A/N: Well, here's the final chapter! Thanks to everyone who read this story. I hope you enjoyed it, please read and review!
Chapter 4: Surgery and Recovery
Donna was sitting on the bed in Curtain 1, listening and watching intently as Abby helped her use crutches for the first time. As she stood, slightly wobbly, Kovac poked his head around the curtain.
"Are you Donna Moss?" Kovac asked, noting the Ace bandage on her ankle. That was worry and love if he ever saw it before-being so worried about her boss that she barely noticed she'd hurt herself in the accident.
"I am." Donna replied. She couldn't help but notice that this doctor, whoever he was, was very attractive.
"I'm Dr. Kovac. I've been treating Joshua Lyman."
"Oh, you're treating Josh? How is he?"
"Well, I've been told you're his emergency contact. He asked us to inform you that he's going to need surgery."
Donna's face paled, and her expressive features fell.
"Surgery?" she whispered. She knew he was having pain in his chest, but she didn't realize it was that bad.
"Minor surgery." Kovac assured her. "Exploratory surgery to examine the area where he was shot, make sure the artery repair is still intact. Dr. Corday, one of our best cardiothoracic surgeons, will be performing the surgery."
"Dr. Corday's good." Lewis commented. She had finished her exam and was in the process of writing a prescription for painkillers and Donna's discharge paperwork. "If you have to have surgery here, she's one of the best."
"Um...Ms. Moss," Kovac said, clearing his throat. "Mr. Lyman has requested that he be allowed to see you in pre-op before they take him in. I'm here to escort you upstairs. Provided, of course, your own injuries are stable."
"She should be fine." Lewis told him, before telling Donna, "Just take care of your ankle and stay off of it."
"Thank you, Dr. Lewis." Donna told her gratefully. She had grown to like the older woman. She followed Kovac out of the room, swinging her crutches in front of her. Josh was going to have a heart attack when he saw her. As they headed toward the elevator bank, Donna heard her name. She turned slowly, and saw CJ walking toward her, her arm in a sling.
"Are you all right?" CJ asked anxiously. Sam and Toby joined her, clearly concerned. Donna noted with relief that her friends appeared to be unharmed, with the exception of minor injuries.
"Yes, I just sprained my ankle in the accident." Donna reassured them. "I'm going upstairs to see Josh before he goes into surgery."
"Surgery?" Sam asked with alarm.
"Exploratory surgery." Kovac explained, and the three relaxed.
"Well-" CJ started, before she was interrupted by Ron Butterfield. "Ms. Cregg, we'll be leaving shortly."
"Leaving?" Donna asked.
"We can't hold off Air Force One any longer, and we don't have the means for the President-or you all-to stay here overnight." Ron explained.
"Donna, if you want to stay with Josh, we can make other arrangements for you." Sam offered. "Leo's gonna have to be flown back in a few days, too."
Donna nodded. "Yes, I would. I'll coordinate with Mallory."
"All right." Sam agreed, giving her a peck on the cheek. "I'm glad you're not seriously hurt." He headed back to the waiting room, followed by CJ and Toby, who each made sure they said goodbye to Donna.
Ron approached the desk, where Weaver now sat. "Ma'am, we'll be leaving shortly. You'll get your ER back in no time."
"Thank you." Weaver replied.
"Ms. Moss, are you ready to go up?" Kovac asked. He didn't know how long they would be able to delay Josh's surgery.
"Yes, yes, of course. I'm sorry to keep you waiting." Donna followed Kovac onto the elevator.
…
The three joined the President and First Lady in Chairs, where the Secret Service agents began to ready the group to leave for the airfield.
"Mr. President?" Weaver said, approaching the group. "I'm Dr. Kerry Weaver, the chief of the ER. I understand I've been treating your Chief of Staff, Leo McGarry. It's an honor to meet you, sir."
"The pleasure is all mine, Doctor." President Bartlet said warmly. "May I present my wife, Abigail?"
"Dr. Bartlet." Weaver said, shaking her hand. She couldn't believe that during a normal shift, she was meeting the President and First Lady of the United States.
"How's Leo?" the President asked.
"He should be fine. He'll be here for a few days, but he should heal just fine."
"And Joshua?" Abbey wanted to know.
"Waiting to go into surgery." Weaver explained.
"He'll be alright?" Sam confirmed.
Weaver nodded emphatically. "They both will."
"Sir?" Ron Butterfield approached. "We really have to go."
"Thank you for looking after my staff." the President told Weaver. "They all...they all mean a lot to me."
"The pleasure was all mine, Mr. President." Weaver replied, again shaking the President's hand.
Within a couple of minutes, the motorcade was gone, the ER was opened back up, and the night went on for most of the County General ER staff.
…
"So, Ms. Moss," Kovac asked Donna as they were in the elevator. "How long have you known Mr. Lyman?"
"Five years, since the first Bartlet campaign." Donna answered.
"Oh?" Kovac said, interested. "Have you always been interested in politics?"
"Since high school."
"Class president?"
"No, I was never interested in being in the spotlight. Just behind the scenes."
"And that's how you wound up as an assistant. Just getting your foot in the door."
"Right. Exactly." Donna said, smiling bashfully. Either he was flirting with her or he was trying to befriend her, and she had no idea which. Besides, she was also finding him fascinating. She decided to change the subject before Dr. Kovac became the third person that night to ask her whether she and Josh were involved.
"So...Kovac, that's an interesting name. What language is it from?"
"You mean, what country am I from?" Kovac asked Donna. She nodded, her new crutches clicking rhythmically on the tile floor of the surgery wing. "Croatia."
"Wow...forgive me, I've met people representing at least a dozen countries in the UN, and I've never met anyone from Croatia. How long have you been here?"
"United States, eight years. Chicago, three."
"Have you always been a doctor?"
"I was a soldier for a long time, and then yes, I was a doctor."
"Eight years...you lived in Croatia during the War for Independence?"
"Yes, I came over after...well, after the War." A dark expression came over Kovac's features, and Donna could tell she had hit a nerve.
"I-I'm sorry if I said something I shouldn't have." Donna stammered. Whatever this man had experienced, it had to have been tragic. Spending so much time with Josh after Rosslyn, she knew PTSD when she saw it.
"No, no, it's fine." Kovac said, shrugging it off before his mind went to its darkest places. "I've been an attending physician here at County for about three years now."
Donna nodded. Kovac sensed her discomfort, and changed the subject. "So, where are you from?"
"Well, I live in DC. But originally, I'm from Wisconsin."
"Ah, the home of cheese." Kovac said.
"Well, yes." Donna replied, a smile breaking out on her face. Just then, they approached the surgical desk, and Donna saw a woman with thick red curls tied up on her head reading a chart.
"Ah, Dr. Corday, this is Donna Moss, the young woman I called about."
Corday looked up and stuck out her hand. "You're with Mr. Lyman?"
"Yes, ma'am." Donna said, awkwardly shaking the woman's hand without letting go of her crutches. She noted her warm demeanor and thick British accent. "If you'll wait here a moment, I'll go make sure Mr. Lyman's still in pre-op. I'll be scrubbing in myself in just a few minutes." She breezed off, and Donna turned towards Kovac.
"Well, it was very nice to meet you, Ms. Moss." Kovac said.
"Donna." she corrected, a smile on her face.
"Then I'm Luka." Kovac replied, again shaking her hand. He wasn't her doctor, and he wasn't liable to see her again, so who cared what they called each other at this point? "I doubt we'll meet again."
"Oh." Donna said. Kovac raised his eyebrows. Was it just him, or did she almost sound disappointed? "It was very nice to meet you too, Dr. Kovac-Luka."
He smiled the smallest of smiles before heading back toward the elevator banks. Luckily, Corday picked that moment to approach. "Ms. Moss, if you'll follow me."
As Donna focused her attention back on Josh, walking down the corridor, Corday began to speak. "I'm sure they explained to you downstairs that this would be a minor procedure."
"Yes, ma'am." she replied. "What exactly will it entail?"
"We'll open him up, examine the surgical area to make sure his pulmonary artery repair is still intact, and then repair the fractured sternum. Here's the good news: it's a hairline-or very minor fracture-and I think, quite honestly, if there had been arterial damage, he would've been symptomatic by now. I doubt this will lead anywhere."
"Good. How long will it take?"
"Two-hour procedure, tops. He'll be in recovery before midnight." They had reached the pre-op area, and Dr. Corday gently steered Donna towards Josh's bed. "Now, you can only have a couple of minutes, and then we really should get him in there."
"All right." Corday pulled the curtain aside, and Josh was awake, staring at the ceiling. His head rolled to the side. He saw Donna, and smiled. Until his brain began to register what he was seeing.
Here it comes, Donna thought.
Josh's head snapped up. "What happened to you?" he asked sharply, and Donna couldn't help but notice how groggy he sounded.
"I sprained my ankle in the accident. I'm fine, really." Donna tried to assure him as she approached his bedside.
"You don't look fine." Josh said uncertainly. "Are you sure you're not hurt anywhere else?"
"Yes. A few bruises, but I'm OK."
Josh relaxed a little. "It's my fault."
"Josh-"
"I didn't protect you enough. I should've covered you more. Why wasn't I thinking about your-"
"Josh!" she said firmly. "Were you driving that car?"
"No."
"Then be quiet and stop blaming yourself. This could've happened even if you hadn't been there."
Josh nodded silently. He was quiet for a minute, then asked, "What about the other guys?"
"Leo has some rib injuries that are going to take a few days to heal, but he should be fine. CJ broke her arm, and Sam and Toby had to get stitches." she narrated.
"And the driver?"
"Still in surgery, last I heard."
Josh nodded again. "Would I be considered a coward if I said I wasn't looking forward to going under the knife again?"
"No, Josh. God, it's only been two years since Rosslyn. Cut yourself some slack. And the woman downstairs said that Dr. Corday's one of the best cardiothoracic surgeons in the hospital. You're going to be fine."
"You're gonna have to cancel my meetings for tomorrow." Josh quipped.
"Don't worry about those. I'm clearing your schedule for the next two weeks. You need to heal."
"You'll be here in the morning?" Josh asked quietly.
Donna smiled softly. "I'm here as long as you want me here."
Josh, against his better judgement, smiled. "Good. I'm glad."
…
Josh came through his surgery just fine. As Dr. Corday had predicted, there was no internal damage. She had told Donna afterwards that Josh Lyman was an incredibly lucky man. Donna was there in the morning when he woke up, just as she said she would be. Just like she was in the dark days after Rosslyn. It would be a painful recovery, given his fractured sternum, but it would be nowhere near as extensive as his GSW recovery. Still, the doctor had recommended he stay in the hospital for 10 days. It was day 4 of 10 and he was already going stir-crazy. He watched the press briefing on mute, noting that CJ looked like she was recovering well from the accident, and argued with Donna.
"Donna, you have to let me do at least phone meetings. The White House can't function without a Chief of Staff or a Deputy Chief of Staff!"
"No, Josh. Dr. Corday said you need at least 10 days of rest. No physical exertion and no stress. Besides, Toby's got things perfectly handled staffing the President."
"But, Donna-"
"Hello!" Corday breezed in. "And how are we feeling this morning?"
"Bored."
Donna gave him a pointed look. "Josh."
"Doc, do you think it would raise my stress level if I took a few phone meetings?" Josh asked imploringly.
"Not necessarily."
"It would the way he works." Donna cut in. Josh shot her a look. She shot him one right back. She wasn't going to allow him to jeopardize his recovery.
Corday chuckled. She had gotten used to Josh and Donna's friendly banter over the last couple of days. In a lot of ways, it reminded her of what she and Mark used to have. Pushing the memories of her late husband out of her head, she said, "Donna's got a good head on her shoulders. I would listen to her if I were you." She hesitated, then said, "I know you work in a dependable job, so if you must work, keep it low-stress."
As she turned to leave, Donna called after her. "Dr. Corday?"
"Yes?"
"Do you know if Dr. Kovac is working today?"
"Well, I'll have to look, but I believe so. Why?"
"Would you thank him for all he did for me the other night?"
Corday smiled. "Of course."
After she left, Josh cocked his head towards Donna. "So, who is this Dr. Kovac?"
"Just one of the doctors I met downstairs. We got to talking."
"Talking, huh? Is it just me, or did you do more than that?"
"Josh! We just talked."
"What kind of name is Kovac?" Josh asked, mispronouncing it in his inimitable way.
"Kovac." Donna corrected him, nailing the accent on the end of his name. "And he's from Croatia. Was in the military and everything." She smiled as she remembered the conversation she and Luka had had that night.
"Is he handsome?"
"Yes. In a rugged sort of way. Not that it's any of your business." She tried to hide the fact that her face was growing pink just thinking about him.
"Why, Donna, I do believe you have a crush." Josh said teasingly.
"I do not!" Donna protested.
"You do too! You wouldn't have asked Dr. Corday to look him up if you didn't want to see him again."
"So what if I do? He's a nice guy, Luka." She muttered the last part, but Josh heard her anyway.
"Luka, huh?" Josh drawled. "You call him by his first name?"
"He introduced himself, he thought we wouldn't see each other again."
"You like this guy!" Josh proclaimed, pointing a finger at her.
"He's just a friend." Donna volleyed back. But before Josh could respond, there was a knock at the door. "Am I interrupting any banter?"
They turned to see Leo, clad in a pullover and jeans, Mallory pushing his wheelchair.
"Leo!" Josh cried. "How are you doing?" Donna stood up with her crutches and hobbled over to greet their boss.
"I've seen better days." he admitted. "But I'm glad to see you two are recovering."
"Yeah, we are." Josh said.
"So's Dad." Mallory reported. "They're flying him home today."
"Leo, that's wonderful!" Donna exclaimed.
"Well, I'll have to be at GW for a bit, and then it'll still be a few weeks before I can go back to work. I sure hope the White House will still be standing when we get back."
"I'm sure it will be." Donna assured him, looking at both Leo and Josh, knowing they were both thinking the same things.
"I talked to the President this morning. Toby's got things in good hands." Leo commented.
"Good." Josh replied. "Well, we survived yet another trial that came our way."
"You said that right." Donna told him, smiling at Leo.
"We sure did, kid." Leo replied finally. "We sure did."
A/N: Well, that's it! I hope you enjoyed this crossover, and thanks for reading!