Several days had passed with Ephram and Desi pretty much living in the hospital room with Jig. They even had changes of clothes brought in for them. But when it was Christmas Eve it was time to go home. Ephram didn't think that time would stand still outside of the hospital walls, but he didn't think it would go this far. Dr. Brown had covered the house in decorations like some man crazed. He had improved considerably since Halloween. Ephram had to smile looking over his father's Santa Workshop in the front yard. Actually, what really impressed Ephram, was how his father didn't forget. What he didn't forget was that even though he was Christian, his children weren't. In the front yard was a giant, inflated, menorah. Of course Chanukah was a month ago, but that didn't matter. Where would Dr. Brown even get an inflatable menorah in Everwood? He must have sent out for it. That was, nice of him.
Inside the house the two had set the tree up. It was in the living room, which was dimly lit, making the tree look like an angel had come down from Heaven lighting up the room. A cone shaped angel, of course. Angels can be cone shaped. There were already presents under it, some for him, most for Delia. The entire holiday almost passed him by. Then he remembered, he had already gotten his shopping done, the presents were upstairs in his closet. Unwrapped. Quickly he found some paper, scissors, and tape and ran upstairs. He had actually bought a lot of presents this year, why hadn't he wrapped them when he bought them?
Over the next few hours Dr. Brown and Delia would watch with curiosity as Ephram walked up and down the stairs, delivering presents like Santa in fast forward. But, the two were patient, they'd wait until he was done before they shook and rattled the boxes. On his last trip down, however, Ephram carried only one, small gift. He grabbed his coat and headed out the door.
It was kind of dark out and Ephram was not surprised to find himself alone on Everwood's streets. It was Christmas Eve, everyone was home with their family. Well, almost everyone. Irv and Edna were spending Christmas Eve at the hospital with Jig. But, Ephram wasn't on his way there now. He was on his way to Desi's. Her present was the one he had taken the most trouble to find. It was a snowflake pendant, about an inch in diameter, beautifully adorned with small diamonds. He had saved forever for it. It was so beautiful that even he thought so. He wasn't usually an admirer of jewelry, but this. This was prettier than any actual snowflake could ever hope to be.
He stood on Desi's front porch and rang the doorbell. The door opened without him having to ring twice, and an elderly looking man answered dressed like some demented penguin. His face was thin and pale and so was his hair. He looked at Ephram like he was bored, and waited for Ephram to make his case.
"Uh, can I speak to Desi, please? My name is Ephram," he told the man. The man stared at him for a few moments, Ephram wasn't quite sure if he had been heard.
"Miss Quincampoix is currently dining with her family and cannot be disturbed. May I give her something for you?" he asked, his eyes moving to the small package in Ephram's hand.
"Um, yea. Can you give her this for me?" he asked, handing the package to the butler.
"Yes, certainly sir," he said, taking the package, "Merry Christmas, sir."
"You too…" Ephram said and the door closed. Ephram let out a long sigh and felt his lungs filling with the cold air. He turned and started down the stairs, each footstep sounding loudly. He was no longer in the mood to take careful steps. A few feet down the walkway he heard the door behind him open. He turned around and found Desi standing in the doorway. She was wearing a long white dress with bare shoulders, and the way the light hit her from behind, and how every heavy breath she took made the light glitter off of the snowflake laying at her collarbone, she looked like the angel he had imagined before.
"Ephram!" she yelled and ran onto the porch and down the steps, leaving the door open behind her. She ran the few feet of the walkway and wrapped her arms around Ephram's neck, kissing him. He didn't mind. When she pulled her lips from his she hugged him tightly, out of love and needing his warmth to warm her chilled bare skin. But mostly from love. Finally she backed away from him and held her fingertips to the necklace.
"Oh Ephram! It's beautiful! Thank you!" she told him. He smiled, and nodded. She hadn't need to speak, the look on her face was enough for him. She looked like she was about to cry as her fingertips ran along the new treasure she bore. He then noticed the dress.
"Desi, where'd you get that dress?" he asked her. She smiled and did a turn in it. The long skirt flew around her like the four winds were guiding it.
"Do you like it? It's a variation of Queen Serenity's dress, from Sailor Moon," she said with a smile, knowing how anything anime pleased him. He smiled too.
"If you think I'm going out and buying a top hat you're nuts," he told her. She smiled and pulled him closer to her buy his jacket.
"Don't worry," she said, her face close to his, "I have one you can borrow. Merry Christmas, Ephram."
"Merry Christmas, Desdemona," he said and kissed her.
Amy knocked on the hospital room door and stuck her head in. Edna and Irv were sitting by Jig's bed, talking to her. They both looked when they heard Amy though and welcomed her in, of course. Amy walked into the room carrying a gift bag in her hands. Irv stood up and offered her his seat. She took it, knowing Irv loved being polite. She smiled at her grandmother and then looked at Jig. Jig looked a little better than she had a few days earlier. She had stopped vomiting but still slept most of the time. She was sleeping now. Amy turned to Edna.
"I brought her a Christmas present," Amy told her, quickly lifting up the bag. Edna nodded.
"What'd you get her?" Edna asked.
"Well I, um, oh here…" Amy said standing up and walking over to her grandmother. She removed the gift and showed it to Edna, it being a little hard to put into words. Edna smiled. It was a picture taken in Amy's home about fifteen years ago. It was of Kathy holding an infant Juliet in her arms, looking down at the baby, smiling like the baby was the only joy in her life. Edna ran her hand down the golden frame and stood up. She walked over and placed the picture frame on the table near Jig's bed. She tilted it so Jig could see it when she woke up.
"I bet the kid won't mind if she gets it a day early," Edna told her. Amy nodded, smiling. Irv smiled too, seeing the picture. Kathy had been a Christmas person. She loved this time of year. He didn't know if Jig did. This year would be bad anyway. The first Christmas since Kathy's death. It's only been a little over two months. Edna walked over to her granddaughter and gave her a hug.
"That was a great idea, Grover," Edna told her.
"I just hope Jig likes it."
"She'll love it. And if she doesn't, I'll take it, because I love it," Edna said. Amy smiled and hugged her back.
When Ephram got back home he found Delia and Dr. Brown running away from the bottom of the Christmas tree, trying to look like they weren't doing what they were doing. Ephram smirked and hung up his coat. He walked over to the stairs and on the first step shouted:
"You can wait until tomorrow!"
Up in his room he had one last present to wrap. He didn't want to get Jig anime. She was his best friend, anime wasn't enough. So, short of asking her, he asked Edna. Edna told him that before Jig was even born, her mother had written her a song on the piano. And, Edna had a copy of the music. Ephram had played it and put it on a CD for Jig. Actually, and he would make sure he told Jig this, he was surprised how pretty it was. It was a beautiful song, better than the one he had written for Amy. That's right, he did write a song for Amy. In anger he threw the pillow off of his bed. That's what he should have gotten Desi for Christmas, he should have written her a song. But, he supposed, a reason he didn't write her a song was that he was too busy, spending time with her. He'd write her a song for her birthday, which was… when? He should probably find out her birthday. Hell, he should probably tell her his, it was in just a month. He should probably tell Jig too. No, wait, she knew. That's right. Delia had told her.
Wrapping the CD was easy, and when he was done Ephram laid down on his bed. That night had been almost magical. Desi was so beautiful. She looked like, well, like an angel. Like a gift to him from god. And Ephram was thankful. Desi was what he always wanted. Desi was what he never knew he always wanted. And she loved him back! This year, it had been an odd one. For the most of it, the year consisted of parts he'd rather forget. His mom, moving, the pains, and even the pleasures, with Amy. But, those were things he needed. He needed for his mother to die so he would move to Everwood and meet Desi. And he needed to meet Amy so he would learn how great Desi was for him. Actually, this past year, he needed the bad as much as the good. The scale was tipped unevenly, but still each carried the same amount for him. One bit of good equaled three bits of bad.
If someone had told Ephram toward the beginning of the year, that by the time the year ended, he would be happy, he never would have believed it. Of course the idea would drag at his hopes the rest of the year, but he wouldn't actually have believed it. But he was. He actually was. He was happy. He had a beautiful and loving girlfriend, great friends, and, not that he'd ever believe this either, an entire loving family. He had a sister who looked up to him and loved him, and a father who cared, and who was beginning to understand.
They were actually getting along. Believe it or not. They weren't exactly to the stage of 'bonding' yet, but they hadn't fought in awhile. Ephram didn't feel like fighting anymore. Neither did Dr. Brown. That fit them both well. Peace was good, and lately, abundant. Actually, Ephram was beginning to realize exactly how much his own life affected his father's. When things for Ephram were rocky, so was the relationship between he and his father. But when things were smooth for Ephram, thing were smooth at home. Ephram was beginning to realize how important he was, and Jig didn't need to cry for him to see it.
