The car ride to the McGarry residence was mostly silent. With Leo and Jenny in the backseat and Jed and Abbey in the front, they felt very divided. Leo and Jenny resented that they weren't given the facts straight away. They didn't like that they had to wait to be told with their children. And they were scared.
When they entered the house, the two youngest Bartlet girls came running towards them, and threw their arms around Abbey. Elizabeth and Mallory approached Abbey a little slower than Ellie and Zoey, but happily nonetheless. After the initial thrill of Abbey's homecoming (even though she'd only been in the hospital a matter of hours…and she wasn't home, she was at the McGarry's), they all sat down. Zoey and Ellie tried to climb onto the loveseat that Jed and Abbey shared, but Jed shook his head.
"Go sit over with Liz and Mal, girls," Jed said. Leo and Jenny sat in an adjacent loveseat, and Liz and Mallory had the couch next to them. "But why!" Ellie whined.
"Because we want to face you when we tell you this," Abbey said. Leo and Jenny exchanged nervous glances. "Ok. Now, as you've probably guessed…we have an announcement to make," Jed began.
"Cliché as that sounds," Abbey added. "But Elizabeth has an announcement to make first." Liz's eyes widened and she shook her head fervently. "Yes, Liz. You're going to go first, sweetheart," Jed said, almost sarcastically. "Dad!" She hissed back. Leo and Jenny looked alarmed; Ellie and Zoey looked confused. "Go on, Elizabeth." Liz sighed and looked down at the floor, trying to muster up some strength.
"Ok. Um. I know this….no. I'm sorry but…oh, God. Ok, I'm just gonna say it. I'm pregnant. There. I've said it. I'm pregnant"
Jenny's eyes widened and Leo's jaw dropped. Ellie pursed her lips and narrowed her eyes. Zoey kept blinking her eyes while her whole face was trembling.
"You're…you're gonna have a baby, Lizzie?" Zoey asked, quietly. "Yes, Zoey. I'm gonna have a baby." She almost choked saying it. It still hadn't fully registered in her. Mallory put her arm around Liz.
"It's ok, Liz. You're ok," she whispered. Liz nodded back, waiting for a response from Ellie, Leo, and Jenny.
"Well," was all Leo could bring himself to say. Jenny immediately looked at Mallory.
"You too"
"What!" Mallory replied, shocked.
"I suppose you're pregnant too," Jenny elaborated.
"What? No! Why would you think that"
"Because you and Liz do everything together. Wouldn't surprise me if you both got pregnant together"
"Mom, I'm not pregnant," Mallory insisted. "Jen, calm down," Abbey said. "Why aren't you more upset about this, Abbey!" "Well, I've had a day to let it sink in. And because I have a little more on my plate now," she answered. They had forgotten. Jed and Abbey had their own announcement they had yet to make. "Ok, your turn," Liz said to her parents. "Please, for the love of God, take the spotlight off of me." Jed and Abbey looked at each other tentatively. He nodded, and she took the plunge.
"Well. Believe it or not…Liz isn't the only one in this room carrying a baby"
Silence.
"In case you're all slower than I thought…I'm pregnant. Too. Also." The announcement was met with stoic, nonemotional faces that left Jed and Abbey wondering how the matching voices would react…
Liz started laughing, and shaking her head with disbelief.
"Nice try, guys, but you didn't have to do that. When I said take the spotlight off me…I mean, that was just a figure of speech." Zoey started laughing as well.
"That's silly, Mommy." Jenny breathed a sigh of relief.
"You really had us going there for a minute." "You guys are too much," Mallory added. Jed and Abbey looked at each other. They hadn't expected that. "This is no joke," Jed stated, firmly. Silence took over once again.
"Wha…you…you're really pregnant, Mom?" Elizabeth asked, as if she was terrified. "Oh my God!" Jenny exclaimed. "Abbey?" "But…you're too old to have a baby, Mom," Ellie pointed out. Abbey's eyes narrowed and she frowned. "Obviously not," she replied, haughtily. "Your mother is not old, Eleanor. Forty-one hardly puts her in a nursing home," Jed defended her. "You're really serious?" Leo asked, quietly. "Yeah!" Jed exclaimed, matter-of-factly. "Well," Leo said. "I don't know what shocks me more. Abbey or Liz." "Wait a second. We can't both be pregnant at the same time. That has to be…illegal or something," Liz argued. "No law against it, Liz," Jed replied. "Then it has to be a law of nature. This isn't right. No…you can't be"
"Abbey, did you…plan this?" Jenny asked. Abbey laughed.
"What do you think"
"I'm gonna take that as a no." "Well…I say congratulations," Mallory said, smiling. Although Jed and Abbey were surprised, they smiled back.
"Thank you, Mallory!" "You're welcome." She nodded, with pride. "Ditto that," Jenny said. "Me too," Leo agreed.
"Yay, Mommy!" Zoey cried. Jed and Abbey grinned. That was reaction they had initially hoped for. Elizabeth leaned back on the couch. She knew that her pregnancy had disappointed everyone, but it didn't seem fair for them to congratulate her parents, but make her feel as if she'd committed a crime. And she had never felt more alone.
When they entered the house, the two youngest Bartlet girls came running towards them, and threw their arms around Abbey. Elizabeth and Mallory approached Abbey a little slower than Ellie and Zoey, but happily nonetheless. After the initial thrill of Abbey's homecoming (even though she'd only been in the hospital a matter of hours…and she wasn't home, she was at the McGarry's), they all sat down. Zoey and Ellie tried to climb onto the loveseat that Jed and Abbey shared, but Jed shook his head.
"Go sit over with Liz and Mal, girls," Jed said. Leo and Jenny sat in an adjacent loveseat, and Liz and Mallory had the couch next to them. "But why!" Ellie whined.
"Because we want to face you when we tell you this," Abbey said. Leo and Jenny exchanged nervous glances. "Ok. Now, as you've probably guessed…we have an announcement to make," Jed began.
"Cliché as that sounds," Abbey added. "But Elizabeth has an announcement to make first." Liz's eyes widened and she shook her head fervently. "Yes, Liz. You're going to go first, sweetheart," Jed said, almost sarcastically. "Dad!" She hissed back. Leo and Jenny looked alarmed; Ellie and Zoey looked confused. "Go on, Elizabeth." Liz sighed and looked down at the floor, trying to muster up some strength.
"Ok. Um. I know this….no. I'm sorry but…oh, God. Ok, I'm just gonna say it. I'm pregnant. There. I've said it. I'm pregnant"
Jenny's eyes widened and Leo's jaw dropped. Ellie pursed her lips and narrowed her eyes. Zoey kept blinking her eyes while her whole face was trembling.
"You're…you're gonna have a baby, Lizzie?" Zoey asked, quietly. "Yes, Zoey. I'm gonna have a baby." She almost choked saying it. It still hadn't fully registered in her. Mallory put her arm around Liz.
"It's ok, Liz. You're ok," she whispered. Liz nodded back, waiting for a response from Ellie, Leo, and Jenny.
"Well," was all Leo could bring himself to say. Jenny immediately looked at Mallory.
"You too"
"What!" Mallory replied, shocked.
"I suppose you're pregnant too," Jenny elaborated.
"What? No! Why would you think that"
"Because you and Liz do everything together. Wouldn't surprise me if you both got pregnant together"
"Mom, I'm not pregnant," Mallory insisted. "Jen, calm down," Abbey said. "Why aren't you more upset about this, Abbey!" "Well, I've had a day to let it sink in. And because I have a little more on my plate now," she answered. They had forgotten. Jed and Abbey had their own announcement they had yet to make. "Ok, your turn," Liz said to her parents. "Please, for the love of God, take the spotlight off of me." Jed and Abbey looked at each other tentatively. He nodded, and she took the plunge.
"Well. Believe it or not…Liz isn't the only one in this room carrying a baby"
Silence.
"In case you're all slower than I thought…I'm pregnant. Too. Also." The announcement was met with stoic, nonemotional faces that left Jed and Abbey wondering how the matching voices would react…
Liz started laughing, and shaking her head with disbelief.
"Nice try, guys, but you didn't have to do that. When I said take the spotlight off me…I mean, that was just a figure of speech." Zoey started laughing as well.
"That's silly, Mommy." Jenny breathed a sigh of relief.
"You really had us going there for a minute." "You guys are too much," Mallory added. Jed and Abbey looked at each other. They hadn't expected that. "This is no joke," Jed stated, firmly. Silence took over once again.
"Wha…you…you're really pregnant, Mom?" Elizabeth asked, as if she was terrified. "Oh my God!" Jenny exclaimed. "Abbey?" "But…you're too old to have a baby, Mom," Ellie pointed out. Abbey's eyes narrowed and she frowned. "Obviously not," she replied, haughtily. "Your mother is not old, Eleanor. Forty-one hardly puts her in a nursing home," Jed defended her. "You're really serious?" Leo asked, quietly. "Yeah!" Jed exclaimed, matter-of-factly. "Well," Leo said. "I don't know what shocks me more. Abbey or Liz." "Wait a second. We can't both be pregnant at the same time. That has to be…illegal or something," Liz argued. "No law against it, Liz," Jed replied. "Then it has to be a law of nature. This isn't right. No…you can't be"
"Abbey, did you…plan this?" Jenny asked. Abbey laughed.
"What do you think"
"I'm gonna take that as a no." "Well…I say congratulations," Mallory said, smiling. Although Jed and Abbey were surprised, they smiled back.
"Thank you, Mallory!" "You're welcome." She nodded, with pride. "Ditto that," Jenny said. "Me too," Leo agreed.
"Yay, Mommy!" Zoey cried. Jed and Abbey grinned. That was reaction they had initially hoped for. Elizabeth leaned back on the couch. She knew that her pregnancy had disappointed everyone, but it didn't seem fair for them to congratulate her parents, but make her feel as if she'd committed a crime. And she had never felt more alone.