Chapter 13

"I can't believe what you're saying. Abbey doing drugs? No way! I'll never believe it." Jed was shocked at what Dr. Harris was saying.

It wasn't very easy for Dr. Harris to be so blunt to the President of the United States, but he has a responsibility to get his patient some help. And to do that, he had to have the truth.

"These charges are ridiculous. I was with Abbey from late Saturday evening until I woke up here. At no time did I see anything like that. Hell, she's a physician and campaigns around the country on anti-drug issues. She wouldn't. She couldn't."

He was becoming short of breath and it was an effort for him to speak.

Dr. Ware, the cardiologist assigned to the President, stepped in and stopped the conversation.

"I'm sorry, Dr. Harris, we need to stop this right now. The stress is causing the President some discomfort and I can't allow the questioning to continue. You'll just have to come back."

"I understand. But one more thing, Mr. President. I just hope that you and your daughters quit denying your wife's problems. She needs help and she needs the support of her family when getting the help."

"GET THE HELL OUT!" Jed flopped back on the bed, trying to fill his lungs with air. That outburst had cost him physically, but it sure did feel good emotionally.

"Yes, sir." Dr. Harris left CCU shaking his head. He had run across all sorts of denial from family members before and this was a perfect example. Doesn't matter that's he dealing the First Family of the United States. People were still people. But he had to help his patient. She was the only one that mattered right now.

Dr. Ware noticed the effect the President's outburst had on his heart rate. "Mr. President, I would like to give you something to calm you down. I need to slow down your heart rate before we have additional trouble."

"Sure, whatever."

Dr. Ware left, then came right back with a sedative. He injected it into the President's IV and Jed was soon asleep, getting the rest and the release from tension he so desperately needed.

The girls gathered around their mother's bed. They still couldn't believe that they had just been told. Their mother shooting cocaine? Never in a million years. Yet facts don't lie.

Abbey opened her eyes to see her daughters looking at her as if she was a totally different person. Their eyes showed how disappointed they were in her.

Obviously, the doctor had talked with them. And he probably had talked to Jed as well. She wanted to tell them that she hadn't done anything. But this ET tube prevented any conversation.

So she tried to use her hands to say the words.

But the girls interpreted her movements as confusion.

"Ellie, go get the nurse. Mom is getting agitated." Liz was worried about her mother's erratic behavior. Maybe what the doctor said was true.

When the nurse arrived, she agreed. "Your mother needs a sedative. She can't be thrashing about with that tube down her throat. I'll be right back."

Abbey knew what was happening. 'No. You don't understand. I need to tell you this is a big mistake.' Tears began to flow down the sides of her face.

But her voice was silent as the nurse came back into the room and walked to the side of the bed. Abbey knew she didn't need the sedative and tried to push the nurse away. What she needed was this tube out of her throat so she could talk to her children.

"Mrs. Bartlet, you can't fight me like this. Girls, would one of you hold an arm and restrain her? I have to give this to her and then I'll restrain her arms so she can't pull anything out."

Abbey was horrified. The nurse asked her daughters, her own daughters, to restrain their mother while she gave Abbey the sedative. Each of their faces showed the fear they were experiencing and the worry they had for her. All she wanted to do was to hug them and tell them it was all a mistake. But she couldn't.

The nurse then applied restraints to Abbey's arms down so she wouldn't pull out the ET tube in her confusion.

Abbey had no choice but to allow the sedative to take effect. She was soon asleep, arms restrained, and no way of explaining that this was all some big mistake.