My Only Wish This Year
Part 5 - Christmas 2012
by Karen H

As the clock read 8:13 on Christmas morning, Dawson lying in his childhood bed watching his sleeping wife, reflecting on how his life was turning out. This time of year seemed to hold special meaning for them, so many major events in their lives taking place at this time of year.

There was the time they got back together, the time he’d asked her if she wanted to move in together…if she’d spend the rest of her life with him. Then on Christmas Eve five years ago, the same day they were celebrating 6 years of being a couple, she’d let him in on the news that he was going to be a father.

Nothing in the world had prepared him for that day, not countless talks with his own father nor the numerous books they’d both been consulting. Dawson and Joey had gone through most of the major bumps together, from her morning sickness and mood swings to those last few months when they were having sex almost every night.

The day they’d gone for the sonogram neither of them could contain how excited they were, both of them only seeming to calm down when the doctor had asked if they wanted to know the babies sex. They’d looked at one another and laughed, it’d been the one thing neither of them had considered and without a moments hesitation they’d agreed to wait until the birth date, which was the 18th of July.

Joey was in labor for almost 4 hours and had been exhausted by the time it was over. Despite her fatigue she’d managed to joke, “So Dawson, when should we get started on baby number two?”

His reply had been to kiss her lovingly as the nurses cleaned up the baby. “Don’t tease me with that prospect, I hurt easy!”

Lily had been thrilled at the news she was now an aunt, Gale had cried when she’d first clapped eyes on her first grandchild, Kai Leery. Mitch had grinned telling Dawson that he and Joey would have their work cut out for them. “Hadn’t his son been a handful?” He’d joked.

Almost every major event in Kai’s life had been documented with either Dawson video camera or digital camera and Joey often wondered if Kai would grow up with some sort of phobia.

Then almost seven months ago they’d had to sit Kai down to tell him he was going to be a big brother and all about the fact that in time mommy was going to become really fat, Dawson going so far as to show the little boy pictures of when Joey was pregnant with him.

“See how big mommy’s tummy is?” Dawson had asked him and he’d nodded his head. “Well, that’s because there’s a baby in there. You were inside mommy’s tummy.”

The boy had eyed the picture and Joey’s tummy, probably not quiet understanding that a baby could have been inside her.

“You’re gonna traumatize my son.” Joey had told him. “He probably doesn’t have a clue what you’re talking about.”

When Joey finally opened her eyes on Christmas morning she found that Dawson was lying by her side, watching her.

“Good morning.” Dawson smiled down at her before brushing his lips against her forehead.

“Good morning to you too.” Joey replied looking past Dawson to see the basinet was now on his side of the bed. “What’s that doing over there?”

“Well, I know you were up a few times during the night with Keira and I woke up a little while ago.” Dawson said as Joey turned to face him. “So I figured if she was going to start crying, I would attend to her, hopefully before you would wake up.”

“That’s so sweet.” Joey cooed. “You’ll make a good husband for someone one of these days.” She finished with a grin.

“You should tell my wife that.”

“Nah, I’m gonna keep that a secret.” She laughed cuddling him. “What time is it?”

“It’s 8:20.”

“Is anyone else awake yet?”

“Ah, I don’t think so.” Dawson replied. “Kai poked his head around the door about an hour ago. Asked if he could go see if Santa had been yet. I told him ‘no’, it was too early and he crept in the room. Lily told him the same thing.”

“I guess the novelty has worn off now that she’s a non-believer.”

“I guess.” He agreed. “I asked him if he wanted to come in beside us and he crawled in but only so he could ask every few minutes if he could go see the pressies.”

“He eventually got bored of that?”

“Yeah, but I told him if he wasn’t going to be quiet he’d have to go back to Lily’s room or else he’d wake the baby.”

Just then they hear the baby making a gurgling noise, both knowing that it could turn into a full blown wail in a minute.

“Just you stay there.” Dawson told Joey as she yawned and he swung his legs over the side of the bed. “I’ll take care of her.”

Sitting up Joey began to undo the oversized shirt of Dawson’s that she wore to bed as he lifted the baby out of the basinet, rocking her small body.

“Unfortunately you don’t have any breasts, so I think this one’s mine.” She told him as she got more comfortable against the pillows. Looking up she saw Dawson look down and pout. Giggling, Joey shrugged the shirt off of her shoulder. “That’s not an insult or anything; truth is you have limited abilities when it comes to the feeding department.”

Dawson sat back on the bed beside her, still rocking the baby.

“So, unless you want a house full of cranky people I suggest you let me feed our daughter.”

“Fine.” Dawson rolled his eyes, mock hurt before handing the six week old baby to his wife.

Joey couldn’t help but giggle again as Keira latched onto her breast, starting to feed hungrily. “You know there are some days I wish you could breastfeed.” Joey said as Dawson moved closer, wrapping an arm around her both watching Keira’s.

“Do you remember when Kai was this small?” Dawson asked her

Smiling she replied, “Like it was yesterday. It sometimes feels like it’s all gone by in a bit of a blur, personally I blame the flash of the camera.” She finished with a joke.

“When we’re old and reminiscing about all of this, you’ll be thankful for me and my array of cameras!” He assured her.

The next moment a little four and a half year old boy with brown hair comes bursting into the room. “Mommy!” He calls excited that she’s finally awake. Dawson throws a stern look his way and Kai’s hands shoot up to cover his mouth as he forgets for a moment that he’ll wake people up.

Moving to Dawson’s side of the bed Kai tries not to look at his father, focusing his gaze on his mother. “I want to see if Santa’s been.” He told her.

“In a little bit.” Joey says her eyes moving back to the baby and Kai’s bottom lip quivers.

Dawson sees it and lifts Kai onto his lap. “Hey sport, how about we give mommy a few more minutes to feed Keira and then we’ll see if we can’t wake all those lazybones up. Does that sound like a plan?” He asked seeing the little boy’s face begin to light up.

“Yay!”

“Who will we wake up?” Dawson asked, trying to kill some time.

“Grandma and Grandpa.” Kai told him.

“What about Lily?”

Kai scrunched his nose. “Told me to go away.”

“Aw.” Joey cooed running her fingers through Kai’s hair. “Miss Lily is just cranky in the mornings; daddy will get her out of bed for you.”

Kai giggled. “Will you tickle her feet?”

“Maybe.” Dawson grinned.

The little boy looked down at his little sister, stroking her cheek. “I wish she was bigger.”

“You do?” Joey asked him, Kai nodding his head in response. “Why?”

“So we could play.”

“How adorable is that?” Dawson asked, squeezing Joey’s arm.

Kai continued. “She doesn’t do anything exciting. All she does is eat and sleep and cry and poop.”

Dawson and Joey both couldn’t help but laugh at that.

“So did you when you were very little.” Joey began. “Now look at how big you are.”

Kai just nodded his head, still watching his little sister.

“Okay champ. How about you go put on your slippers and by the time you come back in we should be ready to go see if Santa has paid us a visit?”

“K.” Kai replied as he climbed down off of the bed before running to the door, throwing it open before running down the hallway.

“He’ll be back here in less than a minute.” Dawson told her.

“Try less than 30 seconds.” Joey retorted. “He’s just like his father, doesn’t wait around for things to happen around him.”

Dawson thought about that for a moment before smiling and bringing his head closer to hers, kissing her softly.

“Knock, knock. Can I come in?” Gale called from the hallway.

“Yeah.”

“I believe this belongs to you?” She said as she entered the room, her grandson’s hand held in hers.

“Grandma wants to see if Santa’s been.” Kai beamed at them before letting her hand go so he could approach the bed. “See Grandma, she’s still eating.” Kai informed her as Dawson scooped him into his arms and placed him on his lap.

“She’ll finish in a minute sweetie.” Joey assured him.

“I told Grandma that I used to be same size as Keira.” He told Joey, as he looked down at his little sister, touching her tiny hand.

“Mom you wouldn’t mind taking a picture of this, would you?” Dawson asked causing Joey to laugh lightly as he pointed to the camera. “It’s on the desk.”

“Sure no problem.” Gale told him as she watched the happy family seemingly caught up in something so trivial yet captivating at the same time.

They’d hardly been aware of Gale taking the picture and hadn’t even looked up as she’d told them she was going to chase Lily out of bed and light a fire under Mitch.

A few moments later, Joey lightly touched Kai’s nose and asked if he just wanted to stay in bed or did he want to go see what Santa had left him, now that Keira had let go of her breast.

His eyes had lit up and he’d jumped off of the bed like a shot allowing Joey to hand the baby to Dawson so she could button up the shirt. “Presents!” He cheered grabbing hold of Dawson’s hand. “Come on Daddy, need to go open presents.”

“What if Santa was late?” Joey asked him as she put on her bathrobe and he stopped jumping up and down for a moment as he pondered the question.

“Santa’s never late, only mommy sometimes.” He answered smiling as he looked up at his dad before running to the door and back again.

Joey looked at Dawson expectantly.

“He asked about Santa being late last night and, I guess that’s how I answered it.” Dawson replied as she laughed. “I didn’t think he was paying that much attention.”

“Come on Mommy, Daddy. Grandma and Grandpa are coming too.” Kai called from the hallway, excitement taking hold of his voice.

As they descended the stairs, Dawson took a hold of Kai’s hand and Kai took Joey’s as he started to ramble on and on, wondering if Santa had eaten the milk and cookies he’d laid out for him the night before.

Once they’d reached the bottom of the stairs Dawson and Joey found themselves looking at each other and smiling, Kai’s words seeming to be filtered out as they remembered where all of this, their lives together had really begun. Looking up they saw the piece of mistletoe that hung in its not rightful place. Stopping on the bottom step, they kissed for a moment before Kai’s calls for them to hurry up began to filter through.

Would Christmas be as special a time to their kids as it had been for them so far?