Another Short Christmas Story

Part 10

They stood at the door, waiting for someone to answer. Cole glanced around and was slightly shocked at what he saw. He hadn't known what he had expected, but this perfect little home wasn't it. With the way Natalia had dreaded coming back, he'd expected chipped paint, broken shutters, something other than the pristine white house. Although, the more he stared at the place, the creepier it got. He'd been to some nice homes, Nick's childhood home included, and they were never this perfect. There were scratches in the porch where a too adventuress Nick had decided to attempt to ice skate. There were scuffs around the edge of almost any home he'd ever been to, no matter how large or small they were, but here, there was nothing, only white walls.

Natalia took a deep breath next to him, and as he watched, a fake smile formed on her face, almost as if she were readying herself for what was to come. He frowned at her, opening his mouth to ask if she wanted to leave, but before he could say a word, the door in front of them eased open.

The woman on the other side blinked at them through perfectly made up eyes. Her hair was twisted on the top of her head, but while with most people, the look would be messy, Cole couldn't see a single hair out of place. He glanced down at her clothes and couldn't help but wince. The woman wore a long gown, and while it didn't look bad on her, Cole was definitely underdressed. He stole a look towards Nat. No, they were underdressed.

A distressed sound left the woman at the door. "Oh my goodness, Natalia Jane, what are you wearing?" The last word was a hissed whisper, and when Nat didn't reply the woman continued to speak. "This is a Christmas party, not a Halloween dress up." She sighed. "Luckily, your sister brought extra clothes. Now, if they fit you, it really would be a Christmas miracle."

Cole opened his mouth, ready to speak, but closed it when Nat squeezed his hand. "We're just stopping by for a minute or two to say hi before we go to Faith's, M-Kristen."

The woman snorted at Faith's name, and Cole had to clench his teeth together to keep from commenting. "Really, Natalia, I would like to spare both of us the embarrassment of people having to see you like that, but there was someone I wanted you to meet."

"Mom," Natalia said in an overly polite tone, and Kristen winced. "I'm already here with someone."

For the first time, Natalia's mom glanced towards him. Her nose went up at the sweater he wore, just as Nat had done when they first met, and he thanked God that these two women were completely different. "My children gave it to me," he said with a smile, this time not bothering to explain when the woman's face paled. "All fourteen of them."

Beside him, Nat chocked back a laugh, making her mom glare. "Well," Kristen said with her own fake smile in place, "I'm sure everyone would love to meet your friend."

"He's more than that," Natalia whispered as they followed her mother into the house.

Silence met their entrance, but the more he glanced around, the more people he recognized, which surprised the hell out of him. There were good people here, people he had met through the hospital. Why they would come to a party this woman had hosted, he didn't have a clue.

A loud laugh met his ears, and when Cole turned towards it, he grinned. "Joey," he said, making Kristen gasp in shock. "What are you doing here?"

The man slipped through the small crowd and didn't hesitate to pull Cole into a tight hug. "My kid made me come, if you'll believe that," the man whispered before pulling away.

Cole nodded, knowing from experience that Joe would do anything for his kid. "Where is the little guy at?"

"Not so little," a voice answered, making Cole glance around Joe. Standing there in all of his teenager glory was one of the first kids he had ever saved, one of the reasons why Cole had felt he was doing something right in the world. "Really, Uncle Cole, when are you going to stop calling me little?"