Rating: R for a sexual situation
Series: Snapshots of the Past
Story: Back Home Again
Chapter 8
Disclaimer: See Chapter 1
Previously: Jed admitted his guilt over his mother's death and decided to slowly let his father back in his (and Elizabeth's) life.
Summary: Abbey continues to keep her struggles at the hospital to herself; Jed and Abbey disagree over Liz.
- - -
Usually, it's inside a hospital room where patients are poked and prodded that an aspiring physician can learn the art of healing. But in Dr. Kyle Nelson's world, the enclosed walls that give shelter from the prying eyes of hospital staff also provide a silent sanctuary to torment and humiliate med students.
He stood with his clipboard in hand, his eyes narrowing with suspicion, ready to pounce on the slightest error as his newest target - Abbey - examined her patient.
"How long have you felt this way?" Abbey asked.
"Just since this morning."
"Okay." Visibly unsure of herself, Abbey looked to Kyle while speaking. "I'd like to order a visual scan to check for signs of facial drooping, a CBC and a CT scan."
With a familiar grin plastered on his face, Kyle put his pen to paper and began to take notes, making Abbey fidget with insecurity. "Is that all?" he asked her.
"Yes?" It was a question, rather than an answer, asked with a twinge of uneasiness.
"Okay." With the tilt of his head, Abbey and her two classmates picked up on his gesture to leave the room and form a small huddle in the hall. "Is there anything you forgot in there?"
"I don't think so."
"The patient is female, Bartlet. Does that mean anything to you?"
Abbey sighed at the sudden realization. "I forgot to ask the date of her last menstrual cycle," she admitted softly.
"That's correct. And that should be the first question you ask before you order ANY tests. You could have opened us up to one hell of a lawsuit if she had been pregnant." He shook his head in disgust. "Sequence!" he exclaimed, now facing all the students. "WHEN you do your job is just as important as HOW you do your job. You have to know what to look for." He approached Abbey in an effort to stare her down. "I know you're a student, Bartlet, but the least you can do is PRETEND to be a competent one."
Abbey let her emotions shrink into her subconscious. She flinched as he stood in front of her and regrouped the second he turned away. This was part of med school and she accepted that, but she had camped out on the hills of hell for eight weeks now and she couldn't wait for these last few days to be over so she could finally escape Kyle's clutches.
As her classmates followed Kyle down the corridor, she stood perfectly still, reeling from all the effort it took to bite her tongue during his lecture.
"Don't let him get to you."
She turned around to face the voice coming from nurse's station. "Excuse me?"
"He's like that with all the students. Well, all the female ones. It's not personal."
Abbey approached the woman cautiously. "Hi. Nurse Lowell, right?" She had only met her once, but made it a priority to learn everyone's name.
"Call me Amy." She extended her hand to shake Abbey's.
"I'm Abbey. So how long have you been a nurse here?"
"Five years. And I've seen worse than Dr. Nelson, believe it or not. It's like they take such pleasure in bringing down the students who are the most capable, the most dedicated - unfortunately, those very students are usually female. I keep hoping they'll figure out the connection between women and bedside manner, but they never do."
Abbey didn't try to stop the laugh that escaped her lips. "So how do I fight it?"
"I can tell you what your predecessor told me about how she got through it. You do your job the best you can. If the opportunity presents itself, win some points with his superior. And if you get to make him eat dirt in the process, no one's gonna blame you."
Another ally. Another person who was on her side, silently cheering in the corner. It was the kind of support that she would count on to push her past the obstacles Kyle had set in her path.
In the meantime, home was her oasis. The only thing that kept her sanity in-check during her long hospital shifts was the thought of spending the evening with Jed and Elizabeth.
She walked in the front door to the smell of grilled chicken, still warm on the stove. A pot of brown rice and another with steam vegetables tempted her taste buds, but after closing her eyes to savor the enticing aroma, she followed the sound of laughter echoing from Liz's room.
Her posture suddenly gave way to a much more relaxed, uninhibited stance, a result of her stress melting away at the sight of Jed sitting on the floor and grappling with the complexities of Candyland to determine why his gingerbread man was lagging behind his daughter's.
She let out a small undetected laugh at the confusion on his face. "Can I play?"
"Mommy!" Liz called out as she bolted from her seat to greet Abbey with a hug.
If the earlier scene wasn't enough to shake her from her thoughts of the hospital, the small hands that cradled her waist were sure to do the trick. "How are you, Baby Doll?"
"Fine. I'm winning!"
Abbey led her back to the game, encouraging her to continue. "I see that. I think Daddy needs to brush up on his Candyland skills," she teased.
Jed shot her an evil eye which was replaced almost immediately with a sweet smile. "How was your day?"
She avoided his stare and shuffled the cards instead. "Not bad."
"I kept dinner warm. I'll make you a plate." He rose to his feet, ready to head towards the kitchen.
"I can do that." She held him back with her hands which he gracefully removed from his chest and caressed with a small kiss.
"No, sit here and fill in for me." He poked his head back in the room only seconds later. "Make sure Lizzie doesn't cheat."
Abbey laughed as she pulled her legs in front of her to sit comfortably. "Okay, so where am I?"
Liz stretched out on her stomach, her blue eyes staring at Abbey through her long, dark lashes. "You're lost in the Lollipop Woods."
"Ohhh, so that's why your Dad was so quick to let me take over? It's nearly impossible to get out of here."
"Uh huh." She giggled. "And I can read 'lollipop' all by myself."
"You can?" Pride and happiness collided in her wet eyes. "Did Daddy help you read tonight?"
"Lizzie!" Jed's deep voice bellowed from the living room forcing Liz to sit up with alarm. "What did I tell you about using your nail polish when your Mom's not home?"
"I didn't," she insisted somewhat convincingly.
"Oh really?" He held up the incriminating evidence to the contrary - several pieces of paper colorfully outlined with pink polish.
Abbey squinted, trying to examine what he was holding. "Oh no. What is it?"
"It's a student's paper written for my World Econ class. I was grading it tonight."
Liz kept her eyes glued to the board, absently picking at lint on the border.
Abbey reached across and cupped her chin to lift her head. "Elizabeth."
"I'm sorry," she mumbled sadly. "I didn't know I spilled it."
"You know you're not supposed to use nail polish without me or Daddy helping you."
Liz's somber frown erased Jed's frustration. He plopped down on the edge of her small bed and took her hand. "It's okay. I had already read the paper anyway and I know the kid has a copy of it, so no harm done."
Liz's face suddenly lit up. "Then can we finish playing?"
And with that, the problem was over - at least for father and daughter.
- - -
Jed watched closely as Abbey repeatedly pounded on her pillow in bed later that night. She flipped it over and crashed down on top of it, only to sit up and repeat the process all over again. He propped himself up on his elbow, trying to steady himself against the jarring motions her flips and turns caused.
"Should I get the Dramamine?"
"I'm sorry."
"Don't apologize. Just tell me what's wrong."
"Nothing. I just have my general medicine exam coming up and I'm on-edge." With all her strength, she bore down on the mattress to give herself enough spring to rotate firmly to the other side.
"How can a person as little as you pack so much power? I swear, it's like you gain 50 pounds whenever you spin up in the air like that."
She wasn't amused. With her back to him, she twisted her body to face him. "It doesn't bother you that every time we question Lizzie about something her first instinct is to lie?"
"Whoa." His grin faded with the humorless look on her face. "Where did that come from?"
"Jed, I'm serious. When you asked her about the nail polish, the first thing she said was that she didn't do it."
"Yeah, but she came clean."
"Sure, after you showed her proof of her lie."
"She was afraid of getting in trouble," he reasoned.
"I don't know why since you never stand up to her."
"Abbey." He was shocked at her terse tone.
"Sorry."
"Do you want me to yell at her for every little thing she does?"
"No, of course not." She sighed as she slid onto her back. "Maybe you're right. I'm not thinking very clearly right now."
"Your whole system is tied up in knots."
"Once this rotation and the subsequent exam are over, I'll be back to my old self."
"So you've said." Jed placed a finger under her chin to bring her lips to his with a kiss. "In the meantime, what can I do to take your mind off it and help you get some sleep?"
"Well..." She began seriously. Her eyes crossed to the corner and she snuggled closer to him much more flirtatiously than he expected. "...there is one thing."
He got the hint. "Mmm hmm."
She relaxed her head in response to his warm breath on her neck. "Roll over."
"What?"
"Roll over."
He trusted her, at least for the moment, and did as she asked. Abbey hopped on his back, straddling his hips. She dug her fingers into his shoulders manipulating the muscles that made him groan. Her fingers kneaded the soft flesh of his upper back before gliding down the length of his spine with subtle pressure.
"Abigail?"
"Mmm?"
"Are you practicing on me?"
"Just enjoy the massage."
He reached up and grabbed her wrist as it passed by the middle of his back. "You don't fool me, you know. I still remember your anatomy class. I must have laid here stark naked for two hours while you played pin the body part on my flesh. My muscles and veins are still recovering from all that pricking."
"I thought you liked it when we played doctor, Babe," she teased. "Besides, you got your reward, didn't you?"
He rolled out from under her and when she fell to his side, he held her down beside him. "Yes, I did."
"I thought you wanted me to pass my test."
"I do, but I think there are better ways to help you study."
She pressed her body harder into his, her legs instinctively wrapping themselves around his hips. He yanked her shirt over her head and quickly discarded her bra, eager to reveal the soft mounds of skin underneath. She pulled down his pants and stroked his thigh, her hands taking a break to help him rip off her panties. He grabbed her calves and pulled her down the bed until he was positioned between her legs. With lips planted firmly on hers, his hand reached for the light.
TBC
