Realizations &Revelations

<body topmargin=0 leftmargin=0 marginheight=0 marginwidth=0> <table cellpadding=0 cellspacing=0 border=0 height="100%"><tr> <td valign="top" width=200 BGCOLOR="#003399" TEXT="#080000" background="03fc8c00erkjxk.jpg"> <div> <B>Just when things are starting to calm down, Josh and Donna face a crisis...  </B></div> </td> <td valign="top" BGCOLOR="#0066CC" TEXT="#080000"> <div> <FONT SIZE="5" COLOR="#99CCFF" FACE="Edwardian Script ITC" ><B>Smiles, Tears, & Happy Endings</B></FONT><FONT SIZE="1" COLOR="#FFFF99" FACE="Arial" > </FONT><FONT SIZE="1" COLOR="#FFFFFF" FACE="Arial" > </FONT><FONT SIZE="1" COLOR="#CC0000" FACE="Arial" > </FONT>  |     <A HREF="index.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Smiles, Tears, Happy Endings"><U>home</U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="id18.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Brandys Stories"><U>Brandy's Stories</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id24.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="The Other Side"><U>The Other Side</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id25.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Getaway"><U>Getaway</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id32.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Deserved Recognition"><U>Deserved Recognition</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id33.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="The End of These Days"><U>The End of These Days</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id34.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Moving On"><U>Moving On</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id35.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Lessons Learned Shared"><U>Lessons- Learned & Shared</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id43.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="So, I Had This Dream..."><U>So, I Had This Dream...</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id214.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="The Perfect Plan"><U>The Perfect Plan</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id215.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="The Incredibly Campy Road Trip From Hell"><U>The Incredibly Campy Road Trip From Hell</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id216.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="A Whole New Story"><U>A Whole New Story</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id217.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="What Are Friends For? 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Josh had given his deposition, and while it was not an event that he ever wished to repeat again, it was not as bad as he had expected. Given the way Donna had been questioned about his health issues, he had anticipated having to answer some pretty harsh and intrusive questions. That had, surprisingly, not been the case. Oh, there were some glancing questions about the shooting, and his lengthy recuperation, but nothing about his mental state as a result of it. After some reflection, Josh developed a theory as to why that had happened.</div> <div>   Shortly after Donna’s deposition, Josh had received a visit from Congressman Skinner. It had started out as an impromptu discussion about a matter before the appropriations committee, that the Congressman had some interest in. That portion of the conversation had been dispensed with rather easily, and just as Josh thought they were about to take their leave of each other, Matt Skinner said something that kind of surprised him.</div> <div>   " I want to say how sorry I am that Donna’s deposition took the turn it did."</div> <div> Josh watched him carefully for a moment, trying to determine if there was some underlying meaning to his words. Worrying that he was becoming a tad too suspicious, he decided that Matt was just being a friend.</div> <div>   " I appreciate that, Matt. I know if it was up to you, it’s not something that would have come up."</div> <div>   " Yeah- well, I just wanted to let you know that I didn’t agree with it. How is Donna, by the way?" Matt asked, a trace of a smile on his lips.</div> <div>   " She’s good. She’s still keeping me on the ball. She’s tougher than she looks", Josh concluded with a smile of his own.</div> <div>   " I got that impression a long time ago", Matt said rising, and getting ready to leave,   "Tell her I said hello."</div> <div>   Josh replied that he would, and after shaking hands with one another, Matt left.</div> <div> A few minutes later, Toby stopped at the door of Josh’s office. </div> <div>   " You met with Skinner on the appropriations thing?"</div> <div>   " Yeah", Josh replied, flipping through some notes on his desk.</div> <div>   " How’d it go?" </div> <div>   " About like I thought it would. He agreed with the things I thought he would, and said he would take the others under advisement. Nothing out of the ordinary. Why?"</div> <div>   " Just curious", Toby replied.</div> <div>   " Okay…", Josh said, giving Toby an odd look before going back to his work. Toby left, Josh presumed, to go back to his office. It wasn’t until Sam stopped by later that he found out this hadn’t been the case.</div> <div>   " I thought you were the one meeting with Skinner about the appropriations thing", Sam asked, settling into the chair across from Josh, after helping himself to an apple from the bowl of fruit that Donna always managed to keep filled in Josh’s office.</div> <div>   " I did", Josh replied, looking a little confused.</div> <div>   " Really? I just saw him and Toby talking in the Mess."</div> <div>   " You’re sure?" Josh asked.</div> <div>   " Well… Toby’s fairly hard to miss, and I do know what Matt Skinner looks like- so yeah, I’m pretty sure", Sam replied with a little grin.</div> <div>   " I wonder what that’s all about?" Josh muttered, more to himself than to Sam.</div> <div>   " I have no idea."</div> <div>   " Okay. Did you come in here just to steal my produce , or did you have a reason for interrupting my busy day?" Josh asked with a smirk.</div> <div>   " I came in to ask if you and Donna want to come over tonight, order a couple of pizzas and watch the game", Sam offered, polishing off the last of the apple and tossing the remains in the wastebasket.</div> <div>   " Sorry, we can’t make it. I’ve got to go over some stuff for my deposition next week, and Donna’s got this thing with her roommate…some birthday thing or something."</div> <div>   " Okay. Maybe some other time", Sam replied, getting up and walking to the door.</div> <div>   " You bet…Hey, Sam?"</div> <div>   " Yeah?"</div> <div>   " You really don’t have any idea what Toby and Matt Skinner were talking about?" </div> <div>   " I really don’t. I’ll see you later, Josh", Sam replied and went back to his office, leaving Josh to his somewhat puzzled thoughts.</div> <bR> <div>   Donna came back to Josh’s office about an hour after Sam had left. She had been helping the President with one thing or another. Even though he had filled Mrs. Landingham’s position, at least temporarily, he still liked to ‘borrow’ Donna occasionally. In the few light moments there had been recently, President Bartlet occasionally threatened to steal Donna away on a more permanent basis. Even though Josh knew he was teasing for the most part, the thought still made him uncomfortable. It would be a wonderful opportunity for her if he did actually offer it to her, and one that she couldn’t afford to pass up. However it made him cringe when he thought of what it would be like not to work side by side with her every day. He pushed those thoughts away when he saw her walk in and drop into the chair across from him. She looked tired, but she was smiling. She was always smiling when she came back from working on something for the President. Josh had come to the conclusion that she was still extremely flattered that of all the people he could call on, he called for her when he had a pet project he wanted to research. Of course, Josh always took this as his cue to tease her a little.</div> <div>   " So, did you and the President have another successful meeting of the secret society of trivia geeks?" Josh asked with one of his patented cocky grins.</div> <div>   " One of these days I’m going to tell the President you call him a geek behind his back", Donna warned, trying her best to hide her smile. </div> <div>   " In all honesty, I’m pretty sure he already knows that…besides, I was actually calling both of you geeks", Josh pointed out, his grin widening.</div> <div>   " And you’ll receive suitable punishment for that remark." </div> <div>   " Threatening me with ‘tough love’ again, Donna?" Josh remarked, with a little leer.</div> <div>   " Actually - I was thinking of giving the pleasure of your impending, and well deserved punishment to the President", she replied with a satisfied smirk. </div> <div>   " You’ve got a pretty healthy mean streak there, Donnatella", he observed , losing a little of his smirk.</div> <div>   " Why, thank you, Joshua", Donna replied with a wide smile, then, as she was prone to do, changed conversational topics with her customary abruptness. " I heard you had a meeting with Congressman Skinner."</div> <div>   " Yeah, we were discussing the appropriations bill. He told me to tell you hi, and…" Josh trailed off, thinking once again about the comment Matt had made.</div> <div>   " And?" , Donna prompted.</div> <div>  " He apologized for the way your deposition was handled."</div> <div>  " Hmmm.."</div> <div>  " What’s that mean?"</div> <div>  " Nothing. Only…well, it doesn’t really surprise me. Congressman Skinner isn’t as prone to take the low-minded path that some of his fellow Republicans favor. Not to mention the fact that, politics aside, you two are friends." </div> <div>  " That’s true", he agreed, and the subject ended there. They discussed his schedule for the rest of the day and she reminded him of some things that she had already taken care of for him, since she wouldn’t be there this evening.</div> <div>   " You will try to contain your joy at having a night off won’t you- and try not to get to rowdy with your friends?" Josh said, only half teasing.</div> <div>   " Josh, I don’t get rowdy. If I ever knew how to get rowdy, then I’ve certainly forgotten since I’ve been working for you", Donna remarked with wry humor and an arched brow.</div> <div>   " Are you trying to say I’m no fun?", Josh asked, almost pouting.</div> <div>  " You have your moments", Donna replied, relenting in her teasing long enough to lean over and give him a quick peck on the cheek as she left his office. He was watching her leave and as she reached the closed door, she turned a little and looking over her shoulder, she gave him a wink and a smile. He sat back in his chair, chuckling to himself, thinking that he was right when he told Matt that Donna kept him on the ball. She did indeed.</div> <bR> <div>   Josh’s deposition, which lasted a grand total of a day and a half, was surprisingly painless. He had been expecting a lot worse, so he was both relieved and a little puzzled when it ended with relative ease. Since he lived in the world of national politics, he was naturally suspicious of the relative ease of his deposition, all things considered. After a little careful checking, he came to the conclusion that someone had made the suggestion to certain well chosen republicans that it would not be in their best interests to use any possible after-effects of the shooting for self-serving purposes. In other words, the message had been sent- you want to use the shooting to make either the President or Josh Lyman look like liabilities, the administration would use it to make them look like heroes. If his theory was correct, he was glad that it had worked out the way it had. He didn’t exactly relish the notion of being publicly martyred. </div> <div>   After most of the depositions and hearings had been concluded, things started to reach a more normal state of controlled chaos. It was the kind of chaos they all were used to. The normal everyday tempo of tending to the peoples business, and they all were enjoying it with new appreciation. It was in the midst of this renewed comfort that Sam approached Josh about taking him up his earlier invitation for pizza and beer and a late Sunday afternoon of football. Josh checked with Donna, who said it sounded like just the kind of relaxation and fun they all needed. Eventually, CJ , Toby, and even Ainsley ended up being included. Times and details were worked out before they parted that Saturday afternoon, and later Josh would think how blissfully ignorant they had all been of the wheels of fate that had just been set in motion.</div> <bR> <div> ************************************************************************</div> <div>    They had all agreed to meet at Josh’s apartment. Even though Sam had been the one to suggest the get-together, they had decided to do it at Josh’s place since it was bigger, and Josh pointed out that his cable was more reliable. Everyone was supposed to arrive around three-thirty, as neither Josh or Sam wanted to miss the kickoff which was scheduled for four o’clock. </div> <div>   Toby was coming with CJ since his car was in the shop again. CJ had been razzing him about replacing it. He argued that he couldn’t afford it right now. She would retort that he should have paid more attention to his ‘stock’- always stressing it’s singularity. They would go around like this, in their old familiar dance of thrust and parry, until one of the others would step in. This usually occurred right before one or the other of them could really sink their teeth in with their biting wit. There was nothing malicious or mean about it; they just liked to do their little verbal sparring dance every once in awhile. It was like Josh and Donna with the banter- only on a whole different level. </div> <div>   Everyone was starting to arrive when Josh’s phone rang. He walked over to answer it, still laughing at CJ and Toby’s antics. It was Donna.</div> <div>   " Hey, where are you? I expected you a while ago…" </div> <div>   " I got stuck helping Cammie with something. It took a little longer than I thought. I’ll be there shortly. Do you want me to pick up anything on my way?" Donna asked.</div> <div>   " I don’t know…maybe some of those hot wings from that place near you?" he suggested and was not surprised to hear Donna’s reply.</div> <div>   " You don’t need to eat anything that greasy or spicy", she replied disapprovingly, just as Josh had suspected. That was okay. He had his counter-argument all figured out.</div> <div>   " I know that. I’m not thinking of me…I was thinking of CJ. She loves those things. You’ve got to think of the others, Donna", Josh implored.</div> <div>   " You really expect me to believe that, don’t you?"</div> <div>   " Well…yeah." </div> <div>   " Okay, fine. I’ll pick some up- but if I see you eat any, you are in big trouble, buster", she warned, knowing full well that Josh hadn’t been thinking of CJ in the least when he asked for them.</div> <div>   " Thank you, Donna", Josh smiled, thinking how nice it was to love a woman who knew him so well, and loved him despite his faults.</div> <div>   " You’re welcome-I guess. Anything else?"</div> <div>   " Just you…and soon, please. I miss you."</div> <div>   " You just saw me last night", Donna replied, but the tenderness in her voice said that she was touched by his statement.</div> <div>   "Seems like a long time ago to me. Hurry up."</div> <div>   " I love you too, Josh" , she said, knowing that’s what he had been saying to her. Josh looked at the crowd of friends in his living room, and knew that it wouldn’t be complete until she was there.</div> <div>   " Me too. Hurry." </div> <div>   With that, they hung up and Josh turned his attention back to his friends, who were now engaged in a rather heated debate over what toppings they would order on the pizza. Sam wanted anchovies, CJ was arguing in favor of ham and pineapple. Ainsley, of course, wanted everything on it. Toby was of the opinion that it really didn’t matter, since  it was impossible to get decent pizza outside of New York, anyway. Josh, wisely, stayed on the sidelines of this little debate, preferring to watch with increasing amusement. ‘It really is astounding that these people hold the positions they do’, he thought, shaking his head in amused wonder.</div> <div>   They finally reached a level of agreement on the pizza issue, deciding to order one of every kind that had been suggested, and ignoring Toby’s disparaging comments about any pizza made in the D.C. area. After that, they settled in to watch the game, Josh only occasionally looking to the front door, waiting for Donna to arrive.</div> <div>   The pizza arrived near the end of the first quarter of the game, but Donna still hadn’t shown up. It was at this point that Josh felt the first pangs of worry. It wasn’t like Donna to be late, and traffic surely couldn’t be that bad on a Sunday afternoon. He got up from the sofa, ignoring the others as they complained over a bad call the official had just made, and went to look out the window that faced the street. At some point Sam turned to where he was standing, and exclaimed, " Josh, did you see that? I can’t believe he didn’t throw a flag on that play!"   </div> <div>   " What?" Josh asked, still surveying the street below for any sign of Donna. Sam noticed the distraction in his voice and the worried crease of his brow.</div> <div>   "Hey- what’s the matter?"</div> <div>   " Donna’s not here yet."</div> <div>  " She probably got hung up. She called, didn’t she?" </div> <div>  " Yeah- she was helping her roommate with something…"</div> <div>  " Well, there you go. Something else probably came up-" Sam was trying to be reasonable and encouraging.</div> <div>   " She would have called back. She said she was on her way when she called earlier. That was almost an hour ago." </div> <div>  Sam could hear the worry in his voice, and knew that Josh wouldn’t be satisfied until he either saw or heard from Donna. Sam stood there for a few moments, trying to think of something constructive to offer, when Josh let out a sigh of  frustration and turning away from the window, said, " I’m going to try to get her on her cell."</div> <div>  Just as he was about to pick up the phone, it rang. Josh saw Sam smile and gesture to the phone, as if to say, ‘See. I told you. She’s fine.’</div> <div>   Josh picked up the phone, relief already starting to relax his features, since he was as sure as Sam that it was Donna on the other end of the line. He was sure she was about to launch into some colorful and meandering explanation of what had caused her to be wherever she was, instead of being there. He didn’t hear that. In fact, he wasn’t sure exactly what he was hearing on the other end. There was someone yelling in the background, and he heard a scream at one point, followed by what could only be described as a howl of rage. When the others, not knowing what Josh was hearing on the other end of the phone, started cheering over a touchdown, Josh turned to them and yelled for them to shut-up. That was enough to get everyone’s attention, and they all turned to him in confusion and concern. Sam, who had been watching Josh since he picked up the phone, walked over and hit a button on the remote, turning it off. The room fell silent as they all watched Josh. </div> <div>   Josh was oblivious to the eyes on him. The only thing holding his attention was the sounds coming through the phone- sounds that didn’t make any sense. Then he heard two sounds- one rapidly following the other, that he had no trouble distinguishing. A gunshot and screaming. Josh closed his eyes as those two sounds provoked memories  better left undisturbed. He struggled to get himself under control, and when he regained a little calm, he began to wonder if this wasn’t some sort of sick practical joke. A glance at his caller I.D disputed that theory pretty quickly. His heart sank as he realized the number listed there was Donna’s cell phone number.</div> <div>   " Donna?" Josh spoke into the phone, his voice shaking with fear and anxiety.</div> <div>  It was oddly quiet after the gunshot and screaming had died away. He heard some noises, but they were mostly indistinct, then he heard the yelling again. It was a man, and Josh was sure he heard the words ‘brother’ and ‘shot’. Grabbing a pen from the table and one of the flyers from the pizza delivery place, Josh scribbled , ‘Call 911-  shots fired ! NOW!’ and handed it to CJ, who was now standing directly beside him. When CJ looked at him, confused and anxious, Josh hit the speakerphone button on the phone and set the receiver in the cradle.</div> <div> The sounds, the yelling and screaming that Josh had been hearing, were now filling the living room. Josh looked at her for the briefest moment, and said only, "Donna’s there."</div> <div>   This galvanized CJ into action. Grabbing her cell phone out of her bag, she crossed the room and dialed the number, speaking quietly and urgently to the dispatcher on the other end of the line. After a few moments, CJ walked back over to where they all stood, each with varying expressions of shock and worry, Josh’s being the worst of all. He stood closer than the others, his eyes wide and his hand over his mouth, his other arm crossed over his chest, almost in a protective pose, as if he could shield himself from what he was hearing and the mental images those sounds provoked. CJ touched Josh’s arm, not really surprised when he jumped a little before he turned to face her. She could feel the tension coursing through him. The look in his eyes as he faced her almost reduced CJ to tears.</div> <div>   " I gave the police her cell number, and they say as long as the line stays open they can run down her location. It will take a little while though", CJ stated in a low, controlled voice. Josh’s eyes narrowed at that last statement, and CJ noticed the muscle flexing in his jaw as he rasped, " How long?"</div> <div>   "Possibly as long as thirty minutes", CJ replied, bleakly. </div> <div>   "What if she doesn’t have that long?" Josh ground out, and turned away from her, his attention once more focused on the phone in front of him. CJ knew that he wasn’t waiting for a response. She knew the only thing he wanted to hear was Donna’s voice, telling him that she was alright and everything was okay. CJ motioned Toby over to the other side of the room, and waited until he joined her.</div> <div>   " Call Leo and tell him what’s going on. I gave the police my cell number, and I want to keep the line clear. See if you can get him to lean on D.C.P.D, maybe hurry the trace in some way."</div> <div>   " CJ, I ‘m sure they’re doing it as quickly as they can."</div> <div>  " Just do it, Toby", CJ replied, her voice taking on an edge that was rare for her. Toby recognized that it was fear and worry that was causing it, and while he felt it no less, he knew that at least one of them had to stay as calm as possible.</div> <div>   " Okay. It’s worth a shot, anyway. CJ…" </div> <div>   " Yeah?" </div> <div>   " She’ll be okay." </div> <div>   " You’re sure of that?  Are you , Toby?", CJ asked, and Toby could hear the cynicism that she tried so hard to keep at bay creeping into her voice.</div> <div>   " Yes", Toby replied, and when he saw her eyes soften just a little, knew that, for now, she believed his rather blatant lie. He knew she believed it, like him, because she wanted to. She touched his shoulder and then walked back to the group huddled around the phone, listening for, hoping for, the sound of Donna’s voice. There was precious little to hear now, except for the occasional frightened whimper, or the anguished and angry yelling of the man that they assumed was wielding the gun. There were other sounds, but they were mostly indistinguishable. There was an air of expectancy in the room that starting to wear on all of them, but especially Josh. Just when he thought he would jump out of his skin if he heard another scream or sob, he was rewarded with the one sound he had been waiting so fervently for. Donna’s voice. She, however, wasn’t talking to him.</div> <div>    " Please listen to me. Your friend needs medical attention. If you give yourself up, he can get it."</div> <div>   " Shut up! I told you before to shut up! He’s not my friend…he’s my…my brother."</div> <div>   " Oh…well, that’s even more reason. You don’t want your brother to die. That other man- the one you shot- he looks bad too. If you get him help, it will go easier on you." </div> <div>   " Screw him. He shot my brother- let him die. He deserves it." </div> <div>   " But if he dies-"</div> <div>   " I told you to shut up! I don’t care! I’m not going back to jail . I’ve just got to think of a way to get us out of here…"</div> <div>   " The police can help you if you-"</div> <div>   " I’m not telling you again. Shut the fuck up! I can’t think with you babbling at me. Now, shut up before I shut you up!" </div> <div>   All of them standing there listening could tell that he, whoever he was, was very close to Donna from the increased volume of his voice. After a moment, they heard him yelling at someone away from Donna, and Josh, his voiced choked with emotion leaned in close to the phone. </div> <div>   " Donna…I don’t know if you can hear me, but help’s on the way. I promise. Just hold on. I love you, Donna." </div> <div>   He listened closely, hoping and praying to hear her acknowledge him. To say anything. When nothing came his head dropped into his arms. Then another sound came through the lines. A sound he dreaded more than any other. Another shot and the line went dead.</div> <div>   " NO!!!" Josh yelled, grabbing the phone and yelling Donna’s name over and over. In the midst of this, CJ’s phone rang, everyone but Josh turning at the sound. She spoke into it for a moment, before turning to the rest of them. </div> <div>   " That was the police. They’ve got her location." </div> <div>  These were the only words that could have reached Josh at that particular moment. He stood, and walked towards the door, practically knocking the others out of his way.</div> <div>   " Let’s go." </div> <div>   They  looked at each other for a moment before following after Josh. One thing was clear in all of their expressions. Fear of what they would find when they reached their destination.</div> <bR> <div> ************************************************************************  </div> <bR> <div>   They caught up with Josh out on the sidewalk. With a minimum of discussion, it was decided that Josh would ride with CJ and Toby. Sam and Ainsley would follow them in his car. Josh hadn’t said a word to anyone since he had left his apartment, so CJ was a little surprised when he asked her something once they were on their way. He asked where they had located Donna. </div> <div>   " Some little store…The Barton Market", CJ replied, glancing at Josh when she did. She was shocked to see his eyes widen and his face pale significantly. He looked as if he was about to pass out. She quickly pulled over to the side of the road, anxiously turning to Josh once she was out of traffic.</div> <div>   " Josh, what’s wrong? Are you alright?" she asked, looking first at Josh , then over her shoulder at Toby, then back to Josh.</div> <div>   " No…yes. God, CJ , don’t stop. Please, let’s just get there", Josh said in a low, desperate voice. </div> <div>   " Are you sure?" CJ asked, clearly worried about the state of his health. He, frankly, looked like a man about to have a heart attack. </div> <div>   " Yes. I need to be there. Now."</div> <div>   With a sigh of resignation, CJ pulled back into traffic and continued towards their destination. Josh didn’t say another word for the rest of the drive. He stayed slumped and huddled against the door, looking sightlessly out the window. CJ had never seen a more desolate expression on anyone than the one that was so clearly etched on Josh’s face at that moment.</div> <bR> <div>   They arrived at the location the police had given them only to find that the block had been cordoned off. They parked their cars as close as possible to the police perimeter and walked forward until they were stopped by one of the patrol officers doing crowd control. CJ told him who she was, and told him they needed to see the lead detective on the scene. He looked as though he was about to argue with her, but after glancing from her to Josh and Toby who were standing on either side of her, he relented. With a shrug, he walked across the street to speak to the detective in charge. </div> <div>   The whole area was a chaos of activity. There were at least a half  dozen patrol cars around the perimeter, and at least two EMS vehicles standing by. Josh was only peripherally aware of the activity. His sole focus of attention was the storefront across the street. It was one of those little family-owned stores. The kind that ran credit accounts for some of it’s regular customers, but didn’t take credit cards. The owners, a couple in their late fifties, ran the place with the help of their son and daughter. Lately though, it had just been the two of them, since the kids were off at college. A couple of years ago, they had added a deli. The deli had sparked a lot of extra business for them, the hot wings they served were, by far, the best around. At least, they were the best Josh had ever tasted. The very same hot wings that Josh had asked Donna to pick up on her way to his place today. She was in there because of him. </div> <div>   Sam kept a careful eye on Josh while they waited to speak to the detective. He was worried about Donna, just like everyone else, but he couldn’t do anything to help her. He really couldn’t do anything to help Josh either, except look out for him. He could only imagine the kind of thoughts that were going through Josh’s head right now. He knew what a highly defined sense of guilt Josh had. Especially when it came to those he was closest to. He knew about his sister, but very little. Which was to say, he knew that Josh felt guilty about something regarding his sisters death, but not what that something was. Of all of them, with the exception of Leo, he had known Josh the longest. With the exception of Donna, he knew him the best. So at that moment, his fear for Donna was inextricably linked with his fear for Josh.</div> <div>   Toby knew that Josh was very close to the breaking point. The signs were all there. He knew that the only thing holding Josh together at the moment was the tenuous thread of hope that Donna would walk out of this alive and well. He also knew that every moment spent waiting without any word of news was stretching that thread closer and closer to the breaking point. Seeing the officer they had spoken to a moment ago, Toby got his attention, and moved slightly away from the others.</div> <div>   " Officer, I need you to do something and I need you to do it right now."</div> <div>   " Mr. Ziegler, I told the detective you wanted to talk to him. He’ll be over as soon as he can."</div> <div>   " Officer, I don’t think you fully appreciate the situation. There is a White House staff member being held in there. Now, I want you to go over there and tell that detective to get his ass over here now!" Toby’s voice had risen significantly on those last six words. Enough to gain the attention of everyone in the immediate area. The officer looked around quickly, not particularly relishing the added attention. He looked at Toby again, and saw that this could quickly turn into a situation that he didn’t want any part of.</div> <div>   " I trust we understand each other, Officer", Toby said, already knowing the answer.</div> <div>  The officer nodded and walked over to where the detective stood, and even from his vantage point , Toby could tell he was communicating the message with all possible urgency.</div> <div>   " Was that really necessary?" CJ asked, leaning close so she wouldn’t be overheard.</div> <div>   " Look at Josh, and ask me that again… if you need to", Toby replied.</div> <div> CJ didn’t need to look. She knew he was right.</div> <bR> <div>   Less than five minutes had passed before the detective came over to where they were standing. Approaching CJ, he put out his hand in greeting, " Ms. Cregg? I’m Detective Morgan."</div> <div> CJ took the offered hand and briefly told him who the others were.</div> <div>  " What’s the situation at this point?" </div> <div>  Morgan look around briefly at the onlookers, " Why don’t we speak over here", he said, directing them into a pharmacy behind them where the police had set up a command post.</div> <div>  When they had all filed in, Morgan shut the door behind them. </div> <div>   " Well?" CJ prompted.</div> <div>   " We know that two perps went into the market at about three forty-five, both armed, looking to rob the place. Apparently they thought they’d get a significant enough haul to suit their purposes, because it was general practice for the Barton’s not to do a bank drop during the weekend. As far as we can determine, there are three other customers in there in addition to the owner, Ralph Barton, and your friend…Miss Moss, is it?" CJ nodded and he continued on.</div> <div>   " We  received an alarm dispatch for this location about twenty-five minutes before you called us. The alarm dispatch was apparently…ah…mishandled." </div> <div>   " Mishandled? What the hell’s that supposed to mean?" Toby asked, his voice dangerously calm. </div> <div>   " It means that it wasn’t given the proper priority. Apparently, the Barton Market had just recently installed their alarm system and they’d been having numerous problems with it. My best guess is they thought it was another false alarm. So it wasn’t placed in immediate priority."</div> <div>   " Do you know anything else about what’s going on right now, Detective Morgan? Has the man holding them been in contact with you?" CJ asked. </div> <div>   " No. We tried to initiate contact, but so far- no luck. We know shots were fired, but not who was hit or how badly. I’m sorry I can’t tell you more", Morgan replied, looking as if he was preparing to leave and return to his position outside. CJ and Toby exchanged a look of incredulity, and then CJ turned back to the detective. </div> <div>   " One of the customers, or the owner, was hit. He shot one of the robbers. From what we understand, the robbers are brothers, and one of them is hurt pretty badly. The one who wasn’t shot has been in jail before. We don’t know about the other one."</div> <div>   " How do you know this?" Morgan asked, astounded at the wealth of information they possessed.</div> <div>   " Donna was speaking to one of the men. She was trying to encourage him to give himself up. To get help for his brother- only she said friend. He corrected her. Telling her it  was his brother", CJ replied.</div> <div>   " You heard the entire conversation?" Morgan asked.</div> <div>   " Yes, we all did." </div> <div>   " I wish I could. It might help a lot", Morgan said, sighing over the missed opportunity to get inside the head of the guy that was holding those people hostage.</div> <div>   " I have a transcript of sorts…" Ainsley offered. Everyone in the room turned to look at her, with the exception of Josh. He was still standing at the door of the pharmacy, his eyes never leaving the market across the street.</div> <div>   Ainsley blushed slightly when all the attention turned to her. She had been so uncharacteristically quiet since everything started, the rest of them had almost forgotten she was there.</div> <div>   " You have what?" CJ asked, her tone bordering on disbelief. </div> <div>   " Well…when we heard Donna’s voice on the phone I started making notes. I wrote down everything that was said, and whatever noises or things I heard in the background", Ainsley explained, her discomfort increasing when they all continued to look at her as if she’d grown an extra head. She shrugged and said, " I can’t help it. It’s the lawyer in me." </div> <div>  Detective Morgan was the first one to say anything, and even he couldn’t help but smile a little. </div> <div>   " Please tell me that you have those notes with you, Miss….?" </div> <div>   " Hayes. Ainsley Hayes. Yes I have them", Ainsley replied, reaching into her purse and handing the detective a small notebook. She watched as he skimmed the notes. He looked back up at all of them, and especially Ainsley.</div> <div>   " These might be very helpful." taking one more glance at them as he walked to the door, Morgan shook his head, smiling a little, " I’ve got to say, this friend of yours, Miss Moss- she appears to be a very brave, exceptional woman." </div> <div>   " You have no idea", Josh said, holding the gaze of the detective that was standing next to him when he spoke. The look between them last only a moment, but it was long enough for Detective Morgan to see the unimaginable fear and anguish in Josh’s eyes. Morgan tried to give him a smile of encouragement, but instinctively he knew that it wouldn’t be any comfort. As his gaze traveled from Josh to each of the others standing there, that instinct became fact. At this point there was no comfort beyond the one that would be received when their friend came out of this alive and well. It was his job to ensure that happened…and soon. </div> <div>    </div> <div>  ********************************************************************** </div> <bR> <div> Donna sat on the floor at the back of the Barton Market. Her mind was a jumble of thoughts, but they all had one central theme. Josh. Was he alright? Did hearing those gunshots on the phone bring back memories of the night he was shot? Were the others looking out for him? ‘What a stupid question, Donna’, she thought to herself. ‘Of course they’re looking out for him. They love him almost as much as I do.’ </div> <div>   She could see them in her minds eye, each handling this situation in their own way. CJ would be in ‘control mode’, getting information, keeping everyone calm, making sure all the bases were covered. Toby would use the unique gift he had for making people stay on target and get the job done, no matter what the odds. He would do this with that deceptively calm voice of his that brooked no argument. Sam would be keeping a careful, yet constant, eye on Josh. He would have the difficult job of making sure that the others didn’t become so immersed in worry that they couldn’t function. She also knew that if this ended badly, Sam would be the one to make sure Josh didn’t fall into a black hole of grief, pain, and guilt. Josh…she could see Josh so clearly, it was almost as if she could reach out and touch him. She knew him so well. She could see him pull that totally undeserved mantle of guilt around his shoulders. She knew that as soon as he realized where she was, that he would be convinced that this had happened to her because of him. He would never acknowledge that this could have happened at any time, on any day. She was in and out of this market all the time. It was nothing more than happenstance that had caused her to be in this store at the moment these two men decided to rob it. It was as illogical for him to assume the blame for it as it would be to blame Cammie for making her run late today. Josh would never blame Cammie for her part in the chain of events, he would carry that burden alone. The more she thought of it, the more frustrated she became. She had to do something…anything to make sure she walked away from this okay. She had to make Josh understand that he didn’t have anything to feel guilty for. She wondered if he was outside the store, watching and waiting. Instinctively, she knew he was. She knew the others were with him. She drew strength from that, and pushed her frustration away as she tried to come up with a plan to end this, and end it soon.</div> <bR> <div>   Detective Morgan stood outside the pharmacy/command post. He had left Miss Moss’s friends inside and come outside to go over the notes of the conversation between her and the robber. He wished  she had managed to get a name when she was talking to him. The cop in him knew that that was wishing for a little too much, but it would have been nice. If the guy had indeed been in jail before, they could have pulled up his sheet, seen what he’d done , what he was capable of. As it stood, they were dealing with too many unknown variables, and that made him very nervous. The one helpful fact was the fact that one of the gunmen had been shot, and that the other gunman was his brother. He could use that in a negotiation- if only the guy would talk to him.</div> <bR> <div>   The situation inside the market was worsening with every minute that passed. Donna was terribly worried that Mr. Barton was very close to dying. He had barely moved in the last twenty minutes. Her heart was breaking for him and his wife. He was such a sweet man, and he and his wife were such a loving couple. They had just celebrated their silver wedding anniversary. She knew that it had been very hard for him to shoot that man. It had shocked her to find out that he even owned a gun, much less kept one in a drawer under the register. If only he hadn’t had the gun…if only the robber hadn’t tried to take the gun away from Mr. Barton. Donna sighed in frustration. It was pointless to think this way. All of those things had happened. There was no taking it back. The point was, what could be done now. </div> <div>   Donna watched as the robber she had talked to knelt close to his brother. He was frantic and desperate. His brother’s condition as bad as, if not worse than, Mr. Barton’s. When he heard the sirens and had saw the police cars circle the storefront, he had fired a wild shot towards the front of the store. Donna only assumed that it was his way of warning them not to try to enter. The phone inside the store had begun to ring not long after the arrival of the police. He would pace the floor, waving his gun around and yelling, all the while ignoring the ringing. Finally he would grow tired of listening to it, and pick it up, only to drop it again, effectively silencing it- until the next time it rang. Every time he picked up the phone , Donna would say a fervent prayer that this time he would talk to the police. This time they would begin the process of getting out of this hellish situation. Each time, her hopes were cruelly dashed. She couldn’t help but wonder how he thought he was going to get out of here. Was he waiting for his brother to die and then make some sort of wild escape- hoping that he could allude the dozen or more police outside? Was he hoping to use one of them as a hostage in order to gain his freedom? Donna looked around at her fellow hostages. One very elderly couple was huddled together, petrified with fear, near the front of the store. In the opposite corner of the same wall Donna was leaning against sat a teenage girl, somewhere between thirteen and fifteen. She was hugging her legs to her chest in a frightened, protective way. Her wide eyes followed the man with the gun wherever he went. Donna knew she was as scared as could be, but she hadn’t shed one tear. She was trying to put up a brave front. For just a second, her and Donna’s eyes met and Donna gave her a smile. Trying without words to let the young girl know that she wasn’t alone, that they would get out of there. The girl’s eyes softened for a moment, and she nodded almost imperceptibly. </div> <div>   Donna’s attention was diverted at that moment by some commotion near the front of the store. The man who had been shot by Mr. Barton was regaining consciousness, and was talking to his brother. She couldn’t hear what was being said by the injured one, but she could just make out what the other one was saying.</div> <div>   " You hold on, Mark. We’re getting out of here. I just gotta’ figure out a way…"</div> <div> Donna scooted a little closer. From her vantage point, she could see the injured brother shaking his head back and forth. Apparently, Mark didn’t have quite the same amount of faith that his brother did that this was going to turn out in their favor. Being shot in the chest would do that.  From what she had noticed of him before, Mark looked like the younger of the two. He had probably followed his older brother into this foolishness and now he was paying for it.</div> <div>   ‘ Come on man…haven’t I always taken care of you?" the older brother said with an attempt at false bravado. Mark apparently saw right through this, shaking his head again, and Donna heard him struggle to say his next words. " No use…give up."</div> <div>   " No man…we can get out of this. I can’t go back to jail man. You don’t know what it’s like…" </div> <div>   "Would you rather have your brother die?" Donna asked, impatiently-shocked that the words had come out of her mouth.</div> <div>   " You shut up, bitch! What do you know about it. My brother’s gonna to be fine !", the older brother turned on Donna, his gun now pointed at her. Donna froze in fear, unable to think for a second as she considered what would happen if he fired at her. She had an instant flashback to Josh, lying on the operating table, his ribs spread open as the doctors fought for fourteen long hours to save his life. She knew then that she had to find some way to reach this man. She had to make him understand what a fragile hold his brother had on life at that moment. Taking a shuddering breath, she spoke to him again, keeping her voice as calm and even as possible. </div> <div>   " I do know, unfortunately. Someone very close to me was shot in the chest a while back. They got him to the hospital fairly soon after it happened, but he was still in surgery for fourteen hours. He almost died. If he hadn’t gotten medical attention when he did, he would have died." </div> <div>   He watched her while she was talking. He could see the tears in her eyes and he knew that she was telling the truth. He didn’t want his brother to die. Mark was all the family he had left. Everyone else had either abandoned them or died. All they had was each other. </div> <div>   " So what’s that got to do with my brother?" he said, unwilling to let her know that she gotten through to him.</div> <div>   " The fact that he’s still alive is a miracle. You need to take advantage of that. He’s your brother and he’s counting on you. Please do whatever you need to do to help him", Donna pleaded, and all the pressure and fear that she had been so fervently holding at bay began to spill out. Tears trailed down her cheeks, tears that had been held for so long. They fell now at the memory of Josh almost dying ,and the realization that they had only just begun to enjoy what they had waited so long for.</div> <div>   The phone began to ring, pulling them both out of their thoughts. He looked in the direction of it impatiently. Donna thought he would just start to rage at it again when he began to stand, but she saw his younger brother grab his arm. He turned to him, leaning close when he realized his brother was trying to say something.  Donna heard him, but only because she had been inching closer the whole time she had been talking to the older brother. </div> <div>   "Listen to her. Talk to them." </div> <div> He leaned back, away from his brother. After a moment of silence, he stood and turned to Donna.</div> <div>   " You come over here and watch out for him. I’ll talk to the cops."</div> <div> He walked over to the phone, and was just about to pick it up, when he turned to Donna once again.</div> <div>   " You better take good care of him, lady. He dies, and all bets are off. I’ll get out of here anyway I can. No matter who else dies in the process." </div> <div>   When he turned away, Donna swallowed her fear and sent up a fervent prayer that his brother would live. That they all would. </div> <bR> <bR> <div>   Detective Morgan had given the order for them to try to make contact again. This was going on way too long with no contact, and that didn’t make for a hopeful outcome. In all the years he’d been doing this kind of work he’d learned certain things. He could predict when a situation was going to be manageable, when the tide was starting to turn in his favor, and when things had spun out of control and the shit was about to hit the fan. He hated the unknown, and that’s what he was dealing with. So, he kept trying to reach the ones who were, at the moment, in control. He had walked into the command post, given the order for them to repeat the call, and walked outside to grab a smoke. He didn’t have a lot of faith that this time would be any different than the last, but he had to try. He just couldn’t bear to watch the disappointment on the faces of Miss Moss’s friends again when it didn’t work. He was just about to toss his cigarette, which had suddenly turned foul tasting, when one of the officers stuck his head outside .</div> <div>   " Lieutenant Morgan…"</div> <div>   " Yeah?" </div> <div>   " We’ve got him on the line." </div> <div> ************************************************************************</div> <div>   Aside from the cops manning the phone, Josh was the first one to realize that they had finally made contact. It took every ounce of self control he still possessed to not grab the phone and demand that they release Donna. He knew that wouldn’t help matters. He couldn’t yell, or bully his way through this situation. This guy wasn’t some recalcitrant senator that he could threaten with political retribution. This guy held Donna’s fate in his hands. When it mattered the most, he couldn’t do a damn thing but sit around helplessly and wait. So much for being a powerful man. </div> <div>   Detective Morgan came back into the command center and after a quick look at Josh, took the phone from the officer holding it. He noticed that the others had started to drift over, silent, yet expectant.   </div> <div>   " Detective Morgan here. Who am I talking to?" </div> <div>   " Doug." </div> <div>   " Okay Doug- can you tell me if anyone’s hurt in there?" Morgan asked, scribbling on the notepad in front of him.</div> <div>   " My brother…that bastard shot my little brother in the chest!"</div> <div>   " Who shot your brother, Doug?"</div> <div>   " That guy- that old guy. The one who runs the place. All he had to do was give us the money! I didn’t want to shoot him - all we wanted was the fucking money! He shot my little brother, so I shot him." </div> <div>   " I’m sorry about your little brother, Doug. Can you tell me if the man who shot him is still alive?" </div> <div>   " I don’t care! He shot my little brother….What? Wait a minute… The lady said he’s still alive , but he’s pretty bad. I don’t care. My brother’s worse. He’s just a kid!"</div> <div>   " Okay, Doug. I understand how you feel. I’ve got a brother, and I know how I’d feel if somebody shot him. Why don’t we talk about what we need to do to get your brother some medical attention." </div> <div>   " I ain’t going back to jail man."</div> <div>   " Why don’t we just concentrate on getting some help for your brother right now and worry about that later? You mentioned a lady…what lady are you talking about?" Morgan asked, noticing that Josh moved a little closer. He looked like he was about to lose it. Morgan gave him a look of subtle warning, and motioned to the officer to give him an ear-piece to listen to the conversation. </div> <div>   " I don’t know  who she is…some blonde chick with a big mouth. She won’t stop talking. She‘s sitting with my brother." Morgan smiled a little and Josh let out a breath that hadn’t even been aware he was holding. Morgan, realizing the others watching couldn’t hear what he and Josh could, scribbled on the pad in front of him, holding it up so that they could see the words " SHE’S OK". </div> <div>   The collective sigh they all let out made him glad that he’d taken the time to let them know. It also made it easier to concentrate on what he was doing without several pairs of eyes boring holes into him.</div> <div>   " Well, that’s good that she’s watching over him. Why don’t we see about getting him out of there and in the hands of people who can take care of him a little better?" </div> <div>  " That’s the idea , cop. But I’m not letting you guys come in here and I ain’t walking out with him- so how’re we going to do it?"</div> <div>   " Let’s see, Doug…how about you let me think on that for a minute. Could you let me talk to the lady for a minute, and you sit with your brother? Can you do that for me?"</div> <div>   Morgan waited, in his mind he could almost see the guy tossing the request over in his head, trying to figure out if it was a trick of some kind. Finally he heard a sigh on the other end of the line and Morgan knew he’d just won his first battle.</div> <div>   " Ok- but you try anything funny and somebody’s going to pay for it. Just remember that, cop."   </div> <div>   Morgan heard him call the person he suspected was Donna over to the phone. Then he heard a rather tremulous "Hello…"</div> <div>   " Hello, ma’am. This is Detective Morgan. I need to ask you a couple of things. I’m going to ask you questions that I just want you to answer yes or no . Okay?"</div> <div>   " Okay…I mean, yes."</div> <div>  " That’s good. Okay… Are the store owner and the one robber the only ones injured?" </div> <div>   " Yes." </div> <div>   " Is the owner, Mr. Barton still alive?"</div> <div>   " Yes…barely."</div> <div>   "Are there any kids in there?"</div> <div>   " Yes…one."</div> <div>   " Are you Donna Moss?"</div> <div>   " Yes. How do y- yes." </div> <div>   " You have quite a few friends here who are waiting rather impatiently to see you. One in particular is looking even more impatient than the others. You want me to give him a message for you?" </div> <div>   " Yes…tell him…tell him I love him and to stop having stupid thoughts about things he has no control over." </div> <div>   " Yes Ma’am. I’ll give him the message. Can you put Doug back on the phone , please?"</div> <div>   Morgan asked, looking at Josh, knowing what a huge relief it was for him to hear her voice. He also knew that Josh knew it wasn’t over yet.</div> <div>   " Who?….Oh yeah. Ok." </div> <div>   Morgan heard her call Doug back over to the phone.</div> <div>   " Ok, cop. Time’s up for you, cause my brother’s running out of it quick. What’s your  brilliant plan?"</div> <div>   " Okay, Doug. Let’s lay it out. You’ve got your brother in there, and he needs medical attention. Then we’ve got the store owner who also needs medical attention-"</div> <div>   " Screw him! We’re talking about my brother."</div> <div>  " Doug…listen to me now. I’m trying to work with you here. You shot that man and no matter what your reasons, if he dies because you let him, you’re going to have a whole bigger set of problems. You don’t want that- now do you?"</div> <div>   " What’s your plan, cop?"</div> <div>   " I’m getting to it , Doug. Just stay calm and stay with me. You got a kid in there too, don’t you?" </div> <div>   " Kid! She’s barely younger than my brother. What about her?"</div> <div>  " Well, I think she could wheel out two stretchers, don’t you? How about if I have two stretchers brought to the front of the store, and left there. This girl can come out and get your brother on the first one, and then the girl brings out the owner on the other one. You can keep your eye on her the whole time. We promise- no funny stuff."</div> <div>   " What about the girl? You just want me to let her go too?"</div> <div>   " Come on, Doug. She’s a kid. A kid’s just going to make problems for you. You still have the others, and you’ve got rid of your headaches. Plus you’re getting your brother the help he needs. That’s the whole point…Isn’t it?" </div> <div>   Morgan waited, again knowing that this guy was weighing his options, trying to decide what to do. Finally he got his answer.</div> <div>   " Fine. Get it done and I mean quick. My brother doesn’t have time for you to pull any bullshit tricks."</div> <div>   " Okay, Doug. We’re on it. I’ll call you back as soon as the stretchers are in place and we’ll get this done."</div> <div>   " Hurry up." </div> <div>   Morgan heard him hang up and turned to the officer sitting to the right of him. </div> <div>   " I want two officers in EMS uniforms and body armor now. I also want two stretchers brought out in front of the command post. Right now." </div> <div>   " Yes sir" </div> <div>   </div> <div>    When the officer ran out the door to do as the Lieutenant requested, Josh grabbed Morgan’s arm and turned the man to face him. </div> <div>   " Why didn’t you try to get Donna out of there too? She could have taken one of those stretchers out. You didn’t even try, damn it!" </div> <div>   Morgan saw Sam come up from behind , trying to lay a restraining hand on Josh, but he knew that Josh was oblivious to both his words and his touch. Morgan also knew that Josh needed to hear his reasoning , so that he could understand. He looked down at where Josh’s hand still had a firm grip on his arm, then back up to Josh’s face.</div> <div>   " You want to back up a little Mr. Lyman, and I’ll explain."</div> <div>  Josh looked down at his hand, gripping Morgan’s arm and with a shrug and a sigh, he removed his hand and actually stepped back a step or two.</div> <div>   " Explain." </div> <div>   " I knew damn well he wasn’t going to let me have more than the girl. It might have jeopardized the whole situation just asking. I was lucky I got her and the store owner. The fact that I did get them shows just how desperate this guy is. I’m walking a fine line with him and it’s starting to pay off. Plus, having a kid in there is a wild card. She may start to freak out and piss him off in some way. Hopefully she can also give us some valuable information as to what the mood is like in there." </div> <div>   " And Donna couldn’t have done that?!" Josh yelled.</div> <div>   " Mr. Lyman, I already gave you my reasons for choosing the girl- but here’s one more. Your friend is my ace-in-the-hole." </div> <div>   " What the hell…this isn’t some game , Morgan!"</div> <div>   " Sure it is. It’s just a damn serious one. I would bet my next three paychecks that Miss Moss is the one who got him to finally talk to us. She’s smart enough to know exactly how to deal with someone that’s irrational and on the edge." </div> <div>   " You called that one right, Lieutenant Morgan", Toby said, from where he stood leaning against a counter, giving Josh a rather significant look. Morgan noticed the look that passed between the two men, and figured that he would keep whatever comments he would have on that score to himself. He needed Josh to calm down and trust him. He didn’t need anything making this situation more volatile than it was. </div> <div>   " Look, Mr. Lyman…If it means anything to you, I don’t think this guy is out to kill anyone. He’s just got himself into a situation that he doesn’t know how to get out of. He thought it would be a nice simple boost and now his brother’s laying in there with a bullet in his chest. I can work this guy. I know it. You need to trust me though, and not make my job any tougher."</div> <div>   " Fine. I’ll back off. But Morgan…"</div> <div>   " Yeah?" </div> <div>   " You better be as good at this as you say you are", Josh said, and Morgan could see that even though he didn’t elaborate, it wasn’t an idle threat. He meant every word he said.  He wasn’t worried though, illustrating that when he smiled and replied, " I haven’t lost one yet."</div> <div>   At that moment, the officer that had left moments before returned.</div> <div>   " They’re ready to roll, Lieutenant." </div> <div>   " Okay- let’s get this done. When those stretchers are done being brought out, I want the girl to get checked out. If she’s okay, I want her brought over here. I want to talk with her as soon as possible." </div> <div>   " Will do", he replied, going back outside to brief the other officers who were waiting to deliver the stretchers to the front of the market. Morgan walked outside and gave his very specific instructions to them and walked back inside to call the market. He got an answer after two rings.</div> <div>   " Doug?"</div> <div>   " I’m here." </div> <div>   " We’re ready to do this. Are you ready in there?"</div> <div>   " Yeah- hurry up and get my brother out of here." </div> <div>   " Okay. They’re on their way. Don’t get nervous", Morgan looked to the officer standing by the door and gave him the ‘go’ signal. " They should be approaching the front of the market right about …now."</div> <bR> <div>   They all watched from the pharmacy window as a young girl of about thirteen or so hesitantly opened the door of the market and brought one of the stretchers inside. About five minutes later she reemerged pushing the stretcher out to where the waiting EMS workers took over and then, after standing there for a moment, she turned and went back to the to the market, pushing the other stretcher inside as she went. It took longer this time. Five minutes passed, then ten. Morgan was starting to get nervous and was about to reach for the phone when the girl opened the door. You could see streaks of blood on her light blue jacket and on her hands as she leaned over to push the stretcher across the street to the waiting EMS vehicle. The door to the market had slammed shut the minute the girl was outside but Josh stood there still. Watching out the window. His only thought was that Donna was still in there. She was alive, but who knew for how long.       </div> <div>    </div> <div> ************************************************************************</div> <bR> <bR> <bR> <div>   Now that his brother was out of the store, Doug began to focus on his own situation. He couldn’t believe how quickly it had all gone bad. It was supposed to be a simple little boost. In and out. It wasn’t like robbing a bank or anything. Just a little store. A little Mom And Pop outfit- no guards, no cameras. It should have been so easy. They would come in right before closing on Sunday, grab the nice little piece of change that this place managed to pull in on the weekends, and bounce. They would finally have enough money to get out of this city. He could get shed of his gang ties, and live a simple life somewhere. Just him and Mark. No gang obligations, no old grudges to be settled, no more looking over his shoulder. Just living simple. Why was that so hard to have? One last boost and they would have been gone from here. Why did the old man have to pull that gun? Why did Mark have to try to get it away from him? Stupid ass kid…if he’d listened to him in the first place, he wouldn’t even have been there.</div> <div>   Donna watched the man she now knew as Doug. She wished she knew what was going on in his head-how he expected to get out of this. Couldn’t he tell that he’d lost control of the situation? That it had all become impossible the minute his brother was shot? Why didn’t he just see that and let them go? She wanted to get out of here so bad. She wanted to see something besides the inside of this market. She wanted to see Josh, to look into his eyes, see that dimpled smile of his and feel his arms around her. She wanted that so bad; she ached for it. She really didn’t know how much longer she could hold it together. The memories of Josh being shot, mingled with the smell of gun smoke, and all the blood, it was getting to be just too much. </div> <div>   When it had come time to move Mr. Barton out of the store, Doug had refused to help. He had pretty much single-handedly loaded his brother onto the first stretcher, but when it was Mr. Barton’s turn he had simply stood by the door, watching. Donna had made eye contact with him for a moment, almost challenging him without words, but he just turned away. From that point it was up to Donna and Sarah, the young girl who had the misfortune to be stuck in there with them. The old gentleman, who had hesitantly left his wife’s side, tried to help. But a man of his age simply didn’t have strength to be of much help. Seeing the strain it was putting on him, Donna  thanked him and told him they would be able to manage okay. She told him she was stronger than she looked. She wished that had really been true. Both she and Sarah ended up covered in Mr. Barton’s blood by the time they got him onto the stretcher. Poor Sarah had been choking back sobs by the time she got the stretcher to the door.  She looked back just once, holding Donna’s gaze with a look somewhere between sympathy, apology and a glimmer of relief. Donna didn’t begrudge her the relief. In her place she would have felt just the same way. In all honesty, she was glad Sarah was out of there. She wished they all were.</div> <bR> <div>   The tension inside the command center was getting pretty thick. Morgan was trying to work out his next move, but he knew it was going to be a tricky piece of negotiating. He didn’t have the guy’s brother as a bargaining chip anymore. It would be a miracle if either the kid or Mr. Barton lived. What a miserable damn waste! A young kid, barely old enough to shave, and a man who was just protecting his hard earned life- both of them stupid in their own ways. He couldn’t afford to get distracted with that line of thought right now. The only thing on his mind right now had to be the four people still inside that store, and how to get them all out alive. He was turning ideas over in his head when one of the officers came up to him.</div> <div>   " Lieutenant, that girl you wanted to see is on her way over ." </div> <div>   " Okay…good. I’ll see her in here."  </div> <div>  The officer, looking over his shoulder at the group behind him, turned back and said, "You sure you want to talk to her in here?" </div> <div>  Morgan saw that he had been looking at the group of Miss Moss’s friends clustered together a little distance away. They were talking quietly among themselves. The woman, that Morgan had recognized when they met as the President’s Press Secretary, was talking on her cell phone. He respected the fact that, despite their positions, they hadn’t tried to throw their considerable weight around. When he had first heard that a member of the White House staff was among those being held in the store, he thought of the headaches he would have to endure, in addition to the obvious ones. He had cringed at the possibility of having the Chief of Police breathing down his neck while he tried to do his job. So far, that hadn’t happened. The only one who had come close to questioning his authority was Josh Lyman. All things considered, he could kind of understand that one though. Lyman wasn’t with the others. He was still holding vigil near the door, watching out the wide picture window for any sign of activity in the market across the street.</div> <div>   " Yeah. I want her in here."</div> <div>  The officer shrugged and walked outside to wait for her.</div> <div>   A few minutes later the same officer escorted the young girl in. </div> <div>   " This is Sarah Litton, Lieutenant."</div> <div>   Morgan nodded his thanks to the officer and reached out to touch the girl’s shoulder. She almost jumped away from his touch before she stopped herself. Morgan didn’t miss her reaction, no matter how subtle it was. He saw that she was wearing one of the jackets that the EMS guys wore instead of the jacket she had been wearing. He remembered hers had been pretty blood streaked. The fact that the jacket practically swallowed her up made her look that much younger and fragile. That, added to that mop of brown curls and those wide, scared eyes made Morgan more inclined to give her a hug and a cup of hot chocolate than ask her a bunch of questions she probably didn’t want to answer. Regardless, he had to try.</div> <div>   " Sarah. I’m glad to get a chance to talk to you. I know you want to get away from here and see your parents, but I’d like to ask you a few questions. Is that okay?"</div> <div>   " Yeah…I guess so. If it’ll help."</div> <div>  Morgan pulled a chair over for her so she could sit down and asked if she wanted anything to drink, which she declined.</div> <div>   " Can you tell me how the others are doing?"</div> <div>   " The old couple…they’re okay, I guess. He looks okay, but his wife is pretty freaked out. He tried to help us put Mr. Barton on the stretcher…" she paled a little at the thought of that, and Morgan reached forward to steady her.</div> <div>   " You okay? You sure you don’t want a soda or something?"</div> <div>   " Yeah…I guess I better." </div> <div>   Morgan motioned to one of the officers standing around to get her a soda and was a little surprised when Josh was the one to hand it to her. She gave him a slight smile of thanks, which he returned in kind. It was one of the few times Josh had abandoned his post by the door, so Morgan wondered whether he would start asking her questions as well. He didn’t say a word though. He just stood there, after handing Sarah the soda, regarding her with a rather odd expression. It was the kind of look you gave someone when you were trying to place a face with a name. Concentrating on the task at hand, Morgan turned back to Sarah.</div> <div>   " Better now?"</div> <div>   " Yeah…a little." </div> <div>   " Good. Now you were talking about the old gentleman. Do you know his name?" </div> <div>   " No…I’ve seen him and his wife in there before. They’re real nice, but I don’t remember their name. Sorry." </div> <div>   " That’s okay. You said he was trying to help, what happened then?"</div> <div>   " Well, he ’s real old. It was really starting to put a strain on him and Donna told him it was okay. She said we could manage- that she was stronger than she looked. She was just saying that though. I think she was afraid he would have a heart attack or something. She ended up doing most of the work- I think she was really starting to get sick, but she didn’t stop until she had him on the stretcher. She only let me help a little…and I still got his blood all over me." </div> <div>   By this time, both Morgan and Josh saw the tears rolling down her cheeks. Josh kneeled down next to her, and quite unexpectedly took Sarah’s hand. He patted it reassuringly and smiled at her. She returned his smile, even though she looked a little puzzled.</div> <div>   " Are you a detective too?" she asked Josh.</div> <div>   " No…he’s a friend of Donna’s. So are those people over there", Morgan answered before Josh could, and motioned behind him to where the others were gathered. Sarah’s attention was still focused on Josh.</div> <div>   " Are you Josh?"</div> <div>   " Yeah…how did you know that?" he asked, clearly surprised at her question. </div> <div>   " Donna mentioned you. We didn’t get a chance to talk really- not until right before I got out of there. She told me to give you a message." </div> <div>   " What was the message?" Josh asked quietly, almost reverently.</div> <div>   " She said not to forget what she said, and if you ignore it she’s going to be really pissed, and you’re not going to like it", Sarah was blushing and smiling at the same time over relaying such a message to an adult.</div> <div>   Josh couldn’t help but smile. For the first time in the last couple of hours he was starting to feel hopeful. </div> <div>   " Did she say anything else?" </div> <div>   " Yeah…she said you owe her a new cell phone, cause hers got squashed when she sat on it. I thought it was pretty weird that she was worrying about a cell phone at a time like that, but she seemed pretty serious about it." </div> <div>   " I’ll bet she did. Thanks, Sarah", Josh said, giving her a kiss on top of the head and walking back over to the door. She looked over her shoulder at him, a slightly puzzled smile on her face, then shrugging she turned back to face Morgan.</div> <div>   " Is he okay?" she whispered, leaning forward so the others couldn’t hear her.</div> <div>   " Yeah. In fact , I think you cheered him up a lot. Now I’ve got one more question to ask. Okay?" </div> <div>   " Yeah." </div> <div>  Morgan smiled a little, glad to see some of her color was coming back. He was always amazed at the resiliency of kids.</div> <div>   " The other robber in there- Doug, how does he seem to you?"</div> <div>   " What do you mean? Does he seem crazy or mean or whatever?" Sarah asked.</div> <div>   " Yeah, whatever impression you got of him. Anything, no matter how small, might be helpful." </div> <div>   " Well…I watched him the whole time. At first I thought he was crazy- especially after his brother got shot. He was rambling about all kinds of stuff. Like he was saying that he couldn’t go back- if he went back they would have him for good, that he’d never get out of the life. I don’t know what he was talking about. He just kept saying that they were so close to getting away. Really, I think he’s more scared than anything." </div> <div>   Morgan sat there for a moment rolling over what this smart and observant girl had told him. She didn’t realize it , but she had given him just the information he needed to end this. He thanked her and asked her if she had given her information to the  officer, and she said she had. Morgan told her that he would have one of his men take her home, and on her way out, she stopped and gave Josh a quick hug, turning red with embarrassment when she did.</div> <div>   " That was for Donna. Tell her she really helped me get through it."</div> <div>   " I will. In fact, when this is all over, I’ll bring her to see you and you can tell her yourself." </div> <div>  She gave him a wide smile and nodded on her way out of the door. It wasn’t until she was gone that Josh realized who she had reminded him of so strongly from the minute she walked in. When he did realize it, the absolute irony of it almost made him laugh out loud. She reminded him of Joanie… his sister Joanie, who had died in a fire when she was just about Sarah’s age. ‘Is this comedy or real life?’ , Josh thought with wry humor. Shaking off his rather bizarre train of thought, he noticed that Morgan suddenly looked like a man with a plan. </div> <div>   " What’s up? Did she give you something you can use?" </div> <div>   " Yep- you could say that, Mr. Lyman." </div> <div>  " Well…. What are you going to do?" </div> <div>   " I’m going to do what I said I was going to do. I’m going to get them out of there. Can you be patient for a little longer?"</div> <div>   " Yeah- I still…"</div> <div>   " Trust me, Mr. Lyman. I think I’ve figured out a way to reach this guy. Just give me a little room to work." </div> <div>   Josh backed off, keeping a watchful eye as Morgan made one call after another. He could feel the presence and support of the others. He knew they would be there as long as he needed them. He just hoped it wasn’t too much longer. More than anything, he wanted those requests from Donna to not be her last. </div> <bR> <bR> <bR> <div> ************************************************************************</div> <bR> <bR> <bR> <div>   Morgan had been on the phone for about twenty minutes, talking to several different people before he gathered all the facts he needed to proceed. He now had a far clearer picture of the person he was about to deal with. Douglas Adam Lewis, age twenty-two, had recently been released after doing two and a half years of a five year stretch. He had been convicted as an accessory to armed robbery. The story was that he had been driving the car when three of his gang buddies decided to knock over a liquor store. They  ended up beating the store clerk pretty badly when he wouldn’t, or couldn’t, open the safe. The only reason Doug had done relatively short time was the fact that he had been in the car while his buddies were having their fun, and he had been slightly cooperative. Doug had been involved with the gang since he was sixteen, either out of some need for protection in a tough neighborhood, or conformity, or a little of both. It really didn’t matter much once you were in. Some guys looked for the life; some guys fell into it. Doug was the latter. He was the type that got into the life out of desperation, or with some naive notion that it made him invincible, and after reality hit, decided he’d made an incredible mistake. The only problem was, the same desperation that made him jump in also drove him to get out. At the root of his desperation was his relationship with his brother, Mark. He wanted Mark to stay clean, and unencumbered by his brother’s bad decisions. That had been what prompted this ill-advised robbery. He was trying to fund their getaway. Morgan now had all he needed to resolve this situation. Motivation was always the key to a fruitful negotiation.</div> <bR> <div>   CJ grabbed Toby by the arm and walked him over to the far corner of the command post, away from the others. </div> <div>   " We’ve got a problem", she said in a low voice.</div> <div>   " Well, that’s almost hard to believe." </div> <div>   " Toby!" </div> <div>   " What’s the problem?"</div> <div>   " I just got a call from Danny."</div> <div>   " So?" </div> <div>   " It seems certain members of the press are privy to the fact that Donna is one of the one’s being held."</div> <div>   " So what? It’s not like that isn’t going to come out anyway. How is that a problem?" Toby asked rather impatiently.</div> <div>   " That’s not all. Apparently they also have the contents of the message that Donna asked to be relayed to Josh. The entire message." </div> <div>   CJ watched as Toby silently chewed this fact over, then after a sigh and a shrug said,  "Don’t worry about it."</div> <div>   " Don’t worry about it? Are you kidding?" Even though CJ kept her voice low, the incredulity in it was unmistakable.</div> <div>   " No, I’m not. I don’t care, and you can’t tell me with Donna’s life hanging in the balance that you really care either. Or do you?" </div> <div>   CJ gave Toby one of those killing looks that said she would like to hurt him for even suggesting that a possible P.R  problem was more important to her than Donna’s life.</div> <div>   " Don’t be an ass, Toby. You know that in the grand scheme of things I couldn’t care less what seed of a story some reporter’s got in his teeth, but I don’t have the luxury of thinking that way, and neither do you! I’m letting you know this so that when Donna’s out of this and fine, and the dust settles we can be prepared."</div> <div>   " Okay, fine. When this is over, we’ll concentrate on what we need to do. For now don’t worry about it", Toby stated quietly.</div> <div>   " Fine", CJ replied, and turning on her heels walked away until she found a spot to sit as far away from Toby, or anyone else, as possible.</div> <bR> <div>   Sam came over and sat next to CJ, ignoring her obvious desire to be alone. At first, she tried her best to ignore him, but she could feel his concerned eyes on the her, and it was really starting to annoy her. She turned to him at last, ready to say whatever was needed to scare him off, but when she saw the look on his face she changed her mind.</div> <div>   " Did you need something, Sam?"</div> <div>   " Huh? No…I just. The waiting is getting pretty bad. I can’t imagine how Josh is holding it together."</div> <div>   " Yeah…I know what you mean. I would have thought he’d have had a full-blown meltdown by now", CJ replied, watching Josh’s continued vigil by the window. For him, it was an uncharacteristic display of silence and immobility.</div> <div>   " If she doesn’t come out of there soon, he may still….You know, it’s funny how life repeats itself", Sam observed, studying Josh as well.</div> <div>   " What do you mean?" CJ asked.</div> <div>   " I thought of it as I was watching Josh. It reminded me of Donna that night at G.W. She sat there, in the waiting room- not really talking, not eating. Doing nothing really, but waiting. Because of some random act of senseless violence she waited, breath held, to see if Josh would live or die. Now he’s doing the same thing."</div> <div>   " We all are", CJ pointed out quietly.</div> <div>   " See what I mean?" </div> <div> CJ didn’t say anything for the longest time. She was thinking of what Sam said, and of her rather contentious conversation with Toby. She knew that most of that was due to their anger and helplessness, not at each other, but at the situation. Being such a tight-knit group had it’s good points, such as sharing each others joy- but if that was true, then it was also true that they shared each others pain. Looking over at Toby, CJ saw the worry and anger and feeling of uselessness that he was trying so hard to hide beneath his detached veneer. </div> <div>   " Yeah, I do see what you mean- but I take heart in the fact we saw our way though that, and we’ll see our way through this. Donna’s tough. Josh is too. We all are."</div> <div>   CJ was rewarded with a smile from Sam. That smile was enough to make anyone optimistic, and she held on to that feeling.</div> <bR> <bR> <div>   Ainsley entered the command post bearing fresh provisions. They were going on their fourth hour there and none of them had any intention of leaving until Donna was released. While she totally agreed, she also knew that they had to eat and keep themselves alert. She had slipped out after the young girl Sarah had left, to search out a decent place to get some sandwiches and coffee. One could only get along on the chips and soda available in the pharmacy for so long. Sam noticed her return before the others, and came over to the door to help her with the large box she was carrying.</div> <div>   " When did you leave?" Sam asked, surprised and a little puzzled.</div> <div>   "A little while ago. I wanted to do something constructive."</div> <div>   " Thank you. Do you think you can get Josh to eat something? I didn’t see him eat anything earlier", Sam said, looking a little apologetic for asking.</div> <div>   " Sure…I mean, I’ll try", Ainsley replied, and after taking a fortifying breath, she grabbed one of the sandwiches and a cup of coffee and made her way over to where Josh stood.</div> <div>   " I got this for you", Ainsley said in a firm voice, holding the coffee and sandwich out for him to take. Josh dragged his eyes away from the window and gave her and her offering  an impatient glance before shaking his head and returning his attention to the market across the darkened street. " No thanks, Ainsley." </div> <div>   " Josh, you need to eat", Ainsley persisted.</div> <div>   " I’m fine." </div> <div>   " No, you are not! You are stressed and tired, and you need to eat something. If you continue to refuse, I’ll just stand here and nag and annoy you until you get sick of the sound of my voice. Now wouldn’t it be a lot easier just to eat the sandwich, which I frankly went to a lot of trouble to get, and drink the damn coffee, which I know you want?"</div> <div>   This had all come out of Ainsley in a breathless rush, and despite his annoyance, Josh was a little impressed. Giving her a odd look, he reached over and took the coffee and sandwich from her with a nod of thanks. She returned his look with a smile of self-satisfaction and, pleased with herself for a job well done, went over to hand out the rest of the sandwiches and coffee.</div> <div>   Morgan had watched the interchange between Josh and Ainsley with distracted amusement. He was waiting for the final word on something he was hoping to offer Doug. If he got the okay for what he wanted to do, then they would hopefully have this resolved before their coffee had a chance to get cold. The person he had been waiting for came back on the line, and Morgan breathed a sigh of relief when he got the okay.</div> <div>   " Thanks, Jack- I owe you a big one", Morgan said, hanging up the phone and catching the eye of Josh Lyman, standing a few feet away, sipping his coffee. </div> <div>   " What’s up?"</div> <div>  " I just drew into a winning hand, Mr. Lyman. Now all I have to do is play it." </div> <div>  " Is that supposed to make sense to me?" Josh asked impatiently.</div> <div>  " It means it’s time to call our friend  across the street and make him an offer he can’t refuse." </div> <div>   " Okay, I’m assuming that poker metaphors, and Godfather quotes aside, you’ve put together a deal that will compel this guy to give himself up and release Donna and the others. Is that what I’m hearing?"</div> <div>   " That’s what you’re hearing, Mr. Lyman." </div> <div>   " Well what are you doing talking to me - Call him!"</div> <div> Morgan smiled and shook his head. Picking up the phone, he dialed the market. It rang four times before it was finally picked up. </div> <div>   " What do you want cop?" Doug asked, and Morgan could tell how agitated he was. </div> <div>   " It’s time to play let’s make a deal, Doug. What do you say? You ready to end this?" </div> <div>   " That depends on what you’re offering, cop." </div> <div>   " I’m offering your brother a chance to start over, and I’m offering you a cushion from your gang buddies."</div> <div>   " Details, cop. I’m not hearing any details."</div> <div>   " Okay, Doug, here it is- all spelled out. I’ve arranged for you to do your time in a medium security facility in Danville. They’ve done some reorganizing there recently, and you don’t have any affiliations or enemies there. Unless you go around broadcasting your past ties, you won’t have any problems. I also cut you a deal on your time."</div> <div>   " What’s the deal?" Doug asked, and Morgan felt the door opening. That Doug was listening at all was a step in the right direction.</div> <div>   " Ten years…five suspended. That’s a good deal, Doug- especially considering the circumstances."</div> <div>   " Yeah, cop- you would say that. You don’t have to sit in a cage for five years, waiting to get shanked over some bullshit grudge. What about Mark?"</div> <div>  " Five years, suspended. He does probation. Provided he doesn’t start making friends in the same circles you did, and I will be keeping an eye on him, Doug."</div> <div>   " I didn’t want him in that life in the first place. Why do you think I was doing this, cop?"</div> <div>   " I figured as much…So Doug, what do you say? I went out on a limb for you- you going to make it easy on us?" </div> <div>   " You mean easy on you, cop….How’s my brother? Is he okay?" Doug asked, and Morgan heard the desperation and guilt in his voice. He was hoping that Doug wouldn’t ask, even though he knew it was a stupid wish. The last he’d heard, it didn’t look good for Mark. The kid was hanging on by a thread.</div> <div>   " They’re operating on him, Doug."</div> <div>   " So- do they think he’ll…do they give him a good chance?"  </div> <div>   Morgan considered flat out lying, and saying yes, they were very optimistic- his brother would be fine. The thing was, it went against Morgan’s grain to flat out lie to him. Plus,  there was always the chance Doug would see through it and whatever trust he’d managed to build up would be gone. He finally decided on something in between.</div> <div>   " As long as he’s still breathing he’s got a chance, Doug."</div> <div>   " What about the old man?"</div> <div>   " He’s doing okay. Touch and go, but he’s still alive. That’s the only reason I was able to cut you a decent deal. There’s one other thing you need to know." </div> <div>   " What’s that, cop?"</div> <div>   " This offer is a one time, time sensitive offer. If you don’t want your brother dragging his ass out to Mecklenburg to see you once a month until you’re an old man, I’d think about taking me up on it. Think about it, okay? I’ll call you back in five minutes for your answer", Morgan said, putting the phone down. Josh was looking at him intently when he looked up.</div> <div>   " Do you think he’ll take it?" Josh asked, his voice considerably strained.</div> <div>   " I’m reasonably sure. Otherwise I wouldn’t have pushed him at the end. He wants to do the right thing, I think. I gave him a reason to do it."</div> <div>   " I pray to God you’re right", Josh said , turning away from him.</div> <div> Morgan was doing the same thing. He had weighed whether or not to give him that nudge at he end, and had decided it was for the best.</div> <div>   Those five minutes were the longest Josh had ever lived through. It was even worse than those interminable moments he had sat against that wall in Roslyn, waiting to be found. Those moments, what he remembered of them, had had a surreal quality to them. Almost as if he was drifting on the outside of himself, observing more than experiencing it. This was all too real. Time was ticking by at an excruciatingly slow pace.</div> <div>   Time was up, Morgan noticed with a last glance at his watch. He picked up the phone and dialed the Market. This time it rang for some time before Doug picked it up. He finally did, but there was no belligerent greeting. Morgan waited. He knew that Doug was standing on a mental cliff right at that moment, trying to decide whether to take a life-changing plunge, or crawl into a corner and try to delay the inevitable. </div> <div>   " Doug?"</div> <div>   " I’m here." </div> <div>   " What’s it going to be?" </div> <div>   There was another long pause, and Morgan could almost feel Doug take another step closer to the edge.</div> <div>   " How do I know I can trust you, cop? How do I know that once I give you everything you want, you won’t throw me in a cell and forget this deal of yours?"</div> <div>   " I’m giving you my word, Doug. That’s how you know." </div> <div>   " A cop’s word don’t mean shit to me. Cops having been lying to me since I was a kid." </div> <div>   " Fine. What do you need from me, Doug? If I can do it, I will." </div> <div>   " I want it in writing. I want a sealed deal from the D.A. Until I get that, we don’t have anything to talk about."</div> <div>   " Doug-" Morgan started, only to realize he was talking to a dial tone. " Damn!", he exclaimed, then quickly dialed another number.</div> <div>   " Jack? Morgan here…no, not yet…he wants it in writing… What? …Oh man, I really do owe you. Thanks…yeah, I guess that does help." Morgan was smiling now, and Josh, who had been watching him intently, wondered what the hell was going on. As soon as Morgan finished his conversation, Josh asked him.</div> <div>   " That was the District Attorney. It seems he anticipated Doug’s request to see the deal in writing. He’s sending it over as we speak", Morgan told them all, his eyes specifically on Josh. He was happy to see the momentary relief in the man’s eyes. They were very close now, and he knew it. He dialed the market, for what he hoped was the last time. Doug picked up on the first ring.</div> <div>   "Yeah?" </div> <div>   " I got your proof, Doug." </div> <div>   " How do I know that?" </div> <div>  " I just talked to the D.A. He’s sending the papers over now."</div> <div>  " I want to see them." </div> <div>  " Okay Doug- you let those people go, and I’ll put it in your hand myself."</div> <div>  " Do I look stupid to you, cop? I let these people go and you don’t have to do a damn thing for me. I let them go and you can tear that deal up right in front of me." </div> <div>   "I gave you my word, Doug. You got to trust somebody sometime. Even if it is a cop." </div> <div>   "Well- I might be willing to give you the benefit of the doubt, but only on my terms."</div> <div>   " Okay, Doug. I’ll bite- what are your terms?"  </div> <div>   " You get rid of all these cops in front of this place. You clear them back to the end of the block."</div> <div>   " Okay- what are you going to do for me if I do that?" </div> <div>   "  Why should I do anything?" </div> <div>   " The time’s ticking on that offer, Doug. Do you want me to start looking at the clock?" </div> <div>    " Fine…I’ll let the old couple go. Only after I see the cars start to pull away. I don’t see that and you don’t see them." </div> <div>   " Okay, Doug. I can do that. Hold on…" Morgan put his hand over the mouthpiece and called over one of the uniform cops that were standing around. " Go outside and tell Haskin I want all the cars pulled back behind the marker. Tell all the uniforms I want them to fall back as well."  </div> <div>   The officer gave Morgan a somewhat shocked look, then with a shrug went to do as he was told.</div> <div>   " Okay, Doug- you take a look and you’ll see that when I give my word, I mean it. What about you?" </div> <bR> <div>   Doug watched as the patrol cars that had formed a pretty close perimeter around the market began to move back. The cop was as good as his word. He looked over at the old couple sitting uncomfortably in the corner near the front of the store. They looked as though they had aged in the few hours they had been in here. He tried not to, but he felt bad for them. He didn’t want to hurt anybody. He just wanted to get away from the mess his life had become. He never realized how much worse it could get. Doug walked over to them and told them to get up. For a moment neither of them moved, their eyes wide with fear. Growing impatient, Doug reached down and helped the old man up. </div> <div>   " Come on- you like this place so much you want to stay forever?" </div> <div>  The old gentleman had faced Doug, and with an impressive show of bravado asked,  "What about the young lady?", motioning over to where Donna sat.</div> <div>  " Worry about your wife, old man. I’ll worry about her….Come on- get out of here!"</div> <div> With a sympathetic glance to Donna, the old gentleman reached down to help his wife off the floor, steadying himself as she fell into him. They walked to the door of the market, conscious every step of the way that Doug, and the deadly weapon he held, was right behind them. As soon as the couple were outside, Doug pulled the door shut and locked it, then picked up the phone from the counter.</div> <div>   " Okay, cop- you’ve got two more. Now where’s my proof?"</div> <div>   "It’s coming, Doug- just be patient" Morgan answered, then put his hand over the mouthpiece as he told one of the officers to find out what the hell the hold up was.</div> <div> Not two minutes later, he received word that the officer had arrived with the plea agreement.</div> <div>   " Ok Doug, it’s here. Let’s get this done. Let the lady go, and I’ll meet you outside with the agreement. Then this’ll be over." </div> <div>   " Oh, you got it almost right. You’ll meet me outside, unarmed. I’ll have the lady with me. You show me your proof, and if you’re dealing straight with me, then I’ll let her go. If you’re screwing with me- then she’s my ticket out of here. Understood?" </div> <div>  " No need for threats, Doug. We’re on the same page here- okay?"</div> <div>  " Fine. Let’s do it." </div> <div>  " When you see me on the street, that’s your cue to come out. Just stay easy and this will be all over", Morgan instructed, removing his service revolver as he spoke. Josh watched his actions and felt his senses become even more alert than before. It was finally going to happen. At that moment, Josh’s fear became more acute than it had been since this had started. It was at moments like these, when everyone’s tensions were running high, that one little misstep could cause the whole thing to go to hell. Morgan and Josh’s eyes met, and there was a moment of understanding between them. Josh had just put his faith completely in Morgan’s hands, and Morgan had acknowledged it. He would bring Donna back safe.</div> <bR> <div>   Morgan walked out to the middle of the street, and even though night had fallen the street was fairly well lit. The light from the streetlamps had been aided by the headlights of the cars at the edge of the block. Once he reached the center of the street, Morgan stopped. Armed with only the plea agreement in his hand, he felt more than a little exposed. This was faith time for a hostage negotiator. This was the moment when you put yourself between the devil and the deep blue sea, hoping your instincts and experience hadn’t failed you. He only had to stand there for a moment before he saw the door to the market open. At first, Morgan could only see the thin, pale figure of the woman that Doug held in front of him. As they came forward a little, away from the doorway, Morgan saw an arm around Donna, a gun in the hand of the arm that held her close. The barrel of the gun tilting her chin upward by its force and direction. Donna, by virtue of her height, was a very effective shield for Doug. Morgan took his eyes off Doug only long enough to give her what he hoped was a look of reassurance. Morgan could only see the upper half of Doug’s face over Donna’s shoulder. Their eyes met for a moment, and finally Doug asked, " Where’s my proof?"</div> <div> " Right here, Doug", Morgan replied, holding the agreement in the air between them, " You want to let the lady go now?" </div> <div>   " Not so fast, cop", Doug said, nudging Donna forward a little, "Take it and open it so I can see what it says." </div> <div>   Donna reached forward, her hand trembling visibly, and took the document from Morgan’s hand. She opened it carefully, and held it up so Doug could read it over her shoulder. As he read, Donna could feel her heart beat wildly in her chest, and thought over and over again, ‘this has to end…this has to end now!’. She wanted the gun away from her so badly that she thought she had imagined it gone when she first noticed it was no longer pressing into her skin. Then she felt Doug’s arm fall away from her, and in a burst of hope, she looked over her shoulder as Doug stepped away from her, his arms outstretched, the gun dangling from one fingertip.</div> <div>   " I guess you’re one cop that keeps his word", Doug sighed.</div> <div>   " That’s right, Doug, and you kept yours. I won‘t forget that", Morgan said, putting himself between Doug and Donna. He relieved the gun from Doug’s fingertips and cuffed the now docile, resigned young man. As two uniform officers came forward to escort Doug over to a squad car, Morgan turned to look at Donna. She had a look on her face that Morgan had seen before, but it never failed to touch him. It was the same expression you would see on an animal that had been caged for so long that it had almost forgotten how to be free. Sometimes it lasted a short time, sometimes the person had a harder time ridding themselves of it. For Donna it lasted only as long as took for her to hear one persons voice.</div> <div>   " Donna!"</div> <div>   Donna and Morgan looked at the same time to see Josh Lyman stepping off the sidewalk, his long strides eating up the space that separated him from his goal. Donna only had to take a few steps before Josh pulled her into his arms, burying his face in the crook of her neck. Even from where Morgan stood he could hear their combined litany of " Thank God…I love you so much." </div> <div>   Morgan looked past them to see the rest of the group crowded in the door of what was now just a pharmacy, and no longer a hostage command post. They all wore a combination of tears and smiles. Morgan couldn’t have kept a smile off his face at that moment if he’d wanted to. There was nothing like a happy ending. As he walked past Josh and Donna, on his way back to the former command post, Josh caught his arm and stopped him. </div> <div>   " I don’t know how to thank you…" Josh said, his eyes shining with unshed tears. Morgan noticed that his hold on Donna hadn’t lessened one bit.</div> <div>   " No need. All in a days work, Mr. Lyman", Morgan replied with a smile, as he continued his way into the pharmacy.</div> <div>   Once he had passed Josh looked into those beautiful eyes that he had feared ever seeing again, and thanked God for yet one more miracle in his life.</div> <div> ************************************************************************</div> <bR> <div>   Once Donna had been looked over, at Josh’s insistence, by one of the paramedics, they got into CJ’s car and went home. Since there was no pressing need to get Donna’s statement right away, Morgan had told her to give him a call in a day or two, and they would take care of it then. Josh and Donna had thanked him, knowing that it was his way of trying to be considerate of everything they had been through. After she had received hugs from everyone, all of them needing that tactile reassurance that she was fine and with them again, they separated to go home. Toby had decided to catch a ride with Sam and Ainsley, leaving Josh and Donna to CJ.</div> <div>   The ride back to Josh’s apartment was quiet. Donna was huddled in Josh’s arms and now that the adrenaline rush of surviving had started to wear off, Donna was staggeringly tired.  CJ walked inside with them, noting that Donna looked around Josh’s living room like it was a dream, or a mirage, unable to really believe that she was there. After a few minutes of just standing there, CJ suggested that Josh go run a hot bath for Donna. He nodded, glad to have something constructive to do for her, and left her in CJ’s care. CJ watched as Donna looked down at the jacket she was wearing- it was Josh’s jacket. She couldn’t really remember taking hers off. She knew it had been generously smeared with Mr. Barton’s blood, and that wearing it was starting to make her feel ill, but she could only remember not having it on anymore and then Josh slipping his on her. She started to take it off, then she thought better of it, and wrapped it closer around her. It was almost like still being safe in the haven of Josh’s arms. Donna glanced at CJ, seeing the concern on her face, and tried to give her a reassuring smile, but she ended up dissolving into tears instead. Before she knew it, CJ had enveloped her in her arms.</div> <div>   " It’s okay, Donna. You’re safe now. Go ahead and cry all you want." </div> <div>  Josh came back in the room at that moment, stopping short when he saw Donna weeping in CJ’s arms. He waited a moment, seeming to understand that if he made his presence known that Donna would try to hide her tears. After a minute or two more, her tears started to subside and she gently pulled away from CJ’s embrace.</div> <div>   " I’m sorry…I don’t know where that came from…I just-" Donna trailed off, unable to meet CJ’s gaze.</div> <div>   " Hey, don’t apologize for doing something that is perfectly normal and understandable. I don’t know if I could have done what you’ve had to do for the last few hours. Nobody expects you to be a tower of strength all the time", CJ said, tilting her head so that Donna was compelled to look her in her eyes. A trace of a smile curved Donna’s mouth and she nodded firmly, tears still glistening in her eyes. CJ nodded with satisfaction, and as she gave Donna a last hug she looked over her shoulder to where Josh stood. CJ silently beckoned him over. Donna, seeing that he returned, put on her brave face and walked into his waiting embrace. Over her shoulder, Josh sent CJ a grateful and silent ‘thank you’. </div> <div>   " I got your bath ready. I even put in that girly smelling stuff you like", Josh said to Donna, trying to sound light and upbeat. He knew he was going to have to be careful with her for a while- she had been through so much. More to the point, he wanted to take care of her. It terrified him all over again when he thought how close he had come to losing her.</div> <div>   " That sounds really good. I think I’m going to go sink into it right now." She turned to CJ then, and thanked her again, telling her she would see her later. She reluctantly left Josh’s arms and walked down the hallway to the bathroom, shutting the door.</div> <div>   As soon as Donna was out of the room, Josh walked over to where CJ stood, raking his hand through his hair, the worry on his face very evident.</div> <div>   " What started that?" Josh asked, referring to Donna’s tears when he had entered the room.</div> <div>   " She’s been through a lot, Josh. She’s not going to be able to just shake that off. You know that better than anyone", CJ replied, giving him a rather significant look.</div> <div>   " I know… I can’t believe how close I came to-"</div> <div>   " Josh, I understand that. But right now you can’t think about what you almost lost. You have to think about how this is affecting her, and how it will affect her in the future. She’s going to try to shield you from that. That’s what she does with you. You’re going to have to make sure she deals with this so that it doesn’t back up on her." </div> <div>   Josh knew that everything she was saying was true. Especially the part about Donna shielding him from her pain. She had been taking care of him for so long, it was second nature. Well, it was time for that situation to change a little. Once CJ saw that Josh had absorbed her advice, she moved on to the last topic she would broach before leaving.</div> <div>   " There’s one last thing…I know this is your least possible concern right now, and I understand, but-" </div> <div>   " Just say it, CJ."</div> <div>   " Okay. We’re going to have some complications with the press. Somehow- and I don’t know how yet, before you ask- that message that Donna relayed to you was leaked. The whole message. Before you start to rant about how little you care right now, I’m telling you this so you’re not caught unexpected when the hounds start camping on your doorstep, wanting a comment from you."  </div> <div>   " Damn it, CJ, this is the last thing we need right now! Especially Donna…okay, what’s the plan?" </div> <div>   " Toby and I will handle it. I just wanted you to know, because let’s face it mi’amore, you being caught unaware by reporters is never a good thing" , CJ said, ending with a teasing smile. It had just the affect on Josh that she had hoped and she noticed his features relax a little, and a smile curve the corners of his mouth as he looked at her. Right after that, he looked over his shoulder to the direction Donna had gone and CJ took that as her cue.</div> <div>   " I’m going to go. Concentrate on Donna for now, and leave the rest of this mess to us, okay?" </div> <div>   " Okay. Thanks, CJ. I owe all of you for being there with me tonight", Josh said, giving her a quick hug before she left.</div> <div>   " That’s what friends are for. We’re all really glad that Donna’s okay. We’ll be around if you need us", CJ told him, and left.</div> <div>   Josh took a deep steadying breath, and walked down the hall to the bathroom. He knocked on the door, and not even waiting a full five seconds,opened  it a little and stuck his head in.</div> <div>   " You want some company?" Josh asked, taking immense joy in the sight of Donna in his tub, chin-deep in bubbles.</div> <div>   " I’d love some", she replied, and though she smiled at him, Josh noticed that it didn’t quite reach her eyes. He came into the room and knelt on the floor by the tub. He reached over and took her hand, brushing a kiss across her fingertips. She brought his hand to her lips and after kissing his hand, she held it against her cheek, her face slightly turned away from him. Josh knew she was fighting back tears, and he knew it was the last thing she should do. Especially not with him.</div> <div>   " Donna…look at me."</div> <div>  When she did, he saw the proof of his suspicions. Her eyes were flooded with the tears she was trying so valiantly to hold in. He shook his head and pulling her into his arms, he hugged her tightly, burying his face in her neck and whispering over and over, "Donna, Donna, Donna…" </div> <div>   When he pulled away slightly, he looked into her eyes, willing her to understand and believe the words he was about to say.</div> <div>   " You and I have been through a lot with each other. We’ve done a lot of evading and avoiding what was right in front of us. That’s all in the past now. You love me, and I love you. That means we take care of each other. Not just one of us- both of us. So if you need to cry, I want you to be able to do that, and not be afraid of how it will affect me. If you want to scream or yell or throw a fit, I want you to be able to do that too. Understood?"</div> <div>  Donna looked at him for the longest moment, unable to say a single thing past the lump in her throat caused by the unshed tears and the sweetness of what Josh had said. Then finally, the only thing she could say was his name as she held him close and let her tears flow freely. Finally she pulled away slightly and looked at his shirt. It was soaked from both her tears and the bath water.</div> <div>   " Look at you. You’re as wet as I am." </div> <div>   Josh smiled a little, looking down at himself, and deciding it was time to try and lighten the mood a little, said, "Well that can’t be good. It’s cold and flu season, after all. I probably should get some dry clothes on, or…" He looked significantly from the bathwater  back to Donna.</div> <div> " Are you trying to wrangle an invitation into my bath?" Donna asked, and this time when she smiled it was mirrored in her eyes.</div> <div>   " Well sharing is good. We’ve proven that in the past. Plus, there’s the added incentive of conserving water and energy…" </div> <div>   " Shut up and get in before it gets cold, Josh", Donna said and Josh could swear she almost rolled her eyes at him.</div> <div>   They stayed in the tub together for a while. Donna, surrounded by the warmth and strength of Josh’s body, felt better than she thought was possible since this whole nightmarish day had begun. When she was trapped in the market, immersed in the urgency of life and death, she had done nothing but react on instinct. Except for a few instances, she hadn’t allowed herself to dwell on the emotional side of things. Now it seemed that she was stuck in the middle of an emotional tidal wave. Part of it was disbelief, almost unwilling to really believe she was here, wrapped in Josh arms, and not still trapped in that market. Another part was fear, that it had happened so randomly, and unexpectedly. That kind of fear was what made some people unable to walk out their front door, or leave the safety of the arms of a loved one. There were other emotions all jumbled in with those, but those were the most clearly defined. The odd thing about it all was that the actual events of what had happened seemed so distant now. Like a dream, or to be more apt, a nightmare. Josh, noticing that Donna had gotten very still and quiet, leaned forward to look at her face. </div> <div>   " You doing okay?" he asked, trying to keep his tone light.</div> <div> For a little while she didn’t answer him, and when she did her voice was oddly flat.</div> <div>   " I seems so…surreal. What happened, I mean."</div> <div>   " I know exactly how you feel", Josh replied. As soon as the words were out of his mouth, he almost wished he had kept them to himself. Donna turned sharply to look over her shoulder, examining Josh’s features carefully. Josh knew what she was doing. Donna never really abandoned her vigilance when it came to him and the effects the shooting had had on him. She was always on guard against something provoking a return of his PTSD. One part of him was impatient with her for not having more faith in his progress. Another part knew that it was a measure of the love she had for him and the worry that came from that. Maybe now was the time for a little extra reassurance.</div> <div>   " Donna. I meant what I said earlier. We share the responsibility of caring for each other. You also have to realize that I am so much better at dealing with things than I was a year ago, or even six months ago. A large part of that is because of you. Are you really going to deny me the opportunity to be there for you now?" </div> <div>   Donna dropped her eyes and fell back into his arms, feeling tears threatening again. Finally she said, " No…I guess not. I just…" </div> <div>  " I know. You’ve been looking out for me so long you can’t help yourself. Let me love you as much as you love me." </div> <div>   " Okay. I think I can do that." </div> <div>   " Good. Now…do you think we can get out of this tub and get dry. Parts of me are starting to shrivel that aren’t supposed to", Josh stated with a wicked little grin. Donna really did roll her eyes then, and rose to stand in front of him, giving him a full view of her body, blushed and glistening from her bath. She looked significantly at a specific portion of his body before retorting, " I doubt you’re suffering from any permanent damage."  </div> <div> Josh’s smile grew into a leering grin then, reminding her that no matter what life threw at her, there was always joy and love to be found in the arms of this man she adored so much.</div> <bR> <div>   Josh had not intended on making love to Donna that night. He knew she was still shell-shocked and vulnerable from what she had been through. All he really wanted was to hold her in his arms and rejoice in the fact that she was alive and beside him. He thought that was for the best, and at first that’s all that happened. They curled up together in his bed, a tangle of intertwined arms and legs, Josh drifting in and out of sleep. Although he was relaxed for the most part, he was attuned to every change in Donna’s breathing, every restless move she made. He kept wondering if she would start out having nightmares right away, or if they would wait until she thought she had rid herself of the memories. He began to understand what it had been like for Donna, all those times she had watched over him while he slept. That understanding made him marvel again at her strength- strength that he hoped would sustain her now, when she needed it most.</div> <div>   Sometime during the night, Donna opened her eyes to see Josh watching her in the moonlight. She saw the traces of worry intermingled with the love in his expressive brown eyes. A tender smile curved the corners of her mouth, and she reached out to trace the curves of his face, touching his lips with her fingertip before replacing it with her mouth. Josh returned her kisses gently until he realized that she was setting a different tempo. Her intensity and rising passion soon became apparent. Josh let her set the pace, following her lead, seeming to understand that this was part of reclaiming her life, of letting go of the fear and capturing the joy of living and loving again. Pretty soon he caught up to her and they rode the waves of passion together, with the same spectacular rhythm  that they had established long before they were lovers. Later, they lay tangled together, but sated and content, and for right now, at peace.</div> <bR> <div>   Donna returned to work on Tuesday. She had only taken Monday off in order to give her statement to Detective Morgan, and to pay a visit to Mr. Barton in the hospital. She had steadily ignored Josh each and every time he suggested she take a little extra time to rest and regroup. She repeatedly told him that she had not been injured, she was as rested as she would ever be, and the best way she could regroup was to get on with normal everyday living. After a half dozen rounds of that coupled with CJ agreeing with her, Josh relented. He silently vowed to himself to keep an eye on her, regardless.  </div> <div>   Donna entered the bullpen Tuesday morning to receive a general outpouring of affection from everyone. She got so many hugs and smiles one would have thought she’d been away for months instead of days. She even got one of Toby’s rare genuine smiles. She had been at her desk for about thirty minutes when she saw CJ sail by, stopping only to ask   if she had seen Sam or Toby. Looking a little puzzled, Donna replied that she had seen Toby leave his office about twenty minutes ago. Nodding distractedly, CJ took off down the hallway, in the direction of Leo’s office, looking as though she was dying to pummel someone to death with the folder she was holding. Curious, but deciding she would find out soon enough, Donna went back to work. About ten minutes later, Josh came out of his office, and looking a little nervous, stopped at Donna’s desk.</div> <div>   " What’s up?" </div> <div>   " Uhh…Leo needs to see us in his office." </div> <div>   " Both of us?" Donna asked, starting to get as nervous as Josh looked.</div> <div>   " Yeah." </div> <div>    Heaving a sigh of someone who is about to feel the boom drop, Donna got up from her desk and followed Josh to Leo’s office.</div> <div>   When they went in, they saw that he wasn’t alone. CJ was there, as well as Toby. On the table between them was the front page of the same tabloid that had run the minor article about Josh’s little tryst with the ‘mystery woman’. There was a rather large picture of Josh, embracing Donna, kissing her in passionate reunion. It was taken that night- just moments after she had been released. The caption read- " Hostage Situation Reveals White House Romance". Donna looked from it to Josh, her eyes wide with shock. The boom had indeed dropped.</div> <div>       </div> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <div>                                   </div> </td> </tr></table></body>