On The Road with Danny Concannon: Indiana and DC

"Corps Response"

Companion Piece: The Hubbert Peak (6.5)

--

Monday Afternoon

"Where is he?" Katie Witt demanded, as she stood in front of Maisy's desk. Maisy quickly shot to attention and looked away from the blog regarding Josh Lyman she was reading on her computer.

"Ms. Witt, Hi." Maisy looked up at her. "I don't--"

"Where is he—I need to talk to him—?" She demanded in a commanding yet anxious voice.

"He's out on assignment..."

"Yes, I know---he's been on assignment for like three years now—we all know he's out there somewhere pullin' a nutty—but I need to talk to him now—as in right.....now." Maisy had never seen Katie so upset. "So do whatever it is you do—and get him here."

"He's not---."

"Get him on the phone—'cause I need to talk to him—."

"He's kind of unreachable at the moment."

"Unreachable?"

"Outta range."

"You know were he is—get him on the phone—or get him on a plane—'cause all hell's breakin' loose and I'm gonna lose my job."

"I really don't---" Maisy stood. "And I think I'd be a bad assistant if I put him on the phone with someone in your hysterical state." Katie's eyes widened and Maisy got a little scared for a moment. Suddenly the phone rang and the red light, line four, blinked on and Maisy's gaze ran toward the light. Katie saw the fear and uncertainty in her eyes. Katie looked at the phone and then at the same time Katie and Maisy looked at each other.

"That's him isn't?" She said in her most suspicious voice.

"How would I know?" Maisy was giving herself away.

They both looked at the phone with one eye on each other.

"It's one of the private lines—past the switch board." They eyed the phone and they eyed each other.

"It could be anyone---"Maisy's voice trailed off. Katie's eyes bolted wide open and the two women went for the phone with both hands, but Katie got to it first and hit the speaker button.

"Hey, Maisy." Danny's voice came over the speaker. "Sorry I'm calling a little late—It took me longer to find a cell phone store—I know you wanted to cut out early today." Katie gave Maisy a look and folded her arms. "At least I think it's a cell phone---the guy said it's also a palm pilot—the thing's huge---it's kinda freakin' me out--."

"Danny."Katie spoke up.

"Katie?"

"Danny—"Katie tried to speak again.

"Am I on speaker phone?"

"Danny." Maisy spoke before Katie could. "She just kidnapped the phone—there was nothing I could do about it."

"Where are you?" Danny's voice came in from the speaker.

"Where are you?" Maisy asked in a whisper leaning into the phone.

"I'm in Indiana---Where are you? Are you guys at the office? Katie why aren't you at work?"

"Danny—you have to call her—all hell is breaking loose—She has Toby doing the briefings and he's not giving us anything—no quotes---no information---it's like getting the news from Marcel Marceau—with a disgruntled hang over—she won't listen to us---nothing is being done----we're all gonna lose our jobs—we have nothing to write about---nothing to quote---" Katie ran on like a freight train while Danny tried to calm her down.

"Whoa—whoa—girl---calm down."

"You have to talk her, Danny---"

'Wait, what? Talk to who?—you're not gonna lose your job?"

"CJ—you have to talk to CJ—she listens to you. You have to knock some sense into her. Into somebody in that office!"

"Katie—I don't work at the White House anymore—and I'm a little outta the area right now. I kinda think you're a little over excited about this. "

"I'd say." Maisy spoke under her breath, but Katie heard and threw Maisy sharp eyes.

"I'm sure if you just talk—"

"We did."

"We?"

"We-- the Press Corps---we stormed down to her office and we told her how we felt—"

"Wait? You all went down to her office?"

'Yeah?"

"The entire Press Corps?"

"Yeah..."

"The entire Press Corps was in CJ's office—in the Chief of Staff's office?"

"Yeah?" Katie was confused. There was a small silence as Katie leaned in, unsure what she was hearing. Danny's crackling laughter could be heard through the speakerphone. Katie gave a cross face, but Danny just kept on laughing.

"I'm sorry—it's just so---ohh that's..." But Danny's laughter now sputtered out of his mouth, he was unable to control it.

"Danny..." But Danny kept on laughing. "Danny?" Still no response. Katie waited while Danny's laughter died down.

"Sorry—sorry—no, I'm good." Danny still had a giggle in his voice. He was silent for a moment, but it didn't last and he burst out laughing again.

"Danny—we talked to her and she said she'd do something—but I don't think anything's gonna change. We tried our best—so we voted to bring in heavy artillery. So will you call her?"

"And say what!?"

"She listens to you. We all know that—she trusts you among us all."

"I can call her Katie—and I bet 'ya I'll just talk to her 'till I'm blue in the face—'cause anything I say is just as effective as the entire Press Corps staging a sit-in in her office—'cause my guess is keeping us happy is not number one on their agenda right now. And when it comes down to it, she's wrong, but she's kinda right." Danny thought of Toby. "And we both know she's wrong —and she's right. There isn't nothing gettin' around that. I can't argue with that---and I'm not blowin' air and getting on the bad side of the Chief of Staff of the United States--- when I write politics for a living." Katie didn't speak for a moment as she observed what Danny said.

"I know." She paused in a frustrated voice. "But it's still crap."

"Of course it's crap. And if I was there I'd be the first one in her office, but this isn't my---it won't make any difference comin' from me now that I'm......I'm not there—it'll seemed staged—which it is—and just—I think dumb." He paused. "But you guys go ahead and storm her office anytime you want." He laughed. "Could you take pictures next time?" Danny laughed and Katie wasn't happy. Maisy tried to hide her own smile.

"I still vote you call—."

"I vote for the calling thing." Maisy chimed in and Katie looked at Maisy.

"Maisy, I told you not to bug me about that." Danny snarled from the speaker.

"You know she called him." Maisy said in a gossipy way toward Katie.

"Really?" Katie leaned in to listen.

"On his private line." She said with a hint of a wink coming on.

"Hey!" Danny could be heard from the phone.

"And he didn't call her back." Maisy said in a scolding way.

"She just left a message—she didn't ask me to—"Danny talked but no one was listening.

"He didn't call her back?" Katie asked.

"She just left a message!" Danny yelled.

"Sounds like the man's got issues." Katie spoke in a whisper.

"Hey—hey—I'm still here—Get me off the speaker phone—get me off speaker phone!" Danny yelled.

"She was the one who put you on—"Maisy defended herself.

"Hey, she wouldn't let me talk to you." Katie yelled and the two became a haze of voices to Danny.

"Hey! Hey!" Danny yelled and the two saw their foolish ways and the room became quiet.

"Pick up." Danny yelled. Maisy pushed a button on the phone and picked up the handset.

"He wants to talk to you." Maisy handed Katie the phone.

"Yeah—yeah." Katie nodded her head. "Okay, yeah---see ya soon, Danny." She smiled and handed the phone back to Maisy. "I gotta go back to work."

Maisy took the phone and nestled it against her ear, at the same time taking a couple of Post-It notes and writing a number on one and then on the other.

"Sorry." Katie yelled back, feeling foolish about how she acted. Maisy hung up the phone and yelled back for Katie who walked back to the desk.

"He said you should call him on this number—in emergencies if needed." She handed Katie the note. "And it's okay." She smiled.

"Huh?"

"About the thing before."

"Oh---yeah—thanks." She smiled an appreciative smile.

"You know he's a great reporter." Maisy said feeling like she needed to defend Danny.

"I never said he wasn't—he does great work—we all know that."

"But, what you said---before...." Maisy wanted to be strong, but it was hard sometimes when she didn't know people so well. "He's great at what he does—he loves his job..."

"I'm not sayin' he doesn't, Maisy—we all love Danny and we all wish we wrote half as good as he does—we all say it—the fact is..." She leaned in. "Danny Concannon is more talented then any of us...." She leaned back. "But this game." She still spoke softly. "This game of Kerouac he's playing is gonna get old pretty—pretty quickly." She gestured outward with both her hands. "That's all I'm sayin'" She smiled bittersweetly and started to walk away. "Thanks for this." She gestured with the Post-It in her left hand." I gotta go back to work. "She smiled and lifted her eyes to show she had a sense of humor about it.

Maisy went back to her desk and pasted the Post-It, with Danny's new number, on the shelf above her computer. She then swirled her chair past the computer to a small map she had tacked to her bulletin board, taking the flag she had placed on Montana and setting it in Indiana.