Series: Snapshots of the Past

Series: Snapshots of the Past

Story: The Nobel Laureate

Chapter 27

Disclaimer: See Chapter 1

Previously: Jed had a run-in with Yosh Takahashi; Liz met a Swedish teen named Sven at the ice skating rink in Kungsträdgården Park; the family went on an evening cruise under the historic bridges of Stockholm; Abbey had a tough time getting Jed and the girls to pack all their belongings (chapter 24)

Summary: Jed suspects Abbey knows more than she's letting on about his missing lecture notes; during an afternoon shopping trip, Liz pleads with her mother to let her get to know Sven better; Abbey tells Jed they should let Sven join them at the theater later in the week; Jed tells Abbey he's ready to take on Yosh

Abbey opened one eye and blinked against the sheer white curtains illuminated by the glow of sunlight in the suite's master bedroom. She had heard Jed traipsing around, but it wasn't until she lifted herself onto her elbows to see him tiptoeing from one corner to another that she realized what he was doing.

Silently, she smiled. Her goal was simply to watch him, to wait for him to surrender his search and wake her. And as she fell back against her pillow, she let out a laugh so soft, she disregarded the possibility that he had heard her.

But he had.

"Abbey." Jed called her name as he neared the bed. "Abigail."

He was no fool. He knew he hadn't imagined the chuckle he heard behind him. He knew she had to be awake and for some reason he couldn't quite grasp, she was laughing at him. He also knew that Abbey could never sleep unless she was wrapped in the shelter of a blanket, so with little hesitation, he pulled back the covers and grinned as she squirmed underneath.

"Stop," she whined sleepily.

"Who do you think you're kidding? Get up."

"It's early."

"Yes, it is, but you're not asleep. You haven't been for some time, have you?"

"I just woke up a few minutes ago."

"Long enough to spy on me."

"You were just so cute, the way you prowled around on the tips of your toes."

"In an effort not to wake you. I shouldn't have bothered." He was less than amused.

"What's the problem?"

"I can't find my lecture notes."

"I thought you said you packed them."

"I did pack them. I can't find them. I think the airline lost them."

"The airline did not lose them. If you had packed them, they would be here."

"So what are you saying? That I left them at home?"

Abbey shrugged. She wasn't yet ready to tell him she had packed them herself. "Maybe. Guess you'll have to start fresh."

"Do you have any idea how hard I worked on those lectures?"

"Yes, I do. It's a shame you left them behind."

Her voice carried little emotion and her lack of sympathy shocked him for a second. Still, Jed gave her a quizzical look, then dismissed the notion. He couldn't possibly have forgotten something so important, and even if he did, he certainly wouldn't admit to it until he sifted through every piece of luggage in the room.

"Mommy?" Ellie knocked softly on the door.

"What's up, Ellie?" Jed asked as he opened it.

"Mommy said I have to do my English homework this morning, but I forgot my worksheets at home."

"I thought your mother made sure to pack all your assignments."

"She did, but..."

Abbey rolled over to face her daughter. "Is this the part where I'm supposed to remind you that this wouldn't have happened if you had left your suitcase the way I packed it?"

"My teacher's gonna be mad at me." Ellie sadly lowered her head in a remorseful gesture Abbey couldn't ignore.

"No, she's not." She stood up and walked over to the smaller of two tote bags in the corner of the room.

"Do you have my worksheets?" Ellie asked, trailing closely behind.

"Did you really think I wasn't going to follow you around and pack whatever you and your sisters forgot to bring?" Abbey rummaged through the flap to hand Ellie a folder full of her assignments.

The eight-year-old dropped her jaw and excitedly shouted, "Thank you!"

"You're welcome. Now go get started. And when Lizzie wakes up, tell her I want her to work on her history homework before we go anywhere today."

"Okay!" The little girl ran out of the bedroom and shut the door behind her.

After her quick departure, Jed glanced over at Abbey. Suddenly, it all made sense. Her disinterest earlier, her unwillingness to help him search. Instead of scrambling to her feet like he expected, she made herself more comfortable in bed - and now he understood why. It was all part of a ploy she'd maneuvered to teach him a lesson for being just as irresponsible as the girls.

He eyed his wife suspiciously, battling the thoughts in his head. Should he just play along with her little game? Or should he confront her and find a way - any way - to get his notes?

"I'm going to jump in the shower."

"Oh no you don't." He chose the latter. Without warning, Jed barreled into her, picking her up and throwing her over his shoulder.

"JED! What are you doing?" She pounded on his back with her fists.

"Where are they?"

"What?"

"You know what! My lecture notes!"

"I don't know."

"Liar!" He slapped her rear then dropped her onto the bed, jumping on top of her and tickling her unmercifully. "Where are they?"

"I don't know," Abbey choked out through a storm of laughter that nearly rendered breathless.

"Tell me or so help me, I'll..."

"You'll what?"

"You don't want to know."

She twisted beneath him, wiggling to try to escape, but he kept her pinned tightly to the mattress until she stopped fighting. "You're so sexy when you're in control."

Entranced by the heat that poured out of her twinkling eyes, he changed his strategy. "Give me the notes and I'll show you just how in control I can be."

An offer she couldn't refuse. "Gray bag, front zipper. They're in a white folder."

"You're evil. My own little hellcat."

"Evil would have been leaving them on the kitchen table, Pumpkin." Jed tried to get up, but Abbey locked her ankles around his hips. "Hey! Not so fast."

He snuggled up to her, his head ducking into the hallow of her neck as she ran her hands up and down his back. Just when his fingers slipped under her top, his movements slowed considerably, disrupted by a ringing phone they both tried to ignore.

"Who the hell would be calling us now?" he whispered while warming her ear with gentle kisses.

"It could be your brother," Abbey suggested. "Or my parents."

Jed reluctantly reached for the receiver. "Hello?" Confused, he looked at Abbey. "Hang on."

"What is it?" she asked.

"Does Lizzie know someone named Sven?"

"He treats me like a baby!" Liz complained.

"He does not," Abbey replied.

Mother and daughter strolled down the cobbled streets of Västerlångatan, the bustling neighborhood on the island of Gamla Stan where swanky boutiques lined a pedestrian pathway through scores of sidewalk cafés. Even on a cold December afternoon, patrons crowded patio tables, most dressed in the trendiest winter wardrobes Liz had ever seen.

"That's what I want!" The teen subtly pointed to an older woman in a flaming red coat. It was form-fitted to cling to her upper body right down to her waist, where it flared like a dress all the way down to her ankles. Black velvet trimmed the cuffs and the collar.

"You're a little too young for that."

"See what I mean? You do it too. I'm not a little girl."

"I didn't say you were, but you're not an adult either and that coat belongs on an adult."

Liz stopped dead in her tracks, forcing Abbey to stop as well. "It's not just the coat. It's everything! You won't even entertain that style for me because you think I'm too young. Dad won't let me go out with Sven because he thinks I can't handle it. I'm not a child, you know."

"If you want to convince me you're not a child, having a tantrum out here isn't the way to do it." Abbey put her hand on her daughter's shoulder as they darted around a string of chairs to find a seat at one of the tables. "For what it's worth, I would have said no about Sven too."

"But why?" she asked as she sat down across from her mother. "You met him at the ice rink. He was nice. You said so yourself."

"That doesn't mean I'm comfortable letting you run off with him."

"I'm not running off. He just wanted to take me sightseeing." She leaned back against her chair and crossed her arms. "Dad never lets me do anything fun."

"He's a stranger, Lizzie. And you're fourteen years old. As far as I'm concerned, you're not old enough to date yet, let alone spend the entire day in a foreign country with a young man we barely know. So lay off your dad because if he hadn't said no, I would have."

"All right, I'm sorry. It's just that...he's not like a regular kid. He's different. It's like he's older, more mature."

"That's not likely to change my mind."

"Just hear me out, okay?" Liz waited for Abbey to nod before she went on. "It's not just that he lives here. It's that he's led a totally different life. His father is from Belgium. He was Consulate-General in Gothenburg when he met his mother. The family's traveled all over the world and Sven's lived in the coolest places!"

"Lizzie, I'm not saying he isn't interesting."

"I've never met anyone like him before."

"I get that, but sweetheart, you understand we're only going to be here for another week, right? I don't want you getting too attached to this guy."

"I'm not attached. I'm not like one of those girls. He's just fun to talk to. And he knows so much about...everything. I wanna spend some more time with him is all."

"All right. I'll tell you what. You can't go out alone with him, but I'll talk to your father and maybe we can scrounge up another theater ticket for Thursday night. If Sven doesn't already have plans, he can join us."

"Really?"

"Really. The more the merrier. Besides, you've gotta show off that new dress I just bought you to more than just the family, right?"

Lizzie's eyes shined with gratitude. "Thanks, Mom!"

"You're welcome." Abbey returned her daughter's smile. "Now how about some hot chocolate?"

That evening, Abbey stayed true to her promise. She approached the subject with her husband while they sat in the back of the stretch limousine that drove them to a black tie reception in honor of the laureates. Jed tried to listen attentively, but his vacant stare betrayed his effort. And even if it hadn't, he still couldn't hide his detachment from the woman who knew him better than anyone in the world.

"Jed?" Abbey called out to him.

He turned his head slightly. "What?"

"Acknowledge that I'm speaking to you."

"I heard you."

"You tuned me out."

"I did not."

"Yes, you did. You tuned me out. You can't stand the thought of taking this guy with us on Thursday, so you're going to sit there and pretend we're not actually discussing it."

"My lack of interest has nothing to do with this guy."

"In that case, it's about your refusal to admit that your little girl is growing up."

"Here we go." He rolled his eyes, preparing himself for the same conversation they had had dozens of times since Liz hit her teenage years.

"Don't look at me that way. I am not nagging you. I just don't think it's unreasonable for me to expect your undivided attention when I'm trying to talk to you about one of the girls. And your undivided attention is something I rarely have when I bring up the subject of Lizzie dating."

He waited for her to take a breath so he could interrupt, but one word led to the next with no break in her passionate speech, so he sat back patiently, allowing her to finish.

"I don't like it either," she continued. "But I'm the one who has to run interference because she thinks you're being unreasonable and while I agree you're not, I don't understand why you can't sit down and have a rational heart-to-heart with her about why you disapprove. Instead, you just put your foot down and expect her to obey. Well, she won't. If you don't stop acting like a dictator, she's going to rebel and do whatever the hell she wants and then we'll really have a problem."

"Let me know when it's my turn to talk."

"Why bother? You're a million miles away."

He remained silent until it was clear Abbey had nothing more to say. "For your information, if Lizzie wants this Sven kid to come on Thursday, I don't have a problem with that. Well, I do. I'd prefer it be just family, but if this is what she really wants, I'll go along."

"Without complaint?"

"Without complaint."

"Okay then." She scooted closer to him.

"And I was not tuning you out just then. I was wondering how much trouble my back is going to give me tonight."

"Have you been taking your pills?" He turned a bashful grin her way. "You're a horrible patient, you know that?"

"Tell me how to get through tonight and I promise I'll take my medication first thing in the morning."

"I wish I had a magic potion, Hon, but I don't. Looks like we might have to call it an early night."

"I hate that idea."

"You should have thought of that before you hurled me over your shoulder this morning," she teased.

The limo pulled up to the ritzy Operakällaren, a five-star restaurant housed across the harbor from the Royal Palace inside the historic Stockholm Opera House. When the driver opened Abbey's door to help her out, she stood, her hands immediately covering her arms to shield her from the cold.

She was wearing a gold satin skirt that flowed down to her knees with a slit high enough to show off a glittery silver satin underlay. But it was the long-sleeved, high-collared top of the cocktail dress that caught the attention Yosh Takahashi from the long winding sidewalk outside the main dining room. In a stunning shade of shimmering champagne that appeared nearly nude under the street lamps, it was lined with winter crystal accents. It sparkled against her skin as she shivered in the breeze until Jed draped her gold wrap around her from behind.

"The two Doctor Bartlets," Yosh greeted them.

"Dr. Takahashi, good evening." Abbey offered him a polite smile as she looped her arm through Jed's.

"It's actually the two Doctors Bartlet, Yosh. Doctors is plural."

Unimpressed and insulted by Jed's correction, Yosh replied, "Ah, yes. I was never much of a student of English grammar."

"Obviously." Jed looked to his wife when she poked him with her elbow.

Before they could continue down the dreaded path of one-upmanship, Yosh excused himself. "My companion is waiting for me inside. If we bump into each other later, I'll introduce you."

"We'll be there," Jed assured him.

"Not you," Yosh shot back. "Just your wife." He smiled at Abbey once again and cocked one brow at Jed as he turned to head into the restaurant.

"Companion," Jed sputtered. "Like any woman would willingly escort him to this place."

"Why do you do that?"

"What?"

"Why do you provoke him?"

"It's the kind of relationship we have."

"And it drives you crazy, so just leave him alone."

"Am I to be blamed for the little exchange out here tonight?"

"Yes. You corrected his grammar even though you know English isn't his first language."

"He's a Nobel Laureate. There's no excuse."

"If that's the case, then what's stopping you from learning to speak Japanese?" A proud smirk dominating his features, Jed held his head high. "Oh God. Don't tell me..."

He nodded. "That's right, Baby."

"You learned Japanese just so you could spar with him?"

"If we're going to argue economic theory, I want to make damn sure I'm properly armed."

"And the way to do that would be to lapse into Japanese every other word."

"Every other word? I'll have you know I'm almost fluent." Abbey threw him a skeptical glare. "Well, okay," he conceded. "But I know enough to command a decent conversation."

"When was the last time you had a decent conversation with Yosh Takahashi?"

"I have hope."

"No you don't. Like you said, THIS is your relationship."

"Look, there's nothing I can do about him being here so I might as well make the best of it."

"To most people that would mean ignoring him. Why is it to you it means getting the upper hand?"

"Because that's how my mind works."

"Apparently."

When they arrived at the arched doorway of the dining room, Jed straightened his tie and in front of a long stream of photographers and dignitaries waiting for him, he took Abbey's hand and said softly, "We're on."

TBC