Shane opened her eyes and saw the bright sunshine streaming in through the window. She had enjoyed sleeping in on Christmas morning, but it was time to get up so she would have enough time to make cookies. She found the family sugar cookie recipe and the Christmas tree cookie cutter that her mom had given her as a gift one year, but that she had never used. She rummaged around in her cupboards until she found all the ingredients for the cookies and got to work making the dough. She played some Christmas carols as she worked and found herself really enjoying herself. Making sugar cookies had been an activity she used to do with her mom and Alex every year before their dad left. They would give most of them away to friends and neighbors.

Later in the afternoon, as she was icing the last of the cookies, her phone rang. She saw that it was her mom so she quickly washed her hands and picked up the phone. "Merry Christmas Mom!"

"Merry Christmas," Sharon replied. "You sound cheerful, you must be enjoying your vacation."

Shane sighed inwardly and resigned herself to her mom's opinion on her decision to stay. "Actually, I'm still at home, I'm leaving tomorrow."

Sharon sounded confused. "I thought your flight was yesterday?"

"Some things came up, and I decided to postpone it a few days."

"You don't come home because you said you wanted to go to Arizona and now you are spending Christmas there?" Sharon responded, sounding hurt.

"I'm sorry Mom," Shane answered softly. "I...I knew Alex was coming and I just couldn't do it."

"You will have to face your sister sometime."

Shane sighed as she got out some containers to put the cookies in. "I know, but not at Christmas, it's hard enough already."

"Alright, we'll let this go for now, but you still sound a lot happier than you normally do on Christmas Day."

Shane smiled to herself thinking about the events of the last few days. "My coworkers and I put on a Christmas play at the hospital for a little girl who wanted to be a shepherd and it reminded me of what it was like when I thought Christmas was magical."

Shane told her mother about Hannah and her family and the events of the last few days. She left out the part about Oliver finding her letter and the possibility of angels.

Sharon smiled to herself listening to Shane talking enthusiastically about an event related to Christmas. When Shane was a little girl, she had loved everything abut Christmas. It had broken Sharon's heart to watch her daughter reject Christmas so thoroughly after her dad had left. She had thought eventually they would all heal and enjoy Christmas again, but dealing with Alex's problems and having to sell the house had only intensified the hurt in the family.

After Shane finished her story Sharon commented, "You all postponed your Christmas plans to do this?"

"Yes, well I was planning to take a later flight and Rita was going to drive later that night, but…" Shane trailed off realizing she didn't really want to go into the details.

Of course there was no way her mom would let that go. "Why did you stay then?" she demanded.

"We just couldn't leave Oliver by himself," Shane explained.

"Oliver? Your boss?"

Shane sighed inwardly, there was no hiding anything from her mom, she might as well tell her the whole story. "Two years ago Oliver and his wife took a trip to the National Postal Museum and his wife left him standing at the Pony Express Exhibit and disappeared. She left him a message the hotel that she was moving to Paris. She's never even called or wrote to him in all this time. He believes strongly in marriage and waits for her to come back. This is his second Christmas alone. Rita, Norman and I just couldn't do it, we couldn't leave him alone for Christmas."

"What a terrible thing to do to someone," said Sharon. "What are your plans for today?"

"Oliver and I are going to visit the Casey's in the hospital and then we're going to Norman's family Christmas dinner."

"So you are actually celebrating Christmas?" Sharon asked sounding surprised.

"Yes mom, I'm sorry it's not with you. I made sugar cookies this morning, with the recipe you gave me."

"That is lovely dear, it brings back some good memories. I can still picture you and Alex in the kitchen covered in icing and sprinkles. These work colleagues of yours must be special."

"They really are Mom. When I first met them I thought they were all kind of strange, not people I would have picked for friends at all, but they have the biggest hearts of anyone I've ever met. They are all really good friends now. Work feels like my second home."

"I am happy for you, I guess I was wrong, this move to Denver wasn't so crazy after all," Sharon admitted.

Shane felt grateful her mom was being so supportive and understanding about this. Their relationship was so mixed, they were close, but most of the time Sharon's blunt opinions drove Shane crazy. She had certainly had a lot to say when Shane told her she had been transferred to Denver.

"Mom, I need to run. I need to get ready, Oliver is picking me up soon," said Shane glancing at the time.

"Alright, don't forget to thank your hosts," Sharon reminded her.

Shane rolled her eyes. "Mom, really, I'm not 12 you know."

"Well, I hope you have a nice time, we'll talk later and Merry Christmas."

"Merry Christmas to you too Mom, and… Alex. I hope you have a good day," said Shane as she hung up the phone.

Shane quickly cleaned up the kitchen and got out some wrapping paper. She went into her spare room and opened her gift drawer. Having some gifts on hand was something she had picked up from her very proper mother, but she had to admit it had come in handy on days like this. She selected something for Hannah and a gift for her hosts and quickly wrapped them.

She showered and dressed and was waiting by the door when Oliver's car pulled up. She locked her door and turned to find him opening the passenger door for her. She smiled at him. "Thank you and Merry Christmas!"

"Merry Christmas, Ms. McInerney."

Oliver pulled into the hospital parking lot a short time later. As they walked into the building Shane remarked, "I hope there's a new person at the front desk or she's mellowed a bit after we did the Christmas play."

"Yes, I suppose we are still not on the approved visitor's list," mused Oliver.

He was about to go up to the front desk when he felt Shane grabbing his arm and pulling him towards the elevator. The elevator arrived and she pulled him in. "Shane.. what are you doing?" he spluttered.

Shane grinned at him with a mischievous look. "If we don't ask permission, they can't say no. We know where we're going. "

Oliver sighed and shook his head. He knew from experience he might as well just go along with her. The elevator dinged and the doors opened at the third floor. Oliver followed Shane as she made her way to room 313 where the Casey's had been moved last night after the baby was born. They stood in the doorway looking into a room that had been transformed into something very festive. Someone had put up Christmas lights and there was a small decorated Christmas tree in the corner.

Hannah looked up and saw them first. "Shane!" she exclaimed as she came over and gave her a hug.

Shane smiled at Rob and Shannon over the top of Hannah's head. "I hope we're not intruding, we just wanted to wish you a merry Christmas and we have a few gifts for Hannah."

"Of course not, that's very kind of you," Rob answered, walking over to where they were standing with Hannah.

"Did you bring the decorations with you?" asked Shane looking around the room.

Shannon laughed. "It was such a rush to get here we barely managed to pack enough clothes. Our nurse that you met last night, Odette, showed up today with the tree and lights. We had a lot of fun decorating today. It made it feel much more like Christmas."

"We don't have any presents yet, but at least we have a tree!" Hannah said with her normal enthusiasm.

"May I inquire how your son is doing?" asked Oliver.

Shannon looked over and smiled at the sleeping baby in the bassinet beside the bed. "We named him Liam and he is a miracle. No complications at all even though he came early. Would you like to hold him?"

Shane looked at Oliver's face and saw how uncomfortable he looked. "Perhaps you could show Mr. O'Toole what to do?"

Oliver looked slightly relieved. "Ah, yes, I am afraid I have not had much experience with babies, I would not wish to hurt him."

Rob picked up Liam and placed him in Oliver's arms and explained how best to hold him. At first, Oliver felt extremely uncomfortable, but eventually looking at the sweet baby in his arms he began to relax and talk softly to him.

Shane eventually took Liam from Oliver and enjoyed the sweetness of the baby. After Liam had been settled back in his bassinet, Shane removed the wrapped packages she had brought for Hannah. "Hannah, these are for you, some presents to go with your tree."

Hannah grinned and took the packages from Shane. She opened the first one to reveal the tin of cookies that Shane had baked. "Cookies!" she exclaimed. "Can I have one? The hospital food is terrible."

The adults laughed. "Of course," her dad replied.

Hannah happily munched on one of the cookies and offered the tin to her mom and dad, who also took one. She then turned to the smaller package and carefully removed the shiny wrapping paper. She opened the box to find a necklace with a blue, pink and gold owl pendant. "An owl necklace!" she exclaimed as she clasped it around her neck. "Thank you Shane, it's perfect!" Hannah came and gave Shane another hug.

After Hannah let her go, Shane stood up and looked at the time. "Oliver, we better go if we're going to make it to Norman's parents house on time."

Oliver nodded to Shane and then turned to the Casey family. "We must be going now. We hope you enjoy the remainder of Christmas and your stay at the hospital is a short one."

Rob Casey walked over to Oliver and Shane. "Thank you so much for everything you've done for us. You have made a difficult Christmas into a blessing."

"It was just as much a blessing for us," Shane responded. She looked over at Oliver and their eyes locked in understanding.

Hannah came over and looked up at them. "Bye Oliver, bye Shane"

Shane crouched down to look her in the eyes. "Goodbye Hannah, you take good care of that little brother of yours."

"I will!" she said waving goodbye.

As Oliver and Shane walked back down the hospital corridor Oliver stated, "I appreciate your suggestion to visit the Casey's today, they are a special family."

"They certainly are," Shane responded with feeling. If she ever had a daughter some day, she hoped she would be just like Hannah.

Once they were back in the car, Shane directed Oliver to the address Norman had given her. "I am really curious to meet Norman's parents, have you ever met them?"

"Only briefly at the company picnic that Rita mentioned."

"Well they can't be more unusual than his grandmother!" said Shane with a grin.

Oliver laughed. "She certainly has character, but I enjoyed meeting her."

"So did I," agreed Shane. "I don't think I've ever met anyone like Ardis before, people like that certainly make life interesting."

Oliver looked over at her briefly. "Yes, they certainly do."

They parked on the street in front of a large brick bungalow at the address they had been given. The multicolored Christmas lights were already noticeable in the darkening evening. The house looked welcoming and Shane once again was surprised at the peace that she felt.

Oliver rang the doorbell and a young girl answered. "Hi, I'm Alice!" she stated and promptly ran off. Shane shot Oliver an amused look.

They stepped into the foyer and looked around in awe. There were evergreen boughs and lights and a beautiful Christmas tree and lots of people talking and laughing. "Whoa," said Shane quietly.

A man with slightly graying hair looked up and noticed them standing uncertainly by the door. He jumped up and came over to them. "Welcome! Shane and Oliver I presume? I'm Craig, Norman's dad."

"Thank you for your kind invitation," said Oliver warmly shaking his hand.

"Come on in," he invited them, as Norman spotted them and came over as well.

Norman took their coats and started hanging them up in the closet. "I'm sorry I didn't see you come in, I see you've met my dad."

"Yes, and Alice let us in," Shane remarked, grinning.

Craig chuckled. "Ah, that's why you were standing there by yourselves at the front door. I'm sure she ran off."

Norman started to walk towards the kitchen, gesturing at Shane and Oliver to follow him. "Come meet my mom."

Shane's eyes widened at the amount of food that was covering every surface. "Mom, I want you to meet Shane and Oliver," said Norman to a petite woman with an apron who was busy mashing potatoes.

She came over and took off her apron. "I'm Teri," she introduced herself before giving both Shane and Oliver a hug. "Sorry, but I feel like I know you already. I hope you don't mind."

Oliver smiled warmly at Terri. "Not at all."

"Can I help with anything?" asked Shane.

"I have plenty of help here," said Teri gesturing to the three other women in the kitchen who all smiled at them. "You go and relax."

Norman led them into the living room where they were introduced to various cousins, aunts and uncles. Shane recognized Wade from his picture on the for sale sign of the house he had allowed them to use.

Soon they were called to dinner and Norman showed them to a seat at the large dining room table. Shane took just a little bit of everything, and still by the time all the food had been passed, her plate was overflowing.

Oliver looked around at the people and the food and listened to the conversations going on around him and remembered what it used to be like going to his grandparents house for holidays. He had loved family dinners with the O'Toole's. He missed his grandparents so much. Their home had been such a peaceful haven for him, not like his own home where his parents had spent a lot of time fighting. He had always wanted a marriage like his grandparents, so full of love and peace, instead he had ended up with one much like his parents.

After dinner, everyone young and old sang some carols and played Christmas charades. Shane felt like she hadn't laughed that much in a long time. She had even managed to convince Oliver to take a turn and he was actually a pretty decent actor, who knew? Norman's expressions and poses when it was his turn at charades were hilarious.

When they finally decided to leave, both of them felt regret, but Shane had to get up early to catch her flight the next morning. They thanked Norman and his parents for inviting them and got in Oliver's car for the short drive back to Cherry Hills.

"That was a wonderful evening, Norman's family is very warm and welcoming. It reminded me of when my grandparents were alive and all the O'Toole's would get together for Christmas," Oliver reminisced.

"Don't you ever get together with any of them now?"

"No."

Shane waited for him to elaborate, but when he didn't, she once again let it go, mostly because she didn't really want to end up in a conversation about why she didn't want to go home for Christmas either. There was too much hurt there and she didn't want to ruin the good feelings she had from truly celebrating Christmas for the first time since her dad had left. "I can't believe how much food there was! I hope I'll make it up my front steps."

"The lemon pie was outstanding," remarked Oliver.

"I had a small piece of peach and blueberry, I couldn't decide."

Soon they pulled up in front of Shane's house. Shane handed Oliver a wrapped package. "Merry Christmas, Oliver. It's not much, just a tin of Christmas cookies, but it's the first time I've made them since I was 10."

Oliver understood the significance of that and gave her a knowing smile. "Thank you, I will enjoy eating them while I read "A Christmas Carol." I have something for you as well."

He pulled a small carefully wrapped package out of his pocket and Shane looked at him in surprise. She hadn't expected him to get her anything. She carefully unwrapped it to find a beautiful glass angel ornament. "It's beautiful, Oliver!" she exclaimed.

"I'm afraid it's not new, it belonged to my grandmother."

"Are you sure you want to give this away?" Shane asked.

"Yes," he said simply.

"I don't have a Christmas tree," she admitted softly.

"I know, but I was hoping that next year may be different?" he inquired gently.

She looked at him and he saw a new peace in her eyes. "I believe you are right and this will be the first ornament in my collection. Thank you Oliver."

"Thank you, Ms. McInerney. I expected to be alone at Christmas and these last few days have been filled with the blessing of good friends."

She looked at him for a long moment before getting out of the car. She couldn't share with him what was in her heart, but she hoped he felt it in some small way. He was a good friend, and maybe that was all he would ever be, but no matter what ended up happening in the future, she was thankful for his presence in her life now. He was a friend who was there for her and was helping her to grow as a person. He, along with Norman and Rita were showing her how to open her heart again to peace and love and hope and the possibility of God.

"Good night," Oliver said softly as he watched her walk into her home.