It had been two months. Josh called Donna every other day. They had become friends again and Josh was happy about that. The Bartlett Administration had about a year left in office and Josh and Lynne were going to be married a few months after the new President was sworn in.
Josh had been planning to go up and visit Donna with Will and Sam in a week or so. It was going to be a surprise. He'd been planning it with the guys and her mother. Then he got the phone call that would change his life.
"Josh Lyman," he answered his cell phone like usual.
"Josh?" Donna's mother asked. "Josh thank goodness you're there."
"What's wrong, Mrs. Moss?" Josh asked. "What happened?"
"There's been an accident. A car accident...a little bit ago," she cried. "Donna...she was...she was driving and a car...it crossed the median. She hit it head on. She's...she's in the hospital. She's not conscious. It's...it doesn't look good, Josh. It doesn't look good," she sniffed.
Josh was frozen. Donna was in a car crash. She was unconscious. What about Olivia? "What about Olivia? Was Olivia with her?" he asked.
"Yes...yes she was, but Olivia's okay Josh. She just had a few cuts and bruises is all," Mrs. Moss assured him.
"I'm on my way over," Josh told her.
"Josh - only if you can. I know how busy you are with your job and all," she told him.
"Donna's my friend. I was going to come up soon anyway. It'll just be earlier now," he insisted. "What hospital?" he asked and jotted down the pertinent information.
----
Josh, Sam, and Will boarded a plan bound for Wisconsin three hours later.
----
They'd been in Wisconsin for a little over two weeks. They'd set up shop at the local hotel and had been working on the pending election for the next President from there. Technology was a wonderful thing.
Everyday they took turns visiting Donna in the hospital. And it had been hard. She was still unconscious and they had no way of knowing when she'd wake up. Her vitals were growing stronger so they all took that as a good sign. He came in and sat down and smiled warmly at Donna. Then something amazing happened. She opened her eyes for a brief second. And he made a motion to get a doctor before she stopped him.
Josh came to her bedside and moved some of the sweat-stained hair off of her forehead and smiled at her. "Hey you," he whispered as her eyes fluttered open. "Told ya I'd be back to see ya."
"You're really here, aren't you?" she asked as her eyes focused on him.
"Yes ma'am," he told her. "I have Sam and Will outside, too."
"Not Lynne?" she asked.
"She sends her regards," he lied. "She had to work."
"Okay," Donna sighed. "Will you do something for me?" she asked him as her breaths became more labored.
Josh nodded, "Anything."
"Smile for me," she said.
He did and his dimples appeared like magic.
Donna's hand drew to his cheek and her fingers traced his dimples. He took her hand after a moment and brought it to his lips and kissed it lightly. "You okay?" he asked.
"Her dimples are just like yours," she murmured as her eyes closed.
"Who's?" Josh asked, confused.
"Olivia's silly," Donna murmured. "Olivia's."
Josh stayed with Donna until she fell back to sleep and then he carefully and quietly removed his hand from her's and made his way outside her room to his friends - still shocked by her revelation.
Will and Sam stood immediately. "Josh?" Sam asked as his friend came to sit down across from them. "Everything okay?"
"She woke up for a second. She's out again, though," he said.
"Josh, that's great," Will smiled.
"She said...she said her dimples were just like mine," Josh said off handedly.
"What?" Sam asked and he and Will shared a worried look.
"Olivia's," Josh said, focusing on them. "But that can't be, right? I mean that's not possible because if she were mine...I mean if I were Olivia's father...Donna would've told me," he laughed it off. "I mean...she would've told me, right?" he asked.
Will looked and Sam and then at his shoes. Sam shrugged helplessly as Josh pushed himself up from his chair and pounded the wall. "Damnit! Why the hell didn't she tell me?" he asked no one in particular.
Will started to get up and Sam shook his head in disapproval. "Let him get it out," Sam murmured and Will sighed and slouched back in his chair.
And so things went for the next couple of weeks in Wisconsin. Josh snapped. Will and Sam watched. It was tense. But they all found the time to visit with Donna. Josh spent hours with her. No one was sure if it was because he wanted to confront her immediately or not. They just felt that letting him do what he needed to do was the best way to deal with this latest event.
Then again when Josh was pacing around the edge of Donna's room, she woke up.
"Where's Oivia?" she asked when she opened her eyes and took in her surroundings. "Where's my baby?
"She's fine. She's home with your mother at the moment," he stared at her.
"How long have I been here?" she asked.
"A month about," he estimated.
"I...I don't remember," she told him.
"Who's Olivia's father?" he asked directly.
"What?" she responded shocked. "What the hell are you asking me that for when I'm recovering from an accident?"
"Donna," he sighed. "Who is it? I need you to tell me," he said.
"Josh," she whispered. "Don't do this," she begged. "Not right now...I don't know if I can handle it right now."
He smiled a little and it was not in a pleasant way. "Funny - at the moment I don't care all that much. Just answer the question, Donna. Now."
"You," she whispered. "Is that what you wanted to hear?" Although he knew it was coming, he still sat down like he'd had the wind knocked out of him. "I guess," he murmured.
"How did you? I mean...how did you figure it out?" she asked.
"You," he said, smiling sadly. "You woke up a little about two weeks ago. You said she had dimples just like mine. When I asked who you were talking about you responded with Olivia, like it was obvious. Imagine my surprise," he said dryly.
"Josh," she sighed, wiping her tears.
"Why the hell didn't you tell me?" he asked. "She's my daughter! I had a right to know!"
"You did," Donna cried. "When I left I didn't know I was pregnant," she explained. "And when I found out - I still wanted to protect your career and I didn't know if everything would work out, ya know?" She shifted in bed, uneasy under Josh's cold stare. "And then - I was thinking of telling you and you got engaged. And then you showed up! You were here when she was born and I wanted to tell you so badly. I was about to and then Lynne showed up and the moment was gone and I didn't want to upset your life right then. I wanted to tell you," she proclaimed. "I was going to tell you."
"But you didn't," he shook his head in disgust. "I lost months with my daughter because you didn't get around to telling me," he pushed back his chair and began to pass violently around the room.
"I told her about you," she whispered through her tears. "By her crib there's a picture of us. You and me before all the bad happened. I tell her every night how wonderful her Daddy is and how important and powerful he is. And how much he loves her. Everytime she'd smile I'd see her dimples and think of you automatically," she sighed.
Josh found himself softening and that's not what he wanted at this juncture. "When you get out," he said softly and slowly. "When you get out you're coming back to DC with me. You and the baby," he told her.
"Josh, be reasonable. What about Lynne?" she asked.
"We're getting a house. I'll just make it a bit larger. You and Olivia will live there. So will Lynne and I. I'll make so you two can have your own space but I'll be able to visit all the time. It's what's best," he told her.
"For who?" she asked.
"For me," Josh told her. "Right now I am permitted to be selfish. You didn't allow me to be with my daughter. Now I am going to be with her all the time. This is what I want. Everyone else be damned," he told her and stormed out of the room. Donna stared at the door and wiped her wet tears from her flushed cheeks. She was so frustrated with the turn in events. She threw plastic pitcher at the door and yelled in exasperation.
After it hit, Josh opened the door again and looked at the pitcher on the ground and smirked back at her. "In case I forgot to mention it earlier," he said. "I'm glad you're awake," he told her and gave a full dimpled smile and left the room again.
Josh sighed as he went outside and proceeded to call his real estate agent and asked her to look into a fairly larger-sized house. Then he called Lynne and tried to explain his reasoning to her. It didn't go well and it resulted in her screaming - a lot, and then there was the inevitable hang up. He decided that he'd call her later that night and try to get her to understand. She'd be better once she got used to the idea. Then he called CJ. He'd dreaded calling CJ. He knew he should have called CJ two weeks ago when Sam gave him the confirmation that he'd needed. He just dreaded doing it. They were knee deep in a Presidential Election. And they're guy could very well win. Josh could be the next Chief of Staff. He was in the perfect position. But this new wrinkle could kill his chances of greatness. It could put the final dent in President Bartlett's Administration. It could make the American People vote for the other guy. And CJ would possibly harm him in some way.
"Claudia Jean?" he asked meekly when she answered her phone.
"Josh," she smiled. "How's Donna doing? And Will and Sam?" she asked. "When are you all coming back?"
"Donna's awake," he said with a sigh of relief. No matter how pissed he was he was happy she was doing so much better. "She's going to be okay," he predicted.
"That's great," CJ said with a smile. "Everyone here will be thrilled to know that. No matter what was said before Josh," she sighed. "You know we've always liked Donna."
"Yeah," he laughed. "CJ - Olivia's my daughter," he figured there was no way else to say it.
"I'm sorry," she laughed. "What did you say?"
"Olivia. She's my daughter," Josh repeated.
"You're the father of Donna's baby?" she asked for complete clarification. "Josh," she hissed. "Who knows?"
"Yes CJ, I am," he sighed softly. "Will and Sam and probably Donna's mother, Donna and myself. Lynne and now you, CJ."
"I can't spin this," she sighed. "You knocked up your assistant! I can't make that look good."
"She was my girlfriend at the time, too, if you'll recall, CJ," Josh pointed out.
"Well, she's in Wisconsin," CJ shrugged. "She's not demanding anything, is she?"
"Of course she doesn't want anything," Josh told her. "It's Donna! She's too stubborn for her own good. And she's moving to DC."
"She's what?" CJ asked.
"I'm having her and the baby move into the house with us," Josh explained. "I need to get to know my daughter and I want to be able to help Donna out."
"Is Lynne okay with this?" she asked.
"Not yet," Josh admitted. "But she will be. I deserve the right to know my daughter, CJ," Josh sighed.
"Josh," she sighed. "You're being selfish! This affects all of us."
"You're right, CJ. I am being selfish. Silly me. I want to get to know my little girl. Woo freaking hoo. If that makes me selfish then fine. I'm freaking selfish!"
"Calm down, Josh," CJ told him. "Getting hysterical is not going to help matters, is it?"
"I don't know," he said. "I don't know what will help matters. I don't know if having Donna and our daughter living with me and Lynne is the answer. I actually think it's gonna be a big mess, but you know what? I don't know what else to do. Once Donna's feeling a bit better...when she's okay to care for herself and the baby...then I'll see about getting them their own place. Maybe that will be best. I don't really know. Maybe hysteria is my only viable option."
CJ took a deep breath and ran her hands through her hair. "Josh," she said pointedly. "When are you coming home?"
"Next week," he answered.
"Okay. We'll talk more then. And Donna? When is she coming?"
Soon after, I'd assume. I want to wait for her to get out of the hospital and then give her a few days around her to say goodbye to everyone," he responded.
"Okay," CJ sighed. "I'll see you soon then," she smiled.
"Yeah," he murmured and hung up.
Josh felt his body move down the outside wall of the hospital building as he slid down to the ground and wrapped his arms around his knees. He needed to settle down, he thought. He wanted to go back to Donna's and see his daughter, but first he needed to calm down.
----
Sam and Will poked their heads into Donna's room a little after Josh had left. "You okay?" Sam asked with a grin as he and Will strode in with a couple of vases stuffed with flowers.
"Hi guys," she smiled. "So, Josh knows he's a Daddy."
"Yeah," Will sighed. "It was bound to happen though, Donna. You knew that."
"I know," she hugged Will when he approached her. "That doesn't mean I feel any better about it."
"How'd he take it?" Sam asked.
"He's pissed," Donna said. "But he's got every right to be, ya know? He's making us move back with him."
"Back to Washington?" Will asked with a grin. "That's great!"
"Yeah, me, Olivia, Josh and Lynne- one big happy family," she tried to joke. "He wants us to live in the same house as he and his soon-to-be wife."
Sam shook his head. "It'll just be temporary, I'm sure. Lynne won't have it," Sam smirked. "But you do miss DC, right?"
"Yes," Donna smiled a little.
"And you miss us, right?" Will asked.
"Yes," Donna giggled.
"Then - great! You're coming home and we couldn't be more thrilled," Sam told her and he and Will alternated hugging her.
"You'll make sure Josh is okay tonight, right?" Donna asked her friends with a pleading smile.
"He's probably at your mom's place right now," Will smiled. "We'll go check on him if you want."
"Thanks guys," she whispered.
"We'll see you tomorrow, kiddo," Sam smiled at her and kissed her forehead.
"Take care," Will smirked as they left her alone.
----
They walked out the side entrance to the hospital and found Josh curled up against the wall rocking back and forth.
"Josh?" Sam asked as they jogged up to their friend. "You okay?"
"What am I going to do?" he asked looking up at his two best friends. "I yelled at her. I'm forcing her to move to DC with me. She's going to hate me."
"She understands," Will smiled. "And besides - she does miss Washington and Sam and I," he added with a grin.
"You're mad," Sam decided. "That's understandable. You'll get over it eventually. You guys were on your way back to being friends. You just jumped the track a little bit. No big deal. You'll work it out," he promised.
"C'mon," Will suggested. "Let's go see your little girl."
Josh allowed Sam Will to help him up and they went to Donna's mother's house to see Olivia.
