"Mrs Bartlett would it be okay if took thirty minutes to talk to Josh?"
Donna said as soon as Abbey was settled into her hotel room.
"Of course. One piece of advice, let him talk otherwise he'll never get the courage up."
"Thank you. We're working on those numbers for you and we'll have a definite position which I could present to Josh, when we return for the dedication this afternoon."
"Donna go and talk to the man. The numbers can wait." Abbey said interrupting as Donna started to babble.
"Thank you ma'am." Donna walked out into the corridor. "Josh Lyman?" She asked the agent. He quickly spoke into his sleeve.
"He's in the restaurant ma'am." The agent replied.
"Could you ask someone to send him up to my room please?" Donna asked.
"Send Fullbright to Rolling Stones room." He muttered quickly. Donna smiled at the code name the agents had given her at the start of the trip. When she asked why she'd been informed it fitted from the phrase 'a rolling stone gathers no moss'. "He's on his way ma'am."
"Thank you."
"Come in." Donna yelled at the knock on the door. She'd been reading the numbers while she'd been waiting, they were better than she'd hoped and definitely gave her a bargaining edge for making the push when she discussed it with senior White House staff.
"You know you should just let just anyone walk into your room." Josh said as he entered the room.
"One I walk in and out of your hotel rooms without any paying a blind bit of notice. Two we're occupying the whole floor and it is covered in Agents. Three I knew it was either you or one of Mrs Bartlett's staff so it really didn't matter."
"You're beginning to like the power too much." He muttered.
"Josh I don't want to argue with you. I've got thirty minutes before I have to go and finish talking to the agents about the dedication, I've got to get Tracey to put in a call to the White House and talk to someone in the counsel's office to make sure our proposal isn't illegal and then I need to set up a meeting with a senior White House staffer, which we elected you to be to discuss putting our proposal into effect. So take a seat." She said from her seat on the bed where the papers were scattered in front of her. She waited for Josh to say something but he didn't. "Come on Josh, you didn't come all this way just deliver some papers or just to apologise."
"I figured out why I keep ruining your dates." He managed after another minute.
"And?" Donna prompted.
"I'm . . . . in love with you." Donna bit her lip to keep from doing anything rash. She knew how he felt for a long time, he'd just never admitted it to her before.
"And what brought you to this realisation?" She managed to blurt out. Josh didn't say anything. "Josh?" She prompted.
"Well I.............."
"Let me help you out there." She said. "A man about so high, leader of the free world, commander in chief, our boss, goes by the name POTUS told you ring any bells."
"How did you...?"
"I happen to be really good friends with the White House Deputy Communications Director. He thought I should know that you couldn't work it out for yourself."
"So you knew why I am here?"
"Josh, we've all noticed over the years. You were the only one who didn't realise. I learned to live with the fact that it wasn't going to go anywhere because you weren't ready to accept it. I was trying to move on, but every time I did you interfered." She wiped a tear out of her eyes.
"Don't cry please Donna." He said place a gentle on the cheek. "Whatever it took me to realise it I do love you Donna."
"I know. I love you too Josh." He gently kissed her. A knock on the door interrupted them. "Yes." Donna called.
"Donna, sorry to interrupt." Tracey said coming in. "The Governor's assistant is on the phone she's insisting on talking to Mrs Bartlett's chief of staff."
"Excuse me." She said to Josh and crossed the room and took the cell phone from Tracey. "Donna Moss speaking. ... Yes I'm Mrs Bartlett's Chief of Staff." The sound of that caused Josh to look up. "Of course she will .. She's the First Lady of course Mrs Bartlett will. I think she would be insulted if you implied that. .. If the Governor feels that way maybe Mrs Bartlett should withdraw from the dinner... Yes thank you. We'll get back to you on tonight. Goodbye." She hung up. "Tracey, I need you to get me CJ on the phone, see if Toby is able to conference in. Oh and find Carly and tell her we need to find Mrs Bartlett a different outfit for the dedication, they've gone with red flowers, we don't want her to clash." Donna instructed.
"Of course." She took the cell phone, "It will take a few minutes to set up and I'll get it put through to the phone here."
"Thank you." Donna said as Tracey left.
"Mrs Bartlett's Chief of Staff?" Josh questioned.
"She offered me the job, I was going to tell you." Donna stated.
"She's making you her Chief of Staff." Josh repeated.
"She offered it to me in the car on the way here. The President is okay with it on a trial basis. I tried telling her I wasn't qualified for it, but she insists that working for you for the last few years I'm more than qualified."
"You're leaving me to work for Mrs Bartlett?"
"Josh, I left you over a week ago. You just didn't accept it. Besides if 'us' is going to go anywhere it's going to be better that we don't work together, it will cause less of a scandal."
"Donna." He mumbled.
"I promise I'll help you find a new assistant who you can work with. Josh this is a great opportunity for me and it's not like we're never going to see each other again, I mean we'll still be working in the same building. Josh?" The phone interrupted. "Donna Moss." She said answering. "Hey CJ. We're going to have a trial period of three months. But that's not what I need. There's a situation with the Governor I need you, Toby and Josh to wade in on before it blows up in our face. Let me just put you on speaker phone and I'll explain the situation."
"Of course. One piece of advice, let him talk otherwise he'll never get the courage up."
"Thank you. We're working on those numbers for you and we'll have a definite position which I could present to Josh, when we return for the dedication this afternoon."
"Donna go and talk to the man. The numbers can wait." Abbey said interrupting as Donna started to babble.
"Thank you ma'am." Donna walked out into the corridor. "Josh Lyman?" She asked the agent. He quickly spoke into his sleeve.
"He's in the restaurant ma'am." The agent replied.
"Could you ask someone to send him up to my room please?" Donna asked.
"Send Fullbright to Rolling Stones room." He muttered quickly. Donna smiled at the code name the agents had given her at the start of the trip. When she asked why she'd been informed it fitted from the phrase 'a rolling stone gathers no moss'. "He's on his way ma'am."
"Thank you."
"Come in." Donna yelled at the knock on the door. She'd been reading the numbers while she'd been waiting, they were better than she'd hoped and definitely gave her a bargaining edge for making the push when she discussed it with senior White House staff.
"You know you should just let just anyone walk into your room." Josh said as he entered the room.
"One I walk in and out of your hotel rooms without any paying a blind bit of notice. Two we're occupying the whole floor and it is covered in Agents. Three I knew it was either you or one of Mrs Bartlett's staff so it really didn't matter."
"You're beginning to like the power too much." He muttered.
"Josh I don't want to argue with you. I've got thirty minutes before I have to go and finish talking to the agents about the dedication, I've got to get Tracey to put in a call to the White House and talk to someone in the counsel's office to make sure our proposal isn't illegal and then I need to set up a meeting with a senior White House staffer, which we elected you to be to discuss putting our proposal into effect. So take a seat." She said from her seat on the bed where the papers were scattered in front of her. She waited for Josh to say something but he didn't. "Come on Josh, you didn't come all this way just deliver some papers or just to apologise."
"I figured out why I keep ruining your dates." He managed after another minute.
"And?" Donna prompted.
"I'm . . . . in love with you." Donna bit her lip to keep from doing anything rash. She knew how he felt for a long time, he'd just never admitted it to her before.
"And what brought you to this realisation?" She managed to blurt out. Josh didn't say anything. "Josh?" She prompted.
"Well I.............."
"Let me help you out there." She said. "A man about so high, leader of the free world, commander in chief, our boss, goes by the name POTUS told you ring any bells."
"How did you...?"
"I happen to be really good friends with the White House Deputy Communications Director. He thought I should know that you couldn't work it out for yourself."
"So you knew why I am here?"
"Josh, we've all noticed over the years. You were the only one who didn't realise. I learned to live with the fact that it wasn't going to go anywhere because you weren't ready to accept it. I was trying to move on, but every time I did you interfered." She wiped a tear out of her eyes.
"Don't cry please Donna." He said place a gentle on the cheek. "Whatever it took me to realise it I do love you Donna."
"I know. I love you too Josh." He gently kissed her. A knock on the door interrupted them. "Yes." Donna called.
"Donna, sorry to interrupt." Tracey said coming in. "The Governor's assistant is on the phone she's insisting on talking to Mrs Bartlett's chief of staff."
"Excuse me." She said to Josh and crossed the room and took the cell phone from Tracey. "Donna Moss speaking. ... Yes I'm Mrs Bartlett's Chief of Staff." The sound of that caused Josh to look up. "Of course she will .. She's the First Lady of course Mrs Bartlett will. I think she would be insulted if you implied that. .. If the Governor feels that way maybe Mrs Bartlett should withdraw from the dinner... Yes thank you. We'll get back to you on tonight. Goodbye." She hung up. "Tracey, I need you to get me CJ on the phone, see if Toby is able to conference in. Oh and find Carly and tell her we need to find Mrs Bartlett a different outfit for the dedication, they've gone with red flowers, we don't want her to clash." Donna instructed.
"Of course." She took the cell phone, "It will take a few minutes to set up and I'll get it put through to the phone here."
"Thank you." Donna said as Tracey left.
"Mrs Bartlett's Chief of Staff?" Josh questioned.
"She offered me the job, I was going to tell you." Donna stated.
"She's making you her Chief of Staff." Josh repeated.
"She offered it to me in the car on the way here. The President is okay with it on a trial basis. I tried telling her I wasn't qualified for it, but she insists that working for you for the last few years I'm more than qualified."
"You're leaving me to work for Mrs Bartlett?"
"Josh, I left you over a week ago. You just didn't accept it. Besides if 'us' is going to go anywhere it's going to be better that we don't work together, it will cause less of a scandal."
"Donna." He mumbled.
"I promise I'll help you find a new assistant who you can work with. Josh this is a great opportunity for me and it's not like we're never going to see each other again, I mean we'll still be working in the same building. Josh?" The phone interrupted. "Donna Moss." She said answering. "Hey CJ. We're going to have a trial period of three months. But that's not what I need. There's a situation with the Governor I need you, Toby and Josh to wade in on before it blows up in our face. Let me just put you on speaker phone and I'll explain the situation."