Senate Democratic Cloak Room: March 12, 2006
"I'm telling you, Myers would be the perfect running mate."
"Harry, it'll never happen. Myers is too liberal, his rhetoric on women's rights and keeping religion out of anything publicly funded will not do well in the South."
"Hoynes is from the South, Lionel. He doesn't need a new VP candidate to carry it for him."
"It'll never happen," Senator Lionel Farnsworth of Oregon persisted. "And besides, what's wrong with sticking with Dobson?"
"Because, Vice President Dobson is an absolute moron who only got confirmed because Senate Republicans wouldn't take anyone else," Senator Harrison Lombard of South Carolina explained as he returned to his seat. "No way the Party will let him run in 2010. He's dead weight."
"All the more reason to get rid of him now rather than giving him a public microphone for four more years," the third member of the group, Senator Eric Warner of Michigan, piped in.
"It just doesn't seem right," Farnsworth lamented. "Hoynes should not be screwing around with his administration to facilitate reelection."
"Why not? FDR did it, a new VP for every single one of his terms. Hell, Truman was only Vice President three months before he was sworn in."
"Yes, but Dobson is no Harry Truman," Josh finally said from his spot across from the three other men. He crossed his leg over his knee and folded his hands. "And frankly, comparing President Hoynes to Franklin Roosevelt is tantamount to spitting on FDR's grave."
Sixty-seven year-old Farnsworth cracked a small smile at his young fellow Senator. "Pretty ballsy statement to make there, Lyman," he commented admirably. "Especially in front of two committee chairs."
"You've worked with me for almost fifteen years, Mr. Chairman, in both the Senate and in the White House. Have I ever once in all that time spoken a thought that could be considered rational?"
Farnsworth cackled heartily. "You never have and you probably never will." He calmed down after a moment and said more seriously, "I take it then you're in favor of removing Dobson from the ticket."
"Without a doubt."
"Any suggestions on who should replace him?"
"That's not for me to say," Josh replied honestly. "I'm not a member of President Hoynes' administration. He'll choose who he thinks is best suited for the job of Vice President for the next four years."
"Hoynes is going to choose whomever will help him win," Warner countered. "He couldn't give a damn about the next four years. All he wants is to prove that he can win the presidency on his own."
"I'd have to disagree with you there, Eric," Josh said. "I think President Hoynes cares about governing responsibly and I think he'll see that if he wants that to continue past his administration, Vice President Dobson should not be on the ticket."
"Weren't you the one who said not more than five minutes ago that John Hoynes was no FDR?" Senator Lombard alleged.
"Yes, I did," Josh nodded. "Do I think that John Hoynes is a President of the same caliber as FDR, or Josiah Bartlet? No, I do not. Do I think that at times he has made decisions more to suit himself and his own needs rather than the nations? Yes I do. But I also believe that he has served the country to the best of his abilities and the abilities of his staff and that is more than many presidents could say."
Farnsworth eyed him carefully. "Loyalty runs deep with you, doesn't it?" he asked, almost wistful.
Josh briefly thought back to almost twelve years ago. He'd been working as Floor Director in the Senate for two years by then and he was growing bored with it. Not that the work wasn't important, but he knew deep inside him that he was destined for better things. He was also young and idealistic and what he wanted badly was to work for someone that he believed in and that believed in him. So when he heard Senator John Hoynes filibuster for a good six hours straight on a bill that would have restricted sex education programs in public schools, he thought that he had found that person, that one great candidate that could get to the White House and make a difference with Josh's help. But by the time Josh and Hoynes were on their way there, he'd realized that Hoynes was not the noble, self-sacrificing dream candidate he'd envisioned. Hoynes was merely a very shrewd politician who knew how to work an audience, be it a crowd of thousands at an army base or a roomful of Senators. It took Josh a couple more years to find his great leader but he never truly let go of all his loyalties to John Hoynes. "Yes, it does," Josh simply said.
"You don't find that much any more in this town," Warner commented.
"No, we don't, Senator. But we should," Josh added. He looked down at his watch and got up from his seat. "If you gentlemen will excuse me, I have to be getting home. My wife's throwing a dinner party."
"And how is the lovely Donna Lyman these days?" Farnsworth requested conversationally.
"She's fine, thank you," Josh answered as he went to get his coat. "Going a bit stir crazy but otherwise fine."
"Only a couple more months now, right?" Warner inquired.
"They're due June 11th," Josh replied, referring to the twins.
"Boys or girls?"
"Two more girls. Identical."
Warner didn't bother to hide his mirth. "Four girls, including identical twins? You are just asking for a coronary."
"Perhaps," Josh conceded, grinning at the door. "But what a way to go."
"What about your name, Lyman?" Lombard suddenly asked.
Josh paused and turned, cocking his head to the side as his hand still laid on the doorknob. "I'm sorry?"
"We've been sitting here for the past two hours, tossing VP names back and forth," Lombard elaborated, "and for some reason, you never mentioned yourself as a possibility."
"To replace Dobson?"
"Why not?" Lombard continued, picking up some steam. "You're youthful and energetic, you're nationally known, you've worked with Hoynes before, you were educated at Harvard and Yale, you have a family ideal for photo-ops, and barring any instances of monumental stupidity, you'd be a shoe in for 2010." He raised his eyebrows questioningly. "So, why didn't you mention your name?"
All eyes were on him as he considered Lombard's challenge. "Well, I don't have the experience, first of all," Josh finally replied. "I've barely served two years of my first term."
"And you've worked in this town for almost twenty years," Lombard pointed out. "No one could argue that you have no idea what you're doing."
"John Hoynes would never agree to it," Josh said resolutely. "And even if he did, his staff wouldn't go for it."
"Ted Carmichael is only five points behind Hoynes in the middle of primary season. He's going to get the Republican nomination and unless Hoynes pulls a rabbit out of his hat or we suddenly enter a war, the Republicans are going to take the White House," Lombard argued determinedly. "You could be that rabbit that he needs to win this thing, Josh. The Party would be grateful; they'd make sure you didn't have a challenger when your time comes. And you want this. Every one on the Hill knows you want to be sitting behind the desk in that office some day." Farnsworth and Warner didn't say anything but they kept staring intently at Josh and listening with rapt attention, making him think that he was being cornered.
"Maybe someday, in the future, running on a national level would be something I might consider," Josh replied diplomatically. "But right now, on this day, it doesn't interest me."
"I don't believe that," Lombard said, smiling blandly. "Not for a second." Instantly, Josh knew why his presence had been summoned for this particular meeting. They weren't here trying to gauge his opinion on potential candidates for Vice-President; they were telling him that the Party wanted him to run with Hoynes. He'd been put in a room with three of the most powerful Democratic Senators in order to be pressured to run. But unfortunately for them, the Party had forgotten exactly how Joshua Lyman responded to pressure.
"And with all due respect, Senator, I don't particular care what you chose to believe or not," Josh huffed to the pompous Southern Senator. "My political career is my business, not yours. I'm not a puppet of the Democratic Party and I'm not going to bow to any pressure that they pile on me." He buttoned his jacket and shot Lombard a calculated glare. "Now if you will all excuse me, I have a previous engagement I need to get to." He nodded swiftly at Warner and Farnsworth and proceeded out the door, down the hallway, and out of the building into the real world.
"Partisan jackasses," he muttered to himself as he got into his car, slamming the door behind him. He started the ignition and made his way out to the street. 'Who do they think they are?' he thought. 'They want to force me into an election in four years where I'll be pitted against every Republican I ever screwed over in the White House. Was I really that much of a pain in the ass four years ago, when I used to browbeat Congress into submission?' Suddenly, his cell phone began to ring. "Hello?" he said after flipping it open.
"Hey," Donna's voice answered back. "You on your way home?"
"Yeah, I just left."
"You're just leaving now? What happened?"
He sighed tiredly. "Doesn't matter," he replied. "Just remind me again why I thought this whole public servant thing was a good idea?"
She smiled on the other end. "Because you have two children, soon to be four, and hopefully more to come, that you need to do this. Plus you're sexy as hell when you do the noble thing. Does that help?"
"It'll do," he smirked, already calming down at the sound of his wife's voice. "Is everyone there already?"
"Yes, which reminds me why I called in the first place. Can you stop at the store? I forgot to get beer for you manly men."
"Sure," Josh said, making a quick turn at a light. "Listen, are Toby and Bobby both there?"
"Yeah, hang on a second." He waited a couple of moments until both men were on the line.
"Oh what can I do for you now, my malevolent leader?" Toby asked in his Toby-esque manner.
"What's his problem?" Bobby piped in, munching on a carrot stick.
"He had a lunch with some campaign contributors this afternoon. We were lucky we didn't find him hanging from his coat rack at the end of it," Josh replied. "So I just had an interesting meeting; Warner, Farnsworth, and Lombard were suggesting that I make a grab for the VP nomination."
"Seriously or is this one of your funny, funny jokes?" Toby inquired.
"It's for real. Lombard seemed to be the ringleader but he gave me the impression that this what the Party wants."
"You're telling us that the Democratic God Squad wants you to run with Hoynes?" Bobby asked, referring to the nickname of the three Senators, being that their campaigns usually received donations from many religious organizations.
"That is the conclusion that I drew from the meeting."
"Well, this is interesting," Toby mused. Josh could just picture him, leaning against a wall or something while idly stroking his beard. "This could be termed as something that is quite interesting. This is something that we can explore, take meetings on, gather up support--"
"You'll help lock up Oregon and Illinois," Bobby threw out helpfully. "Hopefully put some states back into play."
"Let me talk to some of their people tomorrow," Toby said. "We'll gauge their reactions, maybe talk stipulations--"
"No you won't," Josh cut him off.
"I'm sorry?"
"I told them that I wasn't interested," Josh said adamantly, "and I meant it. I don't want this now."
There was silence on the line for a minute before Toby finally regained the power of speech. "What the hell.Josh, you may not get this opportunity again," Toby told him severely. "This could be your shot, our shot. Did you leave yourself any wiggle room at all?"
"No, I didn't and I don't want any. Toby, I can't be campaigning and switching jobs right now. I took an oath to the people of Connecticut and I need to fulfill that first before I go job hunting."
"The Vice-Presidency isn't any old job, and it's not like you're abandoning the people of Connecticut if you're helping to lead their nation," Bobby pointed out.
"I wouldn't be leading, I be twirling my thumbs until the next election and that's not what I want to do."
"So this is an ego thing? What the hell am I saying? It's Josh Lyman, of course it's an ego thing," Toby practically growled.
"Toby, before you continue let me remind you of a couple of things. Number one: You work for me, not with me anymore. I make the decisions and it's your job to help me implement them," Josh said, deathly calm. "I'm all for debates, discussions, and even disagreements but don't question me when my mind is already made up. Number two: I don't feel I have the Legislative experience yet to warrant such a move. I want to serve my country based on my abilities, not my image. And number three: Most importantly, I sacrifice a great deal of time with my family, time I will never get back, to do my job. Any moves I make are going to be on my terms, in my own time, and you can call it ego if you want, but that's how it's going to be." He sucked in a deep breath as he pulled into a convenience store. "Tell Donna I'm at the store, I'll be along in a few minutes. Don't mention any of this to her or anyone else." He didn't wait for a reply, just shut his phone off along with his car and got out. He stepped into the nearly deserted store and went back to the freezers, wanting to just quickly make his purchases and be on his way. He was so lost in his own thoughts that he didn't hear the bell ring over the door; he didn't hear the sets of heavy footsteps on the linoleum floor; he didn't hear the nervous murmurings take place at the cash register. But he did hear the unmistakable sound of a gunshot a few seconds later. After that, he didn't hear anything.
************************************************************************
"Nicole!" Donna shouted from the kitchen. "Can you come in here?"
"What is it?" Donna's older sister, Nicole Moss-Braun, asked as she strode into the kitchen. As soon as she saw her sister, she started to laugh. "You have no idea how much I'm loving this."
"Ha ha," Donna scowled from the fridge, shifting around in her stocking- clad feet. She had taken off her shoes while she'd been preparing dinner to accommodate her rapidly swelling feet, but now she had to go entertain her guests. Only problem was that because her stomach was so large she could no longer bend down to slip her shoes on feet, a fact that amused her sister to no end. "Just wait until you get fat and pregnant. See if I'm sympathetic then."
"First off, sit down," Nicole instructed, helping her ease on to a low stool. "Second, you're the only Moss female in our generation that will ever procreate so you'll never get the chance to mock."
"So you're leaving the family lineage in T.J. and my hands?" Donna joked as her sister slipped a shoe on each foot. She knew her sister didn't plan on having any children with her partner, who happened to be one Tobias Ziegler, but she always teased her playfully about it. Nicole never took offense to it but this time, something shifted in her eyes at Donna's comment. "Nic? What is it?"
Nicole chewed her bottom lip thoughtfully, debating whether or not she should say anything. She didn't want to put a damper on Donna's mood but she had a right to know, and she'd find out on her own anyway. "I talked to T.J. the other day," she began slowly. "He and Ellie are having a trial separation."
"Oh my God," Donna gasped, her shoulders slumping. "When did this happen?"
"A couple of weeks ago. He's been living in a hotel room."
"How is he? How's Ellie? What about Shawn? Why didn't they tell me?" Donna asked, the questions coming out as fast as her brain could process them.
"Terrible, just as terrible, Shawn's living with Ellie and T.J. visits every weekend, and he didn't tell you because he thought you had enough of your own crap to deal with in addition to his," Nicole rattled off.
"I will decide how much crap I am entitled to deal with, thank you very much," Donna huffed, setting herself on the ground. She shook her head sadly, rubbing her lower back. "Did he say why they were separating?"
"He didn't really go into it but it's pretty obvious," Nicole shrugged. "I mean, think about it. When was the last time you saw them in the same room with one another? How often do you think they see each other with their jobs? Whenever he's at home, she's at the hospital, and whenever she's home, he's on assignment."
"Yeah that would put a damper on things," Donna agreed dejectedly. "I just can't believe it."
"Yes you can," Nicole disagreed, getting herself a glass of white wine. "You called this thing on their wedding day. You said because they'd only been together a few months before Ellie got pregnant, they might not have had enough time together to really know if they were meant to be. I'm kind of surprised they stuck it out this long."
"Really? I always thought they were good together."
"Doesn't mean they're not going to have problems," Nicole said, sipping her wine. "You of all people should know that soul mates don't come with a lifetime guarantee." Donna nodded absently, thinking back to a time not that long ago when she and Josh had separated. It had been just after Josh was elected and Donna had been dealing with a crisis of identity. It had led to a horrific fight and a nearly three-month split, but thankfully they had managed to work things out.
'Thank God,' Donna thought, lightly caressing her stomach, feeling the babies stirring under her touch. "It's just such a shame," she opined. "They're so young and they have a child together." She sighed, leaning back against the island. "Have they told everyone else yet?" Her sister shook her head. "Well, until they start using the "D" word, it might still work out," she said, trying to be positive.
"Yeah," Nicole replied, less hopeful about her brother and sister-in-law's chances at reconciliation. But then again she was the sibling jaded by marriage. Her first marriage had ended in a bitter divorce and she could never see herself settling down like that again. That was one of the reasons she'd been drawn to Toby Ziegler in the first place; he was as uninterested in marriage as she was and together they had formed a strong and lasting relationship based on love and respect, without all the pressures of a formal marriage. She was confident they would be together the rest of their lives and she didn't need a piece of paper to validate that.
"Okay," Donna finally said, trying to shake off the troubling news. "I have to feed several people now, including the two inside me that think its fun to treat my bladder like a soccer ball." She righted her hair and Nicole finished her glass of wine. "Alright, let's go." The sisters began to make their way out of the kitchen when Donna remembered something. "You saw Josh out there already, right?"
"No," Nicole said, surprising Donna. "Why? Is he running late?"
"I called him about an hour ago, to stop at the store for something," Donna replied, a hint of anxiety creeping into her voice. "He should have been back by now."
"I'm sure he just got caught up in traffic or something," Nicole reassured her with a smile.
"I'm going to call him," Donna said, immediately reaching for the cordless. "Just tell everyone to sit down, I'll just be a minute." Nicole left and Donna hit Josh's number on the speed-dial. She tapped her fingers impatiently against the tabletop as the phone rang for six rings before his voicemail picked up. 'Okay, that's a little out of character for him,' she thought nervously. 'Maybe something.oh stop it Donna! This is probably just a fresh round of hormones. He'll be here any minute,' she told herself. She set the phone down and smoothed down her blouse as she went into the dining room, continually telling herself that Josh would walk in the door any second now. She took her place at the table, among her friends and family, and tried to focus on the conversations at hand to no avail. All she could think about was that Josh would have called if he was going to be exceptionally late; he knew first-hand how emotional and stressed out she got during pregnancy and he wouldn't make her worry like this. He just wouldn't, not if he could help it. She found herself glancing up at the grandfather clock as the seconds turned to a minute and a minute turned to five and five turned to ten and.
"Mommy, what's this green stuff on the plate?" Donna heard Emma ask her, pulling her away from her thoughts. She looked down at her daughter, sitting to her right, and tried to focus.
"That's, um, asparagus, baby," Donna answered, hoping she sounded normal. Judging by the looks the adults were giving her, she hadn't been that successful. "It's good, you'll like it." She cleared her throat and began to eat some of the food she'd been pushing around her plate. "So, Bobby, how's Congress treating you these days? Everything's going good?"
"Fine," he answered, trying not to glance at the place at the head of the table that was empty. It was a pointless question for her to ask, since she already knew the answer, but she asked it to placate the rest of them and so Bobby answered it to placate her. "I'm actually getting ready to go back to my district, do some campaigning for November."
"You're polling at seventy-five percent right now, honey," his wife, Helen, reminded him. "You sure you want to go back home and screw that up now? You do know why you're so popular right?"
"Why is that?"
"Because as long as you're up here, the good people of Atlanta don't have to deal with you," she teased, pecking his cheek. The adults all laughed and began razzing the freshman Congressman. Well, almost all the adults. Donna forced herself to grin as her eyes drifted back up to the clock to see that ten minutes had now turned to fifteen.
DING-DONG!
"Excuse me," Donna said, immediately pushing herself out of her chair. She strode as quickly as she could to the door, her apprehension growing with each step. When she reached the door, she paused as her hand rested over the doorknob. 'Something happened,' she thought solemnly. 'Something really happened to him.' She struggled to swallow back the bitter taste of fear in her mouth and shakily began to turn the knob. As soon as she pulled the door open, she wished with everything in her that she hadn't.
A stone-faced man in a dark suit stood on her stoop. Behind him, two uniformed officers were standing near their cruiser. The man in front of her asked in a gravel-laced voice, "Is this the Lyman residence?"
"Ye.yes," Donna replied, her voice trembling.
"Are you Mrs. Joshua Lyman?"
"Yes, I am," she said, leaning against the wood as her knees began to feel like water.
"I'm Detective Grissom, ma'am," the man said, pulling out his badge for Donna to inspect. "May I please have a word with you inside?"
"Where's my husband?" Donna asked, terrified to hear his answer. The detective didn't reply instantly and she moved from terror to full-blown panic. "Where's Josh? Something happened to him so please just tell me!" she cried out hysterically, vaguely hearing the footsteps of other people coming up behind her.
Detective Grissom regarded her sympathetically, glancing down at her tumescent stomach. "Mrs. Lyman," he began, placing a gentle hand on her shoulder. "You're husband is involved in a hostage situation."
Donna could see his lips continue to move in explanation but she didn't hear anything else over the roaring in her ears. Her knees finally gave out and she slid down to the floor, clutching at her stomach in a vain attempt to reach her husband.
"I'm telling you, Myers would be the perfect running mate."
"Harry, it'll never happen. Myers is too liberal, his rhetoric on women's rights and keeping religion out of anything publicly funded will not do well in the South."
"Hoynes is from the South, Lionel. He doesn't need a new VP candidate to carry it for him."
"It'll never happen," Senator Lionel Farnsworth of Oregon persisted. "And besides, what's wrong with sticking with Dobson?"
"Because, Vice President Dobson is an absolute moron who only got confirmed because Senate Republicans wouldn't take anyone else," Senator Harrison Lombard of South Carolina explained as he returned to his seat. "No way the Party will let him run in 2010. He's dead weight."
"All the more reason to get rid of him now rather than giving him a public microphone for four more years," the third member of the group, Senator Eric Warner of Michigan, piped in.
"It just doesn't seem right," Farnsworth lamented. "Hoynes should not be screwing around with his administration to facilitate reelection."
"Why not? FDR did it, a new VP for every single one of his terms. Hell, Truman was only Vice President three months before he was sworn in."
"Yes, but Dobson is no Harry Truman," Josh finally said from his spot across from the three other men. He crossed his leg over his knee and folded his hands. "And frankly, comparing President Hoynes to Franklin Roosevelt is tantamount to spitting on FDR's grave."
Sixty-seven year-old Farnsworth cracked a small smile at his young fellow Senator. "Pretty ballsy statement to make there, Lyman," he commented admirably. "Especially in front of two committee chairs."
"You've worked with me for almost fifteen years, Mr. Chairman, in both the Senate and in the White House. Have I ever once in all that time spoken a thought that could be considered rational?"
Farnsworth cackled heartily. "You never have and you probably never will." He calmed down after a moment and said more seriously, "I take it then you're in favor of removing Dobson from the ticket."
"Without a doubt."
"Any suggestions on who should replace him?"
"That's not for me to say," Josh replied honestly. "I'm not a member of President Hoynes' administration. He'll choose who he thinks is best suited for the job of Vice President for the next four years."
"Hoynes is going to choose whomever will help him win," Warner countered. "He couldn't give a damn about the next four years. All he wants is to prove that he can win the presidency on his own."
"I'd have to disagree with you there, Eric," Josh said. "I think President Hoynes cares about governing responsibly and I think he'll see that if he wants that to continue past his administration, Vice President Dobson should not be on the ticket."
"Weren't you the one who said not more than five minutes ago that John Hoynes was no FDR?" Senator Lombard alleged.
"Yes, I did," Josh nodded. "Do I think that John Hoynes is a President of the same caliber as FDR, or Josiah Bartlet? No, I do not. Do I think that at times he has made decisions more to suit himself and his own needs rather than the nations? Yes I do. But I also believe that he has served the country to the best of his abilities and the abilities of his staff and that is more than many presidents could say."
Farnsworth eyed him carefully. "Loyalty runs deep with you, doesn't it?" he asked, almost wistful.
Josh briefly thought back to almost twelve years ago. He'd been working as Floor Director in the Senate for two years by then and he was growing bored with it. Not that the work wasn't important, but he knew deep inside him that he was destined for better things. He was also young and idealistic and what he wanted badly was to work for someone that he believed in and that believed in him. So when he heard Senator John Hoynes filibuster for a good six hours straight on a bill that would have restricted sex education programs in public schools, he thought that he had found that person, that one great candidate that could get to the White House and make a difference with Josh's help. But by the time Josh and Hoynes were on their way there, he'd realized that Hoynes was not the noble, self-sacrificing dream candidate he'd envisioned. Hoynes was merely a very shrewd politician who knew how to work an audience, be it a crowd of thousands at an army base or a roomful of Senators. It took Josh a couple more years to find his great leader but he never truly let go of all his loyalties to John Hoynes. "Yes, it does," Josh simply said.
"You don't find that much any more in this town," Warner commented.
"No, we don't, Senator. But we should," Josh added. He looked down at his watch and got up from his seat. "If you gentlemen will excuse me, I have to be getting home. My wife's throwing a dinner party."
"And how is the lovely Donna Lyman these days?" Farnsworth requested conversationally.
"She's fine, thank you," Josh answered as he went to get his coat. "Going a bit stir crazy but otherwise fine."
"Only a couple more months now, right?" Warner inquired.
"They're due June 11th," Josh replied, referring to the twins.
"Boys or girls?"
"Two more girls. Identical."
Warner didn't bother to hide his mirth. "Four girls, including identical twins? You are just asking for a coronary."
"Perhaps," Josh conceded, grinning at the door. "But what a way to go."
"What about your name, Lyman?" Lombard suddenly asked.
Josh paused and turned, cocking his head to the side as his hand still laid on the doorknob. "I'm sorry?"
"We've been sitting here for the past two hours, tossing VP names back and forth," Lombard elaborated, "and for some reason, you never mentioned yourself as a possibility."
"To replace Dobson?"
"Why not?" Lombard continued, picking up some steam. "You're youthful and energetic, you're nationally known, you've worked with Hoynes before, you were educated at Harvard and Yale, you have a family ideal for photo-ops, and barring any instances of monumental stupidity, you'd be a shoe in for 2010." He raised his eyebrows questioningly. "So, why didn't you mention your name?"
All eyes were on him as he considered Lombard's challenge. "Well, I don't have the experience, first of all," Josh finally replied. "I've barely served two years of my first term."
"And you've worked in this town for almost twenty years," Lombard pointed out. "No one could argue that you have no idea what you're doing."
"John Hoynes would never agree to it," Josh said resolutely. "And even if he did, his staff wouldn't go for it."
"Ted Carmichael is only five points behind Hoynes in the middle of primary season. He's going to get the Republican nomination and unless Hoynes pulls a rabbit out of his hat or we suddenly enter a war, the Republicans are going to take the White House," Lombard argued determinedly. "You could be that rabbit that he needs to win this thing, Josh. The Party would be grateful; they'd make sure you didn't have a challenger when your time comes. And you want this. Every one on the Hill knows you want to be sitting behind the desk in that office some day." Farnsworth and Warner didn't say anything but they kept staring intently at Josh and listening with rapt attention, making him think that he was being cornered.
"Maybe someday, in the future, running on a national level would be something I might consider," Josh replied diplomatically. "But right now, on this day, it doesn't interest me."
"I don't believe that," Lombard said, smiling blandly. "Not for a second." Instantly, Josh knew why his presence had been summoned for this particular meeting. They weren't here trying to gauge his opinion on potential candidates for Vice-President; they were telling him that the Party wanted him to run with Hoynes. He'd been put in a room with three of the most powerful Democratic Senators in order to be pressured to run. But unfortunately for them, the Party had forgotten exactly how Joshua Lyman responded to pressure.
"And with all due respect, Senator, I don't particular care what you chose to believe or not," Josh huffed to the pompous Southern Senator. "My political career is my business, not yours. I'm not a puppet of the Democratic Party and I'm not going to bow to any pressure that they pile on me." He buttoned his jacket and shot Lombard a calculated glare. "Now if you will all excuse me, I have a previous engagement I need to get to." He nodded swiftly at Warner and Farnsworth and proceeded out the door, down the hallway, and out of the building into the real world.
"Partisan jackasses," he muttered to himself as he got into his car, slamming the door behind him. He started the ignition and made his way out to the street. 'Who do they think they are?' he thought. 'They want to force me into an election in four years where I'll be pitted against every Republican I ever screwed over in the White House. Was I really that much of a pain in the ass four years ago, when I used to browbeat Congress into submission?' Suddenly, his cell phone began to ring. "Hello?" he said after flipping it open.
"Hey," Donna's voice answered back. "You on your way home?"
"Yeah, I just left."
"You're just leaving now? What happened?"
He sighed tiredly. "Doesn't matter," he replied. "Just remind me again why I thought this whole public servant thing was a good idea?"
She smiled on the other end. "Because you have two children, soon to be four, and hopefully more to come, that you need to do this. Plus you're sexy as hell when you do the noble thing. Does that help?"
"It'll do," he smirked, already calming down at the sound of his wife's voice. "Is everyone there already?"
"Yes, which reminds me why I called in the first place. Can you stop at the store? I forgot to get beer for you manly men."
"Sure," Josh said, making a quick turn at a light. "Listen, are Toby and Bobby both there?"
"Yeah, hang on a second." He waited a couple of moments until both men were on the line.
"Oh what can I do for you now, my malevolent leader?" Toby asked in his Toby-esque manner.
"What's his problem?" Bobby piped in, munching on a carrot stick.
"He had a lunch with some campaign contributors this afternoon. We were lucky we didn't find him hanging from his coat rack at the end of it," Josh replied. "So I just had an interesting meeting; Warner, Farnsworth, and Lombard were suggesting that I make a grab for the VP nomination."
"Seriously or is this one of your funny, funny jokes?" Toby inquired.
"It's for real. Lombard seemed to be the ringleader but he gave me the impression that this what the Party wants."
"You're telling us that the Democratic God Squad wants you to run with Hoynes?" Bobby asked, referring to the nickname of the three Senators, being that their campaigns usually received donations from many religious organizations.
"That is the conclusion that I drew from the meeting."
"Well, this is interesting," Toby mused. Josh could just picture him, leaning against a wall or something while idly stroking his beard. "This could be termed as something that is quite interesting. This is something that we can explore, take meetings on, gather up support--"
"You'll help lock up Oregon and Illinois," Bobby threw out helpfully. "Hopefully put some states back into play."
"Let me talk to some of their people tomorrow," Toby said. "We'll gauge their reactions, maybe talk stipulations--"
"No you won't," Josh cut him off.
"I'm sorry?"
"I told them that I wasn't interested," Josh said adamantly, "and I meant it. I don't want this now."
There was silence on the line for a minute before Toby finally regained the power of speech. "What the hell.Josh, you may not get this opportunity again," Toby told him severely. "This could be your shot, our shot. Did you leave yourself any wiggle room at all?"
"No, I didn't and I don't want any. Toby, I can't be campaigning and switching jobs right now. I took an oath to the people of Connecticut and I need to fulfill that first before I go job hunting."
"The Vice-Presidency isn't any old job, and it's not like you're abandoning the people of Connecticut if you're helping to lead their nation," Bobby pointed out.
"I wouldn't be leading, I be twirling my thumbs until the next election and that's not what I want to do."
"So this is an ego thing? What the hell am I saying? It's Josh Lyman, of course it's an ego thing," Toby practically growled.
"Toby, before you continue let me remind you of a couple of things. Number one: You work for me, not with me anymore. I make the decisions and it's your job to help me implement them," Josh said, deathly calm. "I'm all for debates, discussions, and even disagreements but don't question me when my mind is already made up. Number two: I don't feel I have the Legislative experience yet to warrant such a move. I want to serve my country based on my abilities, not my image. And number three: Most importantly, I sacrifice a great deal of time with my family, time I will never get back, to do my job. Any moves I make are going to be on my terms, in my own time, and you can call it ego if you want, but that's how it's going to be." He sucked in a deep breath as he pulled into a convenience store. "Tell Donna I'm at the store, I'll be along in a few minutes. Don't mention any of this to her or anyone else." He didn't wait for a reply, just shut his phone off along with his car and got out. He stepped into the nearly deserted store and went back to the freezers, wanting to just quickly make his purchases and be on his way. He was so lost in his own thoughts that he didn't hear the bell ring over the door; he didn't hear the sets of heavy footsteps on the linoleum floor; he didn't hear the nervous murmurings take place at the cash register. But he did hear the unmistakable sound of a gunshot a few seconds later. After that, he didn't hear anything.
************************************************************************
"Nicole!" Donna shouted from the kitchen. "Can you come in here?"
"What is it?" Donna's older sister, Nicole Moss-Braun, asked as she strode into the kitchen. As soon as she saw her sister, she started to laugh. "You have no idea how much I'm loving this."
"Ha ha," Donna scowled from the fridge, shifting around in her stocking- clad feet. She had taken off her shoes while she'd been preparing dinner to accommodate her rapidly swelling feet, but now she had to go entertain her guests. Only problem was that because her stomach was so large she could no longer bend down to slip her shoes on feet, a fact that amused her sister to no end. "Just wait until you get fat and pregnant. See if I'm sympathetic then."
"First off, sit down," Nicole instructed, helping her ease on to a low stool. "Second, you're the only Moss female in our generation that will ever procreate so you'll never get the chance to mock."
"So you're leaving the family lineage in T.J. and my hands?" Donna joked as her sister slipped a shoe on each foot. She knew her sister didn't plan on having any children with her partner, who happened to be one Tobias Ziegler, but she always teased her playfully about it. Nicole never took offense to it but this time, something shifted in her eyes at Donna's comment. "Nic? What is it?"
Nicole chewed her bottom lip thoughtfully, debating whether or not she should say anything. She didn't want to put a damper on Donna's mood but she had a right to know, and she'd find out on her own anyway. "I talked to T.J. the other day," she began slowly. "He and Ellie are having a trial separation."
"Oh my God," Donna gasped, her shoulders slumping. "When did this happen?"
"A couple of weeks ago. He's been living in a hotel room."
"How is he? How's Ellie? What about Shawn? Why didn't they tell me?" Donna asked, the questions coming out as fast as her brain could process them.
"Terrible, just as terrible, Shawn's living with Ellie and T.J. visits every weekend, and he didn't tell you because he thought you had enough of your own crap to deal with in addition to his," Nicole rattled off.
"I will decide how much crap I am entitled to deal with, thank you very much," Donna huffed, setting herself on the ground. She shook her head sadly, rubbing her lower back. "Did he say why they were separating?"
"He didn't really go into it but it's pretty obvious," Nicole shrugged. "I mean, think about it. When was the last time you saw them in the same room with one another? How often do you think they see each other with their jobs? Whenever he's at home, she's at the hospital, and whenever she's home, he's on assignment."
"Yeah that would put a damper on things," Donna agreed dejectedly. "I just can't believe it."
"Yes you can," Nicole disagreed, getting herself a glass of white wine. "You called this thing on their wedding day. You said because they'd only been together a few months before Ellie got pregnant, they might not have had enough time together to really know if they were meant to be. I'm kind of surprised they stuck it out this long."
"Really? I always thought they were good together."
"Doesn't mean they're not going to have problems," Nicole said, sipping her wine. "You of all people should know that soul mates don't come with a lifetime guarantee." Donna nodded absently, thinking back to a time not that long ago when she and Josh had separated. It had been just after Josh was elected and Donna had been dealing with a crisis of identity. It had led to a horrific fight and a nearly three-month split, but thankfully they had managed to work things out.
'Thank God,' Donna thought, lightly caressing her stomach, feeling the babies stirring under her touch. "It's just such a shame," she opined. "They're so young and they have a child together." She sighed, leaning back against the island. "Have they told everyone else yet?" Her sister shook her head. "Well, until they start using the "D" word, it might still work out," she said, trying to be positive.
"Yeah," Nicole replied, less hopeful about her brother and sister-in-law's chances at reconciliation. But then again she was the sibling jaded by marriage. Her first marriage had ended in a bitter divorce and she could never see herself settling down like that again. That was one of the reasons she'd been drawn to Toby Ziegler in the first place; he was as uninterested in marriage as she was and together they had formed a strong and lasting relationship based on love and respect, without all the pressures of a formal marriage. She was confident they would be together the rest of their lives and she didn't need a piece of paper to validate that.
"Okay," Donna finally said, trying to shake off the troubling news. "I have to feed several people now, including the two inside me that think its fun to treat my bladder like a soccer ball." She righted her hair and Nicole finished her glass of wine. "Alright, let's go." The sisters began to make their way out of the kitchen when Donna remembered something. "You saw Josh out there already, right?"
"No," Nicole said, surprising Donna. "Why? Is he running late?"
"I called him about an hour ago, to stop at the store for something," Donna replied, a hint of anxiety creeping into her voice. "He should have been back by now."
"I'm sure he just got caught up in traffic or something," Nicole reassured her with a smile.
"I'm going to call him," Donna said, immediately reaching for the cordless. "Just tell everyone to sit down, I'll just be a minute." Nicole left and Donna hit Josh's number on the speed-dial. She tapped her fingers impatiently against the tabletop as the phone rang for six rings before his voicemail picked up. 'Okay, that's a little out of character for him,' she thought nervously. 'Maybe something.oh stop it Donna! This is probably just a fresh round of hormones. He'll be here any minute,' she told herself. She set the phone down and smoothed down her blouse as she went into the dining room, continually telling herself that Josh would walk in the door any second now. She took her place at the table, among her friends and family, and tried to focus on the conversations at hand to no avail. All she could think about was that Josh would have called if he was going to be exceptionally late; he knew first-hand how emotional and stressed out she got during pregnancy and he wouldn't make her worry like this. He just wouldn't, not if he could help it. She found herself glancing up at the grandfather clock as the seconds turned to a minute and a minute turned to five and five turned to ten and.
"Mommy, what's this green stuff on the plate?" Donna heard Emma ask her, pulling her away from her thoughts. She looked down at her daughter, sitting to her right, and tried to focus.
"That's, um, asparagus, baby," Donna answered, hoping she sounded normal. Judging by the looks the adults were giving her, she hadn't been that successful. "It's good, you'll like it." She cleared her throat and began to eat some of the food she'd been pushing around her plate. "So, Bobby, how's Congress treating you these days? Everything's going good?"
"Fine," he answered, trying not to glance at the place at the head of the table that was empty. It was a pointless question for her to ask, since she already knew the answer, but she asked it to placate the rest of them and so Bobby answered it to placate her. "I'm actually getting ready to go back to my district, do some campaigning for November."
"You're polling at seventy-five percent right now, honey," his wife, Helen, reminded him. "You sure you want to go back home and screw that up now? You do know why you're so popular right?"
"Why is that?"
"Because as long as you're up here, the good people of Atlanta don't have to deal with you," she teased, pecking his cheek. The adults all laughed and began razzing the freshman Congressman. Well, almost all the adults. Donna forced herself to grin as her eyes drifted back up to the clock to see that ten minutes had now turned to fifteen.
DING-DONG!
"Excuse me," Donna said, immediately pushing herself out of her chair. She strode as quickly as she could to the door, her apprehension growing with each step. When she reached the door, she paused as her hand rested over the doorknob. 'Something happened,' she thought solemnly. 'Something really happened to him.' She struggled to swallow back the bitter taste of fear in her mouth and shakily began to turn the knob. As soon as she pulled the door open, she wished with everything in her that she hadn't.
A stone-faced man in a dark suit stood on her stoop. Behind him, two uniformed officers were standing near their cruiser. The man in front of her asked in a gravel-laced voice, "Is this the Lyman residence?"
"Ye.yes," Donna replied, her voice trembling.
"Are you Mrs. Joshua Lyman?"
"Yes, I am," she said, leaning against the wood as her knees began to feel like water.
"I'm Detective Grissom, ma'am," the man said, pulling out his badge for Donna to inspect. "May I please have a word with you inside?"
"Where's my husband?" Donna asked, terrified to hear his answer. The detective didn't reply instantly and she moved from terror to full-blown panic. "Where's Josh? Something happened to him so please just tell me!" she cried out hysterically, vaguely hearing the footsteps of other people coming up behind her.
Detective Grissom regarded her sympathetically, glancing down at her tumescent stomach. "Mrs. Lyman," he began, placing a gentle hand on her shoulder. "You're husband is involved in a hostage situation."
Donna could see his lips continue to move in explanation but she didn't hear anything else over the roaring in her ears. Her knees finally gave out and she slid down to the floor, clutching at her stomach in a vain attempt to reach her husband.