Bring Me Home for Christmas

Would you rather have Big Richie help you to the bathroom?”
    “Really, I want to die right now.”
    He laughed again. “You’ll be fine. It’ll take you about five minutes to feel at home with Paige and Preacher.”
    I want my mother, she thought with an internal cry.
    Her relationship with her mother was great, really. Her mother comforted her when she was down, praised her when she did well, laughed with her in happy times…and had an opinion about everything. Like most mothers and daughters, when it was good, it was very good and when it was bad it was horrid. For the past couple of years, Beverly’s opinion was that Denny wasn’t worth the tears and Doug had saved her life. Before that whole breakup with Denny, Beverly had loved him. He was Rich’s best friend and Becca’s boyfriend—double the pleasure. But then…
    “I don’t like that you’re not telling your parents about me being here,” Denny said. “Particularly your mother. I know she’s probably pissed off at me, but you should still be honest with her.”
    Becca’s head snapped around to look at him. Was he now reading her mind?
    “But it’s not up to me,” he said. “We can take care of you.”
    “We?” she asked.
    “Me. Mostly me. But there’s also Jack and his wife, Mel—she’s the local nurse practitioner and town midwife. There’s Paige and Preacher, my boss, Jillian, and her sister, Kelly. Lots of real nice people who want to help out if they can.” He glanced over at her. “These people are my family, Becca.”
    “But you haven’t even been here that long.”
    “About a year. Becca, did they give you some pain pills or something?”
    “Uh-huh, I had one just before we left the hospital. You’d be surprised how much my leg hurts, too, but the doctor said it’s going to let up. Listen, I get that you’re trying real hard but the thing that worries me…if you’re going to be all pissy and angry with me, I’d rather just make Rich stay with me….”
    “Believe me, Becca, I learned my lesson on that. Besides,” he said softly, “I don’t want to fight with you. I just want to help.”

Five
    To Becca’s surprise, there was a welcoming party at Jack’s. Jack and Preacher were there, of course, but Becca hadn’t expected their wives. She recognized Paige from her first night at the bar and knew the other woman must be Mel, Jack’s wife, because Jack had his arm around her. And Rich, Dirk and Troy were there, too.
    Denny carried her into the bar. Rich immediately separated himself from the group and said, “Here, gimme that fat old load.” Holding his hands out for Becca, he added, “Just one of the guys, huh, Becca?”
    Mel said to Paige, “Isn’t it amazing how you can always pick out the brother?”
    Denny obliged, transferring her into Rich’s capable, if rude, arms. “I’ll go get the crutches.”
    “Thanks a lot, Rich,” she said. “You’re so sensitive and gentle.”
    He hefted her in his arms and said to Jack, “Where do you want this.”
    Becca whacked him in the head.
    Mel came forward and put out her hand. “Hi, Becca, I’m Mel Sheridan. Please don’t worry about a thing—we’ve got you covered. Denny’s a good friend and his friends are our friends. Would you like to sit in the bar for a while, maybe have a sandwich and soda? Or are you ready for a little privacy and rest?”
    “I don’t know,” she said honestly. “One thing I should do is make a phone call, and my cell doesn’t seem to work here.”
    “Very few people can get good cell coverage in the mountains,” Paige Middleton said. “But calling home is not a problem—we have unlimited long distance. You can make a call from my house anytime. Want to start right now?”
    “Yes,” she said. “Richard, follow Mrs. Middleton!”
    Paige led them through the kitchen and right into her living room. She patted the sofa. The cordless phone was beside it on the table. Rich put her down. “You all right?” he asked her.
    “You care?”
    “Well, sure, Becca. But you totally screwed up duck hunting.”
    “Bite me.”
    Paige cleared her throat. “I have a boy and a girl—is this what I have to look forward to? Never mind. Can I get you something to drink? A soda? Water?”
    Becca sat on the cushy leather couch in the spacious living room in Paige’s house, her leg propped up on the ottoman. Curled up at the other end of the couch on his very own doggy blanket was a black-and-white border collie, whom Paige