"Christmas Gifts"
By: Mandy
Chapter 6
Kate walked over to the window, pretending to be more
interested in the view of the valley below then the man she loved.
She hated this part. This is where you admit that you were wrong,
which was no easy feat for either of them.
AJ came to stand beside her. "We need to get this mess behind
us. Tomorrow is Christmas Eve and it's a time for love and joy not
sadness."
Kate bit her lip and looked at AJ. "I know I shouldn't have
reacted like that to your dream. I know that there were other girls
before me. And I know how you are…"
"How I am?" AJ asked confused.
"Well, look at you. There are plenty of girls who would do
just about anything to stand next to you. Sometimes I just feel that
I can't compete with that. I am so afraid of losing you." Kate
admitted.
"I am not going anywhere." AJ told her firmly. "And now that
you have confessed your fear, I have one of my own. I am just as
afraid of losing you as you are of losing me. I keep thinking that
someday you are going to get tired of waiting around for me to finish
touring and find some other hot guy that you can run off with. That's
what happened with every other relationship, including Erica. She
couldn't take the waiting. When we broke up I thought that I would
never find another. Then when I saw you, I realized that everything
else had happened for a reason. I was meant to be with you, Kate."
"And I with you." Kate finished. "Let's never fight again."
"I agree." AJ said huskily. "Let's seal that deal with a
kiss." He leaned over and the two shared a passionate kiss. He
suddenly pulled away. "You hear that?"
"Huh?" Kate asked, numbly practically put in a stupor by the
kiss.
AJ walked over to the door of the dining room and opened the
door. Kendra fell in the room, followed by Nick, Jen, Melissa, Angie,
Brian, Stephanie, and Jessica. He looked out into the living room to
see Howie sitting on the couch.
"Told you that you would get caught." Howie said with a huge
grin.
The eavesdroppers all began to pick themselves up.
"Well, the important thing is that you are back together."
Melissa said, trying to cover their deception.
Kate came over to AJ and wrapped her arms around his waist.
"Don't be mad honey. They are just concerned friends. Besides…we can
get revenge later!"
AJ turned around so he was facing her. "You're right. Sleep
with one eye open!"
"Okay, now that we got that covered…let's move on Kevin and
Carrie." Brian said. "Kevin's gift for Carrie is downstairs in the
rec room."
"Which reminds me…I should go check on it." Kendra excused
herself.
"What about Carrie's gift?" Howie asked as he came to join the
group in the dining room.
Angie grinned. "I have this perfect idea that might just push
these two together!"
"Providing they aren't already necking at the hospital." AJ
pointed out.
"Now that sounds romantic." Stephanie muttered. "The smell of
medicine, sick people surrounding you…"
AJ laughed. "You're turning me on!"
Stephanie reached over and swatted him.
"Okay, let's just hear the plan." Kate said, restraining her
boyfriend.
Melissa held up a few sheets of paper. "This is the music to
the song Kevin wrote."
"This is a poem that Carrie wrote." Angie said pulling out the
paper from her pocket. "We all know that Kevin has been trying to
find the perfect lyrics to that song. Melissa was putting them
together earlier and I swear this poem and the music were made for
each other."
"Let's hear it." Howie said.
Melissa dashed to the piano. "Here it goes…Carrie called her
poem 'More than That'."
She and Angie began to sign it to the tune Kevin had written.
"I don't believe it." Brian said when they were finished. "It
really fits."
"I t sounds like Carrie is talking to Kevin." Stephanie
sighed. She gave AJ a look. "Now that is romantic."
"And that is just the first part." Angie grinned again.
"Melissa, Kendra, Jessica, and I were thinking…"
*****
"Thanks for going out the store and getting some chocolate. I
don' understand why they try to keep feeding me broth. It takes like
hot water." Carrie said as she bit into the bar. "I needed this."
Kevin grinned as he sat in the chair next to the bed.
"Anything for you…"
Carrie blushed before looking away. What is about Kevin that
made her feel all tingly inside? In fact the other day she came this
close to telling him exactly how she felt, but wrote it into a poem
instead. She was afraid of rejection. She didn't think she could
handle it.
"Do you want to watch some TV?" Kevin asked, noting the
silence. He was glad that he volunteered to stay. When he heard that
she was in the hospital he could have sworn that his heart had jumped
into his throat.
"You know what, I am kinda tired." She looked at her watch.
It was 10:00 p.m. "Let's look at it this way. The sooner we go to
bed, the sooner I can get out of here."
Kevin laughed at her logic. "Okay, I'll go dim the lights."
He got up from the chair and turned the lights off. He looked over at
Carrie; barely making her out in the light that was cast from the
hall. She was sound asleep, already. "Sweet dreams…" He murmured as
he crawled onto the cot.
*****
Everyone was breaking up to get some sleep. That had spent
the last hour, planning the perfect present for both Carrie and Kevin.
Melissa was putting together the poem and the music and to anyone,
who was listening, it was turning out beautiful. She had turned the
middle verse Carrie had written into the Chorus.
Brian took Stephanie hand and led her down the hall. Once
they were safe in the room, he practically screamed. "I wanted so
badly to tell everyone that we are engaged."
"I know!" Stephanie cried. "I was talking with Jessica
earlier and I was this close to saying it."
"The day after tomorrow." Brian said. "Everyone will know
then."
"If one of us doesn't spill the beans first." Stephanie said,
crawling into her bed. She watched Brian crawl into his. "Good
night, future hubby."
"Good night my future wife." Brian said.
*****
"Did someone call for a taxi?" Nick asked as he stuck his head
in Carrie's room the following morning. "Wow! You look a lot less
green!"
Carrie groaned. "I actually looked green." She said, standing
up off the bed. "It was all that medication they gave me through the
IV. I feel a lot better."
"Where is Kevin?" Nick asked, as he placed the bag he brought
on the bed. "It's change of clothes."
"He went to get my prescription medication." She eyed the
bag. "Did you pick them out?" Carrie teased. "Have fun rooting
through the underwear draw?"
"Jen got them." Nick said, turning red.
Carrie grinned. "Yep, I am definitely feeling better." She
scooped up the bag and went into the bathroom. "Where is everyone
else?" She asked as she was getting changed.
"They are lobbying for your release papers." Nick answered.
"The Doctor who was monitoring you is in with another patient and the
nurse says she has to get his okay before you can sign the release
papers. They think if everyone rushes the nurse at once then she'll
hand them over.
"This is like a jail." Carrie cried, stepping out into room
again. "Much better."
Nick picked up another bag. "Here…hats, mittens, scarf…Bundle
up, it's cold and I don't think that anyone wants you to pass out
again or get sick."
Carrie geared up. "Do I look as stupid as I feel?"
Kevin walked back in the room. "WHOA! What did you do with
Carrie?"
"So funny." Carrie said. "The rest better hurry up because I
feel like I am cooking here!"
*****
Kendra held open the door for Carrie. "Glad to have you
back."
"Glad to be back." Carrie commented as she began to peel off
the extra layer of clothing everyone insisted she wear.
Brian went a head of her and put another log on the fire.
"The doctor said that you are supposed to get lots of rest and not to
be on your feet to much."
Howie led her to the couch and sat her down. "Since most of us
will be out here, we figured we'd make you a bed on the couch."
"I am fine!" Carrie protested. "I want to go outside…"
"NO!" Everyone shouted.
"I'll be good." Carrie whispered practically jumping under the
covers of the makeshift bed on the couch.
"That's right!" Kevin said. He handed her a glass of water,
and a pill.
Carrie screwed her face up at the sight but didn't protest.
Kevin then sat down next to her on the chair.
*****
The afternoon had gone by quickly.
"How are we supposed to get Kevin away from her long enough to
tell her about the gift we got for Kevin from her?" Angie asked,
looking across the room. Kevin was sitting in the chair, talking
quietly to Carrie.
"I have an idea." Melissa whispered back. "Hey! Kevin, why
don't we go downstairs and wrap the present you got the other day?"
Kevin looked confused. "Wrap it?"
"Get moving!" Melissa cried, frustrated.
Once Kevin was gone, Angie sat down next to Carrie.
"I have been waiting forever to talk to you." Carrie said,
sitting up a little. "You said that you took care of Kevin's present.
What is it?"
Angie held up her poem. "Here me out."
Carrie grabbed it. "HEY!"
"Oh come on, everyone here knows exactly how you feel about
him." Angie rolled her eyes. "It didn't take that poem to let us
know."
Carrie opened her, but quickly shut it. "Am I that obvious?"
She said after falling silent for a moment.
Angie shrugged. "Anyway, I swear to you, that it really works
with that music that Kevin wrote. He just can't think of the lyrics.
Trust me, it sounds perfect."
"But…"
"You'll here it tomorrow." Angie promised. "Melissa worked
real hard. She turned it into a real song. She wrote out the music.
Brian and her are going to sing it tomorrow morning. It's perfect."
"I trust you." Carrie sighed. "I know I need to tell him how
I feel, and I guess this is perfect way to do it."
Angie leaned over and gave her friend a quick hug.
"Everything will be great." She whispered. Because, he is in love
with you too, she added in her thoughts.
*****
Brian closed the Bible. He had just finished reading the
Christmas story to everyone. He looked at the clock. It was 11:43
p.m. "I think we call it a night so we can get up nice and early
tomorrow to open the presents."
"Good idea." Kate yawned. She was tired anyway. The group had
been playing charades and pictionary since after supper and she was
worn out.
Everyone looked at the couch. Carrie was fast asleep.
"I guess we can leave her there." Jen commented.
"It wouldn't hurt." Kevin added.
"Maybe she will see Santa." Jessica joked.
"Go, go, go!" Howie began to usher everyone. "May everyone
have visions of sugar plums or whatever as we sleep and then wake to
a…Merry Christmas!"
End of Chapter 6
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