My Kind of Christmas

Temple brags about you, about your future and your determination. About your potential. It’s just a suggestion. As a med school dropout you’ll never be allowed to run those sutures. And you’ll never be able to afford to give as much as you want to give.”
    She bit her lower lip against saying what she wanted to say—that she wished desperately she could be the one to help, to do the most difficult, taxing job, to fix the scarred face of a child who couldn’t otherwise have the help, that she envied his ability to do such intricate work.
    “My great-grandmother used to tat. Make lace,” she said.
    His grin broadened. “I know what it is to tat. It’s a very delicate pastime. Did you learn it?”
    She shook her head. “Not yet,” she said. “But I think maybe I will.”
    “You’re very young. You have so much time, thank the saints. I didn’t get to medical school until I was twenty-eight—it was an uphill battle.”
    “And why did you choose plastic surgery?”
    “Because it’s difficult and beautiful. I love the challenge and the outcome. It called to me.” He turned to the computer and logged on. “If I can help with your decision in any way, please call me. For now, go see if Megan is alert. When she is, you can find her mother. One night with the nurse in the hotel, a checkup in the morning to make sure she’s stable, then you can take her home with some postsurgical instructions.”
    Even though he seemed distracted by his typing, she said, “Thank you, Dr. Hernandez. You’ve done so much today, for Megan and for me.”
    He turned and gave her his attention again. “Keep in touch.”
    * * *
    After making sure Lorraine had some solid breakfast in her belly, Patrick took her back to the surgical center with a to-go coffee. He excused himself to make a phone call. As he paced up and down the sidewalk between the building and the parking lot, he phoned Marie.
    “Well, hey,” she answered. “You’re calling from your cell phone.”
    “I’ve got good reception. How are you doing?”
    “I’m having a good day today. I did a very brave thing—I made a deposit on a house.”
    “A.... house? ”
    “That’s right. Small but very nice, near my parents and brother and in a very good school district on the likely chance I’m still here in a few years. I can’t wait to show it to you, Paddy. I think you’re going to love it.”
    “You couldn’t wait for me to get there?”
    “I had to jump on it! It’s a foreclosure and came at an excellent price and the repairs are not too extensive. In fact, this is going to sound a little crazy, but getting this house in shape, it gives me something to look forward to.”
    As he paced, he ran a hand through his hair. “Damn, I wish you could be just a little more flexible....”
    “In what way, Paddy? I have to have a home. I don’t want to live with my parents forever.”
    “I had this idea that maybe I could convince you…” Unsure of how to word it, he let his voice trail off.
    “Convince me of what?”
    “I have to ask you something. Do you ever dream about Jake?”
    “Oh, no! You, too?”
    “You do?”
    “Oh, Paddy, I conjure him, that’s what it is. I miss him. I’m going to miss him for a long time—probably long after I’m over him! So you see him, too?”
    “I’m not convinced I conjure him. What does he say to you?”
    “It’s all memory stuff. It’s private moments. And sometimes he tells me I’m pretty. The thing that disappoints me and makes me cry and know that it’s my conjuring—he never talks about Daniel and he was gaga for his son. What does he tell you?”
    He took a breath. Better to be honest. “To take care of you and Daniel.”
    “Aw, how sweet is that! And I know you’ll always be there for me, Paddy.”
    “I’ll be there in less than a week. When do you close on that house?”
    “Within thirty days. We’re putting a rush on the closing to see if I can get the keys right away. I was hoping that just after Christmas I could get moving on the interior. Listen, I can’t wait to show you, but I completely understand if you want to reconsider spending Christmas here in a little motel down the street from my parents.”
    He was quiet for a moment before he said, “I’m looking forward to seeing you, Marie. I miss you.”
    “And, Paddy, I miss you, too! I just don’t want to take you away from your family.”
    “You don’t know the half of it,” he muttered, thinking of Maureen and