Disclaimer: I don't own anything.
Author's Note: My first time writing this couple, so…Merry Christmas, or Happy Hanukah or whatever it is that you celebrate at this time of year. A lot of these ideas I got help with from Meloda26 and my younger sister and nephew.
Christmas Memories
Chip sat looking at the wall across from him, normally he would be inside, but…now just wasn't the time. He would have to wait just to make sure. When he stared at the wall really hard he could see the flowers dancing. But, soon that was boring and he looked away from the wall. Everything looked exactly the same as it did before he had started staring at the wall. It was Christmas time, and he hadn't expected to be here.
Sometimes if he needed his mind off of whatever was happening he would think about what had happened the year before. He might as well do it. He thought back five years before, at Christmas time. Vida and he had just gotten married after dating for a few years. They were in the house that they had saved up for and were decorating for the holiday. Vida had turned on some music and was moving to the beat as she put the lights up on the tree and Chip was working on the garland around the house.
She turned around and saw Chip putting some around the TV, "Do you really need to put that there?"
"Come on V, it'll look festive."
"The rest of the house is going to look festive, so why do we need to have anything more?"
Chip shrugged, "Because it looks good."
She rolled her eyes and went back to the tree finishing the lights. "There, all done. Now it's time for the—"
"Ornaments!" Chip yelled louder than he had expected to.
"Yes, the ornaments. Grab that box over there."
Chip ran and grabbed the box of ornaments that the two had collected from their years spent with their own families and then headed over to the tree. The two put up all the ornaments, and in no time the tree was decorated.
"Just look at it."
Vida looked up, "Looks good."
"Yep." Chip leaned over to kiss Vida on the cheek and instead found her lips. "Merry Christmas V."
"Merry Christmas Chip."
He smiled at that memory. Their first Christmas as a married couple. He didn't know that it would end. He looked back toward a closed door. Sighing he decided to move on. The second year that they had been married Madison and Xander's son Seth had gotten pneumonia and was in the hospital. It had started with a cough at the beginning of the month. Being their first baby Madison and Xander were worried, but that was quickly over with when Vida had told Madison to stop being such a baby about it. He and Vida had gone over for dinner. After dinner they had put Seth to bed and then he woke up with a cough so Xander went to check on him.
"I'm just so worried. Maybe Seth needs to see a doctor."
"Sis, listen, did Mom bring us when we had a cough?"
"Well no, but…"
"Hey," Vida touched Madison's arm, "He'll be okay. Don't worry, that'll only stress you out."
"Maybe."
"Madison!"
"Xander, what's wrong?" Madison was upstairs in a heartbeat.
By the time Chip and Vida had made it up there Xander was rushing out of the room, "I'll get your coat Maddie."
Vida hurried over to her sister and Seth, "What's wrong?"
"Seth coughed up some blood."
Chip watched as he saw Vida's mantle fall, as if she had given up, "That's not…"
"Good."
Madison grabbed Seth and his diaper bag and headed out the door. "Can you guys lock up for us? Vida, please come to the hospital after?"
The red-haired man looked at his wife and then back at Madison, "She'll be there."
After giving a quick smile Madison took off and in a minute she and Xander were on the way to the hospital.
"I can't believe it. What if Seth doesn't make it?"
"He'll make it. Don't worry."
"I told Madison she was being a baby, I kept telling her that."
"Hey, don't worry, come on. You'll feel better if you see her."
Chip had brought Vida to the hospital which helped both sisters. Seth was soon better; they had gotten him there in time, so nothing serious had happened. Chip looked around at the hall, nothing serious like this time perhaps. He didn't know that he could feel this way, now he knew how Xander and Madison had felt.
The third year they had been married Vida's parents had insisted that they stay there. So they headed over to the house a couple days before Christmas. That was the year that Seth was born and so Madison, Xander and Seth were all there.
"Good thing we got an extra present for the baby."
"Okay, okay, I'll admit you had a good idea." Vida rolled her eyes as they unpacked their things in Vida's old room.
"Good." Chip smiled as he picked up the bag of presents and started going through them to make sure he had them all.
"Are they all there?"
"All except the one you bought for Mom."
Vida looked up and grabbed the bag from Chip, "What!?"
As she started looking through the bag Chip began laughing, she looked up to see it in his hands. Glaring at him she tackled him and the two began wrestling on the floor. After a while they stopped with Vida on top of Chip straddling him.
Chip held up his hands, "I don't have it anymore."
"Where is it?"
"Over there." He moved his hand in the left direction and Vida looked up to see it lying partially under the bed.
"Good."
She reached down and gave Chip a kiss before getting up and grabbing the gift.
She had been so full of life at the time. When wasn't she? Sure her energy was built a different way than his, but she still needed to be out there getting through it. Now, what?
"Chip." He looked up to see Xander and Madison coming towards him. Madison sat beside him and grabbed his hand, "How are you holding up?"
He shrugged his shoulders as Xander put his hand on one of them. "It'll be okay, you know that."
This same scene reminded him of a couple of years ago when Vida and he had been at this exact hospital. Vida hadn't been feeling well and so Chip brought her to the hospital. She had been 6 months pregnant at the time.
Madison leaned her head on her Mother's shoulder while still holding Chip's hand. "You know she'll be fine."
"Yeah, Vida's tough." Nick said.
"I know." But Chip couldn't help but feel bad. Vida hadn't wanted him in there, so here he was out in the waiting room. Finally the doctor came out and Chip was over there in a heartbeat, "Is everything okay?"
The Doctor had pulled Chip more aside, "We're not sure exactly what happened yet, but the baby died while still inside your wife. Now we have a simple procedure to take the baby out and than she has to be in the hospital for a couple of days, but other than that everything's fine." Nodding Chip looked to the door and back at the doctor who smiled, "You can go in."
"Thanks." Chip opened the door and shut it behind him. Vida lay in the hospital bed, not to happy. "I guess he already told you."
She looked over at him, "I'm sorry, I know you were really looking forward to this baby, but…"
"Yeah, so were you. Besides, at least you're okay." Chip took Vida's hand, "I was scared."
"Sorry. Hey you had no reason to. I've been in worse shape before, you know that."
Chip smiled, "Yeah."
"We're okay?"
"Of course."
They weren't okay until a few months later, but afterwards everything had been fine.
"We came as soon as we heard." Chip looked up to see Clare and Nick coming in the hospital room.
"Oh Chip, I'm so sorry."
Xander looked at Clare, "Hey we don't know everything yet."
As the others continued in conversation Vida's parents arrived—they had been a bit further from the hospital but still came as soon as possible. Chip looked to the room again, was it good that it was quiet? Perhaps they had sound proof doors? He only wished he could just know what was going on, but he was in the dark. The Doctor had been in there for hours and still nothing, shouldn't it be over now?
Last year the ex pink and yellow rangers had gone to Chip's parents for Christmas Eve dinner. Chip knew that his parents weren't too fond of Vida; they thought she was to out there or something, but they had always tried to be nice to her because of Chip.
"Chip, I told you that I'm not bothered by your parents not liking me that much."
"No, but it bothers me."
"Why?"
"Because I love you and I don't want anyone to treat you that way."
Having arrived Vida turned off the car but instead of getting out she turned to Chip, "Really?"
Chip knew Vida could handle herself just fine, but he still hated to see her get treated like that. "Yeah. It's not right. You're one of the coolest, best people that I have ever known and that was being we got together."
Vida grinned and pulled her husband into a heated kiss. After a few minutes she pulled away, "More later?"
After everything in the room was taken care of everything would be different. Hanging his head he knew that soon things were going to come crashing down and he wasn't sure about handling it. Looking at the door he tried to willingly open in with his mind. To bad telekinesis hadn't come with being a super hero.
A few more minutes passed before the door opened and Chip stood his stomach in knots, "Charlie Thorn."
He stepped forward, "Yes?"
"You can go in."
Madison gave him s smile while Nick gave him a push in the right direction. He walked into the room and saw Vida lying in a white hospital bed with her eyes closed, Chip looked at the doctor. "Don't worry she'll wake up any minute, the drugs should be leaving her system soon."
The red-haired man exhaled not realizing he had been holding his breathe. He walked up to the bed, "V?"
Slowly her eyes opened, "Chip. Hey, how are things?"
"Well, you're in the hospital and not…" He looked intensely at her, "Why didn't you want me in?"
"Didn't want you to see anything again, you know?"
"Right. So, I guess they had to cut you open again?"
"Yeah, but for a different reason."
Curious Chip looked at Vida, "What reason?"
"Charlie and Vida, here is your new baby boy." One of the nurses carried a little boy wrapped in a blue blanket over to Chip who happily took him.
Chip looked down at Vida, "I thought that you or the baby would be gone."
"Nope, guess you're stuck with me."
"That's good because I like being stuck with you. Merry Christmas."
"Merry Christmas."
And the two happily shared a kiss knowing they were know a family of three.