Raven Saga 01 - Raven

though so I promised to ask him.
    Oliver scolded me for not talking to the medical staff and he shook his head as if I was in big trouble but he couldn't keep a straight face and ended up laughing.
    “Well, I'll come over tomorrow whether we can go for a walk or not,” he promised as he prepared to leave. “Call me if you need anything?” he said as he kissed me gently on the lips. It was my first real kiss and it felt like I'd been given an electric shock. Not the kind that hurts, but a wonderful, sweet, electric shock. I smiled and touched my lips with my fingers.
    As I slowly opened my eyes, I saw that he was smiling too. And then before I knew it, he was gone.

CHAPTER NINETEEN

    I had to wear my cast for nearly two months and they were, without doubt, the best two months of my life so far. Even the pain and awkwardness of a broken leg couldn't dull my happiness.
    I'd dreaded being unable to do anything, especially after Rose and Gabriel said I should avoid agonizing over recent events and should just concentrate on getting my life back together. That is exactly what I did and admittedly, it was the best thing for me.
    It was January, it was absolutely freezing, yet I had become accustomed to the colder weather in Canada. I had actually begun to love waking up on a chilly morning and opening my bedroom window to take a few breaths of crisp cold air. It was the perfect way to wake myself up, followed by a hot bath, which I had finally mastered getting into without the help of either Meredith, Sonya or Jo who had all taken it in turns to pop round first thing to help. But still, I couldn't wait to get the cast off.
    Thanksgiving had been an eye opener for me. It was time for family, pure and simple. And although my family had a lot to be thankful for, it was a sad occasion because we missed my father terribly.
    Much of the day was spent talking about old times, the times I had missed – either because I had not yet been born to this world, or I was being kept holed up in a London apartment. I heard stories about my father and his brother and sister when they were children. The fun they'd had growing up in this fantastic part of the world. The mischief they had created and the love that had bound them together.
    With Ben, Crystal and Oliver with us for much of the day, we were unable to talk about the unusual circumstances that surrounded our lives and, in a way, it was nice to just be normal. It was also wonderful to be able to spend time with my family as well as my boyfriend. There had never been any need to hide the fact that we were together, as everyone had accepted us immediately.
    But it was my first real Christmas that was particularly memorable. It was unlike anything I had ever experienced. It was the first time I had ever had the opportunity to celebrate it and so I immersed myself into the festive spirit.
    Whilst living in London, I had overheard wonderful stories at school about what the other kids had been up to during the holidays and I had envied them tremendously. For me though, Christmas was simply any other day in the calendar. No gifts, no decorations but more importantly, no loving family, no joy.
    Yet in Canada, we had experienced all of this and much more. The whole family, as well as Oliver, Ben and Crystal again, came to our house to celebrate Christmas day. Everybody helped prepare the most sumptuous feast I had ever laid my eyes on and then we had all exchanged gifts.
    I was given clothes by everyone. My family were clearly sick of seeing me wearing nothing but black and so they had all produced a new wardrobe. They had planned everything together and I assumed that Jo was responsible for doing most of the shopping. When I asked her, she nodded, “With the help of my mom, of course!”
    “You're such a great person, Lilly, we want to see you in colours that match your personality,” Sonya had said, speaking for them all later on. I was touched. After thirteen years of yellow and months of black, the time had finally come for the rainbow.
    The day was glorious. My biggest regret was that my father was not there. I would have given anything to have him spend that day with us. It would have meant so much, not just to me but to the rest of the family, especially Gabriel who had lost his son so many years before. But as we had spent most of Thanksgiving thinking about him and what had become of him, we refused to be sad on December 25th too.
    Everybody knew that Christmas was totally