Mistakes -- Part 10
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 baby is finally here and Jed and Abbey have one more obstacle to overcome.
Miranda's birth:
Liz, Ellie, and Zoey arrived at the hospital and joined their father in the waiting game. It seemed like an eternity before the doctor finally came back out to tell Jed that mother and daughter were both doing fine. Abbey did have cancerous tumors on the lining of her uterus, so the doctor recommended a hysterectomy, something Abbey agreed to once she woke up. There would be more follow-ups, more tests, but for now, the hysterectomy got the cancer out of her body. Jed stood by Abbey's bedside and promised her that no matter what happens between them, he would take care of her. After everything she did for him and his MS, he swore he'd never abandon her in her time of need.
The baby -- Miranda Jane -- was a perfectly healthy infant. She may have been born a month early, but it didn't pose any risk to her whatsoever. When Jed first saw her, he thought she was absolutely perfect. When he looked closer, he realized little Miranda was born with a birthmark on the back of her neck. It was an unusual shape -- almost like two triangles intertwined. Jed noticed it, but kept quiet. Bringing it up with Abbey now would only upset her.
All the West Wing staffers were invited to Abbey's homecoming party. Jed went all out even though Abbey told him she didn't want a big hoopla.
Later that night, Jed showed Abbey Miranda's new room. He had it decorated during the weeks that she was recovering in the hospital. He had bought the big Victorian crib that Abbey had seen when she was shopping with CJ months earlier. Abbey looked at Jed and knew, in her heart, that he had finally forgiven her. But had he? For Jed, it wasn't that simple, especially now. He hadn't told Abbey about the birthmark on Miranda's neck. The fact that it was there gave him doubts. Was Abbey truthful about when Miranda was conceived? Was she truthful about when she stopped seeing Leo? Too many questions lingered in his mind. He hadn't called off the divorce yet and wasn't sure he was going to. But he never mentioned that to Abbey.
It was only two days later that Abbey barged into his office, pushing Debbie and Charlie aside.
"Abbey?" Jed called out.
"You still want this?" she asked, waving around the papers as Leo came in from his office after hearing the commotion.
"What?"
"Divorce papers!" she screamed. "They were just delivered."
"Let's not do this here."
Jed led Abbey out of the office and into the Residence.
"What, no audience? At least in the Oval Office you could humiliate me in front of others."
"Abbey, please."
"What has all this been about, Jed? All the sweet talk, all the 'lets go on our first date' and start all over nonsense? I thought you were coming around. Instead, I find out you're setting me up for a big fall."
"That isn't what this was. I wouldn't set you up," he assured her.
"Well, you could have fooled me."
"I didn't think the papers were going to come this soon. I thought it would take several months and that I could call it off before you got them if I changed my mind."
Abbey was more than a little surprised at what she was hearing. "If you changed your mind?"
Jed continued to try to make her understand. To him, she didn't just sleep with someone else, she broke the wedding vows that he regarded so sacred. That, in and of itself, was difficult for him to move past. Everytime he got close, something else would happen -- the night that Leo came to the Residence and Abbey lied to him, once again, about why he was there, for instance. And now, baby Miranda had placed more doubts in Jed's mind.
"She has a birthmark on her neck," he told her.
"So what?"
"I don't have one and neither do you."
"Jed, a lot of people have birthmarks. My father did, his mother did..."
"Leo does."
Abbey looked into his eyes, not understanding what he was really implying.
"He has one in the same spot, similar shape," he continued.
"Oh my god," Abbey started. "You think...oh my god."
"Were you straight with me about when Miranda was conceived?"
"I'm not going to do this."
Abbey began to leave, but Jed blocked her path.
"I'm not trying to be a jackass. I need to know."
"You ARE a jackass. Get out of my way," she shouted, pushing him aside and leaving the room with the divorce papers in her hands.
Jed followed her down the hall and into the bedroom.
"I wouldn't love her any less. I'm just saying you haven't always been completely honest with me."
"What do you want, a DNA test? I'll agree to it. Not because I want you to believe me, but because I can't stand the fact that you may look at your daughter one day and doubt that you're her father. That would kill her."
"I would never hurt Miranda," he said.
"Isn't that what you used to say about me?" Jed looked down at the floor. Abbey took the papers and went over to her vanity. "You wanted this divorce all along, Jed. Well guess what, you finally convinced me!"
She signed the papers and he made no effort to stop her.
"Abbey..."
With tears in her eyes, she responded quickly, "No, don't say anything. You got what you wanted. You'll never trust me again and to tell you the truth, I'm tired of trying to get you to. I broke our vows and I broke your heart and I will spend the rest of my life regretting the decisions I made, but I'll be damned if I'm going to raise our daughter in an environment of one-upsmanship, where it's about how to get even with someone, instead of how to forgive them."
"Good old Abbey. Always the victim, right?" he replied, sparking even more anger in her.
"You know what, Jed, go to hell," she said, slapping the papers against his chest as she walked out.
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 baby is finally here and Jed and Abbey have one more obstacle to overcome.
Miranda's birth:
Liz, Ellie, and Zoey arrived at the hospital and joined their father in the waiting game. It seemed like an eternity before the doctor finally came back out to tell Jed that mother and daughter were both doing fine. Abbey did have cancerous tumors on the lining of her uterus, so the doctor recommended a hysterectomy, something Abbey agreed to once she woke up. There would be more follow-ups, more tests, but for now, the hysterectomy got the cancer out of her body. Jed stood by Abbey's bedside and promised her that no matter what happens between them, he would take care of her. After everything she did for him and his MS, he swore he'd never abandon her in her time of need.
The baby -- Miranda Jane -- was a perfectly healthy infant. She may have been born a month early, but it didn't pose any risk to her whatsoever. When Jed first saw her, he thought she was absolutely perfect. When he looked closer, he realized little Miranda was born with a birthmark on the back of her neck. It was an unusual shape -- almost like two triangles intertwined. Jed noticed it, but kept quiet. Bringing it up with Abbey now would only upset her.
All the West Wing staffers were invited to Abbey's homecoming party. Jed went all out even though Abbey told him she didn't want a big hoopla.
Later that night, Jed showed Abbey Miranda's new room. He had it decorated during the weeks that she was recovering in the hospital. He had bought the big Victorian crib that Abbey had seen when she was shopping with CJ months earlier. Abbey looked at Jed and knew, in her heart, that he had finally forgiven her. But had he? For Jed, it wasn't that simple, especially now. He hadn't told Abbey about the birthmark on Miranda's neck. The fact that it was there gave him doubts. Was Abbey truthful about when Miranda was conceived? Was she truthful about when she stopped seeing Leo? Too many questions lingered in his mind. He hadn't called off the divorce yet and wasn't sure he was going to. But he never mentioned that to Abbey.
It was only two days later that Abbey barged into his office, pushing Debbie and Charlie aside.
"Abbey?" Jed called out.
"You still want this?" she asked, waving around the papers as Leo came in from his office after hearing the commotion.
"What?"
"Divorce papers!" she screamed. "They were just delivered."
"Let's not do this here."
Jed led Abbey out of the office and into the Residence.
"What, no audience? At least in the Oval Office you could humiliate me in front of others."
"Abbey, please."
"What has all this been about, Jed? All the sweet talk, all the 'lets go on our first date' and start all over nonsense? I thought you were coming around. Instead, I find out you're setting me up for a big fall."
"That isn't what this was. I wouldn't set you up," he assured her.
"Well, you could have fooled me."
"I didn't think the papers were going to come this soon. I thought it would take several months and that I could call it off before you got them if I changed my mind."
Abbey was more than a little surprised at what she was hearing. "If you changed your mind?"
Jed continued to try to make her understand. To him, she didn't just sleep with someone else, she broke the wedding vows that he regarded so sacred. That, in and of itself, was difficult for him to move past. Everytime he got close, something else would happen -- the night that Leo came to the Residence and Abbey lied to him, once again, about why he was there, for instance. And now, baby Miranda had placed more doubts in Jed's mind.
"She has a birthmark on her neck," he told her.
"So what?"
"I don't have one and neither do you."
"Jed, a lot of people have birthmarks. My father did, his mother did..."
"Leo does."
Abbey looked into his eyes, not understanding what he was really implying.
"He has one in the same spot, similar shape," he continued.
"Oh my god," Abbey started. "You think...oh my god."
"Were you straight with me about when Miranda was conceived?"
"I'm not going to do this."
Abbey began to leave, but Jed blocked her path.
"I'm not trying to be a jackass. I need to know."
"You ARE a jackass. Get out of my way," she shouted, pushing him aside and leaving the room with the divorce papers in her hands.
Jed followed her down the hall and into the bedroom.
"I wouldn't love her any less. I'm just saying you haven't always been completely honest with me."
"What do you want, a DNA test? I'll agree to it. Not because I want you to believe me, but because I can't stand the fact that you may look at your daughter one day and doubt that you're her father. That would kill her."
"I would never hurt Miranda," he said.
"Isn't that what you used to say about me?" Jed looked down at the floor. Abbey took the papers and went over to her vanity. "You wanted this divorce all along, Jed. Well guess what, you finally convinced me!"
She signed the papers and he made no effort to stop her.
"Abbey..."
With tears in her eyes, she responded quickly, "No, don't say anything. You got what you wanted. You'll never trust me again and to tell you the truth, I'm tired of trying to get you to. I broke our vows and I broke your heart and I will spend the rest of my life regretting the decisions I made, but I'll be damned if I'm going to raise our daughter in an environment of one-upsmanship, where it's about how to get even with someone, instead of how to forgive them."
"Good old Abbey. Always the victim, right?" he replied, sparking even more anger in her.
"You know what, Jed, go to hell," she said, slapping the papers against his chest as she walked out.
TBC