Love In Twenty And Five

DAY NINE

Mike watched Grace intently as she placed the chocolate in her mouth and closed her eyes, a smile settling on her face.

“So?”

She held up a hand, silencing him.

Smiling as well, he shook his head and took a bite of his sandwich.

“Oh. My. God!” she finally groaned, digging into the box once more and unwrapping another chocolate. “Amazing! How is it that I've never had this?!”

He shrugged. “It was Sarah's favorite. I went to the store and saw a box and immediately thought of you,” he lied; he went to the store, saw a box, and thought of Eden. The truth was, he laid awake all evening thinking of Eden that even alcohol failed to rid him of thoughts of her. Then, he went to the store the next morning and saw the chocolate and bought it in hopes of giving it to her. Yet, the second he got into the hospital, he was quickly reminded of her engagement to an asshole and changed his mind. It also didn’t help the situation that Grace was the first person he ran into that morning.

“Thanks, Mike.”

“You know, I'm Santa this year,” he said, hoping to steer his mind off of Eden by doing so with the conversation.

“You are?” she laughed. “I did not recognize you.”

“And I don't blame you.”

She leaned forward over the table, placing both her elbows on it. “So, what did Nate wish for?”

Mike shrugged. “Privileged info.”

“Oh, come on! I'm his mum!” She leaned back, slapping the table.

“And I'm Santa, the very image of an overweight dude with integrity. I gave Nate my word I wasn't going to tell and this guy unfortunately has to protect the good name of Santa. What will happen if word gets out that Santa’s a snitch?” The frown on her face forced a smile to his. “So, what's your wish for Christmas?”

“Do you promise to make it come true?”

“I am a toy maker, ma'am, I do not cure people.”

“I know you don't. But, there's this huge deal and you're the only one who can do it.”

He leaned forward, raising a brow. “Go on, you've got my attention.”

“Come to the grief meeting with me tomorrow,” she said and Mike immediately felt a frown settle on his face. Grace raised a finger and shook her head. “You are Santa, Mike, you're required to grant every single wish.” She leaned forward, until her lips were nearly touching his. “I'll see you tomorrow on the third floor?”

Mike didn't think he'd be back to the third floor so soon. He had learned to dread that place, but he promised, and it was the least he could do for a mother who couldn't wish for her child to get better because Santa was powerless to do anything.

~*~

Keeping a smile plastered to her face was proving to be a more difficult task than Eden could have imagined as she sat silently in a room full of people whose attention was held captive by the man seated beside her; Philip. It was a board meeting with the hospital, one where Philip was going over his plans to organize a Christmas party for the kids they were sure to love.

It would be a time for the parents to bond well with their kids without having to worry about their different illnesses, he argued. For some of those kids, it would be the best times of their lives for certainly because there was no doubt that some might not live past new year's eve —he said with a sad shake of his head. It would be perfect publicity for the hospital as well because it would bring in investors and lots of sympathy from the general public —he reasoned.