Part 12: The Funeral
Washington, D.C.
"Abbey's father passed away yesterday," Jed Bartlet announces, ruefully. "Heart attack"
"Oh. I'm very sorry to hear that," Dr. Adams says, genuinely.
"Thank you. Nick Bennett was an incredible man. He'll be sorely missed. Liz is beside herself"
"Just Liz"
"Liz was very close to her grandfather. Zoey and Ellie were too, but Liz always had a special bond with him, like Abbey did. He supported her all the way through her pregnancy with Annie, when she was sixteen. Never judged her or lectured her. I'm telling you, Doc, he was a fantastic guy. You'd have liked him. Everyone did. Phenomenal lawyer, too. I can't even imagine how Abbey's taking this"
"She was close to him"
"Are you kidding? They worshipped each other. She's going through hell right now, I guarantee it. Wish I could be there with her"
"Will you be attending the funeral?" Dr. Adams questions.
"She'll be there"
"That's a given, yes"
"You think I should go anyway?" Jed asks, uncertainly.
"Were you close with Nick Bennett"
"Relatively, as close as a son-in-law could be to his father-in-law"
"Do you want to pay your respects"
"Of course"
"Then I don't see any reason why you shouldn't go," Dr. Adams says.
"You don't think that's going to cause Abbey unwanted, and unneeded I might add, stress and angst"
"On the contrary, I think she'll appreciate your comfort and concern, all problems aside"
"Well, I would like to be there for the girls after all"
Dr. Adams smiles.
"I think you should. This visit could be very beneficial for you, and for Abbey"
"Zoey says they're coming home tomorrow. To Manchester, that is. The funeral's on Monday, in Boston"
"Should I reschedule Monday's session for another day then?" Dr. Adams asks.
Jed contemplates for a moment, considering the outcome and consequences of the sitaution. He grins at Dr. Adams proudly.
"Yeah"
London, England Even if he closes his eyes, Dr. Hewson would still be able to feel her presence in the room. She is wrapped in complexities and exudes idiosyncrasies. She is a woman of many faces. The sad, the broken, the content, the confused, the distressed, the hopeful, the hopeless. Dr. Hewson cannot always keep them all straight, though he struggles to.
She sits still and uneasy, her eyes darting around the room restlessly. She has so much to say, but so little motivation to actually say it. She hopes her facial expressions and mannerisms will convey all she wants to verbally communicate. Judging by the appearance of Dr. Hewson's glazed-over eyes, she has not been successful in doing so.
"I suppose I should at least tell you that this is our last session," Abbey Bartlet announces, without looking directly at her psychiatrist.
Dr. Hewson nods; it was not unexpected.
"I'm leaving for the States tomorrow evening"
"Will Zoey be returning with you"
"Yeah. And not just her," she replies, a bit apprehensively.
"Who else"
"Tony and Oliver"
Dr. Hewson cannot figure out why he is so astonished by this announcement. Abbey has been making incredible progress, yes, but she isn't ready to run back into her husband's arms just yet. That being said, he thinks, she has to realize what an enormous scandal this will be.
"I see. At who's suggestion"
"Well, Zoey insists on bringing Oliver, and that's understandable. And Tony insists on being brought"
"Is that what you want"
Abbey shrugs dismissively.
"I have no thoughts on it either way"
He doesn't believe that for a second, but he's in no position to dispute her presently.
"When is the funeral"
"Monday, in Boston"
"Where will you be staying?" He asks.
"The farm, I guess. I would stay with my sister in Boston, but with Oliver and Tony…I'm not sure that would be such a great idea. Though, I do feel a bit strange going back to the farm"
"Why is that"
"I mean, it's my home, but…technically, it belongs to Jed. It's been in his family for I don't know how long. We used to keep an apartment in Boston, but we sold it when the campaign first started. We didn't think we'd really need it anymore. Go figure"
"It's not unnatural to feel that way. You'll be making many adjustments when you return home, especially now that you're bringing Tony and Oliver along with you"
"Do you think it's in poor taste to bring them"
"Not in the general sense, no. I think that's going to vary based on the individual," Dr. Hewson answers.
"What does the individual in you think about it"
"I don't think it's in poor taste. I think it's going to be challenge. If you're prepared to take the heat for bringing them, it'll be easier"
"It's going to be a scandal," she says, softly.
"Yes, it is"
"It's already a scandal"
"To say the least," Dr. Hewson agrees.
"The very least"
"Are you comfortable with that"
"Being a scandal?" Abbey asks.
"More or less"
"I'm not sure comfortable is the right word. I've reconciled myself to the idea, I'm used to it. But it's not something I take delight in, no"
"Okay. Here's some food for thought," Dr. Hewson says. "Have you considered what would happen if your husband were to show up at your father's funeral"
Dr. Hewson notices his patient's eyes widen considerably as she absorbs the notion.
"I'm going to assume you hadn't thought of it before"
"No," Abbey replies, quietly, contemplatively. "But now that you mention it, there's a very distinct possibility that will happen"
"Was your husband close with your father"
"Well, they weren't Thelma and Louise jump-off-a-cliff-together close, but they certainly got along well"
"How do you think you would react if he attended the funeral?" Dr. Hewson questions.
"I…" She hesitates. "Honestly, I have no idea. I can't even begin to imagine"
"That's okay. It's just something to think about"
"Listen, Dr. Hewson, I just want to thank you for your help this past month or so. Your hard work has not gone unnoticed. Really, I'm incredibly grateful"
"It's my pleasure, Abbey," Dr. Hewson replies, smiling warmly. "I only hope that I helped"
"Oh, you did. You have no idea how much"
"Do you feel like you've made progress"
"More progress than I would have made without you"
"Well, that's something then"
THE END
"Abbey's father passed away yesterday," Jed Bartlet announces, ruefully. "Heart attack"
"Oh. I'm very sorry to hear that," Dr. Adams says, genuinely.
"Thank you. Nick Bennett was an incredible man. He'll be sorely missed. Liz is beside herself"
"Just Liz"
"Liz was very close to her grandfather. Zoey and Ellie were too, but Liz always had a special bond with him, like Abbey did. He supported her all the way through her pregnancy with Annie, when she was sixteen. Never judged her or lectured her. I'm telling you, Doc, he was a fantastic guy. You'd have liked him. Everyone did. Phenomenal lawyer, too. I can't even imagine how Abbey's taking this"
"She was close to him"
"Are you kidding? They worshipped each other. She's going through hell right now, I guarantee it. Wish I could be there with her"
"Will you be attending the funeral?" Dr. Adams questions.
"She'll be there"
"That's a given, yes"
"You think I should go anyway?" Jed asks, uncertainly.
"Were you close with Nick Bennett"
"Relatively, as close as a son-in-law could be to his father-in-law"
"Do you want to pay your respects"
"Of course"
"Then I don't see any reason why you shouldn't go," Dr. Adams says.
"You don't think that's going to cause Abbey unwanted, and unneeded I might add, stress and angst"
"On the contrary, I think she'll appreciate your comfort and concern, all problems aside"
"Well, I would like to be there for the girls after all"
Dr. Adams smiles.
"I think you should. This visit could be very beneficial for you, and for Abbey"
"Zoey says they're coming home tomorrow. To Manchester, that is. The funeral's on Monday, in Boston"
"Should I reschedule Monday's session for another day then?" Dr. Adams asks.
Jed contemplates for a moment, considering the outcome and consequences of the sitaution. He grins at Dr. Adams proudly.
"Yeah"
London, England Even if he closes his eyes, Dr. Hewson would still be able to feel her presence in the room. She is wrapped in complexities and exudes idiosyncrasies. She is a woman of many faces. The sad, the broken, the content, the confused, the distressed, the hopeful, the hopeless. Dr. Hewson cannot always keep them all straight, though he struggles to.
She sits still and uneasy, her eyes darting around the room restlessly. She has so much to say, but so little motivation to actually say it. She hopes her facial expressions and mannerisms will convey all she wants to verbally communicate. Judging by the appearance of Dr. Hewson's glazed-over eyes, she has not been successful in doing so.
"I suppose I should at least tell you that this is our last session," Abbey Bartlet announces, without looking directly at her psychiatrist.
Dr. Hewson nods; it was not unexpected.
"I'm leaving for the States tomorrow evening"
"Will Zoey be returning with you"
"Yeah. And not just her," she replies, a bit apprehensively.
"Who else"
"Tony and Oliver"
Dr. Hewson cannot figure out why he is so astonished by this announcement. Abbey has been making incredible progress, yes, but she isn't ready to run back into her husband's arms just yet. That being said, he thinks, she has to realize what an enormous scandal this will be.
"I see. At who's suggestion"
"Well, Zoey insists on bringing Oliver, and that's understandable. And Tony insists on being brought"
"Is that what you want"
Abbey shrugs dismissively.
"I have no thoughts on it either way"
He doesn't believe that for a second, but he's in no position to dispute her presently.
"When is the funeral"
"Monday, in Boston"
"Where will you be staying?" He asks.
"The farm, I guess. I would stay with my sister in Boston, but with Oliver and Tony…I'm not sure that would be such a great idea. Though, I do feel a bit strange going back to the farm"
"Why is that"
"I mean, it's my home, but…technically, it belongs to Jed. It's been in his family for I don't know how long. We used to keep an apartment in Boston, but we sold it when the campaign first started. We didn't think we'd really need it anymore. Go figure"
"It's not unnatural to feel that way. You'll be making many adjustments when you return home, especially now that you're bringing Tony and Oliver along with you"
"Do you think it's in poor taste to bring them"
"Not in the general sense, no. I think that's going to vary based on the individual," Dr. Hewson answers.
"What does the individual in you think about it"
"I don't think it's in poor taste. I think it's going to be challenge. If you're prepared to take the heat for bringing them, it'll be easier"
"It's going to be a scandal," she says, softly.
"Yes, it is"
"It's already a scandal"
"To say the least," Dr. Hewson agrees.
"The very least"
"Are you comfortable with that"
"Being a scandal?" Abbey asks.
"More or less"
"I'm not sure comfortable is the right word. I've reconciled myself to the idea, I'm used to it. But it's not something I take delight in, no"
"Okay. Here's some food for thought," Dr. Hewson says. "Have you considered what would happen if your husband were to show up at your father's funeral"
Dr. Hewson notices his patient's eyes widen considerably as she absorbs the notion.
"I'm going to assume you hadn't thought of it before"
"No," Abbey replies, quietly, contemplatively. "But now that you mention it, there's a very distinct possibility that will happen"
"Was your husband close with your father"
"Well, they weren't Thelma and Louise jump-off-a-cliff-together close, but they certainly got along well"
"How do you think you would react if he attended the funeral?" Dr. Hewson questions.
"I…" She hesitates. "Honestly, I have no idea. I can't even begin to imagine"
"That's okay. It's just something to think about"
"Listen, Dr. Hewson, I just want to thank you for your help this past month or so. Your hard work has not gone unnoticed. Really, I'm incredibly grateful"
"It's my pleasure, Abbey," Dr. Hewson replies, smiling warmly. "I only hope that I helped"
"Oh, you did. You have no idea how much"
"Do you feel like you've made progress"
"More progress than I would have made without you"
"Well, that's something then"
THE END