Spend Christmas With You

He looked like he would explode if he didn’t get time to relax. Finally, his shoulders fell and his lips curved slightly into a smile of resignation. This was a sign that he was giving in.

He stood up and hovered over me for a moment, surprising me when he buried his head in the crook of my neck, nuzzling and kissing. It bit back a gasp.

Nicholas was far from shy when it came to public displays of affection, but it was awkward for him to be so forward, even if it was only in front of Virgil.

"Maybe I should leave..." Virgil said slowly.

Nicholas mumbled 'yes' as I said 'no' at the same time. I laughed and put my hands on his cheeks, to push his face away, taking pleasure in the sight of his small smile.

"I'll be right back," he said.

"Please take a shower." I ran my fingers through his much longer-than-normal hair. "And maybe sneak in a trim."

He laughed, and it was the first time I'd heard that sound since my fall. I liked his laugh. It was infectious. It made everything better. He kissed me again. "I love you."

"I love you too. So go and get out of here. I want to see you windblown and smiling when you get back."

It took a few more minutes to finally get him out the door, but at least he stepped out. Plus, he promised to bring me back some ice cream and not the foul goo from the cafeteria.

"What did he say to you on the way out?" I asked Virgil, who'd sat down in Nicholas' vacated seat.

"That if I left this room at any point while he was gone, I was a dead man."

I sighed at his chuckle. "I'm worried about him."

"He'll be okay. Believe me, he's much better now than he was a few weeks ago."

I was nervous about the answers I'd get, but I needed to know. "How bad was it?"

Virgil looked down at his lap, shrugging his shoulders.

"Tell me."

"You don't want to hear it."

I huffed. "I wouldn't have asked you if I didn't. Be honest with me. He's always so weird when I ask him these questions, and this is the first time I've gotten anyone else alone. What happened after I fell?"

"He's told you about Rosemary, right?" He raised his eyebrow in question. "What exactly do you remember from that night?"

I frowned at the mention of that bitch. "I remember the party, but the last thing I recall is dancing with Nicholas. I know what happened from what he and Clara told me, but I can't remember her actually hurting me. But I'm glad they arrested her."

He snorted. "Of course, they're going with the crazy plea. That bitch needs to be locked away in a cell."

I agreed, but as long as I never had to see her again, it would be fine with me. She had been charged with first-degree assault, and Simon had hired a team of lawyers and doctors to try and plead her out and into a mental facility, rather than go through a trial and prison. Since I hadn't been able to remember exactly what happened, the other witnesses filled in the details.

They must have been very specific in their descriptions because she was charged with the most severe level of assault. If she was found guilty, she could be sentenced to prison for a long time.

Unfortunately, the trial wasn't for a couple of months, and she was out on bail until either a deal was reached or until she had to be back in a courtroom. Apparently, her father had her in some "spa" somewhere, which was a nice way of saying she was unstable and under constant supervision.

I hoped they had her in a straight-jacket because I didn’t want her going around and hurting people.

"Did you know Jefferson went after Simon?"

I glanced at him in shock. "What?"

"Yep. Confronted him a few days later, screaming and threatening. Simon swore he had nothing to do with it. He said Rosemary went crazy, but he didn't know she would try to hurt you. Jefferson went after him. I wasn't there, but I wish I had been."

I was stunned. It took me a couple of moments to even find the words. "Did he hit him? Or just threaten to?"

"He had some bruised knuckles, so you can make your own assumptions. All I know is if Jefferson had brought a gun with him, this world would probably be less two scumbags."

That chilled my blood. I didn't want anyone to do something that drastic. I shook my head. "I can't believe he did that."

"Well, it was because of what Rosemary did to you, for all the trouble with Nicholas, but also because Clara was pretty upset after that night. They had to keep her sedated for a few days."

Another fact I hadn't known. I felt awful she had to witness my fall firsthand. "And Nicholas?"

He rubbed his hands up and down his jeans a few times before meeting my eyes again with a sigh. "You already know." He stood and walked over to the window. "He was out of his mind."

I swallowed the lump in my throat, trying not to cry.

"The doctors didn't know if you were going to make it. I had to hold him upright when they explained your injuries and what could happen to your baby." He turned back toward me, his arms crossed over his chest. "There were a few days there when we all thought neither you nor the baby would survive. I don't know how he would have dealt with losing one of you, let alone both."

The tears streamed anyway, despite my effort to hold them back. "He feels guilty, doesn't he?"

"Yes." At least he was honest.

"How do I make him realize it wasn't his fault?"

He came back over and sat down. "I don't think you can. Just give him time. It was a good first step to get him out of this room." He leaned forward with a grin. "Right?"

I cracked a small smile at his teasing. Yes, he was right. I had to let Nicholas deal with it in his own way and hope with time, patience, and maybe a few more therapy sessions, he would be able to stop blaming himself.

Virgil and I spent the next two hours playing chess, making fun of daytime television, and answering all of Nicholas' calls to check on me.

And even though I'd forced Nicholas to leave, I was happiest when he walked back in through the door, looking freshly showered and carrying a tub of ice cream. He knew how to show his love.

.

I was discharged from the hospital a week later. I still needed a little help to get around, but Nicholas had signed me up for additional therapy from the comfort of our home. All in all, I hadn’t stepped outside the hospital grounds in over six weeks.

But all was not well and fine. Before we left, Dr. Whitney came by one last time to check on the baby, letting us know he was healthy, but voicing concern on two fronts. The first was urging me to gain back the weight I'd lost during my recuperation, and the second regarded the delivery. Because of my recent brain trauma, she believed it would be safer for me and the baby if she performed a C-section rather than going through a natural childbirth.

I was nervous about having surgery—particularly because the thought of being back in a hospital any longer than necessary was very unappealing—but I wanted whatever was best for the baby. At least I wasn't due for about eight weeks, so we had time to discuss everything.

Nicholas wheeled me out to the car, and I gave John a big hug before getting in. I was all smiles on the drive home, sitting close to Nicholas, smelling the wintry air, and watching the snow fall over the city as we passed. I was glad to find the snow still around in early February because it would have been disappointing to miss it all.

"What are you thinking about?" he asked one arm around my shoulders, the other hand rubbing my belly. "You look happy."

"I am happy." I turned my head toward him. "I was just thinking how pretty the snow is. I only wish I'd been able to spend Christmas with you."

He stared at me, not saying a word, a secret smile playing in his eyes. "What?" That made him grin. "Nothing. I don't know. This kind of reminds me of one of the first things about you I fell in love with."

My heart pounded while I waited for him to continue.