Beep Beep Beep Beep

The first sounds Jed heard were his own heart. Where was he? What had happened? Then he heard vague voices in the distances. Straining, he realized they talking about him. Slowly, they became more precise.

"The President needs to be moved to Bethesda for more tests."

Was that Leo's voice?

"In my medical opinion, he just needs to rest. And he can do that here, with supervision."

Who was that?

He finally could open his eyes. Looking around he tried to figure out where he was.

"Excuse me, Mr. McGarry, Dr. Hackett. The President is awake." Charlie looked down and smiled. "Glad to have you back, Mr. President. You gave all of us quite a scare."

"Where am I?" Jed looked around, still a bit confused.

By this time, the other two men had made their way over to his side.

"Mr. President, you're in the Medical Unit at the White House. You passed out in the Situation Room and were brought here by the Secret Service. Dr. Hackett met us and the beep you hear is the heart monitor he attached just as a precaution," Leo replied.

"Oh, okay. I bet I scared a few people, didn't I?" Jed always tried make a joke whenever he found himself in a bad situation. It was always a bad joke.

"Well, to tell you the truth, Mr. President, I've never seen Nancy McNally move so fast in my life. I think she made it from her end of the table to yours in about two seconds flat and was ready to start CPR on you." Leo smiled at the image of Nancy running the length of the Situation Room.

Jed smiled. "I'm glad she didn't have to."

"Me, too." Leo returned the smile.

Jed looked around at the others. "I'm okay. Really. I just need to rest and I can do that upstairs. Leo, I don't need to go to the hospital. Doc here can look after me and I promise I will take care of myself."

Leo didn't have a choice but to agree. "Okay."

"Good. Now, can I have a private word with my Chief of Staff? And then I'll do whatever the Doc says I have to do to stay here. I really need to be close by."

Hackett and Charlie got the message and walked away. Leo got closer.

"Leo, I need confirmation."

"What kind of confirmation, Sir?"

Jed was finding the words he was trying to say hard, but they had to be said. "I need confirmation if Abbey is alive or dead. I saw that tape. Either way, she has to be brought back here. I have to have her brought here. If she's dead," Jed had to pause for a minute.

"If she's dead, I want her buried with her family in Boston. I have to have her body here in the States. Her daughters and I have to be able to say a proper goodbye." By now, his tears were streaming down his face non-stop. "She deserves a proper burial."

"Yes, Sir. I understand. Now that we know who has, had her, we can focus our resources and find this monster. It might take some time, but I promise you that one way or the other we will bring Abbey home."

"Thank you, Leo. You are a great friend. Now, I'll go upstairs and rest. You go and do whatever it takes. Just bring Abbey home to me and the girls."

"I will, Sir. I certainly will." Leo turned and walked out.

Dr. Hackett walked back over to the President. "Mr. President, I will discharge you from here if you promise you'll go straight upstairs. I'll be up in a little while and check on you. Will you do that?"

"Yeah, Doc. I promise. You can even send my babysitter with me if you don't trust me."

Charlie smiled. "Mr. President, I was coming with or without your permission."

"I knew that, Charlie. I was just teasing both of you. Let's get these sticky things off me and this blood pressure cuff off and I'm out of here."

The monitor was turned off and the cuff taken off and the President sat up on the side of the bed. A wheelchair appeared.

"No way. I'm walking out of here. I will not appear upstairs to my staff in that thing."

"Mr. President. You said…"

"I know what I said, but I'm walking to the Residence, not riding. You can put the sturdiest agents around me, but I am not going to be pushed through the West Wing in that thing. And that's FINAL."

"Okay." Hackett conceded that point. "Just rest when you get upstairs."

"I will. Now, let's go. Who has the key to this cell?"

Jed was faking his good mood so his bodyguards would be less likely to keep him captured, but down deep he was beyond depressed. What he had seen and heard on that tape was devastating and if what he saw was true, he had just lost the other half of his soul. But his grieving would be done in private, away from the prying eyes of even his closest staff and friends. His grief would be shared with only one-his God.