Series: Snapshots of the Past
Story: The Nobel Laureate
Chapter 37
Disclaimer: See Chapter 1
Previously: Overcome by the temptation of the alcohol at the Nobel Ball, Leo secretly took one of Jed's muscle relaxants; when Jed and Abbey met with King Gustaf and Queen Sylvia, Jed bragged about Ellie; Liz attended the teen dance with Sven; Jed invited Jack and Kellie to spend Christmas at the farm (chapter 33)
Summary: Jed is pleased that Brad and Ellie seem to be getting along; Liz is upset with her father; Yosh joins Jed and Abbey on the ride to the Royal Palace for the annual laureate lunch with the King and Queen; Abbey surprises Jed
Rated R
"My turn, Zoey!"
"But I wanna do it again!"
"You can do it again after Mallory and I get a turn."
Ellie inched her little sister out of the way as she slid into position. Her hands carefully gripping the shifts, she waited for Mallory to insert a dime into the slot before she pulled the lever that navigated the mechanical claw towards a beautiful doll that captivated her interest since she first laid eyes upon her - St. Lucia.
Before leaving for Sweden, Jed had shared the story of the life of the young Christian girl who died for her faith on December 13th 303 A.D. Lucy was her name, he told his daughters, and she was a Sicilian martyr. In the middle of the night, she would dress in a long white gown and place a crown of candles on her head so that both of her hands would be free to carry a tray of food to her fellow Christians living in hiding for fear of persecution.
In her honor, every year on the morning of December 13th, Swedish towns would appoint their own St. Lucia - usually a little girl with hair of gold - to oversee the festivities of the day and officially mark the start of the Christmas season.
So entranced by the legend, Ellie had practically memorized the story. When she saw the blonde St. Lucia doll buried under a mountain of stuffed animals in the mechanical claw machine, she begged Jed for a roll of dimes to fish her out of the pile.
"DARN!" Mallory shouted. "You almost had it!"
"I'm gonna try one more time."
"Ellie, I wanna try again," Zoey whined at Ellie's side.
"You can try again in a minute, Zo. Just let me do it one more time."
Their eyes lit up in anticipation as Ellie maneuvered the metal claw directly above the doll, but just as it closed its legs around the neck of St. Lucia and pulled her from under the stack, the game ended and the claw returned to its place, leaving the doll on top of the other toys.
"Can I play now, Ellie?" Zoey asked.
"As soon as Mallory gets a turn." Ellie moved out of the way to give Mallory access to the dime slots. "What do you want?" she asked when she saw her cousin Brad watching them.
Brad shrugged. "I'm bored."
"Ellie, can I go now?" Zoey asked again as soon as Mallory finished.
"Yeah, Zoey, you can go," Mallory answered. She helped the toddler insert another dime, then picked her up so she could reach the handles.
Meanwhile, Ellie stood to the side of the machine, eyeing her cousin. He seemed more than bored, she thought. He was withdrawn, somber even. Though she didn't understand why he looked the way he did, she noted his sadness with sympathy and reached into her pocket to pull out another dime.
"Here."
Confused, Brad took the token. "What's this for?"
"You can play if you want."
In the hotel restaurant just a few feet away from where Mallory, Ellie, Zoey, and Brad tried repeatedly to win one of the many toys and stuffed animals, Jed pulled his chair up to the breakfast table and took a sip of a freshly poured glass of orange.
"What time did you guys leave the ball?" Leo questioned as he joined his friend.
"I don't know. Five or six maybe. We wanted to take a nap when we got back to the hotel, but Lizzie was waiting up for Abbey."
"Tales to tell of the evening with Sven?"
"Apparently. Lizzie was still stewing about the fact that I sent Alexander to the dance to keep an eye on her, so I, of course, was excluded from the girl talk."
"Must have driven you crazy."
"Not really," he lied. "At least I got to sleep."
His gaze wandered towards the sound of Liz's voice echoing from the arched entrance to the restaurant. He listened carefully, eavesdropping just as he had earlier in the suite, hoping to secretly share in the emotions that had his eldest daughter so excited.
"It was so romantic!" the teenager gleefully told her mother. "He said it had always been his favorite because the melody was like one of those old classic love songs."
"Did you understand a word of the lyrics?" Abbey asked.
"Not really, but I didn't care."
No longer able to hide his presence, Jed stood to greet his wife and daughter. "Hello."
"Hello, Father."
"See that, Leo? It's 'father' now. Told ya she was pissed."
"She's not pissed," Abbey assured him.
"Easy for you to say. When was the last time she used that tone with you?"
"I didn't use a tone," Liz replied.
"I detected a tone," Jed insisted.
"And I'm not pissed either."
"Then why are you calling me 'father'?"
"Because it makes you crazy," she grinned.
"Well, by all means..."
"Because you tricked me."
"How did I trick you?"
"You led me to believe you wouldn't send a spy."
"Alexander wasn't my spy. In fact, he told me nothing of what went on at that dance and I intentionally didn't ask him about it. He was just there to make sure you were okay, not to report back to me."
"Really?"
"Really." Jed straightened his posture and addressed her again. "Elizabeth, years and years from now...decades hopefully...you'll have kids of your own and you'll understand. Until then, you've gotta trust me when I tell you I'm just looking out for you."
Liz cocked her brow and said, "Still, I didn't use a tone."
Shaking his head, Jed looked over to Leo. "See what you have to look forward to? There's nothing like sassy teenagers to get the day started."
"I can hardly wait." Leo smiled.
"And speaking of our kids, here they come." Abbey held out her hand to Zoey. "Did you guys win anything?"
"NO! It's broken!"
"The machine's not broken," Ellie replied. "We just can't get anything out of it."
"Well, sit down and have your breakfast. I'll take you all to the chocolate shop after we eat." Jed caught Abbey's disapproving stare. "It's our last full day in Stockholm."
"Okay, but once they're all sugared up, they're your responsibility."
"I hate that machine!" Brad came wandering to the table carrying the St. Lucia doll Ellie had been trying to win. "I wanted the football and instead, I got this crummy doll!" He dropped it right in front of his eight-year-old cousin.
"It's the St. Lucia doll!" Ellie exclaimed, picking it up in her arms. "You don't want it?"
"Dolls are for girls!"
"Can I have it?"
"I put it in front of you, didn't I?"
"THANK YOU!"
"Yeah, yeah."
He started to walk away, but Jed followed. "Brad, where are you going?"
"My mom's still upstairs. I wanna ask her for a dime so I can try again."
"Here." Jed pulled out another roll of dimes for his nephew.
"Thanks!"
"It was nice of you to get that doll for Ellie."
"I only did it because the doll was blocking the football."
"Well, whatever the reason, it was nice of you."
Jed smiled, unconvinced Brad aimed for the doll as a matter of convenience. He had seen the subtle changes in his nephew's attitude since that infamous Thanksgiving dinner in Manchester and though he would never freely admit it, even Brad was conscious of it.
He and Ellie could still bicker like brothers and sisters caught in the middle of a heated rivalry, but he couldn't deny that in ways too small to count independently, they had become nicer to one another every day the family spent in Sweden.
From her suite's sitting room, Abbey stared out the window at the wintery scene around her. The hallowing wind blew through the snow-covered branches, snapping the thinner ones in half as it swirled the fallen flakes around the harbor.
"Jed?"
"Yeah?" he called back to her from the bedroom.
"You better hurry up. It's pretty brutal out there."
"I'm almost ready."
"We don't want to be late."
"The Palace is just a few blocks from here, Abbey."
"Some of the roads are closed. We might have to take an alternate route."
"We'll be fine."
"What took so long at the candy store anyway?"
"I had to mediate a disagreement between Ellie and Mallory."
"About what?"
"Who got to hold the doll on the way back from the candy store."
Abbey chuckled. "And who won?"
"I explained to Ellie that since the doll was hers to keep, it would be nice if Mallory got to carry it back to the hotel."
"And she agreed."
"Not only that. She asked if we could buy Mallory a St. Lucia doll like hers before we leave Sweden."
"She's always been generous."
"Yes, she has."
"She got that from me, you know."
"You flatter yourself, Babe."
"Someone has to," she quipped lightheartedly.
Jed poked his head around the corner. "Is it cold there in my shadow?"
Abbey smacked him in the face with a towel. "You're such a jackass sometimes."
"You love me anyway." He winked.
"God knows why," she whispered just loud enough for him to hear.
"I heard that."
"Kellie said that she and Jack are spending Christmas with us."
"Yeah. I hope that's okay. I should have checked with you first, but since you always say the more family the better, I figured..."
"Jed, you don't have to ask my permission to invite your brother over."
"It wasn't your permission I was looking for." He emerged from the bedroom in a pair of black slacks and a white shirt, a red tie wrapped loosely around his neck. "It was your blessing."
"You got it." Abbey approached him, her hands immediately reaching for his tie.
Taken by her gorgeous form, he inspected her outfit. From the black leather boots that stretched up her shapely calves to just below her knees, to the purple knit St. John suit, trimmed in black that hugged all her curves with sexy sophistication, to her shiny auburn locks that tumbled freely over a pair of unobtrusive amethyst earrings to settle around her collar in a cascade of soft, bouncy waves, she was the epitome of class.
"You look great by the way." He cupped her chin to lift her head. "Really, really great."
"You don't look so bad yourself." They locked eyes just as she finished tightening his tie.
"Ready?"
Abbey gave his tie one last tug and fixed his collar around it. "Yeah."
"Let's hit the road." Jed grabbed her purple winter coat and wrapped it around her as they walked out the door.
Jed and Abbey braved the stinging ice pellets that showered them the second they left the hotel lobby. When they spotted Felix just a few feet away, standing outside to hold the limo door open for the couple, Jed took his wife's hand and sped up his pace towards the car.
"And you said there wouldn't really be an ice storm," Abbey reminded him as she slid into the back.
"I didn't say it. Lord John did. He said the threat of ice storms comes every year at this time. It's general folklore to push all the tourists out of town."
"Look outside, Pumpkin. Does that look like folklore to you?"
"All right, so just this once, the forecasters happened to be right." Jed opened the partition that separated them from Felix. "We're ready, Felix. Thanks."
"I'm waiting for two more passengers, Dr. Bartlet."
"Two more passengers?"
"Yes, Sir," Felix replied. "Because of the storm, there have been quite a few accidents and slide-offs today. Three of our cars are out of commission, so the Nobel Committee asked that I drive two laureates to the Palace instead of one. Dr. Takahashi and his companion will be joining us."
"Great," Jed grumbled as he sat back.
"It's a short drive," Abbey told him.
She was right. It was a short drive, but knowing that did nothing to ease Jed's frustration. Ever since their first meeting in Stockholm, Yosh had been rude, condescending, and patronizing to him. One of the bright spots about the end of Nobel week was that he thought he'd never have to see Yosh again, but like an annoying gnat always buzzing around, Yosh's immortal presence threatened to sour yet another event.
The fact that they now had to share a ride with him for the traditional laureate lunch at the Royal Palace made Jed cringe with hostility. "I'll never be rid of this guy."
"A few hours today and then that's it."
"Until his plane is delayed and he ends up hitching a ride on ours."
"No one hitches a ride on a plane." Her jovial demeanor didn't amuse him. "Would you lighten up? This will be over before you know it."
"That's what you said before my last dentist appointment."
"And?"
"They knocked me out and took all my teeth."
Of all his many skills, Abbey sometimes thought Jed's greatest talent was in the power of exaggeration. "They were wisdom teeth, carefully extracted while you were under the influence of nitrous oxide."
"It hurt like hell."
"And so will this." She reached over to take his hand. "But if you don't make a scene, it'll be before you know it."
She had a point. After carefully debating the damaging consequences of yet another round of verbal sparring, Jed abandoned his animosity towards his nemesis. Instead, he welcomed Yosh and his fiancée and attempted to make polite conversation. But when his efforts went ignored, several tension-filled moments passed as the two couples stared silently out the window. Abbey could hear her husband mumbling under his breath. She figured whatever it was he was saying was better left unheard by the other occupants, and so, she left him to his quiet rant.
Minutes later, Jed turned to his rival and with renewed energy, he broke the silence.
"My medal has my name on it, you know." Three pairs of eyes turned on Jed. Abbey's were the most indignant. "What? I'm just saying this is the first year they put names on the economic medals and it would have been easy for the engraver to have made a mistake."
"He didn't," Yosh replied coolly. "My medal has my name on it too."
"Well, then...good," Jed answered bitterly. "I get the feeling you're about as pleased as I am about all this."
"Jed." Abbey rested her hand on his thigh.
"I just want him to know it wasn't my choice either, but that I think in the spirit of today, we can be men enough to rise to the occasion and pretend to like one another in the interest of civility."
"I've been civil," Yosh countered.
"I guess that depends on your definition of civil."
Abbey tried to distract Jed. "You know what, we're almost there."
"My silence is being civil."
"See, that's where we disagree, my friend. To me, civility is about more than just biting your tongue and hoping no one notices the hostile..."
Jed stopped mid-sentence as the car swerved unexpectedly, twisting and turning from one side of the pavement to the other until it eventually slid off the road and down an embankment. Abbey grabbed on to his jacket and even in the chaos, Jed managed to hold her close to his frame while being tossed around during the bumpy descent into a snowy field.
"What the hell?" Jed helped Abbey up off his lap once the car stopped. "Are you all right?"
"I'm fine."
"Felix?" He pulled the partition. "What happened?"
"Are you all okay?"
"Yeah, but what happened?"
"I'm sorry. I hit a patch of black ice. I think I punctured my tire too."
"That's not a big deal. We can change a tire."
"No, Sir. I'll change the tire. I need to arrange for another ride for you and Dr. Takahashi."
"Can't we just call one of the other drivers?"
"The other drivers are driving the other laureates and the King expects you all there promptly at two. I'll have to make other arrangements."
Abbey fell back against her seat. "Now what?"
"We wait." Jed leaned back as well. "Looks like we have a little more time to kill."
"If I'm not mistaken, you were about to lecture me about the virtue of civility." Yosh smirked at his rival.
"I'm just saying it's the courteous thing to do!" Jed bellowed from the bathroom that evening. "You take a ride in a cab, you pay the fare. It's not a difficult concept. Am I right?"
Covered with only one layer of red satin sheets, Abbey sat up against the headboard as she released her hair of the ponytail holder that tamed her wavy tresses. "Yes, Jed, you're right. We've been over this two dozen times."
"You don't just hop out of the cab and expect the other passengers to pick up the tab."
"The cab driver didn't expect either of you to pay. He said so himself."
"Just because he said it was a privilege to drive us to the Palace doesn't mean he didn't expect to get paid. Yosh took advantage of the man's kindness."
"I'm sure he expected the Nobel committee to pay the fare."
"Hogwash! We just won the Nobel Prize in Economics. Don't tell me he didn't know what he was doing stiffing me with the cab fare."
Abbey rolled her eyes and huffed, "Would you hurry up and finish already!"
Jed walked out suspiciously and framed himself in the doorway, a towel in his hand as he continued to dry his face. "What?"
"I've been waiting for you for 20 minutes now."
"I'm coming." He tossed the towel behind him and crawled into bed. "I mean, he just doesn't understand..."
"Stop talking." She crawled on top of him and dropped her lips to his. "You know what the Queen said when you walked out of the room today?"
The second Jed felt the soft touch of her nude back against his hands, all other thoughts escaped him. "Hmm?"
"At lunch. You, the King, and one of the scouts left the room."
"Is that the start of a riddle?"
"Be serious."
"Since I was out of the room, I feel confident in saying, no, I don't know what the Queen said about me."
Abbey laid her head on his chest and traced her nails up his arm. "She said of all the laureates she's met in the past, you're the one she'll never forget." Her hand now on his chest, she propped her chin to rest on top. "You know why?"
"My stunning good looks?" Jed joked.
"Your love for your family." She knew she had his attention. "Queen Sylvia said she'll always remember your enthusiasm when you talked about Ellie at the ball, as if her accomplishments were your own."
"Yeah?"
"You know something?"
"What?"
"It's what I'll always remember about this trip too."
"Not the hot-air balloon ride or the fun we had in the hot tub that first night or...I don't know...the actual...you know...ceremony?"
"I treasure those memories too."
"Good because I figured the ceremony would be the highlight."
"It is in some ways. But the thing I'll always come back to is that ninety minutes after my husband won the most prestigious award in the world, he stood with the King of Sweden and bragged about his daughter's multiplication tables." She reached for the gift wrapped rectangular box that was sitting on the nightstand.
"What's that?"
"Open it."
Jed tore through the paper to find a hardcover book that bore every syllable of the journal articles submitted to the Nobel Prize committee. "Oh, Abbey."
"This is your book, Jed. Every word of your theory is in this book."
"You went to an awful lot of trouble."
"Not really. All I did was organize the articles since there were several entries. The publisher did the rest."
"Why?"
"I wanted there to be something more than your bound journal articles to keep in the Nobel Library. I wanted it in a book." She opened the flap to show him the dedication. "Look here."
"A message to Elizabeth, Eleanor, and Zoey," he read. "But what about you?"
"You already showed me your gratitude with the acceptance speech at the banquet."
"I meant it."
"I know you did."
He set the book aside so his arms were free to hold her. "And you said I don't flatter you."
She gave him that saucy look that could instantly bring him to his knees as he ran the tips of his fingers down her spine, into the valley at the small of her back, and up again at the swell of her rear. An aroused Abbey straddled his thighs and then pushed herself forward to engulf his mouth once again.
Yosh was a distant memory now. All Jed cared about in that moment was the methodical movements of the breathtaking creature on top of him. Her kisses warmed his face. Her hair tickled his jaw. Her heart beat against his and as she held his head in the palms of her hand, he felt it beat just a little bit faster.
Abbey wiggled her way down his body, leaving a tingling trail of kisses down his chest as she unbuttoned the buttons of his top. She gently nibbled the skin sheltered by the elastic of his pants until Jed raised his hips off the bed to help her roll his pants down his legs. As she prolonged the sensual assault over his most sensitive regions and heard him shudder in anticipation, she gave him a glimpse of the desire exploding from the depths of her expressive jade eyes. Without a moment's hesitation, her lashes fluttered and she positioned herself in such a way that she could hold him in her arms and stare deep into his handsome baby blues.
Slowly, tenderly, and adoringly she stroked him and kissed him and intentionally delayed the inevitable climax of passion so she could continue to make love to him until morning.
TBC