Chapter 19

Jed waited impatiently as the helicopter's blades finally stopped and the door was opened. Jumping down, he walked quickly to the side door.

A man in a white coat was waiting for him inside. "Mr. President, I'm Dr. Wallace, Mrs. Bartlet's physician. I'm head of orthopedic surgery here."

"Surgery?! No one told me anything about surgery." Jed held his temper in check. In the brief flight from Camp David to Bethesda he had been told by Ron that Abbey was still in the emergency room but she was stable.

"Oh, no sir. Your wife is being settled in an upstairs suite. We have placed a cast on her broken foot and just want to observe her for a few hours because of her brief period of unconsciousness when the gurney fell in the ambulance. There is no need for surgery."

Jed sighed. "Good. I want to see her now."

"Yes, sir. Just follow me." Jed anxiously fell in beside Dr. Wallace as he strode through the maze of hallways that made up the National Naval Medical Center. After a brief trip in a restricted elevator to the twentieth floor, Jed stepped off and made his way to a doorway, flanked in agents. He nodded to them and quietly pushed the door open.

Jed walked quickly over to Abbey's bedside. "Hi hon, how are you doing?"

"Fine," Abbey replied without much enthusiasm.

He leaned down and paced a quick kiss on her cheek. "You sound tired."

"Yeah. Kind of been through the ringer."

Jed smiled. "Yeah, me too."

"Huh?" Abbey gazed into her husband's blue eyes, looking for an answer.

"Well, let's just say you weren't the only person to have some excitement at Camp David."

"Jed! Tell me what happened."

"Later. Right now, I just want to sit here and watch you sleep. You said you were tired."

"Yeah. But I think it's the pain medication making me sleepy. Will you be here when I wake up?"

"No. I have to go back to the White House. But I'll be upstairs when you come home in a few hours. They just want to observe you for a few more hours."

"Yeah." Abbey yawned. "I guess I'm more tired than I thought."

Abbey closed her eyes but quickly reopened them. She noticed Jed at the door and called over to him. "Come back here. I want to tell you something."

Jed walked back to the bed. "Yeah?"

"Jed, remember the conversation we had about the Service and them being our 'big brothers'?"

"Yes. And I remember how you thought they were smothering you."

Abbey smiled slightly. "Well, I've changed my mind. They're good to have around."

"Yes, they are." Jed leaned down to kiss her one more time. "Now, get some rest and I'll see you when you get home."

"Is that a presidential order?" Abbey laughed.

"Yes, it is. Bye. "

"Bye yourself. I'll see you in a little bit and then maybe we can finish our romantic weekend."

Jed looked down at the cast on Abbey's lower leg and shook his head. "I don't think so, hon. I value my body."

Abbey grabbed the pillow from behind her head and threw it at Jed, who ducked as it flew by him, hitting Ron Butterfield directly in the chest who had just walked in the room.

"Oh, Ron, I'm so sorry." Both Abbey and Jed broke out into hysterical laughter as Ron bent down and picked up the pillow. The expression on his face might have changed just a little but if so, it quickly was replaced by his normal blank look.

"Yes, ma'am. Sir, your motorcade is ready."

"Thanks, Ron." Jed continued to laugh heartily. "Hon, I have to go." He walked back over for one last kiss. "Behave. Big brother is watching."

Abbey laughed. "Some days it's good for Big Brother to be around. I'll never complain again."

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