Sweet Revenge
Chapter 8
Disclaimers: See Chapter 1
Previously: Jed and CJ's confrontation ended with CJ's resignation. Abbey was furious over the situation and hired CJ herself.
Summary: Emma is the new WH Press Secretary! It's Thanksgiving at the White House.
The next several days were a period of adjustment. Emma took over as White House Press Secretary, giving her even more access to Jed. There were staff meetings, one-on-one meetings, and occasionally, just late-evening chats between the two. Emma was able to glean all the information she needed about the inner-workings of the Oval Office, and she learned some interesting tidbits about the President as well.
She now knew that, with Admiral Hackett's permission, Jed kept a bottle of steroids in his desk, in case he were to resume treatment for his MS. During one of her visits to the Oval, she managed to replace the real steroids with a benign proxy she received from her twin sister -- a pharmacist in New England.
Meanwhile, in the East Wing, CJ was adapting to her new role as Press Secretary for the First Lady. Despite Toby and Josh's pleas for reconsideration, CJ stood her ground. She had been deeply insulted and hurt, not only by Jed, but by Toby's suspicions as well and though she accepted Toby's apology, it was easy to see the matter was not completely resolved.
Her new role as Abbey's spokesperson wasn't as challenging as being White House Press Secretary, but then again, it wasn't as stressful either. The truth was, she never would have taken this position if Abbey hadn't begged her to. Emma had Jed wrapped so tightly around her finger that it frightened Abbey. She needed her ally close by if her suspicions of Emma were proven to be true.
Besides, Abbey knew that though Jed and CJ were going through a rough patch, her husband loved and adored CJ and he would eventually realize how valuable she was to him. She wanted CJ at the White House when that happened, instead of risking her being snatched up by some other government agency.
Back in the Residence, things were a bit tense between the First Couple, but they, too, were adjusting. They talked about Abbey's intense dislike of Emma during therapy sessions and Jed had considered firing Emma because of it, but each time, he changed his mind. He realized that Abbey's feelings weren't wrapped in anything conclusive. It was just her intuition working in overdrive. Abbey knew that too, so she didn't push the issue too often. Part of her always hoped she was wrong about Emma. After all, life with her husband would be much easier if she was. For the sake of peace between them, she agreed to let the Emma issue rest unless she had substantial proof to back up her feelings.
Now that Thanksgiving Day was finally here, Jed hoped her new outlook would mean his wife would welcome their guest with open arms. To Abbey's credit, she tried. But thanks to Emma's scheme, she failed miserably.
Elizabeth and Ellie both returned to the White House for the feast, Liz's husband Doug and kids Annie and Gus in tow. Charlie and Leo also joined the family. Emma, who had eventually accepted Jed's invitation, promised to make a splash, and that she did.
Thanks to her sister, Emma was now a master at using drugs to manipulate her victims. To her advantage, no one knew she knew all about Abbey's past drug addiction. And so far, it was only Abbey and CJ who remained suspicious of her, so who would believe that she'd drug Abbey just to cause trouble between the First Couple? It was an implausible theory, but that was part of the attraction for Emma. Anything a bit unrealistic, a bit challenging, and she was sure to find a way to do it.
She excused herself to the restroom where she took out a baggie of pills from her purse. She placed one pill on the countertop and crushed it with a razor blade. When she rejoined the party, she slipped the crushed drug into Abbey's drink and waited for it to take affect. This was not the anti-anxiety drugs Abbey's body had been used to. This would do the opposite. This was methamphetamine, or speed.
It didn't take long for the First Lady to begin to feel a bit nervous. But that feeling was soon masked by the incredible high she was experiencing. It was clear to everyone there that Abbey was not herself. At first, her behavior was somewhat comical and created a distraction that Emma used to slip the unused pills into Abbey's purse. But eventually, Jed got frustrated with his wife's loose demeanor. She wasn't the gracious hostess she usually was. Now, all her inhibitions were gone and she was loud, obnoxious, and even crude.
She flirted a bit with Leo just before Jed pulled her aside to try to find out what had gotten into her. Jed didn't think much of it when the evening began, but Emma certainly noticed, and as Jed eventually seethed in the corner, she took a mental note of the situation and approached him under the guise of concern.
"It's none of my business," she started.
"But?"
"But maybe she's just having a reaction to her medication."
"My wife's not on any medication."
"She's not? But I saw..." she cut herself off on purpose, knowing he would ask her to continue.
"You saw what?"
"Nothing. I'm sure I'm wrong."
"Emma?"
"I thought I saw her putting some pills or something in her purse. Like I said, I'm probably wrong."
Emma's goal was to make Jed doubt Abbey's sobriety, and at that moment, she knew that was exactly what she had done.
Charlie left the party early and by mid-evening, Leo walked Emma out, then left himself, wanting to get away from the obvious scene that was brewing in the Residence. Jed waited for Ellie, Liz, and her family to go to bed before pulling Abbey into the bedroom.
"What's the matter with you?" he asked her, trying to keep his voice down.
"It's Thanksgiving and I'm thankful! Is that a problem?"
"What the hell are you on, Abbey?"
"Nothing," she responded, resenting his accusatory tone.
"Really? Let's take a look."
Jed took Abbey's purse and emptied the contents on the bed in front of her. Among the other items, lay a baggie full of little white tablets. He wasn't sure what he was looking at, but for the first time, he lost faith in Abbey.
"Jed, I don't know where those came from," she insisted.
"Save it, Abbey! We had a deal. You would talk to me if you ever felt you needed drugs again."
She was speechless. The pills were pretty incriminating, not to mention the fact that she was still high and wasn't thinking very clearly.
"All these months, you were doing so well," he lectured as she took a seat on the bed. "What the hell happened?"
He continued on with his rant until she began to curl up on the bed. Then his loving, concerned side took over.
"Abbey? What's wrong?"
"I'm just so dizzy all of a sudden."
"I'll get a doctor."
"No!" she shouted, stopping him in his tracks. "A doctor can't see me now."
Jed knew what she meant. A doctor couldn't evaluate her while she was high. They couldn't take a chance that anyone else would find out. Instead, Jed ran to the bathroom and got a damp wash cloth to place on her forehead.
"Jed," Abbey called out to him as she reached out her hand. Jed took her hand in his and stroked it as he patted her face with the washcloth.
"It's okay, babe. I'm staying right here," he told her.
It wasn't exactly what Emma had planned. She believed Jed would turn his back on Abbey if she had a relapse. She didn't expect him to sit in a chair next to the bed and spend the rest of the night nursing Abbey back to health.
TBC
Chapter 8
Disclaimers: See Chapter 1
Previously: Jed and CJ's confrontation ended with CJ's resignation. Abbey was furious over the situation and hired CJ herself.
Summary: Emma is the new WH Press Secretary! It's Thanksgiving at the White House.
The next several days were a period of adjustment. Emma took over as White House Press Secretary, giving her even more access to Jed. There were staff meetings, one-on-one meetings, and occasionally, just late-evening chats between the two. Emma was able to glean all the information she needed about the inner-workings of the Oval Office, and she learned some interesting tidbits about the President as well.
She now knew that, with Admiral Hackett's permission, Jed kept a bottle of steroids in his desk, in case he were to resume treatment for his MS. During one of her visits to the Oval, she managed to replace the real steroids with a benign proxy she received from her twin sister -- a pharmacist in New England.
Meanwhile, in the East Wing, CJ was adapting to her new role as Press Secretary for the First Lady. Despite Toby and Josh's pleas for reconsideration, CJ stood her ground. She had been deeply insulted and hurt, not only by Jed, but by Toby's suspicions as well and though she accepted Toby's apology, it was easy to see the matter was not completely resolved.
Her new role as Abbey's spokesperson wasn't as challenging as being White House Press Secretary, but then again, it wasn't as stressful either. The truth was, she never would have taken this position if Abbey hadn't begged her to. Emma had Jed wrapped so tightly around her finger that it frightened Abbey. She needed her ally close by if her suspicions of Emma were proven to be true.
Besides, Abbey knew that though Jed and CJ were going through a rough patch, her husband loved and adored CJ and he would eventually realize how valuable she was to him. She wanted CJ at the White House when that happened, instead of risking her being snatched up by some other government agency.
Back in the Residence, things were a bit tense between the First Couple, but they, too, were adjusting. They talked about Abbey's intense dislike of Emma during therapy sessions and Jed had considered firing Emma because of it, but each time, he changed his mind. He realized that Abbey's feelings weren't wrapped in anything conclusive. It was just her intuition working in overdrive. Abbey knew that too, so she didn't push the issue too often. Part of her always hoped she was wrong about Emma. After all, life with her husband would be much easier if she was. For the sake of peace between them, she agreed to let the Emma issue rest unless she had substantial proof to back up her feelings.
Now that Thanksgiving Day was finally here, Jed hoped her new outlook would mean his wife would welcome their guest with open arms. To Abbey's credit, she tried. But thanks to Emma's scheme, she failed miserably.
Elizabeth and Ellie both returned to the White House for the feast, Liz's husband Doug and kids Annie and Gus in tow. Charlie and Leo also joined the family. Emma, who had eventually accepted Jed's invitation, promised to make a splash, and that she did.
Thanks to her sister, Emma was now a master at using drugs to manipulate her victims. To her advantage, no one knew she knew all about Abbey's past drug addiction. And so far, it was only Abbey and CJ who remained suspicious of her, so who would believe that she'd drug Abbey just to cause trouble between the First Couple? It was an implausible theory, but that was part of the attraction for Emma. Anything a bit unrealistic, a bit challenging, and she was sure to find a way to do it.
She excused herself to the restroom where she took out a baggie of pills from her purse. She placed one pill on the countertop and crushed it with a razor blade. When she rejoined the party, she slipped the crushed drug into Abbey's drink and waited for it to take affect. This was not the anti-anxiety drugs Abbey's body had been used to. This would do the opposite. This was methamphetamine, or speed.
It didn't take long for the First Lady to begin to feel a bit nervous. But that feeling was soon masked by the incredible high she was experiencing. It was clear to everyone there that Abbey was not herself. At first, her behavior was somewhat comical and created a distraction that Emma used to slip the unused pills into Abbey's purse. But eventually, Jed got frustrated with his wife's loose demeanor. She wasn't the gracious hostess she usually was. Now, all her inhibitions were gone and she was loud, obnoxious, and even crude.
She flirted a bit with Leo just before Jed pulled her aside to try to find out what had gotten into her. Jed didn't think much of it when the evening began, but Emma certainly noticed, and as Jed eventually seethed in the corner, she took a mental note of the situation and approached him under the guise of concern.
"It's none of my business," she started.
"But?"
"But maybe she's just having a reaction to her medication."
"My wife's not on any medication."
"She's not? But I saw..." she cut herself off on purpose, knowing he would ask her to continue.
"You saw what?"
"Nothing. I'm sure I'm wrong."
"Emma?"
"I thought I saw her putting some pills or something in her purse. Like I said, I'm probably wrong."
Emma's goal was to make Jed doubt Abbey's sobriety, and at that moment, she knew that was exactly what she had done.
Charlie left the party early and by mid-evening, Leo walked Emma out, then left himself, wanting to get away from the obvious scene that was brewing in the Residence. Jed waited for Ellie, Liz, and her family to go to bed before pulling Abbey into the bedroom.
"What's the matter with you?" he asked her, trying to keep his voice down.
"It's Thanksgiving and I'm thankful! Is that a problem?"
"What the hell are you on, Abbey?"
"Nothing," she responded, resenting his accusatory tone.
"Really? Let's take a look."
Jed took Abbey's purse and emptied the contents on the bed in front of her. Among the other items, lay a baggie full of little white tablets. He wasn't sure what he was looking at, but for the first time, he lost faith in Abbey.
"Jed, I don't know where those came from," she insisted.
"Save it, Abbey! We had a deal. You would talk to me if you ever felt you needed drugs again."
She was speechless. The pills were pretty incriminating, not to mention the fact that she was still high and wasn't thinking very clearly.
"All these months, you were doing so well," he lectured as she took a seat on the bed. "What the hell happened?"
He continued on with his rant until she began to curl up on the bed. Then his loving, concerned side took over.
"Abbey? What's wrong?"
"I'm just so dizzy all of a sudden."
"I'll get a doctor."
"No!" she shouted, stopping him in his tracks. "A doctor can't see me now."
Jed knew what she meant. A doctor couldn't evaluate her while she was high. They couldn't take a chance that anyone else would find out. Instead, Jed ran to the bathroom and got a damp wash cloth to place on her forehead.
"Jed," Abbey called out to him as she reached out her hand. Jed took her hand in his and stroked it as he patted her face with the washcloth.
"It's okay, babe. I'm staying right here," he told her.
It wasn't exactly what Emma had planned. She believed Jed would turn his back on Abbey if she had a relapse. She didn't expect him to sit in a chair next to the bed and spend the rest of the night nursing Abbey back to health.
TBC