Page 77 of One Golden Ring
J.B. is blinking away tears, so I go to her while Derek greets the surgeon.
After they talk, he comes over to share the wonderful news. The surgery went very well, much better than planned, and Michael is recovering now. There are still some risks post-surgery, and he’ll continue to have follow-ups, but his prognosis now is so different from before that it doesn’t even compare.
“He’s going to be okay,” J.B. cries out happily.
Derek’s eyes find mine and I give him a slight nod. He should go with his instinct, which I know is to be truthful with his daughter.
“No one can tell the future,” he tells her carefully. “But he’ll be spending Christmas with us, and the surgery was a success. We should all be very happy and grateful today.”
Michael comes backto the penthouse in high spirits. He’s got some recovering to do, but he already seems like a new man to me. We’re planning on spending theholidays in the city, but I can already tell that Michael is feeling a little cooped up and he keeps mentioning his friends back at the lodge.
When Dr. Nasar stops by personally to do a follow-up on Christmas Eve morning he’s happy with how Michael is doing. Derek puts him on the phone with Old Doc Waterson back in Angel Mountain.
The two of them talk for a while, and Dr. Nasar is chuckling when he hands the phone back to Derek.
“Fine,” he says to Michael. “You win. You can go home. But you have to promise to take it easy and your old friend Dr. Waterson will be stopping by to check on you every day. Do we have a deal?”
Michael’s eyes are shining as he shakes the good doctor’s hand.
“Thank you,” he tells him, his voice breaking. “Thank you for everything.”
“If I’m ever in the mountains I’ll look you up,” Dr. Nasar tells him, smiling. “We can go snowboarding.”
That makes Michael laugh and I think all of us feel a sense that things are going to be just fine. I don’t think I’ve ever seen a real Christmas miracle before, but I think this definitely qualifies.
We pack quicklyand manage to make it back to Angel Mountain that night. Derek drives as slowly as if he were transporting a carload of wedding cakes, and Michael teases him about it mercilessly, but he never once speeds up.
By the time we get Michael settled at the lodge I’m pretty sure it’s too late for anyone to be up.
We’re all surprised and moved when the employees who live in staff housing come tiptoeing in wearing their pajamas to greet him and wish us all a Merry Christmas.
“Best present I could ever have,” he tells each of them as he shakes hands and winks. “Coming home like this.”
I can see that he’s tired, but also truly happy.
Derek stays with him in a cot that Margo has brought in, and J.B. and I head back to the cabin for the night.
“It’s weird to be here without Dad,” she tells me as we settle in.
“I know,” I say. “Should we eatallthe snacks?”
She laughs her head off at first, but then agrees in a very serious way, like it’s our duty. We make popcorn and put peanut M&Ms in it and she’s right—it’ssogood.
We decide on a snack fest and movie marathon, but then we both fall asleep on the sofa withWhile You Were Sleepingplaying on the little TV.
I wakeup the next morning to the sound of someone walking around in the living room.
“Merry Christmas,” Derek whispers.
He looks so handsome in the morning light, back in a flannel and jeans like it’s his Angel Mountain uniform. My heart throbs helplessly at the sight of him.
“Merry Christmas,” I whisper back.
“You guys didn’t even make it to bed,” he says, his eyesflickering to J.B. who is still curled up beside me with her head in my lap and a fuzzy blanket over her.
“We wanted to watch a movie and have a snack,” I tell him, feeling a little guilty.
“She needs more nights like that,” he says, coming over to me.
