Authors' note: We are rounding the end of my little epic. This is just a transition chapter not a whole lot and sorry for the wait. Donna's POV and Josh's POV
My mood sucks. I've been poked and prodded. I spend two hours with a guy who found nine hundred ways to call me poor. I spend two more hours in a meeting to upgrade our security. It turns out; after we got bombed… we need more. Two hours to tell me what I ready know. My ribs hurt. Everything sucks. I don't think I would be nearly this bitchy if my pain meds didn't wear out three hours ago. I enter Josh's room, to find both Sam and Josh looking at my finical papers.
"WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING?"
"Wow Donna you weren't kidding, you are broke!" Josh stares at my bank statements in amazement.
"Do I need to repeat the question?"
"Quick Sam, distract her with the present."
My mood lights if only a fractional amount. I like presents. Sam present me with a box shaped like a little house. I know what this is, he bought me one like it before. I pull out the teddy bear for its home. He wrapped the ribs with medical tape.
"There is a note, its says, 'Get Beary Well Soon.'" Sam's beaming.
"We used to pay you to write?" I asked.
"There is a lovely letter inside, relax crankypants. And Zoey sent over cake."
"CAKE!" I would have totally forgotten about the invasion of my privacy but then Josh starts to talk.
"Where is your retirement fund?"
"I don't have one. That's why were is Social Security."
"Oh no, you can't believe in that."
"There was a system Josh, I believed in the system. Toby saved that system."
"Yeah but it is a crappy system and you should not believe in it." Great now he's panicking about my financial situation. "And what the hell did you spend nearly five thousand dollar's on?"
Oh Shit is that in there?
"None of your damn business."
We hear the chattering of two Presidential candidates talking down the hall. Pissed he couldn't be in the meeting, Josh sells me out and announces to everyone I haven't been planning for my retirement. Both Santos and Vinick launch into a super over protective rant about the importance of sound financial planning. I finally walk out of the room.
Then Jackson starts to tease me too. "No cake for you!" I declare. I am trying to track down Cindy, she is supposed to be working today when I run into Bruno at the nurse's station, instead.
"Donna Moss, I underestimated you once. It is a mistake I will not make again." He smiles. I always thought Bruno's smile was sinister and slightly demonic, but today it makes a flutter with pride. Quite frankly that's the nicest thing anyone has said to me today.
No, I woke up in Josh's arms to him confessing his love to me. That was pretty wonderful too.
I finally find Cindy she is getting together my release papers.
"Donna, would you like to stay in one place for like five seconds?"
"I did, I was stuck in meetings for like four hours. Hey you got a second?"
She nods and leads over to some chairs. I am a little nervous doing this, it's my first time.
"Cindy, I have a problem. I have five men on a campaign trial and I don't know how I can take care of all of them at once. I need to focus my attention on political aspects, but if I am distracted by medical stuff there is no way we can kick ass in the election."
"You should hire a nurse." She states so matter of factly.
"I am trying to, do you know anyone?" I smile until she gets what I am trying to do.
"ME? You want me?"
"Only the best on the Santos Campaign, and you seem to know everyone's names. That's light years better then when President Bartlet was running the first time."
She starts to glow, I wonder if that's what I looked like when Josh handed me his id badge, eight years ago.
"It would be a lot of traveling, not much of a pay increase, but a wonderful opportunity. I'll give you a few days to think about it."
I stand to leave, the fire shoots through my body.
"YES!" She cries and Jackson and Jefferson give small cheers.
"There is some lingo you are going to have to learn for the trail, you ready?" I wait for her to nod. "When we know we are about to kick a whole lot of ass there is only one thing we say: Game On!"
"GAME ON, BABY!" She yells and pumps her fist in the air. I knew there was a reason I liked her.
Sam and Matt are standing around my room. Matt looks better, showered, clean, less covered in blood. Sam started into Donna's cake, a death move if I ever saw one. He's still pissed at me, but he's here to help.
Matt recounts all the riveting aspects of the meeting this morning. I am glad I couldn't go and watched Good Morning America instead. None of us speak for a minute.
"You in?" I ask Matt.
"Hell yeah, I'm in!"
"You in?" I ask Sam.
"I wouldn't have flew across the country, coach, if I wasn't."
We have unfinished business with a Mr. Justin Hall.