Chapter 10

Bleeding and unconscious. The words played over and over in his mind as his arms closed around Donna, holding her close to his chest, feeling her erratic breathing and her tears through his shirt. Bleeding and unconscious.

This whole time he'd just assumed Josh would be ok. Didn't think for a second something would actually happen to him. He'd wait in the pavilion, they'd break up the riot and get him out of there, then he'd get a few stitches. That would be the end of it, he'd been sure of it. Bleeding and unconscious.

He listened to the police officer they'd been talking to give directions. It would be three officers and two paramedics with a gurney going in to get him. They'd need to hurry because they'd just received a phone call that the riot squad was on their way and if they were still inside once they started, they'd have to stay in there until it was over.

He wished his wife were there. He was thankful she was nowhere near this mess, but suddenly he was frightened that he and Ned were going to be all Donna had to hold onto during this, and that scared him nearly as much as the fact that Josh was bleeding and unconscious in a pavilion did. He didn't know her; didn't know how to console her, how to encourage her, how to hold her up, how to tell her…anything he'd have to tell her. And as he thought of it, he looked forward over the next eight years at the bad news he'd have to deliver to strangers if he were elected President. Suddenly, he felt unqualified and scared, and he trampled the feeling down, telling himself that as long as Josh were there with him he'd be ok. But right now Josh was bleeding and unconscious.

He felt Donna start to pull back and he let his arms loosen around her. Once she was standing, he looked down at her swollen, red eyes where tears had fallen but had now disappeared. She looked…adamant. As though she hadn't given Josh permission to be hurt, and therefore he must be ok. Like she simply wouldn't allow it. She wiped her nose, shook her hair behind her shoulders and took a deep breath. "You all right?" he asked loudly and awkwardly.

She nodded slowly and deliberately and turned around, facing the pavilion again. She took a hesitant step forward, as though being one step closer to Josh than the other bystanders was important to her somehow, was important to Josh, so he stayed back and let her be alone and in front. She kept her chin high and wrapped her arms tightly around herself, standing there for a few seconds. He watched her shoulders move up and down as she took another deep breath, and then there was another step, and before he could even register it, she was running full speed towards the pavilion. "Damn it," he screamed, chasing after her.

zzzzzzzzzzzzzz

His lip was split, the taste of copper now constant in his mouth, and sweat was starting to get in some of the scratches on his arms and face, stinging badly. His stomach hurt so much it was hard to take deep breaths, and his head was throbbing. He could feel it pulsing, could feel the paper towels scratching the gash near his hairline, could feel blood or maybe sweat trickling down his neck.

It felt better when he walked bent over a little bit, easing the pressure on his back, which hurt from being kicked. So he walked, his head down, as officer Davidson led him through the crowd. He looked at his hands, cuffed together in front of him. Looked at the dried blood of the other officer on his palms, in his fingernails, on the cuffs of his shirt. He felt sick all over again, but didn't have the strength in his stomach to vomit.

He thought of Donna again; hated that she must be worried about him. His phone had vibrated in his pocket at least five times over the last ten minutes or so, and he knew it was her. He always took her calls, any time day or night, so he knew she'd be frantic by now. He hoped she was waiting for him at the hotel. Maybe in his room. The thought comforted him, made him smile just a little, and he wondered if she'd stay with him that night and take care of him; run her fingers through his hair, change the bandage that would be on his head, make him eat something healthy, not let him watch too much CNN. She used to like to take care of him, before he became peppermint ice cream to her.

Suddenly there was a gunshot and he didn't really know what was happening even as he was being pulled down. Offer Davidson pulling on his shirt choked him and he fell backwards with a thud, hitting his head on the dirt ground below him and biting his tongue.

He lay there for several seconds, trying to catch his breath. Was someone shooting at them? It wasn't the first gunshot he'd heard in the last hour, but this one was closer, too close. Had the officer seen someone with a gun? Is that why he'd pulled Josh onto the ground?

He looked over to the officer lying on the ground just next to him. His eyes were closed and blood was seeping through his pants on his right thigh. Blood? Josh tried to catch his breath as he came to grips with the situation. Officer Davidson, less than a foot away from him, had been shot. Suddenly he felt even less safe with a police officer than he had on his own.

He tried to sit up, but couldn't. Between his arms trapped out in front of him and the injuries to his stomach and back, he simply didn't have the strength. After a moment, he managed to roll onto his side and then his stomach, where he used his cuffed hands to push himself onto his knees. The t-shirt from around his head slipped and fell to the ground, letting sweat and dust into the gash, and he gritted his teeth to fight the sting.

He leaned over and shook Officer Davidson. "Officer," he yelled. Please not two officers in one day, he thought.

The man opened his eyes and looked at Josh, who took a deep breath of relief. "My leg."

"You've been shot, I think." Josh yelled back to him, immediately thinking of Toby. They had to be ok. Toby was the one; the one who… they had to be ok.

He tried to sit up and couldn't. Finally, Josh reached out and pulled on one of his arms, two injured aching men trying to get him into a sitting position. Josh's face winced in pain just as much as Davidson's, but a few seconds later, the officer was sitting up looking at his leg.

Josh watched the man looking at his own leg and wondered what they were going to do now. Had somebody accidentally shot him? Had they shot a gun and it just happened to hit this man in the leg, or had they aimed for him? And if they had, would they shoot again? Would they come over here and beat him like they had the other officer? Would they shoot Josh for being there? Would they beat him too? He looked around. There were still so many fights; too many to count from where he sat on his knees. He couldn't see any other officers from where he sat either. Should he leave him there and go for help? Would he even know how to get back to where he was? Would the man be safe there alone or would he end up like the other officer, unconscious and bleeding in the pavilion?

"Can you stand?" he yelled to Davidson.

The officer tore his eyes from his leg and looked up at Josh. Without answering, he started digging around in his pocket and came out a second later with a key. He pulled Josh's hands to him and uncuffed him. "I'm gonna need help," he shouted as the cuffs fell away from Josh's hands.

Josh nodded and stood up, muscles in his stomach and back fighting him as he did. He took Davidson by the shoulder and arm and pulled him up, letting the offer's weight fall on him, which caused him even more pain. As for Davidson, he actually screamed as Josh pulled him up, although Josh could barely make it out over the noise around them.

Josh positioned himself beneath Davidson's right shoulder and looked at him. "Ready?"

Davidson pulled the gun from his holster and held it with his left arm as his right arm went around Josh's shoulder. Then he looked at Josh and nodded.

zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz

When they walked into the pavilion, they didn't see him at first. One of the paramedics was the first to see the man lying behind a picnic table with a dark suit jacket draped over him. There was a small pool of blood under his head, and his face was very badly beaten. Two of the police officers took post at the doors and the paramedics quickly got to work. They had nothing with them but a gurney, but one of them checked for a pulse, which was faint, while the other opened his eyes and checked responsiveness.

"How bad?" asked the third police officer.

"Bad," yelled one of the paramedics as they carefully slid the gurney underneath the still unconscious man and adjusted the falling suite jacket to protect him from the riot outside the building.

"Radio them," yelled the other paramedic. "Make sure the ambulance is waiting and ready to go. Tell them we have grey matter."

The officer looked at the paramedic for a few seconds and then closed his eyes. Finally, he picked up his walkie-talkie and started shouting into it as they rushed out of the building with the officer.

zzzzzzzzzzzzzz

She'd only gone about thirty feet when she felt his arms around her waist. She struggled to break free of him, getting loose and running again. The only thought going through her head was getting to Josh. Everything would be ok if she could only get to Josh.

He needed her. She was sure of it; he needed her there with him. He was always ok when she was there. She just needed to get to him. He'd forgive her later; once everything was ok. He'd forgive her for not waiting at the hotel. She'd gotten in the van and had tried to do what he asked, but he needed her and that was what mattered most. And she'd apologize to the congressman too, for not keeping her promise. But she couldn't. She couldn't keep it. She'd tried, but she had to get to him, there was no question. She had to.

He was there again, just behind her. She could barely hear him screaming her name, yelling for her to stop. And then his arms were around her waist again and she was struggling to get loose. "Let go of me!" she screamed with everything she had.

"Donna!" He was fighting her. More to the point, she was fighting him. Her arms were flailing and she was kicking, whatever it took to get loose. He was trying to trap her arms to her sides, trying to dodge her kicking and hitting, but was also trying hard not to hurt her. Yes, she'd definitely have to apologize later.

"Let go of me!" she screamed again, as he caught her left wrist, holding it down with his arm. She kept swinging with her other arm, tried stomping on his feet. She had to get to Josh. She had to.

Two police officers came running up to them, grabbing her other arm and pinning it behind her back. Nearly panicking at the thought of Josh bleeding and lying on a cold cement floor, she continued kicking, but she wasn't strong enough for all three of them, and soon she found herself with her arms behind her back by one officer while the other pulled handcuffs off his belt. She looked to the congressman with fear in her eyes and he closed his own eyes and shook his head. "She's fine," he yelled to them. "She's coming back."

She stood quietly, tears lining her cheeks, hair tangled and in her face, panting for breath and watched him talking to the officers. "She's fine," he said again. "You don't need to…" he trailed off. "She's just worried. She's coming back."

One of the officers she couldn't see, the one holding her arms behind her back, yelled back to him. "She's got to stay out of here." Matt looked at her, prodding her with his eyes, and she slowly nodded.

"We'll go back," he yelled to the officer.

Still holding her arms, she listened as he spoke to her. "Ma'am, get behind the barricades or I'm going to restrain you. Understand?"

She nodded again and he released her. Matt took her by the elbow and started walking back towards the police cars and ambulances while the officers watched them walk and then started back into the riot area. She started to pull away again and he gripped her elbow tightly, wrapping his other arm around her waist and glaring at her. "Don't. Don't even think about it."