Page 13 of Holiday Hitch
Johnny began to open the brown paper bag from the pharmacy and pull out the medication from inside, giving Leah a familiar look as he did. He knew exactly where she was coming from; the last few months had been tough on all of them.
“Your old man gets a little attitude and all you can think to do is drug him up. I’m just speaking my mind,” John barked from the table.
Leah replied quickly, “So you’d be fine if I didn’t give you any of these pills? You wouldn’t be in pain all night?” She normally wouldn’t let such rude words slip, but he was on her last nerve tonight, and Daryl being missing in action certainly wasn’t helping.
“Don’t get smart with me,” John grumbled.
As if she knew there was a fight to diffuse, Daryl swept in the front door, bringing in a cold gust of air along with her. The large wood door slammed shut as her heavy work boots stomped along the floorboards. It made Leah cringe to hear the boots on the newly refinished floors, but she had too much on her plate to fight it.
“Stop giving your kids so much trouble,” Daryl insisted when she appeared in the kitchen. Before John could try and pick a fight with her, Dar gave John a pat on the back. She walked over to Leah and gave her a gentle kiss on the cheek before setting her bags down on the counter, adding to the pile Johnny had already created.
Under her breath, Leah groaned, “You better have brought dinner.”
Daryl winked at Leah and said, “You know I always bring food.”
Leah grabbed plates and brought the plastic takeout containers to the table as everyone sat to eat.
Once she had her plate dished, Leah looked around at the house.
A lot had changed in the last few months: more railings and refinished floors, to start. It had been months since Leah had gotten a splinter from the worn wood.
Daryl and Leah weren’t the only ones making the long drive from New Winford to Sugarties. Robin had been coming up as much as she could to make the house more accessible for John, which was a huge help.
But it had become an uphill battle as his MS continued to progress despite his treatments. Even with all of Robin’s work, it didn’t seem like they could make adjustments to the house or his treatment plan fast enough.
It was a small miracle to be sitting at the table all together this holiday season instead of by John’s hospital bed three towns over.
But as everyone dug into their food, Leah tried to enjoy the moment. The glimmer from the newly hung Christmas lights cast a warm glow over her family’s faces. She was glad she’d forced Daryl up onto the twenty-foot ladder to hang them on the old house just a few nights before.
Leah felt like she hadn’t truly celebrated Christmas in a few decades, not since her mom’s passing. Even Johnny and Tyler didn’t have a lot of time to plan holidays. So even though Leah normally spent it with them, it always felt a little underwhelming.
“Any big plans for the holidays, John?” Daryl asked, knowing John was limited in what he could actually do.
John laughed, “Might go sledding, or maybe shovel the driveway myself for once.”
“Remember when dad used to dress up as Santa every year and hand-deliver our presents in the morning?” Johnny asked.
“It kind of ruined the illusion that Santa was like some mythical being,” Leah said, “But it was fun.”
Even though she was loath to admit her dad had ever done anything sweet for them, Leah couldn’t stop the smile from growing on her face. It had been a long time since she’d had a nice Christmas with her dad, and the memory felt so special.
John shook his head as he thought about the things he used to do to make his kids laugh. “I’m sure that suit is buried somewhere in that attic with all sorts of other junk,” he said.
Everyone dug into their food and chatted, John beginning to relax as his pain medications kicked in.
Once they finished, Johnny, Leah, and Daryl cleaned up the leftovers together.
“Want me to get Dad settled before I go?” Johnny asked.
Leah nodded, “I wouldn’t say no. But if you need to get back home, don’t let us hold you up.”
Johnny smiled and gave their dad a pat on the back, “Ready to head upstairs?”
John grumbled but started to move his wheelchair toward the old Victorian staircase while Leah unloaded dishes from the dishwasher into the lower cupboards of the kitchen.
Luckily, Robin had been able to help install more wheelchair friendly cabinetry for John, so he could at least get himself basic foods while he was alone. But he was starting to slow down so much that even pouring a bowl of cereal felt like a big task nowadays.
“Sorry I was late,” Daryl murmured once John and Johnny had disappeared. She could hear the low hum of the chairlift on the staircase.