“They’re still doing some scans and other tests. When they bring her back to her room, we can go see her. But she still hasn’t regained consciousness since she collapsed.” I barely sucked back a sob. “They can’t tell me when, or even if she’ll wake up.”
“She’ll wake up. Miss Eloise wouldn’t miss Christmas for anything.” Mariska’s conviction helped release a teensy bit of my dread.
I leaned against her and tried to laugh. “No way would she miss it.”
Balthazar, who I totally didn’t even register was there, put his hand on Mariska’s shoulder. A very familiar touch, it seemed. “Do you girls need anything? I can get you some water and snacks, or if you’re hungry for dinner, I’ll fetch whatever you feel like.”
“Water for sure. Do you feel like eating anything, Lyla?” Mariska turned to me. “Maybe a butter burger? We haven’t been out to Culver’s since, oh, last week.”
Food wasn’t even on my mind, but damn my girl, she mentioned butter burgers and my mouth wouldn’t say no. “Well, I don’t know. Maybe. I don’t want to be a burden.” My stomach perked up and gave me a nudge that we could handle our most favorite food in the world. “Okay. A butter burger. I haven’t eaten since, uh, breakfast. I forgot lunch since I was getting you ready for your Mrs. Claus gig.” Speaking of which, I hadn’t missed how the big Alpha looked at my bestie. I raised my brows and smirked at him. “You’re welcome.”
Balthazar smiled. “You must be one of Santa’s elves with the magic you worked.” Flatterer. I loved it! “Thank you. So a half dozen butter burgers, fries, drinks, and concrete mixers?”
“What? No.” Mariska scoffed.
Surely she needed some food after her day too. My stomach made a sound that was more insistent. “Well, maybe…”
“I’ll load up.” Balthazar nodded. “Text me if you think of anything else you want, and if you get called into Eloise’s room.”
“We will. Thanks.” Mariska smiled this goofy smile at him. Did I see a Christmas miracle? Was she falling for hunky Santa there?
Once Balthazar left, Mariska pulled me to one side. “Tell me what happened.”
I leaned my head on her shoulder, despite her being five inches shorter than me. She was my rock. “I was in the kitchen baking. Today was fruitcake day.”
“Ew.” Mariska crinkled her face with disgust, and I poked her for it.
“I know you don’t like it, but my homemade recipe is a lot of people’s favorite. Miss Eloise was doing some sorting and wrapping of some gifts she was donating to Big Sisters. She came in and out of the kitchen showing me stuff and bagging the cookies we made yesterday to add in with the presents.” God, I didn’t want to remember this part. Not how unnerving it was when Miss Eloise tried to talk and then smile. “The last time she came in, she stumbled and couldn’t seem to walk straight. She started to tell me about something, but the words weren’t making sense. I asked if she was okay, and when she smiled, one side of her face didn’t move. I knew right then it was a stroke and was coming to her to get her to sit or lie down, but she lost consciousness and fell. I called nine-one-one right away.”
“I’m so glad you were there with her.” Mariska gave me a squeeze. “The faster the response, the better.”
“The ambulance was there in less than ten minutes. The longest minutes of my life.” Feeling the tears coming again, I buried my face against her Santa coat. Wait. Not her coat. That was Balthazar’s.
“I’m sorry you had to go through that, but you did well. You recognized the stroke for what it was and got help. You’re so brave. Elsa would be proud.”
She was cute trying to Disney Princess talk with me, but Emberlee did that much better. “Thanks, Rapunzel.” Emberlee and I had given her that name, and she went with it. Yet fingering the fur of the coat, there was a better name for her now. “Actually, I’m going to start calling you Mrs. Claus.”
Mariska grimaced. “Please don’t.”
“Well, your hair held out but your makeup has partially worn off. I can see your rosy cheeks. Why do you have Santa’s coat?” I sat back and motioned to the whole messy image ofmy bestie. She might be embarrassed, but I was thankful for anything to take my mind off Miss Eloise. “And where are the leggings?”
Mariska immediately blushed. “Some things happened and the leggings got ripped. But I promise to buy you new ones. An extra pair on top of that too.”
Right. Like I’d let her pick out leggings for me. They’d just be black. I tugged on the collar so I could see her face, and then when she hid behind it again, I pulled it back harder and glimpsed at her neck. I gasped at the enormous bruise she was concealing. “Mari! Where did you get that giant hickey?”
She covered it up. “You didn’t see anything.”
“I most certainly did.” I peeked down at her neck again. “Wow. So let me guess…” I thought about all the romantic scenarios, and it made me giddy for her. She deserved happiness. She deserved all the good things in life, even the naughty stuff. “Santa saw his Mrs. Claus looking super sexy and couldn’t resist. That’s why you have his coat on, and why you lost the leggings.”
“Ripped, not lost.” Mariska winced at her own words.
“Details, girl. How can such a thing happen at a charity event with tons of children running around?” I leaned in, eager for all the steamy gossip.
Mariska caved in and told me in her almost clinical yet gushing way. Yup. My bestie was falling hard. When she was with Jack, she never lit up like this. He never realized what an incredible person she was, and screw him, he lost out. Hopefully these Christmas tree farm Alphas were more worthy.
I was trying to get the details of what Balthazar was packing when a nurse called me. Everything in me went tense again. I gripped Mariska’s hand as we went back to Miss Eloise’s room and almost burst out in tears to see our housemother hooked up to so many machines. It was like something out ofsome sci-fi horror, and our poor Miss Eloise was being used as the heart of an AI or being drained for energy.
My brain went numb as the doctor spoke to us. Something about the tiny clot size, stopped bleeding, and how they wouldn’t know anything until Miss Eloise woke up. Then there would be tests, tests, and more tests. Hadn’t they done enough already?
