Have yourself a Fuzzy Little Christmas.
Carter's point of view:
The day was dragging on and on forever. I don't want to be here, especially today. It's Christmas Eve, I should be at home preparing for a family day tomorrow. My parents were coming for dinner. What fun that would be! They had decided to be civil if it was just for a few hours.
"Right Pratt, there's a LOL in curtain two. She's waiting for her daughter to come pick her up. Can you just make sure that she still has the bandage on her left wrist when she goes and tell her daughter that she has to go to her own doctor in four days to have it checked out. There's a young boy with a concussion and broken leg in exam three. Parents are with him. They are waiting for neurology to come and assess before he can be discharged. If they don't appear within the next thirty minutes call them again. Susan's finishing a trauma in one then she's off. Apart from that it's very quiet apart from Pablo in exam four. He is sleeping off the effects of last night. God only know where he got the alcohol from."
"That all chief?" Pratt asked. I nodded. "Who else is on tonight?"
"Luka, Jing-Mei and yourself. Kerry should be in maybe sometime around midnight but don't count on it. She and Sandy have been having a rough time." I told the young doctor. "I'm off till Sunday so have a nice Christmas."
"You too Carter. You going to Susan's party?" Pratt asked.
"No. Too many other things going on at home. Tell Susan I'm sorry but she should understand why."
I walked down the old driveway looking at the Christmas lights hanging from the roof of the mansion. The house looked truly magical. Not that Christmas had ever felt magical. Maybe this year would be different.
Opening the door I started to take my coat off. Algiers appeared behind me. "Good evening sir, and how was your day?"
"Not too bad Algiers but I would rather have been here. Where is ....." I didn't even get the chance to finish my sentence.
"In the lounge." Algiers said before disappearing down the dimly lit corridor to the kitchen where Helen would be preparing the most delicious feast ever.
I opened the lounge door and stepped inside. The fire was burning and soft Christmas tunes played in the background. I scanned the room before I found them. Lying cuddled together under the fuzzy blanket I bought while she was pregnant. My wife and son looked so peaceful. They were so alike, their features the same. Only his were much tinier. I crouched down beside them, marvelling in her beauty. She really was my one true love. I don't know what I would do without her. And now I don't know what we would both do without him. Our son. I leaned over kissing her cheek and his forehead, lingering for a minute to take in the scent of him. She had obviously bathed him, he smelled of baby powder and soap.
As I straightened up, my wife began to stir. Her eyes lazily opened. She smiled up to me. "Hey you, when did you get in?"
"Just now, you both looked so peaceful, I didn't want to wake you." I leaned down again kissing her properly. I gently eased our son from her arms to give him a hug. "How has he been today?"
"Excellent as always. He was awake for a little longer today though, which was nice. I think he is trying to smile at me." She giggled as she said it knowing full well that he would be a little older before he properly smiled.
"And who wouldn't smile at you?" I joked back smiling as she stretched.
The door to the lounge burst open. "John, you're back thank goodness." My mother can be so loud sometimes.
"Mom!" I exclaimed in an exaggerated whisper, pointing to my son, who took that moment to wake. He opened his huge brown eyes, trying to focus on me before letting out a wail. "Now look what you've done." I turned back to Abby. "Sorry sweetheart."
"It's okay," she smiled, "he was in need of a feed anyway." She unbuttoned the top three buttons of her shirt allowing our darling son to latch on a feed. He was such a greedy little boy. I couldn't help but smile before kissing her again. "John," she whispered, "I love you."
"I love you too baby." I answered before going to see what on earth my mother couldn't wait to tell me.
Abby's point of view:
Waking in the dark something didn't feel right. I was cold. My eyes were trying to focus on the lack of light when I stretched over to discover the reason I was cold. John wasn't in bed beside me. Where could he be? He was so excited just a few hours ago as we set Nicholas's presents out under the tree. Our son may only be a month old but his daddy just had to spoil him. "You only get one first Christmas." He had told me. It was true. I couldn't help but spoil him either.
My son, my gorgeous little boy. Nicholas Elliot Carter had arrived on the 24th of November at three o'clock in the morning. He brought such joy to John and I's lives that he didn't even know about. When I first held him I couldn't believe the amount of love that I felt for him. He truly was an angel.
And now it's his first Christmas. I know he is probably sleeping but I can't help but take a peek into his basket to see his gorgeous little features. Wait, he isn't there. Where is he? My thoughts in my head sounded panicky but thinking more logically, John probably had him. Sliding myself out of bed I went to investigate where they were.
Heading downstairs I could see the faint light from under the lounge door. Opening it slowing I glanced in to see my husband standing by the tree with our son cradled so softly in his arms. Rosemary Clooney wafted softly from the stereo with her version of "Have yourself a Merry little Christmas", Nicholas and I had been listening to it earlier.
"Hey," John said noticing me standing by the door, "you coming to join us?" I nodded and made my way towards them. Sliding my arm around John's waist while my other hand rested softly on Nicholas's back. My two handsome men were swaying slightly to the music; my body seemed to move with theirs. "He woke up a little fussy so we came down to look at the lights."
I smiled up to him. Leaning up on tiptoes I kissed him. "Well it's officially Nicholas's first Christmas."
"So it is, merry Christmas little man." John said kissing his son on the top of his head. "And you Mrs Carter, merry Christmas to you. Thank you for giving me the most wonderful gift ever." He said kissing me before looking back down to our son who was slowly falling back asleep.
We slowly sat down on the sofa wrapping our selves in my favourite fuzzy blanket before all drifting off into a deep slumber. It was going to be the first of many happy Christmas's for us.
Carter's point of view:
The day was dragging on and on forever. I don't want to be here, especially today. It's Christmas Eve, I should be at home preparing for a family day tomorrow. My parents were coming for dinner. What fun that would be! They had decided to be civil if it was just for a few hours.
"Right Pratt, there's a LOL in curtain two. She's waiting for her daughter to come pick her up. Can you just make sure that she still has the bandage on her left wrist when she goes and tell her daughter that she has to go to her own doctor in four days to have it checked out. There's a young boy with a concussion and broken leg in exam three. Parents are with him. They are waiting for neurology to come and assess before he can be discharged. If they don't appear within the next thirty minutes call them again. Susan's finishing a trauma in one then she's off. Apart from that it's very quiet apart from Pablo in exam four. He is sleeping off the effects of last night. God only know where he got the alcohol from."
"That all chief?" Pratt asked. I nodded. "Who else is on tonight?"
"Luka, Jing-Mei and yourself. Kerry should be in maybe sometime around midnight but don't count on it. She and Sandy have been having a rough time." I told the young doctor. "I'm off till Sunday so have a nice Christmas."
"You too Carter. You going to Susan's party?" Pratt asked.
"No. Too many other things going on at home. Tell Susan I'm sorry but she should understand why."
I walked down the old driveway looking at the Christmas lights hanging from the roof of the mansion. The house looked truly magical. Not that Christmas had ever felt magical. Maybe this year would be different.
Opening the door I started to take my coat off. Algiers appeared behind me. "Good evening sir, and how was your day?"
"Not too bad Algiers but I would rather have been here. Where is ....." I didn't even get the chance to finish my sentence.
"In the lounge." Algiers said before disappearing down the dimly lit corridor to the kitchen where Helen would be preparing the most delicious feast ever.
I opened the lounge door and stepped inside. The fire was burning and soft Christmas tunes played in the background. I scanned the room before I found them. Lying cuddled together under the fuzzy blanket I bought while she was pregnant. My wife and son looked so peaceful. They were so alike, their features the same. Only his were much tinier. I crouched down beside them, marvelling in her beauty. She really was my one true love. I don't know what I would do without her. And now I don't know what we would both do without him. Our son. I leaned over kissing her cheek and his forehead, lingering for a minute to take in the scent of him. She had obviously bathed him, he smelled of baby powder and soap.
As I straightened up, my wife began to stir. Her eyes lazily opened. She smiled up to me. "Hey you, when did you get in?"
"Just now, you both looked so peaceful, I didn't want to wake you." I leaned down again kissing her properly. I gently eased our son from her arms to give him a hug. "How has he been today?"
"Excellent as always. He was awake for a little longer today though, which was nice. I think he is trying to smile at me." She giggled as she said it knowing full well that he would be a little older before he properly smiled.
"And who wouldn't smile at you?" I joked back smiling as she stretched.
The door to the lounge burst open. "John, you're back thank goodness." My mother can be so loud sometimes.
"Mom!" I exclaimed in an exaggerated whisper, pointing to my son, who took that moment to wake. He opened his huge brown eyes, trying to focus on me before letting out a wail. "Now look what you've done." I turned back to Abby. "Sorry sweetheart."
"It's okay," she smiled, "he was in need of a feed anyway." She unbuttoned the top three buttons of her shirt allowing our darling son to latch on a feed. He was such a greedy little boy. I couldn't help but smile before kissing her again. "John," she whispered, "I love you."
"I love you too baby." I answered before going to see what on earth my mother couldn't wait to tell me.
Abby's point of view:
Waking in the dark something didn't feel right. I was cold. My eyes were trying to focus on the lack of light when I stretched over to discover the reason I was cold. John wasn't in bed beside me. Where could he be? He was so excited just a few hours ago as we set Nicholas's presents out under the tree. Our son may only be a month old but his daddy just had to spoil him. "You only get one first Christmas." He had told me. It was true. I couldn't help but spoil him either.
My son, my gorgeous little boy. Nicholas Elliot Carter had arrived on the 24th of November at three o'clock in the morning. He brought such joy to John and I's lives that he didn't even know about. When I first held him I couldn't believe the amount of love that I felt for him. He truly was an angel.
And now it's his first Christmas. I know he is probably sleeping but I can't help but take a peek into his basket to see his gorgeous little features. Wait, he isn't there. Where is he? My thoughts in my head sounded panicky but thinking more logically, John probably had him. Sliding myself out of bed I went to investigate where they were.
Heading downstairs I could see the faint light from under the lounge door. Opening it slowing I glanced in to see my husband standing by the tree with our son cradled so softly in his arms. Rosemary Clooney wafted softly from the stereo with her version of "Have yourself a Merry little Christmas", Nicholas and I had been listening to it earlier.
"Hey," John said noticing me standing by the door, "you coming to join us?" I nodded and made my way towards them. Sliding my arm around John's waist while my other hand rested softly on Nicholas's back. My two handsome men were swaying slightly to the music; my body seemed to move with theirs. "He woke up a little fussy so we came down to look at the lights."
I smiled up to him. Leaning up on tiptoes I kissed him. "Well it's officially Nicholas's first Christmas."
"So it is, merry Christmas little man." John said kissing his son on the top of his head. "And you Mrs Carter, merry Christmas to you. Thank you for giving me the most wonderful gift ever." He said kissing me before looking back down to our son who was slowly falling back asleep.
We slowly sat down on the sofa wrapping our selves in my favourite fuzzy blanket before all drifting off into a deep slumber. It was going to be the first of many happy Christmas's for us.