In So Many Words

Pt. 4

Emails, News Footage and Phone Calls

A/N: Sorry this part took so long to be posted – it actually was finished awhile ago, I just had multiple plot bunnies running around the house. And yes, this part does contain similar elements to some of my recent stories. I've kind of lost track what story begat what plot line… As a result, this collection of stories may be considered a prequel to Diagnosis and Treatment, although that wasn't quite what I originally intended. Anyway, hope y'all like this. Thanks for reading! Karen

a/n: In case I hadn't done any disclaimers previously: Don't own 'em, so save a tree, don't file a lawsuit. I'm just thinking out loud and using these wonderful characters to do it. On with the fun.

Spoilers: Gaza and Memorial Day seem like a good place to start.

The White House – early morning

Josh booted up the computer and opened his mailbox with trepidation. The message count from Donna was up to 10 and she had been in Gaza for just 2 days! A quick glance at the size of the newest messages made Josh wince – not only was the count growing, so was the size of each message.

'Geez, Donna, couldn't you just send me the bullet points?' he sighed as he closed the mailbox.

Looking at his watch, he realized he would be late for a meeting in the Oval if didn't move it.

"Sorry Donna, I'll read these when I have time' Josh thought to himself as he left the office.

Josh and Kate Harper were finishing a conversation about poppies and Nebraska when their pagers sounded almost simultaneously.

Josh walked out of his office, heading for CJ's just as CJ and Carol came hurrying towards him, both wearing concerned expressions on their faces.

"CJ?"

"There's been an explosion in Gaza, some fatalities." CJ's voice was tinged with uncertainty.

"Donna?" Josh could barely breathe.

"We don't know."

The creaking of a door caused the small group to turn. Another surge of emotion smacked them like a tidal wave –

Toby stood there, a hand on his head, his face a contorted mask of pain.

They had forgotten about Andi.

CJ shook off the paralysis first.

"Carol, get everyone on a phone, call anyone who may be there on the ground in Gaza. We need information NOW."

Carol was already back in the bullpen before CJ could finish her instructions.

As staffers waited for calls to connect, eyes were glues to television monitors throughout the bullpen, hoping for good news, any news at this point.

"MSNBC's got it!" Carol yelled suddenly.

Amidst the chaos of the bullpen, a gentle trilling was just audible. Toby fumbled his phone out of his pocket and answered it.

"Andi! It's Andi – are you all right?"

"Oh my god, I see her!" CJ yelled.

"We see you!"

The staff watched as Andi Wyatt waved frantically at the camera before it panned away from her.

"What about Donna?" Josh asked his voice thick with despair.

"What about Donna? She doesn't. Donna was in the car that was – she saw people being put into ambulances, that's all she knows." Toby's voice trailed off as he relayed what little information Andi was able provide. He looked at Josh helplessly. Toby's joy and relief at Andi being safe was dampened by the uncertainty about Donna.

Josh stood motionless, staring at the monitor, barely aware of CJ's presence by his side.

Leo McGarry sat at his desk, lost in thought. CJ had just given him an update about Gaza.

"Damn! When can we get to the good stuff? An assassination attempt that almost took Josh, a drunk driver that did take Mrs. Landingham, MS that will eventually take Jed, now this.'

Leo sighed tiredly. He had some calls to make.

"Margaret!" he bellowed.

The door opened almost instantly and his assistant appeared.

"OK, Leo, you know I'm not deaf." Margaret scolded him softly.

"Sorry about that," Leo responded quietly.

Margaret's mouth dropped open – her boss rarely apologized – to anyone, let alone her. It was that small gesture that let Margaret know just how much the current situation was affecting Leo. She quickly recovered her composure, he needed her.

"What do you need, Leo?" she asked quietly.

"Please get me Victoria Moss on the phone. I know Josh has already talked to her but I want to speak to her as well. Then after Senior Staff I will need you get Ruth Lyman and Stanley Keyworth on the phone. I want to give them a heads-up about what Josh is dealing with right now."

Margaret nodded as she wrote quick notes on her pad. Something about her response caught Leo's attention. He came around the desk to stand face to face with his assistant.

"Margaret, are you OK?" he asked gently, sensing something was amiss.

Margaret nodded her head yes, then no.

"Margaret, it's alright to be upset. Donna is your friend and she is hurting. I'm worried for her too, so don't try to bottle up your feelings. Come talk to me or CJ, any of us, it's OK. Understand?"

Margaret nodded silently, tears glistening in her eyes. "Thank you, Leo."

"Good girl, now go call Mrs. Moss."

Leo had just finished his conversation with Victoria Moss. As he replaced the handset, he marveled at the amount of control she had been able to display in the face of such personal distress. Victoria Moss had managed to maintain her composure throughout the phone call, which was more than Leo could claim. Listening to Donna's mother reminded him vividly of the daughter. Leo would have been hard-pressed to deny that he thought of Donna and Margaret as though they were his own daughters. As much as they might aggravate the living daylights out of him from time to time, both women were bright, intelligent and spunky enough to challenge their bosses when necessary.

'Dear Lord, please get Donna through this thing, because I don't think Josh can survive without her.' Leo's silent prayer was interrupted by the sound of his deputy's voice in the hallway. Glancing at the clock, he picked up the folder for Senior Staff and listened to the conversation in the hall. It sounded like Josh was getting pelted with solicitous inquiries regarding Donna. The tone of Josh's voice told Leo that his deputy was barely keeping it together, and that an eruption was not too long off. Leo sighed - he was grateful that Josh had managed to keep it together as well as he had for this long. But now it was time to step in.

"Josh, may I see you please?"

"What's up Leo?" Josh asked as he walked in.

"Anything new on Donna?"

"Yeah, the LifeStar has entered German airspace. She's stable but she's lost a lot of blood and there are some internal injuries, but I couldn't get anything specific."

"Poor kid," Leo said as they arrived in the bullpen outside the Oval Office, joining the rest of the Senior Staff and Kate Harper in the midst of a heated discussion regarding the Middle East. Josh held his tongue until it became too much.

Leo watched as his deputy finally lost control. It was a short outburst, but it was all Leo needed to see to make a decision.

A soft beep broke the uneasy silence that followed Josh's tirade. Charlie picked up the phone then indicated that the President was ready to see the Staff.

Leo pulled Josh into the Mural Room. Josh was muttering about Kate Harper's proposal.

"Where's Donna now?" Leo needed Josh to focus.

"Landstuhl Army Hospital." Josh replied, realizing that he needed to get a grip on his emotions or else.

"We have good people in Germany." Leo reminded him.

"Yeah."

Leo studied his deputy thoughtfully. 'If I don't get him out of here, things are gonna get ugly.'

"If there's somewhere you want to be, I'm sure everyone will understand."

Josh raised his head to look Leo straight in the eyes. 'He knows, he understands.'

"Thanks," was all Josh could manage to say before leaving the Mural Room.

Leo watched as his deputy broke into a jog as he pushed through the doors to the bullpen. When Josh disappeared into his office, Leo left the Mural Room to join the remainder of his Senior Staff in the Oval with the President.

Josh sat on the plane awaiting takeoff, lost in worried thought. His mind was miles away, totally unaware of the taxi to the runway, takeoff, the flight attendant's safety spiel. It wasn't until the beverage service began that he became more cognizant of his surroundings. He gave the attendant his beverage request, then pulled out his laptop. After the machine booted up, without hesitation he opened up the downloaded mail from Donna.

One by one, he read and re-read each email she had sent him. He could almost hear her voice – as if she were reading the reports to him in the office. As he read her words, he could feel her empathy for the situations she had observed. The amount and content of the details she put into each email was characteristic of the author. He chuckled quietly at her confusion concerning the currency, it was genuine Donna. He was intrigued by her account of her conversation with a Palestinian who simply wished to be able to go work to support his family. 'Leave it to Donna to find an underdog, even in Gaza'.

He continued to read her emails as the plane made its way across the Atlantic. When he wasn't reading, he was lost in thought. Thoughts about Donna's condition, the loss of Fitzwallace, and the amazing yet terrifying realization that he was in love with Donna. As the flight attendant made the announcement for final approach, Josh reluctantly closed the laptop and prepared for landing.

'Okay Lyman, time to get your act together. You can't be falling apart when you see her. If she thinks she has to worry about you, she won't be able to concentrate on getting herself better. I have to take care of her this time, I have to be there for her. She's too important to me, I can't screw this up.'

The plane finally was at the gate. He took a deep breath and gathered his things and prepared to disembark. Once in the gate area, he kept an eye peeled for his name on a placard. Leo had managed to secure a military driver; Leo had managed to catch Josh on his cell just prior to boarding to give him the necessary information. Scanning the crowd, he found the officer assigned to the detail. After presenting his White House ID, he was whisked off to a waiting Military Police vehicle for the ride to the hospital.

"Mr. Lyman, I have a communiqué from Mr. McGarry for you," the lieutenant said, handing a folder to Josh.

'Thank you, lieutenant." Josh opened the folder to find a short note from Leo.

It contained the latest on Donna's condition – she had been taken into surgery. The folder also contained a more personal message for Josh.

It simply read: Be strong and have faith. You can help her out of the hole. Leo.