Series: Snapshots of the Past
Story: Crossroads
Chapter 3
Disclaimer: The characters depicted in this story belong to NBC, WB, Aaron Sorkin, and John Wells. We're just borrowing them for some fun :)
Previously: Zoey got back on her horse to impress Jed; Abbey told Jed that Alex tried to kiss her, but minimized the incident and aftermath
Summary: Alex worms his way between Jed and Abbey and wreaks havoc on a night that was supposed to be special for the Bartlets
Jed pulled into the gravel drive at the entrance of the farm. He drove up the hill and toward the house, a smile on his face as he looked out into the distance and saw Zoey outside the garage. She was in shorts and a tee; the white zippered sweatshirt Abbey made her take with her was crumpled on the ground beside her. Her strawberry blonde ponytail bounced in the breeze as she hopped up and down on the concrete. The girls played hopscotch there on lazy spring days and that's what Jed guessed Zoey and her friends were doing now. He gave a light beep of the horn and parked to the side to avoid disrupting them.
"Hi Daddy!" Zoey waved.
"Hey munchkin." Jed acknowledged her, then moved on to her friends. "Cindy and..." he paused and the girls giggled. "Don't tell me, don't tell me." Another beat before he looked at Zoey's red-headed friend. "You must be Louise!"
"Louise?" The little girl scrunched her face. "No."
"No? Irene?"
"No!" She laughed.
"Are you sure? You look like an Irene."
"I'm not Irene!"
"Tiffany?"
"I'm Audrey!"
"Audrey! Yes! That was going to be my next guess!"
"Daddy, you're so bad with names!"
"Yes, yes, I am, Ellie."
"I'm ZOEY!" Zoey exclaimed as her friends laughed.
"Right, Zoey. Now which one of you is Cindy again?"
"Dad..."
"You girls having fun?"
"Uh huh!" Zoey assured him they were. "Wanna play with us?"
Jed glanced at his watch. "I'd love to, but it'll have to wait for some other time. We're running late already. Mom in the house?"
She nodded. "I think she's mad at you though."
"Yeah, I'm in the dog house." He dropped a kiss to her forehead.
"What did you do?"
"Arranged a date night. You and Ellie get to sleep over at Grandma's tonight. We'll drop Audrey and Cindy off on the way."
"Okay, but what did you do?"
"I told you, arranged a date night."
"That's it?"
"It doesn't take much, sweetheart."
Jed grabbed his briefcase, closed the car door, and headed up the steps into the house. He looked down the hall and didn't see Abbey. He whispered her name, not really wanting his voice to be heard, then tossed his briefcase, stripped off his jacket to hang over his arm, and took soft, gentle steps upstairs. He budgeted 10 minutes for a quick shower and hoped to squeeze it in before Abbey found him.
He was out of luck.
"Freeze, Bartlet!" Standing at the foot of the stairs, she caught him on the final step to the top.
"There you are. I was looking for you."
"No, you weren't."
"No, I wasn't."
"Well?" She folded her arms in front of her chest.
"You want to start?"
"I told you I didn't want to go to the hospital gala."
"Yes, you did."
"And you totally disregarded my opinion."
"Yes, I did."
"That's all you have to say?"
"No, I have more." He loosened his tie. "But I also need a shower, so if you want to follow me up..." He turned his back to her to take the last step up and heard her right behind him. "I didn't totally disregard your opinion."
"You just said you did."
"I said that because you're so damn cute when you're mad at me."
"You're not funny." She was on his heels as they entered the master bedroom.
"Zoey and her friends think I am."
"Jed."
He faced her again. "Abbey, I want us to go to the gala."
"I don't."
"That's exactly why I do." He took her hand. "Honey, I don't want you to be afraid to face that creep Alex."
"I'm not afraid."
"No? Because I'm pretty sure you're avoiding him and he's the reason you don't want to go tonight."
"So what if he is? I don't want the awkwardness."
"But eventually, you're going to see him again. You're going to come face-to-face with him at the hospital. I'd prefer I be there with you the first time it happens."
"Why, so you can knock him out?"
"No," he quickly replied. "I mean, I won't promise I won't knock him out, but that's not why. I want to be there because I want him to see us together, to see how happy we are, how committed we are to each other, to realize that no matter how many times he tries to kiss you, he will never succeed."
"You want to one-up him."
"How did you get one-upmanship from that?"
"That's what it is, isn't it? A penis contest with me as the prize."
Now wearing only his boxers, he raised his brows at her. "You're always my prize, sweet knees."
"Do I look amused?"
"No, you don't," he admitted. "Okay, new plan. I already booked a night at the hotel. What do you say we drop the girls off and check in to our suite? If we decide to go to the gala, it's right downstairs. If we decide to skip it, we can spend the evening eating chocolate-covered strawberries and burning off the calories between the sheets?"
"I don't know."
"Come on, Abbey. We haven't spent a night without the girls since Valentine's Day."
Her expression softened as she contemplated the compromise. "All right, I guess it would be fun."
He gave her a kiss on the lips. "Your parents are expecting the girls in an hour."
"It'll take more than an hour to get into Boston this time of day and that's if we left right now."
"Then we better get a move on."
"You're not out of trouble."
"I'd be disappointed if I was, doll face." He flashed a smile on his way to the bathroom.
"It's about two friends who go on a hike in the Alaskan forest. They hike up into the Arctic Circle and cross the sand dunes..."
Stretched out on her parents' bed a short time later, Ellie rested her elbows on the mattress and swung her legs in the air behind her. She flipped through her book while occasionally looking up to see her mother darting around the room to pack a small suitcase. Jed and Abbey prided themselves on raising their daughters to enjoy books. Ellie distinctly remembered Liz and Abbey discussing plot points in Wuthering Heights when it was assigned to Liz in high school and no matter how hard she tried to be a part of the conversation, she was just too young to understand the nuances of the novel. Even now, as a budding teenager, the lure of the romance genre was lost on her. Abbey and Liz shared a love for the complexities of relationships while Ellie was drawn to adventure.
"And they get lost?"
"Yeah, they almost died."
"So what happened?"
"I'll ruin it for you. Don't you want to read it?"
"Maybe, if I ever find the time."
"You used to read before bed."
"That tends not to happen when your father's home."
"Abbey!" Jed hollered from down the hall.
"Five more minutes!" Abbey hollered back. She ignored the impatient grumble she heard in response. Jed had a habit of lying to her when they went somewhere. Knowing that she usually spent a minimum of two hours getting ready for a night out, he'd give her an earlier time so that when she inevitably ran late, there was no fear of missing their reservations. She was on to this little trick.
"We're so late!" he said as he emerged in the doorway.
"Not for a night in."
"Abbey."
"Jed, relax."
"What can I do to get you out the door more quickly?"
"Anything besides hover over me."
"I don't hover!" He spotted the suitcase on the bed then. "You understand we're only going overnight, right?"
She shrugged. "Yeah."
"You couldn't bring a duffle bag?"
"I can't pack my dress in a duffle bag and I don't want to change into it until we get to the hotel."
"So carry it in a garment bag."
"I plan to, but there are things I need."
Jed then noticed a number of small pink satin bags tucked between her clothes. He walked around her and reached for the first one. He inspected it quizzically. "Like these? What the hell are these?"
Abbey grabbed the bag and pulled out a glittery shoe. "The heels I want to wear tonight."
"Why can't you wear the heels you have on now?"
She glanced down at the black pumps she forgot she was wearing. "Are you kidding? These are work pumps, Jed; not exactly appropriate for cocktail or evening wear attire."
"What was I thinking?" His sarcasm didn't stop there. Jed picked up another pink bag and pulled out a pair of flats. "These are for what exactly?"
"Those are for when my feet hurt from the other shoes."
"Right, should have known." He reached for a third bag. This time, he pulled out a pair of slippers. "And these are for..."
"Hotel lounging."
"Of course."
"If I wake up at 3 a.m. and want ice, I don't want to trek around barefoot," Abbey explained.
Jed moved on to last bag. "Sneakers?"
"In case I go for a run along the harbor in the morning."
"Babycakes, if tonight goes the way I plan, you'll be way too sore to run in the morning."
"UGH!" Ellie screeched.
Reminded of her presence, Abbey blushed and Jed cleared his throat.
"Ellie, don't you have somewhere else to be?" he asked. "Like maybe in your own room packing your bag for Grandma's?"
"It's already packed."
"Then load it in the car."
"Not until I find out why I can't babysit."
"You can't babysit because we are not leaving you girls home alone overnight. Now do me a favor and help Zoey get her bag downstairs."
"Can I babysit the next time you guys go out if it's not overnight?"
"Yes."
Abbey turned her glare toward him. "Jed..."
"I meant your mother and I will talk about it and come to a decision together. Now go help your sister."
"I like the first answer better," she mumbled on her way out.
As Ellie disappeared down the hall, Abbey examined her closet. "That reminds me, I should bring my tan sandals."
"This is my little bit of punishment, isn't it?" Jed asked her.
"What is?"
"Your shoe dilemma from hell. It's my punishment for taking you to the gala after you told me you didn't want to go."
"Don't be ridiculous."
"It's passive aggressive."
"I'm sorry, darling, I wasn't trying to be passive."
He chuckled. "Your sassiness, however, is hot as hell."
"We'll see what you think in 10 minutes."
"No 10 minutes!" Jed pulled her by the waist. "Get over here, my sweet."
He kissed her and she kissed him back.
"I thought we were late," she muttered as their lips slowly parted.
"We are, which is why I'm giving you a choice."
"A choice?"
"That's right. You can either walk out that door with me right now or I'll hoist you over my shoulder and carry you downstairs."
"It's cute how you think that'll motivate me to rush."
Just as she predicted, that little challenge raised Jed's competitive spirit. He flashed a mischievous smile, then, in one swift motion, he grabbed her at the legs and hurled her over his right shoulder. Abbey's feigned scream of protest melted into laughter as he smacked her on the rear and headed down the stairs.
The Regency Grand towered over the Boston harbor as a historic five-star hotel on Rowes Wharf. Jed stood by the window in the Bartlet's suite and stared out at the reflection of the city lights dancing in the soft waves of the water. He was a New Hampshire man at heart, but he had to admit, Boston had a lure. He felt it when Abbey was in medical school at Harvard. Those nights he took Lizzie for ice cream and a walk along the river were still engraved in his memory bank, but it was the nights he swept Abbey off her feet after a big exam or long day on the wards and treated her to a date night in the city that were among his most cherished memories.
He hoped to make similar memories tonight.
"Abbey," he called out for her, still entranced in the view at the window.
"I'm ready. I just need to be zipped." She stood before him in a black beaded dress with a low V-neck that showed off her cleavage and hugged all the curves of her body. She turned around and he stole a glance at the black thong she wore, the sexy dip in her bare back, and the black straps that crisscrossed at her waist and attached to her bra, the front of which barely contained her breasts.
He zipped her up slowly, taking the time to admire every inch of the dress that had quickly become his favorite as he realized the low-cut neckline was nothing compared to the almost scandalous low-cut back. Now he understood why her bra straps were so low. "Every now and then, I have to pinch myself."
"Hm?"
"To remind myself this is not a dream. You really did pick me." He turned her back around and that's when he saw the flirtatious smile on her face, framed by her shiny auburn locks.
"You know, we could always skip the stuffy party and stay here tonight." She arched her brow suggestively.
"Ah, so that's why you wanted me to zip you. You're trying to seduce me."
"No, I wanted you to zip me because I actually needed to be zipped."
"But..."
"What's the harm in giving you a preview of what's to come? I bet, on our way down to the ballroom, we could do the stopped elevator thing and no one would even notice."
"You're such a little minx."
"This morning, I was a vamp."
"Vamp, minx, same thing." He pulled her close. "The bottom line is, you're my little seductress."
She looked into his eyes. Those soft baby blues that stared back at her, so loving and supportive. They positively twinkled between his long brown lashes. She'd told him before that his brain was what made her fall in love with him, but she never denied that it was his face that attracted her from day one. God, he was handsome. As he stood there in his tuxedo, she reveled in the fact that he was all hers.
"Want to know something?" she asked.
"What's that?"
"Sometimes, I have to pinch myself too."
Abbey framed his face between her hands and pressed her lips to his.
The hospital's annual spring gala was a combined fundraiser and banquet. Jed and Abbey tried to attend most years, but Jed understood Abbey's hesitation this year. She didn't want to face Alex and truth be told, neither did Jed. He'd wrestled with the scenario multiple times since he learned about what happened. If he saw Alex, he'd walk away, he decided. But if Alex approached, all bets were off. Sometimes, he fantasized about decking him. Then reality would hit and he'd remember that deep down, he wasn't a violent man. He'd convinced himself that a physical confrontation would only be the product of a threat and he hoped he'd never be put in the position of testing himself.
When the Bartlets entered the hotel's ballroom for dinner that night, Abbey scanned the crowd and spotted Alex at a table in the back. He sat with some of their colleagues. Their eyes locked and for a brief moment that seemed like an eternity, Abbey felt a wave of nausea, replaced immediately by a fiery anger that bubbled to the surface. Jed saw it on her face, felt it when her hands stiffened as he held them. Her expression changed and she gestured with her chin. He followed her gaze across the room, one step forward and ready to take off on a mission toward the lecherous man he hadn't trusted from the start. Abbey held his hand tighter then and placed her other hand on his arm in a successful effort to stop him. He let out a deep breath and followed her to their table at the front of the room.
A plated four-course meal preceded a short awards ceremony. Abbey barely ate. She mingled with their table mates, all physicians she already knew, but Jed took note of her discomfort. They had signals. After 20 years of marriage and countless dinner parties, campaign fundraisers, congressional balls, and hospital benefits, they'd perfected subtle ways of getting each other's attention with private signals, secrets from the rest of the world. A word they'd slip in to a conversation they needed to be rescued from, an action to alert the other that it was time to go home; these were signals that only they'd recognize.
That evening, Abbey tucked her hair behind her ear and fingered her diamond earring, a sign that she wanted leave. Jed looked the other way. She ran her shoe up his leg under the table, but he ignored it. Miffed and annoyed, she leaned in to take a more direct approach.
She whispered in his ear. "Let's go."
"We can't leave now. Rob's on stage, He's about to do awards," he whispered back before returning his attention to Robert Nolan, chair of surgery and Abbey's longtime friend. He'd taken the platform at the front of the room.
"Jed, I really want to go."
"Ten more minutes, I promise."
"...it's the job of every one of us to teach them and groom them to become doctors," Nolan was saying.
He referred to the hundreds of residents who worked at the hospital. Ordinarily, Abbey would have been listening, but this was difficult for her. She'd been a resident advocate for so long. She'd protected them, spoken out on their behalf, and in the end, it was through her shortsightedness in sending a tired resident home that a patient died on her watch. She felt she did the right thing, but so many judged. It was their judgment that led to the morbidity and mortality conference last week and the incident with Alex afterwards.
Alex.
She remembered the way he grabbed her. The way he tried to force his mouth on hers. The way he held her, tight and fierce, as if he was bound and determined to leave his fingerprints in her flesh. She'd never forget how that felt. The shock of his strength, the disgusting smell of his cologne, the feeling of vulnerability that rendered her completely helpless. It was the memory of that vulnerability that overshadowed everything else. Even the surge of adrenaline that helped her push him away and slap him across the face couldn't compare to the fear and the humiliation of those few seconds when she was at his mercy. Her stomach flipped every time she thought about it. She couldn't settle her nerves. Her eyes found Alex repeatedly that night, and she worried about the scene that would follow if he approached. All Jed knew was that he tried to kiss her, but how would he react if he found out the whole story? Part of her wished she'd told him. Maybe if she had, he wouldn't be so calm right now, sitting in the same room as Alex. She stared at her husband again, more annoyed than before.
"Since when have you been interested in this?" she growled.
"Shh."
Miffed at his nonchalant attitude, Abbey looked around the ballroom and planned her exit.
"Every year, we like to recognize one attending for his or her invaluable contribution to resident education. This award is voted on by the residents themselves..."
Jed saw Abbey impatiently fidgeting. "It's almost over."
He gently placed a hand on her arm to keep her at the table.
"And this year, I have to say, I couldn't agree more with their selection of a physician whose talent, work ethic, compassion, and bedside manner have served as an inspiration since the first day I met her. She is dedicated to her patients, to her colleagues, and to producing the best surgeons New England has ever seen. It's my pleasure to present this year's Faculty Teaching Award to my friend, Dr. Abigail Bartlet."
Jed was the first to jump to his feet as the audience exploded in applause. A surprised Abbey slowly rose from her chair and made her way toward Robert who had a sterling silver tray, engraved with her name, ready for her. She accepted it, honored and humbled by what it stood for and by the people who had chosen to celebrate her.
For the next few minutes, Alex was the furthest thing from her mind.
"You conspired against me."
Abbey cornered Jed after dinner. They'd retreated outside to the balcony for some privacy and he leaned his back against the railing, holding her in his arms.
"Guilty as charged," he confessed. "When Rob called to tell me you won the award, I agreed to get you here no matter what it took."
"You could have just told me, you know."
"I was blatantly forbidden from doing that. It was supposed to be a surprise and judging from your expression when they called your name, it was a shining success."
"What if I had refused to come?"
"I was going to get you here one way or another, babe. You needed this."
"Needed what? An award?"
"No, what it stands for. The recognition. You're the biggest advocate for the residents. You stand up for them when the rest of the world doesn't give a damn. You need to know how appreciated you are, even if they don't always tell you."
The emotional toll Abbey's hard work took on her hadn't been lost on Jed. It was Abbey who fought for humane work hours for the residents, despite criticism from her colleagues and even the residents themselves who were often shut out of cases because they'd logged 30 consecutive hours on duty. Jed was the one who constantly reassured her that she was doing the right thing when the residents turned on her, when her colleagues vehemently disagreed with her and she felt so alone in her fight. Her work wasn't done, but the residents' recognition proved that they supported her more than she knew. Jed wasn't about to let her miss it.
He looked at her adoringly as his hands slipped to the curve of her rear.
"You're an incredible man, Jed Bartlet."
"Does this mean I'm not in trouble anymore?"
"Depends."
"On what?"
"How long it takes you to get me out of this place and up to our room."
"Hm, a race against the clock."
"I see you're in no hurry."
"I kind of like the idea of being in trouble."
"I promise you'll like your reward a lot better." She leaned in and said seductively, "Especially now that you're a little tipsy."
"I am not tipsy."
"You're right, you're drunk."
"I am not drunk."
"Damn, and here I was planning to take advantage of you."
"Okay, maybe I'm a little drunk." He kissed her as she giggled. "Let me pay our tab and we'll be on our way."
He disappeared behind the French doors as Abbey took a sip of her brandy. She turned her back and looked out at the view of the harbor and the Boston skyline above. A light breeze fanned her hair out of her face. From behind, she looked beautiful, like an angel leaning forward over the rail with tendrils of her auburn locks illuminated by the lights and blowing backwards in the wind.
Alex paused and stared before he quietly approached.
"Abbey."
He startled her.
Abbey dropped her glass over the balcony and watched it break into a million pieces on the pier down below. She spun around to face him. "Jed's right around the corner."
"I know, but I needed to talk to you. How could you file a sexual assault report with HR?"
"What did you expect me to do?"
"I didn't sexually assault you."
"Really? You grabbed me, you forced your mouth on me, you squeezed my..." she trailed off, unable to finish that statement. "The law defines any behavior of a sexual nature without explicit consent to be sexual assault."
"The law? What the...Abbey, we're friends!"
"You groped me, Alex! How can we be friends after that?"
She cut herself off when she saw Jed behind the glass. He turned the knob with a fury and let himself out.
"Get away from her!" he shouted at Alex as he jumped in front of Abbey.
"Jed, it's okay," Abbey assured him. "He just got here. I'm handling it."
Alex kept his eyes on Abbey. "You're the one who assaulted ME, Abbey. You slapped me."
"Consider yourself lucky that's all I did."
Jed looked at his wife, confused. "You slapped him?"
"That day."
"Jed doesn't know?" Alex asked.
"Know what exactly?" Jed questioned, his attention split between Alex and Abbey.
"He knows the important part," Abbey said.
"But not everything?" Alex laughed in a mocking sort of way. "Wait a minute, what I did was so traumatizing that you had to file charges with HR, but not traumatizing enough to tell your own husband the whole story?"
Jed was more confused now. "Charges? Abbey, what the hell is going on?"
Desperately fighting for his reputation, Alex took advantage of Jed's ignorance of the incident. "What's the matter, Abbey? Were you afraid of what else would come out?"
"What?" she asked him.
"It makes sense, right? You couldn't very well tell him the details of our encounter without admitting to all the times you LET me kiss you."
That accusation outraged Abbey. "What are you talking about?"
"The times you let me touch you? Did you tell Jed about that?"
"You son of a bitch!" Jed lunged for him.
Before he took his first swing, Abbey grabbed her husband's arm to stop him. There was a part of her that wanted Jed to give Alex exactly what he deserved. But the calmer, more sensible side took over. She now knew that Alex was vengeful enough to strike back and the last thing she wanted was for Jed to bare the brunt of his retaliation, whether it was tonight on that chilly balcony overlooking the harbor, or tomorrow, in the newspaper, after Alex filed criminal charges against him. She couldn't take that chance.
It took all her strength to hold Jed back. Her eyes on Alex, she pleaded, "Alex, don't do this."
"Do what? Tell him the truth? One of us has to," Alex spat out bitterly. He addressed Jed then. "You want the whole story, Jed? Last week wasn't the first time I kissed her. It wasn't the first time I had my hands on her ass!"
Jed summoned his strength and jerked out of Abbey's hold. With all the force inside him, he pulled his hand back and decked Alex. That punch had been a long time coming and something about it was cathartic for Jed. Short of breath and his face burning red, he took a beat before he lurched forward again. This time, he allowed Abbey's intervention.
"Jed stop! He's not worth it!" she yelled as she looked him in the eye. "Let's go. Please, let's just go!"
He took one long last look at Alex before he and Abbey stormed back into the ballroom and out the exit. Abbey mumbled something, but Jed wasn't listening. He didn't even look at her. He breathed hard, rapid breaths. His rage churned inside him. He felt like he'd been punched in the gut and he was about to burst. He used every ounce of strength inside him to keep himself together as they turned the corner toward the elevator.
Abbey kept talking, something about his hand. He didn't acknowledge it. She touched him, but he shrugged her off without so much as a glance. He didn't want to be touched. He didn't want to be comforted or consoled. All he wanted in that moment was to know all the things he didn't. Why hadn't Abbey told him the whole story? Why had she spared him the details? And what else was she keeping from him?
The elevator ride was a silent one and when the doors opened and they stepped out, Abbey picked through her clutch for the key to their room. She fumbled with it before the lock clicked and she opened the door.
"We need some ice for your hand," she said as she traded her clutch for the ice bucket and started back out the door.
"I don't need ice."
"It's going to swell."
"I don't need any damn ice!" he exploded. Abbey expected that, he guessed, because she didn't even move. She knew him well enough to know he was rattled. She never lifted her gaze from the floor. He waited several seconds, then asked, "What happened last week?"
"He tried to kiss me."
"And?"
"I got away from him and I hit him. Okay?" Her voice was strong, unwavering.
"Did he hit you?"
"No."
"Did he hurt you in any way?"
"No, I swear."
"Why didn't you tell me?"
"I did."
"Not everything. Not these details. Even the part you did tell me, you didn't even tell me when it happened. You waited a day."
"It's not the easiest thing to talk about. No woman wants to come home and tell her husband that another man made a pass at her."
"Did you think I would say it was your fault? Because I wouldn't."
"I know you wouldn't."
"Did you think I'd blame you for hitting him? I wouldn't do that either. Hell, I'd celebrate you for hitting him! I'd throw you a damn parade for hitting him! I'd hit him myself! Again and again and again..."
"I know."
"Then why didn't you tell me? And more to the point, why are you being so evasive now?"
"I don't want to talk about what happened."
"Why? What the hell did he do to you, Abbey?" He couldn't fathom why she wouldn't talk to him. For 20 years, he'd been her touchstone, the one person she could turn to no matter what happened in the world. Why couldn't she talk to him now, he wondered. Was she embarrassed? Did she feel like it was her fault? Or, he thought with apprehension, could it be that there was a sliver of truth in what Alex said? That this wasn't the first time?
"I don't want to discuss it," she repeated, slower this time. "Why isn't that enough?"
He looked her in the eye and asked, "What else are you not telling me?" When he didn't get an immediate answer, he felt a pain in the pit of his stomach. It was as if his worst fears were about to come to fruition. "How much of what he said is true?"
"None of it."
"None of it?"
"I hit him. That's all. Everything else was a lie."
"You never kissed him?" It broke his heart to ask that question. And when she stared at him, speechless, it broke his heart even more. "Well?"
"Jed." It was all Abbey could say. She loved her husband and accepted that stubborn jealous streak of his, annoying as it was. It was pretty well hidden, and his trust in her insured that he rarely showed it, but tonight, Alex played upon it and manipulated all his insecurities.
"You never let him kiss you? You never let him touch you? His hands were never on your ass?"
"Don't go there."
"Was it worse than that? Did you ever..."
"Did I ever what? Have sex with him?" They'd had fights about Ron Ehrlich before, but he never before believed that she'd been unfaithful to him. Was this the alcohol talking or was he truly questioning her fidelity?
He shook his head. "I was going to say..."
"Don't ask me something you can't take back."
"Is it the question or the answer that bothers you?" She cringed at that and Jed took a beat to catch his breath. "I wasn't going to ask if you slept with him. And what I just said, that crossed the line. I'm sorry."
"It's not the only thing that crossed the line."
"How am I supposed to know what's true and what isn't if you won't tell me?"
"The only thing you need to know is that he tried to kiss me, I pushed him away and then I hit him. Nothing else matters."
"Nothing else MATTERS? To who, you? Alex? Because it sure as hell matters to me."
"That's not what I meant. Everything is coming out wrong." Abbey swallowed, hard. "It was humiliating. He overpowered me. I felt vulnerable and afraid. I didn't tell you all the raunchy details because I was humiliated. Are you satisfied?"
Struck with the reality of what his wife struggled with, Jed's demeanor changed. He rubbed his face and replied sadly, "No, I'm not satisfied."
"I know I should have told you," she said remorsefully.
He tabled his own concerns and reached for her.
"Abbey..." All he wanted was to take her in his arms and assure her that he would protect her, that she'd never be a victim to that bastard again. "Come here."
"Please don't." Abbey didn't want to be touched or held. She didn't want to feel vulnerable again, like a victim in need of his protection.
"Okay." He had no idea how deeply traumatic the incident had been for her. He thought it had been a failed attempt at a kiss, something she just brushed off. He realized now that wasn't true. He'd proceed at her pace, he decided.
"I told you I didn't want to come tonight. I wish you'd listened."
"I didn't want you to miss your award. If I had known the details of what happened..."
"If you'd known the details, you would have gone after him, like you did tonight. What's going to happen if he decides to press charges against you?"
"I don't care about that."
"You should...Congressman. That's the last thing we need, your mug shot on the front page of the Union Leader."
"He's not going to press charges."
"No, he'll just threaten to in order to get me to drop my case."
"You're not dropping your case. I don't care what he does to me. You're not going to drop your case."
"I care what he does to you! He knows that and that's what he'll use."
"Let me take care of me, okay?"
"No, it's not okay, Jed. I wish you hadn't hit him."
"You're pissed at me? Seriously?" Everything else aside, Jed refused to shoulder the blame for the confrontation with Alex tonight. "He implied you had an affair with him! Why aren't you angry about that?"
"Who cares what he said? You're going to believe some idiot over me?"
"No, Abbey, I would believe you. Over anyone and everyone else, I would believe you. But you're not answering any of my questions."
She shouldn't have to answer, Abbey thought. Some questions should never be up for discussion. Jed should have immediately known it was all garbage, just like she did when his former communications director made a pass at him. She never suspected that he'd been unfaithful and never even had to ask him because she knew his commitment to her had no bounds. That night, all those years ago, she told him that she never doubted him because she trusted and respected him, that she wouldn't have married a lesser man. She couldn't help but remember those words now and wonder why he couldn't say the same.
She looked at her husband and in a calm, steely voice, she said, "Sometimes, silence is an answer too."
And with that, Abbey turned and went to the bedroom. She left the door open, hoping that he'd come in after her. But minutes passed and there was no sign of Jed, not even the sound of his footsteps. She took a peek into the other room and saw the back of his head as he stormed out of the room and closed the door behind him.
He was off to find Alex, she feared, and there was little she could do to stop him.
TBC