Skizzy and Gordy made their way up the Partridge driveway in the hopes that they could visit with Keith. Shirley hadn'tt let them see Keith the last time they were there, a little more than a week earlier. They hoped that now Keith might be well enough that they could go up and visit with him. They rang the doorbell and waited for someone to answer.
Shirley had just shut off the vacuum cleaner in the living room when she heard the doorbell ring. She opened it to reveal Skizzy and Gordy.
"Hi Mrs. P, how is Keithie? We hope he's doing better now." Skizzy said hopefully. They really wanted to see their friend, as he'd been away from them for too long.
Shirley shook her head sadly. "I'm afraid he's not doing much better than he was the last time you came to see him. He's still very sick."
"Can we go up to see him? We promise not to be long." Gordy asked hoping she'd say yes this time.
"I know how much you would like to see him, but it really would be best to wait until he's a little better first. And he was sleeping when I last looked in on him."
"Well... ok." Skizzy said reluctantly, twisting his hands. "We won't bother him then. But can you tell him we stopped over to say hello?"
Shirley smiled warmly. "I surely will! You boys have a good day."
"You too Mrs. P." They said over their shoulders waving as they moved away from the door. As they started away from the house, Gordy shrugged. "Wonder why she won't let us see him?"
"She probably thinks that as sick as he is, if we're carrying anything it could make him sicker." Skizzy reasoned quietly. They walked along for a few more seconds when Gordy had an idea.
"Hey Skiz. I know how we could visit him without making him sicker!"
Keith was sound asleep on his stomach, when he heard something clicking against his window. He woke with a start, opening his eyes wide, the sound frightening him. Reluctantly, he slid over to the window and sat up; his blanket still around him. He moved the curtain out of the way and looked down. There stood Skizzy and Gordy, who waved when they saw their friend.
Keith breathed a sigh of relief when he saw his friends. He opened the window and poked his head out a bit looking down and smiling. "Geez, you guys! Don't scare me like that! How you guys doing? How come you didn't just come up?" he said trying to speak just loud enough for only them to hear.
"We're doing great, and your mom still wouldn't let us." Skizzy said shoving his hands in his pockets. "How're you doing Keithie? She said you were still really sick."
As if on cue, a coughing fit took Keith over and he pulled his head back in for a few minutes to get a tissue. The coughing went on for another minute or so before things got back under control again.
Outside, Skizzy and Gordy could hear how congested their friend's chest was and winced at the thought of the pain it must be causing him.
A moment later Keith popped his head back out the window, face red, looking tired, and breathing hard. "Yeah...still sick, all right."
"Man," Gordy said shaking his head. "That's some cough. I hope you start feeling better soon."
"Me too." Keith said leaning his head on the window frame. "I hate... this stuff. It's... nasty. It sounds nasty... when I cough,... it feels... nasty in my chest. And it's like... there's... no end to it. It's like,... what I cough up... is always replaced by more..." Then seeing the repulsed looks on his friends faces, he smiled, "Sorry guys." he said, tucking some hair behind his right ear.
"WHOA! How'd you get that cast??" Gordy shouted, eyes bugging out from the sheer size of the cast.
Keith used his other hand to bring a finger to his lips, while tucking the one with the cast out of sight. "SHH! Be quiet!" he hissed. "You don't want your visit cut short do you?"
"Well, no..."
But it was too late, Shirley had heard Gordy and had raced up the stairs to Keith's room. She opened the door to find Keith sitting up in bed at his window which was standing wide open. "Keith! What do you think you're doing??"
Keith whirled around to face his mother. Before he could answer however, she stormed to the window and looked down. Skizzy and Gordy stood there looking sheepish.
"So, you two are still here."
"Well, yeah..." Gordy said sheepishly. "We just wanted to talk to him for a minute, and we figured it was safe to do it this way."
"Well, it's not. Cold air is coming in with his window open like this."
"Mom..." Keith started, but Shirley quieted him.
"I want you to lie down in this bed and stay there." she ordered him; her voice pitched for his ears only. "How do you expect to recover when you keep doing things you shouldn't be doing? Now lie down." When he hesitated, she raised her eyebrow. "Now." she said calmly.
Keith leaned over to the window and looked out again. "Mom says visiting hours are over. See ya 'round guys." He pulled his head back in, lying down and pulling the covers over him again.
"Bye Keithie!" they both shouted as Shirley closed the window again. Keith stretched, took a deep breath, hearing the annoying rattle in his chest, and blew it back out again, coughing. When it subsided, he flopped back onto the bed, his arms on the bed near his head. "Mooooooom..." he whined sadly. "Can I please come out of here? I'm bored..."
Shirley smiled. He looked so cute lying on his back with his arms relaxed near his head. She hadn't seen him look that way since he was a child. And the look on his face...
"I'm sorry honey, but not right now, you have to get a little better first." At the look of utter disappointment on her son's face, she added, "But I'll get Laurie or Danny to bring you your guitar, so you can see if you can play it, okay?"
Keith smiled a weak smile. "Okay."
"Would you like something to eat or drink?" Shirley asked smoothing his hair back a little.
"Just some orange juice and a chicken salad sandwich I guess." he said sleepily.
"Okay sweetie, I'll be right back." She kissed his forehead and quietly left the room.
She hurried downstairs to the kitchen, taking out the chicken salad and some bread. She lightly toasted the bread, then thickly spread the chicken salad, just like he liked it, on one slice and topped it with the other. She put the salad back into the refrigerator and took out the juice. Getting a glass, she poured him a generous amount and put the carton back. She took the plate and the glass and a napkin, put them all on a tray and carried them upstairs. When she got to his room, she quietly opened the door and walked in to find him sound asleep in the same position as when she left.
She smiled, setting down the tray and sitting on the bed. He looked so peaceful, so sweet and innocent and she stroked his hair as he lay there, hopefully with sweet dreams in his head. She brought her hand down to stroke his face. She really hoped he'd feel better soon. Hopefully in time for Christmas. She bent down to kiss him on his forehead, then got up, tucking the blanket around him. Picking up the tray again, she quietly left the room, closing the door behind her.
Laurie looked up from her schoolwork as her mother descended the stairs with the tray in her hands. Tracy played with her dollhouse nearby. She'd been 'cleaning house' all morning, and the little furniture was all in disarray in the rooms.
"How's he doing, Mom?"
"Sleeping, still a bit warm. At least he isn't having a bad dream."
Shaking her head, Laurie closed the book in her lap. "He's really shaken up about his wrist and what it's going to do to his playing, isn't he?"
Shirley nodded, setting the tray on the counter that divided the living room from the kitchen. "He is, but we all have to realize just where Keith is coming from. His music is everything to him, and his playing the guitar plays an important role in that."
"Yeah. I wish I knew how to help him."
"Just be patient with him. His wrist will heal and things will be back to normal eventually."
Her fist clutching a couple of small pieces of furniture, Tracy got up, following her mother as she headed for the kitchen door.
"Mommy, how far is the North Pole from here?"
Shirley, taken aback by Tracy's question, shook her head. "A long ways, honey."
"Like a mile?"
Her innocence made Shirley smile. "About that, yes."
"Why, Trace?" Laurie asked.
"I need to talk to Santa."
"Can't you write him a letter?"
"No," Tracy shook her head, her pigtails flying. "I have to TALK to him."
"I'm afraid I'm too busy to take you right now, honey. Keithie's sick, and..."
"I can keep an eye on him, Mom. I have been, you know," Laurie smiled at her mother's disdainful look.
Shirley's eyes swept her youngest's face as it looked pleadingly up at her. "Well, I suppose we could go."
"Yay!" Tracy cried, grabbing at the closet door.
"It'll be good for you, Mom, you'll see. You need to get away from Keith and his troubles,"
Laurie's smile widened as Tracy pulled her coat down off of the hanger, awkwardly trying to put it on.
Shirley helped her wriggle into it, shaking her head as Tracy ran to the door.
"Try and take Keith's temperature, and don't let him get out of bed unless he really needs to," Shirley told Laurie.
"I know, go on," Laurie rose, waving Shirley out.
The door closed behind her mother and sister, and Laurie couldn't help but smile. Leave it to a child to bring the joy back into such a dire time.
Tracy stood in the longest line of children she'd seen since the carnival had been in town. She shifted from foot to foot as she patiently waited her turn on Santa's lap. When she was finally the next one up, the kid in front of her started rattling off a long list of the toys he wanted. Tracy nearly burst at the seams waiting for the kid to finish.
Keith awoke to another coughing fit that not only left him spent, it had hurt too. But then, that wasn't anything new. Keith slumped back down on his bed on his stomach and closed his eyes, rubbing his face. When was he going to start feeling better? He was tired of being sick! Maybe he'd have to stay in his room forever because he wasn't going to ever get better! he thought with fear. His wrist ached too, which only served to add to his misery.
He heard someone knock on his door and peek in. It was Danny.
"Hey Keith, You okay?" he asked quietly, stepping in just a little.
Keith nodded, too tired right now to do anything else. He closed his eyes.
Danny stepped all the way in and quietly closed the door, walking over to the bed and sitting down. "You don't look okay. Do you want me to get you something? Some hot tea or some aspirin?"
Keith shook his head, keeping his eyes closed. "No, but thank you anyway."
Danny looked at Keith sadly, wishing he could take away his brother's illness somehow. Then he had an idea. It wouldn't rid him of the illness, but it might make him feel better. He pulled the covers down to Keith's waist and started to massage his back. Keith gasped at first, then relaxed as he settled into it. Danny spoke as he massaged. "This should help relax you, and maybe help bring up that yucky stuff as well."
Keith smiled, enjoying the massage. "Thanks Danny. You know, you should look into being a masseuse."
Danny smiled as he continued with the massage. "So what are Mom and the others doing downstairs right now? Besides getting Christmas dinner ready I mean"
"Well Tracy had to take some emergency trip to the mall to see Santa. And Laurie's left watching all of us again."
Keith chuckled tiredly. "Poor thing. I feel sorry for her having to watch *you* guys!"
"Hey now! You forget she's watching you too!" Danny retorted smiling widely, then his grin faded as he remembered. He stopped massaging for a moment. "Hey Keith? I'm really sorry about what I did. If I'd known, I wouldn't have-"
Keith interrupted him, "Danny. It's okay. It's not really your fault. If I hadn't been out of bed yesterday, then it wouldn't have happened. It's not your fault, it's mine."
"But you only wanted to go see if your guitar was still there-" Danny said, referring to the guitar as if it were already Keith's.
Keith turned over onto his side, so that he could face Danny easier, and opened his eyes. "A guitar I could easily have checked on once I got better." He smiled. "Don't beat yourself up about this. It's all over and done with. All I have to do now is get over the bronchitis."
"And I'll help you." Danny said, putting a hand on Keith's shoulder.
"You don't have to but I thank you for your concern." Then quickly changing the subject before Danny started beating himself up again, Keith asked, "So Mom took Tracy to see Santa?"
"Oh yeah! And she was in such a hurry to go too! Like there was something urgent she need to tell him." Danny told him, starting to rub Keith's back again.
Keith looked thoughtful. "Wonder what it was she wanted so bad that she had to go right then?"
After what seemed like an eternity, but then it was for such a little girl, Tracy's turn finally came. Santa 'Ho, ho, ho'd' as she walked up to him and he helped her up onto his lap.
"And what is your name little girl?" Santa asked looking down at her with his jolly grin.
"Tracy," She said looking up at him, not really sharing his joy.
Seeing the sad look on her face, his grin faded. "What's wrong Tracy? Whatever you want for Christmas, I can try to make it for you. What would you like?"
Tracy looked down at her hands as she spoke. She fought tears as she spoke. "It's not for me, it's for my brother, Keith."
Shirley looked up at Tracy, surprised. Is this why Tracy had wanted to talk to Santa so badly?
"He's at home sick in bed, and he's been like that for the last nine days. And then yesterday, he had an accident and broke his wrist, and now he's afraid he won't be able to play his guitar again, and he loves to play so much." She looked up at him then, "So please Santa, can you make him all better in time for Christmas? Or at least a little bit better so he can come downstairs to be with us as we open our presents and eat dinner?"
Shirley was touched as well as surprised. Tracy cared about her brother so much that she hadn't even asked for anything for herself, only that Keith get better.
Santa must have been just as surprised as Shirley was because he sat speechless for a few seconds before replying. Seeing the hope in the little girl's face, he really didn't want to tell her that her brother would be better by Christmas because, not knowing what the boy was ill with, there was no guarantee that he would be better. He really didn't want to disappoint her. Santa swallowed. The little girl on his lap was awaiting an answer to her question. She obviously loved her brother very much to make such a request and he was going to try not to let her down. He asked her, "You really love your brother, don't you?"
A tear slid down her cheek. "Yes I do. I LOVE Keith! He's the bestest brother in the whole world!"
Taking a deep breath, trying to keep his own tears in, he told her, "I'm really going to try. I'm going to try my hardest to make him better so that he can spend time with you and the rest of the family. Keith really is lucky to have a sister like you. I hope you have a Merry Christmas and tell him I hope he has one too."
Tracy threw her arms around Santa giving him a tight hug. "Oh, thank you Santa! Thank you!" She sat holding him until Shirley nudged her, indicating it was time to go. Tracy looked up at Santa with her tear stained face. "I love you." she whispered, before climbing off of his lap.
Shirley smiled at Santa with tears on her cheeks as well. "Thank you from me too for making my daughter so happy."
"No thanks is necessary. Your son will get better soon, I know he will." Santa smiled then waved at Tracy. "Goodbye, Tracy!"
Tracy smiled back. "Goodbye, Santa!" She took her mother's hand as the walked toward the exit of the mall.
Danny slid off of the bed and pulled the covers back up over Keith. They had been talking for the better part of about half an hour and Danny thought it would be best that he leave now so that Keith could get some more sleep. "I'm going to go now so you can rest. Is there anything you need before I leave you alone?"
"Yeah, see if Mom saved me my sandwich and juice from earlier, will ya? I'm starved!" Keith smiled, shifting on his pillows. He couldn't quite get comfortable and his wrist hurt, but he couldn't let on, not in front of Danny.
"Okay. And if it's not there, I'll just make you another one." Danny smiled gently. "I'll be right back!"
"Thanks." Keith breathed tiredly. He watched Danny as he left, then when he was sure he was gone, he tried to rub his aching wrist through the cast. It wasn't helping at all. He leaned over and picked up a magazine off of his bed that he'd been reading earlier and tried concentrating on it to take his mind off the pain while waiting for Danny.
Danny had left the door open just a small crack and was now peeking through watching Keith trying and failing to relieve the pain in his wrist. Danny felt bad all over again. Now he wished that maybe he could have found another way to get Keith back in his room. Or maybe just left him alone and let Shirley handle things. The outcome certainly would have been better than this.
He walked quietly downstairs to the kitchen. He looked around for the sandwich that Shirley had made for Keith as Laurie came in. "What are you looking for?"
"Do you know where Mom put Keith's sandwich?" Danny asked as he walked toward the refrigerator and opened it. He spotted a sandwich wrapped in plastic. Picking it up, he peeked at the contents. It was chicken salad, thickly spread. "Oh, here it is!"
"He had a glass of juice too. It should be in there with the sandwich." Laurie told him getting a bag of chips from the cabinet.
Danny took it out of the refrigerator closing the door. He took out a tray and set them on it. Then he looked around in the cabinets. "Do you know where Keith's pain pills are?"
"Up here." Laurie said reaching above her to a shelf out of Danny's reach. "I'll come with you since it's nearly time for his other medication, too." She got both bottles down from the shelf and put them on the tray with the food.
Danny wondered what else he could do to make Keith feel better. Then a lightbulb switched on in his head. He turned to Laurie. "Go on up and take that to him. There something I need to get, then I'll be right up."
Laurie nodded as she headed toward the living room and up the stairs to Keith's room.
As Danny walked into the garage, he spotted Keith's guitar where he'd left it the last time he'd been in there. He walked over, and picking it up, he smiled. This would take Keith's mind off of his pain and suffering!
Keith put the magazine down. It wasn't helping. He couldn't concentrate on it with the ache in his wrist. Maybe he should've taken Danny up on the hot tea and aspirin, because his wrist was really bothering him now. He burrowed under the covers some more and closed his eyes, trying to rub it through the cast again. Maybe after he ate, he'd try to sleep again.
Laurie walked up the stairs and quietly opened Keith's door. Keith lay there, trying to soothe his wrist through the cast. His eyes were softly closed, and there was a distressed look on his face.
"Keith?"
Keith gasped and sat bolt upright, eyes wide. He hadn't heard Laurie come in. "Laurie! What are you doing here!" He brought the cover up to his chest.
She watched him with both a hint of amusement and a bit of sadness. "I brought you your lunch." She glanced at his cast. "And your pain medicine."
Keith blushed bright red. He hadn't wanted her or anyone else to see him like that. He couldn't think of anything to say to cover his tracks, and he was grateful that she'd brought his pain meds, so after a few more seconds, he sighed. "Thanks."
Laurie smiled as she handed him the tray.
He looked at her, then down at his wrist and back up again, and she smiled, setting the tray over his lap.
"Thanks," he said with a tired grin. He began coughing again, his face turning crimson, and Laurie shook her head, grabbing some tissues and putting them in his hand.
He choked into them, wadding them up and scrunching them hard. "Oh, man, my ribs hurt from coughing." His hand went to his throat, and he gingerly touched it. "Just hope it doesn't wreck my voice."
Laurie glanced down at the cast once more and Keith rubbed it self-consciously. Neither sibling needed to say anything, for they kniew what the other was thinking.
She reached up, feeling his forehead as he lay back against the pillows. "Mom wanted me to take your temperature."
"It's high,' he swallowed. "I can tell you that much."
Laurie smiled, "You start eating so you can take your medicine while I go get the thermometer, okay?"
He nodded, reaching for the sandwich as she went back out into the hall. Biting into it, he chewed slowly, almost afraid to swallow because of the pain in his throat.
He heard a sound beside him at the door and he looked to see Danny enter with his guitar in hand.
Keith gulped the sandwich down, painfully. "Wh..what are you doing?"
"I just thought maybe you'd want to tool around on it. It'll give you something to do."
Keith stared at the guitar. Was Danny being his usually funny, obnoxious self, or did he actually think Keith could play it?
Laurie returned with the thermometer, gently easing it between Keith's lips.
He swallowed. He hated this part, only because it was hard to breathe with his mouth closed, and he would invariably end up in a coughing fit.
Fighting the urge to cough, his gaze settled on the guitar that leaned against the dresser, then moved to the cast there on his arm. If Danny was being cruel, he certainly knew which buttons to push.
After an eternity, Laurie retrieved the thermometer, holding it up to the light. "Hmm, still a bit above normal." She looked down at her older brother. "You should definitely stay in bed."
"I know," Keith gulped, wincing and lying his head back on the headboard. "Not like I've got anywhere to go, anyway."
Laurie smiled sadly, taking a pillow and fluffing it. "Okay," she said as she slipped it behind his back. "Let's get some food down you and then your medicine."
He made a face. "Ate the sandwich, and I'm not hungry anymore."
"You still have chips and juice here, better finish up."
Keith nodded. "I will. You can go."
"You sure?"
"I can feed myself; I'm not helpless, you know."
"Yes, we know. Just thought you might want the company."
He gave them a sad smile. "I'm sorry, but.no. Just want to lie here and meditate." His gaze swung around to the both of them. "You can understand, can't you?"
Laurie nodded, reaching down to muss his hair and Danny picked up the guitar, pushing it at his brother.
"Here, in case you get an idea for a song or something while you're thinking."
Keith took the instrument in his left hand, looking at it as it glinted in the reflection of the lamp.
"Thanks," he said with a tired smile.
Danny grinned his acknowledgement, following Laurie out the door.
Keith waited until the door was shut before sitting all the way up, the guitar in hand. He hesitantly brought his arm around to the front of the guitar and as he went to strum the strings to see if it was in tune, a sharp pain stabbed his wrist, traveling all the way to his elbow, and he bit his lip. This wasn't going to be easy, he surmised. In fact, it would be downright agonizing!
Still holding the guitar, he took his wrist, cast and all, in hand, wanting to squeeze right through the plaster. The pain faded, and once again, Keith set his hand on the front of the guitar. The cast was heavy and awkward, and he fumbled, trying to finger the strings, but it wasn't working.
Growing angry, and with his wrist throbbing, he finally pushed the guitar aside. Sitting with his wrist in his lap, he rocked back and forth, wishing the pain away. His eyes settled on the painkiller sitting there on the nightstand. He didn't really want to take it. He was never one to admit pain. He recalled the time, when, as a child, he fell while running along a gravel road. His knees were mangled and bloody, which didn't settle well with his mom, and BOY did it sting! But, like a trouper, he diligently picked each imbedded rock from his knees and went right back to playing. That was Keith Partridge then. And now here he was, letting a little thing like a broken wrist get to him. But, God, his wrist ached! Caving into the pain, he picked up the pain pill and downed it with the juice.
Laurie and Danny were silent as they descended the stairs. Chris had the television on, and Mom and Tracy still hadn't returned from the mall.
"Hey, guys, guess what?" Chris peeked back at them from over the back of the sofa. "It's gonna SNOW on Christmas Eve!"
Laurie looked skeptical, but Danny's countenance brightened.
"Really? COOL!"
Folding her arms, Laurie shook her head. "I don't know, I've been here 16 years and have yet to see snow in San Pueblo."
"The weatherman said it would," Chris looked annoyed. "Why would he lie?" He turned back around and focused on the television.
Laurie smiled, ruffling his hair from behind the sofa. "Well, it is the season for miracles."
Danny glanced back at the staircase behind them. "Speaking of miracles.did you notice that Keith acted like he didn't even want his guitar?"
"Yes, I know, but I think his wrist hurt too much to play it; I don't think he expected it."
Danny grinned. "Let's go tell him about the snow coming, maybe that will cheer him up!" He bounded up the stairs, and Laurie hurried to follow him, grabbing him just as she reached the top stair.
"Danny, wait, he might be asleep!"
"I'll check first, then," Danny said, as she followed him down the hall.
Carefully opening the door just a crack, Danny peered inside.
Keith was sitting on the bed, his right arm across his chest, holding it at the elbow with his left hand. He rocked back and forth, wiping his eyes, and, Danny, not being able to see Keith's face from his vantage point, frowned.
"Well?" Laurie prodded.
Danny pulled back, swallowing. "I think he's crying!" Danny whispered. He'd rarely seen his brother show his emotions, and this had stunned him.
Laurie took a peek in, now. It appeared to her, too, that Keith was crying, and it gave her a funny feeling in the pit of her stomach. She gently closed the door."Maybe we should just leave him be," she said distantly.
"Aw, come on. He could use some cheering up, right? We'll just have to act like we didn't see anything."
Laurie's brow furrowed in thought. Danny was right. "Okay, but let's knock this time. That way he'll have time to get himself together."
Danny nodded. Looking up at her, he lifted his hand to knock. "Okay, ready?"
Laurie took a deep breath. "Ready."
Danny's knuckles rapped on the door. "Keith? Can we come in?"
There was an uneasy, yet understandable silence before Keith answered softly. "Yeah, just...just a minute."
Laurie and Danny waited, listening at the door, and were finally summoned inside.
"Okay, come on in."
Mustering up their most cheerful faces, Laurie twisted the knob and Danny pushed open the door.
Keith was now under the covers, sitting back against the pillows, and the guitar was sitting next to him on the bed.
"Been playing?" Danny nodded at the instrument, his smile as wide as all outdoors.
"Yeah."
"Really, with the cast and all?"
Keith's eyes narrowed. "Why do you ask?"
"We just didn't hear you playing, that's all."
"I tried to keep quiet so I wouldn't disturb anybody."
"Oh," Laurie nodded. "Well, Chris is downstairs watching TV and Tracy and Mom are still at the mall."
Keith nodded, putting his hand to his mouth and trying to suppress a cough, but it came anyway, deep and vicious.
Laurie grabbed a tissue, handing it to him.
"Hey, Keith," Danny was still smiling, "guess what? The weatherman is predicting snow for Christmas!"
Wiping his mouth, Keith aimed the wad of tissue at the garbage can. He was getting very adept at scoring a basket. "That'll be the day."
"Miracles, Keith, miracles," Laurie smiled.
"What's wrong, don't you LIKE snow?" Danny asked.
"I love snow, I just don't think it's gonna happen. Never snowed here for as long as I can remember." Keith eased down inside the covers.
"That's what Laurie said," Danny's smile faded.
"Well, she's right. Miracles only happen in the movies, Danny," he said, pulling the covers up around himself. He lay there, staring at the cast as it rested on the pillow next to his head.
Danny looked up at Laurie, who could only shake her head.
She leaned down, kissing Keith on the temple. "Sleep well." She picked up the guitar, knowing that if he had really been playing it, he would protest her moving it.
He didn't react and she gently sat the instrument against the dresser, motioning Danny out.
Tracy gazed out of the car window at the darkening sky, clutching the thick foot-long peppermint stick she'd asked Shirley to get for Keith before they headed home. Her other hand held a little blue music box with gold trim and a single handpainted yellow, red edged, rose on the lid. Inside it was lined with vivid red velvet and there was a tiny handpainted yellow rose with the same red edges that slowly spun around whenever the music played. Shirley had tried to explain to her that maybe it might not be a good idea to get him something like this since these things were mainly made with girls in mind, but Tracy had been adamant, saying that it would help him sleep and besides, it was blue, which was a boy's color. Shirley couldn't think of an answer to that, so she bought it.
Now that Santa had promised to try to make Keith better, Tracy couldn't *wait* until Christmas! Just the thought of seeing Keith feeling better warmed her heart and made her smile.
Shirley glanced over at Tracy smiling and back at the road again. "How come you're smiling so pretty Tracy?"
Tracy turned to her with bright eyes. "Santa's gonna make Keith better! I can't wait to see him on Christmas morning!"
Shirley pulled into the driveway, and turned the motor off. She turned to Tracy, putting her arm around her and bringing her closer to her. "Tracy..."
"Yes Mommy?" Tracy looked up at her.
"I..." she paused. How was she going to say this without ruining her daughter's belief in Santa Claus? "I know you would like Keith to get better by Christmas. It's... it's something we would all like. But honey, there's no guarantee that he'll be all better by then. All we can hope for is that he'll at least be a little better by then."
Tracy looked up again. "I know. But isn't it better that he's feeling a little better than not at all?"
Shirley smiled, fighting back tears and hugging Tracy. "Yes. I guess it is."
When they walked in the door, Tracy started running up the stairs to give Keith the musicbox and the candystick, but Shirley stopped her. "Shh... *Quietly* Tracy, he may be asleep."
"Okay Mommy," Tracy whispered, then tiptoed up the steps.
Danny, coming down the stairs, met her on her way up. Seeing the peppermint stick in her hand, he blurted, "Ooh! One of those big peppermint sticks! Let me have a piece!" He reached for it.
"No!" she nearly shouted as she pulled it away from his reach. "It's not for you, it's for Keith!"
"Oh," His face took on a more serious look. "Okay. He's sleeping now though, I just got through checking on him. You might want to wait until tomorrow to give it to him. Is that for him too?" Danny asked pointing to the musicbox.
"Yeah, I picked it out all by myself" Tracy smiled proudly. "Want to see?"
Danny smiled. "Yeah, why not?"
Tracy carefully opened it and held it up for Danny to see. "See? The little yellow and red rose spins when the music plays." she closed it up again. "I hope he'll like it."
Danny wanted to tell her that it was more suited for her than it was for Keith, but held his tongue. It was a gift she was giving to him from from the heart, so it didn't matter. He smiled. "Don't worry, he will. Anyway, I gotta go, I'll see you later" And he continued down the steps as she started back up.
As Shirley walked to the kitchen, Laurie greeted her as she was coming out. She smiled. "Hi, Mom. So what did Tracy ask for that she had to have so badly?"
Shirley's face took on a sort of sad look. "I need to tell you something. Is there anyone else in the kitchen?"
Laurie looked concerned. She shook her head. "No. Danny's about to head over to Punky's, and Chris is over at Alan's" She walked into the kitchen with Shirley. "So what happened?"
Shirley folded her hands in front of her, looking down at them. "Well... when we got there, we had to wait in a long line. When we finally got up there to Santa, she looked so sad for some reason. He asked her what was wrong, and that whatever she wanted, he'd try to make it for her."
Laurie already had an inkling of what Shirley was going to tell her. "What did she ask for?"
Shirley looked Laurie straight in the eye. "She asked him if he could make Keith better by Christmas."
Tracy had crept up the stairs to Keith's room. She quietly opened the door and peeked inside. As Danny had mentioned, Keith was asleep with his back to the door. The humidifier was running, pouring steam into the room. She quietly closed the door and silently crept back to her room. She set down the music box and candy stick and dug around in her artbox for some crayons and some construction paper. Then she sat down to make a card.
There were tears in her eyes as Shirley finished telling Laurie about what took place at the mall.
"And she didn't even ask for anything for herself. Then when we left Santa, she told me to stop at a candy store where we picked up one of those long, thick, sticks of peppermint."
"Is that what she's taking up to him now?" Laurie asked smiling.
"Yes, but before we left the mall, she wanted to make one last stopover at that store that sells those beautiful ornate musicboxes. Tracy picked out a beautiful blue one with a red tinged yellow rose on the lid and inside." Shirley smiled. "I tried to tell her that musicboxes were made with mostly girls in mind, but she wouldn't have it. She told me that the music would help him sleep and that blue was a boy's color. There was really nothing I could say to that, so I bought it."
Laurie smiled slightly. "She knows what she wants, and she really cares about Keith too. I just hope he *will* be better by Christmas"
Shirley nodded, looking down at her hands. "So do I."
A half hour later, Tracy looked at her card with pride. In the picture, there was a Christmas tree nicely decorated with herself, her sister, and all of her brothers all around it. She had her arms around Keith. Sure, she believed that Santa was going to make her brother feel better, but it wouldn't hurt to try to help it along.
Tracy crept back out into the hallway with the musicbox and card in her hand, and the candystick under her arm. Entering Keith's room again, she noticed he'd turned over in his sleep and was now facing her. She wound up the music box and opened it, letting the soft music fill the room. She placed it on the small table next to the humidifier, placing the card under it. Moving as slowly and as quietly as she could, Tracy slipped the candy stick under his pillow. She held her breath as his eyes opened just a little bit, looking at her, but not really seeing her, and closed back again as he took a deep breath settling once more into a deep sleep.
Tracy kissed her brother lightly on the cheek, then silently left the room.
Shirley had just shut off the vacuum cleaner in the living room when she heard the doorbell ring. She opened it to reveal Skizzy and Gordy.
"Hi Mrs. P, how is Keithie? We hope he's doing better now." Skizzy said hopefully. They really wanted to see their friend, as he'd been away from them for too long.
Shirley shook her head sadly. "I'm afraid he's not doing much better than he was the last time you came to see him. He's still very sick."
"Can we go up to see him? We promise not to be long." Gordy asked hoping she'd say yes this time.
"I know how much you would like to see him, but it really would be best to wait until he's a little better first. And he was sleeping when I last looked in on him."
"Well... ok." Skizzy said reluctantly, twisting his hands. "We won't bother him then. But can you tell him we stopped over to say hello?"
Shirley smiled warmly. "I surely will! You boys have a good day."
"You too Mrs. P." They said over their shoulders waving as they moved away from the door. As they started away from the house, Gordy shrugged. "Wonder why she won't let us see him?"
"She probably thinks that as sick as he is, if we're carrying anything it could make him sicker." Skizzy reasoned quietly. They walked along for a few more seconds when Gordy had an idea.
"Hey Skiz. I know how we could visit him without making him sicker!"
Keith was sound asleep on his stomach, when he heard something clicking against his window. He woke with a start, opening his eyes wide, the sound frightening him. Reluctantly, he slid over to the window and sat up; his blanket still around him. He moved the curtain out of the way and looked down. There stood Skizzy and Gordy, who waved when they saw their friend.
Keith breathed a sigh of relief when he saw his friends. He opened the window and poked his head out a bit looking down and smiling. "Geez, you guys! Don't scare me like that! How you guys doing? How come you didn't just come up?" he said trying to speak just loud enough for only them to hear.
"We're doing great, and your mom still wouldn't let us." Skizzy said shoving his hands in his pockets. "How're you doing Keithie? She said you were still really sick."
As if on cue, a coughing fit took Keith over and he pulled his head back in for a few minutes to get a tissue. The coughing went on for another minute or so before things got back under control again.
Outside, Skizzy and Gordy could hear how congested their friend's chest was and winced at the thought of the pain it must be causing him.
A moment later Keith popped his head back out the window, face red, looking tired, and breathing hard. "Yeah...still sick, all right."
"Man," Gordy said shaking his head. "That's some cough. I hope you start feeling better soon."
"Me too." Keith said leaning his head on the window frame. "I hate... this stuff. It's... nasty. It sounds nasty... when I cough,... it feels... nasty in my chest. And it's like... there's... no end to it. It's like,... what I cough up... is always replaced by more..." Then seeing the repulsed looks on his friends faces, he smiled, "Sorry guys." he said, tucking some hair behind his right ear.
"WHOA! How'd you get that cast??" Gordy shouted, eyes bugging out from the sheer size of the cast.
Keith used his other hand to bring a finger to his lips, while tucking the one with the cast out of sight. "SHH! Be quiet!" he hissed. "You don't want your visit cut short do you?"
"Well, no..."
But it was too late, Shirley had heard Gordy and had raced up the stairs to Keith's room. She opened the door to find Keith sitting up in bed at his window which was standing wide open. "Keith! What do you think you're doing??"
Keith whirled around to face his mother. Before he could answer however, she stormed to the window and looked down. Skizzy and Gordy stood there looking sheepish.
"So, you two are still here."
"Well, yeah..." Gordy said sheepishly. "We just wanted to talk to him for a minute, and we figured it was safe to do it this way."
"Well, it's not. Cold air is coming in with his window open like this."
"Mom..." Keith started, but Shirley quieted him.
"I want you to lie down in this bed and stay there." she ordered him; her voice pitched for his ears only. "How do you expect to recover when you keep doing things you shouldn't be doing? Now lie down." When he hesitated, she raised her eyebrow. "Now." she said calmly.
Keith leaned over to the window and looked out again. "Mom says visiting hours are over. See ya 'round guys." He pulled his head back in, lying down and pulling the covers over him again.
"Bye Keithie!" they both shouted as Shirley closed the window again. Keith stretched, took a deep breath, hearing the annoying rattle in his chest, and blew it back out again, coughing. When it subsided, he flopped back onto the bed, his arms on the bed near his head. "Mooooooom..." he whined sadly. "Can I please come out of here? I'm bored..."
Shirley smiled. He looked so cute lying on his back with his arms relaxed near his head. She hadn't seen him look that way since he was a child. And the look on his face...
"I'm sorry honey, but not right now, you have to get a little better first." At the look of utter disappointment on her son's face, she added, "But I'll get Laurie or Danny to bring you your guitar, so you can see if you can play it, okay?"
Keith smiled a weak smile. "Okay."
"Would you like something to eat or drink?" Shirley asked smoothing his hair back a little.
"Just some orange juice and a chicken salad sandwich I guess." he said sleepily.
"Okay sweetie, I'll be right back." She kissed his forehead and quietly left the room.
She hurried downstairs to the kitchen, taking out the chicken salad and some bread. She lightly toasted the bread, then thickly spread the chicken salad, just like he liked it, on one slice and topped it with the other. She put the salad back into the refrigerator and took out the juice. Getting a glass, she poured him a generous amount and put the carton back. She took the plate and the glass and a napkin, put them all on a tray and carried them upstairs. When she got to his room, she quietly opened the door and walked in to find him sound asleep in the same position as when she left.
She smiled, setting down the tray and sitting on the bed. He looked so peaceful, so sweet and innocent and she stroked his hair as he lay there, hopefully with sweet dreams in his head. She brought her hand down to stroke his face. She really hoped he'd feel better soon. Hopefully in time for Christmas. She bent down to kiss him on his forehead, then got up, tucking the blanket around him. Picking up the tray again, she quietly left the room, closing the door behind her.
Laurie looked up from her schoolwork as her mother descended the stairs with the tray in her hands. Tracy played with her dollhouse nearby. She'd been 'cleaning house' all morning, and the little furniture was all in disarray in the rooms.
"How's he doing, Mom?"
"Sleeping, still a bit warm. At least he isn't having a bad dream."
Shaking her head, Laurie closed the book in her lap. "He's really shaken up about his wrist and what it's going to do to his playing, isn't he?"
Shirley nodded, setting the tray on the counter that divided the living room from the kitchen. "He is, but we all have to realize just where Keith is coming from. His music is everything to him, and his playing the guitar plays an important role in that."
"Yeah. I wish I knew how to help him."
"Just be patient with him. His wrist will heal and things will be back to normal eventually."
Her fist clutching a couple of small pieces of furniture, Tracy got up, following her mother as she headed for the kitchen door.
"Mommy, how far is the North Pole from here?"
Shirley, taken aback by Tracy's question, shook her head. "A long ways, honey."
"Like a mile?"
Her innocence made Shirley smile. "About that, yes."
"Why, Trace?" Laurie asked.
"I need to talk to Santa."
"Can't you write him a letter?"
"No," Tracy shook her head, her pigtails flying. "I have to TALK to him."
"I'm afraid I'm too busy to take you right now, honey. Keithie's sick, and..."
"I can keep an eye on him, Mom. I have been, you know," Laurie smiled at her mother's disdainful look.
Shirley's eyes swept her youngest's face as it looked pleadingly up at her. "Well, I suppose we could go."
"Yay!" Tracy cried, grabbing at the closet door.
"It'll be good for you, Mom, you'll see. You need to get away from Keith and his troubles,"
Laurie's smile widened as Tracy pulled her coat down off of the hanger, awkwardly trying to put it on.
Shirley helped her wriggle into it, shaking her head as Tracy ran to the door.
"Try and take Keith's temperature, and don't let him get out of bed unless he really needs to," Shirley told Laurie.
"I know, go on," Laurie rose, waving Shirley out.
The door closed behind her mother and sister, and Laurie couldn't help but smile. Leave it to a child to bring the joy back into such a dire time.
Tracy stood in the longest line of children she'd seen since the carnival had been in town. She shifted from foot to foot as she patiently waited her turn on Santa's lap. When she was finally the next one up, the kid in front of her started rattling off a long list of the toys he wanted. Tracy nearly burst at the seams waiting for the kid to finish.
Keith awoke to another coughing fit that not only left him spent, it had hurt too. But then, that wasn't anything new. Keith slumped back down on his bed on his stomach and closed his eyes, rubbing his face. When was he going to start feeling better? He was tired of being sick! Maybe he'd have to stay in his room forever because he wasn't going to ever get better! he thought with fear. His wrist ached too, which only served to add to his misery.
He heard someone knock on his door and peek in. It was Danny.
"Hey Keith, You okay?" he asked quietly, stepping in just a little.
Keith nodded, too tired right now to do anything else. He closed his eyes.
Danny stepped all the way in and quietly closed the door, walking over to the bed and sitting down. "You don't look okay. Do you want me to get you something? Some hot tea or some aspirin?"
Keith shook his head, keeping his eyes closed. "No, but thank you anyway."
Danny looked at Keith sadly, wishing he could take away his brother's illness somehow. Then he had an idea. It wouldn't rid him of the illness, but it might make him feel better. He pulled the covers down to Keith's waist and started to massage his back. Keith gasped at first, then relaxed as he settled into it. Danny spoke as he massaged. "This should help relax you, and maybe help bring up that yucky stuff as well."
Keith smiled, enjoying the massage. "Thanks Danny. You know, you should look into being a masseuse."
Danny smiled as he continued with the massage. "So what are Mom and the others doing downstairs right now? Besides getting Christmas dinner ready I mean"
"Well Tracy had to take some emergency trip to the mall to see Santa. And Laurie's left watching all of us again."
Keith chuckled tiredly. "Poor thing. I feel sorry for her having to watch *you* guys!"
"Hey now! You forget she's watching you too!" Danny retorted smiling widely, then his grin faded as he remembered. He stopped massaging for a moment. "Hey Keith? I'm really sorry about what I did. If I'd known, I wouldn't have-"
Keith interrupted him, "Danny. It's okay. It's not really your fault. If I hadn't been out of bed yesterday, then it wouldn't have happened. It's not your fault, it's mine."
"But you only wanted to go see if your guitar was still there-" Danny said, referring to the guitar as if it were already Keith's.
Keith turned over onto his side, so that he could face Danny easier, and opened his eyes. "A guitar I could easily have checked on once I got better." He smiled. "Don't beat yourself up about this. It's all over and done with. All I have to do now is get over the bronchitis."
"And I'll help you." Danny said, putting a hand on Keith's shoulder.
"You don't have to but I thank you for your concern." Then quickly changing the subject before Danny started beating himself up again, Keith asked, "So Mom took Tracy to see Santa?"
"Oh yeah! And she was in such a hurry to go too! Like there was something urgent she need to tell him." Danny told him, starting to rub Keith's back again.
Keith looked thoughtful. "Wonder what it was she wanted so bad that she had to go right then?"
After what seemed like an eternity, but then it was for such a little girl, Tracy's turn finally came. Santa 'Ho, ho, ho'd' as she walked up to him and he helped her up onto his lap.
"And what is your name little girl?" Santa asked looking down at her with his jolly grin.
"Tracy," She said looking up at him, not really sharing his joy.
Seeing the sad look on her face, his grin faded. "What's wrong Tracy? Whatever you want for Christmas, I can try to make it for you. What would you like?"
Tracy looked down at her hands as she spoke. She fought tears as she spoke. "It's not for me, it's for my brother, Keith."
Shirley looked up at Tracy, surprised. Is this why Tracy had wanted to talk to Santa so badly?
"He's at home sick in bed, and he's been like that for the last nine days. And then yesterday, he had an accident and broke his wrist, and now he's afraid he won't be able to play his guitar again, and he loves to play so much." She looked up at him then, "So please Santa, can you make him all better in time for Christmas? Or at least a little bit better so he can come downstairs to be with us as we open our presents and eat dinner?"
Shirley was touched as well as surprised. Tracy cared about her brother so much that she hadn't even asked for anything for herself, only that Keith get better.
Santa must have been just as surprised as Shirley was because he sat speechless for a few seconds before replying. Seeing the hope in the little girl's face, he really didn't want to tell her that her brother would be better by Christmas because, not knowing what the boy was ill with, there was no guarantee that he would be better. He really didn't want to disappoint her. Santa swallowed. The little girl on his lap was awaiting an answer to her question. She obviously loved her brother very much to make such a request and he was going to try not to let her down. He asked her, "You really love your brother, don't you?"
A tear slid down her cheek. "Yes I do. I LOVE Keith! He's the bestest brother in the whole world!"
Taking a deep breath, trying to keep his own tears in, he told her, "I'm really going to try. I'm going to try my hardest to make him better so that he can spend time with you and the rest of the family. Keith really is lucky to have a sister like you. I hope you have a Merry Christmas and tell him I hope he has one too."
Tracy threw her arms around Santa giving him a tight hug. "Oh, thank you Santa! Thank you!" She sat holding him until Shirley nudged her, indicating it was time to go. Tracy looked up at Santa with her tear stained face. "I love you." she whispered, before climbing off of his lap.
Shirley smiled at Santa with tears on her cheeks as well. "Thank you from me too for making my daughter so happy."
"No thanks is necessary. Your son will get better soon, I know he will." Santa smiled then waved at Tracy. "Goodbye, Tracy!"
Tracy smiled back. "Goodbye, Santa!" She took her mother's hand as the walked toward the exit of the mall.
Danny slid off of the bed and pulled the covers back up over Keith. They had been talking for the better part of about half an hour and Danny thought it would be best that he leave now so that Keith could get some more sleep. "I'm going to go now so you can rest. Is there anything you need before I leave you alone?"
"Yeah, see if Mom saved me my sandwich and juice from earlier, will ya? I'm starved!" Keith smiled, shifting on his pillows. He couldn't quite get comfortable and his wrist hurt, but he couldn't let on, not in front of Danny.
"Okay. And if it's not there, I'll just make you another one." Danny smiled gently. "I'll be right back!"
"Thanks." Keith breathed tiredly. He watched Danny as he left, then when he was sure he was gone, he tried to rub his aching wrist through the cast. It wasn't helping at all. He leaned over and picked up a magazine off of his bed that he'd been reading earlier and tried concentrating on it to take his mind off the pain while waiting for Danny.
Danny had left the door open just a small crack and was now peeking through watching Keith trying and failing to relieve the pain in his wrist. Danny felt bad all over again. Now he wished that maybe he could have found another way to get Keith back in his room. Or maybe just left him alone and let Shirley handle things. The outcome certainly would have been better than this.
He walked quietly downstairs to the kitchen. He looked around for the sandwich that Shirley had made for Keith as Laurie came in. "What are you looking for?"
"Do you know where Mom put Keith's sandwich?" Danny asked as he walked toward the refrigerator and opened it. He spotted a sandwich wrapped in plastic. Picking it up, he peeked at the contents. It was chicken salad, thickly spread. "Oh, here it is!"
"He had a glass of juice too. It should be in there with the sandwich." Laurie told him getting a bag of chips from the cabinet.
Danny took it out of the refrigerator closing the door. He took out a tray and set them on it. Then he looked around in the cabinets. "Do you know where Keith's pain pills are?"
"Up here." Laurie said reaching above her to a shelf out of Danny's reach. "I'll come with you since it's nearly time for his other medication, too." She got both bottles down from the shelf and put them on the tray with the food.
Danny wondered what else he could do to make Keith feel better. Then a lightbulb switched on in his head. He turned to Laurie. "Go on up and take that to him. There something I need to get, then I'll be right up."
Laurie nodded as she headed toward the living room and up the stairs to Keith's room.
As Danny walked into the garage, he spotted Keith's guitar where he'd left it the last time he'd been in there. He walked over, and picking it up, he smiled. This would take Keith's mind off of his pain and suffering!
Keith put the magazine down. It wasn't helping. He couldn't concentrate on it with the ache in his wrist. Maybe he should've taken Danny up on the hot tea and aspirin, because his wrist was really bothering him now. He burrowed under the covers some more and closed his eyes, trying to rub it through the cast again. Maybe after he ate, he'd try to sleep again.
Laurie walked up the stairs and quietly opened Keith's door. Keith lay there, trying to soothe his wrist through the cast. His eyes were softly closed, and there was a distressed look on his face.
"Keith?"
Keith gasped and sat bolt upright, eyes wide. He hadn't heard Laurie come in. "Laurie! What are you doing here!" He brought the cover up to his chest.
She watched him with both a hint of amusement and a bit of sadness. "I brought you your lunch." She glanced at his cast. "And your pain medicine."
Keith blushed bright red. He hadn't wanted her or anyone else to see him like that. He couldn't think of anything to say to cover his tracks, and he was grateful that she'd brought his pain meds, so after a few more seconds, he sighed. "Thanks."
Laurie smiled as she handed him the tray.
He looked at her, then down at his wrist and back up again, and she smiled, setting the tray over his lap.
"Thanks," he said with a tired grin. He began coughing again, his face turning crimson, and Laurie shook her head, grabbing some tissues and putting them in his hand.
He choked into them, wadding them up and scrunching them hard. "Oh, man, my ribs hurt from coughing." His hand went to his throat, and he gingerly touched it. "Just hope it doesn't wreck my voice."
Laurie glanced down at the cast once more and Keith rubbed it self-consciously. Neither sibling needed to say anything, for they kniew what the other was thinking.
She reached up, feeling his forehead as he lay back against the pillows. "Mom wanted me to take your temperature."
"It's high,' he swallowed. "I can tell you that much."
Laurie smiled, "You start eating so you can take your medicine while I go get the thermometer, okay?"
He nodded, reaching for the sandwich as she went back out into the hall. Biting into it, he chewed slowly, almost afraid to swallow because of the pain in his throat.
He heard a sound beside him at the door and he looked to see Danny enter with his guitar in hand.
Keith gulped the sandwich down, painfully. "Wh..what are you doing?"
"I just thought maybe you'd want to tool around on it. It'll give you something to do."
Keith stared at the guitar. Was Danny being his usually funny, obnoxious self, or did he actually think Keith could play it?
Laurie returned with the thermometer, gently easing it between Keith's lips.
He swallowed. He hated this part, only because it was hard to breathe with his mouth closed, and he would invariably end up in a coughing fit.
Fighting the urge to cough, his gaze settled on the guitar that leaned against the dresser, then moved to the cast there on his arm. If Danny was being cruel, he certainly knew which buttons to push.
After an eternity, Laurie retrieved the thermometer, holding it up to the light. "Hmm, still a bit above normal." She looked down at her older brother. "You should definitely stay in bed."
"I know," Keith gulped, wincing and lying his head back on the headboard. "Not like I've got anywhere to go, anyway."
Laurie smiled sadly, taking a pillow and fluffing it. "Okay," she said as she slipped it behind his back. "Let's get some food down you and then your medicine."
He made a face. "Ate the sandwich, and I'm not hungry anymore."
"You still have chips and juice here, better finish up."
Keith nodded. "I will. You can go."
"You sure?"
"I can feed myself; I'm not helpless, you know."
"Yes, we know. Just thought you might want the company."
He gave them a sad smile. "I'm sorry, but.no. Just want to lie here and meditate." His gaze swung around to the both of them. "You can understand, can't you?"
Laurie nodded, reaching down to muss his hair and Danny picked up the guitar, pushing it at his brother.
"Here, in case you get an idea for a song or something while you're thinking."
Keith took the instrument in his left hand, looking at it as it glinted in the reflection of the lamp.
"Thanks," he said with a tired smile.
Danny grinned his acknowledgement, following Laurie out the door.
Keith waited until the door was shut before sitting all the way up, the guitar in hand. He hesitantly brought his arm around to the front of the guitar and as he went to strum the strings to see if it was in tune, a sharp pain stabbed his wrist, traveling all the way to his elbow, and he bit his lip. This wasn't going to be easy, he surmised. In fact, it would be downright agonizing!
Still holding the guitar, he took his wrist, cast and all, in hand, wanting to squeeze right through the plaster. The pain faded, and once again, Keith set his hand on the front of the guitar. The cast was heavy and awkward, and he fumbled, trying to finger the strings, but it wasn't working.
Growing angry, and with his wrist throbbing, he finally pushed the guitar aside. Sitting with his wrist in his lap, he rocked back and forth, wishing the pain away. His eyes settled on the painkiller sitting there on the nightstand. He didn't really want to take it. He was never one to admit pain. He recalled the time, when, as a child, he fell while running along a gravel road. His knees were mangled and bloody, which didn't settle well with his mom, and BOY did it sting! But, like a trouper, he diligently picked each imbedded rock from his knees and went right back to playing. That was Keith Partridge then. And now here he was, letting a little thing like a broken wrist get to him. But, God, his wrist ached! Caving into the pain, he picked up the pain pill and downed it with the juice.
Laurie and Danny were silent as they descended the stairs. Chris had the television on, and Mom and Tracy still hadn't returned from the mall.
"Hey, guys, guess what?" Chris peeked back at them from over the back of the sofa. "It's gonna SNOW on Christmas Eve!"
Laurie looked skeptical, but Danny's countenance brightened.
"Really? COOL!"
Folding her arms, Laurie shook her head. "I don't know, I've been here 16 years and have yet to see snow in San Pueblo."
"The weatherman said it would," Chris looked annoyed. "Why would he lie?" He turned back around and focused on the television.
Laurie smiled, ruffling his hair from behind the sofa. "Well, it is the season for miracles."
Danny glanced back at the staircase behind them. "Speaking of miracles.did you notice that Keith acted like he didn't even want his guitar?"
"Yes, I know, but I think his wrist hurt too much to play it; I don't think he expected it."
Danny grinned. "Let's go tell him about the snow coming, maybe that will cheer him up!" He bounded up the stairs, and Laurie hurried to follow him, grabbing him just as she reached the top stair.
"Danny, wait, he might be asleep!"
"I'll check first, then," Danny said, as she followed him down the hall.
Carefully opening the door just a crack, Danny peered inside.
Keith was sitting on the bed, his right arm across his chest, holding it at the elbow with his left hand. He rocked back and forth, wiping his eyes, and, Danny, not being able to see Keith's face from his vantage point, frowned.
"Well?" Laurie prodded.
Danny pulled back, swallowing. "I think he's crying!" Danny whispered. He'd rarely seen his brother show his emotions, and this had stunned him.
Laurie took a peek in, now. It appeared to her, too, that Keith was crying, and it gave her a funny feeling in the pit of her stomach. She gently closed the door."Maybe we should just leave him be," she said distantly.
"Aw, come on. He could use some cheering up, right? We'll just have to act like we didn't see anything."
Laurie's brow furrowed in thought. Danny was right. "Okay, but let's knock this time. That way he'll have time to get himself together."
Danny nodded. Looking up at her, he lifted his hand to knock. "Okay, ready?"
Laurie took a deep breath. "Ready."
Danny's knuckles rapped on the door. "Keith? Can we come in?"
There was an uneasy, yet understandable silence before Keith answered softly. "Yeah, just...just a minute."
Laurie and Danny waited, listening at the door, and were finally summoned inside.
"Okay, come on in."
Mustering up their most cheerful faces, Laurie twisted the knob and Danny pushed open the door.
Keith was now under the covers, sitting back against the pillows, and the guitar was sitting next to him on the bed.
"Been playing?" Danny nodded at the instrument, his smile as wide as all outdoors.
"Yeah."
"Really, with the cast and all?"
Keith's eyes narrowed. "Why do you ask?"
"We just didn't hear you playing, that's all."
"I tried to keep quiet so I wouldn't disturb anybody."
"Oh," Laurie nodded. "Well, Chris is downstairs watching TV and Tracy and Mom are still at the mall."
Keith nodded, putting his hand to his mouth and trying to suppress a cough, but it came anyway, deep and vicious.
Laurie grabbed a tissue, handing it to him.
"Hey, Keith," Danny was still smiling, "guess what? The weatherman is predicting snow for Christmas!"
Wiping his mouth, Keith aimed the wad of tissue at the garbage can. He was getting very adept at scoring a basket. "That'll be the day."
"Miracles, Keith, miracles," Laurie smiled.
"What's wrong, don't you LIKE snow?" Danny asked.
"I love snow, I just don't think it's gonna happen. Never snowed here for as long as I can remember." Keith eased down inside the covers.
"That's what Laurie said," Danny's smile faded.
"Well, she's right. Miracles only happen in the movies, Danny," he said, pulling the covers up around himself. He lay there, staring at the cast as it rested on the pillow next to his head.
Danny looked up at Laurie, who could only shake her head.
She leaned down, kissing Keith on the temple. "Sleep well." She picked up the guitar, knowing that if he had really been playing it, he would protest her moving it.
He didn't react and she gently sat the instrument against the dresser, motioning Danny out.
Tracy gazed out of the car window at the darkening sky, clutching the thick foot-long peppermint stick she'd asked Shirley to get for Keith before they headed home. Her other hand held a little blue music box with gold trim and a single handpainted yellow, red edged, rose on the lid. Inside it was lined with vivid red velvet and there was a tiny handpainted yellow rose with the same red edges that slowly spun around whenever the music played. Shirley had tried to explain to her that maybe it might not be a good idea to get him something like this since these things were mainly made with girls in mind, but Tracy had been adamant, saying that it would help him sleep and besides, it was blue, which was a boy's color. Shirley couldn't think of an answer to that, so she bought it.
Now that Santa had promised to try to make Keith better, Tracy couldn't *wait* until Christmas! Just the thought of seeing Keith feeling better warmed her heart and made her smile.
Shirley glanced over at Tracy smiling and back at the road again. "How come you're smiling so pretty Tracy?"
Tracy turned to her with bright eyes. "Santa's gonna make Keith better! I can't wait to see him on Christmas morning!"
Shirley pulled into the driveway, and turned the motor off. She turned to Tracy, putting her arm around her and bringing her closer to her. "Tracy..."
"Yes Mommy?" Tracy looked up at her.
"I..." she paused. How was she going to say this without ruining her daughter's belief in Santa Claus? "I know you would like Keith to get better by Christmas. It's... it's something we would all like. But honey, there's no guarantee that he'll be all better by then. All we can hope for is that he'll at least be a little better by then."
Tracy looked up again. "I know. But isn't it better that he's feeling a little better than not at all?"
Shirley smiled, fighting back tears and hugging Tracy. "Yes. I guess it is."
When they walked in the door, Tracy started running up the stairs to give Keith the musicbox and the candystick, but Shirley stopped her. "Shh... *Quietly* Tracy, he may be asleep."
"Okay Mommy," Tracy whispered, then tiptoed up the steps.
Danny, coming down the stairs, met her on her way up. Seeing the peppermint stick in her hand, he blurted, "Ooh! One of those big peppermint sticks! Let me have a piece!" He reached for it.
"No!" she nearly shouted as she pulled it away from his reach. "It's not for you, it's for Keith!"
"Oh," His face took on a more serious look. "Okay. He's sleeping now though, I just got through checking on him. You might want to wait until tomorrow to give it to him. Is that for him too?" Danny asked pointing to the musicbox.
"Yeah, I picked it out all by myself" Tracy smiled proudly. "Want to see?"
Danny smiled. "Yeah, why not?"
Tracy carefully opened it and held it up for Danny to see. "See? The little yellow and red rose spins when the music plays." she closed it up again. "I hope he'll like it."
Danny wanted to tell her that it was more suited for her than it was for Keith, but held his tongue. It was a gift she was giving to him from from the heart, so it didn't matter. He smiled. "Don't worry, he will. Anyway, I gotta go, I'll see you later" And he continued down the steps as she started back up.
As Shirley walked to the kitchen, Laurie greeted her as she was coming out. She smiled. "Hi, Mom. So what did Tracy ask for that she had to have so badly?"
Shirley's face took on a sort of sad look. "I need to tell you something. Is there anyone else in the kitchen?"
Laurie looked concerned. She shook her head. "No. Danny's about to head over to Punky's, and Chris is over at Alan's" She walked into the kitchen with Shirley. "So what happened?"
Shirley folded her hands in front of her, looking down at them. "Well... when we got there, we had to wait in a long line. When we finally got up there to Santa, she looked so sad for some reason. He asked her what was wrong, and that whatever she wanted, he'd try to make it for her."
Laurie already had an inkling of what Shirley was going to tell her. "What did she ask for?"
Shirley looked Laurie straight in the eye. "She asked him if he could make Keith better by Christmas."
Tracy had crept up the stairs to Keith's room. She quietly opened the door and peeked inside. As Danny had mentioned, Keith was asleep with his back to the door. The humidifier was running, pouring steam into the room. She quietly closed the door and silently crept back to her room. She set down the music box and candy stick and dug around in her artbox for some crayons and some construction paper. Then she sat down to make a card.
There were tears in her eyes as Shirley finished telling Laurie about what took place at the mall.
"And she didn't even ask for anything for herself. Then when we left Santa, she told me to stop at a candy store where we picked up one of those long, thick, sticks of peppermint."
"Is that what she's taking up to him now?" Laurie asked smiling.
"Yes, but before we left the mall, she wanted to make one last stopover at that store that sells those beautiful ornate musicboxes. Tracy picked out a beautiful blue one with a red tinged yellow rose on the lid and inside." Shirley smiled. "I tried to tell her that musicboxes were made with mostly girls in mind, but she wouldn't have it. She told me that the music would help him sleep and that blue was a boy's color. There was really nothing I could say to that, so I bought it."
Laurie smiled slightly. "She knows what she wants, and she really cares about Keith too. I just hope he *will* be better by Christmas"
Shirley nodded, looking down at her hands. "So do I."
A half hour later, Tracy looked at her card with pride. In the picture, there was a Christmas tree nicely decorated with herself, her sister, and all of her brothers all around it. She had her arms around Keith. Sure, she believed that Santa was going to make her brother feel better, but it wouldn't hurt to try to help it along.
Tracy crept back out into the hallway with the musicbox and card in her hand, and the candystick under her arm. Entering Keith's room again, she noticed he'd turned over in his sleep and was now facing her. She wound up the music box and opened it, letting the soft music fill the room. She placed it on the small table next to the humidifier, placing the card under it. Moving as slowly and as quietly as she could, Tracy slipped the candy stick under his pillow. She held her breath as his eyes opened just a little bit, looking at her, but not really seeing her, and closed back again as he took a deep breath settling once more into a deep sleep.
Tracy kissed her brother lightly on the cheek, then silently left the room.