My Baby (A JMac Story) Chapter Twenty-Four
I'm so very sorry for the long wait for this chapter, and in turn so sorry for the fact that it's a short chapter too. I'll be busy this weekend, but am hoping to be able to have the next chapter ready for you all on Monday. =) Let me know what you think and if there is any mistakes. (I'm very busy today and don't have the time to read and re-read more than once like I normally do.) So, ENJOY! And much love! =)
Chapter Twenty-Four - "White Christmas":
~~Christmas Day~~
~~Shawn’s POV~~
I have been waiting for this day as patiently as I possibly could. And now that it’s here, I’m not sure that I do in fact want to get up to let it pass by as quickly as I know that it’s going to once I finally crawl out of bed. So, therefore, I’ve been laying here, staring at the unopened gift on my dresser, in the semi-dark room for the last hour.
This gift has sat there, in the same place I left it 15 days ago, reminding me of the great friend that I have but can’t be with. And for that reason, and that reason alone, I have made it to where this gift will be the first one I open today. I was supposed to spend Christmas Eve with my dad and his family for dinner and open their presents last night, but I was instructed not to open this gift till today, so instead, he’s going to pick me up at my Grandma’s later to take me to dinner at my other Grandma’s house tonight. Meaning that for the first time since the divorce, I’m actually celebrating Christmas the way it used to be done when my parents were together. And all because of the gift that I’m staring at and want to open but don’t want to get out of bed so that the day won’t go by as fast as I know that it will once I do.
It’s another 30 minutes before Austin knocks on my door to wake me up, as is tradition. When I don’t answer, he opens the door, turns on the light, and pulls the covers completely off my bed. I don’t move an inch.
“Well, you can open it now. I mean, you did rearrange our whole holiday just so that it would be the first one you opened, so hop to it.” He stands there for a few minutes and when I still don’t move, he takes it upon himself to get the present for me. Walking to my dresser, picking it up, and turning towards me, I move for the first time since I woke up, when I rolled over to look at it. He comes to the side of my bed and drops it into my lap, since I’m now sitting up in bed. “There, now breakfast is in 15 minutes, be done and downstairs by then.” With that he turns and leaves my room, actually closing my door for once.
I stare at the gift in my lap for a few minutes before my phone goes off. Without looking away, I grab it and hit the talk button but don’t say anything.
“MERRY CHRISTMAS BABYGIRL!!” I smile big and laugh softly as Jesse screams in my ear.
“Merry Christmas Jess.” I sigh, content, as he chuckles too.
“Ok, so, I have your gift in my lap right now, and I’m sitting it bed waiting for you. So, you ready for this?”
“Yes.” I say softly and I hear him start into the paper of his, and I slowly and carefully start to unwrap my gift too. I’m only about halfway done, when I hear his big intake of breath.
“No way! NO FREAKING WAY!” I laugh heartily at his reaction. “Shawn, how did you pull this off? And…and….what about school…and our families…and…well everything!” I continue to laugh, my gift temporarily forgotten.
“Well, first off, it’s during YOUR Spring break. And mine starts a few days after yours, so you’re flying down here for those couple days before we leave from here. And then our parents talked it over and everything with Austin, and he’s going to be our ‘chaperone’ and ‘guardian’ for the trip since they couldn’t take off of work for that long as easily. And we all have rules that we have to agree to before we are allowed to go, such as grades and everything. Which I have also included in your little packet of info. And, well, honestly, I felt that this was the least I could do for my best friend, who I was so horrible to and totally didn’t need to be given another chance.”
“Ok, but seriously? A week long trip to the BAHAMAS! With no adults! This is way too much Shawn! And makes my gift look like cheap crap!”
I laugh long and hard at his outburst before calming down enough to finally respond. “Oh, well, this is like your birthday and Christmas gifts for the next 5 years, so you had best enjoy it thoroughly.”
“Ha, ha, Shawn. You’re so funny.”
“Oh, I’m not kidding.”
“Yeah, ok, well, thank you so much! This is definitely the best gift EVER! And totally not getting beat for a long ass time.”
“Yeah, well, you’re welcome, and you totally deserve it.”
“Ok, ok, have you opened yours yet?”
“Um, no.”
“Well, get on it. Timmy is starting to get beyond impatient.” We laugh together softly as I finish unwrapping my gift.
“A…box? Why thank you so much Jess, I LOVE it!”
“Ha, ha. Open the box Shawn, jeez.” I laugh and do as he says.
“Awe, Jesse, seriously? How did you even find them?” I can hear the smile in his voice as he starts to talk, but I’m not paying complete attention as I’m too busy staring at the group of CDs in the box and taking them out carefully.
“So, you like it? Really?” I can hear the unnecessary worry in his tone as he finishes his explanation.
“Yes, Jess. I seriously LOVE it! Thank you. I just can’t believe that you remembered, let alone was able to find each one on CD somewhere.” I sit there, as we are both quite for a few minutes, and look over each and every New Kids on the Block CD that they ever had, every album that they ever made, even the Christmas one that I used to own on tape but got lost somewhere in one of the moves we made within that first year after the divorce. “Wow, Jess. Seriously! I just can’t believe you did this for me.”
“If was nothing really. But you’re welcome. I can’t believe that you booked us a trip! I so can’t wait and March totally can’t come fast enough now.” I laugh again before I hear Austin yelling up the stairs at me.
I sigh heavily before I finally get out of bed and stretch. “Well, Jess, I’ve got to go. Breakfast is ready and then it’s time for presents. But thanks so much again and I’ll call you tomorrow ok?”
“Yeah, ok. I’ve got to go too before Timmy has a complete break down or something.” We laugh briefly before we say Merry Christmas again and get off the phone.
Chapter Twenty-Four - "White Christmas":
~~Christmas Day~~
~~Shawn’s POV~~
I have been waiting for this day as patiently as I possibly could. And now that it’s here, I’m not sure that I do in fact want to get up to let it pass by as quickly as I know that it’s going to once I finally crawl out of bed. So, therefore, I’ve been laying here, staring at the unopened gift on my dresser, in the semi-dark room for the last hour.
This gift has sat there, in the same place I left it 15 days ago, reminding me of the great friend that I have but can’t be with. And for that reason, and that reason alone, I have made it to where this gift will be the first one I open today. I was supposed to spend Christmas Eve with my dad and his family for dinner and open their presents last night, but I was instructed not to open this gift till today, so instead, he’s going to pick me up at my Grandma’s later to take me to dinner at my other Grandma’s house tonight. Meaning that for the first time since the divorce, I’m actually celebrating Christmas the way it used to be done when my parents were together. And all because of the gift that I’m staring at and want to open but don’t want to get out of bed so that the day won’t go by as fast as I know that it will once I do.
It’s another 30 minutes before Austin knocks on my door to wake me up, as is tradition. When I don’t answer, he opens the door, turns on the light, and pulls the covers completely off my bed. I don’t move an inch.
“Well, you can open it now. I mean, you did rearrange our whole holiday just so that it would be the first one you opened, so hop to it.” He stands there for a few minutes and when I still don’t move, he takes it upon himself to get the present for me. Walking to my dresser, picking it up, and turning towards me, I move for the first time since I woke up, when I rolled over to look at it. He comes to the side of my bed and drops it into my lap, since I’m now sitting up in bed. “There, now breakfast is in 15 minutes, be done and downstairs by then.” With that he turns and leaves my room, actually closing my door for once.
I stare at the gift in my lap for a few minutes before my phone goes off. Without looking away, I grab it and hit the talk button but don’t say anything.
“MERRY CHRISTMAS BABYGIRL!!” I smile big and laugh softly as Jesse screams in my ear.
“Merry Christmas Jess.” I sigh, content, as he chuckles too.
“Ok, so, I have your gift in my lap right now, and I’m sitting it bed waiting for you. So, you ready for this?”
“Yes.” I say softly and I hear him start into the paper of his, and I slowly and carefully start to unwrap my gift too. I’m only about halfway done, when I hear his big intake of breath.
“No way! NO FREAKING WAY!” I laugh heartily at his reaction. “Shawn, how did you pull this off? And…and….what about school…and our families…and…well everything!” I continue to laugh, my gift temporarily forgotten.
“Well, first off, it’s during YOUR Spring break. And mine starts a few days after yours, so you’re flying down here for those couple days before we leave from here. And then our parents talked it over and everything with Austin, and he’s going to be our ‘chaperone’ and ‘guardian’ for the trip since they couldn’t take off of work for that long as easily. And we all have rules that we have to agree to before we are allowed to go, such as grades and everything. Which I have also included in your little packet of info. And, well, honestly, I felt that this was the least I could do for my best friend, who I was so horrible to and totally didn’t need to be given another chance.”
“Ok, but seriously? A week long trip to the BAHAMAS! With no adults! This is way too much Shawn! And makes my gift look like cheap crap!”
I laugh long and hard at his outburst before calming down enough to finally respond. “Oh, well, this is like your birthday and Christmas gifts for the next 5 years, so you had best enjoy it thoroughly.”
“Ha, ha, Shawn. You’re so funny.”
“Oh, I’m not kidding.”
“Yeah, ok, well, thank you so much! This is definitely the best gift EVER! And totally not getting beat for a long ass time.”
“Yeah, well, you’re welcome, and you totally deserve it.”
“Ok, ok, have you opened yours yet?”
“Um, no.”
“Well, get on it. Timmy is starting to get beyond impatient.” We laugh together softly as I finish unwrapping my gift.
“A…box? Why thank you so much Jess, I LOVE it!”
“Ha, ha. Open the box Shawn, jeez.” I laugh and do as he says.
“Awe, Jesse, seriously? How did you even find them?” I can hear the smile in his voice as he starts to talk, but I’m not paying complete attention as I’m too busy staring at the group of CDs in the box and taking them out carefully.
“So, you like it? Really?” I can hear the unnecessary worry in his tone as he finishes his explanation.
“Yes, Jess. I seriously LOVE it! Thank you. I just can’t believe that you remembered, let alone was able to find each one on CD somewhere.” I sit there, as we are both quite for a few minutes, and look over each and every New Kids on the Block CD that they ever had, every album that they ever made, even the Christmas one that I used to own on tape but got lost somewhere in one of the moves we made within that first year after the divorce. “Wow, Jess. Seriously! I just can’t believe you did this for me.”
“If was nothing really. But you’re welcome. I can’t believe that you booked us a trip! I so can’t wait and March totally can’t come fast enough now.” I laugh again before I hear Austin yelling up the stairs at me.
I sigh heavily before I finally get out of bed and stretch. “Well, Jess, I’ve got to go. Breakfast is ready and then it’s time for presents. But thanks so much again and I’ll call you tomorrow ok?”
“Yeah, ok. I’ve got to go too before Timmy has a complete break down or something.” We laugh briefly before we say Merry Christmas again and get off the phone.