Story: The Nobel Laureate
Chapter 4
Disclaimer: See Chapter 1
Previously: Jed introduced Abbey to Mrs. Landingham during John's funeral; Leo tried to reach out to Jed; Jed admitted to Abbey he was hurt by John's final actions before his death; Lizzie overheard an argument between Jed and John (chapter 13 of "On My Honor")
Summary: Jed and Liz clear the air; Jed tries to win a bet with his daughter, then recruits Abbey to learn Liz's dance steps; Jed and Abbey are stunned by an early morning phone call
Feedback is always appreciated!
"Why?"
That dreaded question lingered in the air with no response for two full minutes as Elizabeth rounded the corner upstairs and walked into her bedroom. "Just because."
Ellie followed closely behind, a white leather-bound scrapbook that Abbey had bought for her birthday clutched to her chest. "Because why?"
"Ellie."
"Why don't you want to help me make a collage of Grandpa Bartlet?"
"I just don't feel like it!"
"You never want to help me do anything anymore."
"That's not true."
"Uh huh! Yesterday, you wouldn't help me find pictures of Zoey to cut and paste in my book and today, you won't help me make a collage of Grandpa for Daddy."
"Scrapbooking just isn't my thing, okay?" Ellie lowered her head sadly, a gesture that always touched big sister Liz. "Fine, maybe later I'll go through Zoey's baby book with you. But I really don't want to help with Grandpa."
"Why not?"
"Ellie, you already won. Don't press your luck."
"But I can't do it by myself," she pleaded. "And it's a surprise for Daddy."
"Why don't we get him another surprise?"
"No, Lizzie, I want this one! I want to make it for the whole family so that none of us ever forget about Grandpa. Why don't you want to help?"
"Because he's a jerk, Ellie, and I'd like to forget about him! That's why!"
Ellie stood silent, stunned by her sister's sudden outburst. She had never heard Liz so bitter and resentful. She certainly couldn't understand it now, only three weeks after the death of their grandfather. Her lips quivered as if she was about to say something, but she swallowed past that urge. With twitching brows and a bit of incredulous confusion glittering in her blue-green eyes, she came face-to-face with Jed and Abbey in the open doorway as she turned on her heels to leave.
Ellie let out an exasperated breath, then walked briskly between her parents, heading straight down the hallway to her own room. Abbey trailed behind. Liz briefly locked into Jed's stare before she returned her attention to the clothes she was folding.
"Sorry," the teenager said quietly. "I didn't mean that."
Jed stuffed his hands in his pocket as he crossed in front of her to sit on her bed. "Sit down." He patted the mattress. She took a seat beside him, nervously anticipating a lecture. "We haven't really talked much since the funeral."
Liz looked to the floor. "Mmmm hmmm."
"Lizzie..."
"Dad, really, call me Liz." She didn't really mind the nickname, but she was desperate to change the subject. "Most people outgrow the name Lizzie by age 10. Liz sounds so much better, especially for someone in high..."
"Liz," Jed interrupted. "I'll call you what you want, but I didn't come up here to talk about that."
"I said I was sorry. I didn't mean what I said."
"I don't believe that. Besides, I'm not looking for you to take it back. If you really do feel the way you said you feel about your grandfather, I'm not going to be upset with you. You don't have to lie or apologize for it."
"I don't? I figured you'd say I have to respect him."
"Not exactly. Special circumstances here. You already know that you should never be anything less than civil and respectful, especially to your elders, but I also think you need to be true to yourself. He's your grandfather. You two have a history and you have a right to make up your own mind about him."
"Then it's okay with you if I don't feel about him the way you do?"
He could see her apprehension. "You really do think he was a jerk." It wasn't a question.
"Not always," she offered in an attempt to soften the blow.
"You felt that way lately."
Liz rubbed her hands together as she contemplated her answer before responding. "Yeah."
"Feels better to admit it, doesn't it?"
"A little. I didn't want you to be mad."
"I'm not. I do wish you had tailored your words a little more for Ellie's benefit. But Ellie's not here now. You're with me. No sugar-coating. I want you to be honest. He..." Jed shifted uncomfortably. "Did he ever...was he ever mean to you? I know your mom and I were around all the time, but was there ever a time when he was with you that he said something or did something that made you angry?"
"No. He was always nice to me."
That was a relief. At least John had never treated her poorly. Just as he assumed, Liz's hostility was the result of one incident. "Last year when he and I were arguing over Ellie's scout badge, you overheard us. I never really talked to you about it because I didn't want to approach a conversation I wasn't ready to have. But I was wrong."
"Dad, I already told you what I heard that night."
"Yeah, you did. Now I want the truth." Jed rose to his feet as soon as Liz did. "And before you even think it, your mother didn't tell me anything."
"How did you know she and I talked about it?"
"Because she doesn't let things like this go quite as easily as I do."
"You don't really let them go either," she countered. "You just keep them to yourself."
"Sometimes."
"Why do we have to do this?"
Jed took her hand and led her to the oak chair in front of her homework desk. When she sat down, he reclaimed his seat on the corner of her mattress. "We don't. You don't have to tell me any details, but I just want you to know that even though your grandfather and I had a rocky relationship, he loved you very much."
"You said I can make up my own mind about him. Now you're telling me how much he loved me. Are you trying to get me to love him too?" The words came out sharper than she intended.
Jed paused to shake off her tone, then replied, "No. Of course I'm not. The only reason I'm telling you this is because I think you should know. Over the years, I tried to push him out of our lives and he kept coming back because he wanted a relationship with you girls. In fact, we found out after he died that he left letters - one for you, one for Ellie, and one for Zoey. Your mom and I decided that we'd give them to you when you're a little older."
"Mom already told me and I told her I don't want it. I don't want the letter and I don't want the trust fund he set up for us either."
"Sweetheart, I'm not going to lecture you on how you should deal with all this. Hell, I don't even know how to deal with it. I don't blame you for being angry. I don't. But it breaks my heart to see you consumed by these strong emotions."
"I'm fine, Dad."
"Famous last words."
"Why aren't you angry? He was so cruel. Why don't you hate him?"
Shrugging, Jed answered, "He's my dad. I know it's a poor excuse, but I it's the only one I've got. He said some pretty harsh things that night. I did too."
"Not as bad as him. And anyway, you never would have treated your kid the way he treated you. You never would have..." She stopped herself just short of confessing she knew about the physical confrontations between father and son.
"I never would have...what?"
"Nothing."
He didn't push her. Believing his little girl knew about the abuse he had endured was too much to handle at the moment. It was hard enough talking to Abbey about it. He wasn't ready to confront these demons with Liz. "Okay."
That was too easy, she thought, her suspicions now confirmed. Jed didn't want her to know, or at least, he didn't want to admit that she knew. She could live with that. With a deep breath, she replied, "Okay."
He regretted stopping her from revealing more, but he couldn't bring himself to go back. Instead, he moved on. "If there's ever anything you want to talk about...about that night...you can come to me. You know that."
"I know. Can I ask you something?"
"Sure."
"Was he ever different? Did you guys ever get along?"
Jed shook his head. "We never had the relationship I wanted us to have. We clashed on most things."
"Why?"
"I guess I wasn't what he envisioned in a son and he wasn't the kind of father I wanted him to be. It made for some uncomfortable nights around the dinnertable."
"I don't understand why he was like that."
"Lots of things play a role in who people become. Some of it is comes from their environment, but I think most of what shapes a person comes from their background. Their childhood. Your grandfather didn't have a great childhood."
"That's not an excuse because if it was, that would mean you would have turned out like he did. I'm so glad you didn't."
"You have no idea how much it means to me that you just said that. When your mom told me she was pregnant the first time, what I feared the most was that my kids would think of me the way I thought of my dad. That scared the hell out of me, Lizzie...sorry, Liz. Before we got married, we talked about how we would raise children. We discussed bedtime schedules, homework, discipline, everything, but when she got pregnant with you, I was still worried that one day, I would lose my temper or say something that would make you hate me forever."
"Why would you think that if you didn't hate your own father?"
Jed smiled at his daughter's reasoning. "Because maybe sometimes, I did hate my father," he admitted. "The truth is, occasionally, I did hate him. Most of the time, I think it was in retaliation because I felt like he really didn't care for me. It was just a defense mechanism to cope with things. That's why it's so important to me that you and your sisters know how much I love you."
"We know."
"And that you and I have an open relationship. I don't want you to ever be afraid to tell me anything, no matter what. If you're interested in some boy, I'd like you to feel like you can tell me. If you change your mind about a sport or a hobby, I want you to come to me."
She narrowed her eyes suspiciously and asked, "Are we back to basketball versus cheerleading again?"
"Smart girl."
"That was tricky." She stood up.
He followed her lead. "I'm still not clear on why I didn't know you wanted to be a cheerleader."
"Because I knew you wanted me to play basketball and I didn't want to disappoint you."
"Sweetheart, I only wanted you to play basketball because YOU told me you wanted to play basketball. You asked me to teach you years ago. You said you wanted to go to basketball camp the last two summers. All you did was talk about basketball."
"But then my friend Kimberly and I met some of the cheerleaders at school and they were so cool. They don't just cheer, Dad. They're dancers and they're so good! My school even competes with a couple of other schools to win best squad in the county! I really wanted to see if I could do it."
"There's nothing wrong with that."
"You're not going to make fun of me?"
"Why would I make fun of you?"
Liz tilted her head bashfully as she admitted, "Because some people make fun of cheerleaders. The basketball coach says it's not a real sport."
"Elizabeth, I don't care what the coach says. I would never make fun of you. If you want to be a cheerleader, then I think that's great. You shouldn't be embarrassed or afraid to tell anyone, especially me."
"So it's okay? I mean, you spent a lot of money on basketball camp and a lot of time out there helping me."
"I enjoy spending time with you. As for the money...well, you're my little girl and that's part of the deal. Besides, if you had hung around here for the two weeks you spent at camp, you probably would have sucked just as much money out of my pocket for trips to the mall."
"Probably." She laughed.
Jed playfully yanked her arm. "From now on, just keep me in the loop."
"Okay."
"I'll get out of your hair."
"Yeah, I have to practice."
"Oh, one last thing. You are my little girl, just like I said. You're getting older now and I'll call you Liz if that's what you want, but I think you should know you're always going to be Lizzie to me, just like you'll always be your mom's baby doll."
"I already know that. I guess I kinda like it. You guys don't have to stop calling me those things if you don't want."
"We don't?" That was an unexpected switch, but Jed was reminded of the teenage mentality. She could very well change her mind by morning.
"Just don't do it in front of my friends."
"I promise," he agreed. "Now, did you say something about practicing?"
"Yeah. I have to go over my dance steps."
"Would you mind some company?"
"You want to watch?"
"Sure. I used to watch you in dance class and gymnastics all the time. I watched you playing basketball. I love to watch Ellie play soccer. This just happens to be what's next. Maybe I'll even pick up a few things."
"Dad, this isn't like ballroom dancing. It's totally different. There's tumbling and back flips..."
"Your point? I can be just as big a supporter of this as I was of basketball. And I bet you your allowance, I can learn a few of these steps on the first try."
"Seriously?"
"Seriously. Let's move!"
The two jogged down the stairs and within minutes, Jed's interest had captured Abbey's attention as well. Together, the family convened in an open field behind the house. Liz blasted the volume on her portable radio, then took her place in front of her little sisters while Jed and Abbey watched proudly from the sidelines.
"Come on, Lizzie!" Ellie prodded, eagerly waiting to attempt the steps she had seen Liz practice over and over again.
"Okay, okay! But you're not standing right, El." Liz straightened the eight-year-old's arm and positioned her feet shoulder-width apart. "It's like this."
"I want Daddy!" Zoey whined.
"I'm right here, Sweetheart."
"Yeah, Dad, I thought you were going to join us," Liz reminded him.
"I'm going to watch first."
"That gives you an unfair advantage. You said you could learn the steps on your first try. If you don't do it, I win the bet!"
"Bet?" Abbey questioned.
"Dad bet me my allowance that he could pick up the dance right away. If he doesn't, I get double the money this week!"
Jed didn't have to turn his head to recognize the big smirk plastered across Abbey's face. "Not a word out of you."
"I didn't say anything," Abbey assured him.
"She put me on the spot."
"I'm sure she did, Pumpkin."
"Dad?" Liz pressured him again.
"It's not nice to squelch on a bet, Jed."
"I am so outnumbered in this house," he muttered under his breath as he took his place behind Liz. "All right. Let's do it."
"Okay, ready?" Liz moved slowly at first, her body swaying to the rhythm of the music as she counted.
It looked so effortless to a casual observer, but as Jed quickly learned, it wasn't. Ever since he mastered ballroom dancing lessons five years earlier, he loved to share a romantic waltz with Abbey. Usually, he was light on his feet, floating over the dancefloor with such grace that he frequently drew the admiration of strangers.
But on this, Lizzie was right. This was different and he was having a lot more trouble than he wanted to admit.
He balled his hands into tight little fists, but when he tried to raise his arms into a V while stepping into a pivot, Abbey leaned back with a laugh so loud, it broke his concentration. "What's the matter with you?"
"I'm sorry. It's just that you're doing exactly the opposite of what she's saying. The turn comes after you raise your arms and there was nothing in her instructions about wiggling your hips." Despite her tweaking, her heart swelled with adoration for this man. The things he did to make his daughters happy strengthened her love for him.
"Must be nice to judge me from afar," he teased as he approached her, his hands extended to grab hers. "Your turn."
"I'll do the dancing, but once she starts showing off her tumbling, I'm out."
"Silly, Abbey. The tumbling's the fun part! Don't think I'm going to let you squirm your way out of that."
"No way, Jed. I'm not flexible enough to do it!"
"Believe me, Sweet Knees, you ARE flexible."
Abbey pulled back, resisting her husband's strength. "I haven't done this in years."
"Perfect! Lizzie, your mom needs extra assistance over here. She mentioned something about wanting to try those back flips you love so much."
"Oh, I can show you how, Mom!"
Elizabeth rushed right over, an air of excitement surrounding her. Abbey knew she couldn't disappoint her daughter, so she turned to her husband, clenched her teeth together, and warned, "Karma's a dangerous thing, Gumdrop."
"I'll take my chances." Jed stood back, chuckling as Lizzie grabbed Abbey's wrist to lead her into pretzel formation.
His eyes gazed at Ellie bending herself backwards the way Liz encouraged Abbey to do. Then, he looked to Zoey, whose effort ended in frustration when she lost her balance and fell on her rear. She whined for a moment, then rose to her feet to try it again. Abbey wasn't quite as ambitious. Each and every fall sounded harder than the one before and each and every time, it took more energy to stand. But she did it. Giggling along with the kids, she worked through the discomfort.
At least, at first.
Just as she bent at the waist and tried to push herself over one more time, her ankle twisted beneath her, causing her to stumble before crashing to the ground flat on her back.
"Mom!" Lizzie shouted as Jed sprinted to her side.
"Honey, are you okay?" He hooked his arm under her shoulder to help her up.
Abbey nodded hesitantly. "Yes, I'm fine."
"Are you sure?" Jed questioned, picking the grass off her shirt. "That was a nasty fall."
"Really, I'm okay. But that doesn't mean I want to try it again."
"Oh, come on, Mom!"
"No, I really think she's done, Lizzie," Jed intervened.
"One more time, Mommy," Ellie begged. "You almost did it!"
If there was one thing Abbey couldn't resist, it was the sweet pleas she heard from her daughters. Reluctantly, she brushed herself off and assumed the position once again. She shot a few dangerous glances Jed's way for getting her into this mess in the first place, but it did nothing to squash his amusement. It didn't matter that she'd have some choice words for him when the day was over. The mood in the Bartlet house had been so somber the past few weeks that he was willing to risk her wrath for the pleasure of watching the interaction between his family.
That night, after the girls were tucked into bed, Jed massaged his wife's sore muscles until she drifted off to sleep. And early the next morning, when the alarm sounded and the first glimmer of sunlight streamed through the gauzy curtains, he rolled her over to do it again. Straddling her thighs, his fingers stroked the tension that kept her twisted in knots.
"Forgive me yet?" he leaned down over Abbey's naked back to whisper into her ear.
"Not yet," she answered, barely awake and laying face-down on the bed.
"You have to admit, the girls had fun last night."
"You were the one who was supposed to learn Lizzie's routine."
"I did learn."
She twisted her head to look at him over her shoulder. "You were glued to one spot the whole time."
"And whose fault was that? None of this would have happened if you hadn't laughed at me."
"Yes, it would. As soon as Liz started the cartwheels, you would have excused yourself, just like I had planned to do."
"If God wanted us to walk on our hands, He wouldn't have given us feet. I plan to stand upright, just like He intended, if it's all the same to you."
"Chicken."
"Damn right." She tightened her grip on her pillow as he pushed down on her shoulders. He cringed when she gasped. "Sorry."
"I guess it's a blessing you recruited me to be the guinea pig."
"Oh?"
"Imagine if you had tried to do what the girls wanted. You would have been hurt worse than I was."
"I beg your pardon?"
"You already have a bad back, Jed, and you refuse to have it looked at."
"It's no big deal."
That didn't surprise her. He had dismissed Abbey's concerns about his back all summer. "Says you."
"I thought one of the perks of being married to a doctor was that I'd never have to make an appointment to see another doctor ever again." Jed stretched out beside her.
"It's not true. That's just what we say to get our spouses to stick by us through residency." She leaned over and stole a quick kiss before they each pulled away, startled by the ringing phone.
"It's not even six o'clock yet. Who in the world could that be?"
Abbey rolled to her side and reached for the receiver on the nightstand. "Hello?" Her brows furrowed slightly. "I'm sorry, where are you calling from?...Yeah, he's here...Hang on." She tucked the phone under her chin. "An Alfred Royen from The Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences?"
Confused, Jed took the phone from her. "Hello?"
For minutes, husband and wife stared straight into each other's eyes. Abbey struggled to read Jed's expression until Jed finally lowered the receiver between them, exposing her to the scratchy connection and the words that were clouded by static.
"Yeah, I'm here," Jed replied after a brief silence between the two men. "We seem to have a bad connection, so I'm not entirely sure I heard you right." Not yet willing to blindly believe the claim, he looked at Abbey and shrugged. "Okay...When can I expect the telegram?...Yeah. I'll do that...Okay. Thank you. Bye."
"I only caught bits and pieces." Abbey hung up the phone. "What exactly..."
"It's probably just a prank." With a sly grin, he quizzed her. "Did you set this up?"
"What?"
"Maybe you wanted to get back at me for last night." It was a lighthearted accusation. "Was this your doing?"
"Jed, I wouldn't play a joke like this," she insisted. "It wouldn't even occur to me."
Genuinely stumped by the possibility, he asked with little confidence, "You think it's for real?"
"Did he say what I thought I heard him say?"
"I'm pretty sure you heard what I heard."
"Jed!"
"Abbey, don't make a big deal out of this. The connection was terrible. Who knows what he actually said and who knows if it's even true."
"We're waiting for a telegram?"
"Yeah. And another phone call later today."
"From?"
"The Nobel Prize Committee."
TBC