Story: The Nobel Laureate
Chapter 20
Disclaimer: See Chapter 1
Previously: Following a heated discussion, Jed and Abbey agreed to wait until after they got back from Sweden to talk about Jed running for Congress
Summary: The Bartlets enjoy their last day in Washington, D.C.; Abbey realizes what a stubborn patient Jed can be
The clicking of the rifles could be heard over the whistling of the crisp autumn air. Silence engulfed the amphitheater, penetrated by only one voice. The relief commander walked to the center, saluting the white marble tomb still marked with the beautiful wreath President Reagan had laid there on Veteran's Day just a few weeks earlier. He then faced the spectators and asked them to stand.
Jed subtly turned his head to the side to see if Abbey was still within view. He saw her nod from where she stood several feet away so that Zoey's fussiness wouldn't disturb the ceremony, then turned his attention back to the guards to watch the relief sentinel join the relief commander and the retiring sentinel at the center mat.
"Pass on your orders," the relief commander said.
"Post and orders, remain as directed."
"Orders acknowledged," the new sentinel replied as he stepped onto the black mat and saluted the tomb, then began his steady pace of 90 steps per minute.
There were many things the Bartlets wanted their daughters to see in Washington, but visiting the Tomb of the Unknown Soldiers was on the top of the list. Though he never served a day in uniform, Jed had great respect for the men and women who dedicated their lives to protecting their country. Never was that admiration more clear than on those rare occasions that Leo shared stories of Vietnam.
He was one of the lucky ones, Leo would say. There were other men - stronger, braver, and younger - who didn't make it out alive. They had parents waiting to hug them, fiancées waiting to marry them, and children waiting to love them. They were the ones who never made it home, the ones who were left behind. The ones that always held a special place in Leo's heart.
Being killed in combat was tragic enough, but the thought of those who were buried without any recognition brought Jed a new wave of sadness.
"How come they don't know who they were, Daddy?" Ellie asked him as they gathered their belongings and met Abbey and Zoey on the top step.
"I don't know, Sweetheart. That sometimes happens in war."
"It shouldn't happen," Liz adamantly declared. "If someone goes to fight for their country, there should always be a record of who he was. They weren't just dropped here. They have families. They have names. We should know their names."
Abbey wrapped an arm around her daughter's shoulders as they made their way out of the plaza. Lizzie shared her parents' temper, but she also shared their passion. Ellie was the sensitive one, so saddened at the thought of an abandoned soldier being laid to rest without a name that she lowered her head in silence to hide the her droopy lips. But Elizabeth - she was outspoken and opinionated with an undeniable desire to speak her mind. Sometimes it got her into trouble. But often, it was a quality both Jed and Abbey adored in their eldest daughter.
As the family walked along a freshly cut path across the acres of land, Jed pointed out the other colorful wreaths that hung on some of the tombs, but when they turned the corner and saw a spark of light up ahead, Liz and Ellie ignored their father's speech and picked up their pace.
"I wasn't talking or anything," he mumbled to Abbey who was perusing a guidebook of exhibits and memorials.
"They'll be interested in what you have to say on the way back."
"No they won't. By then, they'll be bored and want to move on to other things."
"In that case, you can tell me." She folded up the brochure and tucked it under her arm. "I'm listening."
"Yeah, but you know what I want to say. You're just humoring me."
"What's wrong with that?"
Jed shook his head and then looked to his youngest daughter. "I think I'll enlighten little Zoey here."
Zoey, who had hopped in her stroller after they left the amphitheater, listened quietly for several seconds as Jed began to tell her about the wreath-laying ceremonies that took place every day at the cemetery. Eventually though, she heard her sisters talking in the distance and she kicked her little feet until Jed stopped the stroller so she could get out to chase them. Jed and Abbey trailed behind their girls as they neared the eternal flame that burned at the head of John F. Kennedy's grave.
After leaving Arlington Cemetery, the Bartlets went to the Air and Space Museum where Ellie, Abbey, and Liz spent their time on the flight simulators while Jed took Zoey to the How Do Things Fly Exhibit.
So amazed by the science that made her feel like she was being propelled into the air, Ellie accepted a brochure meant for Liz as they left the simulator. The teenager may have enjoyed the experience, but she certainly wasn't as big a science enthusiast as her little sister. Ellie's eyes sparkled with excitement, her jaw hung open, and her brows arched to the middle of her forehead as she thumbed through the glossy pictures of kids at Space Camp at Cape Canaveral.
She'd go to Space Camp someday, Abbey promised her. For now, that promise was enough to keep her mind racing with fantasies.
The rest of the day was supposed to include more sightseeing at famous landmarks and museums, but it was during their trek across the National Mall towards the Washington Monument that plans went awry. There, a vendor selling kites dominated the girls' attention and within seconds, they looked to the sky to see delicate pieces of string holding up the diamond-shaped frames of a dozen vibrant kites.
Jed and Abbey shared a glance as Abbey mentally crossed out the rest of the afternoon itinerary while Jed pulled out his wallet and purchased two large kites for Liz and Ellie and a small kite for Zoey.
Instead of their original plan of dining on barbecued kabobs over a bed of white rice sprinkled with a traditional lemon-flavored salad at the posh Mediterranean cafe down the street, they picnicked on hot dogs and chips, followed by a serving of ice cream in the fields of the National Mall.
"Ice cream in this cold." Abbey shuddered at the thought, but it didn't stop Jed from ordering.
"I'd like one scoop of mint chocolate chip in a cone, one scoop of chocolate nut fudge also in a cone, another scoop of chocolate nut fudge in a cup with a cone on the side, and..." He turned to Abbey. "Are you sure you don't want one?"
"Positive. No one in his right mind would be eating ice cream in November in Washington."
"Then why's he out here selling it?"
"Because he knows he'll attract insane customers like you."
Despite her protests, he suspected her sweet tooth wouldn't allow her to actually resist. At least not for long. She would probably change her mind when she saw him nibbling the frozen treat, he assumed. So he ordered a scoop of plain chocolate in a cup with two spoons and while he waited for it, he handed Liz her mint chocolate chip, Ellie her chocolate nut fudge in a cone, and Zoey a cup of chocolate nut fudge with a cone dipped on one side.
The anxious toddler took the ice cream, but her enthusiasm vanished with a frown as her eyes rested on Ellie. "I want Ellie's," she said, looking up at her father.
"Yours is the same flavor as Ellie's."
"Nuh uh. I want Ellie's!"
"Zo, you can't have Ellie's. You have your own."
When Zoey fumbled with her cone, Abbey took the cup from her. "You want it in the cone like Ellie's?" Abbey smiled in response to her daughter's emphatic nod, then turned the container upside-down until the ice cream slid into the cone. "Better?"
"Yeah!"
Zoey loved both her sisters, but Ellie was the one she frequently shadowed. Whatever Ellie wore, Zoey wanted to wear. Whatever Ellie said, Zoey would mimic. Whatever Ellie did, Zoey wanted to do. That constant struggle to mirror Ellie's actions frustrated her often, especially when her stubborn streak reared its ugly head and she proclaimed her independence instead of asking for help.
She stood there calmly, inspecting the way Ellie launched her kite. She made it look easy, Zoey noted. It was purple and shiny with glittering pink bows that set it apart from the rest. And with one little hop, up it went, soaring towards the clouds as if on a boundless flight to reach the heavens.
She was persuaded she could do it too and though she was overwhelmed by the weight of her kite, Zoey refused assistance from Jed and Abbey. Instead, she jumped just as high as her little feet could take her and tossed it into the air only to have it fall right back down. Eventually, when her annoyance got the better of her, she allowed Abbey to guide her.
Abbey kneeled behind her daughter as a small breeze swept under the kite, lifting it up. "There it goes!"
"HIGHER!" Zoey squealed, enthusiastically jumping up and down.
"Be careful. You can't let out too much of the string." Her hands gripped Zoey's to curl the two-year-old's fingers around the thin ball of string.
Zoey pushed against her mother's grasp. "I do it! I do it!"
"You sure you can handle it?"
The little girl bit her bottom lip and nodded vigorously until Abbey released her hold. The red and white plastic kite circled around itself and came barreling down, crashing nose-first into the ground.
From a park bench a few feet away, Jed stopped chuckling when Zoey stomped her foot in anger. Abbey tried to calm her, but it wasn't until Jed showed up that Zoey stopped pouting.
"It's okay, Zoey," he said. "It took your sisters a while to learn how to do it and they were a lot older than you are now."
"It's not an easy thing to do by yourself," Abbey added.
"Here, let me show you." Jed grabbed the kite and like a kid himself, he wrapped the string around his fingers and began sprinting across the field. "See Zoey, it's all about letting the wind catch it," he shouted, turning his head to look over his shoulder while jogging forward.
"JED!" Abbey yelled as he unsuspectingly careened towards Lizzie.
As Liz spun around to acknowledge her mother, father and daughter collided. The top of Liz's kite poked Jed right in the chest. He stepped backwards and lost his balance, falling to the ground.
"Dad, are you okay?"
"Fine," he grumbled, sitting up and rubbing his right eye.
"Liz, are you all right?" Abbey asked.
"Yeah, but I don't know about Dad."
Abbey squatted beside him. "Jed, what hurts?"
"What doesn't?"
"Did you twist your ankle?"
"No, I don't think so."
"What's wrong with your eye?"
"Nothing." He'd say anything to avoid an eye exam by Dr. Bartlet.
"You're lying."
"Abbey."
"You're blinking quite rapidly."
"I blink from time to time. It's one of those annoying habits I picked up when I was born."
"Let me see." He twitched as she framed his face with her hands and held his lid open with her thumb. "Is your vision clear or blurry?"
"Clear, but it hurts when you hold it open like that."
"It looks like you've got some debris in your eye. Probably sand."
"I didn't. It's fine." He pulled her hand away.
"You need to rinse it out."
"I'll go get some water from the ice cream vendor!" Liz volunteered.
"Thanks."
"I don't want to rinse it out," Jed complained as Zoey plopped down next to him. "You know I hate putting anything in my eye."
"I do know that."
"So?"
"So I don't care. I want to get a good look at it after we flush it out with some water."
"Right now, my biggest problem is that I'm sitting here like some kind of idiot and people are staring."
Abbey scanned the area. "No one's staring."
"Sure they are. They just look away when you stare back."
"I don't think you're an idiot, Daddy," Ellie assured him.
"Thank you, Ellie." Jed held his hand out to Abbey. "Help me up, please?" She pulled, but Jed resisted. "Uh oh."
"What?"
"My back."
"Jed, I told you to have that checked out months ago."
"I know. I know. But don't lecture me about it now, okay?"
"Lie back." Abbey lifted his right leg, then his left. "Is that better or worse?"
"It's not too bad. It's probably just the muscles." She walked behind him and kneeled to the ground. Her fingers manipulated the sore muscles as she bent him forward over his outstretched legs. "That's much better. Thanks."
"You think you can stand?"
Jed squirmed briefly, then rolled to his knees. "I think it'll be okay," he said, slowly standing up.
"As soon as we get back to New Hampshire, you're going to see Dr. Grayson. I'll make the appointment myself."
"Whatever you say."
Later that evening, Jed showered while Abbey ran downstairs to the hotel gift shop to buy a bottle of drops for the irritation she saw when she examined his eye. He usually scoffed at the notion of putting anything in or near his eye, but she assumed the Nobel banquet at the Swedish Embassy would be the motivator this time. After all, succumbing to one second of discomfort was better than showing up there with a red or swollen eye.
Unfortunately, even the prospect of that didn't convince Jed.
"It won't hurt," she told him repeatedly.
"Forget it."
"You're acting like a child."
"Well, that's sure to convince me."
"I promise it'll feel better if you let me do this."
"No."
"Why not?"
"You know why not."
Abbey shrugged. "Fine, suit yourself."
"Yeah, right." She was giving up too easily.
"I don't have time to argue with you. I haven't even showered yet. Suffice it to say, if you lose that eye, I won't have much sympathy."
"You have a wicked bedside manner, you know that?"
"So you've said," she replied as she walked into the bathroom and shut the door behind her.
At times, he was more stubborn than Zoey. He was great at taking care of his wife, or tending to their children when they were ill, but he always hated taking medication for himself. Whether it was eye drops or antibiotics, Jed had a history of refusing these things.
He spent the next twenty minutes standing in front of the mirror with the bottle of drops in his hand and tipping his head back to try to administer the saline. Spying on him from the corner of the room after she quietly returned from her shower, Abbey shook her head at his failed efforts.
"Jed, let me do it," she suggested after several minutes. Her heart went out to him when she saw the way his hands were trembling in fear. She was afraid he'd hurt himself if she didn't intervene. "I'll take it slow."
Defeated, Jed apprehensively handed her the drops. "I just don't like anything in my eye."
"I know, Honey, but this is going to get rid of anything that may already be there."
"Let's just get it over with."
She persuaded him to lay flat on his back on the bed and rest his head in her lap as she held the tip of the bottle above his face. Just as she squeezed, Jed clenched his eyes shut, causing a tiny drop to fall on his lid and roll down the side of his face into his hairline.
Abbey wiped it dry. "Jed, in order for this to work, you have to keep your eye open."
"I changed my mind. I don't need eye drops."
"There might still be some sand in there."
"There isn't. You would have seen it if there was."
"It'll make your eye feel better."
"I can deal with the discomfort."
"And the redness?"
"Why does it matter?"
"Because it's noticeable and there are going to be photographers there wanting to take your picture."
"I can't, Abbey."
"Sure you can. It'll be over in two seconds."
He hesitated at first, letting out a sharp breath. "Slow, okay? Really slow."
His knees were bent and the soles of his feet pressed down on the mattress. Another drop spilled from the bottle. Jed tensed up, turning his head before it could stab his eye.
"Jed!"
"I really don't want to do this!" He sat up.
"It's perfectly safe."
"I don't care."
"Honey, you need the drops. It's not just for cosmetic reasons. I want to make sure your eye is completely clean before you get an infection."
"I won't get an infection."
"Jed."
"Abbey, I don't want to talk about it anymore. It's my eye and if I say it's fine, it's fine." She stared at him speechlessly until he reached out to touch her. "I know I'm a baby about it, but I can't help it. It's just how I am. If you still want to make me feel better, my back is kinda sore."
"You're lousy patient," she teased him. "Lie down."
Abbey pushed him face-down onto the mattress and helped him out of his shirt. The tips of her fingers pressed into the tight muscles around his spine provoking a moan of relief. He loved those magic fingers. They always managed to release the tension that held his trouble spots captive.
"God, that feels good."
"You should have seen the doctor. Back problems can be serious."
He rolled his eyes at yet another medical lecture. "I told you I'll deal with it when we get home."
"It's one of the leading causes of sick days among employed adults, you know."
"Uh huh."
She leaned forward and whispered into his ear, "They can get in the way of extracurricular activities."
"That's never been a problem for us."
"Not yet. Just imagine a day when it is."
"It'll never happen. That I can promise."
"I'll be sure to take your word for it." She shifted her weight to her knees so he could roll over. "We're going to be late."
Jed rolled to his back. "We have some time."
"I have to get dressed. And so do you." Abbey got up, stripped out of her bathrobe, and headed to the closet to get a navy blue garment bag. She hung it in the bathroom and then rummaged through her suitcase for something else.
Reluctantly, Jed pulled himself up, twisting his body as he stretched. Rather than leaping to his feet the way she had done moments earlier, he took his time climbing out of bed and slipping back into his clothes. His eyes were glued to her the entire time he buttoned his shirt, distracting him to the point that he never even noticed he had missed the middle button. His gaze focused on the path of the flimsy pantyhose she was rolling up her thigh.
She was doing it slowly. Methodically. She raised her leg to place her heel on the large hassock at the foot of the bed, her knee bent as she ran her hands up the magnificent curve, stroking the skin gently to bring out the muscles that flexed in her calves when she bent her foot so that only her toes were touching the cushion. Sometimes, he thought she did these kinds of things just to turn him on. This time, he was right.
Abbey knew he was watching and if he had paid any attention to her face, he would have seen the reflection of the sly grin that tugged at her lips when she looked in the mirror to brush her dark auburn locks. She mesmerized him for several minutes before she disappeared behind the bathroom door.
Once she was gone, Jed finally realized he had misbuttoned his shirt. He started over and when he finished, he tucked it into his pants and tied his tie around the collar. The doorknob rattled then and it was enough to get his attention. He spun around, caught under her spell as she wiggled her way towards him in a stunning black dress he had never seen before.
It was simple, yet elegant, the way it dipped at her cleavage and peaked over her voluptuous breasts to wrap around the top of her arms. The bodice clung to her waist and the sexy swells of her hips and a fringe of shimmering black beads cut all the way up to the middle of her thigh shined as they caught the light. The ends danced just above her knees.
"Zip me up?" Se presented her back to him.
"When did you buy this dress?"
"A few weeks ago. You like it?"
"It's very nice." He turned her around after zipping her up. "Actually, it's gorgeous. Drop-dead gorgeous."
Abbey lifted her leg to the bed, causing the beads to fall to either side and reveal much more skin than he imagined. "The slits between the beads, you think it's too much?"
"No, but I guarantee you won't be posing like that at all tonight. At least, not in front of everyone else."
"Yeah?" He was clearly entranced. Just the affect she was going for.
"Abbey, that dress…you look so incredibly sexy. Just looking at you is taking my breath away."
Abbey sauntered towards him and wrapped her hands around his neck, pushing him back until the backs of his knees hit the mattress and he collapsed onto the bed. As her legs straddled him, the hem of her tight dress rose above her hips. So caught up in the way her pantyhose felt rubbing against the fabric of his shirt, Jed didn't realize that in her hand, she carried the bottle of eye drops. In a flash, she held it above him, squeezing out the saline before he could shut his eyes.
"ABBEY!"
"I had to do it!"
"I told you I didn't want anything in my eye!" It took him a minute to realize it, but Abbey was right. It didn't hurt. It didn't even sting. And after he blinked past the cloudy haze, it actually made his eye feel better.
"I was worried that you still had some sand in there."
"I took a shower. I washed it out."
"Yeah, but you were still uncomfortable. You have to admit, it doesn't hurt anymore."
"Yes, actually, it does."
"Not as much as it did a few minutes ago. And now that you know that putting drops in your eye isn't the end of the world, you can go to the sink and do it again to clean it out."
"No."
Abbey pressed down on his shoulders so she could kiss his lid when he closed his eye. "You're right. You ARE a big baby."
He sat up as she climbed off the bed. "You planned this whole thing. You came out here dressed in that thing just so you could pretend to seduce me. Did you buy the dress with this in mind?"
"Get serious, Jed. I've been planning to wear this dress for weeks."
"Talk about killing the mood."
"Besides, the girls are right outside the door. I'm dressed, my hair is done, my make-up is done, and we're five minutes away from leaving for this thing."
"So?"
"So weren't you the least bit suspicious?"
"You shouldn't have manipulated me," Jed growled.
Abbey paused for a minute, then agreed. "You're right. I was worried about your eye, but I am sorry I led you on. Will you forgive me if I promise to make it up to you later?"
"How do I know you're not just playing games?" He was teasing her now. She could tell by the soft tone of his voice. She knew he wasn't really angry. He was just disappointed.
"Because I'm telling you." Abbey slid her feet in a pair of black suede heels.
"And you're the most trustworthy person right now?"
She moved closer to him and grabbed his tie to pull him in to a kiss so passionate that Jed could barely stand when she broke it. "Yes." She cupped his chin and lifted his head. "Does your eye feel better?"
"It does a little." He caught her smirk. "Don't you dare smile."
"I'm not."
He pulled out of her embrace so he could help her with her fancy black coat. He held his hand out to her when she was ready to leave. "Let's go."
She reached for her small beaded purse as she took his hand. "I'll bring the drops with me in case you change your mind."
"Fine." He stopped when they approached the door.
"What?"
He turned to his wife and said, "Thank you."
"For what?"
"For making it feel better."
"You're welcome," Abbey replied, brushing a piece of stray thread off his jacket.
"You're not off the hook though. You're still going to make it up to me later."
"Believe me, I'm looking forward to it."
TBC