Chapter 7 "This Is Going to Be An Unbearable Day."

These are the days in which I hate being Joshua Lyman's Senior Assistant.

There was that time when he almost got killed. That time sucked.

Then there was the time the President decided to tell everyone he had MS and didn't disclose it before. That was a doosy.

Then I lied under oath trying to protect my personal thoughts in my journal. Josh was more than a little miffed at me that day.

Then the First Daughter was kidnaped after her graduation. That had it's emotional roller coaster.

But none of that can be as unbearable as today.

Nope. Today I get the greatest job of all. I get to go get the insane loony that lost it last time she was here and bring her back into the area that flourishing her crazy little head. I get to go bring her into the West Wing from the security desk.

I hate my job.

So I'm walking to the security desk and feeling stupid doing it.

She's standing quietly next to the desk, talking to the young woman sitting there. It seems like they're into an interesting conversation.

"So if you're not part of the secret service, why do you protect the White House and the President?"

"I don't know. Maybe it has something to do with the Ellipses or the Park Police." The girl shrugged at the nut bag before lightly laughing. That's when I meet the desk. Both look at me.

"I'm here to escort the loon- I mean, Miss George to Joshua Lyman's office." I saw the look she gave me. See me care.

"I just need you to sign the form." I pick up the clipboard. If this things says anything like 'I hereby swear to be held responsible if the said visitor goes psycho and tries to kill the President or a member of the senior staff' then I'm not signing it. I glance over it. No responsibility. No legal obligations. Okay, I'll sign. I sign Josh's name.

Hey, I'm not a girl about to take chances.

I hand the clipboard back to the security guard and smile kindly at her. She then hands a pass to the quack and tells her it was nice talking to her. I'll have to remember to make sure she gives that back at the end of the day.

"Follow me please." The wacko thanks her for her kindness and I make sure she's following. She then is beside me.

"I wanted to thank you Donna." I can't hold back my shock.

"For what?"

"For being so kind as to greet me with that warm welcoming face at the doors." I can't tell if she's being sarcastic.

"Okay. Sure."

"And I'd just like to add that I've never believed all that shop talk about you on the net."

"Look," I stop and look at her. "I get that you're one of the high priestesses of the internet's Lyman worship. But I live the life and I know the know and you have no right dragging me or anyone else connected to his life into your insane banter."

"You're really in love with him, aren't you?" I stop and stare at her a few minutes before I turn and continue on.

"He's waiting for you in his office." The awkwardness follows us down the hall and into Josh's office. I stand there and wait for Josh to notice us. That never takes long.

"Donna, I need those files on the Homeowner's Bill." He looks up. "Hi." I think I'm going to gag.

"Hello."

"When do you want them by?" He looks over to me.

"As soon as I'm done with this." I nod. I just need to get out of here.

"Sure." I walk back out to my desk. It's not like I need to be there to know what he's telling her. He runs everything by me. Especially when I ask him everything and pester until I get a straight answer.

And that's exactly what I did a few hours before.

I'd followed him as he walked into the hall and did the usual morning routine. I handed him the files he needed for the day, started talking about the latest book I've been reading.

It's kinda interesting too. You see, there's this guy that started out in hypnotherapy and while in a session progressed the hypnosis into advance stages of consciousness. Basically the subject was taken into the afterlife. So the whole book was on his case studies of the afterlife.

Well if you're not of the interested then you're right where Josh was a few hours ago. He nodded and then finally admitted he'd stopped listening right around "I've been reading."

So I followed him into the office and he started to explain the day to me.

"Around eleven you're going to have to push in a meeting with Staci George."

"Isn't that the crazy chick from the Internet Coo Coo's Nest?"

"Yes, Donna, in not so many words it is."

"Why is she even getting access to the White House. I thought CJ made it very clear she needed to be gone?"

"She did but I told you about her burst in the entrance?"

"Yeah."

"Well she had lagit action."

"You mean she could have sued because we weren't nice to her?"

"Looks like."

"That's crap."

"That's the law."

"The laws sucks."

"I know."

"Is there anyway we can change that law?"

"Before eleven?"

"I guess it is a little ridiculous."

"You think?" I shrugged and moved to the door.

"I don't have to sign anything that grants her access, do I?"

"Maybe."

"Josh!" I whined at him.

"Donna, it's not like she's going to go crazy and try to kill the lot of us."

"You don't know that!" He rolled his head back, a usual warning sign for me to back down.

"Donna."

"All I'm saying is we don't know her stability and I don't want to be the person that has to sign her access to the President, is my point."

"You're going to sign her access."

"Why?"

"Because I said so and as your boss you have to do whatever I tell you to do." I just stared at him.

"There's been no sign of truth to that so far."

"Yeah." I grabbed a few things from his desk and sighed.

"As long as I don't have to deal with CJ." He had gotten quiet. I looked up at him. He was giving me that look. The look he gets when I just said the exact opposite of something. "No way."

"Donna."

"No way, Josh."

"I'm gonna be in meetings all morning."

"So?"

"So I can't tell her."

"Chicken."

"Damn right I am."

"So once again I have to pick up slack for this mistake, as ever I've done before."

"We speak English here, Donna."

"No proof of that so far in this town." He gave me that look again. "Fine. I'll transport the loony to the office and tell CJ when she asks. But she has to ask, her anger has to be directed at you at a later time, and I better get a humongous cookie for this."

"I'll buy you shoes."

"Yeah, I've heard that before." And so I went back to business as usual. I should have known this was going to be a hell day from just that experience but yet here I stand, still amazed.

And it's about to get a lot worse.

"Toby, I didn't, like, plan for the press briefings to extend onto this thing for the past three days. It sort of just happened like that."

"Yeah, well try to see to it that it gets disbanded before the next one. We've got three important bills coming up and I'd like us to actually, you know, look good at working them."

Great. CJ wasn't exactly in a great mood right now either.

I saw her turn the corner and tried to look busy. From the corner of my eye I saw her check out Josh's door, notice it was closed, and look back to me. Still I tried to be nonchalant.

"Donna?" I look up briefly for infancies and smile before looking back down to the file.

"Oh, hi CJ." I sit down at my desk.

"Is Josh in?"

"Uhhh," I stumble over words. I'm gonna so hate this day for a long time coming. "Yes." I smile at her and crinkly my forehead. I suck at this nonchalant stuff.

"Can I see him?"

"He's in a meeting." CJ's on to me and I know it.

"Okay. With who?"

"I'm sorry?" I smile at her again.

"Who's he in a meeting with?" I pause for a moment. This really isn't fair.

"The reporter from the Singles Magazine." Her face instantly turned red.

"What?"

"CJ."

"Are you kidding me?"

"CJ I think you should really--"

"I'm gonna kill him." She made her way for the door and against my better judgment, I moved in front of her. It was a very glorious move seeing as how I jumped up and moved in front of her in a swift movement. I didn't trip on boxes or my desk.

"CJ, he didn't have a choice."

"Oh he won't have a choice. He won't have a choice as to liquids or solids when I'm through with him."

"No, CJ, he really didn't have a choice." She stopped for a moment and looked at me.

"Okay." I signal for her to follow me and I lead her into her own office. She closes the door behind us. "Talk."

"Josh cancels her passes yesterday after you grilled him. When she came into the entrance, Josh was there and she saw him. After a little ego thrown at her, she basically said that he had no right to keep her from the story and so threatened to sue him over it. After talking to Sam, he found out that she had the right to sue because of the article's impartiality to being bias."

"So he called her back in to explain the rules to her and start this back up."

"So as to get it over with earlier." CJ nodded. I think she might be a little calmer.

"I'm still going to kill him." Or not. I don't exactly know how to react to that.

"So can I..." I hint at the door.

"Go. I'll just sit in here and fume for a while." I watch as she moves to sit in her chair. "Donna?"

"Yeah CJ?" I turn back to her and give a very weak smile.

"Let me know when he's through."

"Sure thing." I'm almost out the door when I hear something hit the wall. I am SO glad I'm not a Mister Joshua Lyman. And if he heard the crash, which I'm sure he did, then he better be planning an escape route right now.

I hear the Kennedy room has a beautiful tunnel leading under the building.