Chapter fifteen
LOGAN
The next day, I was once again the first one awake in the house.
When I’d arrived the night before, the girls were already asleep, and now I was leaving for the hospital before they even stirred. It was a pattern that went directly against the promise I’d made to myself not to be like my father.
Maybe I was just a coward.
A few hours after arriving at the hospital, I made my routine stop at the Holloways' offices, starting with John’s. I found Carol there, too.
“Dr. Turner, I’m so glad we caught you,” Carol said with a warm smile. “We just spoke with Miss Garcia and the girls this morning. We needed to let you know about a change of plans.”
“A change?” I asked, immediately concerned. “Is everything alright?”
“Just a slight shift in our schedule,” John clarified.
Carol took over. “Our middle daughter, who lives in London, had a last-minute work commitment that will keep her there until December 23rd. She won’t be able to join us for Christmas as we’d planned.”
John continued, “We spoke with our other two children, and we’ve all decided to go to London instead. We’re even starting our hospital break early. Being together as a family is the most important thing, especially during the holidays.”
“Oh, of course. I understand completely. Please, don’t worry about us. I’m sure the hotel we originally looked at still has rooms.”
“Absolutely not!” Carol insisted. “We won’t hear of it. You must stay here.”
They were so adamant that I stopped protesting and simply thanked them. I said my goodbyes, as they had an early morning flight, and I likely wouldn’t see them again.
I stayed at the hospital late into the night, as usual.
The next morning, however, perhaps from accumulated exhaustion, I overslept. I knew it wasn’t as early as usual the moment I woke up because Evelyn’s bed was already empty.
I got up, my back protesting from another night on the unforgiving floor.
After a quick shower, I headed out of the room.
In the living room, I found the twins sitting on the rug, playing with items from a large box.
Even with the heater on, they were already wearing their coats—a clear sign they were planning to go out.
Evelyn walked in from the kitchen then, carrying a tray with two bowls of cereal and two mugs of hot chocolate. She set it down in front of the girls and said, her voice and hands moving in sync, “Don’t take too long, we need to leave early if we want to find a good one.”
Only then did I check the time, realizing it wasn’t as late as I’d thought. “You’re going out? Where to?”
Evelyn shot me a look that said my questioning was an inconvenience. Still, she replied, “The girls and I are going to buy a Christmas tree.”
“A Christmas tree? You’re going to put up a tree in someone else’s house?”
“It was John and Carol’s idea. They left out a box of decorations and specifically said we should put one up.”
I looked back at the girls and finally understood; the “toys” they were pulling from the box were actually Christmas ornaments.
“But what’s the point?” I asked. “We don’t need any of this Christmas tree thing.”
The girls looked up, their curiosity piqued by our conversation. Evelyn pulled me into a corner of the room, away from their hearing.
“What is wrong with you?” she hissed, her voice low. “They’re five years old. The Christmas tree thing might not mean anything to you, but this is their first Christmas away from their mother. The least we can do is try to keep some of the magic alive for them.”
Damn. She was right.
I sifted through my own childhood memories of Christmas.
My father was usually absent, but my mother went all out.
The house was always a spectacle of lights and decorations.
Every year, she bought a massive real tree, and my brothers and I would help her decorate it.
Only now, nearing thirty, did it occur to me that her over-the-top enthusiasm was probably her way of creating that very magic for us, to compensate for our father’s absence.
“I… appreciate you doing this,” I said, knowing it wasn’t her responsibility.
In fact, it should have been mine. And I hadn’t even thought of it.
“Don’t thank me,” she said curtly. “I’m not doing it for you.”
I looked back at the girls. They were laughing about something, miraculously managing to eat their cereal, play with the ornaments, and communicate in sign language all at once. When Anna spoke out loud, Aurora watched her lips intently, never missing a beat.
Watching them, I was struck by how well they got along.
It sent my mind drifting back to my own childhood and the bond I shared with my brothers.
Sebastian was the responsible role model, while Michael could be an infuriating pest. But I loved them both fiercely.
We always had each other’s backs. And seeing Anna and Aurora together, it was clear they had the same unshakable foundation.
Anna, who was usually so sullen, underwent a complete transformation with her sister. When they were joking and chatting in their own little world, her entire demeanor lightened.
“Don’t you have to get to your lab?” Evelyn’s voice pulled me from my thoughts.
“I’m heading out now,” I said. “I can give you all a ride to wherever you’re going.”
“That’s not necessary. We can take a taxi.”
“You can take a taxi back. But since I’m leaving anyway, I don’t mind giving you a lift.”
She glanced at the girls, and I got the distinct impression that if she were alone, she would have refused without a second thought. But for their sake, she relented.
“Alright.”
And a small, unexpected flicker of happiness sparked inside me.