Memories

Chapter 13

The hospital seems quieter than usual when I arrive: fewer cars in the car park and less staff rushing around the corridors, carting people from one appointment to another. However, when I reach Savannah's ward, the usual hubbub returns. I see Dr Anderson emerge from a room a couple of doors away from Savannah's and nod him a quick hello, but he doesn't reciprocate it, the serious moody look remains on his face. (I definitely prefer Dr Peters, she's much more friendly.) When I make it to Savannah's room, she's sleeping still. I take my usual seat and pick up the doctor's report. As I read the latest entry, she stirs but doesn't wake.

Half an hour later, her eyelids flutter and she finally opens them. As her eyes meet mine, her lips open slightly and I get the feeling that she has the urge to say something, but no words come out.

"Hey, sleepy-head." Her lips spread into a smile at the sound of my voice. "Whilst I've been sitting here, which I'm slightly angry about," I add teasingly, "I've been thinking about what to tell you. I've decided upon Christmas." The blank look on her face says it all. "Christmas is a religious festival that is celebrated throughout December and today, the sixth, it is celebrated in some European countries as St Nicolas Day. Children lay out shoes and St Nicolas, we call him Santa Claus here, fills them with sweets and small presents." Her face lights up at the idea of sweets and presents and I remember that she hasn't had lunch yet. "By the way, you slept through the lunch round so I saved you a sandwich," I interrupt, handing over the plastic packaging which encases the cheesy triangles. "I thought that today seems apt to tell you about our first Christmas together. Remember when I was telling you about Halloween a couple of days ago when I told you that my Aunt Karen was coming over to the flat with my mum?" She nods. "Well, your parents had arrived at about half ten, when we'd arranged, but we hadn't even arranged a time for my family, so you were freaking out about having dinner and opening presents because the carefree Savannah that I was used to had disappeared."

***

"Hey Savannah, baby. Are you alright?"

She was standing in the middle of the kitchen, holding a pan in one hand; the other was clutching her hair. "Do I look alright?" she snapped. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean that, well, I did, but –"

"Anna, it's okay." I walked over to her and took the pan out of her hand, placing it on the counter next to her, before enveloping her in a hug. "It's okay, baby. My parents won't mind if you haven't cooked enough dinner or already opened presents. To be honest, I think that you've cooked enough to feed all the starving children in Africa, and probably their parents too." She laughed at this and I felt triumphant.

As she rested her head on my shoulder, the doorbell buzzed from downstairs and our quiet moment was interrupted.

"I'll go." She pulled out of my hug and disappeared out of the door to answer the main one. Their voices drifted up the stairs as the came closer to the flat. "Beware, it's a little messy," was the last thing I heard before Savannah opened the door and welcomed my Mum and Aunt Helen into the room.

"Hey, guys. It's so nice that you could come."

"Yeah, well, we wouldn't miss spending a couple of hours away from your Grandmother for the world," Aunt Helen said.

"Or maybe, we'd rather spend it with her than you," my mum teased.

"Thanks for that Mum."

At that moment, Maisie rushed over to our new visitors, which alerted Savannah's parents to their entrance.

"Did you bring cookies?" Maisie sure had a good memory.

"Of course I did, and I also brought some other presents as well." The smile on Maisie's face was as big as it possibly could be at the mention of presents.