Mistakes -- Part 8-A
Characters: Jed/Abbey
Rating: R
Disclaimer: I don't own these characters, but I love to play with them a little! Thank you to Aaron Sorkin, Warner Bros, and NBC!
Feedback is always welcomed!
Summary: The seventh month of Abbey's pregnancy is spent with her and Jed finally saying the things they had kept to themselves for so long. Things seem to be back on track, until they get some unexpected news.
Month seven:
Jed kneeled down in front of Abbey as she sat on the couch. He loved talking to her belly, convinced the baby could hear every word. He'd read her liberal op eds, hoping to inspire her interest in politics before she was even born.
"This kid's going to be President, trust me."
"That's what you said about Elizabeth."
"This time, I'll see to it. I've learned my lesson. My daughters don't get to make their own decisions anymore. They obviously can't be trusted," he said with a grin.
"This kid doesn't have a name yet."
"Yeah, I know. We'll get to that."
He climed up on the couch, holding Abbey close, cradling her in his arms.
"Right now, though, I want to work on Mommy."
Abbey giggled, playfully pushing him away. They hadn't made love in so long and though they both wanted to, they knew they had to talk first. There was so much they needed to say. But not now. Not like this. Jed wanted to rebuild their entire relationship, from start to finish. He took Abbey's hands and invited her on a "date." He wanted to do it right -- the courtship, the getting-to-know-you phase, everything.
Abbey, of course, accepted the invitation. She, too, had wanted so desperately to put all the drama behind them. She wanted to start over with a clean slate. No mistakes getting in the way, no lies. She promised herself, and Jed, that she would never lie to him again. Now she just had to prove it.
The next night, Abbey arrived in the dining room to find the candlelight dinner Jed had the staff prepare. Soft music played in the background as he poured her a glass of sparkling apple juice.
"This is too much," she said.
"Nothing's ever too much for you," he reminded her as he took her hand and led her to the center of the room to dance. They didn't really dance much, but he just held her close and she was happy. She was back in his arms for good -- something she thought would never happen again.
"Jed, tonight's about honesty, right? About getting everything out on the table?" She waited for Jed to nod before she continued. "Then I think I should tell you why I did what I did, why I slept with Leo."
"Shhh," he began, putting his finger on her lips. "We don't have to talk about that."
"I think we do. I don't want it to ever come up again."
Abbey told him what she had been going through ever since they got to the White House. At first, it was great, but then they began drifting apart. He began making decisions without her, like running for reelction. That was the big one. That decision affected her too and though he told her he wouldn't run again, he walked out in front of glaring lights and television cameras and told the world that he would. Finding out about that on the news shook the foundation of their marriage -- at least, as far as Abbey was concerned. They never really recovered from that in her mind. His too. He always felt she never really forgave him. But it wasn't that. It's that she lost trust in him, in the fact that he would put his family first.
She lost her medical license because of her decision to help him conceal his MS. Secretly, she felt a little bit of resentment towards him. After all, she had wanted to be honest about it. She wanted to tell people and take their chances on the election. He knew if it came out, he wouldn't win the Democratic nomination, let alone the Presidency. He convinced her how important it was to keep quiet.
Then there was the decision to kill a foreign leader. Abbey knew she didn't have a say in policy, but she wished that Jed had at least come to her with his doubts, not just professionally, but spiritually, morally. Once she found out, it all made sense. She understood why Jed spent so many sleepless nights, so many quiet hours just staring off into space. The guilt was eating him up and he never turned to her. She had to hear about it on TV when Zoey was kidnapped. She left him after that. She took Zoey and went to Manchester for weeks.
Her absence hurt Jed. One could argue that was the turning point in their marriage. Up until then, he thought the only thing that would make Abbey leave him was another woman. She thought the same. She never imagined that she would lose trust in him as a parent. He loved his girls just as much s she did, but she blamed him for Zoey's abduction and that killed Jed.
He would rather die than see any of his kids hurt. When the possible connection between Zoey's ordeal and Shareef's assisination was discovered, Jed kept telling himself it was bogus. He couldn't bring himself to face the possibility that he may have been responsible for doing this to his daughter. More importantly, he couldn't face Zoey's mother, his wife, and see the blame in her eyes. His worst fear came true, eventually, when Abbey found out. He could deny his involvement for eternity, but if Abbey didn't believe it, neither would he.
When Abbey returned from Manchester, they never really talked about it. They just continued to disconnect. It led her into Leo's arms, not out of revenge, but out of hurt. Abbey felt safe with Leo. He made her forget the pain she was feeling from her marriage. It was a momentary lapse in judgement and she promised Jed it would never happen again -- with anyone. He believed her.
"Do you remember a few months ago when you told me to speak up when I don't want to do something?" she asked as he stopped and pulled her away from him by her shoulders to look into her eyes.
"Yeah?"
"I don't think I've ever actually said this. I just assumed you knew."
"Knew what?"
"I don't want to get divorced," she said.
He held her in his arms again and continued to sway.
Their date ended quickly when Abbey began to feel ill. She had been having cramps for months now, but she assumed it was just part of the pregnancy. Jed wasn't convinced. Abbey fell to the floor in pain. She was bleeding. Jed screamed for someone to call an ambulance as he cradled Abbey in his arms.
The Secret Service made a sweep of the hospital before allowing Jed in to be with his wife. By the time he got to her bedside, they were ready to move her for some tests. Jed was left waiting for answers. Hours later, Abbey's doctor came out to tell Jed he could go see her. When he opened the door, he saw the horror on her face. His first assumption was that they lost the baby. All he wanted to do is comfort her.
"Oh, Abbey. Sweetheart, I'm right here," he said, rushing to be by her side.
"It's going to be okay," she reassured him.
"I know we both really wanted this baby..."
"We still do. Jed, there's nothing wrong with our baby."
"There isn't?"
"No. Our little girl is fine."
"Then what?"
She thought about not telling him. It would be much more difficult if he knew. But how could she lie to him when just hours earlier she promised him she never would again?
"They don't know what's wrong. But they're trying to find out," she said looking away.
TBC
Characters: Jed/Abbey
Rating: R
Disclaimer: I don't own these characters, but I love to play with them a little! Thank you to Aaron Sorkin, Warner Bros, and NBC!
Feedback is always welcomed!
Summary: The seventh month of Abbey's pregnancy is spent with her and Jed finally saying the things they had kept to themselves for so long. Things seem to be back on track, until they get some unexpected news.
Month seven:
Jed kneeled down in front of Abbey as she sat on the couch. He loved talking to her belly, convinced the baby could hear every word. He'd read her liberal op eds, hoping to inspire her interest in politics before she was even born.
"This kid's going to be President, trust me."
"That's what you said about Elizabeth."
"This time, I'll see to it. I've learned my lesson. My daughters don't get to make their own decisions anymore. They obviously can't be trusted," he said with a grin.
"This kid doesn't have a name yet."
"Yeah, I know. We'll get to that."
He climed up on the couch, holding Abbey close, cradling her in his arms.
"Right now, though, I want to work on Mommy."
Abbey giggled, playfully pushing him away. They hadn't made love in so long and though they both wanted to, they knew they had to talk first. There was so much they needed to say. But not now. Not like this. Jed wanted to rebuild their entire relationship, from start to finish. He took Abbey's hands and invited her on a "date." He wanted to do it right -- the courtship, the getting-to-know-you phase, everything.
Abbey, of course, accepted the invitation. She, too, had wanted so desperately to put all the drama behind them. She wanted to start over with a clean slate. No mistakes getting in the way, no lies. She promised herself, and Jed, that she would never lie to him again. Now she just had to prove it.
The next night, Abbey arrived in the dining room to find the candlelight dinner Jed had the staff prepare. Soft music played in the background as he poured her a glass of sparkling apple juice.
"This is too much," she said.
"Nothing's ever too much for you," he reminded her as he took her hand and led her to the center of the room to dance. They didn't really dance much, but he just held her close and she was happy. She was back in his arms for good -- something she thought would never happen again.
"Jed, tonight's about honesty, right? About getting everything out on the table?" She waited for Jed to nod before she continued. "Then I think I should tell you why I did what I did, why I slept with Leo."
"Shhh," he began, putting his finger on her lips. "We don't have to talk about that."
"I think we do. I don't want it to ever come up again."
Abbey told him what she had been going through ever since they got to the White House. At first, it was great, but then they began drifting apart. He began making decisions without her, like running for reelction. That was the big one. That decision affected her too and though he told her he wouldn't run again, he walked out in front of glaring lights and television cameras and told the world that he would. Finding out about that on the news shook the foundation of their marriage -- at least, as far as Abbey was concerned. They never really recovered from that in her mind. His too. He always felt she never really forgave him. But it wasn't that. It's that she lost trust in him, in the fact that he would put his family first.
She lost her medical license because of her decision to help him conceal his MS. Secretly, she felt a little bit of resentment towards him. After all, she had wanted to be honest about it. She wanted to tell people and take their chances on the election. He knew if it came out, he wouldn't win the Democratic nomination, let alone the Presidency. He convinced her how important it was to keep quiet.
Then there was the decision to kill a foreign leader. Abbey knew she didn't have a say in policy, but she wished that Jed had at least come to her with his doubts, not just professionally, but spiritually, morally. Once she found out, it all made sense. She understood why Jed spent so many sleepless nights, so many quiet hours just staring off into space. The guilt was eating him up and he never turned to her. She had to hear about it on TV when Zoey was kidnapped. She left him after that. She took Zoey and went to Manchester for weeks.
Her absence hurt Jed. One could argue that was the turning point in their marriage. Up until then, he thought the only thing that would make Abbey leave him was another woman. She thought the same. She never imagined that she would lose trust in him as a parent. He loved his girls just as much s she did, but she blamed him for Zoey's abduction and that killed Jed.
He would rather die than see any of his kids hurt. When the possible connection between Zoey's ordeal and Shareef's assisination was discovered, Jed kept telling himself it was bogus. He couldn't bring himself to face the possibility that he may have been responsible for doing this to his daughter. More importantly, he couldn't face Zoey's mother, his wife, and see the blame in her eyes. His worst fear came true, eventually, when Abbey found out. He could deny his involvement for eternity, but if Abbey didn't believe it, neither would he.
When Abbey returned from Manchester, they never really talked about it. They just continued to disconnect. It led her into Leo's arms, not out of revenge, but out of hurt. Abbey felt safe with Leo. He made her forget the pain she was feeling from her marriage. It was a momentary lapse in judgement and she promised Jed it would never happen again -- with anyone. He believed her.
"Do you remember a few months ago when you told me to speak up when I don't want to do something?" she asked as he stopped and pulled her away from him by her shoulders to look into her eyes.
"Yeah?"
"I don't think I've ever actually said this. I just assumed you knew."
"Knew what?"
"I don't want to get divorced," she said.
He held her in his arms again and continued to sway.
Their date ended quickly when Abbey began to feel ill. She had been having cramps for months now, but she assumed it was just part of the pregnancy. Jed wasn't convinced. Abbey fell to the floor in pain. She was bleeding. Jed screamed for someone to call an ambulance as he cradled Abbey in his arms.
The Secret Service made a sweep of the hospital before allowing Jed in to be with his wife. By the time he got to her bedside, they were ready to move her for some tests. Jed was left waiting for answers. Hours later, Abbey's doctor came out to tell Jed he could go see her. When he opened the door, he saw the horror on her face. His first assumption was that they lost the baby. All he wanted to do is comfort her.
"Oh, Abbey. Sweetheart, I'm right here," he said, rushing to be by her side.
"It's going to be okay," she reassured him.
"I know we both really wanted this baby..."
"We still do. Jed, there's nothing wrong with our baby."
"There isn't?"
"No. Our little girl is fine."
"Then what?"
She thought about not telling him. It would be much more difficult if he knew. But how could she lie to him when just hours earlier she promised him she never would again?
"They don't know what's wrong. But they're trying to find out," she said looking away.
TBC