"SURPRISE!" Sam cheered.
"CONGRATULATIONS!" CJ yelled.
"Awww, you guys! Look at all this. You shouldn't have!" Donna stepped into the backyard, taking in the perfectly decorated dinner party in her honor.
"Look at that face," Danny gestured towards Donna. "She knew. She definitely knew."
"I didn't," Donna assured them, a defensive quality to her voice. "Everything looks amazing," She grinned, taking in the Congratulations Donna banner fastened to the railing between blue and yellow clusters of balloons. They'd covered the table in a blue cloth and pinned Bruins pennants around the deck. It may have looked kitschy to an outsider, but Donna had waited a long time for this moment and she loved every detail.
"Did you know about this?" She turned back to Josh, who was leaning in the doorway watching her excitement.
He gave her a small nod of affirmation. "Don't thank me, thank them," he deferred. "All I did was buy the beer."
She shook her head in gentle disbelief. He'd done so much more than that.
"Danny and I decorated," Sam announced proudly, gesturing to the massive amount of blue and yellow decor. Bruins balloons, and blue and yellow streamers were attached to every available surface. The glass top table was covered with a cheap, blue plastic table cover that was sprinkled with graduation confetti. They'd even found a way to decorate the pool, which now housed several inflatable UCLA mascots floating in tubes.
"She can tell, I'm sure," CJ mumbled. Her backyard looked as though the local party store had exploded, but she didn't mind. They were just all so proud of Donna and she found Sam and Danny's big brother like enthusiasm to be quite endearing, even if it wasn't exactly classy.
"Is this why you wouldn't go out to lunch with us?!"
"Guilty. We needed to get you away for a little bit before we had to leave for the ceremony. I hope you don't mind that we lied."
"NO! Thanks you guys! This is perfect. It's everything I ever imagined." She was beginning to become a little choked up at the is exactly the type of party her Mom would have thrown if she had graduated in her twenties. She'd insisted that her parents not make the trip, and steeled herself for a low key graduation. But truthfully, her family was here. And this was better than she could have hoped for.
"Well, Dinner should be ready for us," Danny announced as CJ gave Donna a hug. "Why don't you ladies make yourselves comfortable and let us do the heavy lifting."
"You mean taking the catered food out of the warmer?" CJ grinned.
"Well, yeah. But we're going to put it on plates, too."
"In that case you're going to need my help," Josh offered, pleased to be fitting in somewhere. "Come on, Sam."
While the guys headed into the kitchen, Donna and CJ settled into chairs, chatting about the ceremony and laughing about Sam and Danny's exuberance over the decorations.
As Sam lifted the cover on the steaks, Josh was amazed to see five.
"You got me a meal?" Josh asked in disbelief, "But you didn't know I was coming."
Sam just smiled at him softly, "I had faith in you, buddy."
"Josh," Danny interrupted the tender moment, "these fillets are cooked perfectly. Do you want me to microwave yours for another 10 minutes?"
"No, thank you, I've learned to eat steak like a grown up, I'll have you know."
Within a few minutes, the guys had the food all nicely plated on blue solo plates. As Danny reached for the matching cups, Sam stopped him.
"We are NOT drinking Dom out of solos cups, Danny. Get the nice flutes."
Josh and Sam each carried two plates out to the patio, while Danny followed behind. CJ cringed as she watched Danny juggling a plate while five of her of her Waterford crystal champagne flutes dangled from his other hand.
"Dinner is served," Danny announced the cliche with a grin.
Sam popped the top on the bottle of Dom and poured 5 glasses, passing them to Josh who placed them around the table before settling in to a chair next to Donna.
"We're so incredibly proud of you, Donna. You've accomplished something wonderful, and I know that this is just the beginning. To Donna," CJ offered, raising her glass.
"To Donna," Sam and Danny echoed.
"To Donnatella," Josh joined in as they lightly clinked their glasses together before beginning their meal.
The five ate and laughed, enjoying the company as Sam refilled the champagne. The dinner was cleared and the cake brought out, a small pile of gifts accompanying the dessert.
"Open them," Sam encouraged, topping off his flute.
Donna selected a medium sized box that had been carefully wrapped and adorned with a card displaying her mother's distinctive penmanship. She carefully removed the paper to reveal a photo album, smiling a she opened the cover and discovered her baby photo and her tiny, yellowing hospital band. The album highlighted the first 18 years of Donna's life and she loved the work her mother had put in to compile it. She flipped through it quickly, knowing she'd spend more time reviewing every page at a later time.
"I want to see it," CJ reached across the table, taking the album from Donna and earning a scowl from Josh who was looking forward to watching Donna turn through each page.
Donna was a little overwhelmed as she opened heartfelt cards and gifts from so many of the people who loved her.
Toby sent a well made fountain pen, CJ and Danny had surprised her with a leather briefcase and engraved business card holder. Sam had given her a gift card to an expensive department store so she could purchase a new suit to match her new shoes.
Even the Bartlets had sent a gift. A leatherbound copy of the constitution with a heartfelt message in the front cover. Donna glanced at a note tucked inside the graduation card, written in President Bartlet's penmanship on his personal letterhead, requesting that she call them at her earliest possible convenience. She said nothing to the others at the table, but she was pleased at the thought that the first family wanted to speak with her. She'd never considered herself to be on the same playing field as the rest of the senior staff and it touched her beyond belief that they had not only sent a gift, but wanted to talk to her as well.
At last there was only one gift left.
"Who could this be from?" She smiled, glancing at Josh who shifted somewhat nervously in his chair.
She slipped a ribbon off of a small, rectangular box and lifted the lid off of the outer box. Then she paused briefly, glancing over towards him out of the corner of her eye as she discovered a well-worn jewelry case. She slowed her movements, suddenly sensing that this was not an average graduation gift. She carefully ran her fingers along the fading silk on the outside of the hinged box before she gently opened it.
"Josh…"
Donna was stunned. She didn't know what to say, biting her lip and looking over to him for some sort of an explanation. He looked so vulnerable to her. He fidgeted in his chair, trying to hide the importance of his gift by acting like it was no big deal. But she knew that Josh didn't do anything on a whim.
She ran her fingers gently over the string of pearls in the antique box. "I can't possibly accept these," she murmured, "they're a family heirloom, aren't they?" looking to him for explanation.
"I want you to have them," he told her softly.
Donna stood, carefully placing the box on the table. "Come here," she gently requested.
He stood, somewhat unsure what to expect. Was she really going to reject his gift? But she didn't. Instead she hugged him close, kissing his cheek.
"Okay. Thank you," she whispered softly. "They're beautiful."
"So are you." He responded just as quietly, as he pulled her a little closer.
"Joshua?" She asked, her hand finding the back of his head and gently stroking his hair. "Are those your grandmother's pearls?"
She felt him nod against her, his head tucked into the crook of her neck. "But now they're yours."
CJ leaned in a little closer to Danny and Sam glanced away with a wry smile on his face. Sometimes, in moments such as these, Josh and Donna had the tendency to forget that they weren't the only two in the room.
"Are you sure?" She asked him softly. "Shouldn't you save them for. . ." she paused, her heart reacting violently to the thought of him having a family with someone else.
"I'm sure," he told her softly, closing his eyes for a moment. "They were my Mother's Mother's. She gave them to my Mom when she graduated from Smith. And my Mom would have given them to Joanie…" he trailed off.
"Thank you. I'll always treasure them." Donna saved him from having to finish the thought as she looked him in the eye and tried to convey how special they made her feel. Now, no matter what happened, she would always have a connection with Josh. She'd always feel like part of his family. She mentally made note to send his mother a thank you card as well. They'd always been on good terms, but it was very touching that she'd approved of Josh's gift.
Danny cleared his throat as Sam poured the last of the champagne into the flutes. "How about another toast? To Donna! Our baby's all grown up!"
"To Donna!" CJ and Sam shouted.
"To you," Josh whispered gently, giving her a soft smile as he turned and took his seat back at the table.