Trials and tribulations
By Heidi and Lisa
 
Disclaimers-These are not my characters and I am 
making no money off of them.
 
Ratings-6th in the School Ties Series, Sam/Donna, 
Donna”s parents show up and mess with her, Dr. 
Freeride makes an appearance, MILD LANGUAGE, 
SUICIDAL THOUGHTS AND SUICIDE
 
Spoilers- In The Shadow of 2 Gunmen, 17 People, 
Noel, Pilot, 5 Votes Down,
 
Special Thanks-Lisa, my co-author, who gave me 
lots of help and good advice on this series.
 
Special Note-I know nothing of court proceedings 
when it comes to Power Of Attorney forms. This 
is pure fiction for the sake of the story. I also 
know nothing of how injunctions work and is only 
for the sake of the story.
 
Note- School Ties Series
 1. Back To School
 2. Class Act
 3. Roommates Together Forever
 4. Changes
 5. Transformation
 
 
 
 
Sam stood behind Donna as she let her parents 
into the apartment.
 
 “Sam, this is Karen and David Moss, my parents. 
Mom, Dad, this is Sam Seaborn, my roommate.” 
Donna said with some difficulty.
 
 “Nice to meet you. Donna has told me so much 
about you.” Sam said in the nicest voice he could 
come up with.
 
 “Has she? Well let me just say this, 
Donnatella, you have acted very irresponsibly. Letting a 
strange man live with you. Honestly!” Karen 
Moss yelled, glaring at her daughter.
 
 “How could you Donna? You know better. You 
know that Jacob is the perfect man for you.” David 
Moss said as he too, glared at his daughter.
 
 
Donna just stood there in disbelief. Was she 
really hearing her parents demean her for everything 
that she had done in front of her roommate and 
the man that had just kissed her?
 
 “Mom, dad, please. I’m not irresponsible. I 
know exactly what I am doing. Sam is a good 
friend and we both needed help with our living 
situations, so.....” Donna said as she was cut off by 
her mother.
 
 “So, nothing! You had a bright future with 
Jacob and threw it all away, just like you have done 
with every relationship. You could be married 
right now and have a much better job than you do 
here and making a lot more money and not living in 
Washington. I am very disappointed in you 
Donna.” Karen said.
 
 
Sam just stood back and watched as her mother 
ripped her to shreds until he couldn’t take it 
anymore. Sam stepped forward and faced Karen Moss.
 
 “Excuse me, Mrs. Moss. Donna has been very 
responsible. She is a kind, caring person. She was 
nice enough to take me in as a roommate and she 
works hard at her job and she is happy. I don’t 
understand why you would want her to go back to a 
guy who dumped her after he was finished with 
school. If you ask me, it was his fault that he 
lost a wonderful woman, not hers. Donna had the 
courage and strength to walk away from something 
that she knew was bad for her. How dare you come in 
her and tell her what to do. She is a grown 
woman who knows what she wants to do with her life. 
I know that you don’t have any right to make 
decisions for her. That’s no longer your job. Your 
job is to support her in whatever she does and to 
help her when she needs it.” Sam finished.
 
 
Donna was looking at Sam not sure how to react. 
There were a few tears in her eyes. Sam caught 
on that Donna was feeling really down on herself 
and needed a laugh.
 
 “I’m a spokesman. It’s in my blood.” Sam said 
getting a smile and small laugh out of Donna.
 
Donna took a deep breath and faced her parents.
 
 “He’s right. You don’t have the right to tell 
me how to run my life. I am a capable woman, no 
matter what you think.” Donna couldn’t continue 
because she started to cry.
 
Sam handed her some kleenex, so she could dry her 
tears. He wanted to help and comfort her, but 
didn’t think it would be a good idea to act 
intimate in front of her parents.
 
Donna’s parents stood there in disbelief. Was 
this really Donna talking this way or was someone 
prodding her to act this way? Was that Jewish boss 
of hers corrupting their daughter? Was this Sam 
Seaborn just her roommate or a little bit more? 
There were blank looks on the Moss’ faces as they 
stood there for a moment, before David spoke.
 
 “We will be staying at the Hilton.” and with 
that the Moss’ walked out of the apartment, not 
even saying goodbye.
 
 
Donna sat down on the couch and started crying 
again. Sam sat down next to her, not sure how to 
react. He gently put his arm around her and 
helped calm her down. Sam pulled her into a tight 
embrace and the two of them stayed like that for a 
while. Donna was happy just to be in the 
relative safety of someone’s arms and not having to 
speak. Sam wanted to reassure her, but couldn’t 
shake the nagging feeling that her parents would be 
back to bother their daughter and try to take 
drastic action. He shoved the feeling down and 
comforted Donna. Sam could deal with the nagging 
feeling in the morning.
 
 
Sam maneuvered Donna into her room for bed. She 
was still shaky from her crying jag and seeing 
her parents. Donna looked up at Sam and started to 
speak.
 
 “Thank you for what you said. You are a great 
friend. We need to talk about what happened 
before my parents showed up.” Donna said.
 
 “We can talk about it tomorrow. You need to 
rest.” Sam said, getting off the bed and moving to 
the door.
 
 “Thanks.” Donna said.
 
 “You’re welcome. See ya in the morning.” Sam 
said and closed the bedroom door.
 
 
Donna slipped into the Harvard tee-shirt from 
Josh and was asleep before her head hit the pillow.
 
Sam did the same thing. He hadn’t fought with 
her parents, but was just dead tired from the 
week’s running around.
 
 
At 4 a.m., phones rang, beepers beeped, and 
forced two people who needed their sleep to get up and 
find out what was going on.
 
Sam and Donna stumbled into the White House to 
help deal with the crisis. Sam went to Toby’s 
office and Donna went to find Josh. Neither one had 
spoken that early morning, except for grunts that 
resembled a conversation. They had not discussed 
the kiss, but knew that they had to at some 
point.
 
 
Donna was so busy running to other offices for 
Josh that she missed her mother’s phone call, but 
got the message when she returned to her desk. 
Donna took a deep breath and picked up the phone to 
call her mother.
 
 “Hello?” Karen Moss answered the ringing 
phone.
 
 “Mother, it’s Donna. I just got your message. 
What did you need?” Donna asked coldly.
 
 “We wanted to take you out for dinner. Well, 
last night, we were a bit harsh on you and your 
roommate. We want to make it up to you. Would you 
consider meeting us for dinner at Lasalles?” 
Karen Moss asked, praying and crossing her fingers 
that Donna would say yes.
 
 “What time?” Donna asked.
 
 “Oh, let’s say at about 7 p.m.” Karen said.
 
 “That’s fine for me. I really hate what we do 
to each other.” Donna said, dropping the cold 
tone she had taken.
 
 “I know darling, but we will talk more at 
dinner. Your father is dragging me to see National 
Cathedral and the Washington Monument.” Karen 
said.
 
 “See you at dinner then. Bye.” Donna said.
 
 
Donna was glad that her parents had made the 
first move. They treated her like a little child and 
the previous night was no exception. She hoped 
that dinner would go smoothly. Donna hated 
fighting with her parents and wanted to make up with 
them.
 
 
Karen and David Moss smiled conspiratorially. 
Their daughter wouldn’t know what hit her when they 
sprung Jacob and the news on her. This was going 
to be a show worth watching when their daughter 
realized what was going on and what was going to 
happen to her. 
 
 
Sam wanted to see Donna and make sure that she 
was okay. He shared the news with Josh, CJ, and 
Toby about what had happened the previous night. 
The group was planning to go out for dinner and 
told Sam to bring Donna. They knew she needed some 
cheering up after the run in with her parents.
 
Sam headed for Donna’s desk, surprised to see a 
smile on her face.
 
 “What are you so happy about?” Sam asked.
 
 “I just got done talking to my mother. They 
want to meet me for dinner at Lasalles to talk 
about what happened last night. She agreed that they 
were a little harsh.” Donna voiced in a happy 
tone.
 
 “I hope that dinner goes well for you. 
Lasalles is a nice place.” Sam said with a nagging 
feeling.
 
 “I’ll see you later at home. I gotta go run 
these files back to the right offices before Josh 
starts yelling.’ Donna said as she disappeared 
around a corner.
 
 
Sam didn’t feel right. He certainly didn’t trust 
the Moss’ after the previous night’s display. 
There was no way that Karen Moss felt bad about 
what she said and how she had insulted her daughter. 
Sam hoped that the dinner with her parents turned 
out better, but he didn’t think it would.
 
Sam went to round up the gang and related to them 
what Donna had said. Josh was with Sam, in that 
he didn’t trust her parents either and didn’t 
want to see Donna hurt. CJ was pissed that Karen 
Moss was using her daughter again and betraying the 
sisterhood. Toby was shocked that Donna’s 
parents had come all this way without having an 
ulterior motive. He told the group of adults that their 
dinner was going to be at Lasalles. They were 
going to be inconspicuous, but still make sure that 
Donna was okay and not getting trounced on by her 
parents.
 
 
 
Lasalles................................................................
 
Donna walked into the restaurant and did a double 
take. She thought that she saw Josh and Sam at a 
table, but brushed it off to being more than a 
little nervous for dinner with her parents. She 
hung up her jacket and made sure that her outfit 
was okay. She had dressed in a conservative blouse 
and pants. Donna wanted to show her parents how 
grown up she was and the best way to do that was 
by showing them an image. Little jewelry and 
makeup finished the look.
 
 
Karen and David Moss saw their daughter walk into 
the restaurant and smiled at each other. Donna 
would never know what hit her and soon, even her 
powerful Washington friends wouldn’t be able to 
help her out.
 
Jacob Weston smiled when he saw his former 
girlfriend come in the door. He had been directed by 
David Moss to stay at the bar until he was 
motioned over to their table. Donna had left him to go 
work on some political campaign. He would make 
sure that she regretted that decision for the rest 
of her life. Jacob had been shocked by the 
shooting and glad that Donna hadn’t been in the line 
of fire. He knew that he couldn’t live without 
her and the perfect set-up had been put in play by 
her parents. He pulled out the signed papers 
from his jacket and looked at them again. This girl 
was going to get the shock of her life and no one 
would be able to help her, but him and her 
parents. She would be forced to return to him and he 
was going to make her pay for leaving him. He 
smiled silently to himself and got ready for the 
start of the show.
 
Donna slowly walked over to the table where her 
parents were sitting.
 
 “Mom, dad. Sorry I was late. Josh needed me 
to find a file before I left.” Donna said.
 
 “Well, that boss of yours shouldn’t work you so 
hard. If you had stayed in college, you would be 
the boss instead of following some idiot who got 
himself shot.” David Moss complained.
 
 “David, let’s not do this. I want a peaceful 
dinner with my daughter” Karen Moss warned.
 
 “Of course. Let’s order.” David said as he 
picked up the menu.
 
The waitress took their orders and left them at 
the table.
 
 “Donna, we really think that you need to come 
home with us. Go back to school and find a good 
husband.” Karen said.
 
 “I am going to school right now at Georgetown 
and I don’t want a husband.” Donna explained.
 
 “Will you at least agree to talk to a 
psychologist?” Karen gently asked.
 
 “Why would I need to see a psychologist?” 
Donna asked, confused as to where her parents were 
going with this.
 
 “You have been acting out since you came to 
Washington. Not returning calls, not coming home, 
moving in with a man you hardly know. This leads 
me to believe that you need some professional 
help.” David said to his daughter.
 
 “And I suppose you have one picked out for me?” 
Donna sarcastically commented to her parents.
 
 “It just so happens that I do.” David Moss 
announced and made the motioning move that Jacob had 
been waiting for. 
 
Jacob walked to the Moss’ table and addressed his 
former girlfriend.
 
 “Hello Donna.” Jacob pronounced to a very 
shocked Donna.
 
 
Josh had been keeping an eye on the Moss’ table 
and almost jumped out of his seat when he saw who 
was approaching the table. Sam had seen the move 
that David Moss had made, but had no idea who the 
guy was and turned to look at Josh. Josh had a 
mix of anger and hate on his face.
 
 “Who is that guy?” Sam asked.
 
 “That would be Dr. Freeride.” Josh snapped.
 
 “What the hell are her parents doing?” CJ 
asked to no one in particular.
 
 “They are playing with fire and I don’t like 
the feeling that I am getting from this.” Sam 
said.
 
 “What feeling are you talking about?” Toby 
asked.
 
 “Ever since her parents showed up, I have had 
this nagging feeling like they are setting her up 
for something.” Sam explained.
 
 “Let’s just watch and see what happens. We’ll 
know if Donna needs us to jump in and help her.” 
CJ said.
 
 
The senior staff watched the Moss table 
carefully. They were already in fighting mode and all it 
would take was a small sign from Donna to push 
them over.
 
 
Donna couldn’t believe that Jacob was standing 
right here in front of her. She took a deep breath 
and addressed him.
 
 “Hello Jacob.” Donna said coldly.
 
 “Your parents were right. You don’t look so 
good.” Jacob said with a smile.
 
 “How did you know what my parents.......You set 
me up. I should have known not to put anything 
past you. How could you do this?” Donna said.
 
 “Your parents came to me and told me what was 
going on with you. They came to me because we 
were close and I could also answer their questions 
about your mental health.” Jacob said with a 
creepy smile.
 
 “My mental health is just fine.” Donna stated 
without emotion, still reeling from her parents 
set-up.
 
 “No, it most certainly is not. You are living 
with a man without the benefit of a relationship 
of any sort. That is so looked down upon. You 
should know better.” Jacob lectured to her.
 
 “Well, I am going home now where I am 
surrounded by people who love and care about me.” Donna 
threw her napkin on the table and prepared to 
leave.
 
 “You aren’t ever going back to that apartment. 
You are going to George Washington University 
Hospital to the psychological evaluation center.” 
Jacob said, finally pulling the papers out of his 
pocket.
 
 “I am so done with you.” Donna said to both 
her parents and Jacob.
 
 “You’d better read these papers first. They 
give your parents Power Of Attorney over you. This 
was signed by a judge. There is no recourse for 
you, but to cooperate and follow their wishes.” 
Jacob said, the creepy smile reappearing on his 
face.
 
 “What are their wishes?” Donna asked coldly.
 
 “We want you to get better and the only way for 
you to do that is to be hospitalized for a time 
and then come home.”  Karen said without a trace 
of remorse on her face.
 
 “There is no way that any of that is going to 
happen. I am going home. Good night.” Donna 
said and stood up. She was stopped from walking 
away by Jacob who grabbed her arm.
 
 “You are going to the hospital right now. It 
is best that you not try to fight this.” Jacob 
said.
 
 “There is no way in hell that I am going to let 
you or my parents make any decisions for me.” 
Donna said.
 
 “The POA form takes care of all that. Come 
along dear.” Jacob said and motioned for David Moss 
to grab her other arm.
 
The senior staff couldn’t believe what they had 
heard or what they were witnessing. Josh was 
furious. Sam could barely contain his anger. CJ was 
in shock. Toby was blown away by the Moss’ 
actions toward their daughter. They all realized that 
they had to jump into the fray when Jacob and 
David grabbed Donna’s arms. Sam was the first one 
out of his seat followed by Josh, Toby, and CJ.
 
 “What the hell are you doing?” Sam shouted at 
the men.
 
 “Not that it is any of your business Mr. 
Seaborn, but we are taking my daughter to the 
hospital.” David Moss said.
 
 “Well, Donna doesn’t look sick to me.” Sam 
said back.
 
 “She is sick in the head and needs some 
immediate help.” Karen gently commented to the group.
 
 “Donna is perfectly healthy. I would know if 
she is sick.” Josh said, referring to his own 
emotional rollercoaster.
 
 “Well, I’m her immediate doctor in this matter 
and I am making the decisions here.” Jacob 
thought.
 
 “Toby, isn’t it medically unethical for a 
spurned lover to treat his former girlfriend?” Josh 
asked, making sure that Dr. Freeride knew that 
Josh knew who he was and what he had done to Donna.
 
 “I believe that is true, but you would have to 
ask a real doctor.” Toby said getting the dig 
in.
 
 
 
Donna looked at her friends and glad they were 
here. She was tremendously overjoyed that someone 
had recognized what was going on and come to her 
rescue. 
 
 “I am a real doctor and have made a conscious 
decision that this woman needs immediate medical 
attention and supervision, so we need to go.” 
Jacob said.
 
 “She isn’t going anywhere unless she says so.” 
CJ added speaking for the first time.
 
 “Donna, where do you want to go?” Toby asked.
 
 “I just want to go home.” Donna said in a 
small voice.
 
 “You have your answer. I am taking her home.” 
Sam said.
 
 “Well, it isn’t that easy because I have this 
signed piece of paper from a judge that says her 
parents have Power Of Attorney and can make the 
decisions for her. Read it and weep.” Jacob said 
handing the papers to Sam.
 
Sam and Toby quickly read through the papers and 
found several problems that would declare the 
document null and void, but kept it to themselves. 
They figured that they could use it later.
 
 “I can call up a judge and get an injunction 
right now.” Sam said.
 
 “Go right ahead. We will win in the end.” 
David Moss shouted back.
 
 “Toby, call Judge Smith and tell him what we 
need.” Sam said.
 
 
Toby whipped out his cell phone and phoned the 
judge. After explaining the situation, the judge 
agreed to see all parties in court in two days. 
The injunction was easily granted with the 
specific ruling that the Moss’ and Jacob Weston were to 
have no contact with Miss Moss until court.
 
The Moss’ and Jacob were angry when they left the 
restaurant. Donna watched them leave and looked 
at her friends. They were looking back at her 
when Donna went white in the face and started to 
slide to the floor. Sam and Josh both caught her 
and held her up. When they looked at her, they 
saw the tears in her eyes.
 
 “Donna, honey, what do you need?” CJ asked the 
trembling woman who was being held up by the two 
most important men in her life.
 
 “I just want to go somewhere where they can’t 
find me. They know where I live.” Donna said, 
her voice shaky and afraid.
 
 “You can crash at my place. Your parents don’t 
know where that is.” Toby said.
 
 “I don’t want to be alone.” Donna said.
 
 “We will stay over at Toby’s and keep you 
company.” Josh and Sam said.
 
 
The guys helped to get Donna into a car and over 
to Toby’s. Sam swung by the apartment to pick up 
clothes and personal stuff for both of them.
 
By the time everyone made it to Toby’s place, 
Donna was exhausted and could barely keep it 
together. 
 
 “Sam, will you stay with me until I fall 
asleep? I really don’t want to be alone.” Donna said 
from her place on the bed.
 
Sam couldn’t bear to see the hurt in those blue 
eyes and climbed onto the bed with her. He held 
her in his arms until she was asleep. He didn’t 
want to let go of her, but needed to get into the 
living room where the others were discussing 
strategy on how to take care of Donna’s problem. Sam 
waited until she was in deep sleep before leaving 
her. He figured he would be back to comfort her 
after the nightmares started. Donna had had a 
hellacious week and things would take their toll. 
 
 “Is she asleep?” CJ asked, the worry on her 
face evident.
 
 “Yeah, but she was pretty restless. I can 
almost guarantee she’ll have some nightmares.” Sam 
said.
 
 “We need to discuss what we’re going to do.” 
Josh said.
 
 “Yeah, so what are we going to do?” CJ asked.
 
 “The first thing is to look at this POA form.” 
Toby said, pulling out the copy that Jacob had 
given them earlier.
 
 “What is wrong with the form?” CJ asked, being 
the only non lawyer in the room.
 
 “We found several inaccuracies in it when we 
saw it earlier. We didn’t want to say anything and 
tip our hand.” Sam said.
 
 “What inaccuracies?” Josh asked.
 
 “Donna wasn’t in court when the judge made the 
initial ruling. She wasn’t seen by a judge or 
allowed to speak on her own behalf.” Toby said.
 
 “Is that enough?” CJ asked.
 
 “Probably, but we have another piece of 
ammunition.” Toby explained.
 
 “Tell.” CJ commanded.
 
 “Well, Dr. Freeride was the psychologist that 
the Moss’ brought to court to give medical 
testimony against Donna.” Toby said.
 
 “Does that bring up some ethical issues because 
he is her ex boyfriend?” CJ asked.
 
 “It’s an ethically gray area, but he could be 
out for revenge because she left him.” Josh 
added.
 
 “I would say that it’s a pretty good idea that 
he’s out for revenge.” Sam said.
 
 “So what do we do now?” CJ asked.
 
 “We go into court and present this evidence to 
a judge and let Donna speak for herself.” Sam 
said.
 
 “So, it’s hurry up and wait.” CJ stated.
 
 “Yeah and we make sure to take care of Donna.” 
Josh added.
 
 “How do we take care of Donna because I think 
tonight’s little scene almost did her in.” CJ 
said.
 
 “We can keep her busy with work. I know that I 
can do that.” Josh said with a smile.
 
 “I can take her to lunch and spend some quality 
time with her or if I can’t, we make sure that 
the other assistants are with her.” Sam added.
 
Toby wondered if he was the only one who picked 
up on the “quality time” comment. He made a 
mental note to talk to Sam.
 
 “We also monitor the phones. If the Moss’ have 
family members call for Donna, we take the 
message. Donna certainly doesn’t need anyone to hassle 
her for her parents.” CJ added.
 
 
After they had mapped out their strategy, Josh 
took CJ home. Toby found Sam watching Donna sleep 
from the doorway of the guest room. Toby gave 
Sam a look and Sam quietly shut the door.
 
 “Sam, if you love her, tell her. She needs to 
know.” Toby said.
 
 “I kissed her and we were just about to talk 
when her parents showed up.” Sam explained.
 
 “Talk to her. I am pretty sure she feels the 
same about you.” Toby said.
 
 “How can you tell?” Sam asked.
 
 “You both have got it bad for each other. It’s 
in the way you look at each other, touch each 
other, and act around each other. I saw it from the 
beginning. Sam, she needs sometime to digest 
what happened tonight. Donna isn’t ready to jump 
into a new relationship while fighting off an old, 
jealous boyfriend who is out for revenge, but at 
least let her know you will be there for her.” 
Toby said.
 
 “Thank you.” Sam said.
 
 
Toby headed for bed and Sam got comfortable on 
the couch. He thought about what Toby told him. 
Sam had never thought about loosing Donna until 
tonight. He figured that she would always be 
around. Toby was right, he had to tell Donna how he 
felt and let her know he would be there, no matter 
what happened.
 
 
Donna awoke from another nightmare. This was the 
worst one. She was so close to her friends, but 
couldn’t reach them. She was so angry at her 
parents and at herself. She wanted to believe that 
her mother and father had changed when they 
invited her for dinner. Donna had been duped once 
again. Then the appearance of Jacob at dinner. She 
was so afraid that she’d fall into his trap again 
and again hurt the people closest to her. Josh 
wouldn’t let her leave and would do whatever it 
took to keep her in Washington. Sam and Toby would 
exhaust every legal possibility. She had good 
friends and was determined to start showing her 
gratitude for them.
 
 
Donna only got a few more hours of sleep. She 
rushed through a shower and dressing and walked 
into the kitchen where the guys were. Toby and Sam 
both looked up at her.
 
 “I’m fine. I just need some coffee.” Donna 
said to reassure them.
 
 “I’m gonna grab a shower.” Sam said and left 
the kitchen.
 
 “Donna, come sit down. I need to talk to you.” 
Toby said.
 
 “What is wrong? Is it the thing from last 
night?” Donna asked, a stricken look on her face.
 
 “No, this is personal. I think that you need 
to talk to someone about what happened last 
night.” Toby gently suggested.
 
 “I am perfectly fine. I don’t need to see 
anyone.” Donna said.
 
 “Ok, then. I know what’s going on with you and 
Sam.” Toby said.
 
 “There is nothing going on with me and Sam.” 
Donna said.
 
 “Yes, there is. I’m going to give you the same 
advice I gave him. Tell him that you love him. 
He isn’t going to make the first move right now 
while you are going through all this. I’m not 
saying hop into the nearest bed, but talk to each 
other and tell him how you feel.” Toby said.
 
 “Thank you for being such a good friend.” 
Donna said.
 
 “You don’t have to thank me.” Toby said.
 
 
The three of them rode to work together. Donna’s 
car was back at the apartment and Sam’s was still 
in the lot at work.
 
Donna was escorted to her desk by Sam. He wanted 
to make sure that there were no surprises waiting 
for her and he needed to talk to Josh.
 
Donna couldn’t believe the pile of stuff on her 
desk that Josh wanted her to get done. Between 
running from building to building and searching for 
old files, she didn’t have time to dwell on last 
night.
 
Josh was sitting in his office when Donna came 
back into the bullpen. He looked at the stack of 
messages for her from various family members.  He 
had already talked to Sam and Toby, but the Moss’ 
hadn’t violated the injunction order because 
they, themselves, hadn’t called. Josh made a 
decision and walked out to her desk.
 
 “I’m trying to get all this work done as fast 
as I can.” Donna said as a shadow fell over her 
computer screen.
 
 “I wasn’t sure you’d want these, but your 
various family members have been calling all morning 
to speak with you.” Josh said as he held out the 
stack of pink message forms.
 
 
Donna quickly thumbed through the stack and 
promptly dumped them into the garbage. Josh was 
stunned.
 
 “I don’t want to talk to these people. They 
are just my mother’s mouth pieces. They will try 
to convince me that I am in the wrong and I don’t, 
I can’t deal with that right now.” Donna snapped 
the last part of the sentence out.
 
 “Okay, get back to work.” Josh tossed at her 
as he retreated back to his office.
 
 “I’m leaving at 5 o’clock.” Donna yelled at 
him.
 
 “Whatever.” Josh tossed to her.
 
 
When Josh sat down, he watched Donna. She had 
snapped that sentence out with a sneer on her face 
and a hateful tone in her voice. He wondered if 
she needed some help, like he did, but was too 
proud to ask for it, just like him. Josh made a 
decision and walked over to Leo’s office.
 
 “Leo, do you have a few minutes? I really need 
to talk to you.” Josh said.
 
 “Yeah, come on in. What do you need to talk 
about?” Leo asked.
 
 “Donna.” Josh said.
 
 “What’s wrong with Donna?” Leo asked.
 
 “I think the stress is getting to her. She 
snapped at me earlier.” Josh said.
 
 “Donna has always been snappy with you. That’s 
why we love her and keep her around.” Leo said.
 
 “This was more than that. The way her eyes 
looked when she said it scared me.” Josh said.
 
 “Do you want me to make some discrete inquiries 
into counselors?” Leo asked.
 
 “Yeah, but she isn’t gonna go unless ordered.” 
Josh said.
 
 “Just watch her and let me know if it gets 
worse.” Leo said.
 
 “Okay, thanks.” Josh said.
 
 
 
Leo sat back and thought about what Josh had 
said. The stress of Donna’s parents and the ex 
boyfriend using the legal system to hurt her had to be 
causing quite an ordeal for Donna to go through. 
Josh would be the first one to see the stress 
problems because he saw her all day and Josh would 
know what to look for. Leo picked up the phone 
and started making calls.
 
Josh hoped he was doing the right thing by 
telling Leo. He cared about Donna and didn’t want her 
to get as bad as he had been. Donna wanted 
people to see how strong she was and tried not to show 
her weaknesses that Josh and the rest of her 
friends knew existed.
 
 
 
At the same time Josh was talking to Leo, Donna 
was making her way to Sam’s office. She knocked 
on the door and he motioned her in.
 
 “Hey.” Sam said.
 
 “Hey yourself.” Donna said.
 
 “What did you need?” Sam asked.
 
 “I am going home now to the apartment. I need 
to be in my own environment.” Donna said.
 
 “Really? Leaving at five o’clock on a weekday. 
What does Josh think about that?” Sam asked with 
a smile.
 
 “I really don’t care what Josh thinks right 
now.” Donna snapped at him.
 
Sam was shocked to hear Donna say that she didn’t 
care what Josh thought about her leaving early. 
Josh and Donna had a strong friendship that could 
not be described by mere words. Sam made a 
mental note to talk to Josh about Donna’s outburst.
 
 
 “Well, in that case, what are you making for 
dinner?” Sam asked.
 
 “I am just going to make a casserole or 
something.” Donna flippantly replied.
 
 “I’ll see you at home then.” Sam said.
 
 “Bye.” Donna said and walked out of the 
office.
 
 
 
 
Sam and 
Donna’s...........................................................................
 
 “What smells?” Sam asked.
 
 “It’s 5 Spice Casserole.” Donna said.
 
 “It certainly has a smell.” Sam said.
 
 “If you don’t want to eat it, you don’t have 
to.” Donna yelled at him as she slapped the dish 
down on the table.
 
Sam looked at Donna and couldn’t believe how she 
looked. Her blond hair was flat and messy. Her 
eyes were flashing with anger and Sam knew not to 
push her.
 
 “We need to talk about court tomorrow.” Sam 
said wanting desperately to get off of the topic of 
dinner.
 
 “I’m just a little nervous.” Donna admitted.
 
 “You don’t have to be nervous. Just tell the 
judge the truth. There is no way that your 
parents will win. All of your friends support and 
believe in you.” Sam said, pulling Donna into a hug.
 
Donna and Sam sat down to eat. Sam noticed that 
she kept pushing the food around on her plate and 
not really eating. He made another mental note 
to talk to Josh and see if Donna was acting weird 
and touchy. After dinner, they both found 
themselves sitting in the living room.
 
 “We need to talk. Toby pointed something out 
to me last night.” Sam said.
 
 “Well, Toby pointed something out to me this 
morning too.” Donna said.
 
 “I have a feeling that he said the same thing 
to both of us.” Sam offered up.
 
 “We do need to talk about what happened before 
my parents showed up.” Donna said.
 
 “Yes, we do, but this isn’t the right time. 
You need to get ready for court. I promise that we 
will talk soon.” Sam said.
 
 “Thanks for understanding right now. I want to 
talk about it, but things are a little harried 
right now and I want to give it my full attention 
when we talk.” Donna said.
 
 “Good. I’m gonna go to bed. It’s late and I 
need to sleep and so do you.” Sam said.
 
 “Yeah, good night then.” Donna said as she 
walked into her bedroom.
 
 
 
 
 
Washington D.C. Courthouse, Room 
4.............................................
 
 
 
Donna took a deep breath and walked into the 
courtroom. Her parents and Jacob were already there. 
They all gave her hateful looks when she went to 
check in with the court clerk. After checking 
in, an older gentleman tapped her on the shoulder. 
Donna turned to look at him.
 
 “Miss Moss?” the man asked.
 
 “Yes, can I help you?” Donna asked.
 
 “I’m James Campbell, your attorney.” James 
explained to the confused woman.
 
 “No, my attorneys are Toby Ziegler and Sam 
Seaborn.” Donna said.
 
 “They gave you legal advice, but can’t 
represent you out of a conflict of interest. No one told 
you, did they?” James asked.
 
 “No, they didn’t.” Donna said, feeling hostile 
at her friends.
 
 “Mr. Ziegler and Mr. Seaborn gave me 
everything. I am going to take care of this as I have been 
instructed.” James said.
 
 “Fine, thank you.” Donna said.
 
 
Donna couldn’t believe it. Sam and Toby had 
deserted her at the time when she needed them most of 
all. She would be in their offices after court 
talking to them. She was also upset at the fact 
that none of her “so-called” friends were in court 
to support her.
 
 
Her case was called before lunch. James escorted 
his client to their table and got ready to defend 
his client, if the need arose.
 
 “I have reviewed the previous case file and the 
motions. Before I make my ruling, I would like 
to hear from Miss Moss. Please tell the court why 
you should not be held to the POA form.” the 
judge instructed.
 
Donna stood up, took a deep breath, and addressed 
the court.
 
 “Your honor, my parents and ex boyfriend are 
doing this because I grew up and started making my 
own decisions. I am happy with the life I have 
now and don’t want to give it up. I am choosing 
to live with the decisions that I make. I don’t 
regret anything that I have done since moving to 
Washington.” Donna said and sat down.
 
 “Thank you Miss Moss. I am now ready to rule 
on this case. After reviewing everything and 
hearing Miss Moss speak, I have decided that the POA 
form is invalid. Miss Moss is quite capable of 
making her own decisions and living with those 
decisions.” the judge said and banged down his 
gavel.
 
 “What did I tell you? No problem.” James 
said.
 
 “Thank you.” Donna said.
 
 
After saying goodbye to James, Donna was walking 
to the doors when her parents approached her. 
Donna wheeled around to face her parents and didn’t 
notice when Sam and Josh came through the doors.
 
 
 “Donna, please consider getting some help. You 
do need it.” Karen Moss pleaded with her 
daughter.
 
 “You know what I need? I need a supportive 
family. You certainly don’t live up to that. I 
hate you and wish you were dead. I never, ever want 
to see you again.” Donna yelled and walked out 
of the courthouse
 
 
Sam and Josh weren’t expecting to see Donna blow 
up like that. After her little display, Josh 
knew that he and Sam had to see Leo again. Sam had 
told him about Donna’s behavior at dinner the 
previous night and had raised his concern level 
immensely. The look on her face and the flash in her 
eyes was nothing like he’d ever seen before.
 
 
Donna rushed into the bullpen and found both Sam 
and Toby working on a speech. She walked into 
the office, slammed the door, and gave them both a 
piece of her mind. Donna yelled at the top of 
her lungs until she was done. Donna blasted back 
out of the offices and went home. Sam and Toby 
were in shock that sweet little Donna uttered 
particular words to them.
 
 
Leo called everyone into his office after hearing 
about Donna’s outburst. He asked CJ if she had 
seen changes in her behavior. CJ said she had 
been snapping at people for a few days and yelling 
at the other assistants when they’d try to take 
her out for lunch.
 
 “This is definitely affecting her work. What 
are we going to do?” CJ asked.
 
 “I’ll speak to Donna and I am going to order 
her to see someone or be put on administrative 
leave until she does. I might even put her on leave 
if she agrees to see someone.” Leo said.
 
 “Why put her on leave if she sees someone?” 
Toby asked.
 
 “She can’t have another little scene like the 
one in your office today ever. I love Donna, but 
she is only an assistant and has no business 
yelling at her superiors. That is tantamount to 
insubordination.” Leo explained to a shocked room of 
staffers.
 
 “You can’t fire Donna.” Josh said.
 
 “I am not going to fire her, but I am going to 
make it clear, if she does this again, she will 
be transferred.” Leo said.
 
 
 
 
Sam and 
Donna’s............................................................
 
 
Sam walked into the darkened apartment. He 
fumbled into the kitchen and was shocked to see its 
state. There were dishes in the sink and the table 
was full of papers and bills. It wasn’t like 
Donna to leave a mess. He looked around the rest of 
the apartment. The living room was a mess with 
more paper and the floor hadn’t been vacuumed. He 
figured he’d take care of it in the morning since 
Donna had gone to bed.
 
 
What Sam didn’t know was that Donna was wide 
awake and looking at a pill bottle. It would be so 
easy just to end the pain, she thought. There 
would be no suffering or pain anymore. Donna had 
figured out how many pills it would take to do the 
job. In the end, her resolve won out and Donna 
put the bottle back on the nightstand and went to 
bed.
 
 
Leo hoped that Donna would realize that she 
needed to talk to someone about what she was going 
through. Her friends were great, but this was 
something that they couldn’t help her with. He hoped 
that she would be receptive to the counseling 
idea.
 
Donna arrived at work and headed for her desk 
where a message from Leo was laying. The message 
said that he wanted to see her immediately. Donna 
had a pretty good idea that Leo wanted to see her 
because she yelled at Toby and Sam.
 
 “Hi Margaret. Leo wanted to see me?” Donna 
asked.
 
 “Yeah, go ahead and go in.” Margaret said.
 
 “Leo, you wanted to see me.” Donna asked from 
the doorway.
 
 “Yes, come in and shut the door.” Leo said.
 
Donna did as she was told and sat down stiffly in 
a chair.
 
 “What happened yesterday?” Leo calmly asked.
 
 “I got mad and yelled at my so called friends.” 
Donna angrily said.
 
 “Excuse me?” Leo said.
 
 “You heard me and if you didn’t, you should get 
a hearing aid.” Donna said.
 
 “Donna, what is going on? You don’t act this 
way or say these kinds of things.” Leo said.
 
 “Well, take a look cause this is the new Donna. 
Take it or leave it.” Donna spat out.
 
 “We are going to loose this new Donna. You 
can’t yell at your superiors, it’s insubordination.” 
Leo said.
 
 “Are you firing me?” Donna asked.
 
 “Of course not, but you are going to see a 
counselor or somebody like that.” Leo instructed.
 
 “No, I am not.” Donna firmly stated.
 
 “You are going to do it because I want a doctor 
to clear you to come back to work. There are 
some things that you need to deal with and handle 
before coming back to work. I hate to do this, but 
you are on administrative leave.” Leo gently 
told her.
 
 “When is this leave effective?” Donna asked.
 
 “Tomorrow morning.” Leo explained to her.
 
 “Fine, then. I will get Josh’s schedule for 
the next few days ready and then the temp can 
handle things.” Donna said as she stood up and left 
the office.
 
 
Leo watched her walk out of the office. He was 
shocked by what he saw. This wasn’t the Donna he 
knew and loved. Leo only hoped that someone 
would be able to give her the kind of help that she 
needed.
 
Donna couldn’t believe what Leo said. She knew 
that she didn’t have a problem. Donna was still 
upset that her friends had deserted her when she 
needed them most. Maybe it was time to make some 
new friends at a new job.
 
Leo told the senior staffers about his meeting 
with Donna. He suggested that they spend some time 
with her and maybe try to get her to open up to 
them about what was wrong. It was agreed that 
beer and Chinese takeout at Josh’s was the plan.
 
 
Sam found Donna in the mess and filled her in on 
most of the details. She reluctantly agreed to 
go because she wasn’t in the party mood. The 
puppy dog look on Sam’s face got to her and was too 
much to fight against.
 
 “We’re here. Let the party begin.” Sam said 
as he drug Donna through the door.
 
 “Good. The food was starting to get cold.” CJ 
called from the kitchen.
 
 
 
While everyone else dug into the food, Donna 
pushed the food on her plate around, not really 
eating anything. No one seemed to notice that she was 
not eating.
 
 “Donna, when is your counseling session?” Josh 
asked.
 
 “Why do you want to know and how do you know 
about that?” Donna asked, getting an angry 
fighting face on.
 
 “Leo told me and I wanted to know when my 
dependable Donna would be back.” Josh explained.
 
 “How dare that SOB tell you that he ordered me 
to get some help. I can’t wait to see his face 
when a doctor says that there is nothing wrong 
with me.” Donna said with a victory type of smile 
appeared on her face.
 
 
The staff was in shock over Donna’s reaction to 
Josh’s explanation. They had never seen her this 
way.
 
 “Donna, I think that Leo was right to do what 
he did. After seeing your behavior this week, I 
would have gone to Leo and asked him to help you.” 
Toby gently mentioned to the angry woman.
 
 “This from the people who call themselves my 
friends. You are all far from perfect. I can 
recall insider trading, a hooker, a press secretary 
that can’t even keep a reporter interested, and a 
bullet that didn’t hit its target.” Donna 
shrieked.
 
 
The staff had some still very fresh memories of a 
December and couldn’t speak. The Donna that they 
knew and remembered would never try to hurt her 
friends on purpose.
 
 “Donna.” Josh gently approached her and put 
his hand on her shoulder.
 
 “Don’t. Just stop it and leave me alone. I 
want to forget that I ever knew you people.” Donna 
yelled as she ran out of the door.
 
 “Sam, make sure that she’s all right and 
doesn’t try to hurt herself.” CJ said, still in shock.
 
 
Sam knew that Donna headed home. He planned to 
force her to talk because her outburst at Josh’s 
wasn’t normal, there was something more to it. 
The apartment was dark, but Sam knew she was here. 
Her room was empty, so he tried the bathroom. 
The door was locked and he could hear her knocking 
things off of the sink.
 
 “Donna, please. I know you’re in there. 
Please come out and talk to me.” Sam pleaded.
 
 
After a few minutes, all the sound from the 
bathroom and movement stopped and it got deathly 
still. Sam had a bad feeling and reached for his cell 
phone. He called Josh and told them to come over 
now.
 
 
Sam was still banging on the door and pleading 
with Donna when Josh, Toby, and CJ walked in.
 
 “Break down the damn door.” CJ said without 
any hesitation.
 
 
Josh, Sam, and Toby gave it their all and rushed 
the door. The door finally gave way and swung 
open. The sight before them was horrifying.
 
 
CJ grabbed the phone to dial 911. Toby grabbed 
the pill bottle to help CJ with the 911 call. Sam 
and Josh gently went to Donna. They couldn’t 
believe it. Donna was a gray ghost, but still 
breathing. Sam put her head in his lap and stroked 
her blond hair. Josh held onto her hand and said a 
million silent prayers. Their friend had tried 
to commit suicide.
 
 
The EMT’s came through the door and took over. 
Within two minutes, Donna was being wheeled out of 
the apartment with the senior staff in tow.
 

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