A Child's Christmas. Kate James

thought of Laura and improvised. “A wonderful angel.”

      The little boy in him prevailed, and a smile spread across his face.

      For those precious hours—as they drank hot chocolate, decorated the tree and arranged the presents beneath it—Paige was able to forget about her son’s illness and her financial woes. Jason’s cheerful laughter, something she so seldom heard these days, warmed her right down to her toes.

      At the end of the evening, they were curled up on the sofa together, sipping more hot chocolate and watching A Charlie Brown Christmas—one of Jason’s favorite holiday shows. When the closing credits rolled, it was well past his normal bedtime. Paige turned off the television and took their empty mugs into the kitchen. By the time she returned, Jason’s head had drooped to the side, and he was sound asleep. The glow of the Christmas tree lights—the only illumination in the room—gave his face a rosy tint, masking the paleness of his complexion. In sleep, a smile tugged at the corners of his mouth; a bit of cocoa was smeared on his upper lip. Jason looked so healthy, happy and normal, Paige wanted that moment never to end. He stirred, seeming to grope for his teddy, before his hand fell limply onto his lap again.

      Paige lowered herself beside him and watched him breathe. Such a simple thing, really, but to see him do it without strain was its own kind of miracle. She rested a hand on his narrow shoulders. When he stirred again and reached for her, she gathered him in her arms, then lifted him up and carried him into his bedroom.

       CHAPTER SEVEN

      “MOM? MOM!” JASON stroked Paige’s face.

      Despite their late night, Jason was up early on Christmas morning and clearly eager for Paige to wake up, too.

      Paige yawned and stretched. She rolled over on her side and tucked one arm under her head. “Good morning, sweetie.” He was already dressed in jeans and his favorite blue sweater.

      “Mom! C’mon. It’s Christmas!” He yanked at her other hand. “You have to get up. We have presents to open.”

      Paige stifled another yawn and smiled. “Yes. We do.” She thought of the three beautifully wrapped packages with her name on the gift tags. They were entirely unexpected, as Laura hadn’t said anything about gifts for her. She felt a thrill of anticipation. “Go get a glass of milk, and I’ll be out soon.”

      By the time Paige entered the living room wearing jeans and a pale yellow shirt, Jason had settled by the tree. There were two glasses of milk on the coffee table, one nearly empty, the other full. She surmised that the full one was for her. How sweet of him.

      Jason glanced up as she approached. Scooting around, he tucked his legs under him and sat back on his heels. “Can we open the presents now?”

      Paige bent down beside him. “I don’t see why not. But you have to give me a hug first.”

      “Yay!” he proclaimed as he threw himself in her arms and briefly buried his face in the crook of her neck.

      She stroked his mop of hair as she stood up. “Decide which one you want to start with while I go get a garbage bag for the wrapping paper, okay?”

      When she returned, Jason was bubbling with excitement. In no time at all, most of the presents were open and piled around them. Jason had gotten almost everything on his wish list: a sketch pad, winter clothes, a New England Patriots cap, a picture book about circuses, a stuffed dog and a backpack for school. The only thing missing was a toy train, but he didn’t seem to mind. There were too many other exciting gifts he hadn’t even asked for.

      “Look, Mom!” Grinning, Jason showed her an electronic tablet. “And this!” He held up a kid-size Patriots jacket that came with the cap.

      “I see, sweetie!” She playfully tugged the cap down over his eyes. “Santa’s been good to you, huh?”

      Santa had been good to her, too. The packages with her name on them had contained lovely things she would never have spent money on. She’d received a soft-as-a-cloud fleece bathrobe that would replace her well-worn terry-cloth one and would come in handy with the cool winter temperatures. She’d also received a beautiful lilac wool sweater. She assumed Laura must have thought of her and given their sponsor an accurate guess as to her size, since both the bathrobe and sweater were a perfect fit. The third package contained a fancy coffeemaker. She hadn’t had one since she was married. She’d made do with instant. The coffee machine had come with an ample supply of coffees, teas and hot chocolate that would last a long time.

      They’d each also received a few small gifts from Paige’s parents.

      Now there were only two packages left under the tree: Jason’s gift for Paige, and hers for him. Paige had kept them back on purpose. “Why don’t you open yours first?” she encouraged him.

      She didn’t have to ask him twice. Jason pulled the rectangular box toward him and looked up at her. “It’s heavy.”

      “Uh-huh.” She knew he was trying to figure out what it was. This was the only gift she’d bought herself. She’d purchased it nearly a month ago, when she got a special customer service bonus from her employer. She had wanted Jason’s present to be special, and she hoped he’d like it, especially after all the other gifts he’d received through the Foundation.

      Jason was busy tearing the shiny wrapping paper. He ripped off a piece that revealed the writing on the carton. “Whooaa!” he exclaimed and quickly tore away the rest of the paper. He opened the cardboard container just as quickly and lifted out a wooden artist’s box. Unlatching the top, he examined the paints and pencils and brushes, taking them out and replacing each with great care. Closing the lid, he threw his arms around Paige’s neck.