The ax fell six weeks after the First Lady's impromptu house call to the West Wing, in CJ's noon briefing when Katie asked if Donna was pregnant.
"Yes, Katie" CJ replied having had six weeks and the help of Sam and Toby to craft her answer. "The White House is happy to announce that Deputy Chief of Staff, Josh Lyman, and his wife Donnatella, the President's secretary, are expecting their first child in early January."
"A follow-up. Six weeks ago the First Lady was called down to the West Wing on a medical emergency. Was that...
"Yes," CJ interrupted. "Donna is having a difficult pregnancy, and that day the First Lady was called because she was experiencing some spotting. And before you ask, I have no further comment on Donna's or the baby's health. This administration fought a long hard battle for the President's right to privacy concerning his health. His staff deserve no less consideration."
"CJ!" reporters around the room called trying to draw her attention to them.
"Before I answer any more questions, I need to take care of some housecleaning matters regarding the policy concerning Press access to the President's daughters and granddaughter," CJ told them. This was the part of her answer that had taken CJ, Sam, Toby, Leo, and the President hours to hash out. "I'm sure you'll all join me in congratulating the President and First Lady on the adoption of their new daughter. Her name is Donnatella, and she's going to make the President a grandfather again in January," CJ said. "Donnatella, like their other daughters, is off limits to members of the Press. Any attempt to circumvent this policy will result in the reporter in question losing their credentials. And most likely their entire organization being banned from the White House. Do I have your understanding?" she asked. The small smile on her face told the members of the White House Press Corp that this was CJ at her most dangerous. A ragged little chorus of affirmative answers was her response. "Good. Now let's talk about death and taxes. The proposed changes to the inheritance tax..." she said continuing the briefing not giving them a chance to ask any further questions about Donna's pregnancy.
"Danny!" Katie called to him as he headed back to his cubicle following the briefing.
"What's up?" he asked.
"What the hell were you thinking sitting on this story? Do you want to lose your job?" she demanded in a low whisper.
"I'd rather lose my job than see Josh and Donna lose their baby," he snarled at her in return. "You knew I was sitting on the story. You had to. Didn't it occur to you to ask me why, Katie?"
"What..." Katie asked though her face had lost its color.
"Donna's come close to losing the baby several times, Katie. Her doctor is this close to putting her on total bed rest," Danny told her gesturing with his thumb and forefinger. "She can't have any stress right now. So putting every reporter in DC in stalking mode really didn't help her, now did it?"
"I..." Katie stuttered unready to defend her actions.
"Katie, sometimes you have to know the difference between being a good reporter and being a good human being. Today you chose to be a good reporter, but you forgot to be a good human being," Danny told his younger colleague quietly then turned and walked away.
Despite CJ's decree at the noon briefing when Josh and Donna returned to their brownstone home late that night they arrived to find a crowd of reporters waiting out front. When one of the reporters recognized Josh's car he rushed forward asking questions through the tinted windows. The other reporters were no more than a second behind him. Honking the horn in warning, Josh stepped on the gas driving away from their home.
"Josh, we can't just drive around," Donna told him. "We have to go home sometime."
"Not right now, we don't" Josh told her as he pulled his cell phone from his coat. Hitting one of the speed dial numbers he waited a few seconds for an answer. "Sam, you're having overnight guests. Bunch of blood-sucking reporters are outside our house. We're about five minutes away."
"I'll get the guest room ready," Sam assured him. "Call CJ and have her go scare them away."
After hanging up with Sam, Josh did just that. By the time CJ arrived at the Lyman home, the more experienced reporters had cleared out, but some of those with less developed survival instincts were still outside when the wrath of CJ Cregg descended on them. CJ's first briefing the next morning proved to be more entertaining than informative as the New York Times, CNN, and FoxNews had their White House credentials pulled live on C-SPAN for disobeying the policy announced less than 24 hours earlier.
The damage had been done however. On the drive over to Sam's house, Donna had lost consciousness and pitched forward in her seat causing Josh to immediately head for GW hospital. She was admitted for observation and treatment of dangerously high blood pressure. Word had filtered out to the Press Corp that Donna had been admitted to the hospital, and the remaining reporters had gone into duck and cover mode. The entire White House staff, from the President and Senior Staff down to the gardeners and stewards, were out for reporter blood.
"I didn't realize," Katie mumbled as she slumped against the wall of Danny's cubicle where he was busily working on his column for the next day.
"No, you didn't think," Danny corrected her.
"Did she..."
"The baby's as much of a fighter as its parents. It's still hanging on," Danny told her. "Donna's the one they're worried about."
Katie visibly swallowed. "How do I make this right, Danny?" she asked.
"I don't know, Katie" he admitted. "I don't know if you can make this right."
Three days later during the morning staff meeting, the President asked, "Josh, how's Donna doing?"
"I get to pick her up from the hospital this afternoon," Josh informed him with a tired smile. The last three days had been very tiring for Josh. After the first day of Donna's stay in the hospital she (and the hospital staff) had thrown him out of her room and told him to go back to work. So he had kept up with his schedule for the White House while trying to get over to the hospital to check on Donna every chance he got. Sleeping at night in the chair beside her bed that first night hadn't done the weakened muscles in his back any good either. "But Dr. McFadden wants her on bed rest for at least another couple weeks."
"So when do you think she'll be coming back to work?" Leo asked hopefully. Margaret and Mary, Josh's assistant, were covering for Donna together while Josh and Leo sometimes made do with rabbits from the temp pool.
"It may not be until after the baby's born, Leo" Josh admitted. "Donna's body just can't handle the stress."
"Don't worry, Josh" Bartlet reassured him. "Donna's job is safe."
"Is she just going to sit at home for the rest of her pregnancy?" CJ asked. "I mean...Donna will go crazy with nothing to do."
"I've been thinking about that," Josh admitted. "I'm going to try to get her to finish her degree. Take classes."
"How are you handling all this, Josh?" Jed Bartlet asked.
"Me? I'm fine," Josh said dismissingly.
"Josh, did I ever tell you that Abby had problems when she was carrying Zoey?" the President asked not ready to let the subject drop just yet. The expression in his eyes conveying more than words that he understood what Josh was feeling. "I spent so much time in church praying that Abby thought I was reconsidering the priesthood," he told them his joking tone belying the seriousness of what he'd said. "It might help to talk about it, son" Bartlet suggested.
Josh didn't speak for a moment as he tried to hold back the tears the President's words had evoked. It wasn't only the offer of comfort, but that Josh knew the President meant it when he called Josh his son. Over the last few months as Donna's pregnancy had suffered one complication after another, Josh had longed to be able to sit down with his father and tell him about all he was feeling. All the hopes and dreams and fears tied to the tiny being struggling to grow inside Donna's womb.
"She won't talk about the baby," Josh finally whispered. "It scares me that she won't talk about it. I mean...this is Donna and I. We talk about everything, but she won't talk about this."
"Josh, you told me yourself that with all the problems they've had in Donna's family that they just don't talk about it," Leo reminded him.
"I know," Josh agreed. "In my head, I know that. My heart's having trouble with it though."