Rebecca Winters - Daddy's Christmas Miracle

“She knows almost as much about football as a guy. She says her dad lives for the NFL games.” Was that a fact. “She likes college football better, though. The Utes are her favorite team.”

“Well, they would be, wouldn’t they? Coming from Utah?” He headed for the kitchen. Matt followed.

“Yeah, except she says a lot of people like the BYU. They hate each other, especially because the Utes made the BCS twice. Her dad took her to the game they won against Alabama. Isn’t that cool? She said her favorite player was Paul Kruger. He went to the NFL and plays for the Jets.”

Colt couldn’t remember the last time he’d heard his son this chatty. They found Noreen. “We’re going to eat upstairs with Allie.” He pulled three plates from the cupboard.

“What about Katy?”

“She’ll come down for something later,” Matt explained before Colt could get a word in edgewise. “She’s got work to do.”

“What kind of work?”

“I don’t know. She helps people.”

Noreen was waiting for a more substantial answer. Colt started serving up the enchiladas. “Ms. McFarland works for the patient advocacy program at the hospital in Salt Lake.”

“Imagine them flying her here with Allie. It’s a huge expense.”

Matt got some sodas out of the fridge. “She says she’s a specialty nurse, kind of like some people have their own sports trainer.”

Colt had trouble believing any of this had happened. “Have we got everything?”

“Yup. Let’s go. I’m starving!”

“Thanks, Noreen,” Colt murmured. “This looks delicious. Isn’t Ed eating?”

“He’ll be here in a minute. Let’s hope Allie’s hungry.”

Colt put everything on a tray. Matt brought the drinks and they left the kitchen. At the top of the stairs he saw light beneath the closed door of the guest bedroom. He had to give Katy full marks for doing her job and being unobtrusive.

When he walked in Allie’s room, she was sitting up in bed with the light on waiting for them. “Hi, honey. How are you feeling?”

“Good.”

“Ready for dinner?”

Allie nodded as the two of them proceeded to wait on her. Finally they pulled up chairs and everyone started to eat. Colt was glad to see Allie finish off one of her enchiladas and dig into her salad. She was definitely getting better.

“Dad? While Katy’s not in here, I want to ask you something.”

“Go ahead.”

“Thanksgiving’s only four days away. Would it be all right if I asked her to stay with us until the weekend?”

He stopped chewing. His daughter didn’t really just ask him that.

“Yeah, Dad,” Matt chimed in. “In case I get sick she’ll be here to take care of me. Besides, it’ll take that long for us to finish the puzzle.”

Putting down his fork before he made mincemeat of the rest of his enchilada, he said, “I’m afraid not, honey. Have you forgotten your uncle Bob and aunt Sherry have invited us to go to Butte for Thanksgiving? Your cousins are looking forward to it.”

“They won’t care if Katy comes. Aunt Sherry would really like her and she always has company stay over.”

“Not this time. We have to think of Ms. McFarland, who’s on loan from the hospital. No doubt she’s in her room right now making plans for her next case. We can’t expect to take advantage of her services like that, not after what she’s done to help you.”

His daughter’s face fell. “I don’t think I can eat any more.”

Colt groaned. His daughter could manipulate when she wanted to, but this was going too far. He refused to fall for it. “That’s all right. Tomorrow you’ll probably be able to move around and work up more of an appetite.”

In the silence that followed, he noticed his son had stopped chirping away. He’d chosen sides and had moved to Allie’s corner. Colt continued to finish his meal. Nip it in the bud. That motto had served him well in the past.

His gaze flicked to Matt’s plate. “Aren’t you going to eat your apple pie?”

“Maybe later.”

“Then I’ll eat it now so we don’t disappoint Noreen.” So saying, he finished it off. While his children eyed him soulfully, he got up and put all the plates on the tray. “I’ll be back in a few minutes.”

“Thanks for manning the desk for me, Donna. If my patient is better tomorrow, I’ll fly to Salt Lake tomorrow evening and be at work Monday morning to give you a break. I know you want to get ready for Thanksgiving.”

“That would great. If I can get all the shopping done Monday, then I’ll cook a little at a time until the big day.”

“How many are you having for dinner?”

“Twenty. Todd’s brother and his wife and children are coming. What about you?”

“We’re all getting together at Mom and Dad’s.” Thanksgiving at the McFarlands’ was sacrosanct, not only for her family but for Kathryn. Until she’d been found, Thanksgiving and Christmas had been the most dreaded times of life to get through.

“I bet your family still can’t believe you’re home with them.”

“Sometimes I can’t, either.”

“Not to change the subject, but you did ask. Another AMBER Alert has gone out. This time on a seven-year-old girl in Sandy named Whitney.”

Kathryn’s eyes closed tightly. She felt as if she’d been kicked in the stomach. “When?”

“About two hours ago. She got separated from her mother at a toy store in the South Towne Mall. It was packed with preseason shoppers. The woman’s in agony.”

Whitney would be in worse condition if she wasn’t dead already. “Did you contact my mom?”

“Yes. She’s already on it.”

That was probably why her mother hadn’t picked up earlier. “I wish I were there to help.” But Allie had needed help, too. She still did, but not the kind Kathryn could provide.

The teen had serious issues only her father could work on with her once she found the courage to talk to him.

“You’re just like your sister before she met Jake. She always wished she could be in ten places at once.”

“She’s still like that inside, but being a wife and mother has changed her life.” Donna had started working for Maggie at the Foundation ten years ago and continued to be a good family friend, as well as an invaluable assistant, to Kathryn. “Keep me posted, will you?”

“When I hear anything new, I’ll call you. Bye for now.”

Kathryn hung up. If the little girl wasn’t found, it could mean days, months, even years of unrelieved suffering. But she needed to set that care aside while she dealt with Allie.

When Kathryn entered the bedroom, the teen was curled up on her side toward the window. Her shoulders were shaking beneath the covers. “Allie?”

She turned over. Kathryn could tell she was crying and rushed over to her. “Are you feeling worse?”

“No.”

“Then what’s wrong?”

“Everything.”

Kathryn sank down on the side of the bed next to her, smoothing Allie’s hair off her forehead. “Did you eat dinner?”

“Half of it.” Half was better than nothing. “Katy? What are you doing for Thanksgiving?”

Where had that question come from? “I’m going to be with my family. What about you?”

“We’re going to our aunt and uncle’s in Butte to be with our cousins.”

“That sounds fun.”

Allie sat up in bed, wiping her eyes. “So you don’t have to work?” Another question that had completely ignored Kathryn’s comment.

“No.”

“Then you could go with us, right? Dad said you’d be working with another patient so we couldn’t ask you.”

Her father had told Allie what any parent would have said in response, but in Colt Brenner’s case there was much more to it than that. “What he meant was, I’d be busy with my work even if I stopped to have dinner with my family, and he’d be right.”