TRUST ISSUES
Donna was waiting for her office. When the President appeared the First Lady and she were talking about some fundraiser ideas in her office. The President said that he didn’t have much time anyway and that if Donna could step out, he and Helen could discuss their business in Donna’s office. Donna left without complaint, leaving the office door slightly open. She sent her assistant to the Mess, telling her to take a long break.
“Hey, beautiful,” Donna heard the familiar voice from behind. She turned and sent a smile at him. Josh arrived according to plan. They really did have luck, just as they hoped. Donna sent a quick thank-you up to the powers high atop and then turned back to Josh.
“Hi, Josh. Sorry, we have to wait a bit, they chose my office as their venue,” Donna said.
“They?”
“The President and the First Lady,” Donna said.
“And you are loitering here in case you have a chance to eavesdrop?” Josh teased her.
“Yeah, also standing guard. The President looked gloomy when he arrived,” Donna said, sticking to the truth.
“When was that?” Josh asked her.
“Four minutes ago,” Donna informed him, after looking down at her watch.
“I can’t believe this!” they heard Helen shriek. “You want to pocket veto my bill because of some stupid study?”
“Helen, I can’t let them to attach this study to the bill and we don’t have the votes otherwise. I’ll pocket veto it and you’ll come back with a new, improved bill. That’s what Josh tells me. And I trust him enough to listen. Let me set up a meeting with him and Donna, and we could go over the crucial points once again. We could invite Sam, too. He is really great at this.”
“You don’t have to sell Josh and Sam to me, Matt. I know that I have a lot to thank them for. But it took us two months to find a sponsor, Matt! This bill will sit in Committee forever again.”
“I know that. And I’m really sorry. I know it was my staff who botched up but I promise you we will help you next time too.”
“That should mean something to me?”
“Well, I know that right now I’m not your favorite people but you can trust Josh. He will do everything to help you and Donna. I know it doesn’t seem like we helped you but we could…”
“Why are you talking in this royal ‘we’, Matt? It was Amy Gardner who promised them that study, she screwed up.”
“So it comes back to Amy? Helen, I know that you can’t stand her but I can’t base my hiring policy on your feelings.”
“Right. What about Donna’s feelings?” Helen asked. “I’m just your wife; she is a woman you respect. Do you know what Amy told her when we initiated this bill? ‘Donna, I think it’s way over your head, let me handle this.’ ‘Donna, I know that Josh let you have some meetings for him but don’t think that gives you enough experience to deal with reluctant Congressmen.’ But let me tell you something, Matt, Donna was damn successful at winning those reluctant Representatives over. You want more of Amy’s tongue? How about this? ‘Donna, you had luck this time with Congressman Lassiter but in the future you should let me deal with him, we don’t want something to go wrong, we need his support for upcoming bills.’ And my personal favorite: ‘Donna, you know why Helen hired you, so don’t get upset when Congressmen don’t take your calls. You know she just needed another blonde next to whom she looked smart and competent.’”
“What?” Santos and Josh exclaimed at the same time. Josh stormed into the room, and although this wasn’t included in the plan, Donna didn’t really mind. She didn’t know that Helen heard all those remarks from Amy; she tried to forget them and not to let them get to her. They hurt but she was over it. And she didn’t want to tell Josh. She didn’t want to run to him whenever Amy was mean to her.
“Why didn’t you tell me about this?” Josh asked Donna accusingly.
“Because I didn’t need your ‘knight-in-shining-armor’ routine, Josh. I’m perfectly capable of dealing with Amy,” Donna said. “I appreciate your concern but don’t charge down to her offices and defend me. It wouldn’t do anything for my image; it would only damage my credibility. They’d think I ran to you when I couldn’t take it anymore from Amy.”
“Well, Donna, you are not taking it anymore from Amy,” Matthew Santos said. “She will have her resignation letter on my desk by midnight or I swear to God she will serve hamburgers at Tom’s on the Hill. Josh, you’ll make this clear to her.”
“Yes, sir,” Josh said with a nod and a satisfied smile.
“Sir, you don’t have to do this,” Donna told him.
“Donna, I can’t believe that Amy dared to utter such words. I can only hope that you know that we both, I mean Helen and I, think that you are a very capable Chief of Staff and that I really do appreciate your help and loyalty. And we have some serious talking to coming up, Helen,” President Santos said, turning to his wife. “I mean ‘I’m just your wife?’ What were you thinking by saying that?”
“It was just to make a point,” Helen said in an almost whisper.
“It’d be damn true or else…”
“Or else?” Helen asked chagrined.
“Or else I just have to prove to you how deep my respect for you runs,” the President backpedaled, and taking her hand into his, he lifted it to his mouth to press a gentle kiss on it.
“I see. Well, let’s just say I forgive you and then we can move on. Josh, what could we do to get the votes for the bill?”
“I think I should talk to Hamilton and Norman. I’ll tell them that Amy had no right to promise them something like that. They wouldn’t want anything else, so we can’t get them on board, but the study would come off. That’s a signal we need to send,” Josh said, echoing the President’s words from earlier when he made them promise never to let another ridiculous rider to be attached to a bill they initiated. “I’m sorry it’s your bill, ma’am, but it has to be done. We can’t be held hostage by our own Congress.”
“I’ll let Amy handle them,” the President inserted. “She can walk back on her own offer. Josh, I understand what Chiefs of Staff do, but this time I want Amy take the heat for this.”
“Thank you, Mr. President.”
“Maybe I could call Hamilton and Norman,” Helen thought aloud.
“With all due respect, but no, ma’am,” Josh shook his head. “They would know how much they are worth then, and I don’t want that. Give us a few days to come up with a solution. I trust my staff and I’m sure we can work something out. I’m sorry that we botched up your first bill.”
“Amy did it, Josh. Stop using the royal ‘we,’” Helen warned him.
“Yes, ma’am,” Josh said with a nod. “And sorry for barging in, it was just what you said.”
“I understand, Josh,” Helen said, patting his right upper arm. “Matt?” She turned to her husband who was looking at her contemplative.
“I just find it very interesting that I was witness of Josh’s little outburst and he heard me having a discussion with you,” Santos said, eying Helen and Donna suspiciously.
“What kind of outburst, sir?” Josh asked him dumbfounded.
“Earlier today, I heard you and Sam discussing the bill in your office. I was talking to Donna in the Oval Office, and we were distracted by your raised voice,” President Santos said with a good-natured sarcasm.
“Yeah, that conversation got away from me pretty fast. And now that I remember, Sam pushed all the right buttons… And Sam was here last night, right, ma’am?”
“We were discussing the bill, Josh,” Helen said, looking him straight in the eye.
“Okay, keep your secrets but I know you are plotting something,” Josh said, looking from Helen to Donna.
“Josh, you coming back to the West Wing?” Santos asked. “I think we need to get preemptive and proactive.”
“You can scheme and you can plot as much as you like,” Helen said. “Just don’t forget one thing, Matthew Santos.”
“Yes, my dear?”
“I have the power to withhold sex from you,” Helen said and then burst out in laughter when they saw the leader of the free world blush. Josh was barely able to suppress a laugh.
“And I wouldn’t be so gleeful, Joshua Lyman,” Donna warned him. “The same goes for you.”
“You couldn’t withhold sex from me, Donatella,” he said with a smug smile.
“Just try me, Joshua,” Donna said with a sober expression.
“Yeah, I don’t think I will,” Josh said giving in, making Helen howl with laughter.
GO TO PART SIX