Chapter 30 #2
“Of course, but he’s not in his room. He’s in the study.
That artist you connected him with sent over an old drafting table for him to practice on.
It was too big for his room so we tucked it into Sam’s old study.
You’ll find him in there.” Hanna and I took Nolan to his lesson a few days ago like we promised.
He was still a little closed off when we came to pick him up but once we brought him home after his lesson?
It was like he was a completely different kid.
A fresh light was in his eyes and he kept telling me to drive faster so he could get home to practice what he learned.
“Here, I can show you where it is,” I instruct, slipping my hand into hers and pulling her away from the chaos. Patti winks at me as I turn away.
Keeping her hand safely in mine, we walk down a series of halls.
Over the last few weeks, Patti, Sam, and the kids have worked hard to decorate the old home for the holidays.
Lights, ornaments, and garland are strung up and illuminated, making the house feel even more cozy.
When we reach the door at the end of the hall, I pause and look at her.
“Thank you for coming here with me tonight. It means a lot to me that you did. And to Patti and Sam.”
“Of course,” she says, reaching up and framing my face with her hand. I lean into it and close my eyes, letting the feeling of her hand there consume me. “Thank you for sharing this place with me. I know how special it is to you.”
“You’re special to me, doc.” I rest my hand on her waist and peer down at her.
“And you’re special to me, Miles.” She pauses for a beat before looking at the door. “Let’s go and see if Nolan’s inside. I’m excited to give him his gift.”
I wave a hand towards the door and let her do the honors.
She knocks a few times out of respect and slowly cracks the door open.
The more it does, the more the room comes into view.
I feel my jaw go slack and hear a small gasp come from Hanna.
The entire left side of the room has been papered with drawings and sketches which are slowly crawling towards the other side of the room.
He’s made clear progress from the first time we met him with these sketches being more defined and cleaner than the originals we’d seen the last time we were here.
Human figures in different poses, dancing, laughing, even running, can be seen on the pages taped to the walls.
Some with faces and some without. Each page with a new person, frozen in art, waiting to be admired.
Against the back wall is the old drafting table Patti mentioned with Nolan plucked in front of it, hunched over and feverishly moving his arm across the surface.
“Hi, Nolan, sorry to interrupt,” Hanna says softly, stepping further inside the room.
He turns and when he sees her, his smile rivals mine anytime I look at her. He tucks the pencil in his hand behind his ear and stands from the stool he’s sitting in.
“Hey. I’m so happy you’re both here—Merry Christmas.” He gives us both a hug and takes a step back. Still wearing the black oversized hoodie he had on the last time, I make a mental note to bring him something a little more his size the next time I come by.
“Merry Christmas, bud. You’re making progress, I see,” I reply, waving a hand at the sketches on the walls.
“Yeah.” He chuckles awkwardly. “Steven gave me a few pointers and it really helped. That, and enough paper to last me a lifetime.” He turns to look towards the corner of the room where three large boxes of sketch pads and reams of paper sit.
“He’s given me an assignment to do before I see him again at the start of the year. ”
“What’s the assignment?” Hanna asks. He didn’t mention anything about an assignment when we brought him home from his first lesson.
“To draw something that inspires me,” Nolan answers matter-of-factly. He pinches his lips into a line and glances towards the drafting table behind him.
“Is that what you’re working on now?” I ask, leaning over and trying to take a look at his work.
“Yeah, but it’s not ready yet,” he answers nervously.
“Are we allowed to see what you’re drawing?” Hanna asks, tucking her chin into her shoulder, giving him a small smile.
He sighs heavily and steps to the side, raising a hand and inviting us to take a closer look.
My throat goes dry when I see what he’s started to sketch out.
Hanna grabs onto my arm when she sees it too.
It’s rough, but having seen it for what feels like a hundred times, I know what it is in an instant.
Old stone walls with ivy crawling up through its cracked facade.
There’s an open field on one side with a playground set off in the distance.
Picnic tables with kids sitting at them and a large oak door that’s been left open like it always is.
The more I stare, the more I take in—how there are kids running around in the open field, one of them holding a football and the others chasing him.
There are kids laughing and playing with an older couple sitting on the front step of the house, holding hands and smiling at the viewer.
At the bottom the words ‘where new beginnings start’ is scribbled out in messy handwriting.
“Nolan, this is really special, man,” I choke out, feeling my eyes start to wet with tears. I place a strong hand on his shoulder and smile at him which he reciprocates. “Sam and Patti are going to love it.”
“It’s not the best but it’s a start, which is what they gave me, I guess.” He shrugs.
Hanna wipes her eyes quickly and clears her throat. “Well, hopefully this will make it everything you want it to be and more.”
She steps towards him and hands him the gift bag. He takes it with an apprehensive hand before setting it down on the ground to open. Pulling out the tissue paper one by one, he finally pulls out what she’s been hiding inside.
“No. Way.” He punctuates each word and pulls out a massive wooden box that has a gold name embossed on the front.
“What is it?” I ask, glancing between her and Nolan.
“Only the best set of sketching and drawing pencils on the market,” Nolan explains quickly. He rushes over to his table and sets the box down. Opening it, his eyes grow twice their size as he takes in his new tools. He turns quickly and crashes into Hanna, hugging her tightly.
“Thank you, Hanna. Thank you, thank you.”
She hugs him back in a way that’s almost maternal. “Of course. I believe in you and your art so much and I hope by having these, you can continue to grow and get better. I can’t wait to see what you make with them.”
He smiles up at her for a beat before walking back to the table and pencils, completely in awe of what’s in front of him. He pulls each one out individually and holds it in his hands before moving onto the next one.
“I don’t think we’re very entertaining anymore,” I say under my breath.
She laughs and shakes her head. “I don’t think we are either.”
“We’ll leave you to it, Nolan. Merry Christmas, buddy.”
He turns over his shoulder and quickly waves. “Merry Christmas, thank you again.”
Once out in the hallway, the door closed behind us, I pull her into another hug.
“That was the nicest thing I’m sure anyone has ever done for him. You have no idea what you did for him.”
“It was nothing. Everyone deserves to have someone believe in them. He’s a good kid with a lot of talent.”
I pull away from her and frame her face with my hands. “I’m seriously starting to believe you’re some kind of angel walking amongst humans.”
She shakes her head. “Not even close. I just like to take care of the people who matter to me. Like Nolan,” she pauses and grips the sides of my shirt a little tighter, “and you.”
“You matter to me, Hanna. A lot.”
“A lot,” she repeats, just above a whisper.
“Kissletoe! Time to kiss!” An excited voice calls down to us. Looking towards it, we see a younger girl pointing at the ceiling above our heads. Looking up, we notice that, sure enough, there’s a bundle of mistletoe hanging from the ceiling.
“Kissletoe, time to kiss,” I say with a smirk, holding her face and leaning in.
“Kissletoe, time to kiss,” she repeats with a smile that I press my lips to. Behind us, we can hear the little girl giggle with joy at our affection and run off. When we pull away from one another, I rest my forehead against hers.
“Merry Christmas, Hanna.”
“Merry Christmas, Miles.”