Story: The Nobel Laureate
Chapter 21
Disclaimer: See Chapter 1
Previously: The Bartlets enjoyed their last day in DC; when she was forced to trick him to put drops in his eyes, Abbey got a glimpse at what a stubborn patient Jed can be
Summary: It's Thanksgiving back at the farm; when the family gets together in Manchester, Jed sees a side to his brother Jack that concerns him
Author's Note: I know that on the show, Jed's brother's name is John. But when this series began, we named him Jonathan and nicknamed him "Jack" because we built an entire story around the relationship between Jed and his father and we figured it would be confusing with two Johns, so to us, he was Jack and for that reason, in this story, he still goes by Jack
"Say it, Ellie!"
"I'll say it when we're done."
"No! Now!"
Zoey held up the red rectangular construction paper while Ellie ripped off a piece of scotch tape. The eight-year-old wrapped the tape around the ends to form a loop, then inserted the green construction paper inside the center and repeated the task several more times to complete the chain.
"Say it now, Ellie!"
Once twenty-seven loops were hanging off the tail of the paper bell, she took a deep breath and prepared herself to recite the Christmas rhyme while Zoey rested her elbows on the kitchen table and braced her chin in her hands to assure her sister she was listening attentively.
"Each night before bedtime, after prayers have been said, tear off one loop and hop into bed. When Christmas comes, it's easy to tell, for that is the night that you come to the bell."
Zoey watched Ellie sprinkle the paper with glitter and her young jade eyes sparkled brighter than they ever had before. Too young to remember previous holidays, she counted on Ellie to tell her about the magic of Christmas. And Ellie was up for the job. She filled her head with visions of family tree-trimming parties with everyone snacking on apple squares and hot cranberry punch while a beautiful arrangement of Christmas carols played on the old record player Jed refused to part with.
On Christmas Eve, Zoey was told, the Bartlets would gather for a special holiday dinner before midnight mass. And when they returned, it would be time for bed, Ellie continued, because Santa Claus always made his rounds in New England before anywhere else in the country.
The toddler grinned from ear to ear as she absorbed the information. She pictured herself sitting on Santa's lap, waving her gift list for his approval. It was enough to make her want to forget Thanksgiving and skip ahead to that glorious day that Ellie assured her would be as spellbinding as a twinkling star falling from its perch high in the sky.
As Zoey's thoughts drifted to the presents that would undoubtedly crowd the tree, Abbey brought her out of her Christmas daze.
"Okay, Girls, start cleaning up. When Liz and your dad get back, we're going to need that table."
Ellie started humming Jingle Bells as she gathered the scraps of paper that had fallen to the floor. Zoey did the same, desperately trying to keep up with her sister's tune.
"Mom!" Liz bellowed from the foyer, holding a basket of apples from the orchard.
"In the kitchen!"
The sound of Ellie's singing could be heard through the hall. Liz curiously followed it. "Christmas carols at Thanksgiving?"
Ellie nonchalantly offered a simple, "Yeah."
Abbey picked up the apples. "Thanks, Lizzie. Where's Dad?"
"He's coming. There weren't many apples left though."
"Not a problem. This is good."
"It's so warm outside, it doesn't even feel like Thanksgiving." Liz furrowed her brows as she examined Ellie's Christmas chain. "You guys know we're still a month away from Christmas, right?"
"Duh!" Ellie replied.
"Yeah, duh!" Zoey added.
Abbey stared down at her daughters. "Ellie and Zoey, I don't like that word. It's disrespectful."
"Lizzie knows we don't mean anything bad," Ellie said before turning to face Liz. "We're making the chain now because I want to take it to Sweden."
"Why?"
"Because I wanna count off the days till Christmas," Ellie answered. "And guess what! Tomorrow, Mommy's taking us to the mall so we can see Santa's arrival!"
"Should I be insulted that I wasn't invited?" Jed made his entrance just a few seconds behind Liz and set his basket down on the counter. "These were all the ones left by the way."
"Mommy said you wouldn't have time to go with us. She said you have shopping to do."
Eyeing his wife suspiciously, Jed replied, "Your mother is sorely mistaken, Ellie. She knows I don't go near a mall on the day after Thanksgiving unless it's to see you and your sisters visit Santa Claus."
"Except this year." Abbey met his gaze with one of her own, unyielding to his serious expression. "You're going shopping for patent leather shoes tomorrow."
"No." He shook his head adamantly. "Not tomorrow."
"Jed, we're out of time. We're leaving for Stockholm on Sunday."
"Saturday then."
"I'll need your help all morning on Saturday setting up for Zoey's birthday party."
"Abbey, come on! You're not seriously suggesting I set foot in the mall tomorrow of all days."
"Yes, I am as a matter of fact," she told him as she moved the apples to the sink to wash them. "And I've already talked to Jack about going with you."
"Even worse. You're sending me out there with my brother?"
"You and Jack could use the time to catch up. You hardly ever talk anymore. Besides, I didn't want you to have to go by yourself because I know you'd return home empty-handed."
"If I have to do this, why can't you go with me? We'll take the girls to see Santa in the morning and then we'll scour the mall for shoes."
"Santa isn't arriving until late afternoon, which works out fine for me since I need to check in at the hospital after I go with you to your appointment."
He gave her a polite nod as he walked around her to retrieve a roll of paper towels, stopping dead in his tracks when her words sank in. "Wait! Appointment? I didn't make an appointment."
"With Dr. Grayson. I made it for you. He's going to take a look at your back."
"We just got back from Washington. When..."
"I called him at home this morning. He can fit you in at 8 a.m. tomorrow. Afterwards, you'll drop me off here, you and Jack will head to the mall, and Kellie and I will bring the kids later."
"I hate the mall. You know I hate the mall. You really want to send me out there on the busiest shopping day of the year?"
"That busiest shopping day nonsense is a myth. The Saturday before Christmas is the busiest shopping day of the year. Tomorrow is known as Black Friday only because retailers will make their first real profit of the holiday season." She paused to meet Jed's baffled stare. "What, you're the only one with massive amounts of useless trivia stored in his brain?"
"Apparently not." He smiled at her. "Now that you have your apples, you want me to start peeling them?"
She handed him the peeler. "Please. My parents are running late and I still have a lot to do before Jack and Kellie get here."
"Just so you know, I'm going to absolutely despise tomorrow."
"I already knew that, Darling."
Jed took a seat at the table, peeler in one hand and an apple in the other. His frustration seeped out without a word, visible in his body language and the partial frown that curved at his lips. If there was one thing worse than going to the mall, it was going there with his brother Jack. It had been years since Jack and his family spent Thanksgiving in New Hampshire. They probably would have declined an invitation this year had it not been for the fact that they were accompanying Jed and Abbey to Sweden for the Nobel Prize festivities, a decision that surprised Jed.
Ever since their mother died, a cloud of tension had surrounded the brothers. It wasn't entirely new. A certain amount of sibling rivalry had always tainted their relationship and when they were teenagers, a myriad of bad feelings kept them emotionally distant. But after losing their mother, it got worse. They both sensed. Neither acknowledged it nor did they ignore it. At least, not until they moved past it.
It was after Zoey's birth that Jed reached out to Jack by asking him to be her godfather. That question opened the door to a path towards a healthy adult relationship, instead of the shallow interaction that used to take place only at birthdays, funerals, and holidays.
But whatever progress they made was challenged when the bitterness that used to live in their hearts was revived after their father's death.
On some level, even they knew that John Bartlet did love his boys. He held them when they were born, cared for them as they grew up, taught them how to ride their bikes and helped them with their homework. To the outside world, he was a good father. But to Jed and Jack, there was another side to that man - that was the side they feared.
John's temper was legendary within the family and, usually, it was Jed who bore the brunt of his wrath. He was too curious, too smart, too articulate and outspoken. He asked too many questions, solved too many problems. His tenacity upset John, but his mental fortitude is what outraged him.
Jack was an observer. Whatever Jed did that angered John, Jack was sure to avoid. It seemed for a while that Jack had the one thing Jed had longed for since birth - John's acceptance. But Jack was the only one who knew that wasn't true, for he realized long before that all he had was the key to self-preservation.
Emotionally crippled the very first time he felt the sting of John's hand, Jack learned at a young age that he wasn't as strong as his older brother. So instead of fighting for what he believed, he cowered in the corner and tried to stay out of sight.
It was when Jed left for college that Jack came to accept that he could no longer escape his father's clutches unscathed. And with that understanding, came the seed of resentment, planted as the result of the overwhelming despair that kept him tethered to his grudges.
He had always looked to Jed for guidance and support, but now he felt abandoned. He was left behind to fend for himself in a house that had already traumatized him.
He finally got out, following in Jed's footsteps to attend a college thousands of miles away. The next year, when Jed married Abbey, Jack was by his side. When Jack married Kellie, Jed returned the favor. They exchanged gifts at Christmases and birthdays, called each other once in a while to say hello, but neither was ever willing to face the silent animosity between them.
And so they grew apart, separated by their own stubbornness until Zoey's christening when old hostilities were finally forgiven, only to be reclaimed nearly three years later.
Sitting at the formal dinner table that Thanksgiving evening, the family held hands while saying grace. Ellie knew better than to disturb the quiet the blessing, so she didn't utter a peep when her cousin Brad pinched her knee. She summoned her strength to ignore him when he kicked at her dangling feet. She even bit her bottom lip when he ran his fork along the lacy lavender trim of her dress.
A sweet smile lit her face as she accepted a glass of milk from her grandmother, and then accepted another one for Brad, which she held carelessly in her hands, allowing it to slip from between her fingers to bounce off his legs and soak his pants.
"HEY!" Brad screamed in a furious ten-year-old voice as he hopped out of his char. "You did that on purpose!"
"I did not!"
"Ellie?" Abbey assumed Ellie would never do such a thing intentionally, but she questioned her daughter just to be sure.
"It slipped," Ellie said, lowering her eyes.
"She's lying! She did it on purpose!"
"Brad." Jack calmed his son by calling his name.
Kellie took a couple of napkins to the mess, but Abbey stood to stop her. "Don't worry. We'll toss those in the washer and get him into a dry pair of pants."
The two women escorted Brad and on his way out of the dining room, he squinted his eyes at Ellie. Unfazed by his belligerent look, she returned the glance.
"Ellie, did it really slip?" Jed asked from across the table. She answered his question with a shrug of her shoulders. A speechless admission of guilt, he presumed. "Why would you do that?"
"He's been messing with me all night! Ever since they got here, he keeps putting his hand in my face and he's been pinching me too! He even pulled my hair before dinner! He won't leave me alone."
"Ellie, I'm sorry," Jack replied. "Jed, I had no idea what Brad was doing. He usually doesn't behave this way."
"I'm sure you'll talk to Brad..." Jed started, then turned his attention Ellie. "But Ellie, next time, you need to tell us what's happening instead of taking care of it yourself. Spilling your milk on him wasn't the best way to handle it. I want you to apologize to him when he gets back."
"Why? He started it!"
"Because two wrongs don't make a right." Oh, how he hated repeating his father's words.
"Don't worry, Ellie. He's going to apologize to you too," Jack assured her.
Small consolation for Ellie who believed her actions were perfectly justified. Unwilling to disobey Jed though, she leaned against the back of her chair with her arms folded in front of her as she waited for Brad.
"I'm sorry I spilled your milk," she said when he returned.
"See?" Brad whirled around to face Kellie. "I told you she did it on purpose!"
With her hands on his shoulder, Kellie spun him back around. "Bradley, what did we talk about?"
"Fine," he grumbled, defeated. "I'm sorry too."
Mother and son took their seats as Abbey leaned forward to whisper in her daughter's ear, "We're going to talk about this later."
A few awkward seconds passed, but then dinner resumed with Abbey's father, James, bantering with Jack over politics. Jed watched as a silent spectator, not yet ready to tell the family that he had been approached about running for office. He looked down the table to where Zoey was battling her mother's hands, insisting she could cut her own turkey. She reached for the knife, but a tap on her fingers from Abbey was enough to quiet her down.
Beside them, Liz sat bragging about her new black dress to her Aunt Kellie and her Grandma Mary. It was the one Abbey had bought her, the one she was now going to wear to the awards ceremony in Stockholm. When Mary quizzed her about a boyfriend, Jed blocked out the others so he could hear Lizzie's answer, but Liz surrendered to the rosy blush that colored her cheeks and bowed her head with a giggle.
"I don't really have one," she answered.
"Oh come on!" Kellie prodded. "You can trust us."
Suddenly, the lighthearted conversation was drowned out by the blood-curdling scream that came from the other side of the table. Covered in food, Ellie leapt from her seat, her plate tumbling to the floor, leaving her crying for relief as hot gravy trickled down her bare legs.
Abbey bolted out of her chair, but before she could reach Ellie, Jed had already sprung into action. He wiped the gravy off his daughter's legs and drenched her rosy skin with ice water from a glass pitcher on the table. Fortunately, the meal had cooled considerably since dinner began so the gravy wasn't hot enough to seriously burn her, though it stung and agitated Ellie.
Abbey rubbed the little girl's back until her cries faded into whimpers. "I know it hurts, baby."
Ellie sniffled. "It does."
"Will you let me take a look?" Abbey persuaded her to remove her hands long enough to let her examine her legs. After she did, she looked up at Jed. "She's okay," she said softly.
"My dress is all dirty now."
"I know it is. How about we go upstairs and rub some lotion on your legs and then we'll find another pretty outfit to wear?" Abbey held out her hand to Ellie.
"Okay," Ellie replied, drying her eyes with her fingers, then taking her mother's hand.
While Mary and Liz started cleaning up the food on the floor, Jack focused on his son peeking out from behind Kellie. It hadn't gone unnoticed that from the moment Ellie screamed, Brad had become unusually quiet. He leaned against the back wall as if hiding from the commotion in front of him. And when he saw the disappointed glare of his father, he ducked behind his mother without a second thought.
"Brad, I want to talk to you."
Jed paid close attention to Jack's movements, angry and intimidating. His attention shifted to Brad who was obviously nervous as he clung tight to Kellie in order to avoid Jack.
"I didn't do it on purpose!" he whined. "I swear I didn't!"
"What were you doing?" Jack questioned.
"I was just trying to put my vegetables on her plate because she didn't like them. I was just teasing her! I didn't think it would fall on her! It was an accident! I didn't mean to hurt her!"
Kellie didn't move an inch while father and son circled around her.
"Get over here!" Jack shouted when he lost his grip on Brad's arm.
"NO! I didn't mean to do it! Please, Daddy!"
The scene unearthed memories for Jed. Feelings he had long since buried in the deepest crevice of his psyche reemerged with a barrage of unexpected emotions.
He remembered a similar scenario from his own childhood where he was the target of his father's anger. He remembered the anxiety that came from one look into John's steely stare. He even remembered the feel of his mother's skirt when he curled his fingers around the fabric and twisted it over and over again, hoping that she would shield him from the punishment that turned out to be inevitable
Just like John had done with him, Jack grabbed Brad by the elbow and scooped him up into his arms. And when Jed heard the sobs that escaped Brad's lungs, he was stabbed with the memory of what came next.
He ran after them. "Jack! Wait a minute."
"What?" Jack slowed his pace into the living room, but didn't actually stop.
Jed walked in front of him. Holding his hands up, he was immediately hypnotized by the tears that pooled in his nephew's baby blues. The little boy kicked his feet and balled up his fists so tight that his knuckles were turning white. "Let's go back and enjoy our dinner."
"We will as soon as Brad and I have a little talk."
He felt powerless in the situation. His brain told him not to interfere, that Jack would never hurt Brad and that he was just overreacting. But the part of him that had been psychologically wounded by an abusive parent forced him to stay.
"It's just..."
"What?" Growing impatient, Jack's tone was sharp.
"He says it was an accident," Jed said.
"He's been out of control all evening."
"I know, but...it's Thanksgiving. They're kids, you know? Ellie's fine. Abbey said she's okay. She's not hurt. They were just picking on each other the way kids do."
"The dinner table isn't the place for these kinds of shenanigans." If there was one thing Jed hated more than repeating his father's words, it was when Jack did it.
"You're right, it isn't. But they're kids being kids. Ellie spilled the milk on him, he was trying to pass his vegetables on to her."
"You can handle Ellie however you want, but Brad knows better than to act like that at the dinner table, especially at someone else's house."
"I believe him when he says he didn't mean to hurt her."
"Jed, this is between me and my son. Let me handle it."
Jed's instincts had taken over. The anguish he saw in Brad reminded him of the times his own father had threatened discipline. It was always physical. Always painful. He could still feel his skin burn after every blow. He could still see the bruises he was forced to cover up at school. Deep down, he could still remember being paralyzed with fear every time he thought he might be punished.
He could see that same fear in Brad.
"He's scared of you!" he yelled when Jack brushed past him. "Look at him. He's terrified." Jack stopped and turned around, but didn't say anything. When he continued walking, Jed called out, "You have to remember what that's like."
The implication was clear. Jack lowered Brad to the ground and sent him into the other room. "What is that supposed to mean?"
"What do you think?"
"Don't play games, Jed. You said I have to remember what that's like...being terrified. What does that mean?"
Jack wondered if Jed was spoiling for a confrontation over their childhood, but Jed took a different approach. This time, it wasn't about them. It was about Brad. "He's scared of you. You're reacting out of anger and your son is terrified. Am I the only one with déjà vu?"
"I feel confident in saying yes."
"Don't act like you don't know what I'm talking about."
Jack dismissed his words. "He's not terrified. He's upset that he's about to get in trouble."
"You may think he's just upset, but I recognize that look. He's scared. It's the worse feeling in the world. And seeing that, I have to ask. Why is Brad so scared of you?"
"If you have something to say, Jed..."
"You're going to tell me it's none of my business..."
"You're damn right I am."
"But I'm speaking up because what I saw worries me a great deal."
"I didn't do anything, so what is it that you saw?"
"You. That's what I saw. You didn't have to do anything. It was the way you picked him up. The way he tried to run from you. The way he was pleading with you not to hurt him."
"He never said anything about me hurting him! And you know what, I resent the hell out of what you're implying!"
"I don't think I'm wrong."
"I'm going to raise my son the way I see fit. I don't owe you or anyone else an explanation."
"He's crying."
"Kids cry! The only reason Brad is crying right now is because he knows he was out of line and he doesn't want to get in trouble. Your girls never cry when they get in trouble?"
"My girls don't look at me the way Brad was looking at you."
For the first time, Jed saw something he never thought he'd see. Maybe it was just his sensitive imagination conjuring up something that wasn't really there. Or maybe, he thought, the demons that made John Bartlet so angry were alive and well and now haunting his youngest son.
The two brothers stood still, speechlessly grounded to their spots as Brad ran back to his mother.
TBC