A Christmas treat
Dr. Mike was setting the table for Christmas dinner. She was not sure if she was in a Christmas mood. Surely, her Christmases in the wilderness of Colorado Springs so far had been very different from the Christmases she was used to in Boston. "Different but maybe better", she thought to herself while adjusting the plates to make everything look neat. "Sure looks good" Brian commented and she gave him a light hug. "Thank you Brian." "Do you think Santa will make it through the storm?" he looked at her expectantly. "Oh… the weather outside is frightful, but I am sure he'll make it. After all Rudolph is there to help him find the way," she smiled, and Brian looked happy with her answer.
In the kitchen section of the cabin Colleen was shaking her head. She was old enough to know that Santa did not exist, but she would not tell Brian. She looked out of the window and then at Dr. Mike. "Maybe it'll get better…" she tried to sound hopeful, but the look in her foster mother's eyes told her not to keep her hopes up. She could not help but sob a little. The weather conditions had put a sudden stop to her dreams of the Christmas dance, and it was the glimpse of her new beautiful dress hanging near her bed which made her sob.
"Don't worry Colleen… there'll be plenty of other dances to attend", Michaela went to her and gave her a hug. "Why don't you get changed –why don't we all? And we'll meet in front of the fireplace for a special Christmas story."
They joined in front of the hearth, and Matthew put some extra logs on the fire. Michaela stretched a little. "It might be frightful out there, but the fire is so delightful," she nudged Colleen who agreed. "When are you going to start reading?" Brian interrupted. Michaela smiled and patted the cover of her book. "Right now, Brian; 'Marley was dead, to begin with. There is no doubt whatever about that.' Brian frowned a little and wondered how death had anything to do with Christmas. But he liked Dr. Mike's voice and simply listened as the tale about Ebenezer Scrooge unfolded. When the story was over, Brian went to the window. It was still snowing, and having no place to go other than the comfortable warm cabin, he closed his eyes mumbling 'let it snow, let it snow, let it snow'. "Why are you saying that" Colleen interrupted. "It is snowing you silly fool." "Wouldn't it be exciting if we snowed in?" "Not so sure about that…" Matthew answered from the other end of the cabin. "Well it doesn't show any signs of stopping." Michaela peeped out of the icy window, and that very moment a loud banging sounded at their door.
"Sully.." Matthew opened the door to let him in. Sully was covered in snow. "Merry Christmas" he shed his coat and handed Colleen a brown paper bag. "I bought some corn for popping. The weather is awful… you sure look pretty" he had noticed her new dress, and she smiled. "Thank you Sully."
"Did you see Santa outside?" Brian exclaimed hugging his friend. "Well, maybe just a glimpse of him," Sully laughed and ruffled the boy's hair. Michaela smiled observing their interaction with eachother. "I'm glad you made it," her voice was soft, and their eyes met across the room. "I wouldn't miss it." His gaze lingered on her frame. He wanted to tell her she was beautiful, but the words got caught in his throat. Brian was ecstatic at the thought of Christmas, Santa and snow, and he shouted: "Let it snow, let it snow, let it snow!" He was hoping for a sleigh for Christmas and it would not be any fun if there was no snow.
"Let's eat" Michaela gestured at the table. Sully placed himself across from her. "Sure smells nice, Colleen."
He looked at Michaela across the table, she felt a little awkward in her fancy dress, he could tell, and he could not help smiling a little to himself. "What's so funny"? the words flew from her mouth before she had any time to think, and he reached for her hand across the table. "I was just thinking about that time in Boston when I first saw you in that dress…" She felt her cheeks go red. He had barged into their dinner, and later in his room he had asked her if she was not happy to see him. Thinking about it their interaction had lacked propriety and she had felt at very strong attraction to him which had scared her immensely. He on the other hand had accused her of not being happy to see him keeping hold of her and sliding his fingers gently over the fabric of her dress causing her senses to reel. She had had to escape the room feeling completely overwhelmed. Now he was holding her hand his thumb gently sliding over her knuckles while locking his eyes on her. "I remember", she mumbled eyeing his hand in hers, it seemed like the children disappeared and she and Sully were embedded in their own bubble. "why are you blushing…?" he had a twinkle in his eyes, and she locked eyes with him. You know! Her mind ached for him in remembrance, but she did not say anything, and she did not have to. Her feelings were clear to Sully. He could tell how her body reacted to the sheer thought of them alone in that room. Her slightly parted lips, her blushing.. it told him everything.
"Can we eat now?" Brian interrupted, and the moment was over.
Later after they had eaten the children retired to bed. Matthew decided to stay in the cabin and spend the night tucked up with Brian –it was simply too rough to go outside. "Come and sit with me" Sully gestured to the rug on the hearth. Michaela handed him a hot cup of coffee, and positioned herself against him on the rug. The warmth from the fireplace engulfed them, and for a while they just watched the flames eat their way through the logs on the fire. She leaned further into his embrace. It felt good to be near him like this. Sully had wanted to kiss her all evening, but was unsure how she would react –sometimes she was very jumpy when it came to physical contact. However, now she seemed very relaxed. Maybe it was time to finally kiss goodnight? Yet he would hate to have to go out in the storm even if the thought of her tight embrace and kiss would keep him warm all the way home.
He looked down at her. She was reclining against him almost lying in his arms. She had a special twinkle in her eyes , and there was a softness about her expression. The fire was slowly dying, and he decided that this was the right moment. Slowly he began to remove the pins from her hair. "Sully…" her voice was a little raspy. "Ssh…" he put a finger on her lips. "I love your hair…" his fingers slid through her silky auburn hair offering a light massage to her scalp. She closed her eyes in enjoyment. "Consider it a Christmas treat" she felt his breath on her forehead as his brought his lips to her skin. Yet she did not mind. In fact she was immensely relaxed, and merely met his gaze with a look of acceptance. Her chest moved up and down a little rapidly, he noticed, as he brought his lips to hers. His gentle slow massage of her lower lip made her shiver and almost tremble. David's kisses had never stirred her in this manner. He continued his ministrations with his moist lips against hers, and she noticed how his breath had changed as had her own. Instinctively she reached for him as he moved to pull away. She did not want it to end. The warmth she felt inside was too overwhelming. She did not want it to end just yet.
Sully was surprised at her reaction, and he knew he had to be cautious. Yet he also wanted to enjoy their closeness a little longer. "Michaela," he whispered. "Yes?" She simply caressed his arm that was placed across her chest and rested on her waist in response.
"I love you so much," he said and added. "Thank you for trusting me… You know I have to leave soon…" the silence grew between them. "The weather is awful where will you sleep?" He shrugged his shoulders a little. "I can't let you go out there. It is too dangerous," she reasoned. He gave her a quizzing look. "Stay… here." She patted the rug. "Are you sure?" he was thinking about propriety and her reputation. She nodded. "We did once before –when Brian fell from the tree, remember? In the clinic…" " But that was an emergency…" She rose to a sitting position. "Sully you could die, if you go out there. This is also an emergency." She had her doctor's voice on, and he nodded knowing not to disagree with her.
Much later he and Woolf were cuddled up on the floor on the rug. She had fetched some extra blankets, and he could now hear her steady breath in the darkness from the other end of the cabin. He buried his face in the blankets. They smelled like her hair, and he closed his eyes thinking what it would be like to hold her close in bed and bury his head in her hair. He felt like the whole situation was an extra Christmas present for him. He got to wake up with her –maybe not next to her, but close enough, on Christmas Day. Inhaling the scent once again he could not help but think the very words Brian had exclaimed earlier 'Let it snow, let it snow, let it snow.'