The Way
Response to challenge on yahoogroup page, Have Donna bring Josh coffee, have Josh get into an accident in which Donna runs away, have Josh try and make sure her date with Jack goes off smoothly and give a good reason for all three.
Summary: While helping Donna to secure a date without any problems from Josh, C.J. learns the real reason this date wasn't sabotaged.
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The Way
By Mer
Part 1/1
Donna carried the cup of coffee carefully. She intended to give it to Josh and then ask him if she could leave early to go spend the evening with Jack. The coffee was freshly brewed and her hands were burning merely by touching the cup.
Extremely hot coffee like, burnt hamburgers and toast was something that Josh loved. She hoped she could score some extra points for remembering this. For some reason he enjoyed scalding his tongue. Josh had better say yes or she planned on throwing the coffee at him. Well maybe not throwing it at him but she'd do something else really mean to him.
"Josh I have…" Was all Donna managed to get out as she opened his office door and ran smack dab into his shoulder.
The searing hot coffee spilled all down his back. The cup shattered on the floor at Josh's feet. He started jumping around and screaming like a mad man.
Josh's screaming brought the attention of CJ and a member of the Secret Service. Donna in the meantime had run the other way in horror. She knew her chances of ever getting the night off during the next term had just gone down to null. She also figured Josh would never allow her near a coffee cup again.
Josh was taken to the emergency room as a precaution and was treated for the second degree burns on his back. In order to fight the pain he was given some pretty strong pain killers. He was urged to go home but decided he needed to get back to work.
The pain killers did a number on Josh's sensitive system. He was really woozy and became super nice. Donna noticed this but she still decided to ask C.J. to test Josh out first. C.J. decided to have a little fun with him.
"Josh, Donna needs to leave at five because she has a date with Jack." C.J. told her drugged up friend.0
"No problem." Josh replied with a wave of his hand.
"She couldn't get a table at her favorite restaurant either. She's been really down lately and maybe this will cheer her up. Do you think you could pull some strings?" C.J. asked with a giggle.
"Give me the number. I'm a people pleaser. I help people." Josh replied.
C.J. handed Josh a card with a phone number and in the sweetest voice imaginable Josh was able to weasel out the restaurant's best table, complete with candlelight and expensive red wine.
C.J. had to keep herself from laughing as she listened to him. Josh had a huge smile when he hung up the phone.
"Anything else?" Josh asked.
"Yeah, how much medicine did you take today?" C.J. asked.
"I dunno. My back doesn't hurt at all though. I wish I knew who that coffee caper was, but who cares I feel g-g-great!" Josh replied doing his best Tony the tiger impression.
"Josh maybe you should call Jack and have him bring Donna some flowers. I'm sure she'd really appreciate that." C.J. suggested wondering if she had finally gone too far.
"Okay." Josh said as he dialed Jack's number.
Donna in the meantime had leaned up against the door jam and was straining to listen to Josh's conversation. She couldn't believe just how nice and considerate Josh was being. Not only did Josh order jack to bring her flowers, he arranged for Jack to pick her up in a limo. It was almost too much.
She felt like she was taking advantage of her boss. After he finished his phone calls he placed his head on the desk. Donna could hear a slight snore.
Josh was still sleeping when she snuck away at five. He looked so peaceful lying there that she didn't have the heart to wake him to say good-bye.
Josh woke up after six looking for Donna. He called out to her but got no response. His back ached and he felt really groggy from the drugs. Being groggy made him cranky so by the fifth time he called her name and she wasn't there he was upset.
He got up and looked for her himself. C.J. had to hide her laughter when she saw the confused yet terrified look on his face.
"Have you seen Donna?" Josh asked when he saw her.
"Yes, she left for her date an hour ago." C.J. replied.
"I didn't give her permission. I need her help with…wait a minute what was all of that romantic stuff you were having me do earlier?" Josh asked.
"It was to show your appreciation for all the hard work that Donna has done for you." C.J. replied with a smile.
"The fact that I was messed up on pain pills had nothing to do with it right?" Josh asked, slightly annoyed.
"Well that did help you agree to it." C.J. admitted.
"Whatever." Josh replied as he sulked back to his office.
A little while later C.J. went in to check on him. He was sitting in the dark staring out the window. The look on his face was one of sheer heartache.
"Josh is everything okay?" C.J. asked as she stood by him.
"Yeah I just had a headache." Josh lied.
C.J. saw right through his lie. Even though he smiled at her once he had completed it, she could tell he was faking that as well. She placed her hand on his shoulder and noticed he was trembling.
"Oh Josh." C.J. whispered.
"I love her Claudia Jean. I think a part of me always will. But I see the way she looks when she talks about Jack. I could see the way he felt about her on our first meeting. They belong together." Josh said through a whispery voice.
"Josh, when I had you do all of that I had no idea…" C.J. began.
"It's okay. Donna deserves to be happy. Let's face it C.J. I find a way to screw up every relationship I have ever had. The way that she and Jack already love each other is exactly how Donna deserves to be loved." Josh replied as he spun in the chair away from her.
C.J. hated to see him in so much pain but she realized Josh did have some merit to his argument. She also knew there was something else he wasn't telling her.
"Josh what are you holding back from me?" C.J. asked as she spun him back around.
"I talked to Jack yesterday. He heard how some of her other dates were sabotaged and he wanted to make his intentions clear. He is really serious about her. Jack even offered to back off if he knew I was going to fight for her. I knew right then that he was no gomer so I gave him my blessing. I promised that I would try and not derail their happiness." Josh replied with a hint of sadness in his voice.
"So you weren't loopy today, were you?" C.J. asked.
"Nope. I was pretending to be so Donna didn't see how I really felt." Josh answered.
"Oh Josh." C.J. said as she gave him a hug. "But I don't understand why are you just giving up?"
"C.J. I have known for a long time that Donna loves me. But I have also known she loves me in that best friend sort of way. She doesn't desire me the way she desires Jack. Maybe some of that is my fault since I pushed her away for so long. I will never stop loving her C.J. but there comes a time when a heart can only take so much." Josh whispered as a tear rolled down his cheek.
"Josh you still have to keep faith." C.J. begged him.
Josh nodded and he wiped the tear away. He wanted what was best for her. If the way Jack treated her made her happy then he wasn't about to stand in their way. But if Donna ever changed her mind, he hoped she knew he was ready to be her man.
sequel possible
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