This is my Secret Santa gift for the Village Square. Merry Christmas, Kateisawesome. I hope you enjoy this!
"Christmas at the Clinic"
Anissa woke up early the morning of Christmas Eve. The sun was just beginning to peek out from the distance, indicating the anticipated snow for Christmas night. Although her work load was relatively light during winter, she had made a point of carefully scheduling her day. Dr. Jin and Irene were coming over to her house for dinner to celebrate Christmas Eve with her family.
She didn't know why she was so nervous for the doctor to visit. They had been close friends for years and she enjoyed learning about nursing from him. But ever since last week when they had gone out to dinner and awkwardly almost kissed, she found spending time with him increasingly more uncomfortable. Granted, it was not a bad kind of uncomfortable, but she still wanted the night to be perfect.
It had taken nearly four days just to convince her parents to invite Jin over. Her family was never very fond of change or company. She made sure the turkey was stuffed, the sweet potato casserole would be done on time, and there was not a dust particle in sight.
When she walked by the window she noticed some light snowflakes falling onto the path outside her house. Her lips pursed in concern. She didn't want Irene to slip if the path got icy. She walked outside and watched the snow fall. Her father was tending to the crops in the field, with the usual scowl on his face.
"Hey, Dad," Anissa called.
Craig glanced up. "Huh?"
"Can you shovel the path so that Irene doesn't slip?"
Craig glanced apprehensively at the quarter inch of snow on the path. "There's hardly any snow at all."
Anissa sighed. "Well, I know but, I'm just worried about Irene and Jin's health."
Craig half-smiled at his daughter. "You worry too much, Anissa. See, this is why I didn't want to have them over. There is so much we have to concern ourselves with."
Anissa bit her lip. "Sorry dad." She decided to go back inside and finish cleaning the house.
Two hours later, Anissa was peering anxiously out the window. The snow was still very light and there wasn't more than a half an inch on the ground but it still concerned her. Jin and Irene weren't supposed to arrive for almost an hour but the doctor had a habit of arriving unreasonably early and she wanted to be ready to greet them. Behind her, Taylor and her mother were arguing about something. She wasn't really listening but it sounded like it was about Taylor's current profits from his telephone seed business.
With a sigh, Anissa opened the door and stepped outside to avoid the noise. She smiled. The light snow was beautiful, falling in their fields and the quiet was a relief. However, it was disturbed when the door to Maya and Chase's house was thrown open and Maya waddled out. She was wearing a big fluffy pink coat that failed to completely cover her pregnant belly.
"Merry Christmas, Anissa," she called cheerily.
Anissa smiled and waved at her. "Hello, Maya, Merry Christmas. Are you going to the Inn for the holiday?"
Maya nodded and grinned. "Yep, my mom and grandma are making dinner for us. I can't wait to eat and eat and eat!" she cried.
Anissa laughed softly. "That's good. But, you are following the list of dietary restrictions I gave you?"
Maya scowled. "Yeah, yeah, yeah. No fish, no alcohol, I know."
"That's good. It's important that you stay healthy during your pregnancy. The road will be semi slippery. Be careful not to fall."
Maya rolled her eyes at Anissa. "Don't worry so much. Honestly, it's not slick at all." She took a step forward to prove her point, then another. However, the third step didn't go so well. Her feet slipped out from under her and she squeaked.
Anissa rushed forward, but Chase opened the door at that exact moment and grabbed Maya's arm. Unfortunately, he had been carrying a stack of presents and a pie which all fell into the snow.
Anissa raced to Maya's side and steadied her as Maya giggled sheepishly. Chase was grumbling as he tried to grab all of the packages again.
"Are you sure you should go?" Anissa asked, concerned. Maya laughed, dusted herself off and began to help Chase in picking up everything.
"No, we'll be fine." Anissa looked uncomfortable but Chase merely rolled his eyes.
"Trust me, Anissa, she trips over everything whether there's snow or not. I'm used to it."
"Hey!" Maya cried.
Chase smirked. "Oh, shut up, you know it's true."
Maya stuck out her tongue but Chase ignored her. "You're lucky that the pie wasn't destroyed."
She sniffed but didn't respond. "Don't worry, Anissa, we'll be fine."
"Well, alright, but be careful," Anissa warned.
Chase nodded. "We will," he reassured. "Now come on, Maya, we're already late." Together, the couple made their way down the path.
Maya turned around and waved. "Merry Christmas!" she shouted.
Anissa raised her hand, "Merry Christmas."
Anissa watched them turn around the bend before she returned to her house and sat on the steps. The snow was beginning to come down a bit harder but it still didn't seem too significant. She walked inside her house just as the phone began to ring.
"I've got it," she called as she grabbed the phone. "Hello, thank you for calling Marimba Farm."
"Hello Anissa," a familiar voice greeted. Anissa's breath caught for a second.
"Doctor, hello, are you getting ready to leave? Is there something I can do for you?"
Jin was silent for a moment. He awkwardly cleared his voice.
"Jin?"
"I'm sorry; Anissa, but Irene and I will be unable to attend dinner tonight."
"Oh… I mean, okay, that should be fine," Anissa responded softly, keeping the disappointment out of her voice.
"Today has been particularly busy. Chloe broke her arm, Calvin has a concussion, and Toby got a hook stuck in his ear."
"His ear?" Anissa asked, despite herself.
Jin sighed. "I don't know. I'm awfully sorry, but we're just too busy. We can't leave the clinic. Someone might die next with this pattern."
"I understand," Anissa lied. "People's lives come first after all. Hopefully I'll see you Thursday."
"I look forward to it. Merry Christmas."
"You too," she breathed. Then she slammed the phone down without waiting for his answer. She took a deep breath and shook her head.
"Anissa, is something wrong?" Ruth asked.
"No, I'm fine, mom."
Ruth rose on eyebrow but didn't respond. "Jin and Irene won't be joining us tonight. They're too busy," Anissa announced her voice an octave too high.
"Oh." Ruth answered. She gave Anissa that awful look of sympathy.
"It's really a blessing. The snow is getting worse. I wouldn't want to endanger them. Yes, it's not a problem at all. I think I need some air." Before her family could counter Anissa was out the door, intentionally slamming it behind her.
"I'm so stupid," Anissa grumbled to herself. Had she been reading all the signs wrong? Maybe the doctor had never thought about her in that way. She shook her head repeatedly, trying to calm herself down. It really wasn't that big of a deal. Why did she feel so awful?
She probably would have sat there for an hour trying to calm herself down but she was interrupted by someone screaming. She looked up to see a horse dashing towards her. Behind it there was a wagon, hurdling down the hill with two people inside.
Without thinking, she dashed toward them, but it was too late. The wagon hit a rock and the two people flew through the air, landing on the ground with a thump. Anissa raced to the two figures and recognized her friends, Hikari and Luke. They were moaning in the snow.
Anissa knelt beside them but they were already sitting up. "Damn it," Hikari muttered. "That was not supposed to happen."
"That was awesome," Luke groaned. "But did you have to land on top of me?"
"Are you two okay?" Anissa asked. She was looking carefully at them, searching for any signs of serious injuries.
"Yeah, I think I'm okay," Hikari answered, as she pulled herself to her feet.
"I'm fine," Luke grinned, as he tried to push himself up. However, his face scrunched up in pain as he put wait on his arm. "Ow!" he squeaked.
Anissa fell to her knees by Luke and gently took his arm. "Oh, dear," she mumbled. "You guys better come in; I'll have to wrap this. Then I'll take you to the clinic."
"No, I'm fine!" Luke cried. "I was going to help Hikari deliver all her Christmas gifts." He gestured around him and Anissa noticed about a dozen packages buried in the snow next to the destroyed wagon.
"Its fine, Luke," Hikari soothed. "They're probably ruined anyway," she sighed.
Anissa smiled sadly at Hikari. "I'm sorry about your kart and your presents, but people in Harmonica Town don't expect anything from you."
Hikari shrugged. "Whatever," she mumbled. "Let me go calm down Ranger while you bandage up Luke. Then, I'll take him to the clinic so you can spend Christmas with your family."
"I don't wanna go to the clinic!" Luke whined. Hikari rolled her eyes at him.
"I have to go along too. Um, just to make sure that Luke stays safe, of course," Anissa responded.
Hikari shook her head. "No, really, I can handle this."
"I'm going with you," Anissa asserted. The confident smile on her face caused Hikari to raise an eyebrow.
"Alright, then," she agreed. Luke was rolling around on the ground, still whining like a little kid.
"Oh, shut up!" Hikari hissed.
...
About an hour later the trio had finally arrived at the clinic. As they were walking the snow had begun to fall increasingly harder. By the time they made it into town they had to trudge through nearly eight inches of snow on the paths. It seemed amazing that the snow could go from being so peaceful to a blizzard in only a matter of minutes.
Luke had complained the whole way there but Anissa and Hikari had stopped hearing him after a while. When they entered the clinic they were greeted with the sounds of a wailing baby. Anissa's eyebrows scrunched together. "I guess the clinic really is busy today."
The three walked into the warm air and sat in the waiting room. Candace was sitting there too, quietly reading her book.
"Hi, Candace," Hikari greeted. Candace smiled.
"Yo, Candace!" Luke shouted. He leapt into the air and tried to pump his fists, but instead let out a slight squeak of pain.
Candace's eyes widened in concern but Anissa merely gently grabbed his arm. "Luke, we told you to be careful with your arm," she said sternly as she carefully adjusted the bandage on Luke's arm.
"What is all that noise?" Irene quipped, as she emerged from a back room. "Oh, hello Anissa, Hikari," she greeted. "Merry Christmas."
"Hi, Irene!" Luke squealed.
The old woman scowled. "Luke," she grumbled.
Luke grinned and once again tried to pump his fist. "Ouch!" he shouted. Anissa sighed and went to help him again, but Irene stopped her as she reached to examine Luke's arm.
"Oh, dear," she mumbled. "Yes, yes, the doctor better take a look at this. Come with me," she instructed.
"Ah, but," Luke began, but Hikari cut him off.
"Go on, Luke. It will be fine. Anissa and I will wait here."
Luke moaned dramatically but followed Irene back as he was told.
"What are you doing here on Christmas Eve?" Anissa asked Candace.
"Vivian was running a very high temperature. Gill and Luna decided to take her in and I came along just in case."
Hikari nodded. "Luke broke his arm when we crashed my wagon because of the ice. I was trying to deliver Christmas presents. Sorry Candace, but I think your present is buried in the snow somewhere."
Candace smiled. "That's fine, Hikari. It's nice to just see you on Christmas. Even under these… circumstances." All of the women laughed softly at their situation.
Hikari sighed. "This isn't exactly how I was thinking of spending Christmas Eve."
Anissa shook her head. "Me either," she agreed somberly. Part of her wanted to go find Jin but now that she was in the clinic she once again felt very uncomfortable. What would he think when he saw her?
"Ever since Gill and Luna got married our Christmases have never been quite… peaceful," Candace admitted.
Hikari smirked. As if on cue, they once again heard Vivian screaming.
"She's a very passionate child," Candace sighed.
Hikari laughed. "Do you mean, she never stops screaming?"
Candace blushed but nodded. "Um…yes."
After a few minutes of sitting without saying anything Vivian finally quieted. However, they didn't have much time to enjoy the silence. "NOOOOOO!" A voice screamed from the one of the rooms.
Hikari groaned. "Oh, Luke…" she moaned. "Why does he have to act like a toddler all the time?" Luke continued to shout in a panic. The three women got up and raced to the room he was being checked up in. Anissa carefully pushed the door open. Inside, Luke was shaking Dr. Jin with his good hand, almost throwing a temper tantrum. Jin looked somewhere between alarm and exasperation.
"Luke, what are you doing," Hikari asked, like she was speaking to a small child.
"He says I can't chop wood for a month! A MONTH! I can't do that, Hikari. I am a carpenter! THAT IS NOT GONNA HAPPEN!" Luke screamed. Hikari tried her best to comfort him, but he was near hysterics. Candace and Anissa watched, feeling both awkward and morbidly fascinated.
Jin freed himself from Luke's clutches and watched silently as Hikari tried to calm him down. Then his eyes fell on Candace and Anissa. Anissa felt her cheeks getting hot under his gaze and she was sure he would say something to her, but after only a few seconds he averted his eyes.
"I will leave you for a moment. Excuse me," he stated calmly. Then he left, without saying anything to her.
Anissa stared at the door for several moments, slightly stunned and hurt. Of course, Jin wasn't required to say anything, but how could he just ignore her? She felt like a fool for coming all the way to the clinic in the snow.
Hikari had finally managed to get Luke to stop freaking out and he was now sitting on the hospital bed looking forlornly at the wall.
"Luke, it's only a month. I promise I'll take you fishing a lot and bring you spinach casserole," Hikari soothed. Luke merely moaned dramatically in response.
Candace sat on the edge of Luke's bed and timidly reached a hand out to pat him on the shoulder. "I'm… sorry about your arm," she mumbled.
Luke jumped at her touch, realizing her presence for the first time. "Candace? Oh, hi," he greeted. "What are you doing here?"
"Vivian is sick," Candace answered.
"Is she okay?" Luke asked, suddenly distracted. Candace had the uncanny ability to calm anyone down without the other person realizing it.
"Yes, she'll be fine," Candace replied.
"I guess I will too, but this really sucks," he grumbled.
Candace frowned. "Be careful …. not to get hurt any worse," she instructed. Then she got up and turned to leave.
"Hey, wait," Luke called. Candace raised an eyebrow but turned back to him.
"I got you a gift. Luna and Owen said you'd like it. I don't know." He handed her a crudely wrapped object that he had been hiding in his pocket.
Candace blushed furiously and mumbled a thank you. She unwrapped the item quickly and her face split into a smile. "I-I do… like this book," she said softly as she held up a new copy of The Hobbit.
Luke pumped his good fist. "Great!" he shouted. He then began to babble rapidly to Candace. Hikari and Anissa managed to leave the room without either of them noticing.
"That was sweet," Hikari cooed.
Anissa nodded. "Yes," she mumbled, but she really wasn't paying attention.
Hikari raised an eyebrow. "Something up?"
Anissa shook her head.
"Is it about the doctor?"
"What? No, I mean, well…" Anissa grumbled.
Hikari patted Anissa comfortingly on the shoulder. "Anissa, you and I both know Jin rather well. Firstly, he doesn't deal with emotions very well, especially when they get in the way of work. Just talk to him. He likes you a lot."
Anissa met Hikari's sincere gaze and gave an uncertain smile. "I'm really not sure anymore. But you're right; I should at least talk to him."
Hikari nodded in agreement. They sat in the room for a while before Gill and Luna finally emerged, carrying their daughter.
"Candace, we're going home," Luna called. Her voice sounded rather irritated. Candace scurried to her sister's side, pulling on her coat. Luke followed her, sporting a new arm sling. A very exasperated Irene followed them, but Jin was nowhere to be seen.
"Have a Merry Christmas and make sure she gets plenty of fluids," Irene called.
"We know," Gill replied, moodily. He pulled on his coat, reached for the doorknob, and pushed the door. Nothing happened. Gill pushed madly on the door, before he began kicking it in frustration.
"Stop it, Gill, you are such a wimp," Luna snapped. She shoved her daughter into her husband's arms and furiously pushed on the door. "What the hell is going on? Can this day get any worse?!" she shrieked. Her exclamation caused Vivian to start crying again.
"Um… guys?" Hikari interjected. She had her face pressed up against the window. Outside, there was a huge snow bank where the furious wind had blown the new fallen snow into the front of the Clinic. "I think the snow is blocking the door," she guessed.
For a moment, no one spoke. Then, all hell broke loose. Everyone was speaking quickly, complaining, screaming, or crying.
"Everyone, be quiet, I'm going to call for help!" Irene called. She picked up the phone and tried to dial a number. As if on cue, the lights went out and the room became pitch black.
There was a moment where even baby Vivian was quiet. Then the chaos returned, even worse than before. People were running around in circles in a panic. Anissa tried desperately to calm everyone down as Irene began to light candles and turned on the emergency heater.
"You guys, be quiet. It will be fine. They'll dig us out tomorrow," she called. However, between the screaming baby, an emotionally exhausted couple, and Luke, it seemed that order would never be achieved.
No one noticed a figure emerge from the back room until his voice bit through the darkness. "Stop it!" Everyone was so shocked by the new voice they were momentarily quiet. They had never heard Dr. Jin raise his voice before. "Stop it, just stop it. All I wanted was a nice, quiet Christmas. And all I have is insanity! You people are grown adults but I don't care what you do as long as you are just quiet! I'm going upstairs," he hissed. Anissa tried to stop him but she stormed past her.
Her lips tugged into a hurt frown but it was too dark for anyone to see.
Irene cleared her throat to bring everyone back to reality. "Look, I know this isn't the ideal situation for anyone but you are all stuck here. We have enough food, beds, and blankets for everybody. It may be a cold night but we will all survive. Anissa, will you help me out?"
Anissa nodded and hurried to assist the old woman. Neither said anything of the Doctor's uncharacteristic actions.
….
It was late at night. but Anissa couldn't sleep. She was lying on the couch in the Clinic waiting area with Hikari passed out across from her. The air was freezing but she was covered in blankets so she wasn't that cold. Really, it was her mind that wouldn't let her sleep. With a sigh, Anissa got up from where she was lying. She wrapped a blanket around herself and walked quietly by Hikari.
She silently peeked into one of the check-up rooms. Inside, she saw Luke sleeping soundly in the bed with Candace fast asleep in the arm chair beside him, her new book still open. The candle she had been using to read was still glowing. Anissa tiptoed into the room, blew out the candle, and then placed her blanket over Candace. Shivering, she left the room and stood in the kitchen, staring out the window at the awful storm.
She debated what she should do. She still hadn't said anything to the doctor. However, he hadn't tried to say anything to her either. What was that supposed to mean? Could she seek him out? Anissa hugged herself in frustration and then shrugged. She would never be able to sleep unless she spoke to the doctor. So what if he rejected her affections?
With new found confidence, Anissa silently ascended the stairs to Jin's room. She was surprised to find the door open and see the faint light of a candle. Cautiously, she walked inside. Jin was still awake, writing furiously on a piece of paper.
"Couldn't sleep either?" Anissa asked. Jin jumped and turned to see her.
"Oh, Anissa. No, I couldn't," he admitted. He pushed his glasses up and stared at her. That stayed there for what seemed like hours stuck in awkward silence.
Finally, Anissa found the courage to talk. "Are you okay, Doctor? You seemed rather upset."
Jin blushed, although Anissa couldn't see in the darkness. "Yes, yes, I'm fine. I'm afraid I lost my temper. I have a lot on my mind and today just had a lot of… stress."
Anissa nodded. "I see… well, I got you a Christmas present. It's not much but, I hope you like it." She carefully removed a small object from her pocket and handed it to Jin.
"Oh, thank you," Jin replied softly. Gently, he unwrapped the gift to reveal a small book.
"It's a pocket dictionary of medical terminology and diseases. I thought it may come in handy at some point," she whispered.
Jin smiled. "Thank you, Anissa." She waited for him to say something else, but he turned back to his writing.
She tried to hide her disappointment. "Good night, Jin," she mumbled as she turned to leave.
At first, it seemed he wouldn't respond. However, just as she was about to descend the stairs his voice called after her, "Wait!" She turned around and looked at him again.
"Anissa, I owe you an apology. I should not have canceled on you. I should not have acted so coldly," he breathed.
Anissa's breath caught in the back of her throat. "Doctor…"
"No, let me finish. I have acted very poorly towards you and everyone here because I am very afraid. I realized the other day that my feelings toward you are stronger than I once thought. This scares me. It makes me foolish. I'm sorry for hurting you. It isn't fair to anyone for me to lose my temper because of an internal question. I always over think everything."
"Jin, you don't have to…"
He got up from where he sat and stood in front of her. "Anissa, I really need to say this. I think I may be falling in love with you."
She grinned at him and laughed. He looked alarmed for a moment until she pulled him into a hug. "I feel the same way. I'm so relieved," she breathed.
Jin hugged her back uncertainly, and then pulled away. "I bought you a gift too, though I'm not certain if you'll like it." He offered her a small box. Gingerly, Anissa opened it to see a necklace with a small golden 'A'.
"Thank you, I really love it," she whispered.
Jin smiled somberly at her. Carefully, he reached out and shut the box, keeping his fingers over hers. Their faces were inches apart. Slowly, the pair closed the gap until their lips met in a short, chaste kiss. When they pulled away they were both blushing.
"Sleep well, Jin," Anissa mumbled as she turned to leave.
"Good night," he replied quietly.
As Anissa walked away she felt butterflies dancing in her stomach. She waited until she was sure the doctor couldn't see her and then she did a mini happy dance, leaping into the air and quietly giggling giddily. "Best Christmas ever," she mused to herself.
...
The next morning Anissa was woken early by excited squealing. She rolled off the couch into the freezing air to find Luke running around in circles, holding presents.
"What the…?" she mumbled. Luke grinned.
"Santa Claus came!" Luke cried excitedly. "Look, he gave me this one handed fishing pole." He showed her a strange contraption. Anissa rubbed her eyes and followed Luke into the kitchen where she found everyone else, just waking up, staring incredulously at the pile of presents. There was a gift for every person in the house.
Luna blinked. "How in the world…?" she asked Irene.
Irene shook her head. "I didn't do this. We can't leave the house." Anissa noticed Hikari smiling knowingly, but she really didn't understand why. She had no way of knowing that Hikari was watching five happy Harvest Sprites dancing around in the corner of the house, all sporting Santa hats.
"Well," Hikari reasoned, "why question it? Let's follow Luke's example and start opening present!"
No one needed to be told twice. From a new squeaking giraffe for Vivian to a set of sewing needles for Irene everyone was pleased with their presents. Anissa received a leather herb pouch but what really made her Christmas morning so great were the secret glances she and Jin kept exchanging. Even when she wasn't looking at him, she was certain she could feel his kind gaze on her and it made her feel amazing.
A few hours later the power came back on and at about noon they heard a loud pounding on the door. They all raced over to find Dale, Bo, and Owen grinning at them.
"Dad!" Luke shouted as he hurried to give Dale a one-armed hug. Everyone was happy to finally be able to leave and spend Christmas with their families.
That year would stand in infamy as the year with the worst Christmas blizzard in history. Generations would talk about the horror and the inconvenience. But Anissa could only remember that Christmas as one of the best and also the first of many Christmases she spent in the Clinic.
Okay, well, I hope you like it! Writing Jin and Anissa was a bit difficult because I always avoid the doctor, but I went onto my game and talked to him for a few days. Him and Anissa had recently gotten married and what really inspired me was when he said something about being embarrassed about being married. Therefore, I thought Jin may be very uncomfortable about his feelings. I will warn you that I wrote a large portion of this late at night when I had a very high temperature. When I read it the next morning it didn't make much sense but I think I fixed most of it. Merry Christmas and Happy New Year. I hope this at least makes you smile a little.