Disclaimer - Only borrowing these characters from the Master.
Title: Mind Games.
Author: Karin
Rating: God Q. Wish I knew. Let's go with PG-13.
Feedback: "If you like it you do and if you don't you boo." - J.R.R. Tolkien
Mind Games
Her hand shook a little as she put the glass on the small table beside her. Her legs were unsteady as she stood. She walked over to the window. She did not pay any attention to anything outside the window. It was what had taken place the night before, in the very room she stood that occupied her thoughts. What had happen before in this room and what she could not allow to happen again. It was not in her control to begin with but she had to do something. Something was not right or the correct phrase would be someone was not right. Someone was not himself. Someone was... she didn't even know what to think anymore. The only thing she did know was that the one place she had always felt the safest was the one place she could not be anymore. Because she was not safe in that place any longer. She was not safe in her own husband's arms anymore. The threat of her safety came from him now and that scared her like nothing ever had before. Abbey walked away from the window and looked at her watch. There was a knock on the door.
She walked over to it and opened it. She gestured him to come inside.
Leo knew Abbey well enough to know when she had been crying. "What's wrong?" The words were out of his mouth as soon as Abbey had closed the door.
She gestured for him to sit and as he did she did the same. "I need your help." She whispered out loud as much she could.
"Sure." He noticed her pale face. "Do you have a cold?"
Abbey removed the dark scarf that had been around her neck. It revealed the huge bruises the scarf had been covering.
Leo was taken aback. "Abbey, it...it looks like someone tried to strangle you."
Abbey simply nodded.
"Who did this?" He leaned forward to her. If someone had gotten this close to her it was someone inside the White House. He was not prepared for what she said next.
"Jed."
Leo didn't think he had heard her right. "Would you please repeat what you just said? Who did this to you?"
"Jed."
Leo sat back. He could not believe this. Jed tried to strangle Abbey? This was a man that would go through hell before letting anything happen to his wife. "What happened?"
Abbey let out a deep sigh. "I wish I knew. It's not the first time."
Leo froze. "What?"
"Last night was the second time he got rough with me." Abbey coughed a bit and took the glass of water to drink.
"You need a doctor?" Leo was too shocked to ask anymore what had happened. He could also see that talking to much was hard for her.
Abbey shook her head as she drank.
As he watched her he felt a rage building up inside. "I'm going to talk to him."
The glass hit the table hard when Abbey heard him and saw him get up. "Leo." She coughed a bit as she knew she had tried to talk to loud as she got up after him.
Leo turned to face her. "Abbey, we both know Jed Bartlet better then anyone and he would rather die before letting anyone do that to you. Let alone him! Something is wrong with him and we need to figure out what it is."
Abbey didn't say anything. She had after all asked to see him since she needed help. "He doesn't remember anything."
Leo thought for a moment. "Then I need to remind him and we need to make him get help."
"Leo..." Abbey swallowed as one of her hand's went to her throat in a protective manner-
Leo waited, knowing she needed a little time before she could speak.
"If he had wanted to kill me he would have. Something, I'm not sure what, stopped him." She rubbed her throat gently with her hand.
"His love for you." Leo said without a doubt but what he didn't say was if Jed loved Abbey why had he done this to her. He didn't doubt Jed loved her but he couldn't make sense of this at all.
Abbey wanted to believe him but she wasn't sure of anything anymore.
As Leo turned to leave Abbey made no effort to stop him. She didn't think it would be that easy. A tear found it's way down her cheek as she remembered her husband's face as he had tried to strangle her. Determination. Anger. Then shock. Like he suddenly saw what he was doing and stopped. She walked over to the bed and lied down. Amy should be up any minute, she had to come up with some excuse for not going to the fundraiser that was planned for that very evening.
--------
Jed felt like he was being watched so he turned away from CJ and saw Leo in the doorway. "Leo?"
"Sir," Leo closed the door behind him. "I just saw Abbey." Leo remembered Abbey's words about how Jed was not remembering anything and yet he searched the features of his best friend to see if possible he did remember.
"Oh, is something wrong?" Jed took off his reading glasses.
Jed didn't seem to know what Leo was talking about or was he just good at hiding it. "She's not feeling well. Think she has a cold. She's coughing and has a little hard time talking."
Jed pondered for a moment. "She seemed fine yesterday. Does she need a doctor?"
Now Leo noticed a little worried look in his features but it was a familiar one. He was concerned about his wife. Even when he had been told it was only a cold. "No, I asked her and she declined."
"Thanks CJ." Jed handed the papers to her.
"Yes, sir." CJ made her way passed Leo. "I guess that means no fundraiser tonight then?
"No fundraiser tonight."
As CJ left Jed rose from his chair. "I think I'll go and see Abbey." He didn't think much when Leo stepped closer to him.
"No, I don't think that's a good idea."
Jed looked up at him in surprise. "What? Not a good idea to see my sick wife?"
"Exactly." Leo stood his ground.
"Leo, just what is going on?" Jed's was a bit worried before but now he was alarmed.
"I think you should sit down."
"Leo, just..."
"Please Jed, sit down."
Jed was not used to hearing Leo use his first name so it was that that told him it was serious and he proceeded to sit down. He watched as Leo did the same on the other side of the desk. "Ok, I'm sitting. Now what is going on?"
"I don't know how to begin..." Leo was caught of by Jed.
"Just tell me what's wrong?" He was really worried now. Something was wrong with Abbey but yet if it was serious Leo would have acted in a total different way.
"It isn't easy." Leo clasped his hands together and looked at the floor. He did not know what to say at all. Maybe this had been a bad idea to begin with.
"Leo?"
He didn't move. This was so unreal. Abbey would not lie about something like this. Abbey did not lie, period.
Jed was not a very patient man and now was no different. "Forget it!" He yelled out as he stood.
Leo snapped his head back up and saw Jed walk out the patio door. "Sir!" He jumped up and hurried after him. "Jed, wait."
"I'm not getting any answers from you so I am going to see my wife and I can not understand why you tried talking me out of it in the first place." Jed quickened his moves to stay ahead of Leo.
--------
Jed had managed to stay one step ahead of Leo as he reached his destination. Leo had tried talking him into not going but there was something that just wasn't right. Jed opened the door. "Can it, Leo."
As Abbey heard his voice and the door open she sat up straight. She had almost fallen asleep.
As Jed entered the room he saw Abbey on the bed and walked closer to her. "Abbey, are you feeling...?" He froze half way to her.
Abbey looked at him and at Leo who stood behind her husband. Jed's eye's looked like they were about to jump out of his head.
There was not mistaken the bruises. They stood out. Everything else about Abbey faded into the background. The formation of them made it clear. It looked like someone had had their hands around her neck. He felt sick.
Abbey suddenly felt around her neck. Her scarf was gone. She quickly turned and got up from the bed. Seeing the scarf beside her as she did she hastily put it on before turning back to face Jed again.
Jed approached her carefully. "Abbey...?" It barely asked his lips.
Leo stayed behind not sure what to do.
Abbey didn't move as Jed came nearer. She could clearly see he was confused and shocked. It was clear that Leo had not had the chance to talk to Jed yet. She didn't move as he reached out a hand to touch the scarf.
He needed to see it again. Maybe he had just imagined it. His hopes of that were dashed as the scarf fell aside. The bruising on her neck was very real. "My God." It was yet another whisper.
When Jed tried to feel on her neck Abbey could not take it anymore and backed away from him and putting the scarf back on as she did so.
Jed's hand fell back to the side. "Did I hurt you?"
Abbey just shook her head.
Jed tried to focus. Someone had tried to hurt his wife or possible even worse. The shock was wearing off and was being replaced by anger. "Who? Who did this to you?"
Abbey did not say anything. She had expected that question but still did not know what to say.
When Abbey tried to look away Jed reached out and stopped her from doing so. When he did he was surprised at her reaction. She backed up again but this time her face showed fear. "Abbey?" He drew his hand away from her. "What is it? What's wrong?"
Abbey looked down and felt the tears starting to take form.
Now Jed was scared. Whatever had happened to her was making her scared of him, her own husband. He stepped closer to her and as he did she looked back up. "It's ok. I'm not going to let anyone hurt you. You're safe with me." He could see the tears in her eyes.
Abbey just shook hear head.
Jed didn't understand. He put his hands on her shoulders and felt her trembling at his touch. "Abbey, are you afraid of me? You know I would never hurt you."
Abbey took a deep breath. Her hand went to her throat. "You did this."
Tbc...