Series: Snapshots of the Past

Story: Say You Love Me Too

Chapter 3

Disclaimer: See Chapter 1

Previously: Jed gets to see Abbey, but learns that she doesn't remember him

Summary: Jed finds it difficult to come to grips with his wife's condition; Abbey makes arrangements for her release from the hospital

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"She doesn't know who you are."

Robert's words replayed themselves endlessly in Jed's mind. Those six words. Those words that toppled his entire world, that made him yearn for another day of ignorance, another day of avoidance, another day of peace with Abbey in his arms.

How could she not remember him? How could she not know him? The man she married, the man she's loved for all these years, the man whom she pledged to love forever was now a complete stranger to her. It was as if he never even existed, as if they had never existed.

"Jed." Robert was persistent in getting his attention. "Jed!"

"What?"

"Did you hear any of what I said?"

It had been nearly 24 hours since he had kissed Abbey goodbye and watched her leave for work. A whole day of sheer hell that all boiled down to this. He stood outside his wife's room, trying to fight the unimaginable thoughts that plagued him.

"I heard some of it."

"You need to listen to all of it. You need to understand."

"I don't understand," he quickly interrupted as he circled around Robert. "I don't understand any of this. What the hell happened to her tonight?"

"We don't know for sure. She came in here covered in blood. A lot of it wasn't hers."

"What do you mean it wasn't hers? It belonged to whoever did this?"

"Yes. She put up quite a fight. Her face was bruised, as you saw, and her hands were cut up pretty badly, but judging from the blood on her clothes, there's someone else out there hurt just as bad or worse."

At least that was something. Abbey had left her mark on whomever it was who attacked her, and with it, she left some clues to lead investigators to him.

"Was she raped?" He dreaded asking that question. He dreaded the answer even more. "You have to tell me. Please. Was my wife raped?"

"I'm not the one who examined her, Jed." That wasn't exactly the reply Jed was hoping for. It wasn't the reply Robert wanted to give. "I will tell you that based on what Dr. Norton told me, I don't think she was raped."

Her bra had been slit and cut from her body, her thighs were colored with bruises, and a single tear separated the elastic on her underwear. But she battled her attacker. She struggled with every fiber of her being. She had won.

"Did he use a knife to cut her hands?"

"Yes. She could have easily been stabbed. From the looks of it, she protected herself with her hands. Probably used them to shield her face and her chest."

Jed pointed his chin in acknowledgment. No one had to tell him that Abbey was a fighter. She was a strong and determined woman. Despite her petite frame and inferior physical strength, she wasn't one to cower to intimidation or violence.

But there was yet another problem, one that her feisty personality couldn't prevent. "What about her memory?"

"I'm sorry I didn't have a chance to warn you about that. We only found out about a minute before you entered the room. The good news there is no brain damage."

"But she doesn't remember anything?"

"There's something called hysterical amnesia. It's usually temporary..."

Jed tuned out Robert's voice in favor of reminding himself what he knew about the condition. Abbey had studied it during her psychiatric rotation in med school. And when Abbey studied, so did he. He recalled the night he quizzed her about this particular disorder. He would never forget the horror of learning that in one instant the brain could steal entire periods of a person's life when trying to protect its host from trauma the mind isn't ready to handle.

This wasn't the result of a bump on the head. This was the result of being scared to death, almost literally.

"...In Abbey's case," Robert continued, "she woke up thinking it was May 1965. She doesn't remember you, she doesn't know she has children, she didn't even realize she's a doctor."

"Did you tell her? Did you tell her it's 1979?"

"Yes. But she's quite upset, as you can imagine. This all just happened in the last few minutes. She hasn't had time. And I think your presence only frightened her."

Jed's body slumped forward for a second, his stomach constricting at the thought. "What can we do about this?"

"I called Dr. Susan Hunter. She's a psychiatrist here at the hospital. She knows Abbey pretty well, though Abbey won't remember her. I think she can help or at least offer some guidance."

"May I go back in to see her?"

"You can go in, but I think you need to let me introduce you to Abbey. This is pretty hard on her, Jed. It's beyond scary."

He recognized that. More than anything in the world, he wanted to eliminate Abbey's fears. He wanted to take her in his arms and convince her she was safe, convince her he would never let her go, ever again. He would give anything to erase the trauma she endured, trauma so severe that it caused her brain to shut down and rid itself of fourteen years worth of memories.

With his head held low, he entered her room quietly. "Hi."

Her trepidation immediately gave him pause, paralyzing him to the corner of the room. He waited for Robert to make the next move.

"Abbey, this is Jed Bartlet."

She looked to her father for validation. James nodded before Abbey answered. "Hi."

"I didn't mean to scare you earlier. I didn't know," Jed replied.

"I know." She flashed a small smile. It was forced and contrite, but it was a smile. "My dad explained."

"I know you don't remember me, but we..."

"I know." It was unclear to him if she really knew or if she stopped him before he could tell her they were married. Her comfort level deteriorating rapidly, she turned her attention to her doctors. "When can I go home?"

Jed cautiously followed her eyes. "Yeah. When can I take her home?"

"No!" Abbey protested a lot stronger than she intended. With everyone staring at her, she, once again, looked to her father. "Can I go home with you? Please?"

James exchanged a painful glance with his son-in-law. He would be hurt and upset, but Abbey had to come first. "Of course you can."

"Wait!" Desperate, Jed sat at the edge of her bed to face her directly. "Abbey, I'd like you to come home with me."

It was more of a plea than a statement. His voice held the bit of hopelessness he could no longer mask.

"Jed, don't push her," Robert intervened.

"Stay out of this," Jed shot back, now angry that he had lost control of the situation. "Honey, I can take care of you at our house. It's a beautiful house. We bought it together. You love it there."

Abbey could see the pain in his eyes, those blue, unfamiliar eyes. "I really just want to go home with my father."

Jed swallowed hard in an effort to retain a stoic attitude and hide the sharp pain he was feeling. It was a pain like no other. It pricked at him with such force that, for a second, he swore he was having a heart attack. But his heart wasn't suffering from a lack of blood. It was simply broken in two.

"Okay, Sweetie," James replied. "You'll go home with me."

Noticing he was on the verge of a breakdown, Robert led Jed out of the room. It was the uncertainty that was harder than anything else. He may have heard of hysterical amnesia, but his lack of medical training certainly left him unprepared to deal with it.

"You have to take it easy with her," Robert began as gently as possible. "She's confused."

"You said this was temporary. How long does it usually last?"

"You'll have to ask Susan when she gets here. I'm not an expert on dissociative disorders. From what I understand, some patients recover completely in a couple of hours."

"And others?"

Robert let out a small breath in response. It was the only answer Jed needed to confirm his worst fears.

"I know it's frustrating, but Abbey's in a fragile place right now. You need to give her time. She'll stay in the hospital for the rest of today, possibly tomorrow. We'll reassess her condition then. And if she's more comfortable with her parents, then you have to let them take her home."

"Fine. You have all the answers. Fine. Then tell me how I'm supposed to go home and tell my two little girls that their mother isn't coming home? How do I explain to them that their mother doesn't even know who they are? Can you tell me that, Doc?"

TBC