Barbara dipped a rag in a bowl of cool water as she looked at Santa. The poor man's coughing had eased a little and he stopped coughing up blood, but he was still very pale and very weak. Barbara wrung the water from the rag and placed it across his forehead.
"Santa?" she said. "Are you awake?"
"I am now", Santa said sitting up. "You know you don't have to stay here. Why don't you just do what the world's doing to me? Just leave me here to die."
"I would never do that", Barbara said as she walked to the fireplace. "You should know I'm not like the rest of the world."
"I know that", he wheezed. "I've been watching over the whole time."
Barbara's ears flattened against her head as she heard his words. She tossed a couple of logs into the fireplace, making the fire burn longer and warmer.
"If you were watching me, why didn't you ever help me?" she asked. "If you were watching me, why didn't you answer the only wish I ever wanted? Why didn't you take me out of those dog fights and take me somewhere safe?"
Santa sighed and looked at the fire.
"If I took you, then you and Brian never would've met", he said.
"What?"
Santa sighed and looked at her. Barbara looked shocked and confused. She and Brian wouldn't have met? What did he mean?
"If I had taken you away like you asked every year, you and Brian never would've met. Brian found you after you were kicked out of the fights. If I took you, you never would've gotten kicked out and Brian never would've found you. Does that make sense?"
"I guess it does in a sad sort of way", Barbara said. "So I had to suffer throughout my childhood to get my happy ending. One of those good things will come with time things."
"Exactly", Santa said patting her head.
Barbara wagged her tail smiling. Maybe Santa wasn't so bad after all. She walked over to the microwave and pulled out a bowl of soup.
"Well hopefully Stewie and Brian are doing the job right", she said as she sat with Santa. "Santa's little helpers will make this a satisfying Christmas until you recover."
"Let's hope so", he said. "I've never had a Christmas where there were now presents."
Barbara sighed as she looked out the window watching the snow fall.
"Brian, Stewie, don't screw this up."