Series: Snapshots of the Past

Story: The London Years

Chapter 3

Disclaimer: See Chapter 1

AN: Beautiful Baby Girl was written by Dwayne Arvinger and released by Verdict Entertainment

Previously: Abbey remembered their first Christmas in London and Jed's big surprise for her.

Summary: It's a girl!

- - -

March 1968

After fifteen grueling hours of labor, Abbey was ready to welcome Baby Bartlet into the world, but laying back with her feet in the stirrups, her sweat-stained hair now completely covering her face, she refused to push.

She tried to control her breathing and frequently screamed out in pain. Nurses patted her face with a damp cloth and urged her to let the doctors do their job, but she wouldn't - not until Jed arrived. He was initially reluctant to leave her, but mistakenly thinking they had a few weeks before the baby was born, Abbey encouraged him to attend Leo and Jenny's wedding in Chicago.

It was there that he got the frantic call from Mary, ordering him to catch the first plane back to London. The last update Abbey had received had him at Heathrow Airport, only a 30-minute drive away. So Abbey bit down on her lip and dealt with the pain until he could be there to share in the joy.

"Abbey, you're going to have to start pushing," the doctor told her.

"Not until he's here," Abbey protested. "My husband and I have waited a long time for this moment. I'm not going to have this baby without him."

"If you wait much longer, you may not have a choice. The baby's going to pop right out."

"Then I guess you'll have to push her back in," she said before another contraction swept her breath away.

"He's here!" Mary yelled to the doctor as Jed made his way into the hospital.

"Oh thank God," Abbey sighed, blood now trickling down from her lips from where she had tried to bite through the pain.

"I'm here, I'm here." Jed ran into his wife's room and without a second thought, picked up her hand, stroking it gently.

"What the hell took you so long?"

"It was a ten-hour flight and a delay at O'Hare thanks to snow. How's it going here? Are you still in pain?"

"Is there a baby yet?"

He looked at her protruding stomach. "No."

"Then be quiet," she replied.

Abbey gave a final push and with it came the cries of a beautiful baby girl the doctor eventually placed on her chest. Abbey stared down at her newborn daughter. Her face was pink and little. Extremely fine strands of dark hair covered her tiny head. She fluttered her eyes once or twice, then kept them closed. But it was long enough for Abbey to catch a glimpse she'd never forget. She could swear that in her daughter's eyes, she saw her husband's spirit.

She looked up to thank God for giving her such an absolutely perfect human being to look after and care for. Her eyes trailed back down to the squirming baby and in an instant, she was convinced that Elizabeth Ann Bartlet was an angel sent from Heaven.

Jed stood completely still, emotionally paralyzed by what he just witnessed. Abbey introduced him to his daughter, but the new father was afraid to touch her. He looked at her in complete awe, scared by how small and fragile she was. No matter how much Abbey tried to convince him, he continued to resist.

"Jed, she's your child. You're going to have to hold her eventually."

"Why?"

"What are you afraid of?"

"I'm not afraid." Abbey gave him a stern look and he knew he had to come clean. "I'll hurt her."

"No, Sweetheart, you won't," she assured him.

"She'll cry if I hold her."

"Jed, I'm right here if you run into trouble." Abbey pulled him closer to her bed, then put the sleeping infant in his arms. Jed moved back initially, but soon realized he wanted to stay as close to Abbey as possible. "See, you're doing a great job."

"Until I drop her."

"You're not going to drop her," she said with a faint laugh.

Jed looked down at baby Elizabeth. He was speechless, choked up by the immeasurable happiness that came with knowing this was someone he was going to cherish for the rest of his life. Suddenly, it all made sense. Life made sense. He loved Abbey with all his heart, but now he was responsible for a young life and no emotion he had ever felt before could have prepared him for what he was feeling now.

Jed brought Abbey home from the hospital a few days later. It almost seemed like a different house, thanks to Mary's relentless effort in making sure the house was meticulous. Everything had been carefully baby-proofed.

Abbey insisted the crib be moved into their room so she could keep an eye on Elizabeth for the first few months.

Many nights, she'd find herself standing next to the sleeping baby, just watching her breathe. Every once in a while when the breaths weren't visible, she would lay her head against Liz's chest just to be sure nothing was wrong.

"Abbey," Jed called out on one particular night.

"Shhh."

Jed got out of bed and walked over to his wife. Abbey stood up after listening to their daughter's heartbeat. She brushed her hair back with her fingers and never took her eyes off Elizabeth.

"Everything okay?" he asked as he put his hands on her hips from behind.

"I think so."

"Good. Come to bed."

"In a few minutes."

She ran her hand over the baby's face, taking in the warm skin she felt between her fingers.

"Hon, you're going to wake her."

Abbey shot him a look that usually meant he should back off. "So what? I want her up. I want to play with her."

"You'll get to play with her in the morning. Come on, let's go to bed."

She turned back to Liz and realized Jed was right. It would be cruel to wake her now when she's in the middle of a peaceful sleep. She began to follow Jed back to the bed, but changed direction and headed out the door.

"Where are you going?" Jed asked.

"I just need some water."

With Abbey out of the room, Jed's glance turned back to his daughter. Truth be known, he wanted to play with her too. He had been working so hard at school that by the time he came home every night, Abbey was usually putting Elizabeth to bed. The only time he really had to hold her and spend time with her was during breakfast. Normally, he wouldn't dare wake her in the middle of the night, but watching her angelic face as she slept made her irresistible.

She squirmed slightly and cooed and that was all it took to melt Jed's heart. He ran his hand over her head, gently stroking the light, thin strands of hair. "Hey, Lizzie."

Liz stirred, but didn't open her eyes. Jed took a deep breath then and picked up the stuffed bear Mary had given the baby. He brushed it lightly over Liz's face. She stirred a little more before she burst into tears.

Jed was taken aback by her cries. The sound was piercing and it broke his heart into a million pieces. He immediately regretted what he had done. He quickly reached down and picked her up, holding her close to his chest and rubbing her back in soothing circles.

"Shhh, its okay, Baby. I'm so sorry."

"What happened?" Abbey asked as she ran back into the room.

"She woke up."

"Jed?"

"I'm sorry," he said contritely. "I woke her up. She was sound asleep and I woke her up. I'm a terrible father."

He handed Abbey the baby, lowered his head, and sat down on the bed. Abbey had never seen Jed so unsure of himself. He was a brilliant, competent man, whose ego surpassed expectations in every other facet of his life. But the thought of caring for a child scared him to his core. She had told him countless times that if he would just trust his instincts, he'd discover that he's a wonderful father, but Jed never had the confidence to follow her advice.

Abbey swayed with Elizabeth in her arms to calm her down, then approached her husband. The only way he would become comfortable caring for his newborn daughter was if she forced him. So, she took his arm and lifted him up. "Here."

He stared at her as she slipped the baby into his hands. "What are you doing?" he asked.

"You woke her. Now you get to put her to sleep."

"Abbey."

"I'm serious."

Jed looked down at the baby, then back up at Abbey with genuine fear in his eyes. "But I don't know what the hell I'm doing."

"You're a smart man. You'll figure it out. And don't use that language in front of our daughter."

"I need your help," he pleaded.

Abbey pulled back the covers, ready to slip back into bed. "Uh uh. I wanted to wake her, but you said no. You waited for me to leave the room and you went ahead and did it all by yourself. Now you get to put her down all by yourself."

Realizing he wasn't going to get any assistance from her, Jed carried the baby to the living room. He held Elizabeth awkwardly at first, unsure how to comfort her. When Abbey's words began to replay in his mind, he took a deep breath and calmed himself down, then looked at his daughter's face.

"Tell me what to do to get you back to sleep. You want a song?" he asked her.

Though Liz continued to sob, he began humming a tune he had learned only days earlier and soon, her cries softened.

It only took a few minutes for Abbey to feel guilty about the position she had put Jed in. She knew he wanted more bonding time with the baby, but so often he held back out of a sense of inadequacy. Though she thought forcing him was the only way to get him to care for Lizzie, she also wondered if the middle of the night was the best time to try her experiment. After all, he had class first thing in the morning and he did need his sleep.

Realizing she had to let him off the hook, she got out of bed and crept out of the bedroom to spy on father and daughter. And with only a few steps out into the hall, she was stunned by what she heard.

"You're my beautiful, beautiful baby girl

There's no one else like you in the world

You're my pride and joy

I'm glad you're not a boy

You're my beautiful, beautiful baby girl "

Softly, cautiously, Jed was singing to his little girl. Elizabeth looked up at her father with her big blue eyes transfixed on his mouth. Jed was absolutely beaming. A sweet smile curved Abbey's lips at the mutual look of adoration between father and daughter. She was so touched, in fact, that she began to feel bad for interrupting the precious moment.

Jed found her watching silently, but he waited until Liz closed her eyes before he said anything. "Hey."

"Hey," she replied.

"I think she's asleep."

Abbey agreed and together they walked back to their bedroom where Jed put Liz back in her crib and pulled the blanket over her sleeping form.

Abbey took his hand and led him back to their bed. "I don't ever want to hear you say you're a terrible father again," she warned him. "I'm serious, Jed. I wouldn't have married you if I wasn't sure that you were going to be the greatest father in the world."

He took comfort in that. Sure, he was proud that his singing had put his daughter to, but it was Abbey's reassurance that erased most of his doubts. "Thank you," he said simply as he placed a kiss on Abbey's mouth.

TBC