A Christmas Miracle

Chapter Five

As Edward struggled to open his eyes, he could make out the roar of a fire and the logs which made up the walls. Where was he? Turning his head, he saw an old man sitting in a chair by the bed reading a book.

"Hi," Edward said, his voice gravelly and sore.

"Well, look who finally decided to wake," the man said with a smile and put his book down.

"Where am I?" Edward asked.

"My home on the northern edge of Great Bear Lake."

"Great Bear Lake?" Edward questioned, not knowing where that was.

"Northern Canada," the man replied.

"What happened?" Edward asked.

"You don't remember?"

"No," Edward said. As he tried to remember, his head began to pound.

"I found you about a hundred yards away from a plane crash. Lucky I was out hunting or you would have frozen to death or worse, been eaten by a wild animal. I'm Frost. Who might you be?"

Edward went to answer, but stopped. Who was he? What was his name? Why was he on a plane wherever this may be?

Frost saw the confusion on the young man's face. "Don't force it my boy. You have just lived through a traumatic experience, and it will take you a while to get back to normal. My home is open to you to stay as long as you need."

"How long have I been out?" Edward asked, as his mind worked hard on trying to remember anything.

"Three days. I have been dropping water and broth down your throat so you wouldn't be so weak when you woke up. I checked you over and other than a knot on your head and some cuts, you seem to be in good shape. I kept a close eye on any weird bruising and your breath sounds were good. It was truly a miracle you survived," Frost explained.

Edward was grateful to be alive, but wondered if there were others. "Thank you for saving me, but did you find others?"

Frost shook his head. "I didn't find any bodies, just a trail of red snow. I figure a bear or wolf got them."

"Oh," Edward said, upset he didn't know who or how many there were on the plane.

"Let me get you some soup and if you keep that down, a little later I will fix you something more hearty," Frost explained. He got up and walked over to the stove and took off the lid of the pot he had on it. Ladling up a bowl, he brought it back over to the bed and sat it down. "Would you like to sit up?"

"Yeah," Edward replied. As he tried, he realized just how weak he was. "I think I need a hand."

Frost bent over and gently pulled Edward up so he was leaning on the pillow on the headboard. He then placed a tray on Edward's lap and put the bowl of soup on it. "You start this and I will get you something to drink."

Edward's shaky hand picked up the spoon and ate. It tasted so good and the warm liquid soothed his achy throat. Frost returned with a steaming cup of tea and sat it on the tray. "Drink up. It is my special healing brew," Frost advised.

Laying down his spoon, Edward picked up the steamy cup and took a tentative sip. The hot tea tasted fantastic, and he felt his body become regenerated. He didn't know what Frost had put in it, but he could make a billion dollars for the recipe. "Wow, this is great."

"Thank you. I have been drinking it for a long time."

After Edward finished his tea and soup, Frost helped him lie back down on the bed. Minutes later, he was back to sleep with dreams of a baby girl with reddish brown hair and green eyes. When he woke up next, he felt a little better, but still really weak. Just like before, Frost was sitting by the bed, reading. "Do you ever sleep?"