Abbey, Christ, that's cold," Jed flinched, as Abbey placed the metal disc of her stethoscope on his bare chest. "If you had any bedside manner at all, you would have warmed it first."

"Jed, hush," Abbey admonished him, while listening intently to his heart.

"Abbey, it's my leg that got stung. Why are you listening to my heart?"

"Jed, will you be quiet for just two minutes?" She snapped the stethoscope out of her ears and placed her fingers against his throat checking for any swelling. "Are you having any trouble swallowing?"

"No," he rolled his eyes.

"Any difficulty breathing?"

"No. Abbey, dammit, my leg is on fire. Why are you messing around with my chest?"

"Because you've never been stung before and some people experience anaphylactic shock from the venom." Annie, who was seated on the floor of the porch holding Jed's hand, looked at Abbey fearfully.

"What's that?" Annie asked. "Is Gramps going to be ok?"

"He'll be fine," Abbey squeezed her granddaughter's hand reassuringly.

"I am fine, honey," Jed kissed the top of her head.

"Here's the vinegar and water you asked for," Liz said, handing the container to her mother.

"What the heck is that going to do?" Jed asked.

"Are you going to question everything I do for you?" Abbey asked exasperated.

"Hey, it's my leg. I'm a little interested."

"If there are any tentacles left in your leg, the vinegar and water solution will kill them." She lifted Jed's foot onto her lap, frowning at the angry red burn mark on his calf. "Oh Jed," she shook her head, "leave it to you to go for a walk on the beach and get stung by a jellyfish. How did it happen?"

"It was my fault, Gram. We were wading at the edge of the surf looking for sand dollars and I saw a really big one, but before I could get it a wave took it. Gramps went after it for and the jellyfish got him on the leg."

"It's ok, honey," Abbey smiled. "Could you run in and get me a glass of water so I can give your Granddad some Benadryl?"

"Ok," Annie raced off.

Abbey took the vinegar solution and looked up into Jed's eyes.

"This is going to hurt, isn't it?" He asked.

"I'm afraid so," she said apologetically.

"That's why you made Annie leave."

"She feels bad enough. I don't want her to see you any worse than she already has."

"Here Dad, take my hand," Liz said, offering him her hand to hold. Abbey wished there were a gentle way to go about doing this, but there wasn't. She held his leg firmly and poured the vinegar over the burn. She felt Jed's entire body contract at upon contact. The searing, burning pain worked its way up his leg and he threw his head back with a deep groan of agony. Abbey bit her lip and held her breath, hating to see him in such pain.

"I'm so sorry, babe," she said, noting the ashen quality to his skin and the beads of perspiration on his forehead.

"S'ok," he bit out.

"You're going to feel better in a minute. I'm putting some witch hazel on which should help take away the burning sensation. Ahh, and here is your water." She handed him two Benadryl pills and all three of them helped him to the wicker couch.

"I want you to lay here and relax for awhile," Abbey told him, placing a pillow under his leg to elevate it. "If you have any difficulty swallowing or breathing, you call me."

"Yes Doc. Now don't I get a lollipop or something?"

"I'm not a pediatrician, Jed."

"Well, a doctor should give her patient some kind of reward."

"How is this?" She leaned over and gave him a gentle kiss on the lips.

"I better be the only patient you reward that way," he warned. "I only meant a cookie or something."

"Well, if you would prefer a cookie."

"No, no. I'll take a kiss over a cookie any day."

"I thought so," Abbey smiled. "Now I am going to finish dressing our children since Izzy has today off too and I don't want to see you off that couch."

"I will follow doctor's orders, scout's honor," he put up two fingers in a scout salute.

"That would be a first," Abbey muttered under her breath as she turned to go inside.

"Want me to stay and keep you company?" Annie asked him.

"Nah, I'm fine. Now, get that guilty look off your face and go do something fun. I'm just going to take a little nap since I was so rudely awakened before dawn this morning. This wasn't your fault, Annie. Really."

****

Abbey lay back in her lounge chair sipping her frozen piņa colada and inhaling the scent of the beach roses that surrounded she and her female group of friends and family. Jane had just returned from Boothbay, Sally from Wolfeboro, and Jenny had just arrived with her new boyfriend Jeffrey along with Mallory.

The day had dawned sunny and bright. The perfect day to go fishing, much to Toby's dismay. He had been praying all night for one of those famous nor'Easters he'd heard so much about. Once the men had left to go fishing, the girls and Mallory decided to go blueberry picking, while Beth and Emily were spending the day antiquing. So, Abbey was enjoying a relaxing afternoon with the women close to her. It was rare that she was able to do this anymore. She and her girlfriends used to get together at least once a month for lunch or dinner to keep in touch and, because she and Millie had been on staff Boston Mercy together, they had often lunched and shopped in Boston together. But, ever since she had become First Lady, things had been much different. Even some of her closest friends had begun to treat her differently, more formally. And while she tried to phone and email them to keep in touch, it wasn't the same as getting together in person. But, these women here were all women she trusted. Women she could be herself with. What was amazing was that they could all click despite being so different. The only thing they had in common was the fact that they were all women, and of course, Abbey, the woman whose anniversary they were all here to share.

"Well, I have to say, this is better than the tea party you were telling Toby about," CJ said, lifting her glass to Abbey.

"If I had told him we were all going to sit around getting drunk on piņa coladas, he might have wanted to stay," Abbey smiled, then turned to Jenny. "Are you sure Jeffrey is all right at the hotel? I feel bad about the whole fishing thing, but I didn't think it would be a good idea for he and Leo to be together on the boat."

"No, he'll be fine. You were right about that. And did you see Jed's face when I walked over with Jeffrey? I swear Abbey, he wanted to brand me with a scarlet A."

"It's going to take him a while to get used to you with someone who isn't Leo. You know how old fashioned he is."

"Only too well. If he knew we were sharing a room, he'd probably blow a gasket."

"Jenny, you didn't tell me things had progressed to that point. You're sleeping with him?"

"Why the funny face? I'm a responsible grown woman."

"Oh, I know that Jenny. I wasn't condemning you. It's just weird for me. You've been with Leo almost as long as I've known you. Wasn't it strange after being with only one man for decades to sleep with someone else?" Abbey couldn't imagine what it would be like to share that kind of intimacy with any man other than Jed.

"It was at first. I kept feeling like I was doing something wrong, like I was cheating on Leo. But to be honest, my sex life with Leo was pretty much non-existent by the end, so it was nice to regain that part of my life. It's wonderful to be back in a relationship where I actually matter to a person."

"You mattered to Leo," Abbey said sadly.

"Just not enough. Now, enough about that, let's talk about the anniversary party, after all I am partially responsible for getting you and Jed together."

"You are?" CJ asked, then turned to Abbey. "How did you two meet? He told me on a trip once that he was thinking about becoming a priest until he met you. Is that true?"

"Yes it is," Abbey grinned, "Can you believe it? Jed Bartlet, a priest?"

"Ugh, no," CJ laughed, "After watching you two together, I find it completely unbelievable that he would have thought of becoming a priest."

"Well, to be honest, he was mainly doing it to please his mother and piss off his father. Jed's father never respected the rest of the family's religious beliefs and when Jed turned down the ivy league to go to the Notre Dame seminary, it damn near killed him. It was exactly the reaction Jed wanted. Anyway, by the time I met him he was a junior and was rethinking his whole career choice."

"I worked in Father Flynn's office at the seminary with Jed," Jenny explained. "We had become good friends." But not as good as I had wanted, she thought with a sigh. "Anyway, I could see how depressed he was over realizing he didn't exactly have the calling the other seminary students had, and that his choice had been made for all the wrong reasons, so I suggested he go with me to a party I had been invited to on campus."

"And let me guess, you were there?" CJ smiled at Abbey.

"Yes, I had just broken up with Ron Ehrlich that week. We had been dating for some months and I thought I was in love with him. I didn't even know what love was," she laughed, shaking her head and suddenly she was transported to that frat party where she had broken up with Ron so many years ago.

(South Bend, Indiana)

She was standing outside raging with fury, while the party went on inside.

"Honey, what are you doing out here? Are you upset?" Ron asked.

"Upset? Of course I'm upset, Ron. You just told a whole roomful of people just what our life would be like after we got married."

"What's wrong with that?"

"Ron, you haven't even asked me to marry you, we have never even discussed it. You just assume I am going to want to marry you."

"I guess I did. We've been going together for almost a year now."

"Six months."

"Nine months, Abbey. I guess I just assumed marriage would be the next step."

"That's the problem, Ron. You didn't take me into consideration. You never do. I have dreams and plans for the future but you don't want to hear about those, do you?"

"This is about a couple weeks ago when I wanted to sleep with you, isn't it?"

"You did sleep with me. If you remember correctly, you made me so late I couldn't get back into my dorm, I had to spend the night with you."

"Ok then, when I wanted to have sex with you."

"And I tried to tell you I wasn't ready, but because your roommate was gone, you felt it was the perfect night."

"And it would have been if you had just given in."

"You didn't have any birth control."

"I think that was just an excuse. You didn't want to go through with it to begin with."

"No, I didn't, but you pushed me. You called me a cocktease. You made me feel like there was something wrong with me because I didn't want to have sex with you and take a chance on getting pregnant. And maybe there is something wrong with me. Maybe I don't love you. Because tonight when you talked about getting married I didn't feel happy, I felt suffocated. I really think we need to take some time apart and see what we really want."

"I know what I want Abbey. I want you."

"Well, I'm not sure I want you anymore. I've just been feeling more and more smothered lately. I'm not happy. I'm twenty years old, Ron. I want to be happy."

"I could make you real happy," he smiled lasciviously and ran his fingers over her collarbone.

"This has nothing to do with sex, Ron," she slapped his hand away. "Can't you understand that?"

"You'll come running back to me. Mark my words Abbey, I'm not going to let you go without a fight," he stormed away.

(Maine)

"Oooh, this is getting good," CJ rubbed her hands together. "Did you meet the President soon after this?"

"About two weeks later. Ron did not take our separation well. He called me everyday and didn't like taking no for an answer. I really was beginning to think there was something wrong with me. Ron was a good guy, we had been dating for a long time. Why couldn't I love him, or want him? Was there something emotionally wrong with me? I guess Millie got sick of me moping around about this stuff so she dragged me to some party she had been invited to. I really didn't want to go. I just went to shut her up. Anyway, I was just going inside after getting some fresh air when I literally bumped into Jed in the doorway. He grabbed my arms to steady me and I looked up into the most beautiful, bluest eyes I have ever seen. I can't explain it, but when his eyes met mine that first time, there was just some kind of connection or recognition, even though we had never met. You should have seen him then, CJ. He is incredibly handsome now, but back then he was like some wild poet. All this shaggy long tawny hair and those bluer than blue eyes that just radiated humor and intelligence."

"Long hair?" CJ laughed.

"Well, fairly long. To his collar anyway. He was hardly a rebel, but this was the sixties after all. Anyway, we just sat and started to talk. He was so full of fire and purpose. And he listened to me. Really listened to me. He wanted to know all about what my plans for the future and was truly interested and impressed by them. That was something new for me. Ron always seemed to brush my interests aside. Jed asked me out and, on that first date, I realized he was not like anyone I had ever met before. He could quote poetry, baseball stats, literature, and the stock market with equal enthusiasm. I had dated intelligent men before. Ron was an intelligent man. But Jed was like some kind of Renaissance man. He was completely interested in everything. He seemed to absorb knowledge. Ron just totally paled in comparison. And, on top of that, my physical attraction to him was like nothing I had ever experienced before. When he kissed me goodnight that first time, it was so incredible it made my toes curl. I had never felt about any man the way I found myself feeling about Jed. I remember looking at him and wondering what it would be like to grow old with him, to make a baby with him. It didn't take me long to realize that I had never been in love with Ron, because love was what I felt for Jed, and it was the most amazing experience I had ever had."

"So, did you know he was planning on becoming a priest?"

"When he first told me that, I felt my whole world falling apart. I'm a Catholic and the fact that I was falling in love with a man who was studying to be a priest did not go over well with me. But he was very honest about it. He explained he had been having second thoughts for a long time about the whole 'calling' thing and after meeting me at the party, before we even had our first date, he had dropped out of the seminary. Later he told me that he knew right then at the party that he was going to do whatever he could to spend the rest of his life with me."

"You must have made quite an impression for him to drop out after just meeting you."

"Oh, yes she did," Jenny said, "after that party, it was Abbey this and Abbey that. The man was absolutely besotted."

"Well, he made quite an impression on me too. Now, who needs another piņa colada?"

"You can't quit there," CJ complained. "Whatever happened with Ron?"

"All in good time, CJ."

TBC...