Back at the White House, word quickly spread about Abbey's Christmas gift. Jed was right proud of himself around the men who praised his ability to pick the perfect gift, especially after all these years of marriage. And the women were in awe of Abbey being so lucky in having such a loving husband that always seem to have the ability to pick the perfect gift. And, she thought, they were just a tad jealous. But neither of them had time to dwell on what others thought because the big White House New Year's Eve Party was only a few days away and there were still a million things to do. And because both the President and the Chief of Staff had taken a few days off as true vacation, items had piled up on both of their desks.

By the night of December 30th, Abbey was exhausted again. She had rested at Camp David and had returned eager to get started on a new year. But it hadn't taken long before that the new found energy had disappeared. Even she was wondering what was wrong. But with this party coming up, she wouldn't give herself time to really think about it. Three hundred guests were coming and although she had a staff to handle a lot of the details, it was still her responsibility as First Lady to make sure everything was in order.

But about midday on New Year's Eve, with a very long night ahead, something just didn't seem right and the doctor in her decided that maybe it was time to check in with someone.

"Lilli, I'm going to be busy elsewhere for about the next hour. I'll have my phone with me if something comes up."

"Yes, Ma'am."

Abbey left the East Wing, with her Secret Service agent in tow, and made her way to the basement of the Residence. She had called ahead and Admiral Hackett was waiting on her.

"Good day, Mrs. Bartlet."

"Hello, Admiral."

"Here, why don't you sit down and I'll close the door?"

"Thank you." Abbey sat down in the chair next to the plain government issue metal desk.

The White House Chief Medical Officer closed the door and it was just the two of them there. "What brings you here today? You mentioned on the phone that you were experiencing some extreme fatigue?"

"Yes, Admiral."

"Please call me Robert,"

"Okay, Robert. Call me Abbey. Over the past two to three months, I've noticed that I've had a real decrease in my energy levels. Definitely lower than my normal level. Now, I've had a real busy schedule too, but usually I've not had an accompanying decrease in energy. I rested pretty well at Camp David over the holidays and felt great when we got back but now, I'm sluggish and dragging. We have this big party tonight and all I want to do is go to bed."

Admiral Hackett made some notes. "Have you had any chest pain?"

Abbey quietly replied, "Yes."

"When?"

"At Camp David. After some exercise." He didn't need to know what kind of exercise. "But it quickly went away."

"Is that the only time?"

"Yes."

Abbey felt eyes staring in her face. "I promise, Robert. The only time."

"Okay. Does the President know about it?"

"No. And I don't want him to."

"Okay. Whatever happens here, stays here. This is doctor patient privilege. No worries here, Abbey."

"Thanks, Robert."

Hackett stared at his notes for a minute. "Since I respect your medical skill and knowledge, what do you think? Now, I don't normally let my patients diagnose themselves but I think you are in a slightly different category."

Both of them smiled at his remark.

"Well, if my patient was telling me these symptoms, I would consider first maybe CHF or maybe first stage heart disease. But Robert, I'm only 61 with no history of it."

"Abbey, does that make a difference?"

"Not really. And I know that."

"What do you think I should do?"

"Well, I think the first thing I would do would get some blood work, check my cholesterol, maybe my cardiac enzymes, blood pressure, and maybe run an EKG to see if there are any changes."

"Anything else?"

"Maybe prescribe an ace inhibitor to strengthen the heart muscle and then watch the patient to see how they respond."

"Sounds good to me. Okay, I'll send my nurse in here to get the blood work and the EKG. We'll talk afterward."

Abbey complied with the nurse's instructions and was getting dressed as Robert knocked and reentered the room.

"What did the EKG show?"

"Here, why don't you take a look?"

Abbey glanced at it and looked up at Robert. "Non-specific changes. Doesn't tell us much, does it?"

"No. I don't like the fact that there are changes, but it doesn't give us any specific information. What I recommend is to start on the pills, rest as much as you can, and then after the New Year, maybe schedule a heart cath with someone over at GW or Bethesda. You need more information before knowing exactly what the next step would be. The pills should give you more energy to handle your schedule, but I wouldn't delay the catherization too long. You never know what is going on inside. You know that better than the average person."

Abbey nodded her head. "I do, Robert. Maybe I'll slip off to Manchester. I some friends up there who I know quite well and who I trust explicitly to keep this away from the press. I'm scared if I do it here it'll turn into a circus. Something like this usually does."

Both professionals stood and shook hands. "Abbey, I mean this. Don't delay this too long. You've been given warning signs. Some people don't get those."

"I know, Robert. I know only too well."