Thoughts from the Shadows Come into the Light
Response to June 2005 Challenge
Season 4 – Evidence of Things Not Seen
POV – Ron Butterfield
A/N – Unbeta'd so all mistakes are mine, unlike these characters (except for Murphy, Johnson, Hanson and Torkelson, these guys I can claim)
A phantom coffee mug to anyone who figures out who Abbott and Costello are. Karen
Nighttime – in the West Wing
Secret Service bullpen (betcha didn't know they had one too! )
"Hey Gina, who was that last delivery for?" Ron Butterfield looked up from his paperwork at Agent Johnson's question.
Gina Tuscano grinned – "Mr. McGarry, and judging from the aromas, I'd wager that it is poker night in the West Wing."
"Damn – suppose there will be anything left?" Johnson queried hopefully.
Butterfield shook his head. "Not a chance, Brian. Josh Lyman and Toby Ziegler have been scrounging for food all day – without success. I think Ms. Moss was about to lock them both in the basement conference room. She did ask me where she could get some chloroform. She did say that I shouldn't worry about a coup attempt, just a couple of missing persons." Ron chuckled and returned to his paperwork. But before long his mind strayed from his work as he thought about the people they had just been discussing.
Poker night in the West Wing. Mr. McGarry usually catered in enough food to start his own deli. The man is a battle scarred political veteran with a soft heart and a finely-honed appreciation for the finer things in life. People who didn't know the man behind the gruff demeanor would suspect he eats small children for breakfast, yet I have seen this powerful man cry for a President and a surrogate son. I don't know what would have happened if Josh Lyman had died that night. I honestly believe that Leo McGarry would have gone off the wagon, hell, off the deep end if the worst had happened. But God was merciful that night and Josh survived. And so did Leo.
More good came from that awful night than most people realize. In a violent way, it brought this administration closer together and they work even better than they did before. And certain relationships changed significantly that night.
The senior staffers weren't the only ones to notice the new Moss-Lyman dynamic after the shooting. The security details assigned to the President and throughout the West Wing noticed the way Josh and Donna looked out for one another. That fateful night at GW, the agents kept one on the President and his family, and the other on 'Rolling Stone'. Whenever possible, an agent was in Donna's vicinity. Ron had been present when Mrs. Bartlet tried to get Donna to let an agent drive her home, but Donna flatly refused. As the two women continued to 'discuss' the matter, Ron quietly left the room. He arranged for an agent to shadow Ms. Moss to her apartment to insure her safe arrival. He further instructed his deputy that such surveillance of Ms. Moss was to continue until further notice. No agent assigned to this special duty questioned the assignment. Ron knew there was a risk here- while never directed at any Secret Service agent, the wrath of Donnatella Moss was legendary among the corps. Almost all the agents had a story to tell of Donna laying into Josh or Sam about some bonehead stunt or another. It was a risk worth taking – he knew, as did his agents – Josh needed Donna, and they weren't about to let anything happen to her now.
"Sir?" Johnson was reluctant to disturb his superior but it was sweep time and he needed to report.
Ron looked up, and his mind jumped back to the present.
"Yes, Brian?"
"I'm off to do the East Wing sweep. Murphy and Hanson have already started the West Wing."
"Anything to report?" Ron asked.
"All the usual suspects are in Mr. McGarry's study for the game – Grumpy, Flamingo, Lionheart, Abbott, Costello and Longfellow are currently playing. Yankee is in the Roosevelt Room with a job candidate. Rolling Stone is at her desk, Doorman and Alpaca are on station outside the Oval. POTUS is in the Residence." Johnson finished his summary and waited for further instructions.
"Good enough. Go run your East Wing sweep and report back." Ron dismissed the agent.
"Yes, sir."
Ron turned to the bank of video screens adjacent to his desk – nothing unusual showed up on any of the screens. Turning back to his desk, he made a quick but precise entry of Johnson's report in the sweep log. Looking down at the entry concerning the poker game, he wondered who would be the big winner tonight. The President usually tried to bum a cigarette off the handiest agent if his luck wasn't with him. Leo was an experienced player, and the other staffers could hold their own. The new guy, Bailey, wasn't easy to read just yet. It would be interesting to hear the scuttlebutt in the morning.
Ron's earpiece crackled as the link was activated. "Murphy to Control. Bookbag is with POTUS in the Residence."
"Understood. Control out." Ron replied.
"Johnson to Control. Longfellow, Grumpy and Flamingo are in the press briefing room."
"Butterfield here – what's the situation?"
"According to Costello – a card throwing contest from Flamingo's podium."
"Understood – I guess. Control out."
Ron turned back to the log book and started to make the new entries when an alert toned sounded from the intruder board. Almost simultaneously his earpiece crackled again with Johnson's voice.
"Shots fired! Press briefing room!"
Ron could hear the dull thud as his agents broke down the door and gained entry to the room. As he made his way to the communications bullpen, Johnson was reporting that Flamingo, Grumpy and Longfellow were uninjured. Ron gave orders to secure all personnel at current locations as he changed course and headed for the Oval Office. Nodding briefly at the secretary at the desk, he walked straight into the Oval Office.
"Ron? What's going on?" Leo McGarry asked.
"Who are these people?" Ron ignored Leo's question for the moment.
"They are all codeword classified or higher, Ron. What happened?" the President asked.
"Shots were just fired at the press room windows. CJ, Toby and Will Bailey were in there at the time." Ron stated.
"Are they alright?" the President demanded, as a commotion began outside the office.
"We're here sir," CJ responded shakily as she entered the room.
"Are you alright, CJ? Toby? Will, how many fingers am I holding up?"
"Who's Will, sir?" Will Bailey replied, managing just the right touch of humor.
"Lt. Bailey, I'm glad you're uninjured, but it is codeword classified in here right now and I need you to wait outside in the bullpen." Leo regretted having to be so brusque with the young man, but it was necessary at the moment.
"Of course." Will replied without hesitation and left the room.
During the wait for the all-clear, Ron was informed of other significant incidents that prompted him to crash the West Wing until further notice. Leaving a cadre of agents posted around the Oval, he conducted his own sweep of the West Wing. He was approaching the Roosevelt Room when he saw Donna Moss standing in the darkened hallway. He halted his steps when he saw that was Donna speaking to someone on her cell phone.
"Stanley, Donna Moss. I know it's late, but will you be available later this evening to take a call from Josh?" The tenor of her voice clued Ron into the fact that Donna had heard the shots and was worried about the implications for Josh. He waited quietly for the conversation to conclude.
"Thank you, Stanley. No, I haven't been able to talk to him since the incident. The Secret Service held everyone at their positions till they gave the all-clear. As soon as I hang up, I'm going into the Roosevelt Room to check on him. Yeah, I would, Stanley, but I can't afford you. I'm a girl on a budget, remember? OK, thanks again. Goodbye, Stanley." Donna closed the phone and slumped wearily against the wall. Ron decided to make his presence known to the young woman.
"Donna, are you OK?"
"Agent Butterfield, how is the President?" Donna straightened up, trying to mask her feelings.
Ron wasn't surprised, he had watched her misdirection for years now.
"He's fine, Donna, and so is Josh. I had a report from one of the agents earlier. Agent Torkelson was in the hallway here when the incident occurred and he didn't hear the shots, so it's a pretty safe bet that Josh couldn't hear the shots." Ron hoped his words would calm the young woman, but one never knew.
"I understand, but I need to make sure for myself. Can you understand that?" Donna looked at the tall agent, hoping that he would assume she was simply concerned for her boss's well-being and nothing more.
Ron nodded slowly, then paused. After a short inner debate, he made a decision.
"I think Dr. Keyworth would agree with what I'm about to say. PTSD has primary and secondary victims. Those who suffer the trauma, and the loved ones who try to help the victim." Ron paused and waited for Donna to react.
Donna's eyes widened in shock, then softened with understanding. "When did you know about Josh, Ron?"
"It wasn't long after he returned to work. Don't misunderstand, it wasn't easy to pick up – Josh is very skilled at hiding things such as emotions, but just before Christmas the cracks were starting to show, which is when you convinced Leo to do something. It may seem like you didn't act fast enough, but I think Dr. Keyworth would tell you the same thing – Josh didn't make it easy, for any of us."
"True."
"And because you did act, you did go to Leo, you may have saved Josh's life again."
"Again?"
"I think you know exactly what I mean, Donna. You weren't the only one holding a vigil at GW for fourteen days."
"Ron, what are you saying?"
"That for those fourteen days I had a detail assigned to you to monitor YOUR well-being. I even took a turn on your detail. And after Josh went home, as well. I consulted with Dr. Bartlet on what to look for as far as exhaustion and other conditions. We had your back, Donna. Remember your argument with Dr. Bartlet when she wanted a driver to take you home? I was there, and I watched you take on a very persuasive lady and win the fight, but I also saw the toll it was exacting on you to hold everything together. I also was in the room when Josh woke up, Donna. I heard the note of panic in his voice as he asked Leo about you, and the relief when he heard that you were okay. After that, there was no way in hell that I was going to let anything happen to you. Not when Josh needed you the most, and you needed him, even though neither one of you would have admitted it then. So I assigned a covert detail and had you monitored whenever possible. And I would do it again, because even though emotions in my business can cloud one's judgment, sometimes following the heart instead of the head is the right thing to do."
Donna stared at Ron, amazed at the passion evident in his voice. "I don't know what to say, Ron. This is a lot to process right now, but I need your continued discretion concerning all of this. And thank you for all you have done. Does anyone ever thank you guys?" Donna asked, a quizzical tilt to her head.
Ron smiled ruefully as he replied, "Not near enough, but we didn't take the job for the pat on the back."
Donna smiled in return. "I'm glad you're here, though. You guys do good work."
Ron bowed. "Thank you, Ms. Moss."
"You're welcome, Agent Butterfield."
"Now, I believe you were about to check on the 'well-being' of Mr. Lyman?" Ron queried with a hint of innuendo in his voice.
"Why, yes, I was. Thank you for reminding me that I still have a job to do." Donna quipped.
Ron just shook his head and started to walk away. Then he turned back to Donna.
"Donna?"
"Yes?"
"Take good care of him."
She smiled shyly, understanding his meaning.
"I'm trying." She replied softly.
"You do good work too." Ron gave her a wink and walked away down the shadowy hall.
Donna stood in the hall, watching as the tall man walked away, a tear coursing down her cheek.
The end - I think
