Active Threat - Part 12

Author's Note: Told from different perspectives, so be aware.
Feedback: Will be joyously read :D


Jacobs

Jacobs walked down the hall towards the President's room. All night Abbey had been by Jed's side, Leo had been on the phone talking to the White House, and CJ had been talking to the press, telling them of Jed's injuries.

There was now a vigil outside of the hospital, nearly all of Amarillo, and the surrounding cities were now candles held aloft, and like many people across the nation and the world, they were praying for the president.

Jacobs stopped outside of the room, Ron standing by the door.

"How is he?" Jacobs asked, not knowing if he should ask, but needing to know.
"The doctors don't know when or if he will wake, we will just have to wait…" Ron replied.

"What's his condition?" Jacobs asked.
"Critical, but he's stable…" Ron replied, as a doctor stepped passed them, and entered the room, the door left ajar.

"Mrs. Bartlet…" the doctor replied, coming to a stop by the bed, and looking at Jed's vital signs.
"Yes?" Abbey asked, not looking up, just looking at Jed.
"The president is stable…you should get some sleep, he will not be waking up any time soon…" the doctor told her gently.

"No, I need to be with him…" she replied, her voice quiet, but firm. Her eyes scanned over Jed, intubated with a neck brace, keeping his neck completely still so his neck would heal properly, and just in case he were to wake, he would not hurt himself…but the doctors didn't feel that this would be an ensue, but simply decided to follow protocol.

"Mrs. Bartlet…" the doctor replied, hoping she would listen to reason. "It has been nearly a day and a half…you need rest…"

Jacobs could not help but agree with the doctor. Every time he had passed by, she was in there, but then, at the same time, he knew she was right. She needed to be by his side. He was not exactly a spiritual kind of guy, but he knew the value of having someone who loves you close by in these situations; whatever people say about the person not being able to hear, or realize who is there, he knew they were wrong…

"I am not leaving him…" she replied. After that the doctor knew not to push further, and let her be.

- - -

Abbey

It was now night. Jed's condition had not changed; Abbey was by his side still, holding his hand. He was not reacting as well as he should be to the stimuli that the doctors where performing, and this fact drove home the realization to Abbey that Jed might not wake up…

"Jed, you jackass…why don't you wake up…you have had two days…I want to look at your eyes, Jed… I want you to complain about being in the hospital…I need you…" Abbey leaned over and kissed Jed on the forehead and squeezed his hand…

He still just laid there, no reaction, nothing to show that she had just touched him or had spoken.

Simply nothing.

'Jed, don't leave me…'

She leaned back in the chair, releasing his hand. She then leaned over slightly and put her face in her hands, and wept…

- - -

Jed

'Why is it so quiet?' he asked himself.

Jed then strained his ears; the dead silence was unnerving…
And then sound… slowly it came out of the darkness…
Quiet hums and beeps, but something more…

'What is this? This sound?' he could not place it immediately, but he knew that he had heard it before, and the last time he had, he did not like it…
'Abbey!' he suddenly realized. 'What's wrong? Did I do something? Are you hurt? Why the hell am I not doing anything about it?'

He heard Abbey crying. It was not a loud cry, but it was weeping filled with pain and loneliness and fear.

'Abbey, don't cry, I'm coming…'

He tried to open his eyes, but they weren't working, or maybe it was too dark…
He tried moving his head…but someone, or something, was preventing him…

'Why can I not move?!?' he asked himself…and then fear shot through him.

Had he been captured? Was Abbey a prisoner with him? He didn't stop to think how this might have happened, just believed that it had, for if he was in 'friendly' hands, why would they not let him move?

Abbey's crying was getting clearer. He did not know if her cries were getting louder or if she were getting closer, but he needed to get to her, to tell her it would be ok and that she was not alone…

Then he thought of the obvious solution. Why not talk to her?

He tried it.

"Ach—"

'What the heck! Can't breath…choking…something is in my throat…'

It was a reflex; reaching up with both hands he tried getting whatever was trying to kill him, off of him. Beeps and alarms suddenly going off…
He felt burning pain in his chest and a stabbing pain at his neck, and then he heard Abbey.

"JED! Stay still!!! Stop! Stop!"
'Abbey! You're here! Don't worry; after I get free I'm coming for you!'

He then felt what felt like a hundred hands pressing down on him, grabbing hold of his arms and wrists, as loud unclear voices began shouting, and it appeared that a bright light was turned on, the brightness blinding him even with his eyes closed…

'You bastards! Let go of me! My wife needs me!'

With a clamped fist he swung hard, no doubt hitting one of the 'bastards' back and onto the floor. Jed forced himself up, back fully off of the bed, the thing still choking him, and hands still grabbing him.

"Sir! Don't struggle!" The man's following words were drowned out by Jed's next thoughts.
'The hell I'm not going to struggle! And don't 'sir' me when you're fighting me!'

Jed felt himself being pushed down onto the bed, one arm pinned, and the other nearly held in place.

"JED! It's me, Abbey. Stop!"

Jed then felt the most wonderful touch in the world.
A gentle, warm hand placed on his head, pushing aside the damp sweaty hair from his forehead.

"Shhh, Jed, don't move…you are alright…" her calming voice whispered, soothing his very soul.

Jed immediately stopped moving, her touch acting as if it was a spell.

The alarms and beeps slowed, and he relaxed slightly, though not allowing the people who had hold of his arms to move them further.

'Abbey…'
"Jed, you are in Saint Anthony's Hospital in Amarillo…you had been shot…"

Jed just continued to lie still.

"Jed, open your eyes…" he heard her say.

Jed focused, and slowly, did what she asked.

He found her face, smiling.

Though her eyes were tired and there were large circles under them, her face glowed like always. Her face was flushed however, red from crying and yelling.

And then, trusting her face, he relaxed, his head and shoulders going back fully into the pillow, the hard thing that was around his neck, still in place, though now his neck was sore, and his chest felt raw.

His eyes focused on her, barely catching, at the corner of his eye, a man helping another off from the floor.

The people who had hold of him slowly released him, seeing that Abbey had him under control. With both of his hands he reached up, and grabbed hold of hers. Her eyes filling up with joyful tears, he gave her hands a loving squeeze.

- - -

Abbey

'Why won't you wake up? Why did you have to be the one to get hurt?
'I hate this silence; I want to hear your voice.
'I don't want to be alone…
'WAKE UP you jackass!
'wake up…'

Abbey had her face in her hands, and finally surrendered.
She felt warm tears flooding down her face, and she could not stop the muffled cries that escaped her soul…

'G-d…wake him up!' she begged as she continued to weep.

And then, she could not believe her ears as she heard:

"Ach—"

Jed began to choke. At first she was afraid, and then she realized, he was trying to wake up!

'JED WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING?!'

She then watched as his hands shot up and grabbed at the tube in his mouth.

Beeps and alarms suddenly went off, reading the quicken pace of his heart and his stifled breathing…

"JED! Stay still!!! Stop! Stop!" She yelled, as several doctors and agents stormed the room, in disbelief at what they were seeing.

The doctors and agents then did the only thing they could do; they grabbed his arms and legs, trying to stop him from pulling the tube out and hurting himself.

"HOLD HIM!" a doctor yelled.
"Should we sedate him?!" another asked.

Abbey then watched as her husband balled up his fist, and before she could give a warning, the literal, hand made weapon collided into one of the doctor's chests, knocking him backwards and onto the floor.

All of the people in the room then saw to their dismay and total surprise, the injured, and thought to be brain dead, President, sit up. Angry and miraculously strong, they continued to fight the most powerful man in the world, trying to force him back down and still.

"Sir! Don't struggle! You're in a Hospital!" Another doctor exclaimed, but that statement just seemed to make the man in the neck brace angrier.

Somehow, with their group effort did they force him back down, and get one of his arms restrained, the other almost what would be classified as 'controlled'.

Abbey then made her way to the bed, her look alone telling the others not to say a word against her movements.

"JED! It's me, Abbey. Stop!"

She then instinctively reached out, and placed her hand on Jed's forehead, pushing away the damp sweaty hair from his forehead.

"Shhh, Jed, don't move…you are alright…" she whispered, feeling him relax.

The machines quieted their fuss, as the president continued to relax further, however the agents and doctors still held him.

"Jed, you are in Saint Anthony's Hospital in Amarillo…you had been shot…" she continued, "Jed, open your eyes…" and then, to her relief and unmatchable joy, she saw her husband's deep passionate eyes.

She smiled, this action alone relaxing him further, his body again resting fully on the bed.

Abbey saw one of the agents lift the doctor off of the floor, his face as surprised as any of theirs.

They all watched in wonder at the man before them, reach out and grab Abbey's hands, a motion of love and of gratitude, his eyes staring into hers.

- - -