Six months earlier Washington, D.C.
"I thought they were staying in New Hampshire," Leo McGarry said, sitting down on the couch in the Oval Office.
"So did I. And apparently, so did Zoey. It's all very last minute," the President replied from his seat beside the couch.
"Europe, huh? Well, that'll be nice for them anyway. Liz and Ellie going?"
Jed shook his head.
"They've all got previous engagements, according to Zoey."
"Zoey told you about the trip?" Leo asked.
"Yeah."
"What did Abbey have to say about it?"
Jed hesitated.
"I, uh…I haven't spoken to her in over a week. Not since they left."
"You're kidding," Leo said. "Whatever happened to three times a day?"
"Shot to hell, it seems," Jed replied.
"You don't think she's…?"
"I don't know. She's not speaking to me. If she was angry, there would be no way I could get her to stop speaking to me."
This was true. Everyone knew it. When Abbey Bartlet was angry, she didn't let it simmer. She made sure her voice was heard.
"So what do you think then?"
"I think she's way beyond angry, Leo. I think that ship has sailed. Now it's more serious."
"Has this happened before?"
Jed shook his head.
"Not like this. We've never gone this long without speaking to each other."
"What do you want to do? You want to go to New Hampshire for the day and make things right, or what? I can arrange it. I know how important your marriage is to you, we all know."
"No. I'm gonna give her some time. She has every right to be upset with me. And she's been thrown off-balance. We all have. Things will calm down soon."
"You're sure?" Leo asked.
"Yeah. She'll come around. When they come home from Europe, I'll shower her with flowers and gifts. I'll send her love letters and leave her long, yearning, desperate messages. She'll give in."
"Jed, even I know Abbey's not that kind of girl."
Jed laughed quietly to himself.
"Yeah, but eventually she'll get annoyed and come home, if only so I'll stop bothering her."
"I don't know…"
"And if that doesn't work, then I'll send her singing telegrams five times a day. Or better yet, I'll serenade her outside her window, recite a few lines from Shakespeare, a few Browning poems, maybe read her a medical journal or two…she'll come back to me. She will."
"That's all well and good, sir, but I don't think the problem is that she doubts your love for her. I think it's a whole other ballgame now."
"What are you saying, Leo?"
"I'm saying this is about trust, Mr. President. She knows you love her. I'm fairly certain everyone in these United States, the world even, knows that. Now I'm not criticizing what you did or didn't do, I'm saying that she's probably not so sure she can trust you anymore. That's the ultimate betrayal. She's going to Europe so she can search for a reason to come home."
Jed frowned, and glared at his best friend.
"When did you become such an expert on my wife?"
"Probably around the time you got married, give or take a few weeks."
"Well, you're wrong."
"Sir…"
"You're wrong, Leo."
"Fine, but I think that by going into denial about this, you're making the wrong decision."
"What do you know? You've been divorced for five years. Who are you to give me relationship advice? What happened to Jordan anyway, huh?"
"Due respect, Mr. President, but bringing up my relationship failures isn't improving yours any. At this moment, your wife is hundreds of miles away, not speaking to you. And she's about to leave the country-and she didn't even tell you about it. So who are YOU to reject my relationship advice? Looks to me like you could use all the advice you can get right now."
"Go to hell, Leo."
Leo nodded, stood, and moved to the door.
"Thank you, Mr. President."
"Get out," Jed said, exhasperatedly.
"Yes, sir."
Manchester, New Hampshire
"Zoey, make sure you pack a few sweaters. It's going to be chilly in London," Abbey said, standing in front of Zoey's bed, folding her clothes for her.
"I will," Zoey replied. "You know, Mom, I can fold my own clothes."
"Not with your arm in that sling, you can't."
"I can!"
"Zoey, sweetheart, you can't do everything. You have to let me help you."
"Fine. Mom?"
"What, hon?"
"How come Dad's not coming with us to Europe?" Zoey asked.
"You know why, Zoey."
"He could have come for a few days."
"Yeah, well, he's not," Abbey answered, bitterly.
"Dad said he hasn't spoken to you since we left Washington."
"I've been busy."
"No, you haven't. You've been making up excuses not to talk to him for over a week now. What's going on?"
"Nothing, sweetie. Don't you worry about your dad and me. We're fine," Abbey said.
"Really?"
"Sure."
"You don't fool me, you know that, right? I'm not a kid anymore," Zoey said.
"Zoey…"
"He loves you. What else matters?"
"A lot."
"Don't you love him too?" Zoey asked, timidly.
"Of course I do, Zoey!"
"Then what's the problem!"
"You're not a kid anymore, like you've just said, so you need to listen to me when I tell you that…sometimes love just isn't enough. Okay?"
"What does that mean? What are you telling me, Mom?"
"I want you to leave this alone, Zo. This isn't about you. This is about your father and his lies. I just…I need some time. I'm hurt, I'm confused, I'm upset, and I'm tired of him making decisions without me, not including me in his life, taking me for granted…all of it. You know just as well as everyone else, that these past five years have just been one big roller coaster for our relationship. I've been doing the best I can. I gave up my privacy, my career, my life as I knew it, everything. He just doesn't seem to realize it. I know you don't understand that, honey, and I don't blame you. But you need to try and see it from where I stand. I'm not doing this to hurt anyone, I'm just trying to sort some things out. Okay?"
Zoey nodded, sadly.
"I trust you, Mom. I know you know what's best, for both of us. I'm sorry."
Abbey smiled and pulled her into a hug.
"Don't apologize, sweetheart. It's all going to be all right. Just give it time. Give it time."