"Wow dinner looks lovely," I say trying to grab a taste.
"Not yet," Carol smacks my hand away from the table with a grin.
"How about you give me some sugar then," I lean in for a kiss and she meets me half way.
A strong thump to the chest forces me to take a deep breath. It burns as I breathe in and my eyes fly open. A group of paramedics stand over me with the shock pads saying something I can't understand. The snows falls on my face as my car burns in the background and people look on in confusion. My vision starts to blur again. I blink a few times to clear up the view.
"Tell me what Santa brought you," I ask my daughter.
She rips through the wrapping paper. I hated Christmas growing up but this is the kind of thing I live for now. Just seeing how happy she is. Gives me a reason to keep going to work in the morning knowing she'll have days like this. She twirls around with the new doll. I had to get it online and paid $30 more than what it was sold for in the stores. But I had to, it was the only thing on her Christmas list. She doesn't ask for a lot and I don't mind a sacrifice to make sure she gets it.
I must have fallen asleep, I try to get off the couch and I'm restricted by a bunch of cords and tubes. What is this? What are these things in my arms? Are these IVs? Am I in the hospital? What happened? This has to be some bad dream.
"Help, he's up," a man's voice calls out.
The voice comes from the nurse trying to force me back into bed. I should be able to take him but I'm tired. I can't breathe and he's over powering me. It doesn't help when a woman comes in to help him. They try to force me back into the bed but I can't. I don't know these people.
"Get off me, where's my family," I shout a them refusing to be put down.
"Calm down," he yells at me again," putting his hand on my head and trying to force me down.
"It's Christmas and you're keeping me from my family!"
I feel a needle pierce my neck and all the fight leaves my body. Suddenly he's able to guide me back to bed like I'm a child. I'm trying to ask questions but it all comes out like gibberish.
"What are you saying honey," Carol asks with a big smile.
"I said I'll be home for Christmas, if only in my dreams."
“Such a beautiful song isn’t it?”
