"$6.50 for a cup of coffee, it never ceases to amaze me," Bobby Harrington mused as he looked over his menu.
"The vast amount of money that we're willing to spend on breakfast beverages?" Josh asked.
"No, the minuscule amounts that legitimate businesses charge for chemical stimulants compared to your neighborhood dealer."
"Yeah but cocaine will kill you while coffee just gives you the energy to think you want to kill someone. It's not really a drug that way."
"My definition of a drug is something that your body physically needs to function. You're telling me you could make it through a day without any form of caffeine?"
"I'd sooner vote Republican than live without caffeine but I'm an addict; denial is an art with which we are well-versed."
"And the government of Columbia thanks the Lord every day for that rationale." He cracked a smile as he set his menu down. "But enough about legal addictive substances. Let's talk shop."
"Oh please, let us commence with the talking of the shop," Josh said in a mock groan. He and Bobby were good friends and shared many things in common but the issue that they had to discuss today was bound to cause some minor discontent.
"Patricia McNamara," Bobby began solemnly, "suffered a debilitating stroke ten years ago. She lost her ability to speak, walk, use of her right side, and, in general, the ability to care for herself. She can no longer swallow so she has a feeding tube inserted into her stomach to provide nutritional supplements that she needs to survive. Last week, her husband, who has been living with another woman during seven of the ten years his wife has been incapacitated and stands to inherit about half a million dollars upon Patricia's death, was recently granted the right to have her feeding tube removed from the State Supreme Court of--"
"Connecticut. And Bobby, I know all of the details of the case. I wouldn't be doing my job properly if I didn't," Josh informed him, slightly perturbed.
"Dan and Frances Wheeling, Patricia's parents, and her sisters have been contesting Mr. McNamara's claims that it was her wish to not be kept alive by extraordinary measures," Bobby continued, unhindered in his efforts to get his point across. "It gets complicated in the courts because--"
"Patricia didn't leave a living will or express any such wishes to her parents and siblings," Josh finished. "The courts had to decide if there was any hope for Patricia to make a meaningful recovery and after six years of hearings and countless medical experts, they felt there wasn't. End of discussion."
"You would think," Bobby challenged. "Except for the fact that many individuals, myself included, feel the decision was inhumane and wrong. It would take anywhere from five to fourteen days for Patricia to die without the aid of the feeding tube, not to mention the fact that George McNamara had no legitimate proof that this is what his wife wanted."
"But legally he holds her medical power of attorney, which gives him the right to make decisions regarding his wife's care in a situation where she can't. Unfortunately, her parents have no legal standing in this matter."
"What about a moral standing? They were her parents; if anyone knew what her beliefs and wants were, wouldn't you think it would be them?"
"How is it the moral thing, how is it the humane thing, to keep a woman in a permanent vegetative state alive?"
"So we let all of those in society that need help with everyday life just wither away as if they didn't matter as much as the rest of us? Where is the--"
"Bobby, Bobby listen to me," Josh broke in, holding up a hand. Things were starting to get heated and it would be the press's wet dream to see two upstanding public servants engaged in a shouting match in a restaurant. "Look, we're talking in circles here. We both know where we stand on this. What is it we're meeting here for?"
Bobby avoided looking at him as he took a sip of his legal addictive stimulant. "There's been an exchange of dialogue through the back channels," he finally said. "Officially, I am here representing the House Committee on Ethical Medical Practices to ask you to release a statement on behalf of your constituents offering the thoughts and prayers of the people of Connecticut to Patricia McNamara and her family."
Josh nodded slowly. "And unofficially?" he asked, already predicting the answer.
Bobby leaned forward and in a low voice replied, "Hoynes wants you to appeal to the Governor to step in."
Josh chuckled mirthlessly and leaned back in his chair. He glanced around the restaurant and scratched at the back of his head. "Hoynes wants my help on what will undoubtedly be a controversial topic for the entire country," he considered out loud. He looked curiously at his friend. "How'd you get mixed up in this?"
Bobby shrugged casually. "I'm on the Committee, I copied off the Secretary of Health and Human Services in college, and I'm one of the only four members of Congress that you trust."
"That's it?"
"No, I'm also getting the federal funds I need for the after school program initiatives in Atlanta that I campaigned on."
Josh smirked knowingly. "So in essence, Hoynes bribed you to talk to me."
"Well you're popular, in your state and nationally. The press likes you, other Congressmen and women follow your lead; he can't afford to ask you this himself. As for me, not all of us have national name recognition and a fifty-eight percent approval rating."
"Hey, it's not my fault that the people love me," he defended himself with a smile.
"Plus, I really do think that the Governor needs to intervene in this case," Bobby added seriously. "Pro-life, pro-euthanasia, I don't care; there's just too many unanswered questions here for my taste." The two were silent for a couple of minutes as Josh mulled the situation over in his head. "So," Bobby finally said, "what do you think?"
"I think," Josh answered slowly, "that if Hoynes wants the Governor of Connecticut to do something, he's going to need to ask the Governor of Connecticut himself."
Bobby nodded pensively. "You sure?"
"Yeah," Josh replied determinedly. "Yeah I am. The government doesn't have a right to force a person to live against their will when there's no hope of a recovery left. It's not what we're here to do."
"I've been instructed to tell you, that if that was your answer, that there would be repercussions," Bobby admitted grudgingly.
"From which side?" Josh asked, frowning. Blackmail and dirty politics held no appeal for him and he loathed those who engaged in them.
"From every which way," Bobby replied with a half smile. "Fund removals, canceled meetings, vetoes. You name it, they'll do it. Hoynes has publicly spoken out against euthanasia. He can't afford for this to get any more exposure. He wants a resolution on this quickly and he wants it to work for him."
"And he doesn't care about prolonging an innocent woman's suffering?" Josh stated tartly.
"He's down in the polls Josh," Bobby tried to appeal to him. "When asked who they'd vote for in the upcoming election, President Hoynes or a Republican challenger, six out of ten people said they want the GOP conducting their meetings in the Oval Office. He's weak and he's scared right now. He needs a win and he thinks he can get it with this."
"Well you can tell President Hoynes that I'd sooner vote Reagan back into office than allow him to use someone's personal tragedy for political gain," Josh declared heatedly. "He wasn't elected to do what is popular, he was elected to do what's right and this is not it!"
"So you'll fall on the sword of nobility for this one," Bobby said simply. "Just because it's what you think is 'right'?"
"Damn right I will!" Josh whispered passionately. "And anyone who has a problem with that can challenge me to a dual right on the Capitol steps."
"Well they could but they'll have to get through me before they get to you," Bobby said, winking."
That threw Josh off a bit. "Huh?"
"The way I see it, only one of us is going to get to be president one day," Bobby whispered conspiratorially. "And call me crazy but that person isn't me. So until that day comes, I've got your back; no one's going to get the best of Senator Lyman if Congressman Harrington has anything to say about."
Josh leaned back in his chair and fixed Bobby with an appreciative gaze. They hadn't known each other that long compared to some of Josh's other close friends. The two had met a few years ago, back when President Bartlet was still in office, when Josh was trying to get Bobby to back off a proposed piece of legislation during the re-election campaign. Since that time, Josh had married Donna and gained his two daughters while Bobby, unfortunately, had lost his teenaged daughter, Sondra. He still had his wife, Helen, and their two sons, Mike and Freddie, but the loss still affected him. Josh was always silently thankful whenever he was at the Harrington's house, where pictures of Sondra still graced the walls, for how blessed he was with his family. 'Family,' Josh thought idly. 'Family…Helen…Donna…'
"Oh shit!" he exclaimed under his breath, reaching for his wallet to pay for his share of the meal.
"What is it?" Bobby asked curiously.
"The ultrasound, it's today and I'm late," Josh shot out, hastily getting up.
"Oh man you are dead," Bobby cringed as he followed Josh. "You're gonna find out the sex today, right?"
"That's the plan," Josh replied as he went to get his coat from the desk. "And just so you know, I'm gonna find a way to blame this on you."
"Me? What the hell did I do?"
"I'm not sure yet but I'll figure it out on my way there." With that, Josh began dashing out towards his car, throwing it into gear once he got in and breaking a couple of speeding limits as he blazed across DC towards Helen's office. He sped into the first spot he could find, locked the car, and made a run for the stairs. He wasn't a young man anymore and he rarely ran for competition but if someone had timed him as he raced up the five flights of stairs, he probably came close to qualifying for the Olympic team.
When he finally got to Helen's floor, he paused for no more than a beat to catch his breath before setting off for Helen's office door. He threw it open and upon seeing a partially filled waiting room, he began to briskly walk towards the receptionist's desk. "Donna," he sucked in a couple of breaths, "Lyman. I'm her husband."
The middle-aged woman looked over him sympathetically. "Mrs. Lyman hasn't checked in yet Senator," the woman informed him.
'What?!' his mind screamed. "What?" he said more calmly.
"Your wife called ahead and said she was running a little late. She rescheduled the appointment for 10:30 am, so I imagine she'll be here momentarily." The receptionist reached down under her desk and produced a bottle of water. "Thirsty?" she offered him.
Sheepishly, he took the beverage and went to find an empty seat. No sooner had he sat down than the door opened and Donna calmly strode into the office. She smiled politely at the receptionist as she signed in on the clipboard before turning to find her husband already there. "Josh!" she exclaimed, surprised. She took in his tired appearance and suppressed the urge to laugh. "I left a message on your voicemail."
"I ran," he whined plaintively. "I ran up all those steps!"
Chuckling, she walked over to him and dropped a chaste kiss on his lips. "I'm sorry," she tried to apologize. "I figured your meeting would run long and I got caught up on the phone with Lily."
"I could've had a heart attack, you know. You could've been in that delivery room all alone in a few months."
"Well, praise the Lord, you survived," she said sarcastically as she lowered herself into the chair next to him. He immediately reached over to help steady her. "Thank you."
"Welcome. So what did Lily want?"
"She wants me in New York next week for the launch party," Donna replied. The launch party she was referring to was for the magazine, Woman, for which she was a columnist. The editor, Lily Irving, was one of Donna's oldest friends and they'd been working for months to get the magazine just right before it was published.
"Do you want us to go?" Josh asked, casually leafing through a two year-old magazine he'd found on the coffee table. "I don't think I have anything earth shattering next week."
"I can't," Donna moaned as she massaged the back of her neck. "We have to go to the interview for Natalie's preschool, and Emma has a dentist appointment that day."
"We can reschedule the interview," Josh offered, knowing how much Donna would want to be part of the celebration in New York. She'd worked her ass off for almost a year and she deserved to be recognized for it. "And someone else can take Emma."
"Yeah but Emma also has a bake sale at school coming up, and Nicole and Toby are coming back from Seattle this week and the house is a mess," Donna listed wearily, growing tired just thinking about it.
"You really should not be doing that much, Donna," Josh told her point blank. "It's not good for you or the baby."
"The only reason it's a little hard on me is because your child is exceptionally huge," she rebutted, rubbing her large stomach. She was nearly five months along now but she looked almost like she could give birth tomorrow. She had only gained about twenty pounds or so with Natalie but already, with this baby, she had gained thirty.
"All the more reason we should look into hiring a nan--"
"No Josh," she cut him off.
"It's not that big of a deal, Donna."
"I said no, Joshua," she repeated sternly, fixing him with a glare.
He rolled his eyes, taking one of her hands. "It's not going to make you like one of them," he whispered in her ear. "You won't be one of those moms that let's the nanny do everything. It doesn't make you any less of a mother to know when you need some help."
"I know that it wouldn't, Josh, but I don't need help raising my children," she told him confidently.
"Our children," he reminded her gently, "and I'm not saying we need help raising them, we just need help with some of the everyday things."
"I can do it," she asserted, "I can take care of all three of our children, have a career, support you--"
"Run two houses, drive carpool, be a Room Mother, attend various Congressional functions, travel back and forth between here and New York, throw dinner parties and luncheons, breastfeed, and still find time to shower?" Josh questioned, raising his eyebrows. He watched her face visibly blanch as he went through is list. He patted her knee reassuringly. "It's not just you, Donna; I can think of no one who could do all of that without some form of help." He saw she still wore her stubborn face, despite what he'd said, and he decided to end it. "Will you just think about it some more?"
She sighed dejectedly. "Yes," she finally said. Before they could say anything else, the receptionist called out Donna's name. She struggled to rise out of the chair. "Help," she asked Josh. He reached around and helped her steady her balance as she rose. "Thank you."
"Anytime," he said as he followed her back into the patient area. They were led to a room and Donna was handed the standard gown. She went into the small bathroom to change and Josh was left to explore the examining room. It looked similar to the ones he'd been in when Donna was pregnant with Natalie. There was really little he could do but sit down on one of the stools but being Josh, he found something that grabbed his interest; a small model of fetal development sat on a table near the door. He walked over and picked it up, inspecting it from all angles, wondering what stage exactly his child was at. As he continued his examination, the main door opened, surprising Josh and causing him to drop the small model to the linoleum floor.
Standing in the doorway, Dr. Helen Harrington shook her head with a smile. "How did I know that leaving you alone in a doctor's office was going to cause this?" she said laughingly.
"Because it's me," Josh admitted, smiling tightly as he picked up the scattered pieces and placed them unceremoniously back on the table.
"Helen?" Donna called from the bathroom. "What did he break?"
"Nothing expensive," Helen assured her, going over to prep the ultrasound machine. She pointed to Josh, then the stool. "Sit. Don't move."
"Yes ma'am," he mumbled, feeling very much like a schoolboy being scolded as he sat down.
Donna came out of the bathroom then, fully changed and walking quickly in her bare feet towards the table. Josh helped her up and couldn't help smiling widely when he saw her exposed stomach through the cut of her gown.
"Okay let's get the preliminaries out of the way," Helen said, opening Donna's file up and poising her pen over the paper. "How do you feel?"
"Enormous," she quipped, patting her stomach lightly. "But other than that, fine."
"Any cramping, bleeding, dizziness…?"
"None. I'm so grateful morning sickness doesn't last past the first trimester for me."
"Well don't say that around some of my other patients, or they're likely to claw your eyes out," Helen joked as she put her stethoscope on to check Donna's heartbeat and breathing. When she was done, she pulled out the blood pressure cuff and wrapped it around Donna's arm. "Feel any movement yet?"
"A little bit the past couple of nights," Donna answered, grimacing slightly as the cuff tightened. "Is that okay? I remember feeling more at this point with Emma and Natalie."
"The baby looks a little large and large babies don't always move as much, not enough room." She made a notation in the file. "Okay, can you step on the scale?" Donna did just that and Helen recorded her weight promptly.
"Oh my God!" Donna groaned loudly. "160? I weighed 157 two days ago!"
"Little known fact to most people, but women actually gain weight during their pregnancies," Helen teased her. "It's perfectly normal to gain as much as 40 pounds or more in most pregnancies." Donna groaned in despair as she heaved herself back onto the table.
"Why can't I be like those fashion model mothers who only gain 10 pounds in the whole pregnancy but still have a gorgeous, healthy baby?" Donna lamented as she lay back down.
"Well maybe you can't be like them in that way," Josh offered, taking her hand. "But you can be like them in the sense that they have personal assistance in caring for their children."
"Absolutely not," she smirked at him.
Josh turned to Helen, who was wheeling the ultrasound machine near the table. "Helen, can you explain to my wife that our children will still have a healthy relationship with her if we hire a nanny?"
"Helen, can you explain to my husband that I'm thoroughly capable of managing my family, my career, and my duties as a Senator's wife without the help of a stranger?"
"Helen, can you explain to my wife that--"
"How about you two shut up for a minute so I can show you your baby's picture?" Helen asked, smiling as she shook the tube of conductive jelly thoroughly before squeezing some of the cold liquid gel on Donna's round stomach. She flinched slightly from the feel of it but settled down as Helen placed the transducer on her stomach. Helen fiddled with a couple of dials on the machine and within seconds, the familiar *WHOOSH* *WHOOSH* sound filled the room and a silhouetted, fuzzy image appeared on the screen. It wasn't especially big but you could make out the body outline and if you looked closely enough, you could make out the flickering light that represented their child's heartbeat
"Oh," Donna sighed happily, squeezing Josh's hand and giving him a bright smile, which he promptly returned. "Listen to that," she whispered breathily. "That's our baby in there."
"I would hope it's not someone else's," he teased her, bringing her hand to his mouth and kissing her knuckles. He listened to the steady, pulsating rhythm with rapt attention, completely enthralled that it was his child producing that sound. He remembered when he'd first heard that sound with Natalie, when the doctor had pointed out her tiny beating heart on the monitor. He'd never known that something that simple, something that fundamental to life, could be so beautiful. He wasn't ashamed to admit that more than one tear of joy had fallen down his cheek that day, but that didn't compare at all with what he did once she was actually born.
"Can you tell yet, if it's a boy or a girl?" Donna asked Helen, pulling Josh back from his daydreams.
She looked at them both curiously. "You sure you want to know?"
Donna looked quickly at Josh, who shrugged casually. He honestly didn't care either way, so long as the baby was healthy, but Donna seemed to really want to know this time so he went along with it. "Definitely," she grinned.
"Okay, just give me a sec," Helen said, looking carefully at the picture. She pursed her lips and squinted slightly at the screen, looking for some telltale sign of gender. Finally, she looked over at them and smiled. "Well Josh, you think you can handle being a father to three daughters?"
"It's a girl?" Donna asked, a little surprised but happy. "You're sure?"
"About 95%, give or take," she nodded firmly. There was a movement of shadows on the screen and Donna gasped a little. Helen smirked knowingly. "And she apparently does not like to sit still. Center of attention, this one."
"Oh yeah, definitely Josh's child," Donna theorized, quirking her eyebrows up at him. He just rolled his eyes at her and turned his attention back to the screen. Donna turned back to Helen. "She's healthy though, right? Everything's fine?" she asked, slightly apprehensive.
"She looks just fine," Helen assured her. Josh and Donna collectively breathed an inner sigh of relief and continued to watch their newest daughter entertain them. "Were you guys hoping for a boy this time?"
"Nah," Josh shook his head as he bent his head down towards Donna's stomach, as if he were speaking to it. "I love being surrounded by my women."
"You just love being surrounded by any women," she giggled at him playfully as she stroked his hair. "I don't think I was partial either way but I really thought this one was going to be a boy," Donna admitted. "Because this baby's larger than the girls were at this stage." She turned back to Josh. "Maybe she just inherited your massive ego and that's what taken up so much space in my womb." Neither of them noticed as Helen moved the transducer, searching out a different angle on Donna's stomach.
"You're saying the ego is bad thing to inherit from me? That my child should not be allowed to feel completely superior to almost anyone she meets as I think she should?" Josh bantered with her.
"No, she shouldn't," Donna stated.
"Why not?"
"Because as your assistant, a good portion of my day was spent writing and sending apology notes to those you deemed less superior to yourself. I'm going to be busy enough in my life without having to do that for a kinder--"
"I'll be damned," Helen said in a hushed tone, staring keenly at the screen.
Immediately, Josh and Donna ceased their semi-squabbling and focused all of their attention on the doctor. "What?" Donna finally asked hurriedly, tightening her grip on Josh's hand. "What is it?"
"Is something wro…wrong?" Josh added his own fears in, mentally steeling himself for something bad.
Helen looked at them and did a double take, not realizing for a second that she'd said that out loud. "Oh nothing, nothing," she rushed to reassure them. "Nothing's wrong at all."
"The baby's okay?" Donna asked again for clarification as she felt her heart rate even out.
"Mm-hmm," Helen nodded, grinning broadly at the pair.
"Then what was the, 'I'll be damned' for?" Josh questioned as he rubbed Donna's knuckles to relax her.
Helen cleared her throat and pointed to the screen. "Well, uh, remember how you were complaining that the baby was pretty big?"
"Yeah," Donna drawled, not understanding where Helen was going.
"I was looking at the picture here and to be honest, she isn't all that big. She's actually a little small for this far along in the pregnancy." She pointed to a bulbous ball of shadow on the screen. "She just seemed big because her brother or sister was hiding right behind her."
"Oh," Josh said as if he understood perfectly, nodding his comprehension. After a couple of beats he stopped. "I'm sorry?" he asked, gazing blankly at Helen. But he was still better than Donna, who was just staring in astonishment at the new image.
Helen had to chuckle a little when she saw the picture of disbelief they presented. "It's twins," she finally clued them in. "You're having twins!"
"Oh my God," Donna said again, bringing a hand to her mouth as she watched her babies, both of her babies, on the screen. She looked over at Josh, who was continuing to stare at Helen with uncomprehending eyes. "Josh…Josh," she called for him as the news sunk in. He acted as though he didn't hear her so she punched his shoulder to grab his attention.
"Oww!" he yelped, grabbing his bicep in pain. His eyes met with Donna's as he rubbed his injured arm and in them he could see tears beginning to pool behind the glowing sapphire blue. His eye flickered back and forth between Donna's face and the babies. When he finally settled on her, he took a shaky breath in before he whispered in wonder, "Twins?" She nodded, smiling brightly behind her hand. "Twins?" he repeated, a smile incrementally growing on his face. She nodded even harder than before as the excited giggles overtook her. "Twins!" he cried out reaching for her, pulling her face towards his. He kissed her all over her face as the happy tears strode down her face. "I love you," he managed to murmur into her ear, leaning his forehead against hers.
"I love you too," she said, turning her head to watch in fascination as from the new angle of the ultrasound, she could now clearly she both of her children's shapes. 'Look at them,' she thought. 'There's two of them; two perfect tiny people inside of me right now.' She glances up at Helen, who's stepped aside to give Josh and Donna a minute to themselves. "The other baby's fine too, right?"
"Definitely," she nodded.
"Can you tell the sex? Are they identical?"
"We can't determine if their identical or not from just an ultrasound," Helen informed them. "You'd have to have an amniocentesis for that. It's a fairly simple procedure; we insert a needle into the womb and take fluid from both the amniotic sacs. As for the gender, this one seems a littler shyer than your daughter but we'll be able to determine that with amnio."
"So she should definitely have it?" Josh theorized.
"I'd say yes," Helen recommended. "Any pregnancy resulting in multiple births is usually categorized as high-risk and I like to do the amnio to check for any birth defects that we can't detect from the ultrasound. But you're young, Donna, you haven't been on any infertility medication that can increase the chances for that, you've had successful pregnancies in the past, and everything appears normal right now so the amnio should just be a formality." She pressed a couple of buttons on the machine and the sound of paper being printed emerged. "Here's something for the baby books," she said handing them a printout of the screen image. Josh immediately took it before Donna could lift her hand and continued his study of his two new children. Helen simply patted his shoulder as she passed him to drop a kiss on Donna's cheek. "You're all set, just schedule your next appointment on the way out. We'll talk more about the amnio then."
"Okay," Donna said, giving her a hug. "You guys coming for dinner on Saturday?"
"Wouldn't miss it." She glanced over at the oblivious Josh, still lost in his wonderings. "Congratulations Dad," she whispered to him as she left the room.
"What…oh thanks Helen," he called out distractedly, finally tearing himself away from the picture. He propped his chin in his hand and smiled at his wife. "Wow," he said, laughing.
"I'll see you your 'wow' and raise you an 'unbelievable'," Donna replied, wiping the goop off her stomach with a nearby rag.
"We're gonna have twins."
"I know."
"Four kids all together, in one house."
"I can add, Josh."
"An eight year-old, a toddler, and two completely helpless infants all living under one roof."
Donna stopped wiping her stomach and thought about that last sentence carefully and all it meant. 'Four kids, my career, Josh's career…' she thought. Swallowing her pride, she said, "Josh?"
He rubbed her now dry stomach and smiled gently. "I'll ask around the Hill, see which agencies provide the best nannies in this town," he answered her silent question, with just the slightest hint of smugness that Donna let him have a pass on, just this once.
"I'm gonna go get dressed, I left Natalie with the babysitter while she was napping and she'll start screaming if I'm not there when she's up," she told him as she got off the table and went into the bathroom to change.
Sitting alone in the exam room, looking at a picture of the twins, Josh couldn't help but think about Patricia McNamara and her family. Her husband and her parents, both right and wrong, fighting for what they thought were her wishes. He let himself think about her parents, about what they must be going through. As a parent, the only concern in Josh's life was protecting his children. Patricia parents hadn't been able to protect her from her terrible fate and even Bobby and Helen hadn't been able to protect Sondra from hers. What would he do if he were Patricia McNamara's father? Intellectually, he knew that she shouldn't be kept alive against her wishes but in his heart, if it were Emma, could he let her go, no matter how much she suffered? He felt almost nauseous with the thought of it. Staring at his kids, nestled safely inside their mother, he tried to push back a sudden cold feeling of dread that settled in his stomach. Something was going to happen and it wouldn't be good, he could feel it. 'Don't make me chose,' he thought. 'Please God, don't make me have to chose between my children's suffering or my own. Because I'm not sure who's I'd chose.'