A couple of antiques stores later and Jed was ready to head back to the house. He was tired and starting to feel a little more unsteady than he had been. "Sweetie, you ok?" asked Abbey as they walked down the narrow sidewalk. She was walking behind him and wasn't happy with what she saw; he was kind of plodding along, almost as if he were making sure his feet hit the ground with each step.
"Just tired I think," said Jed as he made an effort to concentrate on normalizing his gait. Abbey quickened her pace to walk next to him when the sidewalk widened a bit.
"Jed, walk without looking at your feet," Abbey said as she reached to take the shopping bag from him.
He took a few steps, clearly having trouble with his balance. He was grateful to see the car parked in the next block. Abbey took his arm again and led him to the car. The silence in the car was bordering on deafening by the time they got to the house. Leaning heavily on the railing Jed managed to climb the 6 steps without tripping. He sank into the couch with a weary sigh. Abbey knelt in front of him, wearing her "doctor" face.
"Abigail, it's our last night here. Please don't go all "doctor" on me," Jed pleaded, clearly still cranky. His frustration was growing as new symptoms appeared.
"Honey, I need to know what's going on," she said softly as she brushed his hair back. "Pins and needles?" she asked as she ran her hand down his left leg. He just nodded a little. "Having trouble telling where your feet are?" Again he just nodded. Abbey reached to slip off his sneakers. "How's your eye?"
"Fine Abigail," sighed Jed as he pulled his feet up onto the couch and stretched out. She was just about to grill him a little more about how he was feeling when the phone rang. It was David, his Chief of Staff. Abbey handed Jed the phone, a notepad and a pen before leaving him alone to talk. She went upstairs to gather together the dirty laundry and throw it in the washer. It was the small domestic acts like that that made her feel "normal". She set out clothes for Monday and packed the rest in the suitcase. Their flight was at 1, giving them plenty of time to get home and have dinner with Zoey as well as enough time for Jed to make what would probably be a very long phone call to Leo.
Abbey was in the kitchen when Jed wrapped up his phone call about half an hour later. He tossed aside the notepad and closed his eyes trying to fight back the headache he could feel building behind his eyes. Abbey recognized the signs of a headache and ran upstairs to grab some Advil. The phone rang again while she was in the bedroom so she let Jed get it. When he didn't call her name she assumed it was for him. As she started to go down the stairs she realized Tom was on the phone checking up on Jed. She was glad Jed had answered the phone; he probably wouldn't have talked to Tom otherwise. Abbey sat down on the top step, out of Jed's line of vision to listen to his end of the conversation.
"I'm fine....OK, maybe fine was overstating it....fever's gone....eye's better....yeah, some symptoms are lingering....not numb, more pins and needles...no, I haven't fallen since I passed out...I want to give it a few more days. I don't want to take steroids...Yes, I know you two are the ones with the medical degrees...We'll argue about them on Wednesday if I'm still having problems. Have you talked to Abbey today?....I gagged on the communion wafer....you're not supposed to laugh at me....Albuterol and a drink of water....yes, she's always prepared like that....yeah, I ate lunch."
Although Abbey couldn't see him she was sure Jed was doing a whole lot of eye rolling at that moment.
"I'm trying. But having you and my wife subject me to numerous medical grillings is cutting into my relaxing vacation Tom....Yeah, I will....I'll tell her....Thank for calling...bye."
As he hung up the phone Abbey stood up quietly and walked casually down the stairs.
"That was Tom. He must have ESP or something," Jed snorted as he tried to get comfortable on the couch. Abbey handed him the Advil. "And speaking of ESP," he muttered as he rolled the Advil around in his palm. Abbey leaned over to press her lips to his forehead.
"Take those," she said motioning towards the pills in his hand.
"Can you get me some water?" Jed asked, annoyed at the fact he truly wasn't capable of getting up and walking to the kitchen by himself.
Abbey got him a drink and settled down on the end of the couch. She pulled Jed's feet into her lap and rubbed his legs while he flipped back and forth between two football games. Eventually he drifted off and Abbey pried the remote out of his hand. She turned to a movie on Lifetime and settled back with her feet on the coffee table. The movie didn't hold her attention; neither did anything else she found when she ran through the entire channel line up, twice. She flicked off the television and watched Jed sleep for a little while. It was one of her favorite pastimes. He looked relatively peaceful and healthy although he was still a little pale. She was beginning to worry about the new symptoms that seemed to have cropped up during the day. It was looking more and more likely that Jed might need a little medical intervention to get himself through this episode. But that was one fight Abbey was not looking forward to. She carefully lifted his feet off her lap and slid off the couch. She tossed an afghan over him and went to make something for dinner.
The evening passed by uneventfully. They ate dinner and watched a movie before going to bed a little on the early side.
Abbey woke at 8 the next morning to the smell of fresh brewed coffee. Obviously Jed was already up. Truth was he'd been up for a couple of hours already. Having fallen asleep a little before 10 he was awake before 6. He made coffee, ate some toast and watched CNN for a while. With a sigh Abbey rolled out of bed and threw on her robe. She padded down the stairs, through the living room and into the kitchen. There was no sign of her husband. A breeze floated through the kitchen, coming in from the backdoor which wasn't quite closed all the way. She looked out the window and saw Jed sitting on the ledge in the backyard. He was staring at something in the distance, squinting against the early morning sun. Wearing jeans, sneakers and a Notre Dame sweatshirt he looked relaxed and utterly adorable. He had a mug of coffee on the ledge and the cordless phone in his right hand. Abbey couldn't hear his end of the conversation but she assumed he was talking to David. She saw him laugh a bit before hanging up the phone. Although she felt a little voyeuristic she continued to watch as he took a sip of coffee. The smile she had on her face faded a bit as Jed raised his left hand, revealing a cigarette. Abbey thought about yelling out the door to him, but the cigarette was almost gone so she decided to let it slide. She made her feelings about his smoking well known over the years. And he had cut back considerably, from over a pack a day to less than a pack a week. He had basically quit altogether right before he was diagnosed with MS. But the stress of the diagnosis sent him right back.
Abbey stood watching him silently until he reached to pull another cigarette out of the pack. She stuck her head out the door. "Jed," she said with more than a hint of warning in her voice. He put the pack back into the pocket of his sweatshirt and finished his coffee instead. Looking appropriately guilty he came back in the house, poured himself another cup of coffee and sat down at the kitchen table. He seemed to be having an easier time navigating but certainly wasn't back to walking normally.
"Doing better?" Abbey asked as she sat down next to him.
"Yeah, I can feel where my feet are but it still feels like the room is tilted a little," he said as he shook his head a little trying in vain to clear the vaguely disturbing sensation. Abbey felt his forehead; he was cooler than he had been in days. "Fever?" he asked as he pressed his chilly fingers against his cheek trying to figure out if he was feverish.
"No," Abbey chuckled as she took his hand in hers to warm it up. She held her hand out to him in a silent gesture. One he knew
"I only had one cigarette," Jed said quietly as he reached into his pocket and put the pack on the table. Abbey only nodded, not sure exactly what he was expecting her to say.
"We still have a couple of hours left. What do you want to do?" Abbey asked as she got up and cleared away the empty coffee mugs.
"Well, I would like to hoist you over my shoulder, go upstairs and fool around again. But that's not going to happen," Jed said with a laugh. "How about a walk around the block before we pack the car?"
"Sounds good. Let me take a quick shower and I'll be ready to go," replied Abbey cheerfully as she scooped up the pack of cigarettes off the table and headed upstairs before Jed realized she took them.
"Just tired I think," said Jed as he made an effort to concentrate on normalizing his gait. Abbey quickened her pace to walk next to him when the sidewalk widened a bit.
"Jed, walk without looking at your feet," Abbey said as she reached to take the shopping bag from him.
He took a few steps, clearly having trouble with his balance. He was grateful to see the car parked in the next block. Abbey took his arm again and led him to the car. The silence in the car was bordering on deafening by the time they got to the house. Leaning heavily on the railing Jed managed to climb the 6 steps without tripping. He sank into the couch with a weary sigh. Abbey knelt in front of him, wearing her "doctor" face.
"Abigail, it's our last night here. Please don't go all "doctor" on me," Jed pleaded, clearly still cranky. His frustration was growing as new symptoms appeared.
"Honey, I need to know what's going on," she said softly as she brushed his hair back. "Pins and needles?" she asked as she ran her hand down his left leg. He just nodded a little. "Having trouble telling where your feet are?" Again he just nodded. Abbey reached to slip off his sneakers. "How's your eye?"
"Fine Abigail," sighed Jed as he pulled his feet up onto the couch and stretched out. She was just about to grill him a little more about how he was feeling when the phone rang. It was David, his Chief of Staff. Abbey handed Jed the phone, a notepad and a pen before leaving him alone to talk. She went upstairs to gather together the dirty laundry and throw it in the washer. It was the small domestic acts like that that made her feel "normal". She set out clothes for Monday and packed the rest in the suitcase. Their flight was at 1, giving them plenty of time to get home and have dinner with Zoey as well as enough time for Jed to make what would probably be a very long phone call to Leo.
Abbey was in the kitchen when Jed wrapped up his phone call about half an hour later. He tossed aside the notepad and closed his eyes trying to fight back the headache he could feel building behind his eyes. Abbey recognized the signs of a headache and ran upstairs to grab some Advil. The phone rang again while she was in the bedroom so she let Jed get it. When he didn't call her name she assumed it was for him. As she started to go down the stairs she realized Tom was on the phone checking up on Jed. She was glad Jed had answered the phone; he probably wouldn't have talked to Tom otherwise. Abbey sat down on the top step, out of Jed's line of vision to listen to his end of the conversation.
"I'm fine....OK, maybe fine was overstating it....fever's gone....eye's better....yeah, some symptoms are lingering....not numb, more pins and needles...no, I haven't fallen since I passed out...I want to give it a few more days. I don't want to take steroids...Yes, I know you two are the ones with the medical degrees...We'll argue about them on Wednesday if I'm still having problems. Have you talked to Abbey today?....I gagged on the communion wafer....you're not supposed to laugh at me....Albuterol and a drink of water....yes, she's always prepared like that....yeah, I ate lunch."
Although Abbey couldn't see him she was sure Jed was doing a whole lot of eye rolling at that moment.
"I'm trying. But having you and my wife subject me to numerous medical grillings is cutting into my relaxing vacation Tom....Yeah, I will....I'll tell her....Thank for calling...bye."
As he hung up the phone Abbey stood up quietly and walked casually down the stairs.
"That was Tom. He must have ESP or something," Jed snorted as he tried to get comfortable on the couch. Abbey handed him the Advil. "And speaking of ESP," he muttered as he rolled the Advil around in his palm. Abbey leaned over to press her lips to his forehead.
"Take those," she said motioning towards the pills in his hand.
"Can you get me some water?" Jed asked, annoyed at the fact he truly wasn't capable of getting up and walking to the kitchen by himself.
Abbey got him a drink and settled down on the end of the couch. She pulled Jed's feet into her lap and rubbed his legs while he flipped back and forth between two football games. Eventually he drifted off and Abbey pried the remote out of his hand. She turned to a movie on Lifetime and settled back with her feet on the coffee table. The movie didn't hold her attention; neither did anything else she found when she ran through the entire channel line up, twice. She flicked off the television and watched Jed sleep for a little while. It was one of her favorite pastimes. He looked relatively peaceful and healthy although he was still a little pale. She was beginning to worry about the new symptoms that seemed to have cropped up during the day. It was looking more and more likely that Jed might need a little medical intervention to get himself through this episode. But that was one fight Abbey was not looking forward to. She carefully lifted his feet off her lap and slid off the couch. She tossed an afghan over him and went to make something for dinner.
The evening passed by uneventfully. They ate dinner and watched a movie before going to bed a little on the early side.
Abbey woke at 8 the next morning to the smell of fresh brewed coffee. Obviously Jed was already up. Truth was he'd been up for a couple of hours already. Having fallen asleep a little before 10 he was awake before 6. He made coffee, ate some toast and watched CNN for a while. With a sigh Abbey rolled out of bed and threw on her robe. She padded down the stairs, through the living room and into the kitchen. There was no sign of her husband. A breeze floated through the kitchen, coming in from the backdoor which wasn't quite closed all the way. She looked out the window and saw Jed sitting on the ledge in the backyard. He was staring at something in the distance, squinting against the early morning sun. Wearing jeans, sneakers and a Notre Dame sweatshirt he looked relaxed and utterly adorable. He had a mug of coffee on the ledge and the cordless phone in his right hand. Abbey couldn't hear his end of the conversation but she assumed he was talking to David. She saw him laugh a bit before hanging up the phone. Although she felt a little voyeuristic she continued to watch as he took a sip of coffee. The smile she had on her face faded a bit as Jed raised his left hand, revealing a cigarette. Abbey thought about yelling out the door to him, but the cigarette was almost gone so she decided to let it slide. She made her feelings about his smoking well known over the years. And he had cut back considerably, from over a pack a day to less than a pack a week. He had basically quit altogether right before he was diagnosed with MS. But the stress of the diagnosis sent him right back.
Abbey stood watching him silently until he reached to pull another cigarette out of the pack. She stuck her head out the door. "Jed," she said with more than a hint of warning in her voice. He put the pack back into the pocket of his sweatshirt and finished his coffee instead. Looking appropriately guilty he came back in the house, poured himself another cup of coffee and sat down at the kitchen table. He seemed to be having an easier time navigating but certainly wasn't back to walking normally.
"Doing better?" Abbey asked as she sat down next to him.
"Yeah, I can feel where my feet are but it still feels like the room is tilted a little," he said as he shook his head a little trying in vain to clear the vaguely disturbing sensation. Abbey felt his forehead; he was cooler than he had been in days. "Fever?" he asked as he pressed his chilly fingers against his cheek trying to figure out if he was feverish.
"No," Abbey chuckled as she took his hand in hers to warm it up. She held her hand out to him in a silent gesture. One he knew
"I only had one cigarette," Jed said quietly as he reached into his pocket and put the pack on the table. Abbey only nodded, not sure exactly what he was expecting her to say.
"We still have a couple of hours left. What do you want to do?" Abbey asked as she got up and cleared away the empty coffee mugs.
"Well, I would like to hoist you over my shoulder, go upstairs and fool around again. But that's not going to happen," Jed said with a laugh. "How about a walk around the block before we pack the car?"
"Sounds good. Let me take a quick shower and I'll be ready to go," replied Abbey cheerfully as she scooped up the pack of cigarettes off the table and headed upstairs before Jed realized she took them.