Josh's POV.
It's now seven hours since I took Donna to the hospital. I have had just enough time to get home, change clothing and get back to the office before anyone else can get there. I need to check the office and get all my own notes and files ready for the day. Something I am not used to doing. I guess this is where I realise just how much I need Donna.
The clock on the wall in my office reads 7.15am. So much has happened in so little time. People will be arriving soon and wondering where Donna is. I'm not going to say a thing. They don't need to know about her. I'll make something up. I look around and find last night's meal carton's still lying on the floor.
"Josh, where's Donna?" I hear Leo call from along the hall.
"Eh, ill. Some stomach flu or something." I lie, hoping I sound convincing enough.
"Okay, staff in 10."
"Right, I'll be there." I answer almost stumbling over my words.
The rest of the day goes along all right. I miss seeing her face just through the door and wishing that I was with her every five minutes, isn't doing me a lot of good so when I get the chance to leave early I jump at it and drive straight across to the hospital.
Walking into her room, I notice the bed empty and freshly made. "Excuse me, where is Donna Moss?" I ask the kind nurse I spoke to last night.
"Oh Mr Lyman, she was discharged an hour ago. She tried to contact you but you had already left the office. She told me to tell you not to worry about her and she'll be at home."
I let out a breath I hadn't realised I was holding. "Thank you so much." I tell her, gently laying my hand on her arm. "For everything." She smiles at me before I head back out the door and back to my car.
Sitting in the car I call Donna. "Hello." That sweet voice in my ear is just proof that she really is all right.
"Hey you, couldn't wait to get out of there hey."
"Josh, I'm sorry. I was hating it in there and when they said I could go I tried to call you." She answered in a run on sentence.
"It's all right, as long as you're okay." I tell her.
"I'm fine, in fact I'm just off to bed now, so I'll speak to you tomorrow. I'm really tired Josh." She sounds weary.
"Okay, sweet dreams my sweet Donnatella." I almost whisper down the phone to her. I don't know where my voice has gone.
"Night Joshua." She says before hanging up the phone.
The following morning I walk into the bullpen and see her. What on earth is she doing here? As I walk past her desk I grab her by the arm and pull her into my office. "What are you doing here?"
"My work." She answers nonchalantly.
"Donna, the doctor told me you should be off for at least a week. You shouldn't be here." I am trying my hardest not to yell at her but she infuriates me sometimes.
"You wouldn't last a week without me." She answers almost laughing at me. I know she's right but still.
"Donna, you need to rest, that's what the doctor said."
"Josh, why are you shouting at Donna?" CJ's voice breaks through our little argument. "And what on earth is up with your sofa? And Donna, what is he talking about a doctor?"
It's then and only then does Donna notice that the sofa has no covers on it. She looks to me, biting her bottom lip before turning back to CJ. "CJ, I can answer all those questions for you." I hear her answer CJ. I look at her and see the look of sheer panic on her face but she knows he has to face the music. "If I tell you, you have to promise to keep this under your hat. No-one knows." CJ nodded. "Josh is yelling at me because my doctor told me that I should be off work for at least a week after what I have gone through. The reason the doctor told me this and quite possibly the reason that Josh's sofa covers are no longer on the sofa is that two nights ago I suffered a miscarriage."
I look to Donna with awe. She managed to tell CJ without her voice faltering at all. I can see the tears in her eyes though. She can't fool me into thinking that she didn't care about the child she was carrying.
"What?" CJ seems dumbfounded, a little like me in the hospital. "Donna, what happened? Who was the father?"
"CJ, maybe you should give Donna some time?" I intervene, noticing Donna's pale face getting whiter by the minute.
"Josh, it's all right." Donna reassures me. "CJ, I was almost three months pregnant a result of an ex-boyfriend forcing himself on me. Josh knew nothing about it and was frankly shocked when I placed him in the predicament on Monday night."
"Oh Donna." Was all CJ could say before Donna bolted from the room. "Josh, I'm sorry I came in here with all guns blazing."
"Don't worry CJ, maybe now she'll realise she shouldn't be here." I answer as I head to find Donna. I know roughly where she will have gone, the ladies bathroom's down the stairs. It where she always goes when she gets upset about something. As I walk down there I bump into Doctor Bartlett for the first time since Monday night.
"Josh, I was heading to see you, how's Donna?" She asks laying a hand on my arm.
"I'm going to find out." I answer. She looks at me rather peculiarly. "She came into work this morning and has just had to explain herself to CJ. I'm heading to the bathroom to make sure she's all right."
"Was it a miscarriage?" Doctor Bartlett asks. I can only nod. "Allow me to find her Joshua. Let me have a woman to woman talk."
"Yes ma'am." I answer as I watch the presidents wife walk into the bathroom I know Donna is in.
A.N- Thanks to my reviewers. It's encouraging to here your words as this is my first West Wing Fic. I hope I explained the babies father all right in this chapter and I promise that I will try and get more Fluff up in the next few chapters. But you know even though this story is AU, Josh and Donna will never have an easy time of it. Thanks again - Lu