Moving On (jerrica76@yahoo.com)
By Shelly Lee
Disclaimer-Standard, Don't own um' never will' Check out NBC and Sorkin
"Good morning Ma'am." The cab driver said as Donna stepped into his car. It had been anything but a good morning for her. It had started when she'd woken up with a fever in the night, and proceeded the rest of the hours when she should have been sleeping kneeling in the bathroom emptying herself of anything she ever even though of eating.
After being chased around the house by her worrying mother, it was almost a relief when Donna had received the phone call from Casey, at least it would have been except for what he was calling about.
"Casey, you can NOT do this to me." Donna said, as she slumped down into the arm chair beside the phone. "I can not do this one."
"Come on Donna, You're my point man on this one. I promise it won't take you very long to interview her. She's really great." He said. Feeling her Tylenol start to wear off Donna closed her eyes and leaned back.
"Fine. When is she coming in?" She asked as she contemplated having her head examined for ever agreeing to take this job.
"She's on the ten o'clock flight. We booked her an eleven thirty return so you'll probably want to just grab a cup of coffee or something at the airport." Casey said cheerfully, never knowing that his suggestions had sent her stomach into a whole new series of flip flops.
"You own me for this Casey." She said as she grabbed a pen and wrote down the flight number and time.
"Great you'll love her. Her name is Amy Gardner. Listen, Chuck is having a mental breakdown over here so I'll have to call you back."
"Amy.Wait, Casey I can't.CASEY." She called into the phone. He'd already hung up, and there was Donna left holding the phone. This was not happening, this was so not happening. Donna tried to tell herself over and over again.
But it was, She was going to have to have a lunch with Amy Gardner.
As if she didn't feel like crawling under her bed enough.
"Donna. What are you doing out of bed?" Mara asked as she fussed over her daughter. Donna shook her mom off and stood up.
"I'm getting ready to go to the airport." She said simply as she dragged herself up the stairs and back to her room to pull on something appropriate to wear to her funeral.
"Why and the world are you going to the airport.How high is your fever?" Mara asked as she came over and pressed her hand to Donnas forehead.
"I'm fine." She muttered as she pulled on a pair of tan slacks and a blue sweater. "Just a little upset stomach."
"Donna, are you sure. I thought Howard said." Mara started, but then stopped when Donna turned and gave her a look. Walking over, Donna placed a kiss on her Mothers cheek.
"Mom, I'm a grown woman and I am OK." She said. She hated that worried look on her mothers face, but Donna knew that she had to do this, even though she didn't want to.
"OK Sweetie." Mara said, then walked back down the stairs to try and get away before Donna saw the wetness in her eyes.
She didn't make it.
Donna felt an ache in her heart then as she watched her mom disappear into the kitchen. She knew that they where worried about her. She just didn't know how to help them know that she had made her choices and was OK now.
And that brought her to where Donna found herself now, sitting in the back seat of a yellow cab going to the airport to pick up the girlfriend of her ex-boss.
God must be having a good laugh, She though as they pulled up in front of the airport. Stepping into the terminal Donna felt the nervous hum in her stomach grow.
Then there she was. She could see Amy walking into the terminal holding a black leather briefcase. Taking a quick steadying breath Donna walked over to her.
"Hello Amy." She said, offering her hand to her. Amy returned her greeting and took her hand, giving it a slight shake. They exchanged the usual pleasantries for a few minutes.
They settled into a booth in the airports coffee shop, and somehow Donna managed to pull it together enough to get through the business part of their meeting.
"He misses you." Amy finally said, after a long silence. Donna tried to pretend she didn't know who Amy was talking about, even though they both knew it was Josh.
God, God, God she really didn't want to do this, didn't want to talk about Josh with Amy.
"I'm would think he'd be to busy to even notice I was gone." Donna answered. Picking up a pencil she began writing, hoping this would throw Amy off her current train of thought, but that would seem not to be the case.
"If you think that you're more of a fool then I am." Amy replied, looking Donna right in the face. "And I never thought you a fool."
Donna blinked once, letting her pencil sit on the tablet in front of her. Her mind was having trouble processing what Amy had just said. Josh missed her, she had known he would, but she had thought that by now she would be bearly remembered.
"Amy." She started, but was interrupted when Amy held up her hand.
"Donna, he loves you. I don't know how far you two ever went with this, but he loves you and you love him, Even if you don't know it you do. I'm just. I am just the woman foolish enough to be in love with him too." She said as she got up and picked up her briefcase.
"Amy, you're not a fool." Donna said, trying to motion for her to set back down, but she just shook her off.
"I'd better go, I'm going to miss my flight." Amy said. Donna was so stunned that it was almost on automatic pilot that she rose and went to shake Amys hand.
"Donna." She called when she was halfway down the corridor. "Call him. You won't be sorry." She said, then disappeared into the plane.
Donna walked back out of the airport, even flagged down a cab to take her home. All of this while still pondering the words that Amy had said. Josh missed her, he loved her. Even now the words warmed her with a slight hope.
But also a bittersweet sadness that the words had come from Amy and not Josh himself. She couldn't help but think of how much she would have loved to hear him say those words. How would things have been different if he had.
But now, now if he knew. If she told him how much she loved him to. It would hurt him to much.
Stepping into the house, Donna was grateful to find it empty. Sitting on the step she starred at the telephone, fighting with herself. Call him, Don't call him. Both arguments battling inside her head.
In the end, she could not stop her fingers from picking up the phone and punching in the phone number she knew all to well.
"White House." A voice said. For a moument Donna couldn't even speak. What in the world could she say "Sorry I've been gone for months without even telling you why." She couldn't do that. Taking a deep breath she finally decided what she would do.
"Yes, My name is Donna Moss, Josh Lyman Please." She said quickly.
"One moment please." She said, and for a long moument there was silence that tore Donna apart. "I'm sorry, Mr. Lyman is in a meeting. Can I take a message."
"No, No message." Donna said, feeling suddenly weak and tired. She placed the phone back on the cradle. Quietly Donna walked up the stairs and lay down, fully dress on top of her bed and closed her eyes.
And tried to fall into dreamless sleep.
Disclaimer-Standard, Don't own um' never will' Check out NBC and Sorkin
"Good morning Ma'am." The cab driver said as Donna stepped into his car. It had been anything but a good morning for her. It had started when she'd woken up with a fever in the night, and proceeded the rest of the hours when she should have been sleeping kneeling in the bathroom emptying herself of anything she ever even though of eating.
After being chased around the house by her worrying mother, it was almost a relief when Donna had received the phone call from Casey, at least it would have been except for what he was calling about.
"Casey, you can NOT do this to me." Donna said, as she slumped down into the arm chair beside the phone. "I can not do this one."
"Come on Donna, You're my point man on this one. I promise it won't take you very long to interview her. She's really great." He said. Feeling her Tylenol start to wear off Donna closed her eyes and leaned back.
"Fine. When is she coming in?" She asked as she contemplated having her head examined for ever agreeing to take this job.
"She's on the ten o'clock flight. We booked her an eleven thirty return so you'll probably want to just grab a cup of coffee or something at the airport." Casey said cheerfully, never knowing that his suggestions had sent her stomach into a whole new series of flip flops.
"You own me for this Casey." She said as she grabbed a pen and wrote down the flight number and time.
"Great you'll love her. Her name is Amy Gardner. Listen, Chuck is having a mental breakdown over here so I'll have to call you back."
"Amy.Wait, Casey I can't.CASEY." She called into the phone. He'd already hung up, and there was Donna left holding the phone. This was not happening, this was so not happening. Donna tried to tell herself over and over again.
But it was, She was going to have to have a lunch with Amy Gardner.
As if she didn't feel like crawling under her bed enough.
"Donna. What are you doing out of bed?" Mara asked as she fussed over her daughter. Donna shook her mom off and stood up.
"I'm getting ready to go to the airport." She said simply as she dragged herself up the stairs and back to her room to pull on something appropriate to wear to her funeral.
"Why and the world are you going to the airport.How high is your fever?" Mara asked as she came over and pressed her hand to Donnas forehead.
"I'm fine." She muttered as she pulled on a pair of tan slacks and a blue sweater. "Just a little upset stomach."
"Donna, are you sure. I thought Howard said." Mara started, but then stopped when Donna turned and gave her a look. Walking over, Donna placed a kiss on her Mothers cheek.
"Mom, I'm a grown woman and I am OK." She said. She hated that worried look on her mothers face, but Donna knew that she had to do this, even though she didn't want to.
"OK Sweetie." Mara said, then walked back down the stairs to try and get away before Donna saw the wetness in her eyes.
She didn't make it.
Donna felt an ache in her heart then as she watched her mom disappear into the kitchen. She knew that they where worried about her. She just didn't know how to help them know that she had made her choices and was OK now.
And that brought her to where Donna found herself now, sitting in the back seat of a yellow cab going to the airport to pick up the girlfriend of her ex-boss.
God must be having a good laugh, She though as they pulled up in front of the airport. Stepping into the terminal Donna felt the nervous hum in her stomach grow.
Then there she was. She could see Amy walking into the terminal holding a black leather briefcase. Taking a quick steadying breath Donna walked over to her.
"Hello Amy." She said, offering her hand to her. Amy returned her greeting and took her hand, giving it a slight shake. They exchanged the usual pleasantries for a few minutes.
They settled into a booth in the airports coffee shop, and somehow Donna managed to pull it together enough to get through the business part of their meeting.
"He misses you." Amy finally said, after a long silence. Donna tried to pretend she didn't know who Amy was talking about, even though they both knew it was Josh.
God, God, God she really didn't want to do this, didn't want to talk about Josh with Amy.
"I'm would think he'd be to busy to even notice I was gone." Donna answered. Picking up a pencil she began writing, hoping this would throw Amy off her current train of thought, but that would seem not to be the case.
"If you think that you're more of a fool then I am." Amy replied, looking Donna right in the face. "And I never thought you a fool."
Donna blinked once, letting her pencil sit on the tablet in front of her. Her mind was having trouble processing what Amy had just said. Josh missed her, she had known he would, but she had thought that by now she would be bearly remembered.
"Amy." She started, but was interrupted when Amy held up her hand.
"Donna, he loves you. I don't know how far you two ever went with this, but he loves you and you love him, Even if you don't know it you do. I'm just. I am just the woman foolish enough to be in love with him too." She said as she got up and picked up her briefcase.
"Amy, you're not a fool." Donna said, trying to motion for her to set back down, but she just shook her off.
"I'd better go, I'm going to miss my flight." Amy said. Donna was so stunned that it was almost on automatic pilot that she rose and went to shake Amys hand.
"Donna." She called when she was halfway down the corridor. "Call him. You won't be sorry." She said, then disappeared into the plane.
Donna walked back out of the airport, even flagged down a cab to take her home. All of this while still pondering the words that Amy had said. Josh missed her, he loved her. Even now the words warmed her with a slight hope.
But also a bittersweet sadness that the words had come from Amy and not Josh himself. She couldn't help but think of how much she would have loved to hear him say those words. How would things have been different if he had.
But now, now if he knew. If she told him how much she loved him to. It would hurt him to much.
Stepping into the house, Donna was grateful to find it empty. Sitting on the step she starred at the telephone, fighting with herself. Call him, Don't call him. Both arguments battling inside her head.
In the end, she could not stop her fingers from picking up the phone and punching in the phone number she knew all to well.
"White House." A voice said. For a moument Donna couldn't even speak. What in the world could she say "Sorry I've been gone for months without even telling you why." She couldn't do that. Taking a deep breath she finally decided what she would do.
"Yes, My name is Donna Moss, Josh Lyman Please." She said quickly.
"One moment please." She said, and for a long moument there was silence that tore Donna apart. "I'm sorry, Mr. Lyman is in a meeting. Can I take a message."
"No, No message." Donna said, feeling suddenly weak and tired. She placed the phone back on the cradle. Quietly Donna walked up the stairs and lay down, fully dress on top of her bed and closed her eyes.
And tried to fall into dreamless sleep.