Series: Snapshots of the Past

Story: Endings and Beginnings

Chapter 11

Disclaimer: See Chapter 1

Previously: Leo and Abbey found Jed in an alley; when he stopped breathing, Abbey performed CPR on Jed

Summary: Abbey waits for news on Jed's condition then pledges her support to him

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Abbey paced back and forth in the hospital waiting room. She occasionally gripped the seams of the blanket that had been wrapped around her arms in lieu of the winter coat she sacrificed for Jed's wound. Her sweater was stained with his blood, her hair was a tangled mess. But it didn't even faze her. She had retreated inside herself and except for the brief conversation with police, she hadn't said much to anyone.

Leo's head turned with her every move, his eyes following her in each direction. He knew what she wouldn't say. He knew the images her mind was replaying over and over again. Abbey had saved her husband's life in that alley, but the fear that motivated her to do so still hadn't left her body.

It accompanied her when his breath escaped his mouth and entered hers when she gave him the rescue breaths, when she informed the paramedics about his injuries, when she sat beside him and held his hand during the ambulance ride to the hospital, regaling him with stories of Lizzie and Ellie and reminding him of memories they shared as a family.

And she never once shed a single tear -- not when his breathing was so labored and ragged that she was forced to draw her strength from the horrific thought of losing him and find the energy to fight for them both, not when he turned to her to voice his answers to the EMT's questions because his own speech was soft and lifeless, not when they stormed into the emergency room and abandoned her near the nurse's station, leaving her to clutch her hands tightly to keep her sanity, not even when the doctor came out to tell her of Jed's many injuries, including his most serious, a collapsed lung.

Never had she cried. Instead, she paced. That's how Abbey Bartlet dealt with nerves. Even Leo knew that. Seeing Jed in a pool of his own blood was a crushing blow to Abbey's spirit, and the only thing that could encourage a rebound was news of a good prognosis.

It seemed like hours, though it may have only been minutes -- perhaps it was sometime in between -- when the doctor finally walked into the waiting room. Jed was awake and alert. A chest tube had been inserted to help expand his lung. His knife wounds didn't cause any internal injuries, though he did have a torn rotator cuff as a result of the fall from the shoulder injury. The strained muscles and torn tendons of his upper arms would take time to heal and partial paralysis of his vocal chords would keep him quiet for several days. But he was alive, awake, and ready for visitors.

Leo approached him slowly as he lay on the bed, not aware that he had company. "Hey, you gave us quite a scare."

Jed jerked his head towards the door and a smile immediately dominated his face.

"He was jealous of Lizzie getting all the attention," Abbey teased before he could reply.

"How are the girls?" His voice was hoarse and it was obvious it took energy just to form those four simple words.

"Don't talk," she ordered. "The girls are both fine. I just talked to Lizzie a few minutes ago. I'll bring her by in the morning."

"Do you remember what happened?" Leo asked.

Jed looked to Abbey with a sarcastic smirk and exaggerated a nod.

"Good because the police are going to want a description of whoever did this to you."

He held up his hands in front of Abbey and bent his thumb forward. "Four? There were four of them?"

He nodded again as he watched his wife take a step back and squint her eyes at the outrage and disgust she felt. Four men had done this. They had beaten and wounded him and left him to bleed in a dark, deserted alley, by himself, alone and in pain. Had it not been for his will to survive, he may not have been discovered as quickly as he was. Anger raged inside her as she thought about what would have happened if Jed hadn't found the courage to crawl on one hand and one knee towards the crowded street where he was seen by passersby.

He saw the expression on her face, evidence of the mental torment that muffled her speech. He wanted to extend his arm to touch her, but his limitations wouldn't allow him. Instead, all he could do was tilt his head sympathetically at the anguish visible in her eyes.

"It's okay, Abbey. They'll find them." Thank God for Leo's caring touch of her arm. It brought her out of whatever daze she was in. "Listen, I'm going to go call Jenny, give you guys a few minutes alone."

As the door closed behind him, Abbey let down her guard. She turned to Jed with a trembling lip she could only reveal to him. "Do you need anything?" He shook his head. "Do you feel okay? Any major pain right now?" He turned to his side and strained to reach for a pad of paper. "Stop it!" she scolded. "Just lay still. I'll get you what you need."

She handed him the paper and a pen. He wrote slowly then grinned as he handed it back.

"May I talk now?" she read. "No. Whatever you want to say, you write down." He took back the pad and paper and held it up for her when he was finished. For the first time all night, tears clouded her vision though she didn't allow them to fall down her cheeks. "I love you too."

He stretched his good arm towards her, urging her to move forward into his embrace. They held each other loosely, painfully aware of the injuries to his body.

"I could really use a cigarette."

He meant it as a joke, but Abbey's head sprung back quickly. She wasn't laughing. "That's not funny."

"Come on."

"You have a collapsed lung, Jed. It's time to give up smoking for good."

"I was just kidding," his rough voice cracked slightly at his insistence. "But seriously, Abbey, I'm going to heal and I'll be good as new when I do."

"And I intend to keep you that way. Which means no more smoking."

"Do we have to discuss this now?"

"You're the one who brought it up."

"I thought you could take a joke," he snapped curtly.

She shot down her initial reaction to continue down this path. Instead, she changed the subject. "I told you not to talk."

"It doesn't hurt to talk. It's just a little uncomfortable."

"I don't care." She walked away from him. "You have a bruised larynx."

"What does that mean?" he asked snidely.

With a sharp turn towards him, he could tell she was annoyed. "It means there's damage to your vocal chords and if you don't stop talking and shut your mouth right now, it could be permanent!" Suddenly, the vulnerability that she had kept guarded and hidden was apparent in more than just her voice. "They punched you in the throat. They could have killed you."

He held his hand out to her once again and once again, she took it. Her head rested just under his chin as his fingers got lost in her dark auburn strands of hair.

"I'm sorry." He breathed the words in a whisper only she could hear.

"Don't. You didn't do anything wrong. I'm not mad at you. It's just that when I saw you in that alley, soaked in blood..." She scrunched up her face to shut her eyes and fiercely shook her head as if that would erase the memory planted in her mind.

Jed pulled her in as he moved himself to the other side of the bed to give her room to lay beside him. With careful consideration, she gently crawled on top of the sheets and placed her arm around his impaired frame, leaning forward to kiss his face before laying down.

"Jed...don't talk, just listen. This last week with all the press and the reporters beating down our door, it was so easy for me to complain about our lack of privacy and the hassle that went along with all the phone calls and interview requests. I think somewhere in the confusion, I forgot to tell you what a wonderful thing I think you're doing. I do. I really do. You know, Lizzie told me that when she was in the hospital, you said that she was your hero. Well, I don't tell you enough but you're my hero and right now, you're everyone else's too."

"Not everyone."

"Didn't I tell you not to talk?" He nodded with a chuckle that made her laugh as well. "My point is that I know you probably expected me to be upset and try to convince you not to continue with this, but this is one of those times when I simultaneously surprise and confuse you. I'm not going to tell you not to do this because I love what you're doing. I support you completely. I want to help you."

"Abbey."

She covered his mouth with hers to silence him. "What's it going to look like to all those photographers if the only way to keep you quiet is a consistent lip-lock?"

He lifted his head slightly, encouraging another kiss. She met him halfway and gently pressed her lips to his to ease him back down.

It still terrified her to think that there were people out there who were targeting her husband, but the most powerful emotion they provoked in her wasn't fear. It was anger. Jed had already resolved to fight back. Now it was Abbey's turn to join him.

TBC