Ghosts In the Smoke Part 4

Disclaimer: I don't own these lovely characters, Aaron Sorkin and his friends do.

Sam and Josh are caught in a hotel fire.

Spoilers: Everything up through The Leadership Breakfast (set two days later)

Archive: Anywhere you want, just please e-mail me Partnrpal@aol.com

Ghosts in the Smoke

By Mer

Part 4

Marino's Restaurant

"Tim, you didn't have to bring me here on our first date." Donna said as she looked around an elegant restaurant.

"Donna, I'm so glad that your boss actually let you off to have dinner with me, I decided to make the good first impression." Tim smiled.

"Wow." Donna said as she continued to look around.

"There is a small wait on our table so why don't we go and sit at the bar for awhile." Tim suggested.

"Okay." Donna smiled as they found a table near the bar.

"Wow that's some fire." Tim commented as he saw the coverage on one of the television sets.

"Yeah, big buildings seem to have been going up in smoke lately." Donna said with a huge smile.

"Sounds like you got some inside information." Tim commented.

"Yeah, my wonderful boss and his best friend accidentally started a fire the other night in a fireplace that has been welded shut for years." Donna sighed.

"Was anybody hurt?" Tim asked, eyes wide with amusement.

"Unless you count their ego's. Just a little smoke damage to the Mural Room but nothing that the insurance doesn't cover." Donna joked.

"So how come your boss was so generous with your time tonight? I mean usually we can't go out until at least nine, and then you always have to cancel." Tim asked.

"He's at some charity auction tonight at the D.C. Hilton. I doubt he even remembers that I'm on a date." Donna smiled.

"I see. Wait what hotel did you say he was at?" Tim asked looking up at the television again.

"The D.C. Hilton, why?" Donna asked, not having really paid much attention to the fire coverage.

"I think they let him play with matches again." Tim commented.

"What?" Donna asked, unamused.

"Look at the screen." Tim ordered.

"It's just some stupid fire." Donna protested.

"At the D.C. Hilton." Tim said as he steered her eyes towards where it said the name of the hotel.

"Oh my God. Tim, I'm sorry but I have to go. Josh found a way to ruin our date after all." Donna said as she hurriedly got up.

"I understand. Do you need me to drive you somewhere?" Tim asked, with great concern.

"Yeah, I need to go back to the White House." Donna said.

D.C. Hilton

"Joanie, I'm getting really sleepy, and it's hard to breath." Josh said in-between coughs.

"I know. Josh you got to try and stay awake though buddy." Sam ordered.

"Did it feel like this when you died?" Josh asked in a voice that startled the hell out of Sam.

"What do you mean?" Sam asked slowly.

"When you died that night...did it feel like this?" Josh asked, his coughing becoming more frequent.

"No, it didn't feel like this." Sam lied, coughing more himself.

"That's good. I never meant to leave you behind." Josh apologized.

"I know." Sam said soothingly.

"Mom thought I did. She blamed me." Josh said, his voice cracking a little.

"I never blamed you." Sam assured him.

"She did. You were her pride and joy. I was just an accident." Josh said as he hung his head.

Sam looked at Josh before responding to that. He felt really silly pretending to be Josh's deceased sister. And he felt even worse because he hadn't really even remembered that Josh had a sister. Much less that she had died in a fire. But he didn't dare tell Josh that.

"You weren't an accident." Sam finally whispered.

"Yes, I was. You had plans of being a world-renowned conductor, and I'm just a politician. You had plans to have a husband and three or four kids. I'm forty and I haven't had a steady girlfriend in well over a year. I wasn't even there when Dad died. But you were with him, weren't you?" Josh asked.

"Yeah, just like I'm here with you now." Sam said softly.

"Does that mean I'm going to die?" Josh asked quietly.

"Not if I can help it." Sam muttered silently.

"You didn't answer me." Josh whispered.

"Not if I can help it." Sam stated gently.

D.C. Hilton-Outside

"I just got off the radio with the dispatcher and guys there are people trapped between the fifth and sixth floors in the stairwell." Firefighter Ken Johnson said sadly.

"Kenny, they aren't just any guests they are members of the White House." Fire chief Chris Davis replied.

"The White House? Oh man, the blaze has to be close to on top of them then. Can we get through on the fifth floor?" Kenny asked.

"Thoroughly blocked. It's amazing that they aren't buried under much ruble." Chief Davis replied.

"What are we going to do?" Kenny asked as he looked up at the fire.

"I don't know, I guess we have to put a more concentrated effort on removing some of the ruble on one front, and on the other we have to figure out how to stop the blaze." Chief Davis commented.

"Yeah, but shouldn't the smoke be pretty bad where they are?" Kenny asked slowly.

"Uh huh, which is why we have like no time to do this. Gather up some men to bust the ruble, I'll concentrate on getting more water on the top." Chief Davis replied.

"What if..." Kenny asked but stopped mid-sentence.

"Then the President and the press are going to kill us." Chief Davis answered.

The Oval Office

"Has anyone contacted Donna yet?" Leo asked.

"And just what are we supposed to tell her?" Toby questioned.

"She had to find out the hard way last time, I just don't want that to have to happen again." Leo replied.

"Huh?" Jed asked.

"After Rosslyn Donna came because she heard it on the news...she was unprepared...." Leo stuttered.

"I see. Toby see if you can locate her. Where did C.J. run off to?" Jed asked, as Toby nodded and left the room.

"She's in her office trying to figure out what to say to the press." Leo stated.

"How do they know already?" Jed asked.

"She told them at her noon press briefing. I was so mad at them, that I agreed to Senator Herman's demands." Leo commented slowly.

"Leo this isn't your fault." Jed assured him.

"I know, but I can't help but feel partially responsible." Leo commented.

D.C. Hilton

"Joanie..." Josh barely whispered because he was having a lot of trouble breathing.

"Yes?" Sam replied having an equal amount of trouble.

"Are you okay?" Josh asked.

"Huh?" Sam asked sifting his position a little so that he could hear Josh better.

"Did you just wince?" Josh asked suddenly.

Sam shook his head in dis-belief. He really felt sorry for Josh, because he thought he was actually talking to Joanie. Yeah he had winced, but shouldn't Josh have picked up the coughing as well? Sam considered his answer some more.

"I'm just so tired and I can't breath. I'm sorry, if I'm bugging you." Josh whimpered, slumping over a little bit.

"It's okay. Keep talking to me Josh." Sam said noticing that Josh was still losing a lot of blood.

"There is a fire right above us, so why do I feel so cold?" Josh asked, and Sam realized for the first time that Josh was shivering.

"Because your a wimp." Sam teased as he threw Josh's tux jacket over him.

"Very funny." Josh laughed softly.

"We are going to get out of here pretty soon." Sam said as he looked up into the smoke.

"Kay." Josh replied, though Sam could tell Josh didn't believe him.

Links

go back to part 3
go back to general stories page
go on to part 5
home