“Most definitely. I’ll keep on my socks and boots if it’ll help me stay warm.”
As I drive around Black Hill Bend looking for the pizza place she ordered from, I notice how beautifully decorated everything is for the holidays. Christmas hasn’t felt the same without mom and dad and I guess that’s why my brothers and I haven’t put forth much effort in carrying on their traditions. Not having someone to share it with makes a difference too.
I pull up to the takeout window and wait for someone to collect the payment. The nice lady hooks us up with some extra sauce, for both the pizza and dessert sticks, as well as additional parmesan and red peppers packets. She even tosses in some paper plates and napkins though I’m pretty sure those are available at the cabin.
I’m not certain who’s stomach grumbles more—mine or hers. Whatever kind of pizza that’s inside that box smells absolutely amazing. As soon as we get to the cabin, we hurry inside so we can eat. Surprisingly, the cabin isn’t as cold as I expected but making a fire will definitely take the chill out of the room.
My sister-in-law picked out a really nice place and I’m sorry that she and my brother aren’t here yet so they can relax and enjoy it. The front room and kitchen are spacious and the sofa actually looks really comfortable. But don’t tell my brother I said that.
“What’s so funny?” Sierra asks, noticing the smirk on my face.
I shake my head. “Nothing really. Just thinking about something my brother and I were joking about earlier.”
“Oh?”
“Let’s just say, he likes to give me a hard time about…stuff.”
“Do you think they’ll end up making it here? I’d really love to meet him and his wife.” Sierra lifts the lid on the pizza box and my mouth begins to water.
“Man, that’s a ton of pepperoni on there. This really is a surprise. I just knew you were going to get one of those with the pineapple. Just out of spite.”
“There’s supposed to be three different kinds of pepperoni on it. Give me all the meats, but don’t you dare ruin a pizza by putting pineapple on it.”
I give her a fist bump, something we do quite often when we’re in the dugout. “I hear ya. So, my brother Mason is hopeful they can get a flight out sometime tomorrow, he’s just not sure when. He also mentioned there was some snow moving in. At this point, who knows if he and his wife will make it or not.”
“What about your other brother?”
I wipe the corner of my mouth with one of the napkins. “His wife’s father took a bad fall right before they were supposed to leave out. The last message I got from him said they were going to stay an extra night. Surgery is scheduled for in the morning and they’ll decide afterwards, depending on how long he has to stay in the hospital.”
“Yeah, if there aren’t any complications, he’ll be discharged rather quickly. It’s crazy that some people used to stay in the hospital for days following certain procedures, and now they’re sending patients home as soon as they’re out of recovery.”
“Morgan seems to think they’ll probably move him to an assisted living facility for a few weeks rather than sending him home. I get it, Breah’s mom can only do so much and since they don’t live close by to be able to help, it’s probably for the best.”
“Physical therapy can be bit a little challenging in the beginning, so yeah, that’s probably a wise decision.”
“How much longer do you have in nursing school?” I’ve tried not to pry too much, but I’m curious to know a little more about her personal life.
“I graduate at the end of Spring. It started out slow but this last year has really flown.”
“Wow, that’s not fat at all.”
“I really like the hospital I’m working at now, so I’m hoping they’ll bring me aboard full time. We’ll see. I’ll have to remember to send you an invitation to my graduation. That is, if you’d like to come.”
“Heck yeah. It’s not every day you get to graduate nursing school, eh?” It doesn’t even cross my mind until later that the chances of me actually being able to attend are slim since the season opens in early April. Weekends are definitely out, so it just depends on which day her graduation falls.
“As much as I’d like to try one of those cinnamon sticks, I really don’t think I can eat another bite. Not this late. Perhaps they’d be good for breakfast?”
“Dang, I didn’t realize it was already eleven o’clock. Where did the time go?” I stand up and toss our paper plates into the trash. The pizza sure was good though, and I’m glad we decided to eat now rather than wait til morning.
“If you’ll excuse me, I need to use the restroom.”
“I’ll go and get our stuff out of the truck then lock up for the night. I’ll take a look in the front closet and see if we have extra blankets. I’m at the point I can barely keep my eyes open so I don’t think it’d be wise to play around with that fireplace tonight.”
“I’m pretty tired myself so I’m good with extra bedding. I’ll give you a hand as soon as I’m done.”
“I got it. I’ll put your bags in the hallway and when you figure out which bedroom you’re going to sleep in, I’ll move your stuff inside the doorway.”
“I don’t mind sleeping on the couch. I wouldn’t want to put you out or anything.”
