A/N: It's so nice to hear all the feedback on this story! To my anon reviewer, gibbslovesjenny- I am SO glad to hear that you'll be starting The West Wing! It really is an incredible show, you won't regret watching!
At this point, Leo is still drinking, and his alcoholism isn't being treated. I won't be touching on the Valium aspect in this story, but you can assume he's also taking that as well.
Disclaimer: I own only the idea and the OCs; nothing original to The West Wing is mine, sadly.
Leo McGarry knew that when Jed Bartlet called and asked if it was a good time, you made it a good time.
"I'm at the Mariott in Manchester; room 107," Leo had replied, and he could hear the gratitude that had been in his friend's voice.
He was in New Hampshire because when he'd gone to Jed's Congressional office in DC, he'd been informed by Jed's Chief of Staff, Ron Waters, that Jed would be working from the Manchester office for the next month or so. Worried about Jed, he'd caught a flight up to Manchester. Jenny and Mallory were still in DC, and he swallowed against he sadness in his throat. He felt as though he barely saw his family anymore, and here he was taking one of his few free weekends to see Jed.
He pushed the thoughts away, glancing at the hotel minibar. Just as he was debating making himself a drink there was a knock on the door, and he turned. Opening the door, he found Jed standing in the hallway, dressed in only a sweater, despite the threat of impending snow.
"Jed," Leo greeted him warmly, grabbing him into a hug. Jed hugged him back briefly, looking ragged and tired. Leo brought him into the room, shutting the door and leading Jed to the couch. "How are you?"
Jed let out a short, harsh laugh, and Leo's eyebrows rose.
"Why are you in New Hampshire, Leo?" Jed asked, leaving Leo's question unanswered. "It's not because of the weather."
"Ron said you were going to be working from your New Hampshire office for the next month or so because of personal reasons," Leo answered after a moment, seeing Jed's blue eyes tighten in pain briefly. "What's going on Jed? Is it you- are you sick? Is Abbey okay- are the girls alright?"
Jed held up a hand to stop the flow of words from Leo's mouth, mouth tight in the corners. His hands were locked together in front of him, his elbows leaning on his knees. He took a deep breath and straightened up, meeting Leo's worried gaze.
"Abbey and I got pregnant again," he started quietly, and Leo frowned, wondering why that would put Jed in such a morose mood. "Three days ago, she miscarried."
Leo's heart dropped and he swallowed, struggling with what to say. Jed's luminescent blue eyes were rimmed red, tears sparkling on the lids.
"It was a boy," he whispered roughly, clenching his jaw as he worked to tamper down the emotion, clearing his throat. "We lost our only son."
Leo stood, clasping Jed's shoulder tightly; it was the only comfort he knew how to give. He and Jenny had never had an trouble with pregnancy; they'd gotten pregnant with Mallory, and decided one was enough. It had to be hard for Jed; he and Abbey had three health girls, and to learn they were having a boy and then lose him must be devastating.
"How's Abbey?" he asked quietly, stepping back when Jed stood abruptly, beginning to pace.
"I don't know how to help her, Leo," Jed said, a touch of desperation tingeing his voice. "I don't know how to help my daughters, I don't know how to help my wife, I don't even know how to help myself, Leo. I don't even know how to be honest with Abbey about how I feel because I'm terrified that I'll say something and she'll fall apart."
Leo let him rant silently, knowing he needed it.
"She blames herself, and I don't know how to convince her otherwise- a trained doctor has already told her that she isn't at fault, but she refuses to believe it," Jed continued, hands gesturing wildly in the air. "Zoey thinks it's her fault because she asked if she was going to hate the baby- she's only four years old, Leo! Ellie thought she was never going to see Abbey again at the hospital, when they took her back, and Liz has more stress on her shoulders than any teenager should have! I don't know how to make this easier on my family- if my being here is what they need, though, my job comes second. I can't be a two hour plane ride away every time Abbey needs me to be with the girls because it's all too much. I can't be that kind of a father."
"I think you're doing the right thing, Jed," Leo said once Jed was quiet, and the younger man looked up, blue eyes wide and wet and gleaming with surprise. "Coming from a man who put his work in front of his family too much, I think you're right to put Abbey and the girls first. I can't say that the job won't call you back; both you and I know there are votes you can't miss. But being here may help you just as much as it helps them. You don't want to be in Washington, worrying about your girls. I understand, Jed."
Jed's shoulders relaxed, and he stopped pacing, sinking back down onto the couch.
"I don't know how to fix this, Leo," Jed whispered, his head cradled in his hands. "I don't know what to do."
"It's just gonna take time Jed," Leo said, sitting next to Jed and placing his hand on Jed's back. "It's just gonna take time."
They fell silent, and Jed swallowed.
Time was what he was afraid of.
Abbey woke up before the girls; carefully extracting herself from Ellie's grasp she eased herself out of bed, tiptoeing to the bathroom. She shut the door behind her, leaning against it with a quiet breath.
She glanced in the mirror, wincing at her appearance; she looked tired and ragged. Maybe if she looked more like herself, she'd feel more like herself.
She showered slowly, taking time to wash her hair and condition it. The bathroom was filled with coconut-scented steam by the time she was finished, and after she'd dried off and put her robe on, she cracked the door open to release it. All three girls stirred in the bed, and while Abbey combed through her thick hair, she heard them starting to wake up.
"Hey my sleeping beauties," she said quietly, sitting on the edge of the bed and stroking Zoey's strawberry blonde curls. "How was your nap?"
Zoey turned, cuddling into Abbey's lap, yawning as she buried her face into Abbey's robe. Liz sat up and stretched, yawning and rubbing at her eyes, while Ellie buried her face into Jed's pillow, her body still hidden under the covers.
"Where's Daddy?" Liz asked, frowning as she looked around, running a hand through her messy, dark hair. Abbey compressed her lips, sighing softly; she honestly didn't know where her husband was.
"He'll be back by bedtime," she answered, and Liz frowned, but didn't say anything.
Together, Abbey and Liz roused Ellie and Zoey, and after promising Zoey she could take a bath in the 'grown-up' bathtub in Abbey and Jed's bathroom, had Liz bring them downstairs to watch a movie while Abbey got dressed and cleaned up the bedroom.
She was just coming down the stairs when she heard the front door shut; then, Zoey's excited voice was heard as she ran to Jed. Abbey swallowed, walking into the living room, where Jed had sprawled out on the couch, Zoey on his chest, and Ellie and Liz on both sides of him. He met her gaze and offered a tenative smile, which she returned, just grateful that he'd come home.
"I brought home Chinese, since I figured you wouldn't want to cook," he said, shifting slightly so there was room for Abbey on the couch. She sat on Ellie's other side, entwining her fingers with Jed's above their middle daughter's head. He squeezed gently, blue eyes meeting hers. She knew they had a lot to talk about, but for now she enjoyed the peace of the living room.
After the movie they reheated the Chinese food and ate cross-legged in the living room, per Ellie's request. She was learning about Native Americans in school, and wanted to do everything just like them. Abbey didn't have the heart to tell her no, and Jed was a pushover anyway, so they sat in their little circle, eating quietly.
"You guys are going to go to school tomorrow, okay?" Abbey asked, looking around at her three girls, who all nodded. "We told your teachers what happened, and if you want to talk to anyone, or you feel sad in class, you just talk to them, okay?"
All three girls nodded, and Abbey relaxed a little.
"And I'll be home every day this week when you get off the bus," she said, and all three pairs of eyes widened in surprise. "For the next three weeks, actually."
"And I'll be home too," Jed said, and the three heads whipped in his direction, just as stunned by his revelation as they had been by Abbey's. "I'm not going back to Washington until March."
"Daddy, you mean you'll be home all the time?" Zoey asked, blue eyes wide. Jed had been a Congressman for the past two years; Zoey barely remembered a time when Jed was home more than just a weekend, aside from holidays. Abbey watched him swallow, and her heart ached. She knew he hated the strain it put on their girls and her when he was away, but she didn't begrudge him his responsibility, and she knew the girls were proud of him too, even if they didn't understand why he was away all the time.
"That's right, sweetheart," Jed answered, swallowing down the emotion. "I'll be home all the time, for the next month and a half or so."
"So you could come to my math meet after school next week?" Ellie asked tentatively, as though afraid he'd say no.
"Tell me when and I'll be there," Jed said solemnly, and Ellie's eyes lit up; her dad was rarely able to come to her math meets, since he was in Washington during the week. Abbey settled back against the couch and smiled softly to herself, swirling her water around her glass. Ellie and Liz got Jed involved in a conversation, and Zoey crawled over to Abbey, silently asking permission to climb onto her lap. Once Abbey had adjusted herself slightly Zoey curled up against her, her tiny body fitting perfectly against Abbey's.
"I love you so much Zoey, I hope you know that," Abbey said quietly, resting her chin on top of her baby's head and stroking her hair, her other arm hugging Zoey closely. "And this week you and me will spend lots of time together, okay?"
She felt Zoey nod against her and grasp her shirt firmly, cuddling herself as close as possible to her mother. Abbey kissed the crown of Zoey's head softly, rubbing her back. She looked at Jed and Liz and Ellie, swallowing thickly against the emotion that suddenly threatened to drown her.
She didn't know how her heart could handle the strain of loving her family, and dealing with the loss of her son.