Series: Snapshots of the Past

Story: Endings and Beginnings

Chapter 14

Disclaimer: See Chapter 1

Previously: Lizzie's bandage was removed; Abbey promised to help Jed through the school meeting

Summary: The city council and the school committee meet with university representatives and the architects of a supplemental plan to busing; Jed and Abbey reconnect

- - -

The room was virtually empty. It was the first time in a year that such a room had been so vacant, so quiet, so detached from confusion and chaos. The pews that were ordinarily occupied by concerned citizens were noticeably absent. In their place, wooden folding chairs, all lined up in three rows, side by side, one behind the other.

A long mahogany table stretched horizontally across the front. Behind it were several high-back swivel chairs made of leather and reminiscent of the ones you'd find in any executive's office. But this was no office. This wasn't city hall. This was just a room -- a room that had been turned into a sanctuary in hopes of providing some semblance of protection to its temporary residents.

Individually, in measured intervals, city leaders emerged from their chambers, each taking a seat at the table. The Mayor sat in the middle, surrounded on both sides by councilmen. The city's school committee dispersed between them randomly, recognizing that no strategic manipulation was needed in front of the limited audience.

Jed and Abbey walked in initially undetected thanks to the bustling noise created by the small crowd. But once they were noticed, they were greeted with well wishes from the professors and education professionals in attendance.

"Who are the new guys?" Abbey asked when she found the opportunity to steal a private moment.

"They're from Dartmouth. That's what they were calling about. It seems a few of the professors want to help our cause."

"They want to teach the kids? Can they do that?"

"They'd be more like tutors, just like the rest of us. And as long as we provide them a classroom at one our universities and they're willing to drive down from New Hampshire, I don't see why we'd turn them away."

There was no mistaking the level of pride in Jed's voice. It was the same pride that was visible in Abbey's eyes when she looked at him. Unifying the state's universities was one thing, but he had captured the attention of neighboring states and persuaded them to join the fight.

As the meeting began, it was suggestive of more of an informal gathering, one that didn't require the Pledge of Allegiance or an official call-to-order. Once everyone was seated, Jed staggered to his spot at the podium. His vocal chords still raw and unpredictable, he spoke slowly. He had his prepared notes in his hand, but he didn't use them. What he had to say couldn't be expressed in a speech or a lecture. His message was about the concerned parents who desperately needed a solution to end their fears.

He personalized the situation, sharing his own story -- not as a politician, not as an advocate, not as a victim. As a father. When his voice betrayed him, Abbey stepped up beside him and just as she promised, she became his microphone, echoing his thoughts, as well as her own.

Now it was Jed's turn to tingle with pride. He always knew she was an articulate speaker, but he had forgotten the amount of conviction, emotion, and adamant persuasion present not only in her words, but in her posture, her demeanor, and her overall presentation. It was that confidence that attracted him to her in the first place. Nine years later, it was that confidence that still turned him on.

When Abbey eventually relinquished the floor to the architects of the new plan, there was a sudden physical shift in the room.

Jed and his colleagues had teamed up with a committee of experts and legal scholars to come up with a remedy. With seventeen college presidents present and ready to step forward to help solve the problem, they presented their recommendations and after countless hours of debate that lasted well into the next morning, a plan was accepted.

The city was divided into eight regions. Within the regions, each school was paired up with a specific university. University staff would tutor, mentor, and advise the students. The campus would be open for lectures and the faculty would be welcomed at the school. Busing would continue and most kids would return to their school full-time, but parents like Jed and Abbey now had another option with children like Elizabeth.

It would be two days before the rest of the city would learn about the victory achieved in seclusion, free from the media bloodhounds and the agenda-driven protesters.

By Monday, there was renewed hope within the community. It would take a long while to accurately assess the benefits of the new policy, but it would certainly start with high hopes, especially for the Bartlets.

"Are you ready?" Jed called out to Liz's bedroom.

"Almost!"

"We're going to be late." Of all the things she could have picked up from her mother, it had to be her uncanny knack for bustling around the apartment at the last minute.

With Abbey standing behind her in the doorway, Liz made her entrance. "I'm ready."

"Okay," he said with a proud smile.

"You're sure you don't want me to come with you?" Abbey offered.

"We'll be fine," Jed insisted. "I'll call you when we get there. I'll take care of her, don't worry."

"And what about you?"

"I'll take care of him!" Liz gleefully declared as she took her father's hand to lead him towards the door.

A short time later, father and daughter walked down the empty university halls, still hand-in-hand. They turned the corner and both took a simultaneous breath, preparing themselves for the next move.

"You're sure you're okay?"

"Yeah." Surprisingly, there wasn't a bit of apprehension in her answer.

"If you need anything, you tell Professor Wilkinson right away."

"Okay."

"Give me a hug." He crouched down to her level and kissed her cheek as he wrapped his arms around her. "I'll be right down the hall if you get scared or if you just want to see me. I'm in room 203. Can you remember that?"

She nodded and turned slowly. Jed watched her open the door to the classroom, then flip herself back around to give him a subtle wave before going inside to join her classmates.

A total of eight first-graders were tutored that night with Professor Roger Wilkinson. Jed's class held twelve fifth graders. With help from the other universities, every grade in the public school system was covered and regardless of the size of the classrooms, the students arrived free from violence.

By all accounts, the preliminary reports declared the plan a successful and necessary amendment to busing. Leading the news headlines was a previously unknown Economics professor, and though no one was aware the enormous impact his perseverance in the face of opposition and intimidation would have on his future, many scholars, as well as some politicians were tuned in to his every move.

Later that evening, Jed sat up against the headboard, cushioned by the pillows behind his back as Abbey lifted her leg to the pool of moisturizer in her hand.

"Is that new? It smells new."

She stared at him for a moment before she remembered how much he loved to watch her get ready for bed. "It's vanilla."

"I like it."

A wink of her eye was all it took to melt his heart. "Good."

"I think Lizzie likes her class."

"I know she does. It's all she talked about when I tucked her in." She sauntered over to the bed, leisurely adjusting her pillows before sitting down. "So you never told me how you got the Dartmouth Three to join the fight."

"I told you they wanted to help."

"Yeah, but you had to have solicited their help at some point?"

"Nope. It was all them. Apparently, they had read some of the op-eds I wrote in response to Elliot Roush. Then when the busing thing popped up, they called."

"Dartmouth is Ivy League. They have one of the best Economics Departments in the country."

His head snapped in her direction quickly. "Abbey?"

"I'm just saying a job there would do great things for your career."

"All right, spill it."

"Spill what?" She flashed a look of sheer innocence mixed in with only a hint of a smile that always gave her away. "I overheard Professor Loehmer telling you about the vacancy next year. Are you going to go up there to meet with him?"

"Yes, but I was going to wait and tell you about it later."

"Why later?"

"I wanted to sweet talk you, make you dinner, maybe even let Lizzie in on my scheme so she could help me out."

"And I foiled your little plan."

"You and your inability to keep your ears out of private conversations, yes." Whenever he complained about her quirky little habits, it usually meant he secretly loved them.

"You're using my daughter for evil purposes."

"My daughter too. I just wanted every advantage when I try to convince you."

"Convince me of what?"

"To consider a move -- to New Hampshire, provided I get this job, of course."

"Mmm, well, what would be in it for me?"

"A husband who loves you more than anything in this world." His fingers traced her thighs lightly.

"That's not enough." She laughed in response to his exaggerated pout. "Jed, you don't have to convince me. I'm already convinced."

"You'd be happy living in New Hampshire?"

"Why else would Dartmouth-Hitchcock be on my list of residency interviews?"

"Bu you're applying all over."

"I am. But it's a great hospital. And New Hampshire is lovely place to raise Liz and Ellie. It's far away from the problems of the city, but close enough where I can still visit my parents whenever I want." She followed his lead and fluffed her pillows to recline on the mattress. "Call Loehmer in the morning."

"Do you want me to wait to make sure you get in first?"

"You have any doubt that I will?" she teased.

He grinned alluringly. "Have I told you lately how much I adore your confidence?"

"I don't think so."

"It's a real turn-on."

4She pulled back the blanket and rolled herself onto his legs, pressing her upper body down gently to connect their lips. "I love you," she whispered into his mouth.

Jed tilted his head to the side as she left a trial of kisses on his neck. "Are you sure this okay? You were awfully concerned about my wounds earlier."

"I still am. Let me do all the work." She paused when she saw a bit of uncertainty in his eyes. "Am I hurting you? I mean, we don't have to do this."

His hands gripped her hips tightly before she could roll off him. "No, I want to do this. You have no idea how much I want to do this."

"Then what?"

"Turn off the light."

"I kinda wanna see what I'm doing here," she replied seductively.

"The element of surprise is a good thing."

She lowered herself onto him again, this time fingering the buttons on his shirt with one hand and reaching for the light with the other.

TBC