It's a beautiful morning here in the nations capital. Spring has
sprung and the cherry
blossoms will soon be in bloom. I sit on the balcony every morning,
like I'm doing now,
and just enjoy nature's rebirth. Maybe that seems a little overly
sentimental, but this
spring I have a lot to be happy about. And you know what the best
part is? Little Miss
Perfect is in jail. That's right-the slammer-the big house. And if I
have anything to say
about it, she will be there for a very, very long time. Forever even.
I would have given
anything to be there when she was arrested. To see the look on her
face. And the look on
Josh's face. I'm sure it was priceless. You might think I've gotten
everything I wanted
out of this deal. But you'd be wrong. Believe me when I tell you that
this far from over.
Blondie still has a lot more suffering to do. You see, prison is a
very dangerous place. By
the time I'm through with her, she's going to curse the day she ever
left Wisconsin.
Wednesday
9:47 AM
Police Headquarters
"Miss Moss" Lt. Stoebner continued in an exasperated tone. "You can't
possibly expect
me to believe that you masterminded this entire plot all by yourself
can you?"
"I have no idea what you're talking about" Donna said for what seemed
like the
thousandth time.
"Nearly a million dollars is what I'm talking about." The Lt. said,
his voice rising. "That's
a lot of money. It would take some real know how to move that much
money around and
keep it all straight."
"I told you, I have no idea how that money ended up in my account."
"So, are you saying that you aren't the person who actually made the
deposits?"
"Yes, that's exactly what I'm saying."
"Fine, then give me the names of your partners. If you were just an
innocent dupe I might
be able to help you out." The Lt. said.
"I don't have any partners. I don't know anything about the money."
Donna said holding
back tears.
"What do you think Miss Moss? Do you think that because your friends
work at the
White House I can't...I won't...find out the truth? It always comes out.
The past should
prove that. I assure you, I'll dig as far as I need to to find the
truth."
Donna stared at the floor as she felt Ainsley give her arm a
reassuring squeeze.
"Again, I have no idea what you're talking about." Donna said
"Fine, Miss Moss. We'll just have to keep digging till we find out
who was in this with
you. Since Mr. Lyman is your direct superior, he would be a logical
place to start."
"Leave Josh alone." Donna snapped
"Does he have something to hide" the Lt. asked leaning across the
table very close to
Donna's face.
"No, he doesn't and neither do I."
"Are you protecting him? Are you protecting someone else you work
with?"
"No"
Donna couldn't hold back the tears of frustration any longer. Why
couldn't she convince
the police of the truth? Why couldn't she find the right words? There
was one thing she
knew for sure. She wasn't going to let anyone else be hurt by this.
Not Toby, not CJ, not
Sam and especially not Josh. She would do or say whatever she had to
in order to protect
them. She wouldn't allow any of them to go through the horror she was
going through
now. She looked down at her hands. She could still see traces of the
black fingerprint ink.
"So Miss Moss" the Lt continued "who else at the White House is
involved?"
Before Donna could answer, Ainsley spoke up.
"This interview is over Lt. It has become quite obvious to me that
you don't really want
to hear the truth. You just want to my client to tell you what you
want to hear. And so,
she won't be saying anything else at all."
"As you wish Miss Hayes, but I'm only trying to help her."
"Oh, I'm certain you have Donna's best interest at heart." Ainsley
said sarcastically.
"Now please give us a moment alone."
The Lt. gathered up his papers and walked slowly out of the room,
slamming the door
behind him.
As soon as he left, Ainsley turned to face Donna. "You look awful.
Did something
happen? Anything you want to talk to me about?"
Donna hesitated for a moment then spoke very softly. "Last night,
when I got to the jail,
before they put me in my cell, they did a body cavity search." she
said dropping her head.
"I'm sorry" Ainsley said with genuine concern in her voice. "I didn't
know."
"I wasn't expecting it. I mean, the thought never occurred to me.
They took me into a
room with all these hideously bright fluorescent lights. They made me
take off every
stitch of clothing. First they made me stand up perfectly straight
while they ran their
hands over my entire body, and through my hair. They made me open my
mouth and they
stuck their fingers so far in it made me gag.
"Oh, Donna" Ainsley said fighting back tears of her own.
"Then they made me lean over and touch my toes" Donna continued in a
voice barely
above a whisper. "and they used their fingers to....they said they had
to check for
hidden..." Donna dissolved in tears and couldn't go on.
Ainsley reached out and wrapped Donna in a tight hug." I'm so sorry,
Donna. I'll talk to
the warden and see if there is anything I can do."
"Thanks"
"Hey, I have a message for you from Josh." Ainsley said desperately
searching for a
way to alleviate the fear and pain in Donna's eyes.
"Really?"
The words had the desired effect as the mention of Josh's name made
Donna's eyes light
up.
"He said to tell you that he loves you, and that he will visit you as
soon as he is allowed."
"Is he ok? I mean really? Is he eating? You have to watch him or
he'll live on burgers
and fries. And make sure he sleeps-in his bed not at his desk."
"He's fine, Donna other than the fact that he misses you."
"Will you tell him when you see him that...I love him too....and I miss
him."
"Sure."
"When do you think I might be able to see him?" Donna asked trying
not to seem
desperate.
"I'll make it happen" Ainsley promised
"Okay thanks"
They were both startled by the sound of Ainsley's beeper. She studied
the display intently
and said "Speak of the devil. Josh needs to see me right away. Maybe
he has some info.
Let's keep our fingers crossed."
"I'll try but its kind of hard to keep a good thought with several
pairs of cold hands
roaming over your body. Most of the men I've dated have never touched
me in the places
those guards have." Donna said as the tears threatened to fall again.
"I'm really sorry Donna. I'll see what I can do. You be strong okay?"
"Ok. I'll try"
Wednesday
12:10 PM
Houlihan's Pub
Josh and Sam sat in silence in a corner booth near the back of the
restaurant waiting for
Toby and Ainsley to join them. Josh hadn't had much to say since he
had found out that
not only was Mandy back in town, but that she in fact working for a
company that was
looking more and more like it had a role in what happened to Donna.
Josh had known that Mandy resented Donna's place in his life when
they were together
but that was years ago. Had Mandy really harbored a grudge for this
long? How could her
anger and hatred have gotten this far out of control. It wasn't like
they had been a happy
couple before Donna came along. They had always had a stormy
relationship. Donna
hadn't been responsible for their breakup in any way. He wanted to
find Mandy and force
the truth out of her. He quickly batted the thought away. He knew it
wasn't feasible. A
confrontation with Josh would only make her more determined. It would
also give her a
chance to cover her tracks. If she knew that they were on to her, she
would have a chance
to bury any evidence that might clear Donna so deep it would take
them years to find it.
He was lost so deeply in his own thoughts that he didn't see Ainsley
until she slid into the
booth beside Sam.
"How is Donna this morning?" he asked immediately.
Ainsley had tried to decide on the way over whether she should tell
Josh how upset
Donna was or not. She had finally decided to be as open with him as
possible, it would be
better for everyone in the long run.
"She had a bit of a rough night, Josh, but she is handling it as best
she can."
"What do you mean a rough night?" Josh was immediately alarmed
"Apparently when she arrived at the jail last night, the guards
performed a full body
cavity search."
"You've GOT to be kidding me." Josh screamed
"Ains was that really necessary?" Sam asked wincing
"Definitely not" Ainsley responded
"This is ridiculous" Josh continued "This is Washington DC not some
backwoods prison
movie."
"I intend to talk to the warden about it" Ainsley said "But
unfortunately it's completely
legal"
"Well they better be good and sure that they followed every rule
right to the letter" Sam
stormed "because if they didn't, I'll not only have their jobs but
I'll have them up on
assault charges."
"Donna's not some hardened criminal. How could they have done that to
her? WHY
would they have done that to her?"
"They are really tightening the screws on her. They want a quick
confession." Ainsley
said.
"What do you mean tightening the screws?" Josh asked growing angrier
by the minute.
"They are trying to intimidate her. Trying to convince her that she
needs to confess
before the rest of you get subjected to an investigation I've assured
her that they are
bluffing but they know that they are hitting a raw nerve. It's her
worst fear, hurting any
other member of the staff."
"Oh God, Ainsley. Is she o.k.....I mean really?"
"She's doing her best." Ainsley's voice softened as she saw the pain
in Josh's eyes." She
said to tell you that she loves you, she wants you to eat your
vegetables, and don't sleep at
your desk."
Josh smiled at the thought that, even in her darkest hours, Donna was
worried about
whether or not he was taking care of himself.
"We've got to get her out of there." Josh whispered.
"We will." Sam and Ainsley said almost in unison.
"So" Ainsley asked hopefully. "What did you find out?"
Just then Toby strode across the restaurant and slid into the booth.
"Well, we have a definite lead." Sam said "We found a computer
security firm that is
linked to the bank, the rental company and at least one of the credit
card companies.
We're checking the other credit card companies now."
"That's great" Ainsley said. "Any idea who at that company might be
involved?"
"As a matter of fact, yes." Sam said casting a sideways glance at
Josh. "We think it's
Mandy Hampton."
"Mandy Hampton?"
"Yeah. She used to be a PR consultant for the DNC. She also happens
to
be.....um...Josh's ex-girlfriend."
Ainsley's eyebrows shot up. "That's interesting."
"Very interesting" Toby said dryly. "Mandy Hampton is basically some
low level little
pissant with delusions of grandeur. I never trusted her, always
thought she was a bit off
balance but I certainly never thought it would go this far. But she
slipped up and now we
have our opening.
"So where do we go from here?" Ainsley asked.
"Well," Toby said "First we gather enough evidence to get Donna out
of jail. That has to
be our top priority. Then we make damn sure the illustrious Ms
Hampton gets what she
has coming to her.
"Amen" Josh and Sam muttered in unison
"To that end" Toby continued "I just got off the phone with some
friends at Justice who
specialize in these types of cases. They recommended we hire someone
who can go at
this investigation in cyberspace. We are going to need to trace every
single transaction
back to its point of origin."
"Did they have any recommendations"
"As a matter of fact yes"
"I have a name right here. They aren't high profile, they tend to
operate mostly in the
shadows, but they are the best in the business. They don't come
cheap but they produce
results."
"Great, call them. I'll get the money, no matter what it costs. Make
sure they know that
we need them to get started right away." Josh said
"I'll set up a meeting sometime today. We will give them all the
information we have and
they can get started." Toby said
Wednesday
3:00 PM
DC Jail
Donna didn't know how she had managed to make it through the
violation of another
body cavity search. She thought maybe the shock wouldn't be as great
the second time
but it was. The officers seemed to be being intentionally rough and
several times Donna
had to bite her lip to keep from crying out in pain. The pat down
portion of the search
was much rougher than the first time. Donna's breasts had been
squeezed with such force
that she was certain there would be bruising. When the other officer
once again told
Donna to bend over she did with a glint in her eyes. "I guess this is
a long fall down from
the White House" she said as she used her entire hand to probe the
most intimate parts of
Donna's body.
She had been glad half an hour later, when the guard had come to
tell her that it was time
for her shower. She wanted to try to wash all of the ugliness off of
her body. When she
reached the shower room, her stomach fell. A large leering male guard
stood outside of
the stall. The stall with no curtain. There was no privacy of any
kind. Donna hesitated
until the guard said. "Hurry up goldilocks, you have 5 minutes."
Donna kept her back to the guard as she undressed. She stepped into
the shower and tried
to let the warm water relax her a bit, but that wasn't really
possible with a stranger
standing 5 feet away. Donna could feel his eyes on her body. She
showered as quickly as
possible, towel dried herself, and slipped back into her clothes, all
without making eye
contact with the guard. She was led back to her cell where she
promptly lay down on the
bed and cried.
Wednesday
6:00 PM
Ainsley's Apartment
The knock on her door initially startled Ainsley. She looked through
the peephole to see
Sam juggling multiple containers of Chinese takeout.
"Hey Sam."
"Hi there. I thought you might too be busy to get yourself any dinner
so I grabbed some
Chinese. Are you hungry?"
Ainsley laughed
"Yeah. I guess that's a stupid question." Sam said
"Have a seat" Ainsley gestured to the living room as she moved toward
the kitchen. "I'll
get some plates."
Just as they began to eat, Ainsley's phone rang.
"Ainsley Hayes....Donna? Is that you? Okay slow down....I can barely
understand
you...hold on....listen Donna, is it okay if I put you on speakerphone?
Okay hold
on..."Ainsley said as she transferred Donna to speakerphone.
"Sam is here with me" Ainsley said
"Hi Sam"
"Hi Donna. Everything okay?"
"Well..." Donna hesitated " I just called to see if Ainsley had gotten
a chance to talk to
the warden about the body cavity searches." Donna choked out unable
to hold back the
tears. "I know I'm gonna have to leave here for the arraignment and I
was just hoping to
avoid....I mean I can't go through....today was worse than the first one."
"Try to calm down" Ainsley said trying desperately to soothe her
friend "Tell me what
happened"
Sam shot up off the couch and began pacing. Ainsley thought that he
looked as if he
wanted to hit something..or someone.
"They were just very rough. My breasts are bruised and....well I'm so
sore that I can
barely sit down." She said hoping that they got her meaning and she
wouldn't have to be
any more graphic. "I think they did it on purpose."
"What makes you say that?" Sam asked
"The guard who was.." Donna hesitated "well the one who was
conducting the "internal"
search" Donna's voice broke again, "she made a comment about it being
a long fall from
the White House."
Sam and Ainsley were trying to desperately to digest this new
information. Sam made a
mental note to check on any connections Mandy might have with anyone
at the prison.
There was a click on the line." Oh, my time is up. I have to go.
Could you talk to the
warden Ainsley, please?"
"I promise Donna. I'll do what I can."
"Thanks. Bye"
"No problem." Ainsley said looking warily at Sam
"Bye Donna" Sam said "Listen, you hang in there. We're gonna take
care of this."
"Okay, bye"
Sam and Ainsley sat listening to the buzz of the dial tone for a
minute after Donna hung
up. They were both lost in their own thoughts, both afraid to share
the fear they felt for
Donna.
"This is getting out of control" Sam seethed
"I agree" Ainsley sighed
Wednesday
7:00 PM
Josh's office
Toby had managed to get an appointment with the "cyber sleuths" for
6:00 PM. Josh
wasn't able to attend because he had a meeting on the hill. Toby had
taken copies of all
their records and had promised to report back.
Josh had been pacing in his office for 20 minutes when CJ walked in.
"Ainsley called." she said "The arraignment has been set for
tomorrow."
"Okay thanks. What time?"
"8:00 AM. Have you eaten dinner yet?"
"Don't start ,CJ"
"I'm just saying Josh you have to eat, because I'm not willing to
face the wrath of Donna
when she gets back here if you haven't been taking care of yourself."
Josh smiled, picturing Donna admonishing them all for not taking care
of themselves
when she returned. Just then Toby strode in.
"How did it go?" Josh asked
"They're going to start working on it right away. Top priority."
"Great. Did they say how long till we heard something?"
"It's not an easy process, Josh. It could take awhile but they are
going to move as fast
as they can. They are going to put a full team on it. Work round the
clock. We'll know as
soon as they get anything."
"How much, Toby?"
"Don't worry. It's taken care of."
"How much?"
"One hundred thousand retainer against final expenses."
"I'll need some time to liquidate a few things but I'll get it to
them."
"I said its taken care of Josh. Don't argue with me. You haven't
slept in 2 days. Now go
home and get some rest. There's nothing here that can't wait till
tomorrow."
"Toby I....."
"I said go home Josh."
"Ok -but you'll call me if there's any news right?"
"Absolutely"
After Josh left, CJ and Toby adjourned to the couch in her office.
They sat quietly for a
long time until CJ finally broke the silence.
"A hundred grand is a lot of money, Toby"
"Yes it is"
"Why did you do it?"
"Who says I did?"
"They had to get the money somewhere Toby. They don't sound like the
kind of
company that carries a lot of accounts receivable."
"You want to know why CJ? Honestly?"
"Yes I do."
"Because Donna isn't like the rest of us. She hasn't had time to
become jaded, politics
hasn't made her cynical yet. Or maybe she is just stronger than us
and hasn't let it make
her cynical. She still believes that good always wins in the end and
she still believes that
any righteous battle is worth fighting. And seeing her everyday helps
me believe those
things a little too. It helps me remember why I got into politics in
the first place. And I'm
not ready to give that up without a fight."
"You really are a very sweet man Toby Ziegler"
"Yeah well-don't spread it around."
Wednesday
11:00 PM
DC Jail
Donna lay on her bunk staring at the ceiling and wishing for just a
few minutes of
quiet. All night long she could hear the various shouts and moans of
her fellow inmates.
'Her fellow inmates'. The phrase made Donna cringe. How had it gotten
this bad, this
fast.
Worse than anything, she wanted to see Josh. She wanted him to tell
her that
everything was going to be ok.
Her stomach twisted in knots. She couldn't remember the last time
she had eaten. It must
have been yesterday-or maybe the day before. She hadn't even bothered
to take any food
tonight in the cafeteria. She knew she would never be able to keep it
down.
She wondered where Josh was right now. She sent up a silent prayer
that he was all right.
She hoped that Ainsley would keep her promise to look after him. She
thought back to
the kiss they had shared on his couch. Had that only been a little
over
24 hours ago. It seemed like an eternity. She wished that she could
turn the clocks back
and live in that moment forever. But the noise from outside her cell
brought her back to
reality and the tears began to flow as she stared at the ceiling
while the minutes and hours
ticked by,
Thursday
1:00 AM
Josh's Apartment
Josh lay staring at the ceiling, unable to sleep. Every time he close
his eyes he pictured
what Donna must be going through and it tore him up. He knew how much
Donna
enjoyed her friends and her job and he was sure that being cut off
from them was torture
for her. As strong as Donna was, he was certain that she was
terrified. Anyone in her
position would be. He tried not to picture what the body cavity
search must have been
like, tried not to picture strangers violating her body.
What had she done to deserve this? How could Mandy possible hate her
this much? Josh
knew Mandy well enough to know that she only went after the person
she intended. At
first he had pondered the idea that this was all about getting back
at him in some way but
he quickly dismissed that. He couldn't think about Mandy now. He
knew that Toby was
right. His first concern had to be getting Donna out of jail then he
would make sure
Mandy got what she deserved. She was going to pay for every tear that
Donna shed over
this. He would see to it personally.
His thoughts drifted back to Donna again. He wanted to be strong for
her the way she
had been strong so many times for him. He wondered why he had denied
his feelings for
so long? What had he been afraid of? Why hadn't he realized that her
love was worth any
of the repercussions that might come from it. He knew that it would
take some time for
Donna to recover from this once they got her home, and he made a vow
to himself as he
stared at the ceiling, that he would be there for her every step of
the way.
Thursday
8:00 AM
Courthouse
As the officers escorted Donna down the hall towards the courtroom,
she saw Ainsley in
animated conversation with the prosecutor. Her hands were balled into
fists and she was
obviously upset. When she saw Donna approaching, she came to meet her.
"What's wrong?" Donna asked , not really sure if she wanted to know.
"They've added some charges." Ainsley said angrily. " They traced one
of the offshore
accounts to a Columbian drug lord named Ramon Rodriquez and now they
are trying to
link you to him."
"Oh my God" Donna said with a look of shock on her face. "What does
this mean?"
**********************************************************************
**
CJ, Sam, Josh, Toby and Leo were all gathered around a television
monitor in Leo's
office watching a live feed of the arraignment. Josh's heart jumped
when the camera
caught Donna and Ainsley entering the courtroom. Ainsley was
whispering intently and
Donna had a stricken look on her face. This couldn't be good news.
Josh's stomach
began to constrict.
**********************************************************************
**
Suddenly the bailiff said:
"People vs. Donna Moss Docket number 45230A"
Donna and Ainsley stepped up to the podium. The prosecutor stood at a
similar one five
feet away.
"The people would like to point out that we have filed amended
charges within the last 30
minutes your honor. We have provided the defense with a copy and we
have a copy for
the bench also."
"What are the charges?" the judge asked
"Miss Moss is charged with cocaine trafficking, conspiracy to
contribute cocaine, money
laundering, illegal use of bank facilities, criminal conspiracy and
racketeering."
"How do you plead?" the judge asked.
"Not guilty on all counts" Ainsley said as she recovered from the
shock of hearing the
charges read out loud." We request bail your honor" she said even
though she knew it
was useless.
"The state strongly objects your honor. The defendant quite possibly
has a large amount
of cash hidden somewhere and she also has connections with powerful
people who could
easily facilitate her disappearance. We feel this makes her a strong
flight risk."
"Your honor, I respectfully disagree." Ainsley said ready to launch
into what she knew
was a futile argument.
"Forget it Miss Hayes" the judge interrupted "Bail is denied. Well
move forward as
quickly as possible. I'll hear preliminary motions three weeks from
today. Next case"
And with that, the officers led Donna from the courthouse.
**********************************************************************
**
A stunned and angry silence fell over Leo's office.
"This is unreal" CJ screamed "What the hell is going on?"
"Obviously" Toby said through clenched teeth "we underestimated
Mandy. I think it's
time to take the gloves off and get down to business." he said as he
stalked off towards
his own office.
Sam looked nervously at Josh who had been frozen to the same spot
since he heard the
charges . "Are you okay?" Sam asked putting his hand on his friends
shoulder.
"No" Josh responded "Not even close"
Thursday
9:30 AM
Josh's office
The morning press briefing had been a zoo, and CJ was hiding in
Josh's office trying to
escape the chaos for a few short minutes. News of the added drug
charges had created a
media frenzy. As she mentally planned how she was going to handle the
rest of the day,
CJ looked at Josh. She could see the pain clearly etched on his face.
He was shuffling
papers around on his desk and doing his best to pretend he wasn't
simply waiting for the
phone to ring. Finally it did.
"Lyman" he barked into the phone
"Hi Josh, its Ainsley"
" How's Donna?"
"Doing as well as can be expected. I think hearing all those charges
read out loud
shocked her, actually I think it shocked both of us. She's on her way
back to the jail now"
Ainsley sent up a quick prayer that her talk with the warden about
strip searches had been
successful and that Donna didn't have to endure another one upon her
return.
"When can I see her? You said we could arrange it after the
arraignment."
"I will Josh. I'll set it up for tomorrow. That's the best I'm going
to be able to do. I'll get
back to you with a time."
"Okay. Thanks"
Friday
1:45 PM
DC Jail
Josh waited impatiently to clear the security checks needed before
he would be allowed
to see Donna. Sam had decided to accompany him but Josh barely
noticed his
presence. They passed through a metal detector, emptied the contents
of their pockets and
answered an endless series of questions about past criminal history
etc. They were finally
admitted to a small room with a series of glass partitions and
instructed to sit at the first
one.
Josh tapped his hand impatiently waiting for Donna to arrive. When
the door opened and
he saw her-his heart jumped. Then he noticed the way she looked. Her
shoulders were
slumped, her eyes were downcast, her entire posture was in defeatist
mode. When she
looked up and saw Josh, her eyes lit up. Not the typical Donna Moss
wattage but there
was definitely a light. She moved quickly to the other side of the
partition.
"15 minutes" the guard said as he pushed Donna down into the
chair. "And don't touch
the glass."
"Donna, honey. Are you ok?" Josh asked leaning as close as possible
to the glass. He
wanted to look at her, to know for sure that she was ok.
"I'm fine Josh." Donna said tying to smile. "Are you ok?"
"Don't worry about me" he said
They stared deeply into each other's eyes. Sam realized that they
were communicating
things that mere words could never convey. Finally Donna broke the
silence.
"Ainsley said that you had a lead. She said that you might know who
was behind this.
She wouldn't tell me who though. She said you wanted to tell me
yourself. Who is it
Josh? Do you know?"
Josh hesitated. He had begged Ainsley to let him be the one to tell
Donna about Mandy.
He wasn't sure how she was going to take the news. And now sitting
here looking at the
circles under her eyes and her sad, tired countenance, he wanted to
shield her from the
pain once again. But he knew he couldn't.
"We think the damage is coming from a computer security firm called
Simmons and
West" he said. "They are a company right here in DC. And their PR
chief is....Mandy
Hampton"
"What?" Donna asked with a look of disbelief on her face. Mandy?.
Why? What had
Donna ever done to her?
Josh watched Donna eyes as she processed the information. It was
almost more than he
could stand. She looked unhappy-distant somehow-like it was all
becoming more than
she could handle.
"Listen Donna. This is good news. Now that we know the source, we can
trace things
back and find a way to get you out of here," Sam said, speaking for
the first time since
they had arrived.
Donna momentarily took her gaze off of Josh and looked towards Sam.
The expression
on her face was one of pure terror. She turned back to Josh.
"Donna, what is it? Please say something."
But Donna couldn't say a word. She was struck dumb with fear. Mandy
had powerful
friends. She had the clout to make this stick. All along she had
harbored the hope that this
was the work of a low level psycho. But for the first time she
realized just how serious
this had the potential to be. She realized that Mandy could take
everything that mattered
away from her forever, her friends, her job, her freedom and most
importantly the man
she loved.
"Donna talk to me" Josh said louder and with more panic than he
intended.
"I'm ok" Donna said trying to look confident. She had to help Josh.
She was worried
about him. She wondered if he was next on Mandy's list. God she hoped
not. She loved
him so much, she didn't want him to get hurt.
"This is good Donna. Really. I'm gonna get you out of here. I
promise. We have people
working right now to track all of the transactions back to their
source. It's only a matter
of time. You believe that don't you"
"Yes" Donna said as the guard yelled "5 more minutes"
"Donna please tell me you're all right." Josh begged. The look on her
face was making
his heart ache.
"I'll be fine"
"You look tired. Are you getting any sleep"
"Some"
"You need to take care of yourself Donna"
"I know"
"How are things at the office?"
"Don't worry about the office Donna. You'll be back there soon
enough."
"I hope so" Donna whispered.
And all too soon the fifteen minutes was over. The guard approached
Donna to take her
back to her cell. "Josh leaned in and said "I love you Donna."
"I love you too" she said.
As soon as they were gone, Sam put his hand on Josh's shoulder. "Lets
go" he said But
Josh couldn't seem to stand up. His legs didn't want to work. It had
all gone by so fast.
He wanted to yell-to make the guard stop-to say that he wasn't done
yet. There was so
much more he wanted to say. Finally, wordlessly, he stood up and
followed Sam out of
the room.
Friday
5:00 PM
Josh's Apartment
Josh and Sam sat drinking scotch when Ainsley arrived. Sam had called
her and asked
her to meet them there and she could tell by his voice that the visit
had not gone well.
Sam let her in and she immediately crossed to the couch.
"Are you ok Josh?" she asked as she watched him down what was left in
his glass in one
swallow.
Josh couldn't find the words to describe how he was feeling. The look
in Donna's eyes
when she found out about Mandy had been devastating. It was like she
lost hope. And
that was the one thing Josh couldn't abide.
"We have to get her out of there."
"I know Josh"
Josh got up wordlessly and went out to the balcony to stare at the
city below. Ainsley
started after him but Sam said "Let him be alone for awhile. The
visit this afternoon was
really tough on him."
"I can imagine. How about you Sam-are you ok?"
"I don't know. I mean, seeing Donna this afternoon, in that place, it
was awful. She looks
so frightened. I know that place is horrible and it breaks my heart
that she is there. And I
also know the effect this is having on Josh. It's killing him to see
her like that. Josh and
Donna have been through so much lately, and now this. It makes me
want to just find
Mandy and strangle her. I hate myself for feeling that way but I do.
As soon as we get
Donna back here where she belongs, I'm personally going to make sure
that Mandy
pays."
"I know Sam. I'm going to do everything I can to help Josh and Donna.
And I've never
even met Mandy Hampton but she seems like a woman in desperate need
of a trip to the
woodshed, as my daddy would say. And I would be honored if you would
allow me to
help you."
"Deal. I just hope we get it done before there is any irreparable
harm."
"We will Sam. I'm far from defeated yet. These people don't know what
they're dealing
with here."
"Thanks"
"No problem"
Ainsley suddenly had a realization. She didn't know Mandy Hampton and
could never
hope to understand her motivations. So she would leave the sleuthing
to Toby and Sam
and Josh. She would let them track down the information that would
set Donna free. She
would let CJ handle the press since she did it better than anyone.
Her role was to make
sure that Donna came through this intact, with as little damage as
possible. And that was
precisely what she intended to do.
Saturday
9:45 AM
West Wing
Toby, Sam, Josh and CJ were sifting through all of the new papers
that have been faxed
to them, trying to connect Simmons and West to as many of the
companies in question as
possible when the phone rang.
"Josh Lyman. Oh hi Ainsley, what's up?...Really?....Are you sure it's
ok?...Definitely.....I'm on my way.....I'll meet you there."
Josh looks up at the others in the room as he grabs his coat and
smiles. "Ainsley has
arranged for me to have another visit with Donna today. I've got to
meet her at the jail
right now."
"Oh that's wonderful" CJ beamed "Would it be ok if Toby and I came
too. Just so Donna
can see we're all behind her."
"I don't see why not"
"Send her my love" Sam said "I saw her yesterday so I'll stay here
and keep going
through these records."
"Thanks buddy" Josh said as he slipped out the door with Sam and CJ
close behind.
Saturday
10:30 AM
DC Jail
Josh sat in the same place as he had the day before and waited for
Donna to enter the
room. CJ and Toby sat nervously beside him. All three of their hearts
dropped as soon as
Donna entered the room. She looked like she hadn't slept in days. She
had enormous dark
circles under her eyes and her skin had taken on a gray pallor. She
smiled when she saw
them but it wasn't very convincing. Josh just wanted to jump over the
glass partition and
wrap his arms around her and tell her that everything would be ok.
As she moved across the room and sat down in the chair on the
opposite side of the glass,
Josh noticed a large purple bruise on her cheekbone.
"What the hell happened?" Josh choked out.
"I'm fine" Donna said with a vacant look in her eyes. "It's nothing.
I'm fine.
"Donna, where did you get that bruise?" Josh thundered. Suddenly he
felt CJ's hand on
his shoulder and he realized that his anger and fear weren't helping
Donna at all. He
calmed himself down before he spoke again.
"Sweetheart" he said more softly "Tell me what happened"
"I didn't move fast enough this morning at breakfast when someone
told me too" she said
"What do you mean?" he said trying hard to maintain control
"Don't worry, Josh. I can handle it" she said trying to alleviate
some of the worry in his
eyes.
"Did you see a doctor?"
"It's nothing. I'm fine. Can we please not talk about it?"
"Okay" Josh reluctantly dropped the subject but made a mental note to
talk to Ainsley
about moving Donna to a more secure location.
"You look tired. Are you sleeping?" Josh asked though the answer was
written all over
her face.
"Some" she hesitated then continued "Listen Josh I've been
thinking....if I just say that I
did it...and I tell them that it was all me......"
"What are you talking about?"
"Josh, I saw the paper today. They were talking about starting an
investigation of you. I
can't let that happen. I'll say it was me."
"What paper did you see Donna?" CJ asked making a mental note to
destroy whatever
reporter wrote it.
"I'm not sure which one it was. Someone cut the article out and left
it in my cell when I
was at breakfast. I won't let that happen Josh. I won't let it happen
to any of you. I don't
care what anybody says."
"Stop it Donna" Toby growled, finally unable to control his boiling
anger any longer.
They all turned to look at him. "Josh isn't going to get investigated
and you are not going
to plead guilty to something you didn't do and we're going to get you
out of here before
you end up with any more bruises."
"But Toby........"
"No buts Donna. I mean it. We are very very close to getting to the
bottom of this."
"I just don't want anybody else to get hurt."
"No one will" except for Mandy Hampton he thought to himself, and she
was most
definitely going to hurt
Suddenly Josh leaned towards the glass and his voice got very
serious. "Do you trust me
Donna?"
"With all my heart and soul."
"Then trust my word. I'm going to get you out of here and it's going
to be soon. Do you
believe me?"
"Yes I do" Donna said with tears flowing down her cheeks. "I'm sorry.
I know you're all
working as hard as you can. I'll try to be stronger."
"You are plenty strong Donna. This is a horrible situation. I just
need you to hang on for
a little while longer."
"I will"
The guard started to move towards Donna and Josh knew their time was
up. He locked
eyes with her and said "I love you"
"I love you too" she said "And I really do trust you"
"Good" he said
She turned to Toby and CJ and said "Thanks for coming"
"We'll see you soon" Toby said
Saturday
7:00 PM
Josh's apartment
Josh had returned from the west wing to find the entire contents of
Donna's apartment in
his living room. The furniture belonged to the landlord, so Josh had
only had to worry
about getting Donnas personal belongings out. He had luckily been
able to find a moving
company willing to do it on such short notice. He reached down and
opened a
box marked bathroom and was staring wistfully at an amazing array of
shampoos and
body washes that helped to create the scent that was singularly
Donna. He was broken out
of his reverie by a knock at the door. He opened to find Ainsley
carrying an armload of
Styrofoam takeout containers.
"Let me help you with those" Josh said "What's in them anyway."
"A healthy meal from Antonio's and you're going to eat it." Ainsley
said stubbornly. "I
promised Donna I'd watch over you till she gets back and I don't
break my promises."
"I'm gonna pass on the obvious "read my lips" joke here Ainsley
because I appreciate
you getting me an extra visit with Donna."
"Gee thanks. How was she today?" Ainsley shouted to the kitchen where
Josh was
getting plates and silverware.
"She's holding on but just barely. She has a nasty bruise on her
face. She won't say
exactly how it happened but I have a pretty good idea. I need you
talk to the warden
about the security in that place."
"I will" Ainsley promised. "First thing in the morning"
"Is this all Donna's stuff?" Ainsley asked gesturing at the boxes
"Yeah, I had it packed up. The landlord was threatening to throw it
out on the street so I
just had it brought here. I never liked the neighborhood Donna lived
in anyway. This will
give me an excuse to insist she get a new apartment in a better area."
"Like this neighborhood perhaps?" Ainsley asked with a knowing smile
Josh's eyes told the whole story as he looked back at Ainsley.
"I'll keep my fingers crossed" she said
As soon as Josh had eaten his entire dinner, he carried the dishes to
the kitchen. When he
returned to the living room Ainsley was gathering up her things and
getting ready to
leave.
"Now the second part of my promise to Donna. Go to bed Josh. Get a
good nights sleep."
"I will Ainsley, thanks. Do you want me to drive you home?"
"No, I'm fine. I think I'm gonna stop by Sam's and discuss some legal
strategy"
she said trying to sound nonchalant. When she looked up she caught a
definite twinkle in
Josh's eye.
Good luck with that" Josh smiled. "I'll keep my fingers crossed." He
said as he winked at
her.
She ducked her head on the way out the door hoping Josh didn't see
her blush.
Josh turned back to the boxes until he located the ones labeled
bedroom. He searched
through them until he found Donna's pillow. As he removed it from the
box, he heard
something fall to the floor. His heart lurched when he looked down
and saw Donna's
campaign ID. He didn't even realize that she had kept it. His
thoughts drifted back to
New Hampshire. She had been so uncertain of herself then. Dr Freeride
had robbed her of
all of her self-confidence. She had been so frightened, yet so
determined to find a new
start. Her optimism and her love of life had shown through even then.
Josh wasn't going
to let that part of her be destroyed. He grabbed the pillow and
moved back to the
bedroom and threw it on the bed. After he had showered, he crawled
under the covers and
pulled the pillow close to him. It still smelled like Donna and he
could almost imagine
her laying there with him.
"Soon Donnatella" he whispered. "Soon"
Sunday
10:45 AM
DC Jail
Recreation Yard
Donna stood against the wall of the building all by herself. She
couldn't even manage to
enjoy the spring air. She just wanted to retreat to her cell. The
noise of the yard was going
through her head like a knife through butter. Suddenly a large group
of women
approached her.
"Hey Blondie, why so unsociable" one of them asked as they closed in
on her effectively
pinning her to the wall.
"No reason" Donna stammered. I'm just not feeling well.
"You think you're too good for us Miss White House?" another of the
women asked.
Donna's heart was now pounding in her ears as she looked around for a
way to escape.
"No, as I said, I just don't feel well."
"Well, we just want to make sure you know missy. We don't care who
your old boss was.
This is our yard and we run things around here." As she finished her
sentence, her fist
connected with Donnas jaw. Donna's head snapped back and she saw
stars. Before she
could think, she felt another fist slam into her stomach. She was
gasping for air. She
couldn't get enough breath to call for help. Blood was pouring from
her nose and mouth.
Where were the guards? She wondered. Donna's panic became as intense
as her pain. She
was leaning over trying to protect herself when she felt a knee rise
up and make contact
with her forehead. The world started to spin but not before Donna
felt another fist slam
into her stomach. As she lost consciousness, she was vaguely aware of
feet slamming into
her back and head. And then there was just darkness.
Sunday
12:25 PM
Josh's apartment
Josh, Sam, CJ and Toby continued to try to make sense of all the
papers strewn about
Josh's apartment. Since their visits with Donna, they all seemed to
be attacking the task
with a renewed sense of determination.
Sam had yet to tell Josh everything he knew about Donna's second body
cavity search.
He couldn't get the pain in Donna's voice out of his head. She was
like the little sister he
never had. He loved her, and he knew that Josh loved her too. Telling
Josh what he knew
would only make an already bad situation worse.
CJ and Toby had waited until they were alone in his office before
they discussed their
visit with Donna. The bruise on her cheek had been a jolt to both of
them. It brought the
entire situation into sharp focus. Mandy was playing a very dangerous
game, one that
could have tragic results if they didn't move fast.
They had even convinced Leo to help them on the belief that every
extra set of hands
helped.
The "cyber sleuths", as they had been nicknamed, were continuing to
move along with
their investigation and the staff was attacking it from a different
angle. They were trying
to document Mandy's involvement with Simmons and West. Once the
transactions were
traced back, they would need to find a way to attribute all this
chaos to Mandy.
Ainsley was furiously taking notes as they yelled facts back and
forth hoping that she
would find something she could take to a judge to convince him to
give Donna bail.
At the sound of a cell phone ringing, everyone looked for his or hers.
"It's me" Ainsley says as she flipped her phone open. "Ainsley Hayes.
Oh no. Oh no. Oh
my God. All right. I'm on my way. I'll be right there. Tell her I'll
be right there.
Goodbye."
"What is it?" Josh asked with panic rising in his voice "Is it Donna?"
"Yes" Ainsley said trying to remain calm as the whole room on full
alert." There was
apparently some kind of altercation. She is in the prison infirmary."
"I'm going with you" Josh said
"Josh..." Ainsley started but she knew it was no use.
"Look, I'm a lawyer, too. You can get me in." he turned to Leo and
said "I'm sorry Leo
but I quit."
Leo waved him off. "Josh, this isn't the time."
"But White House policy forbids...."
"Forget policy right now Josh just go"
"I'll work something out" Ainsley said "I'll make sure you get to see
her Josh."
And with that they disappeared out the door almost at a dead run.
Sunday
12:50 PM
DC Jail
Ainsley had been in whispered conversation with the warden since they
arrived. It
seemed innocent enough but Ainsley had a look in her eyes Josh had
never seen before. It
almost seemed as if she was threatening him. Maybe claiming that his
guards were
negligent in allowing this to happen. Josh really didn't care what
her argument was. He
just hoped she was successful because he had no intention of leaving
here without seeing
Donna. Suddenly, Ainsley moved toward him and said "Let's go". Josh
didn't need to be
asked twice and followed her immediately.
As they approached the infirmary, Josh saw Donna through the window.
She was lying
on the bed with her head propped up and her eyes closed. He felt the
anger welling up in
his chest but he knew that he had to control it. Donna needed him to
remain in control.
He approached the doctor who was studying her chart. Ainsley was
right on his heels.
"How is she? Is she alright?" he demanded
"Who are you?" the doctor asked.
Ainsley stepped around Josh and extended her hand. "Ainsley Hayes
doctor. I'm Ms
Moss's attorney. Mr. Lyman is also an attorney." She said hoping the
doctor didn't push it
any farther. "How is she?"
"Her condition is stable. She has a fairly serious concussion but we
don't believe that her
skull is fractured. We will be watching her carefully for the next 48
hours. She has four
broken ribs and an assortment of contusions. Her jaw was dislocated
but we have put it
back in place. I am waiting for more x-rays to come down from the
lab. I believe that she
has a broken left arm and several broken fingers on her right hand.
She will be in a
considerable amount of pain for awhile but I have every reason to
believe that she will
make a complete recovery."
Josh could barely breathe. He hadn't taken his eyes off Donna's still
form the entire time
the doctor had been speaking. Suddenly he wheeled around to face the
warden.
"How did this happen? How did you allow this to happen? Don't you
have guards in this
place? Don't you..."
"Josh" Ainsley cut in and stopped him before he went any
further "This wont help
anything."
"I want her seen by a specialist. I want her moved to the hospital."
Josh said
"We can't allow her to be moved at this point" the warden
said "However, I'll certainly
help in any way I can if you would like her to be examined by an
outside physician."
"That's exactly what I want" Josh snapped
"I'll make the arrangements right away" Ainsley said
Josh's eyes turned back to Donna "Can I see her?"
"She's not conscious right now" the doctor countered.
"It doesn't matter" Josh said "I need to talk to her. She'll hear me."
The doctor shot a questioning look at the warden who said "Two
minutes Mr. Lyman"
"Thanks" Josh said moving immediately towards the door to Donna's room
"Hi sweetheart" he whispered as he lifted her hand to his mouth and
planted a kiss in the
palm. "I only have a few minutes. I just wanted to tell you that I
love you. We all do.
We're gonna get you out of here, I promise. You just hold on, okay?
I'll be back to get
you soon. I love you, Donna" he said as he planted a soft kiss on her
lips.
Sunday
2:35 PM
Josh's apartment
Josh charged back into the apartment barely containing his fury with
Ainsley close
behind.
"How's Donna?" Sam asked
"Not good" Josh said "The doctor said he expects a full recovery but...
I mean she
looks...and she's so pale.." Josh couldn't continue and CJ enveloped
him in a tight
embrace.
"She has a concussion" Ainsley said "broken ribs, a broken arm and
some broken fingers.
Her jaw was dislocated but it has been repaired. They are watching
her closely for signs
of brain swelling or internal bleeding"
"Oh God" CJ whispered into Josh's shoulder "Poor Donna"
Sam couldn't stand to hear anymore. The descriptions of Donna's
injuries were more
than he could take. He liked to think he had a good legal mind. And
yet he couldn't find
anyway to help Donna. He couldn't think of any strategy to get her
out of this horrible
situation that threatened to destroy her. And Sam knew for certain
that anything that
destroyed Donna would surely destroy Josh too. There had to be a
solution. Sam just
prayed he could find it before it was too late, before Donna ended up
damaged beyond
repair either physically or emotionally.
Toby moved back to the piles of paperwork stacked on every flat
surface in the living
room. His jaw was clenched in anger. He knew that he needed to keep
himself together.
He needed to channel his anger. He had never felt this helpless in
his entire life. He was
wordlessly searching through Donna's bank records for some kind of
clue when CJ
approached him.
"We have to find a way out of this" CJ said angrily. "We have to get
Donna out of there
before something even worse happens."
"Don't you think I know that CJ" Toby snapped "Don't you think it is
driving me crazy
that we know who is behind all this and can't prove it? Don't you
think that I would give
anything to be able to fix this right now? Don't you think I would
trade places with her
right this second so she didn't have to endure any more pain?"
"I'm sorry Toby. I know you would. I'm just so angry I could spit.
Donna and Josh have
been through so much in the last year. They deserve a little
happiness. I'm just afraid that
this is going to set them both back."
"Here's what we have to do" Toby said loudly enough to get the
attention of everyone in
the apartment. "We all have to find a way to channel our anger to a
more positive end.
We need to buckle down and find what we need to free Donna by any
means necessary.
Because the sooner we do that, the sooner we can make sure Mandy gets
what's coming
to her."
With that, he went right back to sorting through records and was
soon joined by Sam and
CJ.
Ainsley thought to herself how wrong her initial impression had been
of these people.
She was proud to stand beside them. Proud to call them friends. She
felt as though she let
them down by not getting Donna out on bail. She made up her mind to
find a way to get
Donna home.
Josh surveyed all of the activity around him. He knew how lucky he
was to have such
good friends, and how lucky Donna was. He knew that between all of
them, they would
be able to find a way to bring Donna home. He just prayed that it
wouldn't be too late.
That Donna would still be whole both physically and emotionally. He
was scared because
he felt her slipping away from him. She was trying to be strong but
this situation was
quickly becoming unbearable. He had to get her out of that place.
Bring her home where
he could take care of her and help her heal. Nothing he had ever
accomplished in his life
would mean anything if he couldn't save Donna.
Sunday
8:00 PM
Mandy's Hotel Room
"Excellent. That's even better than I hoped for. I guess the girls
got a little carried away.
Tell them I'll make sure they get duly compensated" Mandy said with a
laugh.
"Will do, Ms. Hampton. Is there anything else I can do for you?"
"I'll let you know as soon as I'm ready to take the next step."
"Ok, I'll talk to you soon then."
Mandy disconnected, threw the phone on the bed, and walked to the
balcony to enjoy the
beautiful spring night. The calm of her hotel room was in direct
contrast to the frantic
activity across town at Josh's apartment.
sprung and the cherry
blossoms will soon be in bloom. I sit on the balcony every morning,
like I'm doing now,
and just enjoy nature's rebirth. Maybe that seems a little overly
sentimental, but this
spring I have a lot to be happy about. And you know what the best
part is? Little Miss
Perfect is in jail. That's right-the slammer-the big house. And if I
have anything to say
about it, she will be there for a very, very long time. Forever even.
I would have given
anything to be there when she was arrested. To see the look on her
face. And the look on
Josh's face. I'm sure it was priceless. You might think I've gotten
everything I wanted
out of this deal. But you'd be wrong. Believe me when I tell you that
this far from over.
Blondie still has a lot more suffering to do. You see, prison is a
very dangerous place. By
the time I'm through with her, she's going to curse the day she ever
left Wisconsin.
Wednesday
9:47 AM
Police Headquarters
"Miss Moss" Lt. Stoebner continued in an exasperated tone. "You can't
possibly expect
me to believe that you masterminded this entire plot all by yourself
can you?"
"I have no idea what you're talking about" Donna said for what seemed
like the
thousandth time.
"Nearly a million dollars is what I'm talking about." The Lt. said,
his voice rising. "That's
a lot of money. It would take some real know how to move that much
money around and
keep it all straight."
"I told you, I have no idea how that money ended up in my account."
"So, are you saying that you aren't the person who actually made the
deposits?"
"Yes, that's exactly what I'm saying."
"Fine, then give me the names of your partners. If you were just an
innocent dupe I might
be able to help you out." The Lt. said.
"I don't have any partners. I don't know anything about the money."
Donna said holding
back tears.
"What do you think Miss Moss? Do you think that because your friends
work at the
White House I can't...I won't...find out the truth? It always comes out.
The past should
prove that. I assure you, I'll dig as far as I need to to find the
truth."
Donna stared at the floor as she felt Ainsley give her arm a
reassuring squeeze.
"Again, I have no idea what you're talking about." Donna said
"Fine, Miss Moss. We'll just have to keep digging till we find out
who was in this with
you. Since Mr. Lyman is your direct superior, he would be a logical
place to start."
"Leave Josh alone." Donna snapped
"Does he have something to hide" the Lt. asked leaning across the
table very close to
Donna's face.
"No, he doesn't and neither do I."
"Are you protecting him? Are you protecting someone else you work
with?"
"No"
Donna couldn't hold back the tears of frustration any longer. Why
couldn't she convince
the police of the truth? Why couldn't she find the right words? There
was one thing she
knew for sure. She wasn't going to let anyone else be hurt by this.
Not Toby, not CJ, not
Sam and especially not Josh. She would do or say whatever she had to
in order to protect
them. She wouldn't allow any of them to go through the horror she was
going through
now. She looked down at her hands. She could still see traces of the
black fingerprint ink.
"So Miss Moss" the Lt continued "who else at the White House is
involved?"
Before Donna could answer, Ainsley spoke up.
"This interview is over Lt. It has become quite obvious to me that
you don't really want
to hear the truth. You just want to my client to tell you what you
want to hear. And so,
she won't be saying anything else at all."
"As you wish Miss Hayes, but I'm only trying to help her."
"Oh, I'm certain you have Donna's best interest at heart." Ainsley
said sarcastically.
"Now please give us a moment alone."
The Lt. gathered up his papers and walked slowly out of the room,
slamming the door
behind him.
As soon as he left, Ainsley turned to face Donna. "You look awful.
Did something
happen? Anything you want to talk to me about?"
Donna hesitated for a moment then spoke very softly. "Last night,
when I got to the jail,
before they put me in my cell, they did a body cavity search." she
said dropping her head.
"I'm sorry" Ainsley said with genuine concern in her voice. "I didn't
know."
"I wasn't expecting it. I mean, the thought never occurred to me.
They took me into a
room with all these hideously bright fluorescent lights. They made me
take off every
stitch of clothing. First they made me stand up perfectly straight
while they ran their
hands over my entire body, and through my hair. They made me open my
mouth and they
stuck their fingers so far in it made me gag.
"Oh, Donna" Ainsley said fighting back tears of her own.
"Then they made me lean over and touch my toes" Donna continued in a
voice barely
above a whisper. "and they used their fingers to....they said they had
to check for
hidden..." Donna dissolved in tears and couldn't go on.
Ainsley reached out and wrapped Donna in a tight hug." I'm so sorry,
Donna. I'll talk to
the warden and see if there is anything I can do."
"Thanks"
"Hey, I have a message for you from Josh." Ainsley said desperately
searching for a
way to alleviate the fear and pain in Donna's eyes.
"Really?"
The words had the desired effect as the mention of Josh's name made
Donna's eyes light
up.
"He said to tell you that he loves you, and that he will visit you as
soon as he is allowed."
"Is he ok? I mean really? Is he eating? You have to watch him or
he'll live on burgers
and fries. And make sure he sleeps-in his bed not at his desk."
"He's fine, Donna other than the fact that he misses you."
"Will you tell him when you see him that...I love him too....and I miss
him."
"Sure."
"When do you think I might be able to see him?" Donna asked trying
not to seem
desperate.
"I'll make it happen" Ainsley promised
"Okay thanks"
They were both startled by the sound of Ainsley's beeper. She studied
the display intently
and said "Speak of the devil. Josh needs to see me right away. Maybe
he has some info.
Let's keep our fingers crossed."
"I'll try but its kind of hard to keep a good thought with several
pairs of cold hands
roaming over your body. Most of the men I've dated have never touched
me in the places
those guards have." Donna said as the tears threatened to fall again.
"I'm really sorry Donna. I'll see what I can do. You be strong okay?"
"Ok. I'll try"
Wednesday
12:10 PM
Houlihan's Pub
Josh and Sam sat in silence in a corner booth near the back of the
restaurant waiting for
Toby and Ainsley to join them. Josh hadn't had much to say since he
had found out that
not only was Mandy back in town, but that she in fact working for a
company that was
looking more and more like it had a role in what happened to Donna.
Josh had known that Mandy resented Donna's place in his life when
they were together
but that was years ago. Had Mandy really harbored a grudge for this
long? How could her
anger and hatred have gotten this far out of control. It wasn't like
they had been a happy
couple before Donna came along. They had always had a stormy
relationship. Donna
hadn't been responsible for their breakup in any way. He wanted to
find Mandy and force
the truth out of her. He quickly batted the thought away. He knew it
wasn't feasible. A
confrontation with Josh would only make her more determined. It would
also give her a
chance to cover her tracks. If she knew that they were on to her, she
would have a chance
to bury any evidence that might clear Donna so deep it would take
them years to find it.
He was lost so deeply in his own thoughts that he didn't see Ainsley
until she slid into the
booth beside Sam.
"How is Donna this morning?" he asked immediately.
Ainsley had tried to decide on the way over whether she should tell
Josh how upset
Donna was or not. She had finally decided to be as open with him as
possible, it would be
better for everyone in the long run.
"She had a bit of a rough night, Josh, but she is handling it as best
she can."
"What do you mean a rough night?" Josh was immediately alarmed
"Apparently when she arrived at the jail last night, the guards
performed a full body
cavity search."
"You've GOT to be kidding me." Josh screamed
"Ains was that really necessary?" Sam asked wincing
"Definitely not" Ainsley responded
"This is ridiculous" Josh continued "This is Washington DC not some
backwoods prison
movie."
"I intend to talk to the warden about it" Ainsley said "But
unfortunately it's completely
legal"
"Well they better be good and sure that they followed every rule
right to the letter" Sam
stormed "because if they didn't, I'll not only have their jobs but
I'll have them up on
assault charges."
"Donna's not some hardened criminal. How could they have done that to
her? WHY
would they have done that to her?"
"They are really tightening the screws on her. They want a quick
confession." Ainsley
said.
"What do you mean tightening the screws?" Josh asked growing angrier
by the minute.
"They are trying to intimidate her. Trying to convince her that she
needs to confess
before the rest of you get subjected to an investigation I've assured
her that they are
bluffing but they know that they are hitting a raw nerve. It's her
worst fear, hurting any
other member of the staff."
"Oh God, Ainsley. Is she o.k.....I mean really?"
"She's doing her best." Ainsley's voice softened as she saw the pain
in Josh's eyes." She
said to tell you that she loves you, she wants you to eat your
vegetables, and don't sleep at
your desk."
Josh smiled at the thought that, even in her darkest hours, Donna was
worried about
whether or not he was taking care of himself.
"We've got to get her out of there." Josh whispered.
"We will." Sam and Ainsley said almost in unison.
"So" Ainsley asked hopefully. "What did you find out?"
Just then Toby strode across the restaurant and slid into the booth.
"Well, we have a definite lead." Sam said "We found a computer
security firm that is
linked to the bank, the rental company and at least one of the credit
card companies.
We're checking the other credit card companies now."
"That's great" Ainsley said. "Any idea who at that company might be
involved?"
"As a matter of fact, yes." Sam said casting a sideways glance at
Josh. "We think it's
Mandy Hampton."
"Mandy Hampton?"
"Yeah. She used to be a PR consultant for the DNC. She also happens
to
be.....um...Josh's ex-girlfriend."
Ainsley's eyebrows shot up. "That's interesting."
"Very interesting" Toby said dryly. "Mandy Hampton is basically some
low level little
pissant with delusions of grandeur. I never trusted her, always
thought she was a bit off
balance but I certainly never thought it would go this far. But she
slipped up and now we
have our opening.
"So where do we go from here?" Ainsley asked.
"Well," Toby said "First we gather enough evidence to get Donna out
of jail. That has to
be our top priority. Then we make damn sure the illustrious Ms
Hampton gets what she
has coming to her.
"Amen" Josh and Sam muttered in unison
"To that end" Toby continued "I just got off the phone with some
friends at Justice who
specialize in these types of cases. They recommended we hire someone
who can go at
this investigation in cyberspace. We are going to need to trace every
single transaction
back to its point of origin."
"Did they have any recommendations"
"As a matter of fact yes"
"I have a name right here. They aren't high profile, they tend to
operate mostly in the
shadows, but they are the best in the business. They don't come
cheap but they produce
results."
"Great, call them. I'll get the money, no matter what it costs. Make
sure they know that
we need them to get started right away." Josh said
"I'll set up a meeting sometime today. We will give them all the
information we have and
they can get started." Toby said
Wednesday
3:00 PM
DC Jail
Donna didn't know how she had managed to make it through the
violation of another
body cavity search. She thought maybe the shock wouldn't be as great
the second time
but it was. The officers seemed to be being intentionally rough and
several times Donna
had to bite her lip to keep from crying out in pain. The pat down
portion of the search
was much rougher than the first time. Donna's breasts had been
squeezed with such force
that she was certain there would be bruising. When the other officer
once again told
Donna to bend over she did with a glint in her eyes. "I guess this is
a long fall down from
the White House" she said as she used her entire hand to probe the
most intimate parts of
Donna's body.
She had been glad half an hour later, when the guard had come to
tell her that it was time
for her shower. She wanted to try to wash all of the ugliness off of
her body. When she
reached the shower room, her stomach fell. A large leering male guard
stood outside of
the stall. The stall with no curtain. There was no privacy of any
kind. Donna hesitated
until the guard said. "Hurry up goldilocks, you have 5 minutes."
Donna kept her back to the guard as she undressed. She stepped into
the shower and tried
to let the warm water relax her a bit, but that wasn't really
possible with a stranger
standing 5 feet away. Donna could feel his eyes on her body. She
showered as quickly as
possible, towel dried herself, and slipped back into her clothes, all
without making eye
contact with the guard. She was led back to her cell where she
promptly lay down on the
bed and cried.
Wednesday
6:00 PM
Ainsley's Apartment
The knock on her door initially startled Ainsley. She looked through
the peephole to see
Sam juggling multiple containers of Chinese takeout.
"Hey Sam."
"Hi there. I thought you might too be busy to get yourself any dinner
so I grabbed some
Chinese. Are you hungry?"
Ainsley laughed
"Yeah. I guess that's a stupid question." Sam said
"Have a seat" Ainsley gestured to the living room as she moved toward
the kitchen. "I'll
get some plates."
Just as they began to eat, Ainsley's phone rang.
"Ainsley Hayes....Donna? Is that you? Okay slow down....I can barely
understand
you...hold on....listen Donna, is it okay if I put you on speakerphone?
Okay hold
on..."Ainsley said as she transferred Donna to speakerphone.
"Sam is here with me" Ainsley said
"Hi Sam"
"Hi Donna. Everything okay?"
"Well..." Donna hesitated " I just called to see if Ainsley had gotten
a chance to talk to
the warden about the body cavity searches." Donna choked out unable
to hold back the
tears. "I know I'm gonna have to leave here for the arraignment and I
was just hoping to
avoid....I mean I can't go through....today was worse than the first one."
"Try to calm down" Ainsley said trying desperately to soothe her
friend "Tell me what
happened"
Sam shot up off the couch and began pacing. Ainsley thought that he
looked as if he
wanted to hit something..or someone.
"They were just very rough. My breasts are bruised and....well I'm so
sore that I can
barely sit down." She said hoping that they got her meaning and she
wouldn't have to be
any more graphic. "I think they did it on purpose."
"What makes you say that?" Sam asked
"The guard who was.." Donna hesitated "well the one who was
conducting the "internal"
search" Donna's voice broke again, "she made a comment about it being
a long fall from
the White House."
Sam and Ainsley were trying to desperately to digest this new
information. Sam made a
mental note to check on any connections Mandy might have with anyone
at the prison.
There was a click on the line." Oh, my time is up. I have to go.
Could you talk to the
warden Ainsley, please?"
"I promise Donna. I'll do what I can."
"Thanks. Bye"
"No problem." Ainsley said looking warily at Sam
"Bye Donna" Sam said "Listen, you hang in there. We're gonna take
care of this."
"Okay, bye"
Sam and Ainsley sat listening to the buzz of the dial tone for a
minute after Donna hung
up. They were both lost in their own thoughts, both afraid to share
the fear they felt for
Donna.
"This is getting out of control" Sam seethed
"I agree" Ainsley sighed
Wednesday
7:00 PM
Josh's office
Toby had managed to get an appointment with the "cyber sleuths" for
6:00 PM. Josh
wasn't able to attend because he had a meeting on the hill. Toby had
taken copies of all
their records and had promised to report back.
Josh had been pacing in his office for 20 minutes when CJ walked in.
"Ainsley called." she said "The arraignment has been set for
tomorrow."
"Okay thanks. What time?"
"8:00 AM. Have you eaten dinner yet?"
"Don't start ,CJ"
"I'm just saying Josh you have to eat, because I'm not willing to
face the wrath of Donna
when she gets back here if you haven't been taking care of yourself."
Josh smiled, picturing Donna admonishing them all for not taking care
of themselves
when she returned. Just then Toby strode in.
"How did it go?" Josh asked
"They're going to start working on it right away. Top priority."
"Great. Did they say how long till we heard something?"
"It's not an easy process, Josh. It could take awhile but they are
going to move as fast
as they can. They are going to put a full team on it. Work round the
clock. We'll know as
soon as they get anything."
"How much, Toby?"
"Don't worry. It's taken care of."
"How much?"
"One hundred thousand retainer against final expenses."
"I'll need some time to liquidate a few things but I'll get it to
them."
"I said its taken care of Josh. Don't argue with me. You haven't
slept in 2 days. Now go
home and get some rest. There's nothing here that can't wait till
tomorrow."
"Toby I....."
"I said go home Josh."
"Ok -but you'll call me if there's any news right?"
"Absolutely"
After Josh left, CJ and Toby adjourned to the couch in her office.
They sat quietly for a
long time until CJ finally broke the silence.
"A hundred grand is a lot of money, Toby"
"Yes it is"
"Why did you do it?"
"Who says I did?"
"They had to get the money somewhere Toby. They don't sound like the
kind of
company that carries a lot of accounts receivable."
"You want to know why CJ? Honestly?"
"Yes I do."
"Because Donna isn't like the rest of us. She hasn't had time to
become jaded, politics
hasn't made her cynical yet. Or maybe she is just stronger than us
and hasn't let it make
her cynical. She still believes that good always wins in the end and
she still believes that
any righteous battle is worth fighting. And seeing her everyday helps
me believe those
things a little too. It helps me remember why I got into politics in
the first place. And I'm
not ready to give that up without a fight."
"You really are a very sweet man Toby Ziegler"
"Yeah well-don't spread it around."
Wednesday
11:00 PM
DC Jail
Donna lay on her bunk staring at the ceiling and wishing for just a
few minutes of
quiet. All night long she could hear the various shouts and moans of
her fellow inmates.
'Her fellow inmates'. The phrase made Donna cringe. How had it gotten
this bad, this
fast.
Worse than anything, she wanted to see Josh. She wanted him to tell
her that
everything was going to be ok.
Her stomach twisted in knots. She couldn't remember the last time
she had eaten. It must
have been yesterday-or maybe the day before. She hadn't even bothered
to take any food
tonight in the cafeteria. She knew she would never be able to keep it
down.
She wondered where Josh was right now. She sent up a silent prayer
that he was all right.
She hoped that Ainsley would keep her promise to look after him. She
thought back to
the kiss they had shared on his couch. Had that only been a little
over
24 hours ago. It seemed like an eternity. She wished that she could
turn the clocks back
and live in that moment forever. But the noise from outside her cell
brought her back to
reality and the tears began to flow as she stared at the ceiling
while the minutes and hours
ticked by,
Thursday
1:00 AM
Josh's Apartment
Josh lay staring at the ceiling, unable to sleep. Every time he close
his eyes he pictured
what Donna must be going through and it tore him up. He knew how much
Donna
enjoyed her friends and her job and he was sure that being cut off
from them was torture
for her. As strong as Donna was, he was certain that she was
terrified. Anyone in her
position would be. He tried not to picture what the body cavity
search must have been
like, tried not to picture strangers violating her body.
What had she done to deserve this? How could Mandy possible hate her
this much? Josh
knew Mandy well enough to know that she only went after the person
she intended. At
first he had pondered the idea that this was all about getting back
at him in some way but
he quickly dismissed that. He couldn't think about Mandy now. He
knew that Toby was
right. His first concern had to be getting Donna out of jail then he
would make sure
Mandy got what she deserved. She was going to pay for every tear that
Donna shed over
this. He would see to it personally.
His thoughts drifted back to Donna again. He wanted to be strong for
her the way she
had been strong so many times for him. He wondered why he had denied
his feelings for
so long? What had he been afraid of? Why hadn't he realized that her
love was worth any
of the repercussions that might come from it. He knew that it would
take some time for
Donna to recover from this once they got her home, and he made a vow
to himself as he
stared at the ceiling, that he would be there for her every step of
the way.
Thursday
8:00 AM
Courthouse
As the officers escorted Donna down the hall towards the courtroom,
she saw Ainsley in
animated conversation with the prosecutor. Her hands were balled into
fists and she was
obviously upset. When she saw Donna approaching, she came to meet her.
"What's wrong?" Donna asked , not really sure if she wanted to know.
"They've added some charges." Ainsley said angrily. " They traced one
of the offshore
accounts to a Columbian drug lord named Ramon Rodriquez and now they
are trying to
link you to him."
"Oh my God" Donna said with a look of shock on her face. "What does
this mean?"
**********************************************************************
**
CJ, Sam, Josh, Toby and Leo were all gathered around a television
monitor in Leo's
office watching a live feed of the arraignment. Josh's heart jumped
when the camera
caught Donna and Ainsley entering the courtroom. Ainsley was
whispering intently and
Donna had a stricken look on her face. This couldn't be good news.
Josh's stomach
began to constrict.
**********************************************************************
**
Suddenly the bailiff said:
"People vs. Donna Moss Docket number 45230A"
Donna and Ainsley stepped up to the podium. The prosecutor stood at a
similar one five
feet away.
"The people would like to point out that we have filed amended
charges within the last 30
minutes your honor. We have provided the defense with a copy and we
have a copy for
the bench also."
"What are the charges?" the judge asked
"Miss Moss is charged with cocaine trafficking, conspiracy to
contribute cocaine, money
laundering, illegal use of bank facilities, criminal conspiracy and
racketeering."
"How do you plead?" the judge asked.
"Not guilty on all counts" Ainsley said as she recovered from the
shock of hearing the
charges read out loud." We request bail your honor" she said even
though she knew it
was useless.
"The state strongly objects your honor. The defendant quite possibly
has a large amount
of cash hidden somewhere and she also has connections with powerful
people who could
easily facilitate her disappearance. We feel this makes her a strong
flight risk."
"Your honor, I respectfully disagree." Ainsley said ready to launch
into what she knew
was a futile argument.
"Forget it Miss Hayes" the judge interrupted "Bail is denied. Well
move forward as
quickly as possible. I'll hear preliminary motions three weeks from
today. Next case"
And with that, the officers led Donna from the courthouse.
**********************************************************************
**
A stunned and angry silence fell over Leo's office.
"This is unreal" CJ screamed "What the hell is going on?"
"Obviously" Toby said through clenched teeth "we underestimated
Mandy. I think it's
time to take the gloves off and get down to business." he said as he
stalked off towards
his own office.
Sam looked nervously at Josh who had been frozen to the same spot
since he heard the
charges . "Are you okay?" Sam asked putting his hand on his friends
shoulder.
"No" Josh responded "Not even close"
Thursday
9:30 AM
Josh's office
The morning press briefing had been a zoo, and CJ was hiding in
Josh's office trying to
escape the chaos for a few short minutes. News of the added drug
charges had created a
media frenzy. As she mentally planned how she was going to handle the
rest of the day,
CJ looked at Josh. She could see the pain clearly etched on his face.
He was shuffling
papers around on his desk and doing his best to pretend he wasn't
simply waiting for the
phone to ring. Finally it did.
"Lyman" he barked into the phone
"Hi Josh, its Ainsley"
" How's Donna?"
"Doing as well as can be expected. I think hearing all those charges
read out loud
shocked her, actually I think it shocked both of us. She's on her way
back to the jail now"
Ainsley sent up a quick prayer that her talk with the warden about
strip searches had been
successful and that Donna didn't have to endure another one upon her
return.
"When can I see her? You said we could arrange it after the
arraignment."
"I will Josh. I'll set it up for tomorrow. That's the best I'm going
to be able to do. I'll get
back to you with a time."
"Okay. Thanks"
Friday
1:45 PM
DC Jail
Josh waited impatiently to clear the security checks needed before
he would be allowed
to see Donna. Sam had decided to accompany him but Josh barely
noticed his
presence. They passed through a metal detector, emptied the contents
of their pockets and
answered an endless series of questions about past criminal history
etc. They were finally
admitted to a small room with a series of glass partitions and
instructed to sit at the first
one.
Josh tapped his hand impatiently waiting for Donna to arrive. When
the door opened and
he saw her-his heart jumped. Then he noticed the way she looked. Her
shoulders were
slumped, her eyes were downcast, her entire posture was in defeatist
mode. When she
looked up and saw Josh, her eyes lit up. Not the typical Donna Moss
wattage but there
was definitely a light. She moved quickly to the other side of the
partition.
"15 minutes" the guard said as he pushed Donna down into the
chair. "And don't touch
the glass."
"Donna, honey. Are you ok?" Josh asked leaning as close as possible
to the glass. He
wanted to look at her, to know for sure that she was ok.
"I'm fine Josh." Donna said tying to smile. "Are you ok?"
"Don't worry about me" he said
They stared deeply into each other's eyes. Sam realized that they
were communicating
things that mere words could never convey. Finally Donna broke the
silence.
"Ainsley said that you had a lead. She said that you might know who
was behind this.
She wouldn't tell me who though. She said you wanted to tell me
yourself. Who is it
Josh? Do you know?"
Josh hesitated. He had begged Ainsley to let him be the one to tell
Donna about Mandy.
He wasn't sure how she was going to take the news. And now sitting
here looking at the
circles under her eyes and her sad, tired countenance, he wanted to
shield her from the
pain once again. But he knew he couldn't.
"We think the damage is coming from a computer security firm called
Simmons and
West" he said. "They are a company right here in DC. And their PR
chief is....Mandy
Hampton"
"What?" Donna asked with a look of disbelief on her face. Mandy?.
Why? What had
Donna ever done to her?
Josh watched Donna eyes as she processed the information. It was
almost more than he
could stand. She looked unhappy-distant somehow-like it was all
becoming more than
she could handle.
"Listen Donna. This is good news. Now that we know the source, we can
trace things
back and find a way to get you out of here," Sam said, speaking for
the first time since
they had arrived.
Donna momentarily took her gaze off of Josh and looked towards Sam.
The expression
on her face was one of pure terror. She turned back to Josh.
"Donna, what is it? Please say something."
But Donna couldn't say a word. She was struck dumb with fear. Mandy
had powerful
friends. She had the clout to make this stick. All along she had
harbored the hope that this
was the work of a low level psycho. But for the first time she
realized just how serious
this had the potential to be. She realized that Mandy could take
everything that mattered
away from her forever, her friends, her job, her freedom and most
importantly the man
she loved.
"Donna talk to me" Josh said louder and with more panic than he
intended.
"I'm ok" Donna said trying to look confident. She had to help Josh.
She was worried
about him. She wondered if he was next on Mandy's list. God she hoped
not. She loved
him so much, she didn't want him to get hurt.
"This is good Donna. Really. I'm gonna get you out of here. I
promise. We have people
working right now to track all of the transactions back to their
source. It's only a matter
of time. You believe that don't you"
"Yes" Donna said as the guard yelled "5 more minutes"
"Donna please tell me you're all right." Josh begged. The look on her
face was making
his heart ache.
"I'll be fine"
"You look tired. Are you getting any sleep"
"Some"
"You need to take care of yourself Donna"
"I know"
"How are things at the office?"
"Don't worry about the office Donna. You'll be back there soon
enough."
"I hope so" Donna whispered.
And all too soon the fifteen minutes was over. The guard approached
Donna to take her
back to her cell. "Josh leaned in and said "I love you Donna."
"I love you too" she said.
As soon as they were gone, Sam put his hand on Josh's shoulder. "Lets
go" he said But
Josh couldn't seem to stand up. His legs didn't want to work. It had
all gone by so fast.
He wanted to yell-to make the guard stop-to say that he wasn't done
yet. There was so
much more he wanted to say. Finally, wordlessly, he stood up and
followed Sam out of
the room.
Friday
5:00 PM
Josh's Apartment
Josh and Sam sat drinking scotch when Ainsley arrived. Sam had called
her and asked
her to meet them there and she could tell by his voice that the visit
had not gone well.
Sam let her in and she immediately crossed to the couch.
"Are you ok Josh?" she asked as she watched him down what was left in
his glass in one
swallow.
Josh couldn't find the words to describe how he was feeling. The look
in Donna's eyes
when she found out about Mandy had been devastating. It was like she
lost hope. And
that was the one thing Josh couldn't abide.
"We have to get her out of there."
"I know Josh"
Josh got up wordlessly and went out to the balcony to stare at the
city below. Ainsley
started after him but Sam said "Let him be alone for awhile. The
visit this afternoon was
really tough on him."
"I can imagine. How about you Sam-are you ok?"
"I don't know. I mean, seeing Donna this afternoon, in that place, it
was awful. She looks
so frightened. I know that place is horrible and it breaks my heart
that she is there. And I
also know the effect this is having on Josh. It's killing him to see
her like that. Josh and
Donna have been through so much lately, and now this. It makes me
want to just find
Mandy and strangle her. I hate myself for feeling that way but I do.
As soon as we get
Donna back here where she belongs, I'm personally going to make sure
that Mandy
pays."
"I know Sam. I'm going to do everything I can to help Josh and Donna.
And I've never
even met Mandy Hampton but she seems like a woman in desperate need
of a trip to the
woodshed, as my daddy would say. And I would be honored if you would
allow me to
help you."
"Deal. I just hope we get it done before there is any irreparable
harm."
"We will Sam. I'm far from defeated yet. These people don't know what
they're dealing
with here."
"Thanks"
"No problem"
Ainsley suddenly had a realization. She didn't know Mandy Hampton and
could never
hope to understand her motivations. So she would leave the sleuthing
to Toby and Sam
and Josh. She would let them track down the information that would
set Donna free. She
would let CJ handle the press since she did it better than anyone.
Her role was to make
sure that Donna came through this intact, with as little damage as
possible. And that was
precisely what she intended to do.
Saturday
9:45 AM
West Wing
Toby, Sam, Josh and CJ were sifting through all of the new papers
that have been faxed
to them, trying to connect Simmons and West to as many of the
companies in question as
possible when the phone rang.
"Josh Lyman. Oh hi Ainsley, what's up?...Really?....Are you sure it's
ok?...Definitely.....I'm on my way.....I'll meet you there."
Josh looks up at the others in the room as he grabs his coat and
smiles. "Ainsley has
arranged for me to have another visit with Donna today. I've got to
meet her at the jail
right now."
"Oh that's wonderful" CJ beamed "Would it be ok if Toby and I came
too. Just so Donna
can see we're all behind her."
"I don't see why not"
"Send her my love" Sam said "I saw her yesterday so I'll stay here
and keep going
through these records."
"Thanks buddy" Josh said as he slipped out the door with Sam and CJ
close behind.
Saturday
10:30 AM
DC Jail
Josh sat in the same place as he had the day before and waited for
Donna to enter the
room. CJ and Toby sat nervously beside him. All three of their hearts
dropped as soon as
Donna entered the room. She looked like she hadn't slept in days. She
had enormous dark
circles under her eyes and her skin had taken on a gray pallor. She
smiled when she saw
them but it wasn't very convincing. Josh just wanted to jump over the
glass partition and
wrap his arms around her and tell her that everything would be ok.
As she moved across the room and sat down in the chair on the
opposite side of the glass,
Josh noticed a large purple bruise on her cheekbone.
"What the hell happened?" Josh choked out.
"I'm fine" Donna said with a vacant look in her eyes. "It's nothing.
I'm fine.
"Donna, where did you get that bruise?" Josh thundered. Suddenly he
felt CJ's hand on
his shoulder and he realized that his anger and fear weren't helping
Donna at all. He
calmed himself down before he spoke again.
"Sweetheart" he said more softly "Tell me what happened"
"I didn't move fast enough this morning at breakfast when someone
told me too" she said
"What do you mean?" he said trying hard to maintain control
"Don't worry, Josh. I can handle it" she said trying to alleviate
some of the worry in his
eyes.
"Did you see a doctor?"
"It's nothing. I'm fine. Can we please not talk about it?"
"Okay" Josh reluctantly dropped the subject but made a mental note to
talk to Ainsley
about moving Donna to a more secure location.
"You look tired. Are you sleeping?" Josh asked though the answer was
written all over
her face.
"Some" she hesitated then continued "Listen Josh I've been
thinking....if I just say that I
did it...and I tell them that it was all me......"
"What are you talking about?"
"Josh, I saw the paper today. They were talking about starting an
investigation of you. I
can't let that happen. I'll say it was me."
"What paper did you see Donna?" CJ asked making a mental note to
destroy whatever
reporter wrote it.
"I'm not sure which one it was. Someone cut the article out and left
it in my cell when I
was at breakfast. I won't let that happen Josh. I won't let it happen
to any of you. I don't
care what anybody says."
"Stop it Donna" Toby growled, finally unable to control his boiling
anger any longer.
They all turned to look at him. "Josh isn't going to get investigated
and you are not going
to plead guilty to something you didn't do and we're going to get you
out of here before
you end up with any more bruises."
"But Toby........"
"No buts Donna. I mean it. We are very very close to getting to the
bottom of this."
"I just don't want anybody else to get hurt."
"No one will" except for Mandy Hampton he thought to himself, and she
was most
definitely going to hurt
Suddenly Josh leaned towards the glass and his voice got very
serious. "Do you trust me
Donna?"
"With all my heart and soul."
"Then trust my word. I'm going to get you out of here and it's going
to be soon. Do you
believe me?"
"Yes I do" Donna said with tears flowing down her cheeks. "I'm sorry.
I know you're all
working as hard as you can. I'll try to be stronger."
"You are plenty strong Donna. This is a horrible situation. I just
need you to hang on for
a little while longer."
"I will"
The guard started to move towards Donna and Josh knew their time was
up. He locked
eyes with her and said "I love you"
"I love you too" she said "And I really do trust you"
"Good" he said
She turned to Toby and CJ and said "Thanks for coming"
"We'll see you soon" Toby said
Saturday
7:00 PM
Josh's apartment
Josh had returned from the west wing to find the entire contents of
Donna's apartment in
his living room. The furniture belonged to the landlord, so Josh had
only had to worry
about getting Donnas personal belongings out. He had luckily been
able to find a moving
company willing to do it on such short notice. He reached down and
opened a
box marked bathroom and was staring wistfully at an amazing array of
shampoos and
body washes that helped to create the scent that was singularly
Donna. He was broken out
of his reverie by a knock at the door. He opened to find Ainsley
carrying an armload of
Styrofoam takeout containers.
"Let me help you with those" Josh said "What's in them anyway."
"A healthy meal from Antonio's and you're going to eat it." Ainsley
said stubbornly. "I
promised Donna I'd watch over you till she gets back and I don't
break my promises."
"I'm gonna pass on the obvious "read my lips" joke here Ainsley
because I appreciate
you getting me an extra visit with Donna."
"Gee thanks. How was she today?" Ainsley shouted to the kitchen where
Josh was
getting plates and silverware.
"She's holding on but just barely. She has a nasty bruise on her
face. She won't say
exactly how it happened but I have a pretty good idea. I need you
talk to the warden
about the security in that place."
"I will" Ainsley promised. "First thing in the morning"
"Is this all Donna's stuff?" Ainsley asked gesturing at the boxes
"Yeah, I had it packed up. The landlord was threatening to throw it
out on the street so I
just had it brought here. I never liked the neighborhood Donna lived
in anyway. This will
give me an excuse to insist she get a new apartment in a better area."
"Like this neighborhood perhaps?" Ainsley asked with a knowing smile
Josh's eyes told the whole story as he looked back at Ainsley.
"I'll keep my fingers crossed" she said
As soon as Josh had eaten his entire dinner, he carried the dishes to
the kitchen. When he
returned to the living room Ainsley was gathering up her things and
getting ready to
leave.
"Now the second part of my promise to Donna. Go to bed Josh. Get a
good nights sleep."
"I will Ainsley, thanks. Do you want me to drive you home?"
"No, I'm fine. I think I'm gonna stop by Sam's and discuss some legal
strategy"
she said trying to sound nonchalant. When she looked up she caught a
definite twinkle in
Josh's eye.
Good luck with that" Josh smiled. "I'll keep my fingers crossed." He
said as he winked at
her.
She ducked her head on the way out the door hoping Josh didn't see
her blush.
Josh turned back to the boxes until he located the ones labeled
bedroom. He searched
through them until he found Donna's pillow. As he removed it from the
box, he heard
something fall to the floor. His heart lurched when he looked down
and saw Donna's
campaign ID. He didn't even realize that she had kept it. His
thoughts drifted back to
New Hampshire. She had been so uncertain of herself then. Dr Freeride
had robbed her of
all of her self-confidence. She had been so frightened, yet so
determined to find a new
start. Her optimism and her love of life had shown through even then.
Josh wasn't going
to let that part of her be destroyed. He grabbed the pillow and
moved back to the
bedroom and threw it on the bed. After he had showered, he crawled
under the covers and
pulled the pillow close to him. It still smelled like Donna and he
could almost imagine
her laying there with him.
"Soon Donnatella" he whispered. "Soon"
Sunday
10:45 AM
DC Jail
Recreation Yard
Donna stood against the wall of the building all by herself. She
couldn't even manage to
enjoy the spring air. She just wanted to retreat to her cell. The
noise of the yard was going
through her head like a knife through butter. Suddenly a large group
of women
approached her.
"Hey Blondie, why so unsociable" one of them asked as they closed in
on her effectively
pinning her to the wall.
"No reason" Donna stammered. I'm just not feeling well.
"You think you're too good for us Miss White House?" another of the
women asked.
Donna's heart was now pounding in her ears as she looked around for a
way to escape.
"No, as I said, I just don't feel well."
"Well, we just want to make sure you know missy. We don't care who
your old boss was.
This is our yard and we run things around here." As she finished her
sentence, her fist
connected with Donnas jaw. Donna's head snapped back and she saw
stars. Before she
could think, she felt another fist slam into her stomach. She was
gasping for air. She
couldn't get enough breath to call for help. Blood was pouring from
her nose and mouth.
Where were the guards? She wondered. Donna's panic became as intense
as her pain. She
was leaning over trying to protect herself when she felt a knee rise
up and make contact
with her forehead. The world started to spin but not before Donna
felt another fist slam
into her stomach. As she lost consciousness, she was vaguely aware of
feet slamming into
her back and head. And then there was just darkness.
Sunday
12:25 PM
Josh's apartment
Josh, Sam, CJ and Toby continued to try to make sense of all the
papers strewn about
Josh's apartment. Since their visits with Donna, they all seemed to
be attacking the task
with a renewed sense of determination.
Sam had yet to tell Josh everything he knew about Donna's second body
cavity search.
He couldn't get the pain in Donna's voice out of his head. She was
like the little sister he
never had. He loved her, and he knew that Josh loved her too. Telling
Josh what he knew
would only make an already bad situation worse.
CJ and Toby had waited until they were alone in his office before
they discussed their
visit with Donna. The bruise on her cheek had been a jolt to both of
them. It brought the
entire situation into sharp focus. Mandy was playing a very dangerous
game, one that
could have tragic results if they didn't move fast.
They had even convinced Leo to help them on the belief that every
extra set of hands
helped.
The "cyber sleuths", as they had been nicknamed, were continuing to
move along with
their investigation and the staff was attacking it from a different
angle. They were trying
to document Mandy's involvement with Simmons and West. Once the
transactions were
traced back, they would need to find a way to attribute all this
chaos to Mandy.
Ainsley was furiously taking notes as they yelled facts back and
forth hoping that she
would find something she could take to a judge to convince him to
give Donna bail.
At the sound of a cell phone ringing, everyone looked for his or hers.
"It's me" Ainsley says as she flipped her phone open. "Ainsley Hayes.
Oh no. Oh no. Oh
my God. All right. I'm on my way. I'll be right there. Tell her I'll
be right there.
Goodbye."
"What is it?" Josh asked with panic rising in his voice "Is it Donna?"
"Yes" Ainsley said trying to remain calm as the whole room on full
alert." There was
apparently some kind of altercation. She is in the prison infirmary."
"I'm going with you" Josh said
"Josh..." Ainsley started but she knew it was no use.
"Look, I'm a lawyer, too. You can get me in." he turned to Leo and
said "I'm sorry Leo
but I quit."
Leo waved him off. "Josh, this isn't the time."
"But White House policy forbids...."
"Forget policy right now Josh just go"
"I'll work something out" Ainsley said "I'll make sure you get to see
her Josh."
And with that they disappeared out the door almost at a dead run.
Sunday
12:50 PM
DC Jail
Ainsley had been in whispered conversation with the warden since they
arrived. It
seemed innocent enough but Ainsley had a look in her eyes Josh had
never seen before. It
almost seemed as if she was threatening him. Maybe claiming that his
guards were
negligent in allowing this to happen. Josh really didn't care what
her argument was. He
just hoped she was successful because he had no intention of leaving
here without seeing
Donna. Suddenly, Ainsley moved toward him and said "Let's go". Josh
didn't need to be
asked twice and followed her immediately.
As they approached the infirmary, Josh saw Donna through the window.
She was lying
on the bed with her head propped up and her eyes closed. He felt the
anger welling up in
his chest but he knew that he had to control it. Donna needed him to
remain in control.
He approached the doctor who was studying her chart. Ainsley was
right on his heels.
"How is she? Is she alright?" he demanded
"Who are you?" the doctor asked.
Ainsley stepped around Josh and extended her hand. "Ainsley Hayes
doctor. I'm Ms
Moss's attorney. Mr. Lyman is also an attorney." She said hoping the
doctor didn't push it
any farther. "How is she?"
"Her condition is stable. She has a fairly serious concussion but we
don't believe that her
skull is fractured. We will be watching her carefully for the next 48
hours. She has four
broken ribs and an assortment of contusions. Her jaw was dislocated
but we have put it
back in place. I am waiting for more x-rays to come down from the
lab. I believe that she
has a broken left arm and several broken fingers on her right hand.
She will be in a
considerable amount of pain for awhile but I have every reason to
believe that she will
make a complete recovery."
Josh could barely breathe. He hadn't taken his eyes off Donna's still
form the entire time
the doctor had been speaking. Suddenly he wheeled around to face the
warden.
"How did this happen? How did you allow this to happen? Don't you
have guards in this
place? Don't you..."
"Josh" Ainsley cut in and stopped him before he went any
further "This wont help
anything."
"I want her seen by a specialist. I want her moved to the hospital."
Josh said
"We can't allow her to be moved at this point" the warden
said "However, I'll certainly
help in any way I can if you would like her to be examined by an
outside physician."
"That's exactly what I want" Josh snapped
"I'll make the arrangements right away" Ainsley said
Josh's eyes turned back to Donna "Can I see her?"
"She's not conscious right now" the doctor countered.
"It doesn't matter" Josh said "I need to talk to her. She'll hear me."
The doctor shot a questioning look at the warden who said "Two
minutes Mr. Lyman"
"Thanks" Josh said moving immediately towards the door to Donna's room
"Hi sweetheart" he whispered as he lifted her hand to his mouth and
planted a kiss in the
palm. "I only have a few minutes. I just wanted to tell you that I
love you. We all do.
We're gonna get you out of here, I promise. You just hold on, okay?
I'll be back to get
you soon. I love you, Donna" he said as he planted a soft kiss on her
lips.
Sunday
2:35 PM
Josh's apartment
Josh charged back into the apartment barely containing his fury with
Ainsley close
behind.
"How's Donna?" Sam asked
"Not good" Josh said "The doctor said he expects a full recovery but...
I mean she
looks...and she's so pale.." Josh couldn't continue and CJ enveloped
him in a tight
embrace.
"She has a concussion" Ainsley said "broken ribs, a broken arm and
some broken fingers.
Her jaw was dislocated but it has been repaired. They are watching
her closely for signs
of brain swelling or internal bleeding"
"Oh God" CJ whispered into Josh's shoulder "Poor Donna"
Sam couldn't stand to hear anymore. The descriptions of Donna's
injuries were more
than he could take. He liked to think he had a good legal mind. And
yet he couldn't find
anyway to help Donna. He couldn't think of any strategy to get her
out of this horrible
situation that threatened to destroy her. And Sam knew for certain
that anything that
destroyed Donna would surely destroy Josh too. There had to be a
solution. Sam just
prayed he could find it before it was too late, before Donna ended up
damaged beyond
repair either physically or emotionally.
Toby moved back to the piles of paperwork stacked on every flat
surface in the living
room. His jaw was clenched in anger. He knew that he needed to keep
himself together.
He needed to channel his anger. He had never felt this helpless in
his entire life. He was
wordlessly searching through Donna's bank records for some kind of
clue when CJ
approached him.
"We have to find a way out of this" CJ said angrily. "We have to get
Donna out of there
before something even worse happens."
"Don't you think I know that CJ" Toby snapped "Don't you think it is
driving me crazy
that we know who is behind all this and can't prove it? Don't you
think that I would give
anything to be able to fix this right now? Don't you think I would
trade places with her
right this second so she didn't have to endure any more pain?"
"I'm sorry Toby. I know you would. I'm just so angry I could spit.
Donna and Josh have
been through so much in the last year. They deserve a little
happiness. I'm just afraid that
this is going to set them both back."
"Here's what we have to do" Toby said loudly enough to get the
attention of everyone in
the apartment. "We all have to find a way to channel our anger to a
more positive end.
We need to buckle down and find what we need to free Donna by any
means necessary.
Because the sooner we do that, the sooner we can make sure Mandy gets
what's coming
to her."
With that, he went right back to sorting through records and was
soon joined by Sam and
CJ.
Ainsley thought to herself how wrong her initial impression had been
of these people.
She was proud to stand beside them. Proud to call them friends. She
felt as though she let
them down by not getting Donna out on bail. She made up her mind to
find a way to get
Donna home.
Josh surveyed all of the activity around him. He knew how lucky he
was to have such
good friends, and how lucky Donna was. He knew that between all of
them, they would
be able to find a way to bring Donna home. He just prayed that it
wouldn't be too late.
That Donna would still be whole both physically and emotionally. He
was scared because
he felt her slipping away from him. She was trying to be strong but
this situation was
quickly becoming unbearable. He had to get her out of that place.
Bring her home where
he could take care of her and help her heal. Nothing he had ever
accomplished in his life
would mean anything if he couldn't save Donna.
Sunday
8:00 PM
Mandy's Hotel Room
"Excellent. That's even better than I hoped for. I guess the girls
got a little carried away.
Tell them I'll make sure they get duly compensated" Mandy said with a
laugh.
"Will do, Ms. Hampton. Is there anything else I can do for you?"
"I'll let you know as soon as I'm ready to take the next step."
"Ok, I'll talk to you soon then."
Mandy disconnected, threw the phone on the bed, and walked to the
balcony to enjoy the
beautiful spring night. The calm of her hotel room was in direct
contrast to the frantic
activity across town at Josh's apartment.