Paul sent Kermit home and lay down on the bed next to Peter's. Sleep eluded Paul as he watched Peter toss his head from side to side and move his legs as if he was trying to run from something. The pale light from the window allowed Paul to see the sheen of perspiration that covered Peter's face and neck. Paul couldn't tell if the grimace on his son's face was from pain or the nightmare the young man attempted to run away from.
Remembering that this was the second explosion Peter had survived in his short life, Paul could just imagine what the dream was about. *Oh, Peter. For you to have lost your father when the temple was blown up was awful. Now to think you may have lost your mother…* Paul couldn't finish the thought. In his heart, he knew Annie was alive. He only had to find her.
Sleep finally overcame Paul, sending him into his own torturous nightmares.
A glow of light stabbed at Paul's eyelids. Turning over, he found himself facing the window, with light streaming in between the blinds. Feeling useless and tired, he sat up, and was greeted by a sight he thought he'd never see again.
Annie sat beside Peter, stroking his hand as he reached for her face. Both wife and son smiled at the confused look on Paul's face.
"My God," were the only words Paul could utter as he rubbed the moisture from his eyes. "I must be dreaming."
"Then I'm enjoying the same dream, Dad," Peter answered with a smile and without hesitation. The tube that once connected with a suction pump was gone. Peter's eyes followed his foster father's movements.
"You-you can see?" Paul stumbled over his words. "Annie, y-you're real?" He reached for her, taking in the warmth of her face, the soft texture of her hair, the firm grasp of her hand in his.
"Yes. I'm real. Brother Emanuel brought me here after finding me at Dr. Byers' house. His wife was my nurse," Annie explained. "Oh, Paul." She kissed his hand, then turned back to her son.
Paul looked at Peter. "Where's your tube?"
Peter took in the colors that surrounded him -- the tiredness in the steel blue eyes, the blonde of his mother's hair. "I don't know. I woke up and felt like…like I hadn't been sick at all. I had a dream where everything was falling around me. I couldn't see. This man found me and brought me to Mom. I woke up and she was here." The beam from Peter's smile filled Paul's heart.
Instead of going home, Kermit had gone to the medical command center at the mall and proceeded to pass Annie's picture around. Most said they had seen the picture just the day before; a copy was pinned up on the bulletin board. He had helped pull more bodies out of the rubble that night and found that a few rescuers had found themselves patients in the hospital. With this information, Kermit went home to shower and change clothes.
The sun was just coming up when he pulled into the hospital parking lot. Fresh snow lay on the ground, virgin white. Walking into the hospital, Kermit was greeted by a cheery voice.
"Hello. How is your friend this morning?"
Kermit turned and looked at the man behind him. There was no mistaking the dark blue eyes that danced with joy above the snowy white mustache and beard. Gone were the red suit and black boots of the night before. They were replaced with overalls and plaid shirt.
"I was just going to check on him. His father got in last night," Kermit answered, pushing the elevator button. Silently, he made plans for the day's search for Annie. With Paul at Peter's bedside, Kermit knew he could bring fresh eyes and ideas to the search.
"Well, Santa delivered all his presents. He did need a little help with some, but never let it be said that he didn't get it done." The smile the old man wore could warm the coldest of hearts.
"Yeah, well, did he happen to deliver Peter's?" Kermit's words were sarcastic. He wasn't in the mood to play this strange man's game.
"Why don't you go see?"
The elevator doors opened and Kermit stepped inside. "I believe I will."
**
Wiping his eyes, Paul excused himself. When he reached the chapel, he found it empty. Walking back to the nurses' station, he asked the secretary about when Father Emanuel would be back.
Staring at the visitor, the secretary shook her head. "He died in the explosion at the mall. Some witnesses said that he was trying to help a blind woman when the floor they were walking on collapsed."
A cold chill ran up Paul's spine as the woman showed him a picture of Father Emanuel from an employee ID book. It was the same priest Paul had talked to just hours before.
Staggering backward a step, Paul ran into Kermit, whom the elevator had just delivered to Peter's floor.
"Paul, you all right? Looks like you've seen a ghost."
"I think I have," Paul answered as he and Kermit made their way back to Peter's room.
Changing the subject, Kermit started to tell of his search plans. "Some of the medics were injured by falling debris. No one has asked them if they saw Annie. Also, another shift relieved the ones that were there yesterday. I'm going…"
"Kermit," Paul tried to interrupt.
"…to go see those that were admitted to the hospitals first."
"Annie's in Peter's room."
"I went to the control center last night. They gave me a list…" Not hearing Paul's words, Kermit continued talking as they entered Peter's room. As he saw her sitting at her son's side, Paul's statement found its way into Kermit's mind.
"Annie?"
"Kermit, what was that you were saying about getting a list?" Annie asked.
Peter smiled. "Mom, you should see Kermit. I don't think I have ever seen him at a loss for words."
Kermit didn't hesitate to wrap his arms around Annie as she stood up to greet him. "Where have you been?"
Strenlich, Mary Margaret, Blake, and Jody walked in as Annie sat on the edge of Peter's bed. Paul sat beside her, holding her hand.
"I remember a man had tried to get me to leave with him when they announced the evacuation. From what my nurse, Tina, was able to tell me, I fell to the bottom floor and hit my head. I couldn't remember who I was or even that I had been blind."
Kermit stood in the corner, sharing the warmth that filled the room.
Dr. Byers and his wife interrupted Kermit's thoughts. They brought with them a cart laden with turkey and dressing, cranberry sauce, and other traditional foods. A cheer rose up, the loudest from Peter, who had not been looking forward to his noon meal from the hospital cafeteria.
"Did Brother Emanuel come with you, Tina? Paul, he's the priest I was telling you about who came to visit me in the hospital and arranged for me to stay with Dr. and Mrs. Byers," Annie explained as introductions were made.
Dr. Byers and his wife lost their smile as they remembered their friend.
"Is something wrong? He's all right, isn't he?"
"Mrs. Blaisdell, Father Emanuel died in the mall. They found his body next to yours in the rubble."
Silence filled the crowded room.
"I guess he helped Santa to fill our Christmas wishes," Kermit said, looking out the window, watching what he could have sworn was a sleigh being pulled by reindeer flying above the hospital. A white-haired man drove the sleigh; beside him was a dark-haired man with what looked like a clerical collar around his neck.
Keeping the sight to himself, Kermit held up his cup and proclaimed, "Merry Christmas to all."