Democracy

Josh is giving me a questioning look, so I smile and shrug. He looks better than he did, but when you consider how he looked that's hardly a compliment, to look worse he'd have to be dead. And he's back at work on Thursday, the day after tomorrow. He'll only be allowed in for a five hours on Thursday and Friday, to gently ease himself back into it. He's been in a few times in the last couple of weeks, but he's not been allowed to sit at his desk and work. He spent most of the time in Toby or Leo's office. I think he was just relishing being back in the White House.

As I watch him in those enormous pajamas, what the hell was CJ thinking? As I watch him lean forward and place his empty bottle on the step, I can see his scar, still red and angry, and it makes me worry about him all over again.

I really want him back at work, so don't misunderstand me here, but he isn't ready. It's not that late, we work later than this many nights, but he looks exhausted. Maybe it's because he's sat in pajamas, but I don't think so. I know Donna doesn't think he's well enough, she wants him to wait until after Thanksgiving. Leo's left it up to Josh though, if Josh's doctors and Josh himself think he's ready then that's enough for Leo. So it's been agreed he'll come back on Thursday.

What the hell is wrong with the world? You know that's a question I've been asking for three months now. What the hell is wrong with people? I'm still no nearer reaching an answer. We've all had our own way of dealing with the shooting. Toby decided to ditch the bill of rights, CJ's fixated on every story where some innocent was shot by a stray bullet. Donna's been Josh protector while Josh himself has put all his efforts into his recovery.

And me? I've been trying to get Tom Jordan elected to congress. Because he's a friend, or at least he was until Leo pulled the funding, but also because of his stance on gun control. If it was up to him we'd have tighter gun control than the UK, and I agree with him. Why couldn't Leo and Josh see that, why couldn't they see that we need people like Tom if we're going to get gun control legislation passed. Leo says that the shooters may have bought their guns legally, they may have broken no laws when they drove from Blacksberg with them, but even if the ownership had been illegal it wouldn't have stopped them. Did I think that fanatics, like West Virginia White Pride, would say, 'Well we had planned on shooting the president tonight, but it's illegal for us own guns or to carry them, so we'll stay home and watch wrestling instead?' that was Leo's argument.

So after all that struggling, after all that fighting and campaigning, after everything, the House stayed the same. Nothing's changed. So I ask again, what the hell is wrong with people? Does democracy have a sense of humor? Hell yes. Is it perfect? Nowhere near. But it's a hell of a lot better than the alternatives.

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