"Daddy! I'm done!" Noah's voice calls to me from his room, so I pop over to check on him.
He's standing in the middle of his rug with a cherubic smile on his face and a mischievous twinkle in his eye. Sure enough, the floor is clean. But as I quickly tie my tie, I scan the room for trouble. The books are back on the shelf along with the bin of toy cars. But the bin is only about half full. And my son's pockets are bulging.
"Noah James . . ." I ask him in a deceptively calm voice. "What's the rule about taking toys to school?"
"Home toys stay at home. School toys stay at school." He repeats dutifully.
I kneel down so I can look him in the eye and he starts to squirm a little. Oh little man, I've been around the block a few more times than you. It's going to be a long time before you can pull one over on me.
"Noah. . . are you thinking about breaking the rules?" I ask in my most patient voice.
The little stinker looks me right in the eye when he answers. "No, Daddy . . . I'm thinking about how good the Mets look this year."
I can't help but smile at the fact that he knows that the Mets look good and that talking about them with him is one of my greatest joys, but man, I've got my hands full with this one. Smart as a whip and has already learned the art of distraction from his mother. My son is destined for politics.
"Noah." I give him one last chance to come clean. " What's in your pockets?"
Technically he hasn't lied yet. And since we're still at home, he hasn't broken the toy rule yet either. We're big on technicalities around here. But if he lies to me now, he's going to find himself in the time out chair real quick.
His lower lip pops out as soon as he realizes that he's been caught. He learned that from his mother too. And he's got her eyes and blonde hair, though his is prone to curl, so he's pretty hard to resist when he looks at me like this. But I've got three years of parenting under my belt now, and if the terrible twos and a decade in politics taught me anything, it's that you can't ever give up the power position.
I hold my hand out and without another word he pulls the cars from his pockets and gives them to me.
"Good boy." I tell him with a kiss to the forehead. "And nice job cleaning the room. Mommy is going to be very happy."
He beams at my praise, while I dump the cars into their rightful place.
"Let's go get your shoes on." He takes my hand and we head towards the door together.
"Josh!" Donna calls as we pass by the nursery. "Can you take her?"
She sounds a little bit desperate. Donna has this place running like a well-oiled machine, and I do my part, but even still, it usually feels like we're racing the clock most weekday mornings. By Friday, we are all ready for the weekend.
I've barely stepped into the room when Donna thrusts my Princess into my arms.
"She had a blow out. I had to change her. Can you get them into their coats? I'll finish getting the bags ready."
"Dada!" Luci gurgles at me, grinning. Her dimples pop out causing mine to make an appearance as well. She's my mini-me. I never much liked my brown hair and eyes until Lucianna Joan arrived and stole my heart. She's named after Donna's grandmother, but Mom swears she looks just like Joanie did as a baby. In all my memories, Joanie is a beautiful teenager, and I have no trouble imagining how stunning Luci will be at that age.
I've got the kids ready to go in their shoes and coats when Donna comes flying into the room, bags in hand. As she takes Noah's hand, mine finds the small of her back and I shepard my little family out towards the car. It's not a sports car like I'd imagined in my youth, or even a fancy coupe, but it is the safest sedan on the market. I wouldn't trade it for anything.
While her parking leaves something to be desired, Donna is a good driver, and our routine works for us. She chauffeurs me to the White House, running down our daily plans before she drops me off for senior staff, then she takes the kids to daycare and drops them off before joining me back in the office.
"After Senior Staff you've got that meeting with Eric Hayden. Don't forget."
"I won't."
"I'm the morning reader for Noah's class so I'm going to be a bit later than normal. I won't be there to remind you."
"I'm not going to forget. I haven't seen Eric in forever!"
"I'm just saying. . . . . Sometimes when I'm not there. . . "
"I'm not going to forget!"
. . . . .
I'm reeling a bit from Eric's threat to withdraw his nomination. I can't believe he's really considering it. I mean I get what it's like, trying to do what's best for your family. And Dean of Georgetown's law school isn't nothing. But this is a lifetime appointment to the Federal Bench that we're talking about here. It's a once in a lifetime opportunity.
As we finish our coffee, I shoot Donna a text- Get me a meeting with Leo, asap.
When I get back to the bullpen, I'm relieved to find Donna in the office.
"Hey. Did you get Leo?"
She twists the phone away from her mouth, but doesn't hang up. "He's booked."
"Tell Margaret I can talk so fast it won't actually take measurable time."
"I'm waiting for Rodney."
"Who's Rodney?"
"Ryan's roommate."
"Ryan has a roommate?" I find myself sucked into a conversation that I don't really care about. While it's bizarre that Mr. Trust Fund has a roommate, it's even weirder that I'm talking about it. But Donna's full steam ahead.
"He's checking to see if Ryan's in his room because he didn't show up today and it's not like him."
"Really? Because that seems exactly like him."
"He's never late." Donna offers a bit defensively, she's got a soft spot for the little punk. She's such a mom. "He walks in like he's late but he's not."
"Like where you're on the train and the train next to you starts to pull away, only. . .?" I ask before I can catch myself. She really has sucked me in. But now she cuts me off.
"Rodney's taking a long time. Do you think he went back to sleep?" She asks sincerely. Like I care. I've got enough to think about without worrying about Ryan, and now Rodney.
"That, or now he's dead too." I quip raising my eyebrows. "Get me Leo."
A few minutes later Donna pokes her head into my office. "Margaret says that you can catch Leo coming out of the Sit room in five. Walk and talk back to his office and then whatever else you can squeeze out of him before his next appointment."
. . . . .
I try to talk fast while we're walking, but Leo doesn't seem to appreciate the importance of filling the vacancies on the Sixth Circuit. He also seems to think it's a waste of my time because nothing will come of it.
But I smirk to myself as I leave his office. Now I've got 20 bucks on the line, and that just makes it all the more fun to try.
"Set a meeting with the Judiciary Chief of Staff." I tell Donna as soon as I walk through the swinging doors.
She nods once. "Lisa Wolfe." I'm always amazed at the amount of knowledge she keeps in her head.
"We're gonna put butts in seats. I'm packing the court."
"Because of Eric Hayden?" She asks as I pour myself more coffee.
"Because of Eric Hayden, because the Sixth Circuit's in crisis, because the
judicial nomination process is a complete mess."
"Is this some kind of over-determined, do-something-impossible-to-impress-the-one-guy-who
-impressed-you-and-stole-your-girlfriend-in-law-school-kind of thing?"
"He didn't steal my girlfriend. I thought Pam was cute, but when I saw she had eyes for Hayden I bowed out like a gentleman."
"Lucky me." Donna teases as she follows me into the office while I continue my soliloquy.
"Also, there's nothing I take more seriously than getting judges on the federal bench."
"What about getting judges on the Supreme Court?"
"You see, this is the problem. It's all about the Supreme Court. Nine guys getting all the ink."
"Actually, it's seven guys and two highly-qualified female jurists." Donna chides me gently. Ever since Luci was born, she's been calling me out even more on any chauvinistic language. This one was pretty mild so she skips the lecture, letting me continue.
"The Supreme Court sees 80 cases a year. These guys see close to 20,000. Circuit courts make 99% of judge-made law."
"Oh, that is important." She agrees when I finally bring it in for a landing. "You should fix that."
I'm trying. As she leaves the office, she offers one last piece of information. "Ryan's still missing, by the way."
. . . . .
My meeting with Lisa Wolfe wasn't very productive in the way I would have liked. But it does get the wheels in my brain turning as I walk back to the office. I like I always tell Noah, if at first you don't succeed, try, try again.
Then the answer hits me, so I give Donna a call.
"Hey."
"Hey. I need everything you can give me on recess appointments. And I need it as soon as I get back to the office in 10 minutes. You know the drill."
When I walk into the lobby, Donna's waiting. She takes my coat then reads to me from a set of index cards as we walk towards Leo's office. She stops just outside the door and brushes imaginary lint off my shoulder.
"Go get 'em, babe." She offers quietly.
She's still waiting for me in the hallway when I'm done a few minutes later. "Well?"
"He's gonna run it up the flagpole."
"Excellent."
What would I do without her? I'm so glad CJ worked it out that Donna and I could keep working together.
Of course, after Leo saw what a disaster I was while Donna was out on maternity leave, there was virtually no chance that he'd replace her. When we announced at Noah's first birthday party that we were pregnant again, Leo celebrated with us publically, then pulled me aside and begged me, for the love of god, not to have more than two kids while we were still in office.
"Thanks for your help." I hand her the twenty and she beams at me. Not that she'll spend it on herself. Double or nothing, Noah ends up with some new cars and my angel gets another hairbow this weekend.
Once we're back in the bullpen, we both move on to other things. The judicial nominees are in Leo's hands now.
It's not that long before I hear Donna call my name urgently. "JOSH!" I immediately bolt out of my chair and sprint into her cubicle. The sound of her voice sets my heart pounding. Is there something wrong with one of the kids?
Donna points to the screen and I see that it's not our kids she's worried about. A news clip shows Ellie Bartlet being hounded by reporters as the Secret Service hustles her into a town car.
Damn. The President is going to flip.
A second later, CJ & Toby hurry by heading towards the oval office. I fall into place. "So, she okay?" I inquire. I can't even imagine Luci ever being in a situation like that. I need to keep her home forever.
"The Secret Service was right there." CJ offers. But before either Toby or I can comment, we hear President Bartlet shouting.
"How is this possible? This is my family! What the hell are you people thinking?"
I don't blame him for being irate. I just wonder who he's yelling at. When the door opens, it looks like it was Leo. Yikes. We file in, ready to take whatever is dished out. I'm sure each of us is starting to work out solutions in our heads in case we are called on for actual advice.
After a few scathing minutes, the President asks what we've been doing with ourselves, that this would happen. Comments like this used to bother me more, but ever since Noah and Luci were born, I understand a Father's fear. He's lashing out now, because we're a safe outlet. It's just part of the job.
When Ellie arrives it breaks the tension. It helps that we can all see that physically she's okay. And she's so sweet, we all just want to protect her. It's definitely time to get back to work.
Late that afternoon Leo gives me permission to take Eric's temperature about a recess appointment, so I head over to campus. If I time this right I can catch him after his last class.
I'm a little disappointed but not completely shocked at Eric's lukewarm response to the idea. But I'm also a little pissed when he accuses me of only doing this for political gain. Like I don't care about the state of our courts? I'm trying to make this a better world for MY kids too! HE'S the one thinking about the money that Georgetown is offering.
"Let's do something! We're firing a shot here. Maybe we won't win the war, but come on, Hayden, you are one of the brightest guys I have ever known. You got nine months. Let's show 'em what you can do."
He studies me for a moment. "All right. I'll call Georgetown and let them know. Maybe they'll appoint an interim dean and see where we are in nine months."
When Eric and I are finished, it's almost 5 O'clock. I should get back to the office and let Leo know what's going on. I should also give Donna a call. The vast majority of the time she picks the kids up from daycare between 5:30 and 6 and takes them home and feeds them dinner. I join them as often as I can, usually bringing work home with me for Donna and I to tackle after they go to bed.
But on Fridays, we have family pizza night. Unless there's a national emergency, Donna and I pick the kids up together, then we pick up a pizza. We eat in the living room while watching a movie or something on T.V.. Then we play all together. Then after their baths, once the kids are in bed, Donna and I have alone time. I really like Friday nights.
I start walking a lot faster. If I hurry, I can still make it happen.
. . . . . .
I zip into Leo's office with a few minutes to spare. He's on the phone but he beckons me in, then holds up a finger to let me know it'll be a minute.
"Yeah. ... Let me know if there's anything I can do." He says as he hangs up the phone.
I don't have a lot of time, so I just jump right in.
"Hayden's on board."
"Hayden."
Leo looks a little dumbfounded, so I remind him. "I got him. He called Georgetown, he's ready to. . ."
A light goes off in Leo's eyes, then he interrupts, "Yeah, we're gonna have to put that on hold. We just lost a Supreme Court Justice. . . "
Now it's my turn to be dumbfounded. "Lost?"
"Dead."
"Justice Ashland's dead?"
"Justice Brady. Owen Brady. Heart attack."
Oh my god. He's not that much older than me. "What was he, 45?"
"52."
Still. That's not very old. I'm stunned. "Justice Brady. Republicans are gonna go nuts. I just saw him."
Margaret walks in. "Leo. You've got the head of the Senate Judiciary Committee on line three."
"I'll take it." He tells her.
"Yeah." I turn to go, then turn back. "Leo, it's family pizza night. Do you need me here?"
"Nah. Go hug your kids for me. But be ready to work tomorrow."