In the office of the Secretary of State, a small group of people had gathered to watch the press conference taking place in Rosslyn, Virginia. Senator Lyman had cancelled her committee meeting to be able to watch with her husband. Billy Seaborn, in his new role as her assistant, had been forced to make the calls and faced the wrath of several irate Republican Senators, but Donna was the committee chairman so there was really nothing they could do about it. The Democrats were no less unhappy, but they were also unwilling to cross what insiders called the Bartlet family dynasty.
Josh sat next to his wife on the couch playing with the ornate handle of the cane Abby Bartlet had given him three years ago when he was forced to start using one occasionally. As he got older the weakened muscles on the right side of his body rebelled at the long hours he spent sitting all day. Donna continued to force him to do his exercises, but the last few years even that wasn't enough to keep the pain at bay all the time. So now he occasionally used the cane. It was the same one Jed Bartlet had used the last six years of his life after suffering a minor stroke and had been a gift to him from Leo McGarry. People in DC had quickly realized that when Secretary Lyman came to work using his cane, it was best to run, not walk, in the other direction.
"There's Sara," Donna commented as they watched their youngest daughter approach Charlie before the press conference carrying a duffel bag.
"Danny must have sent her to cover it," Josh mumbled. He had returned to the Newseum on a handful of occasions over the years, and each time the memories remained as fresh as if the shooting had happened just yesterday. Just seeing it on the news was enough to trigger the eerie feeling of someone walking over his grave.
They watched as Charlie and Sara had an animated discussion back in the shadows of the building and saw Charlie pull the vest from the bag. The CNN commentators had identified Sara and were discussing why she would feel the need to get him to wear a vest.
"Well I'm glad someone thought to make him wear one," Deena said watching her brother reluctantly don the vest. "I don't see any Butterfields," she worried.
"It's just a press conference. I'm sure it will be fine," Donna tried to reassure the younger woman, but there was no denying that all three of them were uncomfortable with Charlie's choice of location. Of the group sitting in the room, only the three of them had first hand experience of the events at Rosslyn although Billy had heard about it all his life from the rest of the family. They watched as Rick called the gaggle to order and Charlie began to speak. When the first rocks were thrown a few minutes later, all four rushed out of the office without saying a word.
As Josh struggled to keep up with the others as they ran to the SUV in its reserved place in the parking garage, he shouted, "Donna, you have the cell?"
"What?" she asked over her shoulder slowing a little for Josh to keep pace with his slower gait. "Yes. Come on, Josh! We have to get there!"
"Get where?" screamed Deena. "The Newseum will be a zoo."
"Sara," Josh gasped as he slid behind the wheel. "Sara will have her cell. Call Sara!"
Donna hastily hit the speed dial number. "Sara!" she yelled as her youngest child answered the phone. "Are you...ok....GW," she told Josh who quickly backed the SUV out of its parking space. "Ok, Sara. We're on our way. She got Charlie and Rick out of there. They're both hurt. Charlie's unconscious. She's driving them to GW."
"Why did you hang up?" Deena demanded angrily from her position in the back seat.
"Sara had to call 911," Donna explained reassuringly. "It's going to be alright, Deena. He got hit in the head with something...it's probably just a concussion."
"Call Zoey," Josh ordered as he navigated the crowded DC streets at breakneck speed.
"Zoey!" Deena exclaimed pulling out her own cell phone. "Oh my god! She's in town! She and Abby came with Charlie. They were going to visit Jodi and the baby."
"Was Sara hurt?" Billy asked.
"She didn't say. Oh God, I can't believe this is happening again," Donna moaned.
Josh took one hand off the wheel to squeeze her hand. "It's going to be alright, Donna. There were no guns this time. No one was shot," he reminded her. "It's going to be fine." But even he couldn't tell if he was reassuring his wife or himself. The rest of the drive to the hospital was spent in silence except for the occasional gasp as Josh took turns without slowing down nearly rolling the big SUV several times. When they reached the parking lot Josh threw the vehicle into park abandoning it to whatever fate hospital security had in store as he followed Donna and the others into the emergency room.
"Screw hospital policy! You find me someone who can tell me how my brother is right now," Deena was screaming at the clerk at the admitting desk.
"Where's Sara?" Josh asked as he reached them. "Sara Lyman...she brought Charlie Young here from the riot at Rosslyn."
"As I was telling Ms. Barnes, I don't have any information on those patients. The doctors are still with them."
"Do you know who I am?" Josh demanded.
"No, sir" she said. "It doesn't matter to me what your name is...."
"Good," Josh told her. "Cause I wasn't gonna give you my name. I was gonna give you my job title. I'm the Secretary of State, and my daughter and one of my best friends, Charlie Young, are somewhere in this emergency room. Now you find out what's going on, or I'm going to come down on you like the wrath of God."
"Dad..." he heard Sara call from behind him. Josh turned towards the sound of his daughter's voice intent on making sure she was alright only to see Billy Seaborn beat him to it.
"Damnit, Sara!" Billy admonished as he wrapped his arms around her. "If you don't stop scaring me like this..."
"You'll do what, Seaborn?" she taunted. One look into Billy's eyes and Sara knew that was the wrong thing to say just then. Sara's eyes widen in shock as Billy's arms tightened holding her in place as his mouth descended towards hers.
"I told you," Donna murmured from her place next to Josh.
