FADE IN:

TITLE CARD: Monday

INT. RESTAURANT - DAY

A busy, upscale restaurant at lunchtime. The interior of the building is brightly lit, but the windows show a darkened midday cityscape. Rain isn't falling yet but it's only a matter of time.

Well-dressed men and women crowd around most of the tables. Conversation is kept to a dull roar. A table near the kitchen door holds a family of tourists, inappropriately dressed and wide-eyed. The father (or mother) points occasionally to recognizable figures around the room.

The waitstaff scurries from table to table, balancing glasses on trays and juggling plates of food.

Josh Lyman sits alone at a booth along one wall. He is nursing a pale beer and checking his phone for messages. Or email. It's one of those overly large and complicated phone/PDA hybrids. He presses a few buttons and it squawks at him. He's annoyed, at it and at himself. His hair is short but still manages to stick out at odd angles. He's run his fingers through that mop more than once today.

JOSH
(agitated)
For the love of... Just give me the damn message!

He quickly glances around, hoping no one heard him cursing a lump of plastic.

JOSH (cont'd)
(grumbling)
A child could use it, my

DONNA
Problem, Joshua?

She has materialized beside his table. He flushes and tucks the phone under the suit jacket next to him.

JOSH
Nah. Just.. a thing. Nothing important.

He rises from the table to give her a kiss on the cheek and a hug that neither one seems willing to end.

JOSH (cont'd)
(whispers)
Thank you for coming, Donnatella.

She closes her eyes for a moment, then awkwardly pulls herself out of his embrace. They smile at each other for a bit, mindlessly. Finally, they remember where they are and sit down on opposite sides of the table.

DONNA
I have to admit, I didn't expect you to call. It's so
close to the Inauguration and there are a million
things to do. Not that I need to tell you that; I mean,
you've been through all this a few times already.
Well, so have I, but it's different when you...

Josh smirks as she trails off. Donna frowns a little and fidgets with her napkin.

DONNA (cont'd)
I thought I'd finally broken that rambling habit.

JOSH
(amused)
I bring out the best in you.

DONNA
(exasperated)
I wouldn't say that exactly.

JOSH
Hey!

DONNA
So, how are you? How's, um, things?

JOSH
How's things? That's the best you've got?

DONNA
It's been a long couple of months, Joshua.A long,
tedious, exhausting, thrilling couple of months.

JOSH
Yeah.

DONNA
I feel like I could sleep for a year.

JOSH
(groaning)
Oh, yeah.

DONNA
Seriously, a whole year. Fifty-two weeks
of rest and relaxation. Three hundred sixty-five
uninterrupted days and nights of blissful slumber.

JOSH
Hell, I'd settle for six hours at a stretch.

DONNA
Oh, yes! No phones, no pagers...

JOSH
No knocks on the door...

TOGETHER
No 24-hour news channels!

They grin at each other. Donna picks up her menu while Josh takes another sip of his pale beer.

DONNA
Neither of us would last a full day. Seriously,
though, are you getting enough rest? Youlook
as tired as I feel, and I know I'm not getting
nearly enough...

JOSH
(forcefully)
I'm fine, Donna.

DONNA
(lightly)
No need to get your knickers in a twist,
Josh. I'm just asking, one friend to another.

JOSH
(sheepishly)
Sorry.

He tries to look her in the eye, but she's looking over his shoulder for their waiter. He grabs one of her hands. Their eyes meet.

JOSH (cont'd)
Really, I'm sorry. I shouldn't have snapped
at you. I'm not getting enough sleep... There's
a lot on my mind right... Friends? Is that what we are?

He still hasn't let go of her hand, but she's in no hurry to pull it away.

DONNA
Of course we are! What, you think just
because you act like, well, you, that I'd...

He interrupts her before she can finish.

JOSH
After the way I've treated youThe last few
years... I'm sorry, Donna. You were always
there for me and I wasn't there for you...

DONNA
(softly)
You were when it counted.

He can't form a response to that. He's remembering how small and frail she looked in that German hospital bed. She's remembers him post-Rosslyn: blood and stitches and tubes, a pair of too-large pajamas, a bandaged hand. We remember these things too as we see their eyes, soft and hurt. They say more in a shared glance than they have in their eight-plus years of banter.

JOSH
I never told you how much I needed you.
You kept that office running, kept me
running. I wouldn't have lasted a month
without you telling me what to do, where
to go and who needed an apology...

Donna tightens her grip on Josh's hand.

DONNA
I knew.

They are silent for a moment. The restaurant has ceased to exist for them.

Finally, Donna breaks the moment.

DONNA (cont'd)
But would it have killed you
to give me a raise?

CUT TO:

INT. LEO'S OFFICE - DAY

Leo's office is, like all the others, clearly in the midst of packing. A few briefing books remain on the bookcase. There are two visitors chairs in front of the desk, backs to the door.

Margaret sits in one of the chairs, clearly uncomfortable without a desk and keyboard. She is talking softly into a cell phone.

MARGARET
Is he sleeping? He should be sleeping now.
He's used to a very strict schedule: One bottle
every four hours and a short nap afterwards.
It's very important that he... Yes. Okay. Yes.
No. No, I... Okay.

Leo has walked in through the door behind her. He looks momentarily surprised to see her, but his expression quickly fades to one of muted pleasure. A grin nearly breaks across his face as he listens to her.

MARGARET (cont'd)
CJ gave me the afternoon off, so I should be
back shortly. I just have a few errands to run.
No, Dad, I'm not still in the White House...
Yes. Okay. I'll be back before your soap opera
starts. No, I know you don't watch them...
Right. Bye.

LEO
Playing hooky?

Margaret jumps out of her chair and screams a little at the sound of Leo's voice. She turns to face him and presses a hand to her chest.

MARGARET
You scared the bejeesus out of me, Leo!
You really shouldn't do that to a recently
pregnant woman, you know.

LEO
Aww, I know. Come here.

He hugs her.

LEO (cont'd)
You look good. I know I've said this
a few times already, but congratulations.

MARGARET
Thank you. The flowers were beautiful.
As were the booties, the bibs, the mobile,
the rattle...

They've separated and stand a few feet away from each other. He waves her into the chair she previously occupied and sits down next to her. He's grinning, an expression that lights up his whole face.

LEO
If you're going to list everything we got you,
we'll be here until the next administration ends.

MARGARET
Yeah.

LEO
I take it that your parents are still in town?

MARGARET
They're leaving in a week or two. Mom
refuses to leave until I'm... we're out of
the White House.

LEO
Not much time left, is there?

MARGARET
A matter of days now.

They both pause, faces solemn.

MARGARET (cont'd)
Which is why I'm here. CJ gave me the
afternoon off, so I could take care of a few
personal matters. Dry cleaning, haircut,
job search...

LEO
Margaret...

MARGARET
I know we haven't had a chance to really
talk since I came back from maternity leave.
You've been busy with the President and I've
been trying to wrap up CJ's things. But,
before it's too late, I wanted to speak with you.

LEO
Margaret!

MARGARET
It's just that... Well, I don't know what you'll
be doing next, but I wanted to make the offer...
I know not many people would hire a woman,
a single woman, with a baby. Worries about
dedication and priorities... Not that you need
to worry about my priorities, Leo. You know
me better than that. When I'm at work, I am
totally focused on what needs to be done...

Leo has watched her give this speech with the beginnings of another smile growing. He interrupts.

LEO
Margaret, will you do me the very great honor
of being my assistant again?

MARGARET
I'd be delighted, Mr. McGarry.

LEO
You understand that I'll require about 50 less
talking. And no nagging.

MARGARET
I don't know about that.

LEO
Okay.

MARGARET
Okay. I'm gonna go.

LEO
Yeah.

She rises to leave.

LEO
We'll sit down at lunch tomorrow and talk
about the details.

A beat.

LEO (cont'd)
He's a beautiful baby. You did good, kid.

Margaret nods, the movement a little jerky. She looks like she's about to cry, but she's happy. Proud. She exits, passing Charlie just outside the doorway.

MARGARET
Bye, Leo. Hi, Charlie. Bye, Charlie.

CHARLIE
See you tomorrow.
(to Leo)
CJ wants to see you. There's a thing.

LEO
(sighs)
When isn't there.
Tell her I'll be there
in a minute.

Charlie nods and walks away. Leo sits down heavily behind his desk and gazes out the window.

LEO
(softly)
Whole houses, right off the ground.

FADE OUT

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