-PART TWO -

For two days after the incident in the bar CJ and Sam struggled, but performed their duties nonetheless. Toby, on the other hand,  was unbearable. His frustration was vocal and he left a wake of destruction in his path in the form of cowering interns and assistant who might have transgressed in any way. He fumed over how law enforcement agencies were dragging their feet.

Toby's behavior substantiated rumors that had been existing in the undercurrent of the press room. Questions were starting to trickle in about weather or not there was a psychological aftermath to the shooting. CJ deflected these question with ease but knew that sooner or later, she'd have to discuss them with Toby. It was not the time, however. It would have to wait until they knew how Josh would pull through.

During this time, Josh's condition remained critical. Abby went above and beyond her duties as first lady in acting as a comfort to the staff. She stayed in close contact with Josh's surgeons and relayed the information. She didn't give them false hope because, as a doctor, it was not in her nature. She did provide a sense of comfort that another doctor who was not so personally involved in the case could not.

At eight in the morning on the tenth day after the shooting, she brought the best news of all. The staff had been summoned by the first lady to the oval office. Toby, CJ and Sam had arrived together and, upon entering the room, they knew it was good news. Both the president and Leo had wide smiles on their faces and there was a marked relaxation to their continence. The first lady informed them that Josh's fever was below 100 and all tests indicated that the antibiotics has beaten the infection.  He had been extubated, was breathing easily on his own and was being brought out of his sedation. 

Later that afternoon, the three of them snuck away to visit Josh. It took much schedule wrangling and covert dodging of responsibility but they were able to escape for an hour. It was one of those extraordinarily rare times that CJ, Toby and Sam put their personal desires above those of their offices. Considering the circumstances, none of them cared.

When they approached Josh's room in ICU, they saw Donna standing near the door waiting for them. She was beaming.

As CJ, Sam and Toby entered the Josh's hospital room, all fear of his survival disappeared permanently. He didn't look well. He didn't quite look like Josh.  He was, however, looking better. The ventilation tube was gone and some of his color had returned. There were still the myriad of IV tubes and monitors, but his spark was visible.

"Hey, mi amore!" said CJ. Her voice was full of warmth.

Toby and Sam followed CJ into the room without saying a word. Donna stood aside and let them enter.

"Hey," replied Josh as he offered a weak smile. His voice was thick and raspy from the ventilator tube but was like cool water in the desert. Everyone in the room relaxed, visibly.

Each day after that, Josh's condition approved. His friends visited for a while each day and took comfort as they saw him improve. One day, he was lying flat on his back in bed but a few days after that, he was sitting up in a chair, watching television. He refused to wear hospital gowns once the IV's and monitors had been removed and insisted on normal clothes. Donna brought him sweats and t-shirts and tennis shoes. Soon, he could take short forays to the cafeteria, where he could sit and drink decaffeinated coffee and hold short conversations before Donna would usher him away. She worked so hard at keeping him well rested and most of his visitors had no idea how much he had to rally his strength when they visited. In his third week of hospitalization, he started to get board.

He was sleeping normal hours and, in between, spent his time reading books and watching the discovery channel. Often, he would call one of his colleagues at the west wing and keep them on the phone for long periods of time discussing topics such as hydroponics, cloning or the grand unified theory. The staff allowed Josh to ramble on these topics for long periods of time. Hearing his voice was verification that he was fine. He was recovering.

He was still hungry for information about the shooting. He would scour the magazines and newspapers for new stories. When Carl Leroy had his initial hearings, Josh insisted to see the tapes and watched them repeatedly. Everyone chalked it up to boredom. In reality, he needed to stay in touch with the story to which he had such a personal attachment.

Through all this, Donna maintained the "rules". After Josh's recovery had become inevitable, Donna had started spending longer and longer hours in the west wing. Josh needed to be in-the-loop and she did her best to keep him occupied with the various minutiae that was filtered to him but made sure that he was never overburdened. The rules became an inside joke among the senior staffers but, at the same time, the rules became a symbol of Josh's recovery. When Donna put her foot down and refused to allow someone to violate the rules, everyone understood that she was doing so in Josh's best interest.

CJ had visited Josh late in his forth week of recovery. On previous visits, she noticed any time the subject of the shooting had been broached, Josh would strategically deflect any statements or questions that approached the topic. Even though he voraciously read news stories about it, he was reluctant to discuss it.  She would mention something that had been said in a press briefing or something that had appeared in the newspaper regarding Carl Leroy's arrest or hearings and Josh would make a glib statement and change the subject. CJ had decided on this visit, however, that she would have to push past his apprehension of the subject.

"I've has been getting questions about he psychological aftermath of the shooting," she offered Josh, dismissively.

"Huh?" asked Josh, pretending he was half listening.

She restated herself, "They want to do stories how we're dealing with the shooting. If, you know... anyone is having any, you know..." this was uncomfortable ground, "...problems dealing with it."

Josh laughed. "Yeah. Okay. Tell them we're calling in Oprah. We're going to have a national group hug."

CJ laughed back. It was the last conversation she had with Josh on the subject.

The next week, Josh was released from the hospital. His mother returned to her home in Florida the week after that.  Donna made sure that he always had food in his refrigerator and clean laundry. He spent two months locked in his apartment regaining his strength and preparing to resume his duties. At the beginning of the third month after the shooting, he was allowed to leave his apartment for a field trip to the west wing. Donna had prearranged the visit but obliged Josh's wishes that there be no fanfare. He was welcomed warmly by everyone in the office. He met with the president for a short time in the oval office. Josh had insisted on wearing a suit and tie and, when he first entered the west wing, it seemed as it was business as usual. Donna had shadowed him for his entire visit. After the scheduled two hour visit was drawing to a close, she had started to wonder if he would make it back to the car, his exhaustion was so evident. They said quick goodbyes, acknowledged the well wishers and Donna took him home.

She never told anyone how he fell asleep in the car or how he had been barely able to make it up the stairs to his apartment. He had collapsed in exhaustion on his bed. Donna never told anybody how he broke down. He cried out of frustration at his own weakness. He said nothing and Donna sat beside him until he fell asleep. 

After another month, he resumed his duties. At first, under doctors orders, he returned for six hours a day with limited responsibility.  A week later he was working normal hours and was, physically, back to his old self. He spent some time playing catch-up but, shortly afterwards, he was going full barrel. His presence energized the west wing and, for all appearances, it was business as usual. If given the opportunity, he would have had the president sign a proclamation stating that the assassination attempt at Roslyn was now, officially, a footnote in history for the Bartlet Administration.

Then came the weeks before Christmas.