Disclaimer: Don't own the O.C.—sorry, no free t-shirts here.
A/N: So I heard this story and thought it would make a great one-parter. But since I'd already written The Christmas Wish, I decided to make this somewhat of a companion to that. Although this one is set one Christmas after The Christmas Wish. Read and review!
A/N2: Skissors are the scissors they use in, like, kindergarten. Just thought I'd let you know.
Seeing the red light on her fuzzy purple phone blink, Summer eagerly pressed the message button. Maybe it was a Merry Christmas message from Grandma. But when she heard Daddy's voice play back, Summer's heart sank.
I'm sorry I have to work, pumpkin. I'll be home in the morning. Lena's going to watch you until I come home. Love you, pumpkin.
Summer drew a heart in silver glitter-glue on the front of the card. Underneath it, she looped the words Merry Christmas Daddy in blue glitter-glue. Picking up her blue RoseArt marker, she drew a few squiggles around the edges of the white card.
"Summer, honey, do you need any help?" Lena called from the living room, where she was watching her favorite show, The Valley.
"I wanna do this by myself," Summer insisted, taking a piece of light blue construction paper from the stack. Just like Mrs. Mahoney had taught her, she carefully folded the paper, and began to cut diamonds, circles, and other shapes with her Skissors. When satisfied with her handiwork, Summer unfolded the paper and smiled at her snowflake. Daddy was going to love it.
"What's in the box, anyway?" Lena asked, ripping a piece of tape off the roll and connecting two pieces of the red and green striped wrapping paper. "It's awfully light."
"It's a secret," Summer said bashfully. Once Lena was done wrapping the box, Summer taped her handmade card to the top. On the inside, she'd scrawled in her newly acquired cursive loops:
Merry Christmas Daddy,
I love you so much. Hope you like the present. I made it with my heart.
Love,
Summer
It was early—earlier than Summer had ever woken up on Christmas morning. She rubbed her russet colored eyes and looked at the clock, which glared in red light at her.
5:30 AM
It was early, and in the Roberts house there was a rule: No waking up before six on Christmas morning.
But almost everything else this Christmas had been different for Summer, so she didn't think her own little change would present a problem. She bounced into Daddy's room—she'd always called it Mommy and Daddy's room, but now Mommy didn't live there—and hopped onto the bed.
"Wake up, Daddy, it's Christmas," Summer squealed, shaking her father's body.
Groggily, Daddy looked at the clock. "Summer," he grumbled, "It's only five thirty. Go back to sleep."
"But Daddy," Summer began to protest, pouting. Her lower lip began to quiver, a sign Daddy knew to be the start of a temper tantrum.
"Fine. Let me put my slippers on, and I'll meet you downstairs, pumpkin," he kissed the top of Summer's head. Summer was so excited as she bounded down the stairs. Daddy was going to wear his moose slippers, the ones Summer had gotten him two years ago. He always said they were the best gift ever, and Summer believed him.
Daddy appeared downstairs a few minutes later, wearing his moose slippers and yawning.
"Open my present first," Summer insisted, handing the nicely wrapped box to her daddy.
"Did Lena help you wrap this, pumpkin?" Daddy asked. Summer nodded.
"I made the card, and the present too," she boasted. A smile spread across Daddy's face as he read the card.
"Love you too, pumpkin," Daddy said, setting the card down and carefully unwrapping the box.
Summer could hardly contain her enthusiasm as Daddy's hands took the lid off the box.
"Well?" she asked.
Daddy glared at her. "Don't you know that when you give someone a present, it means that you actually give them something?"
Summer's eyes began to well up with tears. "It's not empty Daddy," she whispered.
Neil's anger flared up as he shoved the empty box in Summer's face. "Really? What's inside it, then?"
"It's not empty Daddy," Summer repeated. "I blew kisses into the box until it was full."
Crushed, Neil dropped to his knees and scooped Summer up into a big hug.
"I'm so sorry, pumpkin," he kept saying, over and over.
Daddy begged Summer for forgiveness for his unnecessary anger.
"It's okay Daddy," Summer told him, and it really was okay.
A few months later Summer was diagnosed with leukemia.
Unfortunately, her small, frail body was soon encompassed by the disease, and she did not have the stamina to withstand the pain.
Daddy kept the seemingly empty box by his bed for years to come.
Anytime he was discouraged, or faced difficult problems, he would open the box, take out a kiss, and remember the undivided love of his only child, who had given him such a priceless Christmas gift.