"I'll go..." Donna started but Ainsley grabbed her hand.

"I don't want to be alone if it's something bad." she said. Donna nodded.

"I'm sure he's fine." she said quietly. But Ainsley didn't know. From the look on the doctor's face, she didn't even have the slightest clue to what he was going to tell her.

-----------TWW---------

"So is it true?"

"Is what true?" Josh looked up and saw CJ and Toby standing in the doorway. Sometimes, Josh found it humorous that they were all working together again but this time it was for Sam, not Bartlet.

"That the president is dead." Toby said. "At least that's what some new reporter is saying."

"Sam's not dead." Josh rubbed his eyes and signed another paper.

"How do you know?" CJ asked.

"Because Donna told me."

"How does Donna know?"

"She was with Ainsley at the hospital. The doctor just talked to her. He's fine."

"Fine?" Toby questioned.

"The bullet punctured his lung, causing it to collapse, but they fixed it. And he lost a lot of blood but other than that he's fine. He'll be out of it for a while."

"What about Gracie." CJ said.

"We don't know where she is." Josh replied.

"So the news was wrong."

"They're taking what they hear from the streets. Right now let's just worry about finding Gracie. Hopefully before Sam wakes up too."

------------TWW--------

"I want to go home." Gracie whined.

"You will soon enough."

"I am?"

"Yes. Once I get your mother you'll be home."

"NO! I meant home..."

"Oh to the White House with your bastard of a father?" Ryan snapped. "That doesn't exist anymore. I made sure of it."

"My dad won't let you hurt my mom."

"I don't think your dad will be doing much of anything so I'd shut your mouth if I were you."

Gracie sat back and glared at Ryan from across the room.

"What did you do to him?" she asked.

"I didn't do anything."

"But you said you 'made sure of it.'" Gracie mimicked.

"Oh I did but I wasn't the one that shot him." Ryan smirked.

------------TWW-----------

Ainsley wiped away more tears as she sat at Sam's side. This was just too much for her to handle. Sam was fine. Well... as close to fine as he could be and the doctors reassured Ainsley that he would make a full recovery and that was just dandy. But Gracie was still missing. She still had no idea where Gracie was.

"Ainsley..."

She looked up and wiped at her eyes.

"Hey Josh."

"How's he doing?" he asked, stepping further into the room. He hated being here. It reminded him of when he had been shot and it hurt to see his best friend in the same place he had been in.

"The same." Ainsley mumbled, rubbing her forehead.

"You should go back to the Residence, get some sleep."

"Josh, every time you tell me that, my answer is still going to be no. Shouldn't you be in the West Wing anyway?"

"I just came by to check on him." he replied.

"Have you heard anything on Gracie?"

"No. We've got everyone looking though. Ainsley, she'll be fine."

"I just... I don't understand why Josh." she said, twisting to look at him. "Why us? Why Sam? Why Gracie?"

"Some people aren't happy with how Sam runs the country."

"But to take it out on us because they're not happy with him..."

"It's stupid I know." Josh agreed. "But things happen and I wish this didn't happen but it did. We're gonna make it right though."

"I just want her back."

"We all do. Why don't I stay with him? You're running on six cups of coffee last I heard. You need to sleep."

"I don't want to leave him." Ainsley said, turning back to Sam. Josh sighed, knowing there was no way to change Ainsley's mind.

"Aren't you hungry?" he asked, a teasing tone in his voice. Ainsley cracked a small smile but it quickly disappeared. "Ainse..."

Josh saw her flinch. That was Sam's nickname for her. He shouldn't have said it.

"I'm being serious now. Go get some sleep or something to eat at least. You look about ready to drop dead." Josh said. Ainsley went to shake her head but Josh put a hand on her shoulder. "You're no good to him if you pass out from exhaustion."

Ainsley sighed and nodded. Josh stepped outside for a minute and Ainsley let a yawn escape from her mouth. She leaned over and kissed Sam's forehead, one hand stroking his hair lightly. Josh watched from the doorway, a pang of guilt going through him. If he hadn't asked Sam to come talk to him he wouldn't be in this mess.