A CHRISTMAS WISH
by: ^rani^
"There's got to be some way to get up to the ICU without my escorts. I have got to get to Jarad."
Jon is trying to walk down the hospital corridor quickly without anyone noticing him. Although he is hard to miss, several nurses stop what they were doing to admire his 6' frame. He has on a gray three piece business suit, that make the blue of his eyes stand out even more than usual. His blonde hair is a little mussed from the frequent combing of his fingers through it in frustration.
He is running from two of Dary's goons. They have been on his trail for the last hour, and he is getting a bit frustrated with the entire mess. 'My little brother is going to get cleaned up this time if it kills the both of us!' He solemnly promises himself, before ducking into a room that says employee's only. He looks around hoping for some sort of disguise. He doesn't see anything at first. Then he hears the sound of someone snoring, where is this person, he doesn't see anyone. He scans the room again. Off to his left is another door that his darting eyes didn't catch before. He walks over and opens it just enough to peer inside. Santa Claus asleep in a broom closet? "No Way!" he says a little too loudly, waking the slumbering St. Nick. "Whaaa....and jus' who are you?" he squeaks in a very unsteady voice, then lets out a real squeak, a big hiccup, right in Jon's face.
Ohhhh, man. This guy reeks of liquor. "Getting a bit sauced are we before the big sleigh ride, Santa?" he inquires sarcastically.
Santa breaks down in tears. "I....I...promished I wouldn't do thish again thish year, those kidsh are counting on me to sheer them up!" Santa slur's. He is really drunk! Jon thinks, Hmmm...I might be able to get to Jarad yet. "Santa you should be ashamed of yourself! This is no way to face those kids!"
Santa is truly sobbing now. "Co...Could you help me?! Would you wear thish shuit and deliver these giftsh to the kidsh up in the Intenshive Care Unit? All of thoshe little kidsh are counting on seeing Shanta...pleashe?"
Jon tries not to show any emotion, so he says casually. "Sure thing, we wouldn't want all of those kids to miss seeing you this year!!!"
The old man steps slowly out of the closet, trying not to lose his balance. For once he succeeds. Then collapses onto the couch in the main room. "Well, you have to take the suit off in order for me to put it on Santa." Santa replies, "My name ish Teddy," just before he falls into a deep sleep that will last him all night.
"Great, just great ... now I have to work to get this suit off of him. If I didn't need it, I wouldn't even bother!"
************
Noel is sitting in the room beside her brother's bed holding his frail little hand. She's quietly talking to him, "Peter, today is Christmas Eve!! Don't you want to wake up and wait for Santa this year? It's a tradition. Have you ever really seen him darling? I wish that I could see him, I have an important Christmas wish! Do you have any Christmas Wishes this year Peter? I bet you would want some new game to play on that Nintendo that you got last year! Well darling, I am going to go out for a few minutes, I have some gifts for you in the lounge, I'll be back soon."
Noel leaves the room sobbing, not watching where she is going she runs right into a man, looking down she sees that he is wearing big black boots.
Looking up she sees Santa. Wiping her eyes free of her tears she makes sure she isn't imagining things.
"Oh, I'm so sorry, I wasn't watching where I was going. Are you here to see Peter?" She asks quietly. Was I hoping to believe in Santa so much that I made him appear? She asks herself silently. "He's right in here." She shows Santa Peter's room.
Jon takes one look at her sweet smiling face and her liquid brown eyes and his heart melts. How can he possibly refuse such a beautiful young lady in need? He can't, he groans to himself and goes into the room with her.
"Peter, look who's come to see you! It's Santa Claus!" Noel says to the eight year old boy.
"HO, HO, HO, Merry Christmas Peter!" Jon tries to bellow. "Have you been a good little boy this year?! But of course you have! I have a gift in my sack for you, I'm sure. I remember putting it there." He pulls out a brightly wrapped gift. "Hmmm...I wonder what it is? Should I shake it for you? And maybe try to guess what it is?" He rattles the box carefully. "Hmmm. Sounds interesting, but you know that you have to wait until tomorrow morning to open it!"
Jon sits down on the bed and carefully squeezes the little boys hand. "You have a Merry Christmas!" He turns to Noel and says, "Can I speak with you a minute in the hallway, please?"
Out in the hallway he turns to her and says "I don't want to pry, but I was wondering if you would like to talk about it?" He starts heading toward the waiting room at the end of the hallway. He had just seen those two goons again. Let them look for a little longer, they will never know that it is me anyway, he thinks. "How long has he been this way?" He asks her gently.
She just looks up into his blue eyes and starts to cry quietly. He doesn't know what to do. So he does the only thing he can think of to comfort her, he pulls her into a hug, and whispers "Hey, it's going to be ok, everything is going to be fine. Now dry those tears and tell Santa all about it."
He pulls back from her and takes a tissue from the box on the table beside them and wipes the tears from her face. She says "Thanks I needed that. And I needed you to visit Peter tonight. Thank You so much! It's been almost a year now, since the accident."
"What happened?" he asks quietly.
"My parents, along with Peter, were driving back from visiting me at college for Christmas ...I'm sorry, I can't seem to stop crying ...They were hit by a drunk driver. The driver along with my parents were killed instantly. But poor Peter has been in a coma all this time, he has to wake up soon, I can't take much more, he has to be fine!" she breaks off into a sob. She jumps up and runs into the ladies room just outside the hall.
He gets up and walks out to the nurses station and asks the nurse, "The girl that was just here, how is her brother?"
She looks at him curiously. "He is in stable condition, and seems to be fine."
"Is there anything that he needs?" he inquires softly.
She looks at him and replies just as softly, "A Christmas miracle would be great, but I don't think that is likely to happen. The poor girl wouldn't be that lucky. Or maybe you can get her a decent job that will allow her to afford to continue the care that he needs. You're Santa Claus, think you can arrange that?" She asks him mockingly.
"Hmmm, I may be able to do better than that," he replies reaching for the cellular phone in his pocket, as he walks away.
He makes a quick call to his attorney telling him exactly what he wants done for the little boy and his pretty older sister. He then heads to the men's room and takes the disguise off, and shoves it into a duffel bag for later. After exiting the men's room he gets on the elevator and goes up to see his brother. Stepping off the elevator he sees the ICU nurses station. He walks up and signs in to see his brother. She directs him to the correct cubical and he see's his brother hooked up to an IV. Jarad is sitting up and watching television.
"Hey there, big brother! Thanks for finally coming to see me," he says sarcastically. "I've only been here a week!"
Jon responds with a sharp "Shut up you little fool, listen and listen good. I am going to say this to you one time, if you don't choose to do what I say, then I am going to leave you here and let Dary have you this time!" he all but yells at him. "I've spoken to your doctor everyday since you were brought in, so don't give me that crap about not caring enough to see you. You have to know that because I have saved your butt every time you get into trouble, those two goons of Dary's are coming straight to me now! They can't get into see you because of hospital security. Lucky for you the president of the board of this hospital is a friend of mine, otherwise they would never have put you here. So it is because of me that they can't get to you!
Now listen. You know that I love you, but you have to get help. I refuse to do anything with you until you get clean. You either go into a treatment center or you walk. It's your choice. Once you are out of here those two guys will leave me alone. I am not going to pay your debts anymore. If you go into a treatment program I will take care of your last debt, but so Help me God if you do it again...you will no longer be a brother of mine! Now what do you want to do?" He sounds harsh, for the first time in his life he is being harsh to his baby brother. But he has to, the life of drugs that his brother had gotten into had almost gotten him killed several times. Jon had promised his mother on her death bed that he would take care of his brother, but now this was the only way he honestly knew to take care of him. He is totally serious about the options he gave him and there is no way out of it, not for either of them.
They both know that if Dary gets a hold of Jarad, this time he will have him killed. He is going to die if he doesn't get himself off the drugs anyway.
Jarad looks into his brother's eyes and see's something he had never seen before, at least never directed at him before. It scares him. "Jon, I always knew that you were a stubborn SOB. And I can tell that you mean it. You really would let Dary have me, if I don't get treatment. All right, make the arrangements, I'll stay as long as I need to. I really don't like living this way, but I am really going to need you to stick by me through this, I can't do it alone," he tells him in a low voice filled with emotion.
"Jarad, you had better not be trying to play on my sympathies again, I am not going to fall for it a second time. You are going to keep this bargain, no more lies and deceit!" With that Jon walks out of the room.
In the men's room of the 26th floor of the University Hospital in Los Angeles, Jon changes back into the Santa costume. He has to see those kids. Who would have ever thought that he, Jarad O'Neal, CEO and Founder of O'Neal industries would be spending Christmas Eve in the ICU of a hospital dressed as St. Nick? He sure wouldn't have, but he didn't want to imagine the disappointment on the little faces of all the children looking forward to seeing Santa.
************
"Mr. O'Neal, Charles Johnson is here to see you," his secretary steps into his executive office to tell him.
"Oh? Did I have an appointment with him? I don't recall it?" Jon says sounding a tad confused.
"No Sir, you don't, but he said it is important. Would you like me to schedule an appointment for next week?" she asks hesitantly.
"No, that's all right Jan, send him in, please" he replies with a smile.
He has a reason to smile, his brother went into a treatment clinic that won't let him go until he is clean, it may take quiet some time to get to that point, but he is well on his way. Dary's paid off and will never bother any of us again. And he has received a little pile of hand made thank you cards from the kids at the hospital, all addressed to Santa Claus, of course. He just wonders what Charles wants, he was the head of the hospital board where his brother had been. "Probably wants to collect on that favor I promised him for keeping him there for me," he thinks to himself.
"Hello Charles." Jon comes from behind his desk to shake the man's hand. "What can I do for you, my good man?" He says happily.
"I just wanted to give you an update on the boy you decided to help out. He woke up this morning! His sister is on her way to the hospital. And Peter is going to be just fine! We are all very pleased and I just wanted to let you know how much of a help you have been to that little lady. She wants so much to meet you and thank you herself, though she doesn't even know who you are, we just told her that it was Santa Claus. The boy will want to meet you I'm sure, and I wanted to ask you if you are interested in meeting with him?" He says in a rush as if he is afraid that Jon will stop him mid-sentence.
"Take a breathe will you? That made me tired just listening to it!" Jon says jokingly. "No Charles, I made it perfectly clear from the beginning that I didn't want anyone to know that I was the one to help that them out. But if you would like me to meet her, that is great, I would love to see her again, in fact, I am rather fond of her. I would enjoy getting to know both of them better. But I don't want her to feel she has to out of gratitude! Now Charles will you introduce me to her?" Jon asks very seriously, praying fervently in his heart for him to say yes. Please let him say yes!
"Of course I will Jon, after all you made a great contribution to that little family. It was very generous of you to pay for all of the bills up to date and to make the promise to pay all of the ones he has until he is recovered! I just wish you would let me tell her that you are the one who is doing all of this for her, but I will abide by your wishes if I must. Now will you come with me to the hospital so that I may introduce you properly?" the old man asks.
"Why, of course I will." Jon replies quickly. He wasn't about to miss this chance to meet her. He may not come up with a good enough reason again. He reaches over to his desk and touches a button "Jan?" he speaks into the intercom.
"Yes, Mr. O'Neal?" the secretary's voice can be heard over the system.
"Jan, I have some business to take care of. Would you please re-schedule my afternoon appointments?" he asks with a smile to his friend.
"Yes Sir, I'll take care of it right away. Would you like me to call for a limousine?" she inquires.
"No, that's ok Jan, I don't need the limo service this time." With that he clicks the intercom off, and asks "Are you ready to go then?"
Charles replies, "Of course."
************
Back at the hospital, Charles and Jon walk into Peter's room. "Hi son, how are you feeling today?" Charles asks to Peter. Peter replies in a raspy voice, "I'm feeling tired."
Charles turns to Jon and Noel and tells them, "His voice will be a little bit rusty from disuse. It should get back to normal in a few days time." "Noel, I'd like to introduce you to a friend of mine. This is Jonathan O'Neal. Jon this is Noel Lauren and her brother Peter."
Noel turns to him and looks up into his blue eyes. "Oh, it is nice to meet you Mr. O'Neal." she says to him offering him her hand. Which he takes in a warm handshake. She looks down at her hands and wonders where that tingle came from. Hmmm, maybe it's her imagination, she thinks.
He is still looking at her face, wondering if she felt it to. That brief contact with her only makes him long for another touch of her lovely hand. "Please call me Jon all of my friends do. And I do want us to be friends." He walks over to the bed and shakes Peter's hand as well.
No tingle there, that leaves static electricity out as an option. As if he ever thought it was anything but attraction.
"Charles tells me that you are a living Christmas miracle Peter, do you think so?" he asks the boy with a smile. "Oh, I think that it is a miracle, because my sister has been praying for me for so long," he replies with a happy smile.
She looks like she is shining. He thinks that maybe he should not ask her to lunch today. It would almost be like taking advantage of her.
"Well I think that Peter has had enough excitement for today, he needs his rest," Charles says to the three of them. "Peter you get some sleep, I will be back to check on you later this evening. Ok?" he asks Noel.
"That sounds great. You'd like that wouldn't you, Peter?"
Peter says, "Uh-huh" with a hand over his mouth trying to cover a yawn.
"All right Honey you get some rest, I'll be back later to see you," she says to him as they were leaving the room.
"Noel, would you like to join us for lunch?" Jon asks Noel, adding "we have to celebrate Peter's waking don't we?"
"Noel looks at Charles who nods and then back to Jon with a smile and says, "That would be lovely. Thank you."
Just then they hear a page over the intercom "Charles Johnson, you have a call on line one, Charles Johnson, you have a call on line one."
Charles goes off to get his phone call, leaving Jon and Noel alone to talk. They are just standing there speaking of trivial things when Charles comes back and announces "That was my wife! She is on her way in! She has gone into labor a month earlier than we were expecting! Sorry, but it looks like you two will just have to go and have lunch without me. You don't mind do you?"
Jon looks at him strangely, "Of course we don't mind! Your wife is getting ready to have a baby! I for one expect you to be there during everything. You go on, we'll go ahead without you."
Noel nods with a smile "Yes, you go ahead, don't worry about us."
************
Later, after taking a cab to an exclusive restaurant near the hospital, they are talking about Peter when suddenly Noel looks up with wide eyes. "I just realized why you seem so familiar! You are Santa Claus!"
"What? Oh, yes. I had almost forgotten," he says with a nervous laugh. He truly didn't expect her to remember him. "How did you know it was me?" he asks quietly.
"Oh, it's your eyes, they are the most amazing shade of blue!" she blushes. She didn't want to let him know that she was attracted to him.
"Oh. I could not have forgotten meeting such a beauty. I just had to have Charles introduce us properly," he tells her with a grin.
"You flatter me!" she says with the blush still firmly in place. She reaches for her water glass and takes a sip trying to cool her over-heated senses.
"It is the truth, I couldn't get you off my mind, and when Charles told me Peter had wakened I jumped at the chance to meet you. I didn't want to approach you while you were your most vulnerable. That just wouldn't have been fare to you or to me. But now he is awake and I am happy for the both of you. I would very much like to try to make up for the Christmas that you both lost. That is, once Peter is well enough to be released from the hospital. I would very much like to see both of you again." He decides to be honest with her, though he isn't going to tell her about being her benefactor just yet. Wait and see what happens between them first.
************
Jon is standing in front of the fireplace in his mansion watching Jarad teach Peter how to play chess with Noel looking on and trying to give Peter tips on how to beat Jarad. He had invited them all over for Christmas this year, it was Jarad's idea for everyone to spend the night. Jarad just got out of the treatment center and is trying to get to know Noel and Peter. They both seem to love him as much as Jon does.
He walks over to Jarad, whispers something in his ear, then walks into his office across the hall from the family room. He pulls the picture away from the wall and unlocking the safe behind it, removes a small brightly wrapped box. He then returns to the family room. He walks over to the love seat where Noel is sitting and sits on the edge of the small coffee table placed in front of it. He pulls the box out of his pocket, then slips down onto one knee in front of her.
"Jon?" she whispers quietly. "What are you doing?" as if she needs to ask.
"Noel, I love you. Will you do me the honor of becoming my wife? You see I've come to the realization that I can't live without you," he states in a husky voice filled with emotion. He looks into her liquid brown eyes.
"OH Jon!! Of course I will! I love you too!" she slips down to the floor beside him and kisses him sweetly on the lips.
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