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ARRIVAL, II . SIX

Winter.

A booming "HO! HO! HO! MERRY CHRISTMAS!" is heard just as the elevator doors open, giving way to a jolly man in a makeshift Santa costume. Busy updating patient information on their database, Anna only hears the female nurses' giggles, and she is the last to greet their visitor from the North Pole. She rolls her eyes, however, when she sees who it is.

"Candygrams!" he announces, and proceeds to hand over little bags of candy to the nurses at the station. When he gets to Anna's spot, he pretends to leave and says, "And none for Anna Kerstein, bye!"

The nurses chuckle. Anna just shakes his head. "Don't say 'None for Anna Kerstein' when you have clearly saved a lot of candies for me, Mr. Levin."

"Not a lot," Skylar admits, tugging at his fake beard before digging into the bottom of his gift sack. He produces just one bag of candy, which she swipes quickly from his hand. The nurse flashes him a disappointed look when she finds a lollipop, a piece of gum, and a tiny jellybean pack in it. Skylar only shrugs shyly.

Anna unwraps the lollipop, hesitates when she doubts the fact that she's on break, and finally pops it into her mouth. "What are you doing here, even?"

"I volunteered to be Santa for a day at the children's ward."

"So you're that silly Santa the nurses have all been talking about."

The look on Skylar's face is smug. "Aaah . . . was I that popular among the nurses?"

"Only because you were allegedly shaking that thang."

He laughs, and so does she. And she is amazed at how the mere sight of him laughing is enough to take her breath away. Of everything she has experienced over the last three months, Anna is most grateful for him. At the back of her mind, she knows that making an "anchor" out of someone might not be the most ideal way to move on, but it has worked for her somehow. In no way had she considered Skylar as a second Chace, but through him, she had been able to understand the universe and its quirks more—or at least the part of the cosmos that has to do with her existence. Through him, she learned to open up, work with second chances, and receive freely as much as she gives.

Skylar says something about going back to the children's ward, and she playfully shoos him. "Careful on your way back home," Anna adds while Skylar boards the elevator. "Don't get stuck in a chimney."

"Heyyyy!" Skylar protests with a frown when he sees Anna point to his belly. The elevator doors close, but he catches the sound of her laughter and he grins, now already fully acknowledging the fact that he has begun to yearn for that very sound.

* * * * *

Aaron turns his computer on excitedly, having received a message from Gianna that she had sent him something via email. He sees a video attachment labeled 12242013 and opens it. Smiling proudly, he watches her in a physical therapy session as she finally is able to get up from her wheelchair, albeit very cautiously.

She lets go of the tortoise plush she held in her arms—Captain Kingston, a gift he left with her before she flew back to Seoul—and hands it to the nurse by her side. Holding on to parallel bars then, she moves her legs to start walking. Aaron doesn't realize he has his fists clenched seeing her struggle with her steps like a baby learning how to walk, and he nearly knocks his glass of water over when Gianna stumbles and falls. He isn't done watching the video yet when a Skype message comes through.

Gianna: Did you see it?

Aaron types, "I sure did," and hits the send button.

Gianna: So much for progress, huh? :)
Aaron: You're doing great, baby. Just keep at it.
Gianna: It's kind of frustrating, but the doctors are telling me I'm actually recuperating quickly.
Aaron: You don't know how happy I am to hear that.
Gianna: I guess that's enough for a Christmas present for now.
Aaron: It is. Merry Christmas, G.
Aaron: I have a Christmas present for you too.
Gianna: Let me see.