Active Threat - Part 17 Final

Jed woke up around noon, to his great surprise.

"Have a good night sleep?" Abbey asked, seeing him now awake.

The night had gone better than expected, but that didn't mean that it was perfect. Once, when a nurse had come in to check up on him, she found him trying to turn over, only to discover that that was not a good idea.

"Mr. President?" she asked, coming beside the bed and putting her hand on his shoulder.

He moaned before opening his eyes to find a nurse standing over him. He hadn't meant to jump but seeing someone you don't really know, standing over you can really freak you out.

"I'm sorry sir," she said, "I didn't mean to scare you…"
"Oh, it's ok…" he suppressed a groan and somehow turned it into half a smile.
"Are you in pain, sir?" she asked, glancing over at his vitals, which were stable and strong.
"Not bad…" he answered. That, she took as a definite yes.

She gave him some more medication; the doctor already having told her to give him some, even if Jed said he was fine, for Dr. Hall already knew how Jed was.

After that he slept through the rest of the night.

Abbey had slept in a hospital bed a few paces away from Jed's and had woken up around nine, it was honestly the best sleep she had ever had inside of a hospital.

"How are you feeling?" Abbey asked, as he carefully sat up.
"Better…" he said, giving her a smile.
"They said you can leave today," Abbey told him.
"Oh, thank the Lord. No offense, but I hate hospitals…" Jed muttered, carefully placing his hand on his chest.

"When?" Jed asked.
"Oh, um, probably around four."

He then was quiet, Abbey watched him, afraid for a moment that something was wrong.

"Jed, what?" she finally asked.
"Abbey…remember yesterday?" ok, now she was worried, "that reporter that asked if I had been pronounced dead…"
"Are you wondering if…"
"Was I?" Jed asked; his face serious.

Abbey took her time to answer; she needed to answer this right.

"Baby."

great start… Jed noted.

"When you came in…" she paused, then continued. "What do you really remember, Jed?"

Why can't she just answer the question? Jed asked himself. Ok, I'll humor her…

"I remember Charlie on top of me…feeling cold…blood everywhere…"

Jed looked down, unable to continue.

"Is that all?" she asked, sitting in a chair facing him beside the bed.

"Well…yeah…" he took a careful deep breath as he thought back. Everything had been so confusing, half of the stuff he remembered he didn't know if he had imagined, or if it actually had happened.

"Are you going to answer my question?" Jed asked, fully sitting up now.
"You were nearly gone Jed…when I ran up to you, you were unresponsive, pale, and…you looked…"

Jed knew what she was going to say, though he could only imagine what he looked like exactly.

Abbey closed her eyes, trying to force the images of Jed on that stretcher out of her mind…

Charlie on top of him on the gurney, his hands at his neck, blood everywhere.
Doctors and Agents running along side and shouting orders.
Jed's eyes half open, his body unmoving.

She remembered herself running up, grasping his limp cold red hand, and running into the OR. She remembered Ron grabbing her, and pulling her out, as the doctors moved in.

'Mrs. Bartlet, come, come with me, let them work, let them work…' Ron told her, nearly having to drag her out as she saw Charlie getting off the gurney, and the doctors scrambling to get the bleeding under control.

"Abbey?" Jed asked, forcing her back to reality. "You ok?" he asked, pulling his legs over the side of the bed and putting his feet on the floor.
"You weren't pronounced dead, Jed; but you were close…" tears in her eyes.

Jed opened his arms. "Come here."

She went into his embrace, feeling his arms around her, not longer limp or cold, but instead warm and strong. Her face rubbed against the right side of his neck as she rest her head on his shoulder. She carefully placed her arms around him, filling the wrappings underneath his shirt.

Jed moved his eyes over to the doorway to find Leo and Dr. Hall standing near the doorway. He continued to hold Abbey.

"Mr. President…" Leo said, believing Abbey should know someone else was now in the room.
"Leo…" she said, releasing Jed.
"You ok?" he asked. She nodded.

Jed then looked over at Dr. Hall.

"Dr. Hall…" he acknowledged him, seeing that Dr. Hall didn't know if he should interrupt.

Dr. Hall turned to Jed, and spoke, "How are you feeling today, Mr. President?"

"A lot better, still sore though…" Jed stated, as Abbey moved beside him.
"You are well enough to go home today…" he said, seeing Jed's happy face.

"Sir, are you hungry?" Leo asked, the way he asked, Jed knew something was up.
"As long as it isn't hospital food," he replied, eyeing Leo suspiciously.
"Well, I think you will like this," he replied, stepping aside as Tim, the cook, entered, carrying a tray.
"Oh, real food…" Jed whispered, nearly drooling.

"Hope you and the First lady enjoy this, sir," he said, placing it on the rolling hospital tray, and pushing it to Jed and Abbey.

The food looked wonderful, it actually looked and smelt real, unlike hospital food.

"Thank you Tim, you have no idea how great this looks…" Jed said, not wasting time as he picked up the fork.
"Your Welcome sir," he said, walking out with Leo and the doctor, allowing Jed and Abbey to eat in private.

Once they knew they were alone, Jed glanced over at Abbey.

"I'm sorry I scared you…" Jed whispered, knowing he hadn't said it yet.

"Jed, I don't think I have ever been so scared in my life…" she admitted, putting her fork down. "When I saw you laying there…I swear Jed, it didn't even look like you were breathing…"

He put his left arm around her, fork still in his right.

"And then when they said you might not wake up…"
"Well I did, because of you…" he replied, making her look at him. He then looked back at the food.
"Now are we going to eat, or let the food get cold?" he asked, lifting the fork and putting the nice ravioli in her mouth.

She smiled, and lifted her fork, doing the same thing in return.

"Hey!" Jed said, as she instead missed his mouth entirely and got some of the meat sauce on his nose.

She laughed, Jed noting it was the first time since they had been there.

"Ok, now this means war!" he exclaimed, abandoning the fork and dipping two fingers in the sauce and wiping it across her cheek.

They then both started laughing, Jed forgetting about his black and blue ribs.

"Ow…" he said as he continued to laugh anyways.
"Ok Jed, calm down…" Abbey said, still half giggling as she realized what their 'little war' could do to him.
"Yeah…but next time lets have pie…" Jed replied, just smiling now, that mischievous grin, as he got his breathing under control.

- - -

Jed exited the hospital later that day. Camera crews and reporters everywhere, Agents and police on the look out.

He thanked the doctors and nurses for everything, and carefully waved to the crowds that were across the street behind a heavily guarded barricade.
He entered the waiting limo behind Abbey; Charlie, Leo, Jacobs and CJ, behind him.

Jed carefully slid in, coming to a rest beside Abbey. Abbey looked at him, watching him breath carefully, his back resting against the leather seat, his facial expression unreadable at first.

"Jed, you ok?" she asked, placing her hand slightly above his knee.

Jed closed his eyes; the memory of the last time he was in a limo was coming back to him. Abbey glanced over at Charlie, who looked just like Jed, uneasy.
Jed opened his eyes, seeing the five faces looking back at him; Charlie's face the most understanding, their eyes meeting for a solid moment.

"I'm ok, just…" he whispered, looking back at Abbey, Abbey instantly knowing what was wrong.
"It's alright," Abbey said, giving his knee a squeeze.

That seemed to make Jed feel better as he looked to Leo.

"Anything going on with the Order?" he asked, needing to get his mind focused on something else, other than the interior of the limo.
"We have caught 11 more members, but other than that, nothing," he answered.
"You think they are done?" Jed asked.
"It looks like it sir, but…"
"Yeah, there can always be more," Jed whispered.

Later that day they arrived back at the White House. Jed was taken to the Residence, being forced by Abbey to rest, though he felt he had rest enough, and he hated the fact that there was paper work piling up. However, Leo agreed with Abbey, to Jed's horror and to Abbey's thankfulness, saying everything was being taken care of, so Jed should simply get better.

Jed of course knew Abbey and Leo were right, though he would never admit to it to them. So he went to bed, grateful that he had won this war, with the help of the American People and those around him.

- - -

The End

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Red will be up soon, it is the continuation of this.