"Don't you want to play with us?" Sam Grey asked JR as he paused a moment with a model airplane in his hand. Maddie ran up beside him. "You can use my plane."

"JR?" Maddie asked him. "Doesn't Santa come to your house?"

Maria and Edmund entered the room where the kids were playing. "We talked about this, Maddie," Maria said, hearing the little girl's question. "Santa's going to bring JR his presents later because his mommy and daddy are sick."

"I know," Maddie said. Edmund walked up behind his son and daughter. "Can you play with us, daddy?"

"I'll tell you what," Edmund said. "Why don't you and your brother run upstairs and I'll be there in a little while to play with you." the children smiled from ear to ear and raced eachother upstairs.

JR was silent. "I'm sorry that we couldn't make your Christmas a little merrier," Maria said to him.

"I just wish that mom was here," JR said. Maria wished that there was something else that she could do for JR. It was hard for him to be away from his family on the holidays. "I bought Colby a Christmas present," JR said, standing. "I'm going to go bring it over to her and then I think I'll go see mom for a little while."

"Do you need a ride over there?"

"No. I've got my car. I'll be back later." Maria nodded as JR walked to the front door and grabbed his coat.

Edmund approached her and Maria put her arms around his waist. "I wish there was something else I could do for him," she said.

Edmund kissed the top of her head. "We're doing everything possible,"

he said.

"He should have his family..."

"You can't move the world, Maria. You've done everything for Dixie you can. You've been the perfect friend."

"Even with Tad," Maria said. "I'm a doctor, Edmund. That's what I do. I take sick people and make them better. But I ran tests on Tad..."

"You're blaming yourself that he's still in a coma?" Edmund looked Maria in the eye. "You know you can't lay that on your shoulders."

"I know," Maria said. "It's just that I feel so... helpless. Not as helpless as Dixie must feel. I don't even want to imagine what she's going through. If something like this had happened to us, I don't think I'd be able to..."

"Don't think about it," Edmund said, pulling Maria's head into his chest. "Don't breath another word about it."

"She's falling, Edmund," Maria said. "And I'm afraid of what's going to happen when she finally hits the ground."



JR stepped into the main room of the Chandler mansion, carrying a small, simply wrapped, odd shaped package.

"JR!" Colby yelled as she spotted her brother. "Look what Santa brought me."

"Wow," JR said, acting surprised. "Here." he handed her the gift. "I bought you a present." Colby ripped at the paper, revealing a pink stuffed rabbit.

"A bunny!" She wrapped her arms around JR's leg. "Thanks, JR." Colby ran back over and sat on the floor, playing with the rabbit.

JR stood and watched her as Liza walked up behind him. "How are Tad and your mom?" she asked.

"Mom's doing better. Tad's got her all worked up. It's a stress thing," JR said. "I'm going to see her, I just wanted to bring Colby her gift."

"It was thoughtful of you."

"She saw it in the toy store window. It's not like it took a lot of thought. But it makes Colby happy."

"Where's daddy?" Colby asked Liza. "I want to show him my bunny."

"Daddy will be back in a little while, honey."

"Where did he go?" JR asked, almost uninterested.

"He didn't say," Liza said. "He just said he had something to take care of and that he'd be back later."

"Figures he's leave his family on Christmas."

"JR, play with me," Colby begged. "Just 'til Uncle Stuart gets here. Please."

JR checked his wristwatch. A little while wouldn't hurt him. And like he had said before, it would make Colby happy. He walked up to his little sister and sat her in his lap. "Let's see what you've got here," he said.



"Sir!" A nurse ran after a man in a suit, walking through the second floor of the hospital. "Excuse me, sir! Do you have clearance to be..." The man turned around. "Mr. Chandler," she said in shock. "I'm sorry, I didn't realize... Do you need me to show you to a room?"

"No," Adam said. "I know where to go." Adam walked away from the nurse and continued down the hall and stopped in front of a room. He pushed his way inside.

"You look...well," Adam said.

Dixie pushed herself up in bed. "Adam," she said, surprised. "What are you doing here?"

"I heard that you were back in the hospital...

"...And you thought that you would pop in?"

"You're the mother of my son, Dixie," Adam said. "Of course I'm going to make sure that you're OK."

"Next, you're going to tell me that you still love me and that you were wrong and that me being locked in a padded room at Laurel Hill was all a mistake."

"Well, I wouldn't go that far," Adam said.

"What the hell are you doing here?" Adam spun around and saw JR coming towards him.

"Junior, please," Dixie begged, fearing that JR might do something crazy.

"You don't need his sympathy, Mom," JR said. "You don't have to lay there and let him feed you some bull story about how he's sorry about what's going on."

"Junior."

"What are you trying to do to her, Dad? Huh? Why don't you just leave her alone? Go home to Colby."

"Go home, Adam," Dixie said, slouching back down in bed. "Go spend Christmas with your wife and daughter."

Shot down, Adam turned from Dixie. Very uncharacteristic of Adam Chandler. Dixie knew that she hadn't seen the last of him. JR sat down beside Dixie's bed after Adam left the room.

"You don't have to act like that around him," Dixie said.

"He doesn't have the right to treat you the way he does."

"That's just the way your father is."

"A cold hearted son of a ..."

"Junior!"

"I'm sorry mom," JR said. He paused. "I don't know how you have so much patience around him."

"Let's not talk about Adam anymore, OK?" Dixie asked.

JR nodded. "How are you feeling?"

"Jake's actually letting me move around a little on my own now," Dixie said, stretching. Down the hall a little... to go see Tad." JR could see the pain start to show on Dixie's face and took her hand. There they sat, mother and son, comforting eachother silently.



Dixie practically tiptoed down the hallway and pushed her way into Tad's room. The moon was shining through the window as she sat down on the bed beside him.

"You know I had to come back tonight," Dixie said. "It wouldn't be Christmas if we didn't get to wish on our star, would it?" Dixie leaned her head back. "Look, you've got the perfect view out your window. See?" She paused. "I think I know what we would both wish for tonight. It's a wish for you, Tad. I wish that... you would get better." She took his hand and placed it on her belly. "And I wish that you could feel the happiness that I do with our baby." Dixie felt a single tear roll down her cheek. "Merry Christmas, Tad."