Never Again.

Chapter Twenty

Lily had handed out all the gifts but two. The two from me. She looked at them and smiled, "You didn't have to get us anything Dani."

"Of course I did. You guys have done so much for me."

She smiled.

"Oh! I forgot to put names on them. The small box is yours, and the bag is Kat's."

She gave Kat's to her.

"Open yours first Kat," Lily said.

"Okay," and her face lit up when she saw the gift from Lily. "It's wonderful!" It was a set of matching accessories; purse, shoes, and scarf. She had a couple other little things in the bag too, "Thanks so much Aunt Lily!"

"No problem, Kat, Merry Christmas."

Kat opened up the bag from me and a tear rolled down her cheek.

"You can return it if you want, I wasn't sure if you'd like them."

She ran over to me and hugged me so tightly I couldn't breath. My bruised spine was throbbing.

"Sorry, Kat, you're hurting her," said a very concerned Kane.

"Oh! I'm sorry! Thank you so much Dani!"

She put the bracelet on and put the frame on the end table.

"Those are beautiful Dani!" Said Lily.

"I thought so too. Open yours, Lily."

She unwrapped the one from Kat first and them mine.

"You guys shouldn't have, these are lovely." She put the necklace on that she got from me, and the ring on that was apparently her and her late husbands birth stone, swirled around each other on a gold ring. "These are truly beautiful, girls!"

"Glad you like them," Kat said and they hugged again, as Kane squeezed my hand, 'You're turn," he said.

"You guys have already done so much."

I opened the first one, from Kat. Before I could stop it, there were three tears rolling down my face.

"I'm going to take that as a good thing...?"

"Yes. A very good thing. Thank you so much Kat!" I looked down to the most beautiful dream catcher I had ever seen, with a net in the middle like a spider web.

"I hope it helps you sleep, Aunt Lily gave me one and a week later I was sleeping soundly throughout the night."

Hers was still hanging in her room, and I planned on putting mine up right away.

"Thank you Kat, this means a lot."

"Okay, mine now!"

"You really didn't have to Lily, you've done more for me than anyone." But I slowly peeled back the wrapper from the large square. There was a cardboard frame around big metallic cursive letters that read: Use your smile to change the world, but don't let the world change your smile.

Another tear rolled down my cheek.

"It's meant to be hung on a wall, and the cardboard comes off, I just did that to wrap it. When I saw it, I knew it was made for you."

"Thank you Lily. Both of you. I wouldn't be smiling without you. Or you," I added as I turned to Kane, who squeezed my hand and smiled as he turned a light pink.

Two hours later we had eaten, me less than any of them, some pancakes with fruit and coffee. I had done the dishes, with a lot of people telling me not to, as Kane dried them.

"The routine keeps up."

"So it does." And he smiled at me with a smile that made his eyes shine.

I dried my hands and put the dishes away.