A Christmas Emergency.

As it turned out, Christmas would represent a break from the norm for a lot of people that year. Nick had fully intended to host the usual Christmas dinner for the entire family, but his grandfather was ill once more, and so, at the very last minute, he, Jeff, and Wes joined Grace and the twins, along with Nils, on a flight to Ohio, to spend the day there with the grandparents instead. Wes had been very worried that Father Christmas would not know where to deliver his gifts, but both his fathers were at pains to point out that his smaller gifts would definitely be there, even if his larger ones were not. The boy had regarded both of them thoughtfully, and then, with that knowing look that every parent sees when the moment comes that their child no longer believes in Santa, he replied, "I thought as much…"

There was not enough space for them all to stay in the small house of Nick's grandparents, so the three of them would actually be staying at Sebastian's home… In actual fact, they would be there on their own, as the man in question was also going to be away from home for Christmas. Dave had earned himself a Christmas Day off, and so he would join his husband and their children on a trip to Montreal, where they would be the guests of Sebastian's delighted maman. She had mooted the idea back in the fall, and it had appealed to the actor instantly, given that she had promised him a very French Christmas, with all of the traditions and foods that he had fallen in love with over the years. It had not seemed possible at first, but the moment that Dave discovered he would be free, he had readily agreed to it, seeing just how thrilled his husband was at the idea. True, the weather there would be much colder than it was even in Ohio at that time of year, but he did not mind.

It also allowed his father to head to Florida with his new wife and spend the day with his stepson. The original suggestion that they should all spend Christmas together had hit too many snags long before Dave found out he had the time off, but the plan now was for those in Florida to come to Ohio for the New Year celebrations instead…

The change of plans at the Sterling-Duval household all created a dilemma however, as it meant that Caleb would be left alone for 48 hours or so. It was impossible to take him with them to Ohio, and when it was then suggested that he could go to stay at Mike and Tina's home along the street as he had done when they had been in England, Jeff responded that the cat would not like that one iota. Nonetheless, he did not think it was a good idea to leave him home alone with regular visitors either, and he was quite relieved when Nick managed to find a compromise position that would suit everyone…

Caleb had always liked Cooper, and as he could not take the time off from Mary Poppins to travel to Ohio so close to the end of the show's run, he had agreed to come and stay at the West Village house on the night of both the 24th and 25th of the month. Mike would also be on hand to ensure that the cat was never left alone for too long. Pam would also be there on Christmas Day itself, as she wanted to spend it with her son. To that end, Nick had left a small chicken breast joint that was oven ready in the fridge on Christmas Eve, along with a selection of sides that were also ready to go. Cooper was not exactly the best cook in the world, and his mother was not much better. Both were quite glad to know that he had also left detailed instructions on how to cook them all, and for dessert there was a cheesecake. A smoked salmon mousse starter would complete the meal, and there was a portion of that prepared for Caleb too…

Next door, Adam would be spending the day with Dex, as Lawrence was rostered to work alongside Roderick at the hospital. Hilary would be joining her brother and his two partners, something that she had decided was going to be interesting, not just because of the ménage à trois dynamic, but also that the meal she would be served was to be an untraditional one for the day in question to say the very least…

As for Thad, he had discovered that he would be spending the day at Dalton with only four students this year, the smallest number in several decades. He also did not need to worry about cooking a meal for them, as one of the catering staff had agreed to come in specially and prepare them a Christmas feast. The lady in question had recently been widowed, and was childless, so Thad was aware that it was partly to avoid being at home alone herself that she had offered. He therefore agreed, but only on the condition that she join them for the meal.

The little group of boys all knew each other, and so Thad found that he did not have to entertain them all day, although he made a point of spending time with them before and after the meal. He had even instigated a game of Clue, finding the board game in question in the back of a cupboard in the Senior Commons; although the boys were all able to entertain themselves, they had joined in, and the six of them had ended up enjoying themselves immensely…

After the game, having seen that the cook was safely on her way home, and with instructions to the boys that they should not hesitate to come and get him if he was needed, Thad retreated back to his own small apartment. Shutting the door, he entered the living room and found exactly what he had been hoping for on the sofa. He smiled broadly, and then rushed over to hug his husband. The embrace was returned, but as he eventually pulled away, Thad couldn't help but notice that his husband seemed a little down. "Are you okay, Wessie? You seem to be upset about something…"

"I'm okay, my little one; it is just that Christmas is always one of our busiest days, and on top of that, there was a big meeting first thing of all the department heads from around the globe. Elizabeth asked me to join her there, which was a big shock, but when I discovered the subject of the assembly, and the nature of the event that is happening early next year, well to be honest, I was stunned…"

Thad placed a finger on his husband's lips then, and said, "Don't say any more. It is obviously something top secret, something big that is taking place… It doesn't affect Dalton or any of our friends directly either I guess…" Wes nodded, then gestured for Thad to sit next to him on the sofa. The mortal smiled, as he knew what that meant; his angelic husband wanted his snuggles, and honestly, he did too. He sat down, and happily curled into his husband's side, the smile on his face no longer being the acted one he had worn all day. Wes knew that, and he was glad, as he had known where his husband's heart had been all day in any case. That was one of the many reasons that he left the words New York out of their conversation that day…

As the teacher and his angelic husband snuggled on the sofa at Dalton, an unexpected interruption came to Christmas at Mike and Tina's home. With a baby in the house, Christmas had been different from the previous year when there had just been Harry, but they had made certain that their son did not miss out on all of his usual treats. His sister had slept later than usual, and that, combined with a night without been awoken, had left his parents less tired and irritable. They had breakfasted early, before they had settled down as a family to watch the annual broadcast by Her Majesty from London. To their eyes she was as sharp as ever, but it seemed to Mike that she was a little more frail looking than she had been even in the summer. He realised of course that it was just an indication of her advancing years…

Thereafter, things became much busier; Laura was now awake and in need of attention, and as his wife was in the throes of preparing their Christmas lunch, it fell to Mike to be the one to cradle her gently in his arms and try to make her more content. As she was fractious, so was her big brother, and he began to act up a little as the attention all shifted to his little sister. Laura would continue to behave in the same way right up until a few minutes before the meal was ready, but that did mean that her father was able to place her in her crib and join his wife and son at the table to eat together.

With the meal done and the dishwasher stacked, the three of them settled down on the sofa to watch a Disney film on the television. It had barely started when the house was once again filled with the sound of Laura crying. Tina went to attend to her this time, allowing father and son to enjoy the film together. As she left, Mike was certain that he heard his son mutter something about how sisters and girls in general were such a pain, and whilst he smiled at it, he knew that the time was coming when a chat would be necessary. His wife seemed to have a magic touch, and in no time, the crying had stopped, and she was able to return to the living room. However, before she could sit down again, the sound of the doorbell filled the house…

They were not expecting anyone; Tina sighed, and as she was already on her feet, she turned on her heel and hurried down to the door, lest the bell ring again, which might be the catalyst that would rouse her daughter from her sleep once more. She was quite surprised to find Cooper on the threshold, but he for his part was almost relieved that she had been the one to answer the door, and not her husband. "Just the person that I wanted; I require your services in a professional capacity. I think that there is something the matter with Caleb. He is off his food, and he has been mewling non-stop since just after noon. It might be nothing at all, but we all know how Jeff dotes on him, and the last thing that I would want would be for him to come home, find his cat unwell, and think that I had ignored it and done nothing…"

Tina nodded, and said, "Caleb being off his food is a definite cause for concern. Right, I will go back upstairs and tell Mike that you are having a culinary disaster, and need my help. We both know that if I tell him the truth…"

"Exactly, he'd be as bad as Jeff. I actually had the same excuse prepared if he came to the door," replied Cooper.

With a nod, Tina headed back the stairs, quietly moving her vet's bag to the other side of the upstairs door before she went back into the living room to tell Mike who it had been at the door, and where she was now heading. He chuckled at that, and then returned his focus to the movie. Slipping on her coat, she hastened back down the stairs to where Cooper was waiting, and then hurried the short distance along the street with him.

On entering the kitchen in the Sterling-Duval house, she found Caleb in his bed, but he was not asleep. In fact, she had heard his mewling as soon as she entered the hallway upstairs, and it was as pitiful as Cooper had implied. She asked Cooper for a towel, which he supplied, but she placed it to one side for now, her coat draped over the back of a chair. She knelt down next to Caleb's bed, and began to examine him, much to the animal's great annoyance. Her initial check done, she took the towel, and managed to distract Caleb for long enough that she could wrap him up in the towel as if it was a cocoon. It had to be tight, and she ignored the comment from Cooper that she appeared to be making a feline burrito. With his claws safely hidden, she was able to finally examine the cat's mouth, a move that Caleb did not like one bit. She instantly spotted something as she did that was the clear reason why the poor animal was so vexed…

So it was that Cooper found himself heading back along the street to fetch Mike, with his mother at his side this time; it was easier for him to explain to the younger man that he needed to come along the street at once then to send his mother on her own. Pam would babysit the children to allow Mike to join his wife and assist her in treating Caleb's problem. Had Pam gone alone, she might have told him in such a way as to make Mike panic. That was not to say that Mike did not panic when Cooper told them he was required along the street. His initial fears were for his wife, but the panic in his eyes did not diminish when he was informed that the issue was with his feline friend instead. They walked quickly along the street, and soon Mike found himself kneeling alongside his wife at Caleb's bedside.

"He has a rotten tooth," she said, as she noticed her husband was on the verge of tears. "It won't have bothered him until now, so there is no need for you, Nick or Jeff to feel any guilt over this. I think that the best thing that we can do for him is extract it. Now, I know that you are probably thinking that it would be for the best for us to put him out whilst we remove it, but the truth is that it is just like if we were going to the dentist ourselves to have a tooth taken out. I can inject a numbing agent into his gums around the tooth, and that will stop the pain…"

"He will go absolutely mad at the sight of the syringe Tina. We both know that going to see the V-E-T was never his thing…" her husband whispered.

"I know, but knocking him out would involve having to take him to the place in question, and leave him in pain much longer," his wife replied firmly. "The reason that I wanted you here was to be the one that holds him whilst I carry out the necessary procedures. You will be able to distract him a lot more easily than I or Cooper could. You will need to hold him tight as I do the injections, and then as I extract the tooth. The only drawback will be that you will sink right to the bottom of his favourite person list for a while…"

Mike nodded. The thought of Caleb being in pain for any longer than he had to be was anathema to him, even if assisting with the treatment would make his little friend despise him. With a smile on his face, he took Caleb into his arms, tightening the towel around him as he did so. The cat looked up at him with eyes that showed that he felt betrayed by someone that he trusted so much, which almost broke Mike's heart. He took a breath, and cooed away at the animal as he always did…

"Okay, you need to be so good for me now, Caleb, because although what is about to happen will seem one of the worst things in the world to you at this moment, it will take away the pain you have now. If we don't do this, then your pain will only get worse, and none of us want that," Mike said, as he gently stroked the cat's head. The stare he received back was accusing, but it did distract the animal from the fact that behind him, Tina was drawing the numbing fluid up into a syringe. Then she nodded to her husband, and swiftly he moved the palm of the hand he had been stroking Caleb with over the cat's eyes, whilst he forced his jaw open with the fingers of the same hand…

Mike would later describe the moments that followed as some of the worst of his life so far. He felt as if he was betraying the cat in a way by telling him it was all okay before Tina did what she needed to do. He turned his own head away as the needle came closer, although he instinctively tightened his grip on Caleb at the same time. He felt the tremors in the animal's body increase, heard the mewl turn into a caterwaul as the needle went in. Mike knew that he could not loosen his grip at all, or Caleb would be off, potentially injuring himself more in the process.

"It's done," said Tina, and Mike turned back, taking his hand off Caleb's eyes. His site restored, the cat observed Mike coldly, and to his horror, he was certain that he heard the animal growl. Then, however, the look softened, as the anaesthetic started to work, and the pain lessened.

"I'm sorry I had to do that," said Mike quietly, tears forming in his eyes. "Hopefully it is starting to feel better, and there is something that we can do to fix it, but I will not lie to you, I will need to cover your eyes again." He sniffed loudly, then on looking up, he saw that Cooper was also looking tearful. He looked away from the other man, and it was then that his eyes alighted on something…. "Didn't dental surgeons once use cocaine on patients as a treatment for toothache? We all know that catnip is the same kind of drug for felines, so what if I put one of his catnip filled toys in my hand when you need to perform the next stage?"

He had directed his remark to his wife, just looked at him for a moment, then shrugged and said, "I don't suppose that would do any harm… In fact, do it now, just to help relax him even more on top of the numbing agent." Mike complied, and sure enough, the blissed-out eyes he knew so well quickly appeared on his feline friend.

That did not make the next step, when it finally came, any easier. Even with the effects of the catnip, and Cooper now holding the lower half of Caleb's tightly wrapped body, the moment that Mike once more placed his hand over his eyes, the cat began to shake and mewl, knowing that something bad was coming. As he desperately tried to get free, Mike once more had to pull open the cat's jaw. His hand was shaking as he did so, and he almost lost his grip; had he done so, he would have been rewarded with a nasty bite. He looked away again as his wife closed in with a small, but strong set of pliers that she would use to extract the tooth clutched in her hand. He heard Cooper gasp, and then say, "Tell me when it is over!" and he knew that he wasn't the only person averting their gaze from what was happening…

Then there was the sort of silence that is described as deafening; Mike heard nothing, not even from Caleb, who seemed to have given up on trying to break free… Then there was the noise of something being placed in the little tin dish that Tina had placed on the floor beside her, followed by the sound of the pliers being put down. He still did not dare to look as he heard Tina mumbling about antiseptic, and then her steady breathing as she concentrated on a task… "Okay, we are all done. No excessive bleeding, tooth out cleanly in one piece, and hopefully, one cat freed from pain…"

Mike turned back and saw Cooper opening his eyes as he did so. He then uncovered Caleb's eyes. This time there was no glare in them, but that was largely due to the fact that the cat appeared to be completely blissed out, thanks to the fact that Mike had forgotten he had not one but two catnip toys still in his hand. He was horror struck, and Tina looked more than a little alarmed.

As for Cooper, he took one look, and burst out laughing. "Nick told me that on the day Jeff found Caleb, you went to the store to stock up on food for him, and brought back his first catnip filled mouse; Santana then said that you were a bad influence, buying him drugs as a joke. Well, it seems that his Uncle Mike has got him stoned this time, and that's a fact!"

Tina, who now had the suspicion of a smile on her own lips, shrugged and said, "It will help him with any residual pain, so I'm guessing that it isn't a bad thing…but yeah, he is totally stoned…"

Mike gently unwrapped the towel then from around the cat, then placed him in his basket in what he hoped would be a comfortable position. There was a contented miaow of gratitude for the return to his basket from Caleb, and then he curled up into his usual sleeping position, dozing off as Mike stroked him softly. He stayed there until he was certain his little friend was asleep, then got up to walk over to where his wife and Cooper were talking quietly. It was only then that he finally saw the tooth that she had pulled; it was not a large one, but he could now see that it had been broken on the inside and had become infected with something as a consequence. As it had been next to his tongue, a casual glance into the animal's mouth would not have indicated the injury, so neither Nick or Jeff could blame themselves for the situation…

On that note, Mike said, "Someone will need to tell Jeff what has happened here today. It will not be me, as apparently I am a bad influence that has left his cat stoned…"

Tina shook her head at her husband's words, but nonetheless she looked pointedly at Cooper. "I for one would never say that, Mike, and I think it would be best coming from one of his best friends…"

"…or even better, a family member, like his sister-in-law's husband. Family always trumps friendship. Maybe you could tell Grace, and have her tell Nick, and he…"

"It is a bit like Chinese Whispers if you do all of that," said Tina with a sigh. "Fine, I will be the one to make the call, but to Nick. I will tell him what has happened first, and then, if he thinks there will not be a dramatic reaction, we will go on speakerphone and the three of us will tell Jeff together…" Taking out her phone, she dialled Nick's number, and then sighed inwardly at the expressions on the faces of the two men in front of her. Why most men could not deliver bad news she would never fathom! It wasn't that hard. She shook her head, thinking about one of her male colleagues, who always got his female nurse to speak to the animal's owners if the news was bad…

Nick had been enjoying his Christmas Day, the first in many years when he had not been the one responsible, at least in part, for the cooking of that big meal that so characterised that day. His grandmother had refused to even allow him into her kitchen, pointing out that he had never let her or his mother help out on their visits to the West Village, so it was unthinkable that he should do so here in Ohio. He had therefore been free to spend time with his husband and son as they played with the new games that Wes had been given as Christmas gifts. Most of them were classic games that Nick could recall being in his own stocking on Christmas morning when he was the same age as his son. In an age when technology seemed to reign supreme, it was refreshing to watch his boy's face light up with the simplest of things…

The whole family had paused to watch the Queen's Speech, marvelling at the simple words that managed to convey such a sound message. Her Majesty's mind was still as sharp as ever, and her blue eyes still had that twinkle. However, Nick noted at once, as Mike had, that she appeared a little more frail than she had when they had been in London in the summer; and then he shivered at the thought that came into his head more or less at once. It was something that he had to admit though; much as he and indeed the rest of the world might wish it, she was not blessed with immortality…

They would eat at 1pm, a tradition in the home of his maternal grandparents. He knew that for Jeff, the time that the festive meal had been served had always been 3pm, which was why he had settled on a target of 2pm for their own days in the West Village. The food tasted all the better to him as he had not slaved over the stove all morning to prepare it, and better still, he was even forbidden from assisting with the clear up after. It was as he relaxed in an armchair after the meal that events took a turn, marked by his phone buzzing urgently in his pocket…

He was initially surprised to see Tina's name on the screen, but then he started to worry, because on a family day like this there was only one reason that she would be calling, and that was to inform him that there was trouble back home in New York. He had only partly pulled his phone out to see the screen, but now he took it all the way out, and answered the call as quietly as he could, conscious that he did not wish to alert everyone to the fact that he had a call. After his own greeting, he listened to her voice in silence, but his eyes immediately focused on his husband, sitting on the other side of the room playing a game with Wes, as soon as she said the words Caleb and operation in the same sentence…

He was aware that the colour must suddenly have drained from his cheeks when he realised that Grace was now looking at him curiously. He didn't even breathe until he heard Tina say the words he will be fine, which left him mightily relieved. "So now I just have to go and break this news to Jeff," he whispered to Tina, feeling his stomach drop as he said it.

"We are willing to do it for you on speakerphone, if that would help. Hearing it from all of us, the people actually on the ground, so to speak, might keep him calmer. I will put on my best professional voice, and Mike, being just as attached to Caleb as him, will be the emotional voice. The choice is yours, but I have the feeling that he will want to speak to us all anyway."

Nick thought about it for a moment, pondering what Cooper's role in all of it would be, but then he knew what he had to do. "What you are saying is true, so what we will do is that I will end the call right now and call you back once I have Jeffie somewhere a little more private." Tina agreed to that, and Nick hung up, rubbing his throbbing temples as he did so…

"Okay, little brother, what's up?" came Grace's voice, and he was unsurprised to see that she was now standing by his chair. He beckoned her to kneel down beside him, and then he whispered a quick rundown of events in her ear. When he had finished, she nodded, and said, "Right, it is time for Aunt Grace to play that game with her nephew, and that will allow you to escort your husband to the study to break the news – and well, good luck…"

Naturally, the second that Grace shifted her focus onto Wes, and Nick whispered into his husband's ear that he needed to talk to him in private, the blond began to panic. His eyes widened even more when Nick escorted him into his grandfather's study, and then told him to sit down in the big chair behind the desk, whilst he placed a video call to Tina. He had concluded that just hearing the voices of those back in the West Village would not be enough for his husband; all that would satisfy him would be an actual visual of his pet. He worried for a moment that she might reject the call, but she didn't, and after a few hushed words, and a confession that Nick had proved Mike right by making the video call, he took up a position behind his husband, propping his phone up on the desk in front of them.

It was a shock to Jeff to see Tina at first, but then he saw the room behind her, and recognised it as the kitchen at home. Nick placed his hands on his husband's shoulders then as Tina put on her best vet's voice, and began to speak… Naturally, there were tears almost at once, and as both Nick and Mike had guessed, a demand to see his pet, even if both the dancer and Cooper insisted that Tina was telling the truth, and Caleb was fine, and asleep. Then he insisted that he be shown the infected tooth, and seeing it made him sob. He felt guilty about it, knowing that he had not spotted it and had left the cat to suffer…

"You could not have known," Tina said firmly at that point. "It was cracked at the back, and not visible on a cursory inspection. Let us be honest, does Caleb ever willingly let you hold his jaw open so that you can inspect his teeth thoroughly with one of those little dentist's mirrors?"

"No, but maybe that will start from now," said Jeff tearfully.

"Good luck with getting that to happen," responded Tina. "He would not like that one bit, nor would be like being wrapped up tightly in a towel and clamped under your arm whilst you did it! So, and this is the vet speaking, not your friend, he will be fine now. He is tired after the procedure, so the best thing that you can do for him and yourself is to come home tomorrow as you have planned. The last thing that he needs now is you charging in here later tonight, waking him up and fussing over him. I am certain that Mike will be doing enough of that anyways."

Jeff nodded, knowing that what she said was true, but that did not stop him weeping uncontrollably in his husband's arms as soon as the call was over…