Series: Snapshots of the Past
Story: Say You Love Me Too
Chapter 2
Disclaimer: See Chapter 1
Previously: Jed spent a night reflecting on regrets as he worried about Abbey; Jed and James clashed over Abbey; Abbey stumbled into the hospital and collapsed to the floor
Summary: Abbey is evaluated by doctors; Jed answers police questions; Jed gets a shock
- - -
If you asked anyone to describe Abigail Barrington, most would say she was a pretty remarkable young woman, full of ambition and promise. She wasn't the type to ask for help. She was usually the one administering it.
There seemed to be little that frightened her. In fact, when she and her sister Katherine were growing up, it was Abbey who made all of Kate's nightmares go away. Many nights, she'd hear her baby sister's small footsteps nearing her room. She'd help the youngster climb into bed with her, then sing her back to sleep.
The great thing about nightmares, she'd tell the little girl, is that you wake up from the evil spirits that hold your dreams hostage. You wake up and realize that the horrific images and scenarios your mind fooled you into trusting weren't really there at all. It was all a facade, most of the time forgotten or cast aside almost immediately because of the wonderful mechanism of the brain that's designed to protect us from inconceivable trauma.
The analytical voice inside Abbey's head had always reminded her that nightmares were nothing to fear. But in doing so, it left her completely unprepared for this. The terrifying aspect of a true nightmare is that you may very well be awake. It may not be a betrayal of your psyche. It may not be just a dirty trick. Some nightmares are real. They're unstoppable and boundless. Those are the most frightening.
As she was being wheeled on a gurney, passing onlookers at warp speed, that's where Abbey's thoughts had finally settled. This was a nightmare.
"Abbey?" Dr. Robert Nolan called out to his friend. "Abbey, look at me!" Confused, she turned her eyes towards the shouting man. "Do you know what day it is?"
"What? Tuesday. It's Tuesday."
It was early Friday morning. Her breathing was getting progressively weaker. Her skin was cold and clammy. Her eyes kept closing repeatedly as if she was ready to drift off into a dangerously unconscious slumber.
"She's in shock!"
And while medical personnel worked on the doctor, wife, and mother, her husband, children, and parents waited at home.
It had been only minutes since Jed delivered the news that another officer was headed to the house. But before his arrival, another ring of the phone gave everyone the relief they had sought all night. They had found her. Abbey had been found and while she wasn't exactly sound, at least now, she was safe.
Jed and James rushed to the hospital while Mary stayed with her granddaughters. It was a tense car ride for the two men, one marred by the memory of the terse words exchanged earlier.
"Jed, I'd like to offer you an apology."
Jed removed his eyes from the road for a brief second to catch a glimpse of his father-in-law. "Forget it."
"No. I shouldn't have jumped down your throat. It's just...she's my daughter, you know...my baby girl."
"I know," he replied with a sincere smile that curved his lips just enough for James to see.
Abbey may have been all grown up, but to her father, she was still the young child with auburn pigtails and emerald eyes. And Jed understood. It was how he'd always view Lizzie and Ellie, no matter how old they were. A father's love had limitless capacity. So did a husband's, at least in this case.
Adrenaline pumping through his body, he rushed into the hospital ahead of James. Frantically, he sprinted towards the nurse's station, his anticipation growing by the second. But it was Robert Nolan who pulled Jed aside. It was Robert who had to deliver the bad news.
Abbey was hurt and unconscious. They didn't know how deep her injuries were. Not yet.
"There are two doctors in with her now. You can see her after they are finished examining her."
"Fine. I'll wait. But tell me how she is. What happened?"
"I don't know what happened. All I can tell you is that she walked inside and collapsed on the ground without a single word. Her face was bleeding slightly. She didn't seem to have any major external injuries, except...well, her hands. They've been cut and I don't think it's all superficial."
Jed wasn't fazed by the news. "Okay, we can deal with that. We'll get the best hand experts in the country here right now. What are they called? What do you call them?"
"I don't give a damn about her hands," James blurted out without thinking about the consequences of such a significant injury. "She's alive. That's all that matters."
"That is not all that matters!" Jed turned on him with an unintentional sigh of impatience. "I'm about ready to fall to my knees and thank the good Lord for her safety, but if she's hurt her hands that will destroy her."
"She certainly won't be able to operate and at this point in her residency, it could cause major problems," Robert added.
"I don't care about the academic problems. Being a surgeon is such a huge part of her life. If she loses that...I care about what it will do to her, to her frame of mind, to her confidence. We have to fix her hands, Robert."
"One step at a time, Jed."
Another helpless moment. There seemed to be a lot of them on this night.
Jed took his seat in the waiting room. But just as quickly as he sat down, he sprang to his feet again, his anxiety growing with every passing second. "I have to do something," he kept mumbling.
"There's nothing we can do until they let us see her."
"Mr. Bartlet?" Officer Pat Lindy called. "There is one thing you can do. You can answer some questions for us, help us piece together the events that led your wife here."
Well, that was an option. Other than seeing Abbey, Jed's next priority was to find out exactly what happened. Who was responsible for this? Who tried to hurt Abbey?
He looked to James before responding to the officer.
"Go ahead. I'll come get you when the doctors are finished."
With a nod, Jed followed Lindy into an adjacent lounge.
"I don't know what you want to know that I haven't told you people already," he began as he paced back and forth.
"There are a lot of things. For instance, when was the last time you spoke to your wife?"
"I've already answered that. It was this morning. Or yesterday morning. Whatever. Before she left for work on Thursday morning."
"And then you went to work?"
"Look, this is just a waste of time. I've already gone through this."
Realizing he was agitated, Lindy began the real questioning. "Do you and your wife have a happy marriage?"
"Already asked and answered. I understood the relevance of that particular question when Abbey was missing, but now she's been found. We know she didn't run away, so what's the point?" Jed noticed the officer's avoidance. "Unless...you know she didn't run away. There was a struggle in the parking lot. You never suspected she took off on her own. You think I did this? You think I'm the one who..." Disgusted by the thought, he couldn't even finish the sentence. "Are you out of your mind?"
"I never said you did it. But someone did attack your wife and in order for us to find that person, we have to start eliminating others."
He took in an exasperated gasp, as if stung by the implication, then pulled up a chair. "Abbey and I have a very happy marriage. And just for the record, I have never gotten physical with her. EVER. I would never do that." He paused momentarily, allowing his words to sink in. "I haven't talked to her since Thursday morning. I went to work, then I went to a meeting with about 17 colleagues who can all verify my presence."
And so began an hour of torturous recounts and memories of the day before. The police didn't really suspect Jed. Because of his earlier interview, they had already confirmed his story. This line of questioning didn't turn up any new information, nothing that had been forgotten, nothing that had been left out.
But at least it kept his mind occupied, which to some extent, was a blessing.
By the time James ran into the lounge with the news that Abbey was awake and ready for visitors, Jed had nearly collapsed from exhaustion and worry. The invitation to see his wife reinvigorated him, energized him unexpectedly.
What he really wanted to do was approach Abbey with a barrage of questions. But he wouldn't allow himself to do that. Not now. Right now, his only concern was that she was comfortable and out of any pain she may have experienced.
What he didn't know is that there was still one more surprise waiting for him.
As they entered her room, they witnessed the two doctors still there, one jotting down notes on his clipboard as another called for a nurse. Robert stood at the door as if waiting for someone else to arrive.
"Daddy!" Abbey greeted her father as their eyes met.
"Hi, Sweetheart."
Jed wanted to take a hold of his wife's hand, but was immediately discouraged by the bandages wrapped around it. Instead, he moved closer to her bed and looked at her adoringly. "Honey, how do you feel?"
Abbey turned from him, a fearful tear falling down her cheek.
"Mr. Bartlet..." one of the doctors began.
"Jed..." Robert tried to interject.
Jed tuned them out. "Abbey? Honey, what is it?" With no answer, he gently grabbed her arm to force her to face him. "Abbey?"
"Stop it!" she screamed as she jerked from his grasp.
"Mr. Bartlet!" The doctor was more forceful this time.
"What's happening?" James asked as he approached his daughter from the other side of her bed.
"Jed, I need to talk to you outside." Robert replied.
"Not until I find out what's wrong. Abbey?"
"Jed, NOW!"
Jed ignored his plea and ran his hand over the back of Abbey's head, causing her to snap back at him. "PLEASE MAKE HIM STOP!" she screamed.
"Why is she acting like this?"
"You're scaring her, Jed!"
"I'm scaring her? That's ridiculous! Abbey, what's going on? Damn it, Abbey, talk to me!" he snapped out of sheer frustration.
"JED!" Robert shouted back at him.
"WHAT THE HELL IS GOING ON?"
"SHE DOESN'T KNOW YOU!" Robert took a few breaths to calm himself down before continuing. "She doesn't remember...she doesn't know who you are."
Jed stepped back, stunned by Robert's words. Abbey doesn't know him. That's what he said. She doesn't remember him. She remembered her father. How could she not remember her husband, he wondered.
Nightmares.
It may be true that the mind can protect you from inconceivable trauma, but it can also create a barrier so great that it protects you from those whom you don't need protection.
TBC