The Valley of the Shadow
by: Rhiannon & AJ
disclaimer: Just two kids playing with another kid's toys...
As Jed took off for the inside of the house, wife in arms, he ordered for one
of the men running along side him to ready the car for the hospital ride. As
two men broke off from the group, Jed turned to another man and directed him
to find some kind of first aid kit and bring it up to his room, where Jed
would be preparing his wife for their emergency hospital visit.
A few short minutes, after Jed and Abbey went behind the closed doors of
their room, they emerged, both fully clothed, and ready to go to the
hospital. Jed helped Abbey into the waiting limo as he climbed in after her.
He immediately ordered for it to take off.
During the very long car ride to the hospital, Jed washed Abbey's eyes out,
using a bottle of water one of the agents had had with him. Then he
proceeded to place gauze over her eyes, from the kit that the agents had
found. Once he was done, he pulled his wife up to his body and kissed her on
the top of the head as he grabbed her very tightly with his arms.
Jed had the door of the limousine opened before it even came to a complete
stop at the front doors of the emergency room. He cautiously helped his wife
out of the vehicle. Jed guided her to the front desk of the emergency room
where some secret service agents had already been, in anticipation of the
first couple's arrival.
A female nurse brought a wheelchair around for Abbey to sit in. Once Jed
helped Abbey sit down, the nurse strolled her away to an exam room in the ER.
Jed had been told to stay in the waiting room, but there was no way that he
was about to leave his wife alone. He wasn't even sure what was going on
yet. When he slipped into the room his wife was being examined in, the
doctor conducting the examination noted his presence.
"Okay, well, first things first. We need to examine your eyes to determine
exactly what is going on in there." With that, the doctor ordered Abbey to
sit up to some machine as he carefully positioned her head in the exact way
he needed it to be.
While conducting the physical part of the examination, the doctor turned to
Jed to conduct the oral part of it, so he could possibly narrow some things
out. "Mr. President, do you think you could paint me a picture of this
morning's events?"
"Yeah. . .Sure. Um, we were by the pool. . .she decided to get in. A few
seconds later, she began to scream. . .in a way I have never heard anyone
scream before. . ." Jed tried to explain.
"So, we are looking at possible damage due to chlorine." The doctor
concluded from Jed's description. "Now I know what I am dealing with." The
doctor said, as he repositioned Abbey's head to run another test.
"I don't think it has anything to do with chlorine." Abbey spoke her first
words since entering the hospital.
"If I may ask, why, Mrs. Bartlet?"
"I've been swimming in chlorine water for the better part of my life. I just
don't think it has anything to do with chlorine." Abbey did not want to
vocalize her real reason for her thought process.
"That doesn't mean. . .you can still have damage because of chlorine." The
doctor began to explain.
"I just don't think that that is the reason."
"Abbey. . ." Jed said his first words to his wife since entering the exam
room.
"I can't see anything. Temporary, or permanent. . .I'm blind." Abbey was so
amazed that she was able to say that as calmly as she had.
Jed, hearing those last two words, froze up. He didn't know what to say. He
didn't know what to do. He was ready for him to wake up right now. He knew
it all had to be some kind of nightmare he was having. He was going to wake
up. He was going to find himself laying next to his beautiful wife, and
everything was going to be fine. It was all a nightmare.
Soon, Jed finally came to the realization that it was indeed real, and he
shot the doctor a questioning look. The doctor wasn't sure what to say at
that moment either, as he returned the same look to the President of the
Untied States.
TBC....