(SUNDAY )

"I can't believe we are watching this." Josh shakes his head as he settles next to Donna on her bed.

"It's my choice Josh."

"Okay but why do you get to choose?"

"Because I'm sick."

"Yeah okay, but then you're probably gonna fall asleep anyway, so I should get to pick." He smiles, satisfied with his argument as he outstretches his arm so that Donna can lay against his chest.

"Are you comfortable?" He asks a little while later as they both enjoy the closeness.

"Mmm." Donna sighs as she burrows just a little more into his side. God, he loves how she feels in his arms. They could have been doing this for years!

"Twenty bucks you don't last 15 minutes," he chortles, patting her shoulder.

"Are you kidding? We're watching "A Garden Without a Rose", of course I can last more than 15 minutes," she rolls her eyes playfully. And while Josh is well aware that she has the willpower to stay awake, he really doesn't want her to. He wants her to get plenty of rest. He'd noticed this morning that the circles under her eyes were beginning to fade. Her fever had broken yesterday, after he had lathered the cold washcloth all over her body. Since then, her temperature had been hovering around 99.7. Still warm, but out of danger.

"That's a terrible name for a movie. And what does that even mean? A Garden Without a Rose. Plenty of gardens don't have roses.

"Oh and how do you know?"

He shrugs. "Well I don't, for sure. But a vegetable garden doesn't have roses."

"Well if this movie were about a vegetable garden Josh, it would probably be called "A Garden Without a Tomato. Although a tomato is technically a fruit so maybe not . . ."

"I hate tomatoes."

"I know. That's why I specifically chose tomatoes instead of a carrot." Her voice is full of mirth and he loves it. It feels like they're friends again.

"Just to get a rise out of me?"

"Just to get a rise out of you."

…

"Oh, how long was I out?" Donna asks as she looks at Josh with sleepy eyes.

"Oh long enough for me to find out that the garden did in fact have a rose."

"See? That's why I love these movies. There's always a twist.

"How often do you watch this channel?" He chuckles, rubbing her shoulder gently.

"Oh more often than I care to admit. It's mindless so it helps me wind down, especially if I'm stressed." Josh's heart thumps wildly at her admission, the word "stress" immediately makes him remember his phone call with Abbey.

"And umm does the movie ya know, help with the uhh stress?" His fingers play with long tendrils of hair splayed across his chest. He takes a deep breath to calm himself.

"Yeah. It's a nice escape for a few hours."

"Good. I heard you have a slave driver of a boss, so next time he overworks you, let's end the night with a corny movie." He smiles. Maybe these movies weren't so bad, if they made Donna feel better. And hell he would watch them whenever she wants, if it means that he gets to spend more time with her, and on a bed for that matter.

"You have to bring the snacks."

"I will bring all the snacks Donna. Everytime."

He doesn't even know how to express his happiness. She's suggesting snacks and it makes his heart soar.

She gives him a big toothy grin and he feels as light as air. "Speaking of food, what would you like for dinner?

"I am kinda hungry." Donna admits, then she smirks and pokes him a little. "Are you cooking?"

"Be serious." He quips back with an eye roll. "We're ordering take out. Pizza or chinese?"

When her nose wrinkles he wants to smack his forehead. Of course, neither of those are probably a good choice for her.

"Get whatever you want." Maybe I'll just have a yogurt." She suggests.

"No, no, no." He quickly interjects. "You need more than that. You've hardly eaten anything this whole weekend. I can have Sam bring some more soup from the deli."

"I don't want to inconvenience Sam." She counters.

"He won't mind. He'll be glad you're feeling better." She looks unconvinced, so he pulls out the last resort. "I could make scrambled eggs." He offers softly.

Her eyes light up. "Really?"

"Yes." He answers softly. Eyes locking with hers. He hopes she can see that he'd do anything for her. Even cook.

"Alright." She agrees getting lost in his eyes for a minute. But then her mouth quirks up. "This I'd like to see."

"Okay, Miss Sassy. Let's go." He agrees, standing up and then taking her hand and helping her up off the bed.

Once she's upright he leans in and places a quick kiss on her forehead.

Her heart starts to beat rapidly. She's not really sure what's going on. Yesterday morning it seemed like he was attracted to her, but today things have been purely platonic. And she's thrilled that it seems like their friendship is back on track, but honestly, she can't help but hope for more.

"Your forehead doesn't seem too warm." Josh breaks into her thoughts. "But tell me if you start to feel hot, okay?"

"Okay." She quickly acquiesces, still feeling happy from his unexpected gesture.

He leads her into the kitchen, still holding her hand, and she feels like she's floating.

o0o0ooo0o0o000

Josh turns out to be a good cook. His eggs are light and fluffy. He also whips up some pancakes while she sits at the table and watches in surprise.

He serves her way too much, so she hasn't eaten that much when he sits down with his plate.

He frowns just a little and she's puzzled. Then she realizes that maybe he thinks she doesn't like it.

"This is really good, Josh." She reassures him, taking another bite. "I didn't know you could cook."

He relaxes and smiles at her. "I'm almost 40 years old. I've been living on my own for 2 decades. I'm not a great cook but I can make some basics. Pancakes, eggs, grilled cheese. Pasta."

"Pasta?" She inquires as she scoops up some more eggs. She's getting full but she doesn't want to hurt his feelings.

"Spaghetti or Macaroni from a box. Sauce from a jar. Nothing I'd want to admit to your Italian grandmother." He laughs.

She grins back. "Well, don't tell my Nonna, but I get my sauce from a jar too."

"Your secret's safe with me." He assures her with a conspiratorial grin.

When they are done, he puts the plates in the sink, and leads her back to the couch, insisting that he'll do the dishes later. Again she's stunned, but she's feeling a bit tired now.

He sits in the corner of the couch with his feet on the coffee table, the remote in one hand, and his other arm across the top. He looks perfectly at home and she doesn't even think about it before sitting right next to him and snuggling into his side.

He smiles to himself and wraps his arm around her. This feels so right. He flips through the channels, past the 24 news stations, stopping on a rerun of a sitcom.

They watch the first episode mostly silently, laughing at the right spots but not really talking. Her mind is pleasantly fuzzy, but he's thinking.

He really likes this feeling, but he has a nagging feeling that he should talk to her about her weight. As he's thinking about what to say, his hand sneaks its way under her t-shirt and strokes her side. He loves the feel of her soft skin, but the fact that he can count her ribs bothers him.

"Mmmm, that feels really good." She murmurs softly.

"You do feel good," he agrees. "But you're so thin. I'm worried. You need to eat more."

Donna stiffens at his words, then sits up, scoots back. "I eat enough." She tells him flatly and he can tell he's struck a nerve.

In a way he wishes he could take it back, hating that the mood seems spoiled. But here they are, and if it's spoiled anyway then he might as well go for broke.

"No. I don't think you do. You've hardly been eating anything for the last few months. This weight loss isn't just from the flu."

Her cheeks flush. "So I lost a little weight. It's no big deal. Geez! Most guys like skinny girls."

"I like you just like you are."

"No you don't! You just said I was too skinny. I swear! I can't do anything right!" She jumps off the couch and strides into the kitchen towards the sink, turning on the hot water and squirting some soap into the basin.

He sighs deeply before getting up to follow her, feeling completely out of his league. He really should have talked to Dr. Bartlet before he did this, but he doesn't want to leave things where they are, with her upset.

In the kitchen, he watches her furiously scrub the dishes. There are only 2 glasses, 2 plates and a frying pan so it doesn't really take any time.

"Donna, I'm sorry, I wasn't trying to criticize you. I'm just worried about you. Mrs. B noticed that it seems like you lose weight when you're under stress because you don't seem to eat. And I know I've stressed you out lately. And I'm sorry that you couldn't come to me. I'm just sorry."

The tension falls from her shoulders at his apology. She turns around to face him. "I can't bring all my problems to you, Josh! It's not your job to fix them!" She tells him a bit dejectedly.

"Why not? I WANT you to bring your problems to me. I WANT to fix them!" He insists.

She gives him a small, sad, smile. "You walk around with so much guilt, you want to fix everyone's problems."

"That's not what this is, Donna. I swear, this is different. You're different." He reaches out, gently grasping her small wrist in his hand and tugs her close.

They stare into each other's eyes, and her heart starts to stutter as she sees something smoldering in his. Slowly, he takes her face in his hands, and it feels like she stops breathing as he leans down to kiss her.

He starts softly, his lips just barely brushing against hers, testing for resistance, making sure it's something they both want. She moves closer to him, tilting her head up in permission, offering herself to him.

He deepens his exploration, moving his mouth firmly over hers, establishing control as she melts into him. His hands slip off her face and travel down her body, one arm wrapping around her waist to trap her against him, while the other grabs her backside bringing their centers into contact. She smiles as she feels the effect she's having on him. There's no doubt that he wants her. She feels a surge of power, as she reaches around him to mirror his action, grabbing his butt with both hands and pulling him harder into her, welcoming the feeling that washes over her.

He breaks off the kiss, "God, woman, you're killing me. We'd better stop before I sweep you up and take you into the bedroom and completely ravish you."

She smiles against his lips. "Why would I want to stop you from doing that?" She inquires, giving him a little squeeze and moving her hips in a way that makes his eyes roll back a little in his head. But he inhales deeply through his nose and moves a half step back.

"Because you have the Flu and I'm not sleeping with you for the first time when you are under the influence of medication! I want 100% certainty that this is what you want."

"Okay," she pouts a little, "but I promise you, I'm 100% certain. And I haven't had any medication for four hours!"

She flounces out of the room and Josh growls low in his throat and has to grab the counter to keep from chasing after her. He pinches the bridge of his nose for a minute before he heads back into the living room. This hasn't gone at all like he expected. But at least he has a pretty good idea that she likes him.

"Speaking of medication." He greets her, holding up the thermometer. "We should probably check and see how you're doing."

She nods but sticks out her lower lip in the most adorable pout. Does she know what she does to him?

"99.1" He announces with a grin once it beeps.

"That means I don't really need any medication." She declares glancing towards the bedroom suggestively.

"Maybe we should talk some more?" There's nothing he'd like more than to make love to her, but he doesn't want to screw this up. If he does this right, he could end up with everything he's ever wanted.

She sighs, "Okay."

"You scared me." He admits softly. He takes her hand and rubs the tops of it with his thumb. "I love you. And seeing your body like that ... it scared me." He falters for a second before continuing, "Donna listen to me."

She looks into his eyes and in that moment, she realizes what he just said.

"Wait.. . did you just say you love me?" She asks in disbelief.

His dimples pop out as he starts to smirk, rolling his eyes, "See, I told you, you never really listen to me."

"I'm sorry. Can we go back to that? What do you mean? I don't understand."

"I love you. You are the most important person in my life. Seeing you sick, it's the worst thing ever."

"Yeah. I know the feeling."

He pauses, remembering what Abbey said. "Yeah. I guess you do. Mrs. B said you lost a lot of weight then, too. I'm sorry I didn't notice."

She chews on her bottom lip. "It's not on purpose." She finally confesses. "I just can't eat when my stomach is all tied up in knots."

"And that happens a lot." The way he says it isn't a question. It's a statement of fact. They both know it's true.

She nods.

"Do you remember how you felt a year ago Christmas? You could see that I needed help."

She nods again, her eyes filling with tears.

"I think you need some help. But I'll be with you the whole time."

"You will?"

"Yeah, you see, . . . a man fell into a hole . . . "

She smiles softly at him, she's heard this story before. But it fills her soul, because he's making a promise and she knows he'll keep it.

"Anyway. Therapy really helps me. Would you think about talking to someone?"

She's a little scared, but knowing he's going to support her gives her the courage she needs to say "Okay."

At her agreement his shoulders relax. He feels much better. So he leans over and gives her a little chaste kiss.

"Josh, you're gonna catch the flu. . ."

"I don't care. "

"You say that now . . ."

"I promise, I don't care." He kisses her again to make his point. It seems to have the effect on her he was hoping for.

Donna looks into his eyes and sees the truth of what he's saying. These aren't just words and she's not overreacting, with that her heart begins to heal.

"I love you too, Josh, and if you get sick, I'll take care of you."

"You always do Donnatella. You always do."