Story: Checkmate
Chapter 14
Disclaimer: See Chapter 1
Previously: Jed asked Abbey to address the State House about her cause
Summary: The Bartlets celebrate fifteen years together!
Author's Note: Thanks to all our readers for their support! All the storylines left dangling in this story (Jed's election, Leo's drinking, etc.) will be resolved in the next one.
Jed always knew when he was sleeping alone in his bed. Even in the deepest level of slumber, his hands would eventually roam to Abbey's side of the mattress and if they dipped into the cold rumpled sheets instead of her warm, voluptuous frame, he'd wake up, momentarily startled as he searched for his missing wife.On this morning, it took only seconds to tame his curiosity. Relieved when he heard the sound of running water, he slipped out of bed, shed his body of his forest green Dartmouth t-shirt and boxers, and sauntered into the bathroom.
His senses were immediately assaulted, held hostage by the smell of her vanilla body wash mingling with a harsh, overwhelming scent of chemicals he didn't even recognize. When he surveyed the counter, he found the culprit - an empty bottle of hair dye. Abbey was going back to her natural hair color. Soon her dark tresses would be dancing among the auburn highlights he loved so much. Just the thought of it was enough to steal Jed's mischievous grin and replace it with a sweet smile as he quietly pulled the back of the curtain and stepped into the tub.
Pretending not to notice, Abbey continued to soak the suds under water. Pellets of rain splashing over them, Jed wrapped his arms around her from behind, intentionally caressing the lather that covered the smooth slope of her shapely breasts. Her hand fell from her head then and massaged his cheek as he nuzzled up to her ear.
"Happy Anniversary."
"I was hoping you'd wake up in time to join me." She pressed her back against him, moaning when she felt his dampened chest hair tickle her skin.
"I'm here. What do you have planned?" As if he didn't know.
Abbey turned in his arms, her eyes sparkling with lust while her fingers made featherlight tracks down his flesh towards his groin until she embraced the pulsating organ that swelled with her touch. Jed breathed a little harder and soon, his sultry gasps penetrated the walls of the bathroom, catching Lizzie, Ellie, and Zoey by surprise.
It was a tradition in the Bartlet house - one Lizzie began when she was old enough to cook. Each year on July 22nd, the girls would present their parents with breakfast in bed, homemade anniversary cards, and a single white rose, a symbol of security, happiness, and wedded bliss.
As they lined up inside the doorway after their knock went unanswered, three pairs of eyes scanned the empty bed before they heard the passionate voices behind the closed door to their right.
"Jed," Abbey laughed seductively.
"I love it when you wiggle."
Liz rolled her eyes. "Ew."
With furrowed brows, Ellie tugged on her sister's arm to bring her down to her level. "What are they doing?"
"Don't worry about it."
"I wanna know though."
"They're doing what grown-ups do when they make babies." Lizzie whispered then put her index finger to her lips. "Shhh."
"Are we gonna have another baby?"
"No, Ellie. Don't worry about it. Now, shhh."
Following in Ellie's footsteps, Zoey yanked on the seven-year-old's skirt until Ellie kneeled beside her. "What, Zoey?"
"Why?"
"Why what?"
"Why shhh?"
"Don't worry about it, Zo," Lizzie said, echoing the same thing she had told Ellie moments earlier.
"Why?" The toddler put her chubby little hands on her hips, something she had seen her mother do when she was frustrated.
Liz left the breakfast tray on the bed, then turned to her sisters and ushered them out. "Come on. Let's go."
"Why?"
"Let's go, Zoey. I'll tell you later."
Once Jed and Abbey finished their shower, they made their way out of the bathroom, their bodies now sheltered with bathrobes and towels. Jed closed the window, curbing the summer breeze that had invaded the room through a layer of gauzy curtains.
"Uh oh." Abbey noticed the single white rose resting on an anniversary card at the foot of the bed. She looked up to see the tray only a few inches away. "The girls were here."
"Oh God. They probably heard us, which explains why they left."
"We really should have that door locked."
"We do when we're in bed. I didn't even think about it when I got up."
"I wonder what Lizzie told Ellie and Zoey. You don't think she would have explained..."
"Bite your tongue," Jed replied. "I'd prefer it if Lizzie didn't know what sex was."
"She does, you know. I've told her about the birds and the bees."
"Yeah, I know. Doesn't mean I like it."
Abbey approached him, standing close as he sat down on the edge of the bed. His hands grabbed her at the back of her thighs and wandered up her terrycloth robe, over her rear, to come to a stop at the bulky belt that lined her hips. She leaned forward to press her lips to his. Her hair, still a damp nest of spiral ringlets, fell to the side, sprinkling his chin with little drops of water.
It was no secret that Jed Bartlet preferred his wife's wet locks. Her hair in its natural state, unencumbered by hairspray or teasing combs, served as a pristine backdrop to the creamy skin that glowed without a trace of makeup. But it wasn't just her beauty that captivated him, heart, body, and soul. There was just a special something that was embedded deep within her, and it shined through without the cloak of cosmetics.
He first realized it during a weekend trip to Martha's Vineyard when they were dating. An afternoon of swimming in the warm waves of the Atlantic had awaked his playful side and just as he picked her up out of the ocean to dunk her underwater, he saw an innocent look in her twinkling green eyes that threw him into a trance he still hadn't emerged from all these years later.
She hypnotized him that day. And he had never recovered.
"What?" Abbey asked, confused by the way he was staring at her.
"I'm just thinking about the first time I told you I love you."
"I remember it well," she said as she stroked his face with the back of her hand.
"I can't get over how much that wet hair turns me on."
"Wanna know a secret? I like your hair wet too." She ran her fingers along his forehead to touch the damp strand falling forward.
"Probably not for the same reason."
"You never know." A touch of attractive vulnerability went both ways.
They eventually stripped their post-shower wardrobe, changing into something more appropriate for breakfast with their daughters. Tray in hand, Jed followed Abbey down the stairs and into the kitchen, where they found the girls sitting at the table, eating.
"Lizzie, did you make breakfast for everyone?"
"Yeah. Happy Anniversary!"
"Happy Anniversary!" Ellie repeated.
"Happy All...e..." Zoey began, stumbling over her words until Abbey helped her.
"That's 'anniversary,' Sweetheart," she said as she picked up her youngest daughter. "And thank you, all three of you."
"You haven't eaten yet." Liz looked at the tray Jed had set on the counter.
"No, we haven't. We wanted to have breakfast with you guys."
"Cool!" Ellie smiled. "Can we talk about summer camp then?"
"Summer camp?" Jed questioned. "You went last year and you hated it."
"But I went for a month last year. This time, I wanna go to the day camp my friend Ellen is going to in August! She says it's super fun! We get to do gymnastics and drama and they even have a chemistry station where we can mix all kinds of stuff! I'll even make you nail polish, Mommy! Please, can I go? Please?"
Before Ellie took a breath, Liz jumped in. "Yeah, and while we're at it, you still haven't signed all my paperwork for basketball camp. It starts in two weeks. And can I borrow ten dollars?"
"For what?"
"I want to go to the music store to buy Survivor's Eye of the Tiger."
"Survivor? Really?" Jed couldn't understand the attraction to that band.
"It's huge, Dad. I really want it."
"What happened to your allowance?" Abbey asked.
"She spent it all on posters last week," Jed answered. "In fact, she's five bucks in the hole already."
"She borrowed an extra ten from me two weeks ago as well."
"I'll use it more wisely this time, I promise. And I'll pay you back as soon as school starts. Just this once. Please?"
Jed and Abbey exchanged an obvious glance to gauge the others reaction. Before they caved to two of their daughters, Abbey turned her attention to the squirmy two-year-old in her arms. "And what is it you want?"
"Ice cweam!" Zoey said gleefully. "Pwease?"
Their lives had changed quite a bit in the past fifteen years as they grew from newlyweds to parents, but the stability of their love had paved the way for a happy marriage, despite the occasional speedbumps.
That evening, Abbey sat at her Victorian-style-three-mirrored vanity in her bedroom. Her hands curled around the big round brush that she used to pull her hair while her blowdryer worked its magic. Out of the corner of her eye, she inconspicuously noted Jed's reflection in one of the side mirrors. He was standing beside the walk-in closet with two ties draped over his palms, struggling to choose the right one.
She had become used to this. He was a brilliant man, but, for some reason, he was incapable of independently picking a tie. She often wondered if it really was a sign of indecisiveness or if it was simply the result of his craving for the platonic intimacy that came from having her pick for him.
Either way, she didn't care. Sex and erotic passion was a big part of their marriage, but it was the little things she savored - hunching over his desk in the study, helping him grade papers late at night or him quizzing her before her medical boards, curling up on the sofa, their feet tangled around each other, each completely lost in their own reading material, yet perfectly receptive to the others touch or the slightest movement between them, and yes, picking out his tie. Those were the little things, the unrestricted morsels of time that she stored away in her memory bank forever.
Her thoughts got away from her and before she knew it, Jed let out a soft, frustrated groan.
"The red one," Abbey offered when she turned off the blowdryer.
It didn't come as a surprise to him. Little did she know, he intentionally stood where she could see him, hoping for her advice without having to ask for it. "You're sure?"
"I'm sure."
"Okay." Jed finished buttoning his shirt, then pulled his tie around the collar. "Are you almost ready?"
"Almost." She rose to check her outfit in the larger mirror above the dresser. Her black spaghetti-strapped dress revealed a hint of cleavage and hugged her curves all the way down to an inch above her knees. So tight that it showed off every detail of her feminine form, yet loose enough that she walked around in it confident and comfortable.
Jed crept up behind her while she ran her hands through a few of the dark auburn tendrils that stubbornly insisted on succumbing to the natural wave of her hair. Barely touching her, he coiled a diamond bracelet around her wrist and turned her to face him so he could clasp it in place.
Her eyes lit with enthusiasm, Abbey breathed his name. "Jed."
"This is just the first part of your gift. The next part will come over dinner when I get to gaze into your lovely eyes. And the final part, that you'll get at the party afterwards."
"It's beautiful." She twisted her wrist to admire the thin band around it. "I can't believe there's more."
"Believe it, Babe," he told her. "This whole night will be filled with little surprises designed to show you how much you mean to me."
"I don't need presents for that," she whispered as she tied his tie for him. "I planned to give you your gift at the party."
"Then I should take back the bracelet until I get it." He jokingly grabbed her hand.
"Not a chance." She pulled it from his clutches, straightened out his collar, then fell into his waiting embrace.
"Mom! Dad!" Lizzie's booming voice interrupted them. Jed and Abbey broke apart as she knocked and opened the door. "Dr. Nolan's on the phone."
"Oh no," Jed complained.
"Jed."
"No way, Abbey. We've had this night planned for a year. We're going to go out to a private dinner, just the two of us, then we're going to the Red Room where your parents are graciously hosting a huge party in our honor. There's no way you can go to work."
"We don't even know what he wants." She turned to face her daughter. "Lizzie, what does he want?"
Liz shrugged. "I don't know."
"He wants you to work," Jed concluded. "I'm an understanding man, Abbey, but come on."
"Let me talk to him."
"It's not for you, Mom," Liz interjected.
"What?"
"It's for Dad."
Jed reached for the upstairs extension, his mind racing with possibilities. It had been two weeks since he had performed John's angioplasty, so as soon as Jed heard Robert's voice, his thoughts wandered to his father's prognosis.
He hung up the phone a few minutes later, his jovial demeanor visibly absent.
"What did he want?" Abbey asked.
"My dad went in for something earlier and they had to admit him."
"What's wrong?"
"I don't know. They're going to do some tests."
"I'm sure he's fine. It's probably just a precaution. Why don't you go see him?"
He shook his head with no small amount of inhibition. "No. We have plans. Tonight is about us."
"Jed, you're not going to be able to have any fun until you know he's okay. It's almost six o'clock. Go see him. I'll cancel our dinner reservations. We'll grab something fast and head to the party at nine."
"Nothing was supposed to ruin this."
"It's not ruined. We're both going to enjoy it more after you see for yourself that your father's okay."
"Are you sure?"
"Yeah. Go see him. It'll put your mind at ease."
"Thanks, Abbey. I'll be back soon. I promise." With a parting kiss, he left.
By the time Jed arrived at the hospital, John was settling in to his room. He adjusted his sheets and fluffed his pillow, sighing in confusion when Jed walked in.
"What are you doing here?" he asked his son.
"Dr. Nolan called. How are you?"
"I'm fine, Jed. You didn't have to come all the way down here, especially tonight. Shouldn't you and Abbey be celebrating?"
"You remembered?"
"Of course I remembered. I'll never forget the day you got married."
It was a bigger token of his father's love than Jed expected. He never would have guessed that John would have fond memories of his wedding day, let alone be able to recall the date fifteen years later. He sat in the chair to the side of the bed and opened the lines of communication with subtle, inconsequential banter that monopolized his attention for two solid hours.
The only time he thought to glance at his watch was when a nurse came in to take John for another X-ray and casually mentioned that Abbey was waiting for him in the lounge. He stood with a start, guilt-ridden and ashamed.
"She's probably so pissed at me," he said aloud.
"Go talk to her. She'll understand."
"I hope so," he muttered on his way out of the room.
"Jed?" John called after him.
Jed stopped and turned to his father. "Yeah?"
"Thanks for coming."
The sentiment was enough to convince Jed it was worth it, at least at first. But when he imagined Abbey's disappointment, a new wave of remorse sucked the wind right out of him. He paused outside the door to the lounge, inhaling sharply before he swung the door open to greet her.
"Abbey, I am so...uh...I..." Trailing off between words, he stammered as he examined the room. A small table sat in the middle, a chair on either end of the steamy meal that centered the beautiful service for two. "Wow."
"You missed dinner."
'All The Way,' Frank Sinatra's famous love ballad was playing in the background. "You got...?"
"Sinatra. I brought the portable player from home."
"Look, I know I screwed up tonight. I missed dinner and now we're going to miss the party too. I'm so sorry."
"Whoa, calm down. It's okay."
"No, it's not. I'm sure you didn't expect me to be gone so long when you suggested I come see him."
"Actually, I kinda did. I know you, Jed. And I know how much he hates hospitals, so I figured you might stay with him until he fell asleep." She put her had over his, squeezing gently. "What's wrong with him?"
"They 're pretty sure he has the start of...Restenosis? Did I say that right?"
"Yeah, you did. It's gradual narrowing of the artery where they put the stent."
"Yeah."
"They caught it early. There are things they can do. He might need surgery at some point, but there are things they can do."
"We got to talking and I guess I lost track of time."
"It's okay. I called my mom to let her know we'd be late. The party's going to be going on for hours. We'll make it there. Where's John now?"
"They took him for an X-ray."
"In that case, I seem to recall something about gazing into my eyes over dinner."
"You're not angry I messed everything up?"
"Nothing's messed up. You proved, once again, that you're as wonderful a son as you are a husband. Why would I be angry about that?"
Relieved, Jed opened his arms to her. "Happy Anniversary."
"Happy Anniversary, Jethro," Abbey replied.
He pulled back slightly. "You know how I feel about that."
"You missed dinner. I can call you whatever I want," she teasingly reminded him.
Caving to her logic, he chuckled. "It's been a fabulous fifteen years."
"The only thing that could outdo it..."
"Yeah?"
Her closed eyelids opened wide, revealing the love floating in her emerald orbs as she said, "Is fifteen more."
The End
To be continued in The Nobel Laureate
