Hotel California
CJ/Danny, Josh/Donna, Toby/Andy, Carol/David, mentions of others
Rating Adult –
Spoilers through end of series
Not mine, never were, never will be, but they consume my soul
Feedback and criticism always welcomed
This has been a long time in development. Hopefully, future chapters will come a bit more frequently.
Hotel California by Don Felder, Don Henley and Glenn Frey.
July 6, 2017; Santa Monica, CA; late afternoon;
Danny walked into the kitchen and sighed.
CJ was bent over at the waist, taking some clean plates out of the dishwasher. Her hips, encased in a tight-fitting pair of light khaki cutoffs, called to him. He just knew that said hips wanted to be grasped, caressed, perhaps lightly patted once or twice, before being uncovered and then penetrated by the erection that was straining against *his* khakis.
Were they alone in the house, it would have had all the makings of a TV ad for an erectile dysfunction medication (not that Danny really had any issues with that, at least not yet).
Unfortunately, Danny had come into the kitchen to fetch four beers – Hank, Steve, and Radak were in the living room, waiting for him.
CJ stood up, turned around, and smiled at him. "Are you almost done? I'll go vacuum." She swallowed a huge yawn as soon as she finished speaking.
Danny took note of the tiredness in CJ's eyes and the droop in her shoulders. He leaned over and kissed the side of her jaw.
"Halfway. Radak's roommate messed up on the truck, and won't be here for another hour. We went ahead and shoved Hank and Steve's old thing to the side and we'll get our old one over there in a few. I want to be done by the time Carol and David get here. So we'll drink the beers and then move out the couch. I'll take care of the vacuuming, love. Why don't you go take a nap?"
"The kids - ".
"Won't be home for at least another hour and the guys can finish up without me if we're still moving," Danny answered.
"If you're sure?" CJ asked.
"Go!" With beers in both his hands, Danny gave CJ a helpful little push toward the bedroom wing with his hip and after watching her head through the family room, turned back toward the living room.
CJ had picked up some little intestinal parasite during their trip to Australia. It had taken a week or two to diagnose; Scott Winkler had sent the blood samples to a colleague at UC San Francisco after the local labs didn't find anything to explain her weakness and diarrhea. Apparently, it was something to which the local inhabitants had become tolerant over the centuries, but CJ's particular genetic makeup was a perfect host. Wondering why Danny didn't have the same reaction, Scott sent a second sample. It turned out the particular combination of minerals that Danny had to take because of his deficiency, combined with the binding agents, mimicked the "whatever", to use Scott's term, found in most Australians. "For all our advances, so much of medicine is a mystery, a crap shoot," the OB-GYN said, with a shrug and a laugh.
The unpleasant lower GI effects were lessening day by day, but CJ was still taking two or three naps a day. Thankfully, she hadn't pitched a fit when Danny called Frank Hollis and told him that CJ needed to put off any travel for the foundation until at least the end of September. However, she did put her foot down when Danny wanted to call their intended summer houseguests and ask them to either postpone their trips or make other arrangements.
"It's all family, or near-family, Danny. They'll make their own beds, help out with the cooking and such."
Having honed their discussion skills over ten years, the two of them finally agreed that a) Danny would make sure that their guests knew they were expected to pitch in and b) CJ would ask Narcisia for the names of reliable friends or relatives to help with the extra work at least 3 times a week.
Just as Danny handed the beers to the guys in the formal living room, the phone rang and Danny went across the foyer to his den.
The call was from Hogan.
"Hi, Uncle Danny. How's Aunt CJ?"
"Still tires a lot. She's napping now," Danny told the naval officer.
"Are you sure she'll be up for company at the end of the month?"
"Well, she is sure, that's what counts, apparently," Danny laughed in reply.
"Listen, could Jared and I possibly stay a bit beyond the 30th?"
"How much longer?" Danny asked. He held the phone against his ear with his shoulder as he started to type on his laptop, bringing up a spreadsheet.
"Until the 31st, instead of the 29th? The sub retrofitting is going to take two extra days, and I was able to extend my leave. If it's a problem - ", Hogan's voiced trailed off.
"You're in luck. Tim is coming in on August 1. Just let me change your booking."
The two of them talked for a few more minutes, then Hogan ended the call.
As Danny updated his spreadsheet of their summer visitors, he started singing to himself.
"Welcome to the Hotel California
Such a lovely place
Such a lovely face
Plenty of room at the Hotel California".
He returned to the living room and joined the others.
CJ and Danny were replacing their living room sofa with a sleeper model; it would arrive tomorrow. Hank and Steve were buying CJ and Danny's old one; Hank said that reupholstering it would "be a snap". And Radak, who was starting grad school at UC San Diego in the fall, was buying Hank and Steve's old family room couch.
"Hey, Mr. Concannon, just out of curiosity, aren't you all usually in New Jersey this time of summer?" Radak asked.
"Yes, but this year, Rick and Ginger, the couple who have the big house party, didn't schedule one because the Bartlet daughters are going to have a big party for their parents when Jed and Abbey get back from their extended eighth or ninth honeymoon; it will be in late September. Their fiftieth was last month. Ginger said she didn't want those of us outside of the northeast to have deal with two coast-to-coast sets of airline tickets.
"And, Radak, you're an adult now, graduated from college and about to start on your Pharm. D.; I think you can drop the 'Mister'. Call me Danny." He looked around at the others.
"I'm Hank and he's Steve."
"Well, I'll try but 1) it'll be hard after so many years and 2) my mom will probably have a fit," the young man replied.
The four of them laughed and drank their beers. Then they maneuvered the Concannon's old couch out of the living room, out the front door, and into Hank and Steve's family room. By that time, Radak's roommates had arrived with the borrowed pickup, so the guys loaded the other sofa and the young men headed for I-5.
Danny returned to the house. In the living room, he picked up the collected detritus of several years – a fork, two old magazines, the first draft of a lecture he gave three years ago, two of Destiny's chew toys – and pulled out the vacuum.
Rick and Ginger may have been concerned for the travel budgets of the mid-west and west coast members of the Bartlet gang; it seemed that the east coast members of the group had independently decided that this would be the year to visit California and the Concannon household would be the recipient of their company. Therefore, CJ suggested that they replace the living room sofa with a high-quality sleeper for those times when one guest room wouldn't be enough. She had even suggested that they look into putting in a small bathroom – just a shower, commode, and sink off the wall that the living room shared with the garage; they could also put in a small closet with a dresser behind folding doors. It would give them a second guest suite.
Like most of CJ ideas, it was an excellent one. They used the formal living room maybe three or four times a year, but it was nice to have a room that was always neat and ready for those occasions when they did not want to expose their company to the rest of the house, either for lack of neatness or for general privacy. The only other suggestion that Danny had was that they upgrade to the best possible mattress for the sleeper. He had spent too many nights on a colleague's less than optimal couch.
So tomorrow morning, between 7:30 and 9:30 if the salesman was to be believed, their new couch would be delivered. Carol, David, Clarissa, and Sean were flying in tonight for a week and on Sunday, Mitch and Allison would be arriving. On the 12th, every would head north, the Palmers to San Luis Obispo and then to see Vic and Ellie in Palo Alto, while the rest of them would go to Napa for a Cregg sibling reunion, followed by a week at Albion for CJ, Danny, the kids, Mitch and Allison.
CJ and Danny would have to hurry home because Toby, Andy, the twins, and Alexis were arriving on the 23rd for a few days. The Ziegler's would leave on the morning of the 28th; by that evening, Erin and Robin would take their place in the guest room. Two weeks ago, Hogan had sent email. Jared's sub would be in San Diego from the 25th until the 29th (now 31st); she was able to get leave. Could they come visit?
"Of course," Danny had told her.
"If you're sure you don't want to be off by yourselves in some sort of honeymoon suite," CJ added.
"I think you need to computerize all this, Fishboy," CJ told her husband.
"Me?" Danny laughed, then ducked as CJ threw a pillow at him. "Why me?"
"Because it's *your* cousin who runs an inn. Speaking of which, they arrive on August 5th, right?"
"Unless their caretakers get sick," Danny answered. "And your roommate and her husband, what's his name? are coming on the 6th, if I recall correctly."
"Luke."
CJ also decreed that all guests would have to leave by the 10th. She wanted two weeks in Albion, just the four of them, plus Destiny, before everything started up in the fall.
So for the next month, they would be providing shelter, some food, and, inevitably, some entertainment to eight sets of houseguests.
July 12; 8:30 AM
"Bye, Rissa." Caitlin reached up to hug Carol and David's daughter. "Have a nice time in So-zay."
"You have a nice time in St. Helena," Clarissa answered. "Thank you for sharing your room with me."
Hugs and handshakes were exchanged between the adults as Carol, David, CJ, and Danny wished each other good trips and said they looked forward to the celebration in New Hampshire. As the Palmers drove off, Danny noticed a little tear on Caitlin's cheek.
"What's the matter, baby?" he asked his daughter, although he was sure he knew the answer.
"I liked having her here. Can I get an older sister like her for Christmas?"
Danny picked up the child as the other adults smothered laughs. "Sweetie, it doesn't work that way. Babies are born younger, and you can't put in an order for a boy or a girl. And God doesn't give a Mama and a Daddy a baby all the time just because they want one."
CJ and Danny's houseguest adventure had gotten off to a very good start. Carol, David, Clarissa, and Sean had arrived on schedule, having had no problem with the flight in, obtaining the rental car, and getting from LAX to Santa Monica. Clarissa was almost two years older than Caitlin, but the two little girls shared a love of Barbies that easily spanned the difference. Sean was over four years younger than Paddy, but Danny and CJ had spoken to their son about being a good host. And when the little boy became just a bit too much for the older one, there was always Li and Yan's Chi'an, who was the same age as Sean, and Nancy and Jesse's Ramon, who was only two years older. Carol and David had included Caitlin and Paddy on their trip to Knott's Berry Farm and two of their beach trips, which had given CJ some extra time to sleep (and some extra couple time for CJ and Danny one afternoon). Bonnie, Jean-Luc and their daughters had come down early Saturday. The four Bartlet families spent the afternoon together at the Concannon house, then the adults had gone to dinner at Casa Emilio's. The Fallières spent the night with Nancy and Jesse and had driven back to San Luis Obispo later Sunday afternoon.
As they waved to the departing car, Paddy began to jump up and down.
"When are we going to leave? I want to go ride Uncle Randy's horses, Daddy!"
"We have to wait for the contractor, son. I told you that earlier," Danny said evenly. They had arranged to have the bathroom and closet put in the newly designated living room/guest room while they would be in Napa and Albion. Mitch and Alison had been good sports about traipsing across the courtyard to use Paddy and Caitlin's bath ("At least you have the powder room on this side," Alison laughed. "Sometimes we old ladies need a commode ASAP."), but it would be better if the conveniences were more convenient. The contractor was supposed to have been here 35 minutes ago, and Danny was a bit annoyed. They were paying him very good money to get the work done in the next nine days; the least he could do was arrive on time.
CJ's mobile rang. Apparently, there was a gas tanker overturned on the 405. The contractor was inching along to the next exit, where he could make a detour, but it might be almost an hour.
"Look, Danny, why don't you, Alison, and the kids go along?" Mitch suggested. "CJ and I will follow as soon as possible. I'm good with maps, plus the car has GPS." They had decided that having CJ ride, alone, with Mitch, in the lush reclining seat of his rental Caddy, would give her a chance to rest without dealing with kids and a dog who sometimes got cranky, or carsick.
It was the best solution, so Danny got his charges into the SUV, kissed his wife, and with a "call Alison's phone when you leave", took off in the same direction as Carol, David, and kids had taken about 15 minutes earlier.
CJ and her brother went back into the house, sitting in the courtyard. Within a few minutes, CJ was softly snoring and Mitch had pulled out the latest copy of Golf Digest. About a half-hour later, the contractor drove up. Sending Mitch over to get Steve, who would be available to handle issues in person if necessary, CJ, Steve, and the contractor reviewed the plans one more time and exchanged phone numbers again. The crew was also on the way, the man assured CJ. They had stopped for some water and to fill the generator.
As Mitch drove out of the neighborhood in the direction of the freeway, CJ called Alison to let the others know they were on the way.
Saint Helena, CA; 7:45 PM
Danny picked up the journal he had brought out to the veranda, then decided he was not in the mood to read it. Destiny came up to his chair and put her head in his lap. He could hear Paddy and Caitlin giggling with Gina's mother over the antics of the two week old kittens on the far edge of the porch and sensed that the lab was a little miffed that the kids weren't paying any attention to her.
The sound of a horse whinnying caught his attention and he looked toward the barn. Mitch, Randy, and CJ were all on horseback and she blew a kiss toward her husband as the three siblings took off for a leisurely ride up to the far reaches of the vineyard.
Danny knew that CJ and her brothers were close, as close as he was with Erin, and knew that they wanted some time alone with each other. Gina and Alison were on the other side of the veranda, drinking wine and talking about their kids and grandkids. From the snatches of conversation he could hear, apparently Nelson and Palmer were giving their sister Hogan grief about not yet producing any babies to satisfy what the two boys perceived as Alison's "granny lust", but Alison told her sister-in-law that she wanted more grandkids if and only if Hogan and Jared were ready. And with both of them in high-pressure navy jobs, Alison didn't think they were.
It had been a relatively uneventful drive up the state. Without the kids, Destiny, and the extra pit stops the three of them required, Mitch and CJ arrived only a few minutes after the others. Paddy had been disappointed that supper was barbecued chicken and not something Italian, but Gina's mom Bianca explained that tomorrow, when the whole family would be together, there would be many, many Italian dishes.
It was peaceful here, Danny thought. Of course, it would be peaceful in a few days when they went to Albion, but there was something about the valley, and the vineyards, that exuded a quiet spirituality he found very restful. The forests of Albion gave him a sense of God's grandeur, the mountains and the ocean of God's might. But here, it was God's providence that he felt.
July 22; San Francisco International Airport; noon
"Travel safe. And drive safe. Stay at the airport hotel if you are too tired."
CJ, Danny and the kids exchanged hugs and kisses with Mitch and Alison. Their plane would be leaving for Dulles in about 90 minutes and it would be almost 10:00 PM eastern by the time they landed, assuming everything was on time. Allowing a half-hour for the luggage and an hour to drive to Harper's Ferry, it made for a long day, especially since they had already been on the road for almost four hours.
"Hey, you're the little sister," Mitch whined. "You can't tell me what to do."
Everyone laughed. It was a long-standing joke between the two of them.
"Enjoy your time with the others," Alison told them. "And kiss my daughter and son-in-law for me."
Seven hours and two stops later, Danny pulled into the drive, opened the garage door with the remote, and drove into the structure, nearly not stopping in time to avoid the extended wall that indicated that the new bath and closet were in place. Cautiously, he stopped the car and carried Caitlin into the courtyard while Paddy took Destiny to the yard and CJ eased out of the front passenger seat. Only when everyone was out of the vehicle did he shut the garage door. Two months ago, there had been a horrible tragedy three blocks south. The driver shut the garage door and then forgot to shut off the engine. The family was found dead from carbon monoxide the next morning.
Danny walked into the courtyard then over to the living room. The bath and closet were indeed finished, and were as CJ and the contractor had designed. Hank and Steve had put hangers in the closet and had put the coordinated towels that CJ had bought in the bath. Inside the closet, the pillows, sheets, and blankets for the sleeper were ready for Hogan and her husband.
Danny wandered into first the kitchen, then the family room, then the bedrooms. Where was CJ? He called her name and heard her voice coming from the guest suite in the northeast corner of the house. He entered, and then stopped short.
"What are you doing?"
"Isn't it obvious? I'm making the bed for Toby and Andy." CJ didn't bother to lookup.
"Narcisia is coming tomorrow morning; she can do that. Or I'll do it. You. Go. Lie. Down. Now."
"The kids."
"Caitlin is sleeping and Paddy can take care of himself. Or I'll order a pizza. Bed," Danny gently ordered.
"I'd prefer hot tub."
"Then do that, wife."
July 23; 7:15 PM
"Now, remember, if anything, anything, goes wrong, you call one of the neighbors and then call us," Toby Ziegler stressed.
"Dad, we'll be - ".
"Tobus, stop worrying!" CJ exclaimed. "Huck and Mollie will do just fine! Let's go; I'm hungry. Andy, we're ready."
CJ hugged and kissed her children, telling them to listen to Huck and Molly while Danny handed the Ziegler twins some cash "for pizza and the ice cream truck, if it comes".
Andy came out of the bedroom wing, where she had been reading to Alexis. "Now, remember, kids, if anything - ".
"Mom, we know," Molly sighed. "Dad only told us three or four times. I mean, babysitting isn't exactly rocket science."
"It's much more important than mere rocket science, Molly Ziegler," her mother replied.
"I'm leaving in thirty seconds," Danny said, walking across the courtyard to the door into the garage. "With or without passengers."
The other adults followed him out the door and piled into the Mustang convertible. As the two couples drove the short distance to the pier and the restaurant where they would be dining, Danny reassured the worried parents.
"Hank or Steve will be keeping an eye and an ear open for any issues. Not that I expect any. Don't you trust your kids?"
"Yes, I trust them," Toby answered. "But if I'm having a problem with the time change, I'm afraid they might also. What good is a babysitter who falls asleep while his or her charges are still awake?"
"I thought studies showed that a teen's body naturally wants to stay up late and then sleep in late," CJ responded.
By that time, they had reached the pier. Danny found parking and the four of them walked to the restaurant.
Toby bypassed his usual scotch, saying that he was too jetlagged to handle it, so the four of them settled on one of Randy and Gina's champagnes. Looking over the menu, they decided to share several of the first courses – oysters, steamed shrimp, clams – while they made up their minds about the rest of the meal.
The conversation varied. For a while, all four of them talked about Sam's coming presidential bid. Right now, there were about six other contenders for Democratic nominee, but only two of them – the governor of Massachusetts and a senator from Wisconsin – had any real name recognition. Andy told them that everyone who was anyone in party leadership had high hopes for Sam taking the slot and denying Haffley a second term.
Then Danny and Toby got into a "politics of academia" discussion that quickly became way too much shop talk to hold CJ or Andy's interest, so the two women talked about their children. Andy told CJ that the twins were growing into their own selves while still retaining the special connection that must have come from sharing the warmth and darkness of the womb for nine months. For example, while Molly had taken to Judaism wholeheartedly and had shone at her bat mitzvah, Huck had decided to be confirmed Episcopalian. But no one (except maybe Toby) was prouder of Molly when she read from the Torah than her brother, and Molly planned the party for Huck with the utmost zeal.
"They are already talking about college, about going to the same place and sharing an apartment. I wouldn't mind that when they were juniors or seniors, but I really want them in the dorms for at least a year," Andy said. "When I say that, they tell me that they can be just as wild and crazy in a dorm as in an apartment. I tell them I know that, and I don't expect the dorm to be a nunnery, or seminary, but that it's getting used to being with a whole bunch of people, many of whom are not like yourselves, learning how to get along, to compromise. CJ? Are you okay?"
"Oh, yes," CJ said, suddenly smiling. She didn't want to tell Andy that she had been thinking about her twins, wondering what the boys would be like, at nine. She thought fast. "I was just remembering my days at Berkeley, and how much fun the dorm was. Anyway, you have four years before anything comes of it. A lot can happen in four years. By that time, one or both of them may be madly in love and you'll be worrying about them going to a school because Madison or Ethan is going to that university."
By 9:30, it was obvious to Danny that both Andy and Toby were on their last legs and that even with two naps, CJ was also getting tired. When asked about dessert, Danny asked if he could get a whole cheesecake to go, paid the bill, and guided his party to the convertible. It was a beautiful summer night and would have been perfect for a drive along the coast, but Danny knew he would have been the only one enjoying it, so he headed up the hill and home.
Walking across the courtyard to the family room, Danny could see Huck sitting on the couch. Entering the room, he saw that the boy was reading. Caitlin was curled up next to him, under a light blanket, her head resting on his left thigh. Huck's left arm was draped across her shoulders.
Huck looked up and saw the question in Danny's eyes.
"She was having a nightmare. Molly tried to calm her down, but I was concerned she might wake up Alexis. And Molly was dead tired, so I brought her out here with me. After about a quarter hour, she quieted and fell asleep. I was afraid to move her. I think she's fine now."
Danny looked away as CJ tripped over a toy on the floor and didn't see either the way Huck's eyes grew grey, old, and hungry or the way Huck's hand gently caressed Caitlin's corkscrew curls.
The next morning, Danny woke to the murmur of voices coming in through the window that opened to the deck and the pool area.
"Yes, Toby, I am still happy, still content. I thank God every day for Danny."
Danny exhaled slowly. He knew it, of course. Through her actions, through her words, and most of all, through her body, CJ had been telling him the same thing for ten years. But it was good to hear her tell someone else; it was especially good to hear her tell Toby. Would he ever be able to totally relax about CJ's relationship with Toby, Danny asked himself.
"But I don't have to ask you, Toby, about yourself. You can't help but exude your inner peace, your contentment with life. Somehow, you and Andy managed to find each other again. You manage to make New York and Maryland/DC work for the five of you. How do you do it?"
"I don't know, CJ. I am just so grateful that it does."
And Danny smiled to himself. He just might be able to let down that last little guard after all.
The smell of their coffee reached his nose. Danny decided to get up, go to the bathroom, and join the two of them. For the first time, he would not feel he was intruding.
July 26; somewhere between Santa Monica and Anaheim; 8:30 AM
"Daddy, I don't understand. Why didn't we wait for Hogan and Jared to wake up and come with us? I bet they would have really wanted to go to Disneyland too instead of staying in bed," Paddy said, for the third time since they left the house. "Mama, why are you and Miss Andy laughing?"
Danny looked across to CJ, who tried to stop her giggling. "Sorry," she mouthed to Danny. In the rear view mirror, Danny would see that both Huck and Molly were blushing and that Toby had his hand in front of his mouth.
It had been apparent yesterday afternoon, when Hogan and her husband arrived at the house, that Jared had not been told that there would be other company at Hogan's favorite aunt's home. Danny could see the submariner's head trying to figure out a graceful way to leave for a hotel. When Danny mentioned that all of them, Concannon and Ziegler, toddler, child, teen and adult, would be out of the house all day come morning, the man's shoulders relaxed considerably.
Danny just hoped that having to let Destiny out two or three times wouldn't cramp the young couples' plans too much.
July 28; mid-morning
CJ and Danny watched Toby drive off; the Ziegler's were heading to San Luis Obispo for a few days with Bonnie and Jean-Luc before heading back east.
"Hurray! I get my room back!" Paddy exclaimed.
"You don't like Huck? Or Sean? CJ asked her son.
"Yes, Mama, I like them fine. It's just nice to have my own room. And, it wouldn't have been polite to say anything, but Sean farted all the time, and Huck snores."
"Huck does not snore!" Caitlin said. "You take that back!"
CJ and Danny smiled at each other. It had been obvious over the past five days that Caitlin had a big crush on Toby and Andy's son. It wasn't that surprising. What was surprising was the way Huck seemed to tolerate the little girl always wanting to be with him, to sit next to him on the rides at Disneyland, or when they went out to eat. Huck showed great maturity for a fourteen year-old.
"Well, out with the Ziegler's, in with the Lyman's," CJ said.
"Not until the 30th. By the way, Alex and Luke called last night; the twins are sick and they have to cancel. Is it okay if I go into the office for a few hours? I need to check campus mail," Danny asked. "I can take the kids with me if you want."
"Take Caitlin, but I think Paddy wants to catch up with Maggie. He took his duties as host seriously these past weeks."
July 30; early evening
"Here you go."
Danny handed one of the bottles of beer to Josh and sat next to him.
"Joannie, for the last time, stop splashing!" Josh shouted at his daughter. "You know, daughter mine, maybe you need to go to bed. After all, it is past your bedtime, east coast time."
"No, Daddy, I'll stop," the little replica of Donna said, smiling at him. "Ple-ea-eas-se?"
"She's got you wrapped around her finger, Josh," Danny laughed.
"Oh? And you're the strict martinet with Caitlin?" came the rejoinder.
"Firm but fair, Joshua, firm but fair."
The sun dipped lower in the sky and Danny reflected that the days were getting a bit shorter. There was still a lot of summer left, all of August. Of course, it would still be warm in September, but Paddy would be back in school and Caitlin would be in preschool. And he would be starting the new academic year, full of promise but also full of the politics of academia which he had come to tolerate. It was a hell of a lot better than writing the kind of stuff that had driven him out of reporting, a hell of a lot better than following God knows how many candidates during the primaries and the generals.
Except maybe next year. Sam. Danny wondered if he would want to get involved, maybe as an advisor to the campaign. One thing Danny knew, he could not be a reporter for a paper or a magazine. Maybe it was because he was so vested in the idea of Sam as president that he wouldn't be able to be unbiased. Maybe it was because he was afraid that he could too easily be unbiased, and he remembered the hurt and pain his integrity caused for his friends, and for his beloved, during the Bartlet years.
Over steaks at dinner, while Josh and Donna had talked about the plans for the campaign, who was coming back and who was sitting out, Danny had watched CJ's face. His wife showed comprehension, made a few suggestions, but not once did he see any yearning, any sense of wanting to join with the others on the campaign trail. Danny figured that he and CJ knew their niche and would be happy, not exactly on the sidelines, but not in the front of the pack either.
"So, we're the last two standing?" Danny said. "Except for the kids?"
Donna had gone to bed soon after the meal, complaining of a headache. Tim, his old roommate from Notre Dame, was also in bed, having been on the itinerary from hell all day. Apparently, the travel office at Georgetown had decided that saving $125.00 in air fare was well worth making Tim fly from Baltimore instead of National or Dulles, and changing planes in Atlanta rather than a non-stop or one-stop flight. And, of course, there was bad weather in Atlanta, resulting in Tim arriving four hours late.
"Yeah," Josh answered. Then he glanced through the family room to the courtyard. "Well, no."
Danny followed Josh's glance.
CJ and Paul were sitting in the courtyard, deep in conversation.
As he had several times over the course of the last six or seven years, Danny reflected on the difference of his feelings about CJ's relationships with Paul and with Toby. Common sense would dictate that Danny would be more wary of the relationship with the man who had been a sexual partner, the first sexual partner, than he would of the man who had been an extremely close but non-intimate friend. Of course, Toby was once again with his soul mate and Paul had found love again with Clara.
Paul threw his head back and Danny could hear the faint laugh coming through two sets of glass doors. Then Paul grabbed CJ in a quick bear hug.
Paul was in LA for the same conference Tim was attending; he and Clara were staying with the Feldman's this trip. Tomorrow night, Joel and Hannah would be hosting a block party.
Remembering the other plans for tomorrow, Danny called for the kids to get out of the pool and get ready for bed.
"We'll all be leaving for Disneyland bright and early," he told the six of them when Paddy started to grumble just a bit. Six kids and four adults. Pretty even odds, Danny figured.
As the kids, Danny, and Josh came into the house, CJ looked up.
"I better go make sure everyone is settled, especially the four guys," CJ said.
Danny gently pushed down on her shoulder.
"I'll handle it, love," he said, kissing the top of her head. "You catch up with Paul."
And nodding at the minister, Danny followed the group heading to Caitlin's and Paddy's rooms.
The next evening; home of Hannah and Joel Feldman
"Are you going to eat that chicken wing?" Tim asked Danny.
"Go ahead; when we want more, I'll just ask Paddy to fetch them."
"The advantages of not being a member of the cloth," Tim laughed. "At least a member of the cloth who has taken a vow of celibacy."
"Still no regrets, Timmy?" Danny asked his friend.
"Not really. Of course, it helps to be part of the order. We tend to live together, provide a companionship that many of the diocesan priests don't get nowadays, since very few parishes have more than one assigned. Of course, even having fellow priests, is not the same as having a wife, a partner. And I don't mean the obvious physical intimacy. You ask Paul, you ask Clara's son, you ask Hannah's brother the rabbi, a cleric's spouse is a true blessing, a sounding board. In one very real sense, a cleric's spouse is his or her special sacrament, a special reflection of the love of God for the dedication, the service."
Danny looked over to the other side of the deck, where CJ was with Diana, Clara, Donna, and Jessica. In an alternate universe, CJ would have been a very good wife to Paul in his ministry. Danny knew this because even though he himself was not a "man of the cloth", CJ was his true blessing, his sounding board. CJ was his sacrament.
August 5; early evening
Once again, Danny was cleaning the grill after doing steaks, this time for Erin and Robin. They had finally arrived, having delayed their trip because "something came up". Luckily, with Robin still working for Aer Lingus, they didn't have to deal with non-refundable fares.
Yesterday, Tim had gone back to DC, again going through Atlanta; Josh, Donna, and their brood had headed up to Sacramento and the Seaborn's. Siobhan and Liam would arrive late tomorrow night. Heading into the home stretch, Danny said to himself.
"Not now, please, Robin."
Erin's voice carried across the courtyard. She put a hand on her husband's shoulder, then walked through the family room to the deck, where she went to the far edge and stared out at the ocean.
Robin caught Danny's stare, hesitated, then walked over to Danny, stopping by a table to pour two healthy shots of the clan whiskey.
Danny took the offered glass, gestured toward a chair, and sat down in one at a right angle to the one Robin took. The two men sipped their drinks. They were alone in the courtyard. Paddy was in the family room, engrossed in the new video game that the MacDonald's had given him; CJ was with Caitlin, who had a "tummy ache".
Danny had sensed that something was a little "off" when he picked up the two of them at LAX, but thought it might be jet lag – it was an eight hour time difference after all. But apparently, it was more than that.
"Danny, she'll be madder than hell at me, but you need to know. Her last mammogram and ultrasound, last week, they found an 'anomaly', the word the radiologist used. They gave her the choice of repeating the test in six months, or doing something called a stereotactic biopsy now. She wants to wait, I can't see her, or me, dreading this for six months."
Danny finished the rest of his drink and got up.
"Leave it to me," he said firmly, walking to the deck.
One look at Danny's face told Erin everything she needed to know.
"Damn him! He had no right."
"He had every right, Erin. You know what CJ and I went through," Danny answered. "You're going to listen to your brother."
"Look here, little brother," Erin started.
"Younger, yes, littler, no," Danny said.
Just like most women, Erin was no match for that smile of Danny's, the look that said, you know I'm right, but I'm not going to rub it in."
"It's just that Ash doesn't see anything, and I'm afraid to ask Sorcha."
"So have the test."
The next morning; just before dawn
Danny stirred to the feel of CJ wriggling her butt against his groin. He smiled to himself as his body slowly woke to her actions in keeping with his consciousness.
He and Erin had ended up talking until almost midnight and CJ had been dead to the world when he finally got to bed.
With the practice of ten years, Danny responded to CJ's overtures with warm, wet kisses on her neck while his fingers found the warm, wet center between her legs.
Normally, he would wait for her to signal, by shifting her upper leg, by turning onto her stomach, or by turning onto her back, if she wanted to spoon, to "crab", or to be face to face. But this morning, Danny gently pushed on her upper shoulder, pulling her back toward him, settling her onto her back. He needed to love her face to face.
Settling himself between her legs, he entered her to his hilt. But rather than beginning the in and out, up and down movements that a decade had told him would give her completion, he remained still. Beginning with her eyes, he kissed every inch of her face, gently, delicately, barely touching her.
The conversation with Robin, and then with Erin, had brought old memories, old fears, to him. And not just of her scare eight years ago, but also of what happened when Caitlin was born, and the super-resistant viral bug from three years ago.
Not to mention what she had picked up in June.
"Danny?" CJ asked.
"I just love you so much, Claudia Jean Cregg Concannon. I just love you so much."
August 10; LAX; mid-morning
"Don't worry about us, Danny," Liam said. "We're grownups; we can handle a delay."
"If you're sure."
"We are. Go."
With that, Liam and Siobhan headed to security, past the sign that said "Ticketed passengers only beyond this point."
However, Danny stayed to make sure the two of them had no issues with the TSA agents. Then he headed back to sort-term parking and headed for the exit.
The closer he got to Santa Monica, the happier Danny became. As soon as he got home, he would load up the few remaining things, and the four of them, five, he corrected himself, counting Destiny, would head up for Albion.
Danny loved his friends and his relatives and he had enjoyed having them as guests, had enjoyed playing host to them. But now, it was time to be with his wife and his children, his nuclear family, for one last special time before school and all that it would bring.
Hotel California, or at least the Concannon location of same, was now closed for the season.