About Time

Chapter Twenty Three - Christmas Eve

If it sounds like I describe the exhaustion that comes from sleeping in a hospital bed for a week from personal experience...it's because I do.

Gillian woke up late the next morning. She supposed it was from staying in a hospital bed all week. Her arm was still stiff from an IV. She hadn't been able to bend her arm at all. Her back was sore from doing nothing but sitting and lying down and sitting and lying down. And she was still rather exhausted because none of that made for a comfortable position to sleep in.
The other side of the bed was empty. Gillian looked at the clock. It was nearly ten again.
She realized she was still in her clothes from the Christmas party last night so she got up and changed into a pair of yoga pants and a t-shirt. She had absolutely no intention of leaving the house today.
Gillian went downstairs and found Cal, Emily, and Sophie in the kitchen. They were all intently focused on whatever it was they were making so none of them noticed. Cal was helping Sophie with icing for something. Then Gillian realized they must be making gingerbread houses.
She stood there and watched as Emily's little house began to take shape. Finally, Cal looked up.
"Morning, love."
"Good morning. I hope I'm not interrupting the construction process."
"We make gingerbwead house!" Sophie told her.
"I can see that."
"It's something Dad and I have done every Christmas Eve for as long as I can remember. Then we cut out snowflakes and whoever's looks the worst has to cook lunch. Afterwards, we play Scrabble and Dad cooks-he's gotten really good at doing both at the same time- before I drag him into the living room to watch cheesy movies until we open one present then go to bed." Emily explained.
Gillian had never been here for Christmas Eve. Or Christmas. She always came over on Boxing Day. They always ate Christmas leftovers and Gillian usually left sometime in the afternoon.
This was going to be a first.
"Your building materials are over there." Cal said as he pointed to the counter behind him.
Gillian got to work. She finished hers before anyone else. Then Emily, then Cal, and finally Sophie.
Sophie's house was an adorable mess. There were gumdrops haphazardly stuck all over it and icing oozing out of the sides.
Cal's wasn't much better, the gumdrops were in straighter lines and there were peppermint windows.
Emily's had fared much better. There were windows made out of Skittles and gumdrop bushes. It was standing straight without any assistant unlike the previous two.
Everyone agreed that Gillian's was the best. There were M and M's lining the rooftop and there was a little walkway made of peppermint stones and gumdrops created the outline that was lined with bushes made from chocolate kisses. She'd created a door by lining up sour punch straws and she'd drawn the windows in icing before attaching Skittles. The corners of the house were candy canes with the hook part broken off. It wasn't really even a house, it was more of a sugary gingerbread cottage.
"It's not fair, love. Everything you do is perfect." Cal fake-pouted.
"That's not true. I did think it was a good idea to go into business with you after all."
"Oh, you just got burned, Dad!" Emily shrieked with laughter.
"Well, you're always free to leave." Cal joked. She wasn't really. Everyone knew he would never let her leave.
"And leave you alone to do finances? Not a chance."

Of course Cal's snowflake ended up looking the worst. It didn't even look like a snowflake.
"Who wants what for lunch?" He asked.
Sophie of course wanted chicken nuggets and macaroni. Cal had learned to keep them in his fridge after an incident during the week after Boston.
Emily and Gillian settled for grilled cheese sandwiches.
He set the food on the table.
"What do you want to drink?"
"Apple juice."
"Root beer."
Cal looked at Gillian who was beginning to blush. Oh, this should be good.
"Gill?"
"Pickle juice."
Cal and Emily busted out laughing. The pregnancy cravings were apparently kicking in.

After lunch, they kept with the traditions and played Scrabble while Cal started to cook food for tomorrow.
Even while he was distracted by the rice he was cooking on the stove, he was kicking Gill and Emily's butts.
"What kind of word is facient?" Gillian demanded. Cal was using words she'd never even heard of.
"It's a multiplication thing."
"Dad, nobody knows that. Literally nobody."
Next it was Gillian's turn. Emily had played person earlier so she added to it to spell appersonation. Cal peaked at the board.
"Now who's using words nobody knows?"
"It's a form of insanity."
"Then why not just spell insanity?"
"Because I don't have a y."

When Cal finished the cooking he was going to do for the day, Gillian and Emily had dragged him into the living room to watch those ridiculous Hallmark Christmas movies. He'd sat through two of them and they were beginning the third. Sometimes in between the first two, they'd opened their one present each. Gillian had given Sophie an iPad, Emily had given her dad and Gill tickets to a resort in Miami in March, and they'd given Emily two tickets to the One Direction concert in Chicago.
"Gill, do you have something you want to tell me about what you do in your spare time?" Cal asked.
They were watching A Boyfriend For Christmas and the leading actress was a dead-ringer for Gillian.
"No, but I must've forgotten to mention my twin sister." Gillian joked. Kelli Williams did look a lot like her though. They definitely could've passed as twins.
By the end of the movie, it was nearing midnight. Sophie had gone upstairs by herself three hours ago and gone to sleep and as the credits came on, Emily said goodnight as well. Cal and Gillian were snuggled together on couch.
"Are you ready to go to bed?" Cal asked her.
"Yes. But we have to play Santa first."
Cal chuckled and they got up, pulling Christmas presents from the closets and from under the couch.
After they'd arranged them neatly, the two went upstairs and fell asleep.