Title: Dark Depths

Author: Lucy Mars

Disclaimer: *sigh* Oh, if wishing made it so. ;] However, I do get to do anything I want to Amy.

Chapter #7

"You should go."

"I'm not going anywhere."

"Josh."

"Donna, forget it."

"So what are you going to do?" Donna asked frowning at Josh and absently brushing away her stray strands, "You're going to sit here all day and bug me?"

"No, keep you company." Josh corrected smiling broadly.

"You've got that thing with…"

"Sam took it." Josh said cutting Donna off.

"What about your meeting with…"

"Margaret re-scheduled it."

Squinting her eyes at Josh, Donna pointed an accusing finger. "How could Margaret possibly re-schedule an appointment that didn't exist?"

"She's amazing that way." Leo said announcing his presence to the two.

"Hi Leo." Donna said smiling triumphantly at Josh.

"Hey Donna. You look good."

Rolling her eyes, Donna gestured at her bandage. "I look like a mummy."

"You look good." Leo repeated putting a coffee down for Josh. "You, not so good."

"Thanks Leo." Josh sighed running his hand through his hair, "You really know how to make a guy feel good."

Laughing, Leo handed Donna a Starbucks bag and some juice. "Margaret was very specific about what to get you. It's probably not what she told me to get you since I was listening to her."

"Thank Leo." Donna laughed picking at the warm pastry.

"She said she'd come by after work."

"Tell her she doesn't need too. I'll be home tomorrow anyway."

"I'll tell her," Leo shrugged, "but I doubt she'll listen to me. She hardly does."

"I know the feeling." Josh mumbled sipping his coffee.

"Leo," Donna sighed glaring at Josh, "take him away. He's bothering me."

Grunting, Leo shook his head. "Why, oh why, do you seem so surprised by that?"

Laughing, Donna handed Josh the rest of her muffin and took his coffee. "Tell Josh that he needs to go to work."

"Leo," Josh mock sighed through a mouthful of blueberry muffin, "tell Donna to get over it. I'm not going anywhere."

"Leo, tell Josh that there's still a country that needs to be run."

"Leo, can you possibly inform Donna that the country is not going to fall apart if I'm gone for one day?"

"Josh…" Donna growled.

"Donna." Josh mimicked.

"Do I even need to be here?" Leo asked grinning at the two. "Donna, let Josh fuss. He'll get it out of his system and be out of your hair before you know it."

"I doubt it." Donna mumbled frowning at Josh's triumphant grin.

Before Josh could get up and do a victory lap around the hospital room, a perky nurse popped her head into the sunny room. "Well, there's a party go on in here." she laughed rolling in her equipment. "If you boys will give our patient and I a minute, I can do my job."

"We'll be right back." Josh assured Donna giving her hand a small squeeze.

"Okay." Donna said mustering up a small smile for Josh. Needles. The nurse was towing in a basket full of needles. God, she hated needles.

Smiling, Leo followed Josh out of the room. "So, she looks good."

"I guess." Josh said shrugging his shoulders. "A little black and blue, but yeah, better."

"You okay?" Leo asked laying a concerned hand on Josh's arm. "I mean, you okay?"

"Yeah." Josh said nodding his head, "I'm okay."

"Good." Leo said sighing a breath of relief. "Good."

"So I guess this is my turn to take care of Donna." Josh said grinning when he heard Donna yelp at the sting of the needle. She hated needles. He knew she hated needles. She didn't need him to take care of her, his ass.

"Yeah."

"Do you need me to come in?" Josh asked looking up at Leo reluctantly. "I mean, it's my job and I know that…"

"Relax." Leo said waving Josh away. "It's a Friday and pretty light. Take care of Donna, and don't get kicked out of here in the process."

"I'll try." Josh laughed, "What am I going to miss today?"

"Nothing. Contrary to what you may think Josh, we're going to get along fine without you for one day." Leo grinned.

"Sure, you say that now, but I'll be the one laughing when you call me later."

"When we call later, it's going to be because we want to know where you keep the takeout menus."

"Ha, ha." Josh said shaking his head. "What are they doing today? Sam has my thing and Toby has…"

"Josh." Leo said cutting Josh off. "Relax. We've got it covered. You take care of Donna, and I'll take care of the country."

"Sounds good to me."

"Go in and see what that nurse is doing to Donna," Leo said gesturing at the closed door, "and I'm gonna go to staff."

"Okay." Josh said practically sprinting back into Donna's room and missing Leo's amused and sentimental smile. A rare sight if there ever was one.

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"Do you think that Donna is going to be okay?"

Looking up at Sam from his yellow note pad, Toby rubbed his eyes in agitation. "What?"

"I said …"

"I heard you Sam," Toby sighed in that strangled way of his, "I heard you. Why are you asking me that? The doctor said that Donna is going to be okay."

"I know," Sam said smiling over his coffee, "I just feel bad leaving Donna alone with an anxious and overprotective Josh."

"How is that different from any other day?" CJ asked flipping through her notes.

"Donna doesn't have the strength to smack him upside the head when he gets annoying." Sam pointed out.

"God," CJ said looking up, "you're right. We didn't leave her anything to hurt him with."

"She's in a hospital." Toby said trying to hide his amusement, "If Josh becomes too much trouble, Donna will somehow convince someone to sedate him."

"You're right." CJ grinned.

"She's a smart girl." Sam chuckled mirroring CJ's grin.

"She is." Toby agreed gruffly. "Now do we want to talk about something productive?"

"Like how you seem to be sweet and sour at the same time?" CJ teased.

"I'm not pork chops CJ."

"Oh Tobus, if only you were."

"Okay," Toby said shaking his head at CJ, "I'm not talking to you until you get some sleep."

"I'm perfectly fine." CJ frowned.

"Sure." Toby replied. "Has anyone approached you yet?"

"About last night? No."

"Okay." Toby frowned trying to figure out what to do, "Either no one has picked it up…"

"Not likely." Sam sighed.

"Or they're waiting to drop it on you during the briefing." Toby sighed. He didn't like that option.

"Maybe." CJ sighed. She didn't like that option either.

Before Toby could sigh again, Margaret popped her head into Leo's office. "Toby? Ginger says that Katie wants to talk to you."

"Katie from the Times?" Toby asked throwing CJ a look.

"Yeah."

"Okay." Toby said gathering his things. "Okay."

---------

"You should go home and try to get some sleep."

"You should sleep."

"You probably didn't sleep much last night."

"Not much different from any other night."

"You had a rough night. You need your rest."

"Look who's talking. If anyone needs rest, it's you."

"You can't be comfortable in that chair. Did you sleep in that chair all night? Josh, you're probably all sore and stiff."

"That bed can't be much more comfortable than this chair, but if you're suggesting what I think you're suggesting…" Josh grinned, "Than I regret to inform you that there isn't enough room on the bed for the two of us."

"There's enough room on your bed at home, isn't there?"

"Didn't we go through this already?" Josh asked taking his eye off C-Span and smiling at Donna, "I mean, didn't I win already?"

"You didn't win." Donna frowned.

"I'm here, aren't I?" Josh asked smirking.

"You're insufferable, you know that?" Donna asked with a small smile.

"I'm a lovable guy."

"You didn't win." Donna said taking the remote away from Josh and flipping off of C-Span before he started shouting at the television and waking the poor people on the floor who actually needed rest.

"Oh I did Donna. I won. You lost. Simple as that."

"You did not win Josh. You are merely being stubborn." Donna pointed out.

"Ah huh." Josh grunted, not sounding too convinced. "Sure. You believe what you want to believe."

"You didn't win." Donna repeated fighting against her heavy eye lids. A losing battle, Josh noticed.

"You're right." Josh sighed trying to pacify Donna.

"I usually am."

Laughing, Josh gently pulled the blanket up and tucked Donna in. "Why don't you try to get some sleep?"

"Are you staying?" Donna asked her voice hazy and slightly nervous.

Smiling to himself, Josh carefully brushed Donna's hair back. She didn't need him, his ass. "Yeah." Josh whispered watching sleep creep up to Donna, "I'm staying. You can't get rid of me that easily."

"So I've noticed." Donna mumbled before much need sleep claimed her.

Settling into his chair, Josh watched with avid attention as Donna breathing slowed down and a little bit of harmony eased into her tight features.

"Josh?"

"Yeah?" Josh asked jumping up in alarm.

Slowing opening her sleepy eyes, Donna smiled sheepishly. "I'm glad you're staying."

Letting out a relieved breath, Josh was pretty sure that he looked pretty stupid wearing such a silly grin. "I'm glad I'm staying too."

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"I didn't get the question."

"Yeah." Toby said not looking up from his papers.

"Yeah." CJ said settling herself on Toby's couch. "I wonder why."

"Will the wonders never cease?" Toby asked sarcastically, as he marked something in the margins of his papers.

"What did you say to Katie?" CJ asked casually playing with her pen.

"Katie and I came to an understanding."

"What kind of agreement?" CJ asked warily.

"We have an understanding."

"Stop being so god damn vague and tell me what the agreement was." CJ snapped.

Looking up, Toby shrugged his shoulders. "Katie is a good person."

"Yes she is."

"And a friends of Donna's."

"Yes."

"And it wasn't her kind of story."

"No?"

"No."

"Okay." CJ said getting up, "As long as you didn't trade your soul or something."

Grinning, Toby went back to his papers. "I don't know anyone who would want my soul."

"I could think of a few people." CJ said throwing Toby a smile before heading back to her own office.

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SO........did you guys like this chapter? I know that it seems that I've let Amy go the way of Mandy and Danny...but she will be back. WAIT! Don't run!! You'll like it, I promise!!!! ;] Reviews makes me write faster! Yeah, I'm about as subtle as Josh.