See disclaimers in part 1
****
All Before Noon 3/4
By Lacy
"What is it?" Donna asks.
"I don't know," I reply. "It's Sam."
She digs a cellphone out of her purse and punches one of the speed
dial buttons before handing it to me. The line rings twice before Sam
picks up.
"Sam Seaborn."
"It's me."
"Where the hell are you?"
"I had an appointment." I slide into the driver's seat of the car,
and Donna slides in next to me. She's listening intently to my half
of the conversation.
"A good enough reason to cancel your breakfast with Sheldon's guys?
Leo's on the warpath, you know."
"Damn. Okay, look, I'll be there in about half an hour. I'll talk to
him then."
"We're talking about major legislation here, Josh."
"Yeah, it's so major it gets reintroduced to the House every two
years," I defend. "This isn't a thing, Sam."
"Leo thinks it is. He thinks you should stay on top of it. You
know...in case it becomes a thing. What was so important that you
canceled your meeting?"
I turn to Donna before answering his question. "Baby pictures," I
tell him.
"Baby pictures?"
"Yeah."
"I'm glad I'm not the one who's going to have to explain that to Leo."
"I'll be there in half an hour," I reiterate.
"Yeah."
I close the phone and hand it back to Donna.
"Leo's mad?" she guesses.
"Yeah."
"I'll go with you."
"No, it's not-"
"I'll go with you," she says again.
"Are you sure?"
"Well, it's not the way I would've planned it, but I'm finding that to
be true for just about everything lately."
"Okay," I relent. "Fasten your seatbelt."
"Literally or figuratively?"
"Both," I reply, as I turn the key in the ignition, and put the car
into reverse.
We both knew that it would come down to this eventually -- that we
wouldn't be able to keep the secret indefinitely. Thankfully, the
protocol for informing family members was fulfilled earlier this week.
I sat on the bed beside her when she placed her long distance phone
call to Wisconsin. After our engagement, we'd made a similar phone
call. I've never met her parents, because I've never really been
given the opportunity; however, from what I've been able to gather, I
get the impression Donna's parents are making a valiant effort to like
me. But they still view me as 'the guy that keeps Donna too busy to
visit once in a while'.
Her parents weren't thrilled that we had 'anticipated our wedding
vows'. That's a direct quote, by the way. Can you believe that? But
Donna says that despite their bluster, she can tell her mother is
secretly knitting baby booties. It just might take a little longer
for them to come around to liking me that's all. I don't think
Ezekiel Moss will ever admit to liking me. That's right...Ezekiel.
Strikes fear into the heart, doesn't it? It adds a certain 'Children
of the Corn' flavor to my life.
My mother, on the hand, was a study in contradiction. She couldn't
care less about 'anticipating the vows' - all she wants is the baby.
My mother adores Donna, too - which takes a significant amount of
pressure off of me. I think Donna is the only woman who could get my
mother to stop staying, "Oh, Josh. Why can't you find a nice Jewish
girl?" I once joked with my mother that Donna practically *is* Jewish
because her father's name is Ezekiel.
Donna didn't think that was funny.
The point I'm trying to make here is that familial obligations have
been met. Parents have been told to get used to the imminent title of
'Grandparent'. So, next comes the friends and co-workers obligation.
I would rather have a nice little get together with our
co-workers/friends and inform them in a manner that would at least
suggest that we put some thought into it. Going into Leo's office
with my 'duck and cover' instinct at DEFCON 4 was not what I had in
mind.
"It'll be fine." Donna's assures me, but the tremor in her voice that
only I would be able to hear, tells me that she's not even convincing
herself.
"Yeah," I say. It's my turn to assure her. "It'll be fine."
Before her offer to accompany me to meet with Leo, I had planned to
drop her off at the house. With that plan obsolete, it takes only
fifteen minutes to get to White House. We don't bother stopping by my
office when we arrive, but head straight for Leo's. Why postpone the
inevitable, right?
Margaret has the phone plastered to one ear when we arrive so she
simply waves me into Leo's office. She does a double take when Donna
follows me inside, closing the door behind us.
Leo does this thing where he'll look up from whatever he's reading,
nail you with a withering stare over the rims of his glasses, and then
go right back to whatever he was reading. That's how you know that
your ass is grass - if you don't rate above the latest memo to cross
his desk.
Donna audibly swallows the lump in her throat as Leo continues to
peruse the document in front him. When his eyes scan the last page he
slips the document back into its folder.
"Margaret!"
"Yes, sir?" Leo's assistant pops her head in the door in a
millisecond. She had to be standing at the door listening.
"Please see that a copy of this is faxed to the Venezuelan Foreign
Minister," he holds the folder up to her.
"Okay." She takes the folder, tossing a worried glance in Donna's
direction before exiting the room.
Silence reigns as Leo leans back in his chair and pins me with another
stare. I'm not sure if he's even noticed Donna's presence beside me.
He certainly hasn't commented on it, so far.
"I got a call from Congressman Sheldon's office. He's livid. He
doesn't think you're taking his resolution seriously," Leo begins.
"I'm not," I admit. "Leo...it's the same resolution that gets debated
in every session. Every time a new Congress is called some Republican
throws this up for debate. Sheldon isn't going to get support from
this White House and we all know it."
"He's the Chairman of Ways and Means, Josh! We may not have to
support his bill, but if we're smart we'll keep him appeased when we
can. That means when he wants to meet, we meet. We can't afford to
burn bridges right now."
"I rescheduled the meeting for Monday," I tell him. "I'm having lunch
with his guys."
"What I wanted to know was why you canceled the meeting in the first
place? You know that it gives us the appearance of avoiding the
issue."
"You're right," I admit. "I canceled the meeting for personal
reasons."
"Please tell me you didn't just say personal reasons."
This isn't going very well. "I would be lying. I'll draft an apology
and send it to Sheldon's office," I offer as a white flag.
"God help us, no. Do you want to make this worse?"
"I'll draft an apology and send it to Sheldon's office," Donna speaks
up.
"Now you're talking. What was so important that you had to alienate
the long-sitting Chairman of an principal congressional committee?"
"Leo...I...uh...." Okay, not only am I floundering here -- I'm on
full crash and burn.
"Oh, for heaven's sake," Leo rolls his eyes which only makes me more
nervous.
Coming to my rescue, Donna reaches into her bag, extracts the
videotape and passes it to Leo. "He canceled the meeting for this,"
is all she says.
"For a videotape?"
Donna motions hopefully to the television on his credenza with a VCR
attached.
"Am I going to be shocked by what I see on this tape?" he asks as he
inserts the cartridge into the cassette recorder.
"Probably," I mumble.
The grainy and fluid sonogram image explodes on to the screen and Leo
takes a step back. He tilts his head to side in an attempt to make
the image look like...something.
"Somebody want to tell me what I'm looking at?" he finally gives up.
"It's a sonogram, Leo," Donna chimes up, with more bravado than I know
she's feeling. "An ultrasound?"
"An ultrasound," he repeats.
"An ultrasound," she echoes.
"At the risk of possibly sounding like an idiot...what is this an
ultrasound of?"
Donna opens her mouth, and then immediately snaps it shut. She turns
to me, her eyes pleading for help. I guess that's my cue to take it
from here. Approaching the television, I point to the screen.
"You can see the head...here," I begin. "And the spine. Hands.
Feet. Sucking its thumb...." I trail off.
"Okay," he says. "I got it. Who else knows about this?"
"The three of us, our parents, Sam, and a couple of doctors," I reply.
"Sam knows?"
"Yeah."
"Okay," he sighs, defeated. "How long until this becomes public
knowledge?"
"A few weeks, at most."
"Donna, would you mind if I spoke to Josh alone?"
"Of course not, Leo," she responds, but I can see fear in her eyes
when she turns back to me. "I'll be at my desk."
"Okay."
Donna disappears from the room like a mist, and I'm left standing in
front of my elementary school principal. The silence isn't helping.
I'd rather have Leo yelling at me. Instead, he motions me to the sofa
and takes the chair. I have the distinct feeling I'm about to get a
lecture.
He sighs, before saying something that surprises me. "Your father
would be ecstatic right about now."
"I know."
"On his behalf, and because I was his friend, I want to offer you my
heartfelt congratulations."
"Thank you," I respond.
"Is Donna all right?"
"She's fine. The baby's fine."
"Are you all right?"
"I'm shaking in my boots," I admit.
"The shaking's normal, and also chronic. It's never going to stop."
"Good to know."
"Okay. Now I have a few things to say as your boss."
Here comes the lecture part.
"Mary Marsh will be dancing a jig. The Christian Right is going to
crucify you and Donna, and the President by extension. They'll say
it's exactly what could be expected from this morally depraved
administration. Have you thought about that?"
"To be honest, " I go on the defensive. "I've tried not to, Leo. I'd
rather not think of my child as a weapon for toppling sitting
governments."
"You'd better, Josh, because there are others who will."
"So what do we do?"
"What do we always do? We'll get the staff together and form a
strategy."
"Fine."
"I'm taking you off Sheldon," he announces.
"What!?"
"I'll send Toby."
"Leo, come on!"
"No," he decides. "Sheldon will eat you alive for this. Especially
if it gets out."
"It won't get out."
"You've become vulnerable to Sheldon, Josh. Even he doesn't
know...you'll know, and that could make all the difference."
"I'm not vulnerable," I insist.
"Josh," he sighs. "You have no idea how vulnerable you are."
"I can still do my job, Leo!" I try to reign my temper in, but Leo
doesn't miss the slip.
He ejects the tape from the VCR and holds it aloft before me. "Can
you honestly tell me that when Sheldon's guys start spouting their
scientific data that you won't be picturing this? Do you really think
you can separate yourself now, Josh? You're too close. They'll play
you, and then they'll have you right where they want you."
"I'm stronger than that."
"Nobody's stronger than that -- unless they're heartless. And you're
just not that heartless."
"Leo-"
"Forget it. It's done. You can work 387 with Sam."
"You're putting me on the train thing?"
"It's a crime thing, Josh, and yes, Sam could use the help. And you
need the distance from Sheldon."
"I don't need distance."
"You need a lower profile."
"Is there something going on here that I should know about?"
Leo and I turn to find the President leaning casually against the jamb
of the door that connects Leo's office to the Oval. I hadn't realized
the door was open.
Leo glances back to me, his eyes meeting mine, his jaw firmly set.
"It appears that we're going to have a little addition to the Bartlet
Administration, Mr. President," Leo answers.
President Bartlet's interest is piqued by Leo's vague but suggestive
announcement. He propels himself from his relaxed position and steps
into the room, shoving his hands into the pockets of his jeans. "Are
you telling me what I think you're telling me?"
Leo stares me down. "Yes, sir," I answer after a lengthy silence.
"For any inconvenience this may cause you, I apologize."
"Don't apologize, Josh. It only makes you look guilty. If we're
going to pull this off, you need to be ecstatic," the President says.
"I am ecstatic, sir. I mean...I was, until I was reminded of how
inconvenient a thing like this can be to the administration."
"We'll work this out, Josh," Bartlet assures me. "Leo, you know what
to do."
"Yes, Mr. President."
"If you need to talk, Josh...."
"Yes, sir. Thank you, Mr. President."
Bartlet turns back to his office, but stops for one final thing.
"Leo, take him off the Civil Rights for the Unborn."
"It's already done, Mr. President."
"Good. I'll be in the Residence."
"Yes, Mr. President," Leo and I chorus as he exits.
Leo crosses back to stand behind his desk. He dons his reading
glasses again, and picks up another folder.
"We're done," he informs me. "Get with Sam on 387."
"Okay."
"And make sure you offer Donna my congratulations," he hands the tape
back to me.
"Thank you, Leo."
TBC
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