Page 66 of The Sound of Sleighbells

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In the cafeteria, the girls ordered hot dogs with mac and cheese and took their time eating. By the time they’d finished, Judd was getting anxious. He was guiding them back toward the ER when they passed the gift shop. Janeen begged to go inside. “Please. Just for a few minutes, just to look.”

How could he refuse? They’d missed the parade, and they’d had a frightening day that could get worse. Judd worried about Ruth and Skip while the girls looked at the toys, flowers, candy, and books. But he drew the line at buying them the teddy bears they wanted. Something told him that Ruth wouldn’t approve.

They returned to the ER waiting room to find that Ruth had gone. He got Skip’s room number from the nurse. “If you’re going to take those children up there, you’ll have to keep them quiet,” she said.

Judd thanked her and hurried the girls to the elevator. “Not a peep out of you in the hall, and only whispers in the room,” he warned them. “Promise me, or you can’t be with your mom and brother.”

“We promise.” They gripped his hands in the elevator, awed by the unaccustomed sounds and sensations. Judd felt strangely comforted by the clasp of those small, trusting hands. They quieted his own fears. What would he find when he walked into his son’s room? Would Skip still be asleep—or awake and impaired? Would the doctor have more news—maybe bad news?

They walked down the hall, following the room numbers. Door number eleven was ajar. Taking a deep breath, Judd nudged it open and walked into the room.

Skip was propped up in the hospital bed. His head was wrapped in a white bandage. A saline drip was attached to his left arm. His eyes were open. He was smiling.

“Hello, Dad,” he said.

Judd felt his swollen heart crack open, releasing emotion through his body. He found his voice. “When did you know?”

“Mom just told me. But I’d already figured it out. I’ve known for a long time. You can hug me if you want to—carefully.”

Judd’s eyes were wet as he embraced his son.

The girls had run to their mother. “He’s not out of the woods yet,” Ruth said. “He’s got some pain, and he’ll be having a CT scan in the morning. Based on what they see, they may be keeping him here a little longer. The doctor says he’ll need a lot of rest, but he should make a full recovery.”

“So, guess how I’ll be spending my Christmas break?” Skip said. “Talk about rotten luck!”

He laughed. The others laughed with him. Ruth’s gaze met Judd’s. The love in her eyes told him they were already a family.

Epilogue

Christmas, that same year

A fresh storm, two days before Christmas, had blanketed the fields and back roads with thick snow that was perfect for sleigh riding. It was Maggie who’d come up with the idea of hitching up the sleigh again for a Christmas party. “After all that work, we deserve some fun,” she’d argued. “Why use the sleigh for just the parade?”

The idea caught on with everyone who’d helped make the Santa sleigh a success. Late in the day, their friends gathered at Abner’s, bringing leftover food for a potluck buffet. At twilight, the sleigh, driven by Judd, pulled up to the house. It was packed with warm quilts and cushions, the horses as splendid as ever in their new harness, draped with jingling bells.

“Who wants the first ride?” Judd called out.

“Not me,” Abner said. “My back’s doing better, but I got my ride as Santa. I think the three who made the harness—Skip, Trevor, and Maggie—should go first!”

Everyone clapped in agreement as Trevor and Maggie helped Skip onto the passenger bench and cushioned him in quilts before they took their places. Skip was healing, but he still needed to rest and be careful.

Judd slapped the reins on the horses, and the sleigh flew off through the snow. The back road circled around the fields and down the lane to Abner’s again for a distance of about a mile—far enough on a chilly night.

Cooper and Jess went next, followed by Mayor Sam and Grace. Judd was getting cold, but it was exhilarating, flying along with the horses prancing and the bells jingling. He couldn’t remember when he’d had such a good time.

Buck and Wynette had been invited, but they were at a family party. Driving the team, Judd recalled the news he’d gotten from Buck a few days ago. Digger was back behind bars. A highway patrolman had noticed his bike weaving all over the road. Assuming he was drunk, the officer had stopped him, only to discover that he was deathly ill from the bite of a spider—probably a black widow—on his finger. A bag of cocaine was stuffed inside his jacket. A stay in the hospital had saved his life before he was returned to prison for a parole violation. Charges of assault and drug trafficking were pending.

Had saving Digger’s life on that long ago night been worth the cost? That was a question Judd would never be able to answer.

“Who else wants a ride?” he called out.

“We do!” Tammy and Janeen were dancing up and down. “And we want to take Butch!”

Ruth, who was standing beside them, shot him a questioning glance. “Will they be all right? I could go instead of the dog.”

“They’ll be fine. I’ll go slow,” Judd said. “Besides, lady, I’m saving you for last.”

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