Merry Christmas! I started this one last year, but then I got another idea for a different Christmas fic and the plot for "Last Christmas" took over. This story has been on pause since then, but I gave it another go for this year. Hope you like it. Thanks to LouiseX for looking it over for me.
Disclaimer: Wheeler and Linka are not mine. If they were, the show would've been very different! Not making any money from borrowing them. Sure would be nice though! ;)
Underneath the Tree
Christmas was never Jason Wheeler's favorite holiday. He doesn't have the happy memories that most of his friends had as kids. There was never any excitement for Santa to bring him the toys on his wish list. He found out at an early age that his wish list never got read. Waking up early on Christmas morning didn't lead to finding a pile of presents under the tree. It led to his old man shoving him away from the couch he was sprawled out on and telling him to go back to sleep because he was Santa Claus and had been out late all night. The funny thing was, it wasn't completely untrue. His dad was out late, and he did still have a Santa hat on his head. He would stay out late with his bar buddies, acquire a Santa hat along the way, then pass out on the couch when he came home.
Later in the day wasn't so bad. They'd end up at his Grandparents' place for dinner and he could usually count on his other relatives to get him some cool toys or the latest fashionable clothes and shoes. He didn't understand then that they were doing their best to make the holiday nice for him. He only knew that his cousins always seemed happier than him.
Now that he's an adult and has a better relationship with his dad, Christmas gatherings are more like he'd imagined family gatherings should be. Friendly banter, watching sports and yelling at the TV together, engaging in conversation about what the Planeteers are up to, and having his family tell him how proud they are of him. It's not that he needed that sort of validation, but it was nice.
What he didn't like was being away from his friends. His second family. The ones who showed him what it means to be a family. He was glad that they were getting a chance to be home with their loved ones, but he missed them. When they first got together, they ended up spending their first few Christmases together because of mission essential needs. Now that most of the Eco-Villains are behind bars, they've had less Eco-Emergencies and the majority of their work revolved around seminars and public appearances. This left them with more flexibility in their schedules and time to get away for personal trips.
He sighed as he laid in bed in his grandparents' attic bedroom on this Christmas morning. He reached over to grab his phone off the nightstand and began composing a text.
Merry Christmas Babe!
Merry Christmas, Yankee. It is early for you.
Yeah. I'm going back to sleep though. Just wanted to tell you Merry Christmas. Tell your family I said hello
I will. Tell yours I said hello and Merry Christmas as well.
Will do
He texts, "I miss you," but then deletes it. It sounded too clingy. Too needy. And if she didn't respond with the same, he'd be crushed.
He puts his phone back and rolls over, trying to get comfortable.
It isn't long before there's a soft knock on his door.
"Jason, it's time to open presents."
"They're not goin' anywhere, Ma. I'll be down when I wake up."
"But if you're not there, then no one else can open theirs and Joey has already been up for an hour."
"Joey is 16 years old…he doesn't need to wait. It's not like he was up all night waiting for Santa…and if he was, then we have bigger problems that we need to talk to him about."
He hears muffled talking behind the door.
"Come on kid, breakfast is getting cold," his father tells him.
"Seriously, Pop…I'm not a morning person. You guys just go about your morning routine, and I'll join you when I'm feeling human. I'll grab some toast later, before we head to church."
"Your Gram and Ma worked hard to make a nice big breakfast for the whole family to enjoy together, and it's not every day we get to have you here for a holiday," his dad calls out to him through the door.
Wheeler groans and mumbles "oh for fuck's sake" under his breath before throwing the covers off and swinging his legs over the edge of the bed. "FINE!"
He opens the door to find his parents smiling at him and wonders if they'd always been that weird. "I'll be right there as soon as I brush my teeth and shave."
"See you down there, Sweetheart."
"And put a shirt on. Your uncle and I get jealous that we don't look like that anymore."
"Oh Honey, you and Bill NEVER looked like that," Kathy Wheeler teases.
"Your memory just isn't what it used to be!" Joe Wheeler argues.
Wheeler finishes his morning routine and briefly considers grabbing a shirt, but decides against it, just out of spite. "If they're gonna drag me out of bed against my will, they're gonna get what they get."
Wheeler's Aunt Sharon comes out of her room as he is getting ready to go down the stairs to the living room.
"Jase?! Do my eyes deceive me? You're up early."
"Not by choice…but at least now Joey doesn't have to wait on me."
"Oh, he didn't. He's been up for an hour and dug right into it. Everything left under the tree is yours. I was just coming up here to get this Santa hat for pictures," she says as she places the hat on his head.
"Are you kidding?! My parents made it sound like I was holding everyone up."
"I think they're just excited for you to see your present. You must've been on the 'nice list' this year. Santa was good to you."
"Oh yeah? What could it possibly be? More socks? Oooh, maybe some new underwear?!"
"Maybe some shirts!" She jokes as she smacks his bare back.
They laugh as they make their way down the stairs to the living room where the rest of the family has gathered. Wheeler stops in his tracks when he gets to the bottom and sees what's waiting for him, sitting on the floor next to the tree.
"Linka?!"
"S Rozhdestvom, Jason," she says as she stands to greet him.
His Aunt Sharon gives him a nudge in the back to prompt him to move off the steps and go to his friend.
"Uh, yeah…Merry Christmas to you too." He goes to give her a hug, still not believing she's here. He leans down and turns his head into the crook of her neck, subtly…or not so subtly breathing in her distinct scent, a mix of rosemary and lavender shampoo and a vanilla body lotion. As he inhales, he softly says, "I can't believe you're here. I was just texting you and you were in Russia!"
"I never said I was in Russia," she says as he releases her.
"I told you to tell your family hello and you told me to tell mine the same! That led me to believe you were in a different country…not the same house."
"Surprise."
"The best surprise."
"Told you Santa was good to you," his aunt says.
"Aren't you glad we dragged your ass outta bed?" His dad says with a laugh.
"Yeah," is all Wheeler can say as he looks down at Linka with a lopsided smile.
"Damn dude, what's taking so long? Why haven't you kissed her yet?" Wheeler's cousin Joey yells. This whole time, he's been holding up his phone and recording his older cousin's reaction to his surprise.
"Joey! Language! And mind your business," his dad, Wheeler's Uncle Bill, admonishes.
"What? We're all thinking it! Been thinking it for years! If a babe came all the way from Russia just to surprise me on Christmas, I'd have been all over that immediately! And you're all, 'oh, hey Linka…what's up?' What's wrong with you?!"
"What do you know? You're 16!" Wheeler says, finally breaking his gaze with Linka to address Joey.
"Sounds a lot like you when you were 16," Linka points out with a wry smile.
"Come on, let's all go into the kitchen and get started on breakfast so these two can have some privacy," his grandma says. She stops to place her hand on Linka's forearm and gives her a squeeze. "I can't wait to tell your grandma how our plan went!"
Linka smiles warmly.
"She is looking forward to your call, I am sure. She always tells me how much she enjoys your conversations."
"I'm just glad there is the internet and no 'long distance' charges on the phone bill!" Wheeler's grandpa says. "Those two go on for hours playing card games online!"
As the rest of the family makes their way to the kitchen, Wheeler's dad stops to clap his hand on Wheeler's shoulder, "I warned you to put a shirt on."
Linka is unphased by his flannel pajama pants and lack of shirt.
"She's seen me in less."
Seeing the quirked eyebrow and questioning look the elder Wheeler gives his son, Linka clarifies.
"We live on a tropical island. We spend a lot of our free time swimming."
He nods, accepting her explanation.
Once they're alone, he leads her over to the couch to sit.
"So what's this about our Grandmas having plan? And apparently chatting online?"
"Da, I just found out about it when I was home. When they met a few years ago, they exchanged addresses and were writing letters to each other. Babushka said it helped her keep practicing her English. Then it became emails. Now occasionally, they do video chats."
"I can't believe we didn't know!"
"It is cute…although I am not sure I like knowing they spend a good bit of their time discussing us."
"There's an 'us?'" He asks.
"Our grandmothers seem to think so…and other relatives."
But does she think so, he wonders.
"You're here."
"I am."
"So what made you come?"
"Your Gram told mine that you did not seem very happy to be here. Mine asked me if I knew why that was…then she asked me if it was the same reason that I did not seem happy either. She thought we had a fight. I told her we did not have a fight and reminded her that we were not a couple. So she asked me again what was bothering me. I had not realized that my mood was that obvious. I did not want my family to believe that I was not happy to be there with them, I was…but they were right. I was not as enthused as usual. I found myself looking more forward to going home…Hope Island…than I was looking forward to Christmas. When Babushka told Gram that I seemed unhappy as well, they concluded that we were missing each other."
"Well, I can't speak for you, but that's pretty accurate for me."
"Da, me too. They came up with the idea that I should come here for Christmas and then you could come back to Russia with me for New Year's. It did not take much to convince me."
"You really wanted to be here with me?"
"Da."
He holds out his hand and she places hers in it.
"I like your hat," she says, flipping the white fluffy ball of his Santa hat with her free hand.
"What about my pants?"
She glances down to get a better look. Candy canes and cartoon reindeer. He's a child in a man's body…and what a body. She can't ignore his well-defined arms, his toned chest, and washboard abs.
"They are nice too…the pants."
"Just the pants?" He bumps his shoulder against hers.
During their conversation, they hadn't noticed that Joey snuck back into the room until he pops up from behind the couch holding a sprig of mistletoe.
"Back in the day, they said it's bad luck to not kiss a babe under the mistletoe," the younger Wheeler says.
"Well, these days, it's bad to force a babe into feeling like she has to kiss you," his older cousin tells him.
"Bro…I'm tryin' to help you out here! If you're not gonna kiss her, I will," Joey jokingly puckers up and closes his eyes.
Wheeler responds by smacking him in the face with the Santa hat he had been wearing.
"Ow! What? I was 13 when you first brought Linka around…three years later and still nothing?! You gay?"
"JOEY!"
Linka giggles.
"How are you more annoying now than when you were 13?" Wheeler asks.
"As I said earlier, he is just like you when you were 16," Linka tells them.
"See, it's genetics," Joey says proudly.
Aunt Sharon comes out of the kitchen.
"Breakfast is…Joey! What are you doing out here? We were supposed to be giving Jason and Linka some privacy."
"I was just tryin' to help," Joey explains, holding up the mistletoe.
"Get over here," Sharon scolds before turning to Wheeler and Linka and mouthing, "Sorry."
"Hungry?" Wheeler asks Linka as he stands up and holds his hand out to her to help her up.
"Da," she replies, accepting his hand.
He leads her towards the kitchen, but she stops and tugs on his hand. He turns to look at her questioningly and is surprised when she reaches up to place a quick kiss on his lips.
He gives her a goofy grin, giddy with happiness.
"For future reference, you do not need mistletoe," she tells him.
"Oh yeah?" He puts his arm around her waist and pulls her closer.
"Da."
He leans in slowly and brings their lips together.
"Joey was right," he says when they pull apart.
She quirks an eyebrow at him.
"Oh?"
"We waited way too long to do that."
They enter the dining room and take their seats just in time for the plate of pancakes to make its way to them. As Wheeler offers to serve up Linka's to her, his mom, grandma, and aunt share a knowing look. Something is finally changing between these two.
"Can you sing, Linka?" Kathy asks.
"I like to think I can. I am not sure anyone would buy tickets to my concert though!" The Russian says modestly.
"She's got a great voice. Especially when she combines it with her keyboard. She's a one-woman musical show," Wheeler brags for her.
"Great, you can come caroling with us when we are done with church," Aunt Sharon says.
"That sounds great. What time is church? I will get my things out of the Geo Cruiser and start getting ready."
"Babe, you don't need to go."
"Are you not going?"
"Well, yeah…to make Ma and Gram happy. But if you don't want to…"
"I want to. It is Christmas. We never get to go. If you have room for me, I want to do whatever you and your family traditionally do."
"We have room. You can ride with us," Joe tells her.
"We meet my sister and her family there, then they come caroling with us and then we spend the afternoon putting together the final preparations for dinner," Kathy says.
"May I help with anything?" Linka offers.
"Oh no, dear. That's sweet of you to offer, but you're a guest. Everything is mostly ready to go. Just needs to be put in the oven."
"That reminds me, where did you put the rolls?" Gram asks. "I didn't see them in the kitchen refrigerator. Did you leave them in the one in the garage, with the desserts?"
"I didn't get the rolls, Mom. Remember, Julie usually brings them from the bakery by her house," Kathy explains.
"Didn't you see her last email? She said that it closed when the owners retired and moved to Florida. She said that she'd make the green bean casserole if you'd get the rolls."
"I never saw that email!"
"I didn't get it either," Sharon chimes in.
"She sent it last week…hold on, let me find it." Betty scrolls through her phone. "Here it is. Last Tuesday…oh no. She must've forgot to hit 'reply all.' It only went to me."
"Well crap…we're going to have twice as much green bean casserole and no bread," Kathy complains. "And there won't be anything open to stop at on the way home from church. You sure you don't have any in the freezer leftover from Thanksgiving?"
"Positive. We had biscuits on Thanksgiving because Jason wanted turkey, gravy, and biscuits."
"Oh right. We had the canned biscuits."
Linka speaks up when she gets an opportunity.
"I think I may have a solution to your problem…My mother's family is Ukrainian, and it is tradition to bring a loaf of Kalach as a gift when visiting friends and family during the holidays. When making it, the idea is that you put your whole heart into it and pray for blessings for those who will receive it. It is considered to be the best gift you can give your loved ones because the symbolism is you are giving them part of your heart. I had several loaves made to take to my Babushka's neighbors, but when I decided to come here, I grabbed a loaf to bring to you all. It is in the Geo Cruiser."
"Linka! You're a treasure!" Kathy says, hugging the young woman. "You saved Christmas dinner!"
"I do not know about that, but I am glad I was able to contribute!"
"I love the tradition behind it," Betty says. "You will have to tell us more of your traditions. Perhaps we can incorporate some of them today."
"I would be happy to share some stories with you all. I will go get the bread now so that it can get to room temperature by dinner time. It is probably a bit chilled from being in the Geo Cruiser. I will bring my bag in as well. I hope what I have will be suitable for church."
"You'll be fine, Babe. You could make a garbage bag look good."
She blushes.
"While I'm sure that's true, we don't get too fancy. We dress the same as we do any other Sunday. It's the ones who go all out who stand out as being the ones who only come on Christmas," Betty says with a wink.
"I'll help you bring your things in," Wheeler offers.
Linka follows Wheeler up the stairs and then down the hallway to another set of more narrow, steeper stairs.
"You can get ready in here," Wheeler tells her, leading her up the steps to the closed attic door. "Don't worry, it's not all beams and insulation…my grandparents turned it into a room for me when I was a kid. There's a bed, closet, and small bathroom with a toilet and shower."
Once they're in the room, Linka looks around.
"This is nice. I am sure you enjoyed having a place of your own to escape to."
"Yeah. I wish I'd had this sort of set up at my parents' place. When I was here, I never felt the need to escape."
"Oh. Right. Sorry," she feels badly for bringing up bad memories.
"It's alright. All in the past now. All I care about is the present…and the future," he says, reaching for her hand.
She squeezes his hand and smiles.
"Me too."
"I should get dressed for church," he says reluctantly.
"Da, I need to get cleaned up as well. Do I have time for a shower? I would like to do something more with my hair than just the usual ponytail."
"Yeah, we don't have to leave for an hour. I'll change in here while you're in there, and then I'll wait for you downstairs."
She nods in agreement and takes what she needs into the bathroom.
Wheeler looks up from the couch when he notices movement on the stairs. He stands up and straightens out his shirt. He watches her with admiration as she makes her way down the steps wearing faux fur lined boots, black leggings, and a light blue long knit sweater. Her thick wavy hair is down, one side tucked behind her ear.
"I hope this is dressy enough."
"You look great. Beautiful as always."
She looks him over as well. He looks handsome in his khaki pants and navy-blue vest with a white collared shirt underneath. He even tamed his normally unruly hair. The sides are slicked back and the curls at the top are held in place by gel.
"You look nice as well."
"Jason, go stand over on the steps with Linka. I want a picture of you two," his mom instructs.
"Maaaa," Wheeler whines.
"Listen to your mother," his Grandpa tells him. "You'll be glad to have this photo someday."
His wife looks at him knowingly. Each couple in the family has taken a Christmas photo together at that spot. The banisters wrapped in garland with sprigs of holly and red velvet bows on the posts make for a lovely holiday scene. Wheeler joins Linka and they pose for a few pictures.
"Now Kathy and Joe, you two get in there as well," Betty waves to Wheeler's parents and takes the photo for them.
"Ok, let's get going so we can all get seats by each other at church," Don says.
"Dad, we don't have to leave for another 10 minutes," Kathy says.
"Won't hurt to get there early. Parking will be hard to come by."
"Don't argue with him," Joe says. "You get your stubbornness from him, so neither one of you will win!"
They all pile into their vehicles and are on their way.
After mass ended, the family gathered outside where they met up with Kathy's sister Julie and her family. They were introduced to Linka and were very happy to hear she'd be joining them for the holiday.
"Who's ready for some caroling?" Don asks.
They all enthusiastically reply affirmatively and then get in their vehicles.
"Are we going back to your grandparents' neighborhood? Perhaps we should have gotten the cold weather clothing out of the Geo Cruiser," Linka suggests.
"We'll be fine with what we have on. As for where we're going…you'll see," Wheeler says with a wink.
A few minutes later, they're pulling up to a red brick building surrounded by oak and maple trees. The sign out front says, "Saint Catherine's Villa."
Linka looks over at Wheeler and raises an eyebrow in question. He explains.
"This is where my Gram and Pap Wheeler were for their final years. It's nursing home with different levels of care. An independent area for those that can live alone, but just don't have the ability to maintain a house. Mostly like living in an apartment, but they still have amenities like meal prep and delivery and the convenience of nearby medical care. Then there are other areas for folks that need more care. Having staff check in on them periodically and help with things like bathing and making sure they're getting their meals. Then there's another area that's more of a hospice area for well…you know. More of a constant care until…"
"And this is where your family comes to carol?"
"Yeah. We go to each area. The two facilities with the lower level of care have a recreation room that we go to, and the residents come to listen to us. Many join us in singing. At the hospice facility, we just stick to the hallways unless a family asks us to come into a loved one's room."
"Bringing a little comfort and joy."
"Exactly. Sorry if you had your heart set on walking around the neighborhood in the cold and snow."
"I am not. This is lovely."
Kathy begins telling the story of how it all started.
"We started doing it as a way to spend time with Joe's parents when it got too hard for them to get around. It was difficult to get them in and out of vehicles for them to come to my parents' place. You saw the steps coming from the driveway to the front door…they both had bad knees. We weren't sure if we'd keep doing it once they passed, but it was such a nice tradition, and we thought of the other residents who enjoyed it so much."
Wheeler reaches under the seat and pulls out a wireless speaker.
"We have a playlist that we sing along to. I pair the speaker with my phone and share the playlist with the fam so we can all follow along with the lyrics if needed."
"You have it very well organized. I am impressed…and surprised you have never mentioned it before."
"Some things are only meant to be shared with special people," he reaches across the seat, takes her hand, and squeezes.
She returns the smile he's giving her and exits the vehicle when he releases her hand. She was hoping that as they were walking towards the building, he'd hold her hand again. He doesn't disappoint as he slips his hand in hers as they follow his parents up the walkway.
They start off in the hospice unit, "to get the sad part done first," as Joey put it.
Linka struggles with seeing the sadness on the faces of the family members who know this is the last Christmas they will be spending with their ill loved ones. She remembers that helpless feeling when her Babushka was so sick, they didn't think she'd make it. Next Christmas and every Christmas to follow will be different for these people, and yet they still smile and thank the group of carolers for singing to them.
They continue to make their way through the facility until they get to the recreation area. There is a decent sized crowd gathered. The residents join in the fun and enjoy being entertained for the next hour. This recreation room has a piano, so Wheeler stops his music once the last song ends.
"Hey Babe, how about a live show?" He nods towards the piano. "Give us a traditional Russian Christmas song?"
"Oh yes! Please do, Linka. We would love to hear something you and Nadia would normally sing," Wheeler's Grandma says.
Linka is blushing at the attention but does not want to disappoint or come off as not wanting to participate in their fun.
"Da, ok. I will play one that Babushka and I like. It is a traditional Russian folk song called, 'V Lesu Rodilas' Yolochka,' which means, 'A fir tree grows in the forest.' It is about a tree that becomes beautifully decorated by a family for Christmas."
She sits down at the piano and begins to play and sing. The audience is captivated as Linka effortlessly sings while keeping perfect pace on the piano. The song only lasts about two minutes, but she gets a loud round of applause from Wheeler's family and the residents. She stands up and gives a slight bow as if she had just finished a recital.
"I didn't understand a word, but it sounded pretty," Joey says.
Linka laughs at the mini-Wheeler.
"Thank you."
"Beautiful," Wheeler says as he puts his arm around her waist and kisses her cheek. "Hope I didn't make you too embarrassed?"
"Nyet. It was fun…even if no one understood what I was saying."
"Jason, can you help me? I took a video of Linka and I want to send it to Nadia."
"Be right there, Gram," he chuckles. "Still blows my mind that our Grandmothers keep in touch and are internet friends!"
Linka lingers around the piano and plays a soft tune with one hand as she fondly watches Wheeler and his Gram. She's brought out of her reverie when she hears someone name the song she's playing.
"Kolyada."
She stops and turns to see a frail looking elderly lady standing next to her.
"Da," Linka replies with a warm smile.
"Keep playing," the woman requests in Russian.
Linka continues and the woman started singing along. It's another traditional Russian folk song that is popular amongst carolers. Linka joins her in singing.
Once they finish the song, they begin to converse in their native language.
"Looks like Linka made a friend," Kathy points out to her son.
"I don't know," Joey says. "It sounded like they were arguing after they finished their song. Sounded mean."
"Oh my. Should we go check on her? Sometimes older people can be mean and easily angered if they're suffering from dementia," Aunt Julie says.
"That's just Russian," Wheeler reassures them. "Trust me. The first time I heard Linka talking on the phone with her Grandma, I thought they were arguing."
What Wheeler said is confirmed when they see the woman give Linka a hug and walk away.
Linka joins them but has tears welling in her eyes.
"See, told ya she said something mean to her," Joey says.
"Nyet, Joey. She was telling me how much she enjoyed hearing 'songs from home.' She was telling me about how she married an American and has been here for 60 years. He passed away this year, and this is her first Christmas without him. They did not have any children. Her only family is her brother's family back in Russia and he has been battling cancer. She does not think she will ever see him again. It was very sad to hear her story, but I am glad that my songs brought her some happiness."
"Damn, that sucks about her brother. I wonder if they can do a video call?" Wheeler asks.
"I doubt it. She is in her 80s and does not have anyone to show her."
"Poor thing," Kathy frowns. "Do you think she'd like to join us for dinner? I noticed her sitting alone when we were singing. I hate to think of her spending Christmas alone in her room and not joining the other residents at the buffet."
"Would we be allowed to take someone who's not a relative? Seems like they'd have rules in place against that," Wheeler says.
"We can ask one of the nurses," Joey says, and before anyone can tell him otherwise, he's asking an attractive young nurse and filling her in on Linka's interaction with the elderly Russian. "…and if she needs someone from the facility to accompany her, we can set an extra place at the table for you as well."
"Bozhe moy…he is your clone!"
"Smooth!" Wheeler says proudly.
"Sorry, I have plans with my boyfriend," the nurse replies.
"Gets turned down like you too!" Linka jokes.
"He just needs to be more persistent. It'll all work out in the end."
The nurse comes over to talk to the adults, Linka in particular.
"Are you friends of Mrs. Nelson?"
"Nyet…no. We just met, but she was just telling me about her husband passing away this year and her family all being back in Russia. I thought this would be a difficult day. My boyfriend's mother suggested Irina have dinner with us."
"She has been withdrawn lately. When you were singing that song, it was the first time I've seen her smile in weeks…and when she came up to you and sang along to the other song you were playing…it was the most I've seen her interact with anyone all month. If you want to ask her to join you and she agrees, I don't see a problem with it. She's one of our independent living residents, so she doesn't have any restrictions. She doesn't drive though so she doesn't get out much," the nurse explains.
"We can drive her there and back," Wheeler offers.
"I think it would be great if she'd join you."
Linka decides to press further.
"Can she travel? What I mean is, is she healthy enough to take a plane ride? A long one. Say, to Russia for a few days? Through the New Year? To see her brother before he passes away?"
"I can double check with the healthcare team here. That would be wonderful though. I am sure she would love it." The nurse leaves to go get an answer.
"Babe?"
"I know. It is sudden and random and completely unlike me, but…"
"You want to make sure she gets to say goodbye to her brother. She's already lost her husband, and she shouldn't miss out on the time she has left with another loved one."
"Da."
"And since we're going to Russia…why not offer to let her hitch a ride with us?"
"Da," her smile widens as she realizes he's on board with the idea.
"I think that's a great idea."
"Thank you, Yankee!" She throws her arms around his neck and hugs him.
He slings his arms around her waist.
"You called me your boyfriend," he happily proclaims.
"Is that not accurate?"
"It is if you say it is."
"It is not just about what I say…is it what you want?"
"It's all I've ever wanted," he says as he leans down and kisses her.
When they part, they see the nurse has returned and has been patiently waiting for them to notice her.
"Sorry," Linka blushes. "Did the medical staff say it was ok for Irina to travel?"
"They gave her the 'all clear.' They also agreed that it would be good for her to be around family."
"That is wonderful news!" Linka gushes.
"Let's see if she wants to join us for dinner and give her the good news."
Linka takes Wheeler's hand and approaches the older woman.
"Irina, I have a question for you," she asks before switching to English so Wheeler can understand.
"This is my boyfriend, Jason."
She smiles and nods.
"I could tell by the way he was looking at you when you were singing," the elderly woman smiles warmly and offers her hand to Wheeler. "Nice to meet you."
"It's nice to meet you too, Ma'am."
"Jason's family and I would like to know if you'd like to join us at his grandparents' house for Christmas dinner."
"Oh, that is very nice of you to offer, but I could not impose. I will just get something here from the buffet and have a quiet evening in my apartment."
"You wouldn't be imposing, I swear. You could actually help my Gram…you see, she's been keeping in touch with Linka's Babushka, and you could help her learn and practice some phrases."
Her face lights up at the prospect of teaching someone who would be interested in learning from her.
"Are you sure?"
"I'm positive that my Gram is butchering your language and could use all the help she can get!" Wheeler jokes.
Linka elbows him.
"At least she is trying! I bet she does better than you at pronouncing things."
"Yeah, yeah…so you'll come?"
"Yes. I would love to. Thank you."
"Great! We have one more thing we would like to offer you."
"I could not possibly accept anything else. You have already been so kind and generous with your time," Irina says.
"I wish you would consider it…Jason and I will be flying to Russia to spend New Year's celebrations with my family. We checked with the people at St. Catherine's to see if it would be ok for you to travel. They have no problems with it and gave us the ok to bring you with us to see your family."
"Bozhe moy! Are you serious?!"
"Da."
"I could not possibly accept. The price of an airline ticket is too expensive. Otherwise, I would have gotten one on my own," Irina explains.
"It's not gonna cost anyone a dime" Wheeler reassures her. "We have our own plane."
"Can I at least give you something towards the fuel expense?"
Wheeler shakes his head.
"Nope. It's solar powered. The only thing you need to contribute is interesting conversation to help pass the time."
"I will get to say goodbye to my brother," the older woman says with tears beginning to fall.
"And you can be there with the rest of your family to support each other," Linka adds.
"But why are you doing this? You do not even know me."
"I came here to celebrate Christmas with Jason and his family because everything in me was telling me that I should be here. Maybe it was not just about being here with him, but also, I was meant to be here for you."
"You are an angel," she tells Linka, then turns to Wheeler. "Did you know your girlfriend is an angel?"
"I've always suspected," he says with a wink. "Do you need anything from your apartment before we get going? We can meet you there or wait for you here."
"If I have time, I would like to change into something nicer for dinner. I am just in the next unit over, so I can meet you back here."
"Take your time. We've got a few more songs left in us, I think."
To Be Continued...