Title: Gravitation is Not Responsible (31/40?)
Author: Aerial312
Rating: PG-13
Category: Humor/Fluff/Angst/Romance (a little of everything)
Spoiler Info: Post Rosslyn.
Disclaimer: I own nothing…I just borrow.
Feedback: Greatly appreciated. Sure. Just let me know where its going.

A/N:. Visit my archive: http://aerial312. .

"You should get some sleep."

"I'm not tired."

"Josh, its 3am."

"I don't know why."

"You're not tired, or you can't sleep?"

"I'm not recov—"

"But you don't get to sleep all day if you want to."

"It's not like you actually do it."

"I could."

"It's gonna be a long day tomorrow."

"Today."

"Right…"

"We'll get that ancient car of yours fixed."

"I hope it's not too bad."

"Don't worry about it."

"I can't afford a major—"

"I said, don't worry about it."

"Josh—"

"If you need some help, you'll get some help."

"I can't—"

"You can, and I don't want to hear any more arg—"

"Josh—"

"It's the least I can—"

"I should have known you were up to something when you wanted to talk to the mechanic."

"I'm not going to argue about this."

"Josh!"

"Accept it."

"Go to bed," she sighed.

"I'm in bed."

"Semantics. Please go to sleep."

"I wish it were that easy. That you could order me and…"

"Yeah…"

They sat in comfortable silence for a while.

"So Sam's friend's pretty screwed, huh?"

"It's not looking good."

"I feel bad for him—"

"The guy likes to stack his juries!"

"I meant Sam."

"Oh. Yeah…"

"How's he doing?"

"Sam still has hope…"

"But?"

"Jordan's not going to rebound from this."

"No chance?"

"He was starting to do better, but he's still down."

"Double digits?"

"Seven. For now. It's only gonna get worse."

"Is the White House going to continue to support…?"

Josh sighed. "Probably not."

"Sam know that?"

"It's not official yet. Leo and I will be talking more about it through the week."

"There's less than a month to go."

"Our money is better spent elsewhere."

"Somewhere we can win."

"Right."

They sat in silence again.

"Well, I'm gonna try to get some sleep."

"Call me when you get to work in the morning."

"You're sure you don't want me to come by before work."

"Get some sleep."

"It's no trouble."

"Donna, you have to take the Metro in as it is. It takes 10 minutes to walk here from the nearest stop. Get some sleep. You've gotta be in in three and half hours as it is. Sleep."

"You too."

"I will."

"You better."

"Donna! Wanna grab some lunch?" Ginger called, as she walked past.

"Fuck, it's noon already?"

"It is."

"No, I can't."

"See ya," Ginger smiled, continuing on her way.

"Okay, I have to call the mechanic, figure out…" Donna sighed to herself. "Get lunch…"

CJ leaned against the wall of her cubicle. "You okay?"

"I…I just have a lot to do, and not enough time—"

"You look exhausted."

"Yeah."

"How much sleep did you get last night?"

"Hardly any."

"I'm gonna kick his ass!"

"CJ—"

"He needs to let you rest—"

"I—"

"All he thinks about is himself—"

"Last night—"

"For the last two months you've been at his beck and call!—"

"CJ!—"

"You really need to stand up for yourself. He's getting better. He needs to stop being a baby."

Donna sighed and lay her head in her arms on the desk.

"Donna, he is getting better."

"I know that!"

"Why don't you lay down for a half hour…"

"I have to—"

"Let me take him his lunch—"

"I—"

"I won't talk about work…much."

"I'd like to—"

"Come on."

Donna sighed, her eyes brimming with tears. "He's not pushing me, CJ, really. My car died yesterday, and I had to deal with that, and it was easier to go home, and I couldn't sleep…"

CJ rubbed the younger woman's back. "Take care of your car. Let me deal with Josh."

Donna nodded weakly, because it was easier to just agree.

"Anything you need me to take to Josh?" CJ poked her head into Leo's office.

"You're going to see him?"

"Taking him lunch."

"Donna know?"

She nodded. "She's a little fried today."

"He dicking her around?"

"She says no."

"The kid needs to be able to go home and get some sleep."

"Yeah, she's stressed out about her car—"

"What's wrong with her car?"

"Timing belt."

"Ouch."

"Yeah."

"That's expensive."

"She said she's got it covered."

"That girl's had a rough few months."

CJ nodded. "He's getting better."

"He'll probably be back a week or so after the election."

"Shouldn't he start to wean himself off having her to help all the time?"

"Nah."

"No?"

"When they're ready, when he's ready to come back to work, it'll happen."

"Hopefully."

"It will"

"Sometimes I wonder who needs who more."

"Let him finish recovering."

"Should I be worried.?"

Leo sighed. "I honestly don't know."

"What do you think?"

"After all they've been through, can you blame them?"

"He told me he wanted me to go home and get some sleep."

"Okay…"

"Yeah?"

"Get some rest."

Donna swallowed hard and bit her lip.

"Donna? You still there?"

"Yeah…" her voice was softer than she'd like it to have been.

"What's wrong?"

"I…I don't know…"

"I think you do."

"I'm just…I just feel so stressed today."

"Okay. Okay. Donna, do what you need to do for you."

Donna clasped her hand over the end of the receiver as she stifled a sob.

"Hey, you still there?" Josh asked calmly.

"Mmmhmm."

"You need to do what you need to do, no matter what anyone else says."

"Even Leo?

"Even Leo. Even me, Donna."

"I don't want him to get mad—"

Donna, it's out of concern for you. CJ ripped me a new—"

"She just didn't get it."

"No?"

"I…I tried…to make her…get that…you're not my problem right now," she was crying freely now, and Josh tried to lighten the mood.

"Yeah, she definitely didn't get that. Lunch was all about what an idiot I am and how I need to let you be."

"But that's not—"

"I know."

"Yeah."

"Do what you need."

Donna took a deep breath. "I need to pick up my car—"

"Everything should be all set."

"Yeah?"

"You just have to pick it up."

"What did it come to?"

"Don't worry about it."

"Josh!"

"Don't worry about it."

"The mechanic wouldn't tell me either—"

"Told him not to—"

"Figured."

"It's taken care of."

"Okay…thank you."

"You have been so good to me, Donna, I owe it to you."

"I'd love to see the price you paid for my good care."

"Not a chance."

She giggled.

"Feeling better?"

"I want to come over."

"I know."

"Yeah?"

"I could tell. I wasn't going to suggest it, after the scolding I got this afternoon—but hey, if you want to come over, by all means."

"Okay. I should be there in like an hour."

"I'll have some dinner ready."

"Take out?"

"No, real dinner."

"You're going to cook something?"

"Yup."

"And what will that be?"

"A surprise."

"Should I be afraid?"

"Go get your car, and get over here!" he grinned.

"Okay," she smiled.

Josh hung up with Donna, and dialed Leo.

"McGarry."

"Hey."

"I was just gonna call you."

"Yeeah?"

"Lay off Donna tonight, will ya?"

"Leo—"

"The kid's stressed, and exhausted."

"I know."

"I thought I'd come by tonight, keep ya company for a while, so that she can go home and get some sleep."

"She told me that you wanted her to go home."

"Yeahh?"

"She, uh…she was kind of upset about—"

"She was upset I suggested—"

"She thought that you were declaring that she couldn't—"

"I didn't mean it to be an order."

"That's what I told her."

"I bet. She needs to get some rest, Josh."

"She will."

"But she's coming over?"

"Yeah."

"Her own decision?"

"Very much so."

"Okay…"

"She's gonna go get her car, and come over for dinner."

"She okay with the car?"

"All she has to do is pick it up."

"Yeah?"

"I took care of it."

"Good. See to it that she has a relaxing night."

"She will. After dinner, I'll put on a movie, and she'll fall asleep, and won't wake up till the morning."

"Sounds like you've got that routine down pat."

Josh smiled. "Yeah, we've played that one through a few dozen times in the last few months. Other variations include my falling asleep during the movie. But that tends to happen during the day. For some reason I can't sleep at night. But I've been watching these great Nova specials on String Theory—"

"You done?"

"This stuff's really interesting."

"I'll take your word for it. Take good care of that girl tonight."

"Of course.