A/N: Here's the next installment of this story. I struggled with how I wanted to close it and lead into the next which is why it took so long. Up to this point, our beloved characters have faced mostly abstract threats. Everyone has talked about them and are aware they exist. But this is where they start to become very real for Abbey, Jed, Felicity, and people they care about.
In Gilmore Girls, Logan Huntzberger's dad is a newspaper magnate. In this universe, the family owns a broad swath of media companies just to keep things interesting. And yes, there is a Grey's Anatomy reference in here.
Happy Reading!
The Secret Service detail charged with guarding the youngest and smallest of its protectees left nothing to chance. A threat hadn't even presented itself fully when the agents sprang into action. The nurse who came in to check Felicity's vital signs merely reached into the pocket of her scrubs while Ellie was in the bathroom. Before she pulled out the object in her pocket, detail leader Evelyn Shaw came from behind and pulled her arms behind her back. The woman cried out in pain. Felicity, who had just fallen asleep 15 minutes before, was startled awake.
Outside the door, Secret Service agents swiftly secured the First Lady's room and notified the President's detail elsewhere in the building.
"United States Secret Service," She stated in an even tone. "Step away from the child."
The other woman did as she was directed and removed her hand from her pocket. Agent Shaw handcuffed her and reached in to retrieve what the nurse was going to pull out. A small digital camera emerged. Before Agent Shaw could so much as look at the camera, Felicity began to cry. It quickly rose in pitch along with her heart rate. Within seconds, alarms from her monitor filled the room.
Agent Shaw gestured to another agent to stay with the intruder. Moving to the warmer, she saw that her tiny charge exhibited all the signs of a child in some type of distress. Knowing that the President or a family member wouldn't get into the room before the floor was cleared of threats for their safety, she reached over and pressed the emergency button.
It binged and an automated voice announced, "Code White in Unit 6 East. Code White in Unit 6 East."
Jed was in a small office not far from the unit Abbey and Felicity were in, talking with Leo. When he arrived the night before, steps had been taken to secure a room not far from his family where he could conduct work calls securely if needed. They were in the middle of discussing a foreign policy issue when Ron Butterfield entered the room.
"My apologies, sir. But we have a breach on the floor. You need to stay here until it's resolved."
Jed looked alarmed, "Don't tell me it involves Felicity."
"Agent Shaw already has the situation under control."
"Ron, I need to see Felicity. As good as Agent Shaw is, caring for my daughter isn't in her job description."
"Agent Shaw already called for medical assistance to make sure Felicity is unharmed. You'll be able to see her once the floor is cleared."
"What about Ellie?"
"Ellie is also staying where she is until the all-clear is given."
"Felicity has already been through more than enough. Sending in more medical staff isn't going to help."
The two men continued to argue back and forth about the President needing to see his daughter. But Ron remained unmoved. Given how the breach happened, he wasn't about to let the President be exposed to something even worse until the floor was clear. Arguing and getting nowhere, Jed finally decided he had to wait it out.
"Do you know what happened to cause the breach?"
"Reports from your daughter's detail indicate that one of Felicity's nurses had a digital camera in her pocket. Agent Shaw apprehended her before it was used."
The expression on Jed's face darkened, "Are you telling me that one of the very people who is charged with caring for my daughter attempted to take a photograph of her?"
"Yes, sir. It appears that way. We'll know more when we interview this person."
"She is a child!" Jed exploded. "We have asked the press over and over again for privacy and we can't even get it in a hospital? This is unacceptable! I want an updated security plan and a list of alternatives ASAP. Have I made myself clear, Ron?"
"Yes, Mr. President. I'll see to it right away."
Ron left the room but two Secret Service agents stayed to guard the door. Jed rubbed a hand over this face and sighed.
"I don't know what I'm going to do, Leo. Abbey just got out of surgery and we're all exhausted."
"Have you given any more thought to Camp David?"
"Abbey shot down that idea. She wants to recover at home."
'Given the circumstances, Abbey might change her mind."
"I suppose," He admitted. "She shouldn't have to. The least I should be able to do is give Abbey whatever she wants. I don't remember her recovery being as difficult with Zoey, Ellie, or even Liz."
"I can't speak to that," Leo replied. "I only have the one kid. But it must be different."
"It is different. With Lizzy, we were worried about surviving these early days on very little sleep. When Ellie came along, it was that plus trying to spend enough time with Lizzy. And with Zoey, I constantly worried that I wasn't home enough. Now I'm forced to consider whether I can even keep Felicity safe."
"I'll go to the White House Counsel's office and see what options they come up with. Sam and Josh might have some ideas too. This is supposed to be your time off and your family needs you more than you need to deal with this.
"Thanks, Leo."
"Just doing my job, Mr. President."
Ellie felt guilty immediately for leaving her baby sister alone. She was only gone for less than five minutes to use the restroom. But apparently, that's all it took for all hell to break loose. Because she was already in the unit, she was allowed to go back to her sister's room not long after the Secret Service locked down the floor. She raced down the hall in time to see a medical team crowded around Felicity again. Beyond them, she heard Felicity crying.
"Is my sister ok?" She asked the group of assembled doctors and nurses. Some were clustered around Felicity while others were watching their colleagues work.
"Upset more than anything else," One of the doctors replied, turning to look at Ellie. He looked more than a little annoyed.
A quick look around the room told Ellie why. She saw a crash cart and other medical equipment in the room intended for a medical emergency. The medical team started to disperse once it was determined Felicity was actually stable and only very upset. Ellie moved forward quickly to check on her sister. The baby squirmed unhappily in the radiant warmer, upset at being poked at yet again.
"I'm sorry Fizzy," Ellie said, reaching down to stroke her sister's arm. She had been stable most of the night in precisely set warmer, but it wasn't the same without their mother, "I know you're scared."
"In the future Agent Shaw, that button is only to be pressed in a true medical emergency," A voice said behind Ellie.
Ellie bit her lip to keep the chuckle that wanted to escape in. As she continued to talk to Felicity in a gentle voice, Sheila Mason entered into the room. Ellie looked at the older woman and gave her a sympathetic smile. She had worked the majority of the night, working with the doctors and nurses overseeing both Abbey and Felicity's care.
"How is Felicity doing?" Sheila asked, stopping by the door to sanitize her hands before gloving up and going over to Felicity.
"More of the same. Whatever happened with the Secret Service must have woken her up. "
The nurse-midwife eyed the baby critically and did a very brief assessment of her, confirming Ellie's suspicion. She also saw the emergency equipment leaving the room and assumed the Secret Service called for the resuscitation team as a matter of being overly safe. That must have gone over well.
Jed entered the unit a few minutes later, having finally been permitted to leave the office he was in. He hurried toward Felicity's hospital room. As he arrived in the doorway, the door to Abbey's room opened across the hall.
"I need to see my baby, " Abbey's voice said, drifting into the hall.
"Abbey?" He said turning around and walking into her room. "You're awake."
"Yes, Jed. I am awake. What happened to Felicity?" She practically growled fueled by pain and hormones that coursed through her. "She was fine last night!"
Jed looked over at his mother-in-law and judging by the expression on her face, she seemed to regret mentioning Felicity.
"Felicity set off her monitor last night repeatedly. I told Sheila Mason about it and we agreed that the on-call neonatologist needed to look at her just before you were taken down for surgery."
Abbey took a minute to compose herself. She didn't know whether she was going to yell or cry. It had only been twenty minutes since she woke up. But it felt like years, "Is she okay?"
"I was just about to see for myself. She's just across the hall with Ellie and Sheila Mason."
Ellie heard her parents talking and smiled down at her sister, "Guess who I hear, Fizzy? Mom and Dad are looking for you." She looked up at Sheila, "Do you think we can take Felicity to see her?
"Absolutely. Any interest in helping me?"
"I would be happy to."
Ellie was glad that Fizzy would finally see their mother. She took over from Donna after convincing her dad to get some sleep away from the baby a few hours ago. He was so worried about her that he couldn't sleep. Emily went to see Liz and help her with Annie. Charlie brought her gran back and left with Donna. Zoey left after Abbey came out of surgery and hadn't been back yet because everything had been so hectic.
Felicity was downright miserable even as Ellie and Sheila started preparing to move her. She was tired, upset, and she made sure everyone around her knew it. Felicity very much reminded Ellie of a soda can. She was perfectly content so long as everything was right in her world. The moment it was shaken, she exploded, which is why calling her Fizzy seemed appropriate.
Abbey was sitting up in the king-size adjustable bed when Ellie came into the room ten minutes later. She saw the look of concern on her daughter's face and was sure she looked like hell. She was wearing oxygen and her abdominal area was sore and painful.
"I'm okay, honey," She said to Ellie, who she thought looked just as exhausted as Jed.
"Are you up for a little visitor?"
"More than ready."
Abbey heard Felicity crying before she saw her baby wheeled into the room by Sheila Mason and Ellie. Thankfully, it sounded much more robust than in that terrible dream. And when she listened to it, Abbey could have sworn the cry sounded like a form of "Mom." But it also made her body physically ache to hold and comfort her. When she saw Felicity attached to oxygen and wires, a lump formed in her throat.
"Before you worry too much," Sheila Mason said, seeing the look on her patient's face, "Felicity has been stable since early this morning with the added support we gave her. Hopefully, she'll start feeling better in a minute."
Once the warmer was near the bed, Sheila locked it and made sure the longer IV and oxygen tubing was secure. Then she lifted Felicity into her arms and placed the child carefully on Abbey's chest. Abbey held her close and covered her little head in kisses. Relief flooded through her body, temporarily pushing aside her worry and fear. Felicity's cries vibrated against her chest for a few seconds and then they began to ease before stopping completely. All was right in her world once again.
Ron Butterfield stood just outside the hospital security wing on the ground floor. Agent Shaw came down the hall looking resolute.
"Agent Shaw," He greeted. "Are you ready to question the suspect?"
"Yes, sir."
Ron opened the door to the small room and let her go ahead of him. The nurse Agent Shaw detained upstairs looked understandably nervous sitting at the table in front of them. They sat on the opposite side of her and Ron turned on a recording device.
"Ma'am, I'm Special Agent Ron Butterfield of the United States Secret Service and this is my colleague Special Agent Evelyn Shaw. Please state your name for the record."
"Claire Wilks," Claire said fighting to keep her voice from shaking.
"And what is your job title here?"
"I'm a neonatal critical care nurse."
"According to our records, you were assigned to Felicity Bartlet."
"Yes, I was."
"Nurse Wilks," Agent Shaw said for the first time in the interview. "Were you given any instructions before going into Unit 6 East?"
"Yes. We were told to keep our badges visible on our person and to keep our hands in plain view for security reasons."
"So why did you reach into your pocket while in Felicity Bartlet's room?"
Claire hesitated and she looked down at the table, unsure of what to say. "I—It wasn't going to hurt her."
"What wasn't?"
"The picture."
"Do you take photos of all the patients you're assigned to care for?"
"No."
"Then why did you bring a digital camera into Felicity's room?"
The nurse paused again. Ron cleared his throat, "Ms. Wilks, it's in your best interest for you to be honest with us. We need to understand why you wanted a photo of the child."
"My boyfriend works for Daily Insider Magazine. He already knew that the First Lady was in the hospital because word got around about Marine One arriving here last night. So he asked me to take the camera with me on my shift. With the rumors going around that Felicity was sick, he thought she might be here. The magazine is willing to pay the first person to get a photo of her $500,000. When I was assigned to Felicity's case, I decided to try. If I could get the picture, it wouldn't hurt her and I would finally be able to pay off my student loans and make a down payment on a house."
The woman's confession didn't surprise Ron. In fact, it confirmed what he already suspected. Having to relay this information to the President and the First Lady was another story.
More than 12 hours had passed since Abbey and Jed's peaceful evening turned into an emergency. After their brief conversation in pre-op last night, they were finally alone with Felicity again. Sheila Mason gave Abbey a brief synopsis of what happened the night before. Sandra took Ellie home to get some rest after that. Then Abbey changed into more comfortable pajamas with Jed's help.
Once they settled back into the bed together, Abbey conducted her own quick assessment of Felicity. She desperately wished she had her medical bag but observation would have to do. The little girl watched her calmly the entire time from her baby nest, easing Abbey's fears from her dream.
"What's your diagnosis?" Jed asked when she finished.
"Nothing jumps out at me. I'll reserve final judgment until Felicity's labs come back. But I wouldn't be surprised if this is related to stress," Abbey said after looking at her daughter for a moment more.
"I don't remember the girls being stressed out like that when they were Felicity's age. Ellie told me that she barely ate since I left and that's not like her."
"Have you eaten anything since dinner last night?"
Jed heard the pointed tone in her voice, "Not really, no."
"My point exactly. If food isn't top of mind for you, imagine how Felicity feels. Every child is different, Jed. Zoey cried constantly for the first few months. Liz never went down before midnight at this age and Ellie had digestive issues."
Felicity yawned reminding her father that she was just as tired as he was. She woke up every 30 to 45 minutes starting in the middle of the night and cried.
"How do you remember all of that?"
"I'm their mother," Abbey said simply, reaching into Felicity's bag sitting between them and retrieved a burp cloth, bottle, and the milk collector from it.
Jed helped Abbey get settled for the feeding before retrieving Felicity from her baby nest, careful not to catch any of the tubes or wires attached to her. He put her in Abbey's arms and watched with interest as Felicity went to her mother's breast without so much as a hesitation for her first full feeding in hours. She snuggled into her mother and suckled contently making up for lost time.
"Almost like magic."
"More like biology. Felicity knows who her parents are. She knows our voices, our touch, and our scents. No amount of ridiculous tabloid gossip or rumors will change that."
Jed softened, "She wore herself and everyone else out trying to find you."
"I'm not surprised," Abbey said, happy to see that Felicity seemed to be doing better now that they were reunited.
"Why don't I call the house and have Charlie and Donna bring us food? I seem to recall you didn't think very much of the hospital food."
"I still don't. After you're done, you can tell me why the Secret Service put us all on lockdown."
Jed had been purposefully avoiding that conversation until Ron updated him. But clearly, time was running out. Just as he finished up a series of phone calls to Leo, Charlie, and Donna, and the girls updating them on Abbey, and Felicity, a knock sounded on the door. Ron entered the room seconds later with a report in his hand.
"Mr. President, Dr. Bartlet, my apologies for the interruption. I have an update on the security breach from earlier."
"What did you find?" Jed asked. Ron crossed the room and handed his boss the report.
"Claire Wilks, the nurse Agent Shaw apprehended earlier, did attempt to take a photo of Felicity. Her boyfriend is an editor for Daily Insider Magazine and the magazine is offering a $500,000 reward for the first photo."
He opened the report and skimmed through it. Something in the report jumped out at him. When he looked at it again, he sighed.
"Ron, are you sure these findings are right?"
"Yes, sir. Absolutely."
"What is it, Jed?"
"Daily Insider Magazine is owned by the Huntzberger Media Group."
"Unbelievable," Abbey muttered. She reached for the phone on her nightstand and dialed a familiar extension, "Sarah, this is Abbey Bartlet," She said adopting the professional tone she used with colleagues. "I'm sure you've heard my daughter and I were admitted last night." She paused and listened to Sarah's response. "We're both on the mend. But we've had some issues with staff. Would you mind looking at the shift schedules and assigning nurses we know and trust?" Abbey smiled. "Thank you, Sarah. I appreciate your help. I'll send Ron Butterfield down to see you. Yes absolutely, stop by anytime. Bye."
"Ma'am?" Ron queried.
"Ron, when you have a minute you'll want to speak with Sarah Barnes in the administration wing on the first floor. She's the hospital Chief of Staff. She'll help you with this staff security issue."
"Thank you, ma'am. Is there anything else you need, Mr. President?"
"No, Ron, the updated security plan is all I'm waiting for."
Ron excused himself and left them alone again. Abbey didn't say anything for a long moment.
"Have you set anything into motion?" She asked, finally.
"Leo is going to talk to the White House Counsel and get Josh and Sam's thoughts."
"Fine. They can gather information and offer their thoughts. But that's as far as it goes until we know more."
"Abbey, we need to do something. Felicity doesn't deserve her privacy invaded like this. This woman was charged with taking care of our daughter."
"I heard what Ron said. We will do something. All I'm saying is let's not act rashly by suing anyone before we have all the facts."
"Would you be saying the same if the Huntzbergers weren't involved?"
"Jed, you are the President of the United States. If you want to sue Daily Insider Magazine, no one is going to stop you. But Mitchum Huntzberger is not someone you can take aim at and miss."
"The Daily Insider is a weekly gossip rag. Do you really think he authorized that reward?"
"I would hope not. The magazine is part of his business. So he very well could have."
Jed looked over at their daughter. She was fighting to stay awake but rapidly losing the battle. The very thought of someone taking a picture of Felicity at her most vulnerable made his blood boil.
"I hate this," He murmured. "I thought I made peace with some of Felicity's life happening in public. Turns out I haven't."
"That makes two of us," Abbey agreed.
In truth, Abbey was still absorbing the news Ron brought them. She was angry that someone had gotten so close to her baby. But it was tempered by relief. The hormone-induced nightmare she had reminded Abbey that the events of the past day could have turned out very differently. Felicity stopped sucking and let go of her breast, starting to drift off. Jed took her back to burp her. She gave him one and promptly snuggled into his chest for a long-overdue nap. The happiness radiated off of her and seemed to fill the room.
He smiled, "For a while there, I wondered if she didn't like me anymore."
"She loves you, Jed."
"Well, that's good because we love you."
Jed leaned over and kissed Abbey properly for the first time since last night. The kiss they shared was tender and full of emotions that could not be fully expressed. After a night of hardship and uncertainty, they were together and that was something to be grateful for beyond measure.
The second floor of the East Wing around the First Lady's Office looked more like a high-end baby boutique rather than the White House by Tuesday morning. Gifts from all over the country and the world filled the space in celebration of Felicity's birth. They started arriving on Friday and hadn't stopped since. There were giant stuffed animals, a British pram, a guilded high chair, and ornate storybooks that CJ passed. The inside of the office looked more of the same, CJ entered the suite of offices. Amy Gardner stood in the center of the vestibule appraising a crib that resembled the round glass carriage from the fairy tale Cinderella.
"No wonder I haven't seen you since Sunday," CJ said to her colleague.
Amy turned to her, "Hey, CJ. Yeah, who knew cataloging baby gifts would be so involved?"
"If it makes you feel better, I have a whole team of interns cataloging the notes and cards left outside the fence. They'll be busy for weeks. There are thousands of them."
"What did you end up doing with the stuffed animals and flowers?"
"I picked out a few stuffed animals that I thought Felicity might like when she's older. Some came with really sweet notes that made me want to keep them. Anything we didn't keep was donated to hospitals in the District or in the tristate area on behalf of the President and First Lady. Don't you have staff to help you with this?"
"Of course. They're making notes of the gifts as they come in and who they came from. But I'm the person who gets to decide if they'll get donated, kept, sold, or in the case of foreign gifts, purchased from the gifts unit. It's not that difficult, just tedious. And I've only delegated as much as I dare in case we have some kind of international incident."
"Want to trade jobs? I'll be happy to let you brief the press."
"No, thanks. I saw your briefing. I don't know how you keep your cool with all of those inane questions about Dr. Bartlet being flung your way."
CJ shrugged, "It's my job and I always try to think better me than Dr. B. She has enough on her plate as it is."
Amy smiled, "She certainly does. Donna told me Dr. B is chomping at the bit to go home."
"She just had surgery."
"I know. But between the nurse who tried to take a photo of Felicity and the kid's medical team, I wouldn't be surprised if she signs herself out AMA."
"Oof. Josh and Sam have been locked in the Roosevelt Room since 7 hammering out legal options the President can try. How is Felicity? I didn't hear anything after Dr. B saw her for the first time."
"So that's why you refused to answer questions about her condition."
"The President also told me it's strictly off-limits."
"I don't blame him for not wanting to say anything. It's no one's business. Felicity is apparently just fine. I'm not a doctor but if I had to make a diagnosis, she missed her mother."
"The press wants to make it their business. Toby still hasn't gotten to the source of the affair rumors yet. I've been so busy with Dr. Bartlet's hospital stay that I haven't had time to help."
"Tell Toby to look at Dr. Bartlet's professional life. There could be something there."
"Like a lawsuit from a patient or a family member?"
"Or a disagreement with another doctor, even professional jealousy."
"Jealousy has made people do stupid things," CJ admitted. "But why start a rumor that Dr. B had an affair?"
"Dr. Bartlet is an accomplished physician in her own right. I think some people forget that. She won the Harper Avery Award ten years ago for innovation in cardiothoracic surgery."
"I remember reading about that in her bio. It never said what for."
"I couldn't tell you the technical term. But from my understanding, she developed a surgical technique to fix complex cardiac problems using smaller incisions. It shortened recovery time for the patients."
"Wow. I'll have to follow up with her about that. Thanks, Amy."
"Happy to help. It's a nice break from this process," She said gesturing to the baby paraphernalia around the office and then indicated the crib. "I looked this thing up online. $25,000."
CJ whistled and regarded the crib carefully before she said, "Felicity probably wouldn't use it."
"Exactly."
Jed sat in a chair in one corner of Abbey's hospital suite with Felicity in his arms later that afternoon. He picked up the bottle of formula one of the new nurses assigned to them brought in. Felicity sighed in his arms, completely content after her feeding. A smile tugged at the edges of Jed's mouth as he offered her the bottle. She took it and began to eat, only to frown seconds later. Felicity pushed the nipple out of her mouth, looking confused.
"Not what you expected, lovebug?" Jed asked, with a hint of amusement in his voice. Felicity's face crumpled and she started to cry. The cries were quiet at first but quickly grew louder and increasingly panicked. He set the bottle down and brought Felicity to his chest, "It's okay," He soothed, rubbing her back.
Abbey watched the scene unfold from her bed. She didn't say anything at first and tried to let her husband resolve the problem. As she predicted, Felicity's doctors thought she wasn't eating enough. So during their rounds earlier, they suggested giving her formula right after her next feeding. It wasn't working out as they hoped. Jed continued to try to comfort Felicity. But nothing he said or did seemed to make any difference.
"Give Felicity to me," Abbey said, unable to take the physical or emotional toll of listening to the baby cry any longer.
Jed did as she asked and brought Felicity back to her mother, bringing the combination of the IV and monitor with them across the room. Abbey took Felicity and held her close.
"I'm here, baby," She said in a calm and gentle voice. "I'm not going anywhere."
Felicity's cries became a little less panicked as Abbey comforted her. Jed sat down beside them on the bed with concern in his eyes. It quickly morphed into tenderness as he watched Abbey bring Felicity back to her breast. The little girl latched on again and relaxed, forgetting everything that just happened.
"It looks like we have another Zoey on our hands," He said, in an attempt at levity.
"Maybe," Abbey replied, working hard to keep tears from welling up in her eyes.
"Babe, what's wrong?"
"Feeling like a bad mother never goes away, even after raising three girls."
"You're not a bad mother, Abigail," Jed said firmly. "Felicity has made it clear repeatedly that you are the best mother. No substitutions allowed."
"Then why do I feel so guilty?"
"Probably for the same reasons I do. It's hard not to feel like I dropped the ball. If I brought Felicity with me to see you, maybe I could have spared us both the extra stress."
"I doubt it. But I appreciate the thought," Abbey replied, reaching over to squeeze Jed's hand with the one not currently holding Felicity.
Jed took her hand in his and kissed it, "I keep thinking about what you told me when I asked if you were curious what our fourth one would be like."
Abbey and Jed looked down at Felicity. She fell asleep with her cheek resting against her mother's breast, looking completely at ease.
"If this is trouble, Felicity is the best kind," She whispered. "I don't even think she was hungry, Jed. She just wanted comfort."
"And to make sure her boobies weren't being taken away," He said with a small smile before leaning down to kiss Felicity's forehead.
Abbey sighed, "We need to get out of here. I'll be able to rest easier once we're home.
"It hasn't even been 48 hours since you had surgery."
"I can heal at home, you know. The last thing Felicity needs is more testing."
"They just want to make sure something isn't seriously wrong."
"I know they do. But at this point, it may do more harm than good. She had no problem coming off of oxygen, her bloodwork was normal, and the monitor hasn't gone off since early Monday morning. I just want to take our baby and go home. "
Jed nodded, "Okay. I'll support whatever you want to do. So long as your medical team gives you the all-clear."
"Jed—"
"Would you let me sign myself out AMA if I was in this bed instead of you?"
"No, but that's not the point."
"Sweet knees, it is the entire point. When we leave here, I don't want to come back for the rest of this trip. If this keeps up, we'll need a vacation from our vacation."
"Fine," Abbey said. reluctantly. "But I mean it about the testing. Unless something changes with Felicity, I don't want to put her through any more than we have to."
"I agree," He replied, rising and walking over to the other side of the bed. He carefully took Felicity from Abbey's arms and placed her in her baby nest that sat next to her mother before laying a blanket over her. "We'll talk to Felicity's doctors. In the meantime, you should get some sleep while Felicity does."
"I can't argue with that logic. Are you going to join me in dreamland?"
Jed picked up a briefing binder sitting on the end of the bed, "I have a briefing binder to read on Molitea for our foreign trip."
"I almost forgot about that. Give me the highlights later?"
"I wouldn't miss it."
Jed took the binder and returned to the chair he sat in with Felicity earlier. He opened the binder and started to read. In actuality, he was only half- focused on the text. More of his attention was focused on Abbey. He watched her for a long time after she drifted off with her hand resting on one edge of Felicity's blanket. Jed said a silent prayer to the Almighty above to continue keeping his wife and daughter safe and well. Had he known about the storm that was about to rain down upon his family, Jed would have said more prayers, including one for his marriage.
A/N: I am working on a short story about the debutante ball referenced in Expecting Felicity. It stars our West Wing and Gilmore Girls characters. It may be posted before the next chapter goes live depending on how it shapes up. Thank you for reading!
