Bargaining Chips Part 14

Disclaimer: These characters belong to Aaron Sorkin and the other people at NBC.

Bargaining Chips

By Mer

Part 14

Waiting Room-A little while later

"I'm going to get some coffee. Do you need anything?" Sam asked Abbey.

"No. I'm fine." Abbey assured him.

Sam left the room and he brushed past Zoey. He stopped because he knew that Zoey wasn't supposed to be at the hospital. Zoey just smiled at him, and she raised her finger to her lips. Sam just nodded and continued on his way.

"Hi Mom." Zoey announced as she entered the room

"Zoey what are you doing back here? Is Donna okay?" Abbey asked once she saw her daughter.

"Yeah Donna's fine. Um Mom there is a huge favor I need to ask you." Zoey stuttered.

"What?" Abbey asked raising her eyebrows

"Donna needs to see Josh." Zoey stated softly.

"I'm sorry sweetheart, but I can't let her see him like she is. She'll fall apart again." Abbey replied sadly.

"Mom, you have to let her. She at least needs the chance to say good-bye. Besides, she's better, I swear." Zoey assured her.

"Zoey..." Abbey said in a warning tone.

"If that were Dad in there would you let anyone stop you from seeing him?" Zoey asked.

"That's a little different." Abbey replied.

"How is it different Mom? Donna and Josh love each other. Josh finally told her and she needs to show him that she loves him to. She needs to go in there and see him the same reason you would need to go in there to see Dad, the same reason I would need to go in there and see Charlie." Zoey theorized.

"I suppose you are right." Abbey conceded

"So you'll let her go see him?" Zoey asked hopefully.

"Something tells me that she's already here isn't she?" Abbey asked.

"Well, yeah." Zoey admitted.

"So why are we even having this conversation?" Abbey asked.

"To give Donna some time alone with him, before you found out and dragged her out of his room." Zoey replied sheepishly.

"You know..." Abbey began.

"Oh man, I gotta go." Zoey said as she ran out of the room.

"The things that kids do these things." Abbey muttered as she watched her daughter leave the room.

Josh's Hospital Room-Same time

Leo had left the room and he had skeptically allowed Donna to take his place. He wasn't sure if he was supposed to or not, but the look on Donna's face had just melted his heart. She looked absolutely heartbroken. He gave her a small hug before she went in Josh's room.

Donna went and sat in the chair that Leo had just vacated. She saw the ugly bruises on Josh and she shivered as she remembered how he got them. She held his hand in hers. There was so much that she needed to tell him.

"You know I never got the chance to tell you, but I love you too. I know I might just seem like I'm copying you but I honestly do love you. I just never got the chance to say it first." Donna said softly.

She closed her eyes a moment and she thought back to the day before. She again heard Josh tell her that he loved her, just before he passed out. A small smile crossed her lips. She opened her eyes again and she looked up at Josh.

"I was talking to Zoey earlier and she knew that you loved me. She knew that I loved you too. Why do you suppose she knew what we didn't? I think that everyone else knows too. How could we really be that dense?" Donna asked.

Donna thought back to Christmas Eve, when she had taken him to the hospital to get his hand checked out. He had been unusually quiet most of the car ride to the hospital. And when he did speak it was to say that he didn't need to go to the hospital.

But yet the whole time the doctor was looking at his hand, his other hand was firmly gripped in hers. And as they walked back to the car he muttered something about hating hospitals. She had come back with that he was just mad because the nurses didn't laugh at his jokes. Josh had given her a tiny smile then.

Donna remembered how that smile had just warmed her heart. It was the first smile she had seen him give in weeks. She had driven him home and had stayed with him all night. He then had complimented her by saying that he would rather have as his nurse than anyone else.

"Josh, you had probably get better soon, because I doubt that your jokes will go over any better here than they did with the nurses back home. Besides, you hate hospitals remember? And you're too sick for me to be your nurse. Come on to do remember?" Donna asked as she looked back at him.

Josh's eyes fluttered for a moment. Donna realized that he was starting to wake up. She was dismayed when they didn't open. So she rubbed his hand a little. But then it dawned on her that his eyes were swollen so maybe they couldn't open so he could be awake after all.

"I'm here Josh. It's me Donna." She assured him.

She felt a tiny amount of pressure on her hand. That comforted Donna. Josh was trying to reach out to her. She squeezed his hand back.

"I love you, and I knew you wouldn't leave me." Donna whispered.

Donna looked lovingly at him. She knew he couldn't speak because there was a tube down his throat. But she watched as he mouthed I love you.

"I know, Josh. I know." She soothed as she felt his hand relax in hers.

But she was dismayed once she realized that he had fallen back to sleep. She touched her hand to his hair and she smoothed back one of his unruly curls. She figured that it was a good sign that he had woken up when she was in the room. Josh must want to get better, she thought.

(Waiting Room-a few minutes later)

"Leo, we need to talk." Jed said as he saw his friend about to enter the Waiting Room.

"What happened now?" Leo asked realizing his friend's tone meant trouble.

"I just received word that there has been another threat." Jed replied with mild anger.

"Who are they threatening now?" Leo asked.

"Us, again. They said if we don't end the peace talks that someone else will die." Jed replied.

"Did they say who that someone else would be?" Leo asked.

"I just got off the phone with Director Harris…he's says that I have been threatened." Jed replied.

"Those bastards can't be serious." Leo mumbled.

"Yeah I mean I just get back from the Embassy after I had convinced Henry that I would be all right. And now they have threatened me personally, so now we all have to leave for Egypt." Jed replied.

"Seriously? What about Josh can he be moved?" Leo asked.

"Technically no, but Abbey will be with him and there is a better hospital to take him to in Egypt." Jed explained.

"I think everyone went down to the Cafeteria." Leo replied slowly.

"Yeah, I caught up with my daughter and she went down there to bring them up." Jed replied.

"Donna's in with Josh now." Leo replied.

"That's what I gathered from Zoey." Jed replied with a knowing nod.

Cafeteria-Same time

“Man this coffee really sucks.” Sam complained.

“Hey when is the last time we all had a real meal?” C.J. asked.

“I don’t remember.” Toby admitted.

“Zoey and I grabbed a snack at the hotel.” Charlie replied.

“I think I’ve had like twenty cups of coffee. I’m really not hungry.” Sam admitted. “Charlie how come you’re here anyway? Not that I mind your company.” C.J. asked.

“Zoey’s trying to convince her mom to let Donna visit Josh.” Charlie replied.

“Ahh.” Sam replied adding more sugar to his coffee.

“Sam, if you don’t stop stirring that you will be wearing that coffee.” Toby warned.

“Hi guys.” Zoey said as she appeared.

“Hey.” Sam said as he stopped stirring.

“Um...Dad needs you all upstairs.” Zoey said hestitantly.

“Something wrong with Josh?” Sam asked, his eyes growing wide.

“Not that I know of. He just said it was urgent and you all needed to get upstairs immediatley.” Zoey replied.

“This can’t be good.” C.J. mumbled.

“Well, if he sent Zoey it must not be too bad.” Charlie teased.

“Just remeber who your girlfriend is buddy.” Zoey replied as they all went to go back upstairs.

Links

home
go back to last part
go on to next part