A Big Belated Davis Girls Family Christmas 2008
by jrchandlerfan

Part 1

Sam was sitting alone in her apartment. It was a cold January day and she'd just had yet another fight with Lucky. She picked up the picture of her and Lucky. "Why can't you just trust me? I'm only working with Jason to help Spinelli. You're the one I love, YOU."

She returned it to its rightful place and picked up the other photo frame-that with her family. "We've come a long way, haven't we, Mom?"

Lost in thought, she was startled when her phone rang. "Hello?"

"Hi, Sam."

Sam's eyes got bright. "Oh, hi."

"Listen, your sisters and I are just hanging out, and we were wondering if you'd like you to come over."

"How come?" Sam was expecting a reason.

"A mother shouldn't need a reason to want to see her daughter! We just miss you, that's all."

"Well--"

"Come on, you can tear yourself away from Lucky for one night can't you?"

"Please, please, please?" the high voices of her sisters said in the background.

"You know what? I think that would be fun."

"Okay, but you better come over quickly before that storm hits."

"Mom, I'll be fine, it's not supposed to hit till around midnight."

"Well you know, the weather man isn't always right."

"I'll be fine, don't worry."

"Well just humor me and come right away."

Sam heard giggling in the background, "Why are Kristina and Molly giggling?"

"Oh, no reason. They're just watching 'The Road Runner' on TV."

"Oh, sure ..."

"Just please come. And drive carefully. I think it's just flurries right now." Sam could hear the worry in her mother's voice. The same voice she used when she's worried about Kristina and Molly.

"Okay, I'll be there as soon as I can. Bye, Mom."

"See you soon."

Sam proceeded to put on some warmer clothes. Putting on her gloves, she noticed the perpetual hole in her right glove. "I could sure use some new gloves."

As her hand went for the door knob she remembered something. She went for her closet. She had almost forgotten about the Christmas gifts she had bought for her mom and sisters. She was in the hospital over Christmas and had slept through it. She was so disappointed that she had missed yet another Christmas with her family. She put the gifts into one big bag then headed for the door. Looking at Lucky's picture one last time, she sighed. "I do love you Lucky, I really do," she said, walking out the door. She had never been so excited to see her family before.

As Sam got out of her car, she looked out onto the frozen lake, thinking that it was just like the home that she had always dreamed of when she was little.

As she walked up to the door she could hear whispers, "She's coming. Mommy, she's coming."

"Shhh, Kristina, she'll hear you," Alexis said.

Sam quietly opened the door.

"SURPRISE!!" they all exclaimed in unison.

Sam looked around. They had boxes of Christmas decorations on the couch and the floor. There was an undecorated tree standing in the middle of the room. Nutcrackers were sitting on the table.

"What's going on?" she asked.

Kristina and Molly ran to Sam, as she kneeled down to give them a big bear hug.

"Merry Christmas, Sam."

"Merry Chrithmath, Tham," three-year-old Molly mocked her sister.

"Umm, Merry Christmas. But I don't understand ..." She picked little Molly up and settled her on her hip.

Alexis came over and threw her arms around her eldest child. "Merry Christmas, Sam."

"Merry Christmas. You want to fill me in?"

"Let's sit on the couch," Alexis said after kissing Sam's cheek.

Molly sat on Sam's lap, Kristina sat beside Sam, and Alexis was on the other side of Kristina.

"Christmas was terrible this year."

"Yeah, you did tell me that Kristina had tonsillitis."

"You were in the hospital over Christmas, and you were unconscious. I wanted to come in with the girls and sit with you in hopes that you would wake up. But Kristina was sick and couldn't go to the hospital. And Viola was off so I couldn't even sneak away for a few minutes."

"But you said that you sat with me on Christmas Eve while Viola was still here."

"But I've missed twenty-five Christmases with you already. Unless you count Kristina's christening and when Jason was in the hospital and we were in the same room on Christmas Eve. And the last two Christmases have been rocky, but still the best Christmases I've ever had because I had all my girls with me. But the point is that we've missed too many Christmases together. And I will be darned if we miss another because of circumstances. Christmas is to celebrate Jesus' birth and to spend time with family. December 25th is just a date, and that date was awful this year. You're supposed to spend time with family on Christmas, but our family wasn't complete. Our family hasn't been complete for ages." Alexis took Sam's hands in her own. "You complete our family Sam. You do. Our family was lost without you. Yes, our relationship has been shaky, but my life has never felt as complete as it did the day we found each other. Let's pretend this is Christmas Eve, our Christmas Eve. We didn't open any presents on Christmas morning because we wanted you here. We still have our presents and your presents."

"My presents?"

"Yes, I bought you so many presents this year."

"I did too," Kristina interrupted.

"Yes, you did too, sweetie. So what do you say we celebrate Christmas now? We decorate the house tonight; we'll decorate the tree and put stockings up, and then in the morning we'll open gifts and maybe go tobogganing or build a snowman or something. Will you stay the night?"

"That sounds like so much fun. The Christmas I've always dreamed of. But ... but ..."

"What's wrong?"

"I don't have a stocking. I have never had a stocking before. We didn't exactly celebrate Christmas when I was growing up."

Alexis's eyes welled up as she thought of a young Sam all alone on Christmas.

Kristina broke the silence. "We got you a stocking, Sam. Me and Molly picked one out for you." She held up a pink stocking and handed it to her big sister.

"It has my name on it."

"Well of course, silly. Who else's name would be on it? Morgan's?" Kristina rolled her eyes. "We got you pink, just like ours. We all have matching pink stockings. And Mommy said she talked to Santa Claus and he's coming tonight. He's coming only to our house tonight because he knows that our family missed Christmas this year."

"Sam, please stay, we really want you to. We'll have a big belated Davis girls family Christmas. What do you say?"

"You mean, I'm a Davis girl?"

"Of course you are, sweetheart." Alexis pulled all three of her girls into her arms. "This is the Christmas I have always dreamed of. All three of my girls in my arms."

part 2