His mother had been concerned from the moment she heard his voice.

"Is everything alright dear? Are you ok?"

He hadn't planned on sounding so distraught but after the emotions of the day he wasn't sure how he could have concealed the rawness in his voice. Her concern, although he didn't anticipate it, ended up working to his advantage as he found breaking the news wasn't as difficult when he heard her voice laden with compassion.

"I have some news." He had begun the story from the beginning and the whole thing, thanks to that fact that he missed much of the middle, was over in less than two minutes.

When he was done she simply took a breath and said:

"Well, so she had your baby? That is amazing, Josh, and from now on, it is not about what she did or didn't do but it is about your child; She gave you a child."

Her voice was almost admonishing him as if she knew every argument he could make to the contrary and already had the answer for it. Josh wondered how mothers got so much wisdom. Was it in the books they read or the shows they watched? How is it that they can always say just the right thing? His appreciation of his own mother quickly turned his thoughts to Donna. She was now one of those wise mothers. He suddenly couldn't hold it together any longer.

Mrs. Lyman listened and soothed her son as he wept all alone in the hallway of a hospital far away from her. He listened and nodded as her calm and steady voice encouraged him to see this situation as a blessing.

He was relieved to say the least. He was relieved to hear her voice and although he didn't really understand why, he was relieved that she seemed to be asking him to forgive Donna. He supposed he was pleased to have permission from someone to get over the offense and embrace what was important.

Her heart was breaking for him and when she heard his sniffles quite on the other end of the line she asked him:

"Do you still love her Josh?"

The question's directness was not lost on Josh. She didn't ask him if he thought he could love her, or if he had ever loved her, she got right to the point of if he STILL loved her.

Still loved her after eight years of beating around the bush? Still loved her after medical scares and psychological scares and scars that reminded him of both? Still loved her after she left him the first time and then the second? Still loved her even though he had spent the past months awake and ill thinking of her and how she was doing, and now knowing exactly what she was doing and keeping from him? Did he still love her after all that?

The answer was surprisingly simple for him.

"Yes." The answer came out as a heavy and cleansing breath. He still loved her after all that.

"Well, my son, you are a very lucky man. Not everyone has the fortune of being in love with the mother of their child."

Josh smiled at his mother's crazy way of looking at things. He wondered if she was just delusional from the joy she must be feeling at having a grandchild. He was almost convinced if he had told her that a crack whore had just delivered his baby that she would have found a way to make peace with it.

"I want to come out there and see you." She began hesitantly, her joy beginning to come through fully for the first time. "I want to see all of you." He could hear the smile in her voice.

"Yeah, you should call and get a flight out here as soon as possible, Mom. I would really love to see you too."

Josh felt so much better when he ended the call that he almost couldn't believe it. His mom was a grandmother, which fulfilled his obligation to fulfill her seemingly lifelong dream, and he was a father. The idea was so foreign to him that he almost felt he should call Toby for an explanation. Did Ava have a hat on? He could barely remember now as he pictured the beautiful face of HIS little girl.

Josh put his head back against the wall behind him and took several deep breaths. He looked down to his blackberry and saw he had more than a few missed calls. He thought he should perhaps check in with the team and was going to call Lou when he noticed Abigail at the nursing station directing a middle aged delivery man with a large bundle of balloons his way. She was pointing and repeating his name so Josh stood reluctantly and gave a small wave as the man began to approach.

"Are you Mr. Lyman?"

"Yeah." Josh answered skeptically.

"These are for you." The man thrust the conglomeration of congratulatory millar balloons at Josh's face who accepted with a perplexed "Thanks."

"No problem and Congratulations." The man answered matter-of-factly and turned to proceed down the hall.

Josh examined the balloons, a myriad of pinks and yellows with diaper pins and baby ducks all screaming different message about a new baby. As he fingered the card, Josh realized they were from Matt and Helen:

"Leo couldn't quit beaming, we couldn't quit asking what was up. We finally got it out of him, Congrats and take as long as you need."

Josh shook his head in disbelief. He was going to have to kick the Congressman's butt for celebrating this "political scandal" and acting as if Josh's actions wouldn't come back to haunt them all. Mostly he was concerned with the lines "take as long as you need" as if the Santos campaign could survive without him. Josh sighed and stuck the card in his pocket, telling himself he would have to go check-in later that night. He grinned at the idea of picking up cigars and smoking them in the HQ. If Matt knew, that meant Lou knew and they were working on the statement. For once he let the politics go and thinking of his mom's words just a moment ago, Josh knew that this moment was all about his daughter. It was all about Ava.