A/N: This installment of the story gets into some of the consequences surrounding the shooting now that the most immediate crisis has passed for Charlie, Zoey, Jed, and Abbey. For good measure, we also included some family drama.

Charlie wasn't really paying attention to where he was going. He just needed to walk and be alone. Ron's words echoed in his head. He had been the target. Felicity was in intensive care because some white pride group wanted to kill him for dating Zoey. That knowledge made him feel both angry and sick all at the same time.

Felicity didn't even grasp the concept of hate. Hell, she didn't even see anything different about Charlie. He was simply her Charlie and for it, Felicity would be fighting for her life. The President and Josh were injured too, and it was his fault.

"Charlie?" Charlie turned and found himself, wandering through the communications bullpen and past Toby's office. Toby was watching him."

"Oh. Hey Toby."

"You doing ok?"

Charlie shook his head, "Agent Butterfield said they found the group responsible for the shooting," He said and paused. "A white pride group did it. They wanted to shoot me. Not the President."

"For dating Zoey."

"Yeah," Charlie replied.

"It's not your fault," Toby told him. He looked at him with an expression of empathy, a rarity for Toby. He put a hand on Charlie's arm and ushered him into the communications bullpen.

"Toby, I can't do this right now."

"Get into my office," Toby ordered.

Charlie did as he was told and sat down on one of the chairs by Toby's desk.

"The service has been tracking threats against Zoey and me for months. They didn't want us to show up in public together. But last night, I—we were. I was working," he said. "I never thought it would happen last night. That way. With a crowd. But it's what they wanted."

Toby sat down opposite Charlie, "You are not responsible for the actions of hateful men, Charlie."

"My mom—she loved her job. She wanted to protect and serve. Someone took her life because they hated cops. She died for no reason except what she chose to do. Now, Felicity is fighting for her life for no good reason. She doesn't hate anyone, Toby. Not one person. How is that fair?"

"It's not," Toby responded. He reached for his cup of coffee and offered it to Charlie. "I've seen shootings before. When I was a kid. Cops opened fire at a Vietnam protest when I was 13. Then at CCNY, I saw all the gangs that wanted to blow each other away. They had hate. But my mother told me something that I have never forgotten since."

"What's that?"

"That we have to fight hate with compassion. Not with more hate. Those guys wanted to kill you, and at the very least, wanted to drive a wedge between you and Zoey. But you can't let them win, Charlie." He paused. "And I know your mother taught you better than that."

"She did," Charlie admitted. "I love Zoey. I really do. But to see the President and the First Lady with Felicity, it just—no amount of compassion can fix what was done to her. She's never even been sick before all this. I keep thinking that if I only kept my thoughts to myself, Felicity would be upstairs right now getting a bath and going to bed."

"We cannot help who we love, Charlie. I know that better than anyone. Love is just—well, love. And even if you never loved Zoey to begin with, who is to say that this wouldn't have happened, anyway? It could have been for some other reason. Felicity is one of the most recognized people in the world. Everyone knows who she is and what she means to her parents."

Charlie nodded. "I guess that's true. But I know that, deep down, nobody in that family is going to look at me the same way again."

"Just how do you know that?"

"I just do."

"No, you don't." said a voice from the doorway. Both men turned to see Zoey. "Who are you to say how we're going to look at you?"

"How can you not, Zo? It's because of me, because of us."

"I know how we're going to look at you," Zoey replied, crossing the room to stand in front of Charlie. "We're going to look at you as the kid who put his entire life on hold for his little sister, who would do anything for our family. And Felicity is always going to see her Charlie-her Charlie who plays with her, reads to her, and would take a bullet for her." Zoey cringed internally. "Bad example. But Charlie, this is not your fault. It's not your fault."

"Tell me that when your sister is out of the hospital," Charlie said, getting up from his chair and leaving Toby's office. "I should go see if the President needs anything."

"Charlie, wait!" Zoey followed him, "Don't walk away from me."

"There's nothing left to say, Zoey. There just isn't."

Zoey sighed as Charlie walked away. She called after him, "Will you at least come with me to see Fizzy at the hospital tomorrow?"

Charlie turned around. "Why should she want to see me?" He asked. "I'm the reason she's in there."

He walked away, leaving Zoey heartbroken. What would she have to do to make him stop blaming himself?

Meanwhile, in Josh's hospital room, Donna had finished telling him what she had learned about Charlie.

"Charlie?" Josh asked, dumbfounded. "I can't believe it."

"I know. Zoey was in tears when she told me. She told me he blames himself for what happened."

"Poor kid. He doesn't deserve this. He works harder than everyone else, gets paid less than everyone else. If the President knew how hard he was on himself…"

"I'm sure the President will talk to him. In fact, I know he will."

"What about you? Are you going back to Children's after this?"

"I need to get back to the office," Donna told him. "Felicity had a really rough night, so Dr. Bartlet spent the night with her. And the President's being discharged this morning. Someone has to keep things running."

"Are you going back tonight?"

"As soon as the President's settled and the First Lady feels comfortable leaving Felicity, I'm taking her place."

"Coming to see me later?"

"Tomorrow, I promise." Donna leaned over to kiss Josh. "You can survive with your mother for one day."

"Okay," Josh replied. "Love you."

"Love you too," Donna said with a small wave as she walked out.

At Children's, Felicity had progressed from feeling sad and upset to just plain mad. She still hurt all over and found the tube in her mouth extremely objectionable. Twenty-four hours after leaving the operating room, Dr. Forrest walked into the hospital room and smiled sympathetically at Abbey. She took a nice long sip of coffee as Felicity slept for the first time since earlier during the night.

"Good morning, Dr. Bartlet. I hear Felicity gave the nurses and hospitalists a run for their money last night. They had to reduce the ventilator settings."

"Yes, they did," Abbey replied. "I think she might be ready for CPAP. But we have to get your sign-off."

Dr. Forrest approached Felicity and did an exam, checking her incision sites and then her labs.

"Everything is trending up," he noted. "If we put her on CPAP, we'll have to take out the NG tube. But we can also put a feeding tube in by mouth. It depends on if she can feed without assistance."

"I think she can. It won't be easy, and I'm sure Felicity will be uncomfortable. But she really doesn't like anything in her mouth."

"I can understand that." Dr. Forrest replied with a smile. "Well, why don't I talk to the feeding specialists and get something arranged, so we can extubate this afternoon?"

"That sounds great!"

Jed walked in just after the surgeon left, pushing his IV pole ahead of him. "How's lovebug doing this morning?"

"Finally sleeping. We can extubate her today."

"That's my girl." Jed smiled, reaching into the crib and tenderly stroking her cheek. "Guess who telephoned me this morning?"

"Who?"

"Our other Gilmore niece."

"Lorelei?" Abbey asked. "I haven't heard from her in a while. How is she?"

"She's well. Worried about Felicity. I think she might be down today to visit."

"It would be a good day for it. Felicity is getting the ventilator out today in favor of CPAP, which will go through her nose."

Jed grinned, "24 hours, and she's outperforming expectations."

"It's looking that way. I hope she keeps up the trend. Last night was terrible."

"Didn't like the ventilator too much, huh?"

"She cried the whole night, and practically pulled out the NG tube with her good hand."

"Ouch." Jed winced. "Well, with the tube out, she'll be a lot more comfortable."

"You can say that again." Abbey stood up and crossed the room to her husband. "How about you, babe? Ready to go home?"

"Once lovebug is out of here, if I never see the inside of a hospital room again, it'll be too soon."

"I don't blame you."

Abbey learned in and kissed him. Jed wrapped his good arm around her waist and returned with an intensity that surprised her for someone recovering from a serious injury.

"When we get out of here, I'm taking you and our lovebug away for the weekend, and we are going to make up for lost time. But until then, I'll head back to the residence, shower, take a nap, and then I'll come back. I have everything I need to work from here."

"It may be a month or more until that happens," Abbey pointed out. "Are you sure you can wait that long?"

"If Lovebug can get through this, I have no room to complain about anything."

Abbey nodded in complete understanding. "When did Lorelei say she was getting in?"

"This afternoon. Did I hear Donna say she was taking over for you tonight?"

"Yes. Donna and Ellie are going to spend the night here."

"Fancy a stroll?" Jed said, offering her his good arm. "They want to see me walk down the hall one more time."

"I would love that, handsome," Abbey replied. She kissed Felicity lightly on the forehead, and they left the room.

Later, in the Residence, Charlie was getting everything prepped for the President to come home. He had hardly spoken to Zoey or seen the rest of the family since last night. Instead, Charlie threw himself into his work, trying to help the staff as best he could, and not thinking about Felicity.

"Hi, Charlie!" Annie chirped as she walked in, followed by her mother. "Is Grandpa home yet?"

"No, not yet," Charlie told her. "But soon."

"Annie, sweetie, why don't you go play in the other room, okay?"

Annie obeyed, and Liz turned to face Charlie. "So…how are you holding up?"

"Zoey told you," Charlie said. His voice was cool.

"She did," Liz replied. "I actually just got off the phone with my mom. It appears that my sister will be moved off the ventilator and onto something else, which is good news."

"I'm glad she's doing better," Charlie said quietly. "But Felicity is still going to be in the hospital for weeks. I can't just forget about that."

"No one's saying you have to. But this isn't your fault, Charlie. Don't blame yourself for something you had no control over."

"I have work to do." Charlie politely cut her off and went into the other room.

Liz sighed as she watched him leave. Would he ever stop blaming himself?

But her concern was interrupted by a familiar voice booming through the Residence.

"I'm home!"

Jed walked into the Residence in a Notre Dame sweatshirt, his arm in a sling.

"Hey, Dad." Liz greeted, coming over to her father for a gentle hug and kiss.

"Hey, Lizzie," Jed replied.

"GRANDPA!" Annie called, running to him.

"Hey, Annie!" Jed said to her.

Annie stopped short of him. "Can I hug you?"

"Of course you can," he said and knelt down to hug her with his good arm.

"Grandpa, did Felicity come home with you?"

"No, sweetheart. She didn't. But Felicity is working very hard to get better, and she'll be home soon."

"Mom said her doctors are ready to take her feeding tube and the ventilator out."

Jed straightened and gave his oldest a little smile, "It was either that or she would have torn them out by force, or at least tried."

Liz chuckled, then sobered. "Hey, have you talked to Charlie at all?"

"Charlie?" Jed said thoughtfully. "How come?"

"Well…" Liz sighed. "He's shutting down, not really talking to anyone. He's really taking the shooting hard. I think he blames himself."

Now it was Jed's turn to sigh. "Poor kid. He and Zoey…they've been talking?"

"He's avoiding Zoey the most."

"I'll talk to him," Jed said after a moment, and then went searching for Charlie. He found him in the study, setting out briefing binders on his desk. No doubt, pressing matters he had to review. "Charlie, we need to talk, you and I," he said.

Charlie stopped what he was doing, "Sir, we really don't have to."

"Yes, we do, Charlie. Sit down for a minute."

"Do you happen to know how many threats the Secret Service processes related to me and my family?"

"No, sir, I don't," he said, sitting down in a chair the President indicated.

Jed sat down, "I don't know the exact figure. But it is quite a lot. They've also foiled their fair share of plots. But this one got through, and the only people at fault are the ones that pulled the trigger."

"Thank you, Mr. President," Charlie replied. "But I chose to date Zoey."

"You can't choose who you fall in love with," Jed replied. "I didn't think I would fall in love with Abbey. But I did. And you can't help that you fell in love with Zoey."

"Felicity is still in the hospital, sir. If I had listened and not gone to the town hall, maybe she would still be here now."

"Charlie, we cannot stop living for fear of what may happen. Felicity will make it through this. One way or another, I know she will. But she needs a friendly face. You would be the perfect person. I'm going back to the hospital in a little while to work, and Felicity could use a good story."

Charlie sat in silence as Jed left the room. He still blamed himself. There would always be a part of him that never stopped. But his boss was right. He couldn't stop living. He had to live. For Felicity, for Josh. For Deana.

For himself.

When he walked into the hospital room, he was greeted by the sight of Felicity sleeping in her crib. Other than the tubes that surrounded her, she looked much like she had the last time he saw her.

"Hey, Felicity," Charlie greeted.

Felicity's eyes opened, and she followed him as he sat down with Goodnight Moon, one of her favorites. He took a breath and began to read.

"In the great green room, there was a telephone, and a red balloon…"

The SUV carrying Lorelei Gilmore pulled into a parking space in front of Children's National. Once the agents cleared the lobby, Lorelei strode in with purpose, taking the elevator up to the fourth floor. As she stepped off, she took note of the Senior Staff busily working in the unit right off the elevator. Accompanied by two agents, she knocked on the doorway of the first room she passed.

"Hey. I'm Lorelei Gilmore. Remember me? President and First Lady's niece, black sheep of the Gilmore clan?"

Donna turned around and smiled. "I remember you now." She stuck out her hand. "Donna Moss. I'm your aunt's Chief of Staff."

"Hey, Donna. Good to see you again. So...where's Felicity's room?"

Donna stuck her head out and pointed down the hall. "It's the third door down the hall on your left."

"Thanks." Lorelei smiled and proceeded to the room. But nothing prepared her for just how sick her cousin looked.

Inside, Alex was in the process of setting stuffed animals inside the crib for Felicity to see but not be in the way. Part of the room was already decorated with illustrations in colored pencils and ink of characters from some of Felicity's favorite storybooks. Although Alex's passion was firmly in the fashion realm, she was a gifted illustrator who spent just as much time drawing a design as she did making it. Abbey was asleep in the chair on the opposite side of the crib. Felicity was also asleep.

She looked up when she saw her sister standing in the doorway, "Hi!" She mouthed and indicated the two sleeping people.

Lorelei waved, then gestured for Alex to join her outside. Alex put the stuffed bunny in the corner of Felicity's crib and walked out to hug Lorelei.

"Hey, you!" Lorelei greeted. "You're a sight for sore eyes."

"Well, I've spent the better part of the last 48 hours awake and doing whatever I could for Aunt Abbey and Felicity, so...yeah, I'm a little tired." Alex ran a hand through her hair. "How's Rory?"

"She's good. Worried about Felicity, like I am. How's she doing?"

"She's had a rough go of it. The doctor doesn't want to sedate her while she's on the vent, so she's been really uncomfortable. Luckily, Aunt Abbey got them to let her hold her."

"That's good," Lorelei replied. She looked beyond Alex into the room. "That's quite the operation you've got there."

"Wanna help?" Alex asked.

Lorelei considered this. "Sure, why not?"

The two sisters went back into the room and continued Operation Decorate. What seemed like a million stuffed animals had appeared around the White House fence since word got out about Felicity. Most of them were donated to children here in the hospital and around the area. But Alex picked a few that she liked along with cards and messages from well-wishers, kids mostly, and they mounted them on the walls alongside the illustrations. There were also several vases of flowers in the room from friends and colleagues of the President and First Lady. When they were finished, Lorelei and Alex stepped back outside to survey their work.

"Better," Alex declared. "It's more home-like and less hospital."

"I couldn't agree more. I'm sure Aunt Abbey and Felicity will love it when they wake up. So, baby sister, where does Emily think you are right now?"

"In the Residence," Alex said casually. "She offered to take over a few functions Aunt Abbey was supposed to go to today, and dad is in his room there working. We checked out from the hotel yesterday and went to the White House since we'll be here a while."

"DAR?"

"Naturally," Alex replied. "Hey, Mom told me Rory wants to go to Chilton in Hartford. Is that true?"

"Yeah," Lorelei replied. "It's apparently the big stepping stone she needs if she wants to get into Harvard. Mom and Dad want to pay for it, but I keep telling them no."

"Don't be mad at them," Alex said quietly.

"Why shouldn't I?" Lorelei replied.

"Because they're not the ones you should be mad at." Alex took a breath. "I'm paying for it. If she gets in."

"You are not," Lorelei said firmly. "If you're paying for it, it's really mom and dad's money."

"No, it's mine. Between my real estate holdings and my business, I make more than enough to pay for Chilton and Georgetown when I start in the fall."

Lorelei stared at her sister. She wasn't even 18 yet, and she was acting like she was 38.

"Since when do you have real estate holdings, squirt? I thought Mom, Dad, Aunt Abbey, and Uncle Jed were going to help you buy a house here in DC for you and Zoey to share."

Alex looked uncomfortable. But after a moment she spoke, "I bought the house here in DC. It's actually the first property I own that isn't strictly an investment. I have three other properties courtesy of Dad and Gran. I used money from the trust containing the rental proceeds to start my business, and now I'm going to use the trust to pay for Chilton and Georgetown."

"Wow." was all Lorelei could say. "You've given this a lot of thought."

Alex nodded. "Rory's my niece. And I want to do this for her."

"And what if I refuse?" Lorelei asked bluntly. "You're my baby sister, Alex. I can't owe you like this. I can't, I won't."

"It's already done."

"Alex, this is ridiculous. I'm supposed to be taking care of you, not the other way around."

Alex was tempted to say that Lorelei was never really capable of that, but she thought better of it.

"Nana, Gran, Mom, Dad, Uncle Jed, and Aunt Abbey have always been supportive of my business. If it wasn't for dad and Uncle Jed's guidance about investments and long-term growth, I wouldn't be where I am now. That's why they're all shareholders in the company."

"You cannot possibly make that much money. Mom and Dad have to be helping you somehow."

Alex rolled her eyes, "Everyone always says that. The only things Mom and Dad are voluntarily helping with are taxes and insurance, Lorelei. That's it. The DAR network has been very good to me through the years, and I've never turned down a commission."

"Ok, but you're still not paying for Chilton. You are way too young to be this responsible."

"Have you met your daughter?" Alex asked, pointedly. "We got the gene from somewhere."

Lorelei threw up her hands in exasperation. "Just because Mom and Dad got their do-over with you doesn't mean that you get to drag Rory back into that world."

"I'm not dragging Rory anywhere, Lorelei. You are the one who did the dragging away. And I'm not going to apologize for having a privileged upbringing and using it to build my business and my life. You could have done the same thing, and you decided to "slum it" in Stars Hollow instead."

"Do you hear yourself? Stars Hollow is not slumming it, Eloise. Not even close. The Mom and Dad who adore you are not the same people who raised me."

"Yes, they are Lorelei. If you cared enough to look, you'd see that. I'm paying for Chilton if Rory gets in. She doesn't owe me anything and neither do you," Alex said, resigned. "You should go see Aunt Abbey."

Before Lorelei could say another word, Alex turned and walked away through the double doors of the unit to the elevator. She thought about going after Alex, but it wouldn't help. Lorelei turned and walked back into the hospital room, where Abbey was just beginning to stir.

Abbey opened her eyes and saw Lorelei enter the room. Then she looked around and saw all the decorations.

"What is all of this?"

"Alex thought it might be nice to spruce it up in here. I helped a little, but she had it well in hand when I got here. How are you?"

"I'm as good as I can be considering the circumstances," Abbey replied, embracing her niece. "You came on a good day. Felicity was just upgraded to CPAP. When she wakes up, there won't be anything in her mouth, so Ellie and Donna should have a much easier night."

"I'm glad you're getting the night off," Lorelei told her. "And I'm glad this little lovebug's doing better." She approached the crib, where Felicity was resting comfortably with a mask over her nose.

She turned at the new voice. A smile crossed her face.

"Hey, Felicity." Lorelei gently grasped her hand. "Remember me? I'm Cousin Lorelei. Alex's sister."

Felicity's brow furrowed, before drifting back to sleep.

"I was thinking that I might bring Rory down for a visit," Lorelei told her aunt. "Not now, but when Felicity's stronger. Maybe this summer."

"I think Felicity would like that. We're not going to make the trip Jed and I planned," Abbey replied, looking over at her daughter.

"What trip?"

"Oh, Jed and I were talking about going to see Nana and your parents and of course you and Rory. It's going to be a long road for Felicity."

"I'm sorry, Aunt Abbey. You shouldn't have to go through this."

They stood in silence for a minute watching Felicity sleep. Then, Abbey looked at Lorelei.

"What did you and Alex fight about?"

Lorelei did a double-take. "How do you know we fought?"

"Because you are my nieces, and if you are anything like me and your mother, you love each other to pieces, but also fight like cats and dogs. And I, for one, would like to talk about something besides how stable my daughter's oxygen levels are, or what her prognosis is. So spill."

"Mom and Dad have repeatedly asked to pay for Chilton if Rory gets in. I told them no. But Alex just admitted that she's going to pay for it. I told her no because I didn't think she could afford it, and we got into a fight."

"Oh, Lorelei," Abbey sighed. "That is the last thing you should be fighting with Alex about, especially given your financial circumstances."

"What is that supposed to mean?"

"You know exactly what it means. I admire you for going after what you want and not relying on your parents to help you, even though I know they want to. But in this case, there is no reason why Rory should be on a partial scholarship to any school because she is not technically in need of one."

Lorelei sighed. "I have tried so hard for so long to stand on my own two feet. I have worked my way up."

"And you know Uncle Jed and I are proud of everything you've done with the inn." Abbey continued. "But think about Rory. She reminds me of Ellie-she's so bright and intelligent. She could go to law school if she put her mind to it."

"She wants to be a journalist." Lorelei reminded her.

"Well then, she could work for The New York Times."

"Yes, she could, which is why I'm willing to send Rory to Chilton. She deserves an education that will get her to Harvard."

"We're all in agreement about that, then. But Lorelei, accepting help from your sister will not diminish your accomplishments or make you less of a mother because you need help. Alex is about to graduate from one of the best schools in the country, and she knows better than anyone the types of opportunities that exist for students in schools like Chilton."

Lorelei knew Abbey was right. She was still resistant to the idea, but at least she had gotten Alex to only pay 60%. And this was probably the only shot she had to stay in her sister's life. Despite her aversion to her family's highfalutin lifestyle, she really did want a relationship with her sister.

"If there's anything we can learn from what happened, it's that you can't take anything for granted. And that includes my family." Lorelei took a breath. "I want Rory to have the best. And if it's with money from my sister, then so be it."

"You should let her pay for Rory's school entirely," Abbey said with a knowing glance. "She can very much afford it, and you should consider putting money that you were going to use for Rory towards that inn you want to open."

"Aunt Abbey, she's my baby sister. I can't ask her to pay that much money."

"But you can accept clothes from your sister."

"That's different. They just show up. I don't get a say."

"Have you ever considered how much those clothes would cost if you ever paid for them?"

"Why would I?"

"The value of your closet most likely exceeds the cost of Chilton five times over, and you are just one person in this family. Think about that."

"I guess I never thought of it that way before," Lorelei said thoughtfully. "I still don't feel right taking the money. But maybe I should. You make some good points." Lorelei ran a hand through her hair. "Why is it that you can always talk me into things I don't wanna do?"

"Because you're more like me than you realize." Abbey deadpanned, then smiled.

Lorelei looked over at Felicity. "God, Aunt Abbey, I would switch places with you in a heartbeat."

"No, you wouldn't."

"Why not?"

"Because you're a mother." Suddenly, there was a whimper from the bed. Abbey stood up immediately and stroked Felicity's hair. "Hi there, lovebug."

Felicity looked right at her. "Ma...ma."

Felicity's little voice was faint, but hearing her say "mama" for the first time in nearly two days filled Abbey with such love for her daughter. But the immediate wince of pain that came with it made her wish they could switch places.

"I'm right here, baby," Abbey said, doing her best to hold back tears. She couldn't begin to imagine how much pain Felicity was in. But she knew it was significant.

Lorelei watched the exchange and felt her chest tighten with emotion. It was heartbreaking to watch a child in so much pain.

"Is there anything more they can do to make Felicity comfortable?"

Abbey shook her head. "They've given her all the pain medication she can tolerate, but any movement of air will be tremendously painful for a while."

Lorelei nodded. "Have they let you hold her yet?"

"Yesterday, briefly. She really seems to relax when we're able to hold her skin-to-skin."

"Rory really liked it when we did skin-to-skin, too." Lorelei checked her watch. "I better get back to the hotel."

"You're not staying at the Residence?"

"No, I thought it would be easier to navigate if I stayed in a hotel for this trip with the increased security."

"The girls would love to see you. Liz has been cooking up a storm since she got here."

"Are you sure I wouldn't be imposing?"

"Of course not."

Lorelei nodded. "Then I guess I'll pack up my stuff and see you over in the Residence."

"I'll see you later, Lorelei," Abbey replied.

Lorelei waved and headed down the hall. She waved to the Senior Staff and got on the elevator, thoughts of finances and her sick baby cousin clouding her brain.

Once Jed and Abbey were certain Felicity was in Donna and Ellie's capable hands, they left the hospital and headed back to the Residence. It took a while before they went to bed because there were more than enough family members to distract them from the fact that Felicity wasn't there.

Eventually, they did make their way to the Master Suite. It was softly lit by their bedside lamps, waiting for the drapes to be drawn. Husband and wife went about their nightly ablutions without saying a word. On this night, there was no giggly baby to bathe and no skin-to-skin with mommy or daddy to mark the end of a long day. The first-edition copy of Stuart Little remained in its place on Jed's nightstand, to be read another night.

Abbey sat down on her side of the bed, willing herself not to look at the place where her baby always slept. But she knew she had to. She rolled into bed with tears streaming down her cheeks.

"Oh, Abbey," Jed said. His heart broke for his wife. "She'll be sleeping with us again in no time."

He got into bed beside her and held Abbey close with his good arm.

"I want my baby," Abbey whispered. "She belongs here with us."

"I know," Jed whispered back. "I know."

Unbeknownst to the world outside, Jed and Abbey Bartlet spent the remainder of what should have been their private family bedtime ritual crying in each other's arms until they fell into an exhausted sleep.