Gift fic! Five times Elizabeth Weir celebrated Christmas (Sunday Fathers tag)
Enjoy. *g*
Its three days to Christmas and Elizabeth is lying on her friend's couch, unable to see her own toes. Her stomach is so big, swollen and heavy, and all she wants is these two weeks to pass, so she could have her body back.
She feels another kick against the left side of her ribs and smiles. Janet comes to sit on the couch next to her, while Sam is munching on popcorn.
“Want some?” offers Sam. Elizabeth eyes the bowl and declines.
“I prefer ice cream today,” she says.
“Yeah, we noticed. You just had two,” laughs Janet.
“You do have more?” asks Elizabeth and her friends start laughing.
“Five more, but if you eat all of them, I’m going to have one cranky husband,” answers Janet with a grin, and the moment the words are out of her mouth, her smile drops. “Oh my mouth,” she says. Elizabeth pushes herself slowly up, trying to keep her face calm, and the smile fastened on her lips.
“Hey. Don’t do that, Janet,” says Elizabeth. “I’m happy for you guys. I really am. You know that.”
“Simon is a big fat jerk,” says Sam and Elizabeth nods. “Leaving someone on Christmas Eve isn’t really classy,” adds Sam, her mouth full of popcorn. Elizabeth smiles and then rubs her stomach. That baby she’s carrying inside seems unbelievably bouncy and happy.
“Exactly. Besides that, it’s been a year. I’m over him. I can’t say I’m sad that he left. And speaking of presents…,” Elizabeth looks at her stomach. Her unborn daughter kicks her again and Elizabeth feels her heart might explode of excitement. The stirring and kicking inside of her means life, and love, and that she will never be alone any more. Janet’s eyes become huge and watery. “Hey I have you to thank,” teases Elizabeth, trying to make her friend smile. Janet does smile, but tears start to flow. Sam is biting her lip on the couch, fighting her own burst of tears. Three of them cry an awful lot these days. “You put her in there after all.”
Janet starts sobbing and hiccupping. Elizabeth muses on how pathetic three of them are, when only one of them is supposed to be hormonal. Sam straightens up, puts the popcorn bowl at the table and leans forward with an impish smirk, while wiping away the tears.
“Wasn’t that just a great, romantic moment? Like every girl’s wish how to get pregnant?”
Sam’s humor is off beat these days but to Elizabeth it’s perfect. More laughing, more tears, more kicking. Elizabeth feels happy, content, and complete. She has friends, and soon she will have a child. Does she really need a man?
She doesn’t feel she’s missing anything.
The baby makes another flip in her stomach - or at least it feels like that - and Elizabeth smiles blissfully knowing that she isn’t alone.
-- x --
Lily is three years old and can’t stop singing. She had been repeating Jingle Bells the whole day long, but Elizabeth doesn’t really mind. It’s fun and she likes Lily’s voice. She is almost finished with her Christmas shopping, and this year it wasn’t easy.
Jamie will get that big cookbook he mentioned a month ago. Elizabeth is however debating if she should buy anything for her older brother. Andrew has this talent of spoiling the best things, much more so than their mother. It was about Lily again, and the “lack of family” how Andrew likes to call it. He has what he considers a perfect family - a wife, a dog, a child, the second one on the way - and he believes the rest of the world should abide his rules.
It’s Lily has a family - but Lily needs a father - Lily has a mother these days, and only Jamie thinks Elizabeth isn’t a bad person for being happy on her own. She said she will take Lily to Paris, to that congress and Elizabeth’s mother jumped in at that, saying Lily needs to have a proper home, and not be dragged around the world.
Standing in front of a big store window Elizabeth observes twinkling lights, not really noticing what is behind the glass. Snow is falling and it’s a little chilly. Her family - apart from Jamie, bless his soul - her family is awful at the moment. All they want is to change her so she could fit the perfect picture frame.
Elizabeth wishes her dad was still alive. She would feel less alone in this endeavor. Dad would support her no matter what.
The bags are heavy in her hand, full of presents she doesn’t want to give, because she doesn’t want to spend those three godawful days in Weir house, listening to her mother and Andrew.
In her arms Lily squirms, points at something inside the store window and starts chanting in high child voice: Jingle Bells, Jingle Bells. She gets jingle all the way wrong every time. Elizabeth observes their reflection in the glass and wants to smile and cry at the same time. How come they - her family - can’t simply be happy for her? She is happy.
Lily finishes the song and hugs Elizabeth tightly.
“Mommy, are you going to make popcorns?” she asks and Elizabeth nearly laughs. Her daughter is a popcorn junkie. It must be Sam’s fault.
“Sure thing, sweetie,” says Elizabeth and then her heart makes a decision.
She will skip the obligatory family Christmas, so to speak. She doesn’t have to go there, she has a place to be and a family to spend her Christmas with.
Lily starts singing again, and Elizabeth joins her this time. Two is company, after all.
-- x --
It’s Christmas Eve and Lily is almost five. Janet is at Elizabeth’s kitchen, helping her with wrapping of the last among many presents and Lily and Daniel are playing chess in the living room.
It’s a quiet evening. Elizabeth likes quiet evenings, despite the fact she hoped for a different Christmas.
“I ran into Simon today,” says Elizabeth after failing to tie a ribbon for a fifth time. Janet looks up from the wrapping paper.
“Really?”
Elizabeth nods.
“Him. And a wife. A pregnant wife.”
Janet just looks at her and Elizabeth can almost hear Janet’s thoughts.
“No I don’t regret, Janet. He was a jerk, just like you and Sam like to point out,” there is bitterness in Elizabeth’s tone that has nothing to do with Simon and his happy little family. A string of loud laughter emerges from the living room, two voices mixed together and Elizabeth heart constricts in pain.
“I don’t think it’s good to blame yourself now, Elizabeth. Mike was…”
Biting her lip, Elizabeth cuts Janet off.
“I regret only one thing. Lily got to like him. She really did. I feel I broke her heart,” says Elizabeth, listening to her daughter laughing. She adores Daniel, and Jack, Jamie and Andrew - all the male figures that, in her child’s mind, represent that one thing she’s missing so badly - a father.
“What about your heart, Elizabeth?” asks Janet with concern in her voice and Elizabeth takes a deep breath. Better not going there, ever again. Mike was a mistake. It could never work out, not with Elizabeth’s job and travels and… well, everything. She simply can’t get used to being a part of something any more, even if that means giving her daughter what she really needs.
A real family.
Elizabeth pushes that thought and her mother’s voice out of her head. It’s Christmas, it’s time for joy. Her friends are with her, she is happy enough to have Daniel and Janet; to have Sam and Jack. Those two will finally get together.
“My heart will be fine,” says Elizabeth.
Janet keeps looking at her, that long, heavy look that sees through her and covers Elizabeth’s hand with her own.
“If you say so,” answers Janet and takes the ribbon from Elizabeth to tie it herself.
Elizabeth stares at Janet’s skillful hands at work and promises herself never to go on a date again.
-- x --
Its two days to Christmas and Lily is seven. It’s late in the evening and the snow is blissfully covering the streets.
Elizabeth won’t enjoy snow this Christmas. Elizabeth won’t be enjoying anything all that much.
When Carson emerges out of the room Elizabeth gets on her feet. Both Janet and Sam do the same, and Daniel wanders to them from the other end of the hallway. They stare at the doctor and Elizabeth doesn’t like the look on Carson’s face.
“She needs to stay,” says Carson. Elizabeth feels her heart sink.
“Why?” Daniel is first to recover and ask.
Carson swallows and starts explaining - things about Lily’s potassium levels and heart rate and dialysis. All Elizabeth can think is that Lily will spend her Christmas here.
Here.
In a hospital, tied to a machine.
Janet is looking at her instead of Carson. She understands it all, she’s a doctor. Elizabeth knows Janet will be explaining it later, to the last painful detail if necessary, making sure to keep Elizabeth’s hope up.
Sam’s hand finds Elizabeth’s shoulder.
Elizabeth feels she could collapse right now, wants to sink into Sam’s embrace, wants to lean on somebody, but knows she can’t. She has to endure this. Has to - for Lily.
Carson offers Elizabeth to stay in Lily’s room and Elizabeth accepts. Of course she will stay. The presents will stay unwrapped on the kitchen table. There will be no cakes, no Christmas lunch. Elizabeth will call her mother to tell her what happened. Jamie will probably be in the hospital first thing in the morning.
Elizabeth tells Carson she’ll be back - she only has to pick up some things from the house. Lily will need clean pajamas and … things. She will get her presents wrapped, and Elizabeth will wrap them right after she gets home, despite shaky hands and teary eyes.
Janet offers to help. Sam does the same. Elizabeth asks them to stay with Lily while she does the rest.
Later that evening Elizabeth’s house is empty, soundless and cold.
Small lights twinkle on the tree in the corner and Elizabeth kneels in front of it. She decorated it with Lily and Jamie.
She sighs and starts looking around her dimly lit room, not knowing where to start. She doesn’t want to hear her mother’s voice right now. Calling her from the hospital and making it very short seems better.
If Lily had a father…. If Lily had a father Elizabeth would have a pair of hands to help. She would have someone to share this with, to share the burden. She would have more hope for Lily’s health. Someone would be doing all of this with her.
But Lily doesn’t have a father.
There’s only the donation file in the clinic, stored under a code number. Elizabeth doesn’t even know the man’s name.
This is all her fault. Lily is sick and alone and spending her Christmas in hospital - and this is all Elizabeth’s fault, because she failed to give her daughter a family, because she failed to be a good mother.
-- x --
The coffee she just tried to drink is worse than awful. Well, maybe the coffee does have some kind of taste, but she can’t feel it. She is too tired to taste or smell anything.
Elizabeth tries to count the hours she spent awake and fails. Was it more than a whole day? She can barely keep her eyes open, but she knows Lily’s temperature is down, and that is the only thing that’s important.
She also knows Lily isn’t alone.
It’s Christmas day and Lily’s father is there in the room with her.
John came right after Elizabeth had called him to tell him Lily had a fever. He canceled everything, turned off his cell phone and simply did all that was necessary. He helped Elizabeth to give Lily a bath, he carried Lily in his arms when she cried, and he helped along as Elizabeth tried to get Lily’s feverdown. He didn’t sleep. At all. Lily threw up all over his shirt and he had to replace it for hospital scrubs, and washed his soaked shirt in a sink.
He watched Lily sleep, went across the street to buy real coffee for Elizabeth, made her eat breakfast and lunch, and even sang to Lily to put her to sleep.
He had a nice voice. Soft, pleasant; one of those voices that fit easily into any song. The song he chose for Lily’s lullaby still echoes in Elizabeth’s ear and she is on the verge of sleep, sitting in the hospital’s restaurant. It is night, well past midnight and nobody is here.
The sound of light footsteps makes her look up. It’s John. He is smiling. His smile became so familiar, a welcomed sight. It causes Elizabeth to smile almost without any effort and when her face spreads she feels light like a snowflake.
He comes to stand next to her.
“What are you still doing here?”
Elizabeth holds up the coffee cup. John gives her a mock glare.
“Leave that poison. I’ll bring you the real coffee in the morning. Now…,” he extends his hand and Elizabeth takes it. A thought crosses her mind; she doesn’t even hesitate to take his hand. He leads her down the hallway, and she simply follows, because he seems to have a plan, and he can handle things; handle this. He’s been helping her ever since she let him into her life. “You need to sleep,” he says. They walk slowly through an empty hallway. It’s almost completely dark.
It’s snowing.
And it’s Christmas.
“I can’t sleep,” she protests. She wants to be awake when Lily wakes.
“Yeah,” says John with a smile and rolls eyes at her. Of course he doesn’t buy it. Elizabeth is half sure he will make her take the spare bed and tuck her beneath the blanket. He will take the chair.
They stop in the middle of the hallway, her hand still in his. A melody is drifting from somewhere and she can’t make it out, but it’s probably one of those overplayed Christmas songs.
John surprises her when he pulls her closer and gathers her in his arms - somewhat hesitantly at first, but then she accepts it and they end up in a light embrace. His shoulders are right place for her hands to be. He starts humming and she recognizes a slow version of Jingle Bells.
Elizabeth smiles and doesn’t want to cry, but she is too tired to fight the tears of relief. Her child… their child was so ill. She was in real danger at one point. The fever was too high, too dangerous for her already weakened body. Elizabeth couldn’t let herself fall then and there, but now she needs to lean on somebody, to hide somewhere, so she lets herself sink into John’s embrace.
He holds her a bit tighter. It feels wonderful, comforting and safe, because he knows what she’s been through in last two days. He’d been there too.
“Marry Christmas,” he whispers.
“Marry Christmas, John,” she raises her head from his shoulder to look at him. He is tired, but his smile is fresh and happy; something new and precious in her world.
“I wish we were somewhere else,” she says, and he kisses her forehead. She closes her eyes.
“I know what you mean,” he answers. “But I’m kinda happy right here.”
She leans into him again and it feels good. She is not alone anymore.
Its three days to Christmas and Elizabeth is lying on her friend's couch, unable to see her own toes. Her stomach is so big, swollen and heavy, and all she wants is these two weeks to pass, so she could have her body back.
She feels another kick against the left side of her ribs and smiles. Janet comes to sit on the couch next to her, while Sam is munching on popcorn.
“Want some?” offers Sam. Elizabeth eyes the bowl and declines.
“I prefer ice cream today,” she says.
“Yeah, we noticed. You just had two,” laughs Janet.
“You do have more?” asks Elizabeth and her friends start laughing.
“Five more, but if you eat all of them, I’m going to have one cranky husband,” answers Janet with a grin, and the moment the words are out of her mouth, her smile drops. “Oh my mouth,” she says. Elizabeth pushes herself slowly up, trying to keep her face calm, and the smile fastened on her lips.
“Hey. Don’t do that, Janet,” says Elizabeth. “I’m happy for you guys. I really am. You know that.”
“Simon is a big fat jerk,” says Sam and Elizabeth nods. “Leaving someone on Christmas Eve isn’t really classy,” adds Sam, her mouth full of popcorn. Elizabeth smiles and then rubs her stomach. That baby she’s carrying inside seems unbelievably bouncy and happy.
“Exactly. Besides that, it’s been a year. I’m over him. I can’t say I’m sad that he left. And speaking of presents…,” Elizabeth looks at her stomach. Her unborn daughter kicks her again and Elizabeth feels her heart might explode of excitement. The stirring and kicking inside of her means life, and love, and that she will never be alone any more. Janet’s eyes become huge and watery. “Hey I have you to thank,” teases Elizabeth, trying to make her friend smile. Janet does smile, but tears start to flow. Sam is biting her lip on the couch, fighting her own burst of tears. Three of them cry an awful lot these days. “You put her in there after all.”
Janet starts sobbing and hiccupping. Elizabeth muses on how pathetic three of them are, when only one of them is supposed to be hormonal. Sam straightens up, puts the popcorn bowl at the table and leans forward with an impish smirk, while wiping away the tears.
“Wasn’t that just a great, romantic moment? Like every girl’s wish how to get pregnant?”
Sam’s humor is off beat these days but to Elizabeth it’s perfect. More laughing, more tears, more kicking. Elizabeth feels happy, content, and complete. She has friends, and soon she will have a child. Does she really need a man?
She doesn’t feel she’s missing anything.
The baby makes another flip in her stomach - or at least it feels like that - and Elizabeth smiles blissfully knowing that she isn’t alone.
-- x --
Lily is three years old and can’t stop singing. She had been repeating Jingle Bells the whole day long, but Elizabeth doesn’t really mind. It’s fun and she likes Lily’s voice. She is almost finished with her Christmas shopping, and this year it wasn’t easy.
Jamie will get that big cookbook he mentioned a month ago. Elizabeth is however debating if she should buy anything for her older brother. Andrew has this talent of spoiling the best things, much more so than their mother. It was about Lily again, and the “lack of family” how Andrew likes to call it. He has what he considers a perfect family - a wife, a dog, a child, the second one on the way - and he believes the rest of the world should abide his rules.
It’s Lily has a family - but Lily needs a father - Lily has a mother these days, and only Jamie thinks Elizabeth isn’t a bad person for being happy on her own. She said she will take Lily to Paris, to that congress and Elizabeth’s mother jumped in at that, saying Lily needs to have a proper home, and not be dragged around the world.
Standing in front of a big store window Elizabeth observes twinkling lights, not really noticing what is behind the glass. Snow is falling and it’s a little chilly. Her family - apart from Jamie, bless his soul - her family is awful at the moment. All they want is to change her so she could fit the perfect picture frame.
Elizabeth wishes her dad was still alive. She would feel less alone in this endeavor. Dad would support her no matter what.
The bags are heavy in her hand, full of presents she doesn’t want to give, because she doesn’t want to spend those three godawful days in Weir house, listening to her mother and Andrew.
In her arms Lily squirms, points at something inside the store window and starts chanting in high child voice: Jingle Bells, Jingle Bells. She gets jingle all the way wrong every time. Elizabeth observes their reflection in the glass and wants to smile and cry at the same time. How come they - her family - can’t simply be happy for her? She is happy.
Lily finishes the song and hugs Elizabeth tightly.
“Mommy, are you going to make popcorns?” she asks and Elizabeth nearly laughs. Her daughter is a popcorn junkie. It must be Sam’s fault.
“Sure thing, sweetie,” says Elizabeth and then her heart makes a decision.
She will skip the obligatory family Christmas, so to speak. She doesn’t have to go there, she has a place to be and a family to spend her Christmas with.
Lily starts singing again, and Elizabeth joins her this time. Two is company, after all.
-- x --
It’s Christmas Eve and Lily is almost five. Janet is at Elizabeth’s kitchen, helping her with wrapping of the last among many presents and Lily and Daniel are playing chess in the living room.
It’s a quiet evening. Elizabeth likes quiet evenings, despite the fact she hoped for a different Christmas.
“I ran into Simon today,” says Elizabeth after failing to tie a ribbon for a fifth time. Janet looks up from the wrapping paper.
“Really?”
Elizabeth nods.
“Him. And a wife. A pregnant wife.”
Janet just looks at her and Elizabeth can almost hear Janet’s thoughts.
“No I don’t regret, Janet. He was a jerk, just like you and Sam like to point out,” there is bitterness in Elizabeth’s tone that has nothing to do with Simon and his happy little family. A string of loud laughter emerges from the living room, two voices mixed together and Elizabeth heart constricts in pain.
“I don’t think it’s good to blame yourself now, Elizabeth. Mike was…”
Biting her lip, Elizabeth cuts Janet off.
“I regret only one thing. Lily got to like him. She really did. I feel I broke her heart,” says Elizabeth, listening to her daughter laughing. She adores Daniel, and Jack, Jamie and Andrew - all the male figures that, in her child’s mind, represent that one thing she’s missing so badly - a father.
“What about your heart, Elizabeth?” asks Janet with concern in her voice and Elizabeth takes a deep breath. Better not going there, ever again. Mike was a mistake. It could never work out, not with Elizabeth’s job and travels and… well, everything. She simply can’t get used to being a part of something any more, even if that means giving her daughter what she really needs.
A real family.
Elizabeth pushes that thought and her mother’s voice out of her head. It’s Christmas, it’s time for joy. Her friends are with her, she is happy enough to have Daniel and Janet; to have Sam and Jack. Those two will finally get together.
“My heart will be fine,” says Elizabeth.
Janet keeps looking at her, that long, heavy look that sees through her and covers Elizabeth’s hand with her own.
“If you say so,” answers Janet and takes the ribbon from Elizabeth to tie it herself.
Elizabeth stares at Janet’s skillful hands at work and promises herself never to go on a date again.
-- x --
Its two days to Christmas and Lily is seven. It’s late in the evening and the snow is blissfully covering the streets.
Elizabeth won’t enjoy snow this Christmas. Elizabeth won’t be enjoying anything all that much.
When Carson emerges out of the room Elizabeth gets on her feet. Both Janet and Sam do the same, and Daniel wanders to them from the other end of the hallway. They stare at the doctor and Elizabeth doesn’t like the look on Carson’s face.
“She needs to stay,” says Carson. Elizabeth feels her heart sink.
“Why?” Daniel is first to recover and ask.
Carson swallows and starts explaining - things about Lily’s potassium levels and heart rate and dialysis. All Elizabeth can think is that Lily will spend her Christmas here.
Here.
In a hospital, tied to a machine.
Janet is looking at her instead of Carson. She understands it all, she’s a doctor. Elizabeth knows Janet will be explaining it later, to the last painful detail if necessary, making sure to keep Elizabeth’s hope up.
Sam’s hand finds Elizabeth’s shoulder.
Elizabeth feels she could collapse right now, wants to sink into Sam’s embrace, wants to lean on somebody, but knows she can’t. She has to endure this. Has to - for Lily.
Carson offers Elizabeth to stay in Lily’s room and Elizabeth accepts. Of course she will stay. The presents will stay unwrapped on the kitchen table. There will be no cakes, no Christmas lunch. Elizabeth will call her mother to tell her what happened. Jamie will probably be in the hospital first thing in the morning.
Elizabeth tells Carson she’ll be back - she only has to pick up some things from the house. Lily will need clean pajamas and … things. She will get her presents wrapped, and Elizabeth will wrap them right after she gets home, despite shaky hands and teary eyes.
Janet offers to help. Sam does the same. Elizabeth asks them to stay with Lily while she does the rest.
Later that evening Elizabeth’s house is empty, soundless and cold.
Small lights twinkle on the tree in the corner and Elizabeth kneels in front of it. She decorated it with Lily and Jamie.
She sighs and starts looking around her dimly lit room, not knowing where to start. She doesn’t want to hear her mother’s voice right now. Calling her from the hospital and making it very short seems better.
If Lily had a father…. If Lily had a father Elizabeth would have a pair of hands to help. She would have someone to share this with, to share the burden. She would have more hope for Lily’s health. Someone would be doing all of this with her.
But Lily doesn’t have a father.
There’s only the donation file in the clinic, stored under a code number. Elizabeth doesn’t even know the man’s name.
This is all her fault. Lily is sick and alone and spending her Christmas in hospital - and this is all Elizabeth’s fault, because she failed to give her daughter a family, because she failed to be a good mother.
-- x --
The coffee she just tried to drink is worse than awful. Well, maybe the coffee does have some kind of taste, but she can’t feel it. She is too tired to taste or smell anything.
Elizabeth tries to count the hours she spent awake and fails. Was it more than a whole day? She can barely keep her eyes open, but she knows Lily’s temperature is down, and that is the only thing that’s important.
She also knows Lily isn’t alone.
It’s Christmas day and Lily’s father is there in the room with her.
John came right after Elizabeth had called him to tell him Lily had a fever. He canceled everything, turned off his cell phone and simply did all that was necessary. He helped Elizabeth to give Lily a bath, he carried Lily in his arms when she cried, and he helped along as Elizabeth tried to get Lily’s feverdown. He didn’t sleep. At all. Lily threw up all over his shirt and he had to replace it for hospital scrubs, and washed his soaked shirt in a sink.
He watched Lily sleep, went across the street to buy real coffee for Elizabeth, made her eat breakfast and lunch, and even sang to Lily to put her to sleep.
He had a nice voice. Soft, pleasant; one of those voices that fit easily into any song. The song he chose for Lily’s lullaby still echoes in Elizabeth’s ear and she is on the verge of sleep, sitting in the hospital’s restaurant. It is night, well past midnight and nobody is here.
The sound of light footsteps makes her look up. It’s John. He is smiling. His smile became so familiar, a welcomed sight. It causes Elizabeth to smile almost without any effort and when her face spreads she feels light like a snowflake.
He comes to stand next to her.
“What are you still doing here?”
Elizabeth holds up the coffee cup. John gives her a mock glare.
“Leave that poison. I’ll bring you the real coffee in the morning. Now…,” he extends his hand and Elizabeth takes it. A thought crosses her mind; she doesn’t even hesitate to take his hand. He leads her down the hallway, and she simply follows, because he seems to have a plan, and he can handle things; handle this. He’s been helping her ever since she let him into her life. “You need to sleep,” he says. They walk slowly through an empty hallway. It’s almost completely dark.
It’s snowing.
And it’s Christmas.
“I can’t sleep,” she protests. She wants to be awake when Lily wakes.
“Yeah,” says John with a smile and rolls eyes at her. Of course he doesn’t buy it. Elizabeth is half sure he will make her take the spare bed and tuck her beneath the blanket. He will take the chair.
They stop in the middle of the hallway, her hand still in his. A melody is drifting from somewhere and she can’t make it out, but it’s probably one of those overplayed Christmas songs.
John surprises her when he pulls her closer and gathers her in his arms - somewhat hesitantly at first, but then she accepts it and they end up in a light embrace. His shoulders are right place for her hands to be. He starts humming and she recognizes a slow version of Jingle Bells.
Elizabeth smiles and doesn’t want to cry, but she is too tired to fight the tears of relief. Her child… their child was so ill. She was in real danger at one point. The fever was too high, too dangerous for her already weakened body. Elizabeth couldn’t let herself fall then and there, but now she needs to lean on somebody, to hide somewhere, so she lets herself sink into John’s embrace.
He holds her a bit tighter. It feels wonderful, comforting and safe, because he knows what she’s been through in last two days. He’d been there too.
“Marry Christmas,” he whispers.
“Marry Christmas, John,” she raises her head from his shoulder to look at him. He is tired, but his smile is fresh and happy; something new and precious in her world.
“I wish we were somewhere else,” she says, and he kisses her forehead. She closes her eyes.
“I know what you mean,” he answers. “But I’m kinda happy right here.”
She leans into him again and it feels good. She is not alone anymore.