Thursday
11:55 am
"Donna!"
"Hmm?" Donna mumbled inaudibly from her desk, sifting through Josh's messages from that morning.
"Donna!" Josh entered the hall looking for his assistant. "Donna, I was calling you."
"No, you were shouting and I'm protesting. I'm not a Labrador, Josh." She barely looked up at him and didn't notice his rising level of aggravation.
"Whatever. Can you get me the Brighton testimony?" he reentered his office when…
"No."
"Excuse me?" he came back out to her desk.
"I said no. Didn't you get Leo's memo? I taped it to your computer screen."
"Let's say I haven't."
"You're working with classified files and budget plans. You have to use the staff from Appropriations."
"Oh." Josh thought for a second and then said, "Well then, make my calls to Congress and type that memo to CJ."
"Mr. Lyman, contrary to what you may think, I do not need to be told what to do minute by minute. The calls have been made, the memo typed, and I will be away from my desk for the rest of the day," Donna replied matter of fact.
"Where are you going?" he began to get defensive.
"Lunch… with Sam. He needs my invaluable assistance." She had not let Josh's bad mood get to her. "I'll be in his office if you need me." As she walked away from her boss, she turned slightly and over her shoulder and said, "Cheer up, Joshua."
Thursday
12:12 pm
"What's Josh up to?" Sam asked moving towards his desk with an armful of files and reams of paper.
Donna followed closely behind Sam into his office carrying two to-go containers of chicken salad from the mess. "He's up to his earwax in appropriations testimonies." Donna checked her watch. "Then, meeting on the Hill at two-thirty, meeting with Leo and the President at four," she recited Josh's schedule robotically, "…sorry…habit."
"He doesn't need your help with the hearings?" Sam wondered why Josh's assistant wasn't assisting Josh.
"Are you trying to get rid of me?" Donna eyed her friend playfully. "Look, you can't do this on your own. You're good, Sam, but nobody's that good. Bonnie is on maternity leave and Toby is dictating a speech to Ginger. Even though I am your last choice," she gestured wildly with her arms, "I'm the only one ya got." Donna crunched down on a celery stick. "Besides, most of the stuff he's dealing with is code word classified." CRUNCH.
"Donna, I don't consider you my last choice," Sam pouted. "I wanted to make sure you weren't in the wrong place. I'm looking out for you. Anyway, Josh might get jealous," he added the last part under his breath.
"I'm sorry? Josh, jealous? He probably would not have realized I was gone if I hadn't told him when I left." CRUNCH.
Sam smirked at that but said nothing. They began sorting through the files at a steady pace. Occasionally taking mini breaks to eat their lunches, Sam and Donna conversed casually, mostly about work and their friends in the West Wing.
Thursday
4:55 pm
Leo and Josh walked out of the Oval Office. Josh was rubbing his temples. "-I know, Leo. But this is amateur hour!" Josh was whining about his involvement with the testimonies. "It's like a circus. I'm the ring leader and I only make two dollars an hour to stand near dangerous animals."
"Well, I don't understand that analogy, but all I can tell you is that a senior staffer is required to review the testimonies. You are a lawyer. And, let's not forget the fact that the President specifically asked that you be said staffer."
"Hey man," Josh greeted Charlie as he passed his desk outside the oval.
"Hey guys." Charlie barley lifted his head in acknowledgement.
"Alright, it's almost five, I'm gonna get back to my desk…work for a little while longer."
"Yeah. I'll be in my office." Leo patted Josh on the back and walked off.
"Yeah," came the glum reply.
Thursday night
10:00 pm
A single light on Sam's phone lit up followed by a shrill ring that made Donna nearly jump out of her seat.
"Sam Seaborn."
"Hey Sam, I was hoping you'd still be here. How's the research going?" Josh's voice did nothing to conceal his exhaustion.
"Going great, actually. I didn't realize how late it was getting." Sam put Josh on speaker and put the hand piece in its cradle. "Thanks for letting me borrow Donna, she's been very helpful." He looked over at Donna and smiled.
"Hi Josh!" Donna yelled from the other side of Sam's desk. Her shoes had long since come off and her legs were tucked up underneath her. She was making notecards out of the three or four files on her lap.
Josh's head popped off his desk. "Donna? What the hell are you still doing there?" His tone was too harsh and he knew it but he still made no effort to retract.
"I'm working!" She snapped back.
"I lost track of time, Josh, it's my fault. Do you need her?"
Wow, what an incredibly complicated question, Josh thought. "No…" he breathed out heavily, "sorry, I'm just cranky- ready to leave. You want to grab a beer?"
"Oooh! Can I come?" Donna chimed in, feeling her good mood come back to her like a boomerang.
"Sure, Donna, you can come," Sam replied without missing a beat, a little too quickly for Josh's taste.
"Um, yeah. You two meet me there in about fifteen minutes." Click.
Donna and Sam stared at each other awkwardly. After a few seconds of complete silence, Sam got up and reached for Donna's coat and scarf. "Let's go."
Thursday night
10:30 pm
Donna headed to the bathroom weaving her way in and out of the crowd at the aptly named Jefferson Bar at which she met Josh and Sam. She was met with a line ten women long and reluctantly got behind a stout red head.
Back at their table, Sam made small talk with Josh. "So when will you be done with the assignment the President hand-picked you for."
"Why?" Josh asked Sam shortly, taking a long swig of his beer letting the tip of the long neck linger near his mouth.
"Just curious. Well…I'm just wondering, too…well, I may need Donna tomorrow too. If you're still going to be tied up." Sam stammered nervously though he didn't fully understand why.
"Um, yeah…you can have her." Josh hesitated.
"I ask because, I don't know, you seem a little peeved."
"No… no. It's fine, Sam. I'm just a little stressed. This assignment is so tedious. Easy… but tiring, you know?" Josh drank again, "And it's not like I'm getting any help."
"Josh, the files are classified," Sam started. "She can't—"
"I'm kidding, Sam," Josh offered unconvincingly.
Awkward silence ensued. Both men sat sipping their beers, staring off in opposite directions but thinking about the same thing. Several minutes passed.
"So, you two worked nine hours and aren't finished reading and sorting through a stack of, what, two hundred files, tops?" Josh knew he should stop interrogating his friend, but his third beer was beginning to take over his delicate system.
"Josh, what's going on?" There was brief pause and when Josh started to tell Sam exactly what was wrong, Donna showed up with three more beers.
"God, the bathrooms in this place are truly disgusting." She plopped down on her chair next to Sam and across from Josh. "What were you guys talking about?"
"Nothing," Sam said.
"You," Josh stared at her over his beer, answering at the same time as Sam.
Her exceptionally large eyes grew larger, "What?"
"I'm ready to go…I can't deal with this tonight."
Donna's forehead wrinkled up. She thought Josh was kidding. He stumbled out of his chair and lurched forward attempting to put on his coat. Struggling with the right sleeve, he gave up and slung it over his shoulder. Instinctively, Donna snatched his keys off the table where he'd set them earlier.
Josh turned and looked her squarely in the eyes with a hateful glare. "Don't worry, mom, I'll walk." He hurled the insult at her wanting for just a moment for it to hurt. Her eyes welled up and when he realized he had succeeded, his gaze fell to the floor and he staggered out of the bar. The cool air hit him hard when he stepped out coatless. It felt good for a moment but didn't clear his fuzzy, drunken thoughts. He was mad as hell, but why? He felt threatened, but why? Josh got into bed without undressing. He quickly fell into a tense, fist-clenching sleep.