Lily awoke in a sweat. She was surprised to see Grant sitting by her side on the bed, placing a wet cloth on her forehead. He smiled down on her.
“Welcome back, sweetheart. You’ve been sleeping for quite a while.”
Lily tried to rise but grew dizzy. Grant’s hand gently pushed her back into her damp pillow. He pushed hair off her face. “Tobin,” she mouthed. Her throat was on fire.
“He’s still with us. Mother is caring for him. The doctor thinks he will most likely live to cause us grey hairs. Let me help you drink some water.” He placed one hand behind her upper back to lift her up and brought a glass to her lips. She slipped back into sleep with him holding her hand.
* * *
Grant had been exhausted after the journey back to LaCrosse and was dismayed to find his wife sick with the fever, and their infant also struggling to survive. He let Garrett share the good news with the rest of the family about what had happened back at the farm while he kept vigil by his wife’s bed. His mother managed to find some goats’ milk and manufacture a way to feed the baby who was recovering but still weak. He left Lily’s side reluctantly to put the children to bed and listen to their prayers.
“Pa, is Mama going to be well soon?” Colleen asked.
“I pray so.” He patted her red hair gently.
“Mama told me that Jesus helps us. We’ll ask Him to help Ma,” Simon whispered and then proceeded to kneel by his bed to pray. Colleen followed suit.
“Jesus, thank you that Papa is here with us again. Help Ma get better so we can all enjoy your birthday. Amen.” Simon still held his hands together as he waited for his sister.
“Dear Jesus. Papa’s home and that makes us happy. We miss Mama and she’s really sick, but you already know that. Please help Mama get better so she can take care of us. Thank you for our new family and the fun with our aunts and uncles, but we really love Papa and Mama best and want to be able to see her and give her hugs. Thank you, Jesus. Amen.”
Grant hugged his children close. His. These children were his. They had wormed their way into his heart and depended on him. Ultimately, they belonged to God, but he was glad they unwittingly offered him comfort as he struggled with fear over his wife’s health. He tucked them into bed and gave them each kisses and a few tickles with his beard. He returned to the room he shared with his wife. He grabbed for his Bible and sat by the side of the bed to read, eventually falling to his knees to pray, laying hands on his bride. When he finished, he stayed there, listening to her raspy breath and feeling her steady pulse through her tiny wrist. Steady. Breathe, sweetheart. Keep breathing. And He waited to see if God would speak into the silence or act in some way on his behalf.
He could sense fear at the edge of his emotions, and in his mind, drew a sword to slice away at the offender. He grew sweaty with the effort as he wrestled within himself for peace. When he finished, he felt like he had engaged in a real battle for his wife’s life. His pulse was rapid and he was warm. He rose, gave his wife a kiss, and then stripped to wash himself before putting on his nightshirt. He crawled into bed and pulled his wife close, taking note of the fact that she was much cooler. The fever had broken. Thanking God, he fell into a well-deserved rest.
* * *
The following morning, Lily was able to eat a little bit of oatmeal and an egg. She asked for Tobin, and the infant was brought to her. She nursed him and then returned him to the care of her mother-in-law so she could rest and regain her strength.
The next day, Lily could speak again as her throat was no longer raw. She snuggled up to her husband as he slept and kissed his cheek, his beard and then down to his neck where he was ticklish. His shoulder came up to try to protect from further attack, but a smile crossed his face even as his eyes remained closed. “My wife must be better.”
“That I am. Mostly due to your kind ministrations on my behalf,” she whispered and then kissed his collarbone, having unbuttoned the top of his shirt with one hand and pushed the fabric aside.
“Beware, wife.”
“Beware of what? The big bad wolf?”
“I’m going to huff and puff and...” Grant followed that up with a kiss.
* * *
The entire Anderson clan celebrated Christmas the next day. The children helped decorate the tree, and a huge yule log was in the fireplace. Lily was still weak and was being pampered by everyone, and Tobin was once again snuggled in her arms. She hadn’t realized how much a part of her he was until she had been sick. Grant sat by her side on the loveseat, taking up most of the space, but she didn’t mind as she leaned against him, finding warmth in the comfort of his presence.
Grandpapa Anderson, as the children had taken to calling him, was gathering the little ones around him for the reading of Christmas story. The smell of apples and cinnamon filled the air, and candles gave the room a soft glow.
“Go, children. Grandpapa wants you close as he tells the story of Jesus.” Lily pushed Colleen forward.
“I don’t want to leave you, Mama,” the little girl whimpered. She was dressed in a pretty blue dress trimmed with white lace, and her hair was pulled back into a riot of curls that cascaded down her back.
Simon wore a smart little suit and breeches and a bow tie. He too had been hovering around Lily. “I’ll stay with you, Mama.”
Grant tousled the little boy’s dark curls and then held the head and forced his son to look at him. “Go. Trust me to take care of your mama.”
“Yes, Papa,” they said in unison as they tentatively approached their cousins and found a spot on the floor near Grandpapa.
Grandpapa opened up the Bible and began to read from Luke, chapter two. The children sat mesmerized as he told about Mary and Joseph traveling to Bethlehem and not able to find a place to sleep.
“I know what that’s like,” Colleen piped up.
“You do?” Grandpapa asked patiently.
“When our house burned down, we had no place to sleep. People fought over who would take us and finally, Simon, Tobin and I ended up sleeping in a cold barn. It wasn’t until Ma and Pa came for us and took us home that we were safe and warm.”
“They had room for us,” Simon said.
“I’m glad they did, because I got you for my grandchildren. Shall we see what happened next?” Grandpapa Anderson said. The children all nodded.
Grandpapa read about the baby being born in a barn and angels appearing to shepherds and them coming to visit the baby. He then read about the wise men coming as well to worship Jesus and bring him gifts.
“That’s why we celebrate Jesus’s birthday by giving gifts to each other, because He lives in us when we accept his invitation to be His children. Giving a gift to someone is like giving a gift to God. But God gave us the greatest gift in His son, Jesus, when he died on the cross for our sin. Have any of you ever sinned?”
All the little hands went up in the air. Grandpapa nodded and the adults chuckled. “I thought so. No one can do good all the time, no matter how hard we try. But when we try to honor God and obey our parents, then God is pleased with us. When we worship Him, live for Jesus, and do what He tells us to do in His word, Jesus is happy. How can we give Jesus a gift this Christmas or any day?”
The children were silent for a few moments. Simon rose and went to Grant and stood before him.
“Yes, son?”
Simon reached up his arms to his father and Grant pulled him up into his lap. Simon put his pudgy little hands on Grant’s beard. “I love you, Papa. Thank you for letting me be your son.” The little arms wrapped themselves around Grant’s neck.
“I love you too, son. You are definitely a gift from God to our family.”
Simon looked at Lily and leaned over to give her a kiss on the cheek. “I love you, Mama. Thank you for letting us be your family.”
Tears welled up as Lily reached out a hand to touch his plump cheek. “I love you too, Simon. You are a tremendous blessing to me.”
Soon, all the children were running to their parents to share the gift of their love and gratitude. Words were exchanged as well as hugs, kisses, and many happy tears. It was a Christmas blessing remembered long after the material gifts were gone.