Posted: March 24, 2001
The week went as Leo predicted with
a lot of screaming between consumer and health groups and medical experts.
Rep. Tredwell did come down with a near-fatal case of laryngitus--but only
after some additional prompting. At 1 p.m. on Wednesday, he appeared at
a press conference of a fellow legislator. CJ Cregg heard rumors of his
intended maneuver and sent one of the spinboys (the White House ringer
in this circumstance) to the Hill immediately. While the other legislators
huddled in the front of the room, waiting for the press to get their microphones
set up, Tredwell looked up to see Josh standing in the back of the room.
Josh merely shook his head twice and Tredwell nearly choked. The congressman
excused himself from the room and was said to have gone home for the day.
CJ was grateful; the maneuver made
her day five minutes shorter.
"Hey, Sparky," she called to Josh as
he returned to the office four meeting later.
"You know, no one likes it when you
do that," he said.
"What? Change their names?" CJ asked.
"What would you prefer?"
"I like what the House Majority Leader
calls me," he said as they traversed the halls.
"The Prince of Darkness?" CJ remarked.
"Actually, it's Joshua Lyman, Prince
of Darkness, master of all he surveys," Josh responded as they reached
his bullpen.
"Master?" CJ repeated. "Yeah, I think
you did some editing."
"Actually, Sam did," Josh replied.
"Okay, you two need to spend some time
apart," she said. "But not tonight. I'm taking you and Sam out. You both
made the two o'clock briefing mercifully short which allowed me to get
in to see my hairdresser."
"You had your hair done?"
"Yeah," she said, tousling her copper
locks. "You like it?"
"It looks the same as it did this morning,"
Josh said.
"This is one of the reason women dump
you," CJ said as she strode out of the area. She called over her shoulder
as she disappeared. "Tell Sam we're leaving around 8."
Josh nodded then turned to see Donna
at her desk. She looked up at him expectantly. His first inclination was
to tell her to tag along, but he was worried she would take it as an order
and feel obligated to accompany them. It sounded idiotic, but Leo was firm
in his orders to let Donna have time to herself and away from the office.
Even a casual evening with CJ and Sam would inevitably dissolve into discussions
of work--they might even end up back at the office to work.
"Could you get me the transcript of
the last senate hearing on the Patience's Bill of Rights?" he asked.
"Okay," she said, still sporting an
expression of anticipation. "Is that all?"
"Uh, yeah," he said with a definite
nod as he approached his door. "Any messages?"
"No."
"Okay."
He went to his desk and turned his
computer on with a vicious stab of his finger. He felt like a heel. He
couldn't change his mind now and invite her after that. She would think
she wasn't wanted there.
"Damn it," he muttered under his breath
as he tapped into his e-mail. His mood was only slightly elevated to note
among his messages, one he felt was long overdue.
To: Joshua.Lyman@whitehouse.gov
From: nalyman@soconn.net
Date: 01JUN2001
Time: 10:02
Subject: Welcome back
Dear Joshua,
While your father never seemed bothered
by the unrestrained, spontaneous verbalizations of your opinions, I, for
one, I am glad to hear that you at least attempted to be polite. Although,
I suspect that had I witnessed your week, my assessment would be closer
to that of Donna's than your own.
Spring is finally in bloom with
just three weeks to go until summer official begins. I spent last week
tending to my roses and am wondering yet again why I ever let your father
talk me into planting so many.
Don't worry about trying to call;
I know how busy you are between giving Leo heart palpitations and ruining
Donna's social life. Perhaps I will turn on CNN and catch a glimpse of
you. I may one day forget what your voice sounds like but at least I'll
recognize you in crowds.
You will notice that I delayed
responding to your letter. I did this so that I could compile the complete
10,001 nagging points you do not wish to hear. Honestly, Joshua, you manage
to convey a surly tone even when you type. And, this will come as no surprise
to you: I will not heed your admonishment. It is my duty, as well as my
pleasure, as your mother to inform you that you may be adept at political
maneuvering, but you are woefully inadequate when it comes to taking care
of yourself. Now, if you had a wife who could look after you...
I will go no further with that
subject as I know my opinion falls on deaf ears. Sleep. Eat. Take care.
Love always,
Mom
This again, he thought as he
rolled his eyes. He didn't have time to start this debate yet again, but
he also knew it would be impossible to let it slide.
"Here's the transcript," Donna said
dropping a folder on his desk.
"Yeah, just a second," he said as he
began typing. "I gotta take care of this."
To: nalyman@soconn.net
From: Joshua.Lyman@whitehouse.gov
Date: 01JUN2001
Time: 15:35
Subject: Re: Welcome back
To again quote Dad: You are entitled
to your opinions--and I am entitled to my facts.
When I meet a woman who can deal
with me and my schedule without any qualms, then you will have the daughter-in-law
you so shameless beg for. Until then, I'll be doing irrelevant things like
running the country.
-Josh
"Before we start, did Appropriations
send over the Redling report?" he asked.
"Not yet," she said. "Do you need it
now?
"I will after I find what I need in
the transcript," he said, looking at his computer again. "Wait. Let me
check something. I got a message from them here.... Yeah, it's on it's
way--in fact, it's been on it's way for about two hours. They gotta get
better interns over there."
Donna stood with her pen at the ready,
anticipating the order to go over to the committee and hound whoever was
there into coughing up the report. But again, Josh surprised her.
"It'll get here eventually," he said.
"How long have you had the fever?"
Donna asked, looking at him with a pointed gaze.
"I feel fine," he said defensively.
"Yeah, and I just heard you say something
that sounded a lot like you were willing to wait," she replied. "So, you
see where I'm coming from with...."
"Donna.."
Before either could finish a sentence,
the computer chirped--a new glitch many machines in the office were expressing.
Tech experts were unclear why the annoying audio effects were being produced,
but staffers were uninterested in the hows and whys of possible explanations.
They wanted the incessant sounds banished before it drove them full-goose
bozo.
"Hang on," Josh said turned back to
the screen with a smirk. "Let me read this."
To: Joshua.Lyman@whitehouse.gov
From: nalyman@soconn.net
Date: 01JUN2001
Time: 15:40
Subject: Re:Re:Welcome back
Some might say you reversed some
of those letters, dear. Ruining the country as opposed to running it. I
wouldn't be one of them, but some might say that. Say hello to Donna for
me--and be nice to her, Joshua. As you've said, she's the only person who
can put up with you.
"Oh, I gotta fix this," Josh shook
his head as he read his message.
"What?" Donna asked. "Is there a problem
with the Appropriations report?"
"What? No," he said. "It's my mother.
She's getting witty in her old age."
"She strikes me as someone who was
always witty, Josh," Donna said.
"Well, then she's going senile," Josh
said. "She's listening to people who say we are ruining the country."
"We might be," Donna remarked.
Josh shot her a seething glare. She
held her ground and merely shrugged.
"I'm just saying it's technically possible,"
she said.
"You don't value your job, do you?"
"I'll be leaving now," Donna said closing
her note book.
"That's a good idea," he replied. He
paused and looked at his watch then sighed as he reluctantly made an offer.
"Actually, it's almost four."
"Yeah."
"You came in early today?"
"Define early?" Donna remarked. "The
sun was already up so..."
"Why don't you take off?" he said.
"For how long?"
"For the night," Josh said. "We're
done. I'm gonna spend the rest of the day going over this stuff from Appropriations,
and I really can't do much more until they send over the other report,
so there's no need for you to stay."
Donna looked at him quizzically. Normally
when he offered her the chance to leave early (and that was usually closer
to 8 or 9 p.m.) it was a set up for something else he wanted her to do.
Only now there wasn't that aura of the schemer about him. He was, in fact,
dismissing her. No strings attached, no argument necessary.
"Are you really feeling all right?"
Donna asked.
"Huh?" Josh asked, looking up from
his file. "I'm fine. We're done here, right?"
"I guess."
"See you tomorrow," he said and started
reading the transcript.
Donna walked to her desk but kept peering
over her shoulder. She expected him to lean out the door of his office
with a patented grin that cried "oh, one more thing..." But the door remained
vacant. She checked the schedule for the rest of the day; it was indeed
empty. She checked her e-mail to see that nothing important had come in
during the previous 20 minutes; none had. She looked at the lineup for
the following day; everything was in order. Donna turned off her computer,
grabbed her bag and walked carefully, almost stealthily down the hall.
When she reached the security desk,
she paused and stared down the hallway briefly.
"Did you lose something, Donna?" Sam
asked as he passed through security as he returned from a meeting on the
Hill.
"No," she said. "Sam, what's going
on?"
"A lot," Sam replied.
"With Josh?"
"Oh, there, not much," Sam nodded.
"Until he hears this, that is. Agriculture and the FDA are going at it
hammer and tongs over the bio-research snafus in the heartland."
"Oh, is it urgent?"
"Not yet," Sam said. "Just important.
Where are you going?"
Donna paused. She didn't know. She
could go home; going home in daylight might be a novel experience, but
what would she do then?
"Josh sent me home," she said.
"He did?" Sam asked in disbelief.
But his shock was only one emotion
Donna sensed in Sam's tone. There was something else. Relief? Victory?
She shook her head. Maybe she was more tired than she realize; she was
starting to read conspiracies into the actions and reactions of her coworkers.
She knew she should be glad for this gracious time off. Actually, it wasn't
even time off. If she tallied up all the hours she had worked over and
above her paid time, the government probably owed her an entire year salary.
Thinking of her evening away from the White House as compensatory time
was easier to swallow, though it still didn't seem quite right.
"Have a good night, Donna," Sam said
brightly.
"Yeah, you too," she replied and drifted
out the door into the late afternoon sunshine.
****************
To: nalyman@soconn.net
From: Donnatella.Moss@whitehouse.gov
Date: 8JUNE2001
Time: 13:12
Subject: Your son
Dear Mrs. Lyman,
First of all, I want to say Hi.
I asked Josh to tell you that when he e-mailed you last week, but I doubt
he did it. He said I should just do it myself, so here I am.
Also, I wanted to tell you what
a great job Josh has been doing lately. He was able to quiet Milk…- Congressman
Tredwell and his constituents. You should have seen him in action; he was
brilliant! And he did it all on his own.
Which is actually why I'm writing...
"Hey, Donna," Carol said waving at
her as she entered the Mess. "I'm surprised to see you here. Is Josh out
of the building?"
"No," Donna replied closing her laptop.
"He's in his office mulling over the latest polling numbers. It was his
idea to send me to lunch."
"Really?"
"Yes. Which is very troublesome. He's
not been himself for the past week, Carol."
"How so?" Carol asked, sitting down.
"I really can't say, because I haven't
been able to pinpoint exactly what's bugging him. Something's... off. I
don't know what that something is; I mean, it hasn't manifested itself
yet. I don't think anything is.... well, wrong, but I don't know. He's
not mad at me, at least I don't think he is, but it just feels like...
I don't know."
"Ah," Carol said, waving the notion
off, "it's probably just the upcoming Summer Campaign Kick-Off Celebration.
They're all trying to psyche themselves up for it. Everyone's getting a
little crazy. Don't let it bug you."
"Okay," Donna said as she reopened
her laptop. "I've gotta finish this thing."
"Sure," Carol replied, standing up.
"I've got to get back to CJ anyway. Donna?"
"Yes?" Donna answered.
"It's nothing."
"Okay."
She took a bite of her salad and returned
to the e-mail.
…to see if Josh has mentioned anything. Usually, Josh
can't finish a report without my help. Don't get me wrong, I did help him.
I just wasn't there for the usual twenty hours workdays like I usually
am. He's begun been sending me out of the office for lunch. He's giving
me free time. I even got an entire weekend off.
So, it has me wondering. I don't
mean to worry you or anything, it's just that Josh is not acting like...
well, Josh. Not entirely, anyway.
There's a kink in our system and
I haven't quite figured out what it is. Forgive me if I sound like a giddy
high-school teenager asking you if Josh has said anything about me. I think
because we spend so much time together, I can pick up on even the most
minute thing that's upsetting him. But this time, I'm clueless. I wish
I could read Josh like you can. But, I know it's something that only a
mother and her son have.
Donna's pager went off. She read the
displayed and smiled.
I must close for now. It looks like
your son can't find a folder that's probably right in front of his nose.
Please don't let him know that I contacted you. He'll be furious that I
talked with his mother about him.
You should come down for the Kick-Off
Celebration. I know Josh would love to see you. I would, too. If you're
unable, then we will definitely see you in February when he head to New
England for the New Hampshire primary.
Warmest regards,
Donnatella Moss
"You paged?" Donna asked as she entered
Josh's office.
"Yeah," Josh said. "Where's the file
on the biotech corn research?"
"You mean the one about 430 million
bushels of genetically engineered corn?" Donna asked. "It's in the yellow
folder one the upper left corner of your desk marked 'Biotech Corn.'"
"Thanks," Josh replied. "You can go
back to your lunch now; sorry I bothered you."
Josh picked up the folder and sat down
at his desk. He flipped it open and began scanning the notes that Donna
had pulled for him. StarLink corn, or Cry9C, was inadvertently delivered
to buyers. Over 300 corn products had to be recalled after testing positive
for the substance, which the FDA had not approved for human consumption.
It was Josh's duty to find out all he could about this problem and report
to Leo on how to handle it.
"Ahem," Donna cleared her throat. "Are
you sure you don't need me?"
"Yeah," Josh replied without looking
up from the folder. "We're done. See you around two."
"Okay," Donna said tersely, "what
is wrong with you?"
"What do you mean, 'what's wrong with
me?' Nothing's wrong with me?"
"Well then, why don't you want to spend
any more time with me?"
That response stopped Josh's reading.
He closed the folder and placed it up against his chest. He still didn't
look at Donna.
"Because we've decided to not work
the assistants so hard right now."
"Who's we?"
"You know who, Donna," Josh said flatly.
"Look, at the end of this month, when we're gearing up for the thing on
the fourth, you'll be working so much, you'll have a cot by your desk."
"Well, okay," Donna said, still not
believing everything he said. "Even so, I'll be at my desk if you need
anything."
"Sure," Josh replied reopening the
folder.
Donna shut the door and Josh looked
up from the folder. He ran his fingers through his already tussled hair
and sighed.
"Well, I'm getting better at lying,"
he whispered as he sported a scowl.
He sighed forcefully then kicked his
feet onto his desk. He slapped open the folder and, with a demonic glare,
starting reading
Meanwhile, Donna sat at her desk, looking
at her half-eaten salad. She started to take a bite, but put the fork down.
She placed her chin in her hand.
This was not nothing. Despite what
Carol said. This was definitely something. Josh followed laws but did not
take orders well. If he had been told not to work his assistant so rigorously,
she would have been called into his office for a rapid-fire Q&A to
determine if she was being worked too hard. And then afterward, regardless
of the conclusion, he would still be expecting her to put in at least a
12 hour day.
No, the reason for all of Josh's subtleness
was something else.
She feared she had somehow gone to
far with what she once thought of as 'Josh and Donna personal time.' What
precisely she had done, she could not imagine, but the effect was obvious.
What she was faced with now was 'Josh Lyman and Donna Moss – strictly professional.'
She knew it was probably for the best.
It was a bitter relief in fact. She could devote herself fully to the task
at hand. She had her answer from Josh without ever having to ask the question.
He didn't share her feelings. So, that meant she needed to put hers aside.
She wasn't sure how to do that, but she would try. If nothing else, the
recent chilling in their friendship would help her to mask her feelings
better. Any more brush offs like the one she just received and she would
have no trouble hiding how she felt toward him.
And yet, there was that pang deep in
her chest. It was cold and hard and she knew it was regret. Part of her
harbored a hope that the new aspect their relationship was taking on was
only the result of the upcoming campaign; that maybe when it was over things
would return to what they were before, or perhaps something more.
She shook her head, knowing she was
setting herself up for more angst. She then looked at her computer and
saw that among her new messages was a reply she did not expect so quickly.
*****************
To: Donnatella.Moss@whitehouse.gov
From: nalyman@soconn.net
Date: 08JUN2001
Time: 13:27
Subject: The tyrant
Dear Donna,
It is a pleasure to hear from you--and
please, call me Anna.
I hope you have managed to catch
up on all the sleep you missed during your recent trip. Josh mentioned
that you manage to keep the same hours he does. I realize my son is entirely
too stubborn and independent to take direction from his mother, but you're
a sensible woman, Donna. Sleep is important. Don't make yourself sick;
if you're not around to help Josh, he will be lost and I will certainly
begin to worry.
He has not mentioned anything that
would lead me to believe he is vexed in anyway with you. I think we both
know Joshua is not one to hold his tongue when he is displeased.
Joshua was always more apt to share
things with his father, but a mother has ways of knowing things. You'll
understand that when you have children of your own someday. There was a
time when I could, as you put it, read my son. However, since the trouble
last year, he now makes a concerted effort to make that all the more difficult;
he doesn't want me to worry--as if that was remotely possible! When I arrived
at the hospital to see him last May, he mustered his strength to look at
me and say he felt fine. My son has never been good at lying, but the audacity
it took to say that from an ICU bed should tell you the lengths he will
attempt to keep me from worry.
So in this instance, I am the one
who must defer to your judgment on his current state. I have not actually
conversed with him recently. The bane of e-mail is that is allows children
to say they keep in touch with their parents without having to actually
speak with them. Personally, I would rather get a phone call for 10 seconds
than a 100 line message.
My advice to you, Donna (Josh never
asks for advice, so I make it a point to give it to everyone else) is to
do what you do best: watch and listen. You know my son better than anyone
down there. I haven't forgotten that you were the one who saw he was having
difficulties long after he left the hospital. I cannot express my gratitude
for all you have done for him. I believe he would not have recovered without
your help.
Please, feel free to contact me
any time if you have further concerns about Joshua, or if you just want
to write for no particular reason, that is wonderful, too. Josh does not
have to know. He only thinks he has a right to know everything; yet another
of his father's influences! Oh, the stories I could tell.
Take care,
Anna
Donna reread the message several times,
hearing Anna Lyman's voice speak the words to her. Watch and listen. It
was good advice. She knew she liked Josh's mother for a reason. The woman
was both smart and practical.
She checked her watch. Roughly five
minutes left in her lunch hour. That was enough for a quick response to
her new pen pal.
To: nalyman@soconn.net
From: Donnatella.Moss@whitehouse.gov
Date: 08JUN2001
Time: 13:52
Subject: Thank you
Anna,
I just want to say thank you, for
several reasons.
First, for your advice. Josh is
a fool not to listen to you more often.
Second, this is something I wanted
to say to you last year when you were around after what happened in Virginia.
We were all very worried about Josh because all of us care about him deeply.
He is a wonderful man. You and your husband did a fantastic job raising
Joshua. We were talking late one night during the first the campaign about
our families, and he said his parents had always looked like they were
madly in love with each other. I would have loved to have met your husband.
Josh still holds him as his hero, even to this day. Josh has earned the
kind of happiness you and your husband shared. You should be very proud.
He will make some lucky woman very happy some day.
Always,
Donna
