[Author's note: this is a short story tie-in to CaseyMac42's story, Mixed Blessings. Thank you! The story starts 10 months after Kim Kelly Gage's death as the girls would be nearing their second birthday at Christmas. After her death, her parents stayed with Johnny to help with the girls.]
Angels Of The Heart..
It was a beautiful, sunny, and a somewhat cool July day for Los Angeles and the coolness was noticed by Jennifer DeSoto as a fun day to enjoy the girls. As part of a promise she made to Uncle Johnny, she came over regularly to entertain the girls after Aunt Kim, her Uncle Johnny's wife, had passed away. Joanne and Mrs. Kelly, Johnny's mother-in-law, were enjoying the antics of the three toddlers playing on the grass whirling and running, in the summer sun. Jennifer smiled warmly when she watched the little girls run around her and her mother. Grinning, she carefully crouched behind the chair where Mrs. Kelly was sitting and plotted the attack of the 'tickle monster'. Joanne began to grin as she noticed the game her daughter was plotting and decided to join her in the tickle mischief. Jennifer carefully moved and grabbed Carly and Joanne snared Callie and the girls started shrieking at the top of their lungs as they were being tickled and hugged. Johnny and Roy had returned from a lunch date a few moments later and joined in on the fun. Johnny grabbed Cassie into a bear hug and gave her a tickle also as she shrieked at her daddy. The girls were released and captured several more times until they wore down and settled on Johnny, Jennifer and Roy's laps from exhaustion. Callie snuggled with her daddy and Johnny gently hugged her. Callie was a daddy's girl.
As the adults and the kids relaxed in the grass, Jennifer could not shake a sense of sadness she had. A wave of sadness swept over her as she was reminded that someone was missing, her Aunt Kim. Looking up at the sky she whispered, I love you, Aunt Kim. She looked away from her parents and Uncle Johnny because she wanted to be brave and she did not want them see her sadness. She was thankful that she had her parents and sometimes her brother. However, she was sad because her cousins would not know their mom. Joanne, along with Johnny and Mrs. Kelly carried the girls into the house for their nap. As Roy watched his daughter for a few moments, he could sense that something was amiss, a sadness he had not seen in her eyes for a long time and he made a mental note to keep an eye on her.
"Earth to Jennifer.." Roy called out trying to get Jennifer's attention. He had a hunch of what was bothering her but did not dare broach the topic at the moment. He crawled over to where she was sitting in the grass and pulled his daughter into a hug.
A hug from dad is always a nice thing, "Thanks dad!" she said softly as she entertained an idea she wanted to share later with her parents. Roy looked over his shoulder and noticed that the others had returned from putting down the girls. A wide grin spread across his face as Johnny stood before them in mock horror. Roy could not help but chuckle at Johnny's stance and facial expression.
"Hey pardner! .. What's this...Ya, stealin' my gal!" snorted Johnny playfully as a lop-sided grin spread across his face. Jennifer got up from where she was sitting and gave her Uncle Johnny a huge hug. "Jelly Belly! ... Did you have fun with the girls?" he asked as he released his other favorite girl from a giant bear hug.
"YES!" exclaimed Jennifer. "They're getting so big." Roy watched their interactions closely as Johnny seemed to pick up on Jennifer's sadness. He knew Johnny well enough that he had an idea what was running through his mind. They were missing Kim and it was something that had crossed his mind also as the girls achieved a new milestone at a drop of a hat. Roy and Johnny talked for a few more minutes before the DeSotos had to leave to pick up Chris at a friend's house.
After dinner, Joanne finished cleaning up the dishes and watched as Jennifer settled on a deck chair deep in thought. Her daughter had been quiet all through supper and it was quite unsettling to her. She continued to watch her daughter for awhile as she seemed to be miles away in thought. Roy also watched Jennifer from the corner of his eye as he sat at the kitchen table putting new laces in his work shoes.
"Roy, she was unusually quiet at supper tonight," Joanne stated softly. Roy looked up at his wife and nodded as he finished one shoe and started on the other.
"Yeah, she was at Johnny's too, after you went in to put the girls down for a nap, " he said reflecting on her mood at Johnny's house that afternoon. I think she misses Kim." He finished up the shoe and placed them near the door. Slipping out the deck door, he settled on a chair near Jennifer. Reaching into his pocket he pulled a out a penny and placed it on the table near her. Tapping on the table gently he pushed the penny towards her, "Penny for your thoughts, Miss DeSoto?"
"DAD!" she replied mildly annoyed.
"What's going on with you? her father asked, "You've been very quiet." Joanne slipped out onto the deck quietly to join her daughter and husband, and sat a short distance away. Roy acknowledged her but and continued to give his full attention to Jennifer.
She sighed heavily before answering. "Thinking..." she replied distantly before continuing, "You know how I have you, mom, Chris, grandparents, aunts and all my uncles and stuff?" Roy nodded and encouraged her to continue. "Callie, Cassie, and Carly only have grandparents, Uncle Johnny, Uncle Chet and us." she paused and looked at dad before continuing. "I was wondering if Uncle Johnny would be upset if I made a memory book for them?"
Roy carefully weighed what his daughter said and formed his answer delicately. "I am not sure, but it sure sounds like a good idea." he replied gently. "Mind if we bring mom into this talk?" Roy watched for her reaction and gestured for Joanne to come to the table near them. After Joanne became settled at the table, he encouraged Jennifer to continue with her idea.
"It would be neat to have a special scrapbook for each one of the girls that is special. It can have pictures, stories, and memories that help make a picture of Aunt Kim." Roy and Joanne thought pensively for a few moments and slowly nodded approval.
"I like it," said Joanne softly. "I think Uncle Johnny will like it too, because it came from you." Her parents smiled as they watched their daughter's mood lift almost immediately.
"Hold on..." cautioned Roy. "I would also talk to Mrs. Kelly, as she may be doing something also, perhaps you can collaborate."
"I'll call her tomorrow." replied Joanne as a smile spread across her face. "Honey, you know you will have 'to do' list if this project is a go."
Roy considered the last comment as a broad smile spread across his face before responding, "For this, it's worth it."
Jennifer and Joanne looked at each other and started giggling. Roy shook his head smiling. "Well, dad you'll have to keep Uncle Johnny in the dark." smirked Jennifer.
"Thanks... I think." replied Roy laughing as he knew that would not be an easy task. "You better get to bed, Pumkin," he said as he gently tapped his daughter's nose. Jennifer hugged both of her parents and went inside. "Jo, I like the idea. Just let me know if the guys can help too." Joanne nodded in agreement.
Early the next day, Joanne made a called to Johnny's house, hoping to catch Mrs. Kelly. "Gage residence," answered a female voice.
"Good Morning Mrs. Kelly, this is Joanne DeSoto, Roy's wife. I was wondering if I could speak with you, about an idea my daughter has?" Joanne waited for several moments before getting the go ahead to continue. "She was thinking that it would be a nice idea if the girls each had a scrapbook of Kim that had pictures and stories in them, so the girls were able to have a sense of who she was." Joanne paused for several moments to let Mrs. Kelly speak. Jennifer had slipped into the kitchen and watched her mother curiously. When Joanne gave her daughter a wink of approval and a smile broke out across her face. "That's such a wonderful idea... it would be a nice complement to the scrapbook. Do you need additional fabric for it?" Joanne continued. "I can talk to Roy to see if anyone can make a nice cedar box. I'll be in touch, let us know when you have copies of the pictures and stories you want to share. Do you want to approach Chet about the project or should I have Roy do it?" Joanne burst out in laughter after Mrs. Kelly's last remark, "Roy already alluded to the fact that it would be a challenge to keep Johnny in the dark. I'll also have him talk to Chet." Joanne continued giggling at Mrs. Kelly's remarks. "I'll be in touch, talk to you soon."
Jennifer watched as her mother grew more and more animated and coupled with her own excitement, she was nearly bouncing off of her chair. "And!?" she asked excitedly as her mother hung up the phone.
"We can go ahead. She was thrilled with the idea and it will complement the three quilts that are being made for the girls from some of Kim's clothes and favorite colors. I just need to see if your father has some old shirts that can be used in the quilt." Joanne replied warmly. "We have less than six months to pull this off and you start school in August. Get ready for softball and we'll talk more about it when you get back."
Later that morning, Joanne made a call to the station. She hoped that Roy would be available to talk for a few minutes. Dialing the number, she was pleasantly surprised to hear that Roy was in. The two talked for several moments and he was pleased that Jennifer's idea had gone over so well with Mrs. Kelly. She inquired if he knew anyone who could make a wooden box. Hanging up the phone, he turned to face his curious crew mates, as Spencer McKenzie from 46s, stopped by on her day off to drop-off gingersnaps and visit with the guys for a little while. The guys were glad that Spencer was there for Johnny as a friend and confidante after Kim's death. They seemed to sense that Spencer and Johnny were good for each other as friends. She laughed as she watched the guys dive into the cookies.
"Gentlemen, ... Spencer, my daughter was wondering if you would like to participate in a project?" asked Roy with sly smile. "Jennifer came up with a neat idea to make a special gift for Johnny's girls. She would like to collect stories, pictures and stuff about Kim to put into scrapbooks for each one of them. She is encouraging everyone to share stories and pictures and is teaming up with Mrs. Kelly with her idea. Joanne asked me to ask you guys if you knew of anyone who did wood working to make a chest." They listened quietly as Roy provided additional details and nodded approvingly.
"Roy, I think I can help with the cedar chests." chirped Kirby McFadden, the junior paramedic and Roy's partner after Johnny left field work for teaching. "There is a guy over at 110s that makes them. I can contact him for you and let you know."
"Kirby, tell him to contact me if he needs any help," piped Mike. "I can do finishing work or something like that."
"You know what would be nice on the top of the chests, Kirby?" suggested Marco. "A tin inlay of an angel against a heart along with the name of each girl. Hopefully, Chet can let me use the angel in his locker as a model." From the corner of his eye, he could see Chet nodding approvingly at the idea.
Spencer along with Roy's crew mates in the room agreed that this was a wonderful idea and they continued to discuss it further. Roy watched Chet, sensing that he was a bit uncomfortable with the idea. He knew Chet was still hurting from the death of his sister, Kim. "I like the idea, Roy, especially the angel and heart inlay. Kim loved those girls with all heart, it would be a great way to honor her." stated Chet, distantly. Roy could see the sadness in his friend's eyes and made a mental note to later check on his friend.
"Roy, I have some old shirts that I was going to take to HQ to be recycled. Go, ahead and use them for the quilts. Just don't tell McConnike!" stated Cap. "I would never hear the end of it." The captain's last comment caused a few chuckles to erupt in the room.
"Thanks everyone, Jennifer will be thrilled." Roy commented warmly. "It means a lot to her. She also informed me that I have a very large "to do" list during the project, which includes keeping Johnny in the dark. In this case, it's well worth it." Snickers erupted in the day room at Roy's last remark as each knew Johnny would, in fact, be a challenge. Spencer shook her head at Roy's last comment, too.
"I love this idea, and Roy you can count me in to keep Johnny in the dark, though it won't be easy." said Spencer as she set her coffee cup down on the counter and started to head for the door. "This will be a beautiful gift," as she headed to the parking lot after bidding her friends good-bye. Roy was pleased to see his friends were on board for the idea. He watched as Chet left the room and followed him out.
"Chet, you okay?" asked Roy as he approached his friend standing behind Big Red. Chet wiped a few stray tears from his face and turned towards Roy.
"Yeah... just needed a few minutes. I like the idea of the chests and stuff for the girls. I really do. I have a few things I'll send over to be added." replied Chet quietly, "It's just that there are times ... when I see the girls, one of them does something that reminds of me Kim, like the way one will look at you or giggle. It just hurts that she is not here to see them grow up. Johnny is doing a great job with them and they adore him..." Chet's voice trailed off.
"yeah, they do..." Roy whispered in agreement as he did not know what else to say to ease Chet's pain.
~~~~~~~ EEEEEEEEEEEEE~~~~~~
Several months had passed and the project was taking shape. Joanne, one Saturday afternoon in early October, sent Roy on a 'smoke and screen' operation to keep Johnny busy. Once the plan was in operation, Roy was on his way to pickup Johnny, Spencer McKenzie, and the girls for some fun. After they left the house, Mrs. Kelly made her way to the DeSotos with the quilts and informed Joanne that she was quite sneaky leaving the house by telling Johnny she was going to a friend's to play bridge. The quilts were done in an Indian Star design with cloth from Kim's life and even a few things from John's life were incorporated into the design. The reverse side had Kim's favorite color, yellow, with a Shamrock on each corner.
"The quilts are beautiful Mrs. Kelly," said Jennifer as her mother nodded in agreement. The group was soon joined by Dixie McCall, a nursing colleague of the paramedics who worked at Rampart. The four of them sat down at the table and started to organize the pictures and stories to create Kim's life story: childhood, school, college and her life with John and the girls.
Hearing the telephone ring, Joanne grabbed the phone and was surprised to hear that it was Roy on the other end of the line. "I had to tell Johnny a white lie that Jennifer was sick. He wants to come and check on her quick. We will be there in 15 minutes. Johnny and Spencer are busy changing diapers right now, and as a father, this is the one-time that I hope they are messy." The three people sitting at the table listened as they watched the color drain from Joanne's face.
Roy's last comment caused Joanne to snicker before she sprung to action..."Mrs. Kelly and Dixie, your cars are safe in the garage. Mine was sitting outside when you came. We need to hide this stuff." as she started to carefully cover picture boxes, she continued to tell them the story. "Roy told Johnny that Jennifer was sick and now he wants to see her. Let's move!" The four of them hurriedly moved things to the bedroom and closed the door, each of them praying no one would open it. Mrs. Kelly went upstairs and hid in Chris's room, Dixie hid in Jennifer's room, and Jennifer flew to the couch to play sick.
"They're here!" shouted Joanne, and on cue Jennifer put on her best, "I'm sick" act, lying on the couch covered up in an afghan. Roy and Johnny walked up to the house, leaving Spencer to stay in the car with the girls. Joanne met them at the door. Johnny walked over to where Jennifer was lying on the couch and slowly opened her eyes.
"Uncle Johnny," she said weakly. "you've come to visit but I don't feel good."
"Jelly belly.. sorry to hear that you're not feeling too well. I Just wanted to stop by and check on one of my favorite girls," he said softly while stroking her hair. "We'll go do something fun with the girls another day. Just feel better, okay?" Jennifer nodded and closed her eyes to sleep, and Johnny planted a kiss on his niece's head and headed back out to the car, signaling to Roy to hurry up.
Roy gave his daughter a thumb's up for her performance and Joanne breathed a sigh of relief. It was close... too close for comfort. "Let's hope he doesn't suspect anything. Talk to you later," he whispered to his wife.
Joanne slowly let out the breath that she felt she had been holding for the last five minutes and breathed a sigh of relief. As she watched them leave, she gave the all clear to come out and get back to work. The four of them moved everything back out to the table and continued to work on the scrapbooks. As the afternoon wore on they were joined by Katy McGrath, Chet Kelly's girlfriend of nearly three years. Dixie laid out several more pictures and stories from people that Kim had worked with at Rampart, in addition to ones she wanted to contribute. The love for Kim was evident with each story and picture that was added to the books from friends and family.
"Sorry I'm late but I saw the guys in the driveway and I drove around for a bit." said Katy as she came in and got settled. "I have a couple of pictures that I would like to contribute myself, and I had extra copies made of them. One of the pictures is of John and Kim on the beach shortly before they got married...it is one of my favorite pictures. The other is shortly after the girls came home and Johnny and Kim are hamming it up with them. I also have Chet's contribution of a few pictures of when he visited Kim at college, and a letter from him for each of the girls to go in the book."
"They are beautiful pictures" said Mrs. Kelly. "Is it possible to get a copy of them?"
"That is a beautiful picture." said Dixie, "They were beautiful together. If possible, I would like a copy also."
"Certainly, I had a number of them made up." she said warmly handing one each to Mrs. Kelly, Dixie, Joanne, and Jennifer. "I know she meant a lot to all of you, and I thought you would like it."
"Thank you Katy." Jennifer said warmly. Dixie, Joanne, and Mrs. Kelly also offered her thanks.
Roy returned later in the day and saw them still hard at work. Pulling a chair up to the table, he watched as they worked on putting the scrapbooks together. "Dixie ... Mrs. Kelly, let me know when you are ready to leave and I'll move my car. I suspect both of yours are in the garage due to the close call." he said warmly.
"Yes Roy, I agree, that was a very close call." said Joanne as she was concentrating on putting another envelope on the page. "I was sweating bullets."
~~~~~~~~~~~EEEEEEEEEEEEE~~~~~~~~~~~~
The weeks passed and the final touches on Jennifer's project were done. The scrapbooks were completed and each one had over 60 pages of pictures and stories. Each of the chests had a different girl's name inscribed on the tin inlay, as well as a quilt, scrapbook, and a few other items like a couple of Kim's scarves, a doll from her childhood, and a two pieces of her jewelry in a small box. Everything was ready for Christmas except for the plan to get them into the house without Johnny knowing about them.
A few weeks before Christmas, a plan was put into action to get the chests into Johnny's house. Roy offered to take Johnny out for a Saturday breakfast on one of his weekends off. It was an opportunity for Chet, Spencer, Mr. Kelly, Katy, and Marco to get the chests into the house, and covered with a blanket in the Kellys' bedroom before Johnny returned from breakfast.
At the diner, Johnny dug at his scrambled eggs while trying to formulate a thought into a question.
"Roy, there's something that has been bugging me for awhile." queried Johnny. "I don't think Jennifer was sick that one day. What's going on?" he asked as he looked at Roy with a raised eyebrow. "Also, my mother-in-law doesn't play bridge." Roy felt an incredible urge to run but realized that he was cornered and had to think fast. Looking at his plate, he played with the hash browns formulating an answer that would not give away the surprise.
"I know nothing. I thought it would be nice to spend some time with you, Junior." said Roy innocently. "I know nothing, honestly."
Johnny looked at his best friend suspiciously, as his story was not adding up. Even the guys he used to work with at 51s were somewhat evasive and what made matters worse was Chet's behavior of wanting a certain picture. "Why would Chet want a certain picture?" asked Johnny "Also, Spencer has been eerily quiet on a few things when I asked her about them."
Roy shrugged his shoulders, and stated innocently, "No Idea." Roy was really hoping Johnny would lay off the questions as he had no interest of participating in a revised incarnation of the Spanish Inquisition. Roy decided to change tactics and end the questions by changing the subject. "Ahhh Johnny, 51s got a new dog... Another mutt like Boot, and his name is Rufus."
A wide grin spread across Johnny's face, "Try again pardner." said Johnny gleefully, "I saw one of my mother-in-law's scarves lying on the floor of your dining room. Why was she at your house?" Roy had a chill run down his spine after Johnny's last remark. "I also thought it was odd that Jennifer did not have a fever that day."
"It's in the past, Johnny... let's drop it and enjoy each other's company." said Roy as he tried to defuse Johnny's curiosity. "Besides, Christmas is coming and mysteries abound." Roy picked up his coffee cup and sipped a little, hiding a small smile behind his cup.
"Okay, Pally," Johnny said mildly defeated. "I will still get it out of you, it just might take awhile. I still think you know something. Spencer has even been acting suspiciously also about that day." Johnny filed away his additional questions for another day. Roy was relieved that Johnny laid off asking additional questions as he was beginning to run out of ideas to fend his friend off. Deep down, he knew his best friend would love the gift his girls were about to receive.
"So what did you think of the last UCLA-USC game?" asked Roy as he put his cup down.
In the meantime, while Johnny was away from the house, the chests were carried into the house and hidden in the bedroom of his in-laws for their Christmas reveal. Spencer played lookout in case Johnny returned early from breakfast. The chests were tucked away along a wall in the bedroom. Chet touched each one, smiling approvingly and whispered to himself, "Kim, we have your gift for the girls. You'll always be an angel in our hearts, sis." He pulled a blanket from his father's hand and placed it lovingly over the chests for their reveal on the 26th, as both he and Roy had to work the Christmas holiday. As the group made their way back down the steps, they were greeted by the shrieks of three little girls in the playpen. Chet walked over and picked up Carly giving her a big hug as she reached up and pulled on his mustache.
"Ouch!" yipped Chet as he winced in pain while Carly pulled on it. "I knew Johnny wanted to scalp it one time but did he have to tell his daughter to do it?" Laughter erupted from Chet's reactions to Carly grabbing his mustache. Cassie and Callie joined in with some shrieking of their own at the antics of the adults. "Enough out of you two also," he responded good-heartedly.
"Ahhh...Chet, I think we need to get going before Johnny returns," said Katy nervously, "He might get suspicious." Chet nodded in agreement as he knew what Johnny was like when he got a hold of something.
"He suspects something already because he's been asking me strange questions." said Mrs. Kelly. "Poor Roy!"
"Mom, he can handle Johnny," added Chet, mildly concerned. "I hope."
"I hope so too, Chet." Spencer sighed. "He has been exceptionally curious regarding that one day in October. He's even been giving me a hard time about it."
~~~~~EEEEEEEEEE~~~~~
Roy and Chet were thankful for the quiet shift over Christmas day. The next morning, the two men quickly changed into their street clothes to head home to their families and then to Johnny's house for dinner and sharing each others company. "Roy, see you later at Johnny's." said Chet as he left the locker area. Roy waved him off and then thanked the other guys personally for helping with the project. He mentioned to the others that he would take pictures and share the reveal with them when they all returned back on shift a few days later.
Johnny was the first one up on that morning, as he was too excited to sleep. Spencer had been away the previous few days to visit some friends in San Francisco, but was scheduled to return later that day. After peaking in on the girls, he quietly slipped from their nursery and tiptoed through the house to the kitchen. After putting on a pot of coffee, he quietly closed his eyes and tried to put some things in perspective. Pouring himself a cup, he made his way to the living room and sat looking at the lit up Christmas tree. His mind wandered over the last year as he measured the moments of sadness and balanced them with the moments that gave him the greatest joy: Spencer, his friends and family, especially three little ladies that had a hold on his heart. A warm smile spread across his face as he remembered his daughters learning to walk and their first words. It warmed his heart. His mind returned to Spencer and how close they had gotten over the last year. His eyes even misted when he thought of her, and how much he was looking forward to having her at his side for the day's festivities. His eyes were then drawn to the mantle, and to the angel that he got that one year at a Christmas fire that both he and Chet had been working, and then ultimately to the wedding picture of him and Kim. He smiled as he remembered those two days. He was blessed in a way he would have never understood when he was a kid. He quietly drank his coffee and was startled when he was joined by Mrs. Kelly entering the room.
"Good morning Johnny, you're up early." she said with a hint of surprise, placing a hand on his shoulder. "I was just going to get a start on some of the cooking. Joanne and Katy will be bringing part of the meal for today, too. Dad will be leaving within the next hour or so to head to the airport to get Spencer."
"Mmmmm...Good morning... Couldn't sleep so I thought I would get up. The girls will be up in a bit." he said thoughtfully. "Just wanted a little time alone to think."
"We all need that." said Mrs. Kelly. "You're missing her, aren't you?"
Johnny could not lie very easily to his mother-in-law as she could read him as well as her daughter could. "Yeah... Some days are worse than others. I miss her most on days when the girls have milestone or do something new like walking, or saying new words." Johnny paused before continuing. "Carly called me dada yesterday. It saddens me that she won't have anyone to say mama to. As much as I care about Spencer, part of me still misses Kim, terribly."
"I can understand that, Johnny," Mrs. Kelly responded softly, "Dad and I have had the same thoughts about the girls." As if on cue, Johnny mused when he heard whimpering from the nursery.
"Well there's my cue." he mused. "I'll tend to the girls." He put his cup down on the end table and got up from the recliner. As he made his way to the stairs, he turned and looked at Mrs. Kelly and then at the picture on the mantle. "Merry Christmas, sweetheart."
After the girls had breakfast and were dressed, Johnny spent some quiet time with the girls on the floor with a few gifts that he had opened with them. His father-in-law had left for the airport to pickup Spencer. Mrs. Kelly watched from the kitchen and smiled as two of the girls were calling Johnny "dada" and Johnny was trying to coax Callie to say the word. They played for a bit and soon settled either in Johnny's lap or near him while playing with the stuffed puppies they got for Christmas. He was startled when Callie looked up and said "dada". He picked her up and hugged her. "Yes, I'm your dada." A tear formed at the corner of his eye. Callie was soon joined by her sisters saying the same word. Johnny smiled warmly at his daughters, and gently kissed each of them. Being in deep thought, he had lost track of time. His reverie was interrupted when he saw a beautiful woman before him. "Sorry, I can't get up and kiss ya as I am a bit preoccupied," he said warmly to Spencer as he held out his hand to her. "I've missed you." She knelt down to where he was sitting and gently shared a kiss.
"I'll be right back. Let me put my suitcase in the bedroom and freshen up." she said softly as she pulled away from their kiss, as he tried to get another in. "Hold that thought and I'll be back." Johnny watched her leave and grinned. The girls continued to crawl around him.
"Johnny, I think you are going to have your hands full." Mr. Kelly mused as he picked up Cassie and helped Johnny him up off the floor. Spencer came down after freshening up and chuckled at Johnny as he got up off the floor with two little girls attached to his leg. A smile spread across her face when she heard all three girls call for their dada. Mr. Kelly started rounding up the girls and corralled them in the playpen. Spencer made her way back to the living room and placed gifts under the tree as she greeted to Mrs. Kelly.
"How were things in San Francisco?" asked Mrs. Kelly from the kitchen. Deep down she knew part of Johnny would always miss Kim, she was happy to see that Johnny had found someone who understood his pain. Spencer gave Johnny a peck on the cheek and went to the kitchen to talk a few minutes with Mrs. Kelly. Johnny joined them in the kitchen a few minutes later, followed by Roy and his family, who had come through the garage carrying gifts and a turkey.
"Roy, did you complete your to do list for the day?" mused Mrs. Kelly as he watched Roy's reactions. Laughing, he nodded his head as he made his way to the living room.
"Roy, it's Christmas and Joanne has you doing a 'to do' list? Man, you should know better than to cross a beautiful woman like her," retorted Johnny in mock horror as he walked up and gave his other favorite woman a kiss on the cheek. Joanne playfully swatted Johnny and gave him a kiss back. Spencer stood next to the counter giggling at the exchange.
"Jelly Belly! Chris!" chirped Johnny, "Where's my Christmas hug?" Chris walked up and gave his uncle a high-five.
Jennifer DeSoto went up to her uncle Johnny and gave him a huge hug. "Merry Christmas, Uncle Johnny." She looked over at the girls who were dressed in their holiday themed rompers, and were playing with their new stuffed puppies. "Johnny, the girls look adorable." Pulling away from her uncle, she signaled Spencer to join her by the playpen and gestured she should play with the girls so Johnny would not become suspicious.
"Are you ready for the big reveal?" she whispered softly as they played with the girls.
"Sure am and thank you for including me, Jennifer." she said warmly as she babbled at Carly.
"You are part of Uncle Johnny's life." Jennifer responded warmly. "But I have a feeling he is looking at us so we better break it up. I will give you the cue." Spencer nodded approvingly, and she was touched by the young girl's words.
Roy just shook his head and laughed as the two guys made their way to the living room after the exchange in the kitchen. When the doorbell rang, Johnny went to the door and he was met by Chet and Katy.
"Welcome Chet, Katy!" said Johnny warmly as he gestured them to enter the house. "Make yourself at home!" He smiled warmly as those who were the most dear to him were in his home. His private reverie was upended by Callie calling out for her dada.
"When did Callie start saying dada?" asked Chet with a hint of surprise in his voice.
"This mornin'." replied Johnny warmly as he picked her up and gently planted a kiss on her. "Cassie and Carly have been saying it the last couple of days. I suspect Callie did not want to be left out. Pretty nice Christmas present, don't ya think? By the way, I heard Carly tried to 'scalp' ya." Chet shot him a parting glance and shook his head. Katy bit her bottom lip and turned her head away from Chet to keep from bursting out in laughter.
"Johnny, so does that mean we all can call you dada now?" asked Roy teasingly. Johnny shook his head at Roy's remark. Spencer stood smiling at the easy rapport between Johnny and Roy. She was glad to see Johnny smiling.
"You just wait Pally." he retorted at his best friend with a wide grin. "Come on dinner is ready."
After the meal, everyone moved to the living room and enjoyed one anothers company. Johnny was a rich man through friends and family. He was blessed. "I just wanted to say a few words before we allow the kids to dig into the tree. I want to say thank you to Spencer, my friends, and family for helping me through a rough year. It has been challenging and you have no idea how much it has meant to have you in my life. Thank you!" he said quietly and respectfully as he looked at each person. "Well, Jelly Belly get to work!" as Johnny directed her attention to the tree. Jennifer moved towards the tree and started handing gifts out to everyone in the room. People carefully opened their gifts and enjoyed the company that each had to offer. Johnny was happy that the kids liked their gifts, including his friends.
After a period of time, Jennifer piped up. "Uncle Johnny, we have a surprise for you but you can't peek. So you are going to be blindfolded." Spencer took that as her cue to place the blindfold over Johnny's eyes as Jennifer gave the signal to her father, Chet, Mr. Kelly, Joanne, Katy, and Chris to go to the bedroom and retrieve the three chests.
"Okay Jelly Belly, what's up?" queried Johnny as he tried to reach up for the blindfold, but had his hand swatted away by Spencer instead.
"Uncle Johnny quit protesting, you are worse than a little kid." Jennifer admonished playfully. "Be patient!"
The chests were carefully brought down and placed in front of Johnny and two of the girls who were being held by him and Spencer. Chet and Roy sat on the floor to pull the blankets off when cued. Once everyone was almost settled, Mr. Kelly placed Cassie with Spencer and Johnny. Jennifer looked at everyone and Mrs. Kelly gave her the go ahead to have Johnny take off the blind fold.
"Take off the blindfold Uncle Johnny!" said Jennifer happily. Johnny was mystified when he saw Roy and Chet sitting on the floor with blankets. "Uncle Johnny, I wanted to do something so the girls could make a memory of Aunt Kim, but it blew up into something even greater than I could imagine. A lot of other people joined in on the idea." At that point Roy and Chet pulled back the blankets to reveal the chests, and handed the blankets to Katy to put aside. Roy reached over and opened Callie's chest, which was the closest to Jennifer. She reached in and picked up the scrapbook and handed it to Johnny. "In the scrapbooks are pictures and stories about Kim from when she was little, to when she married you and my cousins were born. It is from all of us and even Dixie at the hospital helped." As tears welled up in her eyes, and she fought to keep herself together.
Johnny looked at the cover page of the scrapbook and gently whispered to Callie, "Here's your mama." He was struggling with his own emotions and fought to be strong.
Joanne could see that her daughter was struggling a little and jumped in. "In the small boxes are two pieces of Kim's jewelry and A doll she once owned." said Joanne as she watched the wave of different emotions on Johnny's face. Roy also caught the change in Johnny and knew his friend was processing a lot of different emotions. "The quilt was the idea of Mrs. Kelly. Each one has bits of cloth and clothing pieces that belonged to Kim and a few things from you." As Katy and Joanne unfolded the quilt for everyone to see, Joanne spotted a red box in the bottom of the chest and wondered where it came from. "Did someone put this in here? I don't recall seeing it before we moved the chests here." Everyone was puzzled by the red box, causing Roy to quickly check the other two trunks. Each one the same small red boxes.
"I have no clue, Joanne," replied Mrs. Kelly who was stunned by the appearance of the red box. "The only ones in the room since they were moved here were Mr. Kelly and I. We have not touched the chests at all. It's a mystery."
Johnny took the box from Joanne's hand and opened it gently. Inside the box was a necklace with an angel inside of a heart, and a small cubic zirconia stone in the halo. The necklace bore a strong resemblance to the tin inlay on the cover of the chests. Johnny carefully unfolded the note and started to read the message aloud: "Callie, with all my love, I am an angel in your heart. With love, your mama," Johnny said softly as he fought with his emotions, "It's written in Kim's handwriting." he said softly. Spencer gently placed a hand on Johnny's shoulder and squeezed it. Roy quickly checked the other boxes and the notes were similar except addressed to Cassie and Carly.
The people in the room sat stunned by the appearance of the angel necklaces. The greater mystery was how they got there. In the moment of stunned reverie, the angel on the mantle glowed along with the lights on the tree a bit brighter than usual. The room was enveloped in warmth as the light glowed brighter for a short period of time. As quickly as it happened, the feeling disappeared. "Mama," Callie called out. Callie's word surprised everyone, including Johnny. The room was silent before anyone spoke.
"What just happened?" asked Johnny stunned as he tried to come to terms with what happened. No one in the room had an explanation of what had happened, but cherished it as a gift. "Kim, if that was you, I love you." He closed his eyes and let a new sense of calm come over him. It was a strange, warm feeling he had not experienced before and he embraced it. He moved from the couch and ran his hand over each of the chests touching the inlays and the warmth of the wood. "I have no words but to say thank you from me and the girls. This is a beautiful gift. Jelly Belly, thank you for your idea. It was a truly wonderful idea." He pulled her into a hug and a few stray tears threatened to escape from the corner of his eye. "It means a lot."
"Johnny, it was a gift that we all wanted to do, but Jennifer had the idea for the scrapbook and all of us sharing stories and anecdotes about Kim." commented Mrs. Kelly. "We hope the girls will learn about their mother and get to know her on some level."
A smile spread across Johnny's face as he started to put a few pieces together. He decided against commenting, and just accepted it for what it was. The guys moved the chests back upstairs to the bedroom and Mrs. Kelly, Spencer, and Joanne set out dessert. Johnny placed a kiss on each of his daughter's heads and then made his way out to the back deck. Looking up at the stars, he sighed and closed his eyes. After giving his friend a few minutes alone, Roy slipped outside to join him. "You okay, Junior?" asked Roy.
"Yeah, I am Pally." replied Johnny, "Just needed to think. Now I understand the comment from a few weeks ago...the one about mysteries. How long did you know about the chests?"
"Since Last summer. Jennifer suggested the scrapbooks because she felt sad about the girls not knowing who their mother was. It grew from there. That's also when we found out about Mrs. Kelly having the quilts made. Then Kirby, Marco, Mike and another guy from 110's made the chests. Spencer was also in on it, playing the go-between as to when we could do certain things. It was a labor of love, Johnny. Chet even helped out."
"Those chests are beautiful Roy. Please extend a thank you to the others for me." Johnny whispered sincerely. "I'm touched, I really am. I do have one question though, Pally. How did you get them into the house?"
"Well Junior, that is a story in itself." replied Roy warmly as he laid a hand on Johnny's shoulder. "Remember a few weeks back when we met for breakfast?" Roy waited for a reaction from Johnny before continuing. "That day we met for breakfast, Chet and a number of others moved them into the house and stashed them upstairs."
"Where were they before that?" asked Johnny
"At my house being guarded by Jennifer." said Roy. Roy watched Johnny's facial expressions and body language as he slowly started to piece things together as to how it all came together.
"So my mother-in-law had the quilts here for a bit, then moved them to your place. When did this all happen?" he asked in amazement.
"Remember the bridge game, Johnny?" asked Roy curiously. Johnny looked over at him suspiciously as the memory came back and slowly nodded. "The so-called bridge game was the day Jennifer was sick. Mrs. Kelly was hiding in Chris' room and Dixie was in Jennifer's bedroom waiting for you to leave. When we stopped at the house to see Jennifer, Joanne was standing behind you sweating bullets. It was not easy hiding this from you. The guys from both 110's and 51's knew about this, including Spencer. Spencer alerted us to any change in your schedule as an instructor so we could plan accordingly." said Roy. "it was an interesting journey, Junior."
"I'm impressed, Pally." replied Johnny, "I really am. I had no idea what exactly was afoot, but I knew something was up. I love what was done and please thank Jennifer again for me. I am proud of that young lady. I was really trying to hold my emotions together with everyone in the room."
"I will." replied Roy, "I think we all had a sense that you were battling your emotions. We better head inside before they wonder what happened to us." Both guys headed back into the house and continued the festivities. Joanne approached Johnny with a hug when he came in. Returning the favor, he kissed her on the cheek and thanked her for the present. He then gave Spencer a warm hug as she came up to them.
As the evening wore on, some began to leave. He gave both of his in-laws a hug and thanked them for everything that they have done for him and the girls, as well as their unwavering support. The girls were settled in their beds and Kelly's had also turned in after an eventful night. Johnny took the scrapbook from Carly's chest and started looking through it at the pictures with Spencer before she had to leave. Stopping briefly at each picture of Kim and smiling at her. He could see her in his daughters, in their smiles, laughs and elements of their personality. He continued to read some of the stories and smiled. Thinking to himself upon reflection, "You were quite the firecracker, weren't you Kim Kelly Gage?" He closed the book and smiled. Looking up at the mantle, the angel was glowing. "Merry Christmas Kim, I love you."
As he readied for bed, he was thinking to himself about that Christmas Angel. Maybe that Christmas Angel had a little magic after all, and it was a gift that should be accepted and not questioned. Musing to himself, he smiled and felt a certain peace come over him for the first time in a very long time. Angels of the heart can come into your life when you least expect it and make an imprint on your heart.