"Josh?"
His eyes fluttered open and the first thing he was greeted with was Donna's glowing face. She had improved a hundred percent. Her cheeks had color, her hair was mussed from sleeping and her eyes were brighter than they had been all week.
Josh sat up in his chair. "Hi, you."
She managed a weak smile. "Hi. You should've gone home. Your back is probably killing you."
"How do you do that?"
Donna tilted her head. "What?"
"Worry about me when you're the one sitting in the hospital. You did it in Germany too."
"I worry. You don't take care of yourself."
"I do take care of myself."
"Josh!"
"Okay, I don't take care of myself. But you haven't been taking care of yourself, and I'm trying to do what you do, but you're way better at it than I am."
Donna's smile widened. "I'm way better at a lot of things."
Josh chuckled. "How are you feeling?"
"I'm okay. I feel horrible about what I did to every one more than anything. What I did to you." Her smile faded.
"Don't, Donna."
"Josh, I'm so sorry," she sobbed.
Josh stood up and wrapped his arms around her. "Don't worry about it. I'm just thrilled you're okay. And Stanley is a miracle worker. Look what he did for me."
Josh felt her laugh against his chest. He smiled and smoothed her hair out of her face.
"There's something I have to tell you."
Josh sat back and looked at her. "What?"
"There is a reason why I knew what was happening to you that Christmas, there's a reason why I went through what I went through."
Josh's eyebrows furrowed. "I know why you..."
"No, it isn't just because of the car bomb. There's more."
Josh just waited silently for her to continue.
"When I was sixteen my cousin, Lydia, and I would drive the dirt roads in Wisconsin for hours, at night especially. Well, one night we were with a couple of our guy friends and they brought beer. We were all drinking and swerving around the roads. It was Lydia's turn to drive. Well another car was on the road and Lydia decided that playing chicken sounded like a good idea. We were on a bridge when we collided with the car. I was immediately thrown from the car; I was the only one who wasn't wearing a seat belt. Turns out it saved my life, the other two cars went off the bridge and into the river." Donna was sobbing hard now. Josh just listened in horror. "It was horrible. I woke up in the hospital to find out that my friends; my cousin and the woman and child that we hit were all dead. They were all dead." She took a moment to try and compose herself. "I had a really bad reaction. It was PTSD and it was survivor's guilt. I was never the same after that. Here I am again and I'm the only survivor."
Josh wiped away the tears streaming down her cheeks. "You are so brave, Donnatella. You amaze me so much." He took a deep breath. "Did you tell Stanley this?"
"She doesn't have to."
Josh and Donna turned to see Stanley leaning in the doorway. "I'm sorry to eavesdrop."
Donna shrugged and Josh stood up and shook the man's hand.
"Well, Donna Moss, I think you just helped yourself a lot all by yourself. I'd still like to talk to you a little then I'm going to recommend a therapist for you."
Donna nodded.
"I'm going to go outside," Josh said as he kissed her on the forehead.
"Why don't you go home and take a shower. I just talked to the doctor's out there; she can go home when I give the okay. Go home take a shower, and then come pick her up and take her home, get some Chinese food and watch a movie. Something other than Die Hard, Josh."
He smiled sheepishly. "Is that an order?"
"Yes," Stanley affirmed.
"He's tough." He kissed her again. "I'll be back in an hour."
Josh's cell phone rang just as he left the hospital. "Hello?"
"How is she?"
"She's much better this morning," Josh replied. He heard Sam's sigh of relief. "She's talking with Stanley right now."
"I've been up all night worrying about her. When are they releasing her?"
"Stanley says they'll release her when he gives the okay. I'm going home to shower and then I'm coming back to pick her up, I hope."
"Excellent. Look if you two need anything, please let us know."
"Us?"
"Mallory, C.J. and Danny are sitting here with me. We're all a little shaken up."
"Yeah."
"Josh, I don't want to go back to my apartment," Donna said quietly.
"Do you want to stay with me?"
"Can I?"
"Of course."
"Josh, please think about it a moment, I've said some pretty horrible..."
"Donna, if we're giving out awards for that, then I'd win, so please don't think that I'm going to be mad at you...I mean, that Christmas you took me to the hospital and you stood there while the doctor gave me a shot and stitched my hand up. You brought my coat and you went home with me just to make sure that everything was okay. Don't think that you could ever do anything to make me turn my back on you, Donnatella Moss." Josh glanced at her as he drove to his apartment. He put his hand on her knee and squeezed it gently.
Donna slid her hand over his and squeezed back. He could feel her body shaking with tears. He didn't move his hand until they arrived at his apartment. He parked the car and helped her up to his apartment.
"Do you need anything?"
"Yeah, a job."
"About that, I can talk to someone in your..."
"No," Donna interrupted. "I can't go back there. I can't show my face there ever again."
"Donna," Josh started.
"No, Josh."
He relented. "Are you hungry?"
"A little."
"How about I order some pizzas and I'll call Sam, C.J., Toby and their significant other who have been worried sick about you, and have them over for dinner?" suggested Josh.
"Not tonight. Definitely tomorrow, but not tonight."
"Okay."
Donna wandered into Josh's bathroom and stared at her reflection. It was the first time in a week that she recognized herself in the mirror. She felt sick to her stomach still. She couldn't believe what she had done. She had ruined everything. She let out a long sigh.
"Donna?" Josh's voice was quiet on the other side.
"Yeah?"
"Do you need anything?"
She lowered her head. Her thoughts were weighed down with guilt and shame. "I'm fine," she said out loud.
"Okay, well I'll be out here if you need anything."
I need you, she thought to herself.
The next morning Donna woke up in Josh's bedroom. She had to memory of how she got there. She had fallen asleep on the couch with ever intention of sleeping there. Josh must've moved her. She felt around the other side of the bed. There was no one. She got up and slumped out into the living room and sure enough there was Josh sprawled out all over the couch.
She knelt down next to him. "Josh," she called.
He stirred immediately. "You okay?" he mumbled.
"I'm fine. What are you doing out here?"
"Sleeping," he yawned.
She rolled her eyes. "I can see that, but why aren't you in your bed."
"That's where you were."
"So?"
"I wasn't sure...I just decided to crash out here to give you your space." His eyes were still half closed.
"Josh, did I ruin everything?"
He opened his eyes and met her gaze. "No, why on earth would you think that?"
"I just feel like I messed everything up. You've had enough pain and suffering in your life you don't need me making matters worse. I mean, Josh, I got fired from my job, I yelled at you and said unforgivable things and I..."
"Donna, I yelled at the President, I yelled at you, I put my hand through a window. Shit happens!" he interjected.
Donna sat there for a moment and stared at him. "Stanley said that you and I are a match made in Heaven."
"Yeah?"
"He said that I definitely complete the complexities of you and you complete the simplicities of me. I wasn't sure what it meant, but he's probably right."
"You going to let me talk to your boss at OEOB?"
"No, I really don't want to go back there."
"Okay, okay. Do you want me to help you look for a job or just stay out of it?"
"I'm not sure."
"Donna, it's six o'clock in the morning. Is there anything you are sure of?"
"I love you," she whispered. "You asked me what I needed last night, I need you."
Josh pulled her onto him. Her body stretched over his. He lightly caressed her cheek and looked at her face. "I need you too."
Donna held her closed hand on his chest so he could see what she was doing. She opened her hand and the engagement ring and chain fell onto his chest. "I've been holding onto this since you gave it to me. I wanted to tell you over and over again that I love you and I want to marry you and that there is no one I would rather spend the rest of my life with. Things just seemed to get more and more complicated. I'm pretty sure that they're as bad as they're going to get. I love you and I need you in my life. I want to wake up with you next to me and I want you to whine that I designed our house too girly and that you hate our sons middle name and that if any of our children turn out to be a Republican you're blaming me." She took a deep breath. "Will you marry me, Joshua Lyman?"
Josh stared at her for a long moment and slowly a smug smile curved over his lips. His dimples were showing and his eyes were glistening with emotion. "Okay, but just as long as we're clear I asked first."
"That's not how I remember it."
"You've had the ring for months, Donnatella."
"Yes, but technically you never asked."
Josh grabbed the ring from her and slipped it on her finger before she could change her mind. She started to cry and not that he would ever admit it, but so did he. They pressed their lips together and kissed each other thoroughly.
"As much as I would love to continue this...we have to call my mother, she told me that if I didn't call her five minutes with in the engagement ring being put on that she would give me the spanking of my life."
Donna kissed down his neck. "How would she know?"
"Oh she'll know and she's not bluffing about the spanking either."
She giggled, her whole body shaking. "Then we'd better call her because if anyone is going to be spanking you, Joshua, it's going to be me."
Without changing their position Josh reached over to the coffee table and grabbed the phone.
"Mom? I know it's early but I just wanted to tell you..." he paused. "How do you do that?"
Donna raised an eyebrow. She watched Josh talk to his mother and soon he was off the phone. "She knew?"
"My mother scares me just a little bit."
"We should call my mother too, but I think I'm going to have to have a longer conversation with her."
"Yeah."
"Can we call her later?" Donna asked while she straddled him and pulled off her shirt.
Josh just stared at her bare breasts. "Later is good."
That night as Donna promised their friends came over. C.J. and Danny were the first to show. C.J. grabbed Donna and hugged her for a long time. They finally pulled apart.
"I'm sorry, I'm just really glad to see you doing so well," C.J. gushed.
Donna smiled. "Come in, the pizza will be here soon.
There was another knock at the door. Donna opened the door and on the other side was Toby and Sam.
"Hi, guys."
Sam smiled, "You look really good, Donna."
"You don't look so bad yourself, Mr. Seaborn. Come in, please." She held the door open for them. "Where is Andi and Mallory?"
"Andi apologizes she had to work late and she couldn't find a babysitter, so she decided to stay home. She wishes you a speedy recovering and she says that she'll call to do lunch some time soon."
"Yeah and Mallory is a little under the weather. She said to tell you that she'll call and invite herself to the lunch with you and Andi."
"Great!" Donna felt a pair of hands on her hips as if to steady her. She leaned back into Josh's embrace. She noticed that everyone in the room seemed to be staring at them, studying them.
"There's something different about the two of you," C.J. stated.
Danny was already smiling.
"What do you know that I don't know?"
Danny shrugged his shoulders but he gave Donna a knowing look.
"Different how?" Josh asked.
"You seem in sink, you've always been that way, but ever since the abortion clinic incident it's been off some how but now you seem like you've never been more in sink than you are right now."
"I don't know what to tell you, C.J.," Donna replied as she headed for the kitchen. "Would anyone like something to drink?"
They called out their drink orders and a few minutes later the pizza came. They gathered around the living room talking, laughing and telling stories.
"Seriously, something's different," C.J. claimed.
Josh looked down at Donna. She was wound in his arms, snuggled against his chest. "Something different?" he asked.
"I don't know." Donna reached her left hand up to hold Josh's making sure that he hand caught the light just right.
"Wow, that's some rock, Donna!" C.J. said smiling and then her smile grew wider. "That's what's different!" she exclaimed.
"Took you long enough," Toby muttered.
C.J. swatted him. "When?"
"This morning actually," Josh replied. "I want it to be made clear that I asked first."
"You did not ask, you gave the ring as a parting gift and then this morning I asked you."
"That's so romantic, but Donna, you have to leave the men something to do. Proposing is one of the last things they have."
"He'll make up for it plenty, don't worry."
"Hey, I don't like where this is leading."
"You're realize that in life we actually have very little control, Josh," Sam replied. "But congratulations anyway!"
Sam cell phone went off suddenly. He pulled it off of his hip and flipped it open. "Sam Seaborn. Mallory?" He listened carefully for a moment. "Slow down, I can't understand a word...no, no, I understood that. When did you? How did you? No, no."
Everyone watched Sam have a very tense conversation.
"I'll be there in a little bit. Just let me...yes, she's fine. She looks good. Her and Josh are engaged as of this morning. I will. Do you need anything? Okay, well just sit tight."
He closed the phone.
"Is Mallory okay?" asked Donna.
"I'm not quite sure. She's pregnant which explains why she's been sick a lot lately. Not in the mornings though. It's usually right before dinner. By the way she says congratulations."
"Sam?" C.J. asked.
"Yeah?"
"Mallory's pregnant?"
"Yeah, she got the confirmation from the doctor and six pregnancy tests."
Donna smiled and then frowned. "Can I be happy for you or..."
"I don't know. I haven't even had a chance to tell Mallory I love her and she's pregnant and oh my god, Leo is going to hunt me down and kill me."
Josh and Toby started laughing.
Donna and C.J. were just ooing and awing over the idea of a baby Seaborn.
"You should go talk with her," Donna suggested. "Tell her how you feel. You never want to wait to long for stuff like that." She leaned into Josh's touch as he squeezed her gently.
"Yeah, I should go."
"Sam, congratulations once the shock is over, okay, buddy?" Josh said smiling at his friend.
Sam waved and headed out.
The remaining five cleaned up and got their things together. Toby, C.J. and Danny said their good-byes and headed home.
Donna closed the door behind them. "We can never just have a normal gathering. Something always has to be happening, national emergencies, engagements, break ups, pregnancies and lord knows what else."
Josh pulled Donna into his arms. "Now that we've told people can we please set a date."
"Josh, we haven't told Leo or the President for that matter. He's going to be upset you didn't propose and that I had to do it."
"I knew that some how all this was going to end up my fault. Fine tomorrow you're coming to lunch and we're going to tell the President together and then you're going to sit down with me and plan a date to get married. Then we're going to talk about kids."
"Not until you're out of office."
"What kind of silly request is that? I'll never be out of office. Once the four years are up you know it will just be somebody else."
"Yes, but working in the White House is the biggest more important thing you'll ever do."
"Not more important than marrying you and certainly not more important that having children with you."
"You say that now, but look at Toby and his kids. Look at Leo and his marriage. The only reason why you and I work so well together with all of this is because I was there for the first six in a half years. I know what it is, what it means. No kids until after you're out of the White House."
"What if I get a job working for the next President?"
"Well cross that bridge when we get to it."
"You have an answer for everything don't you."
"Yes."
"You do realize that you wanted to wait for us to get together until after we were out of the White House?"
Donna rolled her eyes. "It doesn't matter. Today I'm saying that we should wait, tomorrow I may end up pregnant so just relax would you!"
"You're not going to end up pregnant tomorrow right?"
"I make no promises, but I'm pretty sure we're good."
"Excellent."
"Why are you so worried all of the sudden?"
"Because Leo's going to kill Sam for knocking up his daughter, well the President thinks of you like a daughter and so does Leo for that matter. I would be as dead as Sam!"
Donna smiled. She leaned in and kissed him tenderly. "You know what, just shut up and take me to bed."
His eyes fluttered open and the first thing he was greeted with was Donna's glowing face. She had improved a hundred percent. Her cheeks had color, her hair was mussed from sleeping and her eyes were brighter than they had been all week.
Josh sat up in his chair. "Hi, you."
She managed a weak smile. "Hi. You should've gone home. Your back is probably killing you."
"How do you do that?"
Donna tilted her head. "What?"
"Worry about me when you're the one sitting in the hospital. You did it in Germany too."
"I worry. You don't take care of yourself."
"I do take care of myself."
"Josh!"
"Okay, I don't take care of myself. But you haven't been taking care of yourself, and I'm trying to do what you do, but you're way better at it than I am."
Donna's smile widened. "I'm way better at a lot of things."
Josh chuckled. "How are you feeling?"
"I'm okay. I feel horrible about what I did to every one more than anything. What I did to you." Her smile faded.
"Don't, Donna."
"Josh, I'm so sorry," she sobbed.
Josh stood up and wrapped his arms around her. "Don't worry about it. I'm just thrilled you're okay. And Stanley is a miracle worker. Look what he did for me."
Josh felt her laugh against his chest. He smiled and smoothed her hair out of her face.
"There's something I have to tell you."
Josh sat back and looked at her. "What?"
"There is a reason why I knew what was happening to you that Christmas, there's a reason why I went through what I went through."
Josh's eyebrows furrowed. "I know why you..."
"No, it isn't just because of the car bomb. There's more."
Josh just waited silently for her to continue.
"When I was sixteen my cousin, Lydia, and I would drive the dirt roads in Wisconsin for hours, at night especially. Well, one night we were with a couple of our guy friends and they brought beer. We were all drinking and swerving around the roads. It was Lydia's turn to drive. Well another car was on the road and Lydia decided that playing chicken sounded like a good idea. We were on a bridge when we collided with the car. I was immediately thrown from the car; I was the only one who wasn't wearing a seat belt. Turns out it saved my life, the other two cars went off the bridge and into the river." Donna was sobbing hard now. Josh just listened in horror. "It was horrible. I woke up in the hospital to find out that my friends; my cousin and the woman and child that we hit were all dead. They were all dead." She took a moment to try and compose herself. "I had a really bad reaction. It was PTSD and it was survivor's guilt. I was never the same after that. Here I am again and I'm the only survivor."
Josh wiped away the tears streaming down her cheeks. "You are so brave, Donnatella. You amaze me so much." He took a deep breath. "Did you tell Stanley this?"
"She doesn't have to."
Josh and Donna turned to see Stanley leaning in the doorway. "I'm sorry to eavesdrop."
Donna shrugged and Josh stood up and shook the man's hand.
"Well, Donna Moss, I think you just helped yourself a lot all by yourself. I'd still like to talk to you a little then I'm going to recommend a therapist for you."
Donna nodded.
"I'm going to go outside," Josh said as he kissed her on the forehead.
"Why don't you go home and take a shower. I just talked to the doctor's out there; she can go home when I give the okay. Go home take a shower, and then come pick her up and take her home, get some Chinese food and watch a movie. Something other than Die Hard, Josh."
He smiled sheepishly. "Is that an order?"
"Yes," Stanley affirmed.
"He's tough." He kissed her again. "I'll be back in an hour."
Josh's cell phone rang just as he left the hospital. "Hello?"
"How is she?"
"She's much better this morning," Josh replied. He heard Sam's sigh of relief. "She's talking with Stanley right now."
"I've been up all night worrying about her. When are they releasing her?"
"Stanley says they'll release her when he gives the okay. I'm going home to shower and then I'm coming back to pick her up, I hope."
"Excellent. Look if you two need anything, please let us know."
"Us?"
"Mallory, C.J. and Danny are sitting here with me. We're all a little shaken up."
"Yeah."
"Josh, I don't want to go back to my apartment," Donna said quietly.
"Do you want to stay with me?"
"Can I?"
"Of course."
"Josh, please think about it a moment, I've said some pretty horrible..."
"Donna, if we're giving out awards for that, then I'd win, so please don't think that I'm going to be mad at you...I mean, that Christmas you took me to the hospital and you stood there while the doctor gave me a shot and stitched my hand up. You brought my coat and you went home with me just to make sure that everything was okay. Don't think that you could ever do anything to make me turn my back on you, Donnatella Moss." Josh glanced at her as he drove to his apartment. He put his hand on her knee and squeezed it gently.
Donna slid her hand over his and squeezed back. He could feel her body shaking with tears. He didn't move his hand until they arrived at his apartment. He parked the car and helped her up to his apartment.
"Do you need anything?"
"Yeah, a job."
"About that, I can talk to someone in your..."
"No," Donna interrupted. "I can't go back there. I can't show my face there ever again."
"Donna," Josh started.
"No, Josh."
He relented. "Are you hungry?"
"A little."
"How about I order some pizzas and I'll call Sam, C.J., Toby and their significant other who have been worried sick about you, and have them over for dinner?" suggested Josh.
"Not tonight. Definitely tomorrow, but not tonight."
"Okay."
Donna wandered into Josh's bathroom and stared at her reflection. It was the first time in a week that she recognized herself in the mirror. She felt sick to her stomach still. She couldn't believe what she had done. She had ruined everything. She let out a long sigh.
"Donna?" Josh's voice was quiet on the other side.
"Yeah?"
"Do you need anything?"
She lowered her head. Her thoughts were weighed down with guilt and shame. "I'm fine," she said out loud.
"Okay, well I'll be out here if you need anything."
I need you, she thought to herself.
The next morning Donna woke up in Josh's bedroom. She had to memory of how she got there. She had fallen asleep on the couch with ever intention of sleeping there. Josh must've moved her. She felt around the other side of the bed. There was no one. She got up and slumped out into the living room and sure enough there was Josh sprawled out all over the couch.
She knelt down next to him. "Josh," she called.
He stirred immediately. "You okay?" he mumbled.
"I'm fine. What are you doing out here?"
"Sleeping," he yawned.
She rolled her eyes. "I can see that, but why aren't you in your bed."
"That's where you were."
"So?"
"I wasn't sure...I just decided to crash out here to give you your space." His eyes were still half closed.
"Josh, did I ruin everything?"
He opened his eyes and met her gaze. "No, why on earth would you think that?"
"I just feel like I messed everything up. You've had enough pain and suffering in your life you don't need me making matters worse. I mean, Josh, I got fired from my job, I yelled at you and said unforgivable things and I..."
"Donna, I yelled at the President, I yelled at you, I put my hand through a window. Shit happens!" he interjected.
Donna sat there for a moment and stared at him. "Stanley said that you and I are a match made in Heaven."
"Yeah?"
"He said that I definitely complete the complexities of you and you complete the simplicities of me. I wasn't sure what it meant, but he's probably right."
"You going to let me talk to your boss at OEOB?"
"No, I really don't want to go back there."
"Okay, okay. Do you want me to help you look for a job or just stay out of it?"
"I'm not sure."
"Donna, it's six o'clock in the morning. Is there anything you are sure of?"
"I love you," she whispered. "You asked me what I needed last night, I need you."
Josh pulled her onto him. Her body stretched over his. He lightly caressed her cheek and looked at her face. "I need you too."
Donna held her closed hand on his chest so he could see what she was doing. She opened her hand and the engagement ring and chain fell onto his chest. "I've been holding onto this since you gave it to me. I wanted to tell you over and over again that I love you and I want to marry you and that there is no one I would rather spend the rest of my life with. Things just seemed to get more and more complicated. I'm pretty sure that they're as bad as they're going to get. I love you and I need you in my life. I want to wake up with you next to me and I want you to whine that I designed our house too girly and that you hate our sons middle name and that if any of our children turn out to be a Republican you're blaming me." She took a deep breath. "Will you marry me, Joshua Lyman?"
Josh stared at her for a long moment and slowly a smug smile curved over his lips. His dimples were showing and his eyes were glistening with emotion. "Okay, but just as long as we're clear I asked first."
"That's not how I remember it."
"You've had the ring for months, Donnatella."
"Yes, but technically you never asked."
Josh grabbed the ring from her and slipped it on her finger before she could change her mind. She started to cry and not that he would ever admit it, but so did he. They pressed their lips together and kissed each other thoroughly.
"As much as I would love to continue this...we have to call my mother, she told me that if I didn't call her five minutes with in the engagement ring being put on that she would give me the spanking of my life."
Donna kissed down his neck. "How would she know?"
"Oh she'll know and she's not bluffing about the spanking either."
She giggled, her whole body shaking. "Then we'd better call her because if anyone is going to be spanking you, Joshua, it's going to be me."
Without changing their position Josh reached over to the coffee table and grabbed the phone.
"Mom? I know it's early but I just wanted to tell you..." he paused. "How do you do that?"
Donna raised an eyebrow. She watched Josh talk to his mother and soon he was off the phone. "She knew?"
"My mother scares me just a little bit."
"We should call my mother too, but I think I'm going to have to have a longer conversation with her."
"Yeah."
"Can we call her later?" Donna asked while she straddled him and pulled off her shirt.
Josh just stared at her bare breasts. "Later is good."
That night as Donna promised their friends came over. C.J. and Danny were the first to show. C.J. grabbed Donna and hugged her for a long time. They finally pulled apart.
"I'm sorry, I'm just really glad to see you doing so well," C.J. gushed.
Donna smiled. "Come in, the pizza will be here soon.
There was another knock at the door. Donna opened the door and on the other side was Toby and Sam.
"Hi, guys."
Sam smiled, "You look really good, Donna."
"You don't look so bad yourself, Mr. Seaborn. Come in, please." She held the door open for them. "Where is Andi and Mallory?"
"Andi apologizes she had to work late and she couldn't find a babysitter, so she decided to stay home. She wishes you a speedy recovering and she says that she'll call to do lunch some time soon."
"Yeah and Mallory is a little under the weather. She said to tell you that she'll call and invite herself to the lunch with you and Andi."
"Great!" Donna felt a pair of hands on her hips as if to steady her. She leaned back into Josh's embrace. She noticed that everyone in the room seemed to be staring at them, studying them.
"There's something different about the two of you," C.J. stated.
Danny was already smiling.
"What do you know that I don't know?"
Danny shrugged his shoulders but he gave Donna a knowing look.
"Different how?" Josh asked.
"You seem in sink, you've always been that way, but ever since the abortion clinic incident it's been off some how but now you seem like you've never been more in sink than you are right now."
"I don't know what to tell you, C.J.," Donna replied as she headed for the kitchen. "Would anyone like something to drink?"
They called out their drink orders and a few minutes later the pizza came. They gathered around the living room talking, laughing and telling stories.
"Seriously, something's different," C.J. claimed.
Josh looked down at Donna. She was wound in his arms, snuggled against his chest. "Something different?" he asked.
"I don't know." Donna reached her left hand up to hold Josh's making sure that he hand caught the light just right.
"Wow, that's some rock, Donna!" C.J. said smiling and then her smile grew wider. "That's what's different!" she exclaimed.
"Took you long enough," Toby muttered.
C.J. swatted him. "When?"
"This morning actually," Josh replied. "I want it to be made clear that I asked first."
"You did not ask, you gave the ring as a parting gift and then this morning I asked you."
"That's so romantic, but Donna, you have to leave the men something to do. Proposing is one of the last things they have."
"He'll make up for it plenty, don't worry."
"Hey, I don't like where this is leading."
"You're realize that in life we actually have very little control, Josh," Sam replied. "But congratulations anyway!"
Sam cell phone went off suddenly. He pulled it off of his hip and flipped it open. "Sam Seaborn. Mallory?" He listened carefully for a moment. "Slow down, I can't understand a word...no, no, I understood that. When did you? How did you? No, no."
Everyone watched Sam have a very tense conversation.
"I'll be there in a little bit. Just let me...yes, she's fine. She looks good. Her and Josh are engaged as of this morning. I will. Do you need anything? Okay, well just sit tight."
He closed the phone.
"Is Mallory okay?" asked Donna.
"I'm not quite sure. She's pregnant which explains why she's been sick a lot lately. Not in the mornings though. It's usually right before dinner. By the way she says congratulations."
"Sam?" C.J. asked.
"Yeah?"
"Mallory's pregnant?"
"Yeah, she got the confirmation from the doctor and six pregnancy tests."
Donna smiled and then frowned. "Can I be happy for you or..."
"I don't know. I haven't even had a chance to tell Mallory I love her and she's pregnant and oh my god, Leo is going to hunt me down and kill me."
Josh and Toby started laughing.
Donna and C.J. were just ooing and awing over the idea of a baby Seaborn.
"You should go talk with her," Donna suggested. "Tell her how you feel. You never want to wait to long for stuff like that." She leaned into Josh's touch as he squeezed her gently.
"Yeah, I should go."
"Sam, congratulations once the shock is over, okay, buddy?" Josh said smiling at his friend.
Sam waved and headed out.
The remaining five cleaned up and got their things together. Toby, C.J. and Danny said their good-byes and headed home.
Donna closed the door behind them. "We can never just have a normal gathering. Something always has to be happening, national emergencies, engagements, break ups, pregnancies and lord knows what else."
Josh pulled Donna into his arms. "Now that we've told people can we please set a date."
"Josh, we haven't told Leo or the President for that matter. He's going to be upset you didn't propose and that I had to do it."
"I knew that some how all this was going to end up my fault. Fine tomorrow you're coming to lunch and we're going to tell the President together and then you're going to sit down with me and plan a date to get married. Then we're going to talk about kids."
"Not until you're out of office."
"What kind of silly request is that? I'll never be out of office. Once the four years are up you know it will just be somebody else."
"Yes, but working in the White House is the biggest more important thing you'll ever do."
"Not more important than marrying you and certainly not more important that having children with you."
"You say that now, but look at Toby and his kids. Look at Leo and his marriage. The only reason why you and I work so well together with all of this is because I was there for the first six in a half years. I know what it is, what it means. No kids until after you're out of the White House."
"What if I get a job working for the next President?"
"Well cross that bridge when we get to it."
"You have an answer for everything don't you."
"Yes."
"You do realize that you wanted to wait for us to get together until after we were out of the White House?"
Donna rolled her eyes. "It doesn't matter. Today I'm saying that we should wait, tomorrow I may end up pregnant so just relax would you!"
"You're not going to end up pregnant tomorrow right?"
"I make no promises, but I'm pretty sure we're good."
"Excellent."
"Why are you so worried all of the sudden?"
"Because Leo's going to kill Sam for knocking up his daughter, well the President thinks of you like a daughter and so does Leo for that matter. I would be as dead as Sam!"
Donna smiled. She leaned in and kissed him tenderly. "You know what, just shut up and take me to bed."