In The Family

Chapter Seven

The next morning, Abbey woke to find herself alone in bed. She crawled out and donned Jed’s pajama top and her robe before going to find her family. As she stepped into the hall, she could hear a television playing cartoons in one of the other rooms.

“Hank, where’s the President?” Her massive agent looked down to her and brought his wrist-mic to his mouth for the request.

“I need a location on Eagle.”

“Eagle, Blue Bell, and Pumpkin are in the Sitting Room, sir,” they responded over the wire.

“Thank you.” He dropped his wrist. “They’re in the Sitting Room, ma’am.”

“You wouldn’t happen to know what they’re doing, would you?”

“No, ma’am, but I could find out if you‘d like.”

“No, thank you. I’ll be down in a second.” She stuffed her hands in the pockets of her robe and made her way towards the elevator. It was almost sinister how quiet it was without the children making their racket in the halls. They’d been here less than a few months yet they’d left an indelible mark on this place; not to mention the people.

Toby had become a gentler soul, Josh tried to be a better role model, and Leo stopped to smell the cut grass, and took a little time to walk his godchildren around this grand building. Jed made a constant effort to be home for bath and bedtime. He ate right so that they’d eat right, much to Abbey’s amazement and approval. She tried to be slower to give smackdowns and quicker to give praise. She didn’t want Lesly and Toby growing up to think that was all there was. They’d survived enough of that. CJ got in on the action by babysitting every chance she got. She fell for the two as quickly as Jed and Abbey had. After hearing the story behind Little Toby, she tucked him under her wing like an injured bird. Lesly became her partner in crime. The things they got up to became the stuff of White House legend, but they claimed not to have done a thing. No one bought it. Especially not Toby, who woke up one morning with a green bald spot. He had to wear a baseball cap to work for three weeks and he still wasn’t over it.

After her silent elevator ride to the first Residential floor, she cut through the dining room to reach the Sitting Room. She peeked around the door to see Les and Toby sitting Indian-style in front of the television with bowls of cereal in hand. Jed was sitting on the antique loveseat behind them, reading the newspaper. She snuck past the kids, who both definitely saw her and crept behind her husband. She slid her hands down his chest and kissed his neck ‘good morning.’ He didn’t seem surprised since he’d smelt her perfume from the door.

“At least, act surprised to see me.”

“Okay. Sweetheart, I had no idea you were out of bed yet.” She pinched on of his love handles and he yelped. “Mean. It’s not my fault you’re not stealthy.” She pinched him again. “You have violent tendencies.” She kissed his ear and tightened her arms around his neck. “Are you trying to get closer to me or to choke me?”

“Does it matter?”

“A little bit.” She brushed her lips against his neck this time. “Not so much now.” He felt her smile against his skin. “Have I told you that I love that mouth of yours lately?”

“Not lately.”

“Okay, well, I do.”

“Good to know.” Their good morning interlude was interrupted when the Secret Service burst in with their guns drawn. Abbey dropped her hands from Jed and stood up straight, her hands up instinctively. He followed her lead and gestured the kids closer to them.

“What the hell is going on? Will, what’s up?”

Seeing no immediate threat in the room, the agent lowered his weapon. “Sir, we’ve just initiated a crash, I need you all to stay here until we have it under control.”

“That’s no problem. I don’t think any of us are in a condition to go anywhere.”

“Will, what happened?”

“Someone attempted to enter the Residence without proper authorization.”

A cold chill crawled down Abigail’s spine. “Who, Wilbur?” The young man winced. Only his mother called him that.

“Answer her, son.”

“Mrs. Dowd and an unidentified male attempted to enter five minutes ago. She says that she’s come to take her children home.”

“Where is she now?”

“She’s being detained by the Secret Service in the White House.”

“Okay.” Abbey took a deep breath to center herself. She had known that eventually this day would come. Eventually, Sienna was bound to want the children back. It was her way. “Okay. No. She cannot take them. Wilbur, Sienna does not get within several hundred feet of Lesly and Toby. Do you understand?”

He nodded. “Yes, ma’m.” From what he’d seen and heard of Sienna Dowd, that was a gift that kept on giving. If the First Lady said to keep her away, away she stayed. That was the way things worked around here.

“Also, please have Oliver Babish from the White House Counsel’s office sent up here, as well as our personal attorney from New Hampshire. I want them both here before Mrs. Dowd and I get anywhere near one another.” He nodded again, mic poised near his lips. “Oh, and if a situation should arise where you have decide between killing the boyfriend and not killing the boyfriend, kill the boyfriend.”

“Will do, ma’am.” He faded to the background to insure that her orders were carried out. He’d heard the stories, and he knew her wrath. If this was handled wrong, this whole thing could and would get out of hand.

Jed came up behind Abbey and cocooned her in the folds of his robe. She was as stiff as an ironing board and waves of rage lapped off of her like the rolling tides. “Calm down. If you go in there pissed, you’re gonna stay pissed. We both know how badly she can push your buttons.”

“She wants them. She came here today, no call or letter, and she wants them back. She fully expects to get them, too.”

“That’s where she made her mistake.”

She turned around and cuddled into his embrace. “Not the only one, I think.”

“No, not the only one. But indeed her biggest yet.”

She came out from hiding to look into his eyes. “We can’t let her take them.”

“We won’t.”

“Can we really stop her? We have no legal standing, Jed. I don’t think we need a lawyer to tell us that.”

“No, but we do have a stable home and lots of love. And age on our side.” She snorted. “Yes, we’re a bit up there to be having children this young, but she’s older. We’ve managed, Abbey. We’ve protected these kids vengefully. They’ve found family, not only with us and the girls, but the entire White House staff. People here love them. They love their school. Toby is thriving in ways never imagined by anyone. All he needed was tenderness and patience. They have the best that not only money can buy, but love. They’re loved and cherished with us.”

“I don’t need to be convinced. A family court does.”

“Then, we’ll go to court.” He closed his eyes and swore the air blue silently.

“What?”

“There’s no way I can go to court.”

“Why?”

“Because the other side will scream ‘conflict of interest.’” “And the court will bend over backwards to prove objectivity. That’ll screw us in the end.”

“Or it will be in our favor. The last thing they want to do is piss you off. You’re the President.”

“True. This is one hell of a mess. A mess it is. Indeed, a mess.”

She pinched him. “Don’t go lost on me now.”

“Sorry.” A gentle tug on his robe caught Jed’s attention. Les and Toby were looking confused and a little scared. Jed dropped down to his knees to see them eye-to-eye. “What’s wrong?”

“Is mama back,” Les asked uncertainly. He looked up to Abbey, who seemed to be in the early stages of panic.

“She’s here, but you don’t have to go with her if you don’t want to.”

“Good, because I don’t ever want to see her again.” Les’s jaw was set firmly and her arms were crossed resolutely. She had made up her mind.

“Toby, do you want to go back with your mommy?” He rubbed his eyes thoughtfully. He was a compassionate person. He believed strongly in second chances. His Uncle Jed and Aunt Abbey had been his second chance. He didn’t want to give that up…but he loved his mom in spite of her inability to protect him. He didn’t know what to do. So, he shrugged and toed the floor unhappily. He felt as like he’d let everyone down. That wasn’t a good a feeling.

Abbey kneeled down with them and took him into her arms. “It’s okay that you don’t know. She’s your mommy,” she had to hold back a gag at that admission. “She raised you your whole life. You don’t know me very well. I may not mean anything to you—“

“That’s not true.” He tightened his skinny arms around her neck. “I wuv you. I don’t ever want to leave. You can be my mommy now. And I’ll be your baby forever and ever.” She could feel him shaking at the terror of letting go.

“You’re already my baby. Don’t you know that?” She kissed his sun-bleached hair and rocked him back and forth. Oh, God, what if she had to let go? “My precious baby boy.”

Jed was looking upon them with Lesly wrapped fearfully around his waist. Her eyes were wide with bewilderment and alarm. She was a little girl now, someone’s daughter. She didn’t have to protect Toby. All the magic would be undone if she went back. She started to hyperventilate and bit her lips fiercely to try and hold back the sobs rising from deep inside her. Her tiny fingernails dug into Jed’s side and he stroked her hair to try to soothe her, but it was to no avail. The mere mention of their ‘mother’ had sent them into disorder. He stood, lifting her off the ground and holding her close in his arms.

“It’s all right, baby. You’re gonna be okay.” Her breathing continued to grow more frantic. He was getting scared for her. “Abbey, she’s gonna make herself sick or pass out.”

“Put her down on the couch.” He laid her out on the couch and moved out of Abbey’s way despite Les’s desperate attempts to hold on to him. He clutched her hand between his and rubbed the cooling limb to keep it warm. “I think she’s going into shock.”

His eyebrows rose to show his disbelief. “She’s going into shock?”

“I think so.”

“Because of this woman?”

“Because of this man and this woman, yes.”

“Abbey,” he touched her arm to catch her eye. “I’m going to court.”

She nodded, stroking Les’s raven bangs with one hand and Toby’s honeyed ones with the other. Her babies were under fire. Her family was and that was unacceptable.

“I’m gonna try and talk some sense into Sienna.”

“That’s not a good idea.”

“No, but it’s the only one I have right now.”

“What about waiting for the attorneys?”

“We can talk again when they get here, but I want her reasoning. I want to know why she wants them back. I want to know why she lied to us. I want to know why she let this go on. I have questions for my sister and she will answer them.”

Jed looked resigned. “Okay, but take Ron with you. I don’t trust her or her friend. They’ve already hurt my children; I won’t take them hurting you.”

She smiled thinly and kissed his cheek. “They won’t. I’ll take Ron. Love you.”

“Love you, too.” She whispered a quick goodbye to the kids and left the room, Wilbur in tow.

Twenty minutes, a shower, and a blow dryer later, Abbey arrived at the Secret Service Interrogation Room, where both Sienna and the guy were being held.

The guy was stalking angrily around the room, switching between knocking on the desk and slamming his fists on the walls. He, apparently, did not like being confined. Well, it sucked to be him, then.

Si-Si rose to her sister’s entrance, her expression one of upset. “What the hell is this, Abigail?” She had always used her name when she wished to make her younger sibling feel inferior. The FLOTUS only glared at her balefully and crossed her arms. That trick was no longer working out.

“You tell me.”

“I don’t know what you mean, shorty.” She didn’t relish that particular nickname and the tightening around her eyes was a testament to as much. “Still have a little complex over our height, do we? I thought you’d grown out of that.” She chuckled inappropriately. “Oops. No pun intended.”

She gave a vaguely uninterested yawn. “Why are you here, Sienna?”

Finding that her attempt at humor had fallen dreadfully flat, “I came for my children.”

“You mean, my children?”

Sending an anxious look towards the guy, she rose from her steel-backed chair. “What are you talking about, Abigail?”

“You know, big sister.” The elder woman smoothed down the side of her worn-in jeans. She was also wary of her weight. “Why are you terrorizing my babies?”
0000
“Hey, who do you --” She took a menacing step towards Abbey, but was thwarted by a quick denial by Ron standing right behind Abbey.

“Don’t even think about it.”

She was intimidated by the towering man, but didn’t show as much. “So you’re having Jed’s minions fight your battles for you?”

Sparing Ron a grateful look, she stole her sister’s step. “They’re not Jed’s minions. They’re his loyalists. They’d do anything for him, or me. I’m here fighting, not for me, but for our children that you neglected and abandoned.”

“I told you I was leaving them.”

“You didn’t allow us to make the decision unanimously. You just left.”

“I trusted that you would do the right thing.”

“That’s crap and you know it. You left them here, because you couldn’t be bothered to care for them. You knew how it would make Jed and I feel and you still left them here with us. We know what you’ve done to them, what you let Skippy here do to them. If your little scheme, whatever it was, had succeeded, you would’ve gladly never come back. You failed and the only joy you could find out of this fiasco was to hurt me.”

Faced with a scathing account of her own personality, Sienna had little to say. “What do you want from me, Abbey? I just want to get Toby and Lesly and go home. That’s all. You won’t have to deal with us again after that.”

“No.”

“No?”

She wet her lips and set her stance. “No. You’re not taking them.”

Having forgotten Ron concealed by the door, both she and the ‘guy’ took malicious steps towards her. She didn’t back down, feeling no fear at the prospect of being harmed to protect her children.

“They’re not yours.”

“In the eyes of God they are.”

“In they eyes of the law, they belong to me.”

“Children don’t belong to anyone. They’re not your property. They’re your gift, my gift. We gave them to you, Sienna. You hurt them, again and again. What you did to Toby is inexcusable. What you put Lesly through… They have nightmares,” she shouted. “In the beginning, it was every single night. Now, it’s less often but it still happens. Si-Si, he gets scared when he makes a mess. Sometimes, he wets the bed. He’s terrified that we’re going to hit him…” She had to stop; she couldn’t say anymore.

“I never touched him.”

“Obviously. But you never stopped anyone else from touching him either. It was your job as his mother, to keep him safe.”

“He would’ve beaten me.” Her muddy eyes turned golden in the harsh halogen light. The guy watched with growing apprehension.

Abbey anguish turned to fury. “You should’ve let him!” Her sister gasped. “If he’d hit you he wouldn’t have hurt Toby, or Les. Then, you should’ve left him, and taken the kids. You could’ve come to us. We would’ve protected you.”

“You hated me!” Anything to justify her actions. The most incredible excuses she could dig up would never cover her failings.

“You think I hated you,” she scoffed. “How do you think I felt when you took my daughter and disappeared? If I didn’t despise you before, I did then. But never more than when I woke up at three in the morning to my son screaming bloody murder and his sister begging him to be quiet so that he wouldn’t get them put out. If I never hated you before, through sheer blood relation, I hated you then. And I allowed that same expectation and hate to keep me away from my babies for days, because I was waiting for you to snatch them back from my arms, just like you did from my womb. I waited for the disappointment. I waited to have to pick up the pieces of my husband’s soul when his kids were gone like a dream. But days passed, and weeks and you were nowhere to be found. I vainly thought that you’d done well enough that you’d stay away from us. I thought you were finally finished destroying our lives.”

“But lo and behold, you and guy, ” she gestured to the fuming man in the corner, “had the nerve to make an appearance at their school. You had poor Toby unnerved beyond all hope of a good night sleep. He was so scared; he couldn’t keep his dinner down. He was so upset, wouldn’t let Jed go for hours. He was so off-balance that rest didn’t come until well past exhaustion. He only slept in the day, and watched the bedroom door all night. He missed school for a week until he was certain that you’d come and gone. Only then, did he stop trembling and clinging. Only then, did he eat. Just the thought of you, the sight of you nearly killed my little boy. The same little boy you battered in utero. You didn’t give him what his growing body craved and he came out flawed. Tell me, did you hate him because of the same flaws you inflicted on him?”

“I never hated my son.”

“You treated him like a disease. You attacked him like chemotherapy does a cancer. You don’t attack or allow your children to be attacked. Why did you just stand by?” She said nothing. Abbey wondered if she ever felt shame. “Answer me! Tell me, why Mr. Not-Your-Husband was allowed to molest my kid.”

“I never touched that boy! I don’t do that.” He had the insolence to be indignant.

She turned to him malevolently. “You’ll have to forgive my disbelief. I don’t know you that well.”

“You should go around accusing people that way, baby sister. You’ll accuse the wrong person one of these days.”

“Don’t threaten me or presume to give me a warning of any kind. You are the one who will be warned. The children will only leave these grounds under Secret Service protection, and then only to go Manchester and to school. That means, in case I wasn‘t clear, they’re not leaving with you and Mikey-Mike over there.”

He knew he’d been insulted, but he didn’t see what he could do about it. “I didn’t do whatever you’re talking about. Si-Si, tell her I didn’t hurt Toby.” He’d never even met the boy.

“Yes, Si-Si, tell me.” Her tone stated plainly that she wouldn’t believe him even if she did.

“He didn’t do it, Abbey. It wasn’t him. He’s just some guy I met.” She shrugged awkwardly. “I liked him.” She could really pick her men.

“Are you lying to me, Sienna Caroline? Because if you are, I will know.”

“He didn’t hurt him. I promise, Abbey. He’s a really good guy.”

“See.”

Abbey’s frown told him to shut the hell up and be quick about it. “Then, who did hurt them?”

“There was this other guy I met. He was really great. I thought he loved me. He was crazy about Toby and got along all right with Lesly.” She dropped her sister’s accusing eyes and stroked the blank gray interrogation table. “I didn’t know what he was doing to them. I swear, I didn’t know.”

“But you found out, didn’t you?”

She nodded, finally looking abashed. “I came in on him. In the middle of the night. He had his hand on the back of Toby’s neck,” she touched her own in remembrance. “Lesly was fighting him, but he was holding her against his side with his other hand over her mouth. They were crying. He was,” she hiccupped, “so serious, so intent on what he was doing. What he was doing was…”she gagged, “taking Toby’s hope away.”

“What did you do?”

“I tried to stop him, of course. I tried to pull him off my kids. But he was bigger, stronger, and angrier than me. And I was angry. I was. I was also confused. How could the best thing in my life go so wrong? He adored them, or he pretended to. Who does that do to a boy like him, to any boy?”

“Why didn’t you tell anyone?” Abbey came closer, but didn’t extend a hand to her sister. Her sister was an Oscar-worthy performer. She was still prepared for any deception.

“Who would believe me? I am your big sister. I’ve never been anything except the one who failed first. I should’ve been you, Abbey. But I’m not. I’ve never been good at a thing in my life, except failing to meet every expectation you surpassed. He…” she began to falter here. “He was a doctor, a respected Philadelphia doctor and I was his harlot. Who cared about me and what I said? He said I was drunk all the time and that’s what they believed.” She wiped her blotchy face with the back of her hand.

“I made him leave, but he kept calling. Reynold was long gone. He’s been gone a long time. I took them out of Philly and brought them to New York, hoping the change of scenery would make it better. But it didn’t make anything better. You’re right, there were nightmares. The screams were terrible. I couldn’t deal, so I left them here. It wasn’t so much how badly they were hurt as how angry they were. Not with me, with themselves.” She took a deep breath and clinched her fists, chancing a look at Abbey. Her expression was unreadable. “I don’t get kids. I don’t get how their minds work and how they take these great responsibilities meant for us. I tried to help. I couldn’t. I knew you, who could do anything, would be able to heal them. You’re the doctor, the natural born mother, the nurturer. So, I made up some story that Jed would no doubt believe and I went away.”

“Why come back, then?”

She chuckled wryly. “I missed them, believe it or not. And, yes, I wanted to hurt you a little bit. It’s the only way I know how to reach you.”

“Call. You could’ve called.” Neither of them was great at communication.

“Would you have answered?”

Abbey’s cheeks colored in acknowledgement of her own prejudice. “Eventually, sure.”

“Eventually might’ve been too late for all of us.”

“I still want to know why you came back.” Abbey’s was determined in her resolve, even as it weakened beneath her filial piety. She was deferring her needs and desires to those of her older sister as she had to Jed’s in the past. The outcome of that decision would be left to history, but this one was up to her.

“I want my babies back.”

Abbey rested a hand on her hip with a grip so firm it wrinkled the fabric of her skirt. Off like a Band-Aid, Abigail. “That’s unfortunate for you, then, because you‘re still not taking my children. End of discussion. Have a nice evening and a safe trip home. Please do visit again.” She graced them with her best ‘First Lady’ smile. “Ron, please show our guests out, if you would.” She nodded to him and left the room.

“Yes, ma’am. If both of you would follow me.” His stern glance assured them that they’d be leaving whether or not they were ready to go.

Abbey hurried back to the Residence and found her family gathered in the kitchen, breakfast left untouched in front of each of them. First thing, before a word was said, she kissed each of her babies; Les, Toby and Zoey. She lingered last at Jed, still not saying anything and touched his face tenderly. He knew. That would be enough for now.

She turned back to the children. “Why aren’t you eating? Aren’t you hungry?”

Zoey, leaning gloomily on her hand, mumbled, “Not really, no.”

She rubbed her elder daughter’s back soothingly and leaned closer to whisper in her ear, “Then pretend for me. This is good as it gets, with the five of us together. Enjoy it. It may not last.”

She looked up at her mother and just like that she knew too. “Guys, we should eat. We can’t go to the amusement park if we don’t eat, can we, mom?”

She leaned over the counter, following Zoey‘s lead off the bat. “Of course not. It’s freezing out there. You’ll catch your death of a cold without something warm in you. Eat. All of you,” she finished giving Jed a pointed look.

His countenance hotly protested, but vocally he conceded. “Do as she says. Or we will all be staying inside. Doctor’s orders.” He gestured to Abbey with his fork for emphasis. Grudgingly, Les and Toby picked up their forks and began nibbling their way through plates of cooling eggs, bacon, and toast. It was slow going and tasted vaguely of a bad memory all the way down.

“See how well things go when you just do as I say?” It was a fair attempt to lighten the mood.

“Of course, we do, dear,” he returned over his picking at his eggs without gusto. He couldn’t eat, he couldn’t drink. His glass was sat untouched and his toast was hardening in the sharp morning chill. What an example he set. She came from beside Zoey to behind him, retaking her earlier position of her arms wrapped lazily around his neck.

“What’s wrong?”

“Oh, nothing. Just eating.” He proceeded to push his eggs around his bacon so it at least looked like he’d eaten some of them.

She chuckled dryly. “That is the most unproductive eating I think I’ve ever seen. Can we try to jumpstart the process by maybe putting some of it in our mouths?”

He collected a bunch of eggs on his fork and held it up for her. “You actually want to eat this? Because you’re welcome to it.”

“No, no, honey. That’s all yours. I’ll get something later.” Her smirk assured him that it would be better than what was on his plate by any means.

“Diabolical.” He accused her.

“Selfless.” She denied him. And he didn’t disagree.

“Wicked.” But how he did love to play with her.

“Altruistic.” She read the thesaurus too.

He gave up all pretend of eating and put down his fork. “Mine.” He reached for one of her hands.

She let him take one and held him tighter in her embrace, whispering finally, “Yours.”

There were some things she was sure of. Not many things, given what had just happened. But she was sure of this. She was his, he was hers, and their union was one thing her sister could never batter nor destroy.

And their future belonged to them.

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