A Minute
By Heidi H
Disclaimers-These are not my characters and I am
making no money off of them.
Ratings-R, language, images, Sam/Donna friendship
Spoilers-In The Shadow Of Two Gunmen, Noel, The
Portland Trip, The Stackhouse Filibuster
Thank you to all the people who beta’d and
pointed out all of the little details. You are a great
help and responsible for this story being a good
one.
Sam Seaborn rushed to keep up with the blond
already making her way across the parking lot. The
cold October breeze made the night seem darker and
more devious. He pulled his coat tighter around
him and took the last few steps to meet with the
blond.
“Hi Donna.” Sam said as his breathing resumed
to normal.
“Hi Sam.” Donna said pulling her jacket
tighter as the wind began to blow harder. The leaves
fell to the ground around them and crunched as
they walked toward their cars.
“What are you doing here so late on a Saturday
night?” Sam inquired.
“Josh needed me to finish typing up a memo and
of course it couldn’t wait until the morning or
Monday.” Donna explained with a smile and a
laugh.
“Do you need a ride home?” Sam asked wanting
to be a considerate friend.
“No, I’m gonna take the train. My place is
only a couple blocks away.” Donna said.
A car came squealing around the parking lot and
headed straight for the pair. Donna’s face filled
with shock and terror. She was frozen with fear.
Sam reacted quickly throwing himself toward Donna
and knocking them down to the ground between
cars. He covered Donna as the car squealed past them
and sped up.
After the car passed them, Sam managed to get a
look at the plate and grabbed his phone to call
security.
Security dispatched agents to the parking lot and
sent an aide to Leo McGarry’s office to inform
him of what had happened in the parking lot. Leo
grabbed Toby, Josh, and CJ on his way out.
Sam gently nudged Donna, who hadn’t stirred since
he knocked her down.
“Donna? Donna, it’s okay, we’re safe. You can
get up now.” Sam pushed on her shoulder.
The security officers found Sam leaning over
Donna, trying to wake her up.
“Mr. Seaborn. We need to fill out a report and
take a statement from you about what went on here
this evening.” a security officer said.
Josh, Leo, CJ, and Toby came up on the scene and
heard Sam yelling. They knew it was serious
because Sam barely raised his voice, let alone
yelled.
“What? I need an ambulance for that woman.”
Sam hollered at two of the junior security
officers that were crowding him.
“What the hell happened and how the hell could
it have happened here?” Toby asked, coming up
next to Sam.
“Mr. Seaborn, an ambulance is on the way.”
another officer informed the group.
“What’s wrong with Donna?” CJ asked.
“I pushed her down when the car came at us and
now she won’t wake up.” Sam said with a slight
tremor in his voice.
CJ was the only one that appeared to hear the
tremor. She’d heard it before, after Rosslyn. It
was something she’d never wanted to hear again.
“Sam, the ambulance will be here soon. She
probably just hit her head on the ground.” Josh
said and put his arm around his best friend as a
comforting gesture because he knew that Sam felt
badly about what had happened.
“Ron, I want a report on my desk as soon as
possible with as many of the details that you guys
can piece together. I need to brief the President
on what happened out here.” Leo said, to the
senior Secret Service Agent.
Three police cars and an ambulance roared into
the parking lot at full speed, squealing their own
tires.
Sam glanced at Josh. He wanted to make sure his
best friend didn’t loose it.
“Sam, I’m fine with it.” Josh said.
“I just wanted to.....” Sam trailed off.
“I know. Thanks.” Josh said. It never
surprised him that Sam thought of everyone else before
himself.
The EMTs pushed CJ out of the way, as she had
been with Donna. They strapped on a C Collar and
braced Donna on a backboard before they rolled her
over. The senior staff gasped at the sight.
Donna had a bloody, still bleeding gash on her
forehead. Her blond hair was matted and coated
with blood from a cut on her head, hidden by her
hair. A black eye and an assortment of bruises were
forming on the right side of her face.
“I’m riding with her.” Sam said.
“That’s fine.” an EMT said.
“Leo,.....” Sam started to speak.
“No Sam. Go with her. We’ll all be along
later.” Leo brushed him off.
Sam climbed into the ambulance as the EMT shut
the doors and headed for GW. Another EMT that was
in the back radioed Donna’s information into the
hospital and started to check her vitals again.
Sam was shocked. He had only tried to protect
her, yet he’d managed to hurt her.
“Don’t feel guilty. You did the right thing.
She’ll recover from these injuries. She might
not have if she’d been hit by a car.” the EMT
reassured him.
“How did you know?” Sam asked.
“An agent gave us the pertinent details.” the
EMT said.
The ride to GW seemed to take hours and when they
drove up to the doors, Sam had never been so glad
to see a place in all his life.
The doors opened and things happened rapidly.
“Almost run down by a car.”
“Pushed down.
Head wounds.”
“Unresponsive.”
A nurse pushed Sam toward the admittance desk as
Donna was rushed into a room.
“Please fill out these forms with as much
information as possible.” a nurse handed him a
clipboard with a thick sheaf of papers.
Sam sat down in a waiting room and filled out the
papers with what he knew. He reached for his
phone, but remembered everything was still in the
parking lot.
“Looking for this?” Josh held up his phone.
“Yeah. Where’s the rest of my stuff?” Sam
asked.
“Leo said he’d make sure it got back to your
office.” Josh explained.
“I grabbed this out of Donna’s bag. Give me
those papers and I’ll fill them out.” CJ said and
grabbed the papers with one hand as she held
Donna’s planner/purse thing in the other.
“Thanks.” Sam said to CJ.
CJ gave him a warm smile that seemed to say she
understood what he was going through, all the
worry and fear. They’d done this before and no one
wanted to repeat it again, but fate had stepped
in.
“What the hell happened, Leo?” Sam asked as he
walked into the hall and greeted his boss.
“Sam, let’s go back to the waiting room and
talk. The rest of the senior staff needs to hear
this.” Leo pushed him toward the door.
Toby had arrived and was sitting with CJ.
“Okay, listen up. The driver of the car was
Lisa Conrad.” Leo let the news sink in.
“Wasn’t she Sam’s.....” CJ said.
“Yeah. The very same one.” Sam said with a
dry tone and not being able to meet anyone’s eyes.
He didn’t want to see pity from them or the guilt
that was in his own face.
“She has gone off the deep end. The DCPD was
able to run a plate search. That’s how we know it
was her. They are still running checks on her
address and credit cards.” Leo explained.
“Why would she....” Sam couldn’t finish the
question because he really didn’t want to know.
“Who knows, but they are making this priority
one.” Leo said.
“What does that mean?” Toby asked.
“This case is the only thing several divisions
are working on. They are going to keep me
updated with hourly check ins. You’ll be the first to
hear the news as soon after I get it.” Leo said.
Sam got up and walked out to the hall. Josh
followed, not wanting to leave his best friend alone
at a time like this.
“Are you okay?” Josh asked, softly.
“No. I don’t understand why Lisa would do
this.” Sam said, voice shaking with each word.
“Something must have happened. You can’t make
sense of it.” Josh told him, speaking from his
own experience.
“Thanks.” Sam said.
After a few minutes, Sam rejoined his friends in
the waiting room.
“Is this the group for Donna Moss?” a doctor
asked.
“Yeah. What’s going on?” Sam jumped out of
his seat.
“We found shards of glass in the laceration on
the top of her head, she must have hit a car
mirror or something similar when she was pushed down.
There are more lacerations on her forehead which
were filled with gravel and dirt, but we were
able to clean those out very thoroughly. She is
also suffering from a serious concussion. We’re not
sure which blow to the head caused it, but it is
definitely what caused her to become unconscious.
We have her on a high dosage of antibiotics to
ward off any infection. Miss Moss should make a
complete recovery without any problems.” the
doctor looked up from his notes.
“When is she gonna wake up?” CJ asked.
“Miss Moss is awake. We’re gonna keep her
overnight and all day tomorrow for observation. If
things go well, she’ll be released then.” the
doctor explained.
“Can I see her?” Sam asked.
“Yeah, come with me.” the doctor said.
Sam was pointed to Donna’s room. He pushed the
doors open and walked in.
“Hey.” Donna said quietly and smiled.
“Are you feeling okay?” Sam asked, feeling
nervous around the woman that he was so used to
being around and he didn’t like that feeling very
much.
“Yeah, the drugs are marvelous.” Donna said in
a dreamy voice as she rolled her head back and
forth on the pillow.
“I’m sorry.” Sam said and hung his head.
“Don’t be. You saved my life tonight.” Donna
said quickly sobering up at the look on Sam’s
face.
“Yeah.” Sam said quietly, not able to meet her
eyes.
“What’s wrong?” Donna asked.
“The driver of the car was Lisa.” Sam said.
“Lisa? As in....” Donna trailed off.
“The very same.” Sam said.
“Why?” Donna questioned.
“Apparently, she’s not playing with a full deck
anymore.” Sam explained.
“What’s gonna happen now?” Donna asked.
“Leo’s taking care of it.” Sam said.
“When do I get to go home?” Donna asked.
“The doctor said they were keeping you tomorrow
and if things go well, they’ll release you the
next day.” Sam explained to her.
“How’s everyone else?” Donna asked.
“They’re a little shocked that all this is
happening. The police want to talk to you and get a
statement about what happened.” Sam said.
“Okay, but I don’t remember much.” Donna said.
“Yeah. I should let you get some rest.” Sam
edged his way to the door.
“Sam, will you stay until I fall asleep?”
Donna yawned and looked very young and very scared.
“Sure.” Sam pulled a chair up to the bed and
watched as Donna fell into a drug induced haze.
He never could refuse her anything in all the time
that he’d known her.
He barely got any sleep, as the nurses were in
every hour on the hour to make sure that all of
Donna’s vital signs were within limits. Sam watched
her wince from the pain as she slept. He’d never
wanted to have to do this again.
During the night, the DCPD was able to get a hit
on one of Lisa’s credit cards. It had been used
to rent a hotel suite dating back three weeks.
After the proper warrants were drawn up, they
converged on the hotel. Lisa was nowhere to be found,
but the search turned up several items that would
reveal her true nature and the vendetta she
carried against the senior staff.
The DCPD was very shocked at the state of the
hotel suite. It was neat and orderly without
anything out of place. Even the bathroom was weird.
There were no toothpaste lids laying on the
counter. There was no hair caught in hairbrushes and
combs. Even the bottles of assorted hair dye were
in a straight line. It was like a hospital ward.
A Notre Dame ball cap, a replica of a sailboat,
and a ceramic statue of Bast were proudly
displayed on a table, like a shrine to something the
police couldn’t figure out. Only a few things
remained in the room, but everything was bagged, since
the police didn’t know what they were looking
for.
After rifling through drawers and bags, they
recovered many items that would link Lisa Conrad to
the senior staff.
At the
hospital..........................................
“Good morning.” Josh breezed into her hospital
room.
“What are you doing here Josh?” Donna asked.
“I wanted to make sure my assistant wasn’t
broken. I really don’t want to have to trade you off
for this year’s new model.” Josh said, trying to
get her to smile.
“No other model would do what I do for you.”
Donna laughed.
“Seriously, though, how are you feeling after
last night’s little escapade?” Josh asked,
concern gracing his face and features.
“I’m fine. Nothing is broken. I’ll be back to
work in a few more days.” Donna said, reassuring
him that she was okay.
“No, you are going to take the rest of the week
off.” Josh ordered.
“Thanks.” Donna said with a genuine smile.
“I gotta get back. I just wanted to see you
for myself.” Josh gave her a pat on the shoulder
and a kiss on the forehead before walking out of
the room.
Donna had just finished moving the breakfast
around on her tray when Sam walked in the room with
flowers and get well balloons.
“Thanks for the flowers and the balloons.”
Donna said.
“How are you this morning?” Sam asked.
“I’m fine, but I want to go home.” Donna
pouted.
“You have to stay here tonight, but after that,
you’ll get to go home.” Sam said.
“Yeah.” Donna said.
Sam stayed for a little while and when he left,
CJ showed up. They were having a little girl talk
when the rest of the senior staff showed up. The
grim looks on their faces signaled that there was
something going on. Leo quickly stepped into the
room, followed by two Secret Service agents. The
relaxed look on Donna’s face moments before
vanished with all trace of happiness and fear replaced
the smile on her face and in her eyes.
“What’s going on?” Donna asked, scared.
“The DCPD and the Secret Service were able to
finish running Lisa Conrad through their systems.
They found out that she has been here in
Washington for the last couple of weeks and most likely
long before that.” Leo said.
“What is that deranged bitch doing here?” Josh
asked angry that this woman had tried to hurt his
closest friends.
“Josh. Miss Conrad is employed by some new
tech start up company.” Leo said.
“Why is the Secret Service here?” Donna asked,
acknowledging the agents that were positioned
near the door.
“When Miss Conrad’s hotel suite was searched,
items turned up that indicate that she is mentally
unbalanced. She seems to have a personal
vendetta against most of you. We are taking no chances.
As of this moment, you are all under protective
custody. That means that you all have an agent
who is going to be with you until Miss Conrad is in
custody. This order comes straight from
President Bartlet’s desk.” one of the agents explained.
“What things did they recover?” Toby asked
quietly, having to know exactly what they were
dealing with and how to deal with the situation.
“The items in question were several photographs
of Mr. Seaborn with various lady friends over the
past several years, including Miss Cregg, Miss
Moss, Miss Hayes, and Zoey Bartlet. A diary with
dates of senior staff trips and presidential
trips. Newspaper clippings and a fake White House ID
badge were also found with her belongings along
with other oddball items the police are still
sorting through.” an agent relayed the information.
“How are they linking it to a vendetta against
the senior staff?” Toby asked wanting to make
sure he had all the information.
“They are still investigating at this point.
We are expecting to have more answers this
afternoon.” an agent explained.
While the senior staff mulled this over, Leo
motioned for Sam to come into the hall with him.
“How are you holding up?” Leo asked, concerned
that Sam would explode with all this new
information.
“I’m okay.” Sam lied.
“Like I believe that for a minute.” Leo said,
knowing that Sam was feeling the entire weight of
this thing on his shoulders.
“The truth is I’m hurt and confused. I don’t
know why Lisa would do this or what happened to
make her do this. I just want some answers.” Sam
hung his head.
“We’re gonna get answers soon.” Leo said
hoping that the answers that they found weren’t gonna
hurt Sam even more than he had already been hurt
by this woman. Leo knew that Lisa had almost
destroyed Sam when she broke off the engagement and
he didn’t think Sam could stand to go through
that kind of thing again and come out unscathed.
“God, Leo. Did Lisa think that I was “with”
Zoey. She’s an attractive girl, but I work for her
father and there’s no way I’m crossing that line
again. Think about it, basically any woman that
I’ve some into contact with is in danger.” Sam
said, finally exploding.
“Sam, don’t let it upset you. Lisa hasn’t been
playing with a full deck and any woman that you
were seen with probably fueled that jealousy. We
know that she has chosen to focus on Donna.
That’s a good thing, even though it might not seem
like it. We can protect Donna now.” Leo explained
to the younger man in hopes of calming him down.
Morning of release
“Good morning.” Sam sailed into Donna’s
hospital room.
“Hey.” Donna said from the bed where she sat
dressed and ready to go home.
“Have the doctors released you yet?” Sam
asked.
“Yeah, I just need to get a ride home.” Donna
said.
“Your chariot awaits you, my lady.” Sam said
with a smile.
“You don’t have to take care of me. I’m sure
you have work to do.” Donna said.
“Nonsense. Leo told me to take the day off and
make sure you are okay. Besides, I can work from
home with my laptop and files. The only thing
I’ll miss is Toby yelling and bouncing those damn
balls.” Sam said.
“I won’t be much company cause I’m on these
nice drugs.” Donna said, her voice slightly higher
than normal.
“That’s okay. I’ll just work on stuff while
you sleep.” Sam said.
“Thanks.” Donna said.
After waiting for a wheelchair, Sam drove Donna
to his place as she dozed in the passenger seat.
“Donna, we’re here.” Sam nudged her gently.
“This isn’t my apartment.” Donna said after
she opened her eyes.
“Yeah, because you have cats and I’m allergic
and you need someone to take care of you.” Sam
said.
Sam managed to support Donna and carry his laptop
and a pile of work up the stairs to his
apartment.
After getting Donna settled on the couch with the
remote, he fell into a chair with his laptop and
went to work.
Sam didn’t even notice it was lunch time until
his laptop beeped the time. He looked over at
Donna to see her sleeping soundly. He decided she
needed her rest before food. After all, he could
always whip something up for her later.
Donna felt the sunlight on her face. She knew it
was time to get up and her growling stomach
seconded that motion.
“Welcome back Sleeping Beauty.” Sam said when
he saw that she was awake.
“What time is it?” Donna asked stretching out
her arms and her body.
“It’s about 3:00.” Sam said looking at his
watch and trying to ignore how Donna’s body
stretched out on his couch. She reminded him of a cat
stretching out her paws.
“Wow! I can’t believe I slept that long.”
Donna said.
“You needed it.” Sam said.
“Well, I missed lunch.” Donna said.
“No problem. What would you like to eat?” Sam
asked.
“Grilled cheese.” Donna said.
“You got it.” Sam headed for the kitchen.
Donna loved Sam’s apartment. It was a man’s
home. It was decorated in reds, blues, greens, and
plaids. It felt so homey. All of the little
touches around the place reminded her of how
wonderful he really was. The sailing trophies, the
pictures that graced the bookshelf, down to the
monogrammed towels that sat on the floor of the
bathroom.
Sam was soon back with a grilled cheese and chips
along with a glass of water.
“Thanks.” Donna said and dug into the food.
Another couple of hours went by with Donna
watching tv and Sam typing. He looked up when he heard
the theme of the local news on the tv.
“What do you want for dinner?” Sam asked.
“You don’t have to cook for me.” Donna looked
at him.
“It’s not a problem, so, what do you want to
eat?” Sam asked.
“Soup or something like that.” Donna said.
“Would beef stew be okay?” Sam asked.
“Yeah, that’d be great.” Donna said.
Sam headed into the kitchen to heat up the left
over stew for dinner.
He brought the food into the living room and sat
it one the table. Donna crawled off the couch
and sat on the floor.
After eating, Donna took more of her medicine and
was yawning.
“Hey, I think it’s time for bed.” Sam said.
Donna headed for the couch and Sam grabbed her
arm.
“Where do you think you’re going? The
bedroom’s this way.” Sam said.
“I don’t want to kick you out of your bed. I
can sleep on the couch.” Donna said.
“Nonsense. You’re hurt and need to sleep
comfortably.” Sam said.
Donna gave in and followed Sam into the bedroom.
He dug sweats out for her to wear, tossed them on
the bed, said goodnight, and shut the door behind
him.
Donna changed and slipped between the cool sheets
and was soon fast asleep.
Sam stayed up for another couple of hours before
falling asleep himself on the couch. His mind
was plagued with thoughts of Lisa and what the hell
she was doing. Sam didn’t want Lisa to hurt
anyone else and he wondered what he could have done
to prevent this thing.
The loud screams and low whimpering woke him up
and it took him a few minutes before he figured
out that they were coming from his bedroom. Sam
quietly walked into the bedroom and saw Donna in
the throes of a nightmare. He gently sat down on
the bed and tried to wake her up.
“Donna, Donna. You are okay. Nothing’s
happening.” Sam coddled to her.
Donna heard the voice and was climbing to the
surface. Her eyes popped open and she scanned the
room. Her eyes came to rest on Sam who had a very
concerned look on his face.
“Nightmare?” Sam asked.
“Yeah. This one was so scary.” Donna
whispered as she wrapped her arms around him as a scared
child would. Although a child’s arms probably
wouldn’t make him feel the same way.
“Wanna tell me about it? It might make you
feel better to talk about it.” Sam told her.
“Lisa was driving her car straight at me and I
couldn’t move. I was like frozen in place.
Everyone was there and yelling at me to move.” Donna
teared up as she told him about the nightmare.
“Hey, it’s okay. I can only imagine how scary
it was for you.” Sam comforted her.
Donna laid her head on his shoulder and let her
breathing return to normal. She was just starting
to drift off when she felt Sam push her down to
the pillows and remove himself from her arms.
“Stay.” Donna said grabbing his hand and
looking directly into his eyes.
Sam saw the fear and wariness in her face and
heard it in her voice. He knew that this would look
bad if anyone was to walk in and if anyone
did...they’d have a bigger problem to deal with, but
Sam also knew that this was the only way for Donna
to overcome what had happened. He wanted her to
be able to get through the night and get her
confidence back. He nodded and crawled into bed next
to her.
Donna finally relaxed when Sam crawled into bed.
She held his hand and felt herself drifting off
to sleep. She needed to know that someone was
there for her and would be there for her.
At the White
House...................................................
Josh was the first one that Leo talked to.
“Josh, we got some new information on Lisa
Conrad.” Leo greeted the younger man.
“What else did they find out about this bitch?”
Josh asked.
“Just that she’s been conspiring with your ex
girlfriend, who was also a bitch according to
quite a few people around here.” Leo said with all
seriousness in his voice and a pointed look at
Josh.
“How is Mandy involved in this?” Josh asked,
wondering what the hell Mandy was up to.
“She is employed by the same start up tech
company as Lisa. Apparently they are best friends.”
Leo said.
“Someone needs to tell Sam and Donna. Did they
find out anything else?” Josh asked.
“They have some leads, but nothing solid yet.”
Leo told him.
“I’d better call Sam.” Josh said and headed
for the door.
“No. Don’t tell them yet.” Leo said.
“Why not?” Josh asked.
“Let them have this night without any problems.
After what they’ve been through the past couple
of days, they need to recoup.” Leo said.
“Yeah. I’ll talk to them in the morning.”
Josh said.
Josh went back to his office and wondered what
the hell Mandy was doing and who was their next
target. All the unanswered questions and unasked
questions made him nervous. He didn’t want anyone
else to get hurt in the mess that this was
shaping up to be.
Next day at work-Donna’s first day back
“Are you sure you want to come back so soon?”
Josh asked as he met his assistant in the entry
way.
“Yes. I was going crazy with nothing to do at
home. I need to do something.” Donna told him.
“Fine, but take it easy. Take breaks and rest
if you need to.” Josh told her.
“I will. Thanks.” Donna said and headed for
her desk.
As Donna headed to her desk, she was stopped by
concerned co-workers and friends. They all wanted
to make sure that she was really okay for
themselves. Other friends wanted to let her in on the
gossip that was going on in the building and
around Washington. Apparently she and Sam had made
the tabloids and she was being portrayed as the
innocent girl who gotten taken in by Sam and the
ex-fiancé was out for revenge. She’d brushed it
off, knowing that someone was just trying to sell a
story that wasn’t true. Donna also knew that Sam
was having a hard time dealing with his life
being tabloid and gossip column fodder again and made
a mental note to talk to him later that day.
When Donna got to her desk, there was a plain
white envelope on her computer keyboard with her
name on it. She picked it up and opened it. After
reading the contents, Donna was visibly pale and
shaken. It was at this moment that the senior
staff walked by. Both Sam and Josh saw her and
made a beeline for her.
“Donna, what’s wrong?” Josh asked.
“This.” Donna said shakily and held out the
paper.
Sam grabbed it and skimmed it. He handed it to
Toby who passed it to CJ and then finally Josh.
After Josh read it, he called Leo and moved the
rest of the senior staff and Donna into his
office. Donna let herself be guided into the office by
Josh and Sam. She couldn’t believe that this
woman had gotten into her personal and private
space. By that time, the fear had overtaken her body
and she appreciated what Sam was trying to do for
her. Sam sat down with Donna and tried to keep
her talking. He didn’t want her to go into shock
over the letter.
“What the hell is going on?” Leo shouted as he
came into the office.
“This.” Josh handed him the note.
Leo quickly skimmed over the note and looked up.
“Where was this?” Leo asked Donna.
“It was sitting on the keyboard of my computer
when I came in.” Donna explained.
“Okay. No one is to leave this office until
you get the okay from me personally.” Leo
instructed and reached for his phone.
After several calls, the White House was in lock
down mode. The building was cleared of all non
essential personnel and visitors, the president
was kept in the residence with extra Secret Service
roaming the building, and the senior staff was
gathered in Josh’s office waiting for the next
step. Leo burst into Josh’s office with an envelope
in his hand and followed by secret service
agents.
“This was found for you. It has been checked
for fingerprints and stuff, but you might want to
read it. It explains a lot.” Leo said and held
the piece of paper out to Josh.
Josh took the letter and cleared his throat
before beginning to read.
Josh-
by this time, I’m sure the secret service has
locked down the building
you took my Sam away from me for that stupid
campaign
I want him back
I will have him back, your secretary won’t be
able to prevent that
watch your back and watch hers too cause Mandy
isn’t too fond of her either, from what I
understand
It was unsigned, but they all knew who it was
from. The office was quiet after hearing the
letter. No one knew what to say or do at that point.
Three weeks later
Donna was sorting through the mail when the
familiar handwriting caught her eye. This would be
the eightieth note she’d received, so she figured
that Sam would be getting his notes, sorted by
Ginger. Each time the threats and comments got to
her. Each hitting the right mark in her heart and
the threats just kept getting more intense.
There were threats that made her blood run cold.
There were threats against her roommate, who wanted
blood from Lisa. This woman threatened to use
poison on her cats and poison on her. Lisa had
threatened to run her down again and this time there
would be no one there to protect her. Sam had
received notes threatening his family in
California. Lisa had threatened to blow up his car and his
boat. Sam had plastered on a smile and was
making the effort to not let it get to him, but Donna
knew that it was just an act and the threats and
the harassment was bothering him.
Josh, Sam, Toby, and Leo had tried to get her to
take some time off and get out of the office.
Each time Donna refused, saying that Josh needed
her, but that wasn’t the truth. The truth of the
matter was that she was afraid to be alone or go
to sleep. She was maybe catching an hour of sleep
a night while her roommate was still up and then
watching tv until it was time to go to work. She
was living on coffee and caffeine pills and Donna
knew that things were starting to catch up to
her. She was having a hard time concentrating on
things, her weight had dropped, and she looked
deathly. Donna was also sure that her co workers
were starting to notice that things weren’t normal
with her.
Sam was putting all his time into work. He
really didn’t want to take the time to sit down and
think about what Lisa had been to him and what she
was doing to the people in his life that he loved
and cared about. He was also so concerned about
Donna who looked like she was scared of her own
shadow and jumped at loud noises.
Josh and Toby and Leo and of course, Sam had all
taken on a protective role. They made sure that
someone was with Donna at all times. They made
sure that she was walked out to her car and
followed home. No one wanted to take any chances with
the people in their lives. They all knew and
realized that Lisa was a dangerous woman who was
unpredictable.
CJ thought about all the times that she had met
and hung out with Lisa. There had never been any
indication to her that Lisa was mentally
unstable. CJ realized how much Lisa meant to Sam before
they called the engagement off and she knew that
Sam was going through hell and feeling
responsible for Donna’s accident. CJ was also worried
about Donna. She’d seen the dark circles on her face
and the too loose clothes that just hung on her
friend.
“Donna, can I see you in my office please?”
Josh asked after coming back from the morning staff
meeting.
Donna simply got up and followed him into the
office. Josh waited for her to enter and shut the
door. She knew something was up because he only
closed the door when they were discussing serious
matters.
“What did you need Josh? I have your memos
still to type.” Donna glanced towards the door.
“I wanted to let you know that the rest of the
staff and I want you to take some time off until
this thing clears up.” Josh said.
“I can’t take time off. You need me.” Donna
said.
While Donna was talking to Josh, the senior staff
came into the office quietly. They’d discussed
this at their staff meeting and knew it would take
all of them to convince, if not force her, to
take some time off.
“This isn’t a request. It’s an order.” Josh
told her.
“An order? From who?” Donna demanded.
“From all of us. We’re concerned about you.”
Sam said.
“I don’t need to take any time off. I am
perfectly fine.” Donna stated without making eye
contact with anyone.
“Donna, please stop lying to us and yourself.
You’ve lost weight. You’re here from early
morning to late evening. That doesn’t make you
perfectly fine.” CJ said.
“I’m not taking time off.” Donna said firmly.
“Yes, you are. As of noon, you are on
administrative leave.” Leo said.
“What am I supposed to do at home? Worry that
this woman is out there somewhere?” Donna said,
fighting back the tears.
The staff suddenly realized that Donna was going
through hell over this thing. The quiet was
broken by the sound of Leo’s cell phone ringing.
After a few terse words, Leo hung up the phone.
“My office now. Everyone, including you
Donna.” Leo said before leaving the office.
Leo’s office..................................
As the staff came into the office, they noticed
the DCPD officer was there with a file.
“Okay, listen up. The DCPD has some new
information on the case and you need to hear it.” Leo
said before turning the floor over to the
officer.
“The body of Madeline Hampton was found this
morning in the apartment that she shared with Lisa
Conrad. We only discovered this information this
morning after talking with people who knew Miss
Conrad. The reason it took so long was because
only Miss Hampton’s name was on the lease.” the
officer explained.
“How was she killed?” Toby asked.
“There was a single, point blank gunshot wound
to the chest. There was also a note discovered
with the body.” the officer told them.
“What did the note say?” CJ asked.
“The note was cryptic but stated that Miss
Hampton was the lucky winner and that she could be
comforted that she was dying the way her boyfriend
should have.” the officer said.
After hearing this reference to the shooting,
Josh was visibly shaken and Sam was in shock. Donna
was first to speak.
“That’s it. I’m gone.” Donna said and stood
up and headed for the door. Toby quickly blocked
her path to leave.
“What do you mean?” Sam asked turning his
attention to Donna.
“I mean that I’m done. I quit. I’m leaving
because I can’t take this anymore.” Donna shouted.
“I know this must be a shock to you all, but
please understand that we have doubled our efforts
to catch this woman.” the officer said.
“That’s a real comfort knowing that this woman
is out there stalking me and now she’s killed.
What the hell am I supposed to feel?” Donna
lashed out, no longer caring what she said.
Everyone could see that Donna was slipping into
shock and the fear that had been building for the
past three weeks was finally coming to the
surface. CJ went over and put her arm around Donna.
The tears started slipping down Donna’s face and
CJ took Donna to the restroom.
The guys were left in Leo’s office.
“She’s not handling this real well.” Josh
said.
“Yeah.” Toby said.
“What are we supposed to do?” Sam asked.
“This is what you’re gonna do. Sam, you and
Donna need to hole up someplace. Don’t be seen in
public. If she doesn’t see you and Donna, that
might force her hand to make a move. I am
doubling the agents on you both for the time being. Do
you have a place?” Leo asked.
“Yeah, we can stay at my apartment.” Sam said.
“The rest of you have to stay away and not go
visit. It’s the only way. If Lisa thinks that
Sam and Donna are romancing it up, well, you know
the rest.” Leo said.
“Why did Lisa kill Mandy?” Josh asked the
officer.
“We don’t have any conclusive evidence yet, but
the theory is that Miss Conrad killed Miss
Hampton because Miss Hampton was no longer a help, but
now more of a hindrance to her plans.” the
officer told them.
Sam’s
apt..........................................
“How long do we have to stay here?” Donna
asked as she sat her bag on the floor.
“Probably a few days, not more than a week.
Everyone thinks Lisa will make her move by then.”
Sam said.
“Well, then. I guess I can try out my cooking
skills this week then.” Donna said.
“A homecooked meal would be nice for a change.”
Sam said.
“What are we supposed to do this week then?”
Donna asked.
“Toby sent a few speeches to work on, but
nothing major.” Sam said.
“What am I supposed to do?” Donna asked.
“You can be my assistant for the week.” Sam
teased.
“I get to work as your assistant this week,
huh.” Donna smiled.
“Yeah and I expect coffee brought to me
promptly.” Sam teased.
“I don’t think so.” Donna said.
Sam and Donna worked throughout the rest of the
afternoon and evening. After a quick dinner and a
movie, both of them heading for bed. Donna in
the bedroom and Sam on the couch.
Sam’s apt...Day
2......................................
Donna had just awoken from a horrible nightmare
when she sat straight up and listened closely.
She heard what sounded to her like someone hitting
the glass of the window. In her fear she did the
only thing she could think of.
“Sam.” Donna yelled, her voice full of fear.
Sam heard her yell and stumbled into the room.
He was shocked at how she looked. Donna looked
scared and afraid and the tears were threatening to
fall.
“What’s wrong?” Sam asked softly.
“I heard a noise.” Donna whispered.
“Donna, we’re on the third floor. Lisa won’t
be able to get in, even if she tried. There are
agents all over this building and outside too.”
Sam said and started for the door.
“Don’t go. Please stay.” Donna begged him.
Sam easily gave in and crawled under the covers
with her. He couldn’t resist those eyes and that
tone in her voice.
This wouldn’t look good if anyone else saw them,
but screw it was Sam’s first thought. This woman
was his friend and even more than that. She was
scared and this was the only thing that made her
feel safe. He wanted to make her feel safe
regardless of how it looked to other people.
Day
3...............................................
“Sam, why did you and Lisa not work?” Donna
asked as they both lay on his bed.
“Lisa liked the idea of a law firm partner and
those parties. She wasn’t exactly happy when I
quit my job to write and live on a bus for
months.” Sam said.
“Oh.” Donna said.
“She wanted someone who looked good for her
friends. Lisa hated Josh before the campaign
because of something that happened when we went out one
night.” Sam said.
“Do you miss it?” Donna asked.
“Miss what?” Sam asked.
“Being in a relationship. Having someone there
to come home to.” Donna said.
“Some days I do. The bad ones. The ones where
it hurts.” Sam said.
“I know what you mean. It would have been nice
to have someone there through all this.” Donna
looked wistful.
“You do have somebody. You have me and the
rest of your friends.” Sam said.
“That’s so sweet Sam.” Donna smiled and looked
happy for a change.
“Don’t let it get around.” Sam smiled himself.
“I won’t, but what would CJ say if she could
see us now?” Donna asked.
“Probably something about being the first phone
call.” Sam joked.
They talked for a few more minutes and drifted
off to sleep comforted that they were together and
going through the same thing.
Day 4....................................
Sam and Donna had their own routine of climbing
into bed and talking until they fell asleep.
“Sam, why aren’t we a couple?” Donna asked.
“What?” Sam asked, not sure if he had heard
her correctly.
“Why aren’t we dating? We’re close to the same
age and have some of the same interests.” Donna
said.
“I guess I never figured that you were
interested.” Sam said.
“Sam, every woman in the west wing drools over
you.” Donna smiled.
“They do?” Sam asked, totally befuddled that
the women he worked with were so enamored by him.
“Yeah, every woman wants you and I’m sure that
you are the star of some of those women’s
fantasies.” Donna said.
“Oh.” Sam mustered.
“You really didn’t answer my question.” Donna
said.
“I never thought you’d be interested if I asked
you out.” Sam said.
“Sam, Sam, Sam. All you had to do was ask.”
Donna blushed.
“Donna, would you go out with me when this is
all over?” Sam asked.
“Yes. I’d love to.” Donna said.
“Really?” Sam asked.
“You bet.” Donna smiled at him.
Donna rolled over to give him a hug and she
kissed him on the lips. Sam’s arms snaked around her
and pulled her tight against his body. He pushed
his tongue past her lips and into her mouth.
Donna was getting very excited and so was he. She
could feel him harden against her thigh. Sam was
happy...having Donna here and kissing her felt so
right.
The shrill ring of the phone brought them both
back to reality.
“Hello?” Sam growled into the phone.
After talking to the person on the other end for
a bit, Sam hung up the phone and turned to Donna.
“Lisa was tailing Josh. They tried to get her,
but she got away from them.” Sam explained.
“Oh my god. This is getting worse by the
minute. How long before she tries to get in here.”
Donna said.
“Don’t worry. They upped the agents here, so
nothing is gonna happen.” Sam tried to reassure
her.
“Do they know yet why Lisa snapped and why
she’s doing this?” Donna asked.
“Not yet, but they’re still investigating at
this point.” Sam explained.
“I want this all to be over with.” Donna
admitted.
“I know you do and so do the rest of us. Just
lay down and shut your eyes. You need to sleep.”
Sam covered Donna up with a blanket and waited
for her to go to sleep. He was constantly amazed
by Donna everyday and through this whole ordeal.
She was a strong woman and was going to survive
this thing. He was finally satisfied that she was
asleep and slipped back into the living room to
work for awhile and sleep on the couch.
The next
morning..................................................
Donna sat the cup of coffee in front of Sam’s
laptop and sat down on the couch next to him.
“Thanks for the coffee.” Sam smiled at her as
he picked the cup up.
“We need to talk about what happened last
night.” Donna brought up the inevitable conversation.
“Why don’t we just skip it?” Sam asked, not
wanting her to feel pressured about the night
before.
“No, we can’t just skip it. It happened and we
need to talk about it before we can’t even look
at each other.” Donna quietly said.
“What was last night?” Sam asked.
“I think it was our true feelings coming to the
surface and trying to tell us something.” Donna
replied to his question.
“If that was true feelings, I would say that
you like me more than a friend.” Sam said.
“You’d be right about that and I think you feel
the same way.” Donna said.
“Yeah, but I don’t want to rush into anything
right now, especially with this situation.” Sam
said.
“I agree that the timing isn’t right, but I
want to see you after it is all over.” Donna said.
Sam smiled and leaned over to give her a kiss.
She smiled back at him and was about to say
something more when the phone rang. Sam grabbed the
cordless and paced around the room, talking to Josh
and Leo on a conference call.
“Yes!!!” Sam yelled and hung up the phone.
“What is it?” Donna asked.
“They got her. Lisa is in the custody of the
police.” Sam told her.
“How?” Donna asked.
“She tried to break into the White House of all
places.” Sam told her.
“Why?” Donna asked.
“Apparently she told the police that she was
visiting her boyfriend and her sister. They didn’t
believe her and got her name and the names of the
people she was there to visit.” Sam told her.
“You mean to tell me that she actually said her
own names and ours?” Donna asked, not believing
that Lisa would be so stupid.
“Yeah.” Sam said.
“So we can go back to living our lives, then?”
Donna asked.
“We’ll probably have to testify at the hearing,
but yeah. We’re free to go back to work and our
lives.” Sam said.
Donna smiled the first real smile in a long time.
She was glad that the nightmare was finally over.
Epilogue...................................................................
The trial was a quick affair. Lisa had pleaded
guilty to all the charges by reason of mental
defect. She was sentenced to a mental hospital for a
very long time. The White House was back to
running as normal. Donna and Sam had come together
from this nightmare and were better friends from
it all. No one else understood the special smiles
that the two of them shared on occasion. Josh or
Sam or even Toby still insisted on walking Donna
to her car at night. They weren’t willing to
take a chance ever again. They were more than
friends and closer than family. Sam and Donna had
been out on a few dates and were slowly working
their way to a committed, long term relationship that
everyone was happy about. Even Josh approved of
Donna going out with Sam. They were all still as
close as before, but the experience had changed
them and made them more aware of what mattered and
who mattered.