The Heart Brings You Back
Chapter 2
Summary: Jed remembers the day that Zoey was killed
As Abbey's car pulled up to the White House, the President was informed of his estranged wife's arrival. A wave of excitement and anger came over him. He couldn't imagine why Abbey was back. She swore she wouldn't be back, not to the White House and certainly not to him, at least, as long as he was President. Was she sick or hurt, he wondered. He knew Liz and Ellie were okay, as he talked to them on the phone every day. But something had to be wrong with Abbey for her to be back to this place she dreaded.
Jed greeted her as she came into the Oval Office. His first instinct was to give her a kiss on the cheek, just like he had always done when she returned from a trip. But this was different. Abbey wasn't back from a trip. She had been gone for a year. Jed approached her, then held back, stepping a few steps to the side.
"Abbey," was all he could get out.
"Hi, Jed."
"Are you okay?"
"I'm fine. I just wanted to pop in."
"You don't just pop in from New Hampshire, Abbey. What's the matter?"
"Nothing."
"Are you in trouble? Do you need something?" he asked rather coldly.
Okay, he's angry, she thought. Perhaps he had reason to be. She broke his heart when she walked out on him, even though she felt it was his own fault.
"No. I just wanted to see you."
"The last time you saw me, you pretty much said it would be the last time you saw me."
"And I was wrong."
"Look, Abbey, I have senior staff in 10 minutes. So, if you came here for a reason..." he started as he walked towards the door.
"When are you going to tell them?" she asked.
"Tell who?"
"Your staff? When are you going to tell them that you're sick?"
"I have no idea what you're talking about."
"You're sick, Jed! You're sick and you need a doctor. From what CJ tells me, you've been avoiding Admiral Hackett, insisting that you're fine."
"CJ has a big mouth."
"She's concerned. And so am I. Your eyes are red and glossy, your speech is slurred. You look like hell, Jed."
"Get out of my office, Abbey," he answered calmly, but with angry undertones.
Abbey walked closer to her husband, putting her hand on his arm, "let me take a look at you."
He pulled away sharply and looked her in the eye, "I said please leave."
Abbey knew he was serious. Now wasn't the time to have this discussion. She turned and walked out of the office, closing the door behind her and sparking a memory in Jed.
Flashback
The night that Abbey found out about Shareef's assassination, she completely shut him out. He tried to get her to listen, but his pleas were only met with bitter words and cold stares. They attended a vigil for Zoey and she wouldn't even take his hand. His daughter Ellie was the only one who stood beside him that night. The next several days were filled with silence. Abbey wouldn't even look at him anymore. She moved out of the bedroom, opting instead to sleep in one of the other rooms in the residence. And then, it happened. The call they had been waiting for. Leo rushed to the residence to tell them that Zoey had been found. She had somehow alluded her abductors and made a call from her cell phone. Abbey, Jed, Ellie, and Elizabeth boarded Marine One and headed to where she was. When the helicopter landed in some vacant field in North Carolina, now surrounded by police lights and sirens, the family began running. Abbey had taken Jed's hand for the first time in days and the two sprinted towards their daughter.
Only, they couldn't find her. When Jed saw Ron Butterfield, he felt a sense of relief.
"Where is she?" he asked her.
"Mr. President, calm down."
"Ron, where is Zoey?"
"Where's my daughter?" Abbey asked.
"She's in there," Ron replied, pointing to the farmhouse in the distance. "We didn't have as much control over the situation as we thought. She is alive, but they've taken her hostage."
"Who are they?" the President asked.
"Qumari nationals."
Abbey let go of Jed's hand and pulled her hands up to her face. She had been hoping this wasn't retalliation. She had been hoping they were just dumb kids, playing a joke that went too far, that they never really intended to kidnap Zoey and that they'd return her safely.
"What do they want?" Jed asked.
"We don't know, Sir."
"Tell them to let her go. They can take me."
"Or me," Abbey added. She was frozen. She didn't know what else to say. She would give up herself in a second to save Zoey.
"Sir, we're doing everything we can right now to talk to them, maybe get them to surrender or to let her go, but now isn't the time..."
Ron was cut off by the sound of a large blast. It was the farmhouse, now on fire. The explosion rocked the area, shooting flames up in the air, and wreaking havoc among all the law enforcement outside.
It was like a slow motion movie. All Jed remembered is hearing a piercing sound, a sound he'll never forget. It was the sound of his wife's scream.
"Zoooooooeeeeeeeyyyyyyyyy!"
Jed was brought out of his thoughts by Charlie leading Leo and the senior staff walking into the Oval Office.
"Look, something's come up. I can't do this right now."
"What is it, sir?" Leo asked.
"It's personal." He began to walk out before stopping and turning back to his staff. "CJ, I told you once before, don't play marriage counselor. It pisses me off. Do it again and I'll ask for your resignation."
"Yes sir" CJ responded. She knew Abbey must have told them about their conversation. Jed's attitude was nothing new though. Ever since Zoey's death, the President wasn't the man he once was. They all understood, but that didn't mean they liked working for a man who yelled at them, berated them, and acted like a jackass just because he could.
Jed walked out of the Oval Office. His staff followed Leo to his office to continue their meeting.
Meanwhile, Abbey was back in the Residence, knowing Jed would soon check in on her. He may be angry, but he was also curious about what brought her back and she knew that. Sure enough, it didn't take long. He walked in, letting the door slam shut behind him.
"Abbey, I may have been a little harsh back there. I just want to know why you're here."
"Now isn't the time to get into our thing. I came back because I really am concerned about you, Jed."
"There's no reason to be. I've been feeling a little run-down. That's all."
"When I touched your arm before, you seemed a little warm. Do you have a fever?"
"No," he said, lying to her.
"Please let me...let me just check you out."
"No. I don't want to do this with you. I am glad that you're here, for whatever reason and I hope that maybe we can talk, but not about that."
"Jed, I'm still your wife."
Jed's expression changed. Once again, Abbey saw fury in his eyes. "You're my wife? Is that what you still are?"
"We're still married."
"In name only, Abigail."
"I still care about you."
"You left me! You're the one who walked out that door!"
"Yes, and you know why! You brought it on yourself, Jed! You and your lies, your secrets!" she shouted.
Jed turned to his wife and took a step towards her, then collapsed on the floor in front of her. Abbey tried to grab him as he fell, but she couldn't hold him up. Instead, she fell to the ground with him.
TBC
Chapter 2
Summary: Jed remembers the day that Zoey was killed
As Abbey's car pulled up to the White House, the President was informed of his estranged wife's arrival. A wave of excitement and anger came over him. He couldn't imagine why Abbey was back. She swore she wouldn't be back, not to the White House and certainly not to him, at least, as long as he was President. Was she sick or hurt, he wondered. He knew Liz and Ellie were okay, as he talked to them on the phone every day. But something had to be wrong with Abbey for her to be back to this place she dreaded.
Jed greeted her as she came into the Oval Office. His first instinct was to give her a kiss on the cheek, just like he had always done when she returned from a trip. But this was different. Abbey wasn't back from a trip. She had been gone for a year. Jed approached her, then held back, stepping a few steps to the side.
"Abbey," was all he could get out.
"Hi, Jed."
"Are you okay?"
"I'm fine. I just wanted to pop in."
"You don't just pop in from New Hampshire, Abbey. What's the matter?"
"Nothing."
"Are you in trouble? Do you need something?" he asked rather coldly.
Okay, he's angry, she thought. Perhaps he had reason to be. She broke his heart when she walked out on him, even though she felt it was his own fault.
"No. I just wanted to see you."
"The last time you saw me, you pretty much said it would be the last time you saw me."
"And I was wrong."
"Look, Abbey, I have senior staff in 10 minutes. So, if you came here for a reason..." he started as he walked towards the door.
"When are you going to tell them?" she asked.
"Tell who?"
"Your staff? When are you going to tell them that you're sick?"
"I have no idea what you're talking about."
"You're sick, Jed! You're sick and you need a doctor. From what CJ tells me, you've been avoiding Admiral Hackett, insisting that you're fine."
"CJ has a big mouth."
"She's concerned. And so am I. Your eyes are red and glossy, your speech is slurred. You look like hell, Jed."
"Get out of my office, Abbey," he answered calmly, but with angry undertones.
Abbey walked closer to her husband, putting her hand on his arm, "let me take a look at you."
He pulled away sharply and looked her in the eye, "I said please leave."
Abbey knew he was serious. Now wasn't the time to have this discussion. She turned and walked out of the office, closing the door behind her and sparking a memory in Jed.
Flashback
The night that Abbey found out about Shareef's assassination, she completely shut him out. He tried to get her to listen, but his pleas were only met with bitter words and cold stares. They attended a vigil for Zoey and she wouldn't even take his hand. His daughter Ellie was the only one who stood beside him that night. The next several days were filled with silence. Abbey wouldn't even look at him anymore. She moved out of the bedroom, opting instead to sleep in one of the other rooms in the residence. And then, it happened. The call they had been waiting for. Leo rushed to the residence to tell them that Zoey had been found. She had somehow alluded her abductors and made a call from her cell phone. Abbey, Jed, Ellie, and Elizabeth boarded Marine One and headed to where she was. When the helicopter landed in some vacant field in North Carolina, now surrounded by police lights and sirens, the family began running. Abbey had taken Jed's hand for the first time in days and the two sprinted towards their daughter.
Only, they couldn't find her. When Jed saw Ron Butterfield, he felt a sense of relief.
"Where is she?" he asked her.
"Mr. President, calm down."
"Ron, where is Zoey?"
"Where's my daughter?" Abbey asked.
"She's in there," Ron replied, pointing to the farmhouse in the distance. "We didn't have as much control over the situation as we thought. She is alive, but they've taken her hostage."
"Who are they?" the President asked.
"Qumari nationals."
Abbey let go of Jed's hand and pulled her hands up to her face. She had been hoping this wasn't retalliation. She had been hoping they were just dumb kids, playing a joke that went too far, that they never really intended to kidnap Zoey and that they'd return her safely.
"What do they want?" Jed asked.
"We don't know, Sir."
"Tell them to let her go. They can take me."
"Or me," Abbey added. She was frozen. She didn't know what else to say. She would give up herself in a second to save Zoey.
"Sir, we're doing everything we can right now to talk to them, maybe get them to surrender or to let her go, but now isn't the time..."
Ron was cut off by the sound of a large blast. It was the farmhouse, now on fire. The explosion rocked the area, shooting flames up in the air, and wreaking havoc among all the law enforcement outside.
It was like a slow motion movie. All Jed remembered is hearing a piercing sound, a sound he'll never forget. It was the sound of his wife's scream.
"Zoooooooeeeeeeeyyyyyyyyy!"
Jed was brought out of his thoughts by Charlie leading Leo and the senior staff walking into the Oval Office.
"Look, something's come up. I can't do this right now."
"What is it, sir?" Leo asked.
"It's personal." He began to walk out before stopping and turning back to his staff. "CJ, I told you once before, don't play marriage counselor. It pisses me off. Do it again and I'll ask for your resignation."
"Yes sir" CJ responded. She knew Abbey must have told them about their conversation. Jed's attitude was nothing new though. Ever since Zoey's death, the President wasn't the man he once was. They all understood, but that didn't mean they liked working for a man who yelled at them, berated them, and acted like a jackass just because he could.
Jed walked out of the Oval Office. His staff followed Leo to his office to continue their meeting.
Meanwhile, Abbey was back in the Residence, knowing Jed would soon check in on her. He may be angry, but he was also curious about what brought her back and she knew that. Sure enough, it didn't take long. He walked in, letting the door slam shut behind him.
"Abbey, I may have been a little harsh back there. I just want to know why you're here."
"Now isn't the time to get into our thing. I came back because I really am concerned about you, Jed."
"There's no reason to be. I've been feeling a little run-down. That's all."
"When I touched your arm before, you seemed a little warm. Do you have a fever?"
"No," he said, lying to her.
"Please let me...let me just check you out."
"No. I don't want to do this with you. I am glad that you're here, for whatever reason and I hope that maybe we can talk, but not about that."
"Jed, I'm still your wife."
Jed's expression changed. Once again, Abbey saw fury in his eyes. "You're my wife? Is that what you still are?"
"We're still married."
"In name only, Abigail."
"I still care about you."
"You left me! You're the one who walked out that door!"
"Yes, and you know why! You brought it on yourself, Jed! You and your lies, your secrets!" she shouted.
Jed turned to his wife and took a step towards her, then collapsed on the floor in front of her. Abbey tried to grab him as he fell, but she couldn't hold him up. Instead, she fell to the ground with him.
TBC