Series: Snapshots of the Past

Story: Endings and Beginnings

Chapter 13

Disclaimer: See Chapter 1

Previously: Cooped up for three days, Jed was cranky and frustrated

Summary: Lizzie has her bandage removed; Abbey assures Jed she'll be there to help him when he needs her

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Elizabeth nervously looked around the room. Her eyes focused on one colorful wall after another, taking in the height chart in front of her, the mural of the tree and the squirrels beside her, and the weigh scale on the other side. She tilted her head, shifting her eyes back and forth, anything to avoid contact with the doctor standing above her.

"Are you ready?" he asked her.

She hesitated in her response. It wasn't until Abbey squeezed her hand that she softly answered. "Yes."

The doctor pulled gently on the gauze, carefully separating it from the skin. There was no pain, but Liz flinched at the feel of the breeze of air on her cheek. It was only a momentary sense of relief to be rid of the uncomfortable bandage before she quickly tightened her hold on Abbey's hand at the thought of what came next.

The severity of the wound convinced Abbey to shelter her from mirrors when changing the dressing so this would be the first time Liz would see the scar.

With a smile on his face, the doctor handed her a mirror. "See? It's not so bad. And if you do what I tell you, it'll look even better in a few months."

"You don't think they'll be any permanent scarring?" Abbey held her breath waiting for the answer.

"Maybe a tiny one over here near her hairline, but nothing noticeable. I'm quite surprised it healed as nicely as it did actually."

"I can tell," Liz whispered. She lowered the mirror and looked at her mother. "I can see it."

"I know you can, Sweetie, but didn't you hear what the doctor said? In a few months..."

Her head hung low as she tuned out the rest of the sentence. To a six-year-old, a few months might as well be a lifetime. She remained still, even when the doctor handed her a lollipop. Her only response was a thank you, spoken after a prompt from Abbey.

Following a few failed attempts to start some sort of conversation on the way to the car, Abbey lifted her up and sat her on the trunk. She placed a finger under Liz's chin and turned her head slightly to examine the scar.

"Even out here, I barely notice it."

"I don't want a scar," Liz replied.

"Lizzie, I don't think there's going to be one."

"There is now."

"It's a small one and if you use the medicine the doctor gave you, it's going to fade."

"You promise?"

"Sweetheart, I can't promise that. But I really do think it will. Look at your nose. You didn't think the swelling was ever going to go down, but it did and now I can barely tell it was broken."

Liz let out an exasperated sigh, both annoyed and frustrated at the same time. "Yeah."

"I know something that might cheer you up. How about we stop for lunch then ice cream before we go home?"

"But it's not Friday."

"I won't tell if you don't."

She matched her mother's grin. "Okay!"

"And then tonight, after dinner, we'll change into our pajamas, camp out in the living room, and have our own little slumber party, just you and me."

"Will you do my hair?"

"And your nails! Any color you want! How does that sound, Baby Doll?"

The idea of a slumber party sparked the initial smile, but it was the nickname that captured her heart. More than ever, she relished the term of endearment that had been assigned to her at birth and the notion that despite a scar on her face and an injury to her nose, Abbey still regarded her as the same perfect little girl she had always been. Her father's approval later that evening sealed the insecurities that had run rampant since the doctor's visit.

Unfortunately, Jed's insecurities weren't as easy to repair. It was Liz's accident that propelled him into the limelight as an advocate for change. But now, it was his own injuries that gave him pause. He was scared. Not for himself, but for Abbey and the girls. The plan he designed to keep his family safe was the now the plan that jeopardized their well-being.

He didn't verbalize his fears. He should have known by now that sometimes, he didn't have to.

"Tell me what happened today," Abbey prodded.

"What do you mean? I sat here all day and read."

"And what else?" He silently wondered how she always knew just what he was trying to hide. "You did that thing you do whenever there's something on your mind." She wasn't just reading his private thoughts, she was answering them.

"That thing?"

"With your hand. You clasp your hands and rub your right thumb over the left."

"I do that all the time."

"Only when you're upset. I can even name the last five times I've seen you do it. It's that little bit of neurosis that I love about you."

Hell, until she mentioned it, he didn't even realize that habit had any symbolic value whatsoever. She knew him better than he knew himself. "You've been counting the number of times I clasp my hands together and you're accusing me of neurotic behavior?"

Avoidance. A classic Jed Bartlet trait.

"Ignoring the problem won't make it go away." There was that bit of psychoanalysis that always made him cringe. She giggled under her breath at the way he squinted his eyes towards her.

"When is your rotation in the psych ward over anyway?"

"Not soon enough to get you out of this. Are you going to tell me what's the matter or just stand there and turn your head while you narrow your eyes in my direction to try to convince me I'm wrong?"

"I don't do that!"

"You did it just a second ago and you've done it ten times in the last four days. Six of those times it was because I wouldn't let you smoke, two times when I was trying to teach you how to care for your knife wounds, and two other times when I scolded you for trying to pick up Ellie."

"You have entirely too much time on your hands, you know that?"

A triumphant smirk was all it took to seal her win. "If it isn't Lizzie's scar that's upsetting you, what is it?"

He collapsed onto the sofa, his hands clasped with his right thumb rubbing gently over his left. "The police called today. They think they found two of the guys who..."

"Jed!" She practically ran to him in her excitement. "That's great!"

"You think so?"

"You don't?"

"Two guys, Abbey. Two. There were four of them. If I go down there and identify the two they managed to catch, what's to stop the other two from retaliating?"

"You're not thinking about not going?" He turned his head away from her in confirmation. "I'm not going to let you do this."

"Do what?"

"Let this go. I'm not going to let you allow fear or intimidation to keep you from giving these guys what they deserve!"

"I'm not afraid. Not for me."

"I know that. You're afraid for me and Lizzie and Ellie. But Jed, the worst thing you can do is cower to these people. There was a time when I wouldn't have had to remind you of that."

He didn't fight her. He couldn't. Abbey was as strong-willed as he was. And all that stubbornness aside, she was right. On top of everything else, she was right. He secretly accepted it and chose to move on. "They changed the city council meeting."

"To when?"

"Friday afternoon. In private. We're moving underground, away from the media, the public, everyone."

"Because of the danger?"

"City Hall has been inundated with bomb threats, death threats aimed at councilmen. It's a circus."

"So we'll do it in private."

"I can barely talk over a whisper, Abbey. There's no way I can say everything I want to say. There's no way we can make my case."

"Yes, you can. Because I'll be there. I know what you've been working on, and tomorrow night, we'll go over everything again. I'll be right there with you at the meeting. You don't have to talk the whole time. When you can't talk, I will."

His serious expression faded as he listened, making way for a more whimsical glare. "Well, that's not going to work."

"Why?"

"How do I know you're not going to change my position to better reflect yours? You do that sometimes. Or you could change the subject of the meeting entirely. I'll be sitting there voiceless, unable to stop you and suddenly, you'll turn the meeting into a discussion of medical research."

"It wouldn't be the worst thing in the world. Medical research is severely neglected, especially by local government..."

"Abigail..."

She moved closer to him, tucking her head under his chin when his arm reached around her. "I guess you'll just have to trust me."

"Mmm. You don't leave me any other option," he teased. Her head remained still as her hand wandered to the top of his neck where she yanked on his hair. "Ow!"

His sudden jerk didn't phase her or the grip she had on him. She hadn't admitted it to him, but during his days of silence, it was the loving banter and merciless teasing she missed the most.

"Be as smug as you want. Just remember, Babe, on Friday afternoon, I'll be the one holding all the cards."

"I know you will." His playful voice was gone. He was much more somber now.

Abbey raised her head with concern. "Jed?"

"I just hate feeling so helpless."

Her arms became his anchor as his body slouched forward, deflated of even the tiny glimmer enthusiasm that energized him only moments earlier. It wasn't just the thought of retalliation that stirred his emotions. The powerlessness that raged inside him detracted from his vision of success and only multiplied his fear of failure.

TBC