---

Josh rushed through the doors as fast as he could, with a look of incredulity on his face. He swivelled around at the sound of his name being called, and when he didn�t see anyone looking back at him, he turned back around, not in time to see the wall in front of him. BANG! He felt himself fall backwards.

�You all right there, Josh?�

Josh opened his eyes. Donna was kneeling over him, her face was full of amusement. He sat up and looked in front of him. It was a wall. He looked around and saw his staff had all jumped up from their desks, with, not looks of concern, but pure amusement.

Wonderful, he thought, I�ve just run into a wall, with � an office full of people, including my assistant present. Perfect. Wonder how long it�ll take for this to spread around the entire White House?

�You ran into a wall �� Donna said plainly, then she burst into laughter.

Josh stood up, and glared at her as she continued to laugh at him.

�It failed to move!� he said, defensively.

�Josh,� Donna said, calming down and staring at him, �it�s a wall, it�s not likely to move if you�re heading for it.�

�I know that � now,� Josh murmured.

Josh walked into his office, Donna following closely behind him, grinning widely with amusement. It was going to take one big traumatic experience to get that memory out of her mind.

�Donna, if someone�s running towards you and makes no sign of moving out of the way, what do you do?� Josh asked.

�Scream at them and ask them what the hell they think they�re doing.� Donna replied, shrugging.

Josh stared at her. �What? Before or after they run straight into you, knocking you off your feet?�

�Well, Josh, what you ran into was a wall, and if we�re relating me to a wall, I'm not going to be a part of this conversation.� Donna said, and she walked back out, still grinning.

*~*~*

CJ was in her office, gathering her notes for the press conference. There was a soft knock at the door, CJ didn�t look up.

�CJ?� Danny asked.

�I�ll talk to you in there,� CJ said, irritated, as she grabbed her coat and walked past him.

�But CJ ��

�I can�t answer any questions here, Danny, just wait until I'm ready.� CJ said.

�But ��

�Danny!� CJ stopped and stared at him. �Don�t you have any patience at all?�

�There�s something that ��

CJ didn�t let him finish; she just kept on walking and left him standing there. When she opened the door, the press all stood up, cameras flashing as usual. She put down her notes and looked out at them, watching Danny coming in and sitting down quietly, giving her a slightly concerned look.

�CJ! CJ! CJ!� People called.

�Thank you,� CJ said, ignoring them, �as you well know, there have been threats on the President because of what he said last night about their President ��

�CJ!� someone called out.

�And,� she continued, glancing up, �be assured that what these men are threatening to do is very unlikely to even take place even though ...�

�CJ!� someone called out, but before CJ could continue, the reporter spoke up. �If these men want the President to apologise for what he�s said, why doesn�t he just say he�s sorry?�

�It isn�t that simple.� CJ sighed, �These men don�t want a simple apology from the President, they want to have their revenge.�

�CJ!�

�Katie ��

�Has the secret service secured the President�s safety?�

CJ bit her lip, she hadn�t had a conversation with the secret service. �As you know, the secret service is vowed to protect the President, and if this does actually take place, the secret service will do their job.�

�CJ!�

�Danny,� CJ said, sighing.

�CJ, what�ll happen if these men do get to the President?�

�Well, that�s very, very unlikely because the President is very well protected, and I doubt it would be an easy task for anyone to get into the White House, anyway, so I don�t think I need to answer that ��

�But they�ve already managed to kidnapped someone and ��

�Paul?� interrupted CJ, ignoring the reporter who said that.

�CJ, I�ve � err � heard something about a White House senior staff member � and a wall ��

Every thing stopped, the cameras stopped flashing, pens stopped writing, and every face in the room turned to Paul, except Danny, who was looking at CJ.

�Excuse me?� CJ asked.

�I heard something about Josh Lyman being injured, after running into a wall,� Paul said, clarifying himself.

CJ stared at him blankly for a second.

�You sure he didn�t ride his bicycle into a tree, Paul?� she asked.

�No,� Paul replied, �I heard it was a wall.�

�Well,� CJ said, glancing at a very amused looking Danny, �I haven�t heard anything, but I�ll look into it for you. Thank you everyone.�

As soon as CJ left the pressroom and the door was a safe distance behind her, she burst into laughter.

�Carol!� she called.

Carol ran up to her.

�Get Donna for me, please.�

*~*~*

Josh was sitting quietly in his office, trying to do this work Leo had assigned for him. It was due at the end of the day and he was nowhere near finished. In fact, he couldn�t get his head around those words. He needed to concentrate, hard. This was going to be difficult, considering the amount of noise outside his office. What was going on out there, anyway? Sounds like the entire staff had crowded around his office to � oh god �

At this realisation, Josh leapt from his chair, opened his door, and sure enough, there were all of his staff, a lot of people he didn�t know, but saw them everyday, plus CJ, Sam and Toby, all of them were staring at him with great amusement.

�Josh,� said CJ, a wide grin on her face, �I�ve been getting some interesting questions from the press � something to do with a wall. You wouldn�t know anything about that, would you?�

Oh kill me now, Josh thought. He glared at Donna, who smiled back at him innocently.

�It didn�t move in time?� he ventured, trying to slip out of what promised to be a humiliating dressing-down. CJ�s wicked expression informed him there was clearly no way out of this one.

�Josh,� began Toby in a very sardonic tone, �we hope there�s been no serious damage done, because without you, how could we go on?�

Josh looked around, he could feel himself flushing, his face was growing hotter, and everyone was staring at him with ruthless grins on their faces. They were really going to let him have it.

*~*~*

Leo walked into the Oval Office, and President Bartlet stood up. Leo�s face was grave and the President could tell the situation had developed since the night before.

�Fitz wants to brief you, sir,� was all Leo had to say.

President Bartlet followed Leo into the situation room. As usual, when he entered, everyone stood up.

�Sir,� began Fitz, �those Iraqi men are onto a new level. I have no doubt in my mind that these men are going to live out their threats, as they�ve already proved that they�re capable of anything.�

President Bartlet looked around gravely.

�Sir,� Nancy said, �they�ve threatened to force their way into the White House, and make their point to your face. They�re getting really angry now, and they won�t listen to what we�re trying to tell them. They want to get to you, sir, and we can�t let them do that.�

�Every security measure we have should be used to prevent those men from getting to you, sir,� Fitz said.

President Bartlet couldn�t find any reason against this. He hardly wanted a lot of fuss, because he never thought of himself above anyone. He looked to Leo.

�Sir,� said Leo slowly, �you�ve already seen what they�re capable of. That was an innocent girl they�ve kidnapped, and it was just because of her opinion. I think that it is absolutely imperative that you take these safety measures. Keep in mind, this is not only for just your life, sir, it�s for the entire country.�

�But why � why is this so much more important now?�

�Sir � the girl � they�ve killed her.�


As President Bartlet left the situation room, he was thinking about all the people who�d have horrified reactions once they found out. Firstly, his country. When the people of America found out that their President was in danger, he hoped they wouldn�t panic, although he knew there was nothing to prevent such a reaction.

Then he thought of his staff. Of course it was a necessity that he tell them before anyone else. They were so used to hearing about disastrous events around the world and having to deal with it, but when there was a threat on their own President, a man they worked with every day and knew better than the majority of people.

Then the girl�s family. Her family had been all he�d been thinking about the whole night. Their child had been kidnapped because of her opinion. And now he couldn�t help but think her death was because of him.

*~*~*

Josh was walking through the communications bullpen, wanting to talk to Sam about a part of the report that Leo had given him, and as he walked past the staff, he noticed they all looked up from their work, and by the time he was in Sam�s office, everyone was trying so hard not to laugh at him, but were failing greatly.

Sam was clearly amused, but was the only person there not actually laughing at him, so he decided this was the best he was going to get.

�Sam,� he began, trying his best to ignore the laughter going on outside. �I don�t fully �� he grimaced at the sounds coming from outside, �this is �� he looked out Sam�s window. �Leo gave me ��

Josh was fed up with this. He turned around, opened Sam�s door with such force that the glass almost shattered. He stormed out of the office, and at the top of his voice, yelled,

�IF YOU ALL DON�T SHUT UP RIGHT NOW I�M GOING TO SH��

�Anger management, Josh,� came a calm voice from his right.

He turned around and Toby was walking out of his office, not looking up from his notes as he entered Sam�s office and quietly shut the door, leaving Josh out there, staring at the Communications Staff. They were all looking mildly amused, but continued with their work at the look he gave them. He was about ready to go back to his office and smash his head through a window, when he looked up and saw CJ doing a press briefing on the TV, he walked over to it and turned up the volume.

�CJ, did you look into the incident?� asked a blonde reporter.

�Yes,� replied CJ, trying to keep a straight face, �it � err � it turns out that Josh Lyman was walking through the bullpen and a wall � failed to, err, move when ��

�You mean he ran into the wall?� interrupted another reporter.

Josh stood there in shock. He could knew everyone was staring at him, he felt like bashing his head on the desk in front of him, but that would probably just cause more torment for him.

CJ wasn�t saying anything, her face look rather odd and Josh realised she was trying very hard to restrain herself from bursting out into laughter.

�Yes, yes he did,� she finally said.

�CJ! CJ!�

CJ pointed to one dark haired man.

�Has Josh sustained and injuries?�

Josh closed his eyes.

�No,� CJ replied, �I'm told that neither Josh nor the wall are any the worse for their close encounter.�

Josh placed a mental note to kill CJ the minute he saw her. His eyes weren�t opened yet, and he could hear calls of, �CJ! CJ!� but his attention was drawn elsewhere.

�Josh?�

He opened his eyes and saw Donna walking up to him. He sighed.

�Yes?�

�Sam wants to see you.�

Josh sighed.

�Are you going to see him?� she asked.

�Yes.�

�When?�

�When I'm ready.�

Donna rolled her eyes and walked off.

Josh made his way to the briefing room, where he waited patiently for the briefing to finish. CJ was almost done.

�Okay, that�s a full lid for now, I�ll be briefing you again in about three hours.� She said and walked out, stopped at the sight of Josh glaring at her.

�Thanks a lot for defending my dignity in there, CJ.� He said. �You could have, you know, said it a little ��

�Josh,� interrupted CJ a little harshly, looking at him bitterly. �If it means people are going to be reading about you being attacked by a mean wall rather than the President receiving death threats from Iraqi terrorists, then frankly I think it�s worth bringing your ego down a peg or two.�

*~*~*

Donna was sitting at her desk, typing on her computer. She felt someone�s presence next to her and looked up to see Sam smiling back at her.

�Is Josh in?� he asked, pointing to Josh�s office door.

Donna sighed. �He didn�t go to see you, then?�

Sam shook his head.

�Yeah, just go on in.�

Josh looked up from his work as Sam entered his office. Sam shut the door and sat down behind Josh�s desk.

�You were going to ask about the President�s comment, weren�t you?� he said. Josh stared at him.

�When you came into my office before you were � interrupted,� Sam said with a tiny grin, which disappeared almost immediately. �You were going to ask me about what the President said to the Iraqi Ambassador.�

Josh nodded. �I just � did he really say all of that?�

�What? That he told the President of Iraq that he is an incompetent, destructive monster who�s wife should be raped and beaten to death, and that he should be put in front of a firing squad, shot several times, and then stabbed in the throat?� Sam asked.

Josh looked down and nodded. �It was in one the reports �� he mumbled.

�He didn�t say it.� Sam said.

�What?� Josh looked up.

�He didn�t say that exactly, anyway,� Sam rectified himself. �He said in a public place that he thought the leaders of Iraq were destructive, and he�d like to see them in the same place that they put their people through.�

�He said that in a public place?� Josh replied, bewildered.

Sam nodded.

�In front of people?�

Sam nodded.

�What the � why?�

�Because he was asked about what he thought of the Iraq people.� Sam said.

Josh stared at him, appalled. �Who was he talking to?�

�It wasn�t a reporter, Josh, he isn�t stupid.� Sam said. �He was talking to a member of congress.�

�Why did he say that? At all? And who else heard him?�

�A room full of people, Josh,� Sam said. �A room full of people with reporters and one very insulted and angered Iraqi Ambassador.�

Josh resisted banging his head on his desk, and just let his jaw drop a few inches. He was staring at Sam in complete astonishment.

�How could he let them all hear him?�

Sam shrugged. �Apparently he was that passionate about it.�

Josh close his eyes, and shook his head. �And these � these � men, they kidnapped a twelve year old girl for laughing at that report?�

�They kidnapped her because her father was a radio announcer and he said he whole-heartedly agreed with the President�s comments, and he quoted his little girl at breakfast that morning, saying, �if I get to go to Iraq, the first thing I�ll do is have those leaders jailed and have all the men who believe them kicked out,� then he went into explain how little she knew about the country.� Sam explained, looking very distraught.

There was a knock at the door and Donna entered.

�The President wants to see the Senior Staff,� she informed them.

*~*~*

As they had waited outside the Oval Office a countless number of times, it seemed somewhat strange that this wait made them all so tense, and it felt like it was hours before Charlie appeared.

�You can go in now,� he said, and led them into the office.

The President noticed the tension as they entered. He knew what they were thinking this was about.

�Thank you,� said President Bartlet, �now, since you all look like someone just ran over your puppies, namely me, I�d like to begin on the lighter side of things � umm � oh! I know, a man walks into a wall!�

Everyone burst out laughing. Everyone, that is, except Josh. Josh just stood there, glaring at them all.

�Okay �� he said, impatiently after about a minute. �Can we � I don�t know, get on with it, perhaps?�

�Oh, it�s nothing personal, Josh,� Toby said, patting him on the shoulder, while he tried hard to calm himself down, �it�s just that, well, running into a wall � is � it�s � just ��

�I didn�t run into the wall!� Josh said angrily.

They all stopped and stared at him for a moment. Then he continued.

�The wall failed to move as I was headed for it!�

They stared at him some more. Then CJ turned to the President.

�You�d trust this man in a life or death situation, would you, sir?� she said.

�Speaking of life or death situations, sir?� Leo said quietly so only President Bartlet could hear.

President Bartlet stopped grinning and stared at everyone very grimly.

�I have some � horrific news �� he sighed, �the twelve year old girl who was kidnapped last night � was killed this morning.�

It seemed like time itself froze when the four members of the President�s senior staff failed to blink and even breathe.

�The terrorists have also informed us that they�ve got the supplies and are equipped to carry out their threats � what they�ve promised they�d do.�

�Which is?� Sam asked.

�They�re getting very hostile now, so they�ve said that they�re going to force themselves into the White House and get to me themselves. They say that the little girl was just a warm up to what they�re capable of.�

Everyone stared at him in shock-horror. Evidently, the President was the least worried person in the room. He gave them all meaningful looks. He wasn�t at all worried about being hurt himself, it was more that he was worried about what would happen to these people around him, in this room right now. What would happen to them? What would happen to Leo, his best friend? Abbey, his wife? His daughters? He wasn�t about to let someone�s vengeful attitude tear apart the lives of all the people he cared about.

Their conversation was suddenly cut short, when the doors were opened abruptly. A group of secret service agents entered, looking serious and worried.

�What�s going on?� President Bartlet asked.

�Sir, we�d like to ask you �� Ron Butterfield turned to the other occupants of the room, �all of you to just please stay in here for the time being.�

�What�s happening?� President Bartlet asked once more.

The secret service agents were engaging themselves in some serious conversations, about where to go and how to get there and so on. President Bartlet looked at the others, who were all looking around blankly and concern on their faces.

�What is going on!� President Bartlet demanded at the top of his voice. Everyone else in the room jumped in shock. Ron slowly walked over to him, and addressed him and the rest of the senior staff.

�An unauthorised person or persons has somehow entered into the White House, sir, and we don�t understand how, we�ve got agents all around the White House searching for him or her.� the agent explained.

�What? What do you mean? How could an unauthorised person just waltz into the White House? Don�t we have security! Or what? What? We�re the guards on their coffee break? How could an unauthorised ��

�Sir, please calm down ��

�No! No, I will not calm down until I fully understand how this is possible!� President Bartlet shouted impatiently.

�Well, sir, you see, the guards on the second floor saw the emergency light flashing and so they immediately went downstairs to see what was happening, but the guards down there � they were unconscious. They�re being sent to hospital.�

�What? Do you know how many people work in this White House? How in the world could they have been knocked out cold?�

�Mr President, please.�

President Bartlet stared at him, with a look of fury in his eyes, slowly, he sat down and mumbled, �sorry�.

�Now, when this happened they raced back up to take a look at the security tapes and saw that about five or six men had entered the building.� Ron continued. �They were all of dark completions and around 5�11.�

The President stared at his senior staff, who were looking back at him with rather shocked expressions.

�And?�

�Well, we didn�t get much else on the tapes, sir � you see, they appear to have stopped for some reason.�

President Bartlet stared at him in shock. �I'm sorry � they � stopped?�

�We�re looking into it, sir,� replied Ron. �We�re doing our best.�

Seeing how delicate this situation was and how trained these men were, the President just stepped back and let the secret service take over.

For about ten minutes the Senior Staff and the President were sitting in the Oval Office in silence with the only noise coming from the Secret Service agents, before Ron Butterfield was approached by another agent. He looked very gravely at the President, who noticed and stood up, before he walked out. The President was just staring at the door out of which Ron Butterfield had exited. He then re-entered the room, and walked up to the President.

�What is it?� he asked.

�Sir,� said Ron, �we�ve just been informed that a White House staff member is being held hostage, sir �� he said slowly.

�Who?�

�Donna Moss.�

*~*~*

Donna came back down the bullpen, and as she walked past Josh�s office, she noticed someone in there. Thinking it was Josh, she decided, first of all to ask why he wasn�t still with the President, and secondly, tease him about banging into the wall that morning.

However, when she got to the doorway, she realised it wasn�t Josh. It was someone with dark, curly hair. And she didn�t know anyone of that description. �Excuse me?� she said loudly. �Can I help you?�

The man was tall, about 5�11, and as he turned around she backed away slightly. His eyes were fierce and his face frightened her.

�Yes, you can,� he had a thick accent. It was middle-eastern or something. Then, to Donna�s extreme horror, he pulled out a long, shiny object from underneath his coat. She immediately went to run, but he grabbed her by her hair and pulled her back, shoving the knife in front of her face.

�Not so fast,� he snarled.

Donna gasped and almost fell over in shock. He let go of her hair and put his arm around her entire waist and held so tightly it was painful.

�Just cooperate with me, why don�t you?� he whispered in her ear.

Donna couldn�t do or say anything. She whimpered with fear. How could this be happening? She was being dragged around the West Wing by a mad man who was holding a knife to her neck. She felt her breath disappearing from her lungs and tears falling down her face, uncontrollably. She kept on thinking that the knife had already put a hole in her throat and she was already bleeding.

The communications bullpen was full of busy workers. Bonnie, who was standing behind her desk, looked up and froze in shock. Ginger was walking towards her and stopped at the petrified look on her face. Ginger slowly turned around, and almost collapsed at the sight.

�Okay, everyone, get down! No one do anything stupid! Just get down and I won�t hurt her!� snarled the man.

There were slight gasps as people slowly got to the floor, and Ginger cried, �Donna!�

�Hmm � Donna, huh?� he said, pulling the knife a little closer to her throat. Then he looked at Ginger, who was standing there in terror, her face whiter than anyone could imagine was possible. �GET DOWN!!� he yelled. Ginger�s eyes were watering as she slowly descended to the floor.

*~*~*

�They�re holding a knife to her throat and threatening to kill her if we won�t let them see the President.� Ron hurriedly went on to explain the situation. President Bartlet immediately turned to Josh, who was staring back at him in shock. The others were all looking at him, deeply concerned.

�Are � are you sure? I don�t think it could be � I mean, why would they want to hurt her � she�s just � just ��

�Josh,� President Bartlet said calmly.

Josh stopped, looked around at everyone else, and then started pacing around. �What are you going to do about it?� he finally said to Ron.

�Sorry?�

�Well, are you going to � you�re going to do something, aren�t you?� Josh said in a harsher tone than he meant to.

�We can�t let them see the President, Josh ��

�I know that!� Josh shouted. �But you�re not going to just let them kill her, are you? You�re the secret service! What are you going to do?�

�Josh, maybe you should just relax and sit down and �� CJ began.

�I can�t relax when my assistant is out there with a knife to her throat! Her life is in danger, CJ! How can I relax?�

�What about everyone else?� Sam asked quietly. �Is everyone else okay?�

�Everyone else is fine,� Ron answered. �No one is injured as yet.�

This wasn�t a great comfort to any of them. Josh slumped down on the couch and buried his face in his hands. Sam sat down softly beside him.

�Why would anyone want to hurt Donna?� Josh mumbled into his hands.

No one had heard him, except Sam, who glanced at him. Josh hadn�t been talking to anyone in particular. He was in such distress. Sam tried to think about how it would be for him if one of the Communications Aides were taken hostage, but then he stopped, knowing that it would be completely different. He knew that Josh and Donna�s relationship was much more than just boss and assistant.

*~*~*

Donna felt her stomach turning, hot uncontrollable tears poured down her face, and her throat was clogged, preventing her from being able to swallow. She could feel the cold metal being rubbed against her neck, and couldn�t help but imagine her lying on the floor with blood gushing from her neck. She craned her head upwards, in the hope that it would prevent the knife from digging too far into her throat.

Donna didn�t dare turn back to look at the Communications staff when they had left them. The man�s grip was still around her waist, and his hand was gripping at her side, she winced every time his grip tightened. He was pushing her towards the Oval Office. She didn�t want to lead him to the President, but she wasn�t even aware of the fact that her legs were even moving and couldn�t figure out how any part of her body was still functioning.

Many things suddenly happened at once, too fast for Donna�s mind to register. She saw a man in a black suit yelling something, and then more men in black suits rushing up to her. She then felt herself being jerked backwards and the knife was pushed even closer into her throat. The man holding her said something that Donna couldn�t quite understand, but it sounded like, �Let me see the President!�

She couldn�t even think of breathing now. She watched the men, their guns pointing towards her and closed her eyes.

She wasn�t even aware that she had opened her mouth, when she heard the words, �Help � please, please help.�

She was shocked to recognise the voice as her own. She then took notice that her arms were laying limp by her sides. She thought there had to be something that she could do.

*~*~*

Ron Butterfield stared President Bartlet in the eye. The President was utterly confounded by the lack of information he was getting, and the lack of information that the Secret Service appeared to have on this man holding one of his Senior Staff�s assistant�s hostage. There was a buzzing and Ron picked up his radio. President Bartlet stared at him as he walked away, and then looked at his senior staff.

�CJ,� he said, in what he thought was a clam voice, but the rest of them noticed the stress he was under.

CJ walked up to him, a look of utter concern and fright on her face.

�Yes sir?�

�CJ, do you think it would be wise to inform Donna Moss�s family now or later?� he asked her.

�I'm sorry, sir �� CJ gave him a confused look. �What do you mean?�

�He means,� cut in Josh. They turned around, and he was no standing up, looking very angry. �Should we tell her family that she�s being held hostage and she�ll be fine now, or should we wait until later so we can tell them that their daughter�s been killed.�

�Josh �� Leo said.

�No, Leo I ��

�Josh!� Leo shouted. �Sit down!�

CJ turned back to President Bartlet.

�I know what you mean, sir,� she said. �But I think you should tell them now.� President Bartlet considered this for a moment. CJ stared at him anxiously. He walked around the desk and up to where Josh was seated, and sat opposite him.

�Her parents have to be notified, Josh,� he said. �My worry is that if they�re informed now they�ll go through the next who-knows-how-many minutes in worry for their daughter�s life. However, if we tell them when this is all over, it�ll all be over for them too, and they won�t have to spend minutes or hours wondering if their daughter is dead yet.� He stood up. �However, I will take CJ�s advice and call them now.�

The Senior Staff all watched him in silence as he walked back to his desk and picked up his phone.

Josh sighed.

�I just hope � she doesn�t do anything stupid ��

*~*~*

Donna felt her left elbow come into contact with his stomach. She could feel him bending forward, and her right arm went up and she immediately grabbed his arm, pulling the knife away from her throat. She suddenly felt two strong hands grabbing her and she found herself staring into his furious eyes. He glared at her, before she felt the sharp, cold metal pushing itself through her skin. She screamed as loudly as she could before being pulled along through a door and into a deserted hallway, and then everything faded out.

*~*~*

President Bartlet had no sooner put the phone down from a long and painful conversation with Donna�s mother and father, than they all heard a long piercing scream. Everyone jumped up.

�What was that?!� Josh demanded.

The Secret Service Agents were all racing about and didn�t appear to notice Josh had opened his mouth, much to his utter rage. Ron ran back in the room. �Mr President!� he said. �She�s been stabbed.�

There was a long, distressing silence where these words had to register everyone�s minds. After this, they turned to see Josh�s expression. He was in shock, just like everyone else.

�Who?� he asked. �Who�s been stabbed?�

Josh felt a hand on his shoulder, and someone grab his hand and squeeze it as he had sudden flashes of Donna smiling back at him in his bullpen. He closed his eyes and fought the tears as hard as he could. He tried to tell himself that it was okay, but it didn�t work, as he would only have agreed with this statement if it had been �it�s okay to cry for her�.

�I�ve just called her parents, Ron,� President Bartlet told him. �I said I�d keep them posted. I�d tell them everything that�s happening. How did she get stabbed? What happened exactly? Where did she get stabbed?�

�She was trying to fight him off her �� Ron began.

�She did WHAT!!� Josh roared.

�She somehow managed to get the knife away from her neck,� Ron continued. �However, he turned her around and stabbed her in the back, and then he pulled her away to ��

�Where is she now?� asked President Bartlet desperately.

�We don�t know, sir,� Ron replied.

�No! We do know! We will find out, Ron!� President Bartlet ordered. �You are going to search every single part of this White House! You will not loose that woman! You will not make any stupid mistakes here! Okay? You are going to find out how the hell those men made their way into my White House and then you�re going to find out where the other men are! And then you are going to save that woman, and this will all be over!�

Ron stared at him, and then promptly rushed out of the room.

�Ron!� President Bartlet suddenly yelled. Ron appeared back in the Oval Office. �No one is going to die over this, okay? No one. Not one person in this White House is going to die because of this. Do you understand that?�

�Yes sir.�

�Make sure of it.�

*~*~*

Ron slowly had the White House evacuated. He started with the offices nearest to the exits, and went from there. However, he never got to the West Wing. The Secret Service Agents were thoroughly searching every single part of the White House. Every room, every air vent, every office, every hallway, every bullpen. They came out of a senior executive�s office; an air vent; and in a hallway, the Secret Service fought and captured five of the six men who had entered the White House without authorisation.

At the same time, the men working on the tapes found out the way in which the men had been able to enter the White House, using the help of the guards in hospital. Ron immediately raced to the Oval Office after receiving the news. As he entered, the President stood up and slowly walked up to him.

�Ron, I have just spoken to Donna�s Moss�s parents, again. I have just informed them that their daughter has a critical knife wound in her back and is bleeding as the Secret Service is searching for her.� Bartlet said as coolly as he could. �I have just assured them that my men are the best at what they do, otherwise they wouldn�t be here, and they are currently resolving the problem of the five other men in this White House, and are also figuring out how in hell they got here in the first place! Now, Ron, unless you want to gain a black eye and broken jaw, I suggest you tell me how these ass-holes got in my White House and how they were escorted out.�

�Sir, our men discovered, from the help of the missing parts on the tapes and the help of the security guards, that two men in dark suits walked up to them from behind ��

�As in they were already in the White House?� interrupted the President.

�Yes sir,� Ron nodded. �The foyer was full of people sir, and according to one of the guards they for some reason all filed out at the same time.�

�Why?�

�Because another security guard was telling them that �for security reasons�, everyone had to evacuate the entrance. They all obeyed, but the other security guards were suspicious, sir, and went to investigate, at which point they were knocked out cold. No one noticed, as no one was around.� Ron said. �They got in from one of the air vents, sir. One apparently above the car park in the back.�

�Ron, just please explain this whole thing to me without any gaps.� Bartlet said. �How the hell did a man get into a security guard�s uniform and ��

�One of our own security guards, sir, is working for them. His name is Eric Whendon. He is an American citizen, sir.�

�What!� President Bartlet�s face was entirely red now, about ready to burst. �So we�ve got one man here threatening to kill a young twenty-something year old woman, and another one with access to our security!�

�Sir � we�re on it!� Ron said. �Just please ��

�Don�t tell me told be calm, Ron, because I swear if you do I will personally slam the heaviest thing I can lift onto your head and then throw you out the window!�

�Yes Mr President.� Ron said, biting his lip as he walked out.

*~*~*

Donna didn�t even want to be alive any more. The emotions she was feeling and the thoughts going through her mind were enough without the physical pain. She could feel the blood pouring out. She felt like her entire back had been split open. She wondered how long it would take for her to die anyway.

She was being dragged slowly and quietly through a deserted hallway. It wasn�t a comfortable position either. The man was pulling her along from her arms while her legs scraped along the carpet. She felt herself being suddenly dumped onto the floor. She let out a squeal that was muffled by a smelly hand over her mouth.

�You shut up now,� ordered the man.

�What�s going on?� came a sudden gruff voice.

�What? What do you mean! I'm ��

�I can see what you�re doing!� replied the second man. �You�re going to get yourself killed!�

�I am using her as insurance!� replied the first.

�Yes, but in the end they are going to kill you.� Said the new gruff voiced man that Donna was now suddenly interested in. �You have no idea how pissed off you are going to make a lot of people, do you?�

�What?�

�You don�t even know who this woman is, do you?� this man was obviously trying his very best not to scream.

There was a silence.

�She is the assistant to the Deputy Chief of Staff � who is in the President�s office right now!�

�How do you know that?�

�Because I read things, you cretin!�

�Then � we have to ��

�Leave her here!� the man snapped.

Donna gasped. They were going to leave her there to die? They were just going to walk away? She hoped to god that someone would burst in at this moment and shoot these two while they were unprepared. Then she realised that these two were so unprepared that she could alert someone. She swallowed all her tears because she knew she could very much get herself killed. She screamed as loudly as she could.

*~*~*

�What was that?�

�It was Donna Moss!� Ron told him.

�Where did it come from?�

�Over there!�

The men slowly made their way towards the end of the hallway. They were being a quiet as possible. The screaming continued then stopped abruptly.

�Go!� Ron suddenly shouted.

They all raced for the door at the very end of the hallway and burst through, just as the door at the end of the room slammed. They raced up to it and burst out, finding themselves in another hallway, much wider than the last. There were two men standing there behind Donna Moss with a gun to her head.

�Get back! I swear to god I will blow her head off!� Yelled the man in the security guard�s uniform.

�Put the gun down!� Ron yelled back, raising his gun.

The other Secret Service Agents all followed Ron�s lead and raised their guns. Donna was barely standing. Blood was gushing from her wound, drenching Eric Whendon�s clothes. Ron was more than aware of the amount of blood on the carpet now. He couldn�t let this go on any further.

At that moment, the Middle-Eastern man standing beside Eric Whendon suddenly let out a gasp and turned and ran as fast as he could down the hallway. There was a piercing noise as every single gun in the hallway went off, and two people fell to the ground.

*~*~*

Ron Butterfield burst through the door to the Oval Office. President Bartlet was already standing and rushed over to him, along with the rest of his Senior Staff.

�Sir � we�ve got them, sir,� Ron informed him with a smile.

�And Donna Moss?�

Ron�s face suddenly dropped. He looked to the ground. They all stared at him expectantly, but not really wanting him to say anything. Josh suddenly raced out of the office, followed closely by Sam and Toby.

�Josh!� called Sam. �Where are you going?�

�To find Donna!� Josh called back desperately.

�Josh! Josh! You don�t even know where she is!� Toby pointed out.

Josh suddenly stopped. Toby was right. He had no idea where Donna was. He looked around frantically for a sign as to where she was. Then he turned back to Sam and Toby who were both giving him regretful looks. He walked between them and headed back for the Oval Office. On his way, there was a sudden yell, he turned around and saw two Ambulance Officers running down the corridor. He raced after them, trying to get Toby�s restraining hand off his shoulder. He almost ran into CJ in the process. She was staring the other way, her face was pale and it looked like she was about to faint. Josh turned around.

There she was. His assistant. Lying on the floor, surrounded by Ambulance Officers and blood. She barely looked alive. Someone grabbed Josh�s arm. Someone grabbed his shoulders. He realised that they were trying to pull him back because he was trying to run to Donna.

�Donna!� Josh yelled. He somehow leapt through the numerous people trying to stop him, and arrived at Donna�s side a millisecond later. She was lying there, motionless. He lifted her head.

�Donna?� he whispered.

Toby stared at the two. This just wasn�t right. An Ambulance officer was walking towards him; he grabbed his arm, and gave him a very meaningful look. The officer was looking uncomfortable, as he stared Toby in the eye.

�We �� stammered the officer, �she isn�t � isn�t breathing ��

Toby stared at the young man for a long time, slowly releasing his grip on the man�s arm. He then stared at Josh, sitting over Donna�s bloody body. Toby couldn�t contain a tear. How could this be possible?

CJ, who was standing a few feet away from Josh and Donna, turned around, and when she saw the look on Toby�s face as he watched the two, and the tear that fell down his cheek. Toby never cried. She felt her feet beneath her crumbling. Josh turned around in shock.

�CJ?� he said, almost demandingly.

CJ was on the floor, her legs falling out behind her, and her hands over her heart and mouth. She didn�t look at Josh.

�CJ?� he repeated.

He looked up to Toby, who immediately turned away. It couldn�t be what he was thinking. It just couldn�t be.

�Tell me!� he suddenly yelled.

Everyone froze and stared at him.

�WILL SOMEONE TELL ME!?!�

Sam walked slowly through the doors, and made his way towards Josh. Josh glared at him in the most dangerous look Sam had ever seen. Josh turned around to Donna�s body, and fell to her side and grabbed her in his arms and hugged her.

Everyone could hear him whispering things. He wasn�t coherent, though. The things he was saying weren�t making sense.

Josh had to be restrained from hitting the ambulance officer who took Donna�s body from him. Toby and Sam held him tightly as Donna�s body was taken by a stretcher away from him.

Reach down your hand in your pocket
Pull out some hope for me
It's been a long day, always ain't that right
And no Lord your hand won't stop it
Just keep you trembling

*~*~*

CJ could remember a night like this before. A year ago she�d sat in here next to Donna as her boss fought for his life. Now she sat next to Josh as his assistant lay motionless in an operating room, doctors trying anything they could to save her. The waiting room was silent, and this probably added to the awkwardness, but no one could think of anything to say to anyone. It just wasn�t a time or place for anyone to be talking, and the thought didn�t cross anyone�s minds. No one had said a word since the doctor had come in to update them. He�d said that they�d managed to resuscitate her, but they needed to stop the internal bleeding and get the bullet out. That was hours ago.

Josh couldn�t get the picture of her lying on that stretcher out of his mind. He couldn�t stop thinking about how they�d taken her away in the ambulance, and he�d been forced to stay behind. He never wanted to leave her side. How could they force him to? He wanted to be with her right now and tell her that it�s all going to be okay. Maybe she knew that, though. Maybe it was him that needed the reassurance.

He looked around him for the first time. He wasn�t the only one traumatized by this. CJ sat next to him, glancing at him every few minutes to check he wasn�t breaking down. Toby sat in front of him, staring at the floor in deep thought. Sam sat next to Toby, staring out the window to where Donna�s operating room was. Behind him were the assistants. Ginger was lying on Carol�s shoulder for support, staring blankly at the wall in front of her. Bonnie had her head in her hands, covering the tears that were flowing. Kathy was staring around at everyone. Mrs Landingham was watching him.

�How long has it been?� he asked quietly, almost a whisper.

It was the first thing said in quite a while, so everyone was a little shocked to hear anything, especially coming from Josh. CJ turned to look at him.

�What?�

�How long � have we been waiting?� Josh asked, feeling a rather unpleasantly large lump in his throat.

CJ�s gaze didn�t flicker.

�It�s been three hours.� Came Toby�s soft voice.

�Three hours.� Josh repeated to himself, trying to register it.

The others looked around anxiously. They weren�t expecting Josh to be the first one to talk. Of course it was a lot more comfortable for the rest of them this way. Ginger lifted her head from Carol�s shoulder, watching Josh carefully.

�She will be okay,� she said slowly, trying more to convince herself that anything else, really.

Josh�s head shot up, suddenly his face was filled with anger.

�She will be okay?� he said, fury clear in his voice.

Ginger was taken aback, and looked down at the floor. Josh, however, had now been provoked, and Ginger was going to have to accept the fact that it was her fault. Josh restrained himself; or rather CJ�s calming hand on his shoulder restrained him from jumping up and pacing around the room like he�d done in the Oval Office.

�She was shot in the chest!� Josh yelled.

�Josh ��

�No! That bastard killed her! She�s dead already! I can�t � you can�t imagine what it�s like for me!�

�Why is it any different for you than it is to anyone else?� challenged Mrs Landingham unexpectedly.

Josh stopped for a moment to absorb what was said and who had said it. Then he turned to Mrs Landingham with an open mouth, but absolutely nothing coming out. �She�s been so close to all these girls,� Mrs Landingham gestured to the other assistants. �Tell me why, Josh, you feel like loosing Donna would be worse for you than for anyone else?�

Josh stared into the old woman�s eyes. There were so many answers to that question, but he didn�t know which one to give her.

�She�s been close to me too.� He almost breathed.

Everyone stared at him as if he hadn�t said anything at all and they were expecting him to answer the question.

�Josh?� asked CJ.

Josh looked down at the floor, but he didn�t pay any attention to it at all. All the things around him seemed to disappear, and the noise stopped, and it was all replaced by Donna�s face, and her soft voice. He closed his eyes, willing the image to go away. It wasn�t that simple. First of all, he didn�t want it to go away. Ever. He never wanted her to go away. She couldn�t just leave him like this. Not after what he was going through right now, all for her. She couldn�t just � stop �

Josh opened his eyes with a start. Everyone was staring at him, worry in their eyes. Toby was standing in front of him looking as if someone was waving a knife in his face. CJ was looking pretty much the same, and Sam was standing beside him now.

�Josh? Josh!� their voices were urgent.

�Josh, are you okay?�

�I think someone should take him home.�

Josh suddenly leaped up at this suggestion. He looked around at everyone in the room, with desperation in his eyes.

�No!� he yelled at them all. �No! Who said that!! Who was it?�

�Josh ��

�Stop it!�

Josh swung his body around, facing Sam, his hand rolled up tightly and three inches from Sam�s face. Sam stared back at him, not flinching at all.

�Who said I should go home?� Josh said, before realising that his voice was almost a whimper.

Then, very slowly and gently, the door opened. Everyone turned around. A small, elderly woman with soft blue eyes and greying blonde hair was clutching the hand of a taller, slim man with light brown hair and blue eyes. They surveyed the scene looking horrified.

�T � t � the doctor said � we s � should come �� the elderly woman began, but failed amongst her many tears, coming from her already puffy eyes.

�Josh �� the man suddenly walked towards him, hand outstretched.

It took a moment for Josh to realise what was happening. The man�s eyes were drenched in tears.

�I'm Rodger Moss,� he said.

Josh didn�t know what to say or how to react. Donna�s parents. He slowly reached out his own hand and shook the old man�s.

�This is �� the man gestured to the woman beside him. �Nicole.�

Josh reached out again to shake her hand. He soon realised that she was shaking far too much to be able to shake anyone�s hand. Her husband lead her over to a bench, which was vacated quickly by Ginger, Carol and Mrs Landingham. �Is there � anything we can get you?� Ginger asked in an unsteady voice.

The couple shook their heads.

Josh watched for a moment as Rodger held his wife�s quivering hands and supported her. He couldn�t take it. He walked out the door and just kept walking down the hallways. He didn�t know where he was going, but he had to go somewhere. How could this be happening? Who in their right minds would suddenly just shoot their captive when they�ve already been caught? Unless � Josh stopped abruptly. He looked around him. Just the usual nursing staff, patients and visitors. He looked behind him. The same scene. Trying not to run � too fast, he headed to the exit, eventually found his car and drove towards the White House.

*~*~*

President Bartlet was not happy. He was exceedingly pissed off. He had spent five minutes yelling at Ron Butterfield, and was now standing and pacing about in Leo�s office, where he had been yelling at his best friend and Chief of Staff for the past forty-five minutes.

Charlie had long since kicked the Secret Service agents out of the Oval Office. Instead of walking straight out behind them, as he usually would have, he found that he couldn�t move. He tried to tell himself to get out, but he just couldn�t. What had happened? The President was yelling at Leo in the office next door. The Senior Staff and all the senior White House Aides were at the hospital, except for him. He didn�t know her all that well, but � but who cares? She was in emergency. She was in trouble and she could die! He knew her well enough to care.

The door to Charlie�s right suddenly burst open. Charlie turned around in sudden horror. Josh was standing there, looking around furiously.

�Where are they?� he demanded.

�Wh ��

�The Secret Service!� Josh yelled. �Where are they?�

The door connecting Leo�s office to the Oval Office opened and the President walked in followed by Leo.

�Josh, what�s �� Leo began.

�Where is the Secret Service?� Josh didn�t want to make eye contact with the President because he knew he couldn�t speak in a normal tone of voice and he didn�t want to yell at the President � again.

�They left a while ago.� Charlie said. �After the President finished yelling at them.�

�And feel free to do so yourself for however long you want.� President Bartlet added. His voice was full of rage.

Josh nodded at him and walked out. Leo looked for a moment at President Bartlet, then at Charlie and then ran out after Josh.

�Josh! Josh!� he called.

Josh didn�t stop or even slow down. He completely ignored him.

�How�s Donna?�

Josh ignored him.

�Josh.� Leo stood in front of Josh, who stopped in annoyance.

�What?�

�Don�t yell at the Secret Service.� Leo said.

�What?�

�Don�t.�

�Why not?�

�They were doing their job, Josh!�

�They almost got her killed, Leo!�

�Josh, their job it to protect the President.� Leo explained. �All they wanted to do was to get the guy out of the White House and away from harming the President.�

�So they didn�t think twice about harming an innocent and completely unimportant White House aide!� Josh replied heatedly.

�It wasn�t their fault that the gun went off, Josh.�

�Yes it was! If they�d waited just a few minutes longer ��

�He would have killed her anyway.� Leo interrupted. �He would have killed her no matter what. She was a liability to him. She meant nothing to him.�

�And she meant nothing to the Secret Service or anyone else, either. But you know what, Leo? She meant something to me!�

�Meant?�

�She means something to me, Leo! You can�t just go and risk a person�s life like that! Anyone � everyone � so many people are affected!�

�You�re thinking we need some new agents, right?�

�I'm thinking we need a whole new organization!� Josh said, a little calmer, but still shouting.

�So does the President.�

�Good.�

�It�s not gonna happen.�

�Why the hell not?�

�Because you�re both in the fit of passion right now, we need to wait until everybody calms down.� Leo replied.

�Let me tell you something, Leo.� Josh said. �People calm down after a situation, yeah. But about this one, I am never gonna be calm. Someone brings this up in ten years time and I'm gonna start a riot against the secret service.�

�No you are not.�

�Why not?�

�Because you�re gonna have Donna standing there telling you it�s a stupid idea and people could get hurt. People�s lives could be affected. She�s still going to be there in ten years time, Josh, trying to knock some sense into you. And she�s not the only one.�

�But she�s the important one.�

Josh walked past Leo and continued.

�Josh!�

�I'm not gonna yell at the secret service!�

*~*~*

When Josh arrived back at the hospital, he was greeted with extremely relieving news. CJ practically skipped over to him to inform him that the operation was over and Donna was fine. Josh had to sit himself down and just think about it for a couple of minutes before the relief started to settle. He briefly heard someone, Ginger, saying to Mrs Landingham,

�I wish he�d calm down. I keep thinking he�s going to collapse in a minute.�

He was too preoccupied to hear Mrs Landingham�s response. This time, though, Josh was preoccupied with good, comforting thoughts.

CJ then came in with a tray full of coffee.

�Hospital coffee?� Toby asked, giving her a questioning look. �Are you sure that�s safe?�

There was a bit of laughter. Josh could smell the substance he was so often deprived of by the very person lying in bed right now. Lying safely in bed.

�Josh?�

Josh looked up; CJ was standing there, offering him coffee.

�D�you think they want some?� Josh asked, then off their blank looks, �Rodger and Nicole.�

CJ looked a little surprised. �Err � yeah, I think they would.�

�Okay,� Josh stood up, and took the tray from CJ�s hands.

There was complete silence as Josh left the waiting room. It was a little bedazzling to the rest of them to see Josh in a fit of anger, and then leave abruptly after meeting her parents, and then to come back in such a mood, one that presented no anger, and all generosity.

Down the hallway, Josh passed a doctor, who smiled at him warmly, and when he arrived at the door of Donna�s room, Rodger and Nicole were just walking out. Nicole�s eyes looked less puffy than before. She was smiling. Rodger wasn�t crying at all, nor did he show any sign of doing so.

�Josh �� Nicole acknowledged.

�Coffee?� Josh offered.

Rodger and Nicole smiled warmly at him, thanking him as they took a cup each. Apparently the coffee wasn�t half bad.

�Is it family only, or �?�

�You can go in, Josh,� Nicole interrupted quietly.

Josh put the tray down, and walked into Donna�s room, clutching the last cup of coffee in his hand. The room was dimly lit with one small fluorescent light on the ceiling. Donna lay in an ordinary hospital bed, surrounded by whiteness. White sheets, white bedcovers, white walls, white gown. Next to her bed stood numerous drips, which were connected into her arms and backs of her hands. Josh slowly approached her, and sat down in the chair beside her bed. She was awake, but she was really drugged up and ready to fall asleep any minute.

Donna turned her head around, wincing slightly. She opened her eyes a tiny bit, and Josh saw a faint smile on her face when she recognised him.

�No coffee.� Donna breathed.

�No coffee?� Josh repeated. �Why not?�

�Just been in operating room for three and half hours � Joshua.� Donna murmured, with a little difficulty. �Being high on coffee is likely to induce the pain. No coffee.�

�Okay.�

Josh stared at her as her eyes opened and closed again and again. She was trying hard to stay awake, and she was trying even harder to keep her eyes opened.

�Sleep if you have to.� He said quietly.

Donna shook her head. �Give.� She said, stretching out a limp hand. �What?�

Donna reiterated her point by shaking her arm.

�You can�t have any, though.�

�Don�t annoy me.� Donna replied, in a drained voice.

Josh carefully placed the cup in her hand, making sure it didn�t fall out. Donna tried to sit up, but failed.

�There�s a button,� she pointed to a small remote control sitting on the covers of her bed.

Josh reached out and picked it up. He tried not to jolt the bed as he raised it. Donna flinched once and then smiled at him.

�Coffee.� She said, handing it to him.

�Really?�

Donna grinned at him as he took it from her.

�Drink from the keg of glory, Josh.� She said weakly, as he did so.

�Does this mean �?�

�No.�

Even in her weakened state, Donna was able to give him a very solid response to that question. Josh laughed.

�Donna,� Josh said after a few minutes, �How did � how did your parents know exactly who I was as soon as they saw me?�

Josh noticed Donna�s cheeks turn a rather interesting shade of crimson at this question. He grinned at her.

�Thanks.� Donna whispered.

�What for?�

Donna took a few seconds to reply. �Waiting for me.�

�Everyone waited for you,� Josh smiled.

�You didn�t have to.�

�No one did.�

�I mean � you would have ��

�Donna ��

�Wouldn�t you?�

�I was fine.�

He could clearly hear her heavy breathing.

�Thank you.�

Donna�s eyes closed again. Josh sat beside her, watching her breathing heavily and slowly. A while later, he found himself being woken up by the entrance of a nurse, coming to take one of the drips out of Donna�s arm.

�She needs her rest,� the nurse informed him, giving him a rather sympathetic look.

Josh nodded, and slowly walked out of the room. When he walked back into the waiting room, he found everyone still sitting there. Most of them were asleep. Sam was jerked awake when he walked through the door.

�Everyone stayed?� Josh asked.

�Yeah �� Sam yawned. �How is she?�

�Asleep.�

Sam watched Josh as he took the seat opposite him. Josh looked at the ground for a moment, and looked back up.

�She gave me coffee.�

Sam watched him, as his grin turned into a laugh.

�She gave me coffee.� He looked up at Sam.

Sam nodded. �Okay.�

*~*~*

The White House was it�s usual busy self. That is to say the White House staffers were their usual busy selves as they rushed around, trying to have the next report in within twenty minutes. It wasn�t that anyone had forgotten the events of the previous week, of course they hadn�t. Toby had called Josh�s cell phone a couple of times. Sam went to her house to see her before work, and then called during his lunch break in case she needed anything �

�Sam,� Donna had sighed, �what I need right now is for Josh to just leave me alone and go to work. Can you do that? Can you get him out of my home?�

�What�s wrong?� Sam asked. �He�s looking after you, isn�t he?�

�He�s scaring my roommate�s cats.�

CJ was calling Donna�s house every chance she got. Josh had been in Donna�s kitchen, trying to find something to cook her for dinner. Well, to really cook both of them because he didn�t plan on cooking something for her and not eating it himself. Donna was sitting on her couch in the next room when the phone rang.

�Hello?� Josh asked when he answered.

�Yeah, hi.� CJ said, sounding a little tired on the other end. �How�s she doing?�

�She�s doing okay,� Josh said, turning around and watching her as she sat there, reading quietly. �She isn�t complaining much � but I think she�s still in pain.�

�That�s what a nurse is for, Josh.� CJ pointed out.

�Hey, who needs a nurse when they�ve got Josh Lyman?� Josh replied.

Josh distinctly heard a snort of laughter from CJ on the other end of the phone and was rather insulted.

�Josh, I think you�re probably doing the complaining for both of you over there.� CJ said, amusement in her voice.

�Hey! Hey! No, I'm doing a great job here!� Josh said defensively. �I'm cooking dinner right now.�

�Order pizza.�

�Donna doesn�t like pizza.�

�What?�

�She wants me to cook for her.�

A yell came from the other room.

�What did you just say, Joshua Lyman?�

�N � nothing!� Josh called back, not covering the phone at all.

CJ leaned back in her chair in her office, rubbing her head and cringing in pain.

�Ouch.� She complained into the phone.

�What? Oh, sorry!� Josh said, realising his mistake.

As Josh and CJ continued their conversation about her, Donna forced herself up from the couch and walked into the kitchen, where Josh was facing the other way. She stood there for a couple of seconds with her hands on her hips before she said anything.

�Josh.� She said very loudly.

�Ahh!� Josh jumped and turned around in fright. When he saw her, he looked slightly less relieved, as she was giving him a very dangerous look.

�Did you tell someone that I do not like pizza?� she asked him icily, narrowing her eyes.

�Err ��

�Because if you did, Joshua Lyman ��

�I � err ��

Donna sighed and extended her hand, looking pointedly at the receiver sitting in Josh�s hand. There were quite irritated yells coming from the speaker. Josh slowly placed it in her hand and she put it up to her ear.

�CJ?�

�Donna. Great, someone sane to talk to.� CJ said, sighing with relief. �So Josh is playing nurse to you, huh?�

Donna suddenly burst into laughter.

�Err � Donna?� CJ asked, confused.

�Oh, sorry, CJ,� Donna said, humour rising in her voice, �it�s just � well, there�s a future career � Joshua Lyman, male nurse!�

Both Donna and CJ burst into hysterics, while Josh, standing behind Donna, stared at her in horror. When CJ had finally finished, she heard little yells coming from the other end.

�Josh doesn�t like that idea?�

�Nope.� Donna replied, still laughing. �Okay, okay �� she said to Josh, �CJ, I�ve got to � hey!�

Josh snatched the phone out of her hand.

�I�ll have you know that I'm doing a lot here! I'm going out of my way to help her and all you can do is laugh at me?� Josh said incredulously into the phone. CJ apparently found this even more humorous than Donna�s previous comment.

�Okay, CJ, thanks for calling,� Josh said stiffly.

CJ laughed as Josh tried his best not to smash Donna�s phone as he placed it back in its cradle.

�Josh!� Donna was still laughing.

�What?� Josh�s face went red. �What?�

�Oh � it�s � no, nothing.� Donna turned around, painfully, and made her slow way back to her couch.

Seeing her discomfort, Josh immediately ran up and grabbed her arm, helping her towards the couch. As Josh helped her to sit, Donna wondered what was possessing Josh to help her. How many bosses take time off work to help their assistants who have been shot?

�Josh �� Donna said weakly when she was finally sitting down, and Josh was about to walk back to the kitchenette.

He stopped abruptly and swung around. Donna looked slightly flustered. He grinned at her. Was she about to say something nice to him?

�Thank you,� she blushed even more. �I � you didn�t have to help me. Thank you. I just wanted you to know that I really appreciate you being here � it�s � just something you really didn�t have to do.�

Josh smiled. �Yeah, I know � but I wanted to do it.�

�Yeah?� Donna asked, smiling back. �Why�s that?�

�Well, after I was �� Josh cringed at the memory, �you � you were there for me every day, making sure I was okay.�

�I didn�t take time off work.�

�Cause I wouldn�t let you.� Josh replied. �But you still came around every day before and after work.�

�It wasn�t as if I was doing it to get something out of it.� Donna said.

�Yeah, but the chance came along,� said Josh, �and you needed someone to be there for you.�

�You obviously don�t realise just how annoying you are, do you?� she said.

�It is something I shall never know.� Josh replied, walking back into the other room.

*~*~*

�Josh,� Donna sighed, �I can walk by myself, you know.�

Josh withdrew his outstretched hand and backed away slightly, feeling a little embarrassed.

�Right ��

Donna grinned at him and sat down at her desk. Josh stared at her for a moment while she began typing at her computer. She looked up at him.

�Josh?� she asked.

�Oh � err � no � I'm just � going into my office �� Josh stammered. �Work to do � you know ��

Donna grinned, shaking her head as she continued working.

�DONNA!�

Donna swung around at the sound of her name being shouted out through the bullpen. Ginger was racing down the corridor towards her. When she reached her, she gave her a big hug.

�Are you okay?� she asked.

Donna nodded.

�Just � if you need anything, Donna,� Ginger said sincerely.

�Yeah,� Donna smiled.

�Okay, look, I�ve got a bit of work to do, just � take care, Donna.� Ginger said, smiling as she walked away.

Donna turned back to her computer. She didn�t even have half a second of silence before someone came up behind her. She felt their eyes behind her, watching. It was kind of creepy. She turned around to see Sam, watching her with a rather concerned expression on his face. When she looked up at him he smiled.

�Hi.� He said.

�Hey.�

�You okay?�

�Yep.�

�Okay ��

�Sam?�

�Yeah?�

Donna got up � as she did so, Sam stepped forward to help her � and wrapped her arms around his neck.

�Thanks for caring.� She said.

�Hey, we all cared � still do.� Sam said, as Donna stepped back slightly. �Especially Josh. You should�ve �� Sam shook his head at the memory of Donna lying on the ground and Josh yelling hysterically at everyone.

Donna looked slightly perplexed. �Yeah?�

�Nothing.� Sam shook his head, glancing at Josh�s slightly open door.

CJ and Toby turned the corner and smiled at Donna as they saw her standing, talking to Sam.

�Hi Donna.� CJ said, giving her a hug.

�Good to see you looking so well.� Toby said, smiling as if every second he did so it was costing him a hundred dollars.

�Hey, Donna,� came Josh�s voice, his footsteps coming closer.

�Yeah?� Donna asked, turning around. She gasped at the sight of Josh, staring down at notes, two seconds away from the wall.

�Did y �� Josh was suddenly cut off. �Ouch!� he snarled.

The others really could not conceal their laughter. They didn�t even bother to try, either.

�Oh, Josh,� CJ snickered, �thank you, I believe we were all in the mood for that one. Great timing.� She was unable to say anything further, as she was in such hysterics.

Josh looked up, finally, and glared at her. His head was in so much pain. Why did he deserve this kind of thing?

Suddenly, Ginger came hurrying through the bullpen.

�What did I miss?� she huffed.

Toby put a hand on her shoulder. �Come with me, Ginger,� he said, grinning, �it is an amusing story that must be told in just the right way.�

Donna put a hand to her mouth and walked over to Josh.

�Come on,� she said, putting an arm around him, �let�s get you some ice.�

Thankfully for Josh he was able to leave the others for a moment of sanity. However, in the not to distant future he could predict walking through the corridors of the White House full of hysterical staffers.

Josh stood a little way away from Donna in the mess as she looked around for some ice. He stared at her as she wrapped it in a cloth and handed it to him. �What?� she said, blushing. �Take it.�

�You won�t get me coffee, but you�ll get me ice.� He said, slowly taking it from her hand.

Donna looked down to her feet.

�Thanks �� she muttered.

�Hey? What was that, Donnatella?� Josh asked.

Donna looked up, slightly.

�Thank you, Josh.� She said, louder.

Josh grinned.

�For,� she added, �caring so much about me. I know � I barely deserve it � I mean, I am just an assistant ��

�Donna.�

�And you really had heaps more important things to do before staying with me in hospital and coming to my apartment ��

�Donna, d�you think that, apart from the fact I could possibly get some coffee, I�d ever get things done if you � I wouldn�t remember certain things � I guess there would be a lot of boredom in my life � err � I�d have to go to the trouble of hiring someone else, too!�

Donna laughed.

�And then � there�d be the fact that � I�d have to go � and watch a coffin being lowered into the ground and live with that memory and the memory that there was something I could have done to prevent that ever happening.� Josh sighed. He could feel tears in his own eyes, but when he looked up, Donna was crying.

�Josh �� she said.

Josh nodded, slowly. Donna grabbed him and pulled him into a hug.

�What I mean �� Josh started.

�I know what you meant,� Donna said. �I wouldn�t be able to go on without you � expect perhaps, that the insanity in my life would be eliminated.�

Josh grinned.

�Don�t get too hopeful right now,� Donna said. �Keep in mind you walked into a wall less than a minute ago.�

Josh frowned. He turned around at the sound of someone entering. The person looked at him, smirked and went on with their business. Josh sighed, and followed Donna out the mess.

THE END

Reach down your hand in your pocket
Pull out some hope for me
It's been a long day, always ain't that right
And no Lord your hand won't stop it
Just keep you trembling
It's been a long day, always ain't that right...

~-Mist-~

(lyrics from matchbox 20's "Long Day"; title card by Jess)

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