“Hey, Elise. I got you a present…” I shuffled around nervously in my chair. This could be a very… important Christmas for us.
Elise turned her head slowly, trying to find a comfortable position to sit up, but hospital beds were never very convenient.
”Here, let me help you,” I said, reaching out. But she swatted my arms away and continued struggling for the next five minutes. I couldn’t help but chuckle—Elise had always been headstrong and independent. And stubborn. Even in the hardest times.
When she finally sat up, she turned to me and stared expectantly.
“Alright, alright,” I sighed, as I moved a few boxes around on the floor. “Here you go.”
She stared at the large cloth box I had placed on her lap. “What is it?” she breathed out.
I laughed. “Open it and see.”
I watched as she reached her bony fingers out to push the lid off. Well, actually, her push turned out to be more of a… tap.
”Here,” I offered, reaching out to help her. But alas, she waved me off again.
”Let me help, just this once. Please?” She glared at me, but eventually gave up and let me remove the lid.
When I did, however, she let out a small gasp. Normally, this wouldn’t be a problem, but seeing as the situation we were in, the air got caught in her throat, and sent her into a coughing fit.
”Elise! Are you alright?” I cawed. Frantically I ran to the side table to grab a bottle of water that was laid there, and rushed to her bedside. “Here, tilt your head back,” I instructed. I gently held her chin and put the bottle up to her lips. “It’s alright.”
She rested her head for a minute, before seeming to remember what had caused her little outburst, and jerked up slightly to stare inside the box that I had sat aside.
”Let me… see…” she rasped.
Oh, right. I had almost forgot about that.
I lifted her gift out of the box and held it out to her. A small, black puppy, with a little red collar shaped like a bow. She held her arm out, motioning for me to let her pet it.
”He doesn’t have a name yet, so you can name it whatever you want.” I was beaming. This definitely wasn’t the ideal Christmas situation. But I refused to let the what if’s of these times ruin this for us. I refuse to let go.
Elise shook her head. “I don’t want… to name it…” she coughed out. I frowned slightly before she started talking again. “I want… us… to name it.”
I couldn’t help but let a fond smile creep across my face.
”Well… okay. How ‘bout we name him after a god, since you love Greek mythology.”
She thought about the suggestion before answering again. “No, not a god… maybe a… a he—“ she gasped for breath.
”Hey, hey… take your time, alright?”
”A hero,” she forced out after her little fit had finished.
He nodded a few times. “What about… Achilles? You talk about him, like, all the time.”
She laughed—or at least, tried to laugh—and smiled. “I love it.”
We both sat there in silence for a while, just smiling at each other, and taking turns petting Achilles.
”Merry… Christmas…” she whispered.
I smiled. “Merry Christmas.”
We had spent the rest of the day watching Christmas movies and playing with the new addition to our family, until we both fell asleep.
When I woke up, Achilles was curled up next to Elise, while she gently stroked his head.
”You’re already awake,” I mumbled.
She smiled in return. I wouldn’t have minded just sitting there for forever, but the doctor rushed into the room, carrying some important looking manila folders.
That made me nervous. I didn’t think we had anything scheduled for today that the doctor himself would have to come in for.
”Is everything alright?” I asked.
”Oh yes, I just have some news.”
We both stared at him, waiting, bracing ourselves for the worse.
It seemed like an eternity, but he finally answered.
”The treatment’s working.”
“That’s amazing!” I yelled, jumping up from my chair.
The man nodded. “You should be good to go in a few months,” he said as he turned to Elise.
Normally, the thought of several more months in a hospital would have made both of us disappointed, but this… this was a Christmas miracle! What’s a few more months in the hospital if she would be okay?
After the doctor left, I bent my arms down around Elise gingerly, not wanting to hurt her. But I just had to hug her.
”You’re gonna be alright,” I cried, still clinging onto her. I felt her nod into my shoulder.
”We’re gonna be alright.”
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After a while, I decided to leave and go to the store to stock up on food and snacks.
I walked briskly through the sterile halls. I never liked hospitals, but today it didn’t matter.
When I reached the lobby and looked outside, I was surprised to see it snowing. Oh, Elise will love this, I thought.
The snow crunched beneath my feet. That was a sound I hadn’t heard in a while. I forgot how much I loved it.
I stopped underneath the veranda, and just thought about everything that had happened.
They told us Elise would die. That the treatment would almost certainly not work.
It really was a miracle.
Everything was going to be okay. I just knew it.
I went to grab my car keys from my pocket, but my phone vibrated, so I grabbed that instead.
It was a message from my mom. And speaking of my mom! I had to tell her the news!
I looked down, dialing her number as I started to walk to my car.
I nodded to myself. Everything would be okay…
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And then it stopped. I felt the hard impact on my body. I heard the beep on my phone as my mom picked up. And then… nothing.
I hadn’t even seen the headlights coming.
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