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Title: The Shadows Grow Long 6/18
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Tuesday, 8:56am, Private Waiting Room, GW Hospital, Wash, D.C.
Donna had spent the last 7 hours in the observation room at the hospital. It felt like she had one nerve left, and everybody was trodding on it. In fact, if one more person told her she should go lie down, why, she'd... she'd...
She considered the absurdity of the situation with a watery chuckle. She was so tired she didn't even know what she'd say to the next "unlucky" person to suggest she go lie down. Maybe she'd just cry all over them. That'd certainly teach 'em to harass a woman with only one nerve left.
All she knew and could focus on was that Josh had finally come off of bypass. That strong, amazing heart had started pumping again... (please, God, keep that strong, amazing heart pumping).
A little over a half hour ago Dr. Bartlet had led Donna out of the observation room and back to the waiting room, telling her that the doctors were about ready to "finish up the surgery" and that Donna should wait outside for "a bit" until she could see Josh in recovery ... and Donna had just followed her. That was right before they started the procedure to remove the bypass. Had Donna known what was going to happen next Abbey never could have gotten her to leave. Shouldn't a doctor - and a First Lady - be more trustworthy? Donna thought, not realizing that she had just been "managed".
But when Abbey told her that the removal of the bypass had been successful, Donna lost it. She�d had to run off to the bathroom where she cried a pent-up 14 hours worth of tears, sobbing from every part of her body in a very unlady-like fashion. After crawling out of the ladies room when her crying jag had tapered off, she was finally able to blow her nose and breathe again.
Now she just waited for the doctor to give her the word that she could go to him� to see him, touch him, feel the warmth of his skin. Since the moment when Toby told her that Josh had been shot, she was finally becoming aware of what was going on around her.
People from the hospital and the White House had been coming in and out of the waiting room all night: doctors, nurses, Secret Service, White House staffers. She could figure out who was on which team� mostly by their appearance, but also their actions.
Yet there was one woman in the room that Donna didn't recognize as being on either team... she was sitting alone, all by herself, quietly sobbing. The White House staff in the room kept looking at her as if they didn't know what to do with her. The hospital staff looked at her with understanding in their eyes but knew they had to care for their patients, so they walked past on their way to their critical duties. Dr. Bartlet - on both the medical and the White House team - had spent some time talking to the woman earlier, comforting her and discussing some medical concerns. Up until this moment Donna's whole focus had been on Josh, but now � as Donna was coming out of her fog - she had to know...
She got up and walked over, "Dr. Bartlet? Dr. Bartlet, who's that woman over there that you were talking to?" Donna quietly asked.
The First Lady was surprised, "Donna, that's Mrs. Abbott, Stephanie's mother."
"Stephanie? Who's Stephanie?"
That was when Abbey realized that Donna hadn't been aware of anything going on around her all night, not unless it directly affected Josh. Donna hadn't even realized that anyone else had been injured, well, except for the President.
Abbey took her hand, getting her to sit down, "Donna, honey, Stephanie Abbott was the third person shot last night, besides the President and Josh. She's just come out of surgery for a gunshot wound to the thigh."
Donna's tissue-filled hand went to her mouth to cover the gasp, and she almost started crying again. "I didn�t realize� Is Stephanie... is she going to be okay?"
Still holding Donna's hand, Abbey smiled sharing the good news, "Yes, her doctor came out of the operating room a little after you came out of the observation room. She told us that Stephanie's surgery went well, and that she's going to be okay. I think Mrs. Abbott is just taking a moment to pull herself together."
Donna looked over at the woman who was still taking deep breaths, trying to get her crying under control. It was a familiar tactic; Donna had tried the same thing earlier.
She got up, walked over to the woman, and held out a box of kleenex. The woman seemed startled to see the box move into her line of vision, but her eyes followed the hand holding the box up to Donna's face. As they looked at each other - two women with red, puffy eyes, tears in their lashes and streaked across their cheeks, their noses running - they smiled softly at each other. And wiped their noses in unison. When they realized what they had just done, these two tired women burst out laughing and crying together, hugging each other as if they had both just returned victorious from the same battlefield.
email Teresa
mercier_beaucoup at yahoo.com
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