Moving On (jerrica76@yahoo.com)
By Shelly Lee
Disclaimer-Standard, Don't own um' never will' Check out NBC and Sorkin
Donna woke up heavily, rubbing her eyes twice to get them open. Dragging her feet to the floor she nudged them into her fuzzy slippers and walked down the stairs without even changing out of her pajamas.
"Hey Sleepy head." Oran said as she walked into the kitchen. Donna walked over and gave her father a kiss on the top of his head, then poured herself a cup of coffee and slumped down into a kitchen chair beside him.
"Morning.Where's mom?" She asked as she tucked her feet under her and struggled to make herself wake up the rest of the way.
"She had to go to the VFW to help get ready for the pancake breakfast their having tomorrow. By the way, are you suppose to have that?" He motioned to the steaming mug she held in her hands, causing Donna to scowl.
"Don't start."
"I'm just saying." He said, as he sat his newspaper down. "We really don't mean to be nags Telly.You know that." He said, softening her with the use of her old baby nickname. "We just worry about you." He said simply
"I know, But I am a grown woman and can take care of myself now." She said. Oran only smiled at her.
"That you are, but you will always be our baby." He said and looked at her for a moment.
"Dad, don't look at me like that." She said gently. He only nodded and shook his head.
"Sorry baby." He said, and handed her the front section of the newspaper, But Donna only shook it away.
"Never tells you what you want to know, does it?" He asked as he set the paper down on the table. Donna opened her mouth and started to come back with a witty dodge, but then remember this was her father, and he never fell for that.
"You could call them you know. I don't think you'd get arrested for it." Oran said simply as he picked up one of his wife's banana muffins. "They might even like to hear from you."
"Daddy I explained all that to you before I came here." She said, But she could tell that he was not going to except that as an answer.
"Yes, yes and do you see anyone calling up that boss of yours and telling him where your. Though god knows we've had enough opportunities. I swear if I talk to that boy one more time I'm going to install a private line just for his calls."
"Josh can be awfully persistent." Donna said, trying to hide the slight bit of wistfulness that tried to creep into her voice.
"More like he's missing someone awfully bad." Oran said and looked at his daughter. "Anyone that chases someone around that much must care about them more then just a little." He said.
"He's one of my best friends."
"Honey, I'm sorry but I've never talked about Harry Nicholas the way that boy talks about you." He said and gave her a exasperated laugh as he got up and kissed Donna on her forehead.
"Telly my sweet, You were always to stubborn for your own good. Call the boy. I know he won't be anything but happy to hear your voice." He said. "And I would not be anything but happy to see my Telly smile again."
"Daddy." She started to say. But Oran just poured the rest of his coffee out and headed towards the door to his garage workshop having said his peace. Her slight appetite having now dissipated, Donna rose and walked back to her room, pulling on a pair of gray sweat pants and a T-shirt.
She had just reached the top of the staircase when she heard the steady knocking on the front door. She waited a moment to see if her father would come in and get it.
'I'm coming." She called as she came down the steps. She was nearly to the bottom when she finally saw the figure knocking on the door, and that nearly took her breath away.
"Josh."
"You left in the middle of the night." He said, And even through the screen she could see the dark clouds in his eyes. God, she had hurt him. She hadn't meant to, but even from here she could see it.
"What are you doing here Josh?" She asked as she opened the door and let him into the living room. She motioned for him to sit down, but Josh just stood there looking at her like he hadn't seen her in a million years.
"Looking for my assistant." He said simply. Donna thought her heart would break then. He wasn't mad at her, even now she knew that he held no anger for her. Hurt, confusion, but not anger.
Wrapping her arms around herself Donna turned and closed her eyes, trying to get her feelings under control.
"There are plenty of other aids in the White House pool that you could have as an assistant." She said softly, trying her best to keep her eyes from misting as he came closer to her and laid his hand on her shoulder.
"You are the only aid I need Donna." He said simply. "No one else could do." He said softly, and turned her around. She knew from the look on his face that her efforts to hind her tears hadn't been effective.
"Don't say that Josh." She whispered around the lump in her throat.
"Why not, we both know no one else would put up with me." He answered back, giving her that dimpled smile that had been haunting her dreams since she'd left town all those months ago.
"Why do you have to make this so hard." She said, suddenly feeling a sudden flash of irritation. "Why are you making me explain this to you."
"Because you are my best friend and I would like to know why you decided to drop out of my life without a single word." Josh replied.
"Josh." She started
"Why." He asked again, getting almost up to her face. "Explain to me why Donna?"
"Because I'm sick you asshole, There does knowing make you feel better." She said through a tight throat. As soon as the words hit the air she wished she had a net and could pull them back in, but it was to late.
She felt a pain deep in her chest as she watched the words sink in to Josh's brain, watched the color slowly rise in his cheeks and the three deep worry lines cross his forehead.
"What.What is it?" He asked in a choked whisper.
"Cardiomiapothy, it's a..virus that attacks the heart muscle." She said softly, repeating the words that she'd grown so used to hearing and even saying even since she'd been diagnosed.
"How bad?" He asked, in a voice so soft that it almost made her want to cry.
"Bad Josh, really really bad." Was all she could say as he own tears finally overwhelmed her and she began to sob. "Really bad."
No more words where spoken then, He just came to her and wrapped her up in his arms. He held her then as she cried for what seemed like hours. Cried for every time she'd held back, for ever fear she'd tucked back in her mind.
And through it all he held her, rocking her gently in his arms.
And in a strange way, it was almost as good as being well.
Disclaimer-Standard, Don't own um' never will' Check out NBC and Sorkin
Donna woke up heavily, rubbing her eyes twice to get them open. Dragging her feet to the floor she nudged them into her fuzzy slippers and walked down the stairs without even changing out of her pajamas.
"Hey Sleepy head." Oran said as she walked into the kitchen. Donna walked over and gave her father a kiss on the top of his head, then poured herself a cup of coffee and slumped down into a kitchen chair beside him.
"Morning.Where's mom?" She asked as she tucked her feet under her and struggled to make herself wake up the rest of the way.
"She had to go to the VFW to help get ready for the pancake breakfast their having tomorrow. By the way, are you suppose to have that?" He motioned to the steaming mug she held in her hands, causing Donna to scowl.
"Don't start."
"I'm just saying." He said, as he sat his newspaper down. "We really don't mean to be nags Telly.You know that." He said, softening her with the use of her old baby nickname. "We just worry about you." He said simply
"I know, But I am a grown woman and can take care of myself now." She said. Oran only smiled at her.
"That you are, but you will always be our baby." He said and looked at her for a moment.
"Dad, don't look at me like that." She said gently. He only nodded and shook his head.
"Sorry baby." He said, and handed her the front section of the newspaper, But Donna only shook it away.
"Never tells you what you want to know, does it?" He asked as he set the paper down on the table. Donna opened her mouth and started to come back with a witty dodge, but then remember this was her father, and he never fell for that.
"You could call them you know. I don't think you'd get arrested for it." Oran said simply as he picked up one of his wife's banana muffins. "They might even like to hear from you."
"Daddy I explained all that to you before I came here." She said, But she could tell that he was not going to except that as an answer.
"Yes, yes and do you see anyone calling up that boss of yours and telling him where your. Though god knows we've had enough opportunities. I swear if I talk to that boy one more time I'm going to install a private line just for his calls."
"Josh can be awfully persistent." Donna said, trying to hide the slight bit of wistfulness that tried to creep into her voice.
"More like he's missing someone awfully bad." Oran said and looked at his daughter. "Anyone that chases someone around that much must care about them more then just a little." He said.
"He's one of my best friends."
"Honey, I'm sorry but I've never talked about Harry Nicholas the way that boy talks about you." He said and gave her a exasperated laugh as he got up and kissed Donna on her forehead.
"Telly my sweet, You were always to stubborn for your own good. Call the boy. I know he won't be anything but happy to hear your voice." He said. "And I would not be anything but happy to see my Telly smile again."
"Daddy." She started to say. But Oran just poured the rest of his coffee out and headed towards the door to his garage workshop having said his peace. Her slight appetite having now dissipated, Donna rose and walked back to her room, pulling on a pair of gray sweat pants and a T-shirt.
She had just reached the top of the staircase when she heard the steady knocking on the front door. She waited a moment to see if her father would come in and get it.
'I'm coming." She called as she came down the steps. She was nearly to the bottom when she finally saw the figure knocking on the door, and that nearly took her breath away.
"Josh."
"You left in the middle of the night." He said, And even through the screen she could see the dark clouds in his eyes. God, she had hurt him. She hadn't meant to, but even from here she could see it.
"What are you doing here Josh?" She asked as she opened the door and let him into the living room. She motioned for him to sit down, but Josh just stood there looking at her like he hadn't seen her in a million years.
"Looking for my assistant." He said simply. Donna thought her heart would break then. He wasn't mad at her, even now she knew that he held no anger for her. Hurt, confusion, but not anger.
Wrapping her arms around herself Donna turned and closed her eyes, trying to get her feelings under control.
"There are plenty of other aids in the White House pool that you could have as an assistant." She said softly, trying her best to keep her eyes from misting as he came closer to her and laid his hand on her shoulder.
"You are the only aid I need Donna." He said simply. "No one else could do." He said softly, and turned her around. She knew from the look on his face that her efforts to hind her tears hadn't been effective.
"Don't say that Josh." She whispered around the lump in her throat.
"Why not, we both know no one else would put up with me." He answered back, giving her that dimpled smile that had been haunting her dreams since she'd left town all those months ago.
"Why do you have to make this so hard." She said, suddenly feeling a sudden flash of irritation. "Why are you making me explain this to you."
"Because you are my best friend and I would like to know why you decided to drop out of my life without a single word." Josh replied.
"Josh." She started
"Why." He asked again, getting almost up to her face. "Explain to me why Donna?"
"Because I'm sick you asshole, There does knowing make you feel better." She said through a tight throat. As soon as the words hit the air she wished she had a net and could pull them back in, but it was to late.
She felt a pain deep in her chest as she watched the words sink in to Josh's brain, watched the color slowly rise in his cheeks and the three deep worry lines cross his forehead.
"What.What is it?" He asked in a choked whisper.
"Cardiomiapothy, it's a..virus that attacks the heart muscle." She said softly, repeating the words that she'd grown so used to hearing and even saying even since she'd been diagnosed.
"How bad?" He asked, in a voice so soft that it almost made her want to cry.
"Bad Josh, really really bad." Was all she could say as he own tears finally overwhelmed her and she began to sob. "Really bad."
No more words where spoken then, He just came to her and wrapped her up in his arms. He held her then as she cried for what seemed like hours. Cried for every time she'd held back, for ever fear she'd tucked back in her mind.
And through it all he held her, rocking her gently in his arms.
And in a strange way, it was almost as good as being well.