Story: The Nobel Laureate
Chapter 16
Disclaimer: See Chapter 1
Previously: Jed and Abbey slept in each other's arms after a night of lovemaking; Jed was summoned to the Capitol, where, on behalf of the New Hampshire DNC, the DCCC, and the Speaker, House Majority Leader Floyd asked him to run for the House of Representatives in 1984
Summary: Jed considers the Congressman's offer; Jed decides that he can't go to Washington without Abbey; Abbey, unintentionally, derails Jed's plans
Jed remained perfectly silent as he allowed the words to sink in to his head. Congressman Floyd noticed his perplexed expression and the subtle twitching of his mouth as if he was struggling to find a reply, any reply, that could adequately convey his thoughts.
The ticking of the small wall clock above the Congressman's desk was the only sound heard for several minutes while both men stared at one another. Eventually, Floyd broke the silence.
"Well? What do you think?"
Jed fidgeted in his seat, initially crossing his legs then uncrossing them seconds later. "I...I don't know what I think. I'm going to have to...there's a lot to consider."
"Absolutely."
"My wife is a doctor. She just finished her fellowship and has already been offered a position at her hospital. It's one of the best in the country, so I don't know if she'll want to pick up and move. And my two older daughters are in school. I don't know how they'll feel about moving to DC, leaving their friends. Especially Lizzie. She's in her freshman year of high school."
"Jed..." the Congressman dropped his gaze as he continued. "The idea wasn't to move your family necessarily."
"I was afraid you'd say that." Jed stood up, circling around his chair nervously.
"You have to keep your residence in your home district."
"I know. And if I keep my family there, then it'll be easier for me come reelection time, right? If they come to D.C. with me, then voters will accuse me of being out of touch with their needs."
"You know your politics."
"I won't let politics dictate my life. If we decide to do this and if Abbey decides to stay in New Hampshire, it'll be a personal choice, not a political one." He rested his hands on the back of his chair, leaning forward slightly. "What am I even saying? There's no way I can do this. There's no way I can leave my wife and my girls in Manchester and serve in Washington. It's a ridiculous notion."
"Well, they could move with you, if that's what you want to do. Some people - very few - find that a better solution. I just want to warn you that it will come up if..."
"If I want to run for another term."
"That's right. Why don't you talk it over with your wife. I don't need a decision right now. Think about it, that's all I'm asking."
A flurry of questions invaded Jed's mind, but there was nothing he could ask now, nothing he felt comfortable divulging before fully embracing the idea with a rational train of thought. He extended an arm to shake the Congressman's hand and with that friendly gesture, he promised to inform him of his decision before the Christmas holidays.
The walk back to the hotel flew by in a flash. Before he knew it, he had arrived at the empty suite, tripping over Ellie's slippers as he entered through the main room and headed to the balcony. The wind was picking up and it was getting colder in Capital City. Jed relaxed his palms on the metal railing and stared out to catch a glimpse of the National Mall as he allowed the tension to escape his rigid limbs.
Finally, the shadows of a smile crept across his lips and he succumbed to the possibilities. They wanted him. The DCCC, the New Hampshire DNC, the House Majority Leader, Speaker O'Neill, and New Hampshire Congressman Joe Bradley - they all wanted him to serve in the United States House of Representatives. An opportunity was dangling before him and his only dilemma was whether or not to grasp it before it was savagely ripped away and given to someone else.
But he couldn't make up his mind yet. Not alone. There was one other person who needed to be told. He couldn't do this without Abbey. He wouldn't even entertain the possibility if she wasn't willing to move with him. At the same time, he refused pressure her to give up her dream so that she could support him.
She was the deciding factor.
Maybe she'd be happy about this, he thought. It took virtually no time to convince himself that he was underestimating her. Abbey would be thrilled, he now believed. She'd jump into his arms and plant a dozen kisses on his face while she urged him to do it.
"What's there to think about?" she would probably say, arguing that every moment spent on debating the issue was a moment stolen from planning his campaign.
The thought of her reaction warmed his heart so much that he found himself repeating the conversation he conjured up over and over again until he heard the door open and saw Abbey and girls come wandering inside.
"DADDY!" Ellie yelled for him. "We got to go on a carousel!"
"You did?" Jed replied with a combination of shock and wonder as he came in off the balcony.
"Yeah! Right in the middle of the National Mall! It was SO much fun!"
"I go too, Daddy," Zoey added as she toddled over to him, her arms raised so he could pick her up.
"Did you have fun too, Sweetheart?" The two-year-old emphatically nodded. "Well, I'm jealous. You know how much I like carousels."
"Then I think we should go back," Lizzie suggested, smiling as she set down a big bag of souvenirs. "There were a few things I didn't get to see."
"She means a few things she didn't get to buy," Abbey corrected, teasing her oldest daughter before she turned to address Jed. "Next to the Jefferson Memorial was a street vendor selling plastic sunglasses for 80 dollars."
"They were not plastic, Mom."
"The handle broke when he picked it up, Lizzie."
"Okay, so they weren't the best, but I really do need some new ones. I left mine at home."
"And like I said, we'll get you a new pair. Why don't you go downstairs and try on the ones they have in the gift shop?"
"That sounds like a more reasonable idea," Jed agreed.
"Can I have a pair too?" Ellie asked, excited.
"You can have a pair too," Jed assured her. "How much are they?"
"Twelve dollars," Liz answered.
Jed pulled out a wad of cash, but before handing it over to his eager daughters, he pointed his narrow stare at Ellie. "Okay, Ellie, they're twelve dollars a piece and we want two of them. Tell me how much would you need to buy two pairs of sunglasses downstairs?"
"Twenty-four dollars!" she shouted immediately.
"Very good!"
Abbey stepped out from behind Jed and posed a new question. "Now say your dad and I told you to find a pair for Zoey as well. Assuming, they're all twelve dollars, how much money would you need then?"
"Ummm..."
Jed and Abbey exchanged a proud glance as Ellie pondered the situation.
"Ummm." Her index finger pressed to her chin, the little girl's eyes twinkled when she figured it out. "Thirty-six dollars!"
"Great job, El!" Liz exclaimed.
"See? You even impressed Lizzie with that one!" Jed gave Liz forty dollars. "Would you mind taking Zoey with you?"
"I don't mind. She's been pretty good all day." The teen approached the toddler. "Come on, Zoey."
As Liz ushered her sisters out of the room, Jed put an arm on Abbey's waist and twirled her around. She faced him, instantly letting her hands fall into a tight clasp behind his neck.
"I can't believe how quickly you taught her her multiplication tables."
"She's a quick learner." He untangled her fingers so he could slip his hand into hers when her arms fell to her side. "Did you have fun this morning?"
"I would have had more fun if you had been with us. By the way, what did the Majority Leader what?"
"He was wondering if we're enjoying our stay in Washington," Jed replied jokingly.
"Seriously." She returned his grin.
"Seriously, I want to ask you something."
"What?"
He let out an anxious breath before approaching the subject. "Is everything set for next year?"
"What do you mean?"
"Is Dartmouth-Hitchcock a sure thing? Is it what you want to do? You're happy there?"
"Yeah. Why?"
"You had expressed an interest in Boston Mercy not too long ago. Also, Brigham and Women's Hospital. And that's just in New England. Who knows what other hospitals might interest you other places in the country."
"Other places in the country? Why? Are we planning on moving?"
"I'm just wondering if you're certain you want to work at DHMC."
"I am. I love the people I work with. Robert Nolan has been great. So has everyone else. My colleagues, the residents, the other surgeons, and the nurses...you know, nurses don't always get the credit, but they're the backbone of our cardiopulmonary wing."
"So I've heard."
"I'm really enjoying the work I'm doing. For the time being, yeah, I'm sure I want to work at DHMC."
"What if you were offered a job some place else? Would you take it?"
"That's a loaded question. I don't understand why you're asking me these things. Has something happened?"
"I'm just trying to gauge your commitment to where you are."
"Then let me make it easy for you. I love where I am and I'm committed to my job. Again, why are you asking me this? Has something come up?"
"You're a thoracic surgeon. You have many, many opportunities. I don't want you to limit yourself just because you think I wouldn't want to leave New Hampshire."
Abbey looked at him with an adoring flash of gratitude. "I love New Hampshire. It's where we raised our girls, where we made our home. It's where we belong."
"I'm glad you feel that way." The sentiment filled him with a sense of pride, but despite his efforts to conceal the more troubling feelings, Jed couldn't deny her words provoked a twinge of disappointment.
"You know the best part?" She placed his hand on her back and wrapped herself into his embrace. "I get to work only a few minutes away from your office. Next year, I'll be done with my training. No more 36-hour shifts. No more overnights. My hours will be much better and I intend to take advantage of that."
"Yeah?" That certainly piqued his interest.
She traced his facial features with her fingers. "I'm thinking lunch every afternoon. Most days, we could drive to work together, drive home together, cook dinner together. Do all those little things we rarely get to do now."
Suddenly, Jed started to picture lazy Sunday afternoons wrapped in each others arms, reading on the sofa or that hammock he always meant to put up in the back yard. He thought about a moonlight swim in the pool or a relaxing dip in the hot tub, an elegant dinner inside their heated gazebo, walking hand-in-hand on late-night walks through the apple orchard. There were no memories more precious than the family picnics by the pond or the girls gathering around to make homemade ice cream on a hot summer day or gooey red candyapples for Halloween.
Those were the images that raced through his head. But the farm would still be there for family vacations. Weren't they capable of making a home away from the farm, he silently questioned. The only thing that was clear to him now was that he wasn't prepared to move to D.C. alone. Abbey and the girls had to be on-board in order for this to work. If they were together, then they could make a slew of new memories wherever they went.
"You know, if you wanted to, it is possible to do those things some place other than New Hampshire," he said. "What if we both got jobs some place else? Like Boston?"
She stepped out of the hug, eyeing him suspiciously. "Jed? Do you have a job offer in Boston you'd like to tell me about?"
"No. No. I was just using Boston as an example. I'm asking, is it New Hampshire you like or is it us being together?"
"Both. It gets me through the day knowing that you're so close by. But I like Dartmouth-Hitchcock. It's a top tier hospital. I've already accepted the job and the reason I did that is because it's an honor to work there. It's a world-renowned institution, not just in clinical care, but research too. I don't want to work anywhere else. I can't even imagine applying anywhere else, Jed. I wouldn't leave it for anything in the world."
And those were the magic words that crushed Jed's hopes.
"I know how prestigious it is, Abbey," he replied.
"Then how could you think I'd want to leave? I know I mentioned other hospitals in the past, but that was during training. Now that I was offered a full-time position at DHMC, how could I turn it down?"
"You shouldn't, of course."
"But do you want me to? Because if you do, then I think we should talk about it."
Jed battled his conscience, wanting to tell her the news, but shying away for fear that it would lead to a conversation he wasn't sure he wanted to have just yet. Or even worse, that Abbey, already feeling guilty about the time she spent away from him over the past seven years of residency, would support him, not out of love, but out of a sense of obligation.
When he didn't respond, Abbey prodded him. "Jed, what aren't you telling me?"
"Nothing." It was obvious she was being guided by a different vision for their future, one that wasn't even close to his. He wasn't about to shatter her dream just because of one random meeting that had the potential to alter the course of both of their lives. "Nothing," he repeated.
"Why do I get the feeling that isn't the truth?"
"Abbey, seriously, I was just fantasizing. I mean, haven't you ever thought about doing something crazy? Haven't you ever wanted to throw caution to the wind and take a chance, go some place new, experience new things in a new setting?"
"Well, if that's what's on your mind, I can promise you that starting next year, we can travel a lot more." That's not exactly what he had in mind. Jed shook his head as she continued. "Forget the three-day trips to the national parks. We can spend as long as you want wherever you want. I'll have a lot more flexibility next year and I'll be making a lot more money so we can afford to do all those things we'd consider an extravagance now."
"We make decent money now."
"I know we do. I just mean I'll be contributing a lot more financially. I wasn't trying to imply that...I'm just saying..."
"Yeah, I know. I know what you're saying."
"You pick the destination and we'll go, Jed. Wherever you want for however long you want."
"Not really for however long I want. You do have to get back to the hospital at some point and it isn't like I can just pick up and leave in the middle of the semester at Dartmouth."
"You know what I mean. We'll make it work."
"Okay." It was an unconvincing response.
"What brought all this on anyway?"
He shrugged. "It just felt good being here in Washington, getting away for a couple of days. I thought maybe we'd want to consider a change. That's all."
"I don't know if I'm ready for any more changes, but getting away for a couple of days...there's going to be a lot more of that, I promise. Now, I have to get changed for the Embassy." Abbey turned to walk into the bedroom. "You never told me what Congressman Floyd wanted."
Jed followed her. "It was just like I thought. He wanted to discuss the state legislative session. Nothing important."
She pulled out two suits and held them up for his inspection. "I couldn't decide so I brought both." Jed pointed to the plum one. Abbey returned the other. "Head Start cuts?"
"Yeah."
"Well, I hope you told him something needs to be done. The President has targeted Head Start, Medicare, and Social Security, despite all the talk of these programs being exempt from budget cuts. Congress really should challenge him on this one. It's not just the smaller states dealing with the pitfalls."
"Yeah." If only she knew that was exactly what he wanted to do.
Jed watched as she slid off her jeans and rolled her pantyhose up her shapely legs. His eyes frozen in thought, he didn't even blink at the sexy satin slip she stepped into. Abbey realized something wasn't right, so she swung her hips and sauntered over to where he was sitting on the edge of the bed, straddling his thighs as she sat down to face him.
"Hey. What is it?"
Jed gave her a weak smile. With his hand on top of her head, he swept a falling strand of hair with his thumb. "I'm just thinking."
"About what?"
"Everything we just talked about. I'm looking forward to next year with you and the girls at the farm, just like you said, doing all those things we rarely get to do now."
And so he buried the ambition that spurred in his heart the moment he heard Congressman Floyd's suggestion. To Jed, a congressional run just wouldn't be feasible without Abbey beside him. He couldn't take her away from the job she worked so hard to get unless she wanted to leave, and it was clear Abbey wasn't ready to abandon their life in New Hampshire.
A sacrifice had to be made and he chose to be one to make it. He'd tell her the truth about the conversation with Floyd eventually, but for the time being, he decided to focus on the Nobel Prize festivities rather than dwell on an enticing opportunity that seemed to be swaying further out of his reach.
TBC