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Fighting The Cold
Cinnamon & Violet

Concord, New Hampshire, 1993

"Here's looking at you, kid."

Abbey chuckled and clinked her glass with her husband's. "I love this movie."

Jed put an arm around her. "A loaf of bread, a glass of wine, and thou."

"Triscuits don't qualify as bread," she teased, taking one from the box.

"Details." He smiled as she nestled closer to him on the couch. The phone rang.

She paused the video. "Damn."

Jed set his glass down and picked up the phone. "Hello.... Yes. He did? Where...? Okay. Yeah. Thank you, Mrs. Landingham."

Abbey watched him, concerned. "What's up?"

"Leo called from the airport in Manchester." He hung up the phone and rubbed his eyes briefly.

"Is he--"

"I don't know." Jed stood up and headed for the front door. "I'm going to take a car out there."

She watched him putting on his coat. "And this was starting to be such a nice night."

"Yeah." He paused. "I have to go."

"I know." Abbey sighed. "Be careful."

He nodded and walked out into the snow.


* * *


Leo looped the handle of his bag over his shoulder and stumbled into the wall. A flight attendant grabbed his arm to steady him. Shaking her off with a look that fell somewhere between gratitude and contempt, Leo quickened his pace and locked eyes with Jed.

"Hi."

Jed reached out and took Leo's bag. Silently, he placed a firm hand under Leo's elbow and helped him to the car.

They sat in silence for most of the ride back to the mansion. Jed looked at Leo and finally, Leo met his gaze.

"Jenny kicked me out."

Jed settled against the seat of the car. "I'm not surprised."

"I didn't know where to go."

"It's all right."

Leo rubbed his brow with an unsteady hand and moaned softly. "We were arguing about -- I don't know what. I called her a bitch, and she...." He trailed off and threw up his hands.

"Yeah."

The car pulled up to the Governor's Mansion. Leo climbed out of the backseat and promptly lost his footing on the icy pavement. "Shit."

"Watch it." Jed extended a hand.

Leo took it and got to his feet. "I can't believe it's so cold."

"It's November, and it's New England."

"Yeah. Look, I'm sorry about this."

"I told you it's all right. You can stay for a couple days."

"That's all I need." Leo stamped the snow from his boots as they went inside. "Tomorrow, once she's had some time to cool down, I'll call home."

With a noncommittal shrug, Jed took Leo's coat. "You have to be quiet. I don't want you to wake the girls."

"I know it's late."

Jed leveled a serious look at his best friend. "And I don't want them to see this."

Abbey came down the front stairs, her arms laden with blankets. "Leo."

"Abbey." He smiled faintly. "It's nice to see you."

She walked past him. "I'll make up the couch for you."

"I'm going upstairs," Jed announced, kissing Abbey's cheek.

She nodded. "I'll be up in a minute."

Leo followed Abbey into the living room and sat on an ottoman as she shook out a sheet and tucked it carefully onto the cushions of the couch.

"Thank you for...." Leo trailed off, his tongue thick in his mouth.

Abbey offered no reply. Instead, she smoothed the blue blanket over the sheets and fluffed a pillow. Leo's eyes darted around the room, finally falling on the crackers and half-empty glass of wine on the coffee table.

"There," she said, gesturing to the couch and picking up the glass. "Try to get some sleep."

Leo stood and walked towards her. She raised the glass to her lips and swallowed the contents.

"Abbey...." He trailed off again and placed his hand on top of hers. She looked at him and suddenly, his tongue was in her mouth. He desperately lapped against her, relaxing as he tasted the wine on her lips.

Abbey pushed him away and slapped him. Stunned, he opened his mouth to speak and she slapped him again, so hard that her hand stung.

"You should take it as a sign of my friendship for you that I'm not going upstairs and telling my husband what you just did." Abbey exhaled slowly.

Leo's lips parted, but Abbey raised a hand to quiet him.

"My husband, who left this house in the middle of the night to pick you up from the airport. Do you know how much he loves you, Leo?"

"I don't need a lecture, Abbey."

"Yes, you do!" Abbey pointed a finger at Leo. "Last week, we were eating dinner and the phone rang. It was your wife. She was crying, Leo, and she said you were going crazy. Jenny told me that you were scaring her and that you were scaring Mallory. You scare your own daughter, were you aware of that?" Leo nodded lamely as she went on, "You scare your own daughter, and you scare your wife, and she calls my husband because you can't take care of your family!"

Leo watched Abbey trembling with rage and it occurred to him that he had never seen her like this. "I don't need this, Abbey."

"This is exactly what you need." Her tone was angry, but controlled. "You flew up here tonight because you knew that my husband would clean up after you, but this is where it stops. You come into this house high, and it will not happen again. My children are upstairs, Leo. This is where it fucking stops."

Abbey held his gaze until he broke it and slumped onto the couch. She regarded him wearily and began to climb the stairs. "Try to get some sleep."

He listened to her footsteps receding, one shaky hand fumbling at the knot in his tie. He slipped off his shoes and jacket, staring blearily into dim space. As the night wore on, he got up and paced back and forth on the hardwood floor. He paused at the window, dubiously scanning his reflection: the red blur of his bloodshot eyes, the hard bitter lines on his brow. He ran a hand over his face, drawing a slow, ragged breath. Shortly before dawn, he went in search of a phone book.


* * *


From the bottom of the stairs, Jed looked Leo over in the early morning light. "Hi."

Leo barely raised his head. "Morning."

"Get any sleep?"

"No."

"Neither did I." Jed came into the room and dropped down beside him on the sofa. "So what are you doing?"

Leo glanced out the window, then turned and faced his friend. "I'll need a lift to the airport."


* * *


The two men stood uncertainly in the middle of the terminal. "I called ahead," Leo told him.

"I know."

"This is -- I've never done anything like this."

In the fluorescent airport light, Jed noticed a red mark along Leo's cheek. He chose not to comment on it. "Well, it's time. You know, it isn't going to be easy."

He laughed mirthlessly. "It couldn't be further from easy."

"You have friends and a family to think about. And you're a good man." Jed touched Leo's arm. "In the face of everything, you are. And this is a good fight."

Leo looked at the floor. It was a long time before he was able to speak. "Yeah, it is," he said, at last. "Will you call Jenny and--"

"I'm sure Abbey's talking to her right now."

"Tell her--" Leo hesitated. "Tell Abbey thank you."

Jed nodded. "I'm heading to the office. Call me from Newark before your connection."

"I will."

"You better."

"I will." Leo adjusted his coat. "I owe you."

Jed waved this off. "We're friends. We don't keep score." He lifted the suitcase.

Leo took it. "So I'll talk to you in a few hours."

"Yes." With a meaningful look, Jed held out his hand, palm up.

Leo reached slowly into his pocket. He placed the small, half-empty Valium bottle carefully in his friend's hand.

"It's a good fight, Leo," Jed told him, maintaining eye contact.

"Yeah." Leo began to walk toward the gate, then stopped to look back over his shoulder. He smiled. "I owe you one."

Jed returned the smile and shook his head. "Go."

He did.



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