Christmas Miracles
Title: Christmas Miracles
Author: Sass Chikamori
E-mail: [email protected]
Rating: G
Classification: Animal/Lia {romance}, all characters {drama}
Spoilers: None of the JAG episodes, to my knowledge.
Summary: Christmas is getting closer. Liandra�s husband is supposed to be home from a deployment, but he�s not home yet. Lia has a surprise for her hubby once he finally comes home, the extent of which even she doesn�t know yet.
Disclaimer: Harm and Mac belong to Don Bellasario, and are not used with permission. However, no infringement is intended. Mention of Walker, Texas Ranger characters. They belong to Top Kick Productions, and are not used with permission; no infringement intended. Mention of Taggert and Montgomery characters from the Jude Deveraux novels The Princess and Sweet Liar; not used with permission, but no infringement intended here, either. I just like borrowing characters sometimes. But I always return them. Except Animal. I�m keeping him. ( Animal belongs to Hugo Chikamori, and he came along for the ride quite willingly.)
Thanks: Special thanks to my mom for the medical advice and for answering my questions.
Author�s note: The church Lia attends is my actual former church. The name of my pastor has been changed, though, as well as the names of my friends there. The hospital mentioned in this fic is also real. I used to work for an office based out of one of the Christus hospitals.
FIRST UNITED PENTECOSTAL CHURCH
BOSSIER CITY, LA
(6:45 CST/ 2345 ZULU)
DECEMBER 24
�If anyone needs prayer,� Brother Davis announced, �the altars are open.�
I looked around our huge auditorium. Not another person was even thinking of heading down. Oh, well. Who cares? I felt a lump growing in my throat. I�m desperate.
I slipped out of my pew. �Lisanne, I�ll be back in a second,� I said to the woman who was my first friend in this church. I�d known her for eight years.
�Hang on, I�ll come with you.� She took my hand and squeezed it as we walked down to meet Brother Davis at the altar.
�Brother Davis, I have a request,� I said to my pastor. Brother Davis handed me the microphone. �Speak your heart, Sister Chikamori.�
�Thank you, Brother Davis.� I said. Turning my gaze to the congregation, �Most of you know my husband, Hugo, is in the Navy,� I began, trying not to choke up.
�He�s a pilot, isn�t he?� Brother Davis asked me.
�Yes, he is,� I beamed unconsciously at the thought of my husband in the cockpit of his beloved F-14 Super D Tomcat. �He�s the squadron commander for the best fighter group in the Navy. He has been away on a peacekeeping deployment in the Persian Gulf. He was scheduled to come home early and was due to be home a week and a half ago. I got worried about him so I called my uncle AJ, who is a Rear Admiral. He has some connections with the government,� I said, momentarily wincing at the thought of Clayton Webb. I know he knows where my husband is, but he�s not saying anything.
I turned to my pastor. �Brother Davis, I�m Navy, too. I knew what I was getting into marrying a fighter pilot. But you know how it is. You have so much confidence in someone, in their abilities, I guess I got a little ego problem. �My husband�s the Commander of the Black Aces, he�s the best pilot in the Navy, he can do anything.�
I broke down and tears fell uncontrolled down my cheeks. �All he ever talked about whenever he called was that he was going to be home in time for the baby to be born,� I sobbed, patting my voluminous abdomen in a gesture of reassurance. Reassurance for me or the baby�I don�t know which.
Lisanne and her family gathered around me. Gina, Lisanne�s sister, and a mother herself, gave me a sympathetic smile. �It�ll be alright. You�ll see.�
Another hand fell onto my shoulder. I jumped out of my skin and turned around. In the space of a single second, my face rose . . .and fell, as I recognized Lisanne�s husband Mark. Lisanne gestured for Mark to lean over. She whispered in his ear. �Oh, Lia, I�m sorry.�
�It�s okay, Mark. I just . . .� my eyes filled with tears. �I just keep hoping for a miracle.�
Brother Davis took my hand. �Well, then, let�s get you one.�
Turning my hands and tearstained face toward the heavens, I began to pray. Fresh new tears mingled with old as Brother Davis gently touched my forehead with a drop of anointing oil. I heard my friends� prayers mingle with the voice of my pastor. �Lord, you see the pain Your child is in right now. You see this young family torn apart by time, distance, worry and fear. Lord, You know her heart is bleeding for the knowledge that her husband Hugo is safe and well. In Your glorious Name, we ask right now for a miracle, that Hugo will be returned to Liandra safely . . .and soon.�
Brother Davis kept praying along with my friends. I kept praying, but all of a sudden, I could not hear anything. I had my eyes closed when I began to pray, I had thought. But now I could see a bright light, and a human-like figure in the distance. It reminded me a lot of the way people describe out-of-body experiences, where they were about to die. I felt my heart fly into my throat. Whoever it was standing there in the distance spoke, and I could hear the smile in the angel�s voice. �No, Liandra, you are not going to die. You are going to live, you and your husband and your children, and their children, for a very long time to come.�
�You mean, he�s okay?� I asked, my voice barely audible to my own ears.
The angel said nothing more, just gestured with a hand.
I opened my eyes. Brother Davis stood in front of me, smiling. �You have received your miracle, Sister Liandra.�
Dumbfounded, I opened my mouth to ask him how he knew what the angel had said to me, when a scuffle was heard outside the sanctuary. One of the ushers came in and told Brother Davis, � An extremely scruffy-looking man is out in the hall, Brother Davis, and he says his wife is in here. He wants in.�
Turning, I saw my old friends Harmon Rabb, Junior, and his wife, Sarah, walk up another aisle. �Merry Christmas, Lia,� Harm called out ecstatically.
�Harm? Where�s Animal?� I asked him, my voice cracking.
A loud squeak came from the door closest to the usher that had come in to speak with Brother Davis. The door opened and the man that walked through it was indeed �scruffy-looking�. But he was the best �scruffy-looking� thing I�d ever seen in my entire 31 years of life.
�ANIMAL!!!!!!!!!� I screamed at the top of my lungs, probably shredding what was left of my vocal cords, but ask me if I cared.
Despite my enormous belly, I took off running, suddenly grateful I had removed my shoes before going to the altar. It wasn�t that easy, but at that instant, I would have walked across hot coals. I could have cared less what it was that separated us, I just wanted my husband. Two seconds later, I had what I wanted, my husband�s arms around me.
Bawling, I flung myself into my husband�s arms, able to do nothing but weep on Animal�s shoulder, sobbing his name over and over.
�Hey, you. Why are you crying?� Animal asked me, smiling through the grime on his face, as he gently touched my face.
�Because, you scruffy-looking nerf herder,� I said, unable to resist a joking reference to our favorite movie trilogy, �you were supposed to be home nearly two weeks ago, and I�m two weeks from giving birth to your daughters.�
�Who�s scruffy-looking?� Animal quipped. A totally shocked look appeared on his face. �Daughters? I thought you were just having one baby,� he said, reaching out to touch my stomach wonderingly.
�Well, if you called more often,� I said playfully, �I could have told you Blair said I�m having twins.�
Just then, a wave of excruciating pain ran over me like a train. �Oh!� I moaned, grabbing my stomach reflexively.
Harm and Sarah came running over. �What is it,� Sarah asked.
�The babies,� I gasped, as another contraction overwhelmed me. �They�re coming!�
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(9:15 PM CST/2615 ZULU)
RAMADA INN
ROOM 612 (sorry, Animal. Had to.) :-)
SHREVEPORT LA
�Will you chill out?� Harm fussed at Animal. �You heard Lia�s cousin. She�s having twins. It�ll take a while.�
Harm gave Animal the �once-over� look. �You are a disgusting mess. Even Liandra, as much as she loves you and wants you there, even she ordered you to go get cleaned up.�
�Yeah,� Animal chuckled at the memory. �She turned into a Marine DI on me there for a minute. Did you hear her? �You are not holding my newborn daughters if you�re not clean. And I mean wash behind your ears, too, mister, you hear me?��
�Go on,� Harm gave Animal a shove towards the shower. �Get in there. You stink like a pig.�
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TWO HOURS LATER
(11:15 CST/2815 ZULU)
CHRISTUS SCHUMPERT BOSSIER HOSPITAL
Animal was frantic. �Harm, I�m gonna kill you if Lia�s already had the babies and I�ve missed my daughters� first appearance on this earth,� he told his friend.
�Will you relax? For the twentieth time, Dr. Montgomery said it would take several hours for the twins to be born. I doubt you�ve missed much, except the usual yelling and screaming mothers aim at their husbands.� Harm laughed.
Sarah came running down the hallway towards them. �Will you two hurry up? Animal, get your six in there and get into some scrubs on the double. Liandra�s been screaming the house down asking for you. Crying and throwing a royal fit.� She made a shoo-ing motion at her old friend.
�As for you,� Sarah aimed a well-manicured finger at her legal eagle husband. �You have telephone duty. Here�s Lia�s list of everyone she wants called, starting with her mom and the Admiral.� Handing him the long list of phone numbers and names, Sarah leaned up and kissed Harm on the cheek. �Have at it, flyboy.�
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SEVEN HOURS LATER
(6:15 AM CST/ 1215 ZULU)
LABOR AND DELIVERY ROOM
Through the haze brought on by the extreme pain I was in, I noticed Harm come in and whisper in Sarah�s ear. �How�s she doing?�
�I�m doing fine, except for the occasional bout of severe pain.� Harm was wearing the same thing as Animal and Sarah. Emerald green scrubs. I just couldn�t resist teasing him. �Hey, Harm, you look real spiffy in MARINE GREEN!� I laughed. Harm was not amused.
Neither was my husband. �Hey, what about me?� he whined plaintively. �You, too, dear.� I said, patting his hand.
�Did you call my mom?� I asked Harm.
�Yeah. She�s out in the waiting room, along with your Uncle Cordell, Aunt Alex, C. D., Jimmy, Trent, Carlos, the Admiral, Francesca, Bud & Harriet, and nearly everyone else on your list. I tried calling your Aunt Aria and Uncle JT, but someone named Ned informed me that they�re in New York with your brother Mike.�
�Well, did you call Mike and Sam?� I demanded, after breathing through another contraction.
�Nope. He didn�t have to,� Blair calmly announced from the other end of the bed. �I called them when I went to grab that coffee three hours ago. The whole family should be here in a few hours.�
I moaned. Animal leaned over, concern etched into his tired features. �Another contraction, honey?�
�No. Just the thought of the entire Taggert/Montgomery clan, here, in a few hours. It�s enough to make me go into labor again. Hey, Blair,� I called, then screamed incoherently as two more contractions hit me, one right after another.
�All right, Harm, Sarah, you two go wait with the rest of the family. She�s at seven centimeters. It�s party time,� Blair told my friends as she gave the anesthesiologist the order to administer my epidural.
�Wait. Harm, did you call Animal�s folks?� I asked, worried.
�No, honey, I called them from the hotel, after I got cleaned up. They�re flying down tomorrow sometime.� Animal kissed my cheek.
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�Okay, this should be it for now,� Blair said. �When I tell you to, I want you to push hard, ok?�
�Yeah,� I murmured weakly.
�OK, on three, one, two, three . . .push."
I pushed as hard as I could and then some. �Oh, wow,� Blair exclaimed. �Hey, Animal, come here a minute.�
�Whoa. What?�� I demanded, frantic. �Blair, is something wrong with Angel?� I asked.
�No, I just wanted her daddy to come watch her grand entrance, that�s all. Her head�s coming out,� Blair replied.
�Yeah, no kidding,� I quipped. �Okay, so shoulders are next, right?�
�Uh-huh. Push, Lia. Hard.� Blair turned to my husband. �Okay, Animal, hold Angel�s shoulders . . . like this,� Blair told him, �and when I say okay, pull your daughter on out.�
Animal nodded, and I could just barely see his face above the sterile blue sheet that had been draped over my knees. There were tears in his eyes, and in my own.
�Alright, Angel�s shoulders are out. Lia, it should only take a couple more pushes and Angel will be ready to meet her mom and dad. Then it�ll be Sarah�s turn. Ready?� she asked, reaching forward to squeeze my hand.
�Ready, Cuz,� I smiled at Blair, referring to her by our old childhood nickname.
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TWO HOURS LATER
(8:15 AM CST/1415 ZULU)
CHRISTUS BOSSIER; L & D RECOVERY
DECEMBER 25
Animal brushed his hand across my cheek. Smiling tiredly, I rubbed his hand with mine. �How are the girls?� I asked.
�Beautiful, just like their mother,� Animal grinned proudly at me. Leaning over, he kissed me on the forehead.
There was a light tap on the door, as Harm and Sarah stuck their heads in. �Can we come in?�
Animal nodded. �Yeah,� he replied, bringing my hand to his lips softly.
Harm waved to someone behind him. He walked in, followed by his wife and several of my family members, my mother leading the pack.
�Honey, how do you feel?� she asked, walking around to the other side of the bed to take my other hand.
�Fine, just tired.� Movement behind my mom caught my eye. �Who�s that?�
�Surprise!� It was Trent, Carlos, and Jimmy, Uncle Cordell and Alex hanging back behind them.
Trent pulled something from behind his back. �It�s from all of us, me, Carlos, Jimmy, your Uncle and CD.�
He handed my mother a large navy velvet box, which she opened. Mom gasped.
�What is it, Mom?� I asked her, trying to sit up to see inside the box, but Animal shoved me back onto my pillows.
After Mom handed me the box, I peered inside. �Oh, guys, they�re beautiful.� Laying on a bed of pale blue satin were two sterling silver Texas Rangers badges, blank, but I could tell they were meant for engraving.
Jimmy spoke. �They�re for the girls� names, once you�ve decided. Walker and Alex picked them out.�
Tears filled my eyes. Handing Animal the box, I held my arms open toward my uncle and his wife. Cordell and Alex walked over and embraced me. �Oh, Uncle Wascho, how can I . . .�
�Hush, Heartsong,� my uncle chided, calling me by his Cherokee nickname for me.
Alex leaned over and kissed my cheek. �Hey, have you decided on names yet?�
I looked over at Animal, who nodded. Blair came in the room, intending to usher my family out so the rest could say hi, and I paused to speak to her. �Blair, get everybody in here for just a minute, will you? I want everyone to hear what the girls� names are.�
Blair stuck her head out the door, and my Uncle AJ, his daughter Francesca Peretti, Uncle Cordell�s former partner , CD Parker, Bud and Harriet, and my brothers Mike and Kane Taggert and their wives Samantha and Cale came trooping in.
�Okay, everybody, I�m sure you�ve all had time to go by the nursery and see the newest members of the JAG Corps,� I said jokingly, as everyone laughed. Everyone except Animal.
�What?� I glanced at him, raising an eyebrow.
�Why do the girls have to be JAGs? Why not pilots?� he frowned.
�Oh, for heaven�s sake,� Sarah muttered. �They�re only an hour old! You two can argue about this in twenty years. What names did you decide on?�
Animal sat down next to me on the bed. I slid over gingerly and patted the spot beside me. �Come on, scoot over. I�m not going to bite, I promise.�
�Not for at least three months! You need to heal and rest first.� Blair hollered from the back of the room.
�Blair!� I sputtered, blushing furiously. �Do you mind? My mother�s in here!�
Animal cleared his throat, trying to hide a laugh. He didn�t try hard enough, though, because I glanced over at Sarah. �Smack him for me, please, Mac.�
�Later,� my husband chided. �We need to tell your family what we named the girls so you can get some rest. You heard Blair,� Animal snickered.
�Okay. Harm, Sarah, sit down,� I slapped my foot against the end of the bed.
�Why?� Harm asked.
�Just do it, flyboy,� I growled.
Harm and Sarah sat.
Reaching over, I took my husband�s hand. �We decided on giving our daughters two middle names each, because we wanted to name them after our best friends, but we wanted the girls to have their own names, as well. You guys don�t know this, but right before Animal showed up at church last night, I had what I guess you could call a vision. I was at the altar for prayer, because I was scared and worried about Animal,� I said, squeezing his hand.
�The gist of it is that an angel appeared to me and told me everything was going to be alright, that Animal was okay and he was coming home. The minute I opened my eyes,� I paused, glancing at my husband with tear-filled eyes, �you came in the door.�
Turning back to my family, I continued. �So, we came up with these as our daughters� names. For the firstborn, Harmony Angel Grace Chikamori. I think we�ll call her Harm for short,� I said with a grin. Harm�s sharp intake of breath could be heard throughout the small room. �Hush,� I scolded him. �She�s our daughter, and we can name her whatever we want. Angel�s sister�s name is Sarah Mercy Elizabeth Chikamori.�
Mac began to cry and threw her arms around me. �Lia, I�m honored.�
�No, Mac,� Animal said softly. �Liandra and I are the honored ones. We�re honored to have you and Harm as our best friends.�
�Okay, everybody out.� Blair commanded.
One by one, I got hugs and kisses from my friends and family. Blair was the last out the door. She looked at Animal. �You staying?�
�Yeah, somebody�s got to make sure this jarhead stays put,� Animal teased me.
�Ha, ha, very funny. I�m so tired now I couldn�t get out of this bed if I had to.� I replied, wearily slapping at my husband.
�Okay.� Blair walked back over to the bed, leaned over and kissed my cheek. �Get some sleep, Cuz, and I�ll see you later.�
�Yeah, you, too, Cuz. Go home. I�ll have Mike call you if I need you.�
Blair left, and Animal and I curled up next to one another, finally alone.
Running his hand down my cheek, Animal sighed contentedly. �Happy?�
�Now that you�re home, I am.� I tried to keep the tears from falling, but failed miserably.
Astute as ever, Animal saw them and kissed the teardrops out of existence. �Hey, no tears.�
�You know why I wanted the girls to have Grace and Mercy in their names?�
�Tell me.�
�It�s through God�s infinite grace and mercy that you came home when and how you did. Animal,� I wept, � it�s a miracle.�
�You�re right, honey. You�re absolutely right.� His face softened, and he kissed me tenderly. �Merry Christmas, darling.�
I kissed him back, touching his unshaven, scratchy cheek with my lips before I spoke. �Merry Christmas, my love. Merry Christmas.�
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Merry Christmas, everybody!