Series: Snapshots of the Past
Series: Snapshots of the Past
Story: The Nobel Laureate
Chapter 38
Disclaimer: See Chapter 1
Previously: Yosh and Jed clashed during a ride to the Royal Palace for the annual laureate lunch with the King and Queen; Abbey surprised Jed with his journal articles bound and published as a book; Jed invited his brother and his family over for Christmas (Chapter 33)
Summary: A St. Lucia Day wake-up call catches Jed and Abbey off-guard; Jed asks Jack for a favor; Liz wants to know what Jed and Abbey have planned to end their Swedish vacation
Smooth and even. His body rose in a steady rhythm under her.
It had been a while since Jed's breathing had lulled Abbey to sleep. Her head rested on his shoulder and the palm of her hand sat across his masculine chest. His legs were tangled around hers and he held her by her lower back, his fingers curling around the hem of the red satin sheets that covered her curvaceous nude form from her hips to her ankles. Their toes peeked out at the foot of the bed, stubbornly intertwined.
They were so comfortable in each other's arms that they had drifted off to a deep sleep, one that even a choir of singers entering the front door of their suite couldn't disturb.
They walked in quietly, this band of attendants who carried candles and baskets of pastries in their hands. Their unfamiliar melody penetrated the door as they neared the bedroom. Abbey's eyes began to flutter and she stirred in her sleep.
"Jed?" She shook him softly. "Jed, Honey, wake up."
"Hmm?"
"Someone's here."
As she heard the turn of the knob, Abbey fell to Jed's side, scrambling for the sheets to cover her exposed flesh. Jed wiped his eyes, fully alert and somewhat alarmed for the next several seconds as a procession of strangers accompanied by hotel management came in to serenade them.
"Natten går tunga fjät runt gård och stuva."
They sang in beautiful harmony while a pretty little girl in long golden curls and a flowing white robe emerged from behind them, a crown of flickering artificial candles balanced precariously on her head. Her appearance immediately reminded Jed and Abbey of this special day.
"I forgot it was St. Lucia Day," Jed whispered to his wife as she relaxed under her sheet.
Abbey's eyes wandered to the doorway and around the corner to see a couple of photographers who began furiously flashing their cameras. "Jed?"
Jed pulled her closer to him so he could cover her as much as possible while he signaled one of the hotel representatives to escort the photographers out of the suite.
In the meantime, the St. Lucia singers continued their Christmas hymn and when they were finished, they handed the Bartlets a tray with two mugs of steamy hot coffee, delicious saffron buns, and a special Lucia present gift-wrapped in silver-star wrapping paper.
"Now remember. You musn't open the present until you arrive back home," one of the women informed them.
"Is that part of the tradition?" Abbey asked.
"For the laureates, it is. That gift is a little something to remind you of Sweden."
"In that case, we promise to tuck it away until we're back in New Hampshire," Jed assured them.
From her seat, snuggled under the sheets, Abbey thanked them for the morning treats and one by one, they filed out of the bedroom, closing the door behind them.
Touched, she looked at her husband. "That was so sweet."
Jed set the tray of food on the nightstand. "There's something to be said for tradition."
"And the St. Lucia girl...could she have been any cuter?"
"She reminded me of Ellie with her blonde curls. How old was she do you think? Ten?"
"Sounds about right."
"Such good singers, every one of them. Great way to wake up, huh?"
"I just wish I had been dressed." Abbey stood up to reach for the blue silk robe draped over the back of a chair.
"It's no big deal."
"Not for you."
"Abbey."
"I know, I know. It's just...I wish I had been dressed, that's all."
"It was a nice gesture."
"Of course it was. I'm just questioning why they don't warn you. I mean, would it be so bad to give some warning, especially when they know the press is going to be tagging along?"
"Don't worry about the press."
"I'm not," she replied. "I'm making too big a deal out of it, aren't I? I know it wasn't planned. I know they probably just didn't have time to tell us, right?"
"Yeah."
She saw him lower his head in that way that always made her suspicious. "Jed? This was a surprise to you too, wasn't it?"
"Yeah." He was never good at lying about the small things.
"How did you know this was a tradition?"
"What?"
"You said there's something to be said for tradition."
"I meant the holiday."
"And when I asked the woman if opening the present later was a tradition, she said for the laureates, it is. What does that mean? Is it tradition to barge into the room of the Nobel Laureates in the early morning hours of St. Lucia Day?"
"You ask too many questions."
"Jed?"
"All right, look..."
"You didn't tell me?"
"I forgot."
"How could you not tell me?"
"It slipped my mind, Abbey." He pulled the basket of buns into his lap.
"I was in bed naked, Jed!"
"You were covered."
"Under a thin sheet!"
"They couldn't see a damn thing. No one could."
She folded her arms across her chest. "What if we had been making love?"
"We weren't."
"We might have been."
"We also might have been caught up in a titillating conversation about the mystery of the Japanese pyramids. The point is, we weren't." She gave him that stare that told him, without the benefit of words, that he was in trouble. "It honestly slipped my mind. I was as surprised as you were when they came in." He extended his hand to offer her a bun. "Here." She didn't move. "Abbey?"
Abbey grabbed her towel and headed to the bathroom. "Don't talk to me."
"You can't be mad at me on St. Lucia Day," he shouted as she slammed the door.
"Hey, Zoey, look, it's Santa Claus!" From the upper deck of their ferry, Ellie enthusiastically nudged her baby sister to look past the subtle whitecaps in the water and towards the land where Father Christmas was strolling among the holiday shoppers.
"Mommy, Santa!" Zoey jumped up and down. "Look, Mommy! Look! It's SANTA!"
"I see, Sweetheart. We'll have to catch up to him."
Zoey held on to the railing, her eyes wide with excitement. Ever since Abbey took her to the mall for Santa's arrival the day after Thanksgiving, Zoey had been eagerly awaiting her next encounter with the jolly old man.
"It's Santa!" She spoke his name with the wonderment of an innocent child then shouted for him so loud that her voice could be heard for blocks along the waterfront as the boat approached the small island of Uto.
Chuckling, Abbey took her hand, but when they docked and stepped down to the first level, the toddler let go and charged forward onto the pier. Without looking back, she started on her way down the open streets that lined the snowy shores of the Baltic Sea.
Abbey chased after her. "ZOEY!"
"Santa!" she called out, running a little faster.
"Zoey Patricia Bartlet!" Abbey grabbed the fabric of her coat first. Then, she latched on to her arm and picked her up. "What did I tell you about staying with me?"
"But Santa..."
"Will be there when we get there!"
Jed amusingly watched his daughter struggle to free herself of her mother's hold, knowing all along that she would never win this battle. Abbey was protective of all her daughters, but she was particularly protective of Zoey. Though she often gave the three-year-old some freedom instead of keeping her tethered to her stroller, when Zoey pushed the envelop and ignored Abbey's warnings, as she frequently did, there was no room for compromise.
"I wanna get down!" Zoey cried as Abbey tightened her hold.
"Nope."
She looked over Abbey's shoulder at her father. "Daddy?"
"Sorry, Kitten." Jed shrugged.
Defeated, the little girl crinkled her brows, kicked her feet for good measure, and finally surrendered the fight. With Ellie, Lizzie, Kellie, and Brad just behind them, mother and daughter inched their way slowly through the quaint neighborhood crowded with patrons gathering for the annual homestyle Christmas Bazaar.
Jack held back a few paces, walking in-stride with his brother. "She's got a temper."
"Zoey?" Jed glanced at his daughter's disgruntled face. "Yeah. She gets it from Abbey."
"Funny, I was thinking just the opposite."
"You don't know my wife," he smirked. "You sure you don't want me to ride with you to the airport?"
"There's no point in you going all the way out there just to see us off."
Jed nodded. "So then Christmas Eve?"
"Yeah. I'll make the arrangements when we get back to Ohio."
"You know who we're having over this year?"
"Who?"
"Mrs. Landingham."
"She's coming up from Baltimore?"
"Even if I have to fly down there and drive her up myself."
"I didn't get much of a chance to talk to her at Dad's funeral."
"Well, you'll have plenty of time at Christmas." Jed slowed down when Jack stopped. "Jack?"
"Does it feel strange to you? This is our first Christmas without them. I mean, Mom died years ago and I haven't been with either one of them at Christmas for years, but this year...this year, I feel like an orphan."
"Yeah," Jed replied uncomfortably. "I've been feeling like that myself lately."
Jack knew how difficult things must have been for Jed the past few months. He had achieved international recognition, reached the pinnacle of success, and it all started weeks after their father's death. If John Bartlet had lived to see his elder son take home such an honor, would he have, for once, lavished him with the approval he always kept guarded, Jack wondered. Or would he have dismissed the Nobel Prize the way he did so many of Jed's other accomplishments over the years?
In some ways, he thought, it was a blessing they never found out. Living with the curiosity was better than the potential bitterness John's attitude may have sparked.
"Do you wish he would have been here to see this?"
"Do I wish my father could have seen me accept the Nobel Prize?" It wasn't such an easy question, Jed realized. It took him a minute to answer. "I really don't know. I do wish Mom was here though."
Jack swallowed his doubts before he replied. "They would have been proud of you...both of them. You made it, Jed. All your other accolades aside, this is something Dad couldn't have - something he wouldn't have - taken away from you."
Jack would never truly know how much those words meant to Jed. Grateful for his brother's statement, Jed expressed his appreciation with warm smile. "Hey, have you ever thought about moving back to New Hampshire?"
"All the time."
"Really?"
"Yeah."
"Think you can do it?"
"I own a house."
"Sell it."
"It's not that easy."
"It is that easy."
"I have a job, Brad's in school..."
"Manchester has some of the best schools in the nation."
"It's a big decision."
"Yeah, it is," Jed agreed. "Think it over. Discuss it with Kellie. And if you decide it's the right move, I'd love it if you'd get back home before the summer of '84."
"Why? What's so special about the summer of '84?"
"Nothing, except I thought I might get to see those business skills of yours at work. That is, if you'd consider doing me a favor."
"What kind of favor?"
"Help me out on my campaign. Join my finance team."
"What campaign?"
"For U.S. Congress."
"You're running for U.S. Congress?"
"As long as I get my daughters' blessings."
"And you want my help?"
"Political operatives are a dime a dozen and for the right salary, they'll all tell you what you want to hear. Business is your strength, Jack. You'd know how to raise funds, how to capitalize on donations and fundraising events."
"But I know very little about politics and even less about New Hampshire voters. I wouldn't have a clue where your money could do you the most good."
"Well, it wouldn't just be you. It would be a team. But I want you to be a part of it."
"Why?"
"Because there's no one I trust more to look out for my financial best interest on this campaign." He sensed Jack's apprehension. "You don't have to tell me now. Talk to Kellie."
"How'd you know I was thinking about Kellie?"
Jed held up his hand to show off his wedding ring. "I've got one too."
After filling several gift bags to the rim with handcrafted Scandinavian Christmas presents and souvenirs for the kids, the Bartlets cruised the icy archipelago on-board an old-fashioned steamboat while they dined on a traditional Christmas buffet of pickled herring and Swedish meatballs. The three-hour trip to Gamla Stan gave them one last opportunity to admire the vast stretch of sea shaded by the bustling islands and the deserted rocky islets that made up the city of Stockholm.
Once they arrived at their destination, Lizzie led the way towards the center of Old Town where a historic 18th century complex housed the Nobel Museum. She walked in alongside her father, unable to disguise her amazement when they saw hundreds of laureate portraits hanging from the ceiling by a cableway that moved throughout the lobby.
In an adjoining room, a television played memorable moments of Nobel ceremonies of the past and weathered old copies of Dagens Nyheter, Stockholm's daily newspaper, stocked the shelves of a souvenir newsstand in the corner. Beside it was a stack of recent press publications splattered with pictures and interviews of the 1982 award winners.
"Dad, look!" Liz held up a magazine that showed a photo of Jed on the cover waving to the crowd that greeted them on the way to the Stockholm Concert Hall.
"That's pretty cool, huh?" Jed tried to be as nonchalant as possible.
"It's way more than cool!" Liz skirted around him towards the television. "The sign says they'll add memorable moments from the 1982 ceremony in a few weeks. We should come back sometime to see what they add."
"We will. We'll make it a vacation."
Watching from the sidelines, Abbey couldn't help but eavesdrop on the duo. She knew Lizzie had been bored by the ceremony itself, but seeing her father honored as one of the world's brightest men must have filled her with a kind of pride she had never felt before. It was obvious in the way she talked about it, the pitch in her voice when she told all her friends about the day she came home from school to find out that Jed had won, and the undercurrent of excitement she attempted to hide when she described the ceremony to Sven, who had been there to see it himself.
The night before, Jed noted that of all the kids who came to Stockholm to support him during the fanfare of the Nobel Prize, Lizzie had enjoyed this trip the most. He said it was because of Sven and the fact that she was given more freedom than the others. Abbey thought it was because Liz was old enough to understand what it all meant. She realized her father was now a part of history and witnessing his transformation from Ivy League professor to distinguished scholar had touched her in a way it couldn't have touched the younger kids. That impact would stay with Liz forever.
It would stay with Abbey too. The pageantry of the event might have ended at the official ball, but the memories she was taking with her from Sweden were forever etched in her mind. Soon, they'd be back in New Hampshire where school and work and activity schedules would dictate their lives and bills and homework and all-night hospital shifts would take precedence, but she reveled in the fact that even when the chaos became overwhelming, she could retreat into the special little spot in her memory bank where the magic of Nobel week would always reside.
Distracted by a mental slideshow of the past ten days, she didn't notice Jed sneaking up beside her until he wrapped his arms around her waist from behind and pressed his lips to her cheek. "Any chance I could pry those thoughts out of your pretty little head?"
"Are you patronizing me?" she questioned playfully.
"I wouldn't dare," he insisted. "Seriously, what's on your mind?"
"You really wanna know?"
"I really wanna know."
"I wish we didn't have to leave. I wish we could stay in Sweden forever."
"Would be nice, wouldn't it?" He rested his chin on her shoulder. "We could leave everything behind and just move to Sweden. Abandon our careers, our lives...start a new life, just you, me, and the girls, far away from hospitals and lecture halls."
"Right about now, that sounds heavenly." Abbey closed her eyes as she moved her hands to her stomach to cover his.
"We could do it, you know."
"Yeah?"
"Sure, why not?"
"What would we do for money?"
"I could be a fisherman." With only a twinge of uncertainty, he donned a determined grin.
Abbey laughed. "A fisherman?"
"What? I'd make a great fisherman."
"You don't fish."
"I could learn to fish."
"Be serious."
"I am serious. That's my New Year's resolution, in fact. I'm going to take you and the girls fishing."
"Like I said, be serious."
He softened his tone and said, "Like anything about this conversation is serious."
"I wish it was," Abbey replied wistfully.
"Yeah, but it just seems romantic now because we're here and at the moment, we don't have a care in the world."
"Except for you. Apparently, there's an anguished fisherman aching to get out of the economist's body."
"That's not nice." He discreetly tickled her belly until she laughed. "Just think, two more days and we'll be back to quick hellos and goodbyes over the breakfast table. I'll be leaving for work just as you return, exhausted from a 36-hour shift."
"Don't remind me."
"I will remind you, see, because you made fun of me."
"When did you become so unforgiving?"
"Right now," he whispered in her ear. "Just two more days."
"Two more days until what?"
Jed let go of Abbey and leaned back. Both of them turned to see Liz standing behind them.
"What's up?" Jed asked her.
"I wanted to tell you Ellie found your articles. The book's not on the shelf yet."
"Okay."
"What's in two days?"
"That's when we'll be going back home."
"I thought we were leaving tonight."
"We're leaving Stockholm tonight," Abbey told her.
"Where are we going?"
"That's a secret." Jed coiled his arm around Liz's shoulder and led her towards her sisters. "Your mom and I have something special planned."
"What?"
"Did you hear me say it was a secret?"
"Yeah, but you can give me a hint."
"No hints."
"Come on."
"No way."
"Just tell me what it starts with."
"Nope."
"Dad," she pouted.
"Lizzie," he returned in a similar tone.
"Tell me."
"No."
"Why not?"
"Because."
"Of?"
"When did you start talking in prepositions?"
"Dad!"
"Lizzie!"
Abbey shook her head and followed as Jed and Liz bickered all the way to the other side of the lobby.
TBC