Chapter 54
Harry was awake and staring at the ceiling again. But it wasn't guilt and self-loathing making his head spin that morning. It was something altogether more pleasant. He looked across to Nikki's sleeping form, her hair splayed out over the pillow, her arms tucked protectively across her chest. It had been a long time since he'd woken up to a woman he loved in his bed. Even with Laurie he was never quite sure who he would wake up to once the addiction had truly taken hold. All the sudden changes of personality and mood. It was exhausting. He smiled to himself and enjoyed the feeling of warm contentment. He may have only made love to this woman for the first time yesterday but he knew her more intimately than anyone else he had ever known.
And she knew him.
And she'd chosen to have him back.
So this is what being in love can feel like, he thought. It was new, different. He liked it.
He silently offered a prayer of thanks to Leo Dalton for letting her stay all those years ago. Harry had been the first to suggest it. They were overworked and she was certainly good at her job, he'd probably fallen in love or perhaps awe with her when he overheard her berating the lab for not sending their results through quick enough and there was no doubt she was very easy on the eye.
But it had been Leo's decision to offer her the locum position: six months. Leo had doubled Harry's measly three month suggestion.
They'd always needed Leo.
He wondered how the other Leo was doing. He'd slept so much on the plane he was surprised he was still asleep. But then the boy was probably emotionally exhausted. Would he have taken him back, if he'd known before what Krystia had done?
Probably not.
But he was glad that he had.
- o -
Greg had driven them to the airport on the 27th. Leo had given his grandfather a warm hug and had even given Krystia a brief squeeze and signed 'thank you.'
"You will bring him again won't you?" Krystia had asked.
Harry nodded. "We'll need some time to settle down again, so not soon. When he's a bit bigger. He is your grandson." Even Harry managed to shake his mother-in-law's hand.
"I won't touch the stuff now,"Krystia whispered in his ear, pulling him toward her to kiss his cheek. "Not since Laurie. I can't… I'm sorry." She stuttered. Harry looked at her, she did genuinely look repentant.
"I'm sorry too. I'm glad we came." Harry replied, picked up Leo and swung him into the car.
- o -
"You alright?" he heard a sleepy voice murmur.
"Mm hmm." Harry replied. "Sorry did I wake you?"
Nikki rolled over to face him and he leaned over to kiss her.
"You're beautiful," he said sincerely.
"What time is it?" Nikki asked.
"After six, I'm surprised Leo's not awake."
Almost on cue, they heard a gentle thump as Leo slipped out of bed and the patter of his footsteps as he made his way to Nikki's room. He opened the door, put his books on the end of the bed and then set about climbing up on to the bed. He looked from Harry to Nikki and back to Harry again, crawled up the middle of the bed and settled himself between them.
"Morning!" Harry said.
Leo crawled down the middle of the bed again, collected his books and pushed them back up the bed and climbed in between them again.
Nikki propped herself up and turned on the light.
"I've missed story time while you've been away."
Leo pointed at himself and Harry and then at the bed.
"Oh, you're back now," Nikki guessed at the signs. Leo nodded and snuggled closer. Putting his favourite book in her hands.
"You still want the Gruffalo?" Nikki asked.
Leo nodded.
"Have you ever noticed how much Nikki looks like the Gruffalo?" Harry asked Leo, picking up sections of Nikki's hair and letting them drop around her face.
Leo's face was a picture of shock and concern, he signed an emphatic 'no.'
"Maybe he looks more like Daddy?" Nikki opened the book and pointed to a picture. "If we drew some glasses on… What do you think?"
Leo realised that they were playing a game, they were both smiling. He rested his head on Nikki's arm. He pointed at the picture again and made his own sign.
"You think the Gruffalo looks like Gramma!" Harry exclaimed.
Leo shook his hand over his heart. Nikki saw Harry swallow.
"Gramma frightened Leo. The Gruffalo frightens the mouse."
Leo nodded and then began to sign again. Harry sat up so he could see what Leo was saying more easily.
"Gramma no frighten Leo now." Harry translated and Leo nodded. "The mouse is cleverer. Gramma won't frighten Leo ever again." Harry added. "Gramma was sad about Mommy. Gramma promised there would be no more bad medicine." Leo nodded sagely and began signing again but pointed to Nikki.
"He wants to tell you that we took flowers to his Mommy." Harry explained.
"Did you choose the prettiest ones?" Nikki asked. Leo nodded and smiled. He waved and tapped his head.
"We said goodbye to Mommy," Harry interpreted but Leo was already onto his next signs. "Leo and Daddy no sad now," Harry translated literally and then explained. "We went to put some flowers on Mommy's grave and we talked about how we didn't need to be sad anymore. We could remember the happy times with Mommy."
"I'm glad you were able to say goodbye Leo. But it's still ok to be sad sometimes." Nikki stopped. She was just about to say, 'you must miss your Mommy very much,' but that was such a leading statement. She'd hated it as a child when people had told her how she 'must' feel after her own mother's death. Why 'must' she feel the things they thought?
"My mummy died when I was young, older than you but I was still a child. It's ok to feel sad sometimes. Just not so good if you're sad all the time." Leo looked up at her, wriggled himself onto her lap and put his arms around her neck and laid his head on her shoulder.
"Why don't you go take a shower?" Nikki suggested to Harry, giving him an opportunity to escape before he was overwhelmed by the flood of emotions filling the room. He didn't need to be asked twice.
"You can open your Christmas present Leo. I hope you like it." She reached across to the nightstand and presented Leo with a book shaped present.
He pointed at himself.
"Yes Leo, it's a present for you, from me."
He tapped his chin to say thank you and then pointed at Nikki and signed 'no.'
"You and Daddy came back, that's more than enough of a present for me. And you gave me that lovely hug just now. Time for Leo to open his present." Nikki insisted pushing it back into his hands.
The boy tore of the paper and looked at the book. Nikki opened it to a page near the back with a picture of a Christmas tree with a Gruffalo bauble on it. Leo spotted it immediately, pointing with his finger and smiling. He turned some more pages and pointed excitedly at the picture of Father Christmas.
"It's by the same author who wrote the Gruffalo, and the same illustrator. I thought you'd like it. It's called Stick Man." Nikki turned back to the beginning and began to read the story of the Stick Man, who was separated from his family when he had unintentionally become the stick in a dog's game of fetch. After escaping the dog, a girl found the Stick Man and used him in a game of Pooh Sticks, then he had become part of a swan's nest and been washed out to sea and as the seasons changed the Stick Man got further and further from the family he loved. In the depths of winter the Stick Man had almost given up hope.
"Stick Man is lonely, Stick Man is lost,
Stick Man is frozen and covered in frost.
He can't hear the bells, or the sweet singing choir,
Or the voice that says, 'here's a good stick for the fire.'"
Nikki read and turned the page to reveal the poor Stick Man asleep in the fireplace. Leo heard the shower turn off.
"Quick Daddy. Quick!" Leo called out.
Nikki jumped at the sound of Leo's voice and Harry tore out of the bathroom, still clad only in a towel.
"What's the matter Leo?" He asked.
"Stick Man help! Father Christmas. Stuck! Stick Man lost!"
"You're talking about the book!" Harry gasped.
'He's talking!' mouthed Nikki, behind Leo's head and planted a light kiss on his hair.
Harry joined them on the bed and Nikki continued reading, as Stick Man did indeed rescue Father Christmas from being wedged up the chimney under which Stick Man had been sleeping. And in thanks Father Christmas delivered Stick Man back to his family.
"Stick Man go home!" Leo said in wonder as Nikki finished the final page. "Stick Man no get lost again?"
"No." agreed Harry. "Stick Man's home now. Stick Man won't get lost again."
"Nikki get Daddy present?" Leo asked.
"Nikki has just given Daddy his present," Harry smiled and kissed them both.
Leo looked between the two adults again and stated categorically. "Leo get Nikki real present."
Suggestions for presents gladly received...
Stick Man and The Gruffalo by Julia Donaldson and Axel Scheffler. Stories available on YouTube if you're not familiar with the books.
