Relapse

Chapter 3 - Waiting

FRIDAY, 5.30PM WHITE HOUSE PRESS BRIEFING ROOM

".....the plane's location is now known and search and rescue are on their way. As far as we know, everyone's fine. Mark?"

"If S & R aren't with them, how did they located them?"

CJ smiled. "Josh Lyman and Will Bailey hiked out of the ravine until they could get a signal on a cell phone and called from that." When the assembled reporters laughed, CJ grinned, "Yes, it amazed us as well. We're just glad Will was with him. Katie?"

"Can you tell us yet how White House employees came to be using a private jet?"

"The plane belongs to a friend of the Pierce family. Ryan Pierce is currently interning in Josh Lyman's office."

"Is he onboard?"

"Yes he is." CJ paused and glanced at Carol, who nodded to affirm that Danny's relatives had been informed. "As is Danny Concannon."

"Is he alright?" Mark asked.

"He's fine. Steve?"

"Why was Danny onboard?"

"He hitched a lift with them."

"I bet he's pleased about that," Steve commented.

10.30pm SOMEWHERE IN VIRGINIA

"God it's cold," Danny muttered.

"Don't forget wet," Josh added as he shivers. "You think we're gonna be here all night then?" 

"Yeah."

"You okay?"

"I'm alright." Danny was worried about Josh though. He wasn't too sure that a night out in the cold and wet was good for someone with Josh's medical history. It was early October and as the night went on the temperature continued to drop. Even though it had stopped raining and they were sheltered in the cabin, they were all starting to feel the effects of being out in the open for too long. 

At the other end of the cabin Will was sheltering with Charlie and Gary, the pilot. "How's your shoulder?" he asked Charlie.

"Hurts a bit. You alright?"

"Yeah, I think I'm starting to dry out. Gary's drifting in and out of consciousness." Will shone the flashlight to where Josh, Danny and Ryan were huddled at the rear of the cabin.  "How are you three?"

"Cold," Danny said, glancing at Josh.

Will noticed Danny's concerned expression and shone the light more fully on Josh. "You okay?"

Josh nodded.

"Honestly?" Will asked.

"I'm just cold," Josh replied. 

Will has a sudden idea, "Wait there." He took the flashlight and started rooting around in the wreckage until he founds his hand luggage. He took out a sweater and pair of pants and went over to Josh. "Put these on," he told him.

"How do you have clothes in your hand luggage?" Josh asked.

"For times when my actual luggage gets lost. Put them on. You're freezing, your clothes are still soaking. You're going to get hypothermia. Take your wet clothes off and put these dry ones on.

"You're wet too," Josh argued.

"Yeah, I'll find something. Don't worry about me."

"So it's okay for you to....?"

"Why do you always have to turn everything into a debate?" Danny asked. "Do as he says. It may be three years since the shooting but you know as well as I do that you can't afford to stay that wet and cold or you're going to get sick."

Josh glared in Danny's direction, but decided there was no point in arguing, Danny was right. As Josh took the clothes, Will can feel him shaking with the cold.

5.30am SHENANDOAH

"Josh," Danny prompted. "Stay awake."

"No," Josh muttered, "if I sleep it'll be over quicker."

"Josh." Danny shook Josh awake again. It was starting to come light and Danny was praying that S & R arrived soon, because Josh was freezing cold, but had stopped shivering. "You're suppose to be in charge of this lot," he said. "Wake up and set a good example."

"Ryan's been asleep for half an hour," Josh muttered.

"He's an intern."

"He went to Harvard," Josh said.

"Yeah?"

"Long time after us. Played on the squash team."

"Was he good?" Danny asked, willing to follow Josh's slightly odd train of thought, if it would keep him awake.

"Probably."

Ryan stirred ,"I was," he agreed. 

"He was a frat boy," Josh continued as he closed his eyes again.

Danny nudged him awake again. "Not a Crimson then?"

"Nah." Josh looked over at Ryan and tried to remember what he was going to say, but his mind just wanted to sleep.

"Were you a Crimson?" Ryan asked Danny.

"Danny was the editor," Josh informed him.

"Yeah," Danny agreed. "I was his boss. He was.... actually I'm not sure what Josh was suppose to do."

"Not much has changed then," Charlie commented. 

"Josh, wake up," Danny ordered, shaking his friend. "There's no way I'm telling CJ that I let you drift into unconsciousness, she'd kill me."

"Donna would," Josh commented.

"Yeah her too," Danny agreed.

"She'd have come to California," Josh informed them all.

Danny looked blankly at Charlie and Will, who both shrug, a movement that caused Charlie to flinch with pain. "You okay?" Danny asked him.

"Yeah," Charlie whispered.

"Phillips'll be pleased," Josh continued.

"Why?" Danny asked. The whole Phillips story had intrigued him. He was sure there was more to it than anyone would say. Danny had known Josh for 20 years, since they worked on the Harvard newspaper together, and he knew Josh was quite capable of shooting his mouth off, but this time it just didn't seem quite right. He watched the TV footage and he was sure there was more.

"Me and Charlie in a plane crash," Josh replied.

"Yeah," Danny agreed. "He's never liked you."

"Or Donna."

"He doesn't like Donna?"

"Not with me."

Danny thought about that. "What happened?"

"Hey," Ryan protested. "You fishing for a story?"

"I'm trying to keep him awake."

"Then talk about baseball," Ryan suggested.

Danny shrugged, "Seen any games recently then, Josh?" he asked.

"She got a letter," Josh continued, "warning her." Josh closed his eyes and this time Danny can't wake him.

7.30am WHITEHOUSE

Donna looked up as Leo entered the office. "Any news?" she asked, as she placed her hand over the receiver.

"They found them ten minutes ago. They're fine. Cold, but fine. Toby and I are going to down to the hospital to meet them."

Donna smiled and nodded. "I just..." she pointed at the phone and Leo frowned. "Josh's mom," she told him.

"Tell her he's fine. I'll get him to call her later."

Leo was just leaving the office when a thought occurred to him. "Donna," he interrupted her again. "You want to come with us?"

This time Donna beamed. "Yes, please, I'd like that."

"We're leaving in about half an hour."

Leo wasn't completely honest with Donna, which was one of the reasons he asked her to come with them to the hospital. Josh and Will both had hypothermia and Charlie had a cracked shoulder blade, Ryan and Danny had escaped unhurt. Will was awake and talking, although he was very cold and a little disoriented. Josh was drifting in and out of consciousness when Leo, Donna and Toby reached the hospital.

"You can go in and sit with him for a while if you like," the doctor told them. "Just two of you. I'm afraid he's not very coherent at the moment."

"You two go in," Toby said, "I'll check on the others."

When Donna and Leo entered the room, they were relieved to find it looked nothing like the last time Josh was in hospital. True he was on a heart monitor, but there were no drips and no tubes. They sat either side of the bed and waited for Josh to wake up. After about five minutes he opened his eyes and looked at Donna and then Leo.

"Others?"

"Everyone else is fine," Leo told him. He tried not to feel too hurt when Josh turned to Donna for confirmation.

Donna nodded and smiled. "How you feeling?" Josh closed his eyes again though and didn't answer, so Donna carried on talking. "I told your mom I'd let her know how you are when I got here. Her and Sam both want to come up, but the baggage handler's strike has grounded everything."

Josh opened his eyes again and watched Leo, looking like he was trying to remember something. After a few seconds he gave up and closed his eyes again. "Cold," he muttered.

"You'll be warmer soon," Leo promised.

"Can't remember," Josh replied, looking from Donna to Leo, as a nurse entered and beckoned for them to leave. 

"We're going to go now and let you get some rest," Donna told him, but he'd already closed his eyes. 

They left the room and walked down the corridor, through the smell of anesthetic and antiseptic, the smell that brought back memories of another hospital. "I'm going to speak to the doctor," Leo said.

They found Doctor Mellor leaving another patient. "We want to talk to you about Josh Lyman's condition," Leo began.

"I can only discuss patients with their next of kin I'm afraid."

"Well his mother's in Florida, so that's not really possible," Donna told him. "We just want to know how he is. He seems out of it, like he doesn't really know where he is."

"Hypothermia can cause the patient to become very confused."

"But Will's fine," Donna persisted.

"Each patient is different." Doctor Mellor sighed, he could see that these two were very worried and while he really couldn't discuss specifics he could generalize. "Mr Bailey's hypothermia isn't as severe as Mr Lyman's. Mr Lyman's medical history makes him far more susceptible to illness, but he should make a good recovery once his body temperature returns to normal."

"Why's he on a heart monitor?" Leo asked.

"Hypothermia can cause heart problems, we want to monitor him for 24 hours to make sure there are no complications."

"Like?"

"An irregular heart beat."

"Has there been?" Leo asked.

"I can't discuss that."

"You mean there has?" Donna demanded.

"If there had been, is it treatable," Leo asked.

"Yes. If there has been then we can treat it with drugs or, if necessary, with shock treatment. Look I know you're worried, but there's nothing I can tell you for a few hours. Go and get some rest, get something to eat and come back then. We've got your cell phone number, if there are any changes in Mr Lyman's condition we'll let you know."

It was four hours before Josh was finally fully conscious.

 "Hey," he smiled drowsily at Donna.

"Hey," Donna tried not to sound too concerned. "How are you?"

Josh smiled, "Tired."

"The doctor says...."

"Yeah, I know. He wants me to stay here, but I'd rather go home."

"You've got hypothermia, he thinks you should stay."

"If there are any complications, I seem to remember we've got a good hospital not far from my apartment."

Donna sighed and squeezed Josh's hand. "Leo's outside."

Josh nodded. "I'll see you soon." he said as Donna let Leo into the room.

"How you feeling?" Leo asked.

"Sore, cold, tired."

"Sore? I didn't think you were hurt?"

"I think the hike may have been a bit adventurous."

"You should stay here until tomorrow at least. You had a night out in the cold. You've got mild hypothermia. Do as the doctor says."

"I'd rather come back with everyone else."

"Donna can stay." Leo studied Josh, this was the first time in weeks he'd been able to read him and he wasn't sure he liked what he saw. "You'll be alright you know."

"The doctor's worried about my heart, he says the rhythm's irregular. They've given me some drugs to control it."

"That's why you should stay and let them monitor you."

"You worried about me then?"

"Of course I'm worried about you," Leo snapped. "I've spent the last 18 hours scared half to death worrying about you, again. I should have let you quit."

"Nah. I wouldn't miss the fun of working at the White House. Although I do think we should get danger money," Josh smiled. Then he looked serious. "I hate hospitals."

"I know."

"When the doctor asked if I'd had heart surgery and I told him what the procedure was, he looked a little concerned. They want me to stay on a heart monitor for 24 hours."

"Then for once do as you're told. I can always get Abbey down here to control you, you know."

Josh tried to smile, but it didn't happen. "I'm scared, Leo."

Leo placed his hand on Josh's head, like a father with a feverish infant. "You'll be fine. They'll monitor you. They can give you drugs to regulate your heart. You're in the best place."

"I know. And Donna can stay if she wants?"

"You think she might not want to?" Leo asked.

"She might get a little bored here on her own."

"Then I'd better stay with her. That's if you don't mind me hanging around?"

"I'd like that. Don't go worrying my mom will you."

"She knows you're in the hospital. But I won't tell her anything until we know for sure."

"Thanks. You going to stay then?"

"Yeah," Leo nodded.

Three hours later Toby had left the hospital with Will, Danny and Charlie; Donna and Leo had gone for something to eat. "What did Abbey say?" Donna asked.

"Abbey?"

"I know you asked the president to talk to her. What did she say?"

Leo hesitated before telling Donna. "She says that hypothermia can cause heart problems. But it's three years since Josh's operation and he'd had no problems with his health before or since. The hypothermia isn't that severe. She doesn't think they'll be any complications."

Donna studied Leo. He looked tired and worried, but not scared. "Good," she smiled.

Leo had been curious about something since last week, something he'd overheard CJ and Will discussing. "If he'd have quit, would you have gone with him?"

"Yeah I would have. I know that doesn't make me sound very loyal to the White House." Donna looked at Leo to see whether he was annoyed about that.

"It makes you seem very loyal to Josh."

"Margaret would do the same for you," Donna pointed out.

Leo smiled and nodded in agreement. "We've worked together a long time, fifteen years next month," he told Donna, thinking that he should probably buy Margaret a gift of some sort for that landmark anniversary.

"I don't know whether I'd put up with Josh for that long," Donna joked.

Leo grinned, "You were the first assistant to put up with him for more than a week."

"You just have to know how to handle him and how to recognize his moods."

"I don't suppose I made life too easy for you the last few weeks?"

"No," Donna admitted."He was upset, Leo. No one asked him what had happened. Everyone, apart from Sam and Charlie, believed the press and Phillips. I spoke to Lucy Gutheridge, the intern, she told me what Phillips said about me and Josh. Why won't he tell the press?"

"Because he didn't want you to know what Phillips said about you and him, and he didn't want you dragging into it."

"What he said was disgusting. How dare he say something like that about Josh, how dare he call Josh.... CJ had to stop me going to tell him what I thought of him." Donna stopped, fearing she'd said too much.

"Don't look so worried. I agree with you. People like Phillips, they should be brought down. But it's not up to us, it's up to Josh."

"Then I think we should persuade him."

Chapter 4 - Decisions