October 31st, 2020 - 10 pm
HALLOWEEN
Too soon the holidays were upon them and she couldn't have been happier. It was finally a time when they could forget about all the pain and suffering the world had gone through. Halloween had always been her favorite holiday. At the hospital, the children patients that weren't very mobile sat outside their rooms with empty bowls and the nurses would walk around dropping candy in the bowl every time they walked passed. The smiles it brought to their faces warmed her heart and she always made it her goal to walk past the kids at least five or six times when she was on shift. At home, they never got any kids trick or treating because they were too close to the coast so she would stop at the store and get a bunch of candy that they would eat while watching scary movies. She hated scary movies but Halloween was the one time of year that she would let George and Billy scare her with them. This time though they had Raleigh's help and she had no clue the surprise she was in for when she got home from work.
The weather had started to cool off as they got further and further into fall. She was bundled up to keep the cold from hitting her too hard. Though she was still in her scrubs she had changed out of her white Keds and into her Timberlands and her jacket was zipped up with a scarf peeking out at the collar. Her braid had long since become a mess with hair falling out everywhere and pieces whipping in her face when she stepped out of her truck.
Looking at the house she couldn't see any lights on in the house and the hair on her arms stood on end. She knew they were home because the other truck was still there but she knew they were probably hiding in an attempt to scare her. She approached the house carefully. The anticipation was killing her and she was dreading stepping through the door. Reluctantly she slipped her key into the door, unlocked it, and pushed it open. She stayed on the porch in case they had planned to jump out the second she stepped through the door. But she knew better. Raleigh was smarter than that. With any luck, she would end up screaming and then crying and laughing in embarrassment. She huffed, just wanting to get it over with. She walked into the house and began her usual process of unbundling and putting her things in their proper place.
"I'm home!" She yelled into the house. She paused and waited for a response. Nothing. Absolute silence. She flipped the lights on and prepared for one of them to jump out. Instead, she found her house completely decked out with old Halloween decorations. Most of it was stuff she remembered from when her parents had brought her up here once to visit George. She couldn't help but smile, despite the creepy feeling the stupid decorations gave her.
She continued her way up the stairs and to her room. All the way up the stairs the boys had stretched and strung spiderwebs making it look like a tunnel. As she walked through it she could feel random pieces touching her and it gave her goosebumps. At the top of the stairs, she looked both ways and sighed. So far so good. She thought to herself. She entered her room as she always did, more focused on the door and where she was stepping than what was in front of her. She scratched the back of her neck, letting out a deep breath and made her way over to her closet.
"RAAARHH!" The sudden loud noise caused her to shriek and jump backward from her closet. Her hand had been hovering above the door handle when Raleigh had jumped out yelling at her. He was covered in fake blood and he looked like an almost zombie.
"Raleigh..." She whined, a hand over her heart and she sat down on the bed to catch her breath. He had his hands on his knees to keep himself from falling over with laughter. She just sat there and crossed her arms, glaring at him. A full ten minutes passed before he was able to speak and she was pretty sure she was still bright red.
"That was priceless." He breathed out, sitting on the bed beside her. She fixed him with a stern glare but she was having a hard time keeping it up with the look he was giving her in return. He had a twinkle in his eye she hadn't seen before and it made her heart melt.
"You're such an asshat." She whined, giving in and leaning her head on his shoulder so she didn't have to look him in the eye. He chuckled and put his arm around her shoulders.
"I'm so glad they helped me plan that." He laughed and she just groaned, hiding her face in his neck. His smell overwhelmed her and she was thankful for the previous embarrassment because it gave her an excuse for the heavy blush on her cheeks. The next thing she knew his lips were pressing up against the crown of her head and it took everything in her not to tense up from the sudden affection. Over the past months, he had slowly been becoming more affectionate towards her. She only prayed it was because he cared for her the way she did for him and not because he wanted something from her.
"Come on. George and Billy will have heard your girly shriek and started on dinner." Raleigh said, standing up and putting his hands out for her.
"You're still an asshole." She grumbled as she accepted the help and allowed him to lead her downstairs and into the kitchen where George was at the stove cooking spaghetti. A content sigh left her lips and her mouth watered at the smell of the food. It had been a long time since she had had spaghetti because of the rationing of the ports.
They spent the rest of the night telling scary stories in front of the fire and eventually they transitioned to watching movies, her and Raleigh curled up on a layer of blankets on the floor in front of the TV. She didn't know if Raleigh had heard the camera that went off behind them but she ignored it, despite the way it made her blush. They fell asleep that night with her laying on his chest. George took one last picture of the two as they slept and when the polaroid had printed he put it in their room on their bed for them to see in the morning.
November 26th, 2020 - 2 pm
THANKSGIVING
The holidays seemed to be rushing upon them and on Thanksgiving, she found herself in the kitchen that morning trying to figure out what she was supposed to do for dinner. Due to rations, there was only so much she could do for a big meal. It's not like they had turkey running around in Alaska that she could go shoot and serve up. She had the entire day off so she had plenty of time to figure it out and get cooking, but she was having a terrible "cooking block".
"Raleigh! I don't know what to make!!" She whined as he walked into the kitchen, headed straight for the coffee machine.
"For what?" He asked, rubbing the back of his neck as he leaned against the counter, a cup of coffee in his hand.
"Thanksgiving." She deadpanned.
"That's today?" He asked, raising an eyebrow.
"No, Raleigh it's Christmas." She said flatly, giving him the most boring look she could. "Yes, it's Thanksgiving you dip!" She threw her hands up in exasperation and turned back to the fridge.
"Ooo, somebody's got the sass turned up on high today." He shot back at her. She glared at him over her shoulder.
"Oh hush it." She grumbled back.
"My family used to do soup, bread, and salad. Mom and dad hated turkey." Raleigh suggested. She paused what she was doing to look at him. He rarely talked about his family and when he did she would usually ask him about it. But there was something about the look in his eyes this time. There wasn't a deep sorrow instead there was a small smile on his face. He looked happy.
"Sounds like a great idea." She said, opening up the fridge to check is she had what she needed. Luckily she had the right ingredients for the soup and salad but the bread on the other hand was a different story. It was hard to come by in Alaska these days because it was so loved by the world population.
That night they sat around the fire with their plates of food waiting for her before they would start. She had managed to find a bottle of wine in one of the stores that week and she had nearly forgotten about it. She came back into the room with the bottle in one hand and three glass in the other. George and Raleigh smiled at her.
"Now this night is perfect." She laughed as she sat down between Raleigh and Billy. "Before we begin I want each one of us to take around and say something that they are thankful for." She announced, pouring the glasses. She looked at Billy signaling for him to start.
"Well....I'm grateful for George for taking me into his home when he found me on the streets. I don't think I would still be here if it weren't for him. And I'm grateful for you, Ana for bringing some light into this house with everything you do for us." Billy said. She smiled at him and leaned over to give him a hug.
"I'm grateful for the two wonderful kids I've seen grow over the past years. You've both grown so much since I took you in and I'm thankful that it was me to find you instead of some social workers." George spoke fondly. "After Andrew and Maria died in the first wave I didn't want to live. They were my life. But you two kids have filled that hole in my world and have given me a purpose for living again. I don't know where I would be without you kids." George's words brought tears to her eyes and she put her plate aside to give him a hug. They embraced for a while before she pulled away. "I am also grateful for you Raleigh. I haven't seen her smile like that since she came here. You gave her a purpose again and seeing her smile every day has been a joy." In the dim light, she could see the slight blush on Raleigh's cheeks as he accepted George's words.
"My turn huh?" Raleigh rubbed the back of his neck and she smiled. He did that when he was thinking about what to say. "Well....where to start? I'm thankful to be alive. I don't think I would be if it weren't for you. The three of you saved my life. In more ways than one. George, I'm grateful for allowing me to stay and become apart of your family, something I haven't had since I began my training as a pilot. Billy you've been fun to wrestle with, it's been like having a little brother that I never had, and in a way, you remind me of my tomboy sister Jazmine." Billy's face scrunched up and the misfit family chuckled. Then Raleigh turned his entire body to face her. Their eyes locked and she couldn't help but blush under his intense gaze. "Ana, where do I begin with you? You have been an anchor for me these past months. You stitched me up when you found me, held me when I broke, and at night when I had nightmares. You're turning into quite the sparring partner too. When Yancy died, I was still connected. I can still feel it..." He had to pause to compose himself and she reached forward and took his hand in hers to give him strength. "For the first month, I was afraid to let you in. I knew you were there and that you would patiently wait for when I was ready, but I didn't want to open up. After having him in my head for so long it was hard to imagine building that kind of connection with someone again. But you reassured me time and time again that I was going to be okay, so much so that I believed you and look at us now. I guess what I'm trying to say is I'm ever so grateful for the friendship, support, and comfort you have given me." She didn't know she was crying until he reached up and wiped the tears from her cheeks. She laughed at herself before she leaned forward and pulled him into a hug. After a while, she pulled away and wiped her face again.
"Dinner is getting cold. Let's eat." She mumbled.
"But you haven't said anything," Billy exclaimed stopping everyone.
"That's because you guys stole all of my words." She said, kissing the top of his head and missed the look that the two men shared. They said nothing but they knew that she had a lot more to say than any of them but she was choosing not to because they knew she was grateful for everything. They ate in comfortable silence and when they went to bed that night Raleigh said nothing when she cried herself to sleep beside him, he just held her until she drifted off into sleep.
December 25th, 2020 - 8 am
CHRISTMAS
COMING SOON