A/N: Look everyone! The final chapter is finally here. So sorry if you have lost interest in what has happened or just have became to annoyed at me to care to go on.

Though I should clarify that I will be adding a short epilogue to the end in the next couple of days. A little "update" so to speak.

But yes….I just finished editing this!

Thank you to everyone that has reviewed this throughout the process. Your kind words have kept me going. There has been so many of you that have emailed and reviewed me from the beginning. Thank you!

And the biggest thank you ever to Holly. Holly, we both know that none of this would have happened without you. I truly believed that this has helped build our friendship even more now that I can more clearly understand your obsession with fanfiction. Thank you for being the bestest friend in the world!

On that note…I shut up and give you At Toast to Pandora!

Chapter Twenty-nine

"I talked to the White House this morning. I mean, you can't talk to a building, but I talked to some people in the White House this morning."

"Josh?"

"Yeah," he agreed, sighing into the phone as he sunk deeper into his desk chair. "I think I may pigeon hole this version."

"Because you know that you should probably talk to more that just 'some' of the people in the White House."

"Donna."

"I know. Sorry." She couldn't help smiling though. Then she paused. "Why are you giving the statement this afternoon instead of CJ?"

"Well, CJ is preoccupied with another and more important statement breaking this afternoon and they figure that it may look good, if I don't screw it up, to have me in the public light today a little." He stood up and began to pace the confines of his office. "And it's not like I will do that bad, anyways."

"Yeah," she said trying to hide her hesitance as much as possible. "What is CJ announcing today?"

He was silent for a moment before clearing his throat. Then her eyes went wide. "She's announcing us today, isn't she?"

"Well, Donna, the baby is due in two weeks now. I think we kept the lid on about as long as we can."

"Were you going to tell me this anytime before the briefing?"

"Yes," he defended. "I…I just. It's all going to become officially permanent today."

"You say that like you weren't really the father yesterday."

"You know what I mean."

Though she could, she didn't have the heart to find more flaws in his logic. "When do you have to give the announcement on the commission?"

"Eleven. And I'm not doing any questions. Just the statement and getting out of there."

"Good," she said with relief. "And eleven gives you just enough time to go and get someone else to write it for you."

"You don't think that I'm capable of writing a two paragraph statement talking about a commission that the White House is sponsoring?"

"Well…"

"A commission that I am the unspoken founder and leader of that will try to again bridge the gaps between the executive and legislative branches of government?" After a moment of silence he prodded on. "Well?"

"Not really."

His ego deflated instantaneously. "Why?"

"It's been discussed before, but you hold great hostility toward 1) Congress, and 2) the White House press corps."

"So?"

"That leaves a lot of room for you to get arrogant and cocky and therefore…you tend to get a little mouthy."

It took several tense moments before he muttered, "I'll go talk to Toby."

"Okay."

He decided that it was best to change the subject as he tossed all of his statement drafts in the trashcan. "So what are you going to do today?"

"Exercise."

"Donna! They told you to take it easy."

"Just a little of my workout videos. I can't do much of it." She grumbled. "I can't even see my toes, let alone touch them. My back has been killing me all day and I think that a little movement might make it better."

"Donna, Dr. Young told you that you could go into labor at any time. So you really shouldn't do that kind of stuff unless you have someone there with you."

"Don't worry. And besides, the Moss women are not known for early deliveries."

"Well the Lyman children are known for being spontaneous."

"Imagine that." She smiled. "Now go. You have work to do."

"And you need to get your grove on?" he offered.

"Yes," she laughed. Then a deep breath. "I love you."

Though it had been weeks, it still got to him. His cheeks flushed slightly. "I love you too, Donnatella."


Donna wasn't as eager to get up and move as she let on. In fact, she had had stomach cramps all morning, but it wasn't enough to slow down her restlessness.

She tried to sit and watch a little television and paced as her man took the podium and performed a perfect recitation of Toby's speech. In the end, she decided that she had to do something more and popped in her exercise video designed for expecting women.

She took her place in the middle of the room as Billy Idol's voice filled the room. She tried to run in place to the rhythm, but was settling on her own fast paced waddle as the chorus came to play.

"Yeah, yeah, yeah," she recited as she pumped her fists to the beat.

Her singing was too loud to hear the knock at the door as the voice that followed as her guest let themselves in. It didn't matter though as he stood back and watched in amusement. Donna wouldn't even have noticed had the dance move call for her to spin in place. As she whipped around she caught sight of Sam standing with his arms folded and an amused smile upon his face.

Shocked and embarrassed she let out a small shriek as she covered her mouth.

"Hi," he said unabashedly.

"Hi," she said as she began to catch her breath. "I'm just working out."

His smile weakened. "I thought that you were supposed to be taking it easy these last few days."

"No triathlons," she said with a shrug. "Anyway, what are you doing here?"

"Someone mentioned your possible disobedience with doctor's orders when they called to ask if I could write a statement for him this morning."

"He did well."

"I really think he's more worried about this afternoon than anything."

"Do you know when she's planning on announcing it?"

He shrugged. "I would assume that it would be right around closing time. No offense, but it might be tossed out with the trash."

"Figures. I just haven't wanted to prod. I'll let the White House cover it how it will."

"Are you okay with it?"

She nodded as she cradled her stomach. "It all seems so unreal. I can still remember when my biggest problems were buying shower gifts for my sister. Now, I'm getting shower gifts from my sister. It's just…time changes so fast."

"I know." He looked down at the ground for a brief second. "I'm thinking about asking Dawn to move in with me when you and Josh move in together." Donna's blush did little to slow him. "You guys just take things at a different pace. You'll probably be married with two kids and living on different sides of the District."

"Shut up."

"Okay…the same side."

Donna was able to hide the cramp that passed through her abdomen. She was annoyed at herself for eating so much last night and then again for breakfast. She was beginning to wonder if that was also the cause for her back hurting so much more than usual. "I'm going to at least finish this tape. Are you in or out?"

Sam's eyes were as big as saucers. "You want me to work out with you to a…pregnancy video?"

She rolled her eyes. "It's isn't a stipulation that you be an expecting mother. The video is just approved for the limitations of being pregnant. Anyone can do it."

"I just…"

"It won't damage your manhood," she commented with a smirk.

"Okay."


"What's up?" CJ asked, glancing up from the latest memo.

"I was…Leo and the President are in a security briefing and…Would it be alright if I leave a little early so that I can be with Donna when the story breaks?"

The Press Secretary took a sympathetic note and set her work down. "I don't see why it would be a problem. It's Friday afternoon and we'd know where to find you if all hell breaks loose down on Capitol Hill."

"Yeah." He looked down at the floor. "I just wanted to see if it would seem appropriate."

"Actually, it would probably be better. You won't be here to haggle when it's all over. Just finish what you're doing now and get out of here." She smiled.

"Really?"

"Go and have a nice weekend with your future wife." He blushed though the redhead could think of a few more comments to make his cheeks redden. "Just think about turning the phone off and locking the doors for a while."

"All right," he smiled. "Thanks."

"Yeah." She couldn't help but be proud at this moment. She was about mere hours away from making the largest announcement in two of her closest friend's lives. One was like a brother to her while the other was an honored member of the "sisterhood." A girl couldn't be happier. "Now shut up and leave me alone. Some of us have actual work to do while you're off having three day weekends."

Josh laughed all the way down the hall.


"I feel like an idiot" became Sam's mantra all the way Jesse's Girl and well into Girls Just Wanna Have Fun.

"Nobody's here but me," Donna said in attempts to ease his mind. She cheekily added, "And I already know the idiot you are."

"Great," he sarcastically retorted. And that was good enough for him.

They worked out in earnest after that moment. By workout, Sam worked out to the video while Donna stood there and pretended to go through the motions while laughing at how goofy Sam was looking.

"An' I don't give a damn 'bout my reputation," Sam sang with Joan Jett as the song played.

Donna didn't comment as they continued on running in place.

"Pick it up, Donna. This was your idea," he panted as he glanced over.

"Oh no, not me."

"Donna," he chuckled.

"Oh no, not me."

The two of them were having too much fun to hear the door open. And even if they weren't having so much fun, Sam was singing too loud.

"I don't give a damn 'bout my reputation. I've never been afraid of any deviation. An' I don't really care if ya think I'm strange. I ain't gonna change. An' I'm never gonna care
'bout my bad reputation."

"Well…you are strange, Sam."

Both whipped around to see that Josh was now standing in the room with the biggest grin on his face.

"There is a perfectly good explanation for this," the other man calmly reasoned. He then turned sharply to his friend and whispered sharply. "Do you not know how to lock a door? We do live in the city with the highest crime rate in the nation."

Josh simply rattled the keys that were still in his palm.

"Oh."

The blonde woman simply rolled her eyes. "Why are you home-here?"

"Just thought I'd stop by and watch CSPAN with you this afternoon."

She began to smile before another cramp hit her. "Are you okay?" Josh asked noticing the minute change immediately.

"Fine." She blew off the irritation. "Ate tacos for breakfast again." She laughed at his face. "Sorry, Josh, but they sounded good."

He wrinkled his nose. "Right. So you tell me. Maybe if I lived in Mexico I would understand the consumption of tacos and enchiladas at seven in the morning."

"For the record," Sam interjected though he doubted neither was listening. "I don't think the people of Mexico, or any other Latin American country eat…Tex Mex food in the morning."

"Wanna work out?"

Sam was correct that neither one paid him any mind.


"Hey," Leo said sticking his head in CJ's office. "Have you seen Josh?"

"Actually, yes. He stopped by a little bit ago and asked if I thought it would be okay if he left early and went over to be with Donna. He wanted to be with her when the story hit the press."

"Oh," the older may replied with the slightest twinge of regret.

The redhead quickly tried to cover. "Well…you were in a meeting and he was just asking for advice. We both figured that with it being Friday afternoon and not much more work is going to get done when-"

"No," he assured before taking a pause. "I was just going to…did you say that he was going to be with Donna?" She nodded. "I'll just give him a call."

"Okay, though I told him to turn off his phone."

He gave her an incredulous stare. "Why?"

With a shrug, she reasoned, "Literally half of Washington has that cell number. After the conference, he's going to want it off for any number of reasons."

"Granted. I'll try her house." He then proceeded to go back to his office and have Margaret get them on the line. He was more than a little surprised when she came in to tell him that no one answered and that she could patch him through for a message if he liked.

"What's on my schedule in the next hour?"

His manically organized secretary didn't even bother to look at her notepad. "You have a meeting with the Agriculture Secretary and a conference call that NSC wanted you to listen in on concerning Pakistan, as well as the memos that you need to approve before the weekend so we can start planning meetings for Monday morning."

"Right. Call Tribbey and tell him that I'll meet up with him later. As for the NSC thing…" He paused to think if he even knew what the meeting was concerning. "If it's vital that I listen, have me paged back here."

"Where are you going?" Her unhappiness with the situation was apparent.

Leo simply chose to ignore it. "As for the memos, I will look over them and make sure they get approved before I go home tonight. Tomorrow morning at the very latest."

She didn't look very satisfied, but the situation was out of her control. "Okay," she quipped. "And where are you going?"

He smiled. "Just to give a happy couple a quick blessing."

"Are you a priest?" She said dryly.

"Nope. Just an Irish drunk going to give my personal congrats to a Jew and a Protestant on the child they created out of wedlock."


"How many more are you going to make us do?" Josh panted. "You aren't even exercising anymore, Donna. You're just standing there while Sam and I are Dancing With Myself."

"Though you are trying to be witty," Sam commented. "I have to point out how grammatically incorrect that statement is."

"We won't start on political correctness and appropriateness then," Josh teased.

Donna actually wanted to sit down, but didn't want either man to start coddling her with attention and questions. They had taken the briefest of breaks when she went to the bathroom, and she didn't want to tell them that she didn't feel better. In fact, she was feeling quite bad.

The sight of them dancing to a video that was being led by a pregnant aerobic instructor was too priceless to let go of at the same time. "One more song boys." Josh and Sam gave her a look, but complied with her wishes nevertheless. Neither one wanted the title that they couldn't outlast the pregnant woman.

Kenny Logins' greatest 80's hit played next and it seemed almost appropriate. "Been working so hard," all three sang. "I'm punching my card. Eight hours for work," they all cracked up at that.

They gained control in time for Josh to sing, "I'll hit the ceiling, or else I'll tear up this town."

"Likely," Donna said with an eye roll before joining the guys in singing the chorus.

The exercise video was completely abandoned as the second verse played. Josh danced over to Donna as Sam seemed to take the sentiment of the last song and danced with himself.

The curly man serenaded the mother of his child. "You're playing so cool. Obeying every rule, but way down in your heart you're burning yearning for some…somebody to tell you that life ain't passing you by." The crazy gestures of bad dance moves, Donna wasn't sure, was too much for both of them as they broke into hysterics.

"This is too corny to describe," Donna muttered good-naturedly.

But as the chorus came on, the men meant cheesy business. In fact, it seemed that they were determined to try and replicate Kevin Bacon's moves from the movie. So, it was obvious that none would hear the events on the other side of the front door.

"What's going on in there?" Leo asked a similarly confused Dawn. He had recognized her downstairs as Sam's girlfriend and had to take a moment to remember that she was also Donna's roommate.

"A party?" She sighed. "Who knows? Maybe they're more happy than I thought about the announcement."

"Yeah. Sounds like they're pretty footloose if you ask me."

After sharing a smile, the brunette turned to unlock the door. When it swung open, both were surprised to see two middle-aged men dancing around as grade school boys. The scene was made complete with the sight of flopping neckties and Donna standing in the midst of the chaos staring at the ceiling with her hands bracing her back.

Dawn immediately snatched the television remote off the coffee table and hit mute in order to command attention. All heads turned around to see the bemused pair looking on. "Hi," the young woman smirked.

"Hi," the boys blushed in unison.

"This is what we pay Congress for now?" Leo said with a grin before turning to Josh. "Or the White House,for that matter."

"You didn't get the memo?" Sam said in jest. "Of course the House of Representatives would be slow about it."

"Look who they hire," Josh said, getting in on the action.

In the meantime, Donna made herself over to the nearest chair and gingerly sat down. Now the cramps were growing stronger than before. And though she was prone to exaggerate, this was feeling different than when she mistook indigestion for premature labor. In fact, nothing was feeling premature at the moment except the timing.

Closing her eyes, she hoped that she could will the pain to stop and for everything to go back to normal. But as she peeked at the room, she realized that it wasn't. The sharpest surge of pain yet went through her and the implications were enough to set the room spinning. "Josh?"

It wasn't the voice that drove the room to a halt, but the tone it carried. All eyes went to couch and the man in question was at her side in a minute. "Donna?"

"I don't feel right."

"Okay." Not Josh, not anyone knew what was wrong until they got her stand up.

"I think my water just broke," Donna whimpered as she gripped on to Josh and Sam for dear life.

"Oh God," Sam murmured as Dawn flew out of the room and into Donna's.

"What do we do?" Josh asked in a panic. "What do we do?"

"We need to get her to the hospital, Josh," Leo snapped. He tried to make it sound out of annoyance instead of his true feeling of fear.

"Here," Dawn commanded of her boyfriend, thrusting an open address book into his hands. "Call Dr. Young and let her know that Donna's water broke." She turned to Josh. "Start getting her downstairs."

"My car is four blocks away!"

Logic finally hit the older man. He would bother with being embarrassed that it took so long at another time. "I have my car right outside. I wasn't planning on staying long." He brushed past Sam and took Donna's hand. "My driver is down there and he can get you to the hospital."

As Donna nodded her gratitude, Josh shrieked once again. "What about me? My car is four blocks away!"

"You too." Leo cast his deputy a looked of annoyed contempt. "You're the father, Josh. Get it together!"

Reality came crashing in to the curl haired man. "I'm going to be a father."

"Don't tell me you're just realizing," Donna hissed as another wave of discomfort hit. She figured they would start in more frequently from stress alone.

"It's just…I can't be a dad!" He looked at Leo briefly before meeting Donna's gaze. "I still need a dad."

She rolled her eyes and looked to Leo. "Dad, can you help me downstairs?"

"Dr. Young is on her way!" Sam said hanging up the phone and missing the previous moments of conversation. He placed a hand on Josh's back. "Are you ready, Dad?"

"Get me to the car!" Donna barked.


"Oh God," Donna muttered. As relieved as she was to be having the baby, she was worried that it was too soon. Literally and metaphorically, she didn't know if she was ready to be a mother.

"Are you okay?" Leo said whirling around to look at the couple in the backseat. "Just hold on," he said more to Donna than Josh, but kept both in mind. "We'll be at GW in no time."

"I can't do this!" she cried.

"Yes you can," Josh said tuning into the soothing powers of Leo. "It's been a practice for thousands of year."

"I don't know if I can be a mother."

The whole car knew how absurd that was. Hell, she had practically mothered Josh since the moment they met and half the White House from the day the administration moved in. "You'll be fine," Leo reasoned with a warm smile.

"But what if…?" She didn't know. Donna just didn't feel that she was ready to become a mother yet. She and Josh talked about it all the time and though he always told her that she would be more than fine, she just didn't know. "We don't have a name yet."

"For a girl?" Leo asked, stating the obvious.

Josh stepped in to take a little of the stress off of his love to make conversation. He knew that the next few hours would be stressful enough. "Yeah, I think it took us all of ten minutes to decide on what to name a boy, but a girl has been giving us more trouble."

"Abigail is going to be the middle," Donna panted as another wave of contractions hit. She figured that it was the combination of irony and fate that would make the contractions with Josh Lyman's child start immediately after the water broke. "Or Claudia."

"Ahh," Leo beamed. "A symbolic name. We did that with Mal. Mallory was the name of Jenny's mother. And I believe that the President had each of his daughters named after an influential person in history. Elizabeth was after……"

Neither one listened as he gave the history of daughter naming. Both were currently a little too concerned with bringing their own into the world. The name would come second.


Josh wandered the GW emergency room in blind panic. Leo was sitting with Donna as she waited in the complimentary wheelchair while Sam and Dawn sat close by and tried to comfort the mother-to-be.

And meanwhile the father was going completely out of his mind.

He hated hospitals. Not that anybody liked hospitals, but Josh couldn't stand them. Death was too much a part of his life. Death and pain. And he saw hospitals as the focal point of death and pain.

Memories were a hard thing for him to let go of. His therapists told him that before and after Rosslyn. They told him that he had a problem of holding on to the darkest parts of his past. That and he had a penchant for finding symbols to embody his pain. Music brought back the sirens at the shooting and for years the smell of popcorn would make him burn all over. And the scent of the generic antiseptic that hospitals get on discount always tied it all together. Perpetually torn between throwing up and crawling in a ball on the floor and crying.

And right now he wanted to do both. Right now he was blaming himself for all of the agony that Donna was going through. All because he was a bad lover one drunken night.

"Josh," Donna murmured as she watched him pace the room one more time. She knew what he was doing. She knew that he was blaming himself for her pain without thinking about the wonderful life about to be born. And also killing himself for not being able to 'fix the problem' the way that he always strived to. "Josh."

It took a few moments for it to register to his brain that his name had been called. He turned to Donna and saw her expectant face. "Huh?"

She motioned him over. "Come here and sit down. They said that they are a little backed up this afternoon from the scheduled cesareans."

"I know."

"Dr. Young said that she was on her way." Donna was just counting her blessings on the fact that the contractions were staying constant, even though the pain was increasing.

"Yeah." He sat where Leo gestured as he got up to call the White House. Josh had to say that he was surprised and very much in awe that Leo was still here. He had expected for him to drop them off at the hospital, but he had been sitting with them for the past forty minutes.

"It will be okay," she said taking his hand.

He had to smile at that. "Isn't that my line?"

"Well," she smirked. "You seem to have turned into the pregnant woman."

"Sorry."

"It's okay. At this point I'm so hormonal that I'm shifting all over the place. In a few minutes I may be Sam, so be prepared."

"I love you," he said as tears threatened to break through. He just wanted her to know that above all else.

"I love you, too." She kept hold of his hand for the next few minutes till her next contraction came and went. She knew she was blessed when Josh didn't whine a single moment on the death grip she was using.

"Donna?" All eyes looked up to see Dr. Young standing across the waiting room. "Donna Moss, I believe we have an appointment for…" Smiling at her physician's wit, she glanced at her wristwatch. "Right now."


"Well," Dr. Young said shortly after performing her first examination on Donna of the day. "You are definitely in labor."

"Ugh," Donna grunted in response.

"But you aren't dilated enough to begin the full delivery procedure. We generally say that you're ready to deliver when you get dilated to ten. Though the baby has dropped in the birth canal, you aren't fully ready to start pushing."

"How much longer?" Josh asked as he played with the provided scrubs.

"It's hard to say," Dr. Young admitted. "But I am going to go and come back and check things out in the next fifteen to twenty minutes."

"Is everything else okay?" Donna asked.

"Yes," she said with a smile. "I know we talked briefly about the possibility of cesarean and other alternative delivery methods, but now it does not seem that it will be an issue. This should be a normal and healthy delivery." The room could take a moment to sigh in relief on that regard. "Any other questions?"

"No." A pause. "Thank you."

"You're welcome." She then turned toward Josh, who was rocking back and forth on his heels like a little boy. "Both of you." Then she headed toward the door.

"Where are you going?' Josh questioned.

"I never had a chance to eat lunch," she passively commented as she walked out the door.

"Are we paying for that?" Josh asked after a second.

Donna shrugged. "Maybe. But I would rather she got it over with now instead of thinking of it as she calls out 'push'."

"Yeah."

"Yeah."

Both sensed the awkwardness that filled the room. After a few moments, Donna spoke. "Is Leo still here?"

"Nah," he brushed off, although he had no idea if he had left yet or not. "He has a country to run, you know."

"Yeah."

"Yeah."

"Josh"

"I'm scared," he blurted out. After judging her face, he decided clarification was needed. "I'm scared, Donna. I'm scared that something is gong to happen."

"Josh," she said cutting in. "It's going to be fine."

"Something is going to happen to the baby. To you. Maybe not now, not today. I'm afraid that something will happen five years down the road. Something will take my baby away." He looked her dead in the eye. "That something will take you away."

Her intake of breath was not only shock of his honesty, but the latest contraction. "Josh," she whimpered extending her arm to call him to her.

He immediately took her hand and held it as the pain passed. "She better be coming back from lunch soon."

She then smiled meekly. "Josh, I'm scared too."

"I don't want to lose you." His eyes were slowly filling with tears.

"You won't," she said bringing her free hand up to caress his cheek. "You won't lose me."

"I can't lose you, Donna. I can't do anything without you." Pain or not, she had to laugh at that. "I can't even find my shoes without you." He could have defended himself with the point that it was only twice, but it would do no good. They both knew the truth. "And even if I could do anything without you, I wouldn't want to."

Bad timing prevailed again as Dr. Young made her way back into the room. "Is everything okay?" She asked noticing the tension. "Your monitors are reporting things as progressing well, but maybe I should give you two a few more moments."

"No." Donna didn't mean it to come out as rude as it did, but she felt as if the baby could fall out any second and she didn't want it to be when they were alone in the room. "It's getting to where I can't bear it anymore." She met Josh's eyes. "The baby. Not you."

"Oh."

"I'm sorry, but Josh…I am in labor here."

He smirked. "I know."

Dr. Young's examination was brief. "Yup."

"'Yup' what?" he asked.

"The reason that she is in so much pain is because this baby is about ready to come out." She called for a nurse. "I thought that it might take a bit longer for her to get dilated to ten, but things are progressing perfectly. Especially first time mothers, usually spend long hours in labor before becoming fully dilated, but Donna is not far away from beginning to push."

"That's good?"

"Good," Donna huffed as another contraction hit. "Baby out now."

"I am going to get prepped up and I think that you will be ready to start delivering by the time I get back." Dr. Young left the room as the nurse made her way in to do more vital testing and the like.

"Donna?" The nerves came back as he saw that she was now in a constant state of pain.

"Huh?"

"Can I get you something?"

"A giant knife and a bottle of tequila," she spat causing the nurse to smile.

"D-Donna?"

"When wives are in pain they will say a lot of things. Just be here for her now," the nurse with the nametag Sandy assured him. "She'll need to talk her way through it."

"Yeah." Josh was still not sure everything was a fine as the people here said. Donna was hurt and everyone else was smiling.

"I'll be right back," Sandy said slipping out the door.

"Ugh," Donna groaned. "I just want this over."

"Donna, I love you."

She blinked. "I love you, too."

"I can't lose you."

She stared at him for a moment before nodding. "Okay."

"I won't."

"That's good." She wasn't sure whether he would sound more coherent if she wasn't in insurmountable pain, but she doubted it.

"Donna, it's taken me so long to find you, even when you were right there in front of me." He was getting extra jumpy as Sandy walked back in, but he knew that he had to say his peace. Because if the unthinkable happened and this was his final minutes with her, he needed to make it clear how much she meant to him. "It took me years to open my eyes to the fact that I love you."

"Josh." This so wasn't the time.

"Donna, you're the only one for me."

A shriek of pain sounded through the room. Donna was pretty sure she had just dilated to ten.


"Leo, shouldn't you be getting back over to the White House?" Sam asked as the three sat in the waiting room. The nurse had kept them posted enough to know that Donna hadn't had the baby yet.

"Yeah," he said glancing at his watch. "CJ is going to hold off on the report for a little bit, but I need to get back." He paused. "I guess."

Sam smiled. Leo was always protective of his 'kids'-he just hadn't realized how much so. "We will call you as soon as we hear anything."

"Damn straight you will," he said standing up. A smile was on his face, but both knew how serious he was. He cast a final glance to the doors they had wheeled Donna down nearly an hour ago. "I'm going to head back."

"We'll call," Dawn assured.

"Yeah."


Josh stood numb as Donna shrieked once more. Suddenly his mind was overwhelmed by the thought that here his Donnatella lay in pain, and it was all his doing.

Dr. Young and a number of nurses came in from the hallway. "Okay," Young said as she immediately went to examine her patient once again. "Just breathe, Donna dear. It will all be over soon."

"Doctor?" Sandy asked.

"Yes, we are ready to deliver now."

"No," Donna groaned. "I'm going to die."

"Huh?" Josh snapped back to reality with those words. "You said everything was fine!"

"Josh," Dr. Young admonished. She was beginning to question what a woman would find attractive in this neurotic man. "She is fine. She's just in pain. Childbirth does that to a girl." She then looked at the nurses. "Are all instruments prepared?"

"Not quite, doctor."

Dr. Young turned her focus now to Donna's face. "Okay. I don't want you to push till I tell you to, and I want you to stop when I ask." The blonde kept her jaw clamped to keep from crying out again, but nodded her consent. "Do the breathing exercises that you learned in Lamaze. Josh, help her with her breathing."

Another nurse spoke to him. "Try to focus her attention on other things aside the baby."

"'Kay," Josh said nodding. His assignment was given. He must distract Donna. With that, he wiggled between the nurses to stand by her bedside and take her hand. "You don't want me to start dancing to 80's songs again, do you?" She simply glared and shook her head. "Well…let's breathe how they instructed you to."

From there, they spent the next few minutes doing the infamous Lamaze breathing style. Donna took a second comfort in watching Josh pant like a woman in labor, but it was overshadowed by the pain and the commotion of nurses and doctors scrambling to get prepared to catch her baby. "Talk to me," she told him when she couldn't take the other voices anymore. "Please…talk Josh." She then went back to her breathing.

He looked up and down her hospitalized body. "I love you, Donna." That was all he could think to say for a second. Then he began to ramble. To tell the words that he had tried to speak earlier. "I love you so much that I know that I couldn't live without you if I tried. You mean everything to me and I want you to know that."

"I do," she murmured, clenching his hand harder as evidence.

He smiled. "Good." Then he sighed. "Because I'm not going to try. I want you in my life forever, Donna. I want you as my best friend, my soul-mate, mother of my children." Tears were springing to both of their eyes. In fact, they threatened the nurses who had stopped to listen to his overly distracting speech. "I want you as my wife, too."

"Huh?"

"Donna, I love you. And once the baby is born and you are feeling up to it, I want you to marry me."

"Josh!" She was seconds away from birthing her first child and he was proposing. She didn't know if she could take it.

"Donna, I know this isn't the best time, but no matter what happens, I want you to know that I want to spend the rest of my life with you by my side." He paused. "Will you marry me?"

"I'm so sorry," Dr. Young said interrupting. "But Donna needs to push now."

"Eh?" The couple asked in unison as they both remembered that they were far from alone.

"Donna. You need to push. I am going to count to three and then push as hard as you can." Donna nodded shakily as Josh gave a gentle squeeze to her hand. "Three-two-one. Push!"

The patient cried out in pain, but the obstetrician seemed pleased with the result. "Three-two-one. That's good, Donna." The room breathed out a sigh of relief.

Though in incomparable pain, Donna sought out Josh's eyes. She needed to tap into his soul for strength. She found it. His poker face conveyed everything: his fear, his concern, his displeasure. But at the same time, it also expressed his love, devotion, faith and confidence. Just when she lost faith in herself, he was there to give it back to her.

"Let's go again. Three-two-one. Push!"

Forever passed in those next seconds as the baby crowned.

"Three-two-one. Good. One more time and we'll be done with it. Okay?" Donna nodded. She wasn't sure exactly what would be done shortly: the baby's birth or her life. She also briefly paused to consider the fact that it could be any future chance of children because she never planned on having sex again. "One-two-three. Final push, Donna!"

Donna gritted her teeth and looked at her curly haired man one last time before shutting her eyes and bringing their baby into the world. "Yes, Josh!"

As the insecure man that he was, he wanted to confirm if that was the yes he had been wanting.

But it was too late.

By the time that he gathered the courage to ask for confirmation, his baby's cries filled the delivery room. Josh's were soon to follow.


"Great," CJ murmured as she turned once more to the press briefing room that she was currently late for appearance. "There is completely, absolutely, unconditionally, entirely no way to spin this."

Carol shrugged helplessly. "Maybe they'll just be pleased that it didn't take another six years."

CJ took a pause to glare at her assistant. She really didn't want to go in there and bring Washington's wrath to Donna's hospital bed. Especially before she had a chance to slip over to the hospital to see the newest member of the White House staff. "Because Capital Hill, no Washington DC…no America is going to like the idea that the Deputy Chief of Staff has been making babies with his senior assistant?"

"It hasn't interfered with their work," Carol suggested. "And she resigned so that there would be no workplace complications."

"When she was eight months pregnant. Sadly, even Josh had figured out he was the father by then." Carol had to crack a grin at that.

"Just go in there and announce that Josh and Donna have been involved in a relationship for a few months and that this said relationship resulted in a baby. She left her job before this relationship could interfere with anybody's work at the White House."

"And what? Oh yeah…she just had the baby. Please don't go to GW, even though the father is the most obnoxious and arrogant member of the staff that has persistently pissed off everyone from the Right Wing to the liberal base."

"I would leave out the liberal base part," Toby said from behind. "I just don't think that it would make a good sound bite. But you need to get out there. People are beginning to wonder."

"Yeah," CJ said as she walked toward the familiar door. Nobody heard her mutter about how she had decided that Josh wasn't the most obnoxious and arrogant member of the senior staff.

"CJ?" Katie asked as soon as the Press Secretary took her usual post.

"Wait a minute. I am going to give my briefing and then open the room up for a couple questions at the end. Because I know you'll want to ask them." From there, she began her usual download of the Friday trash. The unusual step occurred at her second to last story. "We will have that in the press packets that will be distributed on Monday. Also, we would like to make an announcement concerning our good friend Josh Lyman. As many may remember, a few weeks ago his senior assistant, Donna Moss, resigned from her position due to entering the final trimester of her pregnancy. We are proud to announce that she delivered a bouncing six pound nine ounce boy at 4:15 this afternoon."

"CJ, what does this mean about Josh?" Steve asked. "Is it in the fact that she may be returning soon?" This caused several in the press corps that had been close to the administration for a number of years to chuckle.

CJ paused for a second. "Uhh…no. Josh is concerned in the fact he is the father." There was dead silence except for the clicking of a few flashbulb cameras. "Josh and Donna are quite ecstatic about the baby's birth as well as their engagement to be married. They have not made a formal statement, but from my conversation with Josh just moments ago, he wants it clear that no date has been set, but it will be in the near future. They also are requesting that press and unruly members of Congress give them some privacy until they can get the baby home and settled in."

The air in the room was indescribable. Nobody, including CJ herself, knew what to say. "Also, the Marsters' family has been added to the list for the gala next week." She took one last breath before walking into her doom. "Questions?"

Then the most remarkable thing ever happened. The room broke into applause.Reporters both conservative and liberal, as well as several people that didn't even get along with the Deputy Chief of Staff had to pause to pay homage to the fact that two people that had been fighting love for so long had finally gave into temptation.

The moment was complete when CJ began to see money exchange hands. "Any questions people?"

Chris raised her hand. "CJ, are we going to get a comment from the White House on the Speaker's remarks regarding 431?"

"Monday."

Steve spoke up above the rest. "What are the President's thoughts concerning Japan's stock exchange?"

"I do not have an answer for that, but as an economist I can only imagine. Katie?"

"So Donna and the baby are doing well?"

CJ nodded. "Josh too, as far as I know." She took a brief look around the room and decided to cut her losses, though there were still several hands in the air. She was just grateful she was cut a break. "Have a good weekend and I don't want to see any of you before Monday morning."

"Is that a lid?" Trent called out.

The redhead smiled and nodded. "That's a full lid."