Chapter 9
ON CHRISTMAS MORNING, the first thing that Sam spied under the tree was the gift envelope with Mickey Mouse’s smiling face on the seal. Inside were tickets to Disney World. Upon opening them, he screamed so loud that Hope knew he would be hoarse for days.
Sam surprised her with a gift of his own – his school picture framed by popsicle sticks that were glued together and decorated with snowflake-shaped sequins.
Leaving Sam in front of the television to watch Christmas cartoons, she went to the kitchen to check on the roast that was heating in the oven. She fired up the stovetop for the rest of the dishes – corn, field peas, potatoes au gratin, and macaroni and cheese. Cheddar biscuits were baking in the toaster oven, and a potato salad and sweet potato pie were chilling in the refrigerator.
This is too much food, she scolded herself.
On a whim, she reached for the phone book and flipped until she found the surname she was looking for.
McAllister.
There were just a handful in the phonebook, and guessed that Lorraine McAllister was Will’s mother. She dialed and waited nervously.
“Mrs. McAllister?” Hope asked into the phone. “My name is Hope Wyatt and I’m a friend of Will’s. In fact, Katie and my son, Sam, are best friends, too.”
“Yes, dear, I know who you are,” Mrs. McAllister responded sweetly. “Katie thinks the world of your little Sam. And Will speaks of you often. He’s quite fond of you.”
“Oh,” Hope said with a surprised chuckle. “Well, I’m calling, first of all, to wish you and Katie a Merry Christmas today.”
“And Merry Christmas to you and Sam as well!”
“Thank you. I don’t know if you knew this or not, but I work at Mercy and I’ve been checking in on Will every day. I know his nurses and they’re all taking good care of him.”
“Well, thank you,” said Mrs. McAllister. “We haven’t been able to get out to the hospital as often as I’d like. Katie’s in school during the morning visiting hours, and I’m afraid I can’t drive well in the dark these days, so evening hours are no good either. And the roads have been so dangerous with the snow and ice, the last thing I’d want is for the rest of us to end up in a wreck.”
“I know what you mean,” Hope sympathized. She hesitated for a second. “I was also calling to ask if you and Katie have plans this afternoon? I’ve made a big Christmas dinner, and there’s way too much food for Sam and I. Would you like to join us?”
“Oh, we’d love to,” said Mrs. McAllister. “We’re going to go see Will at some point today, but other than that, we don’t have anything else on the schedule.”
“I could come pick you both up,” offered Hope, “and we could all go to the hospital together, then back to my place. I can take you and Katie home after dinner so you don’t have to worry about driving in the dark. Would that work?”
“That would be wonderful,” Mrs. McAllister gushed. “Isn’t my son lucky to have someone like you in his life? I’m going to chew him out as soon as he comes out of that coma!”
“Why?”
“I want to know where he’s been hiding you all this time,” Mrs. McAllister laughed.
• • •
LATER THAT DAY at the hospital, Hope’s heart ached as she watched Will’s mother and daughter approach his bedside.
“Hey Daddy,” said Katie, “guess what? Santa brought me everything I asked for. And I have a present for you at Grandma’s house. It’s something I made you in school. You have to wake up and open it, okay?” She rubbed his arm gently, then added in barely a whisper, “Merry Christmas. I love you Daddy.”
“Merry Christmas, honey,” said Mrs. McAllister. “Hope and Sam are here too. Katie and I are having dinner with them tonight. Sure do wish you could join us.”
“We’ll save you some leftovers, Mr. Will,” Sam jumped in to offer.
Everyone laughed.
And once again, Hope felt it – that same wonderful feeling that she sometimes experienced in the mornings when she and Will walked their children to class; that they simply belonged together. They were a family waiting to happen.
“Merry Christmas, Will,” Hope added softly, and crossed the room to open the blinds.