It had been three days since what David now referred to as the mistletoe incident. Things between David and Mary Margaret were still a little edgy, so they shuffled Emma between the two of them. Emma tried to retreat back behind her walls, but the couple was relentless in their patience and affection for her.
The Girls Night sleepover with Mary Margaret was a whirlwind of activity. They started the day delivering poinsettias to the patients who would be spending the holidays in the hospital. Emma was touched by her mother's sincere care for them, and how they loved her right back. They were all eager to meet Emma and commented on how her mother had talked of nothing but how beautiful and how smart Emma was since the girl had arrived in town.
They went shopping again. This time for matching family Christmas pajamas that Mary Margaret insisted they should wear on Christmas Eve. It had already been decided that Mary Margaret would stay at the farm on Christmas Eve so both parents could be there for Christmas Eve. Emma somehow doubted that she had mentioned the pajama idea to David. Her mother picked up the most ridiculous looking pair of red and white striped pajamas with green trim around the collar and sleeves.
"These are adorable. What do you think Emma?"
Emma scrunched her face. Of course, Mary Margaret wouldn't be happy with something simple like red plaid.
"I think we're going to look like we belong in a box of candy canes if we wear those."
She enjoyed teasing Mary Margaret about the silliness of it, but deep down she loved the feeling of it gave her to imagine the three of them on Christmas morning looking like they belonged together. They bought the pajamas.
Their final stop in town was a salon where Mary Margaret had made them appointments for a Christmas manicure. Emma had never been to a nail salon before. They got to sit in large leather massage chairs that nearly swallowed Emma up. They set out a plate of chocolate toffee and candy-coated pretzels and brought Mary Margaret a special Christmas cocktail and Emma a cherry soda.
"Why don't you pick out a color for me," her mother offered. "I have such a hard time choosing."
Emma scanned the wall filled with what must be a hundred bottles of nail polish. She settled on a crimson red that matched her mother's naturally red lips. She chose a flamingo pink color for herself to go with the Christmas gift she was planning for her mother.
When they returned to the loft apartment, the non-stop bundle of energy that was her mother was, had everything set out to make Christmas cookies. While the cookies baked they painted glass ball ornaments to put on David's Christmas tree. Emma painted hers white and dipped it in silver glitter so it would sparkle in the lights. The girl was exhausted by the time they dressed for bed. They ended the evening with cookies and hot chocolate before Mary Margaret tucked her into the upstairs spare bedroom.
While Emma was at Mary Margaret's house, David spent the day building his princess a castle tree house in his backyard. The next day after Mary Margaret dropped her back at his home, he took her to the paint store to pick out a color for her castle. He assumed she would choose pink, or maybe purple, but to his surprise that's not what Emma chose.
"You want a black castle?"
"It's not a princess castle," she explained. "It's the castle of a great wizard whose magic can turn herself into a fire-breathing dragon."
"Well then, black is indeed the best color."
They painted the wooden structure, then together father and daughter spent the afternoon fighting make-believe battles against evil foes. David was a most gallant knight alongside his noble steed Wilby, but it was always the bold and brave wizard-Emma the magnificent-who was the hero and saved the day.
Being with her parents was everything Emma had always dreamed it would be. But a week and a half cannot undo ten years of pain and disappointment. Her parents were certainly trying. She felt the love in David's laughter as they played together and in the protective way he took care of her. Love radiated off Mary Margaret in waves, just being in her presence she was overwhelmed with it. She knew that Mary Margaret longed to be called mom. There was a flash of disappointment every time Emma used her name instead.
Emma wanted to say it. She wanted to call her parents Mom and Dad, but she was afraid if she did, she might just wake up to find this was all a dream.
Christmas was fast approaching, and David decided to take some time off. Graham had been more than willing to take on the extra hours so David could spend more time with his daughter before he was forced to send her back to Boston.
"So, Monkey, what should we do today? I'm off the whole day?"
"Maybe we could go sledding. I've never been, and I saw a sled in the barn."
"I'd completely forgotten about that old thing. It belonged to my grandfather. It hasn't been used in years. I think it's in pretty bad shape."
"It looked okay to me."
"It's too dangerous, Princess. Besides, you're not quite big enough for that sled." When Emma couldn't hide her disappointment he added, "but you know what's even better? Trash can lids."
"Trash can lids? That's what kids use when they don't have cool, fancy sleds."
"That's what we preferred when we were kids. They're easier to maneuver and you can go so much faster."
"You're just saying that because you don't want me to use the sled," Emma said with a pout.
David refused to back down, though her turned down lip gave him pause.
"Okay, I guess trash can lids are better than not going."
The two of them bundled up and headed out to a field of small hills that was behind David's house. David showed her how to sit on the lid and how to hold on. He demonstrated how to use your body to lean to direct the sled where you wanted to go. They started out on a small mound of snow that Emma didn't even think could be called a hill. She proved herself adept, and convinced David they should try one of the steeper hills.
"It's faster than you think and make sure you to stay clear of the trees."
"I'll be careful, I promise," she agreed.
David carried the makeshift sled up the hill for her. Always a little bit of a daredevil, she didn't even hesitate when they reached the top. David was right, it was much faster. Emma loved the speed with the wind blowing in her face, and the sliding as you veered left and right. It was exhilarating. The second she arrived at the bottom she jumped up and raced back to the top ready to go again. Father and daughter raced each other to the bottom several times. She was thrilled that he didn't just let her win but made her earn it. It was the best morning. All too soon, David declared that it was time to go in and warm up before Emma's poor little red nose froze right off. No amount of insistence that she wasn't cold could dissuade him.
Back at the house David made Emma hot chocolate and himself some coffee, which they drank by the fire.
"They are setting up the booths for the festival today. What do you say we drive into town for some lunch and see if Mary Margaret could use our help?" David suggested.
"Sure, okay."
"Why don't you go get ready. I'm going to take a quick shower and then we can leave."
Emma was already dressed, she didn't need to get ready. What she really wanted to do was sled some more. I've got time she thought as she walked out the back door, Wilby on her heels. Besides, she wanted to show David that she was big enough for a real sled.
David turned off the water and exited the shower. He was drying off when he heard Wilby outside barking.
"Emma, did you let the dog out?" he hollered. There was no answer. "Emma?"
She must not be able to hear him from upstairs he thought. Wilby's barking was incessant. David dressed, assuming he was barking at a forest animal that had wandered into the yard. He opened the back door. His eyes followed the sound of the dog's bark. Wilby was jumping around the feet of Emma, who was standing at the top of the hill with the rickety wooden sled that he had specifically told her was too dangerous.
"Emma, no."
He was too late. She was already sliding down the mountain. David watched in horror as two seconds into her downhill slide, one of the runners came loose and the vehicle veered sharply. She lost control of the over-sized sled. Emma screamed as it slammed into a tree and turned over, tumbling her into a heap on the snow. David ran as fast as he could to the unmoving girl, dialing 911 as he went.
Mary Margaret ran breathless into the Emergency Room where Doctor Whale was shinning a flashlight into Emma's eyes. Pale with worry, David was standing next to the gurney holding her hand. The brunette rushed to Emma's other side and grabbed her free hand, letting loose a verbal explosion of concern and questions.
"Emma sweetheart, are you okay? What happened? Oh my God, her head is bleeding. Victor, her head is bleeding. Does she need stitches? Emma, are you in pain? David, how exactly did this happen?"
David held up his hand to stop her tirade. "Mary Margaret, take a breath. You're scaring the girl."
"Don't blame David," Emma interjected. "It was my fault. He told me not to, but I went on the sled anyway. I crashed and hit a tree."
"You hit a tree? You could have been killed. Oh my gosh, are you missing a tooth?"
"Mary Margaret, stop," David admonished.
Dr. Whale stepped away from Emma's bed and pocketed his flashlight. He wrote a few things on her chart.
"Well, Emma, I'd say you're a pretty tough little girl. I'd like to do an MRI just to be sure, but I think you're going to make it out of here with a band-aid and a couple of aspirin." He pointed to her head, "And maybe a cool scar to tell your friends about."
Mary Margaret opened her mouth to speak once again, but Dr. Whale shook his head and pushed her out of the room before she could.
"Emma, I'm just going to talk to your parents outside for a few minutes."
"I'll be right back, Princess," David said before following Whale and Mary Margaret out of the room.
Outside the door, Mary Margaret spun and started in on Dr. Whale. "Did you say she was going to scar? That's definitely not cool. And Why did we have to come out here? Is it serious? Something we can't talk about in front of Emma?"
The doctor took her hand and brushed his lips across her forehead.
"Darling, she's going to be fine. But I agree with David, you need to calm down, so I brought you out here."
"I don't need you to agree with me," David blurted out, not even trying to hide the jealousy in his voice.
"And I don't need either of you to tell me how to feel."
Dr. Whale rubbed her knuckles with his thumb reassuringly. "No one is telling you how to feel, but the patient doesn't need to see you falling apart It will only add to her fears."
"She's not 'the patient', she's my daughter."
Mary Margaret pulled her hand away, very aware of David's unapproving gaze, and of the fact that before today, Victor had never touched her when they were at the hospital, insisting they keep their relationship purely professional. Emma was lying hurt in a hospital bed, the last thing she needed to deal with was petty jealousies.
"Just tell me what's wrong," she said.
"Other than a slight headache she appears to be fine. The cut on her head is from the rusty metal of the sled so we administered a tetanus shot. The sled hit the tree, not Emma thankfully, but I'm having a precautionary scan done to rule out a concussion because I know you'll insist on it anyway. We gave her a strong pain medication. She might experience a slight fever, dizziness, or vomiting today as a side effect from the medication, but by tomorrow she'll be good as new. She did lose a tooth apparently, but it was a baby tooth and very likely already loose before the accident. The cut on her head is small enough to close with a simple bandage…and I was teasing about the scar," he assured Mary Margaret.
"So how long does she have to stay in the hospital?" She asked.
"If the scan comes back clean, I'll release her. You just need to make sure she takes it easy the rest of the day."
"Trust me, I'll make sure she gets plenty of rest," Mary Margaret assured him.
"Well then, I'll put in these orders right away."
She watched the doctor leave down the hallway. David gently touched her elbow to get her attention.
"I need you to know I'm really sorry Mary Margaret. I went to take a shower. I was gone maybe twenty minutes, tops. Emma wasn't supposed to be out there. She disobeyed me. And I specifically warned her that it was too dangerous to use the old sled she found in the barn."
"David, I'm not angry with you. I'm sorry if I made it sound like I was. I was just so worried about Emma. When I got that phone call, I thought my heart would stop.
"I felt the same way when I saw her crumpled in snow."
An hour later, Dr. Whale signed her release orders. David and Mary Margaret took her back to the farmhouse. He unhooked the television from the master bedroom and set it up in Emma's room while She got ginger ale and crackers to help with the nausea. The first few hours at home, she was drowsy from the medication and remained quiet, except for the occasional bouts of vomiting. David and Mary Margaret took turns sitting with her so they wouldn't overwhelm her with two hovering parents.
It was nearly impossible for Mary Margaret to stay away so she spent a lot of time peeking in from behind the door frame when it was David's turn. She admired how caring and compassionate he was with Emma, helping her to the bathroom and holding her hair as she threw up, assuring her softly that he was right there, then helping her back and tucking her in tightly. Mary Margaret could tell that Emma was a little embarrassed by it all. She had apologized to both parents repeatedly and been reassured a thousand times that all that mattered was that she was okay.
Mary Margaret was sitting next to Emma's bed holding her hand, listening to the sound of her rhythmic breathing when David appeared in the doorway.
"How is she?"
"She hasn't thrown up since I took over. We played cards for a little while. I could tell she was getting sleepy even though she wouldn't admit it. The exhaustion finally won, she's out like a light."
"She let you hold her hand. Impressive."
"Not really, she fell asleep and took the opportunity."
"Granny came by. She said to tell you not to worry about a thing. Leroy and Graham took over preparations for tomorrow's festival. She brought over some lasagna if you're hungry."
"What time is it?"
"Almost 9 p.m., and you haven't eaten all day."
Mary Margaret slipped her hand from the sleeping child's and followed David downstairs.
"Would you like me to pour you a glass of wine?" he asked.
"Do you have something stronger?"
He held up a bottle of bourbon and she nodded her approval. He poured a drink for both and carried them over to where she was standing by the fire. She surprised him by downing it in one gulp. She didn't normally drink hard liquor and coughed a little at the burn as it went down. She placed the empty glass on the mantle and without warning grabbed his shirt and kissed him hard on the mouth. After the initial shock, he felt his body began to respond. He tried to regain control. Damn it. He wanted her so badly, but not this way. Not when he was afraid she was only looking for a way to relieve her fear and grief and would regret it later.
"Mary Margaret, what are you doing?"
"Well, we are standing under Emma's mistletoe," she responded coyly as she tried to kiss him again.
"No," David said, not believing the words coming out of his own mouth. "This is not you. You don't really want this. It's just emotional stress and the situation with Emma."
She ran her hand across the back of his neck leaning in close…too close.
"Trust me, I do want this."
The heat of her breath swirled around him like incense drawing him in. Her mouth was on his, her tongue brushing across his lips.
"What about Whale?"
She abruptly stopped her attempt to seduce him and stepped back. He could see her thinking. She picked up her glass from the mantle and walked to the bar to pour another. She took only a small sip this time and met his gaze directly.
"He asked me to marry him on night of his Christmas party."
Those certainly weren't the words he was expecting to hear.
"I don't think it was planned. He just kind of blurted it out in the car when he was driving me home."
She stood there as if expecting a response. The air was so thick he felt almost unable to breath. What did she want him to say? He wanted to ask why the hell she was kissing him then? Was this payback? Was she trying to break his heart like he had hers?
This time it was David who needed the drink. He swallowed what was left in his glass. Mary Margaret remained silent, watching him. He felt pressure under her questioning stare, so he and went to the bar and poured himself another drink just to fill the silence. He raised his glass to her.
"Congratulations, Mary Margaret. I hope you'll be very happy."
"I'm not getting married. I told him that my life was too complicated right now to even think about getting married. I need to figure things out with Emma first. I told him I loved him and that I wasn't saying no for forever. I asked him to wait for me."
"And he wouldn't agree? That bastard. You're too good for him."
"No, he said he would wait as long as it took…if my saying no was really about Emma, only he didn't think it was. He didn't think it was him I was in love with. I convinced him he was wrong."
There was another long silence. So why was she kissing him if she was in love with Whale? He stared into his drink, swirling the amber liquid in the glass.
"I'm a little confused here. What is it you're trying to say, Mary Margaret?"
"He's right. When he kissed me at the hospital with you standing right there, I knew. The man who had just asked me to marry him was trying to comfort me and all I could think was that it was your touch I wanted. I wished you were the one kissing and saying everything was going to be okay. I can't marry him because It's you I love."
She reached up and touched his chin, remembering the cut that had long since healed.
"It's always going to be you."
All the tension left the room in a rush as their mouths and bodies collided. Their lips remained locked as he lifted her off the ground and she wrapped her legs around him, pressing against him. Their kisses were hungry from years of want as she fumbled with the buttons on his shirt and his hands skirted her curves. He sat her on the bar and released her mouth. His hands remained tight around her waist, their foreheads resting on each other, catching their breath. He searched out her green eyes, glassy and dark with desire.
"I'm sorry Mary Margaret, for not being the man you needed, the man you deserved. For abandoning you, for everything. Please forgive me."
She cradled his face in her hands and kissed away his tears.
"And I'm sorry for being too prideful to forgive you back then, but I'm tired of being haunted by a past we can't change. I want to look to the future."
She pressed her lips desperately against his. He lifted her and carried her to the bedroom.
Their union was a mixture of frenzied, almost primal passion, born from the memories of two teenagers still desperate for each other, and the slow, tender devotion of adults who fully understood the deep emotional connection and vulnerability in an act of such intimacy.
David woke up later to find himself alone. He would have panicked if he didn't know exactly where to find her. She smiled and blushed slightly as he entered their daughter's room.
"You had me worried when I woke up alone," he teased.
"I'm sorry. I just wanted to be near her. In case she woke up and needed anything."
"It's where you should be my love." He kissed the top of her head. "I'll be right back."
David left and returned to the room with blankets and pillows. He placed the pillow behind her head and tucked a blanket around her before making himself a pallet on the floor. Emma woke up in the middle of the night surprised to discover both her parents sleeping in her room. She was quietly tiptoeing past when her mother stirred.
"Sweetheart, are you okay?" she whispered.
"I'm just going to the bathroom and I'm thirsty."
The brunette couldn't move quickly enough.
"I'll go downstairs and get a fresh glass of water."
Emma returned to find both of her parents now awake. Mary Margaret was sitting on the edge of the bed holding a glass of water, David was sitting on the floor. Her mother pulled back the blankets and Emma got into the bed. She drank half the glass and set it on the bedside table. Mary Margaret kissed her head and returned to the chair. Emma noticed her rotating her head as if trying to relieve tension from her neck.
"You two don't have to sleep in my room. I feel fine."
No matter how much the girl insisted, Mary Margaret wouldn't hear of it. Dr. Whale had said to keep an eye on her and she was determined to follow the doctor's orders. She curled up in the chair and rested her head against side. Emma surprised even herself when she scooted over and casually mentioned that the chair couldn't be very comfortable and if she was going to stay, she might as well sleep in the bed, there was plenty of room. Acting as if her daughter hadn't just given her the greatest gift ever, the brunette slipped quietly under the covers. David moved from the floor to the chair so he could keep watch over his girls. Mary Margaret curled up to give him room to stretch his legs across the foot of the bed. All three had the most peaceful remaining hours of sleep any of them had managed in a long time.