I don't own West Wing and never will. No copyright infringement intended.
Liz hadn't planned on coming home early, but she was happy to get out of the event early – especially since she didn't want to go in the first place. So she decided to surprise Doug – a decision that ended up altering the course of their relationship. When she couldn't find her husband, Liz headed to their bedroom and gasped when she saw another woman in bed with him. "Get out of my house!" she screamed.
Whoever the woman was bolted out of the bed so fast she couldn't believe it. She grabbed her clothes, put them on, and then rushed out of the house. Doug stared at his wife, unable to come up with anything to say. "You're home early." He cringed as soon as the words were out of his mouth, knowing he had just committed a fatal error.
She tried controlling her anger, but failed. "I want you out of the house, Doug! I let it slide last time because of the kids, but I will not do this again."
"Come on. I'm sorry!" Doug got dressed and followed Liz out of the room. He felt guilty that he had hurt her. And maybe he should have waited instead of inviting his girlfriend over so soon after Liz left.
"No. Doug, no." Liz turned around to face him. "We're over. I'm contacting my lawyer on Monday and filing for divorce. I can't do this anymore."
He knew then that he had finally gone too far. Doug sighed. "Fine, I'm going. I'll send someone to get my stuff later."
"You do that!" She pointed towards the door and watched with satisfaction as he walked out. Although Liz was fuming and hurting, she was sad to see him go. When Doug finally disappeared from sight, Liz sunk to the floor and started crying. Once she calmed down, she got out her phone to call her mother.
"Hello, Liz. Are you on your trip?" Abbey questioned.
She sniffled. "Mom, I need you."
Abbey immediately went on high alert. "Are you okay? Are you hurt? Is it one of the children? Elizabeth, please tell me."
"No, the kids are fine. My trip got cancelled, so I came home early and found Doug in bed with another woman. I kicked him out of the house for good. Talking to my lawyer on Monday." She choked back a sob.
Abbey's heart broke for her eldest daughter. "I'll be coming out on the next flight. Do you want me to bring your sisters?" She was sure Liz could use their comfort.
"Ellie has the baby. She probably won't want to come." Her younger sister had bigger issues to take care of – her marital problems were not a priority.
"Nonsense. I'll call with the flight details later and we'll have a driver bring us to your place. I don't want you going anywhere, Liz." Abbey hung up the phone.
"What happened?" Jed stared at his wife and waited for an answer.
"That slime ball son-in-law of ours screwed someone else and Liz kicked him out. I'm getting the girls so we can go visit her."
Jed saw red. "I told Liz not to forgive him last time, but she refused to listen to me. She said it'd be better for the kids to be raised with both their parents. And look what happens!" If he ever saw Doug again, the man would pay for this.
Abbey rubbed his arm. "Jed, I know you're upset, but please calm down. What's done is done. Liz has to make her own mistakes. She can move on now, and it's better for the kids this way now." After calming him down, she called Ellie and Zoey, who both agreed to make the trip with her. Ellie was bringing the baby alone, but they all figured Liz wouldn't mind the comfort of an adorable three month old.
They arrived at Liz's place early in the morning. Liz was making breakfast for Annie and Gus, who were being unusually quiet. They lit up when they saw their grandmother, aunts, and cousin however. "Would you two like to come hold the baby?" Ellie asked. It was a pretty big distraction for them.
They nodded, and Ellie followed her niece and nephew into the living room. She gently set down Caleb in Annie's arms. The teenager cooed at her cousin. "He's really cute, Aunt Ellie."
"Thanks." Ellie smiled at the two of them. She figured they'd be strong enough to get through the next few months, or however long this divorce would drag on. Hopefully it would be amicable.
Meanwhile, Liz was pouring her heart out to Abbey and Zoey. "I can't believe I was stupid enough to trust him when he promised he'd never do it again. But I wanted to make it work for the kids. Unfortunately, they've noticed the tension in the house and it's been miserable for a while now."
"You kicked him out – that was the right thing to do. Don't think about what could have been since it'll just drive you crazy. You loved him. You married him and had kids with Doug. It's normal to want to make your marriage work., especially for their sakes." Zoey squeezed her sister's hand.
Liz squeezed it back. "Thanks for trying to make you feel better. I'm going to be a single mom. This is not something I imagined would happen. And now I have to start all over again."
"Why don't you come visit your father and me for a few months? He's driving me crazy now that he has nothing to do. I'm sure his grandchildren will definitely distract him. And it'll only be until you're back on your feet." Abbey hoped she said yes.
Liz didn't have to think about it very long. "Fine. You've convinced me. Besides, it'll be fun. I guess, anyway." She knew her parents would be driving her crazy in just a few days, but right now she needed their support.
That night, after Ellie put the baby to bed and Annie and Gus retired to their own bedrooms, the Bartlet women went into the living room to watch a movie together. "We need to update your movie collection," Zoey muttered.
Ellie laughed. "Really? Don't think that's going to happen."
"Hey, I can do it." Liz scowled at them before cracking up.
"You feeling better, sweetheart?" Abbey didn't want her to drown in her grief over the end of her marriage.
Liz nodded. "Somewhat. Thanks for all the support – I really appreciate it."
They all waved her off and then turned their attention back to the movie. On Monday, they went with Liz to her lawyer's office. She filed for divorce that day. Doug stopped by that same day to see the kids and had his movers get his stuff out of the house, during which he and Liz barely interacted. They were civil with each other for Annie and Gus' sakes, but that was all they could manage.
Liz was terrified of starting all over again, but she knew she could do it. She had found her way out of an unhappy marriage, and that was step one in her new life. With the support of her family, Liz Bartlet could do anything she set her mind to.