Sweet Revenge
Chapter 5
Disclaimers: See Chapter 1
Previously: Talking to CJ, Emma revealed that her fiance died during a botched operation in Boston, thanks to a surgeon who was on drugs, but she didn't tell her that surgeon was Abbey. After visiting Zoey's grave, Jed found a bottle of Abbey's pills in their bedroom. Emma leaked a secret file Toby had given to CJ about Social Security.
Summary: Jed wants to know why Abbey hasn't gotten rid of her pills. CJ is on the receiving end of Jed's temper.
"Abbey?" Jed called out to her.
Abbey turned around to face him, quickly realizing that she had some explaining to do.
"What the hell is this?" Jed asked her.
Abbey grabbed the bottle out of his hand and ignored his question.
"Abbey, answer me!" Abbey still didn't look back at him as she ignored him once again, sparking anger in him. "Abbey, damn it, stop it! Is it Valium?" He grabbed her arms and turned her towards him. "Talk to me!"
"I'm not taking them, okay?" she replied, matching his tone and shrugging his hands away.
"No, it's not okay. Do you remember the last time we went down this road? What the hell are you doing?"
"I just need to have them with me."
"As long as you have them with you, they're a crutch."
"So what? What's wrong with having a crutch if you need one?"
"I can't believe we're having this conversation."
"Jed, I didn't take them. Okay, yes, I was tempted. Today was as hard for me as it was for you. I took them out this morning and stared at the bottle, but I didn't do it."
"Then throw them away," he suggested. When Abbey walked away from him again, his temper hit the boiling point. "Don't turn your back on me. We're not finished with this!"
"Yes, we are. I'm not going to talk to you about this until you calm down and stop yelling."
"No, we're going to talk about it right now!" he shouted. When he got no response, he continued, "so that's how it's going to be? You decide when we talk about things? You don't want to talk about it now, Abbey, because you want to think of a way to shut me out! You're shutting down again!" After a long pause as he waited for her response, he finally concluded, "fine."
Jed got into bed, pulling the covers over himself and turning his back to Abbey.
Abbey sat on the edge of the bed and and stared at the back of her husband's head. They had been so careful not to fight like this since they began therapy. Even when they disagreed, they would sit down and talk. She promised him she would never close herself off again, and yet, that's exactly what she was doing. She reached out her hand and touched his shoulder. He squirmed away, making it clear he didn't want to feel her touch. His response brought a tear to Abbey's eye. Stung by his coldness, she layed down and turned away from him as well.
After several minutes, Jed felt bad about his reaction to her. He couldn't take the silence anymore.
"You said if we ever had a problem, we would talk, that you'd never shut me out again," he said, much calmer, but still not turning to face her.
"I'm not shutting you out. I just don't know how to talk to you about this." she replied. "I can't explain why I want the pills the around. They make me feel safe. I'm doing the best I can. Just give me some time."
Her voice broke with the last two sentences. She was hurting and Jed knew it. He rolled over to find his wife with her back to him, staring at the nightstand beside their bed. He stroked her back a few times, urging her to turn towards him. When she did, he put one arm under her neck and pulled her in close.
"I'm sorry I yelled," he said after gently kissing her forehead.
Abbey gave him a kiss on the cheek. "I should have told you I still had them."
"I want you to make me a promise. If you ever think you need them, I want you to call me first. No matter where I am or what I'm doing, you interrupt me. You don't take a pill until we talk."
"I promise," she replied, resting her head under his chin.
"I love you," he assured her.
"I love you too."
The next morning, it was time to face the music. All hell was about to break loose and anyone who saw the front page of the paper knew that. Jed was still reeling from his confrontation with Abbey the night before. Though they had made up, things were far from settled and for Jed, it was difficult not to bring those feelings into work. Unfortunately, it would be CJ who would suffer his wrath. As the senior staff gathered in Leo's office, anger and outrage ensued.
"We have a chain of command for a reason, Toby!" Leo shouted. "You had no right to go to the President with this before clearing it with me!"
Jed knocked on Leo's door, letting himself in after hearing the shouting.
"I told Toby not to go to you, or anyone else for that matter," Jed addressed Leo, trying to take some of the heat off Toby.
"Social Security is not something you mess with behind the scenes like this," Leo continued.
"We had a deal with Senator Jamison and no one was supposed to know until we sealed it," Toby explained.
"Then what the hell happened?"
Toby's eyes shifted to CJ. "I wish I knew."
"Toby came to me," CJ began. "He told me it was private, he just wanted to brief me in case the press should start snooping around."
"And you leaked it to the Post?" Leo asked.
"No, of course not. I read it and left it in my desk last night. I don't know how the Post got it."
"Where was it this morning?" Josh asked.
"It was exactly where I had left it," CJ replied.
"So who leaked it, CJ?" the President wanted to know.
"I don't know, Sir."
"You don't know? You're the Press Secretary! If you don't know, who the hell is going to?" Jed shouted.
Leo stepped in, trying to calm the waters. "Sir, maybe you should go back to your office and let me handle this."
"Forget it, Leo. CJ, did anyone have access to your desk while you were in the office yesterday?"
"No, Sir."
"And were you the last person to leave the press office last night?"
"Yes, Sir, I was."
"Well, you don't need a PhD. in Economics to add one plus one and get two."
"Hang on," Josh interrupted. "CJ said she didn't leak it and I believe her."
"Then that makes one person," Jed replied bitterly.
"Mr. President..." Leo started before being interrupted by CJ.
"I don't like what I've been accused of."
"Look, CJ, I don't give a damn how you do it. You find out how the Post got the story. I don't want to see you or talk to you until you do."
Jed left Leo's office, slamming the door on the way into the Oval. CJ glanced at Toby, angry with him for the suspicions written all over his face. She excused herself and headed back to her office.
TBC
Chapter 5
Disclaimers: See Chapter 1
Previously: Talking to CJ, Emma revealed that her fiance died during a botched operation in Boston, thanks to a surgeon who was on drugs, but she didn't tell her that surgeon was Abbey. After visiting Zoey's grave, Jed found a bottle of Abbey's pills in their bedroom. Emma leaked a secret file Toby had given to CJ about Social Security.
Summary: Jed wants to know why Abbey hasn't gotten rid of her pills. CJ is on the receiving end of Jed's temper.
"Abbey?" Jed called out to her.
Abbey turned around to face him, quickly realizing that she had some explaining to do.
"What the hell is this?" Jed asked her.
Abbey grabbed the bottle out of his hand and ignored his question.
"Abbey, answer me!" Abbey still didn't look back at him as she ignored him once again, sparking anger in him. "Abbey, damn it, stop it! Is it Valium?" He grabbed her arms and turned her towards him. "Talk to me!"
"I'm not taking them, okay?" she replied, matching his tone and shrugging his hands away.
"No, it's not okay. Do you remember the last time we went down this road? What the hell are you doing?"
"I just need to have them with me."
"As long as you have them with you, they're a crutch."
"So what? What's wrong with having a crutch if you need one?"
"I can't believe we're having this conversation."
"Jed, I didn't take them. Okay, yes, I was tempted. Today was as hard for me as it was for you. I took them out this morning and stared at the bottle, but I didn't do it."
"Then throw them away," he suggested. When Abbey walked away from him again, his temper hit the boiling point. "Don't turn your back on me. We're not finished with this!"
"Yes, we are. I'm not going to talk to you about this until you calm down and stop yelling."
"No, we're going to talk about it right now!" he shouted. When he got no response, he continued, "so that's how it's going to be? You decide when we talk about things? You don't want to talk about it now, Abbey, because you want to think of a way to shut me out! You're shutting down again!" After a long pause as he waited for her response, he finally concluded, "fine."
Jed got into bed, pulling the covers over himself and turning his back to Abbey.
Abbey sat on the edge of the bed and and stared at the back of her husband's head. They had been so careful not to fight like this since they began therapy. Even when they disagreed, they would sit down and talk. She promised him she would never close herself off again, and yet, that's exactly what she was doing. She reached out her hand and touched his shoulder. He squirmed away, making it clear he didn't want to feel her touch. His response brought a tear to Abbey's eye. Stung by his coldness, she layed down and turned away from him as well.
After several minutes, Jed felt bad about his reaction to her. He couldn't take the silence anymore.
"You said if we ever had a problem, we would talk, that you'd never shut me out again," he said, much calmer, but still not turning to face her.
"I'm not shutting you out. I just don't know how to talk to you about this." she replied. "I can't explain why I want the pills the around. They make me feel safe. I'm doing the best I can. Just give me some time."
Her voice broke with the last two sentences. She was hurting and Jed knew it. He rolled over to find his wife with her back to him, staring at the nightstand beside their bed. He stroked her back a few times, urging her to turn towards him. When she did, he put one arm under her neck and pulled her in close.
"I'm sorry I yelled," he said after gently kissing her forehead.
Abbey gave him a kiss on the cheek. "I should have told you I still had them."
"I want you to make me a promise. If you ever think you need them, I want you to call me first. No matter where I am or what I'm doing, you interrupt me. You don't take a pill until we talk."
"I promise," she replied, resting her head under his chin.
"I love you," he assured her.
"I love you too."
The next morning, it was time to face the music. All hell was about to break loose and anyone who saw the front page of the paper knew that. Jed was still reeling from his confrontation with Abbey the night before. Though they had made up, things were far from settled and for Jed, it was difficult not to bring those feelings into work. Unfortunately, it would be CJ who would suffer his wrath. As the senior staff gathered in Leo's office, anger and outrage ensued.
"We have a chain of command for a reason, Toby!" Leo shouted. "You had no right to go to the President with this before clearing it with me!"
Jed knocked on Leo's door, letting himself in after hearing the shouting.
"I told Toby not to go to you, or anyone else for that matter," Jed addressed Leo, trying to take some of the heat off Toby.
"Social Security is not something you mess with behind the scenes like this," Leo continued.
"We had a deal with Senator Jamison and no one was supposed to know until we sealed it," Toby explained.
"Then what the hell happened?"
Toby's eyes shifted to CJ. "I wish I knew."
"Toby came to me," CJ began. "He told me it was private, he just wanted to brief me in case the press should start snooping around."
"And you leaked it to the Post?" Leo asked.
"No, of course not. I read it and left it in my desk last night. I don't know how the Post got it."
"Where was it this morning?" Josh asked.
"It was exactly where I had left it," CJ replied.
"So who leaked it, CJ?" the President wanted to know.
"I don't know, Sir."
"You don't know? You're the Press Secretary! If you don't know, who the hell is going to?" Jed shouted.
Leo stepped in, trying to calm the waters. "Sir, maybe you should go back to your office and let me handle this."
"Forget it, Leo. CJ, did anyone have access to your desk while you were in the office yesterday?"
"No, Sir."
"And were you the last person to leave the press office last night?"
"Yes, Sir, I was."
"Well, you don't need a PhD. in Economics to add one plus one and get two."
"Hang on," Josh interrupted. "CJ said she didn't leak it and I believe her."
"Then that makes one person," Jed replied bitterly.
"Mr. President..." Leo started before being interrupted by CJ.
"I don't like what I've been accused of."
"Look, CJ, I don't give a damn how you do it. You find out how the Post got the story. I don't want to see you or talk to you until you do."
Jed left Leo's office, slamming the door on the way into the Oval. CJ glanced at Toby, angry with him for the suspicions written all over his face. She excused herself and headed back to her office.
TBC