Story: Phoenix
Chapter 23
Disclaimer: See Chapter 1
Previously: Lizzie and Ellie got to meet their little sister; Jed and Abbey were finally able to hold Zoey
Summary: Abbey and Liz talk about how fast she's growing up; Abbey assures Jed she'll support him either way when he's faced with a tough decision; Jed has great news for Abbey
AN: Thinking of all our friends in Texas and Louisiana! Stay safe!
Lizzie poked her baby blue eyes over the top of her menu, a devilish grin accenting her features and her brows wiggling in a familiar pattern, much the same way Jed's did when his mind was lured into mischief. Abbey seemed somewhat oblivious to her oldest daughter's expression. She sat back against her chair and studied the menu items while occasionally stealing a quick glance across the table.
"Mom?"
"Hmm?"
"Are you in a good mood?" Her high pitch immediately gave away her motives. Abbey gazed up with pursed lips and a very tight smile, waiting for Liz to continue.
"What is it?"
"Can I have a burger and fries?"
"You can have whatever you want," Abbey answered with a laugh. "Under one condition..."
Annoyed, Liz folded her arms in front of her. She should have known it wouldn't be as easy as she hoped. "What?"
"You eat the vegetable casserole I'm making for dinner without complaint. Deal?"
The eleven-year-old squinted her eyes and pressed her finger to her chin as she mulled over the compromise. Vegetable casserole certainly wasn't her favorite dish, but she realized she'd probably have to eat a little of it anyway regardless. Reluctantly, she agreed. "Deal."
"Then you may have whatever you want for lunch."
"I had fun today!" Smiling triumphantly, Lizzie sipped her soda while she kept her eyes on her mother. Just as she expected, Abbey straightened her back and leaned over the table, her deep engagement convincing Liz that her simple words warmed Abbey's heart.
"Good."
"I didn't expect you to buy me so many new clothes since Christmas was only two weeks ago."
"I purposely set aside some money for an after-Christmas shopping trip because I figured you'd want to pick out some of your own sweaters."
"You usually pick them out for me. How come you wanted me to do it this time?"
"Because your body is changing and I thought you'd want to try stuff on to see what looks best." Now it was Abbey's turn to watch as Liz's excitement burst through her formerly reserved demeanor. Her brows rose to the middle of her forehead and her lips curved into such an enthusiastic grin that it narrowed her twinkling eyes.
"Really?" She stared down at her chest. "You notice it?"
"I do."
"No one else does."
"No one else is your mother. I've seen you ever single day since the day you were born, Lizzie. I notice these things."
"Daddy doesn't."
"Daddy doesn't want to." Abbey remembered the conversation between Jed and herself the night before. His stubborn reluctance dominated the discussion as he tried desperately to bottle his memories of the little girl.
"How come?"
"Parents are like that. We're weird about our babies."
"Even you?"
"Even me," she answered, reminding herself that Jed wasn't the only person whose eyes were frequently covered with a fresh layer of mist at the thought of Lizzie growing up. It wasn't just that she was on the brink of puberty. It was what was coming afterwards on her journey towards adolescence and adulthood that saddened them both. "You're growing up so fast. I feel like it was just yesterday you were this wobbly toddler barely able to stand on your own."
"But it wasn't yesterday."
"That's how it feels to me, Baby Doll."
"Were your parents like that?"
"Yeah, they were. Especially my father. He was just like yours as a matter of fact."
"But Daddy's parents weren't like that, were they?"
"I'm sure they were. Why would you think they weren't?"
"Because Dad and Grandfather hate each other." After the impulsive slip of the tongue, Lizzie lowered her head. "Sorry."
"Nothing to be sorry for, Sweetie, but who told you they hate one another?" Jed purposely shielded his daughters from the animosity between him and his father. In fact, the subject of John Bartlet hadn't even come up in front of the girls in the past several years.
"Uncle Jack. When he was here visiting last week, he talked to Grandfather on the phone. He said he had to talk to Daddy about inviting him over, but that Daddy probably would say no because they hate each other."
"Your father doesn't hate your grandfather, Lizzie. They don't always get along, but they don't hate each other."
Perhaps Abbey's opinion was colored by her own idealistic childhood, but she truly believed that hatred wasn't an emotion that came close to defining the complicated relationship between Jed and his father. Resentment and anger had given birth to belligerent hostility that had grown over time, nurtured by John's insecurities and Jed's need for paternal acceptance. But despite the constant conflicts that emerged, a small seed of something survived the turbulence to reunite them every once in a while. It certainly wasn't the normal kind of love that develops between a parent and a child, but she was hesitant to call it hate.
Abbey had never been a fan of John's. Her stomach churned at the thought that a man who was supposed to be her husband's caregiver, his protector during the most vulnerable time in his life, constantly lashed out at him with mental and physical abuse. It was no secret that she was sickened by the fact that even now, Jed's view of himself was so gravely rooted in his father's opinion. If she could, she would have banished John from their lives forever, then heal the years of rejection that scarred Jed's soul. But she couldn't do that. The slim hope that Jed would eventually find the road to reconciliation, a road he had been searching for his entire life, wouldn't allow her to. Instead, she would have to encourage him to follow his heart and pray that, just this once, John wouldn't shatter it into a million broken pieces.
By the time Lizzie and Abbey returned home that afternoon, the air was thick with the delicious aroma of Mary's homemade tomato sauce. Mary hovered above the steaming pot and stirred while Jed stood next to her, wiping his eyes with one hand and attempting to get a decent grip on the onion he was chopping with the other.
Seeing his discomfort from dining room, Lizzie ran into the kitchen and retrieved a damn paper towel for her father. "Here you go, Daddy."
"Thanks." He dabbed at his eyes, blinking rapidly to dry the tears.
"Mom bought me a bunch of new clothes!"
"That's great! So go try them on and come show us."
Abbey waited to see Lizzie leave the kitchen and disappear down the hall that led to her bedroom before addressing her husband. "I was going to make vegetable casserole for dinner."
"Which is why I started cooking something else as soon as I got home," he teased. Jed's distaste for vegetable casserole far outweighed his daughter's.
"Jed wanted to take some of the pressure off of you," Mary added. "We're making smoked salmon and pasta. And if the girls don't like it, we also made spaghetti and meatballs just for them."
"Sounds wonderful." Abbey stepped between them to wash her hands, then turned an inquisitive look to her mother. "Mom, can I take over for a few minutes?"
"Of course. I'll go see if Lizzie needs any help."
Once Mary left, Abbey positioned herself directly behind Jed, blocking his frame with hers. "Are you just going to suffer or are you going to ask for my help?"
Without looking back, he handed her the onion as tears continued to trail down his cheeks. "I can usually do it."
"How many times have I told you to do this under running water?" Husband and wife switched places, Jed ducking under Abbey's arms as she reached for the faucet.
"Water's for wusses," he choked out, ignoring Abbey's contemptuous stare while drying his eyes. "Are you ready for some good news?"
"I am, but first, I have a question for you." She dropped the onion into a strainer and leaned back against the counter so she could look directly at him. "What's going on with your father?"
"What do you mean?"
"Did he really call when your brother was here?"
Jed nodded and sighed. "Yeah."
"And I know he's been sending flowers for Zoey. He wants to reconnect?" Another nod. "What are you thinking?"
"That my day was going better before you brought up my father."
Abbey smiled as she gently cupped his chin to raise his head. "I just want you to know that if you want to see him or if you want to invite him over to see the girls or take him to the hospital to visit Zoey, I'm okay with that."
"Yeah? After last time, I didn't think you'd ever let him near the girls again."
"That was six years ago. I know they won't let anyone see Zoey without us there, so I'm not worried that. I still don't want him alone with Liz and Ellie, especially after he tore down Lizzie's confidence the way he did, but as long as one of us is there, it's all right with me."
"Why are you telling me this?"
"I don't want you to shut him out because you're worried about my reaction. If you don't want to see him, that's perfectly understandable. But if you start thinking that he's your father and you want to give him another chance, I'll support you 100 percent."
He suddenly felt a warm flush spreading across the top of his cheeks as he grinned at his wife. Her support couldn't calm his tumultuous feelings about his father, but it mentally strengthened his resolve and heightened his desire to mend the fractured relationship that, for reasons beyond his own understanding, was so important to him.
His face beaming with a rosy glow, he moved closer to her. "Thanks."
"Does this mean you do want to see him?" she asked after he pressed a kiss into her lips.
"I don't know yet. But I'm more likely to think about it now that I know you're by my side."
"Like you ever doubted it." She nudged him in the chest as she picked up the forgotten onion.
"It's good to know for sure," he replied with a smirk. "Now, on to more upbeat topics. You want some good news?"
"Please."
"While you and Lizzie went shopping today, the rest of us went to see Zoey."
"And?" She stopped rinsing to devote her undivided attention to him.
"They let me feed her." His voice was a mixture of laughter and joy. The onion slipped between Abbey's fingers and back into the strainer as she listened. "She's taking a bottle."
A soft squeal escaped her lips, muffled by the raised hands that covered her open mouth. "Really?"
"That's the real reason I started dinner early. As soon as we're finished eating, I want to take you down there for her next feeding."
"Really?" she asked again.
Abbey placed both hands on his shoulders, searching his eyes for only a few seconds before she jumped into the air and buried herself deep in his embrace. Caught off-guard by her physical reaction, Jed's body stiffened as it fell against the sink when Abbey tightened her hold, wrapped her legs around his hips and her arms around his neck.
"Whoa!"
"I'm sorry." She pulled back to lower herself down, but Jed fought to keep her just where she was, cuddled into his chest with her face sinking into his shoulder.
"I kind of like this."
"Jed, I'm going to break your back. Let me down."
"I'd rather you stay until you hear what else I have to say."
Abbey separated their upper bodies and looked down at him from her elevated perch. "What?"
"Dr. Henson said if she continues to improve the way she has been, we may get to take her home at the end of January."
"Are you serious?"
"Yeah!"
The news hit her like a bucket of cold water splashing over every limb and revitalizing every organ. The adrenaline pumped through her veins, her heart raced, and she exhaled every breath through a shaky undercurrent of nerves. Though Zoey had been growing steadily over the last five weeks, no one had dared to brazenly determine her rate of recovery - until now. The newborn who was once clinging to life with the tips of her tiny fingers was rapidly gaining strength and for the very first time, there was a visible end to the agony that had dominated every hour of every day since the moment she was born.
Jed supported her weight as Abbey planted a dozen kisses over his entire face. Her fingers sprawled out across his cheeks, curling into her palm as she stroked them when she was done. "That really is the best news in the world!"
TBC