When Alex woke up next, the worst of her pain was gone, leaving only a dull throb in her head and arm. She stirred, catching the attention of Zoey, who sat by her bed. Her parentswere out in the hallway, talking quietly. "Hey," Zoey said, shifting in her chair to face Alex, "How do 'ya feel?"
"Better," Alex said, trying to clear her throat. "Guess the cat's out of the bag."
"That's one way to put it," came a stern voice from the hallway.
Both girls looked and saw the President standing in the doorway, his arms cross over his chest. "Uh-oh," Alex said softly. She felt her facepale even moreas he walked over, studying the two girls in front of him.
They were identical, down to the freckles on their nose. He saw that Alex was a little bit smaller, but figured it was due to malnutrition. She also saw her eyes were a deep green color, on the verge of brown. Zoey had a healthy tan and was a bit more muscular, but other than that, they were identical.
"Zoey, can you wait outside? Your mom and I need to talk with Alex," he said softly. Zoey nodded, tossing the other teenager a look before leaving.
Alex pushed herself up in bed as the president and the first lady walked in, taking seats by her bed. She braced herself for whatever they had to say. "Alexandria," Abbey began to say.
"Wait," Alex said, "I really have to get this off my chest. I'm sorry I pretended to be your daughter. I needed the money and so I did it. And I was going to tell you. I really was, but then you had to go and be wonderful parents, saying you loved me, even though it wasn't even for me, and you sat by me while I fell asleep and brought me a quilt because you thought I might get cold and I've never had anyone do that for me. Ever." She stopped her ramble and took a deep breath, tears falling down her face. "And I wanted so hard to believe that there was someone out there who might love me, so that's why I told Zoey I'd pretend to be her one last time.
I didn't mean to cause trouble. I promise. I just…I wanted to see what it felt like to have a family, because it's something I've never had before." Jed and Abbey watched as her voice fell to a whisper, tears in there eyes. "So I just wanted to thank you for being so wonderful and I hope Zoey knows how lucky she is to have parents like you. So, whatever you have to say, I'm prepared for." She took a deep breath, sniffling as she looked up at them.
Abbey felt her heart break as she saw the girl in front of her, tears in her eyes and a bandage on her forehead from where she had been thrown against a concrete floor, expecting to be chastised by the President and First Lady of the United States.
"You weren't pretending," Jed said, leaning forward, his elbows on his knee.
"What," Alex whispered, wiping away the tears.
"You weren't pretending to be our daughter," he said, meeting her eyes. "Zoey was born with a twin sister, named Alexandria Grace. We were told she had died two days after being born of SIDS. We held funeral and buried her in New Hampshire."
"We didn't know you were alive, honey," Abbey said, taking her hand. "We've already had the CIA look into what happened. On the day you were born, a baby did die of SIDS. A nurse by the name of Anya Kohler switched you and her, meaning to take you home as her own."
"My mother's name was Anya," Alex whispered softly. "She died in a car accident a couple of weeks after I was born. I never had a father."
"God has his own ironies," Jed said, sitting down at the edge of her bed. He patted her leg gently, letting her know they were there with her.
"Would you have come for me if you knew I was alive," Alex asked, wiping away her tears.
"Of course," Abbey said, "We would never have let you go." She squeezed Alex's hand gently, reminding her that she was there.
"I know you probably have a lot of questions right now," Jed said, "And God knows you have a right to ask them. But, your mom and I are right here. We're not going anywhere, and we're not letting you go again. Okay?" She nodded, her eyes looking at the blanket covering her.
"Honey, are you okay," Abbey asked softly.
"Can I be alone? For a minute? I…I just need to process this," Alex said, looking up at them.
"Of course," Abbey said, standing up, "We'll be out in the hall if you need us." She kissed Alex's forehead gently, lingering for a minute. She felt Jed take her hand and she pulled away, leaving her daughter to think.
Alex heard the door shut and felt the tears rise to her eyes. She had a family now, and she had no idea of what to do or how to feel. It had scared her to suddenly be apart of a family that so readily loved her and angered her to know that she had suffered for so long without them.
She felt jealousy that her twin sister had been allowed every luxury she had desired, while she had been denied everything, down to shelter and foodduringmanynights. She had been the one to be kidnapped, not Zoey and it angered her that it was another struggle she'd had to endure.
Another part of her wondered if her parents would ever love her and accept her as a part of the family out of love, not out of obligation. She was already seventeen. They had missed out on the majority of her life already. They had only known her as Zoey, never as Alexandria Grace Bartlet.
She snorted softly. She had never even known her middle name and now she had a middle and a last name. Alexandria Grace Bartlet. It sounded foreign, even to her own ears. She moved to lay on her back, her eyes looking up at the ceiling.
With a sigh, she looked towards the window, looking out into the hall. Her parents stood in hallway, talking to the doctor. Her mother stood beside her father, asking questions. She had read that her mother was a doctor, having received her degree at Harvard. Her father had attended Notre Dame. Liz had attended Northwestern, Ellie, Johns Hopkins and Zoey, Georgetown. She didn't even know if she'd get in to college.
Her mother looked her way and smiled softly. Alex smiled back. She was angry at the world right now, but shefor now, she was glad to have a family and finally, a home.
Abbey walked into the room an hour later, sitting down next to Alex. The girl had fallen asleep again, succumbing to more medication.
She brushed the hair away from Alex's forehead, her hand coming to rest on Alex's, just touching the girl. She couldn't seem to stop touching her, reassuring herself that she was really there. She remembered the shock that had gone through her when she saw Zoey and Alex side by side, their faces identical.
When Alex had died, a gap had formed in their life. Her pregnancy with the twins had been difficult, resulting in a month of bed rest before their birth. With only a pound's difference between them, they had been told that the twins were healthy, with ten fingers and ten toes and strong heart beats.
Two days later, the day that they were due to go home, they told were told that Alexandria had died during the night from Sudden Infant Death Syndrome. No signs could have been seen to prevent the death.
She had been depressed for months, trying to hide it from Jed and the girls, but even they had felt it. Ellie and Liz tried everything to cheer their mother up. Seeing Zoey had cheered her up some, but served as a reminder that she had lost a daughter.
Now, in the few short days that she had been in their life, that gap had closed.
Alex stirred, catching her attention from the bed. "Hey," Abbey said, "How do you feel?"
"Okay," Alex replied, "When can I get out of here?"
"Tomorrow," Abbey replied, "They want you to see a psychiatrist to see how you are, mentally. They'll be coming tomorrow morning." Alex nodded, shifting up on the pillows. Abbey automatically reached out, helping her get comfortable.
"Honey, I know this has to be hard for you, but if you need to talk, we're here," she said. "And we understand if you just need to think things through."
"I was mad earlier," Alex said, not meeting her mother's eyes. "I was mad at how unfair everything was, is."
"What seems unfair," Abbey asked, leaning back in the chair she sat in.
"Why was I the one that was taken? Why was I the one to grow up without a family, or a home? Why was I the one to be kidnapped and tortured," Alex asked. "Have I done something wrong? Commited some horrible sin? You and dad have no idea of who I am. I don't even know who I am. And don't get me wrong, I'm glad I at least have you guys as parents, but I just…"
"You need to know it's out of love and not obligation," Abbey finished for her. "It hurts to see Zoey so healthy and have everything she's ever wanted, while you've had to fight for everything." She paused looking for confirmation on her daughter's face. When she had found it, she continued. "I won't pretend to know what it's been like for you. Your father nor I could even begin to understand that. But, I can promise that we do love you and you're coming to live with us is out of that love, not obligation. A gap formed in our lives the day we were told you had died. That gap has now begun to close.
I'm sorry that you've had to go through so much. I'm sorry you were taken from us and I'm sorry you were kidnapped. Believe me when I say that your father and I would have gladly taken your place, if it meant that it kept you safe. But, the important thing to remember is that we have you back and you will never go through that again. You have a family now who loves you and would do anything to keep you safe. Okay?"
Abbey stood up and sat on the edge of Alex's bed, helping the girl to scoot over slightly. She lay down next to her, wrapping her arms around the girl tightly. Alex put her arms around her mother, holding her close as she rest her head on her shoulder. "I love you so much," Abbey said, kissing the top of her daughter's head. Alex smiled softly, closing her eyes as she smelled her mother's perfume.