A Proposal in Paradise
Author: Shelley
Summary: This is a sequel to '238 Days'. However, you don't need to 
read that to understand this.



Josh stared out the window of the plane as he tried to relax and
leave the hustle and bustle
of DC behind. He cast a sideways glance at Donna, and smiled when he
realized that she
was completely engrossed in the in-flight magazine.


He reached down and patted his pocket where he felt the ring box. He
had planned on
slipping it into his suitcase after Donna's final inspection, but he
hadn't gotten a chance.
He was determined to find the perfect moment to propose to her and
turn this vacation
into an engagement trip.


He briefly wondered if he should seize the moment and do it now. Be
impulsive. Be
spontaneous. He wondered what the rules for a romantic proposal were.
Then he realized
that an airplane, albeit in first class, probably wasn't the perfect
setting. Donna deserved
the perfect setting.


'OK, Strike the airplane,' he thought to himself. 'I'll just have to
wait until the perfect
moment presents itself.'


Josh was broken out of his reverie by the sound of Donna's voice.


"Did you know that the 757 has the lowest operating cost per seat-
mile of any single aisle
jetliner?" she asked, never looking up.


"I didn't know that," he said.


"Did you know that it meets all international standards for engine
emission?" she
continued.


"Well, it's nice to know we are on an environmentally friendly
airplane," he chuckled.
"Or a least one that is as environmentally friendly as a jumbo-jet
can be."


Donna ignored the hint of sarcasm in his voice.


"It can even land on short-field runways," she said, looking up at
him with a look of
triumph.


"Do you even know what a short-field runway is?" he asked with a
smile.


"No, but isn't it nice to know we could land on one if we needed to,"
she said.


"Well, I guess it never hurts to cover all the bases," he agreed.


Donna stuck her tongue out at him as she closed the magazine and
returned it to the
pocket on the side of her seat.


"Are you making fun of me?" she asked playfully.


"No," he said as he wrapped his arm around her shoulders and pulled
her to his side.
"I've just never seen anyone actually read the in-flight literature
before."


"I just like to be well informed," she pouted.


"I know you do. Please go on," he said as he leaned his cheek against
the top of her head.


"I don't have anything else," she said matter-of-factly.


"What?" he asked pulling back and looking at her incredulously. "It
can't be. I never
thought I'd see the day. Are you telling me that you are out of
trivia?"


"You're not that lucky," she responded dryly. "I mean that I'm out of
airplane trivia. But
since we will be landing Maui in 45 minutes, I should tell you that..."


Her words were cut off as Josh's lips met hers. It only took a moment
for her to wrap her
arms around his back and deepen the kiss. She moaned softly as his
tongue slid across her
lower lip and his hands entwined in her hair. She mentally sent up a
quick thank you that
they were seated in the front row, with the cabin wall in front of
them and the seat backs
hiding them from the passengers behind them.


As he pulled away for air Josh asked, "What was that you were saying?"


"I forget," she said slyly as she pulled his mouth back towards hers.








"This is bigger than my apartment," Donna said as she surveyed the
hotel room that lay
in front of her, her eyes wide with awe.


"Do you like it?" Josh asked.


"Like it? Josh, this is amazing. But it's too much. This must have
cost a fortune."


"I don't want to hear one word about money this week, Donna. I mean
it."


"But if you gave me a raise, I could chip in for the cost of the
room," she teased.


"How about if we work out a barter agreement?" Josh said, wiggling
his eyebrows.


Donna giggled as she grabbed his hand and moved towards the sliding
glass doors that
opened on to a wrap around balcony.
"I've never seen anything like this," she said as tears formed in the
corners of her eyes.
"This is amazing."


"You deserve the best," Josh said as they moved towards the railing
to look out at the
ocean.


"Look how close the water is," Donna said, bursting with
excitement. "Let's change our
clothes and go for a walk on the beach."


"Sounds good to me."


"Maybe I should unpack first," Donna said disappointedly. "I don't
want the clothes to
get wrinkled."


"Don't worry about that. We can unpack later and we'll send whatever
needs pressed to
the hotel laundry."


"Really?" she asked, the excitement returning to her voice.


"Absolutely," he answered.


"Oh goody," she said moving back through the doors and towards the
bedroom where the
bellman had deposited the luggage.


"Do you want to eat out tonight, or should I call room service and
order something for
later?" Josh called, as she began searching for some suitable beach
attire.


"I'm kind of tired from the flight. Do you mind if we just stay in
tonight?"


"Not at all," he said. "I'll just call down and order now and then it
will be ready when we
get back."


"Sounds good to me," Donna yelled from the bedroom.








Twenty minutes later, Donna emerged from the bedroom wearing a tank
top and shorts
just as Josh finished making arrangements for a romantic dinner for
two on the balcony.


"All set," she said.


"Just give me a minute to throw on some shorts and I'll be right with
you," he said as he
replaced the room service menu in the drawer.


As soon as he entered the bedroom, he looked around for the perfect
place to hide the
ring. He quickly discarded several ideas before he settled on the old
standby of under the
mattress. With any luck at all, it would only be there for a few
hours anyway. The room
service chef had assured Josh that he could create the perfect
romantic meal and Josh was
planning on taking advantage of it.


He quickly changed into a pair of shorts and rejoined Donna in the
living room. "The
beach awaits," he said.


"Oh goody. Let's go," she said, bouncing towards the door.







Josh smiled brightly as he watched Donna enjoying the beach. She was
trying desperately
to take in every sight and sound around her. She was so excited that,
at times, it seemed
like she was going to burst.


He couldn't refuse when she begged him to take his shoes off and go
into the surf with
her. As the waves rolled in around their ankles, Donna giggled
happily.


They spent several hours just enjoying the sand and taking in all of
the beautiful tropical
scenery.


As they walked, Josh tried to plan out the perfect proposal in his
head. He wanted
something witty. Something that fit the relationship that he and
Donna had forged.


'Will you marry me, Donna' he thought. "No, too plain.'


'Donna, you would make me the happiest man alive if you would agree
to marry me,' he
considered. 'No', even though the sentiment might be true, he had
hoped for something
more original.


'How about it, let's make it legal,' crossed his mind, but he somehow
knew that Donna
wouldn't appreciate that particular line.


'Come on, Mr. 760 verbal, think!' he chastised himself.


"What are you thinking about?" Donna asked as she saw Josh's furrowed
brow.


"Nothing," he answered distractedly.


"You looked like you were really concentrating. Are you thinking
about the Hawkins
thing?" she asked, somewhat accusingly.


"Donna, I swear, work is the farthest thing from my mind right now,"
Josh assured her.


"Good," she said as she wrapped her arm around his waist.


As the sun began to fade in the sky, Josh asked. "Are you ready to
head back and get
some dinner?"


"Yeah, I am a little hungry," Donna said, realizing that she hadn't
eaten since having
lunch on the plane.






By the time they made it back to the room, the chef had delivered
exactly what he had
promised.


A small table had been placed on the balcony. It was set with multi-
colored fiesta ware
place settings and a lovely tropical centerpiece.


"It's beautiful," Donna said breathlessly.


"All we have to do is call them when we're ready to eat," Josh said
as he checked the
wine that was chilling in the ice bucket.


"Should we change into something a little more formal?" Donna
asked. "I feel kind of
underdressed.


"That sounds like a good idea," Josh agreed.


"Great," Donna said as she moved towards the bedroom.


All of the sudden Josh remembered the ring. He knew that there was
almost no chance
that the average person would check under a hotel mattress, but when
it came to Donna
he decided not to take any chances.


He burst into the room and plopped down on the edge of the bed.


"Something wrong?" Donna asked as she looked at him suspiciously.


"Not a thing," he said trying to seem nonchalant.


"Are you sure you're ok, Josh? You've been acting a little funny
since we were out on
the beach."


"I'm perfectly fine," he said, deciding that if he just denied that
he was behaving
strangely, Donna would be forced to believe him.


"Ok," she said warily. "I'm just going to grab a quick shower."


"Excellent idea. You do that," Josh said without budging off of the
edge of the mattress.


Donna simply rolled her eyes and grabbed her toiletries bag as she
headed into the
bathroom. Josh waited until he heard the water running, then he
retrieved the ring and
bolted for the living room.


After a few minutes of indecision, he placed the ring between the
sofa cushions. He
called downstairs and said that they would be ready to eat in 30
minutes, then returned to
the bedroom to change his clothes.


By the time Donna emerged from the bathroom, in a little black dress
with her hair
pinned up on top of her head, the food had arrived and was ready to
be served.


"Wow, you look beautiful," Josh said, as he crossed the room and
planted a kiss on her
cheek.


"You look very handsome yourself," Donna smiled.


Josh took her hand and led her over to the table on the balcony.


"This smells great," she said. "What is it?"


"It's Citrus-Seared Ahi," Josh answered.


"Josh, you ordered fish for dinner? Are you sure you're feeling ok?"
she said as she felt
his forehead with the back of her hand.


"I ordered it because I knew you'd like it, funny girl," he said as
he pulled out her chair.
He planted a soft kiss on her lips before moving his chair over
beside hers.


They enjoyed the wonderful dinner as the cool evening ocean breezes
blew across the
balcony. When they finished with dessert, they moved into the living
room.


Josh turned on the stereo, and pulled Donna into his arms. "May I
have this dance?" he
asked.


"This one and every one," she sighed as she laid her head on his
shoulder.


They swayed to music for quite awhile, simply enjoying the feel of
each other and the
comfortable silence. Josh was busy entertaining more thoughts for the
perfect proposal.


'I've dreamed of finding someone like you my whole life,' he
thought. 'No, too girlie.'


'I'll go crazy if I have to live another day without you as my wife.'
He quickly discarded
that one deciding that mental instability might not be his best
selling point.


He felt Donna yawn against his neck.


"Tired?" he asked.


"Just a little. I think it's the jetlag. It's 4:00 AM back in DC,"
she reminded him.


"Do you want to go to bed?" he asked.


"No, let's just sit on the couch for awhile and admire the view."


"Good idea," Josh said.


They sat down on the couch and Josh gathered Donna into his arms. He
felt between the
cushions and located the ring box. 'OK, this is the moment,' he
thought, hoping that
something witty would just pop out of his mouth at the right time.


"Donna..." he started.


Donna didn't stir at all, her head still resting on his shoulder.


"Donnatella..." he tried again.


He let out a small chuckle as he listened to her even breathing and
looked at her face, lost
in the peacefulness of sleep. 'You have flawless timing, Lyman,' he
thought.


As he lifted her up to carry her to the bedroom, he couldn't help but
think, 'Well at least I
have a few more hours to think of the perfect proposal.'



TBC



Donna was jolted awake by that eerie feeling you get when someone is
staring at you as
you sleep. She slowly opened her eyes, only to see Josh's face just
inches from hers.


"God, Josh," she said, jumping six inches off the bed.


"I was just getting ready to hold a mirror under your nose to make
sure you were still
breathing," he chuckled.


"Very funny," she said, taking the coffee mug out of his hand and
taking a sip. "What
time is it?"


"7:45," he said, reaching out and retrieving his coffee.


Donna looked down at the Harvard t-shirt she was wearing, and
realized that she didn't
remember getting into bed the night before. The last thing she
remembered was sitting on
the couch, admiring the view of the beach all lit up at night.


"Did I fall asleep on the couch last night?" she asked confusedly.


"Yes, you did," Josh said, as he sat down beside her on the bed.


"I'm sorry," she said, laying her head on his shoulder. "I guess I
was more tired than I
thought."


"That's ok," he said, planting a kiss on top of her head.


"You weren't in the middle of saying anything important when I
dropped off, were you?"


Donna's head was dislodged from Josh's shoulder as he jerked forward,
choking on his
coffee. 'Well only if you consider 'Will you marry me?' important,'
he thought as he
continued coughing and sputtering.


"Josh, are you ok?" Donna asked, her voice tinged with concern.


"Fine," he said, trying to get his breathing under control. "Just
fine."


"Are you sure?"


"Positive," he assured her.


Satisfied that he was alright, Donna's thoughts turned
elsewhere, "What should we do
today?" she asked.


"I thought we would go and see that volcano you were talking about on
the plane," Josh
suggested.


"Really?" Donna asked excitedly.


"If you want to."


"Oh, I definitely want to. Haleakala is the world's largest dormant
volcano, you know. It
is over 20 miles in circumference..."


"Donna.." Josh interrupted.


"What?"


"Why don't you save the rest of your fun facts for the drive there,"
he smiled. "I arranged
for a car, and the chef is packing a picnic lunch, so as soon as we
shower and get dressed,
we can be on our way."


"You know what?" Donna said playfully.


"What?" Josh said, raising one eyebrow.


"If we shower together, we can save time and we'll be on our way
sooner," Donna said as
she stood up and made a dash for the bathroom.


"I like the way you think," Josh said, following right behind her.








They parked the car near the entrance to the crater, grabbed the
picnic lunch out of the
back seat, and began walking.


Josh could barely keep up with Donna as she ran ahead, talking
excitedly. As they
reached the edge of the crater, Donna's breath caught in her throat.


"Oh look, Josh," she said breathlessly. "Isn't it beautiful?"


"It certainly is," Josh said as he slipped his arm around her waist.
He was totally and
completely mesmerized by the smile on her face and the light in her
eyes. She had talked
about a trip to Hawaii for so long that he was afraid the actual
event wouldn't live up to
her expectations. He could tell by the look on her face that he
didn't need to worry about
that.


"According to Polynesian legend," Donna began as she grabbed Josh's
hand and pulled
him further along the trail, "this crater is where the demi-god Maui
captured the sun and
held it captive. He wanted his people to have more daylight hours."


"Remind me to give him a call next time I'm at the office wishing for
more hours in a
day," Josh said.


As they rounded a bend in the trail, the towering crater walls came
into view.


"In some places," Donna said, "The crater walls are 3000 feet above
the floor of the
volcano."


"That's absolutely correct," a voice said from behind them.


Josh and Donna turned to see a park ranger, in full uniform.


"I see you've studied up on Haleakala National Park," the ranger said
to Donna.


"I know that are at least three separate and distinct climate zones
within the crater,"
Donna said proudly.


"Impressive," the ranger commented.


"You don't know the half of it," Josh chuckled. "I'm sure if you
would like to take the
rest of the day off, Donna could keep all the visitors informed."


"Josh," Donna said, elbowing him lightly in the ribs.


"Well," the ranger stated, "I just wanted to let you know that we are
here if you have any
questions."


"Thank you," Josh and Donna said in unison.


"And you're in luck today," the ranger whispered conspiratorially to
Donna. "The
conditions are absolutely perfect for Brocken bow."


"Really?" Donna squealed. "I can't believe it!"


Josh had absolutely no idea what a Brocken bow was, but he decided
that it must be
something very special, the way Donna was reacting.


"Where?" she asked the ranger, eyes dancing with delight.


"Just stay on this path," he said. "You'll run right into it."


"Thanks," Donna said, suddenly so overcome by joy she wrapped the
ranger in a quick
hug.


'Maybe I need to get a uniform before I pop the question,' Josh
thought. 'Donna
apparently finds them irresistible.'


"You're welcome," the ranger said, a bit stunned, as Donna headed off
down the trail,
pulling Josh along with her.


"Are you going to tell me what a Brocken bow is?" Josh asked.


"It's a meteorological phenomenon," Donna answered, her eyes sweeping
the crater.


"What kind of...." Josh began.


"There it is!!" Donna squealed. "Do you see it, Josh?"


Josh looked into the crater and suddenly saw his and Donna's shadows,
greatly enlarged,
reflected on a bank of clouds.


"Wow," he said, torn between wanting to look at the shadows and
wanting to watch
Donna's excited face. "What is that?"


"The trade wind rain clouds drift in over the eastern edge of the
crater where the rim is
low. Then they get trapped by the higher northern rim," Donna
explained excitedly.


"So we are actually above the clouds?" Josh asked.


"Yep," Donna beamed. "And when the light strikes just the right way,
the shadows
reflect on the clouds. They call it a Brocken bow."


"Very impressive," Josh said.


"So now," Donna said wrapping her arms around Josh's waist, "I'm
walking on clouds
both literally and figuratively."


"I'm glad," Josh said as he leaned down and kissed her gently on the
lips.




As they continued down the trail, he said "Now tell me about these
three different climate
zones."


"Within the crater, there is a rain forest, an arid desert, and a
temperate lake region,"
Donna began.


As they continued to descend into the crater, Josh listened to Donna
talk animatedly
about everything they saw around them. The ambiance of the lush
tropical area was
amazing. Donna's excitement seemed to grow and deepen with every new
sight and
sound.


When they reached a plateau beside a small stream, they decided to
stop for lunch.
As they spread out the picnic that the hotel chef had prepared, Donna
continued to talk.


"Haleakala was only designated as a separate and distinct National
Park in 1961," she
said. "Until then, it was a part of Hawaii National Park."


"I didn't know that," Josh answered.


"And in 1980," she said, "it was designated an International
Biosphere Reserve."


"Fascinating," Josh said, referring to Donna as much as the crater.





After they had finished eating their lunch, they stretched out on the
ground, and looked at
the clear, blue sky. Josh felt the ring box in his pocket. 'Is this
the perfect moment?' he
wondered.


He looked over at Donna and saw the look of rapture on her face. This
was what he
wanted from this vacation, for Donna to be this happy. She was
enjoying her experience
in the crater so much that he didn't want to do anything to pull her
out of the moment. He
didn't want to break the spell that this magical place seemed to have
placed on her. He
decided to save the proposal for later on in the evening.


"Ready to head back up?" he asked lazily.


"Yeah," she said jumping to her feet. "That lunch was good, wasn't
it?"


"Good for a fish salad," Josh laughed. "Hey, that's two times in a
row I've had fish."


"We're in Hawaii, Josh," she said. "We're supposed to eat fish."


"But still..." he whined.


"Ok," Donna cut him off. "We'll find you some red meat tonight, I
promise."


"Thank you," he said, kissing the tip of her nose.


"We have to go up the other side," she informed him as she headed for
a path opposite
the one they had come down.


"Why?"


"Because we've seen the tropical side, now we have to see the
volcanic side."


They walked a short distance and Josh couldn't believe the difference
in what he saw.
The lush tropical landscape had been replaced by a rocky barren
expanse. But Donna was
no less amazed by its beauty.


"Isn't it amazing?" she said, "Everything as far as the eye can see
is hardened lava. Just
think, at one time where we are standing was a bed of molten rock."


"Strange, huh?" Josh agreed.


"The last time Haleakala erupted was well over 200 years ago."


"That's comforting," he laughed.


"Just look at how beautiful they are," Donna said as she pointed at
the towering multi-
colored cylinders that dotted the landscape. "Those are all cinder
deposits. The different
colors are because all of the layers came from different eruptions."


Josh couldn't help but be caught up in the wonder that Donna was
experiencing.
Suddenly she looked at one of the cinder walls and gasped.


"What is it?" Josh asked.


"Look," Donna said moving gingerly forward. "A Silversword."


Josh looked at the bright silver plant growing out of the middle of
the cinder wall.


"And it's ready to bloom," Donna said reverently.


"That's nice," Josh said.


"Not really," Donna said somewhat sadly. "As soon as it blooms, it
will die."


"Really?" Josh asked.


"Yes," Donna said. "They struggle to survive growing in these bleak
conditions. It can
take up to 20 years for a plant to produce a single bloom. As soon as
it does, it dies."


"Wow," Josh whispered. "That's amazing."


"I know. It's really sweet and really sad at the same time," Donna
said wistfully.


Josh was touched by Donna's reaction to the life cycle of this
special plant. He walked up
behind her and wrapped his arms around her waist.


"I love you," he whispered.


"I love you, too," she said.




They made their way leisurely back up the trail, stopping several
times to look at an
interesting rock formation or another Silversword. By the time they
reached the top, the
sun was fading in the sky.


They sat on the rim of the crater and watched, as the sky turned the
most amazing shades
of red and purple that they had ever seen.


"We never get sunsets like that in DC," Josh said.


"We certainly don't," Donna sighed.







As they walked back towards the car, Donna rubbed her stomach gently.


"Something wrong?" Josh asked.


"I'm fine," Donna answered. "My stomach just feels a little funny.
Probably all of the
climbing."


"Are you sure?" Josh asked, concern creeping into his voice.


"Positive," Donna answered.


As soon as they got into the car, Donna settled against Josh's
shoulder.


"Why don't you just rest until we get back to the hotel," he said
soothingly.


As they rode in silence, Josh's mind returned to the task of finding
the perfect words for
his proposal.


'I've come too see things so much more clearly since what happened in
Colombia,' he
thought. 'NO!' he chastised himself. 'I'm not going to bring any bad
memories into this.'


'You know I'm hopeless without you,' he considered. 'Oh yeah, that
makes me sound
like a real catch.'


'I'm not getting any younger so I thought... God, why can't I
formulate a sentence that
doesn't make me sound like a total dork.'


Josh began thinking back to all of the great movie proposals he had
seen. If he couldn't
come up with a witty line of his own, maybe he could steal a good one
from Cary Grant
or Humphrey Bogart. At this point, he would even settle for Jim
Carrey.


By the time they pulled back into the hotel parking lot, Josh wasn't
feeling all that great
himself.


"Feeling any better?" he asked Donna.


"Not really," she said. "Maybe a shower will help."


"Good idea," he said as he opened the passenger side door and reached
in to help her out
of the car.


Donna's face began to take on a greenish cast in the elevator and by
the time Josh
managed to get the hotel room door open, she was bolting for the
bathroom.


"Are you ok?" Josh asked as he stood outside the door.


"I think so," Donna whimpered.


"Do you need me to hold your hair back?" Josh asked.


"No," Donna said as she opened the bathroom door, sipping a glass of
water. "Thanks for
the offer though."


"Should I call the hotel doctor?" Josh asked as he placed his arm
around her shoulders
and steered her towards the living room couch.


"No," Donna assured him. "I'll be fine. I think it was something I
ate."


"I think you're right," Josh agreed. "I'm feeling a little green
around the gills myself."


"Very funny," Donna said. "We don't know that it was the fish that
made us sick."


"Fish is all we have eaten since yesterday," he reminded her.


As he was getting Donna settled on the couch, there was a knock on
the door. Josh
opened it to find the hotel concierge, with a very guilty look on his
face.


"I'm so sorry to disturb you," the concierge said. "But we seem to
have had a bit of a
problem with the fish salad that the chef made for lunch."


"No kidding," Josh said dryly.


The concierge looked at Donna lying on the couch and said,  "I'm so
sorry, ma'am. Are
you sick?"


"Are you blind? Of course she's sick!" Josh snapped.


"Just a little," Donna assured him as she rose up off the couch and
stood next to Josh,
taking his hand.


"The fish salad seems to be causing a very minor case of food
poisoning. We have been
assured by the hotel doctor that any reaction should be mild and will
most likely pass
overnight."


"Are you sure?" Josh asked.


"I will be happy to send up the doctor if you would like," the
concierge said.


"That won't be necessary," Donna said.


"Again, you have our deepest apologies," the concierge said. "I will
send up a pot of
herbal tea that the locals swear works wonders."


"That'll be good," Donna said, showing the man to the door as Josh
glared at him.


"I'll see to it immediately," the concierge said, shooting Donna a
grateful look as he
slipped out the door.




"Come on," Donna said tugging on Josh's arm. "Come over here and sit
down with me
and wait for the tea."


"Are you sure we shouldn't call the doctor?"


"We'll be fine," Donna assured him. "This will all be past by
morning. And I don't want
to spoil the amazing time I had today, so let's just sit here and try
to relax."


"You're right," he said, sitting down beside her on the couch and
pulling her back against
his chest.


"So what were we talking about last night when I so rudely fell
asleep?" Donna asked.


Josh instinctively felt for the ring box in his pocket.


"Well as a matter of fact..." he began.


Without warning, Donna sat straight up, grabbed her stomach, clamped
her hand over her
mouth, and bolted for the bathroom.


'Well I may not be up on proper proposal etiquette, but I'm pretty
sure this isn't the right
time,' Josh thought, as he began to rhythmically bang his head on the
coffee table.





The morning sun streaming through the window gently woke Donna. She
realized, to her
great relief, that her nausea had passed. Apparently, the doctor had
been right, and the
food poisoning had been mild.


She turned and looked at Josh sleeping soundly beside her, one of his
arms wrapped
securely around her waist. She toyed with the idea of waking him, but
decided that he
probably needed the sleep. She carefully lifted his arm and slid out
from underneath it.
She pulled the sheet up over him and slipped into the living room.


She made a pot of coffee and sat back to peruse the sightseeing
information that the
concierge had left for them. She read with delight the description of
the hotel's Bay Club
Restaurant. It had originally been built as a private club for people
who owned villas in
the area. A year after it opened, the members voted to turn it into a
public restaurant,
wanting to share the marvelous atmosphere and stunning scenery with
all of the island's
visitors.


Donna wondered if Josh would be willing to go there for dinner some
night before they
left the island. She knew that he hated formal dress, but both the
restaurant and the chef
had five star reputations. Suddenly, she realized that the only dress
she had with her that
would be suitable had gotten wrinkled in her suitcase and needed to
be pressed. She
slipped quietly into the bedroom and began gathering up laundry. She
grabbed her dress
from the closet, and then slipped back out of the room and called the
concierge to ask for
a laundry pickup.


When Josh finally awoke an hour later, Donna had already begun to
make plans for the
day. She watched as he poured himself a cup of coffee and joined her
on the balcony.


"Feeling better?" he asked, as he gave her a quick kiss then settled
into the chair next to
hers.


"Much better, thanks. How about you?" she asked.


"I'm fine," he assured her. "I wasn't nearly as sick as you to begin
with."


"I know," she smiled sheepishly. "Sorry about all of the throwing up
last night."


"No problem," he said, pulling her in to his chest. "I just hate to
see you sick."


Donna's eyes teared up. "Thanks," she said.


"Are you sure we shouldn't carry a bucket with us today though, just
to be sure?" he
teased.


"Very funny," she said, punching him lightly on the arm.


"Speaking of today, what should we do?" he asked with a yawn.


"Actually I've been putting quite a bit of thought into that," Donna
answered with a
twinkle in her eye.


"Really?" Josh asked.


"Yep. How would you like to go golfing?"


"You don't golf, Donna."


"I know that, Josh," she said, rolling her eyes, "but you do.


"Are you going to me caddy for me?" he asked hopefully.


"Not likely," she scoffed.


"I'll call you Carl if you want. We might see some gophers," he said
playfully.


"Really, Josh. Caddyshack references before breakfast?" Donna tsk-
tsk'ed.


"Sorry, I lost my head," he chuckled.


"Well anyway, they say that The Plantation Course is amazing. It is
cut out of an old
pineapple plantation," Donna continued.


"Sounds nice, but I have no clubs and no shoes, not to mention that
you don't usually
shoot a round of golf by yourself."


"I called the pro shop. You can get clubs and shoes there, and they
have an opening in a
foursome that is teeing off in an hour."


"My, my, haven't you been busy this morning?" he said.


"Just trying to help," she chirped.


"I know," he said appreciatively.                                


"And you'll never guess who you will be playing with," Donna said,
eager to spring her
secret on Josh.


"Who?"


"Guess!" she said excitedly.


"You said I could never guess so just tell me," Josh said with mock
annoyance.


"Fred Wilpon," Donna said triumphantly.


"Donna, are you kidding me?" Josh said, obviously stunned.


"Nope," Donna assured him.


"Donna, Fred Wilpon?"


"Yes," she said again, grinning broadly.


"He's..."


"The co-owner of the New York Mets, I know," she squealed.


"How did you manage that?" he asked.


"I keep telling you, Josh, I'm THAT good," she said.


"I can't believe it," he said, hugging her tightly, "this is great!"
Suddenly a small frown
crossed Josh's face. "But I don't want to leave you just sitting
here. What are you going
to do?"


"I am going to go to the spa," she said, stretching leisurely. "I'm
going to have a facial,
and a manicure, and I'm going to take a class."


"A class?" Josh asked. "I didn't know spas had classes."


"This one does."


"What class?"


"The Essentials of Sensual Massage,"


Josh arched his eyebrows, "Sounds interesting. Maybe later you can
show me what you
learned."


"I'd say there's a good chance," she agreed.


"I'll be looking forward to it."


"I also made reservations at the Bay Club Restaurant for dinner, is
that ok?" she asked.


"Fine," he said.


"I sent your suit out to be pressed so it will be back in plenty of
time."


"Great," Josh said, still obviously overjoyed at the idea of playing
golf with Fred Wilpon.


"You better have a shower and get going," Donna laughed. "You don't
want to miss your
tee time."


"No, I certainly don't," he said happily.


Josh hugged Donna tightly and said, "I love you."


"I love you too," she said.







As he entered the bedroom, Josh suddenly remembered the ring. He
would have to hide it
since there was a chance Donna would be in the room today without
him. He didn't want
to carry it on the golf course. He remembered that he had left it in
the pocket of his pants
last night. Both he and Donna had been feeling queasy and he had
forgotten to take it out
and hide it before they went to bed.


He looked around the room for the pants. He remembered tossing them
over the chair in
the corner but they weren't there.


"Donna?" he called


"What?" she called back.


"Where are the pants I had on yesterday?" he asked, poking his head
out of the bedroom
door.


"I sent them out with the rest of the laundry."


"What?"


"I thought that as long as we had stuff that needed pressed, I might
as well just send
everything out," she said.


"But I need those pants," he said, trying to keep the panic out of
his voice.


"Why?" Donna asked suspiciously.


"I think I left something in the pocket," he answered honestly.


"What?"


"You didn't check the pockets?" he asked.


"No, I didn't. I'm sorry. What did you leave in there?" she asked,
growing concerned.


Josh began scrambling for a plausible explanation.


"My watch," he stammered.


"Your watch is on the dresser," Donna said.


"Oh...Thanks," Josh muttered, backing into the bedroom while Donna
rolled her eyes
and smiled.








Josh mind raced frantically, trying to decide what he should do next.
Finally, he grabbed
his cell phone and stepped into the bathroom. He started the shower
and then dialed the
hotel's main number. When the desk clerk answered, he asked to be
transferred to the
concierge.


"Hello, this is Albert," the voice said.


"This is Josh Lyman in Suite 214."


"What can I do for you, Mr. Lyman?"


"I need my pants back."


"Excuse me sir?"


"My pants. I need them back. My girlfriend sent them out with the
laundry this morning."


"Oh, I see," Albert said.


"I need them back right away," Josh insisted.


"Well, that could be a problem, sir," Albert said slowly.


"Why?"


"You see, we send the laundry out. It's on its way to the cleaners
right now. It will be
back late this afternoon."


"Listen to me, Albert," Josh said with growing anger. "My
girlfriend's engagement ring
is in the pocket of those pants and I want it back NOW!"


"You didn't think to check the pockets before you sent it out, sir?"
Albert asked.


"Obviously not. But that is beside the point right now," Josh snapped.


"Sir, I hear water running..."


"Yes, I'm in the shower."


"Sir?"


"Listen, just get my pants back ok?"


"I'll try, but I'm not sure what I can do.."


"Listen up! If it wasn't for your chef's rancid fish salad, the ring
would be on my
girlfriend's finger right now and not in my pants pocket so maybe you
better do a little
more than try."


"Of course sir. I'll let you know as soon as I find anything out."


"Good, but don't call the room. This is a surprise. I'll be playing
golf in 45 minutes. Call
me there."


"Very well, sir," Albert said compliantly.


Just as Josh disconnected, the shower door flew open.


"Who were you talking to?" Donna asked accusingly, hands on hips.


"Uhhh.."


"Joshua Lyman, did you call Sam?"


"No," he sputtered, shaking his head.


"Josh, this is supposed to be a vacation. If there was a national
emergency, I'm sure it
would make the news."


"I'm serious. It wasn't Sam," he insisted.


"Then who were you calling from the shower, or should I be afraid to
ask?" she asked
with an arched eyebrow.


"I'm planning a surprise," he said confidently.


"For me?" she asked with a smile.


"Who else?"


"What is it?" she asked skeptically.


"If I told you, it wouldn't be a surprise," he said, sensing he was
winning her over.


"True," she agreed grudgingly.


Donna wanted to push it farther but decided that it must be something
pretty big if he was
making covert calls from the shower. She decided to let it go for now
and she grabbed the
phone and headed out of the bathroom. "Tee time in 40 minutes," she
called over her
shoulder.







Josh arrived at the pro shop ten minutes before tee time. The pro got
him set up with
shoes and helped him select an appropriate set of clubs. Just as he
was about to head out,
the phone rang.


The young man behind the counter talked for a few minutes then hung
up and turned to
Josh.


"That was the hotel concierge, Mr. Lyman. He wanted you to know that
they have found
the ring and it is on its way back to the hotel. When it arrives, he
will lock it in the safe."


"Great, thanks," Josh said, breathing a sigh of relief.


As he hung up, three other men entered the pro shop and Josh
recognized one of them as
Fred Wilpon right away. He also recognized Steve Phillips, who was
the general manager
of the Mets. He was introduced to the third man, Jack Schultz, a
local businessman.


After a few minutes on the practice greens, they headed for the
links. The four men had
the time of their lives. They talked about baseball, politics, love,
and anything else that
popped into their heads. They enjoyed the beautiful rolling course
and the fabulous view
of the ocean.


None of them golfed exceptionally well, but they all managed to have
fun and no one
embarrassed themselves too badly. There was one minor incident with a
water hazard but
they all agreed never to discuss it.


Meanwhile, Donna was enjoying a relaxing day at the spa. She had a
facial, a manicure
and an authentic Polynesian seaweed wrap. Her skin felt better than
it ever had and she
was bursting with energy.


Next came her one-hour instruction in sensual massage. Donna paid
meticulous attention
to every detail, planning on putting each one to good use later.






By the time they met for a late lunch at the Plumeria Terrace, both
were humming with
excitement.


Donna entered the lovely open-air poolside restaurant and saw Josh
sitting at a table
studying a menu.


"Have you been waiting long?" she asked as she approached.


"Not at all," he said with a smile as he stood up and pulled out her
chair. He planted a
gentle kiss on her lips before sitting down and sliding his chair
closer to hers.


"So...How was your golf game?" Donna asked.


Josh couldn't hide the wide smile on his face. His dimples were out
in full force. "It was
fabulous," he said.


"Good," Donna smiled brightly.


She scanned the menu while Josh filled her in on some of the details.


"How was the spa?"


"Excellent."


"And the massage class?"


"I think you will like what I learned," she teased.


"Excellent," he said, dropping his hand to her knee.


Just then, the waitress approached and asked if they were ready to
order.


"I'll have the Grilled Chicken on Focaccia," Donna said.


She looked over at Josh who was looking at her with a pleading look
on his face. He
looked like a little boy who wanted ice cream and Donna couldn't deny
him. She nodded
and his smile grew even larger.


"I'll have a hamburger, well done, and French fries," he said.


As soon as the waitress left the table, Josh leaned his head over
towards Donna and they
shared a deep and passionate kiss.


"So this is turning out to be a good day?" Donna asked.


"For sure," Josh answered. "And it's early yet. Who knows, it might
get better."





Josh and Donna spent the afternoon leisurely strolling through the
shops on the garden
level of the hotel. They stopped to watch a lei making demonstration,
where women
wove both simple and intricate leis from beautiful locally grown
flowers.




As the sun faded in the sky, they returned to the hotel to get ready
for dinner. Josh took a
quick shower while Donna sorted through the laundry, which had been
returned from the
cleaners.


When it was Donna's turn in the shower, Josh called the concierge
desk and had the ring
brought up to the room. He breathed a sigh of relief when he saw the
ring that he had
picked out, the one he was certain would be perfect for Donna,
nestled safely in the box.


He quickly changed into his neatly pressed suit and slipped the ring
into the pocket. He
then stood on the balcony admiring the view until Donna emerged from
the bedroom.


"Wow," Josh said as he watched her approach in a pale blue strapless
dress, her hair
pulled up loosely off her neck.


"Thank you," she smiled sweetly.


"I mean really, WOW!" he repeated.


"The day you took the SAT's," Donna teased. "You were just having an
amazingly lucky
day, right? The whole 760 verbal thing was a fluke."


"Very funny," he said, moving to her side. "You look absolutely
stunning."


"Thank you," she said. "You look pretty darn stunning too."


He laughed as he offered her his arm.


"Shall we go?"


"Yes," she giggled.






"Josh!" they heard someone say as they were being escorted to their
table. Josh looked
around and saw Fred Wilpon sitting at a table right in front of
them. "I didn't know you
were having dinner here."


"Hello, Fred," Josh said. He placed his arm around Donna's waist and
steered her
towards the table, prepared to make introductions.


"You must be Donna," Fred said, extending his hand.


"Yes," Donna answered, somewhat startled.


"We heard all about you on the course this morning," Fred said warmly
as Donna blushed
a dark shade of pink.


"Good things, I hope," she said.


"Only the best," Fred answered.


They dispensed quickly with the rest of the introductions, including
Fred's wife, Sarah,
Steve's wife, Lily, and Jack's wife, Amber.


"Why don't you join us?" Fred suggested. "We just ordered cocktails."


Josh hesitated momentarily, thinking about his plans to propose to
Donna after dinner.
'But that's after dinner,' he thought. He looked at Donna who seemed
in favor of the idea
so he said, "Sure, thanks for the offer."


The busboy jumped in immediately with two additional place settings.
Seconds later, the
waitress returned with a tray of large drinks in coconut shells with
umbrellas.


"We need two more of those," Fred told her, indicating Josh and Donna.


Dinner passed by quickly with the sharing of stories about both
baseball and politics.
They enjoyed a wonderful meal cooked by a world-class chef, although
both Josh and
Donna avoided the fish. Every time the coconut shell drinks were
empty, the waitress
brought another round. 'These are deceptively strong for a drink that
comes with an
umbrella,' Josh thought.


Josh watched appreciatively as Donna held her own in conversations on
topics as varied
as seaweed wraps and the economic repercussions of the salary cap. He
could see that
everyone at the table was clearly enchanted by her and it made him
smile. His mind
wandered once again to the perfect way of proposing.


'You are absolutely amazing, please marry me,' Josh thought. 'No,
that's not it.'


'I can't picture my life without you,' he thought. Better, but not
quite right.'


'A relationship is like baseball, it takes teamwork. So I'm offering
you a contract.....,'
Josh could feel the slap on the head that that proposal would elicit.


He was brought to the present by the sound of Fred and Donna making
plans.


"Well then it's settled," Fred said. "You have to come to New York
and see a game
sometime soon. You can watch from my box and I'll arrange for you to
visit the locker
room."


"Excellent," Donna said excitedly.




After several hours, the party broke up. As Josh stood, he felt the
affect of a few too
many the umbrella drinks. He looked at Donna. She was standing but
seemed a tiny bit
unsteady on her feet, so he reached out and placed his hand on her
elbow. They said their
goodbyes and made their way back to their room.


As soon as they entered, Donna said, "I'll be right back."


"You're not going to throw up again are you?" Josh called after her.


"Bite me," she answered.


"If you insist," he countered with a smile.


Josh's mind was racing, wondering if this was the moment. He wasn't
drunk by a long
shot, although "comfortably numb" might not be an exaggeration.


He wanted the proposal to be perfect, something that Donna could
treasure forever. If
there was even a hint that they were intoxicated, he knew that she
would be teased
mercilessly about his sensitive system, and the fact that he proposed
while he was drunk.
He didn't want that. 'Maybe I'll make a pot of coffee and just play
it by ear,' he thought.


Before he could reach the coffee pot, Donna emerged from the bedroom
wearing just a
tank top and a pair of bikini underwear.


"Ready for your massage," she asked seductively.


"Uhh......yeeeeeahh," Josh answered, his eyes glued to her.


"Good," Donna said as she wrapped her arms around his waist and
kissed him
passionately.


"I've never had a massage that started like this," Josh said.


"I would hope not, considering the fact that you usually get your
massages from a man
named Tom," she purred.


Josh tried to clear his mind as his hand brushed the ring box in his
pocket. He was,
however, finding it hard to concentrate with Donna's tongue in his
ear and her hands
snaking under his shirt and along the waistband of his pants.


"Donna?"


"Hmmm?" she said as her hand reached his zipper.


"Never mind," he said. "Well talk about it later. Let's get on with
the massage."






Josh awoke the next morning more relaxed than he had been in years.
Every muscle in
his body was humming with contentment. Some of it was a side effect
of the sensual
massage, and some was a side effect of what came after.


He was lost in memories, eyes still closed, when he heard Donna's
voice.


"Josh?"


"Hmmm?"


"Are you awake?"


"No."


Donna giggled as her hand snaked across his chest and played with his
chest hair.


"Are you sure?" she asked.


"Positive," he said.


Donna's hand moved further south, finding its way across his abdomen,
then lower.


"OK, I'm awake now," he said, as his eyes flew open.


"Good. What should we do today?" Donna said triumphantly.


"What's wrong with what you're doing now?" Josh asked.


"You're insatiable, you know that?" she said teasingly.


"I would have to agree with you there, but that doesn't mean we
shouldn't spend the
entire day in bed. Besides, it's your turn for a massage," he said as
he rolled her over onto
her back.


"But you didn't take the class," she teased.


"I had a very good teacher, and I paid very close attention to all of
her moves," he said,
waggling his eyebrows.


"Really?" she said seductively.


"Oh yes, please allow me to demonstrate," he said as he lowered his
lips to hers.







It was nearly noon by the time Josh and Donna finally dragged
themselves out of bed.


"How about if we just hit the beach this afternoon?" Donna asked,
stretching leisurely.


"Sounds good to me," Josh agreed.


"Great! Let's just throw on our suits, grab some towels and go,"
Donna said breezily.






After applying plenty of sunscreen to avoid vacation-ruining sunburn,
Donna flopped
down on her stomach. Josh was beside her, on his back, propped up on
his elbows,
watching the people go by.


After a few minutes he said, "Donna?"


"Hmmm??" she said lazily.


"Next time we go to the beach, could you wear something different?"


"Like what?" she asked.


"Oh, I don't know-jeans maybe?" he said.


"Excuse me?" Donna said, lifting her head and looking at him like he
had lost his mind.


"It's just that every guy who walks by here checks out your ass."
Josh said.


"What are you talking about?" Donna asked incredulously.


"I don't like men looking at your ass, so I think you need to cover
it up more," he stated.


"And you don't think my ass looks good in jeans?" Donna challenged.


"No-well yes-you know what I mean?"


"Rarely," Donna said, laying her head back down. "Besides, women
check out your ass
all the time and you don't see me getting all weird and asking you to
wear those baggy
rapper pants do you?"


"What women check out my ass?" Josh asked, obviously pleased.


"Joey Lucas, among others," Donna said.


"Well, that's different," Josh sputtered.


"Why?" Donna asked pointedly.


"Because...it just is....we aren't talking about my ass anyway, we are
talking about
yours..and just how much of it you should be showing in public," he
said in an
exasperated tone.


"Did that even sound like it was going to make sense in your head?"
Donna asked.


"Not really," Josh admitted.


Donna returned to sunbathing and Josh leaned back and allowed his
mind to wander.


'Ok, it's going to be today,' Josh thought. 'This is the day I
propose. I just need to find
the perfect moment. And the perfect words. Oh God-why is this so
difficult.'


'Donna, over the last several years....no, that sounds like 'This Is
Your Life'.'


'There comes a time in every life...yikes!! That sounds like something
you hear in a 6th
grade health lecture.'


'I've spent my whole life waiting....God, that makes me sound pathetic.'


"Josh?" Donna asked, peering at him over her sunglasses.


"What?"


"What are you muttering about?" she asked.


"Nothing," he lied.


"It was definitely something," she said suspiciously.


"I just want those men to stop checking out your ass," he said,
reverting to the last
conversation he could remember.


"Did you ever consider the possibility that they aren't checking out
my ass at all? Maybe
they're checking you out, or maybe they wonder why you're sitting
there muttering to
yourself," Donna laughed.


"You know, you have a real sarcastic streak in you," Josh said.


"I learned from the best," Donna said.


Josh spent the rest of the afternoon trying to come up with the
perfect proposal while, at
the same time, glaring menacingly at every man who checked out
Donna's ass. An hour
later, when she rolled over onto her back, things went from bad to
worse.


It was an age-old problem, every man likes to think that his
girlfriend is hot enough to
make other guys stare, but at the same time, other guys staring at a
man's girlfriend
drives him crazy.


"How about we plan on a moonlight walk on the beach after dinner?"
Josh suggested.


"Oh, that sounds perfect," Donna answered. " How about if we go on
the Navatek II
Dinner Sail. We can walk on the beach as soon as we dock."


"Are you sure sailing and food are going to mix?" Josh asked
cautiously, not wanting to
see a repeat of Donna's earlier illness.


"Let's be adventurous," she teased.


"If you're sure," he said.


"Besides, if we came all the way and didn't take one of the beautiful
sails, Sam would
never forgive us."


"You're probably right," Josh said.


"That goes without saying," Donna smirked.


Josh wondered to himself where she picked up that smirking thing. He
was fairly sure she
didn't have it when she joined the campaign.







Josh sat on the couch in the living room, thumbing through a copy of
Newsweek, waiting
for Donna to get ready for the dinner cruise.


She finally emerged from the bathroom in a dress that looked
suspiciously similar to the
famous (or infamous) "Todd dress".


"Have I ever seen that dress before?" he asked, looking her up and
down.


"Yes," she said innocently.


"Is that the same.." he began.


"Shut up, Josh," she said.


"I'm just saying," he smirked.


"I know," she laughed.


"But don't you have any clothes that are... I don't know....baggier?" he
said.


"Would you like me to wear a feed sack?" Donna asked exasperatedly.


"A what?"


"A feed sack. In Wisconsin, during the depression and even after,
farmers made their
children's clothes out of the burlap sacks that the animal feed came
in because they didn't
have the money to buy material," Donna said matter-of-factly.


"Really?" Josh asked skeptically.


"Yes, but in those days, the feed sacks were actually very colorful
and had wonderful
patterns on them so it wasn't that bad. It wasn't like they were
plain brown burlap or
anything."


"Did you have burlap sack dresses?"


Donna rolled her eyes, "Oh yes, Josh. Even though I was born in the
1970's, and animal
feed hasn't come in burlap sacks since the fifties, and there were
three K-Mart's in the
town I grew up in, my parents still decided to dress me in feed
sacks."


"You're being sarcastic again, aren't you?" he asked accusingly.


"Very astute, Mr. Fulbright scholar," she said as she took his arm
and headed for the
door.






As they arrived at Maalaea Harbor, neither Josh nor Donna could
believe the size of some
of the yachts moored there.


"Wow," Donna said, eyes wide with awe, "I wonder what those people do
for a living?"


"Well, they don't work for the government, that's for sure," Josh
chuckled.


They boarded the Navatek II and headed out to sea. Once on board,
Josh and Donna
walked the length of the boat, marveling at its elegance, before
settling against the railing
to watch the sunset.


"It's so beautiful here," Donna sighed.


"It sure is. Maybe we can come back someday," Josh said, wondering if
Donna would
like to come back for their honeymoon.


"Really?" Donna asked excitedly.


"Would you like that?" he asked.


"Oh definitely," she answered excitedly.


"We should back during the winter months," Donna added.


"Why?" Josh asked.


"Because that is when the humpback whales migrate here, and we can
come out on a boat
and see them right here in this harbor."


"That sounds interesting, lets do it then," he said.


Both Donna and Josh smiled at the thought that this would be the
first of many vacations
they would spend together.


Eventually, they made their way back towards the front of the boat
where a string quartet
was set up, entertaining the passengers with live music.


Dinner was a four-course gourmet extravaganza that, much to Josh's
delight and relief,
seemed to be remaining in their stomachs despite the gentle waves
rocking the boat. As
they strolled along the deck, walking off all of the rich food, Josh
cast a sideways glance
at Donna and saw the moonlight reflecting off of her hair.


'Maybe I don't need to wait,' he thought as he slipped his hand into
his pocket and
grabbed the ring box.


"Donna..." he began


He was so wrapped up in what he was about to do he didn't see two
elderly women
approaching.


"Excuse me, aren't you Josh Lyman?" a voice asked from beside them.


"Yes, I am," Josh said, startled, as he dropped the ring back into
his pocket.


"I told you so," the woman said as she nudged her friend. "I just
knew that was you," she
said to Josh.


Josh smiled.


"We're huge fans of yours," the other woman said.


"Well, I appreciate that," Josh said with a slight blush.


"We're planning on taking a bus trip to Washington DC next month,"
they said proudly.


"Well, I'll tell you what. You call my office and I'll be sure to
arrange a private White
House tour for you," Josh said.


"Isn't that sweet," one of the women said, "We will take you up on
that. Come on,
Marge, let's go tell the others."


"He's even more handsome in person," Marge whispered loudly as they
walked away.


"Well," Donna said dryly. "That's sure gonna spike the average age of
your fan club."


"Don't mock me. At least I have a fan club," Josh said smugly.


"True," Donna giggled, "and look at the bright side, at the next
meeting at least someone
will be old enough to buy beer."


"You'll be laughing out of the other side of your mouth next month
when you are giving
them a private White House tour," Josh said cockily.


"You can add that to the list of things that are never going to
happen," Donna laughed.


The voice over the PA announced that they would be docking in 10
minutes.


"Still feel up to a stroll on the beach?" Josh asked hopefully.


"Definitely," Donna said.


The boat docked and the other passengers slowly made their way off.
Josh and Donna
walked along the nearly deserted stretch of beach, hand in hand,
enjoying a comfortable
silence.


Finally Josh stopped, and turned to Donna.


"Are you ok?" Donna asked.


"Yeah," Josh said, "The thing is...."


Josh was interrupted by the ringing of his cell phone.


'Oh no,no no no no. Not now,' he thought, knowing that the call could
only mean one
thing.


"You better answer it," Donna sighed.


"Lyman," Josh barked into the phone.


Donna could tell by the look on his face that the call came from the
White House, and
that it wasn't good news.


"It's fine, Leo. I'll take care of it," Josh said.


As he disconnected, he said, "Leo said to tell you he's sorry."


"We have to go home?" Donna asked, as her bottom lip started to
quiver.


"No, it's not that bad," Josh said, as he pulled her into his
arms. "Watkins is making
waves and we may be losing the votes we need on the tobacco thing. I
just need to make
a few calls and twist a few arms."


"Now?" Donna asked.


"You're forgetting the time difference. By the time we get back to
the hotel, it will be
wake-up time in DC. Leo is faxing me some papers that he thinks will
be helpful, and
then I need to jump on the phone."


"Anything I can do to help?" Donna asked.


"Well, if you're sure you don't mind. You could go through the stuff
Leo is sending and
highlight the strong points for me."


"I wonder if the hotel gift shop has index cards," she pouted.


"That's the spirit," he replied.


As they turned to make their way back to the car, Josh wrapped his
arm around Donna's
shoulders.


"I'm really sorry about this," he said.


"That's ok," Donna assured him. "I didn't think we would make it this
long without a
call."


"I'll make this up to you," he promised.


"It's ok, Josh. Really it is." Donna assured him. As they walked
towards the car she
asked, "What were you trying to say back there right before the phone
rang?"


Josh chuckled to himself at his ever-worsening sense of timing. "I
can't remember," he
lied.


"Well, maybe you'll think of it later," Donna said.


"I'm sure I will," he said. "I'm sure I will."
By the time they arrived back at the hotel, the message light on the phone was already
blinking. Donna gathered up the faxes that the concierge had helpfully delivered to the
room, and set about checking the messages. Josh grabbed his cell phone and started
making calls.


Unfortunately, the problem was turning out to be a bit more widespread than they had
anticipated. Instead of one vote wavering, there were now half a dozen senators
threatening to pull their support. Josh was fighting hard to keep from losing his temper.


By the time the sun came up in Hawaii, it was approaching lunchtime in DC. Josh was
becoming frustrated at this unexpected interruption to their vacation, and his deteriorating
mood wasn't helping the negotiations.


Donna was fielding calls from Leo every 30 minutes. The Chief of Staff was eager to
know how things were going.  She had set up the laptop and was surfing the web, picking
up new information and statistics to help sway the wayward senators back in the
administration's direction.


She was writing the facts down on slips of paper and handing them wordlessly to Josh,
who was then incorporating them flawlessly into his arguments.


At 8 AM, Donna ordered breakfast from room service. As much as she wished that Josh
would stop and eat a proper, healthy breakfast, she knew better. She ordered donuts,
muffins, bagels and fruit; all things that Josh could eat as he paced around the room.


Slowly but surely, the votes began to fall back into line. Josh coaxed the last vote he
needed back into their column just before noon. The vote was scheduled for 6 PM DC
time, so they had an hour to wait before they would know if all of their hard work had
been successful.


"Do you want me to order some lunch?" Donna asked, rubbing his shoulders lightly as he
sat slumped over in the chair.


"That's ok," Josh said, sitting up straight and pulling her into his lap. "Why don't you go
ahead and get a little sleep. All there is to do now is wait for the vote."


"I'll wait with you," Donna said, laying her head on his shoulder.


"Are you sure?" he asked.


"Positive," she said.


"I'll make this up to you, Donna," he said, stroking her hair.


"There's nothing to make up," Donna assured him. "This is your job. It doesn't disappear
just because we happen to be on vacation. This is an important vote."


"I love you," he said, wrapping his arms tightly around her.


"I love you too," she murmured into his shoulder. "Now how about lunch?"


"Ok," he said mischievously, "How about a hamburger?"


"How about a salad?" she countered.


Donna was too tired for a long drawn out food battle, so she searched for a quick
compromise. "How about a steak salad?" she asked.


"Deal," Josh said.


Donna got off his lap and crossed to the phone to call room service. As she hung up, she
turned back to Josh.


"I'm going to grab a quick shower while we wait for lunch," she said. She had long ago
shed the "Todd dress" in favor of a pair of shorts and a t-shirt, but her makeup had been
on all night and she desperately wanted to clean up.


"Ok," Josh said, "I'm going to give Leo a call and make sure that all of the holes are still
plugged."


"I won't be long," she said, as she planted a soft kiss on his lips and headed towards the
bedroom.


Leo assured Josh that everything seemed to be in place and that the vote was going to go
off at 6 PM as planned. Josh turned the television to C-Span and muted the sound,
waiting for the polling of the senators to begin.


Donna emerged from the bathroom in a pair of cotton pajama bottoms and one of Josh's
t-shirts. Her face was scrubbed free of makeup and her hair was pulled back into a
ponytail.


"Feel better?" Josh asked from his spot on the couch.


"Much," she said sleepily.


Josh held out his arms and Donna sat down on the couch and curled up against his chest.
The silence in the room was broken by the knock of the room service waiter.


"I'll get it," Donna said, rising slowly.


The waiter brought the tray into the room, sat it on the table and left quietly.Josh and
Donna ate in silence as Josh glanced nervously at the television, waiting for the vote to
start. Finally, the graphic came up on the screen. Josh turned the sound up, and then
began to pace nervously around the room. He listened intently as the senators with whom
he had spent the morning on the phone voted. Each one of them voted with the
administration. The final tally came up, and Josh and Donna both let out shout of joy.


"You did it!" Donna said as she threw her arms around Josh's neck.


"WE did it!" he said, squeezing her tightly.


Then suddenly, like a bolt of lightning through his sleep-deprived brain, Josh realized
something. He spun Donna around and sat her down on the couch.


"Wait right here," he said, as he turned and bolted into the bedroom.


Josh looked around for the pants he had been wearing on the dinner cruise the night
before, but had discarded in favor of comfortable shorts when they had returned to the
hotel. He finally spotted them on the floor next to the bed. He retrieved what he wanted
from the pocket and ran back to the living room.


Donna eyed him with suspicion as he returned to the couch and knelt in front of her.


"Donna," he said as he raised the open ring box up in front of her, "Will you marry me?"


Donna was speechless. She looked from the beautiful diamond ring nestled in the black
velvet, to Josh's waiting face, and back to the ring.


Tears of joy began streaming down her cheeks. She opened her mouth to speak but no
words would come out.


"All week," Josh said softly, taking her hand in his, "I've been waiting for the 'perfect
moment' to propose. Romantic candlelit dinner, the beautiful hike into the crater, a
perfect moonlight walk on the beach, but every time I was about to say the words,
something happened. But I just realized that all of those things happened for a reason,
they were a great big cosmic wake up call."


Josh placed the ring on the couch beside Donna and took both of her hands in his and
continued.


"Those perfect moments are nice, Donna. In fact, they're magical. And I want to have
thousands....no, millions of those moments with you. But those moments aren't what
marriage is about. Marriage is about the everyday stuff. It's about the long hours and the
coffee-fueled time spent sweating out a vote. It's about the stuff we do day in and day
out. Just like this morning, Donna. We work like a well-oiled machine. We just
instinctively know what each other needs, and wants. You make every single minute that
I spend with you better, and happier, no matter what we're doing. Anybody can make a
moonlight walk on the beach in Maui feel special, Donna, but you are the only woman
I've ever met who can make sleep deprivation and senatorial arm twisting more
enjoyable. Every single thing I do, I enjoy more with you beside me."


Donna still couldn't find the words, so she reached out and wrapped her arms tightly
around Josh's neck.


"I want us to always be together," Josh murmured into her hair. "And whenever I catch
men looking at your ass, I want to be able to say 'Knock it off, that's my wife'."


 His last comment seemed to break the spell. Donna threw her head back and laughed.


"Are you still on that?" she asked.


"Always," he smiled. "So what's the verdict? Will you agree to be Mrs. Joshua Lyman?"


"Absolutely," Donna beamed, as she pulled his lips to hers for a kiss.


After a long moment, Josh pulled away and reached for the ring box. Donna held out her
hand and Josh slipped the ring on her finger.


"It's a perfect fit," Donna marveled as she stared at the beautiful solitaire in a white gold
setting.


"I borrowed one of your other rings and took it to the jewelers with me so I would get the
right size," Josh said proudly.


"Was that your idea?" Donna asked, narrowing her eyes.


"No," Josh admitted, "It was CJ's. But I picked the ring out all by myself."


"It's beautiful, Josh," Donna said, holding the ring up to the light, "Absolutely perfect."


"I'm glad you like it," he beamed.


"I love it," she said.


Suddenly, something he had said made Donna think. "So CJ knew you were buying a
ring?" Donna asked.


"Yep," Josh said, moving up and sitting beside her on the couch.


"And she kept it a secret?" Donna laughed. "Well, so much for the sisterhood."


"Well, actually," Josh smiled, "she only kept a secret from you. She needed to tell
someone so she told Sam. You know Sam can't keep a secret to save his life, so he told
Toby. Toby, in what can only be described as a moment of temporary giddiness, told
Bonnie and Ginger. They told Cathy and Margaret. Margaret told Leo, who told the
President. They all had a great deal of fun with it in staff the morning before we left. The
President apparently told Mrs. Bartlet who cornered me in Leo's office and told me that if
I ever hurt you I would have to answer to her."


"So I was the only one in the west wing who didn't know?" Donna asked incredulously.


"Pretty much," Josh said with a wry smile.


"I'm going to begin to doubt my information gathering capability," Donna pouted.


"Don't," Josh assured her, "The President made it very clear to all parties involved that if
anyone ruined your surprise, they would be subjected to the ultimate punishment-an
afternoon of trivia with him."


Donna laughed. "So what do we do now?" she asked, stifling a yawn.


"Well, I'm not sure what most couples do to celebrate their engagement," Josh said,
waggling his eyebrows, "but we've been up for over 24 consecutive hours and I think I
could use a little nap."


"You're such a romantic," Donna said with a smile, as she lay down on the couch and
pulled Josh down with her.


"Don't you want to sleep in the bed?" Josh asked.


"Nope," she said. "I want to sleep right here, on the spot where you proposed."


Within a few minutes, they both fell asleep, wrapped contentedly in each other's arms.







When Donna awoke, the sun was setting in the evening sky and the room was bathed in
the reflection of the beautiful pinks and purples of a tropical sunset. Josh's fingers were
lightly stroking her spine. She slowly opened her eyes and saw him staring back at her
with a look she could only describe as happiness and contentment.


"Hi," he said with a soft smile.


"Hi yourself," she said.


Donna pulled her hand back from around Josh's waist and gazed at her ring.


"For a minute, I was afraid it was all a dream," she breathed.


"Not a chance," Josh said. "You've agreed to marry me. There's no backing out now. It's
a done deal."


"I wouldn't have it any other way," Donna breathed.


"I have an idea," Josh said. "How about a nice celebratory walk on the beach, just a very
happy man and his gorgeous fianc‚e, and then we'll come back here and have a late
supper?"


"Sounds good to me," Donna said, stretching lazily.









"This seems like a dream," Donna said, as they walked arm in arm along the beach.


"A good dream, I hope," Josh said.


"The best dream ever," Donna assured him.


Suddenly Josh stopped and turned to face Donna.


"Is everything ok?" she asked.


"Perfect," he responded, "but it's just that..... I've been thinking about something."


"What?" she asked.


"How would you like to get married here...in Hawaii?"


"Really?" Donna asked excitedly. "You would want to do that?"


"Yes, I think I would," Josh answered. "Would you like that?"


"Oh, Josh," she sighed, "I think it would be beautiful. We could get married on the beach,
overlooking the ocean. It would be amazing."


"Even if it isn't the big white-gown church wedding that every little girl dreams of?"


"I don't need all that, Josh. I just need you, the trappings don't matter."


He leaned over and placed a kiss on the tip of her nose before he continued.


"Well, I was thinking, maybe we could fly a few of our close friends and family members
here, then we could have big reception back in DC for the people who couldn't make it to
the wedding."


"That sounds like a great idea," she said excitedly. "So do you want to do it when we
come back to see the whales?"


"No," Josh said.


"No?" Donna asked, her eyes full of confusion.


"I think we should do it day after tomorrow," he said, watching her eyes closely for a
reaction.


"Day after tomorrow?" she asked, stunned. "Really?"


"Really," he said, his smile broadening, mostly due to the fact that she didn't seem
completely adverse to the idea. "Are you game?"


Donna was nearly speechless. After a few moments she managed to sputter, "Can we get
everything together by then?"


"I figured we can go back to the hotel and call CJ. She won't mind being woken up in the
middle of the night for this. If we have the ceremony on Sunday, mostly everyone should
be able to get away. I'm here, you're here, the beach is here-all we need to do is find
someone to officiate. The concierge should be able to help us with that."


"What about a license?" Donna asked, getting more and more excited about the idea by
the minute.


"I'll pull a few strings," Josh said. "I'm sure we can get a license on short notice. There's
only one problem."


"What?" Donna asked.


"If we have the ceremony on Sunday, we'll have to fly back to DC on the same day," he
said. "It will be like we had the honeymoon first, then the wedding at the end. We will be
spending our first night as a married couple on a plane. I guess that's kind of doing things
backwards."


"Backwards?" Donna smiled wistfully, "That sounds exactly like us."


"Then it's a yes?" Josh asked.


"Yes," Donna squealed. "Let's do it."


Josh wrapped Donna tightly in his arms and planted a passionate kiss on her lips. He
marveled at how perfect the idea of getting married, in less than two days, on a beach
thousands of miles from home seemed.


"Just think," he whispered as he pulled away and placed his forehead against hers, "In
less than 48 hours we're going to be husband and wife."


"I can't wait," she said as she drew him in for another kiss.


Josh and Donna sat side by side on the couch, ears pressed to the
phone, listening to the
ringing on the line. One ring. Two. Three. Four.


"This better be important," growled the sleepy voice on the other end.


"It definitely is, Claudia Jean," came the reply.


"Josh?" CJ said, trying to read the numbers on her alarm clock.


"Yep," he answered, unable to keep the giddiness out of his voice.


"Josh, it's 3:28 AM. What could be so important that it couldn't
wait?"


"Donna and I wanted you to know that we're getting married."


"Congratulations!" CJ squealed. "So she said yes?"


"Yes, she did," Josh said, with mock hurt in his voice. "Why do you
sound so surprised?"


"I don't know. I just figured you'd find some way to screw it up," CJ
laughed.


"Thanks a million, your confidence in me is inspiring," Josh said.


"Well, I'm just saying..." CJ laughed. "How did the actual proposal go?"


"It was perfect," Donna chimed in, placing a quick kiss on Josh's
cheek and looking
again at her ring.


"Wonders never cease," CJ sighed. "Listen guys, I'm happy for you. I
really am. And
we'll all go out to celebrate as soon as you get back and you can
tell me all about the
perfect proposal, and we'll start making wedding plans, but right
now, it's late and I need
to get back to sleep, ok?"


"Well, about those wedding plans..." Josh said haltingly.


"What?" CJ asked, suddenly wide awake. "Tell me you're not already
married."


"We're not married," Josh assured her. "Quite yet."


"Ok, Joshua," CJ said, getting up and heading towards the kitchen to
start a pot of coffee,
"tell me what you've done, and whether or not I'm going to have a
mess to clean up."


"CJ, I'm hurt," Josh said teasingly. "For once I'm following your
orders and this is how
you treat me."


"My orders?" CJ asked suspiciously.


"Yes, you always say that you should be our first call. So we're
calling you first to tell
you that we are getting married.....on Sunday.....here in Hawaii," Josh
said.


"What?" CJ screamed, as Josh held the phone away from their ears.


"I think she's surprised," he whispered to Donna.


"What was your first clue?" she asked.


He pressed the phone back to his ear in time to hear CJ ask, "This
Sunday? As in
tomorrow? What are you, crazy?"


"That has been suggested on more than one occasion," Josh said.


"For good reason, you pinhead. Let me get this straight. You are
getting married in
Hawaii in what, a little over a day?"


"Actually 39 hours, so that's closer to two days than to one," Josh
said.


"Don't split hairs with me, you idiot."


"We would really like it if you could be here, CJ. And anyone else
who can get away,"
Josh said, momentarily serious.


"Only you two, Joshua. Only you two," CJ said, shaking her head.


She yanked the carafe out of her coffee maker and put her cup
directly under the drip.


"But you're happy for us, right?"


"Of course I am," CJ said with a smile. "Listen, I'll make the calls
I need to make on this
end and be on the first plane."


"Excellent!" Josh chirped.


"Let me talk to Donna for a second," CJ said.


Josh handed the phone to Donna, then wrapped his arms around her and
pulled her into
his lap. Donna giggled as she said,


"Hi, CJ."


"Oh, will you two knock it off for one minute," CJ laughed. "I'm
going to grab the first
flight I can. Is there anything you need me to bring for you?"


"I haven't even thought about it," Donna said honestly. "I guess I
need a dress, and
something old, new, borrowed and blue."


"Ok, we can pick a dress up over there. I'll take care of the other
things. If there's
nothing specific you can think of, we'll just wing it once I get
there. I'll call you from the
air and let you know what time I'll be there."


"Thanks," Donna said quietly. "I'm really sorry we sprung this on you
so suddenly."


"Don't worry about it," CJ said. "I'm glad to help. This wedding has
been a long time
coming. Now you two do whatever it is about to be married people do
till I get there, then
we'll whip things into shape."


"It's a deal. We'll see you when you get here," Donna said as she
disconnected the
phone.


"So, what did she say?" Josh asked.


"She said," Donna smiles coyly, "that we should do whatever it is
about to be married
people do, till she gets here."


"Really?" Josh smiled. "And what would that be?"


"I have a few ideas," Donna teased.


"Me too," Josh said stood up, lifting Donna into his arms in the
process.


Donna threw her head back and laughed, "The carrying over the
threshold thing comes
after the wedding."


"I'm practicing," Josh said, as he headed for the bedroom.


He laid Donna gently on the bed, then lay down beside her and pulled
her against him.


"Do you think this is what CJ had in mind?" he asked, with a
seductive leer.


"I'm not sure. But she said we should do it until she gets here,"
Donna teased.


"Well, I'm not 18 anymore, but I'll give it the old Harvard try,"
Josh said as he pulled her
on top of him and planted a passionate kiss on her lips.




Within an hour, CJ had packed a bag, made 10 phone calls, arranged
for her deputy to
cover the press, delegated some of the wedding preparation chores,
made plane
reservations, and drank an entire pot of coffee.


Her flight was leaving Dulles at 7 AM. Ginger, Bonnie, and Carol were
going to
accompany her on the early flight. The others were going to come
later, as they finished
up the things that needed done before they could leave town. She
hadn't been able to get
seats together, but CJ figured she could deal with that once she got
to the airport.





The four women stood at the gate, talking to the boarding agent,
trying to arrange to get
their seats moved so that they were together.


"We're trying to plan a wedding," CJ explained impatiently.


"I understand that, ma'am, but there's nothing I can do," the agent
explained.


The boarding call came over the PA. CJ rolled her eyes and picked up
her carry on bag.


"Fine, we'll just have to deal with it. I'll make sure to tell the
President how helpful your
airline was in the arrangements for his Deputy Chief of Staff's
wedding," CJ huffed, as
she walked off and left the boarding agent with a look of panic on
her face.


The four women settled in their seats and CJ surveyed the situation.
Her seat was on the
aisle, Carol was four rows behind her and against the window. Ginger
was on the other
side of the aisle, two rows back, in the middle seat, and Bonnie was
six rows behind her,
against the window. 'Perfect,' CJ thought.


CJ waited patiently for the plane to reach cruising altitude then
pulled out her cell phone.
She dialed the hotel where Josh and Donna were staying and arranged
for a block of
rooms. She called Toby to see how everyone's travel plans were going,
and how he was
doing without his assistants since she had managed to steal them both
away.


"Sam, Ainsley and Cathy just left for the airport," Toby told
her. "Margaret is helping me
finish up the draft of the AFL-CIO speech and then we will be heading
out."


"We? As in you and Margaret? Together? On a plane?" CJ asked, trying
not to laugh.


"Enjoy it while you can," Toby said dryly. "I'll be exacting my
revenge at a later date."


"I'm shaking in my pumps," CJ laughed as she hung up. "Excuse me,"
she said to the
stewardess. "Can you tell me when the seatbelt sign is going to be
turned off?"


"We're flying into a little turbulence," the young woman answered
sweetly. "The pilot
will probably leave the seatbelt sign on the whole way to San
Francisco."


"It figures," CJ muttered.


She made a few notes on the wedding announcement she was planning on
releasing to the
press. Then she turned in her seat and caught the attention of the
man behind her.


"Excuse me," she said. "Could you possibly pass this back to the dark
haired woman four
rows back against the window?"


The man in the seat behind her stared at the piece of paper like it
was a venomous snake.
CJ stared back. Finally he took the paper, and passed it back as he
had been asked. Carol
made a few notes on the paper and then convinced the man beside her
to pass it over to
Bonnie.


Ginger, meanwhile, was working on a list of people who should be
notified directly
rather than reading the announcement in the paper. She then coaxed
her seat-mates to
pass the list over to CJ for her approval and additions. Soon the
passengers were
muttering and CJ felt a revolt coming on.


She unbuckled her seatbelt and stood up. The stewardess approached
immediately but CJ
put up her hand and said, "I'll only be a minute." She then turned
and addressed the
entire cabin.


"Hello, My name is CJ Cregg, and I am the Press Secretary for the
President of the
United States."


"I knew she looked familiar," the man in the seat behind her
whispered to his traveling
companion.


"I know that I have been causing you all quite a bit of aggravation,"
CJ continued, "but
please allow me to explain. I received a phone call less than six
hours ago telling me that
the Deputy Chief of Staff and his fianc‚e of a few hours have decided
to tie the knot in
Maui tomorrow. Apparently, they don't believe in long engagements,"
she said dryly.


"This woman," she said, pointing to Carol, "is my assistant. These
two women," she said,
indicating Bonnie and Ginger, " are assistants in the Communications
section of the west
wing. We have a million things to try to get done between wedding
announcements,
travel plans, hotel reservations, and actual wedding plans. I want to
reiterate to you that I
found out about this wedding less than six hours ago. So, while I
apologize for the
inconvenience you may be experiencing, I ask for your indulgence."


The entire cabin applauded and yelled out encouragement to CJ, who
began to sit back in
her seat. Suddenly she rose and faced the cabin again.


"One more thing," she said as a smile played across her lips. "Since
this flight originated
out of Dulles, I assume that most of you are from the DC area. I just
want you to know
that if you ever have a church group or an elementary school class
that would like a tour
of the White House, I will make sure that Josh Lyman provides that
for you personally, in
appreciation for all of your patience while we try to make his
wedding plans."


Suddenly, CJ felt much better.






As the connecting flight left San Francisco and headed for Maui, CJ
dialed the phone
again.


"Hello," Josh answered sleepily.


"Hello, Joshua," CJ said sweetly. "Did I wake you?


"As a matter of fact you did. What do you want?"


"Now would really not be the best time to get cute with me, Joshua,"
she said. "Our flight
will be landing in about two hours. I've arranged for hotel
transportation to pick us up.
Tell Donna to be ready. We'll head out to find a dress and anything
else we need right
away."


"I'll tell her," Josh said.


"Good," CJ retorted.


"Hey, CJ?" Josh said playfully.


"What?"


"Look at the bright side. With the time difference you will actually
gain five hours, so we
have more time than you think."


"Josh?"


"Yes."


"Bite me!"


"Ok, then. We'll see you in a couple of hours," Josh said, laughing
as he hung up the
phone.


"Is your charm wearing thin on her today?" Donna asked, not lifting
her head from his
chest.


"Just a little," Josh chuckled. "Is it wearing thin on you?"


"Never," Donna answered, flashing him a wicked grin as her hand slid
up his thigh. "Two
hours you say?"







CJ, Carol, Bonnie and Ginger arrived at the hotel in a whirlwind of
activity. They were
four women on a mission. Within 30 minutes, they had checked in,
congratulated Josh
and Donna, grabbed a cup of coffee, and gathered all of the
information they needed from
the concierge concerning the best places in the area to shop for
clothing suitable for an
informal, yet tasteful, beach wedding.


After a chorus of goodbyes and a quick kiss from Donna, Josh watched
the women head
towards the elevator talking excitedly.


He went back into the room and called his mother. She had been very
excited when they
had called her the night before and told her about their plans. She
loved Donna, and she
was glad that Josh had finally decided to take the plunge. She told
him that Leo was
going to meet her at the airport in New York and make the flight to
Hawaii with her.  


"That's great, Mom," Josh said. "We'll see you later on this evening
then."


"I'll see both of you later," his mother said. "Give Donna my love."


"I will, Mom. Goodbye." Josh said, as he hung up with a smile. He was
glad that his
mother was going to be there, especially since Donna's parents had
made it very clear
that they had no intention of attending.


Before Josh had time to decide what to do next, the phone rang again.


"Hello," he said.


"Josh, it's Sam," came the somewhat frantic voice from the other end
of the phone.


"What's wrong?" Josh asked, a million scenarios running through his
mind.


"I'm trapped on a plane with Cathy and Ainsley. We had to take
whatever we could get
flight wise. They managed to get us all together, but they are making
me sit in the middle.
Ainsley is trying to pilfer food from everyone around us, or failing
that, bribe the flight
attendant."


Josh laughed and said, "Hang in there, buddy."


"That's not the worst of it," Sam went on, lowering his voice to a
whisper. "The man
across the aisle recognized me from that piece in Newsweek. He was
very nice about it,
and I introduced him to Ainsley and Cathy. A few minutes ago, he
turned to Cathy and
asked her how she liked working as my 'secretary'."


"Yikes!" Josh yelped.


"Yikes is right," Sam hissed. "She is staring death rays at him right
now. I may have even
heard her growl."


"I don't know what to tell you, Sam. Ply Ainsley with food and Cathy
with liquor, that's
my best advice."


"Thanks, you're a lot of help," Sam whined.


"What time does your flight land?" Josh asked, trying to take Sam's
mind off of the
chaos around him.


"1PM, local time."


"I'll arrange for hotel transport to pick you up. CJ took care of
booking the rooms. I'll see
you when you get here."


"IF I get there," Sam sighed, as Cathy made another growling noise
and Ainsley reached
for his pretzels.




Immediately after their arrival, Cathy and Ainsley jumped into a cab
to meet CJ, Donna
and the others. Sam flopped down on the couch in Josh and Donna's
suite and said,
"Please tell me you have cold beer in this place."


"I threw a couple extra in after you called," Josh said as he opened
the mini-fridge and
pulled out two beers, keeping one for himself and handing one to Sam.


"I'd rather walk back to DC than have to go through that again," Sam
said.


"It wasn't really that bad, was it?" Josh asked.


Sam glared at him over the top of his beer bottle.


"Ok, I guess it was," Josh said, trying not to laugh.


"But it was worth it to be here for you and Donna's wedding," Sam
said.


"Thanks," Josh smiled.


"I can't believe it," Sam said shaking his head.


"Me either," Josh agreed.


"What made you decide to do it so quickly? Donna's not....is she?"


"No, Sam. Donna isn't pregnant. I just decided that I didn't want to
waste anymore time.
I want to be married to Donna. I want the entire world to know how
much we love each
other."


"That's great," Sam said with a hint of envy in his eyes. "I'm really
happy for both of
you. Is your Mom coming?"


"Yeah. Leo's meeting her in New York and they're flying in later.
They should be here
around dinner time."


"Donna's parents?" Sam asked hesitantly.


"No," Josh answered sadly, "They aren't coming. I shouldn't be
surprised though. After
the way they behaved the whole time Donna was....you know...away."


The nightmares had finally started to fade yet Josh couldn't bring
himself to say the
words "held hostage". He preferred not to think about that time.


"That's ok," Sam said, attempting to lighten the mood. "You are
Donna's family now,
and your mom, and all of us."


"To families, blood and otherwise," Josh said, lifting his beer
bottle in a toast.


"I'll drink to that," Sam said, clinking his bottle against Josh's.


"When's Toby coming in?" Josh asked.


"Oh, I forgot to tell you," Sam laughed. "His flight was leaving
about two hours after
ours. He is coming in with Margaret."


"Margaret?" Josh asked with a smile.


"Yep," Sam chuckled.


"Toby and Margaret, in a confined space, for six hours?" Josh asked
again, incredulously.


"Yep," Sam laughed.


"I better get more beer for the fridge," Josh said.








"I can assure you that I could not be less interested in anything,
than I am in the
nutritional value of airline food," Toby told Margaret for the third
time.


"But...." Margaret started


"Margaret," Toby warned.


"I'm just saying...."


"Quiet time," Toby said.


"But...."


"No buts. It's quiet time."


"I should have left with CJ and let you finish the stupid speech
draft yourself," Margaret
mumbled.


"I'm sorry?" Toby said.


Margaret huffed, pulled a book from her purse, and settled down to
read.









Josh opened the door for Toby and immediately handed him a cold beer,
already opened.
Margaret pushed past him into the room.


"Where's Donna?" she asked Josh brusquely.


"Well, hello, Margaret. Nice to see you too," Josh said.


"I'm sorry, Josh," Margaret said, her voice softening. "Six hours on
a plane with Toby
has made me a bit testy."


"I understand," Josh said, shooting a look over her shoulder at
Toby. "Donna just called
to say that they are on their way back. She said that will meet you
in CJ's suite."


"Where is that?" Margaret asked.


"Suite 218. It's right down the hall," Josh said, handing her the key
that CJ had left in
case of emergency.


"Thank you," Margaret said, taking the key and glaring at Toby. "I
could use a few
minutes alone."


She took the key and quickly left the room.


"Never again," Toby said, scrubbing his face with his hand. "That
woman would try the
patience of Job."


"Be lucky that you weren't stuck with Cathy and Ainsley," Sam chimed
in.


"I'll trade you for the trip home," Toby challenged.


"Deal," Sam said. "I can handle Margaret.


"That's what I thought," Toby said, plopping down in a chair and
putting his feet on the
coffee table.


The three men sat, drinking their beer in silence, until they were
interrupted by a knock
on the door. Josh opened the door to find Albert waving a handful of
papers.


"Your license has arrived, Mr. Lyman," he said excitedly.


"Excellent, Albert," Josh said, grabbing the papers and looking over
them. "Any luck yet
finding someone to officiate?"


"Not yet, sir, but don't worry. I won't let you down," Albert said,
his voice full of
determination.


"Good man," Josh said, slapping the concierge on the back. "What else
do you have for
me?"


"Well, I've arranged for a spot on the beach to hold the wedding.
It's up on the point,
with a perfect unobstructed view of the ocean. It's the best spot on
the island for a
wedding. I went up there and checked it out myself."


"Excellent!" Josh said.


"I have a sample menu prepared," Albert said, handing Josh another
sheet of paper, "and
some information on possible music choices."


"Both of those things you will have to clear with Donna," Josh
said. "She will be back
any minute."


"Fine, sir," Albert said. "Please call me when your lovely bride-to-
be arrives. Until then,
I'll be downstairs making more phone calls."


"Wonderful! Keep up the good work," Josh said, opening the door and
ushering Albert
out.


"He's very solicitous," Toby said.


"They tend to get that way after they give you food poisoning with
bad fish," Josh said.


"Food poisoning?" Sam and Toby asked in unison.


"Don't ask," Josh laughed.







The women arrived back from their shopping excursion, and swung
immediately into
motion. CJ had a master list and was delegating tasks at her
discretion. So far, Josh's only
job had been to find a proper suit for the occasion, and he had done
some delegating of his
own, giving Albert his size and sending him out to find suitable
attire.


Josh had not been allowed to see the dress that Donna had picked out,
but it had created
quite a buzz among all of the other women. Josh asked for just a peek
so he could make
sure that his suit was a fitting match, but he had been shooed out of
the room by Margaret
and Bonnie, both speaking of the dire consequences of seeing the
dress before the
wedding.


When Albert arrived back at the suite with the menu and music
choices, he was
immediately cornered by CJ and Donna, with the rest of the women
close at hand for
backup.


"Poor guy," Toby said ruefully, as he watched CJ explain to Albert
exactly how she
wanted the food to be prepared.


"Make sure you keep the fish in the refrigerator," Josh yelled across
the room.


Albert hung his head. Donna looked at Josh and smiled.


"How many times does he have to apologize for that?" she asked.


Josh smiled back at Donna, his dimples in full view.


"You've really got it bad, my friend," Toby said, patting Josh on the
shoulder.


"You bet I do," Josh said, never taking his eyes off  Donna.







They had just decided to go down to the beach and enjoy the nightly
luau when Leo
arrived with Josh's mother.


"Mom!" Josh said, wrapping his mother in a bear hug. "I'm so glad
you're here. How
was your flight?"


"It was fine, Joshua," she said. "It was nice having Leo for company.
It gave us a chance
to catch up."


Donna crossed the room and stood by Josh's side. "Hello, Mrs. Lyman,"
she said.


"Hello, dear," Ruth Lyman said, warmly hugging her soon to be
daughter-in-law.


Josh's mother was introduced to everyone in the room that she didn't
already know, and
then Sam said, "You're just in time. We are all headed down to the
beach for a little pre-
wedding luau."


"Sounds good," Leo said. "Just let me make a quick call and check on
things back in
Washington."


"Relax," CJ said. "Enjoy a one day vacation. They know where we are.
If anything had
happened, one of us would have heard."


"You can be very bossy, CJ. Has anyone ever told you that?" Leo said.


CJ rolled her eyes. Toby stepped up next to Leo and whispered, "Do
what she says or
she'll make you fly home with Margaret."


"I've flown with Margaret many times," Leo said.


"Commercial?" Toby asked. "It's much harder to get away from her
there than it is in Air
Force One."


Leo thought for a moment before he said "Let's luau."


"You go ahead, dear," Ruth said to Joshua. "I want to talk to Donna
for a moment."


"Ok, but don't be long," Josh said, giving both women a kiss on the
cheek before he left
the room.








"I just wanted to say how happy I am that you and Joshua are finally
tying the knot,"
Ruth said to Donna once they were alone.


"Thank you," Donna said, as tears gathered in the corner of her eyes.


"I've been waiting for this moment for a long time," Ruth
said. "Probably longer than
even you or Joshua. I could see how very special you were to him from
the very
beginning. In fact, I loved you before I even met you. I loved you
because you made my
son happier than I had ever seen him. It was different than the kind
of happy that comes
from loving your job. It was a contentment and a peace that I worried
he would never
find. It killed me not to meddle and try to get the two of you
together, especially after the
shooting. But I knew that a love that strong would eventually find a
way. And now that it
has, I couldn't be happier."


"Thank you," Donna choked out as tears streamed down her face. "I
love him more than
anything. I promise I'll spend the rest of my life trying to make him
happy, Mrs. Lyman."


"First off, you don't have to try to make him happy, you DO make him
happy.
Secondly," Ruth said, handing Donna a tissue, "we have to do
something about you
calling me Mrs. Lyman."


"I'm sorry, what should I call you?" Donna asked.


"Whatever you want dear. You can call me Ruth, or even Mom," she said
softly.


"I'd like that, Mom," Donna said, a smile brightening her tear
stained face.


"Then Mom it is," Ruth said with a bright smile. "Now we better get
down to the luau
before Josh sends out a search party."








By the time Donna and Ruth arrived, the luau was in full swing. The
native dancers were
doing the hula and the chefs were preparing an authentic Polynesian
meal.


"Are you ok?" Josh asked, noticing the tear stains on Donna's face.


"Perfect," she said, planting a soft kiss on his lips.




Josh was standing watching the festivities, his arms tightly wrapped
around Donna's
waist, her back against his chest. They were watching Cathy, Carol,
Bonnie, Ginger,
Margaret, Ruth and CJ learning to hula. The women were trying
desperately to get Sam,
Toby and Leo to join to fun.


"This is really nice, isn't it?" Donna said. "Everyone together, a
chance to relax, away
from the office."


"It really is," Josh said, as he buried his face in her hair.


"Are you sure you're ready for tomorrow?" Donna asked, reaching her
hand back and
laying it on Josh's cheek.


"I'm counting the minutes," Josh said earnestly. "Are you ready?"


"More ready than I've ever been for anything in my life," Donna said
breathlessly.


"Ok you two, break it up," CJ said, as she approached them. "It's
11:45, time for me to
steal the bride away."


"What?" Josh asked.


"You can't see the bride on the wedding day until the ceremony. We
have to be out of
sight by midnight, so say your goodnights."


"CJ..." Josh started to argue.


"Don't push me today, Joshua," CJ warned. "We have managed to pull
all this together in
24 short hours and I'm not about to tempt fate now."


"Ok," Josh relented, recognizing the tone in her voice. "Just give me
five minutes."


"Five minutes, that's it," CJ said sternly.


Josh turned Donna around to face him and placed his forehead against
hers. "Next time I
see you, it will be at the ceremony," he said softly.


"I know. I can't wait," Donna sighed.


"I love you, Donna. Tomorrow is going to be the happiest day of my
life."


"I love you too, Joshua. And I'll spend the rest of my life trying to
make everyday just as
happy."




Leo grabbed two cups of coffee and headed towards the lone figure,
sitting in a deck
chair, looking pensively out over the ocean.


"What are you doing out here all alone?" he asked.


"Just thinking," Josh answered with a wry smile.


"About your last moments as a single man?" Leo asked, handing one of
the cups to his
deputy.


"More like, how in the world it took me so long to get to this
point," Josh answered,
taking a long sip.


"Well, you always have been a bit dense when it comes to personal
matters," Leo teased,
taking a seat in the chair next to Josh's.


"So I've been told," Josh laughed.


"Luckily you had Donna to set you straight."


"You can say that again," Josh sighed. "I'm lucky she didn't give up
on me years ago.
God knows, no one would have blamed her if she had."


"That never would have happened," Leo said seriously. "What you and
Donna share is
special. It's worth waiting for."


"Yes, it is," Josh agreed.


"I mean it, Josh. What the two of you share is a rare and beautiful
thing. I've never seen
two people as connected as you and Donna. But that doesn't mean that
you don't still
have to be careful. Guard the relationship like the precious
commodity that it. Most
people don't get a shot at what the two of you have."


"Believe me, I know how lucky I am," Josh assured him.


Leo paused for a moment, searching for the right words, then spoke
again.


"Your dad would be a happy man today," he said softly. "He always
wanted you to find
someone to settle down with. Something to fill your life with, other
than work."


"I know," Josh said with a sad smile, "I wish he were here."


"He asked me about Donna, you know," Leo said, not sure if this was
the right moment
to bring up the subject.


"When?" Josh asked curiously.


"After he had talked to her a few times on the phone, during the
campaign. He said that
he thought she had spunk, and thought she would be able to keep you
in line."


"Well, he was right, wasn't he?" Josh laughed.


"He usually was," Leo said.


Both men stared out at the ocean, lost in the happy memories of Noah
Lyman.


"Ok, enough of this sentimental crap," Leo said gruffly, "We have a
wedding to get ready
for."


"Absolutely," Josh beamed, as both men got up and headed back towards
the hotel. When
they were almost to the door, Josh stopped.


"Thanks, Leo," he said. "I'm really glad that you're here."


"I wouldn't have missed it for the world," Leo said, placing his arm
around Josh's
shoulders. "Now let's go get you married."







"What are you doing up so early?" Donna asked sleepily, as she
emerged from the
bedroom.


"Just double checking a few of the last minute details, and more
importantly, I ordered
coffee," CJ said, pointing at the tray on the side table.


"God bless you," Donna smiled, pouring herself a cup.


"So, are you ready for this?" CJ asked.


"More ready than I've ever been for anything in my life," Donna said,
a sunny smile
spreading across her face.


"I can't believe this day is finally here," CJ said happily.


"What do you mean by 'finally here'?" Donna asked, sitting down in
the chair directly
across from CJ. "We didn't give you much warning."


CJ laughed. "You still don't get it do you? I swear, sometimes I
think you are as dense as
Josh. I've been expecting this since about ten minutes after you
walked into the campaign
headquarters in Nashua."


"Isn't that just a tiny exaggeration, CJ?" Donna laughed.


"You're right," CJ said dryly. "It might have been twenty minutes. I
was a bit distracted
that day, so it took me a while to notice."


Donna laughed, "We weren't that bad, were we?"


CJ pressed a napkin to her lips in an effort to muffle her
snort, "This coming from the
woman who raised denial to an art form, who elevated misdirection to
previously
unknown heights, who developed an Oscar-worthy rendition of 'We're
just friends,
nothing more'."


"Ok," Donna smiled. "I get the picture."


"Seriously," CJ said, leaning towards Donna and looking her directly
in the eye. "Aside
from you and Josh, no one is happier about this wedding than I am.
I've watched both of
you go through the wringer, it's time for a little happiness."


"Thanks," Donna said, wiping a tear from her cheek.


"So let's just pray that the idiot boys don't do something stupid,
like set the hotel on fire
before the ceremony," CJ said.


"Toby and Leo are there to keep an eye on them," Donna said
reassuringly.


"I find surprisingly little comfort in that," CJ said.









Sam, Toby, Leo and Josh were sitting of the living room of Josh's
suite, waiting for their
cue from CJ to leave for the wedding site.


"How about a beer while we're waiting?" Josh asked.


"No," Sam said sharply, throwing his body in front of the room's
small refrigerator.


Everyone in the room turned and looked at Sam as though he had lost
his mind.
"What in the hell is wrong with you?" Leo asked.


"Nothing," Sam said innocently.


"Sam?" Toby said suspiciously, "What's going on?"


"I promised CJ," Sam mumbled.


"Speak up, Sam. We can't hear you," Toby said sharply.


"I promised CJ," Sam said sheepishly, "that we wouldn't let Josh have
anything to drink
before the ceremony. You know...because of his sensitive..."


"Oh, for the love of God," Leo said, as he shoved Sam aside and
opened the refrigerator
door. "Josh is a grown man, if he wants to have a beer before his
wedding, he can."


"OK," Sam said haltingly. "but I want it officially noted for the
record that I didn't think
this was a good idea."


"We'll make sure you get your brownie points with CJ," Toby said,
taking a bottle from
Leo and twisting off the cap.


A knock at the door broke up their little argument.


"Who is it?" Josh asked.


"It's Albert," said the voice from the other side of the door.


"Oh good," Josh said, setting his beer down on the table.


"You laugh now," Sam whispered to Toby and Leo, "but if anything goes
wrong today,
and CJ finds out that we let Josh have a beer, she will spend the
rest of her life devising
creative ways to torture us."


"Good point," Leo said


"I shudder to think about it," Toby added.


In a matter of seconds, Toby came up with a plan. He reached out,
snatched the bottle off
of the table, looked quickly around the room, then emptied half of
Josh's beer into the
potted palm beside the couch. He then returned the beer to its spot
on the table, and all
three men tried their best to look nonchalant.


"Give me good news," Josh said to Albert as he entered the suite.


"Yes, sir," Albert said with a smile. "Everything is taken care of.
Judge Okawi has
graciously agreed to officiate. The food, music and flowers are all
ready to go. I even
took a drive out to the point this morning to make sure that
everything was prepared. I
took my wife with me, just to make sure it was ok from a woman's
point of view."


"And what was your wife's opinion?" Josh asked.


"She agreed with me; it's the perfect spot for a wedding," Albert
beamed.


"Excellent," Josh said enthusiastically.


"So, I think everything is ready," Albert said proudly. "I'll be
downstairs if anything last
minute comes up. I wish you and your lovely bride only the best, sir."


"Thank you for all your help," Josh said sincerely, reaching out to
shake Albert's hand.


"It was my pleasure, sir," Albert said. "And the least I could do
after the fish incident."


Josh laughed, and suddenly he had an idea.


"Albert, Donna and I would love it if you and your wife would attend
the wedding," he
said.


"That's very generous of you, sir," Albert stammered. "But it really
isn't necessary. I was
only doing my job."


"Just the same," Josh said, "we would love it if you would come."


"We would be very honored," Albert blushed. "I'll call my wife right
away."


"Great," Josh said. "And Albert?"


"Yes, sir?"


"The entire senior staff is here, and we have to get back to running
the country in the
morning so...."


"I'll double check the fish. In fact, I'll have a little taste of
everything now, just to be
safe. If I'm still standing at the end of the ceremony, we'll know
everything is ok."


"Good job," Josh said, as the sound of both men laughing echoed down
the hall.








Donna emerged from the bedroom, and the other women in the suite let
out an audible
gasp.


"You look beautiful," Ruth said as she stepped forward and hugged
Donna. "That dress is
absolutely perfect."


"Thank you," Donna beamed. "We found it in a small shop almost on the
other side of
the island. The minute I saw it, it knew it was the one."


The white, calf length dress was gorgeous in its simplicity. It was
sleeveless, with a v-
neck and a full flowing skirt. The delicate material clung to Donna's
figure in all of the
right places.


"So the dress is something new," Margaret said. "Now we just need
something old,
something borrowed and something blue."


"Well, we took care of something blue yesterday," CJ said, pulling a
pale blue garter out
of a bag on the coffee table."


"And I borrowed these earrings from Bonnie," Donna said, indicating
the small diamond
studs in her ears. "So I just need something old."


"I think I can take care of that," Ruth said as she crossed the room
and took something
from the desk drawer. She returned to where Donna was standing and
handed her a velvet
box.


Donna opened it with shaking hands, and her eyes were immediately
flooded with tears.


"It's gorgeous," she sobbed, fingering the pearl choker.


"It was Josh's great grandmother's," Ruth said lovingly. "Passed down
from generation
to generation. And now it's yours, and someday you will give it to
your children."


"I don't know what to say," Donna sobbed, hugging her soon to be
mother-in-law.


"You don't have to say anything, dear. It's my pleasure," Ruth
whispered.


Suddenly, everyone's attention was drawn to a commotion in the hall.


"Oh please, tell me Josh and Sam haven't started a riot," CJ begged,
as she opened the
door and peeked out into the hallway, afraid of exactly what she
might see.


"What is it?" Donna asked anxiously.


"See for yourself," CJ answered with a big smile, as she stepped back
and allowed two
burly Secret Service agents to enter the room.


"Is there something wrong?" Donna asked worriedly.


"No, the boys are just being their usual careful selves," the
President said, as he and
Abbey stepped into the suite.


"Mr. President," Donna gasped. "Dr. Bartlet. What? I mean how?"


"Calm down, dear," Abbey said gently. "Jed and I just decided that
there was no way this
wedding was going to go off without our presence, so we hijacked Air
Force One and
here we are."


Abbey noticed the stricken look on Donna's face and spoke again.


"It's fine, Donna. We made a quick stop in California this morning to
visit a new
children's center being built there, just to make the trip look semi-
official. We'll
straighten it all out later with the travel office."


"We'll be happy to cover any additional expenses incurred by taking
Air Force One out
for a spin," Jed said dismissively.


"I'm so glad that you could make it," Donna said excitedly. "Josh
will be too."


"Speaking of the groom," Jed said with a twinkle in his eye, "I must
go find him and
impart a bit of wisdom on him before the big moment occurs."


"Jed..." Abbey warned.


"Not to worry, dear," Jed said, planting a kiss on his wife's
cheek, "I intend to tell him
that he is in for nothing but pure bliss."


"Jackass," Abbey said playfully.


With that, Jed looked at all the other women in the room and winked,
before gleefully
swatting Abbey on the butt.


"See what you're in for?" Abbey chuckled to Donna.


"Yes, and I can't wait," Donna answered.






"Are you sure this is my beer?" Josh asked, looking at the half full
bottle. "I could have
sworn I just opened mine."


Toby, Sam and Leo were saved from having to think of an answer by a
knock on the
door.


"Who is it?" Josh asked.


"It's the President of the United States," came the answer, "And I'd
appreciate not having
to stand out here in the hall any longer."


Josh sprinted across the room and opened the door.


"Sir, we weren't expecting you," he said, his voice full of surprise.


"You're soon going to be a married man, Josh. Learn to expect the
unexpected," Jed said
as he entered the room with the Secret Service on his heels.


"I'll try to remember that, sir."


Jed spotted the beer bottles sitting on the coffee table. "You
haven't been letting Josh
drink have you?" he asked the other men in the room. "Because I'm
pretty sure that CJ
might have your head on a platter for that, not to mention Abbey, and
Donna."


"Well sir....." they all stammered.


"Never mind. I'll help you keep this little secret. No sense getting
them all riled up for no
reason. But be more careful in the future," the President said
lightly.


"Yes, sir," they all answered.


"So, this is it," Jed said, turning to Josh, "You finally wised up
and decided to make an
honest woman of Donna."


"Yes, sir," Josh smiled.


"Well, it's about time," the President said, clasping Josh's
shoulder. "I've arranged for a
motorcade to take us to the ceremony. Let's get this show on the
road."


"Excellent. Thank you, sir," Josh said, grabbing his suit jacket.


"And for heavens sake, get rid of those bottles," Jed laughed as he
headed for the door.






Albert and his wife were there to meet the motorcade when it arrived
at the wedding site,
along with the judge who would be performing the ceremony.


"I didn't realize that the President himself would be coming," Albert
whispered to Josh,
his eyes wide with awe.


"That was a bit of a surprise to me too," Josh chuckled. "Would you
like to meet him?"


"Oh no...that's not necessary...you don't need to go to that much
trouble," Albert
stammered.


"It's no trouble," Josh insisted.


As soon as the President emerged from the limo, Josh caught his
attention.


"Sir, I'd like you to meet Albert Leiani and his lovely wife, Louisa."


"Nice to meet you," the President said, offering his hand.


"Albert is a first-rate concierge," Josh smiled. "And in a pinch, he
makes a hell of a good
wedding planner."


"Well, it's nice to have something to fall back on," the President
joked. "It looks to me
like you've done a wonderful job."


"Thank you, sir," Albert managed to choke out nervously.


Jed looked around him, surveying the tropical scenery and the
gorgeous view of the
ocean.


There were several rows of white chairs set up, facing the bluff.
Large baskets of colorful
flowers adorned the makeshift altar. A delicate breeze was blowing in
off the ocean,
bathing the entire area in the scent of ocean water and tropical
flowers. A quartet of
musicians sat off to the side.


One of the agents stepped closer to the President and said, "The
bride's party will be here
momentarily."


"Well, then," Jed said. "I guess we had better all take our places."


Josh took his place on the altar along with the minister. Sam stood
beside him.


When the first limousine pulled to a stop, one of the agents opened
the door. Leo stepped
forward and escorted Josh's mother to her seat in the front row,
where she gave her son
an approving smile.


Toby corralled the assistants and escorted them to their seats.


"Alright, ladies," he said with an unusually good natured
smile, "Have you all got your
Kleenex?"


A few minutes later, the second limo arrived. Jed approached and
helped Ainsley out. As
she walked to her seat, she exchanged sly smiles with Sam.


"What was that all about?" Josh asked quietly.


"What?" Sam asked.


"Those smiles," Josh said knowingly.


"Nothing. It meant nothing." Sam stuttered.


"Whatever you say," Josh smiled.


Jed helped Abbey from the limo, before leaning in to say something to
Donna and CJ. He
then turned and escorted Abbey to her seat beside Ruth Lyman, kissed
both women
lightly on the cheek, and returned to the car.


He extended his hand to help CJ out of the car. He whispered
something in her ear, which
caused her to throw her head back and laugh, before she moved forward
and took her
place opposite Sam.


Finally, Donna stepped out of the limo, and Josh was awestruck. She
looked more
beautiful than he had ever seen her before. The wind was making her
dress billow gently;
she had a crown of small tropical flowers on her head. Suddenly
Josh's eyes were drawn
to the bouquet in Donna's hand. It slowly dawned on him that the
flowers were
silverswords, the very kind that Donna had been so amazed by the day
they had visited
the dormant volcano.


As the music began to play, the President walked Donna slowly down
the makeshift aisle.
Her eyes locked on Josh's as she approached. They were silently
speaking volumes to
each other, the intensity of their gazes saying more than words ever
could.


When they reached the altar, the President kissed Donna lightly on
the cheek and then
laid her hand on Josh's arm.


Josh had never really imagined what this moment would be like. Donna,
on the other
hand, had been imagining it since she was a little girl. Neither one
of them were prepared
for the depth of emotion that they felt. They were flooded by
overwhelming feelings of
happiness and contentment. Both realized that this was the end of one
journey, and the
beginning of another.


They never took their eyes off of each other during the entire
ceremony. Sam chuckled
lightly as Josh reached his hand back blindly for the rings, both
unable and unwilling to
break eye contact with Donna.


As each of them said "I do", they realized that this was the
culmination of a commitment
that had been growing since the first day they met. This was a
celebration of a bond that
had survived through good times and bad.


When the judge finally pronounced them man and wife, their lips met
and they felt their
souls merge.


When they finally broke eye contact and turned to face their guests,
they saw that there
wasn't a dry eye anywhere to be seen.






The quartet played softly as everyone enjoyed the post-wedding buffet
that the chef had
prepared.


Josh and Donna smiled as they watched Jed and Abbey talk animatedly
with Albert and
Louisa about the history of the island.


"No doubt he's stocking up on trivia for the plane ride home," Josh
laughed.


All too soon it was time for them to leave.


"I had all of your luggage transported over to the airport," Albert
told them. "And I
double checked all of the rooms."


"Thank you very much," Donna said, giving Albert a hug. "We really
appreciate all of
your help.


"It was my pleasure," Albert smiled. "And I hope to see you again
someday, if you ever
return to Maui."


"Oh, we'll be back," Josh said, wrapping his arm tightly around
Donna's waist. "You can
count on that."




"Well," CJ said to Sam and Toby as they approached the airport, "I
guess you guys
lucked out. You get to take the deluxe transportation home."


"That's right," they both said, feeling as though their prayers had
been answered.


"Well, that's excellent," CJ said, narrowing her eyes, "because the
President tells me that
you let Josh drink before the ceremony, after I expressly asked you
not to, so this will
give me a chance to discuss it with you AT LENGTH."


Sam gulped and shrunk back in his seat.


"I wonder if it's too late to fly back commercial," Toby mumbled.







By the time that Air Force One reached cruising altitude, everyone
was getting settled in
for the long flight home.


Sam, in an effort to hide from CJ, moved towards the front of the
plane where he found
Ainsley sitting with Cathy.


Sam had carefully avoided Cathy since the plane flight over, but now
between her and
CJ, she seemed the lesser of the two evils.


"I introduced you as my assistant," he said matter-of-factly as he
sat down beside her.
"I'm sorry that he called you my 'secretary'."


"But you didn't speak up and correct him," Cathy glared.


"You're right, I should have done that. I'm sorry," Sam said
contritely. "Am I forgiven?"


"Eclairs every morning for a week should do the trick," Cathy said.


"Deal," Sam said brightly.


"Ooooh!! Eclairs!! That sounds yummy," Ainsley said.


"Alright," Sam said with a small smile, "but you have to come up to
my office every
morning to get them. And you bring the coffee.


"Deal," Ainsley chirped, as Cathy rolled her eyes.








"Alright, here's the deal," Toby said to Margaret. "I agree to listen
to you explain the
health effects of vegetable oil for 20 minutes, and you agree to
pretend that we are
working on the speech for the rest of the flight so CJ leaves me
alone."


"Deal," Margaret said, as she happily began to spout health
statistics. Toby's head began
to pound, but when he considered the alternative, Margaret's rambling
didn't seem so bad
after all.










CJ sat in the empty press compartment with Bonnie, Ginger and Carol.
They were
rehashing every detail of the beautiful ceremony.


"Why are you smiling like that?" Carol asked her boss.


"Because," CJ smirked, "Josh and Donna are too wrapped up in each
other to even know
the rest of us exist. The President and the First Lady are involved
in some sort of trivia
extravaganza with Leo and Josh's mom, and I scared Sam and Toby so
badly that they
are hiding from me. So, it looks like I am going to have a nice
peaceful flight home,"


All of the women collapsed in peals of laughter.








Towards the rear of the plane, Josh and Donna sat on a sofa, arms
wrapped around each
other, her head on his shoulder.


"Was Hawaii everything you thought it would be?" Josh asked, stroking
her hair.


"It was more than I ever dreamed," Donna said, raising her head and
looking into Josh's
eyes.


"Are you ready to get back to real life, Mrs. Lyman?" he asked
teasingly.


"I'm headed back to the life I've always dreamed of," Donna said
breathlessly, "and I
couldn't be happier."


Josh reached up and tenderly stroked Donna's cheek, before he pulled
her lips to his for a
passionate, soul-stirring kiss.


THE END


E-Mail me at: kuebsr@yahoo.com