it," she asked a few minutes later.

"No," he cleared his throat, his voice still unsteady. Deep inside, he probably knew that this was a conversation that was barreling towards them like a speeding train but at that moment he just couldn't have it. He physically couldn't. He mentally couldn't.

She leaned her head on his shoulder, holding onto his bicep lightly.

"Go take a shower, Joshua," she told him after a few minutes, when she was sure his breathing was steady and he was less shaky. "You'll feel better," she promised him.

He obeyed, pulling on a fresh pair of pajamas afterwards, surprised to see she'd changed his sweat soaked sheets when he'd exited the bathroom. There was a glass of water waiting for him on the night stand and two pills sitting next to it.

She was sitting against the headboard, perched on top of the covers next to the spot she'd turned down for him. She wordlessly patted the bed, indicating to him he should lay down again. There wasn't much fight left in him tonight so he immediately did as requested, laying flat and silently. She covered him with his blanket and brushed his damp curls out of his face.

Josh's eyes closed at her gentle touch. Memory or not, he decided, somethings were just innately Donna. Maybe this, whatever they were and are, is just written into them.

Donna had been unsure of their comfort level with one another regarding physical closeness up to this point, but tonight she didn't care what the rule had been in their past. She didn't ask him what she'd normally do. He was relaxing at her caress. And that was all the evidence she needed that this was the closest to who they truly were that they'd been since she woke up. She didn't overthink it, she didn't need to call a friend for confirmation. She knew it was right. It felt right.

Donna didn't know what had happened but she knew that wasn't just a normal, run of the mill, bad dream.

She could feel the tension he was carrying in his body and she hated it for him. She took his hand in hers and lay down on top of the comforter, rolling onto her side. Her thumb gently stroked the inside of his wrist.

"Get some sleep, Josh," she told him. "I won't let you drift away either."