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“You’ll be discharged when your scans improve,” Justin said, glad his patients couldn’t talk.
***
Maggie’s accident had impacted everyone in her circle. Kelly later said that Ted had made a one-hundred-eighty-degree transformation. That night he arrived home to Kelly and Danny and said he was calling his parents and siblings to tell them they were invited to Papa Noel, and then they’d spend a few hours with the family on Christmas Eve. Whatever Kelly needed to do with her family was fine with him, but he wasn’t going to allow his family to monopolize.
He planned on fixing Christmas breakfast for them, and that would be an addition to their traditions. Christmas morning, they would open gifts together, just the three of them. The chaos of a big family present opening was out of his comfort realm.
“I personally hate it,” Kelly said. “The kids get so much they don’t even bother looking at the gifts half the time, throwing them aside to get the next one to open.”
“Are you sure you haven’t been at my parents’ Christmas? We’ll figure out Christmas dinner later. I really want to cook it myself. What does your family do for Christmas dinner?”
“Well, you know Beverly isn’t going to cook. My father usually puts on a spread. I’ll ask my mother and Annie what they want to do. Do you really want to cook for my whole family?”
“I’ll do it for you,” he said. “Whatever I can do to make you happy, I’ll do.”
“Ah, Ted, that’s so sweet.”
He got a little teary eyed. “I realized today how easy it would be for someone I loved to get hurt and d-i-e,” he said, nodding toward Danny.
“I know that spells die, Ted.”
“You had to have a smart kid.”
***
Gus and Grace sat together on the settee, their usual TV-watching position. Worried about Gus, Grace was trying to pamper him after his horrible day. Overwrought and guilt ridden, Gus was inconsolable.
“Can I just say one thing to you? Because I know what she means to you, and I know how awful this is for you.”
“Go ahead,” he said, trying not to be too grumpy.
“Try to remember that she didn’t die.”
“But she could have,” he said.
“But she didn’t, Gus. You have the rest of your life to be with her. If you feel you have to do restitution, you’ll be able to. Start dwelling on that.”
“I’ll try. You don’t mind me going into New Orleans every day?”
“Of course not,” she said. “You’ll be happy, or maybe sad, to know that my sons are coming this weekend for Papa Noel. We’ll see how the visit goes. I plan on baring my soul, which you are also welcome to witness.”
“No, thank you,” he said, but he finally laughed.
When Nick and Luke arrived to spend the long weekend with Grace, she decided to lay everything out for them right away.
“Oh god, Mother, this isn’t necessary,” Luke said.
“I think it is. Something happened this week, a young friend of Gus’s could have been killed in a boating accident. It made me realize that if I was to die tomorrow, there is so much unsaid. I miss my boys! I know you avoid coming home because it’s too painful for you. I’m hoping that by talking openly, we’ll be able to heal some hurts and not avoid each other so much.”
Luke glanced over at Nick, who shrugged his shoulders. “So are you going to talk, or do we talk?”
“Whatever you want.”
“You start,” Nick said.
“Well, we’ve never said out loud that Daddy was an alcoholic.”
“Great,” Luke said, wincing. “What a way to start the Christmas holiday.”
