Being There
Spoilers: "What Kind Of Day Has It Been?" "In The Shadow Of Two Gunmen, parts 1 and 2" "NOEL"
Summary: Sam hooks up Josh and Donna, and the staff thinks about what happened in Roslyn that one fateful night.
"Josh, are you okay?"
"I'm fine Sam."
"That is what you said before you had a breakdown. I, frankly, don't believe you." Smirked Sam
"Well, you should 'cuz everything is fine." Snapped Josh as he slammed the file he was reading on his desk.
"Are you sure?" asked Sam as he turned to leave Josh's office.
"No."
"What is wrong?"
"Shut the door", Josh paused at his desk as Sam shut the door, "I… I think I Screwed up with Donna. I think… no…. I am in love with her."
Sam just stood there for a second. The he bursted out clapping.
"Way to go, Josh! It took you long enough!"
Josh smiled a little, "How did you know?"
"Your face lights up when she walks in the room, you blush when she talks to you, and you always have some smarty-pants reply to give her. What is there to notice? It took you long enough. I am certain that Donna feels the same way. Don't mess this up, Josh.
You'll break her heart. Now I am going to go get Donna and then you're going to tell her how you feel. Okay?" explained Sam as he opened the door and went to Donna's desk that way across the hallway.
"WAIT! SAM!" yelled Josh from his office.
"Okay, here is Donna. Tell her how you feel. I gotta go back to work now. Just do me one favor and don't kill each other, alright?"
Sam closed Josh's office door as CJ walked by with Toby.
"What's up, Sam?" asked CJ curiously.
"Josh's in love with Donna. I'm giving them sometime to discuss their feelings."
"Hey, Bonnie. Can you make sure that no one bothers Josh's office for a while?" asked Toby as the three co-workers walked by Bonnie's desk.
"Sure, Toby" replied Bonnie
"Awww… Toby is being nice to Josh…. Wow….. This is a first. Why the sudden change?" teased CJ
"Josh hasn't been happy for awhile. That is the reason for the sudden change." defended Toby
"So, you matched Donna and Josh up? Great idea, Sam. Josh was taking his dear old sweet time with his feelings. At least now, He'll smile a little more. He hasn't smiled Since Christmas", CJ complimented, "I don't even think he after Rosslyn."
She knew that a part of Josh died that night at the shooting. She knew he would never be the same. Part of Josh died that night while he was bleeding and struggling to breath on the cold pavement in front of the Newseum. CJ smiled to herself, knowing that Donna felt the same way about Josh. Josh deserved to be happy, especially after all the hell that came with working for the president of the United States.
"I know that he hasn't smiled since the shooting." added Sam.
Back in December, Sam had been worried about Josh. Donna was the first to notice that something was very wrong with Josh. Then when Josh put his hand through a window, Sam knew something was terribly wrong. Donna talked to the Chief of Staff, Leo McGarry. Leo called one of his friends from the American Trauma Victims Association. Sam had seen the meeting between Josh and the ATVA guy through the window of Josh's office. He saw the fear in Josh's eyes the whole time. He knew, like the others, that a part of Josh has died that day and that Josh wouldn't be the same afterwards, but slowly Josh would get better.
"I think I saw him smile once. It was when Donna took him to the hospital for his hand. I noticed that he had a little thing for her." expressed Toby with sincerity.
Toby knows how close they had come to losing Josh. If they lost the Deputy Chief of Staff, he would lose it. Toby cared deeply for the deputy and everyone else. If anything had happened to him or any of the others, Toby would never forgive himself. Toby was glad that Josh was better, but he knew that there was still a long road ahead of them all.
BACK IN JOSH'S OFFICE
"Donna, ummmmm…" stuttered Josh
"Josh, what is it?"
"I love you."
"What?"
"I love you. I have loved you since the first day I saw you I love you." Josh spat out before his eyes filled with tears.
"Josh, don't cry. You wanna know something? I love you too." replied Donna with tears in her eyes.
"I love you, Donnatella, always and forever." said Josh as their lips moved closer together until they finally touched.
A FEW HOURS LATER
Josh whistled while he walked down the corridor to the Oval Office for the evening staff meeting. He was smiling from ear to ear. Josh walked into the Oval Office and greeted everyone with a, "Hola! Buenas noche!" The staff was amazed at how happy Josh was. They were all glad that he was so happy for once. The President notice that Josh had a big-bounce in his step.
"Well, Good evening to you too, Joshua. You're happy. That's great. Maybe now we can get some work done without having to worry about you putting you hand through another window", said President Bartlet with a little chuckle in his voice, "Not that it wasn't necessary to worry about you, but you understand, son?"
"Yes, Mr. President I do understand." replied Josh with a little smile and inside his was grateful that they had worried about him. He might not of made it this far without them.
After the staff meeting, Josh caught up with Sam in the hallway.
"Hey, Sam!"
"Hey, Josh! What's up? You're grinning!"
"Everyone and everything is up. I just wanted to thank you for everything with Donna. She's happy and I am happier then I've been since, well, since you know... Roslyn."
"No problem, Josh. Anytime." replied Sam
"Hey, you wanna go for drinks?"
"Sure, let me grab my coat."
And Sam grabbed his coat and the two best friends walked out of the West Wing that evening, joking and laughing as if nothing had happened months before. They didn't need to tell each other that they cared deeply for each other because they just knew it. They knew that the other would always have the other's back now matter what. That was what their friendship was about. It was about being there, no matter what. And that was what the two grown men did; they had each other's backs through think and thin. That is what a real friendship was about: being there.
