Bruno and his family were making their annual pilgrimage to Hawaii for Christmas. I was bummed that I could not spend the actual holiday with him, but we had a celebration of sorts before he left. He surprised me by bringing his sisters', brother, their families, and father to the hospital. He also included my mom, grandma and uncles in the festivities. We had the lounge area set up with tables and the Christmas decor that was already there. We sang Christmas carols with the keyboard and mic they had brought in and had a fabulous homemade meal (no store bought food for the sick girl) of the Hernandez' favorite dishes and my families. I was feeling so blessed right now.
The evening was amazing. I was nervous about meeting the rest of his family, but I knew it was an important step. His family was everything to him and they had grown even closer after the events of last summer. If they didn't like me, the chances of Bru and I making it were very slim. Jaime, Eric and I immediately hit it off and talked and laughed most of the night. Tiara still had to warm up to me, but was polite nonetheless. Presley and Tahiti were very polite and asked many questions, concerned that I might take advantage of their beloved brother. I could totally understand that, and as the night wore on they began to warm up too. Our families were very similar, loud and boisterous and full of love. It turned into a perfect evening.
After we filled our bellies, we lounged around playing a game of Taboo. The atmosphere in the room got very competitive as we laughed and moved about during the game, everyone wanting their team to win. I bowed out of the game when I got tired. I retreated to the corner with Liam, Nyjah and Zyah. At first, I played with the toys with them, the next thing I knew I was reading the Polar Express. I hadn't noticed how quiet it had become during the story or how into it the kids were. At the end, a light applause broke out behind me as the kids began to laugh. All of the adults in the room had given their attention to me as well. They loved my use of voices and excitement as I read to the boys. I explained that I always read that way to my students, to help make the story come to life. I then began to tell them how hard it was being away from the classroom. Tahiti then used this opportunity to ask me of some things that she could do to jump start her boys education. As the evening drew to a close we all began to say our goodbyes. Everyone hugging and promising to get together again. The highlight being when Jaime whispered in my ear, "Welcome to the family, you fit right in." I grinned from ear to ear, knowing that this meant a lot.
Bruno stayed behind after everyone left and I thanked him for spending the "holiday" with me. He hit play on the music player and The Christmas Song began to play. I was immediately embraced as we slowly swayed to the song, both softly singing the holiday classic. A perfect ending to the evening.
B was leaving in the morning and would not return until the 29th for his first two shows at the Chelsea in Vegas. He was really excited about the residency. We hung out in my room until the wee hours when he had to leave for the plane. We promised to stay in contact over the next week. He also made me promise that I would not open the gift that would be arriving soon until Christmas morning. I told him the same thing, having secretly given it to Eric earlier in the evening. He was shocked at my sneakery. We hugged and kissed goodbye and he told me that he had a surprise planned for us when he got back. Hmm, I wonder what it could be?
After he left, I went to sleep and slept well past noon, exhausted from the night before. Lisa came in to wake me up, telling me that I had to eat because after transplant day, I probably would not want much. I ate my lunch, as she filled me in on her holiday plans before going off to check on her other patients. I then proceeded to get my ports reassessed and was told of the process that would follow after the holidays in preparation for Day 0 (transplant day). I would have my feeding tube placed (for when I lost my appetite) and begin the anti reject medicine for the transplant. Once that begins, I am locked in my hospital room for 4-6 months. Oh joy, but it wasn't like I was going out much anyway. But, it would be the beginning of a new life for me, and for the first time in months I was overly excited to see what was waiting for me.
