just_muse_me | 10.8.6. The Christmas Visitor
10.8.6. The Christmas Visitor
Riley sipped from the large mug of hot chocolate in his hands and watched Lachlan wearing a Santa hat balancing up on the step ladder near the top of the huge Christmas tree. He was belting out a touching and flawless version of ‘O Holy Night’ while Nana Campbell played the piano to accompany the singing. Tara was standing below her husband with her arm hugged around his leg while she handed him Christmas decorations for the top of the tree. The scene was moving and Riley felt honoured to be part of it. Already there was an air of warmth of a true and real family Christmas. That was one of many things he always admired of the Campbell family. Christmas was everything it should be. He smiled when Tara took a brand new glass bauble from a box and showed her husband with a grin. Painted across the outside in an intricate silver script was ‘Wee Campbell’ and Lachlan backed down the step ladder to embrace Tara around the waist and kiss her pregnant stomach.
Riley hadn’t even noticed the piano playing had stopped until he had a warm hand wrapped around his and turned to find Nana Campbell sitting beside him. She proceeded to try and tame Riley’s curls with her fingers and then kissed his cheek. “You were miles away, hen,” she told him fondly. She looked over at her grandson now singing to his unborn child while placing a plate of freshly baked cookies in Riley’s lap. “Are you hopin’ for the same as our Lachlan one day, son? Dinnae forget the power of faith, Riley lad. Of hope. We had many a prayer on our boy over there this past year. And for you. It warms my heart to have you both here in the same room again. Now I know there have been rough roads, laddie but we have you both still here and that’s all that matters. Eat. You’re too skinny. You’ll be givin’ that new lassie of yours bruises from head to toe with all the bones stickin’ out.”
Riley picked up a cookie with a smile, remembering exactly how Nana’s Christmas Cookies tasted. She and Lachlan’s parents were fresh off the plane from Scotland for the big Princeton family Christmas. Lachlan had invited Riley over to share in the tree decorating so he could catch up with his family. Across the room, Lachlan was singing to Tara again and they were dancing closely, totally wrapped up in their own little loving world. “I’m not quite ready for the things Lachlan is aching for, Nana,” he murmured and met her eyes. “We don’t know if it’s possible yet.”
Nana stroked Riley’s hair. “And that’s okay, lad. What you’re destined for will be upon you when you least expect it. We all had to learn the very difficult way how things can be nearly taken from us in the blink of an eye.” She glanced over at Lachlan and Tara, becoming teary at just the memory of the events a year ago. “And how things we think might be what we want and need arenae. Are you happy, hen? Really, truly happy, deep in here?” She put her hand on his chest and tapped her fingers against his heart.
Riley wet his lips and looked down at her hand. “No,” he had to admit and looked up again with a small sigh. “But I think now that I can be. A couple of months ago, I doubted even that.”
“You dinnae deserve what you’ve had to live through, laddie. Aye, aye. Our Lachlan has kept us well-informed of how you have been. Dinnae you mind about that now.” Nana patted Riley’s cheek. “He worries about you. We all do. He feared for a wee minute there that you might have let this lose you. He knew, see. Could see the signs from when he nearly lost himself. You and our wee Pat are like brothers to him. Blood doesnae matter. The bond is much stronger than blood. And aye, hen, even your blood,” she added pointedly.
Riley leaned in and gave the elderly woman a hug. “I’ve missed you, Nana,” he murmured, clinging to her probably longer than was required.
Nana chuckled and rubbed his back fondly. “I always miss you, laddie. Always. You boys are going to be the death of me.”
Lachlan Campbell [drcampbell] & Tara Brennan-Campbell [doctortara] used with permission.
Word Count | 730
Riley sipped from the large mug of hot chocolate in his hands and watched Lachlan wearing a Santa hat balancing up on the step ladder near the top of the huge Christmas tree. He was belting out a touching and flawless version of ‘O Holy Night’ while Nana Campbell played the piano to accompany the singing. Tara was standing below her husband with her arm hugged around his leg while she handed him Christmas decorations for the top of the tree. The scene was moving and Riley felt honoured to be part of it. Already there was an air of warmth of a true and real family Christmas. That was one of many things he always admired of the Campbell family. Christmas was everything it should be. He smiled when Tara took a brand new glass bauble from a box and showed her husband with a grin. Painted across the outside in an intricate silver script was ‘Wee Campbell’ and Lachlan backed down the step ladder to embrace Tara around the waist and kiss her pregnant stomach.
Riley hadn’t even noticed the piano playing had stopped until he had a warm hand wrapped around his and turned to find Nana Campbell sitting beside him. She proceeded to try and tame Riley’s curls with her fingers and then kissed his cheek. “You were miles away, hen,” she told him fondly. She looked over at her grandson now singing to his unborn child while placing a plate of freshly baked cookies in Riley’s lap. “Are you hopin’ for the same as our Lachlan one day, son? Dinnae forget the power of faith, Riley lad. Of hope. We had many a prayer on our boy over there this past year. And for you. It warms my heart to have you both here in the same room again. Now I know there have been rough roads, laddie but we have you both still here and that’s all that matters. Eat. You’re too skinny. You’ll be givin’ that new lassie of yours bruises from head to toe with all the bones stickin’ out.”
Riley picked up a cookie with a smile, remembering exactly how Nana’s Christmas Cookies tasted. She and Lachlan’s parents were fresh off the plane from Scotland for the big Princeton family Christmas. Lachlan had invited Riley over to share in the tree decorating so he could catch up with his family. Across the room, Lachlan was singing to Tara again and they were dancing closely, totally wrapped up in their own little loving world. “I’m not quite ready for the things Lachlan is aching for, Nana,” he murmured and met her eyes. “We don’t know if it’s possible yet.”
Nana stroked Riley’s hair. “And that’s okay, lad. What you’re destined for will be upon you when you least expect it. We all had to learn the very difficult way how things can be nearly taken from us in the blink of an eye.” She glanced over at Lachlan and Tara, becoming teary at just the memory of the events a year ago. “And how things we think might be what we want and need arenae. Are you happy, hen? Really, truly happy, deep in here?” She put her hand on his chest and tapped her fingers against his heart.
Riley wet his lips and looked down at her hand. “No,” he had to admit and looked up again with a small sigh. “But I think now that I can be. A couple of months ago, I doubted even that.”
“You dinnae deserve what you’ve had to live through, laddie. Aye, aye. Our Lachlan has kept us well-informed of how you have been. Dinnae you mind about that now.” Nana patted Riley’s cheek. “He worries about you. We all do. He feared for a wee minute there that you might have let this lose you. He knew, see. Could see the signs from when he nearly lost himself. You and our wee Pat are like brothers to him. Blood doesnae matter. The bond is much stronger than blood. And aye, hen, even your blood,” she added pointedly.
Riley leaned in and gave the elderly woman a hug. “I’ve missed you, Nana,” he murmured, clinging to her probably longer than was required.
Nana chuckled and rubbed his back fondly. “I always miss you, laddie. Always. You boys are going to be the death of me.”
Lachlan Campbell [drcampbell] & Tara Brennan-Campbell [doctortara] used with permission.
Word Count | 730