Sweet Revenge
Chapter 18
Previously: CJ accepted Jed's offer to come back to work for him as WH Press Secretary. CJ told Jed and Abbey that she saw Emma on Christmas Eve and that Emma was reliving the events of the Christmas the year before when she lost her fiance. A nightmare shook up Annie and caused anxiety for Abbey, who realized that Annie may have seen something the night of the murder.
Summary: Abbey stops Jed from taking his medication, as the First Couple enjoys a New Year's Eve party, Annie is living in seclusion. Annie thinks she sees Emma.
Jed tossed and turned in bed, gripping his sheets so tightly, it brought Abbey out of a deep sleep. She rolled over to her side and sat up slightly, putting her arm over her husband to slowly wake him up. His breathing became more erratic and he began whimpering, obviously trying to get away from whatever was scaring him.
"Jed. Jed, honey, wake up." She wrapped her arms around him, gently stroking him with every word. "Honey, it's okay. Wake up."
His eyes suddenly popped open and he jerked away from her. "I'm coming, Sweetheart! I'll help you!"
She grabbed his head and didn't let him turn away. "Jed, Jed, look at me. It's me, baby. It's okay, everyone's okay," she said, trying desperately to calm him.
He took a deep breath and looked into Abbey's eyes. "Oh God. Abbey."
"It's okay. It was just a dream. Just a nightmare."
Abbey held him tightly in her arms as he slowly regained his composure.
It had been a week since Christmas Eve, a week since the real nightmare began, and finally, there were more answers. The autopsy results were back. The Coroner couldn't rule out the possibility that Emma actually shot herself, though she also had bruises on her forearms, signaling some kind of struggle or physical confrontation, possibly unrelated to the shooting. But the gun was fired at such close proximity and the angle in which the bullet entered her body indicated she may have committed suicide. Plus, the gun was registered to Emma herself.
However, things still weren't looking good for Jed and Abbey. Agent Ted Johnson, who was the head of Jed's detail that night, had told police that the President and First Lady weren't together when the President called off his agents. Several agents who were guarding the perimeter backed up Johnson's story, claiming when they witnessed the President walking around, he was alone. The discrepancy opened up the First Couple to more criticism and suspicion.
The press wrote about the autopsy results and for the most part, supporters bought the suicide theory. Detractors, of course, weren't convinced. A young woman was dead and to some, the President and First Lady were seen as a shrewd, ruthless couple who were getting away with murder.
Jed and Abbey knew the truth. Emma didn't kill herself. Emma was murdered, as some had suspected. And even though every bone in their body knew it was wrong, they couldn't come forward with what really happened. There was too much at stake and they weren't willing to risk the consequences.
All the secrecy was taking its toll on Abbey. She and Jed were still in therapy and Dr. Keyworth was concerned about her state of mind. Jed, on the other hand, was having physical trouble. Abbey could see his health slowly deteriorating into a relapse and his steroids weren't helping. Abbey was alarmed when he entered their bedroom on New Year's Eve with his cane.
"Are you almost ready?" he asked.
She continued working on the clasp on her necklace when she turned towards him and noticed the cane. "Just about...what are you doing?"
"They just hurt a little."
Concern immediately took over as she raced over to her husband and felt his forehead with the back of her hand. "Are you sick?"
"No. I feel fine. It's just a little pain."
"Are they tingling?"
"No, I swear."
"Have you been taking your medication?"
Jed looked down, avoiding her glance, but she lifted his chin back up too look into his eyes.
"When I remember," he admitted.
"Jed."
Her voice was firm and stern, immediately putting him on the defensive. "Not tonight, Abbey. I can't handle a fight tonight."
"Then take your medication. We can't have you sick on top of everything else."
Jed gave in. He grabbed a glass and filled it in the bathroom sink, then grabbed his bottle of steroids. "I'll take it right now. Okay?"
Abbey smiled at him as she looked down at his pills. "Wait!" she exclaimed.
Jed froze just as he was about to pop the pills into his mouth. "What?"
"What are those?"
"My steroids."
"No, Jed. they're not." She took the pills from him and examined them in her hands. "They're bigger and they're not scored. Yours were scored so that we could break them in half without a pill cutter."
Jed took them from her, looking them over himself. "You're right."
"Where did you get these?"
"They were in my desk in my office, where I've always kept them."
Abbey's mind began racing with possibilities. "Is this what you've been taking for the past week?"
"Yes."
"No wonder it's not working," she said as she tried to think of an explanation. "Jed, did Emma ever go through your desk?"
Jed began to tell her that was a ridiculous thought, but then he remembered how disturbed Emma really was. "I left her in my office alone a few times, if I had to make a call or something. But Abbey, come on. Do you really think..."
"I really think that she drugged me on Thanksgiving and put the rest of the pills in my purse to convince you I was on drugs. Why wouldn't I think that she would mess with your medication?"
Jed put the pills and the bottle back on the nightstand and approached his wife, cupping her cheeks. "I'll never forgive myself for not believing you about Thanksgiving."
"It's okay. That isn't why I mentioned it."
"I know, but I just want you to know how sorry I am."
Abbey put her arms around his neck and pulled him in close. "I already do."
Jed pulled away slightly. "Abbey, honey, you're shaking. What's wrong?"
"She messed with your meds, Jed. Who knows what could have happened? Who knows what could be in those pills? You've been taking them for a week..."
"It's okay. I lied to you," he confessed. "I didn't really take them. I meant to, and that's why I had them with me, but I kept forgetting."
Abbey chuckled slightly at her relief. "We should still have them sent to a lab."
"Okay," he agreed as he took her back in his arms.
"You lied to me?" she asked while still holding the embrace.
"Yeah."
She tightened her hold and pulled her head up to kiss his lips. "Jackass."
As the First Couple enjoyed the New Year's Eve celebration at a special party in the Residence, Annie spent the evening in seclusion. The teenager didn't want to return to New Hampshire with her parents, so Abbey convinced Elizabeth to let her spend more time in Washington. She had been traumatized by the murder and events that followed and for reasons beyond Liz's comprehension, she had latched on to her grandmother, so Liz didn't fight Abbey.
She spoke to Annie's teachers and secured a leave of absence from her private school. Her homework would be sent to her and Abbey was in charge of making sure she didn't fall behind until she returned home.
That night, Jed and Abbey tried to persuade Annie to join them at the party, but she refused. Instead, she locked herself in her room and buried her emotions in music and television. It was a daily routine for her and that concerned Abbey. She thought about having Annie talk to Dr. Keyworth, but Annie dismissed the idea, even though her nightmares were getting much worse and now, they were occasionally accompanied by hallucinations.
Well after midnight, the New Year's Eve party was beginning to break up and Annie was getting ready for bed. She turned off the light, but left her bedroom open just a crack, as she usually did to let light in from the hallway. She climbed onto her four-post Victorian-style bed and pulled the pink satin comforter up to her waist. As she leaned her head back after adjusting her pillow, she caught an image out of the corner of her eye. It was an image that paralyzed her with fear.
In the crack of the doorway, Annie saw an eye. She would recognize that eye anywhere. It was Emma's eye, attached to Emma's face, attached to Emma's body. Emma was watching her. She opened her mouth to scream, but no sound escaped her lungs. She let out a loud whimper and pulled the covers over her face. After several minutes, she finally was able to scream and the sudden piercing cry that she let out alerted Jed, Abbey, and several secret service agents that something was wrong.
By the time the First Couple arrived, agents already had the room surrounded and of course, no one but Annie was there. They searched all over the room and the hall, but no sign of an intruder. Jed convinced Abbey to go to their bedroom to change out of her cocktail dress while he comforted Annie.
Once she left, Jed took a seat on the bed and began to tuck in his granddaughter. "We have a problem here, Annie."
"I know."
"You've been having a lot of nightmares. You've been seeing things that aren't there. Your grandmother and I are worried about you."
"I know."
Jed began to stroke her hair, brushing it back off her forehead. "What do you think we should do about it?" Annie moved her head and turned away from him so he continued. "I think you need to talk to someone."
"No!" Annie shouted with her back still to him.
"Annie..."
"I'll talk to you and Grandma, but no one else."
Before Jed could respond, they both heard the sound of a gut-wrenching scream coming from his and Abbey's room. It was Abbey and she was in trouble.
TBC
Chapter 18
Previously: CJ accepted Jed's offer to come back to work for him as WH Press Secretary. CJ told Jed and Abbey that she saw Emma on Christmas Eve and that Emma was reliving the events of the Christmas the year before when she lost her fiance. A nightmare shook up Annie and caused anxiety for Abbey, who realized that Annie may have seen something the night of the murder.
Summary: Abbey stops Jed from taking his medication, as the First Couple enjoys a New Year's Eve party, Annie is living in seclusion. Annie thinks she sees Emma.
Jed tossed and turned in bed, gripping his sheets so tightly, it brought Abbey out of a deep sleep. She rolled over to her side and sat up slightly, putting her arm over her husband to slowly wake him up. His breathing became more erratic and he began whimpering, obviously trying to get away from whatever was scaring him.
"Jed. Jed, honey, wake up." She wrapped her arms around him, gently stroking him with every word. "Honey, it's okay. Wake up."
His eyes suddenly popped open and he jerked away from her. "I'm coming, Sweetheart! I'll help you!"
She grabbed his head and didn't let him turn away. "Jed, Jed, look at me. It's me, baby. It's okay, everyone's okay," she said, trying desperately to calm him.
He took a deep breath and looked into Abbey's eyes. "Oh God. Abbey."
"It's okay. It was just a dream. Just a nightmare."
Abbey held him tightly in her arms as he slowly regained his composure.
It had been a week since Christmas Eve, a week since the real nightmare began, and finally, there were more answers. The autopsy results were back. The Coroner couldn't rule out the possibility that Emma actually shot herself, though she also had bruises on her forearms, signaling some kind of struggle or physical confrontation, possibly unrelated to the shooting. But the gun was fired at such close proximity and the angle in which the bullet entered her body indicated she may have committed suicide. Plus, the gun was registered to Emma herself.
However, things still weren't looking good for Jed and Abbey. Agent Ted Johnson, who was the head of Jed's detail that night, had told police that the President and First Lady weren't together when the President called off his agents. Several agents who were guarding the perimeter backed up Johnson's story, claiming when they witnessed the President walking around, he was alone. The discrepancy opened up the First Couple to more criticism and suspicion.
The press wrote about the autopsy results and for the most part, supporters bought the suicide theory. Detractors, of course, weren't convinced. A young woman was dead and to some, the President and First Lady were seen as a shrewd, ruthless couple who were getting away with murder.
Jed and Abbey knew the truth. Emma didn't kill herself. Emma was murdered, as some had suspected. And even though every bone in their body knew it was wrong, they couldn't come forward with what really happened. There was too much at stake and they weren't willing to risk the consequences.
All the secrecy was taking its toll on Abbey. She and Jed were still in therapy and Dr. Keyworth was concerned about her state of mind. Jed, on the other hand, was having physical trouble. Abbey could see his health slowly deteriorating into a relapse and his steroids weren't helping. Abbey was alarmed when he entered their bedroom on New Year's Eve with his cane.
"Are you almost ready?" he asked.
She continued working on the clasp on her necklace when she turned towards him and noticed the cane. "Just about...what are you doing?"
"They just hurt a little."
Concern immediately took over as she raced over to her husband and felt his forehead with the back of her hand. "Are you sick?"
"No. I feel fine. It's just a little pain."
"Are they tingling?"
"No, I swear."
"Have you been taking your medication?"
Jed looked down, avoiding her glance, but she lifted his chin back up too look into his eyes.
"When I remember," he admitted.
"Jed."
Her voice was firm and stern, immediately putting him on the defensive. "Not tonight, Abbey. I can't handle a fight tonight."
"Then take your medication. We can't have you sick on top of everything else."
Jed gave in. He grabbed a glass and filled it in the bathroom sink, then grabbed his bottle of steroids. "I'll take it right now. Okay?"
Abbey smiled at him as she looked down at his pills. "Wait!" she exclaimed.
Jed froze just as he was about to pop the pills into his mouth. "What?"
"What are those?"
"My steroids."
"No, Jed. they're not." She took the pills from him and examined them in her hands. "They're bigger and they're not scored. Yours were scored so that we could break them in half without a pill cutter."
Jed took them from her, looking them over himself. "You're right."
"Where did you get these?"
"They were in my desk in my office, where I've always kept them."
Abbey's mind began racing with possibilities. "Is this what you've been taking for the past week?"
"Yes."
"No wonder it's not working," she said as she tried to think of an explanation. "Jed, did Emma ever go through your desk?"
Jed began to tell her that was a ridiculous thought, but then he remembered how disturbed Emma really was. "I left her in my office alone a few times, if I had to make a call or something. But Abbey, come on. Do you really think..."
"I really think that she drugged me on Thanksgiving and put the rest of the pills in my purse to convince you I was on drugs. Why wouldn't I think that she would mess with your medication?"
Jed put the pills and the bottle back on the nightstand and approached his wife, cupping her cheeks. "I'll never forgive myself for not believing you about Thanksgiving."
"It's okay. That isn't why I mentioned it."
"I know, but I just want you to know how sorry I am."
Abbey put her arms around his neck and pulled him in close. "I already do."
Jed pulled away slightly. "Abbey, honey, you're shaking. What's wrong?"
"She messed with your meds, Jed. Who knows what could have happened? Who knows what could be in those pills? You've been taking them for a week..."
"It's okay. I lied to you," he confessed. "I didn't really take them. I meant to, and that's why I had them with me, but I kept forgetting."
Abbey chuckled slightly at her relief. "We should still have them sent to a lab."
"Okay," he agreed as he took her back in his arms.
"You lied to me?" she asked while still holding the embrace.
"Yeah."
She tightened her hold and pulled her head up to kiss his lips. "Jackass."
As the First Couple enjoyed the New Year's Eve celebration at a special party in the Residence, Annie spent the evening in seclusion. The teenager didn't want to return to New Hampshire with her parents, so Abbey convinced Elizabeth to let her spend more time in Washington. She had been traumatized by the murder and events that followed and for reasons beyond Liz's comprehension, she had latched on to her grandmother, so Liz didn't fight Abbey.
She spoke to Annie's teachers and secured a leave of absence from her private school. Her homework would be sent to her and Abbey was in charge of making sure she didn't fall behind until she returned home.
That night, Jed and Abbey tried to persuade Annie to join them at the party, but she refused. Instead, she locked herself in her room and buried her emotions in music and television. It was a daily routine for her and that concerned Abbey. She thought about having Annie talk to Dr. Keyworth, but Annie dismissed the idea, even though her nightmares were getting much worse and now, they were occasionally accompanied by hallucinations.
Well after midnight, the New Year's Eve party was beginning to break up and Annie was getting ready for bed. She turned off the light, but left her bedroom open just a crack, as she usually did to let light in from the hallway. She climbed onto her four-post Victorian-style bed and pulled the pink satin comforter up to her waist. As she leaned her head back after adjusting her pillow, she caught an image out of the corner of her eye. It was an image that paralyzed her with fear.
In the crack of the doorway, Annie saw an eye. She would recognize that eye anywhere. It was Emma's eye, attached to Emma's face, attached to Emma's body. Emma was watching her. She opened her mouth to scream, but no sound escaped her lungs. She let out a loud whimper and pulled the covers over her face. After several minutes, she finally was able to scream and the sudden piercing cry that she let out alerted Jed, Abbey, and several secret service agents that something was wrong.
By the time the First Couple arrived, agents already had the room surrounded and of course, no one but Annie was there. They searched all over the room and the hall, but no sign of an intruder. Jed convinced Abbey to go to their bedroom to change out of her cocktail dress while he comforted Annie.
Once she left, Jed took a seat on the bed and began to tuck in his granddaughter. "We have a problem here, Annie."
"I know."
"You've been having a lot of nightmares. You've been seeing things that aren't there. Your grandmother and I are worried about you."
"I know."
Jed began to stroke her hair, brushing it back off her forehead. "What do you think we should do about it?" Annie moved her head and turned away from him so he continued. "I think you need to talk to someone."
"No!" Annie shouted with her back still to him.
"Annie..."
"I'll talk to you and Grandma, but no one else."
Before Jed could respond, they both heard the sound of a gut-wrenching scream coming from his and Abbey's room. It was Abbey and she was in trouble.
TBC