I wish you all a Merry Christmas.

~Firerush~

*Christmas is most truly Christmas when we celebrate it by giving the light of love to those who need it most.*

~Ruth Carter Stapleton~

Logan slowly enters the hospital and politely nods to the woman at the reception, who wishes him a "Merry Christmas". He reached the infirmary he was looking for, went to the room, and knocked. He waits a moment and enters. He carefully places his bouquet on a table, then he goes to his mother, and kisses her forehead. "Hey, Mom."

"Hello, honey," his mother says in a weak voice and smiles slightly.

"How are you?" Logan asks and sits down on a chair next to the bed. She sighs. "I would feel better if I could go home ... or if your father finally woke up."

"Don't worry, Mom. He will. And I'll be here tomorrow, all day long. I won't leave you alone on Christmas."

"You're a good son," she says softly and squeezes his hand. Then she looks at him thoughtfully. "And how do you want to spend Christmas Eve? Please don't tell me you will be alone."

"No, Mom. Carlos's parents invited me. And I'll probably talk to Camille later."

Joanna Mitchell smiles. "Is everything okay with you two?"

Logan nods. "Yeah. More than okay. Everything is great."

"That makes me happy," she replies, suppressing a yawn. Logan frowns. "You are tired..."

"It's because of the painkillers the doctors give me.

Logan nods. "Then I'll let you rest now. See you tomorrow."

"Love you, honey."

"Love you too, Mom." He kisses her on the forehead one more time and leaves her hospital room.

Logan is in the ICU and looks at his father's face through a large plexiglass window. He's been there for a while when a voice clears its throat behind him. "Good afternoon, Logan."

Logan turns and tries to smile. "Hello, Dr. Lewis," he replies politely, shaking hands with the doctor. "How is he?"

Dr. Lewis sighs. "His condition hasn't changed. But it would be better if he woke up soon."

Logan shakes his head. "I still can't believe it. My father is often on the road, all over the world. But no matter where he was - Africa, Europe or Asia - he was always home at Christmas. But now..."

Dr. Lewis nods. "It would be a Christmas miracle."

Logan looks at him apologetically. "I'm sorry, doc. I didn't mean-"

Dr. Lewis waves off with a smile. "Don't worry, young man. Doctors are not only there for their patients, but also for the relatives. That's what makes a good doctor, isn't it?"

Logan nods in agreement. The doctor holds out a hand to him. "Well, despite all the circumstances, I wish you a Merry Christmas. I'm not on duty over Christmas, so we won't see each other tomorrow."

Logan shakes his hand. "Yes, Merry Christmas, Dr. Lewis."

Lewis pats him on the shoulder. "Keep your head up, Logan. Maybe a little Christmas miracle will happen."

Logan goes out into the cold air. He doesn't feel like going home, so he takes a walk until he sits down on a bench and closes his eyes. He's not feeling well, which is because he lied to his mother. It was true that Carlos's parents had invited him, but Logan had declined with thanks. Although they were all one big family, they weren't his parents. And it felt wrong to Logan to celebrate with another family while his parents were in the hospital. He thinks of the moment when he got the news...

Logan and Camille came back from their last date of the year. Both were laughing at something when they entered 2J. But the smile quickly faded from their faces when they saw the worried expressions of their friends.

"Hey, what's wrong?" Logan asked suspiciously. "Has Griffin forbidden us to go home again?"

"No, it's-" Kendall began, then looked at his mother questioningly. Mrs. Knight sighed. "Carlos's parents called. They-"

Logan looked at Carlos in dismay. "God, buddy, did something happen to your parents?"

Carlos shook his head. "No, my parents are fine. But..."

"Logan, honey, maybe you'd better sit down," Mrs. Knight said softly. Logan frowned. "Why, what happened?"

Carlos bites his lip. "My dad got a call today while he was at work. It was about a car accident. When he got there, he saw-" Carlos paused and Mrs. Knight took over for him. "Your parents had a car accident, Logan," she said in a soft voice, which didn't lessen the shock in the least. Without really noticing it, Logan slowly sank down on the orange couch. "How are they?" He asked in a husky voice.

"According to Carlos's father, they are both in the hospital. Your mom has injuries and she is weak, but she will get better. Your father ... Well, he's very badly injured and has been passed out since the accident. Nobody can tell yet when or if he will wake up." Mrs. Knight's words only added to the horror. Logan sat there, completely still and with wide eyes. He didn't even notice that Camille was hugging him.

Logan was in his room, packing his suitcase. He would take the next best flight to Minnesota to get to his parents as soon as possible. He would fly alone because the boys still had some work to do in the studio. There was a knock and Camille came in. "You are packing already?"

He nodded.

"Let me help you," she offered, but Logan shook his head. "No, it's okay." He took another pile of clothes. Camille saw that his hands were shaking and put her arms around him. His face was white and his eyes were even darker than usual.

"I'm so sorry, honey," she said softly, hugging him tightly. Logan didn't answer, but at least he hugged her back.

"I wish I could come with you," she said gently. Logan shook his head. "No, you can't. You've been looking forward to seeing your family for Christmas. Especially since your dad moved back to Connecticut."

"Yes, I know. But you have to contact me, okay? Call me as soon as you land and after you've been with your parents. And text me before you go to sleep and as soon as you are up the next morning. So I can be sure that everything is okay with you."

"Are you worried about me?" He asked softly.

"Isn't that obvious?" She replied, kissing him gently. "Promise me," she whispered, stroking his cheek. Logan nodded. "I promise."

Logan opens his eyes and is surprised how quickly the time has passed. It's already dark and it's even colder than before. Soon it will snow again. Freezing, he gets up and makes his way home. As he looks at the house, which is empty and dark, he ponders for a moment whether he should go to Carlos's parents. But then he shakes his head and walks the last few meters to the house, enters and closes the door. Sadly, he goes into the living room and turns on the light.

"Merry Christmas, Logan!"

Logan can't believe his eyes. Kendall, James, and Carlos stand in front of him, grinning, with Katie and Mrs. Knight. Carlos's parents and James's mom are also there.

"What are you doing here?" Logan asks, touched and surprised at the same time. "You shouldn't be here before tomorrow."

Carlos nods. "That's right. But after my mom called to tell us that you plan to spend Christmas Eve alone, we knew we couldn't let that happen."

"I don't know what to say," Logan says, overwhelmed.

"Um, how about 'Thanks, guys. You are the best friends in the world'?" James suggests with a grin and Logan laughs. He goes to his friends and hugs them. "Thanks, guys. This is a great Christmas present."

"Did you really think we'd leave you alone?" Kendall asks, raising his eyebrows. Logan shakes his head with a smile. "You're right. I should have known better."

"So if you like this present so much, then you should know that we have another one for you," Carlos says mysteriously.

"But Christmas isn't until tomorrow," Logan replies. James nods. "Yes, but we're sure you won't want to wait until tomorrow morning to open it."

"Okay ... what is it?"

"We brought it to your room," Kendall says. Logan looks at him confused, then he shrugs. "Okay, I'll take a look."

"But hurry up", Sylvia calls after him as he climbs the stairs. "Dinner is almost ready."

Logan opens the door to his room and freezes. "What-?"

Camille is sitting on his bed, waiting for him. When she sees him, she gets up, goes to him, and hugs him.

"What are you doing here?" Logan asks quietly. She smiles. "The guys told me what your plans are for tonight. So I just need to come here."

"But your family..."

"You're more important right now," she says gently.

"Thank you," Logan replies with a slightly trembling voice and kisses her. They stay in their position until Carlos knocks on the open door, now wearing an oversized chef's hat on his head. "Come on, guys, you know the rules. Dessert comes after dinner. So hurry up, the food is getting cold."

After dinner, Logan is sitting on the couch with a mug of hot chocolate in his hands, watching the snowflakes gently falling from the sky. Camille comes to him and sits down next to him. Christmas music is playing in the background, while Katie plays cards with the boys and the adults chat.

"Are you okay?" She asks worried. He nods. "Yes, I'm fine." He puts an arm around her and together they watch the falling snow until Logan's cell phone suddenly vibrates. He checks the number and turns pale. "That's the hospital."

Everyone interrupt their actions at his words and looks at him with concern. Camille takes his hand in hers. "We're all here for you."

He swallows, nods and answers the call. "Hello ... Dr. Lewis, what can I ... Really? Are you sure about that? ... Yes ... Yes, I understand. Thanks for calling ... Yes, Merry Christmas." He hangs up and looks at his friends. "That was Dr. Lewis. My dad … he woke up. Nobody expected it. He's still weak, but he'll get through it."

Cheers and calls of joy sound at his words. Camille hugs him happily. "That's so great, Logie."

"Do you want to come with me tomorrow to visit them? They will be happy to see you."

"I would love to do that," she replies with a beaming smile and kisses him. For a few seconds they forget that they are not alone, forget that eight other people are in the room with them. Finally, James clears his throat and says, "Okay, I'm sure you two will have enough time for that later. But now we have other plans." He turns off the Christmas music while Kendall unpacks his guitar. "Yes, Logan. We need your voice."

Carlos goes to Logan and puts a Christmas hat on his head. "And now we will sing."

And what began for Logan as his worst Christmas ever turned into a nice pre-Christmas evening and a great Christmas.

*The End*