Series: Snapshots of the Past

Story: Endings and Beginnings

Chapter 3

Disclaimer: See Chapter 1

Previously: Jed hit his head on the way to the hospital after Abbey went into labor

Summary: Jed and Abbey are separated as they each receive medical attention; it's a girl!

- - -

Another nurse quickly brought a wheelchair to Abbey's side and helped her down. Jed grabbed the frame of the chair in an attempt to roll her towards him. When the chairs collided and crashed into the nurse's station, his amusement took over.

"Is this how you pictured this moment, Sweet Knees?"

"Shut up, Gumdrop," she replied before a contraction took her breath away.

He rubbed her arm while he waited for confirmation that the pain had passed. "We really are a mess."

"Okay, are you two ready to say goodbye?"

Goodbye? That wasn't part of the plan. The nurse's question immediately wiped the grin off Jed's face. "Goodbye? No, I want to stay with my wife."

"We'll get you to her as quickly as we can, but we really need to do a CT scan of your head."

His own health wasn't important to him. Abbey was in labor and the thought of not being there with her was simply unconscionable. "Abbey?"

"It's okay. I'll wait for you just like I did with Lizzie," she assured him. "Try to get there a little faster this time," she added with a smile to ease his concern.

"I promise."

He stretched his body over his lap, urging her to meet him halfway so their lips could connect for a kiss. Their fingers slipped between one another as their hands joined until the nurses separated the two wheelchairs, taking Jed down one hall and Abbey down another.

The minutes felt like hours while Jed waited to be reunited with Abbey, his mind absorbed with thoughts of what was happening. He worried about the rough contractions that violently shook her body when she was in labor with Liz, about the emerald green eyes that flashed a glimmer of fear just before she gave birth, and about the stubborn streak that would cause Abbey to hold the baby in until he arrived, no matter how much pain it meant for her.

Finally, more than an hour later, a nurse wheeled him into the birthing room.

"Hey!" he greeted his wife. Surprisingly, Abbey looked to be as comfortable as possible.

Just the sound of his voice was enough to get her excited. She set down her magazine to concentrate on him. "Hey, what happened? How do you feel?"

"I'm fine. The doctor just wanted me to stay in this damn chair until he's sure I won't pass out."

Abbey's gaze left him briefly as she addressed the nurse. "CT Scan clear?"

"From what I'm told, but you'll have to talk to the doctor for the details."

"I will. Thanks."

Jed twisted himself around to watch the hospital room door close behind his nurse, then turned his attention to his wife, his face expressing mild irritation. "You don't believe me?"

"I believe you. I just want to make sure you understood what the doctor said."

"Does one really need a medical degree to understand every word uttered by a medical professional?" he replied, the indignation prominent in his tone. "I'm not a child, Abigail."

"I never said you were. I just want to make sure that beautiful head of yours is really okay." Cupping his head with her hands, she pulled him forward for a kiss. "I didn't mean to insult you."

"Okay, then." He couldn't help but return her smile. But with one glance at her oversized belly, he was reminded of the more immediate situation. "What the hell are you doing anyway? Aren't you in labor?"

"Yes. In fact, my water broke just before Mom went to get some coffee." Calmness radiated from every syllable she spoke.

He browsed the room studiously, taking note of the many magazines and books that sat on the table next to her. "Why aren't you screaming? I complained the entire time they put me under that X-ray machine."

"I have a higher tolerance for pain than you do," she said simply.

"Excuse me, I could have cracked my head open."

"But you didn't."

Well, that was true. He couldn't very well argue that point. Instead, he rolled himself against the wall while she thumbed through another magazine. It was that little side of Abbey that refused to surrender to pain that kept her from admitting that she was trembling and hurting on the inside with each and every contraction.

Hours passed and her denial became more difficult to maintain. The psychological technique for masking trauma that she had perfected as a child had lost its potency and she could no longer forsake the distress her body was facing. Her tranquil demeanor faded rapidly as she transformed into a raging bundle of pain, screaming for release.

"I thought you said you have a high tolerance for pain," Jed teased between contractions.

"I said higher -- higher than you," she snapped as she the hurt subsided. "You scream in agony when you stub your toe."

"Now that isn't very nice. My head really hurts, Abbey."

"Cry me a river, Sweetheart! But before you start, get me a violin. We may need some music at this pity party."

Yep, this was the part of labor Jed least enjoyed. He reclined in his chair and picked up her copy of Cosmo to divert his attention. "Look at that. It says here there are ten signs that will let you know if I'm cheating on you. Let's just make sure I'm not giving off false vibes, shall we?"

Her eyes burned with rage towards him. "You're going to read a magazine?"

"Yeah." The nonchalant response infuriated her even more.

"Of all the things you could be doing..."

"Tsk, tsk, Babe. Losing your temper isn't a good way to bring a new child into this world. Of course, as slowly as things are going, it could take hours before that actually becomes a problem."

"You're thwarting me."

"Am not." It was an insincere denial if she ever heard one.

"Yes, you are. You're thwarting me. NOW, of all times."

"Abbey, I swear, I'm just trying to read my magazine."

"Mr. Bartlet, you're upsetting your wife," a nurse intervened.

Abbey gave him a smug roll of her shoulders before her body was taken over by another contraction. The magazine fell to the floor as he rushed to hold her hand through it. The contractions were coming fast and furiously now, giving Abbey virtually no time to catch her breath in between. Jed blotted her forehead with a wet towel, his heart aching for the sheer exhaustion that constricted her every move.

"You're okay, Abbey. Just breathe, just like we practiced. You're doing great...you're doing so great," he encouraged.

"I can't do it anymore. I can't push." Her statement ended with another gut-wrenching scream that ripped the innermost seam of Jed's soul.

"Abbey, you're almost there," the doctor responded.

"It hurts." She gripped Jed's hand firmly as he continued to wipe away the sweat and tears that stained her face. "I can't."

The desperation in her eyes caused him to leap to his feet. His eyes never lost contact with hers as he held her head up to get through to her. "Yes, you can. You can."

"No, I can't!" she screamed. "It's harder this time. I don't know why, but it is."

"Abbey, we're almost finished," the doctor assured her. "The baby's close."

As her hands continued to tremble, Jed brushed her hair off her face. "Abbey, listen to me. These past eight and a half years that I've known you, I've seen you do amazing things. You're the strongest, most remarkable woman I've ever met. There's nothing in this world you can't do, Honey. Nothing."

"Abbey, I see the head. Can you give me one big push?"

Jed leaned in across her stomach to get a firmer grasp on her hand and reemphasize his support. "I'm right here. Look into my eyes and see how much I love you. You can see it, I know you can, Baby." Their eyes locked into each other, the intensity of their emotions reflective in the tears. "Give the doctor one more push and it'll be over."

Abbey glanced down at the doctor before looking back at Jed. "Okay," she whispered. "But we're never doing this again!"

"Whatever you say," he chuckled.

With one small push, followed directly by a much larger one, her screams were abruptly drowned out by the cries of the newest Bartlet. Abbey collapsed against the bed, her body drained of all her energy.

"I told you you could do it," Jed said as he walked freely over to the baby. There was no mistaking the pride in his voice when he took the infant into his arms and turned to his wife. "It's a girl."

"Bring her over," Abbey pleaded.

Wrapped in a small towel, the newborn baby girl was placed on her chest. She never believed she'd ever feel the same joy that ran through her when Elizabeth was born, but she did. She felt it now. People had told her long ago that once a baby is born, the mother forgets the pain she experienced to bring it into the world. Her cynicism always kept her from believing that and now, she knew she was right to discount the theory. She didn't forget. She would never forget. But it didn't matter because it was worth it.

Jed's lips quivered as if he had something to say, but it took him minutes to find his voice. "She's beautiful, Abbey. Just like her mother, just like her sister."

"Why aren't you in your chair?"

He dismissed her question with a flip of his hand. "I'm fine. I was just hoping the chair would garner me a little more sympathy from you," he joked as she gripped his shirt and pulled him down over their daughter for a kiss.

"Can you go get Mom before they take the baby away...and call Lizzie?"

"You bet. Do you need anything?"

"Just you. Come back soon."

He pressed his lips to the top of her head for another quick kiss before leaving.

It was a phone call Jed was eager to make. Liz had wanted a sister for more than a year and he couldn't wait to finally break the good news.

"It's a girl, Sweetie. You've got a baby sister!" he told her.

"A sister!" she exclaimed so loud that Jed had to move the phone from his ear. "Put her on the phone, Daddy!"

Her request filled him with laughter. "I think she's too young for that, but how about I come get you so you can come see her?"

"Grandpa says he'll bring me. He wants to see her too! And Mommy!"

"All right, Angel. You go get ready and put Grandpa on." Jed didn't think it was possible to feel happier and luckier than he did at that moment, but he was wrong.

James Barrington had always been a surrogate father to his son-in-law. From the day Abbey brought Jed home to meet him, he had taken a liking to the exuberant charm, charisma, and intelligence that he noticed from that first handshake. So it was only natural that James congratulated him on the birth of his second daughter, but when he thanked him for being a wonderful husband to Abbey and for joining the Barrington family, Jed silently cried. James didn't know it, but that sentiment would stay with Jed forever.

When James and Liz arrived at the hospital, Baby Girl Bartlet hadn't been officially named yet. Liz stood on the stool outside the nursery as her father pointed to her little sister behind the glass.

"Hi, Emily!" she shouted while jumping up and down with excitement.

It wasn't until later that evening that they would settle on a name. Liz kept her distance when the nurse placed the baby back in Abbey's arms. Her eyes were glued to the squirming newborn, but her hands were locked behind her back. Every now and then, she stuck her neck forward to get a closer look, her trepidation becoming obvious.

"Lizzie, come here. Don't you want to meet her?" Abbey asked.

Liz nodded, but approached with caution. "Hi," she said softly. "Can her name be Emily?"

"Well, that's what I wanted to talk to you and your father about." She glanced at Jed who was standing only a few feet away with the same smile that had been plastered on his face since the birth.

"I'm listening," he said.

Abbey's stare settled on Liz. "I was thinking the baby's middle name could be Emily. That would be the very first gift you will have given her. Would you like that?"

"Uh huh."

"Now for her first name," she continued, "I thought we could name her after a lovely woman who meant...who means a great deal to our family. I thought we could name her Eleanor." With another glance to Jed for approval, she found the smile had vanished.

"Eleanor?" Lizzie asked.

"I know you never met her, Lizzie, but you would have liked your grandma Bartlet. She was a kind and beautiful woman and she raised the most caring, loving man in the world." Her eyes fell to Jed, once again, as she concluded. "Her middle name was Eleanor."

"I like it," Liz replied.

"We can even call her Ellie for short."

"Ellie. I really like it."

Jed remained silent, causing slight concern in Abbey. "How about you?"

As if the day hadn't been emotional enough. "I really like it too." He barely choked out his response.

Abbey raised the infant's head to talk directly to her. "So what do you think, baby girl? Eleanor Emily Bartlet."

Jed sat down on the edge of the bed and helped Liz onto his lap. His eyes moved from mother to newborn daughter in one gliding motion. "Sounds perfect."

TBC