Dirty Little Secrets: Aftermath
Author: Firetop
Rating: NC-17
Spoilers: Season one and two for sure.
Disclaimer: Anyone you know belongs to Adam Sorkin and NBC. Everything else belongs to me. I am making no money out of this.
Summery: I think the title says it all.
Author Note: I know some of you have been patiently waiting for the next part of this series. Well I hope I don’t disappoint. I’m finding that this story is developing a life of its own. I just hope my words do it justice. Please send all comments good, bad or indifferent to [email protected].
Dirty Little Secrets: Aftermath
CJ’s POV
We’ve all take turns sitting in this chair for the past month. We don’t want him to wake up alone. We fully believe that he will come out of this shock.
The doctors aren’t as optimistic. They say the longer he is like this the less chance of him getting out of it.
The office isn’t the same. None of us really are. It feels like we are missing a limb. Not so much as it is missing but more like being partially paralyzed. We see it lying there. But no matter what, we can’t get it to do what we want it to.
Even the president has been affected. He keeps asking for Josh by mistake.
He was furious to say the least when we finally told him. We held our staff meeting off till after she was sentenced.
Life at a psychiatric ward.
“Where’s Josh?” He immediately asked.
“He’s in the hospital Sir.”
“What happened?” The president sits down. He looks concerned.
Leo looks at all of us. This was his ball game. We are all happy to let him run it. “Sir, I’m sure you’ve notices Josh acting a bit odd lately.”
“Thought it was the sunburn and the stress from the bill. You did tell him that he did a good job?”
“Yes sir.”
“Than what is the problem?”
“Josh never made it to his vacation this past weekend.”
“Leo I don’t understand?” The president stood up and walked around his desk. “Just tell me what’s going on.”
“I’m trying sir, but it is hard with you constantly interrupting me.”
“Leo I’m sorry.” He sits down in one of the chairs as Leo starts to pace. It was easy to tell that the president was really shaken at Leo’s tone.
“Josh never made it to his vacation because he was held captive in his apartment.”
The president was definitely confused. Our normal 10 minute staff meeting lasted closer to an hour. I still don’t think that the president understood everything.
Hell, even
I don’t understand it. I mean I
understand the attraction, but not the psychosis. Either of theirs for that matter. Although Josh’s could be attributed to the
Now those were disturbing. She had turned one of Josh’s closets into a dark room and used it to develop the negatives.
She was definitely one sick puppy.
I look up from the file on my lap. His eyes are open again. Nothing unusual. We close them for him all the time but sometimes they involuntarily open. I get up to close them for him. If they sat open his eyes get dry.
“Hey what are you doing here?” A raspy voice asks me.
I look around.
“Claudia Jean?”
There is only one person who can call me that without me punching them.
“Josh, you are back.”
“I guess, back from where?”
“Just relax. I’m going to go and get you a doctor.” He’s back. I can’t believe it. I grab the first doctor I see. The doctor is as shocked as I was.
I stand by the bed as the doctor looks Josh over and asks him a few questions.
“CJ, do you mind?” He asks me as the doctor starts to remove the blanket.
“Not at all Josh. I’ve see it all already.”
“Aren’t you
supposed to be in
That’s when
it hits me. The questions the doctor
asked.
“Josh, I’ve been back for about two months already.” I see that he is getting agitated. “Don’t worry about it. You are probably just tired.” I quickly cover. I’m good at skipping over things I don’t want to talk about.
“Yeah, you are right.”
“Why don’t you rest Josh? We will talk more when you get back up.” The doctor says.
Josh closes his eyes and is immediately asleep.
I must call Leo.
“What’s wrong CJ?” Leo asks when I get him on the line.
“He’s awake.”
“What?”
“He’s awake. I even spoke to him a bit.”
“That’s great. How does he seem okay?”
“Tired. But Leo.”
“Yes?”
“He asked
when I got back from
“That was two months ago.
“Yes it is Leo.”
“Okay. Hold him off for a bit. We’ll come by in a few hours. I’m going to meet with Toby and Sam on this first.”
“Of course Leo. I’m going to stay and keep him company for a while.”
“You do that CJ. Take care of our boy.” I can’t help but smile as I hang up the phone and sit back down by Josh’s bed side.
I say a silent prayer and pick up my report. It’s nice that Josh is back.
Donna’s POV
I take Josh’s hand in mine. Physically it doesn’t feel any different than yesterday. But emotionally and psychologically it does. The past few weeks have been unreal for me.
At least his body has healed. The doctors did a good job. There are no scars. No where. Not even on his penis. I know I shouldn’t be thinking about that part of my boss but I was worried about it, like I am about the rest of him.
Besides, I saw the damage that was done to it. We all have. We just didn’t want him to be alone, without anyone he knows in case he wakes up.
I am honestly glad that CJ was here when he woke up and not me. I wouldn’t have known what to say to him.
“Donna?”
I look over. “Josh.” His voice is hoarse. I hold a cup with a straw to his lips. “Have a drink.”
He takes a few sips before letting the straw fall from his mouth. “Thanks.”
I brush his hair off his forehead. “How are you feeling?”
“Stiff.”
“Well you’ve been here about a month.”
“A month?”
“Yeah. We’ve been worried.”
“What happened?”
“What’s the last thing that you remember?”
His eyes
close and his forehead creases. I know
this is him thinking. “I was walking
home. I was on the phone with CJ. She just landed in
Toby and Leo already told me what to say if he doesn’t remember. Tell him the story that we told everyone else.
“Josh.” I put my hand on his arm. “That was about two months ago.”
“But I thought I’ve been here only a month.” He questions.
“Yes. You’ve been here a month. It seems you are suffering from short term amnesia. The doctor will talk to you more about this tomorrow,”
“Two months? I lost two months? What happened?”
“You were attacked. A mugging. They hit you over the head.”
“Oh.” Josh seems to think about this. “Why two months then?”
“That’s something that you should ask the doctors.” I know why two months.
I found the letters. There were ten of them. I remember getting them. I always put them on his desk with a sticky note of some sort. Always teasing him about his girlfriend. If we only knew. We all teased him. Maybe that is why he didn’t tell us what was going on?
I was looking for an extra pen and there they were. I tried to ignore them but I figured that his girlfriend would want to know he was hurt.
After I read the first one I ran into Toby’s office to show them to him. Leo ended up taking care of them. The less people involved, I was told.
The first one was dated about two months ago.
“So what have I missed?” Josh asks me.
I give him vague details about laws and bills going on. The knock on the door doesn’t come soon enough and Leo walking in with Toby and Sam.
“I hear we beat congress into an education bill.” Josh says.
That bill brings back too many memories. That was supposed to be a day of celebration. Unfortunately we all found out that one of us was in deep trouble. “There was no we. It was all you.” Sam tells him. Leo and Toby nod.
“I wish I could remember it.”
I don’t. “Don’t worry about it now.” Leo placates him.
“When can I get back to work?”
Leave it to Josh to want to get back into the swing of things. “That depends on what the doctors say tomorrow. If the doctors don’t have a problem, Donna can start catching you up.”
We definitely need to talk to his doctors tomorrow.
“Josh we can’t stay long. Some one can stay with you if you want.” He doesn’t need to know that some one has been with him constantly for the past month.
“I’ll be good. I’m tired. I’ll probably just go back to sleep.”
He does look tired. I surprised that this isn’t bothering him more. “That’s good. I’ll stay and keep you company for a bit.” I add. I’m really not ready to leave him alone yet.
Toby, Sam and Leo promise to come back tomorrow. Leo catches my eye and I nod. Yes Leo, we will talk tomorrow. A nurse comes in next with some food for Josh. Clear broth and Jell-O. Yum. Josh and I smile at each other. We know the drill.
I chat about inane things as Josh struggles to eat. I emphasize struggle. I can tell he isn’t used to moving his limbs. After 5 minutes of failed attempts I decide to try and help.
“Josh do you need help?”
Normally Josh would answer no. What I get is “Yes, please.” Okay. Maybe part of Josh does remember what happened.
Josh’s POV
It is great to be getting back to work. After two days the hospital and ten days in a rehab facility I’m back home.
But I’m not comfortable here. I look around and something doesn’t seem right. It might be because it is so clean. Donna said they got a cleaning crew in here to clean. Maybe they used a new cleaning solution that bothers me.
Maybe because I don’t remember being here for two months. I decide on a shower. I have two days before I have to be at work. I think I might spend that time looking for a new apartment.
Maybe that’s it. I need a new place to live. I’ll definitely start looking tomorrow.
My bed is heaven. There is nothing like ones own bed. I shut the lights and close my eyes.
I start awake. What was that noise? I get up and double check the locks. Must have been a neighbor coming home.
I crawl back into bed and shut the light again.
Another noise wakes me. Maybe I’m not tired. Luckily I have new Tom Clancy novel that Donna bought me. I turn on the light and start to read.
The alarm wakes me up. Huh? I must have fallen asleep while reading. I look that the book. I got to page three. I must have been more tired than I thought.
I shrug and start my day.
There is a new apartment some where with my name on it.
End