Donna spent the next afternoon registering for classes at Georgetown. The President, with some urging from Josh she was sure, had even sent Charlie to register with her not wanting her to be out by herself so soon after being released by the doctor. Donna felt well enough that weekend for the drive to Connecticut. She and Josh along with his mother looked at the half dozen houses that they had decided were possibilities.
"This is the one isn't it?" Josh asked her as they stood on the back deck of a modest sized house only a few miles from the house he grew up in. He imagined himself watching for his teenage daughters returning from dates out the picture window in the living room. He saw the gatherings of friends and family in the dining room for many years to come. It was by far not the largest house they had looked at, but the sweet little four bedroom home called to both of them as the place they would raise their family.
"Yeah," Donna agreed looking out at the large back yard complete with swing set. Josh wasn't the only one imagining their life here in this house. Donna pictured herself watching her children playing on that swing set from the kitchen window as she sat gossiping with her mother-in-law or friends. "Can we afford this, Josh?" Donna worried. "Two houses for over more than two years. It will cut into our savings pretty deep," she warned.
Glancing over his shoulder to make sure the real estate agent had really given them some privacy, he replied, "If we're going to run, it's what we need to do. Despite your constant nagging for a raise, we do get paid well at the White House."
"I'm not working though," she argued. "And the medical bills...."
"Are covered by our insurance," he reminded her. They talked for several more minutes before finally deciding. "Make an offer," Josh told the real estate agent who had accompanied them.
Donna settled into her classes with little difficulty, but she did miss her work at the White House. The President had banned her from the premises though except for social functions so she resigned herself to being out of the loop. Ironically, the only class she had any problems with was a course on the federal government. The professor was not a fan of President Bartlet, and Donna found it hard to balance her desire for a good grade with her need to defend her 'adopted father'. The situation came to a head in her fifth week in class when her professor went off on yet another diatribe against the President and his administration, but this time was different.
"...his secretary. How can this man have the moral right to lead our country?" Dr. Danielson asked his class as he tried to ignore the young blonde woman bearing down on him from the auditorium style seats in the large classroom. "Miss, please return to your seat," he ordered as he pointed towards the back rows where Donna had been sitting.
"It's misses, Dr. Danielson. Mrs. Donnatella Lyman, and unless I heard you incorrectly just now, you just called me a whore!" she snapped. "Something which you will damn well apologize for. Now!" The other students in the classroom sat in stunned silence watching the drama unfolding before them.
"Young lady, how can you possibly take my comments concerning the President's secretary..." Danielson argued in a patronizingly mocking tone.
"I am the President's secretary, you jackass!" Donna informed him. "I am currently on medical leave because of my pregnancy. You teach a class on the federal government, and you don't recognize me?!" she demanded. "I testified for almost three weeks before Congress on the MS thing. Not to mention my husband proposing to me at a live concert at the Kennedy center. We were in the DC Society pages for days. Then of course was Josh's PTSD."
"I..." Danielson stuttered but Donna continued before he could even attempt to defend himself.
"Have you ever met the President? Or the First Lady?" she demanded. "How can you possibly claim to know about their marriage when you've never even met them? Have you ever met my husband? I certainly haven't told you about our relationship! Yet you seem to think you know what goes on in my bedroom better than I do," Donna snarled as black spots danced across her vision. She knew that getting upset like this wasn't good for the baby or her own health, but just couldn't stop herself. "For your information, the President and First Lady have a wonderful marriage, and the idea that he'd even look at another woman is just so incredibly unbelievable. The two of them still act like they're on their honeymoon. As for my husband and I," Donna continued as she brought her hand up to caress her swelling stomach. "I think it's pretty obvious we're enjoying each other," she informed him with a smirk causing the rest of the students to laugh. That laughter turned to gasps of dismay though as they watched Donna slouch towards the floor. Two young men in the front row managed to break her fall while a young woman sitting next to them shouted that she'd call 911. When the ambulance arrived Donna had regained consciousness and was already on the phone to her husband. She made no protest when the EMT's suggested that she allow them to take her to the Emergency Room.