Cold December Night – Michael Buble

Year 10

Jackson and April sat in the living room, talking about Christmas and church and their favorite Christmas memories. Jackson's mind went back to a few weeks ago, one of his favorite nights in a long time. It was just as cold as tonight had been, a bitter, bone-chilling cold. But the memory was warm…

"Sweetheart, you look beautiful. Are you sure you don't want me to braid your hair up?" April asked her only daughter, while she helped her smooth down the front of her dress. The skirt was a bright purple tulle with black polka dots and the top was black velvet, short sleeves. There was a tulle, black flower on the side of the waistline. She looked adorable. She even had bought Jackson a matching purple tie for his gray suit.

"I'm sure. Can I leave my hair curly like yours mom?" Erin asked gently, smiling up at her Mother.

April nodded. "Anything you want sweetie." Erin sat perfectly still while April added all the finishing touches to her long, curly light brown hair. It was beautiful.

"Find your shoes, Daddy will be home soon." She instructed an anxious Erin.

Erin nodded and scurried off to find her black strappy shoes. They had a tiny wedge to them and were all-in-all pretty simple.

Instead of entering through the front door, Jackson rang the doorbell. He changed at work and was picking Erin up like it was an actual date. He wanted to treat her like a princess, because she was his.

"Hi, I'm here to pick up Erin Avery." He teased when she answered the door, April standing behind her, tearing up.

Erin grinned. "It's me, Daddy!" She laughed with wide eyes. He chuckled.

"Erin?!"

She nodded. "You look so grown up, I didn't recognize you!" He teased, coming in and shutting the door. It was freezing outside for early December.

"I got you something." He surprised her, pulling a violet corsage out of a brown paper bag.

"A flower?" She asked him. She'd never gotten one before. He nodded.

"It's a corsage. It's a present to wear to the dance, see, it goes with your dress. Right?" He asked her instructionally, slipping it carefully onto her wrist and fastening it.

He heard his wife sniffling in the corner. "Picture time! I want a picture!"

This part wasn't Jackson's favorite, but he knew they needed a picture. He pulled his daughter in front of him and wrapped his arms around her tightly. She was his little girl.

Something suddenly April brought him straight back into reality.

"Can you believe we've been married for more than ten years now?" She gasped, he noticed she must have been responding to something one of the kids said.

He shrugged. "Time flies." To him it seemed like it was only yesterday that April struggled to tell him that she was pregnant and they were about to be parents. Now they had three beautiful kids, their own home and completely different lives from that dark time they faced together in their new marriage. Or even the darker times they faced throughout the marriage so far.

Jackson got home from work as soon as he could. With Colin being just over two weeks old, he had to return to work and had been ever since. He wasn't performing as many surgeries as usual but his patients didn't stop and the board still needed him. He knew April was overwhelmed though.

The house was a mess. Nothing was in its place and something smelled like it was burning. He looked over to see Graycin and Erin arguing over the tv, flipping madly back and forth between Spongebob and iCarly. There was a completely burned and ashy cake on the counter and a pot of water boiling over on the stove.

There was no sign of April but he could hear Colin crying from the bedroom. "Hey Dad." Both of the old kids welcomed him, barely turning around from the television to say hi.

"Hey. Turn that tv off. You both lost your privileges for the night. Where's your mother?"

The tv went off immediately and they stopped arguing. Graycin pointed toward his parent's room, "She's with Colin."

Jackson nodded while he hung his keys up on the hook by the door, along with his jacket. He set his briefcase on the floor against the wall and walked over to the stove to turn off the burner. Both Graycin and Erin went back to arguing about something else, a stage they had been in for too long. They loved to pick at each other.

The walk upstairs to their bedroom was long for him. "April?"

He didn't get a response. Instead he saw Colin in his bassinette, crying. April was sitting on the floor across the room and doing the same thing. Jackson picked Colin up and held him warmly across his chest. The baby kept crying.

"I can't get him to stop crying Jackson. I've tried everything. He's not hungry, he doesn't need to be changed, and he's been burped. He hates me." She cried hysterically, pulling her knees up to her chest and hiding her face from her concerned husband.

Jackson honestly had no idea what to do. He'd never seen his wife panic like this. "Hey, hey… it's okay. I'm home. You're doing a great job. An amazing job April." He tried soothing her over the sounds of Colin's cries.

She shook him off. "I'm not though! Nothing is going right. I can't even cook dinner anymore!"

She'd been having a rough time since having Colin, he knew she had a slight case of Postpartum Depression. But he'd never seen her like this before, it broke his heart.

"April! You're an amazing mother. You're an amazing wife. There is no one else that I would rather be married to and have a family with. It's ok to feel overwhelmed," He promised her, sitting next to her on the floor. She leaned into him and he wrapped his free arm around her as tightly as he could. Eventually Colin's cries stopped and so did hers.

Jackson stood up and gently placed a sleeping Colin in his bassinette and went back to scoop April up. Once she was in his arms he laid her in bed and pulled the covers up.

Instead of finishing whatever she had been trying to cook, he ordered pizza. Then he called Arizona to see if she was up for a girl's night with April, his treat. Tomorrow he was going to see what options they had for April. He knew they could get through this.

"Actually," He grinned at her, "I think you should open your present from me early. I don't want it to get lost in the shuffle tomorrow."

She looked at him, surprised. "We never do presents early."

Colin spoke up, "Yeah, Dad. We only get pajamas early."

Erin laughed at her dad, "Did you get Mom more pajamas?"

Jackson chuckled. He did, but none that the kids would see.

"No, let me go get your gift." He ran up the stairs to his office and came back with a small box. April had gotten enough of them over the years to know exactly what it was.

"Jackson…"

He played her game. "April…" He tormented her in the same tone she was giving him. "Just open it." All three of their kids giggled at their parents teasing.

She knew she wouldn't win, so instead of complaining she slowly opened the paper, trying to be as graceful as possible. Jackson spoke as she opened the box. "I just want you to thank you, again, for everything that you do for our family. I have no idea how you do everything for us that you do. I love you so much."

It was a diamond necklace with three different colored gems in the center of the pendant. She knew each color was for their kids.

"Let me see!" Erin cooed, peeking over her Mom's shoulder at the necklace. "It's just more jewelry." Graycin sighed. It all seemed dreadfully boring to him. His Dad was always getting his mom some kind of jewelry or girly thing he didn't care anything about. He didn't know why he couldn't ever get her something useful. Like a vacuum cleaner or a PlayStation.

"You'll understand some day, Bud." Jackson laughed, patting his eldest son's shoulder and leaning over to collect a kiss from his wife.

"Thank you, Jackson. It's…perfect." She beamed, loving it way more than she ever thought she would. "Help me put it on?"

He took it from her and she pulled her red, wavy curls off her neck so he could have access to it. While he was fastening it around her neck, she briefly thought about the last ten years of their marriage too. They had had good times and bad, but far more good. They'd gotten through everything. He clasped it shut and she pulled him down onto the couch for another kiss. The kiss went on for too long because they forgot they had an audience.

"Get a room." Graycin sighed, sick of seeing his old parents make out. "Yeah, get a room." Colin agreed, neither one of them knowing what that even meant.

Dress:

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