Christmas Eve, 2011

Orlando's Fashion Square Mall was decked out in its annual holiday finery, beckoning with the sounds and smells of Christmas. Lush green garlands with sparkling lights intertwined between the branches adorned the doorways of each store. An enormous, fully decorated tree stood at the center of the mall, stretching three stories tall. And just loud enough to hum along to, cheery mood-lifting music filtered over hundreds of heads from loudspeakers.

You wouldn't even know it was December- damn near Christmas- if it wasn't for the overdone festivity.  Garlands and glitter and flashing lights, blow-up Santa dolls, sparkly snowflakes and tinsel-God, the tinsel on everything, everywhere was a severe contrast to the sunny, cloudless, 70 degree temperature.

"It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas..." JC mumbled the familiar tune as he and Joey bustled past JCPenney, approaching Macy's. Armed with a last minute shopping list and a few hours to burn, JC and Joey were on a mission to find three gifts, have them wrapped, and get back to the Fatone house in time to slip the presents under the tree.  "It looks like Christmas threw up in here."

Joey chuckled, his head low as they pushed through a thick crowd of last minute shoppers. "You're such a Grinch."

"I feel like I've been celebrating Christmas since Halloween."

"That's because you have. But Christmas is tomorrow, so it's almost over."

"It's like there's some kind of competition as to which business can be the most annoyingly attractive to shoppers. Come spend all your money here, not there! That's totally not what Christmas should be about."

"Yeah, but it's a big time of year for retail. They gotta make money somehow."

An ear piercing scream and a heavy thud broke through tidings of comfort and joy like a record scratch. A scuffle of feet, yelps of surprise and then a man clad in dark clothing and a cap pulled low over his face pushed through the crowd at a full run, a small leather handbag tucked under his arm.

"He stole my purse!"

As if by instinct, Joey took off like a shot, several men behind him. JC turned to find a young woman cowering on the tile floor in front of the PacSun store, red faced and wild eyed, breathing heavily and clutching her throat as if she couldn't breathe. A gaggle of shoppers gathered near her, their glassy-eyed stares moving from her to the pack of men running and shouting through the mall and back to her.

JC stepped forward, then kneeled next to her and offered her a hand. "Hey, are you okay?"

Her entire body shook as she took JC's hand and pulled herself up.  Now on her feet, she didn't seem to be securely standing, rather on the verge of swaying one way or the other.

"What happened?"

"He just... blew right past me. He pulled the strap right out of my hand and pushed me into the wall. It happened so fast...I'm usually so careful, but I was in a hurry and got distracted..."

"It's not your fault. That's totally understandable. It happens a lot this time of year." She blinked slowly, seemed hazy, but was definitely calmer. "Are you hurt or anything?"

"Just my pride," she answered, finally lifting her eyes to his. The recognition- and subsequent embarrassment was visible in her eyes. "Oh, God."

JC chuckled. "I just go by JC."

"I know. I mean... shit." She laughed. "You know what I mean."

"Are you sure you're okay? Did you hit your head?"

"No. I mean, yeah." She nodded then shook her head. "I mean no, I didn't hit my head. I think I'm okay."

JC gripped her hand and found it still trembling. He slid an arm over her shoulder and guided her toward a nearby seating area. "Let's have a seat over here on this bench."  

Once she was seated, she inhaled deep breaths and pushed them out. JC watched her like a hawk. "Do you need a doctor? I'm sure Mall Security can-"

"Please," She interrupted. "I'm fine. I'm positive I don't need a doctor."

"How are you positive? Are you a doctor?"

She reached into a brightly colored short sleeved shirt and pulled out a lanyard. At the end of it was a plastic pouch holding an ID card. "Olivia Weller. CRNP," he read aloud. "At Arnold Palmer Hospital for Children. So you're a nurse?" She nodded.  "I guess you'd know. What do all those letters mean? You're really smart?"

"Certified Registered Nurse Practitioner," she answered, tucking it back into her shirt. "I work in the Critical Care Unit. I actually have to get going-I'm going to be late. Thanks for your help." She moved to stand, but JC gripped her arm to stop her.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa. Hang on. Your purse is gone, remember?"

"Oh my God, you're right." All over again, she was flustered and shaky. "I should call the police. Or Security." She reached for her bag, but it wasn't there.  "Oh. I don't have my phone. Or my keys!"

"I have a phone."  As JC reached into his pocket, Joey jogged around the corner, beet red and heaving heavy breaths but clutching a leather bag in his hands.

"He got away, but I got your-hey!" Joey grinned as he dropped the bag into her hands. "I know you!"

She stared at Joey, her jaw dropped open. "Me?"

"Yeah. You're one of the nurses at Arnold Palmer, right? I come out to work with the kids in the Music Therapy Room."

"I know who you are. I guess I'm surprised you remember me. A lot of kids and nurses come through there."

"Yeah, of course I remember. You work with Anthony and Jeremy? And Christy?"

She smiled, her head bobbing. "Yeah. She's a character."

"That's one word for her," Joey said, laughing. "Anyway, at least you got your bag back. The guy tripped and fell, dropped it, then gave up on it and ran off. I sent Mall Security after him."

Olivia did a cursory glance through the bag.  "Wallet, phone, keys... I think it's all still here!"

"That's good," JC said. "I'm glad we could help. You're sure you're okay?"

"Yeah, I'm okay. I can't even believe it was you guys," she said, her eyes wet with tears. "I really, really appreciate your help. I'm going to be late for work, so I have to go, but... thank you!"

She rushed away, clutching the bag closely to her chest, limping the slightest bit. JC turned to Joey and clapped him on the shoulder.

"Good work, man."

Joey brushed it off but his cheeks were slightly pink. "I haven't moved that much since Dancing with the Stars. Gonna be hurtin' tomorrow."

"Well my lazy ass wasn't running after him, that's for sure."

It seemed less exciting to continue their shopping trip than to reminisce about the past few minutes, but they had a mission to complete, so they wandered into Macy's. Joey turned to JC with a devilish smirk.

"So."

"So."

"So, you shoulda got her number."

JC thumbed through a rack of short sleeved shirts. "Who?"

"The nurse. She's cute when she's not all scared lookin'."

"Joey."  JC glared at him, looked away, glared again, and then couldn't help laughing. "She could just barely stand up. I had to make her sit down. I didn't manage to hit on her."

"You got her name, though. And you know where she works."

"What would I do with that information, Joe?"

 "I don't know." Joey shrugged. "Maybe you should like... check up on her, later."

"You know what? Let's just get the stuff you need and get out of here. I think your brain is dehydrated. And I need a drink after riding here with you, you maniac. Have you ever heard of a speed limit?"

"What's that?"

"Exactly."

They shopped, picking up the few items needed, waited for them to be gift wrapped and were climbing back into Joey's SUV an hour later.

"You should think about it," Joey said. "I can call up there to the hospital and find out when she's working, if you want."

JC could only stare, incredulous at the suggestion. "That's like... the most opportunistic suggestion you've ever had."

Joey grinned over at him. "You're surprised?"

"No. No, I'm not at all surprised."

And unfortunately it was starting to sound like a good idea.

 ***

Busy. That was a single word description of the Critical Care Unit, an entire floor of Arnold Palmer Children's Hospital where seriously ill children were treated.

On the good days, the kids kept the nurses on their toes. The bad days were like a workout at the gym-running from the nurse's station to a room far down the hall, then a quick bed to bed hop, putting out fires and solving one child sized crisis after another: Anthony doesn't like red Jell-O. Stephanie hates oatmeal cookies. Matthew claims to be allergic to raisins but there wasn't anything in his chart that indicated that, he just didn't like raisins. Everyone fighting over who gets to watch what in the recreation room.

Adding to the mayhem was the holiday season. At every turn was a miniature Christmas tree or a flashing, blinking light or an inflatable snowman that chimed out Frosty the Snowman every time someone touched it. Which was often. The children at CCU were like the children anywhere-excited about Christmas coming and an impending visit from Santa Claus.

Olivia managed to slip into the nurse's lounge for a few minutes of peace. Standing in front of the vending machine, she fished a few quarters out of her pockets and bought a diet soda for fifty cents and a granola bar for another seventy five. For a hospital, the options were amazingly unhealthy: cookies loaded with sugar, chocolate, potato chips. The granola bar was as healthy as she could get for such a low price.

She pulled out a chair at one of several small round tables and took a seat, popped open the top on her soda and opened the package of granola bars. She hadn't eaten since before her shift that afternoon. Add in a harrowing experience at the mall and she was worn out, with four hours to go.

The door to the lounge swung open and Brian, another nurse, strolled in. His scrubs were a festive red and white stripe, like a candy cane. He was tall, blonde, blue eyed and the love of every little girl-and woman-on the floor. He broke a huge, bright smile as soon as he saw Olivia.

"Hey Liv. What's with the long face?"

"Mmm," she mumbled, crunching through the sticky granola. She took a swig of soda and swallowed. "It matches my long day. The kids are all antsy and I twisted my ankle at the mall and I'm so hungry I could have swiped that cookie Stephanie tossed in the garbage after lunch."

Brian laughed as he peered into the vending machine. "Shit options in this thing. When are they going to update the selection?" He sighed and turned away, then pulled out a chair next to Olivia and sat down. "You going out after work tonight? Midnight happy hour at Charlie's!"

She shook her head, breaking off a piece of granola bar for Brian. He took it and popped it into his mouth. "I'm beat. And I have to work tomorrow so I need to get some rest. I'm headed straight for my couch, the Lifetime Movie channel and a bowl of popcorn."

"Sounds delightful, old lady."

"Spoken like a man who isn't working on Christmas. I'm kind of depressed about it."

"Damn right. I finally got Christmas off after six years."

The door swung open again and Rhonda, the charge nurse, ducked her head inside. "Liv? Some guy is here looking for you."

Olivia froze in her seat. "For me? Here?"

"He asked for you by name. Dark hair, blue eyes. About so tall." Rhonda held her hand up in the air a few inches above her head.  Olivia choked on a kernel of granola stuck in her throat. It couldn't be...

"Hey, if you don't want him, I'll take him. He's hot."

"You've got to be kidding me," she muttered, making her way around the table. They both poked their heads out of the door and around the corner, confirming her suspicions- pacing and lurking near the nurse's station was her dark haired hero. "Holy shit," she whispered, ducking back into the lounge. "I cannot believe he came here."

"Who?" Brian got up and took his turn peeking down the hall. When he brought his head back into the lounge, his eyes were wide. "Hey, isn't that-"

"Yeah." Olivia paced, trying to calm herself. "I sort of ran into him and Joey Fatone at the mall today. This guy took my purse and Joey ran after him and JC-that's his name- stopped to help me up and sat with me and made sure I was okay."

"Well then, he must be here to check on you!" Rhonda grabbed her arm and pulled her toward the door. "He sounds like a nice guy. One that's going to leave if you don't get out there, so go."

"But... wait! How do I look?"

"It doesn't matter. He's already seen you. Go!"

Rhonda pushed and Olivia skidded to the middle of the hall, letting out a high pitched yelp. Down the hall, JC's head perked up and peeked around the corner. He smiled and pulled his hands out of the pockets of a thin, black leather jacket to wiggle a few fingers at her.

"What's he doing here?" Olivia muttered to herself as she pasted on a bright smile and walked toward the nurse's station, where he looked like he was attempting, unsuccessfully, to be inconspicuous. The area was unusually busy, with staff hanging near and pretending not to stare.

JC met her halfway down the hall, a smug grin meeting her quizzical stare.

"I totally didn't expect to see you again. Was there something you needed? Do I need to file a police report, or..."

"Not at all," said JC. "I just stopped by. I wanted to make sure you were really okay, Nurse..." He bent to check her ID. "Weller."

She laughed, fingering the lanyard around her neck. "Olivia. Or my friends call me Liv."

"Cool. Liv it is, then." He shrugged, shoved his hands into his pocket and glanced around. "I haven't been in a kid's hospital in a long time."

"Really? They-well our PR people have artists come in all the time. The kids really like it."

"It's cool for us, too."

"I could give you a tour. Have you seen the Music Therapy Room? Joey has worked really hard to get it up and running."

JC smiled. "A tour would be cool, if you have time. I don't want to interrupt."

Olivia waived away his protests. "Don't worry about it. You're VIP. Let me get you a visitor badge."

A few minutes later, Olivia was guiding JC from one end of the floor to the other. "We have thirty- two beds on this floor. Some have more, some have fewer. Ours is about average."

JC nodded. "I see. So are the kids here like... terminal?"

"Not on this floor. I have some serious and chronically ill patients but no terminals. They separate the children by specialty, so heart patients are on Cardiac; cancer patients are on Oncology, etc. Those kids tend to stay there because that's where the equipment and their doctors are."

"I don't know that I could work with dying kids all day. Just... knowing you have to say goodbye, eventually... it has to be hard."

"It is. I have some friends on those floors. It's a labor of love. You really have to be called to it." Olivia stopped at the elevator and pressed the up arrow. "The Music Therapy Room is upstairs."

"Are you called, then? To do what you're doing?"

A smile crawled across her lips, lighting up her eyes and coloring her cheeks. Her entire face was brightened by it. "It's all I've ever wanted to do. When I was little, my brother was in and out of the hospital. His nurses were always so nice to me. They took good care of him. He loved them."

"Loved?" The color drained from his already pale face. "So... he..."

"Oh!"Olivia perked, almost laughing. "Oh, no. He's fine, now. Healthy and ornery and a pain in my ass."

"Okay, good," he said, and seemed to breathe a sigh of relief. "Good."

The elevator doors slid open with a melodious ‘ding'. They stepped inside and the doors closed behind them. "So how long have you been here?"

"Going on two years. I was over at Central Florida Hospital as a Pediatric Nurse for five years. It's hard to get onto the staff here. I almost didn't make it."

Olivia recounted the story of her interview, where she'd been so nervous that she couldn't think of the right words to say. Thankfully the nurse interviewing her gave her a chance to relax and start over. She nailed the interview, but it was another few weeks before she got the call that she'd been hired.

"I'm low man on the totem pole, but it's a nice job. Even if I have to work the next five Christmases."

The elevator doors reopened to a much less busy floor. The halls were empty and so quiet; a pin drop would sound like a cymbal crashing to the floor.

"Christmas Eve's too," JC commented.

She nodded. "It's just another day, here. The kids have to be here and they aren't happy about it and that often shows in their behavior and attitude."

"Like that Christy girl you and Joey talked about?"

"Oh. Her." Olivia rolled her eyes. "She always has an attitude. She's thirteen going on thirty and angry at the world. Her dad's not around and her mom is working two jobs. It's just us and her most days."

"What's wrong with her?"

"What isn't? I can't really tell you. HIPAA Laws. She's really sick, though. We've been trying to get her to come up to the Music Therapy room and exorcise some of that teenage angst, but she just wants to sit in her room and watch TV or talk on the phone or bitch about having to be here."

"Sounds like a character."

"Like Joey said, that's one word for her. Here we are." 

At the end of the long hallway were two double doors. Above them was a sign that read My Healing Harmony Music Therapy and a photo of Joey with a group of children and nurses from the hospital. Olivia pushed through the doors to what amounted to a gigantic music studio, each side of the room lined with instruments and microphone stands.

"This...this is cool. I had no idea that Joey was a part of this. So the kids can come up here any time?"

"Pretty much, but it's so popular that we have them sign up for times a few days a week. That way everyone gets a turn. We have a licensed music therapist that comes in to work with them. They write songs and learn how to play guitar or piano or violin, or...whatever. It's more therapeutic than you'd think."

"I don't doubt it. Writing especially is cathartic. You're your own shrink." JC walked to a baby grand piano and slid onto the bench, plinking out a few keys before launching into Jingle Bells.

"Pretty," Olivia said. JC smiled at her over his shoulder and continued playing. "Do you take requests?"

"Sure. What do you want to hear?"

"Silver Bells. It's my favorite." Without a word, he transitioned into a beautiful rendition of Silver Bells, humming along to the sounds coming from the piano. Olivia sank down onto the bench next to him and watched his fingers dance along the keys. For those few moments, everything else in the world faded away. 

When the song was over, he kept playing. Random, beautiful notes filling the room with music. 

"Thank you. You play beautifully."

He smiled and gave a single nod as if to say thank you. "Do you play?"

She shook her head. "Not at all. I love music but I'm not talented."

"I wouldn't say that," he argued. "Look at what you do every day. You do a lot for these kids that I couldn't do. That's a gift, right there."

Olivia blushed a deep crimson. "I never thought of it that way." She checked her watch and groaned. "Speaking of that gift, I have to go use it."

The music stopped as JC brought his hands to his lap. "I hope I didn't get you into trouble."

"I was on a break. It would have been worth it, if I did. It was nice of you to check on me."

He laughed. "I'll be honest, it was Joey's idea. But I did want to make sure you were okay."

Olivia beamed. "And do I look okay?"

He studied her for a long, quiet moment, from her long dark hair pulled into a high ponytail to deep brown eyes and clear, peaches and cream skin. "You look great, Liv."

She smiled at his assessment and slid off of the bench. "I'm not supposed to do this, but you can stay up here for awhile, if you want."

"I don't want you doing things you're not supposed to do." He stood up and followed her out of the room and into the hallway. "Actually, I was hoping I caught you at the end of your shift. I thought maybe you'd want to go for a drink or something."

Her face fell, the disappointment obvious. "I have a few more hours to go. And it'll be Christmas by then and...well, I'm sure you have family you want to get back to."

He nodded, glancing down at his feet shuffling along the dull tile. "Bad timing, I guess. Maybe I'll talk Joey into coming up or something before I head out next week."

Olivia pressed the down button for the elevator. "That would be great. I hope I see you again."

"Yeah," JC said, stepping inside the open doors of the elevator. "Me too."

Christmas Day

The CCU was a madhouse. Visiting hours were extended on Christmas Day so parents could spend the day with their children. In the recreation room, a table was dressed in a holiday cloth and covered end to end with warm apple cider, Christmas cookies, chicken wings and a cheese and fruit tray. Nurses, doctors, parents and children were free to wander in, sit and watch an endless loop of Christmas movies, listen to music or visit the Hospital Santa who went from floor to floor, visiting children who were too sick to leave their beds.

Olivia, however, wasn't enjoying any of it because she'd made it her mission to get Christy out of her room.

"I'm not going."

The petulant teenager plopped herself in the middle of the bed and shoved ear buds into her ears. Her hair, long and brown, fell over one shoulder. Though she was wearing a hospital issued gown, she insisted on wearing makeup, lipstick and earrings as well as her own brightly colored socks. "You can just leave because I'm not going anywhere."

"Christy, please? Just for a few minutes. There are movies and some snacks and cookies. You could grab something really quickly, say hi to a couple of people, and-"

"What, are you deaf?!" She screamed, palming a pillow and hurling it at Olivia. "I want to be alone! Get out!"

Olivia ducked, the pillow barely missing her head. Calmly, she picked it up and replaced it on the bed. Now eye level with Christy, she had no plans to back down from an angry stare. "I'm not leaving until you come out of this room for at least five minutes."

"Well, it looks like you'll be standing there with your thumb up your ass all day, doesn't it?"

"Christina Maria Elena Gonzales!"

The sharp tone of an older woman interrupted. Both heads whirled toward the doorway, where a short, squat woman in a waitress uniform stood, holding a gift bag in one hand, her plump fist planted firmly on her hip. "I come to bring you Christmas presents and I see you talking nasty to the nurses here?"

"Mrs....Ms. Gonzales. So nice to see you." Carmen Gonzales might have been short, but she demanded respect and attention wherever she went-especially from her daughter.

"Mama, I-"

"Don't Mama me! You are rude. I work two jobs to pay for you to get the best care and this is how you repay me?"

"Mama..."

"I said don't talk to me!" She waved a hand at Olivia. "Apologize to the nurse. What's your name, honey?"

Olivia blushed. "It's okay, really. I just thought-"

"She will apologize to you right now." Carmen leveled a glare at her daughter. "Do it!"

"Sorry," Christy mumbled, her chin digging into her chest. "I guess I'm just in a bad mood."

"Thanks," Olivia responded. "I hope we'll see you in the rec room later on."

Relieved, she stepped around the bed and ducked out of the room. As she rushed away, she heard Carmen giving Christy the tongue lashing of her life. Secretly, she smiled.

It was hard to stay positive and understanding with Christy. It had to be rough, to be in the hospital over holidays and not have a parent around to comfort you. Carmen did the best she could, but her insurance didn't cover all of Christy's care. She'd had to pick up a second job, which kept her away from her daughter's bed side. She was barely sleeping and increasingly worried about Christy, who was fighting a blood disorder that didn't seem to want to go away. 

Olivia was thankful that Carmen showed up when she did. Now maybe she could spend some time with happier patients. Though, once her mother left to work her waitress job, her attitude and despondent behavior would be back.

The hours didn't exactly fly by, but before Olivia knew it, it was 9pm. Parents tucked their sick little ones, clutching much cherished Christmas presents, into bed. The rec room looked like a bomb went off-paper plates, cups and napkins littered the floor, the tables were picked clean of food and spiced cider and the TV wasn't broadcasting anything but snow.  A few of the nurses, including Olivia, volunteered to pick up the room, since the day had quieted down.

"Seems like a bigger mess than last year," said Kelly, a nurse who had come on staff around the same time as Olivia. "Or maybe it's just... really messy."

"It's both. We have more kids this year than last year. Which is sad, but..." Olivia shrugged, picking up more trash stacked up next to the window sill and dumping it into a garbage pail. "It's sort of how it goes, in this line of work."

"Did you happen to see Christy today? She's unusually quiet."

"Oh, yeah. Her mom came in earlier. Caught her mouthing off at me." Olivia stifled a smug giggle.

Kelly turned from her job clearing off the table. She crumpled the paper table cloth in her hands and tossed it into Olivia's garbage bin. "That must have been interesting. I don't think I've ever seen her mom."

"Trust me. Same mouth."

"That little girl..." Kelly shook her head. "I want to feel sorry for her but I just can't. She treats everyone like her personal servant. This ain't the Ritz, honey."

"We're not supposed to feel sorry for them, Kel. We're here to ease their pain and suffering and help the doctors treat them. It's okay to not like her. Just... don't show it."

Sheri, another nurse, looked up from the floor, where she was shoveling items from under the couches and chairs. Deadpan, she asked, "Oh. Were we not supposed to show it? Oops."

Olivia and Kelly laughed, so hard and loud that they didn't hear the door to the rec room open. Olivia happened to turn around and, mid-laugh, her breath caught in her throat. JC was leaning against the open door, a small bag dangling from his fingers. He wore the same leather jacket from the night before, a thin long sleeved sweater and jeans.  Thick, dark stubble and a high pile of wavy hair on his head made a striking contrast to pale skin and bright blue eyes. He was breath-taking. Literally.

"You again," Olivia said, trying to hide her surprise and pleasure at seeing him.

"Yeah, you again," Kelly echoed. "You were here last night, weren't you?"

JC peeked around the door and nodded. "I was, yeah."

"That was you, playing the piano? I could hear it in the stairwell."

JC blushed. "Sorry about that."

"No need to be sorry. It was nice to hear someone who can actually play, instead of the kids messing around." She marched forward, around Olivia and extended a hand. "I'm Kelly."

"It's always a pleasure meeting nurses," he said, taking her hand and giving it a squeeze. "I'm JC."

"Oh, I know who you are, silly." She playfully tapped him on the arm. "Why's it a pleasure meeting nurses, though? If I can ask."

"Never know when I'm gonna be sick." He shrugged. "I always have someone to call."

"Oh. Well, whatever. Back to work." She bounced back across the room, giving Olivia an eye roll as she went.

Olivia grinned and grabbed JC by the arm, pulling him into the room. "We're just cleaning up from today."

JC looked around at the room, still being pulled together by Sheri and Kelly. "Looks like it was a good one."

"Yeah. Relatively speaking." She shoved her hands into the pockets of her scrubs and eyed the bag he was holding. "So... whatcha got there?"

"Oh." He held it out for her to take. "Dinner. I was telling my mom about you. Well, about yesterday at the mall and that I came back to check on you. Anyway, when she found out where you work and that you had to work today, she was worried that you wouldn't have a proper Christmas dinner. She packed up some stuff for me to bring to you."

Olivia took the bag from him and ducked her nose into the opening. The scent of baked ham, mashed potatoes and gravy, stuffing and a roll wafted from the neatly packed plastic containers. "Your mom did all this, huh?"

JC shrugged a shoulder and shoved his hands into his pockets. "I helped."

Olivia laughed. He was cute. Very cute. "Thank you. And please tell your mom I said thank you and Merry Christmas."

"Yeah, no problem. So..." JC cleared his throat and glanced across the room at the two nurses pretending to work but listening to every word. She smiled, catching his meaning and took his arm to walk him out of the room and down the hall to the nurse's lounge.

"Thank you so much for this. It was nice of you to bring this all the way here."

"It wasn't that big of a deal. I have to pass here to get home."

"Oh, okay. As long as it wasn't that big of a deal."

"I mean..." He coughed and nervously scratched his temple. "I didn't mean it that way..."

"I'm fucking with you, JC." She walked to the refrigerator and set the bag inside. "It'll be so nice to have home cooked food when I get home. I had a TV dinner all planned out and everything."

"You'll enjoy it. It was really good."

"Looking forward to it." Her hands were sweaty, so Olivia shoved them deep into her pockets and balled them up. "So..."

They stood across the room from each other, neither one saying a thing for a few moments. Then, for no reason, they burst into laughter.

"So... I need to get back to work. I have a couple of hours before I can go home."

"Sure, yeah. Of course. Could I go up to the music room for a few minutes?"

"Sure," Olivia said, her head bobbing, strangely relieved that he wouldn't be leaving right away. "Do you remember where it is?"

"Yep," he answered, opening the door for her to walk through. "I'll come back down and say goodnight before I go."

"That would be nice. See you later."

*** 

Olivia yawned as she yanked open her locker and plucked her bag from the hook where it hung. By habit, she glanced at her reflection in the mirror and dug into the bag for some lip gloss. Gliding the tube over her lips with one hand, she used the other to pull the hair tie out of her hair and let it fall across her shoulders. She recapped the lip gloss and stuffed it back into her bag.

A persistent pang of disappointment popped up and she shoved it down. Again. JC hadn't come to say goodbye before he left. But that was fine, right? It wasn't like anything could happen with him. He lived in LA and she lived in Orlando. The attention sure was nice, though.  

"Hey, Liv?" Rhonda burst into the locker room, clipboard in hand. "Have you seen Christy? She's not in her room. I can't find her anywhere."

Olivia shook her head. "Not since my bed check an hour ago. She can't have gone far."

Rhonda rolled her eyes and clicked her tongue. "That girl. I'll be glad when she's better. She's giving me gray hair."

Olivia laughed. "I'm sure she'll turn up. You want me to check anywhere on my way out?"

"No, no. Don't worry about it. Enjoy your time off. See you next week."

In exchange for working Christmas Eve and Christmas Day, Olivia had the next two days off. She'd planned to spend it in her pajamas. She would have liked to finally have that drink with JC, but just when she felt like he was about to ask her again, he didn't. And she didn't have his number. Oh, well.

She slammed her locker door shut, picked up her packed dinner and headed out, waving at co-workers on her way to the stairwell. "Bye everyone, see you in a few days!"

Toward the end of the hall, she slowed, listening closely. Very faintly, she heard a piano. And a guitar. And a voice. She tilted her head, as if that would help her hear better, and opened the door to the stairwell. Just as Kelly mentioned, the sound was stronger there.

There was no doubt at all. Echoing through the concrete and steel were the sounds of at least one, if not two people upstairs in the music room. She smiled to herself and instead of going downstairs to the parking garage, climbed two flights up to the top floor.

Just as she thought, the room was occupied- just not by JC alone. On the guitar, to her surprise, was Christy, playing like a pro. Olivia hung outside the room, watching and listening. It was one of the few times Christy wasn't screaming and cursing and throwing things. She wanted to enjoy it.

"Good," he was saying. "Now step down a chord, and that gives you your depth."

"Like this?" Christy moved her fingers and played the same notes, making a different sound than before.

"Exactly. You're really good at this."

"Thanks," said Christy, her skin flushing a pretty pink. "I used to play."

"I can tell. You don't play anymore?"

"Nope. I'm never going to be better, so why bother?"

"Well, you bother because it's inside you. Sometimes music is just scratching to get out, you know?" Christy didn't respond and JC didn't push. Instead, he played a few bars on the piano while she joined in. After a few moments, he stopped and turned to her.

"Are you the one that gives all the nurses here such a hard time?"

She blushed but nodded. It took everything within Olivia to hold in her laughter. "I guess it's dumb to be that way, but they're always up my ass and I'm just... so mad that I have to be here. All my friends are like... going to dances and they have boyfriends and go to the mall. They get to hang out every day with each other."

"I bet it feels like they forgot about you, huh?"

"Totally! They never come to see me and I can't go see them. My mom works all the time and my dad's... somewhere." Her head sank and she pouted as she said, "He doesn't even care about me."

"Well, I doubt that's true." She lifted her head enough to roll her eyes and he argued against them. "No, really. I just don't think that's true.  Maybe he doesn't know how to show it or he's not being very brave right now or he made a wrong choice, but there's no way your dad doesn't care about you."

"It doesn't count if you feel it and don't show it."

"That's profound," JC said. "But it goes both ways. I mean, if you think about how you treat the people around you, you're showing them how you feel about them. Is it Nurse Olivia's fault that you're here?"

"No," she admitted, picking at the guitar strings. "She's nice to me. I just don't want to be here and they all remind me that I'm stuck here."

"You know what? She gets that. She probably thinks it sucks for you to be stuck here. Her job is to make you comfortable and do as much as she can so it won't suck as much. Don't you think?"

Christy was quiet for a long, long pause then tipped her head up at JC. "Is she your girlfriend, or something?"

JC laughed. Outside the door, Olivia stifled a giggle. "She said you hardly come up here. You have a nice voice. You play guitar really well. I bet you've written some songs-there's nothing like going through something really hard to bring out the song writer in you. Music is emotive. It's passionate and feeling. Don't you feel better when you play?"

"I used to want to be a famous guitarist one day. You know, like Orianthi? She's so awesome."

JC nodded. "Yeah, I know about her. She's cool. Why can't you still be a famous guitarist?"

Christy heaved a loud, frustrated sigh. "Because I'm sick, duh! I can't do anything if I'm sick."

"What's being sick have to do with anything? Did you know BB King is a diabetic?"

"That's not the same thing, dummy."

JC paused, sending a glare in her direction. She was appropriately bashful, dipping her head and fiddling with the guitar.

"If you're a musician, you're a musician and you play no matter what. You, my friend, are a musician. Keep up with it. Write some songs. Play your feelings. It'll help."

Christy was silent and still for a few moments and then lifted her head to where her eyes met JC's. "Do you really think I play good?"

"Play well," he corrected. Then nodded a few times. "I think you play very well."

"You used to be like... famous and stuff, right? So you'd know?"

JC laughed. "I didn't realize you knew who I was, but yeah. My whole job right now is to know talent when I hear it, and you've got it. Promise me you'll keep at it? And you'll let me know how you're doing?"

"I don't know..." She paused, then smirked. "Promise you'll come back and check on me?"

"You got it." JC sat up and played a short melody on the piano. "You want to do one more?"

"Sure," she answered, smiling for the first time in a long time. The music started up again and Olivia had to duck around the corner and wipe her eyes.

She hated to, but after a few minutes, she swung open one of the doors and stepped inside. Christy's head popped up and she sucked in a sharp breath.

"You're not in trouble," said Olivia, softly. "Really. But you'd better scoot downstairs. Rhonda is looking for you."

Christy scowled. "Oh, that old-"

"Hey." Slowly, JC shook his head. "We just talked about that."

Christy clicked her tongue and rolled her eyes. "That old really helpful nurse, I was gonna say. Guess I better get down there."

Carefully, she set the guitar on its stand and replaced the pic in the felt lined case with the others. And then, completely uncharacteristic of her, she leaned over the piano bench and wrapped both arms around JC's shoulders. "Thanks. I had fun. Merry Christmas."

"Me too. Merry Christmas. Remember your promise."

She bounced out of the room, in considerably good spirits. As soon as the door closed, Olivia moved further into the room, dropping her bags on a nearby chair.

"That?" Olivia pointed her thumb in the direction of the door. "That was not Christy Gonzales. I don't know what you did in here, but man.... that's some kinda magic."

JC was softly, slowly playing Silver Bells. "Not magic. She came in and I was here and we just started talking. Joey's right about this room, you know. Music soothes the troubled soul. Builds a bridge. It just... does something to people."

"I definitely understand that. I wish I could experience it."

"You can," he said, motioning her over to him. "Come sit down. Close to me."

She obeyed, sliding onto the bench, right up against him, so close she could feel his body heat through his jean clad thigh. "Now reach over and lay your hands over mine. You're gonna have to-"  She wrapped one arm over and one arm under his, so her hands were laying atop his on the piano. "There you go. And now, we can both play."  

He started the song again, his hands gliding along the keys slowly, softly. And on top of his hands, her fingers were playing along. She giggled, relishing the feeling of almost playing the piano. Her face was so close to his that she could feel the stubble on his beard and his breath on her chin. Her ear caught the sound of him singing along.

"And on every street corner, you hear... Can you sing?"

"Only if you want dogs to start howling."

JC laughed. "You can't be that bad."

"Oh, yes I can. You know how your mom is supposed to be your biggest fan? Your loudest supporter? Well, my mom specifically requests that I do not sing."

He laughed again. The sound was electrifying, but that was nothing compared to how it felt bouncing through her. "Okay, I won't make you sing. We don't want anyone to go deaf."

"That's the spirit." She glanced back at him, catching his eye. "You can sing, though."

So he did, both verses. When the song was over, they both heaved a pleasant, telling sigh. Reluctantly, Olivia pulled her hands back and untangled her arms from JC's.

"That was fun. Sort of like dancing with someone who can't dance." She reached toward a key and pressed down on it. It rang out loud and clear, lingering in the air like mist.

JC cleared his throat and brought his hands to his lap. "I uh... I want to do something."

"Do something like what? It's midnight on Christmas. There's nothing open."

"I don't mean go somewhere and do something. I mean..."

"You mean what?"

Instead of answering, he leaned over and planted his lips on hers. Surprised by the sudden movement, she blinked a few times, then relaxed and let her eyelids flutter closed and her mouth, by instinct, open. He kissed like a dream-a dream of the best kiss a girl could imagine. It was warm and sweet and slow. So unhurried, deeply passionate but not forceful.

She leaned into him, a curl of desire rising from within her. He inhaled a deep breath through his nose and deepened the kiss. She felt warm hands around her, pulling her closer, wrapping her up in this dream that was so, so real.

"There you are, Liv. I found Chris-oh."

The kiss ended, but not unceremoniously. He gently pulled away and didn't remove his arms from around her. Olivia cleared her throat and wiped her mouth before she turned around and smiled at Rhonda.

"She was up here. I sent her back down to you. I hope you didn't yell at her."

"She was in such a good mood, I didn't question it. I'll yell at her tomorrow." Rhonda smiled, edging back toward the door. "I didn't realize you were uh... busy. I'll leave you two alone. Merry Christmas."

"Night Rhonda." The door swung closed and they were alone again. She leaned up against JC so he would tighten his grip around her. "I am so not gonna live that down."

He chuckled into the hair at the top of her head. "Sorry about that."

"Don't be. I enjoyed it." She tipped her head up and he kissed her again.

An announcement over the PA system broke the mood. The pair laughed and finally separated, sliding off of the piano bench and heading toward the door.

Olivia picked up her bags with one hand and snapped off of the lights with the other as they walked through the double doors. So, was this it? Another night of awkward flirting, a few minutes of kissing and... nothing?

Not if she could help it. "So," she said, trying to sound breezy as they reached the elevator. "I'm finally not working."

"You're finally not working," he repeated.

 "Yeah. I am finally not working."

"Well. I'd invite you out for that drink but... it's midnight on Christmas. Like you said."

"I did say that."  The elevator arrived, the steel doors sliding open to welcome them. They stepped inside. "I know a place that serves good drinks and Christmas leftovers." She lifted the festive bag holding her Christmas Dinner delivery.

By the expression on his face, it would seem that JC was trying not to smile at her suggestion. "Oh yeah?"

"Yeah. Not far from here. Follow me?"

It was all he could do to nod and follow her off the elevator.

3:22 am

"I didn't really know what was going on. One minute Joey was there, the next minute he took off. I've never seen him move like that."

"I'm glad he was there, or I wouldn't have got my purse back, I don't think."

JC shook his head, downing the last of his bottle of beer. He swallowed, then said, "Me too, because I sure wasn't running after that guy."

Olivia laughed, adding to the two hours that she'd been laughing since they got to her house. It wasn't much to look at from the outside, but the interior of the brick, single story duplex was warm and cozy, full of creature comforts like deep pile carpeting, sweeping drapery framing large picture windows and hand crocheted blankets tossed over plush microfiber couches. 

In the background, a 52 inch television played "Home Alone" with no sound. The room was lit softly by the glow of a single lamp and the twinkle of lights from the tree. On the hand-me-down wood coffee table in front of them were now four beer bottles and two plates practically licked clean of leftover Christmas dinner.

"Well, I'm glad you were there too. Otherwise I would have sat on that floor for a while."

"I couldn't believe no one was helping you."

Olivia shrugged. "I guess they were in shock. I would have been, too. But I'm glad it was you who helped me."

"Yeah otherwise it could have been this really weird old man who came to hunt you down where you work."

"Mmmhmm. And make excuses like bringing me dinner, just so he could see me."

"I told you, that was my mom's idea."

"And coming to see me the first time was Joey's idea. Do you have any ideas of your own?"

JC laughed, then moved over on the couch until he was up against Olivia, chest to chest, face to face. "I'm getting an idea of my own right now," he said, tipping his head toward her. Their lips met, tentatively and softly and then again with more pressure. A low rumble rose from him. A smile bent her lips as she nipped his ear.

"I like that idea. I can do you one better, though."

***

There was a path from the living room to the bedroom, clearly marked by two sets of clothing torn from trembling, tipsy bodies as they stumbled toward the bed, now a queen sized mess of twisted sheets, pillows tossed to the floor and comforter hanging off of one edge. 

A satisfied groan rang out into the darkness. One body rolled over the other, followed by the smacking sound of wet, sloppy kisses.

"That was a good idea. Good enough to repeat."  

"Mmm..." Olivia rolled to her back, stretching as she turned. "I was kind of dreading today, you know?"

"Yeah? Why?"

"Working with the kids who can't go home... some of them-like Christy-get really upset about it. My family lives in Ohio so I don't even get to see them. I'd work with the kids all day and then come home and sit in front of my tree with no one and eat some warmed over lasagna and drink a flat beer."

"Huh." JC yawned and then glanced over at her. "Yeah I would dread that, too. Good thing we took care of that, hm?"

"Yeah. You're my Christmas Hero."

"Well, I don't know about hero." JC slid a palm down her arm, leaving goosebumps and hairs standing on end it its wake. "You know, I was kind of whining yesterday about Christmas. About how it's so commercial and it's about making money and flashing lights and Santa Claus and everyone being so concerned about what they're going to get."

Olivia nodded, listening.

"And then I meet someone like Christy. Any of those kids-it just puts it all into perspective. I see why that room exists. It makes me want to do more."

"So, I heard you promise Christy that you'd come back to check on her."

"And I will."

"But... what if you checked on more than just her? What if... what if you came down there once in awhile and worked with the kids and taught them to play instruments and write songs..."

JC groaned and grimaced and ran a hand over a messy bush of hair. "I don't know; I was just talking with her, listening with her. I'm not a therapist or anything."

"Whatever, JC. You were good with her. And if you're that good with our worst patient, imagine what you could do with those who are more willing. You just said you thought Christmas should be about more than money and flashing lights. Prove it."

The room was quiet for a long moment, nothing but the sounds of breathing piercing the relative darkness.

"Does that mean I could see you, too?"

"It does," Olivia answered with a giggle. "See? An added benefit."

"That's one hell of a benefit." JC rolled toward her, closing the distance between them, and kissed her again. "You have a deal. And thank you."

"For?"

"You're my Christmas Hero, too."