Chapter 7 The Christmas Miracle
Everything was happening so fast. The sirens of the ambulance died down as they neared St. Luke's hospital. The paramedics quickly unloaded the stretcher and Nick and Kevin who were both seated at the back rushed inside behind them.
"We need Dr. Cooper in the ER," paged one paramedic. "It's a girl who got hit by a car. She has an unstable heart rate and she's losing a lot of blood. She's close to the critical zone. We need an immediate blood transfusion. Stat!"
Nick tried to listen but part of him wanted to remain immune to the seriousness of Macy's condition because he was still in denial that she was in an accident.
"You boys are not allowed in the operating room," said one of the doctors. "You can wait out here for the mean time."
Both of them wanted to be with Macy but they both knew that they wouldn't be able to take seeing the doctors operate on her delicate body. Taking a seat next to the door, Nick looked across the waiting room at Kevin who took his place near the television set. By the looks of it, Kevin had been crying and he leaned over to put his head in his hands as he continued to silently weep. To his surprise, Nick's eyes were dry but his skin was so cold from being numb from the pain. His brain kept sending him images of when the car made its impact with Macy's body. He had to close his eyes while trying to shake that tragic memory away from his thoughts.
God, please save her. Don't let her die.
He needed to think of happier times in order to get through this…and that's why he thought of one of their most recent memories.
/The night of the winter formal/
Nick parked his car all the way in the back of the lot because he didn't want to be seen driving home with a certain brunette girl. Because he left later than everyone else in the dance, the parking lot was almost empty giving them the much needed privacy if he and Macy hoped to keep their relationship a secret. From afar, he could already tell that Macy was waiting for him tapping her foot impatiently.
"Macy!" he called out to her happily but when he went in for a big kiss Macy pushed him away so he said very alarmed, "Macy?"
"That wasn't too hard now, was it?" she exclaimed furiously. "You lean in for a kiss and I push you away. It's really simple to avoid a kiss, Nicholas. But no! When Penny kissed you, you chose to stand as still as a statue! You didn't even try to get away!"
Crap. She saw it, Nick thought to himself.
"Macy, that kiss meant nothing," Nick assured her while trying to embrace her but Macy was being stubborn and walked away. "MACY! WAIT!"
She continued walking away because she was oozing with jealousy because Nick not only spent the entire night dancing with Penny but he also shared a good-night kiss with his ex-girlfriend.
"MACY!" Nick called again after her. And this time he ran so he could block her path. He stopped her by placing his hands on her shoulder but Macy was looking everywhere else but his face. "Macy, I told you that Penny and I are just friends."
"Friends don't kiss each other on the lips, Nick," Macy retorted while glaring up at him.
Nick gulped because she did have a point.
"I was just caught off guard," Nick said as he tried to defend himself. "I know Penny still has feelings for me but I made it very clear to her that we are done. Macy, you're the one for me. You don't need to worry about her. She's nothing to me."
Macy looked up at him and she knew when Nick was being sincere and right now he had the look of complete sincerity on his face.
"That kiss really meant nothing to you?" Macy asked him to make sure Nick was telling the truth.
"It meant absolutely nothing," he replied as he placed a soft kiss on her forehead. "Penny can give me one hundred kisses and I would feel nothing compared to just one kiss from you."
Macy smiled because Nick really knew his way with words.
"So you're saying that just one kiss from me is worth more than any kiss from that girl?" she asked him happily while clasping her hands behind his neck.
"Yes, that's exactly what I'm saying," Nick said as he wrapped his arms around her waist.
"Then let me give you just one kiss tonight," Macy said as she tiptoed to connect her lips with his.
They stayed in each other's embrace for a while and when they broke apart, Nick smiled at her and said, "I love you, Macy."
"I love you, too."
He drove her back to his place before bringing her home.
"Nick, it's close to my curfew. I don't think I can spend too much time with you," Macy told him.
"Don't worry. It won't take long," Nick assured her.
But Macy looked at him skeptically because if he was referring to what she thought he was referring to, Macy couldn't help but remember their last time together when Nick 'finished' too quickly. So when they did it a second time, it took them almost an hour for him to reach his peak again. Even though he was embarrassed by it all, Macy had to be realistic.
"Nick, as much as I wanted to do stuff with you tonight, we're cutting it pretty close since we left the dance so late," Macy started off saying. "I don't want to risk getting myself murdered by my mom because the last time I was late she grounded me for five days!"
"I know we're close to your curfew but I'm not talking about that," Nick said quickly. "Gosh, Mace, not everything is about sex!"
"Okay I'm sorry, but then what is this all about?"
"You'll see," Nick simply said.
When they both got out of his car, he took one of her hands so that she could follow him. Instead of going through the front door, he brought her to the side of the firehouse.
"Where are we going, Nick?" Macy asked him inquisitively.
"You'll see," Nick said as he pulled down the fire escape ladder. "Follow me."
Macy looked at him curiously but she trusted him completely so she climbed up the ladder behind Nick. Before she reached the roof, Nick blocked her path and said, "When you come up, can you close your eyes for a second."
"O-kay," Macy agreed while raising an eyebrow at him because she really had no idea what he had planned. However, she complied with his command. She closed her eyes when she was on solid ground once again and she could hear Nick flipping some switches on. Then suddenly she heard slow music reminiscence of the 1950's playing in the background.
"Alright, Mace, you can open them."
And the second she did this, Macy was truly taken in by surprise because the roof of the firehouse was transformed into a mini-winter wonderland. Nick set up a patio tent in the center and from the ceiling of the tent hung snowflakes, which upon close inspection were hand-made judging by the ragged edges and unconventional shapes. Nick really wasn't an artist but it was the thought that counts. White lights were strewn everywhere. There was a Christmas tree in the corner and silver and blue streamers decorated the perimeter of the roof.
"Nick, what is this?" Macy asked him breathlessly.
"It's our own little winter wonderland," Nick replied as he led Macy towards the center of his creation.
She was so touched but she had to ask, "Why did you do all of this?"
Nick laughed because he really went out of his way to set this up.
"Because tonight I want to have my last dance with you," Nick answered her lovingly.
"Nick…" Macy once again said affectionately. This time she went over to him and gave him a very, very passionate kiss on the lips. "I love it."
The music that was playing was a slow one so they swayed to the music as they held each other closely. Both of them loved being in each other's embrace because they were each other's better half. Macy wished time would stop when she was with him because she wanted to spend every waking moment with the love of her life.
"Nick?"
"What is it, Mace?"
"Why do you love me so much?" she said this while she looked up at him.
Nick let out a loud sigh as he wrapped his arms around her even tighter and answered, "Because you are a smart, beautiful, and a very sweet girl. You have a way of making me feel happy just by being yourself. And you are truly one of a kind. I know that I'm never going to find another girl like you and that's why I'm going to hold onto you forever. Because Macy you make me feel complete and I love you so much for being just the way you are."
He placed a heartwarming kiss on her lips to conclude his heart-felt speech and then he asked her, "Why do you love me, Mace?"
"Because you love me for who I am," she answered him back while smiling from ear to ear.
Nick smiled at her and whispered into her ear, "Macy, promise that you'll never leave me."
"I promise to never leave you, Nick, because I don't want anyone else but you," she honestly replied.
And so the two young lovers danced the night away taking great comfort in each other's company.
The memory faded because Nick realized that he began to cry because the thought of losing Macy was growing more plausible with each passing moment without word from the doctor. He couldn't lose her. He looked over at Kevin one more time and he was more broken down than the last time he looked at him. He wanted to go over to him for support but at that moment the door swung open and his family plus Stella came in.
"OH MY GOSH! This can't be happening," Stella said frantically. The mascara that must have been neatly applied on her eyelashes before she got there was now leaving black streaks on her face as she wept openly. "Macy has to survive this. She just has to! I don't know what I'll do if I lose her."
She turned to Joe who took her in his arms.
"Did the doctors say anything yet?" Joe asked him as he continued to embrace his girlfriend.
But Nick shook his head solemnly.
Kevin got up to greet them all but he still didn't pay any attention to Nick.
"Her parents are coming soon," their mom informed them. "But how did this all happen?"
So Kevin told them the whole story but of course, he left out the whole fight that they had amongst the three of them. Everyone took a moment to pray for Macy to get through this. When her parents arrived, Mrs. Lucas comforted Macy's mom while his dad and her dad conversed seriously about what was happening. This left Kevin, Joe, Stella, and Nick to themselves.
"I can't believe this is happening," Joe said sadly. "She doesn't deserve this. It's so unfortunate."
"I don't think I've ever cried this much before," Stella said as she blew her nose into what seemed to be the hundredth tissue she used since she got there. "Macy's like a sister to me. I don't know what I would do if she's gone...I can't even think about it."
"Macy's going to survive this. I just know it," Nick said more like a self-assurance to himself because he didn't want to think otherwise.
"And how do you know that Nicholas?" Kevin said furiously. "Do you and Macy share that strong of a connection that you can communicate telepathically?"
He was glaring at him now because Kevin still believed that they wouldn't be in this situation if Nick didn't mess up his relationship with Macy.
"We're just hoping for the best," Joe said as he tried to calm Kevin down.
"Fine. Of course, everyone sides with Nick. He's the perfect one. He never makes mistakes," Kevin said angrily. "I get it. I'm the wrong one yet again!"
He got up abruptly to join the adults.
"What's the matter with him?" Joe asked Nick curiously.
"Um…he's just upset about what happened…" he replied uneasily because he wasn't sure if now was the right time to reveal to Joe and Stella that the real reason Macy broke up with Kevin was so that she could be with him.
"But I'm with you on this one Nick. Macy's a strong girl. She's going to pull through this," Stella said while her tears were subsiding. "She just has to."
Five hours must have passed when Dr. Cooper finally came into the waiting room.
"Are you all here for Macy Anne Misa?"
"Yes, we are," her mother said quickly. "How is she? Is she going to be fine? Is my baby going to be okay?"
Clearly, her mother really did love her daughter.
"Well, we have some good news and bad news," the doctor answered. "She suffered from three broken ribs and we were able to stop the bleeding. She's no longer in critical condition."
"Oh, thank goodness!" her mother yelled as she threw her hands up to praise the Lord.
Everyone was talking excitedly now because Macy survived! Nick felt as if a great weight has been lifted. Thank you God!
"And the bad news?" her mother pressed on.
"She suffered from a major blunt trauma to the back of her head. Thankfully, there is no internal bleeding and even though her vital signs are in stable conditions, she is currently in a comatose state," Dr. Cooper said seriously. "We're not sure when exactly she'll wake up but due to the severity of the impact it can range from a few days to even a few months."
The excitement that they initially experienced died down.
"But she's going to live? Right?" her father asked finally taking an active role in the conversation.
"Yes, she's going to live," Dr. Cooper said. "And as much as I would like you all to have a chance to see her, I can't do that right now since she's still in the initial stages of recovery. Only family members are allowed to see her now. Mr. and Mrs. Misa, would you care to follow me?"
The two of them hurriedly followed him.
For the next few days, Nick visited Macy every chance he could get. He hated seeing her so helpless and fragile. She was hooked up to all of these machines with many IV tubes in her arms. But as much as he couldn't stand seeing her in this condition, Nick kept coming everyday.
While everyone was out doing their last minute Christmas shopping, Nick spent his entire Christmas Eve in St. Luke's hospital sitting next to Macy by her bedside. He was holding her hand as he watched her sleep. The doctor encouraged them to talk to her because she could be listening to what they had to say and in a way it can help her recover quicker. Thus, for all of his visits, Nick would have one-sided conversations with her.
"So today this little girl stopped me for an autograph," Nick was telling her. "And guess what her name was? Yup, you got it. Her name was Macy. And she had the same dark brown hair just like you. She was so adorable. Anyway, I just want to let you know that Frankie made this card for you that says 'Get better'. He even drew your favorite flower, a tulip, in the front. He's too afraid to visit you because he doesn't want to see you like this. It's funny because Frankie is just like me since I also can't stand seeing you like this…so hopeless…But I want to see you everyday because it's weird not hearing you let alone see you for…what is it now?...five days? Anyway, I want to let you know that I miss you so much. Please wake up soon because I'll be waiting for you."
Nick held on to her hand tighter hoping that she would squeeze his hand back to let him know that she heard everything he had to say. But there was no response.
"You love her, don't you?"
Nick was taken aback by the familiar voice because he thought that he was alone the whole time.
"Hey Stella," Nick greeted her as he quickly let go of Macy's hand.
"I get it now," Stella said as she walked closer to him. "The reason why you and Kevin are on the outs is because you both love Macy."
"Well…um…" Nick hesitated because he didn't want to seem like the bad guy here. "You see…uh…"
"I know this has to be it!" Stella said as she said with even more gusto. "The reason why you guys won't even look at each other! And why Kevin chooses not to visit Macy when you're here. You both are in love with the same girl!"
"I didn't steal her away from him if that's what you're trying to imply," Nick said defensively.
"No, not at all," Stella said quickly. "But you love Macy, don't you?"
Nick gulped because this was Stella Malone he was dealing with. Even if denied his feelings for Macy now, some way or another, she was going to make him crack and reveal that she was indeed right. And he knew very well from Joe that Stella was definitely a force to be reckoned with especially when she wanted to get to the bottom of something.
Letting out a loud sigh, Nick admitted, "Yes, I love her."
"I KNEW IT!" Stella said. "I knew something was going on between you guys at the end of last year. So when she and Kev broke up, you two got together?"
"Yeah...um... you could say that," Nick said a bit uncomfortably because the time-line of his relationship with Macy wasn't exactly as clean-cut as Stella put it out to be. There was a lot of sneaking around involved…but Stella didn't need to know that.
"Wow…but wait a minute…the three of you were together during the whole accident…does that have anything to do with Kevin finding out about you two?
Wow, Nick thought. Stella was really on a roll here with all her hunches.
"Yeah but it's kind of complicated," Nick started of to say but he told Stella everything about how much he and Macy loved each other especially since he helped her through her difficult times. Stella felt bad that she wasn't able to be there for her best friend but she continued to listen to what Nick had to say as he shed light on the situation.
"But I mean Kevin must have understood that you and Macy were meant for each other if you told him all that," Stella finally said after Nick was done telling his side of the story.
"That's the thing. Macy tried to tell him all of this but he didn't want to listen and he ran off and Macy followed him and then…this happened," Nick said but he didn't blame Kevin for this accident because it was unforeseeable. "He thinks Macy and I are just keeping it casual by just having sex with no strings attached—
"WHOA! Hold up," Stella interrupted him loudly. "You and Macy had sex?"
Crap. Nick didn't realize that he revealed too much information.
"Um…you see…"Nick stammered but there was no point in hiding anything now so he admitted it. "Yeah…we kind of did. But she means everything to me. So even though I technically did violate my promise, I don't see it as a mistake at all because I love her Stella. She's the one for me."
Stella looked at Nick. She was a bit disappointed that he gave into temptation but she also knew what kind of guy Nick was because he would never do anything as serious as having sex without having any deeper meaning to it. For him to have done that with Macy just goes to show how much he genuinely loved her. And that alone, comforted Stella because she knew Nick would never use Macy to fulfill his sexual needs.
"I'm not that shocked about you breaking your promise. You got that ring when you were like twelve. You didn't even know what sex was! I'm just shocked that you, out of all your brothers, were the first one to do it! And I know you won't just do it with any girl that comes your way so the fact that you chose to save yourself for Macy just goes to show that you really do care about my best friend," Stella said this as she was still trying to recover from the shocking revelation. But in reality she was really shocked that her best friend lost her virginity before her…not that it was a competition or anything. "By the way, how did Kevin find out?"
"I really don't know," Nick honestly answered because Kevin didn't say anything about the letters he found. "I just hope once Macy gets better we can both tell Kevin our side of the story."
"I'm sure he'll listen," Stella said as she put a comforting hand on his shoulder. "Kevin is a reasonable guy."
"Yeah…" Nick said quietly but Stella didn't know the extent in which he betrayed his oldest brother. He knew it would take a long time before Kevin would trust him again.
After all of this was out in the open, Nick made Stella promise that she won't reveal this to anyone because he wasn't comfortable letting everyone know about the drama between him and Kevin. The fact that Kevin didn't say anything to them also shows that that the oldest Lucas boy wanted to keep things a secret.
The next day was Christmas and the Lucas household tried to have their traditional holiday celebration. The whole family went to Christmas Mass first thing in the morning. Nick knew he shouldn't ditch his family during the holidays but he wanted to head over to the hospital at least once to see Macy but his mother kept him busy cleaning the house since their relatives and Stella's family were coming over for their annual Christmas dinner. They extended an invitation to Macy's parents but they opted out because they wanted to spend their holiday in the hospital with their daughter. Nick was tempted to join them but he knew that would anger his mother, who always insisted that holidays must be spent together as a family. Even during the festivities, not once did Kevin greet Nick a 'Merry Christmas' because he was still wounded by his betrayal and to an extent, he felt guilty about what happened to Macy since she did follow him out into the street before she got hit by a car.
It was 7pm and the long dinner table that was set up in their dining room was full of many exquisite dishes. His mom and aunt made a holiday roast, mashed potatoes, green bean casserole, sweet potatoes, honey mustard glazed ham, cranberry sauce, and many more. It looked like a spread in a food magazine. Stella, her parents, and her younger sister arrived first. And then his aunt Mildred and Uncle Dan came with his cousins. Everyone settled in and were telling stories to each other. Nick tried to be polite and laugh at the funny story his Auntie Milly was telling him but he kept looking at the clock. He knew visitation hours at the hospital would be over in two hours and he wanted more than anything was to spend at least an hour with Macy.
"Oh, can you excuse me. I have a phone call," Stella said while getting up.
"Sure, honey," Mrs. Lucas answered her.
Nick stared at Stella curiously, who was now talking animatedly to someone on the phone. Who could it be? He was about to also excuse himself from the table to get a glass of water just to eavesdrop on her conversation but in a matter of seconds Stella returned to the table with the biggest grin on her face.
"I'm sorry to interrupt but that was Macy's mom and she said Macy woke up an hour ago!" Stella said excitedly.
This was the greatest Christmas gift ever, Nick thought.
"Oh thank goodness!" Mr. Lucas gladly said. "This is truly a Christmas miracle! We can all visit her first thing tomorrow morning."
"I knew she would pull through!" Mrs. Lucas piped in and then she informed the other guests exactly who Macy was. "Macy is one of their friends and she was in a bad accident just recently and—NICK!"
His mother yelled after him because the moment Stella said Macy woke up, Nick just had to see her. So he immediately got up from the table and grabbed his jacket and keys.
"NICHOLAS LUCAS! YOU BETTER SIT BACK DOWN HERE!" his mother yelled at him. "WE'LL VISIT MACY TOMORROW! SHE NEEDS HER REST!"
Even though Nick was often labeled a mama's boy because he always obeyed his mother, right now was an exception because there was no way he was going to just sit around and enjoy some roast beef and mashed potatoes-not when he knew Macy was awake. He started his car and drove all the way to St. Luke's. While Nick was known to be a safe driver, tonight was another exception because he must have passed two or three red-lights. When he got to the hospital, he parked in the first space he could find without realizing it was a handicap-parking spot.
"I'm here to see Macy Misa!" Nick told the receptionist, who was quite shaken by his vivaciousness.
"Room B12. But, sir, you only have 15 minutes until visitation hours are over!" the receptionist called after him because Nick Lucas was already running down the hallway ready to see the love of his life fully awake.
He paused before he entered the room. For some reason, he started feeling really nervous. Calm down, Nick told himself. Don't do anything too rash. She just woke up after all.
Slowly he turned the knob to open the door. It was still dark inside. He could see her parents talking to her by her bedside. And there she was, sitting upright for a change. Macy looked over at him curiously.
"MACY!" Nick yelled as he rushed over to her to give her a big hug. "Oh my gosh, Mace, you don't understand how happy I am to see you! I missed you so much. I'm so glad you finally woke up!"
"Uh…thanks," Macy said in a less than enthusiastic voice. "Excuse me, but you're kind of holding me too tightly."
"Oh, I'm sorry. I shouldn't do that since you're still recovering," Nick said as he quickly let go off her. "So how are you feeling?"
"I'm doing fine," Macy said but this time Nick noticed that she was acting strange. She seemed so distant.
Nick wanted to say everything that was running through his head but Macy asked him earnestly, "Excuse me, sir, but who are you?"
She looked over at Nick again with the same curious expression on her face.
Nick's mouth hung open in complete shock. This was not the reunion he was expecting.
Closing Remarks:
So it's like 'Remember Me' revisited but in reverse! Anyway, the other difference here is that Macy won't remember everyone in the gang...hm...what could that do to Nick and Macy's relationship? Furthermore, does this mean Kevin is completely out of the game? Or will there be some type of battle to win Macy's heart? Hm... I feel like I gave too much away. But expect more drama to unfold in the next chapter. I have a feeling this story will have two more chapters. I'm not even sure if I plan to write a full epilogue. If there is an epilogue it might be short and attached to the last chapter. I hope you enjoyed this chapter. Stay tuned for the next one! REVIEW PLEASE! THANKS!
-Penelope36