Series: Snapshots of the Past
Story: Endings and Beginnings
Chapter 15
Disclaimer: See Chapter 1
Previously: The busing situation got some help from the university system; Jed told Abbey about a possible job offer in New Hampshire
Summary: Abbey returns home after her residency interview; Abbey realizes why Jed wants the lights out
- - -
She sprinted towards the apartment, taking two steps at a time, unable to mask the excitement responsible for the impetuous burst of energy. A deep breath was exactly what Abbey needed to calm herself before finally opening the door.
A more subdued expression now visible, she approached the candlelit table with a reserved stride, attempting to hide the fact that she wasn't surprised. She had been married to Jed for eight years and his romantic overtures had never escaped her attention.
He was so sweet, so considerate. It almost pained her to have a little fun with him. Almost.
"Hi!" She raised her voice to be heard over the running faucet in the kitchen.
Still washing a dish, he turned his head to greet her. "Hey! I wasn't expecting you for another hour."
"We finished early," she replied, handing him a towel to dry his hands.
"Am I correct in assuming the radiant smile on your face is indicative of good news?"
She paused first with an ambiguous gaze, then widened the smile and ran into his arms. "It went well! I think I'm going to be awfully happy come Match Day!"
"I knew you'd do great!" Well, that was partly true. He hoped she would and he certainly wasn't surprised that she had, but his breath did disappear into her hair as he sighed in relief.
"Then you were more confident than I was. I figured I'd be dreading the next few weeks until our residency placements came out. But I really think I'll get this one."
"Congratulations, Babe. You worked so hard for this."
"It's all thanks to you. You made me work. You helped me do it." Her hands framed his face to hold him steady while she kissed him a long, passionate kiss.
Unable to sustain his posture, his arms fell to his side. "Wow." An inadequate response, but it was all he was capable of afterwards.
"Where are the girls?"
"At your mother's." He approached her again, wrapping his arms loosely around her waist and swaying from side to side. "We have the whole night to ourselves." After a peck on her lips, he released her from his grasp to reach for two glasses he filled with champagne.
"You went all out."
"Yes, I did. Dinner will be ready in about an hour, so we'll have to find something to occupy our time until then."
Her face lit up as she placed the glass on the table and spun around quickly to face him. "Let's talk about our new house. When should we start looking?"
That wasn't exactly what he had in mind, but he went with it. "Don't you think you should wait until Match Day to make sure you got it?"
"No, I'm pretty confident."
"Okay then, whenever you want. We can drive up this weekend."
"That would be great! I'm sure the kids are going to LOVE New York!"
"Me too." She turned sharply and headed into the bedroom, leaving Jed behind to nearly choke on his champagne. "Wait. New York?" He chased her into the bedroom, peaking around the corner head-first before going inside. "Abbey? New York?"
She stood by the bed, her fingers frozen to her buttons. "Yeah."
"Your interview was in New Hampshire. Dartmouth-Hitchcock."
"No, Honey, it was in New York with Columbia Presbyterian." They stared at each other, each trying silently to accept the other's confusion. Abbey shook her head as she began to unbutton her jacket. "See, this is what happens when you don't listen to me."
"I do listen. I listened when you told me New York was next week."
"This morning I told you that my schedule had changed. You even wished me good luck. Remember?"
"No." His eyes followed her as she threw her jacket onto the bed and crossed the room to grab a hanger from the closet.
"Of course not, because?"
"Because I wasn't listening. You know I'm not listening when I'm grading papers."
Her hands gripped her shirt, just above the waist. She pulled it out of her skirt slowly, knowing he was watching. "Yes, but when I asked you and you said that you heard me, I just assumed you were telling me the truth." She closed the clasp of the hanger around the fabric and flung the jacket over a chair. "Remind me to drop that off at the dry cleaner's tomorrow."
He shrugged violently in an attempt to focus on the subject instead of her. "All right. Forget about that right now. What are we going to do?"
"We're going to New York. It's my top choice and if they rank me, then I'm going. We're going."
"What do you mean we're going to New York?"
"I mean you, Ellie, Elizabeth, and I are going to get in the car and drive to New York." Her skirt fell the floor and gathered around her ankles. She stepped out of it without ever removing her high heeled pumps.
"To visit."
"To live," she said with another sharp turn. This time she moved towards him. "Jed, it's residency at Columbia! Do you know that means?"
"What about New Hampshire?"
"We'll move to New Hampshire after my residency."
Had it not been for the way she nonchalantly brushed by him and passed the mirror on her way to the closet, he may never have caught the reflection of the small smile and triumphant wiggle of her head.
He was being set up. He had two options. He could confront her or he could play along. "Well, you're half right."
He chose the latter.
She flipped her skirt over the back of the chair after securing it with a hanger. "What do you mean half right?"
"Columbia Presbyterian is a wonderful hospital."
"One of the best."
"And New York is only a few hours from New Hampshire."
Closing the closet door, she addressed him with a sympathetic tilt of her head. "I'm sorry. I know you were looking forward to Dartmouth."
Is that what this was all about, he wondered. The manipulative little sneak. "I'm still looking forward to Dartmouth."
"You don't think it's too long a commute from New York?"
"I don't. Not for holidays and weekends."
"What do you mean?"
"I mean I don't mind driving down to New York to see you." It was a risky little game, but he couldn't resist.
It was impossible to hide her surprise... "What?"
Though he did hide the bit of pleasure he got out of seeing it. "What what?"
"You're going to New Hampshire?" That wasn't the response she expected. "Without me?" she asked in an irate tone she reserved to express major displeasure.
"I already made a commitment to Dartmouth."
"That was before."
"You're the one who told me to go ahead with it. You were confident."
"Jed, I can't go to New Hampshire."
"I know that. We'll make due, Abbey. No one said this was going to be easy."
"We'll be apart from each other? I have an internship to complete then five years of residency." His cavalier attitude gave her doubt, but she wasn't ready to call him on it.
"We'll still visit. I'll bring the girls down..."
The girls. That gave him away. He always had a lousy poker face.
"The girls," she simply repeated, now realizing he was giving her a taste of her own medicine. He always did that. She hated it that he always did that.
"Yeah. Ellie and Lizzie. Well, they can't very well live with you. You've told me how hectic a resident's schedule is."
"It is hectic." There was no attempt to erase the grin that formed on his face when she sat down next to him wearing nothing but a sheer satin slip. "I guess you're right. The girls would certainly be better off with you."
"Can I get that in writing?" he teased.
She probably should have stopped there, but she was tempted to take it just a step further. "And you never know where our lives will be headed after six years."
"We could meet new people." He nodded, obviously secure with his joke until a look of seriousness suddenly washed over her.
"I already have...met someone, I mean." She lowered her eyes to the floor when he stared at her. "He's a cardiologist I met today. A guy named Robert Nolan. Nice, good looking...when he kissed me, I was appalled, but now..."
"Okay, okay. Enough of this little game."
"No. He really did kiss me." She looked at him and immediately broke character when confronted by his less-than-amused expression. "What's the matter, Gumdrop?"
"Not funny."
"Well then, you shouldn't have brought up the girls."
"You shouldn't have lied, you little trickster, especially after I went through all the trouble to make a delicious congratulatory dinner."
"That's what you get for not listening to me this morning."
"You said you were going to New Hampshire and you went to New Hampshire."
"That's right."
"So then how did you know I wasn't listening?"
"It was obvious. What I didn't know is that you fully acknowledge that you never listen when you're grading papers."
"That was a mean trick."
She swung her arms around his shoulders and pulled his head towards her. "It was funny."
"No, I mean it, Abbey, it was mean. You scared me." He was partly kidding, but there was just a slight undertone of solemnity to his voice, enough to persuade her not to challenge him.
"Let me take away your fears."
She pushed him back against the mattress and straddled his hips, brushing his hair off his forehead as she placed soft kisses all over his face. Their lips still connected, her fingers reached for the zipper on his pants, then made their way inside his sweatshirt.
The feel of his warm skin against her hands ended abruptly as he wiggled underneath her. She sat up, her legs still constricting his. "What?"
"Nothing." He strained himself to flick the switch, then conformed to his original spot beneath her.
She repeated his motion and turned the light back on. "Why did you turn them off?'
"Abbey."
"You used to enjoy making love with the lights on. It's been two months since we've done that. Is there something I should know?"
"No."
She lowered herself back down, pressing her chest into his. This time, when her lips made their way to his face, he turned from her, restricting her access and giving her pause. "Jed, I'm not exactly an idiot, you know."
"I never thought you were," he responded as she rolled off him.
"Why won't you let me see the scars?"
"They're repulsive, Abbey."
"No, they're not," she answered quickly. "They're part of you. I could never find anything about you repulsive."
"I'm not comfortable yet, okay? They're still kind of raw."
"They're going to be a reminder of what you went through to stand up for what you believe in, to keep our daughter and all the other kids in this city..."
"Don't. I know all of that. I'm just not ready."
Abbey knew that cosmetic imperfections usually plagued women, not men. But she also realized her husband had deep insecurities he had harbored since childhood. They usually revolved around his personality and intellect, not his looks. But in this case, the knife hadn't just sliced his skin. It sliced a piece of his confidence as well.
It wasn't vanity. It was simply a blow to his ego. She knew that too.
Jed twisted his head in her direction. No response. For several minutes, she laid back, staring at the ceiling with no reply. Finally, she climbed on top of him again, this time holding his shoulders as she locked her eyes into his.
"I'm your wife and no matter what, I'm always going to love you, every inch of you. There's absolutely nothing about you that could repulse me. I hope that eventually, you'll realize that and you'll be comfortable with me seeing them." She stretched her arm to reach for the switch, turning off the light, just as he wanted. "In the meantime, I know where everything is," she provocatively declared as she gently squeezed his swollen shaft.
His hands firmly grasped on her waist, he pushed her to the side in one fluid movement, landing on top of her as she laughed. They had 40 minutes left until dinner.
TBC
