“Bad day?” Abbey looked up from her book, seeing her husband looking tired—very tired. She wished it was something new; she wished he didn’t always looked so exhausted, but ever since he had taken office there was a spark missing from his eyes. “I had to send planes into a small country to bring out our men,” Jed said, throwing his sweater at the chair near the foot of his bead, and beginning to unbutton his shirt. “And then Fitz told us the men weren’t even in the country. Something about some officer down in South Carolina misreading a decoy signal. So now an act which could potentially be considered an act of war against a country with more nuclear holdings than Russia during the cold war comes down to a mistake; a mistake that could force me to send in the 87th airborne.” “So a tough day?” Abbey put her book down on the end table, and rested her glasses in her hair. “Yeah.” “But now you’re here. And I’m still awake, so there’s a little sunshine today, isn’t there Jethro?” “Don’t call me Jethro.” “Why not?” Abbey smiled, hoping to elicit even the slightest grin from him. “You’re my Jethro, and I’m entitled to call you that.” “Abbey,” he whined, although secretly he was glad the easy banter was returning to their relationship. Everything had been strained since Zoey’s kidnapping, and his involvement in Shareef’s murder, and only now, after almost a year, were things falling back into place. “Jethro, sit...Let’s talk. Something else is bothering you, I know it.” She patted the bed beside her and waited for him to join her. “I used to like my job,” he said, taking his seat beside her. “When you were President the first time?” Her teasing grin made him realize that whatever happened during her day at work, she was mostly happy, and for that he was appreciative. Abbey deserved happiness, and lately it had been at a minimum. “No, I’ve not had time to enjoy it at all...Why didn’t I take up the cloth?” Jed settled against the pillow and got more comfortable. “Because you met me...and got me pregnant?” Abbey’s finger dragged over his shoulder. “And because you’re a great man who’s meant to lead.” “I should have stayed Governor. New Hampshire was thriving and I was doing well in opinion polls...” “Opinion polls don’t matter to you Jed, so don’t pretend they do.” “We used to be able to go out to dinner together.” He argued, but without much conviction. “You didn’t have time, remember? You were too busy making New Hampshire a bigger place; putting it on the map. And I had my practice to keep me busy.” Jed sighed. “You’re president, Jethro, and you’ve been changing the country one day at a time. And doing a pretty good job of it,” Abbey clarified. “And you screw up, but you fix it.” “I’m not sure how I’m gonna stop us from being dragged to war.” “Ah, but a the eleventh hour you’ll dig it out.” “Unless I just dig us in deeper.” “You won’t let that happen,” Abbey assured him. “Jethro, incase you haven’t noticed, you’re surrounded by people who love you. They’d follow you to the end of the world...” “They’re not puppies...” “But they love you unconditionally. We all do. Even when you piss us off, we trust you explicitly. So deal with it, ok, you had a bad day, and it was a really bad day...but it’s over, and tomorrow, you’ll make the world that much better a place by giving another few million to the pediatrics aids society, and then showing the world that there’s more to worry about than tax credits for the wealthy. Jed, you give the people of this country someone to believe in, and even though you had a bad day, you’re still the President.” Jed laughed. “You practice that before I got here?” “Leo called me to let me know that the day hadn’t been stellar.” “Hadn’t been stellar...that’s one way to put it.” “So, bad day or not, we’re both here right now. You thinking what I’m thinking?” Jed looked at her, wondering what she was implying, and if it was what he thought. “Pancakes with New Hampshire syrup?” Abbey grinned, realizing she threw him a curve ball. “It’s midnight.” “So it’s an early breakfast.” “I love you,” he said humbly, happy that his wife was there when he needed her. “I love you too, Jethro.” “Abbey...” Getting out of bed, she laughed. “Last one down to the kitchen has to flip the pancakes,” she called back, remembering how much fun they had in the early years. There were more bad days now. But everyone had bad days, and they’d work through them together.