Series: Snapshots of the Past
Series: Snapshots of the Past
Story: The Nobel Laureate
Chapter 34
Disclaimer: See Chapter 1
Previously: Jed reached out to Jack and offered to help him with his anger problem; the brothers buried the hatchet for good
Summary: Jed accepts the 1982 Nobel Prize for Economics
"You're like a movie star, Daddy!" Awestruck by the pedestrians who lined the streets between the Grand Hotel and the Stockholm Concert Hall, Ellie pressed her face to the car window to look out at the crowd.
"I feel like we're going to the Academy Awards," Liz added, waving to a passerby who was waving at her.
After Jed learned he had won the Nobel Prize, the girls helped him research the hoopla surrounding the ceremony. They had read about the residents who gathered around town as if they were crowding a parade route. They had seen pictures of Nobel Laureates pounced by microphones and cameras as they arrived to the ceremony. Still, they were unprepared for the glittering spectacle and legendary fanfare that surrounded their father. Lizzie embraced it. Ellie was overwhelmed by it. Zoey slept through it.
"Zoey?" Abbey gently tapped her daughter's shoulder. "Wake up, Sweetie. We're almost there."
The toddler wiped her eyes and grumbled something inaudible, sparking a roar of laughter from Jed. "Come on, Zo. It's time to get up."
As the parade of black limos turned the curvy drive and a flurry of flashing lights blinded the drivers, countless reporters standing outside the concert hall fell into place, ready to share a moment in history with the 1982 Nobel Laureates.
Jed turned to Abbey one last time before the ceremony. "This is it."
"Look for me," she told him as she squeezed his hand.
"Me too, Dad!" Liz exclaimed.
Determined not to be left out, Ellie echoed her sister. "Me too, Daddy!"
And of course, there was Zoey. Still groggy from her nap, she mumbled, "Me too. Me too."
Touched by their enthusiasm, Jed looked each of his daughters squarely in the eye as the limo pulled in behind a ribbon of red velvet ropes. "I will. I'm gonna look for each one of you. I'll see you after the ceremony, okay?"
"Okay. Good luck, Daddy!"
"Yeah, good luck, Dad!"
Seconds later, the limo came to a stop and Jed's door opened, exposing him to the lights of a dozen cameras. The laureates, all men this year, were exquisitely dressed in white ties and tails. They were helped out of their cars one by one, then taken through the doors to the mezzanine floor where attachés from the Swedish Foreign Ministry then directed them towards their escorts.
As the youngest prize winner in a room of physicists, chemists, doctors, and authors, Jed kept control of his anxiety by reciting the alphabet backwards when it was time to take his place at the front of the line. He walked slowly at first, shuffling his feet against the shiny hardwood floor, but only a few steps later, he picked up the pace, the fear of sliding around in those infamous patent leather shoes gone for good.
He closed his eyes and smiled. Later, when the cameras dimmed and the crowd dispersed, leaving them a moment of privacy, he would have to tell Abbey just how grateful he was for her interference that morning.
"You laugh, but I'm serious," he had told her back at the hotel when she dismissed his concern of picking up the wrong prize during the ceremony. "It's entirely possible they could hand me the wrong medal."
"I'm laughing because you never run out of doomsday scenarios."
"Being prepared, that's what it's called. If I can map out any potential disaster in my head, then I can prevent it from happening."
"Or surrender to it in the way of a self-fulfilling prophecy. You know, I really will have a good time with you if you end up with Yosh Takahashi's medal."
"Don't even joke about that," he growled as he ducked out of the bathroom with shaving foam across his jaw. "The last time the prize committee chose to honor two winners in economics was in 1975 - an American and a Russian. You know what happened?"
"What?"
"They accidentally switched their medals. It took four years of delicate Cold War negotiations to straighten it out." He returned to the sink, unaware that Abbey had taken a metal nail file to the soles of his shoes.
"And the world stopped turning in the meantime."
"You're mocking me."
"Not at all," she insisted. "I'm mocking your paranoia. There's a difference."
"Not much of one. And trying to avoid an international incident on live television is not paranoia. If you think the press is hounding us now, just wait until something like this happens."
"How many cameras have they got set up for tonight anyway?"
"You wouldn't believe it, Abbey. Every square inch of the floor below the stage has been delegated to some media outlet. I nearly fell on my face at the rehearsal. Those lights are blinding."
"And here I thought it would be these blasted patent leather shoes that would be your undoing!" She emphasized her words for affect.
"I want you to know I detect that little bit of unprovoked sarcasm and in the spirit of tonight, I'm choosing to let it pass," Jed replied from the bathroom.
"How very big of you." Abbey set the shoes on the ground. "Get out here and try these on."
Wiping his face with a towel, Jed stepped out and stared down at his shoes. "What did you do?"
"I scratched them up a little."
He picked them up and turned them over. "You also carved them up."
"I didn't carve them up."
"What's that?" He pointed to crescent she had designed with the nail file into the sole of his right shoe.
"It's a crescent."
"It wasn't there before."
"No."
"You carved them up."
"I didn't carve them up. I just carefully outlined five crescents on each shoe. They say that a row of five crescents is a Swedish sign for good luck."
"Who's they?"
"Scandinavian fairies," she snapped. "What do you care? The point is the shoes you were so worried about are now graced with a charm that's sure to keep you standing upright." He chuckled. "What?"
"Nothing. You know I think it's cute when you pull this on the girls, but...this is me. You don't really expect me to believe all this, do you?"
"I'm being perfectly serious, Jed. It really is the Swedish sign for good luck."
"And you've recently found your superstitious side?"
"It never hurts to keep an open mind."
"What have I been saying for all these years? But you...you like to use science to argue superstition." He was clearly unconvinced. "I bet you made this whole thing up."
"Why would I do that?"
"To counteract my doomsday scenarios and get me to think positively about tonight."
"It wouldn't kill you, you know."
"Ah ha! I knew it!"
"Oh, brother."
"You're quite the little trickster, Abigail. How long did it take you to come up with this story - a couple of minutes?"
"Don't be a jackass. The crescents really are a sign of good luck. I didn't make that up."
"And you believe it?"
"I just figured that we could use all the help we could get to make sure tonight goes off without a hitch. Be it folklore, fairy tales, or pixie dust, I really don't care. I just wanted to cover my bases."
"Your bases are well covered and though you couldn't tell from my reaction, I'm grateful - and a little surprised - that you went to the trouble." He grinned as he slipped his feet into the shoes.
"Did you really think I was going to let you go out there and slip and slide all over the stage while everyone laughed at the Nobel Laureate who forgot to scuff up his shoes?"
"I thought you might..." He moved his feet around the carpet. "You know, to teach me a lesson for not
following your advice and doing something about it sooner."
"As tempting as it would have been to teach you a lesson, public humiliation isn't my style, Pumpkin." She watched him pace back and forth to test them. "But you will get a little bit of punishment later...when we're alone."
"I knew that was too easy," he said as he stopped in front of her. "Seriously, Abbey, thank you."
"You're welcome." Abbey opened his hand and pressed a small jade pendant into his palm. "Here. This is my real lucky charm."
"Is this the one I gave you..."
She nodded. "The day I took Step Three of the USMLE. You gave it to me so that if, at any time during the exam I had any doubts whatsoever, I'd know that you were cheering me on in spirit."
"Yeah, but this is different. I can just look out into the audience and see you cheering me on."
"It's symbolic. I became a licensed physician that day and it wasn't just because I passed the boards. It was all those years that you stood by me, supporting me, catering to my needs while I reached for the stars. I want you to keep this pendant with you tonight because I want you to know that I'm ready to do the same."
"You already have." Jed brought her hand to his lips and gently pressed a kiss to each finger.
"All right, stop it. I'm going to smear my make-up crying before we even leave."
"And I thought I was the sentimental one."
"Check with me after the ceremony."
"Hang on." He grabbed her wrist when she turned away. "Nothing's going to go wrong tonight? You really believe that?"
"Listen to me." Her palms on both his cheeks, Abbey framed his face and forced him to look deep into her eyes. "Nothing's going to go wrong tonight. The television cameras aren't going to blind you, you won't get your medal mixed up with someone else's, and you're not going slip in your patent leather shoes. It's going to be a remarkable ceremony and a beautiful banquet and ball. Trust me."
"I do. And I have this pendant to remind me of that."
"That's right. And if you get really nervous, then just look for me."
"In a sea of 2,000 people, how are you going to calm me down?"
"I'll play with my hair and when I do, you'll know that I'm mentally kicking your ass for not paying attention to the ceremony."
"Like anyone will be paying attention to the ceremony. Have I mentioned it'll be ninety minutes, all in Swedish?"
"You'll get through it."
"Not without a distraction of some sort."
"When you see me, picture me whispering in your ear."
"What exactly will you be whispering?"
"Use your imagination." She winked at him.
"That's a dangerous statement, My Love." He arched his brow flirtatiously. "Now you've got me worried about a whole new thing. I look at you and I'm liable to make news for a reason not related to my Nobel Prize."
"You're impossible."
"In fact, just looking at you is such a turn-on, my little snuggle bug, that not taking you is worth considering."
"You think that'll make things easier on you?"
"It definitely could, yes."
She couldn't resist calling him on his bluff. After all, he seemed pretty amused at the moment. "You want me to stay here?"
"Maybe."
"Okay." She untied the satin robe she was wearing to change.
"What are you doing?"
"You said you'd rather I stay. I'm staying."
"Right." Jed played along.
"I'm not joking. I want tonight to be perfect for you and if that means I have to stay here to ensure you shine on that stage, then I'll stay here."
"The sacrifices of a devoted wife, right?"
"Absolutely. There's nothing I wouldn't do for you." She rummaged through the drawer for a pair of sweats.
"No really. What are you doing?"
"I just told you. I'm staying here."
"No, I mean, for real." He stood to the side of the dresser.
"It's not a big deal, Jed. It's Nobel night. I'll have the entire hotel to myself. After you leave with the girls, I'll change into my bikini, go up to the hot tub, maybe take a swim in the pool, try out the sauna." Abbey closed the drawer and smiled sweetly at him before she pulled her sweatshirt over her head.
"I don't believe you."
"And it's not like I can't watch the ceremony on television. Just do me a favor and try to look directly in the camera when you accept your prize. I want to feel like I'm there with you."
"Seriously, Abbey. What are you doing?"
"Do you want me to go, Jed?"
He hated it when she played with his emotions. Narrowing his eyes, he said, "Do what you want."
"Okay." Abbey laid her pants on the bed as she slid her pantyhose halfway down her thighs.
"Oh no you don't!" He slapped his hand around her wrist to keep her hose just where they were. "You take those things off and you'll get a run in them. Next thing you know, we're walking in a half hour late."
"It would serve you right if we were late."
"You're going."
"Of course I'm going. Don't play these games with me, Darling. I almost always win." She smirked as she pulled her hose back up.
"Yeah, that's because you don't play fair."
"Quit being a poor sport."
Jed picked up his white dress shirt from the closet. "Did you know that some laureates are so nervous before the ceremony that they actually forget their spouses at the hotel?" He caught her skeptical stare. "It's true. The concierge was telling me all about it after the rehearsal last night."
"Well, you don't have to worry about accidentally leaving me behind." She stepped up behind him and squeezed his rear. "Because I'm going to be on your cute little tail up until the moment they whisk you away."
"See, now you're making me want to stay here with you and forget the ceremony entirely." He spun around on her so fast, that she was unable to escape his embrace. Instead, she giggled as she melted into his kiss.
Thinking about that playful exchange with Abbey relaxed Jed more than a thousand deep breaths. She was the only person in the world who had that affect on him, the only one who could instantly calm his nerves with just glance or a second of banter.
"Dr. Bartlet? Dr. Bartlet?" Jed was so lost in thoughts about his wife that he didn't even hear the uniformed usher calling his name. The man stepped in front of him and called out louder. "Dr. Bartlet?"
Jed shrugged out of his daze. "I'm sorry."
"I wanted to introduce you to your escort," the man said.
A representative from the Bank of Sweden, the institution that sponsored his prize, shook Jed's hand and took his place beside him. The two men walked together while another representative trailed just behind them, at the side of Yosh Takahashi.
The laureates were taken down an antique golden staircase for the customary photograph. When they reached the basement, the two economists exchanged a quick glance and in an isolated moment of civility, they stepped forward - together - to pose for the camera.
It happened so fast that neither had a chance to snipe at the other, for just a minute later, a chorus of trumpets echoed from the Grand Auditorium. Jed knew what that meant. The King had just made his entrance and soon, it would be his turn to share the historic Nobel stage with the honored few who were chosen to receive that coveted gold medal.
He was ready for it, he told himself. He had been preparing for this day ever since that chilly morning back in October when he received the phone call.
He clasped his hands as he curled his lips and waited for the two tall doors to open at the rear of the stage. Finally, the Concert Hall orchestra began to play and the ushers marched them through the glare of a thousand lights mixed with the thunderous sound of applause.
His head held high, Jed made his way towards his seat, standing in front of it to bow in the presence of the King before sitting down. His heart was pounding. His hands were shaking. And just when he tried to catch his breath against those unbearable butterflies in his stomach, he remembered the jade pendant he had slipped into his pocket. He squinted, then, to spot his family.
Two entire rows of people were there to support him. He saw his friends from Dartmouth. His dean was there to represent the college, as were a handful of his colleagues. A few of his fellow legislators in the New Hampshire State House had even made the trip, two democrats and one republican.
He then scanned the next row where Abbey's parents and his sister-in law, Kate, sat with her family. She was leaning over to catch a glimpse of whatever it was Millie was pointing out. Beside Millie's husband and their kids, was Jed's brother Jack and his wife Kellie, their son Brad in between them. On Kellie's right was Leo, then Jenny and Mallory, who sat next to Ellie.
Ellie.
His eyes focused on Ellie for what seemed like minutes. She looked so pretty in the red velvet dress she picked out herself. A spiral nest of blonde curls fell to the middle of her back, the front pinned by a rhinestone barrette at her crown. Even from so far away, Jed could see that familiar twinkle in her pretty teal eyes. She was clapping so hard that he assumed that when she stopped for a second it was because her small hands were probably hurting.
He was right.
Ellie curiously opened her palms, pointing out the redness to Liz. That's when Jed noticed his eldest daughter. Though he had ridden in the same car with her just moments earlier, he couldn't believe the view he was getting now. He had never seen Lizzie looking as grown up as she did on this night. Her black beaded gown shimmered beautifully. Her long brown tresses had been pulled into a fancy ponytail with side-swept bangs and a lock of hair sparkling with a sprinkle of white glitter covered the band. On her face, she wore just enough make-up to accentuate her flawless peaches and cream complexion.
Oh, how he wished Abbey hadn't overruled him when he suggested she wear overalls and pigtails to this thing. As much as he wanted to, he couldn't deny it much longer. His little girl was growing up. Soon, Ellie would follow in her footsteps, then Zoey.
He shrugged at the thought. Little Zoey. There was no way he was ready to think about her dressing up like her big sister. Of course, just because she wasn't yet on the brink of teenage insanity didn't mean Zoey didn't have her own problems tonight.
An amused Jed shook his head when he saw Abbey fighting to stop the three-year-old from standing up in her chair. Fortunately, those black mary janes she was wearing conspired to keep her grounded because as soon as she broke free of her mother's hold and tried to stand, the soles of her shoes slid on the cushion and she plopped right back down on her bottom.
Abbey tended to Zoey's frustration of not being able to see by letting her daughter climb onto her lap. So there she was, the wife of a laureate, dressed in an elegant ball gown with a toddler kicking at her knees. But what truly astonished him is that it didn't even seem to faze her. Even when Zoey started to squirm and twist herself around to get back to her own chair, Abbey calmly held her still.
Her thick auburn mane was wrapped into a French twist and she intentionally swept a fly-away strand with her finger just slow enough to make sure Jed took notice. When he did, she nodded at him, as if giving him her approval once more. Jed returned the gesture, tilting his head and mouthing a subtle 'thank you' from the stage.
As the ceremony began, Abbey's gaze wandered off her husband. She was drawn to the bundles of colorful flowers methodically placed at the front of the hall. A total of 13,000 of them, most imported from Italy. The backdrop came to life under red and cerise carnations, cherry red roses and gerbera, deep purple orchids, and clusters of reddish-purple lilacs. Silver fir and branches of juniper decorated the podium and the edge of the platform.
In the center of it all sat the distinguished group of laureates, flanked on either side by their escorts. Jed was in the front, all decked out and looking as regal and handsome as she'd ever seen him. While some of the other men looked awkward walking in in their white tie and tails, Jed looked to be perfectly comfortable.
It didn't surprise her though. Everything about tonight was perfect for a man who treasured evenings of vintage wines and fine suits, who looked forward to a string of swanky parties highlighting seven days of entertaining radically original ideas and lectures from the greatest minds in the world.
She frequently teased him about his ego, but the truth was, this week, Jed was incredibly humbled by the opportunity to meet these other scholars. Abbey considered them his peers. Jed thought of them as brilliant scientists and often excluded himself when describing to others their impressive resumés.
That didn't surprise her either. For all his talk, there was quite a bit of humility and class that ran deep in Jed's soul. It's what occasionally gave him pause in these situations. Abbey learned that this was the quality that helped him relate to others, no matter where they came from. It proved that Jed Bartlet wasn't spoiled by the benefit of a rich family history and an elite private education, that he was a man who strived for excellence, but he was also a kind and compassionate human being who could slip out from under his ballroom finery and mingle with people from all walks of life.
She adored that about him. That and so many other things. She was proud of him for who he was, she was happy for him for what he had accomplished, but most of all, she was so madly in love with him that nothing in the world could darken that beaming expression that glowed all around her.
Her eyes closed for a beat as she started thinking about the conversation they had had just a few hours earlier back at the hotel. He had asked her a simple favor, one that triggered a memory from a time when things were more complicated and the possibility of a life together seemed almost impossible.
"Abbey?" Half-dressed, Jed wandered into the suite's master bedroom. "Hon?"
Her back was to him initially and when she heard his footsteps behind her, she turned from the mirror to face him. Jed had been walking towards her, but he stopped mid-stride. So mesmerized by his gorgeous wife, he couldn't move for a few seconds. He eyed her up and down, taking in the color and style of her floor-length midnight blue ball gown.
The skirt was made of flowy chiffon and shaped by a layer of stiffened crinoline underneath. Jed followed the line of the fabric and noted the way it gracefully pulled in around her waist. When he saw it swell again to accommodate her breasts and the subtle bit of cleavage that overflowed the neckline, he quietly gasped. Her arms were strapless and bare. A pair of understated diamond chandeliers hung from her ears and she wore a thin choker made of diamonds and sapphires around her neck.
"What's wrong?" she asked him. "Jed?"
"Sorry, it's just...Sweetheart, you're gonna be the belle of the ball."
"So you like it then?" She pranced towards him.
"You're positively stunning in that shade of blue. I love it."
"You know what I love?"
"What?"
"That after fifteen years, you still think I'm positively stunning in anything." She stole a kiss, then swiped her thumb over his mouth to remove any trace of lipstick. "What was it you wanted?"
"Oh, yeah." Jed held out his arms to give her access to his cufflinks. "I can't do it."
"You're hopeless." Abbey sighed. "A Nobel Laureate who can't even dress himself."
She grilled him each and every time he asked for help with his cufflinks, but he knew that secretly, this was a task she enjoyed. As she fastened them, she noticed the engraving. These cufflinks were special. They were the ones his mother had given him on their wedding day.
Abbey ran her finger over them when she finished. "These were always my favorite too."
"It's like having a little piece of her with me tonight."
"She'd be so proud of you. I know she would." So alluring was her look that he couldn't help but stare. "What?"
"I can't get over how you look."
"You always say that when we get ready for a fancy party."
"It's always true. Every day we're together, you blow me away, Abbey."
Abbey often wondered what she ever did to deserve such a wonderful husband. He didn't just love her. He adored her. "Let me tell you something." She stepped in front of him so their faces were less than an inch apart. "You blow me away too."
"Thanks...for the cufflinks."
"My pleasure. It made me think about the first time I helped you with your cufflinks. Do you remember?"
Jed thought for a moment. "No."
"Of course you do."
"No, I don't. Was it some special occasion?"
"Josiah Bartlet!" Abbey scolded him. "What the hell is the matter with you?"
Just the reaction he expected. He backed away. "I remember things like our first date, our first dance, not a pair of crummy cufflinks."
"They weren't crummy. They were beautiful cufflinks."
"Well, I obviously didn't commit the moment to my memory like you apparently have."
"Damn right I have."
"Tell me about it."
"It was just before Christmas 1966. You had already applied to LSE and you were flying out to meet with the admissions committee. I drove you to the airport that morning."
"That sounds vaguely familiar."
"You changed into your dress shirt at Logan Airport and I asked why you weren't wearing your sweats on the plane so you could change into your good clothes at the hotel. You waited until there was a break in the crowd and then you whispered to me that you've never been able to figure out how to fasten your cufflinks."
"And you helped me?"
"Yes, I helped you. I can't believe you don't remember. I gave you a kiss on the cheek and walked you towards the terminal."
"Actually, it was a kiss on the lips." He had just been tweaking her. There was no way he would ever forget that morning. The night before, they had made love for the very first time and only a few days later, Jed returned from London with an engagement ring.
"Jackass."
"I'll have you know that's the second time you've called me a jackass in under an hour."
"A personal best."
"For you?"
"No," she replied. "For you. I knew you remembered."
"I don't think you knew that at all. In fact, I think you were ready to give me the silent treatment for having forgotten."
"The silent treatment would be wasted on you."
"For the record..." She tried to walk around him, but Jed grabbed her by the waist and pulled her right back to where she was. "I'm a sucker for that story, Sweet Knees. I just pretend to forget because I love the way you tell it."
LSE was where it all started. Early in his life, Jed had dabbled with the idea of becoming a priest, but then he met Abbey and his plans changed in a flash. Graduating from Notre Dame with a degree in American Studies, he surprised more than a few people when he decided to attend the London School of Economics. That bold decision all those years ago had started him on a journey that eventually led to this.
With Zoey still on her lap, Abbey sat back in her chair as she remembered their days in London, the precious memories they cherished as lovers and best friends, as newlyweds on an adventure. They faced struggles that challenged them as husband and wife and as young parents. There were nights when she wondered if they were going to make it, days when she thought they wouldn't. They nearly lost each other back then, but in the end, they discovered each other all over again.
For four years, they built their lives around his education and as he sat on stage with the King and Queen of Sweden just a few feet away, she was particularly proud that they did.
A quartet of trumpets announced him and Jed rose to his feet. It wasn't just him up on that stage. Abbey lived and died by his every gesture, his every movement. In many ways, she was more nervous than he was. His face marked by emotion, he stood to be addressed by the representative from the Bank of Sweden.
After the man spoke about Jed's lengthy accomplishments and about the research that rendered him worthy of the medal, he asked, "I now have the honor of asking you to accept the Nobel Prize in Economics for 1982 from the hand of His Gracious Majesty, the King"
Traditionally, King Carl Gustaf sat in the first row of the audience in order to leave the stage to the laureates, so Jed started down the stairs towards the Royal Family while silently saying a quick prayer to thank God that he wouldn't have to deliver his acceptance speech until the banquet because he wasn't sure he could string together two words at this very moment.
When he reached the bottom landing, he extended his hand to the King and a nation of a television viewers, along with a room of two-thousand people, watched as Jed received his gold medal. On the front was the portrait of Alfred Nobel and the years of his birth and death inscribed in Latin. On a cartouche at the bottom was the name Josiah Edward Bartlet and the year 1982. Jed accepted the medal - and a monetary award - then took the diploma the King handed him. Encased in a heavy red leather folder, it was beautifully embossed with his name and his prize.
Abbey saw the way the cameras panned the laureates, zooming in on her husband as he joined the ranks of the world's most decorated scholars. Though the moment was being captured for eternity, Jed was seemingly oblivious to the media's presence. She knew he had devoted his attention to the twenty-second remarks the King had prepared for each laureate and though she, too, tried to decipher the Swedish words he spoke, all she recognized was the ending.
"Congratulations, Dr. Bartlet," the King had said to Jed.
From her seat several rows back, Abbey donned a smile amid the unshed tears that pooled in her eyes. And then, she whispered the same.
TBC