Jacksonville turned out to be worse than he thought it could be. And if he thought about it long enough, Miami was a cakewalk compared to this city. It was already 8:30 at night, and he was still signing copies of his latest book. He sighs as he looks at the books stacked next to him. As he looked out on it, the line seemed never-ending. About an hour ago, he ran out of things to say when a new fan walked up and presented the book they wanted to be signed. The greetings he commonly used when meeting new fans were gone from his vocabulary.

He sees the store manager and the representative from Black Pawn talking to each other at the end of the signing table. He watches them suspiciously, hoping they discuss a cut-off for the line that never ends. After about four more books are signed, Roger, the representative from Black Pawn, walks behind him and bends down to whisper something to him. At the same time, the store manager is standing in front of the signing table, ready to make an announcement.

"May I have everyone's attention, please? Please, please quiet down. Thank you." The store manager said as the crowd quickly became quiet.

The Black Pawn representative stepped in front of the table next to the store manager.

"Good evening. My name is Roger Johnston. I am from the Atlanta branch of the publishing company that prints Mr. Castle's books. What I have to say next might upset some of you. To keep with Mr. Castle's hectic schedule, he will finish his signing by 9:00 pm tomorrow. Anyone who has not had the opportunity to have a book signed by Mr. Castle will be offered a 25% off coupon on any Black Pawn book we print. I'm so sorry for the inconvenience, and thank you for attending tonight's signing."

The moans and groans of disappointment Rick heard from the crowd made him feel guilty. But he needed to get moving if he was going to drive to Orlando since the last flight out of Jacksonville was 8:00 pm. He signed the last forty-two books, with the bookstore owner following behind the last person, ensuring no one else fell in line after him.


He sits on the shoulder of what he thinks is Highway 301. Somehow, he got turned around and went West by simply listening to the GPS, which was wrong. When he finally got his directions straightened out (using the map app on his phone), he pulled off the shoulder and started to merge into traffic. He just should have done it a little quicker because, pulling off the shoulder, he ran over a broken bottle and blew out his right rear tire less than a half mile down the road. Now, he is on the side of the road, trying to change his flat tire. When he got the car raised and the spare put in place, he realized as he let down the car that the spare was also flat.

Now, he sits here waiting for the rental car company to bring him another car. He keeps checking his watch, knowing that every minute he spends here on the shoulder of the road is less time he will have in bed at the hotel in Orlando. He could spend this time at home in New York instead of sitting in Florida on the shoulder of a three-lane highway, so much so that he doesn't hear the tow truck driver tapping on the driver's side window. He cautiously puts the window down just enough to speak through it, and that's when the driver starts talking.

"Hey, Mac, I have your new car off the flatbed and ready to go. All I need you to do is get in it and drive away. I will take the other one with the flat tire back."

"It's Rick, and thanks." Again, he looks at his watch and realizes it's now 10:35 pm. He was wise to ask the flatbed driver the quickest way to get back to Orlando.

The driver tells him that since he is not that far from Interstate 295, it would be quicker for him to turn around, go east on Interstate 10, and then head south to 95. Going that way, Orlando is only an hour and a half away. He checks his watch one last time and signals, pulling onto the highway again. If he makes good time, he might end up in Orlando by 12:30 at the latest.


The wake-up call he had left at the front desk for this morning rings incessantly. He reaches for the phone, and the recorded voice blaring in his ear tells him that this is his wake-up call. He checks the clock on the nightstand, which reads 10:15 am his book signing is at 1:00 pm. So he has some time before he has to be at the bookstore. He hangs the phone back up, rolls over, and stares at the ceiling. He wonders what his wife and children are doing right now.


Kate decided to get an early start on the day. Macy's opened at 9:00 am sharp on Saturday, giving them a fighting chance for Kate to see if she can grant one of her children's wishes.

It turned out to be a seasonable day. Kate packed the kid's backpack full of snacks, water bottles, and a change of clothes for the twins. They called the car service, and the driver dropped them off at the 34th Street entrance to Macy's.

The second they got out of the car, Lily's eyes lit up, hoping they would see someone special. Jake and Reese stand on the sidewalk, holding their mother's hands.

"Mommy, can we see the window displays?" Lily asked as she started walking towards the Macy's windows.

"Lil, hold on a second; don't just walk away," Kate says as she frantically grabs Jake's and Reese's hands to follow. They spend about 40 minutes looking at all the windows Macy's has to offer. There's a polar bear blowing trumpets this year, something Kate finds very relaxing for some strange reason. They come upon the final window before actually going into the store, and Reese sees Tiptoe, the reindeer, and her friends. The window scene shows us what Tiptoe likes about the holiday season. The window is laid out like a storybook. Each scene is interactive between the people on the outside looking in. Kate can tell that they're finished with windows by the lack of their enthusiasm.

They enter Macy's, and since they're a little early for their appointment, Kate decides to shop before they meet the man of the season. She thinks about how times have changed since she was a child. When her mother and father took her to see Santa when she was younger, you simply waited in line, and when it was your turn, Santa would ask you what you wanted. You told him, and then you got a candy cane in return. Today, it's all about parents not having the time to bring their children to see Santa. You can call weeks in advance to make an appointment at a specific time to have your children see Santa. She's guilty of it as well but for a different reason. Rick had made the appointment to see Santa about two weeks ago. And seeing that he was not here, she kept the appointment.

When they get to their appointment, Santa is in his chair, waiting for her children. Santa wants to see each child individually instead of bringing them all up simultaneously. Of her two sons, Jake is the most talkative. He spends five minutes telling Santa all about what he wants for Christmas this year. Lily is the shy one. She holds her hand to Santa's ear and tells him what she wants for Christmas. Reese spends as little time sitting on the fat man's lap as possible. After they spend about twenty minutes with Santa, they meet the car service on 34th Street. Both boys fall asleep on the way home. Kate can tell Lily is slightly down after their Santa visit, but she doesn't want to pry.

"Mommy, Is it okay if I whisper my wish to Santa to you?"

Kate knew that something was bothering her daughter, and she knew that she would want to tell her.

"Lil, I'm pretty sure Santa will be okay with you telling me this once."

Lily leans over to her mother, and in less than a whisper, she tells her mother her wish.

"I just wish Santa could bring home Daddy."

Kate had a feeling that this was what Lily was thinking about. Even though she is the shyest child of the three, she also wears her heart on her sleeve.

"Lily, I'm pretty sure that Santa will do everything in his power to make sure that Daddy is home in time for Christmas," Kate reassures. But she feels this will be a wish she can't guarantee. She just has a feeling of impending heartache. She looks across to see Lily smiling at her mother.


He's rushing through the airport towards the passenger gates in terminal B at Orlando, and he knows he will miss his flight. By the time he gets to gate 46, all he sees are the people who maintain the ticket counter and the jetway door, which one employee is closing and locking up. He knew it, and now he's screwed. He walks up to the gentleman wearing the United uniform and inquires when the flight left After seeing some people lingering by the gate. And what can they do to get him on another flight back to New York?

"I'm sorry to hear that you were on this flight, sir, but there have been mechanical issues concerning this certain aircraft, and at the time, we have no backup airplane to put you on. Everyone that was on this flight is now on the 6:00 pm flight back to New York. It departs from gate 52, and the new flight number is 2061." The ticket agent replies.

"But today is Christmas Eve. Your earliest flight back to New York is tomorrow at 6:00 pm on Christmas Day. I'll have missed the whole holiday if I don't get on an earlier flight."

"I'm sorry, sir, I don't know what to tell you, but if you read United's terms and conditions, you'll see that when one of our planes has a mechanical condition, which flight 1017 did, we will put you on a flight at our earliest convenience. We try to accommodate everyone as best we can, but this might be harder to accomplish during the holiday season than usual. Again, I'm sorry for any inconvenience this has caused in your travel plans." The ticket agent and gate employees secure the ticket booth in front of the gate and leave. Rick is left there holding his rolling suitcase and carry-on bag. He looks up at the flight number board next to the gate, and all he sees are big red letters saying canceled next to the flight number.

He's not taking this lying down. He rolls his bag over to the table with the charging posts on it, and seeing that it's empty, he pulls out his charging cable to charge his phone as he pulls out his laptop. He plugs that into the power receptacle, opens the lid, connects to the internet provided free by the airport, and goes to work.

He dials the number he knows by heart, and it's answered in less than two rings.

"Hey babe, are you getting ready for your flight?" Kate asks

"Actually, no, the flight I was supposed to be on, flight number 1017, was canceled, and there is no replacement plane to get me back to New York until tomorrow at 6:00 pm.

"Rick, you'll miss Christmas! Are there any other flights coming out of Orlando going back to any airport in the New York area?" Kate asks, hoping that he is working on it now.

"I'm on my laptop and searching United's website, but all I'm coming up with are overbooked flights. There's a standby list for each one, and only four fly back to New York, with at least thirty-five people waiting on standby. I'll never get on any of those flights, so I need you to go to my office, get the second laptop in the bottom drawer, and search for other airlines. Kate, I'm not picky about what flight you can get me on. I'd even fly on Spirit if need be. So, could you look up Spirit, JetBlue, and Virgin while I look up American, Southwest, and Delta?"

"I will. But you do realize that if United has four flights with people waiting for them on standby, all the people who are going to fly out on flight 1017 could be looking for any flights back to New York now, no matter what airline." Kate reminds him.

"I know, and I hope we get any flight within the next four hours that'll get me home by midnight. So, this flight was canceled about fifteen minutes ago, Kate, and with you searching and me searching, I'm pretty sure we can get something before anyone else can. This way, I can still celebrate Christmas at home." Rick said confidently.

Diligently searching JetBlue's website, Kate found that no flights were flying into any of the three major airports in the New York City area. There were two flights to Philadelphia. One landed at 10:35, the other at 1:00 in the morning, but Rick nixed that idea, seeing that it would be a two-and-a-half-hour drive north back to the city. And as tired as he is now, he would be too exhausted to drive.


Rick is still looking for something out of Orlando. He thought he had a seat on an American flight going to Kennedy, but the flight was sold out when he got his credit card to make the purchase. He has exhausted all other airlines that could get him back in time.

Sadly, he lets Kate know the bad news.

"Kate, I'm afraid to admit that I blew it." Rick pauses a second before dropping the other shoe. "I'm afraid that I won't be able to get home in time."

He waits for the inevitable to happen, but after about fifteen seconds, he hears silence on her end. He's about to say something when the phone comes alive.

"Babe, I might have something. Just let me see if I can lock down this Delta flight. If I can, it will put you in LaGuardia by 4:38 this afternoon. But you're going to have to run to the gate."

Rick holds his breath. He knows this is his last positive chance to get out of Orlando, so he closes the lid on the laptop, takes the phone off the charger, and puts it to his ear.

It's excruciating. Rick is holding his breath collectively, hoping that Kate has something positive to tell him.

"Okay, this is what I found, but I will warn you it's a bit pricey. But for you, it's just a drop in the bucket. Plus, it has added benefits. Delta Flight 1158 departs Orlando for Newark in less than an hour. The only seat they had left, and I mean the only seat they had left, was an aisle seat in first class. Since you have your credit card information saved to the computer, I purchased it for the low low amount of $1,790.00 one way. The confirmation number is H45893. The only problem is you're in terminal B, and this leaves from terminal A, so you have to get on the tram that brings you back to the main terminal, get your ticket at a kiosk, and then jump on the tram bringing you back to terminal A." Kate tells him.

Rick is already packing his laptop, grabbing his suitcase and overnight bag to head for the tram that brings him back to the main terminal. He still has Kate on the phone and says to her,

"Babe, your lifesaver. I will make this up to you." Rick and Kate exchange I love you, and he hung up. He'll call her back just as he's boarding his flight back to Newark.

The tram seemed to take forever, and when he got off it, he rushed to the nearest Delta kiosk to put in his confirmation number and get his boarding pass. In his rush to get his boarding pass, he completely forgets that his TSA pre-check number is not added to the boarding pass. He runs back to the TSA pre-check line, and the TSA agent asks him for his boarding pass. When he produces it, the agent tells him he is in the wrong line and must wait through the regular security line to return to the terminal. The TSA agent points to the security line he needs to be in, and Rick looks over to see the line is about an hour long. He'll never make his flight if he has to wait in that line.

He gets in the line anyway, knowing that if he doesn't, he doesn't have a fighting chance of getting on the flight. Having made it through about one-quarter of the line, he sees a break in the line that no one else sees. The TSA agent operating the line turned his head, and Rick made a beeline through the opening and ended up two rows away from the security screening area. Once he moves about ten more feet, he sees an opening that will put him at the front of the line, so he takes it. The little kid pulling on his mother's arm never looks over in time to see him jump in front of them. His suitcase is scanned through the security belt, and he takes off his shoes, belt, and jacket and puts them along with the contents of his pockets in the gray bin that slides forward on the security checkpoint. He takes his laptop out of the case, places it in another gray bin, and walks through the security X-ray machine. Once he gets the all-clear, he's on the other side, throwing on his shoes, putting his belt back in his pants, and taking the bin's contents and shoving them back into his pockets.

Not looking where he's going, he's running full bore back towards the tram, which, if he plays it right, he can catch right before the doors close. He taps his foot on the tram floor, hoping it will move faster than it is. When the tram reaches Terminal A, he runs full bore again, pulling his roller behind him towards the gate. Just as he gets to the boarding desk, he notices that the jetway door is closing from the other side. He knows he's cutting it close, so he sees a customer service representative just as he slows down.

"Can I help you?" The customer service agent asks.

"I'm on this flight. And I wanted to make sure it didn't leave yet."

"Name?" The agent asks, pulling up her passenger manifest on her tablet.

"Castle, Rick," Rick answers.

"Right. Here we are. Yes, you are on this flight." The customer service agent tells him and proceeds to open the jetway door. Rick runs down the jetway to the now-closing door of the airplane.

"WAIT! WAIT!" Rick shouts, and the door to the aircraft stops closing.

"Man, you're cutting it so close. Another fifteen seconds, and you would have been walking back to Newark." The flight attendant tells him as he resecures the door for the aircraft.

"Thank you!" Rick says as the flight attendant escorts him to his seat.


"Even though I couldn't take the kids to see Santa with you, I'm still glad you made the trip to Macy's," Rick says to Kate as the limo driver goes through the Holland tunnel.

"Rick, I'm just letting you know that Lily told me her wish that she said to Santa. The only thing that she wanted was to have you back with us for Christmas. I'm glad I could get you back in time to celebrate Christmas with us.

"Kate, if I've learned one lesson, I will never go on a book tour a week before Christmas. It was foolish of me to think that anything would go how I wanted it to. Sure, it made us a quarter of a million dollars, but it wasn't worth the time I spent away from my family."

All Kate did was snuggle up closer to him. Once they get back to the loft and relieve her father of his babysitting duties, they will sit down to a Christmas Eve dinner, and later, after everyone is in bed, they will express how much they mean to each other.

A/N: Merry Christmas to all who celebrate it. And to those who don't, enjoy the holiday season.