POV: Donna
Spoilers: None
Rating: PG-13
Disclaimer: These are not my characters, even though I manipulate them
with evil glee!
Stony Limits - Chapter Two A West Wing Story
by MAHC
"Ow!"
Donna grimaced as she pressed the ice pack to Jed's brow in a vain attempt to squelch the swelling tissue. The cold had slowed the bleeding to a trickle, but she figured he'd still probably need a couple of stitches at least. He winced as she shifted it a bit, but didn't speak again.
Ron stood protectively by, obviously relieved that the President had not actually passed out. In his shock, Jed had taken several blind steps backwards and tripped on the area rug, his head clipping the coffee table on the way down. Now he sat on the floor, back against the chair he was probably aiming for, a narrow trail of blood mixing with raindrops down the side of his face.
No one spoke. No one moved. For a lifetime they sat or stood, listening to the steady beat of the rain outside. Donna wished he would say something, wished Ron would leave now so she could ask Jed how he felt, what he was thinking.
The silence stretched on, so long that when he finally did speak, the unexpected sound made her jump.
"Pregnant?"
Ron's eyes shot to the President first, then to her, his usual stony expression unable to fight back the astonishment. His mouth dropped, and Donna would not have been surprised if his ear wire had fallen out, too. Wow! She had never seen real emotion on his face and this was something. At first, she thought she identified anger, accusation. But when the mask fell back into place and he shifted to his protectee, a strange, almost gentle expression touched his eyes. But Donna didn't have time to contemplate that surprising gift. She was too busy fielding the question Jed's eyes were throwing at her.
He had lifted his gaze and stared, his face frozen from the shock that had slammed into it. The blood pumped in her throat. She fumbled with the ice pack, her will fading fast. His eyes asked. Asked with the intimacy of a lover. His lips moved in the same way.
"Pregnant?"
Nodding, she felt the tears coursing down her cheeks. "I'm so sorry, Jed. I'm so sorry."
"But-"
"It's - it's a shock to me, too." She tried not to let the sob catch in her throat. "I, uh, I thought I - well, you see, I had been taking - but I missed - well, it was stupid, but-" Oh, how could she have been so stupid?
"Pregnant," he echoed, as if it were a foreign word.
She nodded.
"Pregnant?"
Another nod.
"With - my child?"
She frowned. Could he think it was someone else's? "That's why-I know what I have to do. I know what you need me to do, but I can't-I can't-"
She swallowed. How would he take this? She knew his historic stand on abortion, but would he feel the same in a personal situation? Plunging ahead, she laid it out for him.
"I'm going to keep it," she declared, but then assured him, "I'll go away. I'll go home."
"Donna-"
"No one will know." Except Ron and she knew he would go to his grave with the secret, if necessary.
"Donna-"
"You won't have to deal with it at all. I'll just say I was homesick if anyone asks. I'll just tell them I got a better job offer. I'll just -"
"Donna!"
Now Jed stood, ignoring the falling pack, the renewed trickle of blood, grasping her arms. "My God!" Fresh astonishment washed over his face. "Of course you're going to keep it. How could you think -that would be - that would be - well, I would never ask you to-" He stumbled over the words with both shock and reassurance vying for dominance in his tone. Either oblivious to Ron's presence or not caring at all, he took her hands in his. Her heart leaped at his touch.
"Of course you're keeping it." He drew his hand to her face, cupped her cheek in the palm. "And you're not going away."
"But-"
"Donna," he said, voice soft, but eyes intense. "I love you. Dear God, I love you so much, and you are not going away. We'll make this work somehow."
"But I - I'm -"
"Pregnant," he supplied. Then he smiled. A brilliant, delighted, election- winning Jed Bartlet smile. "With my child."
Oh my God! He was grinning. No, he was beaming. And suddenly, her heart lifted, floated, soared. Joy bubbled up inside her as she realized how he felt.
Then his smile faltered just a little, forced from his lips by renewed shock. "Our child?"
This time tears accompanied her nod, and he leaned in, placing his hand on her stomach. He looked down for a moment, then pressed his lips softly against hers and she finally was able to kiss the raindrops away. When he pulled back, his eyes mirrored hers, both shimmering, both soft. She heard Ron shift uncomfortably in the background.
"I love you," Jed whispered. "Do you believe that?"
Yes. But no sound emerged from her throat.
He stepped even closer. "Do you believe that, Donna?"
"Yes."
He smiled at her, his hand still on her stomach.
"You're not going," he stated.
"I have-"
Strong fingers touched her lips, stopped her words. "You're not going."
"But-"
"You're not going."
"No?" she asked in a whisper.
"No."
"No," she agreed, unable to do anything else. His mouth was on hers again, his hands sliding around to her hips, his body pressing against hers. She felt the wetness of his clothes soak through her own shirt, but she didn't care a bit.
A very uncomfortable cough broke through to her befuddled brain. "I'll, uh, I'll just be out here, Mister President," Ron offered quickly, but Jed ignored him, trailed his tongue along her throat, nipped at her ear. The door closed, and they were alone.
He kissed her again, this time harder, his tongue pushing between her lips, his body leaning into hers. Finally, he withdrew and stared at her, his hand lifting to push back a strand of hair.
"Pregnant?" he repeated, the total delight in his voice clear.
Again, she nodded. "Yeah."
"Son of a bitch."
"Well, I hope not."
He started to draw her against him again, but she felt him sway and catch himself. His face paled suddenly, the blood vanishing from it in one horrifying rush.
"Jed?"
"I think - I think I'd better -"
In her brain, the next few seconds clipped by like the dramatic climax of a movie, slowed down for effect. His hand rose to his head, wiped at the blood that had now resumed once more into more or less a stream. Donna thought she moved instantly, but somehow her arms felt like lead, wouldn't cooperate with her mental commands. He was falling backward, his eyes glazing over, his arms dropping to his sides. She thought she called for Ron, wasn't sure until the door burst open and the agent rushed in, mouth set, eyes flashing. By that time Jed had really hit the floor and lay sprawled on the rug, out cold.
Oh God! She was barely pregnant and the father of her child had just died in her living room. Relief coursed through her as her eyes found the steady rise and fall of his chest. Okay, he was still breathing at least. The room erupted into chaos as EMTs poured through the open door. They must have hidden the ambulance around the corner, she thought unnecessarily. Stabilizing his head, they went to work on the wound.
"Possible concussion."
"BP 105 over 68."
That sounded low to her. Come on, Jed. Come on now, please.
Finally, he groaned and his eyes fluttered open.
"He's coming around."
"Mister President?" Ron asked, bending over the prone figure of his boss.
"Mmm?"
"Jed?" Donna added. Couldn't hurt.
His eyes cleared a bit and he gathered her in his gaze. A smile curved his lips, drawing a matching grin from her.
"Pregnant," he mumbled.
The EMT's exchanged speculative glances before Ron's fierce expression propelled them back to work.
She didn't know what they would do now, but she knew she was not going anywhere. She loved him so much and he loved her and they had created life together. Life that was growing within her, life that was part of him, life that she loved already more than she ever could have imagined.
"We'll make this work somehow," he had said. "We'll make this work-"
Looking down at him as he slowly regained clarity, she knew that they would. They had to.
She couldn't contemplate anything else anymore.
Stony Limits - Chapter Two A West Wing Story
by MAHC
"Ow!"
Donna grimaced as she pressed the ice pack to Jed's brow in a vain attempt to squelch the swelling tissue. The cold had slowed the bleeding to a trickle, but she figured he'd still probably need a couple of stitches at least. He winced as she shifted it a bit, but didn't speak again.
Ron stood protectively by, obviously relieved that the President had not actually passed out. In his shock, Jed had taken several blind steps backwards and tripped on the area rug, his head clipping the coffee table on the way down. Now he sat on the floor, back against the chair he was probably aiming for, a narrow trail of blood mixing with raindrops down the side of his face.
No one spoke. No one moved. For a lifetime they sat or stood, listening to the steady beat of the rain outside. Donna wished he would say something, wished Ron would leave now so she could ask Jed how he felt, what he was thinking.
The silence stretched on, so long that when he finally did speak, the unexpected sound made her jump.
"Pregnant?"
Ron's eyes shot to the President first, then to her, his usual stony expression unable to fight back the astonishment. His mouth dropped, and Donna would not have been surprised if his ear wire had fallen out, too. Wow! She had never seen real emotion on his face and this was something. At first, she thought she identified anger, accusation. But when the mask fell back into place and he shifted to his protectee, a strange, almost gentle expression touched his eyes. But Donna didn't have time to contemplate that surprising gift. She was too busy fielding the question Jed's eyes were throwing at her.
He had lifted his gaze and stared, his face frozen from the shock that had slammed into it. The blood pumped in her throat. She fumbled with the ice pack, her will fading fast. His eyes asked. Asked with the intimacy of a lover. His lips moved in the same way.
"Pregnant?"
Nodding, she felt the tears coursing down her cheeks. "I'm so sorry, Jed. I'm so sorry."
"But-"
"It's - it's a shock to me, too." She tried not to let the sob catch in her throat. "I, uh, I thought I - well, you see, I had been taking - but I missed - well, it was stupid, but-" Oh, how could she have been so stupid?
"Pregnant," he echoed, as if it were a foreign word.
She nodded.
"Pregnant?"
Another nod.
"With - my child?"
She frowned. Could he think it was someone else's? "That's why-I know what I have to do. I know what you need me to do, but I can't-I can't-"
She swallowed. How would he take this? She knew his historic stand on abortion, but would he feel the same in a personal situation? Plunging ahead, she laid it out for him.
"I'm going to keep it," she declared, but then assured him, "I'll go away. I'll go home."
"Donna-"
"No one will know." Except Ron and she knew he would go to his grave with the secret, if necessary.
"Donna-"
"You won't have to deal with it at all. I'll just say I was homesick if anyone asks. I'll just tell them I got a better job offer. I'll just -"
"Donna!"
Now Jed stood, ignoring the falling pack, the renewed trickle of blood, grasping her arms. "My God!" Fresh astonishment washed over his face. "Of course you're going to keep it. How could you think -that would be - that would be - well, I would never ask you to-" He stumbled over the words with both shock and reassurance vying for dominance in his tone. Either oblivious to Ron's presence or not caring at all, he took her hands in his. Her heart leaped at his touch.
"Of course you're keeping it." He drew his hand to her face, cupped her cheek in the palm. "And you're not going away."
"But-"
"Donna," he said, voice soft, but eyes intense. "I love you. Dear God, I love you so much, and you are not going away. We'll make this work somehow."
"But I - I'm -"
"Pregnant," he supplied. Then he smiled. A brilliant, delighted, election- winning Jed Bartlet smile. "With my child."
Oh my God! He was grinning. No, he was beaming. And suddenly, her heart lifted, floated, soared. Joy bubbled up inside her as she realized how he felt.
Then his smile faltered just a little, forced from his lips by renewed shock. "Our child?"
This time tears accompanied her nod, and he leaned in, placing his hand on her stomach. He looked down for a moment, then pressed his lips softly against hers and she finally was able to kiss the raindrops away. When he pulled back, his eyes mirrored hers, both shimmering, both soft. She heard Ron shift uncomfortably in the background.
"I love you," Jed whispered. "Do you believe that?"
Yes. But no sound emerged from her throat.
He stepped even closer. "Do you believe that, Donna?"
"Yes."
He smiled at her, his hand still on her stomach.
"You're not going," he stated.
"I have-"
Strong fingers touched her lips, stopped her words. "You're not going."
"But-"
"You're not going."
"No?" she asked in a whisper.
"No."
"No," she agreed, unable to do anything else. His mouth was on hers again, his hands sliding around to her hips, his body pressing against hers. She felt the wetness of his clothes soak through her own shirt, but she didn't care a bit.
A very uncomfortable cough broke through to her befuddled brain. "I'll, uh, I'll just be out here, Mister President," Ron offered quickly, but Jed ignored him, trailed his tongue along her throat, nipped at her ear. The door closed, and they were alone.
He kissed her again, this time harder, his tongue pushing between her lips, his body leaning into hers. Finally, he withdrew and stared at her, his hand lifting to push back a strand of hair.
"Pregnant?" he repeated, the total delight in his voice clear.
Again, she nodded. "Yeah."
"Son of a bitch."
"Well, I hope not."
He started to draw her against him again, but she felt him sway and catch himself. His face paled suddenly, the blood vanishing from it in one horrifying rush.
"Jed?"
"I think - I think I'd better -"
In her brain, the next few seconds clipped by like the dramatic climax of a movie, slowed down for effect. His hand rose to his head, wiped at the blood that had now resumed once more into more or less a stream. Donna thought she moved instantly, but somehow her arms felt like lead, wouldn't cooperate with her mental commands. He was falling backward, his eyes glazing over, his arms dropping to his sides. She thought she called for Ron, wasn't sure until the door burst open and the agent rushed in, mouth set, eyes flashing. By that time Jed had really hit the floor and lay sprawled on the rug, out cold.
Oh God! She was barely pregnant and the father of her child had just died in her living room. Relief coursed through her as her eyes found the steady rise and fall of his chest. Okay, he was still breathing at least. The room erupted into chaos as EMTs poured through the open door. They must have hidden the ambulance around the corner, she thought unnecessarily. Stabilizing his head, they went to work on the wound.
"Possible concussion."
"BP 105 over 68."
That sounded low to her. Come on, Jed. Come on now, please.
Finally, he groaned and his eyes fluttered open.
"He's coming around."
"Mister President?" Ron asked, bending over the prone figure of his boss.
"Mmm?"
"Jed?" Donna added. Couldn't hurt.
His eyes cleared a bit and he gathered her in his gaze. A smile curved his lips, drawing a matching grin from her.
"Pregnant," he mumbled.
The EMT's exchanged speculative glances before Ron's fierce expression propelled them back to work.
She didn't know what they would do now, but she knew she was not going anywhere. She loved him so much and he loved her and they had created life together. Life that was growing within her, life that was part of him, life that she loved already more than she ever could have imagined.
"We'll make this work somehow," he had said. "We'll make this work-"
Looking down at him as he slowly regained clarity, she knew that they would. They had to.
She couldn't contemplate anything else anymore.