The Heart Brings You Back
Dislcaimers: See Chapter 1
Chapter 6
Summary: Leo tries to tell Jed he's concerned about Abbey
After Zoey's funeral, Leo had never talked to Jed about seeing Abbey taking those pills. He figured it was a short-term crutch and it really was none of his business. He did try to get Jed to notice on his own, but when that failed, he decided to give Abbey time and space to deal with it herself. But now, a year later, Abbey hadn't stopped. He wondered if she was addicted, or at the very least, headed towards addiction. She wouldn't listen to him. But maybe she would listen to her husband. After all, she came back to Washington to help Jed. Maybe she'd allow Jed to help her.
Leo was introduced by Charlie as he entered the bedroom. He was shocked to see Jed up and getting dressed.
"What are you doing?" he asked.
"What does it look like? I have that conference call with James Baraki this afternoon."
"No, Mr. President, you don't. I cancelled it."
"Why?"
"Abbey told me to."
"Damn it, Leo, she doesn't make those kinds of decisions!" Jed shouted. "Why the hell didn't you come to me?"
"She told me to clear your schedule for a few days and at the time, you really were pretty sick. I thought she was right."
"Abbey is not my doctor, she's not my anything right now. You take your orders from me...no one else."
"Yes, sir," Leo said with a hint of anger.
Jed saw the look on Leo's face. He knew he shouldn't have reacted the way he did. Leo was just following Abbey's suggestion, something he had done for years. If the President was unavailable to make personal decisions, it was understood by Leo that Abbey would make them for him. But things were different now. Jed was different. Ever since Abbey walked out the door, something inside him changed. He, too, was bitter and cold.
"I'm sorry, Leo," he said.
"Are you really feeling better?"
"Of course. I do want to sit down for a minute. My legs just kind of hurt," Jed replied as he sat down on the edge of the bed.
"Do you want me to get Admiral Hackett?"
"No."
"Abbey?"
"No! No Abbey. I'm fine."
"Sir," Leo started. "I..."
He was interrupted by Abbey coming into the room.
"What's going on?" she asked.
"Nothing," Jed answered.
"Don't give me that, Jed. You're wearing a dress shirt. Are you going somewhere?"
"I have some work I need to get done."
"The hell you do," Abbey responded. She walked over to the bed, gently pulling the covers on him. "Just rest."
In a situation like this, Jed would usually protest, but not this time. This time, he really wasn't feeling great and though he didn't tell Abbey or Leo that, he knew staying in bed was a wise move.
"I'll be going, Mr. President," Leo said.
"Wait. There was something you wanted to tell me."
Abbey turned around to face Leo. He met her glance before continuing.
"It can wait, Sir. It was nothing."
"Okay. Thanks, Leo."
Leo and Abbey exchanged another glance just before he left. When the door closed behind him, Leo was hit with another memory.
Flashback
Leo stood in his office, reading the newspaper article CJ had just handed him. He slammed the paper down on his desk and looked at the Press Secretary.
"Who the hell leaked it?"
"I don't know."
"Find out."
"Leo, it's been a week since the funeral. The First Lady hasn't left her bedroom. People are noticing."
"It's none of their business!"
"I know that, but this is a big place and people talk to each other. It would be easy for any reporter to overhear a conversation, to get curious, and ask questions."
"CJ, right now, your job isn't to speculate how they found out. It's to find out who leaked it."
CJ nodded as she left the room. Leo went into the Oval Office, knowing he had to be the one to tell Jed what's going on.
"What is it, Leo?" Jed asked.
"Sir, there's a situation brewing. CJ's trying to get to the bottom of it now."
"What is it?"
"It's about Abbey," a hesitant Leo continued. "It seems someone leaked it to the press that she hasn't come out of the bedroom since the funeral."
"So what?"
"They're saying she's been drugged and depressed."
"Oh for Heaven's sake."
"Sir, maybe you could talk to her. All she has to do is make a short appearance just around the garden, or in her office. Anything to get the press to back off."
"Grief is a private thing, Leo. I will not tell my wife she has to act a certain way to appease the press corps. We lost our daughter. Do you know what that's like?"
"No, Sir, I can only imagine."
"No, you can't, not unless you've been through it. I'm not supposed to be here. I wasn't going to come in today. The only reason I'm here is because I can't stand the thought of staying in the Residence and replaying that scene in my mind over and over again, like I have since the day... I'm not going to tell Abbey she has to get over it. She'll take her time and she'll work through it in her own way."
"And you?"
"I'm getting back to work. That's the only way I know how not to fall apart right now. You can tell the press that my wife will be just fine, in her own time."
Jed was right. Abbey had every right to grieve in her own time and Leo knew that. But he was hoping that Jed would somehow see through Abbey and realize she was in trouble. The press called it. She was depressed, she was taking drugs, and in Leo's mind, she needed help before it became a problem. But he knew now wasn't the time to tell Jed. He decided to give Abbey a chance to tell him herself, in hopes that it would help them heal together.
"Yes, Sir," was all Leo could say.
He turned to leave when Jed's voice stopped him.
"Besides, she won't talk to me."
"What?" Leo replied.
"Abbey. She's shut me out. She won't talk to me, she won't let me hold her, comfort her, nothing. She blames me."
"I know she blamed you before..." he trailed off, not wanting to mention Zoey's death, "...but I saw her that night outside the farmhouse. I saw her face when she thought you had run into the burning building. She was genuinely scared she lost you. She was scared you wouldn't make it out alive."
"I wish I hadn't," Jed said, sparking anger in Leo.
"Don't go there, Jed!"
"I'm not suicidal, Leo. I'm just saying if only one of us could make it, I would give anything for it to have been Zoey."
Leo looked at his friend with sadness as tears filled Jed's eyes.
Leo shook his head at the painful memory and headed towards the West Wing.
Back in Jed and Abbey's bedroom, Abbey was thinking back to her prior conversation with Leo when Jed interrupted.
"Abbey?"
"I'm sorry, what?"
"You're a million miles away. What's going on?"
"Nothing. I'm just thinking about you. How are you, really?"
"I'm fine, really. I would like an answer to my question though."
"Not now, Jed, please."
"Abbey? Are you okay?" he asked, sensing something was wrong.
"Yeah. I was going to tell you that I can sleep in here tonight, if you want me to...just to make sure you're okay."
Jed welcomed the offer with a warm smile.
TBC
Dislcaimers: See Chapter 1
Chapter 6
Summary: Leo tries to tell Jed he's concerned about Abbey
After Zoey's funeral, Leo had never talked to Jed about seeing Abbey taking those pills. He figured it was a short-term crutch and it really was none of his business. He did try to get Jed to notice on his own, but when that failed, he decided to give Abbey time and space to deal with it herself. But now, a year later, Abbey hadn't stopped. He wondered if she was addicted, or at the very least, headed towards addiction. She wouldn't listen to him. But maybe she would listen to her husband. After all, she came back to Washington to help Jed. Maybe she'd allow Jed to help her.
Leo was introduced by Charlie as he entered the bedroom. He was shocked to see Jed up and getting dressed.
"What are you doing?" he asked.
"What does it look like? I have that conference call with James Baraki this afternoon."
"No, Mr. President, you don't. I cancelled it."
"Why?"
"Abbey told me to."
"Damn it, Leo, she doesn't make those kinds of decisions!" Jed shouted. "Why the hell didn't you come to me?"
"She told me to clear your schedule for a few days and at the time, you really were pretty sick. I thought she was right."
"Abbey is not my doctor, she's not my anything right now. You take your orders from me...no one else."
"Yes, sir," Leo said with a hint of anger.
Jed saw the look on Leo's face. He knew he shouldn't have reacted the way he did. Leo was just following Abbey's suggestion, something he had done for years. If the President was unavailable to make personal decisions, it was understood by Leo that Abbey would make them for him. But things were different now. Jed was different. Ever since Abbey walked out the door, something inside him changed. He, too, was bitter and cold.
"I'm sorry, Leo," he said.
"Are you really feeling better?"
"Of course. I do want to sit down for a minute. My legs just kind of hurt," Jed replied as he sat down on the edge of the bed.
"Do you want me to get Admiral Hackett?"
"No."
"Abbey?"
"No! No Abbey. I'm fine."
"Sir," Leo started. "I..."
He was interrupted by Abbey coming into the room.
"What's going on?" she asked.
"Nothing," Jed answered.
"Don't give me that, Jed. You're wearing a dress shirt. Are you going somewhere?"
"I have some work I need to get done."
"The hell you do," Abbey responded. She walked over to the bed, gently pulling the covers on him. "Just rest."
In a situation like this, Jed would usually protest, but not this time. This time, he really wasn't feeling great and though he didn't tell Abbey or Leo that, he knew staying in bed was a wise move.
"I'll be going, Mr. President," Leo said.
"Wait. There was something you wanted to tell me."
Abbey turned around to face Leo. He met her glance before continuing.
"It can wait, Sir. It was nothing."
"Okay. Thanks, Leo."
Leo and Abbey exchanged another glance just before he left. When the door closed behind him, Leo was hit with another memory.
Flashback
Leo stood in his office, reading the newspaper article CJ had just handed him. He slammed the paper down on his desk and looked at the Press Secretary.
"Who the hell leaked it?"
"I don't know."
"Find out."
"Leo, it's been a week since the funeral. The First Lady hasn't left her bedroom. People are noticing."
"It's none of their business!"
"I know that, but this is a big place and people talk to each other. It would be easy for any reporter to overhear a conversation, to get curious, and ask questions."
"CJ, right now, your job isn't to speculate how they found out. It's to find out who leaked it."
CJ nodded as she left the room. Leo went into the Oval Office, knowing he had to be the one to tell Jed what's going on.
"What is it, Leo?" Jed asked.
"Sir, there's a situation brewing. CJ's trying to get to the bottom of it now."
"What is it?"
"It's about Abbey," a hesitant Leo continued. "It seems someone leaked it to the press that she hasn't come out of the bedroom since the funeral."
"So what?"
"They're saying she's been drugged and depressed."
"Oh for Heaven's sake."
"Sir, maybe you could talk to her. All she has to do is make a short appearance just around the garden, or in her office. Anything to get the press to back off."
"Grief is a private thing, Leo. I will not tell my wife she has to act a certain way to appease the press corps. We lost our daughter. Do you know what that's like?"
"No, Sir, I can only imagine."
"No, you can't, not unless you've been through it. I'm not supposed to be here. I wasn't going to come in today. The only reason I'm here is because I can't stand the thought of staying in the Residence and replaying that scene in my mind over and over again, like I have since the day... I'm not going to tell Abbey she has to get over it. She'll take her time and she'll work through it in her own way."
"And you?"
"I'm getting back to work. That's the only way I know how not to fall apart right now. You can tell the press that my wife will be just fine, in her own time."
Jed was right. Abbey had every right to grieve in her own time and Leo knew that. But he was hoping that Jed would somehow see through Abbey and realize she was in trouble. The press called it. She was depressed, she was taking drugs, and in Leo's mind, she needed help before it became a problem. But he knew now wasn't the time to tell Jed. He decided to give Abbey a chance to tell him herself, in hopes that it would help them heal together.
"Yes, Sir," was all Leo could say.
He turned to leave when Jed's voice stopped him.
"Besides, she won't talk to me."
"What?" Leo replied.
"Abbey. She's shut me out. She won't talk to me, she won't let me hold her, comfort her, nothing. She blames me."
"I know she blamed you before..." he trailed off, not wanting to mention Zoey's death, "...but I saw her that night outside the farmhouse. I saw her face when she thought you had run into the burning building. She was genuinely scared she lost you. She was scared you wouldn't make it out alive."
"I wish I hadn't," Jed said, sparking anger in Leo.
"Don't go there, Jed!"
"I'm not suicidal, Leo. I'm just saying if only one of us could make it, I would give anything for it to have been Zoey."
Leo looked at his friend with sadness as tears filled Jed's eyes.
Leo shook his head at the painful memory and headed towards the West Wing.
Back in Jed and Abbey's bedroom, Abbey was thinking back to her prior conversation with Leo when Jed interrupted.
"Abbey?"
"I'm sorry, what?"
"You're a million miles away. What's going on?"
"Nothing. I'm just thinking about you. How are you, really?"
"I'm fine, really. I would like an answer to my question though."
"Not now, Jed, please."
"Abbey? Are you okay?" he asked, sensing something was wrong.
"Yeah. I was going to tell you that I can sleep in here tonight, if you want me to...just to make sure you're okay."
Jed welcomed the offer with a warm smile.
TBC