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Christmas Wishes

Chapter 4

Joe let himself into Frank and Callie's apartment after having left work less than an hour earlier. He was getting antsy not being able to work longer hours, but just about had his father convinced that he was well enough to return to work. Still, his dad had insisted on waiting the entire time that the doctor had recommended before letting Joe back full time, which he understood- mostly.

He thought he would have gone crazy if he hadn't been able to spend the week with Callie. What had started as a request to take care of her from his father and brother had soon turned into one of the best weeks he could remember. Having only each other to talk to and hang out with as they both recovered had helped to strengthen their bond. He had very much enjoyed laughing and cooking with Callie, and had appreciated her honesty and support in his decision to marry Vanessa. He smiled as he thought that she was almost as excited as he was about the prospect.

"Cal? You there?" he asked as he walked in the front door.

Callie was sitting on the couch as he entered. To his surprise, she seemed dressed up, perfectly put together as she had always been prior to the accident. Wearing dark skinny jeans, high brown boots, and a soft blue sweater, and wearing makeup, she didn't look as if she was about to start their daily baking session.

"Have a hot date or something, Shaw?" Joe teased as he leaned down to give her a quick peck on the cheek. "You look great," he added.

Callie smiled and extended her hand. Joe reached down and helped her stand up. Despite her appearance, he knew she was still in pain and, remembering the doctor's words, was always gentle with her.

"I do, indeed," Callie answered. "You!"

"Me?" Joe laughed. "I mean, I'm not going to argue that I'm a hot date, but I somehow thought we were both accounted for."

"Can you get my cellphone? It's in the kitchen," she asked, ignoring him.

Joe shrugged. "Sure." He went into the kitchen and retrieved it for her. "Here you go." He handed it to her.

Balancing it with her one good hand, Callie flipped the iPhone to picture mode. "Smile!" she ordered, and Joe, rolling his eyes, flashed a smile.

"Not that I mind," Joe mentioned after Callie took a few more shots, "But why are we doing this?"

"How are you at selfies?" Callie asked again.

"Shaw..."

"Come on! You have longer arms than me - and they're fully functioning- so want to take one of the both of us?" She looked so sweet and hopeful that Joe decided to just go with her request for the moment.

Positioning Callie in front of him, he reached up and took a few pictures, some silly, some normal. When he was done, he turned the phone back to Callie.

"I'm going to send one of these to Vanessa and one to Frank," she said, simply, smiling as she scrolled through the pictures that Joe had just taken.

After she hit "send," she looked up at Joe. "Thank you."

"You're welcome. But you're acting kind of weird today. What's up?"

"A few things, actually," Callie said, simply. "First, you should know that your dad let Frank off the hook for tonight, so I'm delighted to say he will be home for dinner."

"That's great!" Joe responded enthusiastically. Frank had been working an incredible amount of hours, and he missed seeing him. Of course, Callie had confided in him a lot over the past week, and he knew how much she missed having Frank around as well.

"Yeah. I'm happy," she admitted. "It'll be so good to have him here for a whole night, and it'll give you two a chance to hang out again under normal circumstances." Seeing his puzzled expression, Callie added, "Of course you're staying for dinner! And I invited Vanessa, too. Ironically, this is the one night I'm not cooking- we'll stop by Pritos and get some Italian food for tonight."

Joe was touched. "Cal, that's really sweet, but I know you want to see Frank, alone."

"And I will," she responded, breezily, "after we have dinner and dessert and the pleasure of each other's company. Come on- you want to see Frank, don't you?"

"That would be great. Yes. Thanks." He again was reminded of how much he cared about Callie; what a special person she was.

"I still don't get why we needed all the pictures, though," he added.

"Can you help me with my jacket?" she asked him. Again, Joe did as requested, not even bothering to ask what was going on in her mind. As soon as he helped her slip on her leather jacket, Callie turned to him.

"Because," she answered finally, looking at him with a twinkle in her deep brown eyes, "I thought you'd want to remember the day you went with your sister- in- law to buy your new wife her ring."

Joe was shocked. "Wha-" he began, but was cut off by Callie.

"Christmas is coming up, buddy! You can't plan the proposal without the perfect ring, right? And it just so happens that I'm available to help- so today is your lucky day!" She smiled mischievously.

Joe was about to protest, but then stopped himself. At once, he felt a hundred emotions. Fear, excitement, anxiety, hope… love. Unexpectedly, he felt his eyes fill with tears. Before he could blink them back, he caught a glimpse of Callie, and noted her eyes mirrored his own. Instinctively, he hugged her to him, careful not to hurt her, but feeling an overwhelming need to share this moment with someone else; something that they would always remember, together.

"What the hell?" he managed, gruffly. "Why not?"

Callie laughed through her tears. "That's the spirit."

"Let's go," he said. Turning to her, he couldn't help but tease. "Want to drive?"

"Don't push your luck!" Callie answered with a grin, as she followed Joe out the door, excited to see what the afternoon would hold in store.

Several hours and many stores later, Joe was starting to feel dejected. He and Callie had looked at hundreds of rings, and, though they were all beautiful in their own way, he couldn't find one that would be special enough for Vanessa.

He was also getting worried about Callie. She hadn't been out of the house for this long since prior to the accident, and, despite her assurances that "I'm fine-stop worrying," he knew that she was having a hard time keeping up.

"You know, Cal," he said at last as they made their way towards Pritos, "it's okay. Today wasn't the day. We should get you home to rest a bit before Frank and Vanessa get there."

"Maybe," Callie agreed, hesitantly, and then he really worried. For Callie to actually admit defeat showed how exhausted and how much discomfort she must be in.

Joe, who had gone ahead, slowed his pace and mentally calculated how long it would take to walk to Pritos when he head Callie gasp behind him.

"What? Are you okay?" he asked, alarmed, and backed up to her at once.

"Oh, Joe," she managed, as she pointed in the window. "Look."

Joe gazed into the window of the jewelry store they had almost passed, just a few blocks from Pritos. He had passed the store countless times- it was an antique jewelry store that had been around since he had been a kid. He hadn't even thought to look there, with all the modern jewelry stores opening, but, as soon as he heard Callie, he stopped.

He saw it the moment he looked in the window. The ring was unlike anything he had ever seen. It was a beautiful princess cut diamond, surrounded by princess cut emeralds and sapphires on the band. It looked both modern and antique. It was classic and gorgeous; just like Vanessa.

He felt Callie nudge him. "Let's go in."

It didn't take long. Once Joe had a chance to talk to the jeweler, it had sealed the deal. It was the most unique ring he had ever seen, and, though it was slightly more than he had planned to spend, it was well worth it. He couldn't have envisioned a more perfect ring if he tried. As the jeweler went to get the box and complete the transaction, Joe turned to Callie, speechless.

"It's perfect," she said, softly. "Vanessa will love it."

Suddenly, he was filled with doubt again. "I hope..." he managed, but Callie cut him off.

"I KNOW," she said firmly. "And you are going to make her the happiest woman on earth. Well…" she added, with a grin, "the second happiest. After me." She flashed her own classic and expensive ring.

Joe felt the butterflies go away for the moment. Caught up again in Callie's excitement and reassurance, he took a deep breath. As the jeweler came back, he returned with three glasses and champagne, along with the ring. He poured them each a glass after he set the ring on the counter.

"Congratulations! You're going to make a young lady extremly happy soon!" he declared. "It's nice your sister got to share this moment with you. Cheers!"

Callie and Joe looked at each other and smiled. "Yes, it is," Joe responded, happily. He winked at her. "Cheers!"

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

That evening, back at Frank and Callie's apartment, Joe couldn't help but feel overwhelmed with emotion. Every time he looked at Vanessa, he thought of the fact that, very soon, she would become his fiancée.

The night had been filled with laughter and things were starting to get back to normal with Frank much more quickly than he could have hoped for. Joe couldn't help but to notice how Frank barely left Callie's side, and how relieved and happy she seemed to be to have him there. In a brief break, in which Vanessa and Callie were chatting over coffee, he watched as his brother motioned him over to the couch in the living room.

"I wanted to tell you again how much I appreciate you taking care of Callie the last week or so," Frank said, sincerely. "She's doing a lot better, but she has a long way to go and she's always trying to push herself too hard. I worry about her a lot."

Joe smiled. Frank was being way more open with him than he had been in a long while, and it meant the world to him. "I know," he answered. "She's a tough cookie, though."

Frank raised his eyebrow. "I haven't heard that expression from you!" he added.

Joe took a sip of the beer he'd been holding. "She is," he continued. "It's weird. All we had was each other this week. She helped me, I think, maybe more than I helped her. She's a great person, Frank. I enjoyed this week. I really did."

Frank's eyes softened, thinking of Callie. "She told me virtually the same things about her time with you." He smirked. "I'm glad it only took you guys ten years to get to this point."

Joe laughed. "Patience, Frank. All good things come in time," he responded, happily. "How's work?"

"I'll be glad when you're back," Frank answered honestly. "These hours are brutal." He stifled a yawn. "I may have to ask the boss for a raise."

"Good luck with that!" Joe responded. "Hey- do you remember when we were kids and I'd have to beg dad for an allowance every week and he'd always deny me? Sheesh."

Frank's eyes twinkled. "That's because you never actually did any of the chores you were supposed to! And, if memory serves me correct, you'd beg me for half of my allowance because you said you entertained me while I was working!" Frank chuckled at the thought.

"Well, I did!" Joe answered with a grin of his own. "You can't deny that." He paused a moment or two, relishing this time of complete normalcy with his brother. "You do need a break, though. You must be exhausted. I'll actually be happy to get back to work, although I'll miss Callie."

"Welcome to my world," Frank answered easily. "By the way, I guess you should be getting half my salary now anyway according to your logic."

"What do you mean?" Joe asked, puzzled.

Frank laughed before answering. "Well, I'm doing all the work, but your reports are still keeping me entertained!"

Joe's face lit up. "I knew I'd win dad over with those! But as soon as I can, I'm getting out in the field and you're back to the paperwork."

"Not according to dad!" Frank countered.

Suddenly getting more quiet, Frank looked his brother in the eyes before speaking. "Is everything okay? I mean, you seem a lot better, but Callie told me that I should talk to you. She said that you might want to share something? She didn't tell me what- she only told me to ask and not to pry too much. She said you'd know what I was talking about."

So- Callie had kept her word. And she also had managed to encourage him to tell Frank, something he was uncertain of doing until he had been with his brother again, feeling out whether things felt forced or natural. Seeing Frank looking at him now so earnestly and full of concern made the decision much easier than he thought it would be.

"Girls!" he yelled into the kitchen. "I'm taking Frank outside for a few minutes. We'll be right back!" As he stood up and put on his jacket, he noticed that Vanessa blew him a kiss, which he returned, and that Callie gave him the most subtle of "thumbs up" signs. He smiled at her, knowing that the strain of his relationship with Frank in the past month or so had affected her as well.

"Okay!" Callie called back.

"I'll miss you!" Vanessa added, before dissolving into laughter about some joke shared with Callie.

Joe walked outside in the chilly night silently, knowing Frank was beside him. Again, as his own insecurities about being good enough for Vanessa came rushing back, he allowed himself to be comforted by the thought of Callie's assurances and the physical presence of his big brother beside him. It hurt to think of how much he had missed him.

He sat down on a bench overlooking a now frozen pond on the outskirts of the apartment complex. He felt Frank sit down next to him. As always, Frank didn't pressure him to talk. Instead, Frank reached out and laid a hand on his back, a familiar gesture of comfort.

Finally, he faced his brother, and, encouraged by the look of complete sincerity in his eyes, he found himself relaying the whole story: his week with Callie, his doubts about whether Vanessa would want to be with him, all of Callie's support, and, finally, the purchase of the ring, which he took out of his pocket with slightly trembling hands. He opened the box for his brother to see.

"What do you think?" he asked, at last, realizing how desperate he was to get Frank's approval.

"I think," Frank began slowly, gently rubbing Joe's back, "that you did an amazing job of picking out that ring, and that Vanessa is going to be thrilled. I also think," he went on, "that you two are meant to be. You're soulmates. And you're crazy if you think she wouldn't say yes."

Joe felt the tension slowly start to release from his shoulders. He realized in that moment how much he needed his brother in his life, and how much he relied on him for… well, almost everything.

"Really?" he questioned, hating the doubt in his own voice.

"Absolutely," Frank answered, firmly.

A few minutes of comfortable silence passed, and before Joe could say anything more, Frank spoke, his own voice uncharacteristically wobbly. Joe stared at him.

"Don't make the same mistakes I did," Frank said softly, staring ahead. "Never be too busy to tell Vanessa how you feel. Never take life for granted. And never, ever doubt the people in your life who matter most." He turned to Joe. "I'm sorry, Joe. I hope you can forgive me for everything. I know I let you down. But I can promise you that I'll try my best never to do that again."

He stood up and swallowed hard, and Joe slowly stood next to him. Finally, Frank finished his thought. "I can't tell you how happy I am that you and Callie have become so close. I would trust no one else to take care of her like you did. But a part of me feels like it should have been me you could have confided in; that I should have been the one to help you pick the ring. I hope that you'll let me in soon. Because as much as I probably don't deserve it, I could really use my brother back in my life again."

Joe felt his eyes burn with tears. He placed the ring back in his pocket and enveloped Frank in a big hug.

After a minute, he stepped back and jokingly punched Frank on the shoulder. "We'll be okay," he managed.

Frank just nodded, a small smile on his face.

Joe, his heart full, put an arm around Frank's shoulders as he led him back to the apartment.

"I have something that'll cheer you up," he said with a smile.

"What's that?" Frank asked.

"You'll find out in a month," Joe responded cryptically. "Call Callie's doctor. He has lots of advice to give. I'm sure he'll remember our talk."

Looking at Frank's face, full of utter confusion, Joe burst out laughing.