Story: The Nobel Laureate
Chapter 14
Disclaimer: See Chapter 1
Previously: The hospital cleared Abbey of any wrongdoing in the Bill Niederlander case; Jed and Abbey watched Ellie's soccer game; Abbey missed the beginning of Liz's cheerleading routine even though Liz had asked her to watch for her first stunt; mother and daughter exchanged heated words in the school's locker room
Summary: Abbey tells Jed she was asked to stay on as an attending after her fellowship; Liz apologizes for losing her temper; Abbey surprises Jed and the girls as the family gets ready to leave for Washington for the traditional Nobel laureate trip to the Swedish Embassy
Author's Note: Pre-Nobel "festivities" mentioned in the next couple of chapters were inspired by the diary kept by Nobel Laureate Paul Greengard. Thanks to Daphy for sending it to me!
On the tips of her toes, Abbey rummaged around in the dark for her clothes. When Jed moaned softly and changed positions, she stopped to see if she had waken him, but when he just rolled to his back and dropped his arm off the side of the mattress, she walked towards his sleeping form and tenderly stroked his cheek.
He didn't respond to the warm touch of the back of her hand, so she pressed her finger to the exposed skin on his chest and traced the light sprinkling of hair that shadowed the spot usually concealed by his top three buttons.
Still no response.
Holding her hair behind her neck so it wouldn't fall forward over his face, she leaned in to drop a kiss to his lips. That, he couldn't ignore. He startled her with a jerk, grabbing the back of her head and holding her in place until he was ready to break the passionate liplock several seconds later.
"You were up the whole time," she accused him.
"I'm amused by the way you tried to lure me out of sleep. And, you know, it never occurred to me, but there are times when I wake up for no reason whatsoever. Now I wonder if it's you waking me, then jumping back to feign innocence."
"Why would I do that?"
"I don't dare ask why you do anything, Abbey. I just know you do."
"You should have told me you were awake."
"I wake up when you wake up, Babe. I can feel it the second you leave my bed." He reached for the light and watched as Abbey fooled with the clasp on her bra. "Especially when you're half-naked."
Her movements, though natural and unplanned, were provocative enough to captivate his attention. He laid there, lusting after the curves she kept hidden under the sweatshirt she had just pulled over her head. When she noticed that familiar gaze, she joined him on the edge of the bed.
"If we had time..." she started, teasing him with seductive hands that sprawled out over his chest.
"Don't remind me."
It was going to be hard to go to work today, knowing that after the kids got out of their half-day of school, they would board a plane with their father to Washington, D.C. for the traditional Nobel laureate visit to the Swedish Embassy.
"I hate that you're leaving without me." Abbey's work schedule left little wiggle room for this trip since Sweden was less than a week away, so she was forced to work one last shift and join them in the morning.
"Excuse me?" he replied, incredulous about the implication. "It's not like I had any control over the situation."
"I know, I know. I just don't like flying without you."
"I don't like flying without you either."
With a defeated sigh, she turned to face him. "The girls are going to give you a lot of trouble. Make sure you ask Ellie over and over if she forgot anything because she always does. Zoey's going to want to run around the airport, which is good because you'll want to tire her out anyway. And Elizabeth's going to beg you to wear make-up since she knows I won't be there to see it until tomorrow."
"I wasn't just introduced to these girls yesterday, Hon. I can handle it."
"Famous last words."
"Trust me. Everything will be fine. You just worry about getting out of work on time tomorrow and catching a nap before you have to leave for the airport."
"I'll be fine."
"I hate these long shifts. I don't know what good you could possibly be to any patient when you've been working a straight thirty-six hours."
"I'm only working twenty-four this time." She bent forward to zip her boots.
"Oh, well, that makes all the difference in the world."
"I hate the long shifts too. It's just part of the job."
"Yeah," he replied, still unhappy, but willing to move on to another subject. "Did you talk to Liz last night?"
"No. She was doing homework when I checked on her and by the time she was finished, I was already in bed."
"You could have interrupted her."
"I don't like doing that."
"Abbey." Jed pulled her arm in an effort to get her attention. It worked. "It's Monday. When are you going to talk to her about what happened?"
It was a question Abbey didn't have an answer to. After she missed Liz's cheerleading stunt, tempers flared in the locker room and they later erupted full-force at home. Liz allowed her hurt feelings to dictate her words though her tone softened slightly when Abbey fought her point for point. Deep-rooted guilt provoked Abbey's defensiveness, stirring her frustration until she reacted stronger than even she expected.
Once Jed intervened, the booming voices suddenly faded into a deafening silence. He sent Elizabeth upstairs until she cooled down enough to discuss the situation rationally and, just as he had promised earlier that day, he gave Abbey a massage and piled her exhausted body into bed, leaving the argument between mother and daughter unresolved until later.
And later was fast approaching.
Abbey knew he was Jed right. She wanted to reach out to Liz, but she was disappointed in herself and ashamed to admit she had let her daughter down. "What am I supposed to say?"
"Give her a chance to say something. She owes you an apology and I'm pretty sure she knows that."
"You talked to her?"
"Did you really think I'd let it go?" Jed had a special rapport with Lizzie and from time to time, he used it to run interference for Abbey.
"I lost my temper with her."
"She yelled at you in a locker room full of people then complained all the way home. I would have lost my temper too."
"You did lose your temper," she reminded him. "It was a relief when you stepped in. The fight was getting out of hand and I have no idea what I would have said next. The thing is, it wasn't even that I was angry at her. I was more angry at myself. She was right. She asked me to watch for one particular thing and I screwed it up. I missed it."
"You didn't do it on purpose."
"Does that matter?"
"Yes," he answered without hesitation. "This was one incident. It doesn't define the kind of mother you are. I don't know of a mother more devoted to her children than you, Abbey. You're always there for them when they need you. When Liz had chicken pox, you stayed with her every minute until she got better."
"Yeah, well, that was by default. I caught it from her."
"That's not the point. You were with her from the second she started feeling ill. When the girls are sick, you don't leave their side. Ellie had the flu last year and you used a week's vacation so you could nurse her back to health. Don't even get me started on all the hours you spent pacing the floor in the NICU after Zoey was born. You stay up all night to sew Halloween costumes, you go without sleep so you won't miss a game or a recital, you help them with their homework, their hair, their clothes. No one loves them more than you do."
"I feel like it's not enough."
"Look, it's unfortunate that you missed the stunt, but sometimes, things happen. You're a doctor and when the hospital calls, you have to answer. Liz will learn that the world doesn't stand still just because she wants it to."
"She's fourteen, Jed. It took you a long time to get used to my work and you're a lot older than she is. Sometimes, I think even you still have issues with it. When I stepped out to make that call, you were mad at me, weren't you?"
"I get annoyed that your schedule isn't your own. It's the same argument we've had a million times, Abbey. I know I'm married to a talented surgeon who saves lives every single day. But sometimes, yeah, I am a little selfish."
"Do you ever wish I had a different career?"
He thought about sidestepping the loaded question, but then he looked at her and during that short glance, he realized she already knew the answer. "Sometimes." Abbey let out an uncomfortable sigh. "But when I do, I remind myself that I'm acting like the world's biggest jerk. I knew you wanted to be a doctor when I met you and that was one of the things that made me fall in love with you. Believe me when I say I wouldn't change it for anything in the world."
"Is that the truth?"
"I swear."
"It's been a long road, Jed. Don't think I don't know how much time and patience you've given me to help me through this." Her hand cupped the top of his head, her fingers running through his thick mane of hair. "In less than a year, I'll be done with my training. I'll have a little more flexibility as an attending."
"Do we know where?"
A devilish smirk swelled her cheeks when she replied. "Right here. They asked me to stay on as an attending."
"What?" Jed squirmed to sit up straight. "When?"
"Well, Robert hinted about it when I told him about Kyle, but I wasn't supposed to know until this past Friday."
"Why didn't you tell me when you got home Saturday morning?"
Abbey shrugged. "I was waiting for the right time."
"Right time? Get over here!" He yanked her arm until she fell on top of him. "I love you." His hands framed her face as he brought her in for a kiss.
"I love you too," she said as she reluctantly pulled away a couple minutes later, her hands reaching up to cover his. "I wish I didn't have to go."
"But you do."
"Yeah."
"I'll pick you up at Dulles in the morning?"
"I'll grab a cab."
"I can pick you up."
"I'd rather you spend the time sightseeing with the girls." She stood to leave.
"Yeah, okay. Are you going to meet me at the hotel or the Embassy?"
"The hotel. We'll go to the Embassy together."
Though he wouldn't have made it an issue, he couldn't deny he was relieved. "Good."
"Call me when you get there?"
"Of course. And hey?" He waited until she turned to face him. "Congratulations."
"Thanks. Now try to get some sleep."
Abbey gave him a smile of appreciation before she headed out the door and down a path towards the stairs, intrigued, along the way, by the faint pitter-patter of footsteps coming from the kitchen.
Liz had just returned a carton of milk to the fridge and was carrying a sandwich towards the table when she noticed her mother standing at the entryway. "Hi."
"It's the middle of the night. What are you doing up?"
"I didn't have much dinner, so I was hungry."
"Oh. Do you have everything you need?"
"Yeah. I made one for you too." She picked up a small brown bag and handed it to Abbey. "It's bagged because I figured you'd want to take it with you. It's turkey on rye with lettuce and a smear of mustard, just like you always make it."
"You didn't have to do that."
"I heard you moving around upstairs so I knew you were getting ready to go to work and you always say you hate hospital food, so..."
"That was very thoughtful, Lizzie. Thank you." Abbey fumbled nervously with the top of the bag until she eventually turned it down and set it aside. "We didn't get a chance to talk after..."
"I never said thank you for doing my hair for the game," Liz interjected. "All the girls loved it."
"How about you?"
"I loved it too. It was really pretty. So thank you."
"You're welcome." Abbey smiled.
As she pulled out her chair to sit down, Liz added softly, "And I'm sorry I yelled."
"I'm sorry I walked out of the gym to make that call. I shouldn't have."
"It's not like you missed the whole routine. You saw most of it." When Abbey took the seat across from her, Liz glanced at the clock on the wall. "Don't you have to go to work?"
Abbey didn't even look at her watch. This was more important. "I can be a little late."
"Really?"
"Really."
"Then how was it? The routine?" It was asked with a certain bit of apprehension. Liz bit down on her bottom lip while she waited for the opinion that meant more to her than anyone else's.
"It was good," Abbey said. "No, actually, it was excellent."
"What can I do better?" It was obvious she wanted more feedback. Not just an answer peppered with compliments, but constructive and helpful advice on how she could improve.
"You looked like a pro out there," Abbey began. "Your basket toss was flawless, but you need to stick your dismount. Also, your legs were shaky on your double hook. You have to keep them strong and firm."
"You caught that?" Liz raised her right brow. "Even the coach didn't catch that!"
"What, did you think I wasn't looking at you - and only you - the whole time?"
"I didn't know you knew the cheerleading lingo."
"I may not have been at the practices, but that doesn't mean I wasn't paying attention when you and your friends practiced in the backyard a few weeks ago."
"You watched us? Why didn't you tell me?"
"Because I didn't want you to think I was spying. I'm not around as much as you'd like, but when I am, I try to catch up on what's going on with you, what you're doing. Sometimes, that means watching from the sidelines when you're practicing outside or when you're at the barn, feeding the horses, or traipsing around my room, stealing my make-up so you can try it on in your own room even though you and I both know you're not allowed to wear it yet."
Liz grinned bashfully. "If you know I do that, how come I don't get in trouble for it?"
"It's pretty harmless as long as you don't wear it outside the house. Besides, when I was your age, I was doing the same exact thing. But now that we're on the subject, I expect my eyeliner will be returned to me before you go to school today."
"Sorry."
Abbey gave her a lighthearted smile. "It's all right."
"So if you watched us practice, then you know I've never been able to get my legs perfect on the double hook. I do it fine in front of the coach, but when I'm doing the whole routine, I miss something."
"You just have to do it over and over. I don't know that much about cheerleading, but I'll try to help you if you want me to."
"You will?"
"As soon as we get back from Stockholm."
"That would be great!"
Her eyes, shining with excitement, grew so wide that it warmed Abbey's heart. She hadn't been able to elicit that kind of response in quite a while. It helped to relieve some of her regrets, but the remorse that had been building for a decade wasn't to be dislodged that easily.
Abbey could still remember Lizzie's reaction to her first week of medical school. Only three years old, the toddler was playfully distracted in the morning, but around mid-afternoon, she repeatedly asked for her mother, confused as to why Abbey had suddenly disappeared.
She cried for two hours that day until Jed was finally able to put her down for a nap. By the time Abbey came home that evening, Jed had occupied Lizzie with a puzzle and a game of Candyland. When he told his wife how much Liz had missed her, it left Abbey with a sharp pang of guilt, one that, all the years later, still hadn't gone away.
She walked behind her teenage daughter and placed a kiss on the top of her head. "Thank you for the sandwich, Baby Doll. I can call you that at home, can't I?" Liz nodded. "Good. After you finish your snack, go back to bed, okay?"
And with those words, Abbey left, again. It was so tempting to cast aside her responsibilities and take the day off, but she knew she couldn't do that. This was the career she had chosen. Once she could establish a solid practice, her schedule would be less burdensome. The girls would eventually reap the benefits of her lucrative skills while she did what she enjoyed doing most - saving lives.
In the meantime, she blocked those pesky doubts that riddled her soul and latched on to the hope that Elizabeth, Ellie, and Zoey would understand that although they had to share her with her patients, in her heart, no one would ever come before her family. Of course, she was certain they'd be more willing to believe the sentiment if she could join them on that plane to D.C., but that was a thought that seemed like an impossibility at 3 a.m.
Fortunately, just a few hours later, a little luck floated her way. Robert Nolan showered her with good news during pre-op rounds.
"What are you so happy about?" Abbey asked him suspiciously.
"I'm just glad to be the one to break the news."
"What news?"
"The Chief decided to have a word with Dr. Nelson and it seems that afterwards, a resident who heard the story through the hospital rumormill, came forward with a claim of harassment. Two nurses and one intern followed."
"Are you serious? This isn't a joke?" She couldn't hide the delightful grin that curved her lips. Finally, she had some help in battling Kyle Nelson.
"It's not a joke. The Chief wants to see you at 9 a.m. Also, he and I rearranged your schedule to get you out of here by 5 o'clock this evening." Speechless, Abbey stared at him. "The trip to Washington. You've been talking about it for weeks."
"Yeah, I'm supposed to be leaving tomorrow."
"Well, now you can leave tonight."
"Okay, this has never happened before in the entire time I've been working here. What's going on?"
His sincerity clear in the way he looked at her, Robert replied, "It's not every day your husband gets a Nobel Prize."
"Robert?"
"You've put up with a lot lately with the Niederlander case and then with Dr. Nelson. Let's just say I noticed. The Chief agreed we could afford to spare you for a few hours this evening while you go spend time with your family."
"A few hours? I was scheduled for a 24-hour shift that ends tomorrow morning."
"It's covered," Robert assured her. "Have a good flight and a Happy Thanksgiving. Take plenty of pictures in Sweden and wish your youngest daughter a Happy Birthday."
"You remembered it was Zoey's birthday?"
"I remember everything." She stared at him sternly, unfooled by his declaration. "I asked why you weren't scheduled on Friday and they told me."
"That's just her party. Her real birthday..."
"Is next week. The same day you request off every year. See, I keep track of what goes on around here. So when I tell you that we can spare you tonight, I mean it. Now get some work done before I change my mind!"
She walked past him, graciously whispering, "You're a good friend."
Just after five, Abbey rushed home to pick up her suitcase and head to Manchester Airport. She had tampered with the idea of telling Jed and the girls to wait for her, but decided that surprising them in D.C. was a much better plan.
As she swung open the front door to the farmhouse and sprinted up the stairs, an image she caught out of the corner of her eye, stopped her dead in her tracks. She came back down, strolling leisurely towards the flower-filled glass vase that sat abandoned on the half-moon wood console in the foyer. Jed had placed it there so it would be the first thing she'd see.
A card dangled from a bouquet of red and white roses with a note that simply read, "Congratulations on the job offer, Dr. Bartlet. We love you."
Abbey held the card against her chest, inhaling a deep breath as she took a moment to close her eyes and count her blessings. Imagining Jed's shocked expression in a few hours when she showed up at the hotel, snapped her back to the present.
"They haven't even arrived yet," she mumbled, looking down at her watch.
And so began a race to the airport to exchange her ticket and snatch a seat on the next flight before her family had a chance to acknowledge her absence. Little did she know Jed and the girls hadn't even left New Hampshire yet.
"Mommy!" Ellie yelled as she ran out of the boarding line when she saw Abbey sprinting towards the gate, clutching a Barbie purse in her hand.
"What are you still doing here?"
The grateful eight-year-old took the purse. "You brought it with you! I forgot it at home."
"Yes, you did and your father was supposed to make sure that didn't happen." Abbey greeted Jed with a sly smile as he, Liz, and a sleeping Zoey joined Abbey and Ellie.
"Why aren't you at work?" he asked.
"Why haven't you left yet?"
"We missed our flight because we had to turn around to get Ellie's suitcase."
"You forgot your suitcase too?" The little girl dropped her eyes to the floor, looking up only when it was clear that Abbey wasn't actually annoyed with her. She was just teasing.
"She forgot her hairbrush as well," Jed added. "I had to buy her a new one at the gift shop. You can see why I refused to go back home for the purse."
"This wouldn't have happened if you had just asked her before you left."
"Yeah, yeah. Okay, it's your turn. Why aren't you working?"
"Robert fixed it so I could leave tonight."
"You're going with us?" Liz asked, overjoyed at the possibility.
"It looks like it. And by the way, I saw the flowers."
"It was Daddy's idea!" Ellie informed her. "Do you like them?"
"I LOVE them! What a sweet and beautiful surprise!"
Jed kept one hand on Zoey's stroller and placed his other hand on the small of Abbey's back as he ushered her towards the line. "You know, I accepted the fact that you had to work, but seeing you here made me realize just how unhappy I was that you weren't going to be on that plane."
"You have no idea how many times I thought about calling in sick."
"About as many times as I thought about asking you to call in sick?"
An adoring smile touched her lips after she laughed. "Thank you."
"For the flowers?"
"Not just the flowers. Thank you for putting up with the craziness for all these years."
He reached down to slide his palm into hers, making sure to run his hand across the wedding band on her ring finger. "I've been amply rewarded."
They both knew it was possible that, in the future, the situation would be reversed. The Nobel Prize was the highlight of Jed's academic career thus far, and that international recognition was likely to lead to a whirlwind of opportunities.
Abbey vowed that when the time came, she'd never forget the patience he had shown during her years in residency and fellowship. She was convinced that one day, Jed would need her support as much as she had needed his.
And that was a gift she promised to return.
TBC