Wrapped In Your Love For Christmas

A Christmas Rheese story. Sarah and Connor travel to Michigan to visit Reese's family and then return to Chicago for New Year's. Drama and fluff ensures.

Christmas Day

Nate woke up before them but Sarah felt him wiggle himself from between his parents at the crack of dawn, the sound of the rest of the kids waking up excitedly to see what Santa had brought them was enough for the rest of the adults to start going downstairs.

Sarah took a minute to herself as Connor watched her, she had relaxed the night before and the headache had disappeared.

"Merry Christmas beautiful." Connor said into her neck as he faced her, his blue eyes shining adoringly.

"Merry Christmas." She said pecking his lips.

"What are you thinking about?"

"Maybe next year we can have them all at home? Show them just how wonderful Chicago is?"

"Sure, that'd make it easier with the new baby." Connor said softly. Soon enough they were interrupted by Nate who had clearly discovered presents under the tree for them too.

Sarah and Connor went down the stairs hand in hand as the kids opened their presents and Susan and Tommy began to give out some for the adults as well.

After the hectic task of unwrapping presents for more than twenty people, the family had breakfast and the kids went on to play with their new toys.

Sarah found Connor outside the house, getting a call from either Claire or Gabe. "Everything okay?"

"Yeah, it's fine, Gabe's just flying out later for work." Sarah's face dropped.

"On Christmas?"

"Well you know my father, business never sleeps."

Sarah smiled softly at him as Connor looked around into the open field, he was clearly upset, his brother was a father too and although he was far from being like Cornelius, he worked quite a lot, even more than Connor who was a doctor.

"Hey, we're not going to let your Dad ruin Christmas, right?" Sarah said against him as she wrapped her arms around his waist.

"No, we are definitely not." Connor said turning around to face her. "I'm just glad I ran away you know?"

"You and me both." Sarah agreed. They stayed silent for a moment, just enjoying the rareness of the quiet.

"Are you feeling better?"

"Yeah, and no morning sickness." Sarah said gratefully. "It was definitely the best Christmas present ever though." She smirked, kissing him softly.

"It definitely was."

"Come on uncle Connor, we're going on the sleds!" James, one of their eldest nephews called as they came out of the house, Tommy following closely behind.

"You alright?" He asked, eyeing them suspiciously.

"I think I'm going to skip sledding this year though." Sarah told Connor softly, Jess had come out now too with Nate in tow who had clearly been looking for his parents.

"Come on Daddy, can we go too?" Connor felt Nate pull on his jacket sleeve and shooting him a look he couldn't argue with.

Sarah then went back inside to find Lilian and Sam in the kitchen. "We're setting up everything to make Christmas cookies for when they come back." Sam said. "Are you feeling any better?"

"Yeah, I'm fine." Sarah said, getting her head in the fridge.

"Listen Sarah, we wanted to apologize, you know we just want what's best for you, right?" Her sisters were both the ones with kids and husbands too, her older and younger ones, Sarah loved them but sometimes she felt like Connor did about his father.

She just wanted to run away.

"And we know Connor is wonderful, I mean we love him, you know that we were only suggesting you two to move away from the city, right?"

"We're happy were we are right now." Sarah told them. "Can't that be enough?"

"Yes, of course but.."

"Can't you guys just be happy for us then?"

"We are honey, really but what's going to happen when you have more kids? You are going to need a bigger place."

"Then Connor and I will figure it out." Sarah said. "I promise, stop worrying okay?"

"Maybe it's just that we miss having you and Justin around?" Sam admitted. "You were the ones who ran at the first chance you got."

"Well Justin got offered a good job and I wanted to get my degree. It's not a crime that we had other dreams."

"No, of course not." Lilian said. "I guess we just get sentimental around Christmas and we do miss having you two around." Lilian stopped for a minute.

"Is there something else going on?"

"Robert called." Her older sister said. "He's sick."

Ah, the Robert that had walked out on them when Sarah was six, Lilian ten and Justin four.

Sarah didn't react right away. "It's his heart." She almost wanted to laugh.

"Maybe you can refer him to someone?" Her sister continued "It doesn't have to be Connor but I guess he knows people."

"I'll talk to him." Sarah responded.

"That's all I ask."

When the rest of the family came back, Sarah was in her old room. "Hey babe, something wrong?"

"If you could have saved your Mom, you would have without thinking, right?" Sarah said to him. Connor arched an eyebrow. "Of course you would she was a good person." She took a minute to continue. "Robert, he called Lilian, he, uh, he's sick and she just asked me to ask you to help him."

"Okay."

"But when she did, that was not my first thought, my first thought was that maybe he deserved it you know, for what he did to my Mom…" Connor didn't speak. "I'm a horrible person to think that but…"

"What's wrong with him?"

"Ah, Chronic cardiomyopathy, from chronic ischemia." Sarah recited it like a true doctor.

"He's in class 3 heart failure isn't he?" Sarah nodded and Connor understood instantly what it meant, her father was dying.

"She asked me if maybe you could give him a referral."

"Or I could examine him if you want?" He offered. He knew Sarah had issues regarding Robert, she'd barely seen the man in almost 20 years.

"He lives in Boston. I'm not sure if he's even able to travel."

"Okay, well why don't we make sure and if he can, I'll take a look at him myself." Connor offered with a smile.

"Okay, thank you."

"Of course." then pulled her to him and kissed her forehead. "It will be okay baby I promise."

Sarah was crying now. "I shouldn't even care but I do.." She admitted to him. "And it's a little bit ironic that I married a cardiothoracic surgeon, right?" Sarah laughed bitterly. "I'm sorry."

"Don't be, if my father was sick, even with all of his faults, I don't think I'd be able to look away either."

Sarah raised her face to look at him and he moved a strand of hair from her face and she kissed him.

They came down a moment later as the kids were getting the last batch of cookies out and Nate smiled at her Mom instantly, showing off the ones he'd made. Sarah shook her head and tried to focus on enjoying.

She was not going to let her father ruin Christmas for her either.

The last few days at the farm passed rather quickly too, Sarah and Connor had been able to keep the pregnancy a secret from the rest of the family or so they thought until Jess hugged Sarah the morning they left for the airport.

"Don't worry, I won't tell." She winked at her and Sarah nodded with a smile.

"Thanks Jess. We'll see you soon okay?" Jess was thinking on moving to Chicago next summer for college and she'd be visiting in the upcoming weeks.

"Take care of yourself kid." Tommy told Connor with a hug as well. "And them too."

"Always Tommy." Connor beamed at his father in law. Connor took a sleeping Nate from his grandmother and climbed in the back of the van Lilian was driving to take them to the airport.

While Sophie and Connor went on to grab something to eat for the kids, Sarah sat with her brother.

"You alright?" He was 25 and a newlywed with a young daughter but he barely remembered Robert.

"I'm not sure what I'd do if I saw him again."

"Me neither sis. Trust me. Tommy is the only father I know." Justin admitted.

"I just keep thinking about the morning he left and I look at Nate and Connor and my head can't wrap itself around it, how could he just leave?"

"Who knows? Mom says it was a nasty divorce." Justin shrugged. "But if you ask me, we've got a better Dad out of it than he ever was."

The flight home was quiet, Sarah kept thinking about the fact that Connor had requested her father's tests from his doctor and was looking at his case, she was barely awake cuddled against Nate but she would watch him and she was the best at reading him. "It's bad, isn't it?"

"It's bad." He answered, turning to face her and locking the tablet. "Sorry, I'm working."

"Its fine. I know you. You want to be prepared."

Connor nodded. "Sarah I was serious when I offered to take on the case but if you don't want me to. I can ask Ava."

"Can you, ask her? I don't really want you involved with Robert Haywood."

"I will." He assured her, kissing her softly.

"So… Lil offered to talk to everyone about Christmas in Chicago next year." Sarah said, playing with Nate's curls softly.

"Good. We can have everyone at the house, I'm sure Claire won't mind. You know she lives to host events like that."

"Christmas with both our families? That should be fun." Sarah mused getting the small picture of the sonogram they'd been given from her purse.

"It's nothing we can't handle, right?"

"Right." Sarah replied kissing him softly.

When they arrived to the airport, Claire had sent a car for them. They said goodbye to Justin, Sophie and Ally. "Promise me you'll be there for New Year's." Sarah told her brother.

"And miss all the free fancy booze?" He joked. "I'll be there sis, take care okay, of yourself and my niece or nephew?" He said glancing down at her flat tummy. "I love you."

"I love you too."

Finally when they made it home, exhaustion had taken the best out of Nate and Sarah put him down for a nap. Connor came in behind her and they both glanced down at their sleeping son.

"Hard to believe next year, we'll have to two babies huh?" Connor said into her neck but Sarah pulled away

"Only he won't be much of a baby anymore." She sighed, walking out into the living room after they'd closed the door behind them.

"What do you say we watch some cheesy Christmas movie?"

"Sounds perfect." He smirked, taking her hand and leading her out of the room.

Merry Christmas everyone! Thanks for reading. What did you think? Next is Rhodes family and fluff.