Greatest Gift, The

"Dear Lisa,
I am writing this to you because I'm a coward. I love you more than
I've ever loved anyone in my life. Under different circumstances, I
would be overjoyed about the pregnancy. The truth of the matter is that
I'm scared. I'm only 20 years old and the last thing I need in my life
right now is to be a father. I've had my whole life planned out for
years. College takes precendence over anything else right now and I
know you understand that. You know how much I want to be a
doctor.

I know you, Lisa. I know that you would never have an abortion and I
don't expect you to. It's unfair that I'm making you go through this
alone but like I said, I'm a coward. Your parents are good people and I
know they'll support you through this. You'll be a wonderful mother, of
that I have no doubt.

I do love you, Lisa, and I always will. I'll never forget the
wonderful, special times we shared together. You'll always be in my
heart and in my thoughts. I wish you nothing but happiness forever and
ever.

Love always,
Glenn"

Lisa Conway noticed that her hand was shaking as she read the letter.
Tears came into her eyes as she stood in the coolness of the attic
amongst old boxes and bags. Every year it was the same thing. She'd
come up here to fetch the Christmas decorations and always saw the old
box that held Glenn's love letters to her. Why she ever saved them all,
especially this one, was beyond her. Every year she fought the urge to
read them and succeeded in leaving them to their dark and dusty corner.
This year, the urge was just too overwhelming. She finally gave in to
her curiousity and opened the door to her past. She had never stopped
loving Glenn Hanlon, even 25 years later.

"Mom?"

Lisa looked up as she heard her daughter Nicole calling her. "I'll be
right down, hon," she answered back and hurried to put the letter back
into the box. There was no need for Nicole to know what she had been
doing.

"Grandma!" came the sweet little voice of her three year old
granddaughter, Danielle. "Where's my kiss, Grandma?"

Lisa smiled to herself and hurried down the attic steps.

She brushed the dust from the black blouse that she was wearing. She
smiled at her daughter who was waiting for her at the bottom of the
steps.

"Hey, sweetie," Lisa greeted her daughter with a kiss and a hug.

"Mom, what are you doing?" Nicole asked her.

"I was getting the last of the Christmas decorations," she lied. She
turned to her adorable little granddaughter. "How's my little cookie?"
she asked and picked her up in her arms.

"Grandma!" Danielle put her arms around her neck and gave her a wet
kiss on the cheek. "Mommy has something to tell you, Grandma!"

Lisa held Danielle in her arms as she turned to her daughter again.
"What is it, sweetie?"

"Oh Mom." She reached out to swipe away a tear that was on her mother's
cheek. "Have you been crying?"

Lisa shook her head. "No," she lied again. "It's that attic dust
wrecking havoc on my allergies again."

"I told you not to go up there. Dave and I can get the decorations out
for you."

"Where is Dave?" she asked in reference to her son-in-law.

"Out parking the car."

"What did you have to tell me?" Lisa asked her as she led them into the
homey, warm kitchen.

"I'll wait until Dave comes in. He wants to tell you too."

Lisa could see that her daughter was excited about something. Her smile
was radiant. Then again, everything was radiant about her. She had
turned out to be a beautiful young woman, tall and slender with long
auburn hair and a clear complexion. Her gray eyes always had a twinkle
in them. She was so very beautiful, this young woman who she had raised
by herself. At 25, Nicole had also turned out to be a wonderful mother.
Danielle looked just like her mother and was so well behaved. She was a
joy to have around and Lisa was so proud of them all.

It was such a shame that Glenn had missed out on all this joy too.
Sometimes, she saw him in her daughter. There were little mannerisms
that reminded her of him. The way Nicole rested her arm on the back of
her chair, the way she would think about something so deeply and
thoughtfully were characteristics she had gotten from her father. Lisa
pushed those thoughts out of her mind for now. No sense dwelling on
that.

It was Sunday and the family tradition always included dinner at Lisa's
house. She had made lasagna, a salad and garlic bread too. She had also
baked a cake although Lord knew she'd be doing enough of that with
Christmas coming.

"We brought a cake," Nicole said as was also the tradition. "I know you
baked something but we don't like to come here empty handed."

"It's okay. More for me to eat later!" She grinned at her little angel
and Danielle giggled.

"What other decorations do you have to get out?" Nicole asked her.
"This place already looks like the inside of Fortunoff's."

"I lost track of what I had up there."

Nicole could see that something was on her mother's mind. She looked at
her as she went to check the lasagna that was still baking in the
oven.

"Grandma made lasagna," she told her daughter.

"I know," Danielle said in awe. "It smells yummy. Daddy's going to get
a belly ache again, I just know it. Remember last time Grandma made
'sagna and Daddy ate so much of it?"

Nicole and Lisa both laughed at the memory. But Nicole could see that
the smile didn't quite reach her mother's eyes. She knew something was
on her mind and she was determined to find out what it was.

Dave came into the house, bringing a shock of cold air with him. "Hey,
Mom!" he greeted Lisa with a huge smile and took her in his arms for a
big, bear hug.

Lisa had always liked Dave. He was respectful, decent and hardworking.
He owned his own business and was a good husband and father. He adored
Nicole and Danielle and that was all that mattered to her. He was very
good looking too, tall and muscular with longish brown hair and rich
brown eyes. He had an infectious personality and was always quick with
a smile.

He picked Lisa up in his arms and swung her around.

She laughed. "What was that for?"

"For making lasagna again. It smells great." He looked at Nicole as he
began to remove his jacket. "Did you tell her yet?"

Nicole shook her head. "I was waiting for you."

"Tell me what?" Lisa asked them. "You two are going to drive me crazy
today."

"Oh Mom." Nicole threw her arms around her mother and began to cry.
"I'm pregnant again!"

Lisa felt the tears in her eyes and didn't even say anything. She held
her daughter close to her and just felt her next to her. She was
overjoyed beyond belief and yet, there was such a feeling of melancholy
that seemed to choke her.

Dave joined in their hug too. "We couldn't wait to tell you," he said
to her. "We knew how happy you'd be."

Lisa nodded and then laughed as Nicole handed her a tissue. "I'm so
happy for you both, so very happy. You have no idea!"

The hug lasted for a very long time. Lisa was so happy but there was
something missing, something that had always been missing from her
life.

That was Glenn Hanlon.

--------------------

"You're not paying any attention to me today," Marie pouted as she
looked across the table at Glenn.

He admitted that he was very distracted. He had been for some time.
Although Marie was quite attractive in her own way, she was certainly
no Lisa Conway.

Would he compare every woman he met to Lisa for the rest of his life?
Was he doomed to wander the world, going from one girlfriend to the
next, breaking up with them because they could never hold a candle to
his first and only one true love?

They were sitting in Mario's on that cold and windy Sunday afternoon,
three weeks before Christmas. "Jingle Bells" was playing in the
background and all he could think about was Lisa.
Thoughts of her always grew stronger at this time of the year. She had
always been a Christmas fanatic and loved every single aspect of the
holiday season. She was probably getting ready to share the holiday
with her husband and children, he thought, while I'm ready to break it
off with Marie here and spend another holiday at the hospital on
call.

"I can't do this anymore," he told Marie suddenly as she whipped out
her compact to check her makeup.

She looked up at him. "What can't you do?"

"I can't see you anymore," he explained and then his beeper went
off.

"What?" she asked him in shock. How could any man not want her? She was
a stunning redhead with a voluptuous figure. Any man would kill to have
her. She had picked Glenn to go out with because he was extremely
attractive and very rich. She was expecting diamonds from him for
Christmas and now the jerk had the audacity to break it off with
her.

He checked his beeper. "I've got to go. There's an emergency. I'm
sorry, Marie. I hope you understand."

"The only thing I understand is what a creep you are!" She stood up,
picked up her glass of ice water and dumped it over his head.

Glenn was mortified. Thankfully, there weren't a lot of people in the
restaurant but still, it was quite an embarrassment for a well
respected and prominent physician to have a glass of water dumped over
his head in a public place.

Thankfully, it was over with Marie and he could go back to the comfort
and familiarity of his memories of Lisa Conway.

He drove to the hospital where he was the head of the ER there. He had
made it his life's work and was proud of what he had accomplished. He
had worked hard to get where he was but he had sacrificed the most
important thing to do it. He realized that Lisa had been the most
important thing to him, even more important than medicine had been. It
was too late though. She was married with children. She had to be. It
was 25 years later. There was no way that a beautiful and sweet girl
like Lisa would not have been swept off her feet. She probably had a
house full of kids. She had one, he knew. He had a child out there and
that thought never ceased to amaze him.

It was no surprise when he felt tears mist his eyes. He did miss Lisa
every day of his life with an aching in his heart that was almost
unbearable. He had left her high and dry, a pregnant 18 year old girl
on the verge of great success herself. She had always wanted to be an
interior decorator. He could only imagine what her house looked like
during the holiday season. She had loved the holidays so much and had
loved him so much too. He had never stopped loving her ever but he knew
that she had been over him a long time ago. He had done an awful thing
to her and he could never expect to be forgiven.

He pulled into his parking space at the hospital and it was no shock to
him that he was weeping. Despite his prominence, wealth and success, he
was still a lonely man who worked constantly to escape the emptiness of
his personal life and the memories of his past.

He would never stop loving Lisa, never, for as long as he lived.

-------------------

"Mom, why don't you relax? I'll do the dishes for you." Nicole had
followed her mother into the kitchen after dinner was over. The living
room table had been cleared and Dave was playing Candyland with
Danielle.

"I've got it, sweetheart," Lisa assured her. "You should be the one
relaxing!" She grinned at her. The news of her daughter's second
pregnancy had overjoyed her beyond belief. "Besides, I'm just going to
throw these things in the dishwasher."

Nicole watched her mother for a minute as she rinsed off plates in the
sink and then stuck them in the dishwasher. She seemed distracted and
looked sad.

"Mom." Nicole put a hand on her arm. "What is it? What's wrong?"

Lisa managed a smile and then shook her head. Tears filled her eyes and
she shook her head again.

Nicole stared at her. Her mother's beauty never stopped amazing her.
People always thought that they were sisters, not mother and daughter.
Lisa's shoulder length auburn hair still sparkled with vibrancy and
bounce. She wasn't old, only in her early forties, but she looked to be
20 years younger. Her complexion was unlined and flawless and she had a
sparkle in her green eyes that made her appear even more youthful. She
still had a wonderful figure and kept herself in shape by walking
several miles every day.

"Talk to me," Nicole urged softly. "I know something's on your
mind."

"Do you want to take a walk?" Lisa suggested.

"In this weather?" But she agreed because she knew how much her mother
loved to walk. They bundled up and told Dave where they were
going.

"Be careful, you two," he said and they left the cozy warmth of the
house.

"Remember when you were a little girl and I used to take you ice
skating down at the pond?" Lisa asked her.

Nicole smiled. "All the kids were jealous because you were the only
mother who would actually skate with us."

"I'd love to take Dani skating. Would that be all right?"

"Of course. She'd love that."

They continued to walk on, the cold biting their cheeks.

"What's on your mind, Mom?" Nicole asked her. "You don't seem yourself
today."

"I'm not," she admitted.

"You are happy that I'm pregnant again, aren't you?"

"Oh honey, of course I am." She linked her arm through her daughter's.
"You have no idea how happy I am for you. I'm absolutely thrilled about
having another grandchild to spoil again. I just wish...I
just..."

"What?" she urged, concerned for her mother now.

"Oh dear." Lisa shook her head as tears filled her eyes again. "When I
was up in the attic, I was going through old love letters that your
father gave me. I just wish that he could see you, that he didn't miss
out on watching you grow up."

"That was his choice, Mom. He made his choice."

She heared the anger in her daughter's voice. "I know that. I loved him
very much and I know he loved me too. I'm not angry at him for leaving
me. He was scared and had to do what was right for him."

"Mom, how can you say that? He was selfish. He only thought of himself.
He didn't think about you and he certainly didn't think about me
either. You must have been scared too. You were 18, pregnant. You gave
up school to have me. You raised me all by yourself. I know that
Grandma and Grandpa helped but you did everything on your own. How can
you say all this now?"

"I can't expect you to understand. Glenn was a good man. He really
loved me. I never doubted his love for me. He was afraid. He wanted to
be a doctor so badly."

"And you wanted to be an interior decorator but you gave up your dreams
of college to raise me. You went to college when you were 35, Mom. How
can you feel sorry for him?"

Lisa bit her bottom lip. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have brought this up
with you."

"No, I'm glad you did. If it bothers you that much, why don't you get
in touch with him?"

"I couldn't do that. It was 25 years ago. Surely, he's married with
children now. I'm sure he got over me a long time ago."

"Like you got over him?"

Lisa heard the bitterness in her daughter's voice and glanced at
her.

"Mom, you never married because you never stopped loving this man.
Nobody could ever hold a candle to him. You've been pining away for him
for years. Can't you just leave him in the past where he
belongs?"

"I've tried to do that but it's hard for me. I loved him, honey. He's
the only man I ever loved and I'll never get over him. I know I should
try. It's been so long ago. I'm sure he's married, like I said. I don't
know what got into me. I guess I'm just feeling a little blue with
Christmas coming."

"Mom, you love Christmas. Nobody loves Christmas the way you do.
Everything's going to be all right. I promise. There's another baby on
the way and if you want, you can take Danielle skating tomorrow. She'd
love to spend the day with her grandma."

Lisa smiled then. "I'd love to. I'll take her to McDonald's for lunch
too. She loves that." Her eyes lit up and her face grew animated again.
Nothing could make her happier than spending the day with her precious
granddaughter.

She just wished that Glenn was there to spend it with them.

------------------

It had been a busy, fast paced past few hours in the emergency room.
Glenn sat on the couch in the doctor's lounge sipping bottled water. He
was tired but exhilirated. He loved his work so much and enjoyed taking
care of people. He had made it his life's work and was grateful for
everything that he did have. For the most part, his life was spent in
the hospital taking care of people. He had always been very nurturing
and caring. Funny how he had turned out to be that way when he had left
his pregnant girlfriend high and dry.

He could remember the day Lisa told him about the baby. At first, he
was so happy, so overjoyed. They had been together for four years and
had planned on marrying after Glenn had graduated college. They had a
plan and he wanted to stick to it. But as the idea began to take form
in his mind, becoming a daddy before he finished college scared the
hell out of him. He couldn't deal with it and he told Lisa how he
felt.

"It's just nerves," she had assured him. "It will pass."

Not once had she ever thought about herself. She was so excited about
the baby. We're adults, she kept reminding him. I know we'll be
wonderful parents to our baby.

He remembered the night they had made the baby together. He had made
love to her on his father's boat. They had gone out sailing together.
The sight of her fit, tanned body in that bikini had done some crazy
things to him. He had made love to her sweetly and slowly and it had
been the most magical moment of his life.

"I love you, Lisa," he had whispered to her over and over. "I'll always
love you for the rest of my life."

Despite everything that did happen, he still loved her. Even after
walking...no, running out on her...even after 25 years, he still loved
her. She was such a wonderful girl, so full of life, so quick to smile.
She took pleasure in everything that she did and her enthusiasm for
life was contagious. He had become a better person since being her
boyfriend. Too bad he had much such a horrible, horrible mistake.

"I still love you, Lisa," he whispered to himself and his eyes closed
as sleep took him away.

-----------------------

"Grandma, look at me!" Danielle was a good skater for a three year
old.

They were out on the pond and it was snowing softly. Someone had
brought a boom box and Bruce Springsteen was singing "Santa Claus is
Coming to Town". She had taken Dani to McDonalds for lunch and now they
were out on the pond skating the afternoon away.

The pond was alive with skaters. Lisa couldn't understand why there
were so many children there when they should have been in school. She
picked Dani up in her arms and skated her away from a group of boys who
had started goofing around.

"Let's go down to the other end, honey," Lisa said to her.

"Okay, Grandma!" Danielle agreed and allowed her to lead her to the
other end of the pond. Once there, Lisa put her down and they skated
figure eights together. It was biting cold out but neither one of them
felt it. They were having too much fun together.

"Look at me, Grandma!" Danielle said and she spun around on one foot.
And as Lisa watched her, she saw the blue streak come out of the corner
of her eye. In the next instant, the streak had slammed her precious
angel down to the ice. Lisa heard the snapping sound and knew that
something was horribly wrong with Danielle.

-----------------

She was sick with worry. Dani had cried at first but now she was dead
silent. Lisa was worried that she had gone into shock.

The emergency room was busy but not quite as packed as she thought it
would be. She was at least grateful for that. She hoped that because
Dani was a baby that they would see her right away. She wasn't
disappointed either. A nurse led them into a ward at the children's
section of the emergency room.

"The doctor will be in to see you right away," the concerned nurse told
her and left them alone.

Lisa continued to hold Dani. Her granddaughter absolutely refused to
let her go.

She wanted to breath a sigh of relief when the doctor walked into the
room only a moment later. What struck her first about him was that he
was very tall and powerfully built. He had jet black hair and dark
green eyes. There was some cragginess around those eyes but he was an
incredibly good looking man. A white lab coat hugged his large
body.

Lisa stared at him and looked into the eyes of Dani's grandfather,
Glenn Hanlon.

He stared back at her. "Lisa?"

"Glenn?"

"Oh my God." His voice was soft, awed by her presence there. "It is
you." He put Dani's chart down and went to her. "I can't believe
it."

"I can't either," Lisa whispered and wanted to cry right then and
there. She wanted to throw her arms around his shoulders and hug him
and kiss him. He had aged well, very well.

"You look wonderful," he told her. "You haven't changed a bit." He bent
down and unsure of himself, gave her a kiss on the cheek. "I never
thought I would see you again." He looked at Danielle. "Who is this
adorable little lady?"

"This is my granddaughter, Danielle."

"Your granddaughter?" he said in amazement.

Lisa nodded. "We were ice skating and a teenage boy skated into her. I
think her arm is broken."

"I'm sorry." Glenn's eyes never left her. "I didn't know you had a
granddaughter."

"It's been a long time, Glenn."

He nodded. "Twenty-five years. Can I take a look at her?"

"Dani, the doctor wants to look at your arm."

"No, Grandma." She clung to her tightly with her good arm.

"Come on, baby, you want the boo boo to go away, don't you?"

Dani nodded. "Will he make it go away, Grandma?"

"Yes, sweetie, I promise. He's a very nice man and..." Lisa began to
cry. She looked at Glenn. "This is your granddaughter...your
granddaughter, Glenn."

"My granddaughter?" he said and then he found himself crying too.

"Your daughter's child," she told him. "I had a little girl 25 years
ago. Her name is Nicole. She's pregnant with her second child
now."

Glenn shook his head and wiped his tears away. "Forgive me, Lisa. I'm
sorry. This is so shocking to see you and to know that I...I never
meant to hurt you, Lisa, never. I always loved you. I'm sorry for what
I did to you."

"Glenn, please, will you just take care of my granddaughter for me?
She's hurting and I can't bear to see her this way."

"Of course, of course."

They finally managed to get Dani off of Lisa. She lay down on the
examination table and Glenn checked her out.

"Her arm looks broken but I'll have to send her for an x-ray to assess
the situation."

"Dani, you have to get a picture taken of your arm," Lisa explained to
her.

"Will you come with me, Grandma?" she said in a small voice. "I don't
want to be away from you."

She looked at Glenn and he nodded. "You'll have to stay outside when
the x-ray is taken though."

"Okay."

Dani was quickly taken to radiology and an x-ray was done on her arm.
She did have a break and needed a cast.

Lisa was grateful for Glenn for insisting on getting the hospital's
best orthopedic to look at Dani. They didn't have to wait for anything.
Glenn made sure of that.

He was trying so hard to be professional and regain his composure at
the same time. Seeing Lisa again was a big shock to him. She still took
his breath away. She was a grandmother and yet, she looked to be about
25 herself. She had aged wonderfully. He couldn't get over how
beautiful she still was. Her face was still dewy and soft and her
figure slender and perfect.

And he had a granddaughter. Danielle was an absolute angel but what
right did he have to consider her his granddaughter? He had walked out
on Lisa when she was pregnant with his child. He had no right to think
of Dani in that way. He didn't deserve to. And yet, when Lisa had
referred to Dani as his granddaughter, it had caused his heart to soar
in his chest.

He had a daughter and a granddaughter. It was too much to take. Glenn
watched as Dr. Sanders began the process of casting Dani's arm. By now,
the little girl was so excited about getting a cast that she had
forgotten about the pain she was in. He looked at Lisa who was clinging
to Dani's other hand. He motioned for her to come outside with him for
a moment.

"Grandma will be right back, okay?" she said to Dani.

"Okay, Grandma. Hurry up. I want you to be the first to sign my
cast."

Lisa kissed her granddaughter and left her in the care of the doctor
and his two nurses.

Glenn led her to an empty examination room. He looked at her and
smiled. "How have you been, Lisa?"

She returned his smile. "Just fine. The family keeps me busy. I have my
own business too. I work out of my house."

"Interior decorating?" he guessed.

She smiled. "You remember."

"I never forgot anything about you. How many children do you
have?"

"Nicole is my only child."

"I'm surprised. I figured you'd have a house full of kids."

"I never married, Glenn."

He stared at her. "Never?"

She shook her head. "No, never. What about you?"

"I'm a bachelor. Never been married either."

"Really?" She wasn't surprised at the relief she felt over that piece
of news.

He nodded. "I never got over you, Lisa. Oh, I dated a lot of women but
it never lasted. None of them could ever compare to you."

She looked away from him. It was all too much to take.

"I've spent the last 25 years of my life hiding in my work. I'm the top
doctor in this hospital, Lisa. I'm proud of what I accomplished but I
did it at the expense of what we had together. I've lived with the
regret for 25 years."

"You were scared," she said softly.

"You must have been too and yet, all I could think about was myself. I
never thought about it from your end. You would have if I was the one
who had been pregnant. I mean, well, you know what I mean. You always
put me before yourself and all I could see was my damn ambition getting
the best of me."

"I'm sure you must be a wonderful doctor. You're wonderful with Dani
and I know it isn't just because of me."

"Tell me about Nicole. What's she like?"

Lisa beamed proudly. "She's a beautiful, lovely young woman. She just
graduated college last year and she works with me now. She's a
wonderful mother and she has a nice husband named Dave. He's a great
guy and is such a good father and husband to them."

"So she's happy?"

She nodded. "Very happy. She has a good life and now she's pregnant
again. It's such an exciting time for us."

"I'm sure it must be. I can't believe you never married. Did you ever
go to college like you wanted to?"

She nodded. "I went when I was in my thirties. I raised Nicole first
and then I went."

"You must have had a hard time, I mean, being a single mother."

"My folks helped out when they could but for the most part, it was a
big sacrifice. It was worth it though. Nicole is a wonderful girl and
I'm so proud of her."

"I can tell that you are."

"How come you never married, Glenn?"

He looked at her. "I never stopped loving you, Lisa, never. It was so
wrong what I did to you. I left you high and dry when you were pregnant
with my child. I should have stayed and been a man. Instead, I ran away
with my tail tucked between my legs. Will you ever forgive me for what
I did?"

"I was never angry at you," she assured him.

"Never?" The disbelief he felt was evident in his voice.

She shook her head. "There's nothing to forgive. I'm not mad at you. I
feel sorry for you because you missed so much. You missed watching your
daughter grow up. You missed when she took her first steps. You missed
when she graduated high school at the top of her class. You missed when
she got married. You couldn't even walk her down the aisle because you
weren't there. That's why I feel sorry for you. You missed out on so
much with her."

"I'm a jerk," he said as tears filled his eyes again. "I was so
ambitious, so hell-bent on going to college and sticking to my life's
plan."

"We were young. Things just happened."

He smiled at her. "You haven't changed. You're still the same optimist
you always were."

"I have a good life. I never married but you gave me my child and for
that I will always be grateful."

"Why didn't you ever marry, Lisa?"

"Because there wasn't anybody that could compare to you." Her voice was
soft, sincere.

He shook his head. "How can you say that after what I did to
you?"

"I never stopped loving you. Just the other day I was in the attic
reading some of the love letters you wrote me."

"You still have them? I have every letter you ever wrote me too.
They're the only happiness I have left. I have nothing, Lisa, except
for my work. I practically live at this hospital because I'm so lonely
when I'm not working. Every Christmas is spent here working because I
have nobody to share it with."

"Will you come and have Christmas with us this year?"

He looked at her in surprise. "Do you mean that?"

She nodded and smiled. "I don't want you to be alone anymore. Come meet
your daughter and get to know her."

"What about us? Could we, I mean, can I take you out to dinner one
night?"

"Why don't you come over for dinner tomorrow night?" she offered. "We
can talk then."

"I'd love to." The smile on his face was brighter than any star in the
sky. "I'd love to do that."

She returned his smile. "I'd better get back to Dani. Will I see you
again? I know you're busy."

He nodded. "I'll come in and check up on her."

Later on, Dani was showing off her brand new cast to anyone who
happened to be near.

"Grandma, you have to sign my cast," she reminded her.

"I promise I will when we get home, angel." She smiled at Glenn. "Thank
you for everything. I'm glad that you were here for her."

"She's my granddaughter," he said softly.

Lisa smiled. "Yes, she is. Dani, say goodbye now and thank you."

She waved at Glenn with her good hand. "Goodbye, Mr. doctor and thank
you!"

He couldn't help but laugh.

He had so much catching up to do. He had never felt more happier than
he did at that moment.

Seeing Lisa was the greatest gift he had ever been given. He hoped it
wasn't too late to get to know his family.

--------------------

"Absolutely not!" Nicole said to her later on that evening. "I do not
want to come to meet this man tomorrow night!"

Lisa sighed. "This man happens to be your father."

"I have no father! He relinquished that right the minute he walked out
on you."

"Nicole, I expected more from you."

"Mom." She shook her head as she poured them hot cocoa. "I love you and
want you to be happy but how could you even think about inviting him
over for dinner after what he did to you?"

"I told you my reasons. He's a good, decent man. We were young. He made
a terrible mistake. He wants to make up for it. He was crying about it
at the hospital."

"He is not a good, decent man! He left you all alone pregnant to raise
a child by yourself. He's a coward and a jerk!"

"Nicole Andrews, I will not have you speak about him like that! It's
Christmas! Can't you even give him a chance for the Lord's sake?"

Nicole burst into tears. "I am not meeting him, Mom and that's that. If
you invite him for Christmas I won't come and I mean that." She ran out
of the kitchen.

Lisa looked at Dave and sighed. "I'm sorry, honey. I didn't mean for
this to happen."

Dave shook his head. "There's nothing to be sorry for, Ma. It's a lot
for Nicole to take but you're still her mother and she should respect
your wishes."

"No." Lisa shook her head sadly. "She has every right to feel the way
she does. I can't expect her to forgive Glenn for what he did. She grew
up without a father. I can't imagine what must go on in her head
sometimes because of that. She has every right to feel this way. I'm
sorry I brought it up with her. I don't know what I was thinking." Lisa
began to cry.

"Oh, come on, Mom." Dave put his arm around her shoulders. "Don't cry.
You're still her mother and you raised her by yourself. That alone
should be enough of a reason for her to respect the way you feel.
You're right. You guys were young and he was scared. I'm sure he must
regret what he did. Nic should give him the chance to make up for
it."

"No." She shook her head again. "I can't force her to do anything she
doesn't want to do. But I'm still going to see him whether she likes it
or not. And I'm still inviting him over for Christmas. If she doesn't
want to come than that's her choice. She's a big girl and can do what
she wants. I have to think about myself for once. I still love Glenn
and I want to be with him. I deserve to be happy too."

"Yes, you do," Dave said. "I agree with you."

She smiled at him and kissed his cheek. "You're a good
son-in-law."

"You're a great mother-in-law. You've been so good to me. You did a
fantastic job raising Nic. You do deserve to be happy and if you want
to try and make things work between him then by all means, go for
it."

Lisa knew that she would. She had been given a great gift when her and
Glenn were reunited. She had never stopped loving him and they were
going to make it work no matter who liked it and who didn't.

---------------------

Glenn was completely blown away by Lisa's house. There was Christmas in
every inch of the place. Everything was so cheerful and neat. There was
a roaring blaze in the fireplace and her tree was lit up and beautiful.
She looked gorgeous in a soft red dress and her hair pinned up. He had
dressed in a dark suit and had even left his beeper home. He had told
the hospital "absolutely no calls" and he meant it. This night was for
Lisa and no one else.

He had brought a bottle of good wine and a large bouquet of Christmas
flowers for her. She made roast beef, mashed potatoes, corn, biscuits
and a salad. She had even remembered what his favorite meal consisted
of. She had baked an apple pie for dessert too.

They ate dinner by candlelight and Lisa told him about Nicole's
feelings pertaining to meeting him.

It was obvious that she was upset and he was upset too but Glenn could
understand why Nicole felt the way she did. "She has every right to
hate me," Glenn told her. "I was never there for her. I'm a complete
stranger to her."

"It still hurts me that she won't even attempt to meet you."

"Don't worry about it. Prehaps she'll change her mind eventually. For
now, I'm happy being with you. I love you, Lisa. I hope that Nicole
knows that much. I just want to make up for what I did to you. I want
to make you happy again."

"You made me happy by coming tonight," she assured him.

They finished their dinner. After, he helped her clean up and they sat
on the sofa in front of the fire.

"Remember my uncle Mike's cabin?" he asked her. "Remember that summer
you and I stayed there for a week and we got bit up by mosquitoes so
bad that we were practically drinking the calamine lotion?"

She smiled at the memory. "The screen was ripped on the bedroom window
and we never knew it."

"And the squirrel got in the cabin and we had to smoke him out?"

"I felt so bad for him. He was so scared. I wanted to keep him but you
said I was crazy."

He laughed. "Remember your sweet sixteen birthday party when your Aunt
Dotty got so drunk she passed out in the middle of the dance
floor?"

Lisa laughed too. "We still never let her live that down. She's never
touched a drink since. Remember that one Christmas eve when we all went
caroling and Mr. Roberts threatened to call the cops on us because he
said we were disturbing the peace?"

"He was such a Scrooge. Remember that time Sandy's cat ran up the tree
and Joe climbed up to get it and he fell flat on his butt?"

Lisa laughed again. "He was sore for weeks after that."

"Remember that night on the boat when we made love under the stars?
That was the most perfect night of my life."

She looked up at him. "Mine too. That was the night I became pregnant
with our daughter."

"Lisa." He cupped her face in his hands. "I love you. Let me make love
to you again. I've missed you so much."

"I've missed you too, Glenn." She allowed him to pull her close into
his arms. Their lips touched and it was magic again.

They held each other close, touching and kissing each other just like
old times. The magic hadn't died. It was still there, stronger than
ever.

His lips touched her everywhere and he was about to unzip her dress
when there someone at the front door.

"Mom?" Nicole opened the door and came into the house.

Lisa and Glenn pulled away from each other, embarrassed at their age to
be "caught in the act".

"Did you ever hear of knocking?" Lisa chided her.

"Sorry." She looked at Glenn, struck by how handsome he was. "Hello,"
she said softly.

"Hi." He stood up, a gentleman and went to her. He offered her his
hand. He stared at her, at how beautiful she was. He couldn't get over
how much she looked like her mother. This was his daughter standing in
front of him. A lump formed in his throat. He had missed out on so
much.

Nicole looked at him and then at her mother. "I'm sorry to interrupt.
Mom, I'm so sorry for what I said yesterday. I love you and I just want
you to be happy."

"I am happy, Nicole. Please believe that."
She stood up too. "Nicole, this is your father, Glenn Hanlon. Glenn,
this is your daughter, Nicole Andrews."

They stared each other down and again, Glenn held his hand out to her.
"I'm happy to meet you."

And because she loved her mother so much, because all she wanted was
for her to be happy, Nicole began to cry. She threw her arms around
Glenn's neck and wept against him. "Is it okay if I call you
Dad?"

Glenn wept too. He was so overcome with emotion now that he was finally
holding his daughter in his arms. "Yes," he whispered, "please."

Lisa watched them through her own tears as they held each other for the
longest time.

Finally, Nicole pulled away from him. As she wiped her tears away, she
told him, "My mom explained to me a long time ago why you left her
alone when she was pregnant with me. I hated you for the longest time
and resented what you did. But she loves you so much and believes that
she was given a second chance with you. I want her to be happy. Can you
make her happy?"

He nodded. "I promise you that I can make her happy."

"And you'll never leave her again?"

"No, never. I should have done this a long time ago when I first had
the chance." He went to Lisa and took her hand in his. He got down on
one knee in front of her. "Will you marry me, Lisa? Will you do me the
honor of becoming my wife?"

She smiled through her tears and threw her arms around his neck. "Yes.
Yes."

He held her close to him again.

Nicole put her arms around the both of them.

Glenn looked at her. "I don't expect you to forgive me for what I did
or even understand why I did it. Looking back, I don't even understand
why I did what I did. But please understand that I regret it deeply and
I love you with all my heart. I want to be a father to you now, if
you'll let me. I love your mother so much and will do everything I can
to make her happy." He looked at Lisa. "I've worked so hard all these
years. Now I want my life to be about us. I'm going to semi-retire,
Lisa, so that we can spend time together and rediscover each other. I
have a daughter and a granddaughter that I want to get to know too. I
love you both so much."

"That's all I care about," Nicole told him. "I want Mom to be happy.
She sacrificed so much for me. It's time that someone took care of
her."

"And I will. I promise you that I will."

"Oh Dad." Nicole threw her arms around him again. "Welcome home."

Glenn held his daughter close to him, grateful for the second chance he
had been given. What a great gift he had received this Christmas. He
would cherish it always, forever and ever. He looked at Lisa and smiled
at the best thing that had ever happened to him.

Thank you, Lord, he prayed silently and continued to hold his daughter
by the lights of the Christmas tree.