Christmas Day Blues
In the month since Thanksgiving, Mike had bought the house across from Danny and Kara and he and Maddie were 'dating.' Mike had had some hang-ups about dating again and Maddie was extremely patient and understanding. He had just gotten moved in the couple days before Christmas and on Christmas Eve, about two; Danny and Frankie knocked on the door.
"Can I help you two?" Mike asked once he opened the door.
"Sir…um, I hate to ask, but Kara's water broke and Debbie has had a relapse. We can't leave Frankie with her. Her contractions are getting closer together and we aren't sure what to do." Danny said.
"Of course, come in, Frankie." Mike said. It altered the plans he had for the night. Maddie was coming over for dinner and hopefully a bit of romance.
"You have our key if this lasts very long. His presents are in the master closet, on my side." Danny explained.
"I know where they are, Daddy." Frankie said.
"I will make sure he has Christmas." Mike answered.
"Thank you, Sir. I'm sorry. I didn't know who else to call. Everyone else is out of town." Danny remarked.
"Get her to the hospital and have that baby. Let me know what's going on." Mike said with a smile.
"If you need to get clothes or toys, that's fine. We have kid food too. Make sure you get whatever is needed." Danny said as he stepped back on the porch.
"Yeah, he probably won't approve of prime rib." Mike remarked.
"I'm sorry. I didn't realize you had plans. I'm not used to you…wow, this is really going downhill." Danny said.
"I prefer the chicken nuggets that are like dinosaurs." Frankie said.
"Its not a problem. Don't worry about it." Mike answered.
"The chicken nuggets are in the freezer above the fridge." Danny said.
"Perfect. Frankie, lets find some cartoons on the TV." Mike said after Frankie gave Danny a hug. Mike nodded at Danny, and he headed back to their house.
"I don't watch cartoons anymore. They are for five-year-olds. I watch creeper movies." Frankie said.
"Not a chance, kid. My guess is your mom doesn't let you watch those and you are trying to pull the wool over my eyes." Mike said.
"Why are you having prime rib and why do you have tall candles on your table?" Frankie asked, looking around Mike's open living area. He had planned on having a romantic candlelit dinner with Maddie. Now they would be eating chicken nuggets. Fortunately, he did have a Christmas tree to play Santa later.
"Miss Rawlins is coming over later." Mike answered.
"Were you gonna ask her to marry you? My dad had steaks and tall candles for my mom once and a month or so later, they told me they were having a baby." Frankie asked, still looking around. It made Mike chuckle.
"No. Just a nice dinner." Mike said, not wanting to allude to the other plans he had.
"Are you gonna have a baby too?" Frankie asked.
"Certainly not today." Mike answered as he typed out a text to Maddie, forewarning her of Frankie's presence.
"Just a heads up, Kara's water broke and Debbie is relapsing, so I have Frankie here. We can still have dinner and such, but we will have a pipsqueak with us." Mike texted.
It took all of Mike's patience to corral Frankie for the two hours until Maddie arrived. She was wearing a black turtleneck and knee-length plaid skirt with tall boots and a leather jacket. She gave Mike a kiss before smiling at Frankie. She handed Mike a couple grocery bags and gift bags to figure out while she spoke to Frankie.
"You look fancy." Frankie said.
"Thank you." Maddie answered.
"I'm not saying it's a good thing." Frankie said.
"FRANKIE!" Mike said, feeling he was channeling Danny.
"Those shoes look uncomfortable and I bet that jacket is hot." Frankie said.
"I'm taking the coat off and I might take the boots off and borrow a pair of socks from Mike." Maddie said.
"Oh, that would really look ugly." Frankie commented.
"Frankie, no. I'll get you a pair, Maddie." Mike said as he took her jacket. He gave her a kiss on the back of the head before hanging the jacket up and going for the socks. Once he got back in the living room, Maddie was unzipping her boots and talking to Frankie. "Sorry." Mike mouthed as he handed her the socks.
"No worries. Frankie, I brought some movies and games. And I brought stuff to bake cookies with. What do you want to do first?" Maddie asked.
"Bake cookies. What kind?" Frankie asked.
"Sugar cookies. I found my mom's recipe. The dough doesn't have to be frozen so we can eat them as soon as they cool!" Maddie said. She put an apron on that she had brought with her and began getting the ingredients out.
It actually was not a bad day. Cookies, Christmas movies and a game. Maddie had saved the day. It could have been a complete disaster. She even tricked Frankie into trying a bit of prime rib. She helped Mike with getting Frankie bathed and tucked into bed and stayed put while Mike went and got presents and clothes for Frankie. Once he got back, they set everything up and Mike pulled Maddie into a hug.
"Thank you for helping me today. I know this kind of ruined plans for today and tonight." Mike said.
"It didn't ruin anything. I enjoyed it." Maddie said before giving him a long kiss.
"You could still stay? You'd be able to watch him unwrap presents in the morning." Mike offered.
"I'd like that. Remember, you have to drink the milk and eat the cookies." Maddie reminded him.
"Right. I didn't remember all this." Mike said as he munched on the cookies.
"Does it hurt?" Maddie asked as she poured powdered sugar on his floor, close to the tree.
"A bit but its okay. What are you doing?" Mike asked. Maddie had picked up her boots and was creating footprints.
"Santa prints. Might as well make it fun for him. This probably won't be a favorite Christmas for him, away from his parents, but let's make it a good one?" Maddie said.
"Sure." Mike answered before giving her a long kiss.
"I can stay tonight but it'll freak me out to do what else we had planned tonight with Frankie here." Maddie said.
"We can lock the bedroom door?" Mike suggested.
"Mike, I can't but I do want to stay here with you." Maddie said.
"Okay. You feel really strongly about being here." Mike remarked.
"Because I know seeing another child open his presents maybe rough for you. I want to be here for moral support." Maddie said.
"You're the best." Mike remarked. It was something he respected about Maddie. She was very understanding that somedays were just hard days for him. He gave her another kiss and smiled at the presents under the tree. Just then, his phone dinged. It was a text from Danny with a photo of a brand new baby girl. He showed the photo to Maddie.
"How precious." Maddie commented.
"Should we wake him up and show him?" Mike asked. He typed out a message that Frankie was alright and congratulating them.
"He won't get back to sleep if we do. Just show him in the morning." Maddie said.
"True. You ready for bed?" Mike asked.
"Yep. I brought clothes with me. Comfy pajamas." Maddie said.
"You need to just leave some clothes here. You're here often enough." Mike replied.
"Maybe." Maddie said. He helped her up and led her to the bedroom. It was not the night he had planned but it was still a nice night and at five am; Frankie busted into the bedroom and jumped onto the bed.
"Santa found me here! I have presents out there." Frankie said.
"Its five am." Mike answered in a sleepy tone.
"C'mon!" Frankie said as he jumped off the bed and ran into the living area. Maddie was already getting up.
"He's only six and its Christmas. C'mon." Maddie said.
"Can you start coffee?" Mike begged.
"Yep." Maddie answered. Mike went to the bathroom and followed them out. While he showed Frankie the new photo of his little sister, Maddie made coffee and they settled on the couch.
Mike recorded Frankie opening his presents, remembering something Christine had done when he was deployed so he was a part of the kids' Christmas. It was more for Danny and Kara but he knew it was important due to experience.
Once Frankie was satisfied with his gifts and had eaten breakfast, they packed him up and took him to visit Danny, Kara and tiny baby Aaliyah. It felt like he and Maddie were intruding on a very private family moment, but Danny and Kara didn't mind. He and Maddie even held Aaliyah for a moment. He had to admit, Maddie looked good with a baby in her arms.
They would have Frankie for another night, due to Debbie being put in a rehab. It was not her first stint, but Mike knew it stressed Kara. At least she would know her son was cared for, regardless of his opinions and wild behavior. At least, Maddie would be there for an additional night. She kept him from dwelling on his losses, but allowed him his memories at the same time. It made for a good Christmas.