It was one of those mornings at the White House when CJ knew she should have blocked out time in her calendar to pee.  It wasn't even 9 o’clock, and the four cups of coffee she'd had since 5 o'clock this morning needed to get out.  So she wasn't very understanding when a man in blue coveralls emerged from the Ladies' room.

"I'm still working in this one ma'am. But, we're done upstairs." He coughed as he pointed toward the stairs at the end of the hall. "You might even be the first to use one of the new, automatic flush toilets."

The man was very polite, but still CJ responded "That'll be the highlight of my day."

"Thank you, ma'am."

Walking up the stairs, she berated herself.  "God, CJ, get a grip.  That man is just doing his job. And the poor guy looked sick. You know installing toilets might be an okay job.  Better than your job, really.  He can go home at 5 o'clock, have a life.  Shut up.  You're just irritable because you're not sleeping well. "  She continued the thought silently now.  "That damn dream.  That damn white dress. That dream needs to stop.  No,  it doesn't, it's all I have ... well, that and I get to pee in a brand new toilet."

---------------------

"J & J Jacks of Alaska, How may I direct your call?"

"Jasper Jacks please."

"Is he expecting your call?"

Danny didn't think we was.  "Yes, Danny Concannon, Washington Post, it's urgent."  Why was it J & J Jacks of Alaska if this was New York?

"Mr. Concannon how may I help you?"

"Mr. Jacks, I have some bad news.  Simon is seriously ill.  If you're to see him, it will need to be soon. He may not make it, although we'll know more in four or five days.  They are recommending a specialist, but that's very expensive.  And he needs the medical supplies."  This cloak and dagger stuff was kinda fun.

"Thank you for your call, Mr. Concannon.  Has Simon been transferred to the city, Riyadh?"

"Yes."

Mr. Jacks hung up the phone.

It seemed to Danny he'd understood the message just fine.  If the lines through airport security weren't too bad, he'd have time to call CJ before he boarded the plane.

---------------------

Jasper "Jax" Jacks called his administrative assistant.  "Carson, I'm going to be taking a trip to Saudi Arabia tonight.  Can you ensure the jet is ready?  I think I'll use a pilot ... Richard ... have him file a flight plan.  Get me a meeting with someone in the Oil Ministry for Wednesday."

"Anyone specifically, Mr. Jacks?

"No, some mid-level official in the ministry will suffice.  Tell them we have a new refining technology and I'd like to discuss its development.  Give them the impression that if they don't take the meeting, I'll be heading to Kuwait instead. Tell them I have a few other meetings while I'm there. Oh, and we need to hanger the plane through Friday or Saturday."

Jax smiled. "I guess I'll need to meet Miriam Jensen from Engineering today,"  hoping her idea for a new refining technology was far enough along.  "Oh, and Carson, contact Dr. Jergens.  He'll be coming on this trip as well. And I need a couple of translators.  We'll take the guy from Security we took last time, but I need someone else too.  If they have a security background, all the better.  And Andrea will be coming, but I'll call her myself."

"Will you need funds, sir?"

"Mmm, yeah, $5 million in cash, split that 50/50 US and Saudi currency.  Can you transfer me to Andrea, please?"

"Certainly sir."

Jax frowned as he heard the music, it was entirely too upbeat techno. "Good morning, this is-"

"Andrea, it's Jax.  Those new videoscopes working well?"

"Hello Jax.  Yes, fine.  Nice toys."

"Good.  Can you stop by the penthouse this morning?  We're going to Saudi Arabia tonight.  We'll need a couple of GPS units, some regular guns and perhaps a few of your non-traditional ones. When you get here, I'll give you the run down on the other equipment I think we'll need."

"On my way, sir."

---------------------

Donna ran into CJ at the upstairs bathroom.  The press secretary looked a little tired and distracted.

"Everything okay, CJ?  Are we still having lunch?"

"Donna ... I think I have to take a rain check on lunch.  Things are a little out of control today.  I barely have time to come up here, but then again soon we will have all new auto-flushing toilets everywhere.  This is something to look forward to ..."

Pondering if there really was a good answer, Donna smiled.

"Did you know," continued CJ, " that there is disagreement over who was the inventor of the modern flush toilet, and flushing out the truth is not easy. Many give credit to Thomas Crapper, an English sanitary engineer, for inventing the valve-and-siphon arrangement that made our modern toilet possible. Then there are others who maintain that our hero was a nameless Minoan who lived some 4,000 years ago. And then there are those who give the credit to Alexander Cumming who patented a flushing device in 1775."

CJ caught herself going on ... "... more trivia from Claudia's House of Useless Information!  I'm off."

Donna slowly went into the upstairs bathroom, wondering if all this trivia somehow would be useful to her upcoming debate with Josh on the President's unique legacy.

---------------------

Getting through the security check with minimal fuss, Danny jogged towards his gate while contemplating how he was going to ask CJ for the clearance on his new photographer and his vague story while still impressing her as being a tough reporter.  Also in the back of his mind was the very disconcerting statement that his London source had made ... "everyone who works at the White House is in danger."  This really was bad news when one cared about someone working at the White House.

---------------------

CJ was sitting at her desk, staring at Gail and wondering why?  She had stopped having the dream about the dress-she was past him.  She'd like to blame it on Katie. She had tried to look disinterested when Katie had mentioned seeing Danny in Atlanta.  Then that same week, CJ had taken a rare lunch break out of the office to see the light of day and walked past a bookstore displaying Danny's latest book in the window. He'd looked so handsome in the picture on the back of the dust jacket. She missed that smile of his. Then came the proverbial straw ... an ad on the back of a bus, a women wearing a white silk slip dress.  Not CJ's dress exactly but close enough.  That night she was back in the empty office with the dress.

Carol knocked as she walked through the door.

"CJ, Danny's on the phone. Can I put him through?  He says it's urgent." Even though Danny wasn't around much these days, Carol knew he was "the" Danny and no last name was necessary.

How did I know he'd be calling? She nodded.

"CJ, this is Danny.  How are you?"

"Carol told me.   I'm fine, Danny.  We have new toilets; they flush automatically.  Where are you?"

"That's nice."   There was a pause as Danny had a moment's second thoughts about involving CJ.  But what choice did he have?  "I'm in New York, for the next 20 minutes, anyway.  CJ, I need you to run outside and call me back from a pay phone.  I'm going to give you a number, got a pen?"

"A pay phone?  Why?"

"You've seen enough movies to know why.  Please, this is important."

The tone of Danny's voice sent a chill down her spine.  She knew he wasn't kidding around, having a go at her as he so often did.  "Okay, give me the number."

"CJ, get to the phone as quickly as you can.  I've got to get on a plane in a few minutes. Here's the number...."

---------------------

All the parts the plumbing crew needed for their day's work had been moved from the van to a large maintenance office in the basement of the White House.  It was now literally a room full of toilets.  Drips and Pete McCrary were handling the plumbing in the President's private bathroom.  The President was out of the building and they'd been authorized to begin work in that room. 

"Hey? What are you doing in that box?  Those are the parts for the President's private bathroom.  Pete and I are doing that install?"

"I'm sorry, Drips.  I wanted to be able to tell my son that I helped install the President's toilet." 

Drips shook his head, he knew it didn’t take four guys to install one toilet, and the other two drew the short straws. "Ok, you helped, now let's get back to work. We've got a lot to do, and the day's wasting.

TBC