Trauma

Part 30 "Rex"

Christmas came sooner than I thought. Time whizzed by so fast that I was shocked when I heard Jack talk about it.

"So. Christmas is this Saturday. My dad called me today, reminding me to bring you. The old man is excited beyond belief!" Jack chuckled as he tasted the Kimchi stew he was boiling.

"This Saturday?! Oh wow. I thought I had more time. Oh my god. I haven't done any Christmas shopping yet! What am I going to give your father?" 

I was in a whirl of frenzy. What am I going to do now? I should browse an online shopping mall and send the package directly to my parents and Rick. Jack and his father on the other hand...

I really wanted to give Jack something special because he has done so much for me and I haven't done anything back. And his father...I wanted to impress him. To show him that I was worthy of his son. Though it would be kind of hard when I didn't really believe it myself..

Ugh. Why was I so worried about this? Christmas really sucks. People buy meaningless crap to each other and the next thing you know, You just pile it all in a corner and never look at it again. But I can't just buy some meaningless crap to Jack! God, I was going mental.

 "Don't sweat it, love. You don't need to give me or my father anything. My father is just happy to see you and I don't need anything because I've already got the best gift I can get."

"Aww. You really mean that?" I asked, hugging Jack from the back.

"Oh, Now this is awkward. I was talking about this amazing pot that your brother gave me but.." Jack snickered while I slapped his back in mock embarrassment, laughing.

"Of Course I mean it hon. It's you that all I need." Jack said, kissing the top of my head.

I really needed to give him the perfect present. He really deserved the best.

/

Christmas day soon arrived, and Jack was waiting for me in the car while I was packing some things in last minute. That was when the phone rang.

"Hey, sis. Merry Christmas!" Rick yelled while I put him on speaker, grabbing some clothes, pushing it in in a bag.

"Yeah, Yeah. Can't talk right now. Jack's waiting for me in the car because I stupidly forgot to pack." I brushed him off while re-checking everything. What did I forget to pack...Toothbrush!

"By the way, You owe me. It took me 3 hours of driving just to help you get Jack his present. By the way, did you give him his present yet?" Rick asked.

"No, not yet. Whew. I think I got everything I need. Call you later! I really have to go!!" I said, ending the call. I'll have to call Rick later. 

I grabbed the bags and loaded it in the elevator, getting in after. 

"Woah. That's quite some stuff you have there." Jack said, helping me with the bags.

"Don't remind me. This is all for your present." I said, grinning.

"My present? Liz, I told you that you didn't need to give me anything." Jack said, smiling.

"I know. But I think you'll change your mind when you see this." I said, giving him a card.

"Jack Altman, Proud owner of a Golden Retriever?" Jack's smile widened when he saw the text.

"Surprise!" I said, holding out a puppy from behind.

"What-, How? How did you know?" Jack said, hugging the puppy.

"Well, I saw some pictures of you with a Golden Retriever when you were little, and I thought you will like this little fella. If you don't, I'll keep him." I said, grinning.

"Nope. You aren't taking this guy away from me. Does he have a name?" Jack asked as he kissed the pup on the nose.

"Yeah. The people in the pound had already named him Rex." I said.

"Hey, Rex. You are going to live with me from now on." Jack cooed, and I couldn't help but smile at the sight of them.

"So you brought all of this for this little guy here?" Jack asked, still grinning as he patted Rex.

"Well, I brought his cage, his food, his container.. The list is endless." I said patting Rex also.

"My dad is going to freak out when he sees Rex! After Shelly died we always talked about getting another dog but never did it. He really loved that dog." Jack said, smiling.

"Let's go, shall we? We need to put this guy in his crate if we are going to drive." I said, opening the crate.

"Aww. I know it won't be comfortable but it's for your own safety bud." Jack said, putting Rex in his crate carefully.

Jack soon turned around to hug me. "Thank you. You just made my Christmas even better. A beautiful Girlfriend and an adorable pup. How can it get better?"