It felt weird, like she shouldn't be out while Josh's was still recovering, even though she was getting things like soup and fruits and vegetables, maybe a couple of popsicles…
She really didn't have a list-it was in her head but it wasn't clearly defined and she was sure that she'd remember something tomorrow and have to go back, but then she'd have to get someone else to look after Josh, maybe CJ would…
This was getting to be too much. Really, the only reason why she was doing it was because of her crush on her boss, which wasn't very professional and Josh would just have his ego inflated that much more.
Ice cream. That's what she needed. Some Cherry Garcia and some Pistachio and Josh's favorite, chocolate, because he was boring like that.
She should probably learn how to cook things too. She used to cook for Dr. Freeride all the time, but somehow she didn't think cooking was like riding a bike. You probably didn't instinctively know it. Luckily, when she passed the magazine and trashy romance novel section, there were cookbooks there. She grabbed a couple simply on the judgment of the cover, not that it mattered because she grabbed Josh's credit card on the way out.
It was still hot out. She was going to hate the cab back to her apartment. She didn't really even want to leave, she wanted to stay with Josh because she was afraid that if she left that he wouldn't be there when she returned.
She made it back to his brownstone in record time, thanks to lack of traffic. The one good thing about DC in the summer is that all the other people have left, often leaving Donna and Josh to themselves. There have been so many nights, she remembers, that instead of just going home right away he invites her back to his apartment so they can drink a beer and maybe play some scrabble. It's too damn hot to do anything else.
"I'm back!" she called, hearing Josh's and Sam's voices in the other room. She hoped they were behaving themselves, that Sam wasn't telling Josh how hard it was without him, because she would never be able to keep Josh away from the office if he found out. Normally she loved his compulsion to fix things, but this time it just might kill him.
She couldn't bear the thought of him being dead.
"Hey Donna," Sam said. "Do you need any help?"
"No, thanks, I got it. Go keep him company. Would you like to stay for dinner?"
"I'm good, thanks. Toby wants to work on a speech, I'll get something in the mess."
"If you're sure?"
"Yeah, I'm fine. I'll see you tomorrow?"
"Probably. Just to field calls and pick up a few things that Josh will want to look at."
"OK," Sam gave her his characteristic grin. "Take care of yourself, Donna."
"I will, promise. See you tomorrow, Sam."
She hugged him goodbye, glad he was leaving, yet still wishing there was a buffer for the nagging, embarrassing feelings she was having.
"Why do you get to go to the office?" Josh asked combatively.
"Someone has to run the country in your absence," she said innocently.
"God help us," he mumbled.
She bit back a grimace. This wasn't Josh talking, she reminded herself. This was Josh still recuperating, this was Josh who needed his pain pills.
This was Josh who was shot.
"Time for some pain pills, I think," she said lightly.
"Did you get anything good at the store?" he asked.
"Not by your standards, no, but peaches were on sale."
"I hate peaches."
"You hate peaches that aren't soaked in syrup. Stop being such a child."
She handed his pills that he eyed for a second before swallowing them with a swig of water.
"Watch the six o'clock news while I make dinner," she instructed him.
"Yes, Nurse Ratched," Josh said.
"I'm better looking," Donna shot back.
"Don't think I don't know that," Josh muttered under his breath.
"What was that?" Donna called.
"Nothing," he called back.
She heard him though and smiled, enjoying the compliment that she wasn't meant to hear but did anyway.
She made spaghetti. It wasn't that hard to make, really the only thing she could make without cracking out the cookbooks she bought.
She'd never made any dinner for anyone after Dr. Freeride, usually she was at the office and just got a muffin at the mess or she just grabbed a salad from a grocery store salad bar. She couldn't remember the last time she actually made a meal.
She was enjoying it, even if it was just spaghetti; boiling water and putting in noodles, pouring canned spaghetti sauce into a pot and watching it boil. For a half hour she could take her mind off of things and have some control over something.
"What's cooking?"
She jumped. Josh had managed to limp into the kitchen and come up behind her, peering over her shoulder and trying to lift the lid of the spaghetti.
She slapped his hand away. "You're just going to have to wait, mister. Go back into the living room and watch tv."
"But it's an ad. And the press never got it anyway. There really isn't even a point of watching it, it's so damn spun and twisted, partially by us that it's not even worth watching."
"I like watching the news."
"You like watching the news because you think George Stephanopolous is cute."
Donna blushed. "I also like to keep up on current events, is that so wrong?"
"We are the current events, Donna," he told her, reaching again for the lid.
"It's not that mysterious, Josh. It's just a boiling pot of water."
"How do I know you're not trying to poison me?"
"Why would I poison you?"
"…I don't know. Maybe because you could do my job a lot better than I could."
She smiled, happy at his inadvertent compliment. She touched his cheek. "You're sweet. Now go sit down. You're not supposed to be moving around so much."
"I'm standing."
"Now you're going to go sit."
"I'm not going to break, you know, I'm not made of glass."
"It doesn't matter," she whispered.
"Hey," he said quietly. "Come here."
He held her, not too close because he still hurt, but enough for her to know that it was ok, that he was here, he was safe.
This wasn't right, she realized. She was the one taking care of him, not the other way around. Still, it felt so damn good, after having to take Tylenol PMs just to sleep at night, at jumping when the phone rang, at having to smile and pretend she was fine, to just be in Josh's arms, to know that he was ok.
It was going to be ok.
She smiled into his neck, just for a second, before stepping out of his arms.
"Go sit. Dinner will be ready soon."