"Sometimes life is not all it can be, and here we are. Wondering just how far this road may lead, and here we are. And from the darkness shines a bright burning star, and who we are is changing within our hearts." - from the film NATIVITY!

And here we have a Christmas Chapter! How will our characters navigate this day with two still in intensive care? Will they be able to find some festive spirit?

Christmas day dawned bright and cold. A thin layer of frost covered the city, icy crystals glistening with every shade of the rainbow. Whispy clouds slowly moved across the sky.

Steve had arranged to meet Josh in the hospital reception, that way they could go up and see Kate together. Josh was carrying a gift bag and wearing a Santa hat and had finally dug out his Christmas jumper, green with an image of Buddy from the film elf on the front. It had always been his favourite as a kid. He was feeling much more in the festive spirit now he knew his mum was getting better.

"Happy Christmas!" he greeted Steve.

"Happy Christmas, mate" Steve replied back with a smile.

"You head on up to your mum," Steve told Josh. "I just need to do something first."

"Happy Christmas Mum!" Josh stepped into Kate's bay smiling widely.

She had been dozing quietly but stirred as soon as she sensed Josh arrive. Over the past couple of days, she had become more aware but was still very weak and sleeping a lot. Even though she tried not to let it show, her battle with sepsis had clearly taken its toll on her.

Josh remembered how Bernie had explained that the drugs that she had been on would take a while to work their way out of her system and it would take her body a long time to recover from the battering the sepsis had given it. Her senses and whole body had been severely affected by the time she'd been unconscious and even more so given the fact that this was the second time she'd been in a coma within the last month.

Josh knew it would take time and even if it could be frustrating at times, just having his mum awake and recovering was the best Christmas present he could have asked for, considering there had been the chance that she might not have made it to Christmas day at all.

Kate blinked a few times and then smiled wearily up at her visitor.

"H-hi" she greeted Josh horsely. She was propped up by cushions into a half-sitting position which meant she could see him better and follow what was happening in her bay. Still looked very ill but just in being awake and lucid she seemed so much more like the mum that he knew and loved.

"Happy Christmas." Josh gave Kate a cautious hug, she was still hooked up to various monitors and IV lines and he didn't want to accidentally tug at anything.

"S-stay like this f-for a b-bit?" Kate asked. Being able to give her son a hug even if in a weak and uncoordinated way, was the best feeling ever.

"Okay," Josh smiled back. Hugging her made him realise just how frail his mum still was. He took a deep breath, thankful to be able to take a moment to hide the tears that welled up in his eyes. He didn't want to let her see him cry. Emotionally, he still felt so all over the place. He was so scared of hurting her or that she would get sick again. That anxiety wouldn't go away, but for today at least, he tried to push those thoughts to the back of his mind. Today was about celebrating.

They were disturbed by a sound from outside of Kate's bay, that sounded like stifled giggling. Josh looked up as Steve poked his head around the curtain.

"Room for a couple more?" he asked.

"C-course," Kate nodded.

Steve pushed Jo into the bay, they were both sporting comedy elf hats complete with bells and pointy ears.

Kate's face lit up when she spotted who was accompanying Steve, "Jo!"

"You have something on your h-head," she smiled. "Looks cute."

Then she turned to Steve with a wry smile. "And y-you look like a tit."

"Cheers mate," Steve laughed. "It's good to see you mate."

Josh held his hands up, "just to be clear, I had no part in this."

Kate laughed weakly, "it's all Steve. Always is."

"A… a-anything m… m-make you sm… sm–smile." Jo grinned.

"Just s-seeing you is e-enough to make me s-smile." Kate replied

"S… s-so I d… d-don't l-look l… l-like a t… t-tit then?" Jo questioned playfully.

"Nah," Kate grinned. "It's o-only Steve that d-does."

"Oi!" Steve laughed. "It's a good job you're me best mate."

"C-course," Kate joined with the laughter. "Wouldn't h-have it any o-other way."

"It's so nice t-to see y-you all," Kate smiled weakly. "B-best Christmas I c-could wish for."

Steve helped Jo position the wheelchair alongside Kate's bed.

Josh perched on one corner at the end of the bed and he settled into the chair on the other side. It didn't feel quite so uncomfortable anymore.

"I brought this," Josh said, pulling his iPad out of his rucksack. "I figured we could watch a film or something."

It was a simple activity they could all do together and Kate and Jo could rest as needed.

"I'd l-like t-that." Kate smiled. She wasn't up to long discussions and she had a feeling Jo wouldn't be either.

Josh opened up Netflix, swiping through the Christmas films that were on offer. They collectively decided on Elf. "H-hey, it m-matches your j-jumper," Kate pointed out.

"So it does," Josh smiled back. "That wasn't intentional but I guess it is quite fitting."

"W-was your f-favourite f-film when you w-were l-little," Kate said warmly.

"Yeah," Josh replied, glad his mum had remembered. It meant she really was coming back to him.

"N… n-never s… s-seen i-it," Jo stuttered, looking slightly forlorn, with all her years under OCG control she was beginning to realise just how much she had missed out on.

"Guess we made a good choice then!" Steve chimed in cheerfully, offering Jo a warm smile.

The film began to play and Kate looked around warmly at her visitors. Steve and Jo in their ridiculous hats and Josh, her baby boy so grown up. She was still having a hard time processing everything that had happened to her but just being able to spend time together with the people that matter most to her, it meant everything.

Steve stood up and stretched out as the end credits of the film began to play. "I forget just how funny it was!"

"Y… y-you p… p-picked a g… g-good f… f-film," Jo agreed. Cheeks flushed from laughing and slightly out of breath. There was the faintest twinkle in her eyes but she was slumped forward slightly, clearly tired and worn out.

"Do you want me to take you back round to your bed?" Steve offered.

Jo just nodded.

Both Kate and Josh had dozed off and now seemed a good time to leave quietly without disturbing them.

"You can always come back later after you've had a rest," he suggested.

"Mmh," Jo agreed, blinking heavily a few times as she tried to fight against the exhaustion.

"Love the hats!" Jay commented, joining Steve and helping Jo get settled back in her bay.

"A… a-all St… St-Steve's i… i-idea," Jo said quietly, she was tiring quickly now.

"Well, they're fab!" Jay exclaimed excitedly. "Happy Christmas! I hope you've had a good day so far."

Jo blushed slightly. "Y… y-yeah, b… b-best C… C-Christ… m-mas in l… l-long t… t-time."

Steve's heart ached as he heard Jo say that. He was grateful to spend time with Kate and Jo, especially given how precariously close both of them had come to not being here at all. But it was a long way from the Christmas he'd imagined. He resolved then, that whatever happened he'd make sure that Jo got to experience a proper family Christmas one day. She deserved it.

"Well I'm glad you've had a good time," Jay smiled.

"Happy Christmas Jo," Steve smiled warmly at her once she was settled.

"H… h-hap… p-py C… C-Christmas," she replied weakly. She seemed to be carrying less of a weight in her heart, but to Steve, it was clear that she was still struggling.

He sat down next to her for a moment, hoping he could help her in some way. Today of all days. She was already half asleep so he hoped Jo would hear him.

"I know you find it hard to believe Jo, but we got them, because of you, because of what you told me. You're free now, to be who you really are, and live your life. But to do that, you need to be recovered, you need to let people in and learn to trust. You can count on Kate, and you can count on me. She really loves you. I've known Kate for 10 years, she's my best mate and I've never known her to talk about others the way she does about you. Even her ex-husband. I really think you can be great together. If not for anyone else, keep fighting for Kate. You don't have to be alone anymore."

Though her eyes were closed Jo smiled shyly. "T… t-thanks."

Accepting help still felt hard. Fighting against the lies she had been told her whole life. It was a battle that would take time. She had hope. She had a chance. People she loved and people who cared for her. Maybe those were worth fighting for.

Kate woke to find that the film had finished and Josh was dozing at the end of the bed, eyes closed and snoring softly.

"J-Josh," Kate nudged her son gently.

"Mmh, I'm awake," he replied sleepily, rubbing his eyes. It seemed Kate wasn't the only one who needed the chance to rest.

"T… thank you f-for t-today." Kate smiled softly.

"You're welcome," Josh smiled back.

He sat up, retrieving the small gift bag from the floor and handing it gently to his mum. "It's not much, but I got you something. Hope you like it."

Kate fumbled with the wrapping for a bit, she was still struggling to coordinate her movements, especially when tired but she eventually got there, slowly turning the photo frame over so she could see the picture.

"It's p-perfect," Kate smiled. "G-reat p-hoto."

"Yeah," Josh agreed. "And we'll get back to going to Forest games soon, even if it takes a bit of time. And maybe we'll even drag Steve along to a few!"

"Sounds like a plan!" Josh grinned.

"I'm not sure about that, mate!" Steve laughed, coming back into the bay.

"T-time to m-make a F-Forset fan of you y-yet," Kate grinned, giving Steve a gentle nudge.

It was an interaction that should have been so normal, so close to Kate's typical banter but for Josh, it was all of a sudden too much.

"I was really scared." Josh blurted out, standing up from the bed, tears streaming down his face. "I was so scared, I thought you were gonna die."

"S-sorry," Kate wheezed. Kate held out her hand to Josh, it was all she could do to comfort him at the moment and it didn't feel like enough and it hurt.

"It's not your fault," Steve insisted. "You don't need to be sorry, you just need to get better."

"T-trying my best," Kate replied weakly.

And she really was, but that didn't stop her from feeling frustrated and utterly useless.

"I know you are," Steve smiled at his friend.

"N-not good at t-this," Kate sighed wearily.

"Yeah, I figured as much," Steve replied. "But it's really important that you don't overdo it or try to do too much. You can't get sick again, you just can't"

Kate sighed quietly, tears welling up in her eyes as she thought of what Josh and Steve must have gone through while she was so unwell. To think that Josh had seen her so ill, almost dying, it broke her heart. Josh was right, she couldn't change what had happened, as much as she wanted to.

The only thing she could do about it now was to get better. To fight with all she had to get better so that she could spend all the time she could with her son. Come what may, she was going to make it work this time. That would be her reason to recover.