Acceptance
Part 2
Two cars, going in two different directions through the streets of Washington.
~~~~~
"Sir?" Leo gently touched Jed's shoulder.
He turned to look at Leo. "What?"
"Have you heard anything I've said to you?"
Jed looked away. "No."
~~~~
"I'll bet she'll be pleasantly surprised, Ma'am."
Abbey tilted her head slightly looking at her driver/agent. "I hope so David."
~~~~
Leo spoke in a gentle tone. "I know you are worried about Abbey but we can't have you spacing out like this during the speech."
Jed nodded still looking out the car window. "Yeah."
~~~~
Coming around the corner David could see the van. Heading toward them, out of control. He swerved the car trying to avoid a collision.
Abbey looked up at hearing the awful screeching sound. The light was blinding her.
~~~~
Suddenly Jed felt an overwhelming fear so powerful that it terrified him.
Leo noticed a movement and saw Jed's body going completely rigid.
~~~~
David tried but it was a lost cost.
Abbey held on for dear life. Images of Jed and the girls flashed through her mind as the van hit the side Abbey was sitting.
The limo slid on some ice and went down an embankment.
~~~~
"Mr President. Sir?" Leo tried.
"Abbey...." Jed said in a whisper. Something had happened to her. He could feel it.
~~~~
In a daze David shook his head to clear his mind. His head was hurting and he tasted blood in his mouth. He turned and looked in the back seat. A car door was open, the agent was gone and The First Lady was slumped over the backseat. He got out and went to check on her. What he saw made him gasp in terror. He started checking for a pulse. He couldn't find one on her left wrist so he tried with her neck. He heard shouting and saw the other two agents from the limo that had followed them. Glenn was heading over to him while Stefan, most likely, was getting some assistance.
~~~~
Ron Butterfield quietly started talking in to his receiver. Both he and Leo had seen the terror in the President's eyes, heard it when he spoke that one name.
~~~~
David was relieved to feel a pulse right away and not too weak. for now. He checked her face. Her nose was bleeding, and she had a cut on her lips and a mark on her forehead that soon would show a large bruise. That was not what worried him, though.
"David?"
"I'm ok, Glenn."
Glenn came running up to the car and looked inside.
"Oh shit!"
"We need help and fast."
~~~~
Jed had noticed Ron communicating through the receiver. He waited as he hoped he would hear that his wife was ok and what ever he had felt, still was feeling, was something else. Anything else.
~~~~
David got out of the car. Looking around he spotted the agent on the ground and Stefan hovering over. David saw him shaking his head.
~~~~
Jed didn't dare to relax. Somehow he knew what was coming wasn't going to be good news.
Ron locked eyes with his boss. "There has been a car accident."
Leo squeezed Jed's arm but Jed couldn't feel anything except the mounting fear in him. "Where?" Jed hoarsely asked. "Do you know where?"
~~~~
"Paramedics are on the way." Stefan yelled as he hurried over. "The door is stuck." Glenn said as he tried opening the car door next to the First Lady. David didn't need to even try to know there was no way they could get her out like this.
~~~~
"Yes." Ron replied.
"Take me to her." Before anyone could say anything as if they dared to protest Jed yelled once more to be sure. "Take me to her now!"
~~~~
David checked for a pulse again. Good, not worse than before. Knowing The Presidents location he didn't doubt that he would get here before the paramedics did. That would not be so good considering what he would see.
~~~~
Leo picked up his cell phone. He fumbled and had to start over. Again he fumbled. He closed the phone, closed his eyes and silently prayed for the life of his friend.
Out of the corner of his eye Jed had seen Leo desperate attempts at making one phone call. "She is going to be ok Leo." Was he trying to convince Leo or himself?
Leo could only nod, still with his eyes closed. He was praying Jed was right.
Jed looked out the window. 'I'm on my way Abbey. Hold on.'
~~~~
'Better late then never.. hopefully.' David thought as he tied his tie around Abbey's left leg, just above the knee. He tied it hard to make sure it prevented the wounds from bleeding so much. "Give me your tie." He said to Stefan who couldn't believe what he was looking at. "Give me your tie." David repeated, as Stefan yanked his tied off and handed it to David.
As soon as the car came to a stop Jed threw the door open.
Ron and Leo knew better than to try and stop him. They got out after him.
As soon as Jed was out he saw the car. He started running towards it immediately.
David, Stefan and Glenn had heard another car and looked up to see The President running towards them.
Jed stopped running and then made his way down the embankment. Almost at the end he fell but got up right away. All he cared about was getting to Abbey. He saw the agent lying motionless a few feet from the car and shivered. "Check him." He yelled as he quickly pointed to the agent while hurrying over to the car.
Leo and Ron followed suit and made their way down as well. Leo followed Jed while Ron went to the agent's side.
David got out of the car as The President came hurrying over with The Chief of Staff close on his heels. He noted that Ron Butterfield was getting up from the ground and on his way over.
Jed saw the back of Abbey slumped over in the backseat.. When she came in view he staggered a bit. There was blood coming out of her nose and lips. He tried jerking the car door open.
"It doesn't work Sir." David called to him.
Some part of him registered what the agent had said so Jed reached in and put a hand
on Abbey's neck to feel for a pulse. He found one right away. He knew the agent had probably done that too but he wanted to feel for himself. After all, Abbey's beating pulse was Jed's lifeline.
Leo came running up and Ron wasn't that far behind.
David started talking. To no one in particular. "She's trapped. There is no way we could get her out."
Jed looked at him while holding one of Abbey's hands in his. "What do you mean trapped?" He was going on pure adrenaline now, and focused on one thing: helping his wife. He still felt a deafening fear inside him but to help Abbey he had to put it aside.
"Her leg is trapped." David replied as Ron Butterfield walked over to David's side of the car to take a look.
Ron usually didn't show any emotion but this time he could not help himself. "Oh God."
Leo flinched. If Ron showed reaction it must be horrible beyond words.
Jed gently let go of Abbey's hand and hurried over feeling the fear once again increasing in him. As he got closer Ron stepped in front of him. "Sir, you don't...."
"Move!" Jed didn't care. He had to see. No matter how bad he had to see for himself. He had to know. "Get out of my way!"
Ron held his ground. "Sir, believe me you don't want to see this."
Jed didn't care. With all his might, he pushed Ron out of the way. It was with such a force
Ron fell to the ground. Normally Jed couldn't overpower Ron Butterfield but getting to someone you love has been known to give people more strength then they ever knew they possessed.
With Ron out of the way Jed turned and looked into the limo. Nothing had prepared him
for what he saw. "Oh my God." He fell to his knees on the ground not fighting the tears that came. "Abbey...."
Leo moved instinctively to aid Jed in any way he could. Reaching him he couldn't help but to look in the car. He immediately reverted his eyes from the sight before him and swallowed. He could hear sirens in the background, getting closer.
No matter how much he wanted to Jed couldn't stop staring at his wife's body. He couldn't think straight. Was something like this even possible?
Seeing the paramedics jumping out of the ambulance, Leo tried dragging Jed up to his feet. "Sir, you have to get out of the way. The paramedics are here." Leo also saw the other ambulance that arrived.
Jed heard Leo but couldn't move. He literally could not move. "I...I...can't"
Leo understood and with Ron's help they got The President on his feet.
Jed watched through a veil of tears as two men and one woman came closer and started checking his wife over while Ron and Leo took him gently aside. The men working on Abbey were talking to each other, but Jed couldn't hear anything.
Leo held on to Jed, afraid if he let go, Jed would fall. He noted that Ron was doing the same. One of the paramedics walked over to the driver and a few words were exchanged. Leo then saw another man approach the scene.
With all the activity around him Jed could only focus on Abbey's face. By sheer will he forced himself not to look at anything else. Not to look at....
It would only be a matter of time. "Jed?"
Jed blinked and looked at Leo.
Leo knew he needed to get Jed to sit down or he would soon fall. "You need to sit down?"
Jed nodded. More tears came and he couldn't stop them.
With Ron's help they helped Jed as he seated himself on the cold ground. "Get a blanket or something." Leo whispered to Ron.
A blanket would not have been necessary. Jed couldn't feel the cold.
One of the paramedics approached to then kneel in front of them. Leo was the first one to speak. "How is she?"
The young woman had seen The President so many times before. Now he was in front of her, tears in his eyes and all over his face. "She's suffering from some blood loss. Not too severe though."
"What about....." Jed turned and looked at the young woman in front of him. "What about....."
The woman nodded. She knew what he meant. " We are going to cut her out. Her right leg is trapped but not so much that it should be a problem to get her out." She took a deep breath before continuing. "However, as for....." At this point she locked eyes with The President.
"Nothing can be done?" Jed spat out.
She bowed her head slightly. "There is a lot of damage but I don't want to speculate. It needs to be looked at by a doctor."
Leo closed his eyes briefly.
Jed felt an anger rise in him he had not felt for a long time. "Where's the driver?"
Neither Leo nor the woman was sure what driver he meant. He saw their confused looks. Apparently he had to spell it out for them. "The person that caused this. Why did this happen?"
"The driver of the van has been taken to the Hospital, Sir."
"Oh did he hurt himself?" Jed said with a mocking tone. "Why, to much too drink?" He wondered if his life had been altered by a drunk driver for the second time in his life.
"He suffered a heart attack, Sir."
"At the wheel?" Leo asked.
"Yes."
Jed wasn't sure if he had heard right. "A heart attack?"
"Yes, Sir." The young woman repeated.
There was no anger in Jed anymore. Just sadness. An overwhelming sadness. The sound of a saw broke through the night and Jed closed his eyes bowing his head in his hands.
The woman took that as a sign to leave. She was needed much more elsewhere.
Leo was still holding on to Jed as they both were seated on the ground. As Ron walked over with a blanket Leo took it and wrapped it around his best friend. Jed didn't move at this gesture nor had Leo expected him to. Leo could feel how bad Jed was shaking, but it wasn't from the cold or the MS. That Leo was sure of.
Jed couldn't look. He heard the sounds but he couldn't look. He heard voices but didn't want to listen. He was powerless. He couldn't do anything for her. He couldn't do anything for the woman he loved more then life itself. "Leo?" Jed kept his head down while talking. "The agent?"
Leo looked over his friend's shoulder as the body of the agent was being carried away. "Dead."
They stayed that way. Seated on the ground, Jed with his head down, crying and shaking. Leo with his arm around Jed's shoulders with a few tears in his eyes as well. Leo glanced over to the wreckage. He squeezed Jed's shoulder. "Jed, she's out."
It was that simple statement that finally made Jed raise his head. He watched as they carried Abbey on a stretcher up the embankment to the waiting ambulance, carefully but quickly. Jed made an effort to get up but found his body extremely heavy. He was grateful for Leo's support. As he walked with his best friend's arms holding him upright, he watched as the ambulance that his wife was in disappeared in the distance.
Leo guided Jed back up the embankment and to the limo. If he let go for one second, Leo knew that Jed would fall.
It was with extreme difficulty that Jed got into the limo and collapsed in the back seat.
As Leo made his way to the other side, he noticed something flashing. He looked in the direction of the flash and saw a young man with a camera. "Shit." Torn between going over to the man and being with his friend, he got into the limo. As soon he was inside the car drove off.
Jed kept staring out the window not paying any attention to his surroundings. All he could think about was Abbey. The love of his life, the reason he lived, his wife, the mother of his. "Damn." He turned to Leo. "I need to call the girls." My God, what was he going to say to them?
Leo took out his cell phone and handed it to him. "Yeah, you should. It might be out soon and you should let them know before they hear it on the news." Damn, he shouldn't have said that but Jed would soon find out.
There could only be one reason Leo would say something like that. "Someone was there?"
Leo sighed. "Yeah, a reporter. I saw him when you got into the limo. He was taking pictures."
Jed had begun dialling on the cell phone but slammed it shut. "What kind of reporter would take pictures at a time like this?" His voice filled the entire car.
There had been numerous times when a reporter had been at the wrong place, at the wrong time. One can't control those things but for the first time Leo wished he actually could. "Some reporters do. Remember when Princess Diana died in France? Some took pictures of
her in the car after the crash."
Jed glared at him. "Those pictures were never shown to the public, and if there are any pictures of Abbey they better not be either."
Leo watched him carefully. "I don't know if we can prevent that."
Jed ignored Leo's last remark and started dialling. This was one of three phone calls he hated making. He heard the tones and a part of him wished his oldest daughter wasn't home. At the sound of her cheery voice answering, he nearly broke down, but composed himself. "Hi Liz."
"Dad, what's wrong?"
He briefly smiled. She could always read him like an open book. Just like her mother could. "Honey, there's been an accident."
Silence.
"Your mother's been hurt. She's on her way to Bethesda right now."
"Is she going to be ok?"
It amazed Jed how at times Liz could sound like a frightened child trying desperately to put up a brave front. He wished he was there so he could wrap his arms around her and comfort her. Truth be told Jed needed to be comforted as well and holding one of his daughters was always a good comfort. "I hope so."
"I'll be there as soon as I can."
Jed could argue that she didn't need to, that he'd call her as soon as he knew anything, but he knew she wouldn't listen to him. Besides, Jed wanted her to be there. He needed her to be there. He needed all of his daughters right now. Most importantly, Abbey would need them.
TBC.....
Part 2
Two cars, going in two different directions through the streets of Washington.
~~~~~
"Sir?" Leo gently touched Jed's shoulder.
He turned to look at Leo. "What?"
"Have you heard anything I've said to you?"
Jed looked away. "No."
~~~~
"I'll bet she'll be pleasantly surprised, Ma'am."
Abbey tilted her head slightly looking at her driver/agent. "I hope so David."
~~~~
Leo spoke in a gentle tone. "I know you are worried about Abbey but we can't have you spacing out like this during the speech."
Jed nodded still looking out the car window. "Yeah."
~~~~
Coming around the corner David could see the van. Heading toward them, out of control. He swerved the car trying to avoid a collision.
Abbey looked up at hearing the awful screeching sound. The light was blinding her.
~~~~
Suddenly Jed felt an overwhelming fear so powerful that it terrified him.
Leo noticed a movement and saw Jed's body going completely rigid.
~~~~
David tried but it was a lost cost.
Abbey held on for dear life. Images of Jed and the girls flashed through her mind as the van hit the side Abbey was sitting.
The limo slid on some ice and went down an embankment.
~~~~
"Mr President. Sir?" Leo tried.
"Abbey...." Jed said in a whisper. Something had happened to her. He could feel it.
~~~~
In a daze David shook his head to clear his mind. His head was hurting and he tasted blood in his mouth. He turned and looked in the back seat. A car door was open, the agent was gone and The First Lady was slumped over the backseat. He got out and went to check on her. What he saw made him gasp in terror. He started checking for a pulse. He couldn't find one on her left wrist so he tried with her neck. He heard shouting and saw the other two agents from the limo that had followed them. Glenn was heading over to him while Stefan, most likely, was getting some assistance.
~~~~
Ron Butterfield quietly started talking in to his receiver. Both he and Leo had seen the terror in the President's eyes, heard it when he spoke that one name.
~~~~
David was relieved to feel a pulse right away and not too weak. for now. He checked her face. Her nose was bleeding, and she had a cut on her lips and a mark on her forehead that soon would show a large bruise. That was not what worried him, though.
"David?"
"I'm ok, Glenn."
Glenn came running up to the car and looked inside.
"Oh shit!"
"We need help and fast."
~~~~
Jed had noticed Ron communicating through the receiver. He waited as he hoped he would hear that his wife was ok and what ever he had felt, still was feeling, was something else. Anything else.
~~~~
David got out of the car. Looking around he spotted the agent on the ground and Stefan hovering over. David saw him shaking his head.
~~~~
Jed didn't dare to relax. Somehow he knew what was coming wasn't going to be good news.
Ron locked eyes with his boss. "There has been a car accident."
Leo squeezed Jed's arm but Jed couldn't feel anything except the mounting fear in him. "Where?" Jed hoarsely asked. "Do you know where?"
~~~~
"Paramedics are on the way." Stefan yelled as he hurried over. "The door is stuck." Glenn said as he tried opening the car door next to the First Lady. David didn't need to even try to know there was no way they could get her out like this.
~~~~
"Yes." Ron replied.
"Take me to her." Before anyone could say anything as if they dared to protest Jed yelled once more to be sure. "Take me to her now!"
~~~~
David checked for a pulse again. Good, not worse than before. Knowing The Presidents location he didn't doubt that he would get here before the paramedics did. That would not be so good considering what he would see.
~~~~
Leo picked up his cell phone. He fumbled and had to start over. Again he fumbled. He closed the phone, closed his eyes and silently prayed for the life of his friend.
Out of the corner of his eye Jed had seen Leo desperate attempts at making one phone call. "She is going to be ok Leo." Was he trying to convince Leo or himself?
Leo could only nod, still with his eyes closed. He was praying Jed was right.
Jed looked out the window. 'I'm on my way Abbey. Hold on.'
~~~~
'Better late then never.. hopefully.' David thought as he tied his tie around Abbey's left leg, just above the knee. He tied it hard to make sure it prevented the wounds from bleeding so much. "Give me your tie." He said to Stefan who couldn't believe what he was looking at. "Give me your tie." David repeated, as Stefan yanked his tied off and handed it to David.
As soon as the car came to a stop Jed threw the door open.
Ron and Leo knew better than to try and stop him. They got out after him.
As soon as Jed was out he saw the car. He started running towards it immediately.
David, Stefan and Glenn had heard another car and looked up to see The President running towards them.
Jed stopped running and then made his way down the embankment. Almost at the end he fell but got up right away. All he cared about was getting to Abbey. He saw the agent lying motionless a few feet from the car and shivered. "Check him." He yelled as he quickly pointed to the agent while hurrying over to the car.
Leo and Ron followed suit and made their way down as well. Leo followed Jed while Ron went to the agent's side.
David got out of the car as The President came hurrying over with The Chief of Staff close on his heels. He noted that Ron Butterfield was getting up from the ground and on his way over.
Jed saw the back of Abbey slumped over in the backseat.. When she came in view he staggered a bit. There was blood coming out of her nose and lips. He tried jerking the car door open.
"It doesn't work Sir." David called to him.
Some part of him registered what the agent had said so Jed reached in and put a hand
on Abbey's neck to feel for a pulse. He found one right away. He knew the agent had probably done that too but he wanted to feel for himself. After all, Abbey's beating pulse was Jed's lifeline.
Leo came running up and Ron wasn't that far behind.
David started talking. To no one in particular. "She's trapped. There is no way we could get her out."
Jed looked at him while holding one of Abbey's hands in his. "What do you mean trapped?" He was going on pure adrenaline now, and focused on one thing: helping his wife. He still felt a deafening fear inside him but to help Abbey he had to put it aside.
"Her leg is trapped." David replied as Ron Butterfield walked over to David's side of the car to take a look.
Ron usually didn't show any emotion but this time he could not help himself. "Oh God."
Leo flinched. If Ron showed reaction it must be horrible beyond words.
Jed gently let go of Abbey's hand and hurried over feeling the fear once again increasing in him. As he got closer Ron stepped in front of him. "Sir, you don't...."
"Move!" Jed didn't care. He had to see. No matter how bad he had to see for himself. He had to know. "Get out of my way!"
Ron held his ground. "Sir, believe me you don't want to see this."
Jed didn't care. With all his might, he pushed Ron out of the way. It was with such a force
Ron fell to the ground. Normally Jed couldn't overpower Ron Butterfield but getting to someone you love has been known to give people more strength then they ever knew they possessed.
With Ron out of the way Jed turned and looked into the limo. Nothing had prepared him
for what he saw. "Oh my God." He fell to his knees on the ground not fighting the tears that came. "Abbey...."
Leo moved instinctively to aid Jed in any way he could. Reaching him he couldn't help but to look in the car. He immediately reverted his eyes from the sight before him and swallowed. He could hear sirens in the background, getting closer.
No matter how much he wanted to Jed couldn't stop staring at his wife's body. He couldn't think straight. Was something like this even possible?
Seeing the paramedics jumping out of the ambulance, Leo tried dragging Jed up to his feet. "Sir, you have to get out of the way. The paramedics are here." Leo also saw the other ambulance that arrived.
Jed heard Leo but couldn't move. He literally could not move. "I...I...can't"
Leo understood and with Ron's help they got The President on his feet.
Jed watched through a veil of tears as two men and one woman came closer and started checking his wife over while Ron and Leo took him gently aside. The men working on Abbey were talking to each other, but Jed couldn't hear anything.
Leo held on to Jed, afraid if he let go, Jed would fall. He noted that Ron was doing the same. One of the paramedics walked over to the driver and a few words were exchanged. Leo then saw another man approach the scene.
With all the activity around him Jed could only focus on Abbey's face. By sheer will he forced himself not to look at anything else. Not to look at....
It would only be a matter of time. "Jed?"
Jed blinked and looked at Leo.
Leo knew he needed to get Jed to sit down or he would soon fall. "You need to sit down?"
Jed nodded. More tears came and he couldn't stop them.
With Ron's help they helped Jed as he seated himself on the cold ground. "Get a blanket or something." Leo whispered to Ron.
A blanket would not have been necessary. Jed couldn't feel the cold.
One of the paramedics approached to then kneel in front of them. Leo was the first one to speak. "How is she?"
The young woman had seen The President so many times before. Now he was in front of her, tears in his eyes and all over his face. "She's suffering from some blood loss. Not too severe though."
"What about....." Jed turned and looked at the young woman in front of him. "What about....."
The woman nodded. She knew what he meant. " We are going to cut her out. Her right leg is trapped but not so much that it should be a problem to get her out." She took a deep breath before continuing. "However, as for....." At this point she locked eyes with The President.
"Nothing can be done?" Jed spat out.
She bowed her head slightly. "There is a lot of damage but I don't want to speculate. It needs to be looked at by a doctor."
Leo closed his eyes briefly.
Jed felt an anger rise in him he had not felt for a long time. "Where's the driver?"
Neither Leo nor the woman was sure what driver he meant. He saw their confused looks. Apparently he had to spell it out for them. "The person that caused this. Why did this happen?"
"The driver of the van has been taken to the Hospital, Sir."
"Oh did he hurt himself?" Jed said with a mocking tone. "Why, to much too drink?" He wondered if his life had been altered by a drunk driver for the second time in his life.
"He suffered a heart attack, Sir."
"At the wheel?" Leo asked.
"Yes."
Jed wasn't sure if he had heard right. "A heart attack?"
"Yes, Sir." The young woman repeated.
There was no anger in Jed anymore. Just sadness. An overwhelming sadness. The sound of a saw broke through the night and Jed closed his eyes bowing his head in his hands.
The woman took that as a sign to leave. She was needed much more elsewhere.
Leo was still holding on to Jed as they both were seated on the ground. As Ron walked over with a blanket Leo took it and wrapped it around his best friend. Jed didn't move at this gesture nor had Leo expected him to. Leo could feel how bad Jed was shaking, but it wasn't from the cold or the MS. That Leo was sure of.
Jed couldn't look. He heard the sounds but he couldn't look. He heard voices but didn't want to listen. He was powerless. He couldn't do anything for her. He couldn't do anything for the woman he loved more then life itself. "Leo?" Jed kept his head down while talking. "The agent?"
Leo looked over his friend's shoulder as the body of the agent was being carried away. "Dead."
They stayed that way. Seated on the ground, Jed with his head down, crying and shaking. Leo with his arm around Jed's shoulders with a few tears in his eyes as well. Leo glanced over to the wreckage. He squeezed Jed's shoulder. "Jed, she's out."
It was that simple statement that finally made Jed raise his head. He watched as they carried Abbey on a stretcher up the embankment to the waiting ambulance, carefully but quickly. Jed made an effort to get up but found his body extremely heavy. He was grateful for Leo's support. As he walked with his best friend's arms holding him upright, he watched as the ambulance that his wife was in disappeared in the distance.
Leo guided Jed back up the embankment and to the limo. If he let go for one second, Leo knew that Jed would fall.
It was with extreme difficulty that Jed got into the limo and collapsed in the back seat.
As Leo made his way to the other side, he noticed something flashing. He looked in the direction of the flash and saw a young man with a camera. "Shit." Torn between going over to the man and being with his friend, he got into the limo. As soon he was inside the car drove off.
Jed kept staring out the window not paying any attention to his surroundings. All he could think about was Abbey. The love of his life, the reason he lived, his wife, the mother of his. "Damn." He turned to Leo. "I need to call the girls." My God, what was he going to say to them?
Leo took out his cell phone and handed it to him. "Yeah, you should. It might be out soon and you should let them know before they hear it on the news." Damn, he shouldn't have said that but Jed would soon find out.
There could only be one reason Leo would say something like that. "Someone was there?"
Leo sighed. "Yeah, a reporter. I saw him when you got into the limo. He was taking pictures."
Jed had begun dialling on the cell phone but slammed it shut. "What kind of reporter would take pictures at a time like this?" His voice filled the entire car.
There had been numerous times when a reporter had been at the wrong place, at the wrong time. One can't control those things but for the first time Leo wished he actually could. "Some reporters do. Remember when Princess Diana died in France? Some took pictures of
her in the car after the crash."
Jed glared at him. "Those pictures were never shown to the public, and if there are any pictures of Abbey they better not be either."
Leo watched him carefully. "I don't know if we can prevent that."
Jed ignored Leo's last remark and started dialling. This was one of three phone calls he hated making. He heard the tones and a part of him wished his oldest daughter wasn't home. At the sound of her cheery voice answering, he nearly broke down, but composed himself. "Hi Liz."
"Dad, what's wrong?"
He briefly smiled. She could always read him like an open book. Just like her mother could. "Honey, there's been an accident."
Silence.
"Your mother's been hurt. She's on her way to Bethesda right now."
"Is she going to be ok?"
It amazed Jed how at times Liz could sound like a frightened child trying desperately to put up a brave front. He wished he was there so he could wrap his arms around her and comfort her. Truth be told Jed needed to be comforted as well and holding one of his daughters was always a good comfort. "I hope so."
"I'll be there as soon as I can."
Jed could argue that she didn't need to, that he'd call her as soon as he knew anything, but he knew she wouldn't listen to him. Besides, Jed wanted her to be there. He needed her to be there. He needed all of his daughters right now. Most importantly, Abbey would need them.
TBC.....