Thursday:
"Did you know that they just found a new species of spider under Windsor Castle?"
"You know Donna, I didn't, but then some of us spend our time looking at things more important than royal spiders.
"They're red and black and extremely venomous." I say carrying on despite his put down, it wasn't even original anymore.
"Donna?"
"Yeah?"
"What's this got to do with anything?" he said, his face screwed up in confusion, I couldn't help but grin at how easily it was to confuse him. I follow him as he charges into his office and gives his computer an evil look, he already hit it twice this morning.
"Nothing."
"Ok." he said slowly, unsure of what to do, "You know you're weird right?"
"It's working here, with you."
"Hey I'm not that bad, most people I work with don't start babbling about poisonous spiders under Windsor Castle… hang on, this isn't another plot to get me to take you to London, is it?" I swing my arms like a little girl,
"No, Windsor isn't in London"
"It isn't?"
"No, contrary to most peoples belief, not everything in Britain is in or near London there is a little bit in the north and further south as well."
"Hey, I've been to Britain."
"When? And why wasn't I there too?" I chided him
"Well, I kinda didn't know who you were…aaah, good times."
"Careful!"
"I went with Mandy."
"Oh, right." K, so I hate her, but that has absolutely nothing to do with Josh and her, just that she's… an evil person. Josh seemed to notice my change in tone and moved things along.
"You ever been?"
"Where?"
"London, I mean Britain?"
"No, but as the kind boss you are…" I say as he moves towards the door
"In your dreams, Donna!" he yelled as he walked out the door and off to another meeting.
****
"Donna?"
"Hey, Margaret. Everything ok?" I knew it was, but Margaret always looked as if she was terrified someone might just jump out on her, especially if she left her little area of the White House
"Yeah, Leo wants to know if Josh has the file on HMO's?"
"HMO's?" my spirits lift, maybe Josh is going to really do something
"Yeah, two senators are trying to kick up a fuss, I need the opposition file that Josh was finishing." Opposition? I guess not, I think bitterly to myself.
"No, sorry. I don't know anything about it, I'll get Josh to find it for you when he gets back from his meeting." I said slightly distantly.
"Ok, you still coming out on Saturday night?" Oh God, I'd completely forgotten, the girls night out! Now that was something I wasn't up to right now, plus I was terrified of being away from a phone for more than ten minutes in case my parents rang.
"Sorry, Margaret. I completely forgot, I have an old friend from home coming down for the weekend."
"Well she… or he can come with us," she said trying to give Donna a sly smile.
"No, I don't think it would be HER scene, she's always been really shy, it took me forever to get her to come up here in the first place." Margaret shrugged and wandered off. I hated lying but I just didn't want to tell her the truth, I knew she'd try and drag me out anyway. Then my mind came back to Josh, an opposition paper against HMO's? What the hell was he doing?
I waited till he had gone passed my desk saying a brisk hello before I charged into his office after him. He didn't quite get what was going on until I slammed the door behind me.
"You ok?" he asked tentatively, looking at me like I was an unexploded bomb, well he was right there.
"Margaret came to see me earlier."
"Oh?"
"Leo wants that opposition paper on HMO's!"
"Oh." he said, not able to look me in the face.
"Oh! Josh! How could you! Why are you digging this up now?"
"I'm not, someone else is!"
"Who?"
"Senators Seligman and Bruckheist."
"What are they saying?" he cringed and let out a puff of air before he spoke,
"That we should begin nationalisation of the Health Management Organisations."
"And you're disagreeing!!!!!" I was shocked
"Yes." he said so quietly I barely even heard him.
"Why!? Tell me one good reason why putting peoples health above profit margins is a bad thing!?" I was almost screaming but I couldn't believe what I was hearing.
"It's more complicated than that."
"How!? You said that before, but it doesn't mean a thing. I don't see how this is complicated at all."
"You should go join Seligman you'd make the perfect spokesman."
"Maybe I should!" I said storming out, I heard him rise out of his chair as if to follow me but I carried on to the women's' loos, he couldn't follow me in there! I was so angry how could he do this! This wasn't the Josh I knew, why wasn't he fighting in my corner. What was he trying so desperately to hide, "It's more complicated than that", what did that mean? I was absolutely furious, my mother had been misdiagnosed because of the HMO's and Josh was defending them! I sat in there for a long time and when I finally went back to my desk Josh's door was shut.
