"Why aren't they here yet?" Josh asked nervously, fiddling with his cufflinks for the hundredth time in three minutes as he paced around the small platform.
"Because they're not ready yet, Josh," Toby replied calmly.
"I don't get it," he continued on as if not hearing Toby. "It took us less than hour to get up here in our tuxes. Why the hell does it take them so long to get dressed and primped and whatever it is they do?"
"I don't know. Why is the sky blue?" Toby shrugged disinterestedly. "Why do flammable and inflammable mean the same thing? Why does the Republican Party exist? All excellent questions but none with definitive answers."
"Okay, one of your duties as best man is to keep me calm before the ceremony," Josh scolded him. "And the sarcasm isn't helping that much, buddy."
"What on earth do you have to be nervous about?"
"This is my wedding, in case you hadn't noticed!"
"To your wife, whom you've been married to for almost three years," Toby muttered under his breath.
"Technicality," Josh waved him off, continuing his pacing.
Toby rubbed his hand over his face tiredly and grabbed Josh's shoulder, forcing the man to halt and turn to face him. "Josh, I say this with all due respect, considering you're both a United States Senator and my boss, but I swear on everything holy, if you don't stand still in the next thirty seconds I will throw you off the top of this building."
The building in question, the Watergate Hotel, was the setting for the romantic affair or more accurately, the Roof Top Terrace of the Watergate Hotel was the setting. The area surrounding them was adorned with delicate white roses, Donna's favorite, and the setting sun provided just the right amount of light to glow over the wedding party and the guests.
Nearly everyone they cared about was with them that evening; Josh's mother and Donna's grandmother were seated next to one another, the sheer joy they felt at watching this evening etched clear across their faces. Former president Bartlet and his extended family were joining them as well along various other relatives, longtime friends, and several close staffers and co-workers, all gathered together, most of them strangers but all joined together today to celebrate this momentous occasion. Now if only it would start…
"Excuse me, Senator Lyman," the elderly judge, the Honorable Judge Davis Foster, came up behind him and lightly tapped his shoulder.
He turned swiftly and stared at the judge for a beat. "Is it…time?" he asked, his voice getting a tad a high at the end of the sentence.
As soon as the words were out of his mouth, the string quartet to his left began playing the opening notes of Pachelbel's "Cannon in D major" as the remaining guests shuffled quickly into their seats. 'This is it,' Josh thought to himself as he took his place. 'The big day; the wedding; the real wedding. Not that the other one wasn't real or great but it was just really spur of the moment and rushed with just the two of us. Now we have guests, lots of guests, all of whom are staring right at me…Okay stop thinking right now.' He shook himself off before his inner monologue completely overloaded his already over stimulated mind.
"Awww," the crowd collectively murmured, which caused Josh to jerk his head up and a grin immediately spread across his face. Emma and Natalie were making their way down the aisle in their matching dresses, each holding a basket of rose petals. Emma, already an old hand at this from her uncle's wedding, beamed up at her father as she reached into her basket and threw handfuls of flowers onto the white satin aisle like a pro. Natalie was another story; she toddled along a little bit behind her sister, looking around curiously at all the people smiling at her and completely ignoring her responsibility as a flower girl. Then, as her little brown eyes met her father's shining ones, her face lit up brighter than a Christmas tree as he waved and smiled back at her. "DADDY!!!" she cried, dropping her basket and making a beeline past her sister up to Josh, wrapping her arms around his legs with such a force he almost tripped. "Daddy!" she continued to shriek, oblivious to the amused crowd as she saw her father for the first time since early that morning.
"Hey you," Josh crooned as he bent to scoop her up. He pecked her cheek and rocked her slowly against him. "Did you miss me?"
"No," Natalie replied as she cuddled further into his shoulder.
Josh chuckled lightly, stroking the child's back. "I think maybe just a little bit," he told her.
"Natalie Philomena Lyman! I told you to stay with me!" Emma whined, in an uncanny impersonation of her mother, as she reached them, her smile now replaced by her endearing pout. She tugged on the hem of her sister's dress. "You didn't listen to me, Natty; you could have ruined everything for Mommy!"
"Emma," Josh gently cut her off by putting a finger on her lips. "It's okay, everything's fine. Nothing was ruined, I promise."
"But Daddy," she continued, stamping her foot in frustration, "She was too cute! No one noticed me because of her!"
Not wanting Donna's day to be spoiled with the familial discord that appeared to be breaking out between their children, Josh spoke over to the crowd, "Did anyone here not notice the lovely and talented Emma Antonia Lyman due to the antics of her younger sister?"
"No," everyone replied back, causing Emma to duck her head as she smiled shyly at all the newfound attention.
"They did, however, completely miss the maid of honor's entrance," Nicole chimed in, stepping up to her place. "Not that I cared or anything," she said as she smiled indulgently at her nieces. "But if we don't all get into our places, we're gonna miss the bride's."
"Oh right," Josh said quickly as he set Natalie down. He placed a quick kiss on both her and Emma's heads'. "You girls did so well out there; I love you."
"I love you too, Daddy," Emma told him as she led Natalie over to sit with Rachel and Mena before standing next to her aunt.
"Okay, here we go," Josh whispered to himself as the judge gave a curt nod to the musicians, who were now joined by a locally acclaimed opera singer. After a couple of beats, the quartet began a different song. A piece of music that for Josh had once contained only pain and the thoughts of could have been but was being replaced before his eyes with hope and promise for the future.
"Ave Maria," the singer began as their guests rose to their feet. Josh simply closed his eyes and let the words and melody flow over him like a gentle ocean wave, calming and relaxing him more than he'd been all day. 'That's really quite amazing,' he thought of the music. 'It's so beautiful.' At that moment, he opened his eyes and stopped breathing. 'But nowhere near as beautiful as her,' he thought in wonder as he got his first glimpse of Donna as a bride.
As she walked down the aisle, Josh could not believe what was gliding toward him. He blinked a few times to get his eyes to focus. His wife, his Donnatella, was a vision to behold in white. Her dress, of white satin, set off her alabaster skin perfectly. She simply glowed. The strapless top revealed her perfectly sculpted shoulders. Wrapped around her smooth arms, a simple pearl-colored shawl alternately hid and revealed her arms, which Josh longed to have around his shoulders. The bodice tapered to show off her narrow waist and he thought, 'Who could ever guess that she was a mother of two?'
Josh's gaze drifted lower to the skirt, which flared out slightly to give off an air of understated elegance. The material flowed around her as she neared. He could see a slight train drifting behind her, adding yet another air of unparalleled elegance to her.
As she neared the groom, the sparkles from her tiara stole his glance. Inlaid with pearls and shimmering crystals, it sat upon her golden hair. Neither ostentatious nor showy, it only made her face more beautiful. Josh's eyes magnetically connected with her turquoise ones as she stepped next to him.
"Hi," she whispered lovingly, her eyes sparkling with delight and unshed tears as the music faded and everyone took their seats.
"Hey," he replied almost robotically, too taken with her to think straight, much less form a coherent response to anything.
"Josh?"
"Yeah?"
"We need to face the judge now so he can marry us again," she explained, nodding towards the smiling man.
"Right," he said sheepishly, turning to Judge Foster. Donna handed her bouquet over to her sister and faced forward. Josh reached over and took one of her hands in his, squeezing it reassuringly, hoping he was conveying all he felt for her in that simple gesture.
"Dearly beloved," the judge addressed the crowd of loved ones, "we are gathered here today to celebrate the union of this man and this woman, Joshua and Donnatella. For the past two and half years, Joshua and Donnatella have been married in terms of legality and in terms of their hearts. Together in their marriage they have been blessed with two beautiful daughters, as well as other numerous personal and professional accomplishments. Likewise, they have endured hardships and challenges, as does every couple that wishes to enter into marriage, and like many they have forged through their problems, and have come to the other side better and stronger in their love than before. To celebrate this fact, Joshua and Donnatella are here to renew their wedding vows in front of the family and friends that have so fiercely stood beside them." He smiled at them both, seeing as did everyone who saw them, the undeniable adoration they both felt for one another. "This is normally the time when the bride and groom will recite their vows that they have prepared for each other. However, our groom sprung this on the bride no more than an hour ago." The crowd chuckled heartily to that and Josh could only shrug his shoulders in reply. "But if the bride wishes to wing it, I suppose…"
"Thank you, Your Honor. I think I can come up with something," she told him, laughing. "I would like to hear what the groom has to say first though."
"Of course," he replied turning back to Josh. "Joshua, if you please?"
"Absolutely." He cleared his throat nervously and began to reach into his jacket pocket for the piece of paper that he'd had Toby help him write out, laying out the linguistic portrait of what Josh felt for his wife. But looking into Donna's eyes and seeing that sparkle, that light that always illuminated from her, he knew that for once he could speak in public without Toby's help.
"Donnatella," he spoke to her reverently, taking both of her hands in his, "I love you; it seems like such a momentous, powerful thing to tell someone but it doesn't even come close to describing what I feel for you, or how much you mean to me. Ever since I saw you, sitting in that storage closet in Manchester, you have been one of the few constants in my life and the only person in this world that I would ever let hold me up when I'm not strong enough to. You are the first person that I think about in the morning, the last one that I think of before I go to sleep, and every single minute in between. You have given me strength and will when I had none; compassion and loyalty when I didn't deserve it; and most importantly, the family that I never dared hoped that I could have." A lone tear fell silently done her cheek as she continued to smile softly at him and he reached out to wipe it away with his thumb. "Awhile back, a reporter once asked me what would be the greatest accomplishment of my life; back then, I said it would putting one of the truly great leaders of this country into the White House. If he asked me today, I'd say it would be ensuring that my wife could live in a world that was worthy of her and our children. You have made me a better man, Donna, and I just want to make sure that you know that everyday for the rest of our lives."
Turning her head slightly to kiss the palm of Josh's hand that lay on her cheek, Donna could not get over how lucky she was to have come across her husband. The sheer number of near-misses, stumbles, and agonies along they way astounded her and she was reminded once more of how blessed they both were to have been given all of the second chances they had been. She also knew she'd work her damnedest to make sure they didn't need anymore.
"Joshua Lyman," Donna started, laughing through her tears and gently grasping his hands in hers, "you try as hard as possible to strike fear into the hearts of your political opponents with a tough façade and an intellectual bravado that makes you unapproachable to a lot of people; but I know who you really are. You are the man who fixes me fettuccini when I feel miserable because you know it's my favorite; the man who calls home every half hour when I'm sick to make sure I'm drinking enough orange juice; the man who will send me a dozen roses when I'm out of town for longer than his liking; the man who has made me feel like the most loved and wanted woman in the Western hemisphere; the man who makes it his duty to be the best father possible to our children; the man that I'm going to try to make as happy as he's made me for the rest of my life. A poet once wrote of a woman he loved, 'I love you more than yesterday but less than tomorrow.' That's the only way I could explain my love for you. Every single day, even the bad ones, are incredible because you're there to share them with me, and I could never imagine sharing them with anyone else."
Without even thinking, Josh leaned forward and pressed his lips against Donna's, arms snaking around her waist. She cupped the back of his head in her hands and returned the gentle caress of his lips with her own. It was a very innocent, chaste kiss; no tongues or anything like that, and it would have continued had someone not cried fowl.
"Hey!" they heard Emma cry out. "No kissing until the end, remember Daddy?"
The crowd erupted in laughter and Josh and Donna broke apart, each blushing their own shade of crimson. "Remind me to mention that to her in front of her first date," Donna whispered conspiratorially into her husband's ear.
"Well, it seems the bride and groom are getting a bit impatient so why don't we move this along," the judge suggested, putting on his glasses and opening the Bible he carried. "Joshua, repeat after me: I, Joshua Elijah Lyman…"
"I, Joshua Elijah Lyman…" he repeated seriously.
"Take thee Donnatella Igraine Lyman…"
"Take thee Donnatella Igraine Lyman…"
"To love, honor, and cherish; in sickness and in health; for better or for worse, as long as you both shall live."
"To love, honor, and cherish; in sickness and in health; for better or for worse, as long as we both shall live."
"I, Donnatella Igraine Lyman…"
"I, Donnatella Igraine Lyman…" she stated reverently.
"Take thee Joshua Elijah Lyman…"
"Take thee Joshua Elijah Lyman…"
"To love, honor, and cherish; in sickness and in health; for better or for worse, as long as you both shall live."
"To love, honor, and cherish; in sickness and in health; for better or for worse, as long as we both shall live."
"With that, ladies and gentlemen, it is my honor to present to you once again Joshua and Donnatella Lyman." He grinned at Josh. "You may now kiss the--"
Donna grabbed the back of his head before the judge could finish and planted one on him, delightfully surprising him as her tongue stole passage into his mouth while his hands stroked the bare expanse of her back. The two of them would have been more than content to stay just that way for the rest of the night but as usual, their daughters had other ideas. Natalie broke free from her grandmothers and tried to bury herself in the folds of her mother's dress, while Emma raced over to Josh and tossed herself against her father's side, choking the life out of him.
"I love you," Donna whispered to him as she picked up Natalie before the little girl caused her to flash the entire crowd. Josh grinned back in response as he urged Emma forward with one, taking Donna's hand in his other. "Let's go celebrate."
"Oh we'll do that too," Josh replied with a leer as they made their way down the aisle, stopping every few steps to receive congratulations from well-wishers. "But why don't we go to the reception first?"
************************************************************************
"I can't believe you did all this," Donna gushed to her husband as they sat down at the head table at the reception. The ballroom of the Watergate now housed nearly three hundred party guests, those from the wedding and about two hundred more friends and associates, mostly members of Congress that Josh had to make nice with as well as a couple of photographers and reporters on hand to cover what had become a high-profile political event. For all her insistence that Josh was not a politician at heart, when he was a politician he was shrewd one. Every decision he made was weighed against what it would do for his public perception, even if it were personal one he still considered all his options. Donna knew it was just a part of who he was, a part of his job. He'd choose her and their girls over anything in heartbeat, she was certain of that, and the rest she just learned to live with.
"What can I say? I'm absolutely incredible," Josh deadpanned as he held her chair out for her. "Don't you agree?"
"You go right on and believe whatever you need to believe, pumpkin," Donna fussed, squeezing his cheeks together with one hand as she brought him down for a kiss.
"Excuse me? Excuse me, everyone?" the voice of Josh's aide and close family friend, Gus Whittaker, blared across the room. The raven-haired young man was standing in the center of the ballroom, microphone in hand, ready to address everyone. "Thank you very much for coming this evening. Before we get things started, why don't we have another big hand for the bride and groom." The crowd erupted in applause again while Josh and Donna waved casually from their seats. Once the clapping had died down, Gus continued, "We've got many, many important men and women of DC here tonight with us and I know that they're all eager to get boozing and schmoozing portion of the evening," he paused as he received a hearty laugh from most people, "so why don't we start the toasts right now?" Nicole and Toby stood up with their glasses and walked over to Gus but before either of them could begin, he started talking again. "I'm not a member of the wedding party but I wanted to just say something really quick." He coughed nervously and fiddled with his cummerbund. "Um, I haven't known Josh and Donna, as they insistent I call them during downtime, I haven't known them nearly as long as many of you have, but together they've already made a big impact on my life. When I met Josh, I was a waiter at a fundraiser of his and he immediately convinced me to leave my current job and come work for him, working twenty hour days, six days a week, and getting paid next to nothing for it. He completely turned my life upside down and I'm in his debt forever because of it. I work as his personal aide now and I get to go with him when he meets with his constituents and I listen to them explain to him how he's helped to improve their lives and I realize I'm a part of that. Because of Josh Lyman, I get to help make people's lives better and for me, there's no paycheck in the world that can top that. As for Donna, anyone who knows her knows that she is the power behind the throne, not in the sense that she controls his agenda but in the sense that she controls his conscience. She makes him see what the right thing to do is even when he doesn't want to and the people of Connecticut owe a big thanks to her. More importantly, she is an amazing parent, as is Josh, and if you've met Emma and Natalie you don't need to be told that. With that, I wish you many more children, more health, more success, and most importantly more happiness." The crowd raised their glasses first towards Gus, and then towards the couple as Gus ducked back to his seat, offering Josh and Donna a shy smile.
"Well that was so sweet," Nicole gushed into the microphone. She turned to an uncomfortable looking Toby. "Wasn't that sweet honey?"
"Precious," he replied, taking a gulp of champagne from his flute.
She rolled her eyes at him, elbowing his ribs playfully. "Anyways, we are both here, as the best man and maid of honor, to give the wedding toasts. Traditionally, this is done at separate times but you all know Toby and me; tradition can go screw itself for all we care so we're going to do this together. I will start out by saying that I love my baby sister very, very much and it makes me so happy to see her this overjoyed. I can honestly say that in all the years I've known Donna, her happiest ones have been with Josh and their girls. When you are with them, you know that you are in the presence of greatness personified and I'm not talking about their professional lives. I wish for them all the things that I desire for myself in life and much more." She raised her glass to them. "Salute!" she toasted them.
"Salute!" the crowd repeated, raising and then sipping from their glasses. Josh and Donna clinked their glasses together and each took a sip, although if one was looking closely they'd have Donna seen spit hers back into the glass.
"Tobias, you're turn," Nicole said, handing him the mike and wrapping her arm around him.
"Thank you, Nicolette, that was a lovely toast. I should know, I wrote it," he explained while Nicole shook her head. "Usually when I write a speech, I'm not the one giving it but I can be flexible occasionally." This time, Nicole nodded her head empathetically and grinned, eliciting a round of catcalls and hooting, which caused Toby to blush slightly. "Anyways," he forged on, "I made an exception in this case because it was for two people who annoy me less than others and that I am employed by. But as I read through my speech this afternoon and I read back over the words I'd used to describe Josh and Donna and their love for one another, I realized that I…I didn't need them. I didn't need to say how much they love each other or how much they need each other or what they mean to each other. I don't need to say it because I can see it and so can all of you. Any given day, you can see it; the way that when they walk, Josh's hand is on her back guiding her; the way Donna will walk into a dark room and turn the light on so he can read more easily; they way they finish each other's thoughts and jokes and sentences in that way that is uniquely them. You can see it; I don't need to ask them how much they love each other because I can see it and that says more about them than any writer could say in words. Mazel tov," he toasted them.
"Now that was precious," Nicole told him kissing his cheek.
"Yes," Toby agreed, finishing his champagne. He glanced back towards the band and looked back at her. "Is it time for…?"
"Yep," she nodded, knowing what he meant. "Well, ladies and gentlemen, it is time for the bride and groom to share their first dance so if you guys will come up here…" she motioned for Josh and Donna, who got out of their seats and made their way to the center of the dance floor. They quickly hugged and kissed Toby and Nicole in thanks and waited for the music to start, neither having any idea what their first dance would be to.
"For some reason passing understanding, I was put in charge of selecting the song," Toby began as he made his way up to the stage by himself. "And as I was looking through my CD collection, I came across a song that I believe fits Josh and Donna like a glove. However, I didn't feel that it would have the same effect if they danced to it being played by another band or from a CD so I called in a couple of favors and so you may be forewarned, Josh and Donna, you're first son is going to be named Tobias. So here to perform for all of us tonight, Mr. Billy Joel."
The crowd audibly gasped and chattered as the Grammy-winner made his way to the stage. Josh and Donna were amazed and touched at the trouble Toby had obviously gone through for them as they waited to hear what their perfect song was.
With a smile to the bride and groom and a quick handshake with Toby, the Piano Man sat down behind the grand piano and after a quick warm-up began to play the chosen song. Josh and Donna smiled at one another as they recognized the simple tune and affectionately embraced, swaying along to the melody that really did fit them like a glove:
In every heart there is a room
A sanctuary safe and strong
To heal the wounds from lovers past
Until a new one comes along
I spoke to you in cautious tones
You answered me with no pretense
And still I feel I said too much
My silence is my self defense
And every time I've held a rose
It seems I only felt the thorns
And so it goes, and so it goes
And so will you soon I suppose
But if my silence made you leave
Then that would be my worst mistake
So I will share this room with you
And you can have this heart to break
And this is why my eyes are closed
It's just as well for all I've seen
And so it goes, and so it goes
And you're the only one who knows
So I would choose to be with you
That's if the choice were mine to make
But you can make decisions too
And you can have this heart to break
And so it goes, and so it goes
And you're the only one who knows
"I love you," Donna whispered in Josh's ear, the words of the song briefly bringing her back to a time when she knew she herself had wounded his heart.
"It's okay," he told her, instantly catching her subtext and pulling her tighter against him. He nuzzled the shell of her ear tenderly. "I love you too."
Later on that evening, after toasts and dancing and food and just a little bit of politicking, Josh was standing on the sidelines watching his wife share a dance with Bobby when he felt a tap on his shoulder. "So, how much of this shindig did you actually plan on your own?" former President Jed Bartlet asked protégé.
"Enough so I could claim credit but not enough that I actually got the chance to ruin anything, sir," Josh explained, giving him a hearty handshake.
"Well it's been a wonderful evening anyways, I'm very happy for you. A blessing on your house, son."
"Thank you, sir."
Jed looked into his glass thoughtfully before continuing. "I spoke with Leo this morning," he casually tried to mention.
Josh glanced at him. "Did you?" he stated, his attempt at nonchalance failing miserably.
"He sends his congratulations for the both of you. Same goes for CJ."
"And Sam?"
Jed looked at him sympathetically. "Don't do this to yourself tonight, Josh," he advised. "This is a day to celebrate, not for all that other crap."
"Whatever you say, sir," Josh replied, unable to hide his bitterness.
"But while we're on the subject, you could try giving him a call once in a while. And Leo and CJ too."
"I will when they will. They know my number and where to find me."
"Yeah because that strategy is always really productive in bridging the gaps and healing the wounds between old friends."
"Look I never said that I wouldn't help Sam, sir," Josh argued, trying to keep his voice low. "But I had a life of my own that I had to lead, with my own responsibilities and priorities. I couldn't walk him through a gubernatorial race in California when I have my own constituents in Connecticut."
"He's your friend, Josh, the two of you were like brothers," Jed tried to reason.
"Did you catch him on 'Meet the Press', two months ago?"
"Josh…" Jed shook his head, knowing where this was heading.
"They asked him about me and the job I was doing in my first year. He said perhaps if the people of Connecticut knew the real me and a lot of the real facts of what happened during your administration, I probably wouldn't have been elected in the first place!"
"I know. I also know that Leo and CJ both personally to took him to town for those remarks. Not to mention the eleven percent bump in popularity and noticeably you got as a result of playing it cool."
"That's all well and good but it took weeks for that to die down here, not to mention that was just the kind of press I needed when I started out in Foreign Relations."
"He was wrong, Josh."
"Damn right he was!" Josh took a deep breath, running a hand through his hair. He gazed out across the ballroom and saw Donna, talking and laughing with a couple of Congressmen. She glanced over at him and smiled brightly, giving him a wink. He gave her a half smile before turning back to his old boss. "He betrayed me," Josh said, calmer. "And Leo and CJ are helping him to do it, no matter how benignly. Sam's becoming the kind of politician we used to keep on our enemy list. I choose not to associate with my enemies."
Before Jed could try to argue his point further, Nicole announced from the stage it was time for the throwing of the bouquet. Donna strode up to the stage as the all of the single women in the room gathered in front of the stage, most looking ready to pounce over all the others to get the desired arrangement of flowers.
"Ready?" Donna called out, her back to the crowd. "1…2…3!" She hurled the bouquet into the waiting throng of people and turned to watch in amusement as the women pushed and shoved each other to get to the flowers. Finally, after a few seconds, the commotion died down and the winner was revealed to be…
"Oh God no," Josh moaned as he saw his nearly eight year-old daughter proudly hold the bouquet over her head. The rest of the room laughed and applauded enthusiastically while Josh and Donna shared an expression of dismay.
"Drink up, son," Jed advised him amusingly, handing him another glass of champagne, which Josh promptly drained before Emma ran up to him.
"Look Daddy, Grampa Jed!" she shouted gleefully, showing off her prize. "I caught it!"
"Well you sure did, Emma, good for you!" Jed praised her, getting down on one knee to give her a hug. "But this means you have to find someone to marry very soon. Any idea who the lucky man will be?"
"Sir, could you please not encourage her?" Josh begged him.
"But I already know Daddy," Emma informed them.
"And who is it I'm going to be maiming?" Josh asked under his breath.
"I'm going to be Emma Lyman-Whittaker!" she said cheerfully.
"Gus!" Josh shouted towards his aide, staring daggers at him.
"No time for that, Josh," Jed told him as he got up off the floor.
"Why not?"
"Because it's time to have our ten hour honeymoon," Donna said from behind, catching the tail end of the conversation. She leaned over to peck his cheek. "Wait until adolescence to start with the maiming, that's what Dr. Spock always said."
"All right, time to say goodnight girls," Nicole said, bringing Natalie over to her parents.
"You girls be good tonight," Donna instructed Emma, bending down to kiss her goodnight.
"And no getting married tonight, Emma," Josh instructed her as he gave her a big hug.
"When can I get married?"
"Like one, two hundred years from now," Josh said seriously.
"Goodnight Little One," Donna whispered tenderly to an already sleeping Natalie. "Mommy loves you."
"Night Bella," Nicole kissed her sister goodnight. When she leaned in close enough, she also whispered, "I snuck away to the drug store before the ceremony. They're in the bathroom with your nightgown and stuff."
"Thanks," she replied, squeezing Nicole's hand. In all the commotion of the ceremony and the reception, her possible pregnancy had nearly slipped her mind.
"So, do you guys want to do the reception line or sneak away?" Nicole asked.
"Sneak away," the couple answered adamantly, already tired from the rather full day they'd had.
"Okay," she replied. She tried to nudge Natalie awake so she could say goodnight to her father. "Say goodnight to your Daddy, Nat."
"Oh she's tired," Jed commented as the little girl sleepily opened her eyes. "I saw her eating some cake before, the sugar probably put her out." He smiled at the child. "You enjoyed that cake huh? What did it taste like, Miss Natalie?"
"Shit," Natalie mumbled tiredly, closing her eyes again.
Jed looked at the other three adults curiously. "Brutally honest," he observed. "She'll have no future whatsoever in politics."
"Sorry, sir, that was my fault," Nicole explained. "I'm sure she loved it." She glanced over her shoulder before she spoke to her sister and brother-in-law. "You guys better make your getaway now."
"Yeah, thanks," Josh told her, dropping a kiss on his sleeping daughter's head. "We'll get them around noon or so tomorrow." He kissed Nicole's cheek. "Thanks for everything."
"No problem," she said as she said goodbye to her sister. "C'mon Em, you're parents have to get going."
"Night Mommy, night Daddy," she waved to them as her aunt led her back towards the dance floor.
"Well, happy birthday Mrs. Lyman," Jed bid her goodbye, pulling her into a hug.
"Thank you, sir."
"And don't forget, I want to see all of you in Manchester at Christmas time. All the kids are old enough now and I've got a Santa suit I haven't had a chance to use since Liz's kids were actually kids."
"We'll try sir," Josh promised, shaking his hand as Donna made her way to the elevator.
"Joshua," Jed began wisely, "remember what I told you at Natalie's first birthday party, about the worst of myself and Leo lurking inside of you?
"Yes sir?"
"Make sure it's worth it before you let it out."
Josh didn't say anything, just squeezed the older man's hand one more time before slipping away to join his wife. He came up behind her and wrapped his arms around her waist, holding her tightly to him as they waited alone for the elevator.
"Thank you for tonight, Josh," she whispered to him. "You have no idea how much it meant to me."
"Me too," he replied, placing a kiss on her bare shoulder. The elevator doors opened then and they stepped into the unoccupied car, alone at last for the first time all day. And Josh knew just how he wanted to spend that time.
"Josh," Donna chastised him, smiling as he tried to pull down the zipper of her dress while kissing the nape of her neck. "We're in an elevator. An elevator with cameras."
"Exhibitionism, I like they way you think," he murmured into her ear, still working on her zipper.
Donna started laughing and was about to pull him in for a kiss when the elevator stopped on their floor. All of sudden, Donna felt a little dizzy and she swayed slightly into Josh.
"You okay?" he asked concerned, tightening his arms around her as they stepped into the hallway.
"Yeah, I'm okay. It's just been a long day," she tried to reassure him, wanting very much to get into the room, both to start celebrating and to have her question answered.
"Well get ready," Josh said as they reached their door. "Because it's gonna be an even longer night." With that, he opened the door to their room and immediately picked Donna up off the floor, surprising and delighting her as he carried her over the threshold into their suite.
"You are certifiable," she laughed, kissing his cheek as they made their way to the bedroom.
"And you married me. Twice. What does that say about you?" he joked, laying her gently on the bed before taking off his jacket and undoing his bowtie.
"I love a challenge," Donna replied cattily as she took off her veil and toed off her heels.
"Lucky me," he said, climbing on the bed, hovering over her body. He immediately claimed her lips for his own, skimming his hands along the fabric of her dress. Donna worked on sliding his suspenders off and unbuttoning the first few buttons of his dress shirt. Josh had just reached around to continue unzipping Donna's dress when the bedside phone rang. "Oh come on," he groaned as he reached over to answer it. Donna meanwhile began marking his neck with her lip prints. "Hello…Mitch this is really not a good…Yeah," he sighed, laying his head in the crook of Donna's neck. "There's a potential teacher's strike planned for the three biggest high schools in Hartford," he apologized, looking down into her face. "I've got to take this."
"Okay," she nodded her understanding, hoping she was hiding her disappointment. She pushed gently on his shoulder. "I'm going to go freshen up in the bathroom."
"Fifteen, twenty minutes tops, I promise," he said giving her one last kiss. "I'm gonna take this in the living room." He put the phone on the table and walked into the other room.
Donna slowly got up from the bed and headed into the spacious bathroom. She knew she shouldn't begrudge him this, especially after all he'd done for her today to make her birthday special, but she did, just a little bit. She turned the faucet on and began to wash off her makeup when something caught her eye and any thought she had about anything left her mind.
A slinky, long white negligee was hanging from the shower rod but that wasn't what had grabbed her attention. The CVS bag sitting on the floor did and she immediately grabbed it, peering inside. Three separate home pregnancy tests were there. 'Thank God she's always prepared,' Donna silently thanked her sister for being smart enough to get more than one test. She wouldn't be able to stand getting a false positive now.
"All right," she psyched herself up in the mirror, taking a deep breath to calm the butterflies in her stomach. "You've done this before; this is the easy part." She took one last calming breath, closing her eyes as the image of a small white bundle with a perfect little face entered her mind. "Okay, let's do this Donna," she said, taking a glass and filling it with tap water. She took all of the tests out of the boxes and changed into her new nightgown before she gulped the water down, another two glasses later and she finally felt the urge to start peeing. Quickly getting that part over with, all she was left to do was sit down on the toilet seat and nervously tap her feet as she waited for three minutes to be up.
'I wonder if it'll be a boy or a girl,' she let herself wonder for a moment. 'Another girl would be fine but I think I might like a boy this time. I know Josh would love a son…Stop! Don't think like that for another ninety seconds.' Rubbing her hand lightly over her stomach, she tried to notice if there was any kind of difference to it. It seemed slightly firmer than it had the other day in the shower but that could just be attributed to her eating habits lately. 'Maybe I'm that hungry because I'm not just eating for myself anymore…Oh hasn't it been three minutes yet?…I can't take this, I have to look!'
Slowly getting up from the toilet, eyes still closed, she stepped over to the counter where she'd laid all three tests face up. Fumbling a little, she turned each one over before she looked at. Finally, she couldn't put it off any longer and cautiously opened her eyes. 'Please God, please let me…' Her thoughts abruptly ended as she saw three bright blue plus signs staring back up at her from each of the three tests. Tears welling in her eyes, she grabbed for the discarded boxes and double-checked the instructions.
"A blue plus sign indicates pregn…Oh my God!" she breathed as she brought her hand up to her mouth as the tears started streaming down her face, a feeling of pure euphoria washing over her. "I'm a having a baby," she said out loud, clutching her stomach. "I'm gonna have a baby…Josh and I are having a baby. Josh!" Quickly, she began to clean herself up, a task made harder by the shaking of her hands from the sheer adrenaline pumping through her. "We're having a baby," she sang quietly to herself as she gave herself a quick once-over in the mirror, taking her hair out of the clip and letting it fall loosely onto her shoulders. Stopping at the door, Donna gave one more quiet yelp of happiness before masking her face into what she thought was a neutral expression before stepping back into the bedroom.
"Hey," Josh said to her as she stepped back into the room, not looking up her yet as he was otherwise occupied. He was trying to uncork a bottle of champagne from what was obviously a room service cart. He'd ordered her strawberries and cream, her favorite, and another bottle of champagne for later. "What took so long? I was able to get negotiations for the thing started before you came out of there. I was about to send in a search party."
"So everything's okay in Hartford?" she asked, leaning against the wall on the opposite side of the bed.
"Yes, school will probably commence as scheduled on Monday," he told her as he continued to struggle with the champagne. "But I don't want to talk about Hartford or any other city in Connecticut. All I want to do is get you drunk on expensive champagne and keep you in bed for the rest of the night." He looked up at her and noticed she had a slightly dreamy expression gracing her face. "What?" he asked, sensing something was up.
Smiling knowingly at him, she gazed at him happily. "You can't," she told him softly.
"Can't what?" furrowing his brow as he tried to get the cork out of the bottle.
"Get me drunk."
"Why not?"
"Because you got me pregnant."
*POP* The cork shot out the bottle and bubbling white foam poured down Josh's immobile arm. 'Pregnant' was the only word his mind had been able to process; that and the fact that it had came out of his wife's mouth.
"Josh, honey?"
"Yeah?" he replied hoarsely, still not looking at her.
He could practically hear the smile in her voice. "It helps to inhale and exhale," she advised.
'Oh right, that's what the burning sensation in my lungs means,' he thought as he gulped in a large swallow of air before releasing it. He repeated that process a few times before he finally looked up at Donna. Josh looked straight into her eyes and he saw it; there was a softness in her gaze now that he remembered seeing in her eyes the night she told him she was pregnant with Natalie.
"You're pregnant?" he asked disbelievingly as he walked over to her slowly.
"Mm-hm," she nodded, smiling even brighter.
"We're pregnant?" he asked, smiling a little as he got closer.
"Yep," she nodded again.
"We're gonna have a baby?" he asked in a hushed, awed tone, standing in front of her.
"Yes," she replied in the same tone, bringing her arms around his neck and kissing him.
"Oh my God!" Josh laughed as they broke apart, staring down at her stomach as if it were one of the Seven Wonders of the World. "Are…are you sure?"
She nodded briskly. "Three tests and I passed them all with flying colors," Donna said excitedly.
"Oh man, we're having a baby," he repeated leaning his forehead against hers, rubbing his hand along her stomach.
"Yes," she simply said, giving him another kiss. He returned this one passionately and before they knew it, they were celebrating this latest joy wrapped up around the silk sheets of the bed.
Later, much later, as they were both drifting off, Donna nudged him slightly with her elbow. "Josh," she whispered to him, keeping her eyes closed.
"Yeah?" he replied, not opening his eyes but tightening his hand on her stomach.
"Just so you know, as much as I loved all of today," she began, patting his hand.
"Yeah?" he asked, opening his eyes and looking down at her.
"You're only getting a Rolex for your birthday." He laughed a little, kissing her temple before he closed his eyes and the three of them drifted off to sleep.
The End