"I think that's a great idea. I'll see you as soon as we land then. I
love you. Bye." Josh
smiled as he hung up the phone on Air Force One.
He turned to Sam who was half asleep in the seat across the
aisle. "Donna and Ainsley
are going to meet us at the airport."
"Excellent," Sam said
"So is tonight the night that you tell Ainsley how you feel about
her?" Josh asked with a
smile. It was the same question he had asked Sam almost daily for the
last month.
"I have no idea what you're talking about, Josh. Ainsley and I are
friends. That's all."
"God, you sound just like I did, you know that?"
"Again, I have no idea..." Sam began before Josh cut him off.
"Look, all I'm saying is that I know denial when I see it. I stared
at in the mirror for three
long years. I'm just hoping that you don't waste as much time as I
did."
Sam just closed his eyes, put his head back and tried to go back to
sleep.
"Denial..." was the last thing he heard Josh say before he drifted off.
"Can I talk to you for a minute?" a tentative voice asked.
Donna was taken aback when she looked up and saw Larry standing in
front of her desk,
shifting his weight and looking at the floor.
"Hello, Larry." She said. "Can I help you with something?"
"I just wanted to say thank you again, Donna." he said nervously.
"That's not necessary." Donna assured him.
"Yes it is. I really owe you big. I know that Toby and Sam both
wanted me fired, and I'm
pretty sure that Josh wanted me dead. I'd be out of a job right now
if it hadn't been for
you. I think I got off easy with 60 days unpaid suspension and a
transfer. It's a better deal
than I deserved."
Donna looked at him sympathetically. She didn't blame Larry for what
had happened.
She knew that he had been used. If Mandy hadn't gotten the
information from him, she
would have gotten it somewhere else.
"It's ok," Donna said. "I know that you were manipulated. It doesn't
excuse what you did
but I know how Mandy can play mind games. I just don't want to see
her hurt anymore
people than she already has, and that includes you. Let's just put
this behind us and move
on."
"Thanks."
"Have you gotten your new assignment yet?" Donna asked, eager to stop
talking about
the past and start talking about the future.
"Yeah, I start Monday in the Travel Office. I was just down there
filling out some forms.
I think I'll like it there."
"Good. I hope everything works out for you, Larry."
He continued to shuffle his feet as he glanced nervously at Josh's
office door.
"Do you think Josh is ready to hear my apology yet?" he asked.
"I don't know. He may need a little more time. Anyway, he's not here
right now but I'll
let him know that you stopped by."
"Will you at least tell him again how sorry I am?"
"Yes I will. And don't worry, Larry, he'll come around."
"I hope so. Well, I guess I'll be going now. See you around."
"Bye, Larry."
As Larry exited the bullpen, he ran smack into CJ who was walking
hurriedly with her
head down. When she looked up and saw him, she fixed him with a
steely gaze.
"Larry." She said.
"Hello, CJ." He said as he shuffled down the corridor, wondering why
it was that all of
Donna's friends were so much less willing to forgive him than she
herself was.
"What was HE doing here?" CJ asked as she flopped down in the chair
beside Donna's
desk.
Donna sighed. "He came to apologize yet again, and to thank me for
saving his job."
"Yeah, well he ought to thank you," CJ snapped. "I still can't figure
out why you
wouldn't let Toby fire him-or have him arrested-or both."
"I told you, CJ...." Donna began.
"I know. I know." CJ said waving her hand in surrender.
"There is no way I'm going to let Mandy do any more damage than she
already has."
"You're a good person, Donna." CJ said sincerely.
"Yeah, I'm a regular saint." Donna snorted.
"Did you eat lunch today?" CJ asked in an abrupt change of topic.
"Um..yes." Donna laughed. "Why are you asking? It's almost 6:00."
"Well Josh has called me at least twice a day for the entire week
he's been gone and he
always seems inordinately interested in your food intake. Is Donna
eating lunch? Did
Donna have dinner? So I know that when he calls me before they land
he's going to ask
and I just want to have an answer prepared."
Donna couldn't help but smile at Josh's concern. "It's the first time
we've been apart
since...you know." She said quietly.
"Yeah, I know." CJ said. "I actually think it's kind of sweet.
Nauseating but sweet."
Donna smiled and swatted CJ on the arm. "Well at least they'll be
back tonight so you
won't have to worry about my eating habits anymore."
"Speaking of eating habits," CJ said with a smile as she saw Ainsley
approaching.
"Hey guys," Ainsley said. "Are we talking about food, because I'm
starved."
"Gee, that's a switch." CJ laughed.
"Are we still headed out to the airport this evening?" Ainsley asked
Donna.
"Yep." Donna answered.
"Great. Maybe we can grab something to eat before we go."
"I really want to change out of my work clothes. Maybe we can swing
by the apartment
and just order some takeout?"
"Sounds fine to me." Ainsley said.
"Can you join us CJ?" Donna asked.
"Thanks but no. I have a pile of work on my desk. Besides, touching
reunions make me
want to hurl." She snorted as she rose and headed towards her office.
Donna and Ainsley both smiled. They knew that despite her cynical
exterior, CJ was
really just a romantic at heart.
"What sounds good to you?" Ainsley asked. "And when will you be ready
to go?"
"Anything -you pick." Donna answered. "And how about right now?"
She looked at the work on her desk and momentarily considered putting
it in her
totebag to take home. She decided against it. Josh had been gone for
an entire week and
there was no way that they were going to work tonight.
They arrived at Josh's apartment about 15 minutes later. Donna still
couldn't help but
think of it as Josh's apartment, even though she had been living
there for two months
now. At first, she had assumed that she would find a new apartment as
soon as her
injuries were healed. Her old landlord had even offered to let her
have her old place back,
along with several months free rent to make up for the mix-up. But
Josh seemed reluctant
to have her move out and she had to admit, she didn't relish the idea
of living alone
again. Actually what she didn't relish was the idea of not living
with Josh. She was quite
happy exactly where she was thankyouverymuch. She needed to start
thinking of this as
"their" apartment as opposed to "his apartment." Donna began to
ponder the possibility
of them finding a new place together. A place that could both think
of as home. A place
without the memories of Josh's recovery from the shooting, or her
recovery from her
prison ordeal hanging over it. She made a mental note to talk about
it with Josh this
weekend.
"Help yourself to something to drink." Donna said as she moved
towards the bedroom to
change out of her work clothes. "There's all kinds of stuff in the
fridge. I'm pretty sure
there's even a Fresca. I'll call Wong's while I'm changing."
"Ok great," Ainsley said heading to the kitchen.
Donna emerged a few minutes later looking much more relaxed and
casual in a pair of
jeans and a cropped t-shirt. She went to the kitchen and grabbed a
bottle of water before
joining Ainsley in the living room.
"So?" Donna asked. "Anything new on the Sam front?"
"The Sam front?" Ainsley laughed. "That sounds like some 70's radical
group."
"You know what I mean." Donna said. "Has he made his move yet?"
"Not yet. I don't really think he feels that way about me..."
Donna laughed so hard that water came perilously close to shooting
out her nose.
"What's so funny?" Ainsley asked.
"Nothing. You just sounded exactly like-well, me---when you said
that. I sang that song
for three long years. And it took something as horrible as what
happened to me to get
Josh and I to admit our feelings." Donna's face suddenly got more
serious. "Don't let that happen to
you. Make the first move yourself if you have to. Just don't let it
go as long as Josh and
I did. Sometimes I want to cry when I think about all the time we
wasted."
"I know." Ainsley sighed. "But you guys have figured it out now and
that's all that
matters."
"True." Donna smiled.
The doorbell startled them both out of their private thoughts.
"That was fast!" Ainsley said.
"The delivery people all know us." Donna chuckled as she grabbed her
purse.
When she opened the apartment door, she froze. There in the hallway,
holding two bags
of Chinese takeout, stood Mandy.
"I met the delivery boy on the way up and told him I'd be happy to
bring this up for you."
She said.
Donna moved quickly to close the door but Mandy shoved her way in. It
wasn't until
then that Donna saw the gun in Mandy's hand. Mandy dropped the food
in the entryway
and pointed the gun at Donna.
"Now that wasn't very nice, Donna." She said. "This is an awful lot
of food for one
person, and since I know that Josh is out of town, I wonder who is
here. Let's go in and
see shall we?"
Donna was frozen to the spot. She couldn't move until Mandy pressed
the gun against her
side and began to force her into the living room. Her senses were
overloaded with the
memories of the aftermath of Josh's shooting.
"Did they remember....." Ainsley stopped mid sentence when she saw the
two women
enter the living room. She couldn't actually see the gun but by the
look on Donna's face
she knew it was there.
"Well, well Miss Hayes," Mandy hissed. "It's so nice to see you
again."
CJ needed a break from the endless stack of paperwork on her desk
that never seemed to
get any smaller. She knew that Toby was still in his office and she
needed to get some
notes from him on the President's schedule for next week. She decided
to walk over to
his office instead of calling. Maybe, if she was lucky, he would let
her play with one of
his stress balls.
"Hey," CJ said as she entered through his open office door.
"Hey, yourself," he answered barely looking up from the folder he was
reading.
"Do you have a copy of next months schedule?" she asked. "I need to
get the info to the
press corps."
"I have it right here," he said reaching for a folder in his out
box. "I was going to have
one of the interns bring it over to you."
"That's ok, I needed the break." She said sinking into his couch and
closing
her eyes.
"Why can't you take a nap in your own office?" he growled playfully.
"Your couch is more comfortable," she countered.
The ringing of the phone roused CJ just as she was about to drift off.
"Toby Zeigler," she heard him say. "No, I don't think she's here
right now. Hold on."
He punched the hold button on the phone and turned to CJ.
"The switchboard says they have an urgent call for Donna. Do you know
where she is?"
he asked with a somewhat nervous tone. He hoped it wasn't bad news.
"She and Ainsley are headed back to Josh's place to get some dinner,
then they're going
out to the airport to meet the plane."
Toby punched the hold button again and said, "She's not in the
building. Have they tried
her cell phone?"
The growing look of concern on Toby's face caused CJ to sit up and
pay attention.
"Put him through to me." he said.
"It's the warden from the prison," he said to CJ as he quickly
switched the call to
speakerphone.
"Hello?" came a voice from the other end of the line.
"Hello, warden" Toby said. "This is Toby Zeigler. I have you on
speakerphone and CJ
Cregg is listening also. How can I help you?"
"It's very important that I reach Ms. Moss as soon as possible. We
are having a bit of a
problem here at the prison."
"A bit of a problem?" Toby asked.
"Well, the truth is....." the warden stammered.
"Get to the point, warden," Toby said in the tone that left little
doubt that he wanted a
straight answer NOW.
"Well, the truth is, it seems we came up one prisoner short at the
roll call this evening."
Both Toby and CJ knew what he was going to say next before the words
were even out of
his mouth.
"The missing prisoner is Madeline Hampton. Ms. Moss is on the list of
people to contact
in case an escape ever happens."
His words hung in the air for a split second before either Toby or CJ
could react.
"I've also been trying to reach Mr. Lyman," the warden continued. "I
can't seem to locate
him either."
"He's on Air Force One right now, on his way back from California.
They should be
landing in about 60 minutes." CJ said.
"Could you possibly get word to him and let him know what's going
on?" the warden
asked.
"Yes," Toby answered gruffly. "Have the police been notified?"
"We are following our usual procedure in these cases."
"Have the police been notified?" Toby screamed.
"Yes," the warden answered defensively.
"Fine," Toby continued. "We will try to reach Ms. Moss from here.
We'll notify you
as soon as we find her. Please keep us informed of any new
developments on your end."
Toby punched the button and disconnected the phone without waiting
for a reply.
"I'm going to head over to Josh and Donna's place and try to head
them off. You better
call Lt. Stoebner and ask him to meet me there. Then call Josh and
give him a heads up
before some reporter gets the story off of the scanners and gets to
him first." Toby
barked.
"Ok," CJ said reaching for the phone. "Be careful," she yelled at his
receding back.
CJ quickly called Lt. Stoebner and filled him in on what was
happening. She gave him
the address of Josh's apartment and he promised to meet Toby there
right away. She
quickly tried both Donna and Ainsley's cell phones praying one of
them would answer.
When neither one did, she took a deep breath and dialed Air Force One.
"You have a phone call, Mr. Lyman." The porter said as he placed the
phone on the table
next to Josh.
"Who is it?" Josh asked.
"Ms. Cregg," the porter answered as he backed away to give Josh some
privacy.
Josh picked up the phone and said, "Hey CJ, what's up?"
"Josh, we have a little problem here." CJ said trying to decide the
best way to break the
news to him.
"What kind of little problem?" Josh asked as the tingle of fear began
to dance up his
spine. "Is it Donna?"
The mention of Donna's name combined with the look of rising panic on
Josh's face
caught Sam's attention. He came over and sat directly in front of
Josh.
"Is something wrong?" he mouthed.
"The warden from the women's prison called." CJ said. "Look I'm not
going to beat
around the bush. Mandy has escaped."
"WHAT?" Josh screamed. "HOW?"
"I don't know the details," CJ continued trying to be as calm as
possible. "He called here
looking for Donna because she was the first person on the list of
people to be contacted in
case something like this happened. I tried to reach both Donna and
Ainsley and they
aren't answering their cells. As far as I know, they were going to
your apartment to order
some dinner and then they were heading out to meet you. Toby is out
trying to retrace
their steps right now."
"Oh my God. Oh my God." Josh muttered, seemingly unable to form a
coherent thought.
"Josh, are you ok?" CJ asked.
"I need to try to call Donna," he said methodically.
"Listen, Josh. At this point, we have no reason to think anything bad
has happened. I'll
keep trying to reach her too. I'll call you as soon as Toby finds
them."
"Fine," Josh said.
"Toby will find them, Josh."
"Ok," he said as he hung up.
"What's wrong?" Sam asked.
"Mandy has escaped." Josh said, the shock he felt evidenced by his
shaky voice. "The
warden of the prison called the White House looking for Donna. He
said that she needed
to be notified. She and Ainsley were supposedly headed for the
apartment to get some
dinner before they came to the airport."
Josh looked at Sam, letting the words he had just said sink in. He
knew he had to tell
Sam the rest.
"Neither one of them are answering their cell phones," Josh said in a
choked voice that
came out barely above a whisper.
Sam and Josh both sat stunned for a moment before instinctively
reaching for their
phones. Each dialed a number they knew by heart. And each looked at
the other, their
countenance dropping when the voice mail picked up. Each man looked
at his watch and
had the exact same thought. 45 minutes till landing.
"Why are you doing this, Mandy?" Donna asked as she and Ainsley stood
side by side,
backed up against the glass doors to the balcony. "Haven't you had
enough yet? Since
you obviously managed to escape, why didn't you just run? Why did you
come back
here?"
"You know the answer to that." Mandy said with a deranged smile. "I
told you this
wasn't over. I told you that I wouldn't rest until I know that you
have been destroyed."
"Fine," Donna said trying to remain calm. "Your problem is with me.
Why don't you and
I just go somewhere? Leave Ainsley here. You can tie her up so she
doesn't call for help.
And we can settle this once and for all."
"My, my aren't you noble Donna? Trying to bargain to save your
friend. Well sorry, it
isn't going to happen that way. I'm sorry Miss Hayes got caught up in
this. I guess we'll
just have to consider her as an unlucky victim of circumstance. Just
in the wrong place at
the wrong time."
Donna's mind whirled as she tried to formulate a plan. She looked at
her watch. Less than
an hour to go till the plane landed. If they weren't at the airport,
Sam and Josh would
come straight to the apartment. She couldn't let that happen. She had
to think of a plan.
The simultaneous ringing of two cell phones broke her reverie.
"Isn't that a coincidence? " Mandy snarled as she snatched the cell
phones off of the
living room table. "Sam and Josh deciding to call at exactly the same
moment. Something
tells me that my escape has been discovered. They must have heard the
good news. And
they're calling to see if you both are safe. Isn't that sweet? Too
bad that they are going to
have to find you both dead when they get here."
Ainsley stifled a sob and grabbed onto Donna's arm for support. She
wanted nothing
more than to be able to see Sam one last time. To admit her feelings
to him. She
wondered why she hadn't listened to that advice when Donna gave it to
her. She closed
her eyes and said a silent prayer for strength.
"You see," Mandy continued. "I want to see the look on Josh's face
when he realizes that
he's too late. I considered waiting till he got here and killing you
in front of him, but I
think that this will be much more tortuous for him. Let him think
about what you were
thinking in your last moments. Rob him of the chance to say any final
words."
"I talked to Josh a little while ago." Donna said, forcing herself to
look Mandy in the eye.
"Our final words to each other confirmed our love. You'll never be
able to erase that. No
matter how badly you want to."
Mandy's face contorted with rage. She lifted the gun to Donna's eye
level and pulled
back the hammer.
Toby reached the front door of the apartment at the same time as the
DC police.
"I know they're in there," he said to Lt. Stoebner as they entered
the front door of the
building. "Donna's car is out front. But they aren't answering the
apartment phone or
their cell phones."
The men approached the apartment in relative silence. Lt. Stoebner
motioned for Toby to
stand back. He approached the door and knocked. Once. Twice. No
response. Suddenly
the sound of gunshots pierced the air followed by the sound of
shattering glass. The
lieutenant reared back and kicked the door in. He had no time at all
to react. All that he
saw was the glint of the pistol as it turned in his direction. He
fired one shot, hitting
Mandy in the right shoulder and knocking her backwards. The gun flew
out of her hand
and landed with a thud on the ceramic tile. She looked at him,
glaring, before finally
falling to the ground. He moved towards her, keeping his gun trained
on her chest. She
was conscious but in obvious pain. With his gun still pointing
towards her, he pulled out
his cell phone and called for backup and an ambulance.
"Don't move a muscle," he growled "Or I swear I'll kill you."
After being momentarily paralyzed with fear, Toby moved into the
apartment. He saw
Donna and Ainsley on the floor by the shattered window and moved
quickly towards
them. He saw blood on Donna's shoulder and began to panic. By the
time he reached
them, they had both managed to stand up and were staring, wide eyed,
at the scene in
front of them.
"Are you two okay?" Toby asked as he reached their side
"I think so," Donna said.
"Just scared to death," Ainsley replied. She looked at Donna and saw
the blood stain
spreading on her blouse. "Oh God, Donna you're bleeding."
"It's just from the glass," Donna assured her trying to remain as
calm as possible.
"Are you sure?" Toby asked.
"Positive." Donna said grabbing a pillow off of the chair and using
it to apply pressure to
her wound.
A plethora of backup officers arrived almost immediately. After they
read Mandy her
rights and rearrested her, they took her away in the ambulance. Lt.
Stoebner crossed the
apartment to speak to Donna and Ainsley. He noticed the pillow that
Toby was now
helping Donna hold to her cut.
"Are you injured Ms. Moss?" he asked.
"Just a cut from the flying glass," Donna assured him. "Of course, it
would have been
much worse if you hadn't gotten here when you did. Thank you."
"Don't thank me," he said modestly "thank Mr. Zeigler and Ms Cregg.
They're the ones
who tipped me off to where you were."
"Thanks Toby," Donna said as she slung her good arm over his shoulder
pulling him to
her side. "You saved me again."
"Yes, thanks." Ainsley added.
Toby blushed and rushed to change the subject. "I think we better
make a call to Air
Force One before Sam and Josh have strokes." He said. "Then I think
we better get you
to the emergency room to have that shoulder looked at, Donna."
"Ok," Donna said. She considered arguing but the pain in her shoulder
was getting more
severe and she thought a trip to the ER might be a good idea.
Josh's cell phone was the first to ring.
"Lyman," he barked into the receiver.
"Josh?" Donna said softly.
"Oh God, Donna. Are you ok? Is everything ok?"
"Everything's just fine here, Josh. Are you ok?"
"I am now that I hear your voice."
Donna smiled. "Listen," she said. "I'll fill you in on all the
details later. Right now I have
something to tell you and I need you not to freak out. Can you do
that?"
"Gee, Donna. That kind of setup just invites a freak out don't you
think?"
"Please Josh."
"OK, I promise."
"OK. I'm going to the emergency room....." That was all the farther
Donna got before
Josh cut her off.
"Why? What's wrong? You said you were ok."
"Josh," Donna said, raising her voice to get his attention. "I am ok.
I'm talking to you
aren't I? I just have a little cut on my shoulder that I think might
need stitches. It's not a
big deal."
"Are you telling me the truth, Donna?"
"Yes I am."
"Ok then. I'll meet you at the ER as soon as the plane lands."
"Deal," Donna said. "Now I better get going. I'll see you in a little
while."
"Ok." Josh said reluctantly, not wanting to hang up. "I love you,
Donna."
"I love you too, Josh. I'll see you soon.
As Josh disconnected, he saw Sam sinking down into a chair as he
answered his phone.
His eyes were blinking back tears of relief.
"Are you sure you're ok?" he asked her for the third time.
"Yes, Sam I'm sure." Ainsley answered. "I'm going to the ER with
Donna to get her
shoulder stitched."
"But you're both ok right?"
"Yes, Sam." She said as her heart soared at the sound of such intense
concern in his
voice. "Will you meet us at the ER?"
"I'll be there," he said.
"Ok. See you soon." She said
As Ainsley hung up the phone and walked back towards the broken
window, Toby
looked at his watch.
"If I leave now," he said "I can get to the airport in time to pick
up Sam and Josh and
keep them from hijacking the presidential limo."
"That might be a good idea," Donna laughed.
"Are you ok getting to the hospital by yourselves?" he asked Donna
and Ainsley.
Without giving them a chance to answer, Lt. Stoebner assured Toby
that he would get
them there safely.
"I'll call CJ from the car and let her know what's going on." He
yelled over his shoulder
as he left the apartment.
"Thanks," Ainsley and Donna yelled in unison.
Thirty minutes later, Donna was sitting in the curtained area of the
ER, waiting for
someone to stitch her shoulder. A very distinguished looking female
Dr. walked in. She was
wearing a black evening dress under her lab coat.
Hello, I'm Dr. Wagner. I'm the chief of Emergency Medicine here at
GW." She said
Donna couldn't help but be taken aback. "Is my little cut that
serious?" she asked only
half joking.
"Well," Dr. Wagner smiled. "When I get a call directly from the
President of the United
States asking me to forsake my orchestra tickets for Tosca to come
over here and look at
your shoulder, what am I supposed to say?"
"Oh, I'm so sorry," Donna said hanging her head in embarrassment.
"It's ok," the Dr. smiled. "I'll just catch it next time. And in
return for this evening, I
expect to see it while sitting in the presidential box."
Donna laughed.
"Now Mr. Lyman is a different story," she continued as Donna
cringed. "He has called
me four times in the last 30 minutes to ask me if I had arrived and
looked at your
shoulder yet."
Donna smiled. "I'm sorry Dr.. It's just that we've had a rough couple
of months....."
"No need to explain. I read the paper. I wish all of my patients had
someone who cared
about them as much as he obviously cares about you."
There was a sudden racket and raised voices outside of the curtain.
"I want to see Donna Moss right now." A male voice demanded.
"Speak of the devil" said Dr Wagner as she peeked her head out of the
curtain and said
"This way, Mr. Lyman."
Sam spotted Ainsley across the waiting room. She had her back to him
and was fidgeting
nervously. He waited until he was less than five feet away before he
called her name. She
turned around and flung herself into his arms.
"Oh, Sam. Oh, Sam" she said over and over. "I was so scared."
"I know," he said rubbing her back gently. "but its ok now. You're
safe."
Ainsley pulled back and looked in Sam's eyes. She gathered her
courage and decided to
take Donna's advice. She had never been very good at this kind of
thing. The right words
always seemed to desert her.
"There was one thing I was terrified I was going to die without
getting a chance to do."
She said staring intently into his eyes.
"Me too," Sam said with a shy smile.
Suddenly each one realized that the other was thinking the same
thing. All of their
surroundings simply faded away as their lips moved towards each other
and met in a very
sweet but unmistakably passionate kiss.
Later that evening, Josh and Donna sat on the living room couch
staring at the plywood
that had been put in place to cover the shattered window until it
could be replaced. Her
head was on his shoulder. He had his arm wrapped securely around her
waist and was
using his free hand to hold an ice pack on her sore shoulder.
"The landlord is going to start charging us a deposit for all the
broken glass," Donna said.
Josh laughed but he also saw his opportunity to bring up a subject he
had been thinking a
lot about as of late.
"Donna," he started "How would you feel about us getting a new place?
Something we
pick out together, that can be OUR home?"
Donna looked up at him with tears shining in her eyes. "Really, Josh?
Because I was
thinking the same thing earlier today. But are you sure? I know how
much you love this
apartment."
Josh leaned in and kissed Donna gently on the lips. "No, I love you,"
he said. "This is just
an apartment. I want a new place. A place where we can start our life
together without all
of the ghosts of the unhappy past hanging around. So what do you
think?"
"I think I'm the luckiest girl in the world." Donna sighed.
"No, I'm the lucky one" Josh said as he leaned down and captured her
lips in another
kiss. A kiss that held the promise of a lifetime together.
love you. Bye." Josh
smiled as he hung up the phone on Air Force One.
He turned to Sam who was half asleep in the seat across the
aisle. "Donna and Ainsley
are going to meet us at the airport."
"Excellent," Sam said
"So is tonight the night that you tell Ainsley how you feel about
her?" Josh asked with a
smile. It was the same question he had asked Sam almost daily for the
last month.
"I have no idea what you're talking about, Josh. Ainsley and I are
friends. That's all."
"God, you sound just like I did, you know that?"
"Again, I have no idea..." Sam began before Josh cut him off.
"Look, all I'm saying is that I know denial when I see it. I stared
at in the mirror for three
long years. I'm just hoping that you don't waste as much time as I
did."
Sam just closed his eyes, put his head back and tried to go back to
sleep.
"Denial..." was the last thing he heard Josh say before he drifted off.
"Can I talk to you for a minute?" a tentative voice asked.
Donna was taken aback when she looked up and saw Larry standing in
front of her desk,
shifting his weight and looking at the floor.
"Hello, Larry." She said. "Can I help you with something?"
"I just wanted to say thank you again, Donna." he said nervously.
"That's not necessary." Donna assured him.
"Yes it is. I really owe you big. I know that Toby and Sam both
wanted me fired, and I'm
pretty sure that Josh wanted me dead. I'd be out of a job right now
if it hadn't been for
you. I think I got off easy with 60 days unpaid suspension and a
transfer. It's a better deal
than I deserved."
Donna looked at him sympathetically. She didn't blame Larry for what
had happened.
She knew that he had been used. If Mandy hadn't gotten the
information from him, she
would have gotten it somewhere else.
"It's ok," Donna said. "I know that you were manipulated. It doesn't
excuse what you did
but I know how Mandy can play mind games. I just don't want to see
her hurt anymore
people than she already has, and that includes you. Let's just put
this behind us and move
on."
"Thanks."
"Have you gotten your new assignment yet?" Donna asked, eager to stop
talking about
the past and start talking about the future.
"Yeah, I start Monday in the Travel Office. I was just down there
filling out some forms.
I think I'll like it there."
"Good. I hope everything works out for you, Larry."
He continued to shuffle his feet as he glanced nervously at Josh's
office door.
"Do you think Josh is ready to hear my apology yet?" he asked.
"I don't know. He may need a little more time. Anyway, he's not here
right now but I'll
let him know that you stopped by."
"Will you at least tell him again how sorry I am?"
"Yes I will. And don't worry, Larry, he'll come around."
"I hope so. Well, I guess I'll be going now. See you around."
"Bye, Larry."
As Larry exited the bullpen, he ran smack into CJ who was walking
hurriedly with her
head down. When she looked up and saw him, she fixed him with a
steely gaze.
"Larry." She said.
"Hello, CJ." He said as he shuffled down the corridor, wondering why
it was that all of
Donna's friends were so much less willing to forgive him than she
herself was.
"What was HE doing here?" CJ asked as she flopped down in the chair
beside Donna's
desk.
Donna sighed. "He came to apologize yet again, and to thank me for
saving his job."
"Yeah, well he ought to thank you," CJ snapped. "I still can't figure
out why you
wouldn't let Toby fire him-or have him arrested-or both."
"I told you, CJ...." Donna began.
"I know. I know." CJ said waving her hand in surrender.
"There is no way I'm going to let Mandy do any more damage than she
already has."
"You're a good person, Donna." CJ said sincerely.
"Yeah, I'm a regular saint." Donna snorted.
"Did you eat lunch today?" CJ asked in an abrupt change of topic.
"Um..yes." Donna laughed. "Why are you asking? It's almost 6:00."
"Well Josh has called me at least twice a day for the entire week
he's been gone and he
always seems inordinately interested in your food intake. Is Donna
eating lunch? Did
Donna have dinner? So I know that when he calls me before they land
he's going to ask
and I just want to have an answer prepared."
Donna couldn't help but smile at Josh's concern. "It's the first time
we've been apart
since...you know." She said quietly.
"Yeah, I know." CJ said. "I actually think it's kind of sweet.
Nauseating but sweet."
Donna smiled and swatted CJ on the arm. "Well at least they'll be
back tonight so you
won't have to worry about my eating habits anymore."
"Speaking of eating habits," CJ said with a smile as she saw Ainsley
approaching.
"Hey guys," Ainsley said. "Are we talking about food, because I'm
starved."
"Gee, that's a switch." CJ laughed.
"Are we still headed out to the airport this evening?" Ainsley asked
Donna.
"Yep." Donna answered.
"Great. Maybe we can grab something to eat before we go."
"I really want to change out of my work clothes. Maybe we can swing
by the apartment
and just order some takeout?"
"Sounds fine to me." Ainsley said.
"Can you join us CJ?" Donna asked.
"Thanks but no. I have a pile of work on my desk. Besides, touching
reunions make me
want to hurl." She snorted as she rose and headed towards her office.
Donna and Ainsley both smiled. They knew that despite her cynical
exterior, CJ was
really just a romantic at heart.
"What sounds good to you?" Ainsley asked. "And when will you be ready
to go?"
"Anything -you pick." Donna answered. "And how about right now?"
She looked at the work on her desk and momentarily considered putting
it in her
totebag to take home. She decided against it. Josh had been gone for
an entire week and
there was no way that they were going to work tonight.
They arrived at Josh's apartment about 15 minutes later. Donna still
couldn't help but
think of it as Josh's apartment, even though she had been living
there for two months
now. At first, she had assumed that she would find a new apartment as
soon as her
injuries were healed. Her old landlord had even offered to let her
have her old place back,
along with several months free rent to make up for the mix-up. But
Josh seemed reluctant
to have her move out and she had to admit, she didn't relish the idea
of living alone
again. Actually what she didn't relish was the idea of not living
with Josh. She was quite
happy exactly where she was thankyouverymuch. She needed to start
thinking of this as
"their" apartment as opposed to "his apartment." Donna began to
ponder the possibility
of them finding a new place together. A place that could both think
of as home. A place
without the memories of Josh's recovery from the shooting, or her
recovery from her
prison ordeal hanging over it. She made a mental note to talk about
it with Josh this
weekend.
"Help yourself to something to drink." Donna said as she moved
towards the bedroom to
change out of her work clothes. "There's all kinds of stuff in the
fridge. I'm pretty sure
there's even a Fresca. I'll call Wong's while I'm changing."
"Ok great," Ainsley said heading to the kitchen.
Donna emerged a few minutes later looking much more relaxed and
casual in a pair of
jeans and a cropped t-shirt. She went to the kitchen and grabbed a
bottle of water before
joining Ainsley in the living room.
"So?" Donna asked. "Anything new on the Sam front?"
"The Sam front?" Ainsley laughed. "That sounds like some 70's radical
group."
"You know what I mean." Donna said. "Has he made his move yet?"
"Not yet. I don't really think he feels that way about me..."
Donna laughed so hard that water came perilously close to shooting
out her nose.
"What's so funny?" Ainsley asked.
"Nothing. You just sounded exactly like-well, me---when you said
that. I sang that song
for three long years. And it took something as horrible as what
happened to me to get
Josh and I to admit our feelings." Donna's face suddenly got more
serious. "Don't let that happen to
you. Make the first move yourself if you have to. Just don't let it
go as long as Josh and
I did. Sometimes I want to cry when I think about all the time we
wasted."
"I know." Ainsley sighed. "But you guys have figured it out now and
that's all that
matters."
"True." Donna smiled.
The doorbell startled them both out of their private thoughts.
"That was fast!" Ainsley said.
"The delivery people all know us." Donna chuckled as she grabbed her
purse.
When she opened the apartment door, she froze. There in the hallway,
holding two bags
of Chinese takeout, stood Mandy.
"I met the delivery boy on the way up and told him I'd be happy to
bring this up for you."
She said.
Donna moved quickly to close the door but Mandy shoved her way in. It
wasn't until
then that Donna saw the gun in Mandy's hand. Mandy dropped the food
in the entryway
and pointed the gun at Donna.
"Now that wasn't very nice, Donna." She said. "This is an awful lot
of food for one
person, and since I know that Josh is out of town, I wonder who is
here. Let's go in and
see shall we?"
Donna was frozen to the spot. She couldn't move until Mandy pressed
the gun against her
side and began to force her into the living room. Her senses were
overloaded with the
memories of the aftermath of Josh's shooting.
"Did they remember....." Ainsley stopped mid sentence when she saw the
two women
enter the living room. She couldn't actually see the gun but by the
look on Donna's face
she knew it was there.
"Well, well Miss Hayes," Mandy hissed. "It's so nice to see you
again."
CJ needed a break from the endless stack of paperwork on her desk
that never seemed to
get any smaller. She knew that Toby was still in his office and she
needed to get some
notes from him on the President's schedule for next week. She decided
to walk over to
his office instead of calling. Maybe, if she was lucky, he would let
her play with one of
his stress balls.
"Hey," CJ said as she entered through his open office door.
"Hey, yourself," he answered barely looking up from the folder he was
reading.
"Do you have a copy of next months schedule?" she asked. "I need to
get the info to the
press corps."
"I have it right here," he said reaching for a folder in his out
box. "I was going to have
one of the interns bring it over to you."
"That's ok, I needed the break." She said sinking into his couch and
closing
her eyes.
"Why can't you take a nap in your own office?" he growled playfully.
"Your couch is more comfortable," she countered.
The ringing of the phone roused CJ just as she was about to drift off.
"Toby Zeigler," she heard him say. "No, I don't think she's here
right now. Hold on."
He punched the hold button on the phone and turned to CJ.
"The switchboard says they have an urgent call for Donna. Do you know
where she is?"
he asked with a somewhat nervous tone. He hoped it wasn't bad news.
"She and Ainsley are headed back to Josh's place to get some dinner,
then they're going
out to the airport to meet the plane."
Toby punched the hold button again and said, "She's not in the
building. Have they tried
her cell phone?"
The growing look of concern on Toby's face caused CJ to sit up and
pay attention.
"Put him through to me." he said.
"It's the warden from the prison," he said to CJ as he quickly
switched the call to
speakerphone.
"Hello?" came a voice from the other end of the line.
"Hello, warden" Toby said. "This is Toby Zeigler. I have you on
speakerphone and CJ
Cregg is listening also. How can I help you?"
"It's very important that I reach Ms. Moss as soon as possible. We
are having a bit of a
problem here at the prison."
"A bit of a problem?" Toby asked.
"Well, the truth is....." the warden stammered.
"Get to the point, warden," Toby said in the tone that left little
doubt that he wanted a
straight answer NOW.
"Well, the truth is, it seems we came up one prisoner short at the
roll call this evening."
Both Toby and CJ knew what he was going to say next before the words
were even out of
his mouth.
"The missing prisoner is Madeline Hampton. Ms. Moss is on the list of
people to contact
in case an escape ever happens."
His words hung in the air for a split second before either Toby or CJ
could react.
"I've also been trying to reach Mr. Lyman," the warden continued. "I
can't seem to locate
him either."
"He's on Air Force One right now, on his way back from California.
They should be
landing in about 60 minutes." CJ said.
"Could you possibly get word to him and let him know what's going
on?" the warden
asked.
"Yes," Toby answered gruffly. "Have the police been notified?"
"We are following our usual procedure in these cases."
"Have the police been notified?" Toby screamed.
"Yes," the warden answered defensively.
"Fine," Toby continued. "We will try to reach Ms. Moss from here.
We'll notify you
as soon as we find her. Please keep us informed of any new
developments on your end."
Toby punched the button and disconnected the phone without waiting
for a reply.
"I'm going to head over to Josh and Donna's place and try to head
them off. You better
call Lt. Stoebner and ask him to meet me there. Then call Josh and
give him a heads up
before some reporter gets the story off of the scanners and gets to
him first." Toby
barked.
"Ok," CJ said reaching for the phone. "Be careful," she yelled at his
receding back.
CJ quickly called Lt. Stoebner and filled him in on what was
happening. She gave him
the address of Josh's apartment and he promised to meet Toby there
right away. She
quickly tried both Donna and Ainsley's cell phones praying one of
them would answer.
When neither one did, she took a deep breath and dialed Air Force One.
"You have a phone call, Mr. Lyman." The porter said as he placed the
phone on the table
next to Josh.
"Who is it?" Josh asked.
"Ms. Cregg," the porter answered as he backed away to give Josh some
privacy.
Josh picked up the phone and said, "Hey CJ, what's up?"
"Josh, we have a little problem here." CJ said trying to decide the
best way to break the
news to him.
"What kind of little problem?" Josh asked as the tingle of fear began
to dance up his
spine. "Is it Donna?"
The mention of Donna's name combined with the look of rising panic on
Josh's face
caught Sam's attention. He came over and sat directly in front of
Josh.
"Is something wrong?" he mouthed.
"The warden from the women's prison called." CJ said. "Look I'm not
going to beat
around the bush. Mandy has escaped."
"WHAT?" Josh screamed. "HOW?"
"I don't know the details," CJ continued trying to be as calm as
possible. "He called here
looking for Donna because she was the first person on the list of
people to be contacted in
case something like this happened. I tried to reach both Donna and
Ainsley and they
aren't answering their cells. As far as I know, they were going to
your apartment to order
some dinner and then they were heading out to meet you. Toby is out
trying to retrace
their steps right now."
"Oh my God. Oh my God." Josh muttered, seemingly unable to form a
coherent thought.
"Josh, are you ok?" CJ asked.
"I need to try to call Donna," he said methodically.
"Listen, Josh. At this point, we have no reason to think anything bad
has happened. I'll
keep trying to reach her too. I'll call you as soon as Toby finds
them."
"Fine," Josh said.
"Toby will find them, Josh."
"Ok," he said as he hung up.
"What's wrong?" Sam asked.
"Mandy has escaped." Josh said, the shock he felt evidenced by his
shaky voice. "The
warden of the prison called the White House looking for Donna. He
said that she needed
to be notified. She and Ainsley were supposedly headed for the
apartment to get some
dinner before they came to the airport."
Josh looked at Sam, letting the words he had just said sink in. He
knew he had to tell
Sam the rest.
"Neither one of them are answering their cell phones," Josh said in a
choked voice that
came out barely above a whisper.
Sam and Josh both sat stunned for a moment before instinctively
reaching for their
phones. Each dialed a number they knew by heart. And each looked at
the other, their
countenance dropping when the voice mail picked up. Each man looked
at his watch and
had the exact same thought. 45 minutes till landing.
"Why are you doing this, Mandy?" Donna asked as she and Ainsley stood
side by side,
backed up against the glass doors to the balcony. "Haven't you had
enough yet? Since
you obviously managed to escape, why didn't you just run? Why did you
come back
here?"
"You know the answer to that." Mandy said with a deranged smile. "I
told you this
wasn't over. I told you that I wouldn't rest until I know that you
have been destroyed."
"Fine," Donna said trying to remain calm. "Your problem is with me.
Why don't you and
I just go somewhere? Leave Ainsley here. You can tie her up so she
doesn't call for help.
And we can settle this once and for all."
"My, my aren't you noble Donna? Trying to bargain to save your
friend. Well sorry, it
isn't going to happen that way. I'm sorry Miss Hayes got caught up in
this. I guess we'll
just have to consider her as an unlucky victim of circumstance. Just
in the wrong place at
the wrong time."
Donna's mind whirled as she tried to formulate a plan. She looked at
her watch. Less than
an hour to go till the plane landed. If they weren't at the airport,
Sam and Josh would
come straight to the apartment. She couldn't let that happen. She had
to think of a plan.
The simultaneous ringing of two cell phones broke her reverie.
"Isn't that a coincidence? " Mandy snarled as she snatched the cell
phones off of the
living room table. "Sam and Josh deciding to call at exactly the same
moment. Something
tells me that my escape has been discovered. They must have heard the
good news. And
they're calling to see if you both are safe. Isn't that sweet? Too
bad that they are going to
have to find you both dead when they get here."
Ainsley stifled a sob and grabbed onto Donna's arm for support. She
wanted nothing
more than to be able to see Sam one last time. To admit her feelings
to him. She
wondered why she hadn't listened to that advice when Donna gave it to
her. She closed
her eyes and said a silent prayer for strength.
"You see," Mandy continued. "I want to see the look on Josh's face
when he realizes that
he's too late. I considered waiting till he got here and killing you
in front of him, but I
think that this will be much more tortuous for him. Let him think
about what you were
thinking in your last moments. Rob him of the chance to say any final
words."
"I talked to Josh a little while ago." Donna said, forcing herself to
look Mandy in the eye.
"Our final words to each other confirmed our love. You'll never be
able to erase that. No
matter how badly you want to."
Mandy's face contorted with rage. She lifted the gun to Donna's eye
level and pulled
back the hammer.
Toby reached the front door of the apartment at the same time as the
DC police.
"I know they're in there," he said to Lt. Stoebner as they entered
the front door of the
building. "Donna's car is out front. But they aren't answering the
apartment phone or
their cell phones."
The men approached the apartment in relative silence. Lt. Stoebner
motioned for Toby to
stand back. He approached the door and knocked. Once. Twice. No
response. Suddenly
the sound of gunshots pierced the air followed by the sound of
shattering glass. The
lieutenant reared back and kicked the door in. He had no time at all
to react. All that he
saw was the glint of the pistol as it turned in his direction. He
fired one shot, hitting
Mandy in the right shoulder and knocking her backwards. The gun flew
out of her hand
and landed with a thud on the ceramic tile. She looked at him,
glaring, before finally
falling to the ground. He moved towards her, keeping his gun trained
on her chest. She
was conscious but in obvious pain. With his gun still pointing
towards her, he pulled out
his cell phone and called for backup and an ambulance.
"Don't move a muscle," he growled "Or I swear I'll kill you."
After being momentarily paralyzed with fear, Toby moved into the
apartment. He saw
Donna and Ainsley on the floor by the shattered window and moved
quickly towards
them. He saw blood on Donna's shoulder and began to panic. By the
time he reached
them, they had both managed to stand up and were staring, wide eyed,
at the scene in
front of them.
"Are you two okay?" Toby asked as he reached their side
"I think so," Donna said.
"Just scared to death," Ainsley replied. She looked at Donna and saw
the blood stain
spreading on her blouse. "Oh God, Donna you're bleeding."
"It's just from the glass," Donna assured her trying to remain as
calm as possible.
"Are you sure?" Toby asked.
"Positive." Donna said grabbing a pillow off of the chair and using
it to apply pressure to
her wound.
A plethora of backup officers arrived almost immediately. After they
read Mandy her
rights and rearrested her, they took her away in the ambulance. Lt.
Stoebner crossed the
apartment to speak to Donna and Ainsley. He noticed the pillow that
Toby was now
helping Donna hold to her cut.
"Are you injured Ms. Moss?" he asked.
"Just a cut from the flying glass," Donna assured him. "Of course, it
would have been
much worse if you hadn't gotten here when you did. Thank you."
"Don't thank me," he said modestly "thank Mr. Zeigler and Ms Cregg.
They're the ones
who tipped me off to where you were."
"Thanks Toby," Donna said as she slung her good arm over his shoulder
pulling him to
her side. "You saved me again."
"Yes, thanks." Ainsley added.
Toby blushed and rushed to change the subject. "I think we better
make a call to Air
Force One before Sam and Josh have strokes." He said. "Then I think
we better get you
to the emergency room to have that shoulder looked at, Donna."
"Ok," Donna said. She considered arguing but the pain in her shoulder
was getting more
severe and she thought a trip to the ER might be a good idea.
Josh's cell phone was the first to ring.
"Lyman," he barked into the receiver.
"Josh?" Donna said softly.
"Oh God, Donna. Are you ok? Is everything ok?"
"Everything's just fine here, Josh. Are you ok?"
"I am now that I hear your voice."
Donna smiled. "Listen," she said. "I'll fill you in on all the
details later. Right now I have
something to tell you and I need you not to freak out. Can you do
that?"
"Gee, Donna. That kind of setup just invites a freak out don't you
think?"
"Please Josh."
"OK, I promise."
"OK. I'm going to the emergency room....." That was all the farther
Donna got before
Josh cut her off.
"Why? What's wrong? You said you were ok."
"Josh," Donna said, raising her voice to get his attention. "I am ok.
I'm talking to you
aren't I? I just have a little cut on my shoulder that I think might
need stitches. It's not a
big deal."
"Are you telling me the truth, Donna?"
"Yes I am."
"Ok then. I'll meet you at the ER as soon as the plane lands."
"Deal," Donna said. "Now I better get going. I'll see you in a little
while."
"Ok." Josh said reluctantly, not wanting to hang up. "I love you,
Donna."
"I love you too, Josh. I'll see you soon.
As Josh disconnected, he saw Sam sinking down into a chair as he
answered his phone.
His eyes were blinking back tears of relief.
"Are you sure you're ok?" he asked her for the third time.
"Yes, Sam I'm sure." Ainsley answered. "I'm going to the ER with
Donna to get her
shoulder stitched."
"But you're both ok right?"
"Yes, Sam." She said as her heart soared at the sound of such intense
concern in his
voice. "Will you meet us at the ER?"
"I'll be there," he said.
"Ok. See you soon." She said
As Ainsley hung up the phone and walked back towards the broken
window, Toby
looked at his watch.
"If I leave now," he said "I can get to the airport in time to pick
up Sam and Josh and
keep them from hijacking the presidential limo."
"That might be a good idea," Donna laughed.
"Are you ok getting to the hospital by yourselves?" he asked Donna
and Ainsley.
Without giving them a chance to answer, Lt. Stoebner assured Toby
that he would get
them there safely.
"I'll call CJ from the car and let her know what's going on." He
yelled over his shoulder
as he left the apartment.
"Thanks," Ainsley and Donna yelled in unison.
Thirty minutes later, Donna was sitting in the curtained area of the
ER, waiting for
someone to stitch her shoulder. A very distinguished looking female
Dr. walked in. She was
wearing a black evening dress under her lab coat.
Hello, I'm Dr. Wagner. I'm the chief of Emergency Medicine here at
GW." She said
Donna couldn't help but be taken aback. "Is my little cut that
serious?" she asked only
half joking.
"Well," Dr. Wagner smiled. "When I get a call directly from the
President of the United
States asking me to forsake my orchestra tickets for Tosca to come
over here and look at
your shoulder, what am I supposed to say?"
"Oh, I'm so sorry," Donna said hanging her head in embarrassment.
"It's ok," the Dr. smiled. "I'll just catch it next time. And in
return for this evening, I
expect to see it while sitting in the presidential box."
Donna laughed.
"Now Mr. Lyman is a different story," she continued as Donna
cringed. "He has called
me four times in the last 30 minutes to ask me if I had arrived and
looked at your
shoulder yet."
Donna smiled. "I'm sorry Dr.. It's just that we've had a rough couple
of months....."
"No need to explain. I read the paper. I wish all of my patients had
someone who cared
about them as much as he obviously cares about you."
There was a sudden racket and raised voices outside of the curtain.
"I want to see Donna Moss right now." A male voice demanded.
"Speak of the devil" said Dr Wagner as she peeked her head out of the
curtain and said
"This way, Mr. Lyman."
Sam spotted Ainsley across the waiting room. She had her back to him
and was fidgeting
nervously. He waited until he was less than five feet away before he
called her name. She
turned around and flung herself into his arms.
"Oh, Sam. Oh, Sam" she said over and over. "I was so scared."
"I know," he said rubbing her back gently. "but its ok now. You're
safe."
Ainsley pulled back and looked in Sam's eyes. She gathered her
courage and decided to
take Donna's advice. She had never been very good at this kind of
thing. The right words
always seemed to desert her.
"There was one thing I was terrified I was going to die without
getting a chance to do."
She said staring intently into his eyes.
"Me too," Sam said with a shy smile.
Suddenly each one realized that the other was thinking the same
thing. All of their
surroundings simply faded away as their lips moved towards each other
and met in a very
sweet but unmistakably passionate kiss.
Later that evening, Josh and Donna sat on the living room couch
staring at the plywood
that had been put in place to cover the shattered window until it
could be replaced. Her
head was on his shoulder. He had his arm wrapped securely around her
waist and was
using his free hand to hold an ice pack on her sore shoulder.
"The landlord is going to start charging us a deposit for all the
broken glass," Donna said.
Josh laughed but he also saw his opportunity to bring up a subject he
had been thinking a
lot about as of late.
"Donna," he started "How would you feel about us getting a new place?
Something we
pick out together, that can be OUR home?"
Donna looked up at him with tears shining in her eyes. "Really, Josh?
Because I was
thinking the same thing earlier today. But are you sure? I know how
much you love this
apartment."
Josh leaned in and kissed Donna gently on the lips. "No, I love you,"
he said. "This is just
an apartment. I want a new place. A place where we can start our life
together without all
of the ghosts of the unhappy past hanging around. So what do you
think?"
"I think I'm the luckiest girl in the world." Donna sighed.
"No, I'm the lucky one" Josh said as he leaned down and captured her
lips in another
kiss. A kiss that held the promise of a lifetime together.