Chapter Two
Sam was grimacing and rubbing furiously at his temple when CJ entered his office.
"CJ, you're dancing. Is anything wrong?" Sam asked.
"I've got that Capital Beat, Sam." Sam watched as she punctuated her words by swinging her hips. "Do you know what they're discussing on Capital Beat right now?"
"No."
"The recommendations of the Funding by Need Caucus," CJ answered with another swing of the hips. "Do you know what they're not discussing?"
"School vouchers?"
"School vouchers," she confirmed.
Toby appeared in the doorway. "What's going on?"
"CJ's got that Capital Beat," Sam explained.
"Ah." Toby gestured towards his office, "You got a minute?"
"Sure." Sam turned back to CJ as he got to the door. "You know, my coat-stand could double up as a pole if you're still in the mood for dancing when I get back."
Toby's discreet cough told Sam that whatever it was he wanted to say he wanted to say it now. Sam raised his eyebrows at a smiling CJ and left.
"So day one of the smother school vouchers is going well?" Toby began.
"CJ says the story is Funding for Need and the idea of a computer suite in every school has grabbed all the attention." He shifted in his seat. He knew where this conversation was heading.
"When the President gives his speech on Wednesday Ben Draper is going to be pissed."
"Well yeah, because he's just spent three months working on something that we have no intention of doing anything with."
"I agree that this is less than ideal but you've got to remember the bi-"
"God, Toby don't, please don't say the bigger picture."
Toby couldn't think of another word that started with bi so he kept quiet.
"I have said nothing to Ben, which wasn't difficult because nothing was said to me. Yet again. Do you think that I am going to go running to my friends every time we do something that might offend them?"
"You are reading far more in-"
"Do you think that?" Sam raised his voice and Toby moved to sit beside him.
"I don't think that. No one does. Bruno develops a nervous twitch whenever Kevin Kahn is mentioned but even he doe-"
"Josh does," Sam interrupted and Toby didn't reply. "Was there anything else?"
Even if there had been Toby would have said no. There was no point trying to talk to Sam when he was mad and Toby couldn't remember the last time he had seen him this worked up.
"No, that was all."
His door remained closed for most of the following day. Sam knew his friend was about to find out that his hard work had been a ruse and he was going to find out the same way as everyone else, in the press. Every time the phone rang Sam jumped. He was largely left alone as word had got around that he was not in the best of tempers. The knock on the door startled him from his work and he finished the sentence he was on before calling to the visitor to come in. Sam was surprised when the door was opened by Josh. He was the last person he had expected to see.
"Can I come in?"
"That's normally what come in means."
Josh didn't sit down but stayed close to the door. "I just wanted to say that…" he gestured to the chair in front of Sam's desk and on Sam's nod walked over and sat down.
"Wanted to say what?" Sam asked, a part of him hoping that Josh would offer just the slightest hint of an apology or even regret at what had been said. He had decided that would be all it would take for him to happily try to salvage their friendship and start to work out what had been going wrong over the past few months between them.
"I wanted to say that we haven't spoken much over the past few days and I just wanted to check-in with you about Draper, make sure you were okay with that and you know, that you weren't harboring any resentful thoughts towards me." Josh shot a smile Sam's way and Sam returned it. It was as close a move towards reconciliation as Sam was going to get but it was enough to build on.
"Listen, I've got to hang around, there'll be questions after the speech but after that shall we go get a beer or something?"
"Yeah, okay that sounds good." Josh sat up as if to leave but then sat back again. "So are you expecting to hear from Ben tonight?"
"I hope not. The last time we spoke he was enthusing about the proposals and I was helping him pick the most likely states to benefit. So I doubt he'll be up for a beer."
"When was that?"
"When was what?"
"The last time you saw Ben? I know you spent a weekend sailing but that was when you still thought the funding was getting the go ahead."
"Why does it matter when I last saw him?"
"It doesn't. I was just curious when you la-"
"Bullshit, Josh! You came in here and I actually thought that you were here to try to…" Sam trailed off, took a deep breath and began again, "If you want to know what I've said to Ben then don't embarrass yourself or me by pretending there is some sort of friendship that allows you to do that. In fact why don't we schedule a meeting if you're that concerned?" Sam flipped his diary open. "I'm free tomorrow afternoon, let's meet then. Donna can take notes if you like because when I finally admit that I've jeopardized this administration's education jamboree by disclosing your sinister plan to Ben I'm sure you'll want it recorded for the record."
Silence followed, within which Sam slumped back in his seat and Josh leant forward in his. Josh was trying to think of something to say but he couldn't. Of all the words Sam had shouted only a few stayed with Josh now, 'some sort of friendship'. Josh was pretending that he and Sam had 'some sort of friendship'. With sudden, absolute clarity Josh realised Sam was right. He was pretending that they were the same two friends who had almost run through the corridors of Gage Whitney and out into the pouring rain. He tried again to think of something to say but Sam beat him to it.
"Get out, Josh."
Josh stood and walked quickly back to his office, only stopping on the way to grab Donna by the elbow, taking her with him. He shut the door behind him and stood straight against the wall, making sure his back and legs touched its surface.
"What's happened?" Donna asked.
"Nothing," Josh answered as he rested his head against the wall as well.
"You're doing the wall thing, what's happened?"
"You're Donna and I'm Josh now, okay?"
"Okay, I wasn't aware that we had metamorphosed into other beings but, okay I'm Donna and you're Josh, who's beginning to freak me out just a little-"
"I mean this is just us, no Deputy Chief of Staff, assistant stuff," Josh elaborated.
"I'm going to put my pad down."
"Good, that helps. Right, I need to ask you…" Josh paused, "I need you to tell me if…" again he stopped and Donna waited. "Do you think Sam and me are…" he faltered again.
"I'm wishing I was taking notes now," Donna said. "What are you, Josh, trying to ask me, Donna?"
Josh smiled and wiped a hand over his face. "Do you think that Sam and I have less of a friendship now than we did when you first met us?"
Donna didn't know what had happened to prompt the question but she knew that whatever had happened had upset Josh. She sat on the edge of the desk and thought carefully before answering. "Do you mean have I stopped checking with Sam first when I can't find you? Do you mean if we arrange to go for a drink am I surprised if Sam is there as well? Do you mean am I embarrassed when Sam asks if you've got a minute and I say no because somewhere along the line 'no interruptions' came to include him as well? Do you mean have I noticed that you send me to the communications Bullpen when you used to be glad of an excuse to go yourself? Do you mean-"
"Yeah, okay, okay, I think I've got the gist of what you're saying."
Donna walked over to him. "I don't think you're going to like my answer as your assistant very much either. Because if you mean do I think your relationship with Sam is having a detrimental effect on your working relationship, the answer is yes. The answer is yes, Josh, you've got less of a friendship with Sam now than you did when I first met you."
Josh nodded slowly then went to his desk and sat down. "I think I have a meeting with Eric Chambers at two. I'll need those statistics on the truant rates again."
Donna knew Josh would react like this and so after getting him the file he wanted she left him to it and went to find CJ.
Donna walked back to her desk, a satisfied smile on her face. It had been two days since she had told Josh what he didn't want to hear and two days since Sam and Josh had last said more than a word to each other.
A meeting in the Oval office had been the catalyst for Donna's plan to get Sam and Josh talking again. A plan that CJ and Toby heartily agreed to but then again they had been in the Oval office too. The President had been enthusing about the education proposals and, as often happened, had inspired himself to believe that they were on a roll and so anything was possible. Toby had tried to quash his ideas about finding out if the funding initiatives could be adapted to address other areas of concern in teacher recruitment. "I think if we are going to have funding for attracting science and math teachers we should wait and see how much of the funding is used up by that first. Or is there a magical box of education funding that nobody's told me about."
The President ignored the comment. "Sam, you've been speaking to the education unions and committees, what do you think is the next step for recruitment?"
Sam had been sitting staring at the floor and it was only when he heard his name that he had begun to listen to what was being said. "Rural schools," he replied, his knowledge of education policy sound enough to have an answer without really knowing what had prompted the President's question.
Bartlet's response was to clap his hands and jump out of his seat. "Okay Sam, Josh, get together and jot down a few ideas for me." Seeing the expression on Josh's face and misinterpreting its meaning he continued, "I'm just saying, give me an idea of for and against funding for getting teachers into rural schools, I'm not asking you to go work on a farm for a week."
Josh smiled uncomfortably so Sam spoke up. "The thing is, sir, we're both a little pushed at the moment and we haven't really got a true picture of how this week's initiatives have been received yet. I just wonder if we should wait on that before we go charging ahead with any new ones."
"Sam, are you being a killjoy?" the President asked.
"No sir I just-"
"Good, because I've got enough trouble with the secret service trying to stop me every time I want to go on an excursion, without my staff joining in."
"I'd really rather-" Sam began again.
"I think you'd really rather nothing, Sam," Leo interrupted.
The President ended the meeting and at the end of the customary rounds of 'thank you', Leo called Sam's name and gestured towards his office. Toby looked at Josh again who simply shrugged. They waited by Charlie's desk in uncomfortable silence. Josh was waiting to see Leo. Toby was waiting for Sam.
"Don't you ever do that again!" Toby grimaced at the sound of Leo's rage. He could only imagine the effect it was having on Sam at close quarters.
"Don't you ever take your personal differences with Josh into that room. The President asks you to do something and you think you can fob him off because you don't want to sit down with Josh. You know what Sam, grow up!"
Toby folded his arms and walked away from Charlie's desk as Josh muttered, 'Jesus, Leo," under his breath. No more words could be heard and Josh and Toby assumed Leo was trying to calm down before he spoke again. They were both surprised when the next thing they heard was Leo shouting at Sam to get out.
There was another moment of silence before Sam exited Leo's office. Toby expected his deputy to emerge red faced but as Sam brushed past him he saw his face was drained of all color.
Josh watched Toby follow Sam and then went into Leo's office. "I don't think he meant…he wasn't thinking about himself. I think he was trying to say that we might not be a very productive team at the moment, Leo, he was thinking of-"
"Are you seriously coming in here to tell me how to talk to my staff?" Leo asked.
"No but I-"
"Have you spoken to Davies and Herne yet?" and with that Leo made it very clear that the subject was closed.
Josh didn't try to broach it again even though he was unsure if he was meant to be meeting with Sam or not. When Donna told him the time that she and Ginger had fixed for them he didn't question it and when Sam walked into his office later that afternoon followed by Ed, he didn't question that either.
When the meeting was over Sam ignored Toby as he walked past his office but then changed his mind, turned around. "Ed can fill you in on what we came up with. He took notes as he clearly didn't have much to contribute to what we were discussing. Then again he wasn't there to contribute he was there to keep an eye on me, wasn't he."
"I told him to go because the President wants this done and I think you were right to have reservations about you and Josh being able to do that at the moment."
"Don't ever do that to me again," Sam said.
When, later that afternoon, CJ appeared at Toby's door and told him about Donna's plan to get Sam and Josh talking again he had no hesitation in agreeing with it whole heartedly.