Josh's heart constricts painfully as he walks into Donna's living room and sees her laying on the couch, her skin as white as a sheet and her hair plastered over her forehead and tangled. She's fast asleep, but it is by no means a peaceful rest. Even in sickness, she's still the most beautiful woman he's ever laid eyes on.

Josh hears her whimper as she thrashes and he's immediately at her side. The dark circles under her eyes stand out against her skin, and they're deeper than they were a few weeks ago. If they were in a good place, if he knew the lack of sleep was solely from work related reasons, then he would probably make a joke and tell her she had a mask like a raccoon. But they weren't in a good place and her dark circles were a symptom of something serious.

He's never seen her this sick. A cold? Sure. But the full blown flu? No. In fact, Donna had never missed a day at the White House. Sitting down on the coffee table, Josh is suddenly overcome with guilt. "It was too cold Monday, and I told her to go outside, and now she's sick and it's my fault," He thinks to himself. He shudders when he remembers her saying that his jacket was warmer than hers, and he had questioned her in the moment about wearing his jacket! What if she had worn hers instead? She could have the flu AND pneumonia! This is unacceptable. His thoughts begin to unravel as his anxiety creeps in, but he reigns them in by deciding that he's definitely buying her a new coat.

The couch doesn't look comfortable and he's worried that with all her thrashing, she might fall off. Reminding himself that action is the antidote to anxiety, Josh walks into Donna's bedroom and turns down her bed, and as he fluffs her pillows, he's overwhelmed in the best possible way by her scent. He thinks about how good it would feel to hold her in his arms and bury his face in the crook of her neck. The thought makes his heart pound, but he dismisses it as he's determined to get her into her bed and more comfortable. Before leaving her room, he draws her shades closed, hoping it helps her sleep.

Walking back to the couch where Donna lays motionless, Josh focuses on the rise and fall of her chest as he removes his tie and pushes up his sleeves. He pulls back the sheet and carefully picks her up. He's never done this before, but he knows instantly that he loves the feel of her in his arms like this. But it isn't lost on him that her body feels light, it really seems like there's nothing to her.

After navigating the hall, he sets her down easily on her bed, lifting her lower legs to get her completely under the bed sheet. She feels very warm and he quickly decides that the tattered Brewers sweatshirt she's wearing definitely needs to come off, it's too hot. Doing his best to not wake her, he gently pulls the sweatshirt up and over her head, but as he looks down, he's horrified at the image in front of him. The sweatshirt falls from his hands as he stares at her bare stomach where her t-shirt has ridden up. Donna's ribs are protruding from her pale, concave stomach and he knows immediately that the situation is much more severe than he ever imagined.

His hand flies to his mouth as he turns around. He thinks he might be sick. When did she lose this much weight and how the hell did he miss it!? Then it occurs to him that he didn't miss it. It happened right in front of him. He knew she had been isolating herself and not eating for weeks. Why didn't he push harder for answers?! "Damnit!" He admonishes himself. He paces for a moment, his hands clasped behind his head feeling a panic attack coming on.

He's utterly ashamed but he knows he needs to keep it together . . . for her.

Taking a shaky breath, Josh walks back to her bed, his eyes wandering from her face to back her ribs. "I'm so sorry Donna, so sorry," he whispers the words as he carefully pulls her shirt down to cover her stomach. He's failed her these past several months, absolutely failed her.

But he's going to be here for her now, from this point forward. He's going to take care of her and help her get better, just like she did for him after Rosslyn, and then again that Christmas.

After pacing a bit more, he has his idea. Josh makes his way to the kitchen. He picks up the chicken noodle soup that he brought from the office and decides to stick it in the fridge, she can eat it when she feels up to it. But he's dejected when he opens the door. Except for a few mixed berry yogurts and a small carton of eggs, there is no food in Donna's fridge. Josh feels his heart pound as another wave of anxiety crashes through him. He leans his head against the freezer, giving himself a moment to calm down. As scared as he is about her wellbeing, Josh knows that the best thing he can do right now is take care of her, and worrying about the contents of her fridge isn't doing that. Reaching into his pocket he flips open his phone and hits speed dial five.

"Sam! It's me. I need your help. I'm at Donna's and she's sick,and there's like no food here. Can you bring sick person stuff- you know soups and gatorade and crackers and whatever?"

While Sam's assuring him that he'll take care of it, Josh looks in the freezer. There's only once ice pack. They probably need more.

"Yeah, Sam . . ." He cuts him off mid-sentence, "And some medicine too. You know that stuff that helps with the Flu? Do you need a doctor for that? Can you get it?"

Sam promises to take care of everything, so Josh finishes the call, anxious to get back to Donna.

"Thanks Sam, gotta go." He quickly flips the phone shut and immediately dives into his task.

He turns on the faucet and while he waits for the water to get as cold as possible, he opens the drawer with plastic baggies and then goes to the hall closet to grab some wash clothes. Sticking the homemade ice packs in the freezer, Josh makes a mental note to call his mom and thank her for showing him that trick.

Grabbing the frozen pack from the freezer, he walks back to Donna's room and sits on the edge of her bed. Gently, he places his hand to her forehead. She's burning up.

"Mmm." The humming falls from her mouth as she sleeps, and it strikes Josh that his cool hand is giving her relief. The homemade ice packs will work wonders.

Slowly, he moves the ice pack from her forehead to her cheeks and then to her neck. For fifteen minutes he stays like that, continuing his motions as he silently wills her fever to break. Eventually, the ice pack turns warm and Donna's body has stilled, appearing to find some comfort while she sleeps.

Satisfied that her body has cooled slightly and that she's more comfortable, Josh quietly makes his way back to the living room.