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Panic swelled in Josh's chest as the shots sounded in the plaza. The screams bounced off the concrete steps, echoing around him. It was when he brought his hands up to block his ears that the pain shredded through him. It was like being set on fire from the inside out. Warmth pooled under his skin as blood poured down the front of his shirt, staining the blue into a deep red. Josh collapsed at the top of the stairs, just barely reaching a small wall to lean against. Everything in him dimmed as his life stained his hands and the concrete under him.
A thought flashed through Josh, hurting almost as much as the wound. He thought of his mother, the only Lyman left. As all other thoughts faded under the pain, he saw his mother's face, followed by his father and sister. Perhaps he would see them again. Donna also crossed through his thoughts, and despair shot through him again. Oh, what he would give to see her right now. He hoped she wouldn't be too sad when she found out about all this.
A small sound breached the haze, shaking Josh from his despair momentarily. As his vision began to dim as well, Toby entered his sight. Toby’s eyes flicked from Josh’s face to his blood-soaked shirt. For a moment, they just stared at each other, both shocked to silence. Josh was so relieved to see Toby, thinking he might just live, while Toby was filled with pain for his friend and fear of not knowing what to do for him. Toby was usually so composed and knowledgeable, but now he was far out of his depth. That's when Toby began to scream for help.
Josh realized what Toby was calling for and felt safe for just a moment. His thoughts were diminishing as his consciousness faded. He tried to mouth his friend's name, but his entire body failed him, causing him to fall sideways. Toby lunged forward as CJ and Sam rushed toward them, emergency personnel in tow. Toby caught Josh's head in his hands, the latter’s eyes closing against the pain and confusion. Toby looked up at CJ and Sam, immense fear filling all their expressions, watching as EMS workers swarmed their brother.
CJ stood with Sam and Toby as the EMS workers took over Josh. She watched as they tore open his shirt, cutting at the suit he had chosen specially for the event, revealing a horrifying, deep wound, still pouring over the sidewalk. Josh was so delirious that he kept trying to hold his side, but the paramedics kept moving his hands away, trying to do their work.
Toby was slipping into shock, eyes locked on Josh's lifeblood soaking his own hands. Sam grabbed both his friends' shoulders as they slid Josh onto a stretcher, not knowing what else to do. The trio turned and watched in anxiety as they rolled the stretcher down toward the ambulance, listening in horror at Josh's ragged wheezing as they passed. They shook from their stupor after a moment, all three racing down the stairs after the stretcher.
—
Josh faded in and out of consciousness as the stretcher bumped over the steps. His chest felt like it was going to split as the bullet ripped through him and the blood pushed his lung shut. He gasped for air over and over, causing pain to shoot past his ribs each time. Someone placed an oxygen mask over his face as he slid under the fluorescent lights in the back of the ambulance. He began drifting back off when he heard a comforting voice.
“Please, I have to go with him. Please!” It was Sam begging to ride with him. He could hear CJ and Toby pleading for answers as well, but Sam was the most insistent. Josh's heart would have felt warm if it wasn't already burning.
One of the paramedics looked down at his face. “Please, Sam,” Josh was barely able to gasp out, delirious and desperate for his friend. The young woman looked shocked that he tried to speak, but her expression hardened professionally as she turned to the man by the door.
“Let him in the front, this guy wants him.” She looked back down at Josh, placing a hand on his head and nodding at him. “We're going to take care of you, sir. I'm going to ask you some yes or no questions to keep you focused and awake for us, so just try to move your head a little to answer. Do you understand?” She placed a hand on his shoulder, focusing on his face.
There were so many people taking care of him as Josh felt the vehicle begin pulling away that they had all the jobs filled. The only job left for this girl was to talk to him. He felt bad that she got such a lousy assignment. He nodded up at her, face scrunching in pain.
“Okay,” she replied, her eyes showing slight relief. “Is your name Joshua Lyman?”
“Josh,” he wheezed out. He didn't know why it was important she knew that, but his mind insisted he say it. She looked at him gently but was slightly frustrated that he didn't follow directions. He nodded for her.
“Don't tell me, just yes or no. Do you know where you are, Josh?” She asked, leaning down as someone reached over her head for equipment. She also raised her voice as the others shouted directions as they attempted to insert a chest tube to inflate his lung.
Josh nodded. He knew he was at Rosslyn and vaguely remembered someone shouting about taking him to GW.
“I was about to ask if you know who the president is, because it's standard, but you work for him, so that seems nonsensical.” She smiled just slightly at him.
Josh was glad to see her happy and finding a little humor in standard questions. His mind was so fuzzy that all he wanted to do was make her happy, despite dying in her hands. Josh didn’t even know her, but she was the person who was with him and being nice to him right now. He knew she hadn't asked anything, but he nodded anyway, just wanting to respond to her.
He subconsciously tried to make a move for his ID, wanting to show off his status as deputy chief of staff, but his hand was pushed back as it moved. The people further toward the door were still hard at work. He realized vaguely that he was cold on his knees. Had they cut his suit? He had picked it specially for today. He tried to sit up to check, but the woman placed her hand on his shoulder, holding him down.
“You're not going anywhere, buddy,” she said, face turning serious. She just wanted to help him, Josh knew, but he was a little too groggy to know what to and not to do. He was also pumped so full of adrenaline that he felt nearly fine enough to move, although his mind knew he shouldn’t.
“Okay, okay,” Josh managed as the ambulance shook to a stop.
—
The doors flew open, and he was jostled out, people shouting again as the paramedics with him relayed information to the nurses inside. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw the woman stay behind in the ambulance. It made sense, really. He was being handed off, so they didn’t need her to stay. A small part of him missed her, though. In the back of his foggy mind, he was her buddy.
The wheels rattled over the floor as they ran with him down the corridor. Light after light flew past where he was staring up at the ceiling. From somewhere behind him, he could hear Sam yelling for him. It was so good to hear his friend. Josh wondered vaguely what he was yelling about as his cognitive function failed. For a moment, he remembered a pain he felt in a meeting room somewhere, the sting of disrespect, and he thought that might be what he was feeling now. But that didn’t make any sense, he didn’t think.
“I shouldn’t be at this meeting,” he tried to say. He really didn’t want to talk to Hoynes right now. He could hear Sam, and he knew he needed to go find him to bring him to New Hampshire. Josh could hear Leo running, but all his thoughts were bleeding together, not being able to decipher where he was or what he was supposed to be doing anymore. Bleeding out was really getting to him. All he knew was that he remembered he had somewhere to be. And that everything hurt really bad. Why did it hurt so bad?
“I need to get to New Hampshire,” Josh gasped, trying to sit up again, only to be pushed back by the doctors. Everything was spinning, and he didn’t know what was going on. He heard Sam and Leo, so he thought that’s where he was going to New Hampshire to meet them. He just wanted to meet with them. They would help him. He would be safe with them.
“You went to New Hampshire. We both did. You came and got me.” Sam’s face filled Josh’s fading vision, filling him with relief. He was here. He was safe.
All of a sudden, Josh was lifted again, this time onto a bed. Finally, he was on a softer surface, allowing him to fall deeper backward. The shouting and working grew softer as he descended into the dark. His only hope was to see Sam and Leo when he stopped falling. And maybe Donna, too.
—
CJ, Toby, and Leo stood in the entrance of the room, watching the doctors push Sam away from the bed. They didn’t want to get in the way, but they desperately wanted to be there for their friend. They settled on letting the experts handle it from a distance. CJ and Toby’s faces were damp, while Leo’s was stuck in shocked horror. How could this be happening? Why did it have to be his deputy? Why did it have to be his son?
Finally, the doctors convinced Sam to leave and let them do their job. All four of them were ushered out into the hall, and the heavy doors slammed behind them, locking Josh into an unknown fate. The hallway was silent aside from Sam’s heavy breathing and CJ’s sobs. Leo, usually the most composed and reserved, pulled CJ to him, allowing her to wet his jacket with her tears. A few of his own fell onto her shoulder as she embraced him back. He saw a little bit of Malory in her, he supposed. For a few minutes, the group stood there, none of them knowing what to do. Finally, Leo pulled back from CJ, nodding at her as he let go of her shoulders.
“We all need to go sit somewhere, yeah?” Leo asked. Turning away from them, he glanced around for signs directing them to a waiting area. As if on cue, one of the lobby attendants found the disheveled group. The tall man slid to a stop in front of them.
“Are you here with the presidential group?” he asked, taking in the professionalism of their clothes and the tall woman he had seen on television.
“Yes. I came in with the president, and these three came in with my deputy there,” Leo replied, gesturing first to the three with him and then to the door that held Josh. “I’m the president’s chief of staff,” Leo added, making sure they would be cleared to stay.
“Okay, sir. Both of the victims that came in today are in trauma bays, as you saw with your deputy. Can I show you somewhere you can wait for them? Is there anything I can get for you?” Compassion filled the attendant’s voice, putting them slightly more at ease.
“Yes, please,” Leo said, nodding at the man. The group followed down the unnerving, stark corridors to a small room with some stiff chairs. They sat uncertainly, still completely unknowing of what to do. They were worried out of their minds, and had nothing but each other to deal with it.
A few minutes later, Abbey walked in. A few of them stood, but Sam and CJ were still too lost in despair to register her presence.
“I spoke to Jed’s surgeon, and they seem extremely confident. From their preliminary estimates, they think the shot missed vital structures and is, in essence, just a bad flesh wound.” Abbey looked around the room at the downcast expressions that only marginally improved at her news. They were happy Jed was safe, she could tell, but there was something else. “What happened?”
“It’s Josh,” Sam replied, not looking up from CJ’s hair, where her head was slumped into his shoulder. Toby looked up from his hands. The attendant had led him to the bathroom, but he could still smell Josh’s blood long after he had scrubbed his hands clean.
“What about him?” Abbey asked, stepping toward Leo, eyes begging for answers. She and Josh were never the closest, but she still liked and cared for him. The sorrow and fear in the group’s eyes made her fear for her friend. Leo looked over at Toby, who had mentioned minutes prior that he was the one who had found Josh.
“He was behind us on the steps. We didn’t–-we couldn’t–we didn’t see him, so I went looking. I found him leaning against a wall, blood pouring–” Toby’s voice hitched as he stared back at his hands. It was like he could still feel the blood pouring out of his brother and onto the sidewalk.
“Where is he?” Abbey asked, chest clenching. How was her husband so lucky when they all talked about Josh like he was dead? Where was he?
“He’s in surgery," Leo said, standing to meet Abbey. “He was shot in the chest. They said they think the bullet collapsed his lung and tore an artery. We don’t know much else.” Leo met her eyes, trying not to let his voice break. He could already see tears brimming in Abbey’s eyes, and his heart broke a little more. He didn’t know that was possible after the way it had been shattered tonight.
“Do you have any ideas, ma’am?” Sam asked, looking up at the first lady, desperate for answers on his friend. Hope entered his eyes for the first time recently as he realized they had a thoracic expert with them.
“I couldn’t say without seeing him, Sam. I’m so sorry. Do you know who is doing his surgery?” she asked. She knew a lot of doctors in the area and hoped it was one she trusted.
“I think they said it was going to be Dr.Davenport,” Toby said, sounding unsure. Abbey nodded at him, and a small sigh of relief passed out of her. She knew Davenport. He was one of the best. Even so, from the sound of it, Josh was going to have a rough time with this. Even from the little she had heard from them, he was in a dangerously critical position.
“I’m going to the gallery in Jed’s operating theater,” Abbey said, mostly to Leo, who she suspected may want to see his friend. Leo followed her out of the room with a soft nod to the others gathered there, who now included Zoe and Charlie.
After a few minutes of silence, CJ looked up from her slumped position on Sam’s shoulder. She looked directly into his eyes, vision blurred by remaining tears for her brother. “Do you think we can see him? In the gallery, like Abbey is going to see the president?” Her voice, although it broke, gave way to a sliver of hope.
The attendant had stayed nearby in case the group needed anything, so he stepped up to answer. “The theater I found you all in is one with a gallery. I would have to ask once we get there if you all are allowed inside, but if you want to come with me, we can go ask,” he offered, a gentleness infusing his tone.
CJ and Sam locked eyes. CJ stood and faced the man. “I want to see him.” Her voice was hoarse but firm. Sam stood with her and nodded in agreement. Toby stood slowly to join them, finally tearing his eyes off his hands and shoes, which he had noticed also had his brother’s blood on them. The attendant nodded and led the way out of the room and through the corridors.
—
“What is your name?” CJ asked the attendant who had been so kind to them.
“I’m James, ma’am. James Randolph.” The tall man looked over his shoulder to show he was listening to her.
The group finally stopped right outside a door about ten feet to the side of the door Josh had been rolled through. James motioned for them to stay put as he entered the door cautiously. After a moment, he returned. He made a gesture for silence and ushered them inside.
The room was dark blue with only a few chairs and a huge window. They stood in a line facing the inside of the theater, trying to take in all they were seeing. Their brother was lying on a table, covered in sheets and tubes. They could see from between the doctors’ shoulders that they had his chest cracked open with a gigantic incision. CJ took it in shock for a moment before turning to bury her eyes in Toby’s shoulder. It wasn’t that she was squeamish; it was that she hated to see Josh that way.
Toby boiled with anger. How could they do this to Josh? He wrapped an arm around CJ, holding her tight. Whoever did this would not get away with it. Not on his watch. His other fist tightened as he stared down at Josh’s face, pale and unconscious. How could they do this?
Sam stared at his friend through the glass. Pain shot through him as he stared. This was so horrible. Why did it have to be Josh? Why did it have to be his brother? Anger and despair ran deep through Sam. He tore his eyes off Josh’s face and glanced over at CJ and Toby, both in pain like him. They were in this together.
Suddenly, a single thought seemed to fall over the trio at once. CJ lifted her head from Toby’s shoulder, Toby looked at Sam, and Sam placed a hand on CJ’s shoulder. “Donna,” they all whispered in unison. CJ was first to move toward the door and out into the hallway. Soon, all of them were back in the waiting area with Zoe and Charlie. Two other surprise faces were there, though. Margaret and Mrs.Landingham.
“Where’s Donna?” Sam asked the two esteemed assistants, hoping they would be the ones to know.
“I think she got held up by security,” Margaret replied. “How is he?”
“We just came back from his gallery,” CJ replied, sitting across from the red-haired woman. “They said it’s going to be a while.”
Margaret covered her mouth with her hand in shock. She loved Josh. Not as much as Donna, but she cared for him. He was really close with Leo, so she saw him often. She liked seeing him in the office. He was always kind to her.
Suddenly, as though summoned by their concern, Donna rushed through the door. “Is the president okay?” she asked, worry filling her eyes.
They all looked at one another. She didn’t know about Josh yet. CJ spoke gently to her. “Yes, the president is okay. He’s in surgery, but Mrs.Bartlet says he’s looking good.”
“What’s wonderful,” Donna replied, a smile returning to her face. She noticed no one else looked happy or relieved. “What is it?”
Toby spoke up this time. “It’s Josh. He was hit.” He looked down, not wanting to meet Donna’s eyes.
“What do you mean? I don’t understand,” she replied, forcing a laugh.
“He was shot in the chest. He’s in surgery, but he’s in critical condition. They think the operation will take about 12-14 more hours. I’m sorry, Donna.” Toby looked at her then and caught a glimpse of tears brimming to fall. She covered her mouth with her hand and sank into the chair between Margaret and Mrs.Landingham. Margaret wrapped an arm around her friend, feeling her shaking under her grasp.
“Can I see him?” Donna asked after a few minutes of silence, looking up at CJ, who nodded and stood, willing to take Donna to the room. Sam stood when Donna stood, wanting neither Donna nor CJ to be alone in that room. Toby stayed put with Margaret and the others as Donna, CJ, and Sam filed out of the room.
—
They reached that cursed blue room and led Donna inside to see her boss. When Donna turned to see him, she sucked in a pained gasp and then choked out a small sob. She fell into one of the hard chairs in the room, facing the window. He was so pale, so sickly, so pained. Sam and CJ each put a hand on her shoulder to support her, CJ facing the wall as she did.
Suddenly, Donna stood and hurried out of the room. It hurt too much to see him like that. As she broke into a near jog, hurrying down the hall. She collided with Leo as he turned a corner in front of her. As she began apologizing profusely, tears staining her face, Leo pulled her into an embrace, holding her still.
“Donna,” he said gently into her hair. Judging from the direction from which she was coming, he assumed she had seen Josh. She pulled back and looked into Leo’s eyes. The eyes of someone else who loved Josh. The man before her had lost so much. All the things in his past piled on with the fact that his best friend and his son were in surgery at this very moment. How did he do it?
“Leo,” Donna sobbed, hanging her head and staring at the floor. “I saw him. He looks so small, so pale. I can’t believe it. How could they do this to him?” Pain and disbelief tore through her.
“Come on, Donna. Let’s go.” Leo took her by the hand and led her back to the waiting room. He could hear her whispering prayers the whole way there, and after she sat back next to Margaret. CJ and Sam came back minutes later.
Over the course of the next twelve hours, people came and went. Senior staff had to go back to work, and the assistants had to accompany them. The only one who had no work to do was Donna, who was left alone in the waiting room. After 4 hours, Abbey entered the room quietly, sliding into the chair next to Donna. She placed a hand on her knee, prompting the young woman to look up at her.
“Jed is awake if you’d like to see him.” Abbey smiled at Donna.
“Does he know about Josh?” Donna asked, bringing a hand up to wipe her face,
“He insisted on seeing him, and he just got back from the gallery. He wants to see you.” Abbey stood slowly and waited for Donna to join her. Donna pulled back on her shoes, which she had taken off for comfort, and followed Abbey out the door and to the president’s room.
“Hello, Donna,” Jed said, turning in bed to face the woman in the doorframe.
“Hello, sir. How are you doing?” Donna took a few steps toward the bed, drawing near to the older man.
“They’re taking good care of me.” Jed’s eyes softened as he prepped to ask her about Josh. It was obvious to him that she cared deeply for her boss in a way that was not entirely professional. No regular employee would still be here, nor would they be so obviously distraught. “Have you seen him?” Jed asked, reaching out to offer Donna his hand. She took it gently.
“I saw him a few hours ago. I don’t know if I can go back to that gallery. I’m really scared, sir.” The young woman’s voice broke, prompting Abbey to reach forward and hold her by the shoulder.
“Abbey said Dr.Davenport is a fantastic doctor. Though I’ll admit, as someone who doesn’t know much about this, I’m worried too, Donna. But I trust the experts, and I know they will take good care of him.” Jed smiled a small, reassuring smile at Donna, trying to comfort her. She returned it painedly. “Leo told me you were praying in the waiting room. Will you join me now?” Jed brought his other hand over to clasp Donna’s hand in both of his. She nodded.
Jed began the prayer and then paused, opening the floor to Donna but without pressure. “Give him health and strength,” she prayed quietly, eliciting a small laugh from Jed, a history nerd himself.
When they concluded, Jed smiled up at her. “We’ll steal the rest, shall we?”
“Yes, sir,” Donna replied, slightly embarrassed that he had caught on. “And we’ll be there for him. Even without being experts, we can be there for him in whatever way we can.”
“And that’s all we can ask of ourselves, Donna. Just do your best. He’s going to be alright.” Jed released her hands. Donna smiled and nodded her thanks to Jed as Abbey took her by the hand and led her back to the waiting room, where she waited for eight more hours.
—
“We’re waking him up, sir. Would you like to see him?” Dr.Davenport asked. Jed looked up at Leo from the bed, and the two nodded at each other. The two men wanted to see their son. They walked slowly down the hall, trying not to push Jed too fast. Jed was moving as quickly as possible, so anxious to see Josh.
When they got to the room, Leo put a hand on Jed’s shoulder, steeling himself and his friend to go in. Leo had gone back to the office and hadn’t seen Josh since he came in from the ambulance. He was honestly extremely worried about the condition he would be in. Jed brought a hand up and placed it over his friend’s hand, showing support and solidarity. Together, they pushed through the heavy doors and into the room.
They were met with a terrifying sight. Josh was lying on the bed, still unconscious. He was covered in tubes, bandages, and monitors. He was also deathly pale. They had him hooked up to a blood transfusion, but his color was still not returning. As they moved further into the room, they were ushered to the head of the bed as the doctor fiddled with the machines. Leo looked into his son’s face, noticing with a jarringly normal thought that he needed to shave.
Jed leaned down and said another prayer over Josh, placing a hand on his hair as he did so. After a few moments with the machines, Dr.Davenport turned to the two men and said, “It’s time to wake him, now.”
Jed and Leo took half steps back, allowing the doctor to move in. With great relief and thankfulness, the pair began to see Josh stirring. His expression hardened, his chest rose as he breathed deeper, and finally, his eyes began to open little by little. The doctor spoke to him, reassuring him that it was time to wake up.
Josh was gently shaken from his sleep, remembering in a moment the life he had lived with the people around him. The final memory had been the night his father died. Now, as he painfully opened his eyes, he could see his new, surrogate fathers standing over him. Relief unwound in his chest. He tried to speak, still groggy and in pain, so it came out barely a whisper.
Jed leaned in, trying to hear better. “I’m sorry, Josh. I didn’t hear you.” He leaned all the way down, not wanting Josh to have to work any harder. Leo looked at them with concern. Suddenly, Jed straightened back up and looked at Leo, humor infusing his expression. Leo stared at him in confusion, not having heard what Josh said.
“He said, ‘What’s next?’,” Jed said, a small smile breaking across his face. Leo let out a breath that sounded suspiciously like a laugh.
Still unable to move properly, Josh tried to make a movement toward Leo, wanting to see his mentor and friend, but his hand barely made it to slide off the bed. Dr.Davenport picked his hand back up and set it next to him, warning that he wouldn’t be able to move properly until the anesthesia wore off more. He had been under for over 12 hours.
Leo spotted the gesture and moved forward, taking his son’s hand. He smiled down at him, immensely grateful to look into his open and aware eyes. His son was going to live. And with his newfound health and strength, courtesy of Donna, he was going to steal the rest. He would never stop fighting for what he knew was right. They’d have to kill him to stop him, and that already failed once.