Chapter 26
"I understand Zoey. Your sisters are tied up with something as well."
"But Dad I really want to be there."
"Yes doll baby. I know you want to be out here with her. So do the others."
Jed heard Zoey start to cry. It only made him that much more emotional.
"Zoey, please don't cry. Your mother is strong and she'll be okay. Her assistant can stay with her. She won't be by herself. I promise that."
"Call me if you hear anything. Promise?"
"Of course, I'll keep you up to date. Love you. Gotta go now. Bye."
Jed hung up the phone in the conference room that had been set aside for the Presidential party. "CJ, you can make the announcement now. Liz is calling Abbey's family with the news."
"Sir, I'm really sorry about all this."
"Yeah, so am I. But Abbey didn't listen to anyone. She's got such a hard head and when she makes up her mind, well there's really no stopping her. I hope she did some good while she was there. Because a hell of a lot of no good has certainly happened since then."
Leo glanced over as CJ left. He could tell just by the tone of Jed's voice that anger was just below the surface. Anger over Abbey taking on the world on her own even after he told her not to do it, anger over the wall falling on his one and only love, anger over her current medical issues, and extreme anger over not being able to take Abbey home to Washington.
"Sir, I think…"
"HELL LEO! Don't give me your shit right now. I don't know if Abbey is going to live or die and you're forcing me to leave her here, by herself, without any family. You're forcing me to go back to work when I could care LESS about it."
"The doctor said..."
"I KNOW what the HELL the doctor said."
Leo waited for a minute and then responded softly. "Jed, be realistic. You can't run the West Wing from clear across the country. Even with all the technology we have at our disposal, that's not yet possible. You have responsibilities…"
"Don't tell me about MY responsibilities. I know I have them." Jed sat down, still upset over the turn of events.
Leo kept quiet. That was the best thing he could do right now. Let him work through this anger and then they could have a logical conversation. When Jed Bartlet was angry Leo had learned a long time ago that rational thinking was far away.
He watched the President trying to come to terms with the only decision he could make. Jed knew that Abbey would not be alone but it wasn't the same. Family was so important to the both of them that this separation, hell any separation, is enough to tear them both apart.
Suddenly, Leo had an idea. "Jed, would you feel better if I could get Jenny out here to stay with Abbey? I mean they've been friends for years and even though we're not married any more, I suspect that she would drop everything and come out here. If you can't be here, would Jenny be a satisfactory substitute?"
Jed looked at Leo with the signs of hope for the first time in three hours. "You think she would? I'll pay her way."
"I would think so. Let me step out and call her."
"Try, Leo. Please try. Tell Jenny she's doing this for Abbey. If Abbey can't have family, at least there'll be someone out here that she knows."
"Okay. I'll be back in a minute."