On The Road With Danny Concannon: OK - Oklahoma

Title: "Donna"

Companion Piece: Gaza 5.21

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7:30 AM DAY BEFORE THE EXPLOSTION

Maisy swiveled around in her chair as she grabbed the fax from the machine, talking to Danny with her headset phone, she brought her eyes to her computer again.

"You're like my dad." She said in mid-sentence setting the fax next to her and checking something on her desktop.

"Thanks, Maisy." Danny didn't like the sound of that as he waited impatiently for her to gather the information he needed.

"I mean my uncle." Maisy looked over the fax for a moment.

"Not helping..."

"Cause you're not old enough to be my dad, but technically you could be..." Maisy reached her arm back toward the fax and set it at the top of the machine.

"Please stop... You're acting your age." Danny leaned against the countertop of the Kinko's chain.

"Okay, I'm sending the fax now." Maisy hit the fax button, sliding her chair back to the computer, looking down on the screen under her purple glasses.

"Good."

"You're to meet a Jared in Wyoming on Friday. "

"Check."

"It's all in the fax. This fax isn't going to self destruct in like five minutes, is it?"

"No."

"Cause I'm getting this mission impossible feeling here. You're not going to start talking into your shoe next, are you?"

"No and that's Get Smart."

"I know. I'm talking about "a milieu in general."

"How do you know Get Smart?"

"I watch Nick at Night."

"Okay I just felt old at that comment."

"Glad I could help boss."

"Okay, I'm going."

4:06 PM THE AFTERNOON BEFORE THE EXPLOSTION

Danny was confused as his eyes adjusted to the light and the TV turned on to the last channel the TV had been on: CNN. His eyes opened in horror as he saw Donna's face on the news. "Oh my god." Danny spoke to himself as he looked at the graphic on the television listing the dead and the wounded.

AN HOUR LATER

"You got to get me out of here!" Danny yelled into his cell phone as he paced along the dirt airstrip. 'There are no flights going in and out of here?"

"No. I'm looking and I don't see any, Danny." Maisy spoke into the phone as she roamed the Internet for Danny, her face covered by her computer. "I can get you a flight out of Tulsa to Texas and then from Texas to JFK and from there you'll have to wait or take a train from Penn."

"How am I supposed to get to Tulsa!"

"Well, how did you get there?"

"I took a private charter service." Danny looked over at a man pondering over a steaming engine.

"So take it back."

"The plane's not working." Danny still looked at the plane.

"Then take another one."

"The plane'snot working."

"Bummer."

"Any news?" he grumbled at her attempt at humor.

"No. No new information, just the three dead. The rest have been taken to area hospitals and will probably we transferred form there to a military hospital in Germany."

"Any news on Donna. Donna Moss. Donnatella Moss."

"No."

"Damn it." Danny said to himself and ran his hand over his head and through his hair. He thought of what Toby and Josh were going through and how he would feel if it was C.J. He thought of Donna.

"They were there-"

"The CODEL-yeah, yeah I know. I got some of it before we lost CNN. I didn't know she was...that was set up a long time ago-listen, you have to get me out of here?"

"I'm trying. Flight travel has been slowed down for the moment. It's harder to get a flight out. Things are cracking down. I may not even be able to get you into DC. Even by train. Do you want me to call?

"Try if you can, I can't get through; let me know if they make anymore statements."

"I will. Wait, she's doing a Press Conference. Hold on. I'll patch it through.

A FEW HOURS LATER

"I'm trying Danny. There is no real information. I think The White House is getting more information from CNN." Maisy tried to calm him down.

"I just need to get out of here. I called a cab hours ago."

"Nothing?"

"Except dust." Danny kicked up some dust from under him.

"If you can get to Tulsa, I can help you Danny. That's it. Get to Tulsa."

"Okay, I'll work on getting to Tulsa. Call me back in an hour. An hour."

"Yeah." Maisy was sick of him telling her that.

Danny hit the end button and dialed the White House. As he thought, the signal was busy. Danny looked down at his phone as he saw the service button flip. A wind blew in and the connection read: No service.

"AHH!" Danny yelled to the heavens. He paced for a moment, but he couldn't get the mood away from him.

TWENTY MINS LATER

Danny walked into the yellow-filled diner letting the shade and florescent light hit him. Of course the pay phone out front was out of order. He hoped someone inside could help him out.

"Hey." Danny spoke, catching eyes with the nice old man behind the counter.

"Hey." The man said back.

Danny took a breath, took off his baseball hat, and wiped the sweat off his brow with his forearm.

"How ya doing?"

"Good. How can I help you?"

"Yeah, I ordered a cab and it was supposed to be here about an hour ago..."

"You call Stardust cabs?"

"Yeah."

"'Cause they're the only cab company around here."

"Then that would be the one I called."

"Well..." The man looked at his watch. "He's probably on his break. Unless of course his wife goes into labor."

"Labor?"

'Yeah, then who knows how long it'll take'um."

"Great." Danny said to himself.

"Can I get you somethin'?"

"Yeah, I'll have a cup of coffee."

Danny looked around and saw he really didn't need to look for a seat.

"Hey, he called back to the man."I can't seem to get reception on my phone." He motioned toward his cell.

"Yeah, it comes and goes around here." And he walked away.

"Great, comes and goes." Danny made his way to a table.

THAT NIGHT

He hit the cool blue-black night sky filled with so many stars a man could actually see with only one light above the porch. Danny stepped off the porch with a large step and bingo, all his power cells were full and he had reception. Danny's face filled with glee and he knew the first person he would call. The same person he had been trying before he lost everything. Almost twelve hours out of communication with the world there was only one person you would call.

CJ walked out of the cacophony of noise so deafening she wasn't sure why she wasn't half deaf already. She was followed by a whole entourage of people, including Carol, all giving her information and or taking it away as she read and responded. Her cell phone rang and CJ instructed Carol to fish it out of her pocket. It wasn't supposed to be there anyway, but somehow it was.

"It's Danny." Carol told her. CJ was a little embarrassed that Carol had found Danny on her private line.

"I don't have time for Danny now." She looked at three men. "I'm going to need this updated every hour." She handed the middleman a folder and all, but Carol, walked off.

"He says he won't go away until he talks to you." Carol held her hand over the receiver.

"What does he want?" She snarled in her stress haze.

"He wants to know about Donna. What do I tell him?" Carol didn't know what she was able to say. CJ's face turned from stoic to full of emotion for Donna and Danny's feelings as she heard Donna's name. Danny was always different for many reasons one of which was how close they had all gotten on the campaign.

"Give it to me." She motioned with her hand and Carol handed over the phone.

"Danny?" CJ asked walking away from Carol and down the hallway toward her office.

"How's Donna?" Danny yelled into the phone desperately. "What's going on CJ? What the hell is going on?"

"Danny, Danny." She calmed him with her soft voice. "Calm down, Calm down. She's fine for now. She's fine."

"I'm sorry—I've been out of communication with the world all-she's fine?"

"Not, fine, but she's alive."

"Stable?"

"Punctured lung, broken leg—she's being watched for blood clots. Josh's with her in Germany."

"Good. Good."

"She's lucky to be alive." CJ turned around a corner and suddenly she was alone, for the moment. She leaned up against the wall and ran her hand over her forehead.

"How's Josh?"

"Not good. Leo sent him to Germany. He was no good here. You should call him."

"I didn't want to upset him. I thought getting in touch with you was a better idea."

"I'm sure you would." She semi smirked and took a breath.

"Yeah, well I should go. Let you get back to work. I'm glad Donna's alright. I'm sorry about Fitz. I really am." Danny lowered his head.

"We all are. Everyone. About Everything." CJ was masking her feelings with short sharp sentences.

"He was a great man CJ."

"Yes, yes he was."

"I didn't know the senators, did you?"

"No." She said with full emotion as the day's events hit her.

"Andy?"

"Yeah, she's great." CJ smiled through her tears.

"How are you?"

"I'm getting by." She said with sarcasm. Danny knew what she really meant. He always knew what she really meant.

"Yeah, well..." It was all of a sudden awkward between them. "If you need to talk CJ."

"I know who to call." She smiled.

"I'll see you soon CJ." He said trying to be optimistic.

The whole conversation had so much underneath it yet little was said. It was the past and future that they we're afraid of. They're relationship had grown and they're feelings now really known to themselves, which ironically enough may have made their emotions retreat into themselves. Danny particularly didn't know what he should do, knowing he'd have to do it for the next three years. CJ was still just peaking out of her state of denial and looking for her shadow.

"Yeah." And Danny and CJ hung up the phone. She caught site of Toby in his office and took a moment before taking a few steps into view of Donna's empty desk and Josh's empty office. It got her thinking.

"CJ, Leo needs you in his office." Carol called to CJ.

"I'm on my way." She turned to Carol. "Take this." She threw her cell to Carol who caught it. She turned back around and walked only to turn back to Carol. "Carol, is The President back?"

"No, he's still at the Admirals house."

"Yeah." CJ had a said look to her lips and eyes. "Yeah." It was so hard to believe the kind, strong sailor was gone. Danny was right he was a great man.

In the same town in Oklahoma Danny nodded his head thanking the man in the truck that was kind enough to offer him a ride in the starlit night.

THE NEXT DAY

Danny sat on the commercial jet plane with his laptop in his lap as a flight attended walked past. He hit his outbox and began to finish a letter he had started.

To: Joshlyman whitehouse .gov

From:

Josh,

My prayers are with Donna. I'm sure you're going through hell. Just know I'm here for you. We are all here for you.

Yours,

Danny.