Story: A Wedding Diary
Chapter 9
Disclaimer: See Chapter 1
Previously: Jed nervously waited for Abbey and the girls to arrive at the church
Summary: Abbey gets a special visitor before the ceremony
July 22 1:20 p.m.
Abbey, Joni, and Millie finally arrived at the church. Frantic, nervous, and carrying garment bags, Abbey ran towards the bride's room where she knew Kate was waiting.
"You scared me!" Kate shouted as she grabbed the bags from Abbey and tried to help her out of her blouse.
"Not just you, I'm sure," Joni replied.
"How's Jed?" Abbey asked.
Kate handed her sister a red satin robe to pull over her exposed body so she could work on her makeup. "I haven't talked to him, but Leo and Steve are in with him."
Millie left the room to let Steve know they had arrived. Abbey began running her fingers through her hair, fixing fly-away strands that had succumbed to the humidity of the warm summer air.
"You look so beautiful," Kate told her.
"That's what Millie and I have been telling her. She's not happy."
Abbey took a small comb from her purse and began picking at the loose curls at the bottom of her hair. "Don't you have to get dressed?" she asked Joni. "Besides, it's not that I'm unhappy. It's that I think straight would have been better."
"It is straight, for the most part," Joni corrected her. "You don't want it pin-straight today anyway. It would have frizzed."
"I just want everything to be perfect. I want to be perfect."
Kate took the comb from Abbey's hand and gently brushed the hair out of her face with her finger tips. "You already are."
Kate sat her down and began applying her makeup. Once she was finished, Abbey dropped her robe and slipped into her wedding dress. The dress fit a tad tighter than expected, but after Joni was dressed, she and Kate worked together to zip it up and straighten out any kinks in the fabric.
Meanwhile, Millie left Jed, Leo, and Steve and headed back towards the bride's room. In the hall on the way over, she saw a familiar sight - Ron Ehrlich was wandering around, hoping to get a glimpse of Abbey.
"Ron?" she called out.
"Millie, hi," Ron replied nervously.
"Are you looking for her?"
"I don't know if she wants to see me."
"Wait right here." Millie poked her head through the door to see if everyone was decent before opening it to go inside. "Ron's outside," she told Abbey.
"Ron? What does he want?"
"He wants to see you, if that's okay."
"Abbey, it's only twenty minutes until the ceremony," Kate warned.
Abbey reassuringly put her hand on her sister's arm. "It'll be fine." She turned back towards Millie. "I'd like to see him."
Millie grabbed the hanger that held her bridesmaid dress and convinced Kate and Joni to help her get ready in the bathroom across the hall. As the three women left, Millie kept the door open for Ron to go in. Ron winked at her, a silent thank you.
Millie still had her hand on the door knob when she spotted Steve sitting on a chair in the hall, his head buried in his hands. She knew he was still feeling the affects of his hangover from the night before. She tightened her grip on the knob and slammed the door hard, causing him to jerk from his position.
"Sorry," she said with an evil smile.
"Yeah, I bet you are," he said sarcastically. "Why aren't you dressed?"
"I'm going to the bathroom to change. Ron is in with Abbey and I wanted to give them some privacy."
"He's in there with Abbey? Alone?"
"Relax. They're just friends," she assured him as she walked towards the ladies room.
In the bride's room, Ron reacted for only a moment to Millie's door slam before he gasped as he caught a glimpse of Abbey. "Wow, you look stunning."
"Thank you."
Ron looked away for a moment, unsure where to begin. "So is Jed really the one?"
"That's why I'm marrying him." Realizing she didn't have much time for a deep discussion, she got to the point. "Ron, why did you come?"
"You invited me."
"Are you okay being here? I mean, seeing me with Jed?"
"Abbey, I just want to know you're happy. I don't ever want to see you the way I did at the Memorial Day party."
Feeling the sincerity written all over his face, Abbey didn't miss a beat before replying. "I am happy. Jed was angry. He wasn't himself that night. We both did some stupid things."
"And you know he'll never hurt you again?"
"I trust that he'll never intentionally hurt me, Ron. I love him with all my heart. I can't imagine my life without him. What's more, I know - I mean, I REALLY know - that he loves me."
With that, Ron placed his hands on her upper arms and leaned in to tenderly kiss her on the cheek. "That's all I needed to hear."
The kiss put Abbey at ease and suddenly, it seemed like old times again. "Thank you for looking out for me."
"Hey, no matter what, we're friends above everything else."
"Are we? Still?"
"Of course we are. You and I weren't meant to be and I think we both knew that. But we had a rock-solid friendship at one time. I'd like to think we still do."
He and Abbey exchanged warm smiles. Knowing that Ron had no hard feelings brought Abbey a sense of peace. She often worried that despite their civility, she had severely damaged the platonic relationship she and Ron had shared for so many years, but the closure he gave her on this day was enough to convince her she was wrong.
Just as Ron left, Abbey returned to her full-length mirror for a final touch-up before the ceremony. This was it. She was ready.
July 22, 1967 2:00 p.m.
Jed was relieved to hear the sound of the music. But with that relief came a wave of nerves that crashed over him like never before. It was finally time for the ceremony and nothing could keep his anxiety at bay. He stood at the altar, gazing at the crowd of people who showed up to witness the union between himself and Abbey, the pledge they would take to solidify their undying devotion to one another.
He looked over at Abbey's mother. He could see the tears already forming in her eyes and knew it wouldn't be long before she would need the handkerchief she was gripping at her side. Then, he turned his head to gaze at his own parents.
His mother's expression mirrored Mary's. Diane's hand clasped her husband's and her eyes never left her son. John Bartlet was sitting unusually close to his wife. For a split second, Jed thought that perhaps something was wrong with his mother. But after examining the situation, he realized his concern was the result of the expression on John's face, an expression he had never seen before.
There, swimming among his sapphire orbs, was just a hint of moisture. Tears. Could it be, he wondered. Whether it was or not, he let himself believe it. Jed allowed himself think it. It was an expression of pride.
His attention was then captured by Steve as he escorted Millie down the aisle. Instantly, Jed knew that Abbey's instincts were right. The red gowns she picked for her bridesmaids looked just as beautiful as she said they would. Airy velvet may not have been a popular choice for a summer wedding, but Abbey knew she wouldn't get that same rich color with any other fabric. The one-shouldered, floor-length gown hugged every curve on Millie's body and exploded with red and silver Austrian crystals trimming the side slit.
If Millie looked this good, Jed wondered if he'd literally fall over when he saw Abbey.
"Is Ehrlich in his seat?" Steve whispered to Jed as he took his place next to him.
Jed quickly scanned the crowd. "Yeah. Why?"
"Just wanted to make sure everything's running on time. He was in there talking to Abbey before the ceremony."
Jed didn't reply. He didn't want to blur the moment with uncertainty or negativity. He wanted to only think about one thing, one person - Abbey. He watched as Dave escorted Joni down the aisle, followed by Rick and Kate and his brother Jack and his girlfriend Kellie. Once all the couples had reached the altar, he exchanged a final look with Leo, who nodded at him reassuringly. Then he turned his focus to the back of the church, the doorway from which Abbey would be emerging.
The bridal music began to play and he took a deep breath, ready to see her for the first time that day. A few seconds passed and he remained still, never losing sight of the door. The guests all turned back, expecting to see the bride.
But no one did.
The music stopped for a moment, then began again. Still, no Abbey.
Jed's heart fell to the pit of his stomach. It was his worst nightmare coming true right here, in front of everyone. He kept his eyes on the door and leaned in to whisper in Leo's ear. "Where is she? What's wrong?"
"I don't know," Leo replied.
TBC