Series: Snapshots of the Past
Story: Father of Daughters
Chapter 21
Disclaimer: See Chapter 1
Previously: Jed delayed a vote on banning embyronic stem cell research; after Liz catches the eye of a Swedish teen named Sven while the family is in Stockholm, Jed invites him to a night at the theater (Chapter 30 of The Nobel Laureate)
Summary: It's Christmas in New Hampshire; Jed has a sentimental surprise for Abbey and later, is impressed by Liz's friend who comes over for Christmas dinner
Author's Note: Happy Birthday to Stockard Channing!
- - -
Christmas Eve 1985
"You were supposed to be here this afternoon! What the hell happened? No, it has to be here between now and 12:30, otherwise my wife's going to find out. She can't know about it or it'll spoil everything!"
On a snowy Christmas Eve night, Jed stood in the Bartlet kitchen, shouting into the phone. Just around the corner, a nosy Zoey crouched down and listened as her father went on. Hearing him so serious and clearly upset about something, she was reluctant to interrupt. It was only after he finished and she heard him hang up the receiver that she appeared before him.
"What can't Mommy know about?"
Jed was used to his youngest daughter's spying. He even found it charming when she was a toddler and pre-schooler, but now that she was getting older, it was time to pull the plug on that particular habit. "How much of that did you hear?"
Zoey shrugged. "I dunno."
"Come over here and sit down." He held out a seat for her at the kitchen table and then took the chair beside her. "Your eavesdropping isn't all that cute anymore. Mom's told you not to do it, right?"
"Yeah, but you always tell me to spy on Ellie and Lizzie!"
"Only because I like to bother them," Jed said as if that was an excuse Zoey would accept. She had him there and he couldn't deny it. "All right, I was wrong. From now on, no more spying - on anyone."
"Why not?"
"Because conversations that don't include you are private and you're old enough now to respect that. Do you understand?"
"No. Why was it okay when I was five but not now that I'm six?"
"It wasn't okay when you were five either. Giving you the impression that it was, was a mistake on my part. But we're starting over now and from this moment on, I don't want you to do it again." Zoey didn't respond. "I'm serious, Zo. Next time, you'll be grounded."
"I won't do it anymore."
"Good." He stood up. "Now come on, we're going to be late for church."
"I don't wanna go!" The girls enjoyed attending midnight mass much more than the services on Christmas morning, but Zoey's protest was about not being allowed to take communion. Abbey had already explained to her that when she was old enough, she'd get to do it too, but that wasn't good enough for the six-year-old.
"We've been through this. You have to go."
"Why?"
"Because we're all going. I'll tell you what, when I go down the aisle to take communion, you can come with me."
"I always go with Mommy."
"I'm more fun. Come with me this time and you'll see. Okay?"
"Okay."
Jed was quick to change the subject. "You look pretty tonight. Did Lizzie help you with your dress?"
"Uh huh. And she braided my hair too." Zoey followed her father toward the coat closet, accepting the red winter coat that went so well with her brand new Christmas dress.
"LIZ, ELLIE, LET'S GO!" Jed hollered from the bottom of the stairs. "It's late!"
Ellie was the first one down. "Where's Mom?"
"Still at the hospital. She's going to meet us at church."
"Daddy's keeping a secret from her. He told someone they had to come over and Mommy couldn't see." Zoey volunteered that tidbit before catching her father's stern expression. "What?"
"What did I say about eavesdropping?"
"That's not eavesdropping. Lizzie says when you tell what you heard, it's gossiping."
"Whatever it is, cut it out." With a glance at his watch, Jed yelled for his eldest daughter, "ELIZABETH, COME ON ALREADY!"
"What's the secret, Dad?" Ellie asked.
"Mind your own business."
"Why won't you tell us?"
"Because it doesn't concern you." He looked over at Zoey. "And listen here, blabber mouth, don't you dare breathe a word of this to your mom or anyone else. Promise me."
"I promise."
"I bet she has her fingers crossed," Ellie taunted. She knew her little sister well.
"She wouldn't dare, not tonight of all nights," Jed cautioned. "Not when Santa's watching."
Liz cruised down the steps then. "Dad invoking Santa Claus on Christmas Eve. This must be big. What did Zoey do?"
"Nothing!" Zoey insisted.
"Dad's keeping a secret about Mom and he's afraid Zoey's gonna blab," Ellie informed her big sis, then turned her eye to her father to catch him glaring at her. "You said Zoey couldn't tell. You never said anything about me."
"I'm saying it to all of you - if your mom finds out about this, I'm gonna hold the three of you responsible and believe me when I say the consequences won't be pretty. Are we clear?"
Ignoring his hollow threat, as she always did when he was in his kind of mood, Liz persisted. "Yeah, yeah, so what's the secret?"
"You're trying my patience, Elizabeth."
"What else is new? So what's the secret?"
"Get your coat."
"You might as well tell us now," Ellie prodded. "You know Lizzie's gonna wear you down in the car."
"Then Lizzie will be hitchhiking to church." Jed handed Liz her coat.
"That's child abandonment," Liz told him as she opened the door so they could leave.
"Report me to CPS. I'll dial."
"Dad!"
- - -
True to form, the girls ganged up on Jed in the car, begging him to tell them the secret he was keeping from their mother. They knew it had to be big. A new car maybe. Or maybe a cruise somewhere warm and sunny or, knowing their father, a spring cruise up the Alaskan coast. Whatever he was planning was sure to sweep Abbey off her feet, as usual. Their parents liked to surprise each other and at Christmas, they went all out.
No matter how much they badgered him, Jed held back. His lips sealed, he turned the corner and drove into the parking lot of the Sacred Heart Catholic Church and breathed a sigh of relief at seeing Abbey already there waiting for them. Her presence would mean Liz, Ellie, and Zoey would have to zip it or risk his wrath, which he warned them wouldn't be fun.
"Mommy!" Zoey was the first one out. She jumped from the car and ran to her mother.
"Who is that pretty girl in her gorgeous Christmas dress?" Zoey hung off her arms as Abbey tried to lift her. "You are getting so big."
"Daddy can still pick me up."
"Daddy's as strong as a Jedi." She hugged Zoey instead, then turned her attention to Liz and Ellie. "Did you guys have fun tonight?"
Ellie nodded. "Dad took us sledding after we got back from the hospital."
To tire them out, Abbey thought. Zoey was a notoriously bad sleeper on Christmas Eve and passing out presents with Jed at the hospital had amplified her holiday spirit and made her even more hyper than usual.
"And then we baked cookies," Liz added.
"Oh no, not more cookies." With the two batches of Christmas cookies and homemade candies Abbey's mom had baked with the girls a day earlier, the last thing any of them needed was more sugar.
"Just a few to leave out for Santa tonight," Jed explained. He then gestured to Liz. "Why don't you take your sisters in and find our seats?"
"Okay. Come on, guys." Liz ushered the younger girls to the door.
"I still wanna know..." Zoey started.
"SHHHHHHHHHH!" Ellie and Liz snapped as they pushed Zoey into the church before she could mention Abbey's surprise and get them all in trouble.
After their daughters were gone, Abbey arched her brow at her husband. "You spoil them rotten."
"It's a father's job." He stepped closer to her, staring her in the face. "How is it that you can come out of surgery looking so beautiful?"
"You didn't see me an hour ago with my skull cap on, wielding a chest spreader."
"Now you're just trying to turn me on."
Abbey gave him a kiss, then looped her arm around his as they walked into the packed church and squeezed into the already crowded pew where their daughters were sitting.
- - -
Following the mass, the Bartlets returned to the farm house and just as Jed hoped, the day of sledding out back had worn out his two younger daughters. Ellie, who had fallen asleep in the car, was carried up to her room by Jed while Abbey carried a sleepy Zoey into the house. Before she could start up the stairs, the little girl stirred in her arms and rubbed at her eyes.
"Are we home?" she asked groggily.
"Shh, go to sleep." Abbey kissed her face gently.
"But I have to leave milk and cookies for Santa."
"I'll do that for you."
"No, I have to do it myself!" Zoey wriggled until Abbey set her down. "Lizzie can you help me?"
Abbey caught sight of Jed descending the steps. She held her thumb and index fingers up at him and said, "We were this close."
He laughed. "Ellie's up too. She's changing into her PJs."
"It's gonna be a long night."
"We'll give 'em some warm milk. They'll be out before we know it."
The longer the girls were up, the longer Jed and Abbey had to stay up so they could wrap all the Santa presents and tuck them under the tree. So with their fingers crossed, husband and wife wished for an early visit from Mr. Sandman to whisk their daughters off for a good night's sleep.
"I told Sven to be here around three tomorrow," Liz announced as her parents joined her and Zoey in the kitchen.
"That's fine," Abbey assured her. "Dinner's at four."
A confused Jed asked, "Sven?"
"My pen pal, Swedish Sven. I told you, he's gonna be in town and Mom said I could invite him over."
"First, you didn't tell me. That's not something I'd forget. And second, is this the guy you met briefly in Stockholm?"
"Yeah. You liked him, remember?"
"I remember. I just didn't know you still wrote to him."
"Now and then. We're just friends."
Abbey moved to the stove. "Who wants some warm milk?"
"Not me!" Zoey refused. "I want cookies!"
"Please?" Abbey reminded her.
"Sorry. Please, can I have some cookies?"
"May I. And yes, you may have a glass of cold milk with one cookie and then it's off to bed. You too, Lizzie."
Twenty minutes later, the girls finished their snack, a few cookies were set out next to a tall glass of milk for Santa, and Zoey was ready to turn in. Jed hoisted her onto his back for a piggyback ride up to her room. Abbey, meanwhile, noticed Liz taking her time washing a dish, so she hurried her along. Liz finished and left the kitchen, passing her father on the way upstairs and giving her parents the privacy they needed to do their wrapping, stocking-stuffing, and all the other little chores before bed.
"Zoey was sound asleep before I tucked her in," Jed said as he strolled back into the kitchen.
"Good. I've got the scissors and a roll of wrapping paper in the family room. Can you get Zoey's dollhouse?"
"I will, but first, there's something else I want to take care of."
"What?"
"I want to show you something." He led her out of the kitchen with his hands covering her eyes.
"What are you doing?"
"There's no way to hide this from you until morning so I need to give it to you tonight."
He removed his hands then and Abbey opened her eyes to see a beautiful rosewood Steinway Grand piano, with a big red bow, pushed up against a wall in the living room. She thought her eyes were deceiving her at first; this piano looked eerily familiar. It had half-round beading along the bottom rim and carved, fluted legs, just like the one she grew up playing in her grandparents' home.
"Oh Jed, what did you do?" Abbey approached it slowly, stunned.
"Recognize it? It's the one."
"THE one?"
"Well, not the one from your childhood. But it's the other one."
"The other one? You're not serious."
Jed hadn't forgotten her reaction during a Boston Pops concert in 1983. It was when virtuoso pianist and comedienne Victor Borge performed that she nudged him and explained that the piano he was using resembled the one her grandfather had owned, the one she had spent hours at every weekend learning to play. Everything from the color to the design and craftsmanship to the satiny finish reminded her of his. The Barrington piano had been sold when Abbey was a teen and until the concert, Jed didn't realize how much it would mean to her to have one like it in their home. So when the Boston Symphony business manager ordered new pianos and he found out this one was up for bid, he knew he had to have it.
"This must have cost a fortune."
"I got a good deal on it actually."
"Is this what the girls were shushing each other about?"
"Yes, but they didn't know what it was. They just knew there was some surprise coming."
"What a surprise it is! I never expected this."
"That's how surprises traditionally work."
"How did you have this delivered without the girls finding out?"
"It came while we were at church." Jed sat down at the bench and pulled her down beside him. "You played Clementi Sonatinas? That was your favorite, right? Play it for me."
"You've gotta be kidding! That was eons ago!"
"So? It's like riding a bike."
"No, it's not."
He pulled out some sheet music for her. "How about Silent Night then?"
"I haven't read a piece of music in so long."
"You'll do fine."
Abbey still hesitated. "I'll wake the girls."
"They'll wake up anyway. They do every year."
"Yeah, but..."
The girls had a habit of stirring in the middle of the night and tiptoeing back down.
"You won't wake them." Sitting beside her, Jed squinted his eyes at his wife. "Are you trying to get out of this, Dr. B? Don't tell me you were pulling my leg with all that talk of playing the piano."
"Pulling your leg, huh?" She swallowed her nerves and took to the keys, her hands sweeping over each one gracefully, enticing him with a rendition of Silent Night. She made a few mistakes, just as she expected, but overall, her technique hadn't failed her, even after all these years.
"All right, so you're not a complete charlatan," he said when she finished.
"You shouldn't have done this. It's too much."
"Anything that makes you light up like that is worth every penny."
Abbey turned on the bench and placed her hands around his neck as he moved to face her. "You are the sweetest, most amazing man in the whole world. Do I say that enough?"
"How much is enough?" Jed surrendered to her kiss - a hot, passionate one that made his heart race. And when it was over, he replied, "I don't know about the rest, but after that kiss, I'm definitely the randiest man in the world."
Abbey chuckled. "I can take care of that."
"Yeah?"
"Yeah." She kissed him again.
- - -
Christmas Day 1985
The Christmas dinner table at the Bartlet house had evolved over the years. Jed and Abbey's first four Christmases were spent at their flat in London where they had a relatively small table, just big enough to accommodate them, Lizzie's high chair, and a neighbor they sometimes had over. After moving to Boston, they began hosting Abbey's family every Christmas. Soon, Ellie came along and Jed's family was added to the guest list as well. The table grew while living in Hanover, where Zoey was born, and by the time they celebrated the holiday at the farm in Manchester, every chair on the large dinner table in the formal dining room was taken.
This year, they needed one extra chair. In addition to Abbey's parents and Jed's brother, his wife, and their son, they had another guest with them - Liz's friend, Sven. It was a crowded gathering, but not nearly as crowded as Thanksgiving and for that, Abbey was grateful. It was more homey and intimate.
The table was set with red linens and fine china. Snowflake candles floated in wine glasses and two crisscrossed candy canes were placed on each plate. A centerpiece of small golden gift-wrapped boxes tied in green and silver ribbons on a bed of pine sat in the middle and next to it was the main dish of roast turkey, flanked on each side with chestnut stuffing and all the other Christmas side dishes.
Ellie was sitting between Abbey, who was at the foot of the table, and her Aunt Kellie on the other side. She had been gabbing with Kellie about the day they'd had. "Dad bought me the rollerblades I wanted and he promised to go skating with me in the spring."
"Jed rollerblades?" Kellie looked down the table at her brother-in-law.
"Just once so far. It's not that different from regular skating."
"Famous last words," Jack tweaked his brother.
"It wouldn't hurt you to go out there with us," Jed fired back. "We'll all go."
"Jed's rounding up his Olympic team," Abbey teased.
"Of which you won't be a part."
"Why am I being excluded?"
"You shouldn't have picked on me."
"I'm sure Jed will forgive you, Abigail, if you tickle the ivories after dinner." James had been trying to get his daughter to entertain them with her piano playing all night.
"I'm pretty rusty, Dad."
Jed dismissed the notion. "You were excellent last night!"
"She's a child prodigy." James always beamed proudly when talking about Abbey. "Her grandfather used to say it was in her blood."
"I wanna play the piano," Zoey chimed in.
"As soon as the holidays are over, you and your sisters can start taking lessons." Abbey took a sip of her drink.
"They don't need lessons," Jed countered. "You can teach them."
"Contrary to what you believe, gumdrop, I can't do everything." Abbey smiled at him.
"Nonsense!"
At the same time, Mary was trying to get to know her granddaughter's guest, Sven. "So, Sven, you're from Stockholm?"
"I hesitate to say I'm from any place. I've lived all over," the 19-year-old replied. "My parents are big travelers."
"I wish we traveled more," Ellie interjected.
"Egypt's coming up," Abbey reminded her. "We travel plenty."
Back to the conversation at hand, Mary continued with Sven, "You're catching a flight tomorrow to..."
"Rome. I have a cousin there I want to see."
"We've never been to Rome," Ellie pointed out to her mother.
"Do you have family in America?"
"No, just Elizabeth." Sven flashed his big blue eyes at the brunette to his right and Mary, like Jed, saw a definite spark.
"You and Elizabeth met in Stockholm?"
Liz nodded. "At the ice skating rink at Kungstradgarden Park."
"THIS is the boy you wanted your parents to let you tour the town with!" At the time, Mary didn't know what all the fuss was about, but while they were in Sweden for Jed's Nobel Prize ceremony, she distinctly remembered several conversations between 14-year-old Liz and her parents about a special someone she had met.
"Yup, this is him!" Liz replied. "We've been keeping in touch through letters ever since we left Sweden."
Sven added, "Three years. I've never been in touch with anyone for that long."
"So what brings you here, son?" James asked him. "Are you visiting friends or relatives?"
"I'm not visiting. I'm here on business. Canadian business actually."
Liz went further, explaining, "Sven doesn't like to brag, so I'll do it for him. He was just named a 1986 Rhodes Scholar from Canada and he had to attend a meeting in Montreal on the 22nd."
"Really?"
"Canada? Why Canada?" Mary asked.
"The scholars are selected from 14 countries and Sweden isn't one of them, but my mother is Canadian so I was able to qualify under dual citizenship."
Jed was more interested in the bigger picture. "You've been awarded a Rhodes Scholarship?"
"Yes, sir. I'll be studying at Oxford next autumn."
"I didn't know you graduated college."
Liz piped up, "Sven was home-schooled, remember, Dad? He started his university studies before he turned 17 and he just finished this term."
"Oh." Jed was definitely impressed. He lifted his glass. "Well, congratulations. Well deserved."
"Thank you."
Abbey suspected her husband was already smitten with the young man, but she had no idea what she was about to ask would charm him even more. "Sven, what do you plan to study at Oxford?"
"International Relations and Global Health Policy."
If Jed's face had beamed any brighter, he would have outshone the Christmas lights. Sven was the same person he had been in Sweden - bright, articulate, respectful, polite, someone with energy and enthusiasm, a thirst for learning and for setting goals, and more importantly, someone who was visibly interested in Elizabeth. Finally, someone Jed considered a terrific match for his daughter.
- - -
"All I'm saying is if she asked if she could date him, I'd be totally on-board. 100 percent!" Late that evening, Jed stripped down to his boxers and a T-shirt in the master bedroom, preparing for bed and talking to Abbey as she brushed her hair.
"Don't you think she would have asked if she was interested? She insists they're just friends."
"She insisted she and Doug were just friends too and we know it was more than that. This guy is perfect for her. She'll realize that."
"What makes him so perfect?" Abbey tossed her brush onto her vanity and joined her husband in their bed. "The fact that he's a Rhodes Scholar?"
"No. Well, yeah, okay, that's part of it. He has GOALS, Abbey. He wants to do something with his life and what he wants to do is very similar to what Liz wants, right down to his field of study. She said she was considering majoring in International Relations at Wellesley."
"Just because they share the same interest doesn't mean they're made for each other. If that was the case, I'd be married to a doctor and you'd be married to a politician."
"It's not just that. Remember how he treated her in Stockholm? How he treated her tonight? He held her chair out for her, always addressed her with respect, addressed us with respect. Come on, the kid's polite, considerate, and incredibly smart. You have to see it." Jed turned down the covers and crawled in.
"Okay, I agree, Sven is a wonderful guy and yes, if Elizabeth wanted to date him, I would be thrilled. But one of our objections to Doug was that we wanted Liz to have time to explore life on her own before she got seriously involved with anyone. I still think that's best."
"I don't want her to run her out and get engaged to Sven, for heaven's sake. I'm just saying that this is one guy I'd approve of. Remember that the next time she accuses me of hating all her boyfriends."
Abbey started to remind him that Sven wasn't a boyfriend yet, but she was interrupted by a knock at the door.
"Come in."
Liz poked her head in. "Hi. I know it's late, but can I ask you guys something?"
Jed nudged his wife, convinced Liz was about to ask if she could go out with Sven. "Sure, sweetheart."
"I know you didn't hit it off with him the last time," Liz began, approaching her parents. "But would I be asking too much if I wanted to invite Doug over one more time?"
"What?" That wiped the smile right off Jed's face.
"He came over a couple of days ago and we talked. I want to give him another chance. Please, will you meet him again?"
"When did he come over?"
"He stopped by on his own when Mom was at work. We talked out on the porch and he's really sorry for the way things went down last time."
"So if we do see him again, then what?" Abbey asked her daughter.
"Well, he wants me to meet his parents on New Year's Eve. I was hoping you'd let me go if he comes over for hors d'oeuvres first with you and Dad."
Jed wasn't a big fan of Doug's in the first place and after having dinner with Sven, he was even more perplexed by his daughter's choice. He pressed gently, "Liz, let me ask you something. In all honesty, WHY Doug?"
Abbey stifled a laugh.
"Why not Doug? I like him, Dad. I like being with him."
"You guys have nothing in common."
"We have some things in common. We may not see everything the same way, but that's what I find interesting about him. I think I'd be bored with someone I always agreed with."
"I'll never understand that."
"I'll try to explain it better when I'm not so tired. In the meantime, what do you say? Can he come over?"
When Jed paused, Abbey spoke up. "He wants to take you to his parents' place in Nashua?"
"Yes, they're having a family party. You said I could have a late curfew on New Year's. Can I go?"
"What happened to not dating him?"
"It's not a date. His parents want to meet me, just like you guys wanted to meet him." A little revisionist history there. "Okay, like I asked you to meet him."
"I don't know, Liz."
"Mooommmm, it's just New Year's Eve. Please?"
Abbey thought for a moment and then gave the easy answer that came to mind. "If it's all right with your father, it's all right with me."
Shaking his head, Jed threw his pillow at his wife and muttered under his breath, "You will be punished."
"Please Daddy?" Liz threw him her puppy dog eyes.
"Okay, fine, as long as his family will be there."
"Thank you!"
"And while he's here, I reserve the right to throw him out of the house."
Liz cracked a smile at that as she gave her father a kiss on the cheek. "You'll like him, trust me!" She went to Abbey next. "Good night."
"Night, baby doll." After she left, Abbey looked to Jed. "I can't believe you gave in."
"ME? You troublemaker, you pawned her off on me!"
"It was your turn to play bad cop!"
"No, it wasn't!"
"Of course it was."
"You lie."
"I try." Abbey winked at him.
"I don't get it. Why oh why does our daughter have such terrible taste in guys? What mutant gene is on your X-chromosome?"
"Excuse me, MY X-chromosome? You gave her an X-chromosome yourself, you know."
"It's a scientific fact that fathers don't pass on the bad-taste gene."
"So says the economist. Anyway, don't look at me. I chose you. No way do I have the 'bad-taste' gene." She kicked the covers off and stood, but Jed yanked her back down.
"Where do you think you're going?"
"I'm going to get a drink of water."
He crawled on top of her. "No water, not until I'm done with you."
"What do you have in mind?"
"A little good cop, bad cop." He kissed her. "A little punishment." Another kiss. "And a little barbecue to finish things up."
"Oh okay, I guess the drink can wait 30 seconds."
Jed's steely stare at that remark made Abbey burst out in laughter. She gripped his shirt and gave him one solid tug until he was lying on top of her, then wrapped her arms and her legs around his frame as they kissed once again.
TBC