A Christmas Miracle

As soon as we were on the road J.J. asked questions like: 'How was the flight?' 'So you're in med school now?' 'You're a cop, Nick?' Before long, the small talk switched gears and took the inevitable turn.

"How's Wendy?" J.J. asked. "She must be what... in her third or fourth year of a residency by now? What did she end up choosing as a specialty?"

Lizzie glanced over her shoulder at me. I was seated in the back. I nodded.

"Would you mind pulling over for a minute?" Lizzie pointed to the side of the road. "We need to stop."

"Are you feeling okay?" J.J. shot his sister a worried glance. The wheels hit the gravel and it grew noisy in the car until the vehicle came to a halt.

Lizzie reached for the door handle. "Let's take a walk."

J.J. hesitated before getting out of the car.

CHAPTER 17

I stepped out, just in case I was needed.

"I have some bad news," Lizzie said. "I'm sorry to be the one to have to tell you this."

His eyebrows drew downward in a frown. "That doesn't sound good."

"It's not," Lizzie replied looking down at her shoes. "I'm sorry, J.J. Wendy passed away a few weeks ago. She died in a car accident."

"No," he said, shaking his head in denial. "That can't be."

I didn't know what to say. The look of agony on my friend's face broke my heart. A vein pulsed at his forehead. His eyes filled with tears. Abruptly, he walked off.

"J.J...." Lizzie made a move to follow but he held up a hand, as if to warn her to stay back.

I watched him walk along the edge of the fence until he was some distance away, then he stopped and bowed his head. He dropped to his knees, bent forward on his elbows and squeezed fistfuls of his hair while he rocked back and forth.

His despair caused a rise of emotion in me that was almost paralyzing.

I approached Lizzie.

"I don't know what to do," she said helplessly.

"Just give him a minute," I advised her.

Finally, J.J. rose to his feet. He wiped his cheeks with the backs of his hands and turned to face us.

"Why didn't I know?" he asked looking at Lizzie. "Why didn't anyone tell me? It was him, wasn't it?"

"You mean Dad," Lizzie said.

He nodded. "He didn't let you call or write. My God, my sister died! Why didn't you just stand up to him and do it anyway?"

"We didn't know where you were," Lizzie argued in her defense. "All this time, we didn't get single word from you. So please don't accuse me of not keeping in touch."

J.J. shuddered and gritted his teeth as he spoke. "I wrote you letters and called a lot of times. Dad said none of you wanted to hear from me. When I met Meg, I tried again, but he threatened me with a restraining order if I continued to write or if I tried to come home. Then my number was blocked. I don't know what happened with my letters."

"What about Facebook or something?" Lizzie asked. "You could have friended me."

"I'd given up by then," he explained, his tone growing quieter. "After a while, I had to because it was ripping me apart inside. It made everything so much harder."

We all stood in silence for a long moment, breathing hard beneath the enormous overcast sky. J.J. tilted his head back and looked up at the clouds. They rolled briskly by. "I can't believe it," he said, "and that Dad wouldn't lift the iron curtain, not even for that."

He pulled his gaze from the sky and looked at his sister with a brotherly apology. "I'm sorry, Lizzie."

Tears blinded her eyes. "I'm sorry, too," she replied as she stepped into his open arms.

CHAPTER 18

We stayed with J.J. for three days. I slept on the sofa in the basement room while Lizzie took the upstairs guest room.

Lizzie and J.J. talked a lot. They reminisced about Wendy and grieved for the tragic loss. They also filled in the blanks on all the missing years.

They both did the best to include me in their conversations, but there were times when I felt that they needed to be left alone.

Neither of them was certain how Mrs. Reynolds would react when she knew what her husband had done to push their son away. Probably she would continue to follow her husband rules for the rest of her life without ever challenging them.

J.J. shared with us how he'd met Meg and how they fell in love with each other.

"She was working as a waitress. I walked in and ordered a large latte. I was so smitten, just from the way she smiled at me, that I came back twice a week for a whole year." J.J. smiled at his wife.

She held his hand in hers and added, "I started asking for the evening shifts just to make sure I didn't miss seeing him. He always ordered latte and we talked."

J.J. raised his wife's hand to his lips and kissing the back of it. "Meg had a way of getting me to open up and tell her everything. She calmed me down, made me feel like everything was going to be okay."

J.J. and I recollected some of our happier childhood memories, and of course we talked about me being 'a bad influence' on him.

"I always blamed myself after your father found the cops in his driveway," I confessed to him.

"That's not why we moved," J.J. told me with a strange laugh, as if the truth were common knowledge. "We moved because my dad thought your dad had the hots for my mother."

"What?"

My friend scooped up a handful of peanuts from the bowl in front of him. "Don't worry," he said. "Nothing ever happened. They didn't have an affair or anything. Dad was just incredibly jealous of your dad because he didn't like coming home to find some other guy from the neighborhood fixing our leaky faucet or unclogging our toilet."

J.J. pointed a finger at me and spoke with a hint of humor that accentuated the laugh lines around his eyes. "Your dad was a flirt. You know that, right?"

"My mother talked abundantly about the subject after they divorced," I replied. "But I didn't know he was putting the moves on your mom."

J.J. shook his head. "He wasn't, but it didn't matter. Dad's a control freak with a temper. I doubt you even know about the time they brawled in our garage. Remember when your dad had the black eye?"

"He said he fell off the ladder cleaning the gutters," I recollected.

J.J. shook his head. "Nope."

"So that's why your father hated me?" I asked. "Because he hated my dad?"

He shrugged. "You and your father did bear a striking resemblance. You had the same charm that he did, and you know how Mom always loved you."

He smiled and pointed a warning finger at Lizzie. "You better be careful with this guy, baby sister. Let me know if he treats you wrong and I'll take care of it. I know people."

She laughed and lay her head on my shoulder. "That's completely unnecessary. He's been a perfect gentleman."

"Since when?" J.J. replied, and we all laughed and continued talking until the wee hours of the morning when it was time, at last, to go to bed. Or in my case, to my basement sofa.

The sound of light footsteps, descending the carpeted stairs woke me up. I waited for my eyes to adjust to the darkness.

Eventually, I became aware of the silvery moonlight streaming in through the small basement window. A figure approached the sofa where I was sleeping.

It was Lizzie.

She sat down on the carpet and rested her cheek on the edge of the sofa, next to my face.

"Hi," I whispered.

"Hi," she replied with a smile.

"Couldn't sleep?" I asked.

She shook my head. "Too much to think about."

I lifted the blanket to invite her in. "Come and get warm."

She climbed in beside me and I relished the sensation of her body heat all around me as we found a comfortable spooning position.

"I'm glad you came to my door that day," she whispered. "Even though you turned my life upside down."

"Most people would consider that a bad thing," I whispered back.

"I don't know what's happening here, Nick. I can't take you off of my mind."

I held her tighter, squeezing her body. I heard the sound of her swallow and felt an unfathomable rush of desire.

"You turned my life upside down in a good way. Look where we are. I reunited with the brother I thought I'd lost forever," Lizzie said snuggling closer to me.

"And the friend I never imagined I'd see again."

She turned her head to the side to nuzzle her cheek against my nose and lips. My emotions began to whirl. My heart was pounding and my head was spinning. "Life is strange, isn't it?" Lizzie said.

"Yes," I replied, laying a kiss on her cheek. "I'm starting to believe every day is a miracle."

She rolled to face me, "Thank you."

"For what?"

"For holding me."

I brushed her lips lightly and felt a swell of passion rise up within me as I pulled her closer and deepened the kiss.

"It's my pleasure."

CHAPTER 19

My night on the sofa with Lizzie was beyond anything I'd ever experienced or could have imagined. Of course I'd been with women before. However, my feelings for her were like some sort of vibrating force that began deep in the pit of my belly and sizzled outward to the tips of my fingers and toes, to the very top of my head.

I felt euphoric. The happiness was almost frightening; I hadn't believed I could feel anything like it, not for a very long time.

The sun was just coming up when she kissed my lips softly and climbed quietly back upstairs.

J.J. and Meg had planned a picnic for lunch. We had to walk a path through a small forest.

"Are you all right?" Lizzie asked me when I paused again to let my leg rest. "I knew we shouldn't have walked so far."

"I'll be fine. I just need to sit down for a minute." I pointed. "I see a bench."

"Take your time," Meg said. "Why don't the two of you meet us at the picnic area in about a half hour? It's just across that bridge. We'll take the kids."

Meg pushed the stroller down the path while Lizzie and I sat down on the bench. She immediately took hold of my hand.

"Are you feeling all right?" I asked her.

She faced me and smiled. "Far better than all right. It's strange, because days ago I was mourning Wendy's loss and I thought I could never be happy again. What about you?"

"I'm great. Never been happier. I promise I'll never hurt you, Lizzie. We can take a step back if you prefer."

She squeezed my hand. "I don't want to fight this. I can't explain it, but everything in my heart and mind is urging me to leap right in. Blindly. I can't possibly walk away from you."

I wrapped my arm around her shoulder, pulled her close and kissed the top of her head. "When I woke up this morning I was afraid. Afraid that you were going to tell me we made a mistake, and that I should go home and give you some space to decide what you really want."

"I don't want space," she replied. "Not from you. I'm just going to have to figure out how to make everything else work around what we've started."

"I want that too. I want you in my life."

Lizzie wet her lips and spoke with conviction. "I've been doing a lot of thinking. I don't want to live at home anymore."

"Wow. Are you sure?"

"Yes, very sure. Trust me, this is not a rushed decision."

"I can't believe how much my life has changed for the better since I met you," I whispered. "It hardly seems real."

"I feel the same way," she replied.

CHAPTER 20

We pulled into the driveway of Lizzie's house Sunday shortly after 8:00 p.m. We had talked a lot on the flight back home.

"My heart's pounding," Lizzie said.

I released the clasp on my seatbelt and squeezed her hand. "Everything will be fine."

A moment later we were climbing the steps. She dug into her purse for her keys, unlocked the door and walked in.

"Hello!" she called out. "I'm home."

We were greeted by a delicious aroma of freshly baked cookies.

"Smells good in here," I whispered.

The lights were on in the kitchen. We heard Mrs. Reynolds's voice calling. "Is that you, Lizzie?"

As she hurried toward her daughter, she glanced briefly at Lizzie and threw her arms around her shoulders, pulling her close. "I'm so happy to see you."

Lizzie let her mother hold her as long as she needed to, then she stepped apart and gestured to me. "Do you remember Nick?"

"Of course." Mrs. Reynolds expression warmed. "Good Lord, look at you. All grown up. A police officer and a hero, I heard. Where has the time gone?"

"Hi, Mrs. Reynolds. It's good to see you too," I said, and gave her a heartfelt smile.

To my surprise, Mrs. Reynolds held out her arms and hugged me, too. Then she led us into the kitchen for cookies.

"How's your mother?" she asked me.

"Very well. Still living in Middletown," I replied. "She remarried last year."

"Lovely. So she's happy, I presume?"

"Very. She married a good man."

"That's wonderful," Mrs. Reynolds said. "Will you tell her I said hello?"

"Of course."

We sat down on the stools at the center island where the cookies were displayed on a silver serving dish. Mrs. Reynolds moved to the fridge to withdraw a carton of milk.

"Is Dad here?" Lizzie cautiously asked.

Mrs. Reynolds poured us each a glass and shook her head. "He wanted to be, but he had a surgery this evening. He said it might run late."

I felt both relieved and disappointed, because we had been dreading this confrontation, yet at the same time we wanted to get it over with.

"You're probably wondering where I've been for the past few days," Lizzie said.

"I can guess," her mother replied, lifting an eyebrow from where she stood on the opposite side of the island. "Your father wasn't too happy when he saw your car parked in front of Nick's house. No offense, Nick."

"None taken. He banged pretty hard at my door, but we didn't answer. He seemed too angry, and we preferred to avoid a confrontation," I explained.

"I can't say I blame you for not answering," Mrs. Reynolds said offering me a sad smile. "I apologize if his behavior was disrespectful in any way."

Surprised by her candor, I wondered if she would have said something like that if her husband had been standing there beside her. Probably not.

"No worries," I said, reaching for a cookie and taking a bite.

"We weren't at Nick's house the whole time," Lizzie began to explain.

"Oh?"

"That's what I came here to talk to you about," she continued. "Nick found J.J.'s contact information and I sent him an email. He said he wanted to see me, so Nick and I hopped on a flight to pay him a visit."

Mrs. Reynolds stood motionless, blinking. "You saw him."

Lizzie nodded her head.

"How is he?" Her eyes were watering now.

"He's great, Mom," Lizzie eagerly replied. "He is happy and looks terrific. He lives in a good neighborhood. His wife is very nice and his children are adorable. You don't need to worry about him. You'd be proud. "

"Thank God," she whispered, turning her back on us. And hiding her face in her hands.

Lizzie rose from my stool to circle around the island and embrace her mother. "He'd love to hear from you. He said he tried contacting us a number of times over the years but Dad always told him to stay away and he even threatened him with a restraining order. He said he wrote us letters too, but I'm guessing Dad got rid of them. This has to stop, Mom. We can't go on like this. Dad shouldn't be able to keep us apart. I fully intend to see J.J. again, whether Dad likes it or not."

Just then, the front door opened. Mrs. Reynolds gasped and quickly wiped the tears from her face, as if to hide them.

I clenched my jaw ready for what was going to come.

CHAPTER 21

Mr. Reynolds walked into the kitchen and regarded each of us individually. I slowly stood up. For a tense moment, I wasn't sure what was going to happen.

His eyes met Lizzie's. "We were worried about you," he said.

"You didn't need to be," she replied. "I texted Mom and told her I was okay. That I was staying with a friend."

He turned to me. "And you're the friend, I assume."

"That's right," I calmly replied.

Mr. Reynolds stepped back a few step without taking his eyes from his daughter. "What are you saying? That you want to be with this man here?" He pointed at me. "Is that it?"

"Please don't talk about Nick like he's not here." Lizzie moved around the kitchen island to stand in front of her father, who was a full ten inches taller than her. "We came here tonight to tell you that I'm moving out. I'll be looking for my own apartment, but in the meantime I'll be staying with Nick. And yes, we're involved. In fact, we just got back from a trip where we visited J.J. for three days."

Maybe Lizzie was more like J.J. than anyone realized. She seemed to be provoking her father.

Mr. Reynolds looked like a bull ready to charge. He balled his hand into a fist and swung a punch at me.

I was prepared. I grabbed him by the shoulder, twisted his arm and dropped him firmly, face down, on the floor. I continued to restrain Mr. Reynolds with a knee to the spine, arm leveraged, a tight grip around his wrist.

I could dislocate his shoulder in an instant, and it took all my willpower not to do it.

"Are you all right, sir?" I calmly asked.

"No, damn you!" he shouted indignantly, but it was his ego that was bruised, not his body.

"I'm going to back off now." I let go his wrist, rose to my feet and took two steps away.

Grimacing with pain, I lay a hand on my abdomen over the incision and bent forward slightly.

"Are you all right?" Lizzie asked.

I nodded. Truth was it hurt like hell.

Mrs. Reynolds had watched the scene in silent horror, both hands covering her face.

Mr. Reynolds rose awkwardly to his feet. "I told you not to contact J.J.!" he shouted at Lizzie.

"Really Dad? That's all you have to say right now?"

He took a deep breath. "Mark my words, if you walk out of here with this man..." He pointed a threatening finger at me. "Don't expect to ever come back. That's not how it works in this house."

"No?" Lizzie said. "Well, your days of ruling my life are over."

With a shake of her head, Lizzie turned to hug her mother and whispered in her ear: "Please call me. I'll text you my new address. You can visit."

She took hold of my hand and left the kitchen. "I hope he didn't tear anything," she said quietly as we crossed the hall.

"I'm fine," I replied. "Sorry about that."

"Don't apologize. You were perfect. And I can see you're not fine. I'm going to check that incision as soon as we get in the car, and I'll be driving."

We grabbed our coats and walked out.

"You don't have to look for your own place, you know," I mentioned as we descended the stairs. "You can stay with me as long as you like. Rent free."

"I may need to take you up on that."

We reached my car and she took the keys from me. "Nothing would give me greater pleasure than to drive my father completely stark raving mad."

"Who knew you were such a rebel?" I asked with a devilish grin as I got in on the passenger side.

"Certainly not me."

"Look," I said, "Your father is angry, and he's making all sorts of threats. I have a feeling that when the dust settles, he's going to back down a bit. So don't stress, don't let it get you down."

She nodded absentmindedly.

As soon as we were seated, I reached up and flicked on the interior light.

"Lower your seat back," Lizzie asked me.

I did so and Lizzie opened my jacket, lifted my shirt and inspected the incision. "It's not bleeding," she said. "It looks all right. What about your leg?"

"Hurts like hell."

Lizzie glanced down at my thigh. "There's no blood on your jeans so that's a good sign. I'll check it as soon as we get home. You shouldn't have done that."

"I didn't even realize I was doing it until your father hit the floor."

CHAPTER 22