But Tommy hadn't been able to get leave so the family had settled for
a short phone converstaion on Christmas Eve.

All too short Donna thought sadly as she realized she hadn't seen her
brother for nearly a year.

The last time had been at her father's birthday party shortly after
Bartlet took office.

-----

"Hey Donnakins," Thomas Moss greeted his little sister as she walked
in the front door of the Moss home in Buffalo, New York.

"Tommy!" Donna cried as she dropped her suitcase in the doorway and
nearly tackled her brother in a bear hug. She hadn't been expecting to
see him. He had been assigned to the John F. Kennedy which was
in the Persian Gulf. "I missed you."

The red haired young man took a step back so his sister's hug wouldn't
topple them both. "Missed you too. But I'm not the only one with a
hetic schedule. Did Bartlet forget to pay the White House phone bill?"

Donna punched his left shoulder playfully but flashed him a sheepish
smile. "Sorry," she replied as Thomas set her down. "But working in
the White House is like working in controlled chaos. Takes awhile to
get used to."

Tom picked up her suitcase and placed an arm around her shoulder. "I
bet. So tell me little sister, all about your big important life in
D.C.."

-------

A fresh wave of tears rolled down Donna's cheeks as she remembered
their long conversation that day. Moss folded her arms across her
chest and leaned heavily against the wall staring out the window. She
had two other brothers whom she loved dearly but Donna had always
been closest to Tom.

Donna closed her eyes tightly. She wasn't sure how the family would
deal with losing Thomas....or how she would deal with it.

********

Josh knocked lightly on Leo's open office door and was waved inside.

"What's going on?" McGarry asked seeing the dark look on Josh's face.

"We've got an F-16 down off the San Diego coast," Lyman replied
tightly as he came to a stop in front of the chief of staff's desk.

Leo nodded. "Yeah, we're getting intel about it now. Sounds like it
was a mechanical problem."

Josh winced inwardly as he replied. "The pilot is Donna's brother. Do
we know anything about him?"

Leo stood as he reached for the phone. "Nothing yet, but we'll know as
soon as I get Fitzwallace in here. How's Donna holding up?"

Josh sighed as he leaned against the desk. "She's a mess. It sounds
like they were really close and I'd like some good news to take back
to her. I really don't want to be the one to break her heart Leo."

McGarry nodded grimly as he picked up the phone and began to dial.

end of part 2 TBC