Disclaimer: Glen A. Larson and Universal own the Knight Rider characters in this story.
A Knight's Christmas
Chapter 16
All eyes were directed towards April as she savored her pizza, unaware of the interest which her last remark had caused among Michael, Devon, Bonnie, and RC. What was April's involvement in the schedule mix-up? Was she responsible for it?
"What's going on? Why are y'all staring at me?" April asked innocently, wondering why suddenly everyone was looking at her. Was there pizza sauce on her face?
Devon was the first to speak, curious to find out what April knew about the date of the banquet. "April, dear, what do you mean with "it was the right decision"?" Please correct me if I'm mistaken, but I don't remember that there ever was a decision about when to have the banquet."
"Of course not, Devon." April smiled at him while she reached for a napkin and cleaned her mouth. "When you asked me to enter the date in the calendar, you admitted that you preferred to have the banquet closer to Christmas. You yourself said it felt strange to celebrate a week earlier this year."
Devon nodded. She was right, he hadn't favored the original date. "I remember. But I never implied that we should move the date."
"Oh, you didn't have to. You explained to me that the reason why it was supposed to be a week before Christmas was that the team deserved to have more time off for Christmas. Which I totally understand. Y'all are working so hard and usually, your vacation gets cut short." April paused for a moment and Michael used the opportunity to interrupt her.
"Which now happened again. And apparently we have to thank you for it." Michael added.
"Let me finish, Michael. So, Devon didn't seem to be too happy about the date anyway. He was worried about you, Michael. That you'd be alone on Christmas and we all know what happened last Christmas, don't we?" Though she hadn't been around the year before to be a witness to how miserable Michael had been, she was aware that the first Christmas after Stevie's death had been very hard for him. "However, Devon kept telling me that you'd all deserve a long vacation this year."
Devon nodded, remembering his conversation with April. Worries and concerns had made his decision difficult. On the one hand, he had wanted his team to be able to have a longer break, but on the other hand, he didn't want Michael to break down again because he'd be alone around Christmas. The fear that Michael could drown in his grief once more combined with the fact that Devon actually would have preferred to have the banquet at a date closer to Christmas, had made him doubt his well-meant intention. In the end, with the knowledge that Michael had been emotionally stable in the summer - thanks to Bonnie's help and their friendship - he had ruled out that his worries could come true and had opted to hold the banquet earlier this year.
"You also said you wanted Bonnie to be able to spend enough time with her family. But Devon, let's be honest. We all know that even if you gave Bonnie a month off, she wouldn't leave." April continued, turning to Bonnie. "Not only because of your fear of flying. You wouldn't want to be without everyone and especially without KITT. KITT could need you and you wouldn't around. Wasn't this the reason why you even spent your days off here last summer, claiming that you had to work on your research and couldn't afford taking time off to visit your family or enjoy life?"
April hadn't said it out loud, but she had seen through Bonnie and knew that her research wasn't the real reason why Bonnie hadn't travelled. April's presence at FLAG last summer had made Bonnie feel insecure and she had been afraid April could try to replace her if she was gone for even more than a day. Though Bonnie had never told anyone that this was a reason why she often hesitated to go home during her vacation, April had read her like a book.
"Of course, the distance is another problem. Bonnie couldn't be here fast enough if needed and she would have to drive or take the train. Which basically takes forever. It's one thing to travel long distance in the semi. But being alone on the road for days? Doesn't sound like fun to me, unless you'd be with KITT." April didn't even wait for anyone to interrupt her. "So, Bonnie would probably be here anyway. And honestly, it wouldn't matter for Michael if he'd start his vacation before Christmas or after. Which leaves RC who would be the only one really affected for having to stay here until the day before Christmas. And I'm really sorry if this caused any inconveniences for you." The smile she gave him immediately made him forgive her everything. "But unlike Bonnie, RC doesn't mind flying and would still be in Chicago in time. And since the semi operates on autopilot as well, he could extend his vacation easily."
"And this is why you decided to change the date?" Devon finally got a chance to talk, as April paused to take a sip from her glass.
"Oh, I didn't change the date, Devon. I simply outweighed the pro and cons and then I came to the same conclusion as you. That it wouldn't be a Christmas party if it wasn't around Christmas. I entered the date in the calendar, called catering and the printers and everything was all set." April smiled at Devon. Why did he seem to be so upset about it? "Honestly, Devon, I assumed you'd be fine with it. I figured none of you would mind. And if Michael really didn't feel like being at alone, he could celebrate Christmas with you and Bonnie here. Even our guests say that this date suits them better. When I ran into a few of our donors a bit later, we briefly talked about the banquet and they all mentioned how special it is to have it right before Christmas. Even Maggie Smith said so."
Michael grinned when April mentioned Maggie's name. He noticed that the stern look on Devon's face seemed to disappear when April mentioned their donors and Maggie.
"Oh, really?" Devon asked. He hadn't considered that their donors might not have approved a change of date in the first place. "Well, April, I don't like that you went behind my back. You should have informed me immediately. Michael, Reginald and Bonnie were only told a few days ago and with the board meeting moved to the end of this month, they will barely have time off."
"But Devon, I didn't go behind your back. It seemed to me as if you didn't really mind. That either date would be fine with you." April defended herself, surprised that Devon had been unaware for such a long time and assumed that she hadn't told him deliberately.
"You must have been mistaken. I said clearly that everyone needs their vacation." Devon's voice sounded strict again. "I must admit that your reasoning might have been helpful and I have always preferred the date you've chosen. I, however, wish you would have told me when you entered the date."
"Don't be mad at April, boss." RC jumped to April's defense. "April's just told us. She didn't do it out of spite. It was a misunderstanding. This can happen, right? No big deal. No one was hurt, and our guests have no idea you originally wanted to have it on a different date. We are the only ones who actually know that there was a mix-up."
April brightly smiled at RC, thankful for his help. "I'm so sorry that y'all now had to cancel your plans."
"Ah, no problem, April. I'll still be at home in time." RC's smile grew wider. "Bonnie and Michael don't mind either. Right?"
Michael carefully glanced over to Bonnie who was ready to explode and tear April apart. While he had been upset at first, he realized that it was Devon's worries about him which had influenced her decision. If she had done it intentionally to hurt them, he would have lost his temper. But how could he blame her for caring?