The Best Christmas Present In The
World
By Billy Burrew
He had gotten completely lost twice so he
breathed a sigh of relief as he finished parking in front of
the large Victorian looking building and cut off the engine.
Getting out of the car, he pushed the button on his keychain
and locked it, then clicked another button on his keychain that
activated the alarm as he walked towards the house. He knew
he was in the right place when he recognized a few of the other
cars parked on the street as those of his bandmates.
He walked up the stairs and knocked on the
front door, then waited patiently for a reply. It came a few
seconds later, as the door swung open by a shorter lady in her
50's. He smiled and greeted her pleasantly.
"Hi there. I'm here with..."
The woman smiled slightly, the action causing
the lines near her mouth to crinkle slightly.
"Mr. Littrell" the woman said,
"We've been expecting you. Your friends are already here.
Come in."
Brian walked in through the door that the
lady held for him and turned to face her as she shut the door
behind him.
The lady turned and smiled, then led the
way deeper into the house. "We thought you'd gotten lost,
your friends were beginning to wonder if they were going to
have to call the police and report you missing."
Brian blushed deeply and smiled. "I
did get a little lost once or twice...or maybe three times.
I've never been to..."
The lady chuckled. "Yes. I suppose you've
never really hung around this part of Orlando."
Brian nodded absently, reflecting on the
truth of the woman's statement. Up until a few days ago, he
had never been to this neighborhood, nor had he ever heard of
the "Christmas Wishes Program." Howie had suggested
that the guys do something for charity for the holidays, something
that would benefit kids and something that would be a little
more involved than writing a check to some faceless charity
and then taking a tax deduction from that at the end of the
year.
Howie had investigated and come up with this
idea, that the guys would spend some time at the Orlando orphanage,
and each band member would take one of the orphans under their
wing and try to give them a great Christmas, having them stay
with them over the holidays. Brian and the other guys had supported
the idea wholeheartedly as they enjoyed the idea.
Still blushing red, Brian smiled as the lady
opened a door at the end of the long hall to a large room filled
with people. As he walked through the door, he immediately recognized
his friends in the band and they greeted him warmly.
"Brian! Good of you to make it!"
Kevin called from the center of a group of young girls and guys.
AJ and Howie were similarly surrounded by
clusters of kids, talking with each other and among themselves.
Brian smiled and mingled through each of the groups, chatting
with the kids, shaking the hands of the guys and giving hugs
to several of the girls who professed to be his biggest fan.
Brian was having so much fun just hanging
out and talking with the kids that, several hours later as the
other guys began to pair off with the kid they had chosen, Brian
realized that he'd forgotten the real purpose of their visit.
Brian stood up, inquiring of the location of the bathroom, and
followed the directions that he had been given.
On the way back from the bathroom, Brian
took his time and looked around the building. Brian had never
been to an orphanage before and was surprised by the look of
this one. He smiled as inwardly, he realized he had expected
something different, something out of the movie, "Annie"
with kids living in run-down cramped quarters. He almost laughed
at that mental image, realizing that he almost did expect a
Carol Burnett type of character to preside over the place. This
orphanage made Brian think of something more like an academy
or a military school for kids of all ages.
Lost in his thoughts, Brian made his way
back to the room. As he opened the door, his eye was drawn to
the corner, where a group of bigger kids were standing over
a small, younger brown-haired boy with a brace on his leg. Brian
walked quietly over to the group to see what was happening,
guessing that it wasn't anything good.
"Hey hop-along!" the one older
boy laughed cruelly, "You didn't come over and talk with
the rock stars. Afraid they wouldn't want a cripple?!?"
"Yeah, gimpy!" teased a teenaged
girl, "Better beat it. They probably wouldn't want to deal
with damaged goods like you."
Brian shook his head and let out the breath
he didn't even realize he had been holding. "Kids."
he thought, "just being mean because he's wearing a brace."
Brian walked over behind the older boy and
coughed politely. The young man turned around and immediately
turned crimson with embarrassment. Brian smiled inwardly as
he realized that didn't even have to say a word as he, and the
other kids, slunk away from the small boy, knowing they'd been
caught doing something they shouldn't have.
Brian sat down beside the kid on the floor.
"Hi there."
The little boy looked up at Brian with a
mix of fear and awe.
"Hh-Hi."
Brian smiled at the little boy. "I'm
Brian."
The little boy nodded. "I know. They
told us all your names so that we would know who each of you
were when you were here. My name is Brian too."
Brian's smile turned into a grin. "Really?
That's awesome!"
The little boy smiled a little smile and
nodded. "I keep mixing up Howie and AJ and Kevin, though.
I can't remember which is which. I was worried when you didn't
show up with the rest of the guys. You're one of the one I could
remember easiest cause we have the same name."
Brian chuckled. "AJ is the one with
the sunglasses. Howie has the curly hair, and Kevin looks like..."
"A hippie?"
Brian's eyes widened at the young boy's description
and his chuckle quickly turned into a full out belly laugh.
"Um...well...yeah." Brian replied,
still laughing. "How do you know what a hippie looks like?"
The little boy dropped his gaze into his
lap. "I don't. That's what the lady that cleans my room
said."
Brian began to giggle again at the idea of
Kevin being compared to a hippie. He'd have to tell him about
that some time soon. Brian sobered up as he looked over at the
young kid, who was still staring down at his lap, looking very
forlorn.
"Don't let those kids get you down,"
he said. "They're just acting stupid."
The little boy looked up at Brian, almost
studying him.
"Did you know that when I was born"
Brian said with frown, "I had a hole in my heart and the
doctors didn't think I'd live to get really old, or if I did,
I wouldn't be able to run or play or anything."
The little boy's eyes widened and he shook
his head. "Really? I didn't know that."
Brian nodded. "Yep. But I beat the odds.
I grew up and had a normal life."
The little boy smiled a little. "Did
you used to get teased?"
Brian nodded. "About a lot of things,
actually. I think that there are kids getting teased everywhere
in the world. It's a not real fun part of growing up. The trick
to getting past it is to just ignore the kids that tease you.
They only get satisfied if they know that their teasing is getting
to you. They'll stop once they see that their teasing isn't
affecting you."
The little boy sighed. "But they're
right, though."
Brian looked down at the kid. "How do
you mean?"
The little boy pointed to his brace. "No
one wants a crippled kid. I've even heard the lady that cleans
my room say that I'd have been placed in a home ages ago if
I wasn't a cripple."
Brian sat and thought about what the kid
had said for a second and then shook his head. "Don't believe
anything they say. People are stupid sometimes, Brian, believe
me. I know some that are so stupid that you wonder how they
ever make it out of bed in the morning."
The boy looked up at Brian and smiled. "Really?"
Brian smiled back, "Yup. Dumb as dirt."
The little boy giggled and Brian laughed,
thankful that he could cheer the kid up.
"Hey. Wanna come stay with me over the
holidays?"
The little boy looked flabbergasted. "M-mme?
Brian nodded. "Yeah. Come and hang out
with me and my wife for Christmas and we'll have a great time.
It'll be fun!"
The little boy nodded vigorously. "OK.
If you're sure..."
Brian nodded, "Yeah. I'm sure."
Brian got up and held his hand out to the
little boy, helping him up.
"Let's go grab your things and we can
go get something to eat." Brian said as the two of them,
hand in hand, made their way over to the lady that had let Brian
in. As they approached, Brian saw her smile and nod approvingly.
After they packed up a bag with little Brian's
stuff, the two Brian's headed out to Brian's car and put the
bag in the backseat.
Brian looked at his watch and then started
up the car. "Wanna head over to the mall and grab a quick
bite to eat? Maybe do some shopping?"
The little boy nodded and away they went.
The food court at the mall was packed and Brian smiled at his
luck as two tables of people got up as they began to walk away
from the McDonald's with their full trays. Brian sat down at
the closest table and turned to see his smaller namesake making
his way slowly towards him, carefully balancing his tray as
he hobbled through the busy room.
Brian felt something stir within him, a sense of familial pride
at the fact that the little boy carried his own tray, and didn't
ask for any help or anything. As he reached the table, Brian
smiled to him as he sat down and the two began to eat.
About midway through his burger, the young
boy wiped his mouth and hands on his napkin and leaned back
a little from his tray.
"So, um...is your wife gonna be OK with
having me over for the holidays?"
Brian chewed and swallowed the last of his
burger and then wiped his mouth, "Leighanne's thrilled
at the idea. She was really very supportive when we discussed
it and I think she'll really take a shine to you."
The little boy looked up at him, "Really?"
Brian smiled and nodded. "Yeah. You're
a likeable little guy."
The little boy blushed and picked up his
burger and began to finish it off. After they had finished their
meal and washed their hands, Brian and the little boy walked
through the mall, looking in all the windows and picking out
prospective christmas presents. Brian had amassed a few bags
of stuff, but still hadn't seemed to find anything that really
sparked the kid's interest. Brian had made sure that they had
walked through the mall's two toy stores, but the kid didn't
seem too interested in toys.
As they made their way to the central area
of the mall, Brian saw that it was decorated up like the North
Pole and that Santa was sitting in a chair in the center. Brian
remembered when he was little, his mom used to take him to sit
on Santa's knee and tell him what they wanted. Brian smiled
and leaned down to talk with his smaller charge.
"Did you want to go sit with Santa?
We can get a nice picture made of the three of us afterwards."
The little boy looked up at Brian and nodded,
then the two walked over to the end of the line and waited their
turn. Brian watched as the little boy hobbled up the steps to
the chair where the mall Santa sat and held his arms up as the
Santa picked him up and sat him on his knee. The Santa leaned
his head down and talked with the little boy, then nodded vigorously.
Brian saw the little boy grab the beard once more and whisper
something else into the mall Santa's ear, then the Santa nodded
again and set the boy down. The mall Santa then looked up and
motioned for Brian to walk over for the picture. Brian handed
the helper elf his bags, then he walked up to where the two
were standing.
The mall Santa laughed as he stood side by
side with Brian and the little boy. Brian leaned down and picked
up the boy and held him between himself and Santa and three
smiled as the elf snapped their picture. Brian let the young
boy down and watched him hobble over to the elf that had taken
the picture. As soon as he was out of earshot, Brian turned
to the Santa and smiled.
"Hey. I'm..."
The Santa chuckled merrily. "Brian Littrell.
I know. My daughter is gonna have a fit! Is that your kid?"
Brian smiled. "He's an orphan. My group
is fostering a group of orphans over the holidays and making
sure they have a merry Christmas."
The Santa nodded.
"If you don't mind me asking.."
Brian said, leaning his head closer to the Santa, "What
did he ask you for, for Christmas?"
The Santa sighed. "I shouldn't tell
you, but, well, when I asked what he wanted for Christmas, he
said that he wanted a mommy and a daddy that loved him. He said
he wanted to be able to walk and run like all the other kids.
He said he really wanted your wife to like him, so that he wouldn't
spoil your Christmas. He's a really good kid."
Brian stood there, stunned by the thoughtfulness
and simplicity of what the little boy had wished for. No closer
to finding his answer, he grabbed his bags and walked over to
where the little boy was waiting for to see the developed picture
of the three of them.
Brian leaned over and smiled. "So, did
you tell Santa what you wanted for Christmas?"
The little boy nodded hopefully. "Yep.
I hope I was good enough this year to get it. I've asked for
the same thing for the last two years, but I guess I've not
been good enough to get it."
Brian was about to say something when the
elf-lady re-appeared and smiled as he handed them two copies
of the picture.
The boy giggled, pointing out the silliness
of his facial expression. Brian smiled and payed the elf for
the photos and then the two walked back to shopping. Several
stores away, they looked into a pet store and the little boy
tugged on Brian's shirt.
"Can we go in there?"
Brian nodded. "Sure!"
The two made their way through the shop,
looking at the birds and fish and ferrets in the aquariums and
cages. As they reached the back of the store, the little boy
laughed and made his way over to the glass enclosure where the
store kept its cats and dogs. The little boy looked up and asked
if he could go in and see the puppies. Brian looked at the cages
and saw that most looked uninhabited. The little boy pointed
at one in the lower right part of the room.
"There's a puppy!"
Brian smiled and pushed open the door for
the little boy, letting him hobble in and over to the cage where
he deftly popped open the latch of the cage and opened the door.
Brian smiled as the boy reached in to pet
the puppy, then turned as he saw one of the store personnel
approach.
Brian opened the door and walked out of the
room as the clerk approached him.
"Hi. I'm..."
The young clerk smiled and nodded. "Yeah.
I know. The girls up front just told me who you are."
Brian laughed, he had seen them begin to
turn a different color and claw at each other when he came in.
He guessed that they were fans.
"If you don't mind me saying so, Mr.
Littrell, I don't think you want that dog."
Brian turned to look at the young boy and
saw the puppy stagger out of the cage and fall into the boy's
lap, causing both to laugh.
"Why? What's wrong with it?" he
asked curiously.
"It's back leg is fused. It was born
that way, it seems. That's why it's the last puppy in the store.
Nobody wants a dog like that. The operation to fix it's leg
will be pricey and people would just rather not bother when
they can get another dog without any problems like that."
Brian nodded. "Thanks for telling me.
I didn't know..."
The young man held up his hand. "If
your little boy does want a dog, I have some that will be ready
in a week or so that are 100% healthy. You can bring him back
to see those, then."
Brian looked back to the room where the little
boy was laughing as the little puppy climbed up his lap and
licked his face.
"What about that little puppy...what's
gonna happen to it?"
The manager shrugged. "We've had it
for a while and no one's shown any interest. I'll probably take
it to the APS and have them put it down. It'd be the humane
thing to do."
Brian felt his heart sink and his eyes get
moist at the idea of putting a puppy down. "Oh...yeah...humane."
The young man nodded and then added, "If
you need anything else, just ask me."
Brian nodded and walked back into the room
where the little boy's laughter resounded loudly off the glass
walls.
"Hey Bri...got your hands full, huh?"
Brian said, forcing a smile.
The little boy laughed and nodded. "Yeah.
I've always wanted a puppy."
Brian frowned. "The manager said that
if you wanted a normal puppy, that he had some coming in next
week."
The little boy shook his head. "What's
wrong with this one?"
Brian knelt down beside the little boy. "Well...it's
back leg is fused."
The little boy's eyes filled with tears as
he held the puppy close to his chest. "Does that make it
any less worthy of love and a home?"
Brian's heart snapped into his throat at
the sight of the little boy and the puppy and he shook his head.
"No. No it doesn't." Brian whispered as he fought
the swell of tears in his eyes and got back up to his feet.
"It's only fitting that a cripple like
me would want a crippled dog. I could love it, even if it has
a problem with its back leg."
Brian let the little boy play with the dog
a while longer then looked at his watch and realized that they'd
better head back to his house. As the two walked away from the
pet store, Brian noticed a distinct change in the boy's attitude,
having gone from careful, guarded and withdrawn to happy and
boisterous, just in the time that they spent within the pet
store playing with the puppy.
Brian suggested that the two of them head
home so that they would have time to unpack the stuff and get
ready for dinner.
The two made it home and unloaded the car,
putting the items into the living room so that they could wrap
them later. Brian took a bag of items that he had gotten for
the younger boy and hid them behind the sofa. The two walked
into the kitchen and Brian saw a note on the frigerator. Leigh
Anne had just gone out to get some groceries. Brian smiled at
the younger boy. "Well....She'll be back. She's gone out
to get some groceries."
The young boy nodded, looking at the framed
wedding print on the wall of the kitchen. "So you're just
married, huh?"
Brian smiled and nodded. "Yep. Leigh
was the one for me. I knew it from the moment I woke up from
my heart operation and there she was, standing by my bed, waiting
for me.
The little boy smiled and then jumped as
he heard the door behind him open.
"Brian. I'm home."
Brian smiled and looked over the younger
boy's head. "Hey Leigh. Come on in here and meet our guest."
The little boy squirmed in his seat as he
turned around in time to see a woman, arms laden with bags,
walk up behind him.
"Hey there little guy. I'm Leighanne."
Leighanne said, a smile lighting up her face as she immediately
noticed the little boy.
"I'm Brian. It's nice to meet you."
Leighanne's eyes widened and her smile turned
into a grin. "Another Brian in the house, huh?"
The young boy giggled. "Can't get too
much of a good thing, huh?"
Brian and Leighanne both laughed uproariously
at the reply.
Brian watched as his wife instantly bonded with his young charge,
laughing and playing with the young boy, only remarking once
on his leg as they played. Leighanne glanced up at the clock
and ushered the two out into the living room so that she could
start dinner. Brian offered to help, but Leighanne insisted
they go wrap presents. Brian relented, knowing how many presents
he had to wrap that evening.
As they sat down, the little boy watched
Brian cut the paper and then wrap each one. After a while, he
joined in, wrapping a few gifts himself. Brian smiled as the
young boy imitated his moves exactly.
"So....how do you like Leighanne?"
The little boy beamed. "She's nice!
I see why you like her."
Brian smiled as they finished wrapping the
presents and the little boy sat closer to Brian, letting him
drape his arm over his shoulders.
"You'll be getting to meet my mom and
dad. They're coming down with my older brother tomorrow."
The little boy smiled. "Your mom?"
Brian nodded. "She's nice too. If you
like Leigh, you'll love my mom."
The little boy grinned.
"Dinner's ready guys!" Leighanne
called from the dining room.
Dinner was scrumptious and Brian smiled as
the little boy politely asked if he could have seconds. Leighanne
grinned and spooned up a second helping for him and handed him
back his plate.
After dinner was over, Brian took the young
boy upstairs to show him where he would be staying. He showed
him the bathroom in his room and where the extra towels were
kept. The boy blushed slightly then asked if Brian could help
him with his brace so that he could take a bath before bed.
Brian nodded and turned on the water in the tub, letting it
heat up before stopping up the tub. As the bath water collected,
Brian stepped out into the bedroom where the young boy had taken
off his one shoe and was starting to take off his shirt.
"Need any help?"
The little boy pulled off his shirt and nodded.
"Just need some help getting the brace off, and then getting
in and out of the tub."
Brian nodded and untied the little boy's
shoe and began to unbuckle the rather complex brace.
"Wow....they didn't make it easy for
you, huh?"
The little boy smiled. "It's not so
bad, once you've done it a few times."
Brian smiled as the last buckle on the brace
popped loose and he pulled it slowly off the little boy's leg.
He then helped him take off his pants and underwear. The boy
blushed as Brian rubbed his hand along the immobilized leg.
"It doesn't work right." the boy
said, "The lady at the orphanage said that there's some
operation or something that might help it...but the doctor that
explained it to her talked over her head and she didn't understand.
She just said she remembered him saying that it was really expensive."
Brian laughed. "Doctor's tend to do
that. My doctors did that to me before my heart operation. It
kinda made me mad."
The little boy nodded in agreement, "Yeah.
Tell me about it."
Brian smiled and then leaned over. "Want
me to pick you up and put you in the tub, or just walk over
there with you and help you in?"
The little boy looked up at Brian and nodded.
"You can pick me up. I trust you."
Brian smiled and picked up the little boy,
depositing him slowly in the nice warm water.
"There you go!" Brian said. "Let
me get you some shampoo and a washcloth."
Brian retrieved the shampoo and the washcloth
and then sat down across the bathroom on the toilet seat.
"If you need help, just tell me."
The little boy smiled. "OK. I'll just
need some help getting up to wash off."
Brian nodded.
"So. Are you and Leighanne gonna have
kids?"
Brian smiled. "I hope so. I really love
kids. My family is pretty big and all."
The little boy smiled. "You'll make
a really good Dad."
Brian giggled. "I hope so. I'll give
it my best shot."
The little boy splashed some water and laughed.
"Yeah. You'll be great."
Brian helped the boy get up some time later
and rinse off, then he helped him towel off, and, after an attack
of the tickle monster that left the little boy screeching with
laughter, Brian helped him get dressed for bed.
As Brian was shutting off the bathroom light, Leighanne opened
the door and walked in.
"Hey boys. Just wanted to tell little
Brian goodnight, and tuck him in."
The little boy smiled widely as Brian and
Leighanne sat down on opposite sides of the bed and tucked him
in. As Brian reached up to shut off the light beside the bed,
the little boy reached out and grabbed his arm.
"Thanks for taking me in for Christmas."
Leighanne bent over and hugged the little
boy tightly. "It's our pleasure, sweetie. You sleep well."
Brian turned off the light and leaned down
and kissed the boy on the forehead. "See you in the morning."
Brian closed the door behind him and headed
downstairs to wrap the few presents he had picked up for the
little boy. As he sat on the sofa wrapping a box, Leighanne
walked in and sat down beside him, her arm snaking around his
waist.
"He's adorable."
Brian nodded, and then told her all of what
happened that day, from finding him at the orphanage, to the
mean kids, the visit with santa and the little boy's wishes,
to the pet store and the little dog with the fused back leg.
Leighanne hugged him tightly after he finished
and then smiled. "Makes you wanna have a kid, huh?"
Brian smiled and nodded.
Leighanne kissed him on the lips and got
up off the sofa. "Maybe it's time for us to consider it,
then. There's one kid upstairs that seems to think the world
of you...and I can see that you think the world of him too!
He would make a fine son and the love you have for him already
will only grow."
A wide-eyed Brian looked up at his wife who
smiled and then headed up to their bedroom.
Brian picked up the phone and called the
orphanage, hoping that someone would be there this late in the
evening.
"Hello?" came the voice of an older
lady.
"Hello. This is Brian Littrell of the
Backstreet Boys. I had a question about the little boy that's
staying with me..."
Brian's conversation lasted for over an hour,
and at the end, he smiled as he wrapped up the last of it. "I'll
be by to pick up the paperwork tomorrow. Thank you."
Brian then dialed information and made a
few other calls, then he headed upstairs to bed.
The next morning, Brian smiled as Leighanne and "little
Brian" headed out early to go shopping. Leighanne asked
if she could take him shopping with her for a while while Brian
ran the errands that he had to do, namely picking up his parents
and brother at the airport.
Brian left out after them and had completed
his errands with plenty of time to get to the airport and collect
his siblings. Brian told his mom about the little boy staying
with them over the holidays and she insisted that they go by
a mall so that she could pick up a few presents for him. After
their shopping, Brian and his family headed back to his place.
Brian opened the door and smiled as Leighanne came down the
stairs and hugged him.
"He's upstairs taking a nap. He was
all tired out after shopping."
Brian smiled and nodded, understanding what
the little boy was going through as he too had been run ragged
shopping with his relatives as well.
Brian and his mother crept upstairs and Brian
pointed to the room where the little boy was sleeping. Brian's
mom Jackie, smiled and quietly opened the door, gasping as she
saw the sleeping tot.
"Oh Brian...he's adorable!" she
gushed as she gazed lovingly at the sleeping boy.
Brian nodded and beamed a smile. "He's
a really great kid!"
Brian's smile didn't seem to waver for the
rest of the day as, a little later on, little Brian came down
on his own and proceeded to charm his parents and his brother.
Brian almost laughed as he watched as his mother naturally assumed
the role of doting grandmother to little Brian.As for little
Brian's part, he was elated that Brian's parents and brother
seemed so taken with him.
The next day was a hustle and bustle of activity,
shopping for food and drinks, getting some dishes for the Christmas
dinner prepared early and making way for the giant ham and turkey
that Brian had gotten for the dinner. Little Brian sat in the
kitchen with Leighanne and Brian, eyeing the two foodstuffs
with a mixture of awe and surprise.
"Whoa! That's a lot of ham and turkey!"
Brian laughed. "Yeah. Tonight's dinner
and tomorrow's breakfast will just be my mom, dad, brother,
Leigh Anne, you and myself, but Christmas dinner will be all
of us and my cousin Kevin and his family."
Little Brian's eyes boggled. "WOW! We
better get a bigger table!"
Brian laughed. "We're gonna put all
the extensions in the table...and add a second smaller table
to the end. I think we'll all fit."
Leighanne stirred one of the pots on the
stove and then looked over at the little boy and smiled.
"Having a good time here?"
The little boy nodded. "This is amazing.
I've never seen a Christmas like this before."
Leighanne smiled. "Well...it'll only
get better. Tonight should be fun. We'll have a nice dinner
and then get dressed up and go to church.
Then tomorrow we can wake up early and see
what Santa brought us."
Little Brian nodded. "That sounds like
fun."
Christmas Eve mass was something that little Brian had never
experienced before and so he watched the procession with a rapt
expression. After the service was over, Brian got up and looked
to his left to see that the young boy had fallen asleep in the
pew. Brian picked the small boy up in his arms and together
they all made their way home.
The next morning, little Brian woke up early,
put his leg brace on, and crawled out of bed. He went down the
hall to Brian and Leighanne's room and knocked quietly on the
door. He opened the door and went over to Brian's side of the
bed, leaning up and grabbing his hand.
"Brian. Wake up. Can we go see if Santa
came?"
Brian's eyes opened slowly and focused, then
he smiled and leaned over and grabbed little Brian, pulling
him up onto the bed and tickling him, causing him to yelp and
laugh. Leighanne woke up and smiled, helping little Brian fight
back and pin down her husband while little Brian tickled him
back .
After they had finished, Brian picked up
the young boy and they all went down to the living room. Little
Brian gasped as the christmas tree was just surrounded by presents,
almost to the point of being overshadowed by them. As he approached
the tree on one side, one of the boxes gave a yip and little
Brian jerked away from it.
"Um....I think there's something alive
in this one." the young boy said as he hobbled back to
Brian, putting his arms around Brian's leg.
Brian leaned over and picked up the tag off
the side of the box.
"Hmmm...it says it's for you."
Little Brian walked over to the side of the
box and was just about to pull on the ribbon when a bark came
from within the box. He turned to face Brian and Leighanne with
a smile that lit up his whole face as he realized what was inside
the box. In an instant, the young boy had the top off the box
and was lifting the puppy out.
Brian looked over to Leighanne, whose face
was wet with tears at the sight of the little boy with his dog.
Brian got up and grabbed an envelope off the box. He walked
over and sat down beside the young boy.
"This envelope is yours too."
Brian opened the envelope and held up a card.
"What's that?"
Brian smiled. "It's for your puppy.
He's scheduled to get an operation to fix his leg....on Dec
29th."
Brian held up another sheet of paper, with
several cards stapled to each.
"What are those?" the little boy
asked.
"These are appointment cards for you
to go to a special doctor and get your leg fixed too."
The little boy yelped and clapped his hands
around Brian's neck.
"But the lady at the orphanage said
that the operation was too expensive." the little boy gasped.
Brian wiped away some of the tears that had
begun to fall from his eyes. "Well...I figured that it
is only fitting that a dog that's going to have it's leg fixed
is gonna need a boy with a fixed leg to run and play with."
The little boy hugged Brian again then sat
down on his lap. Leighanne walked up behind the two and sat
down beside them as Brian pulled out another envelope and opened
it. The little boy gasped as Brian pulled out a set of signed
adoption papers from the envelope.
"Brian...how would you like to live
here, for good? What do you think of the idea of having me and
Leighanne as your daddy and mommy?"
The little boy grabbed at Brian and hugged
him tightly, then got up and hugged Leighanne. He sat back down
on Brian's lap and held onto his hand.
"I'd like that more than anything in
the world."
The boy looked up at Brian and frowned, then
he got up and put his arms around Brian's neck.
"I'm sorry. I didn't get you anything
for Christmas."
Brian felt warm tears fall freely down his
cheeks. "Oh, little buddy, believe me, you did. I got the
best present in the world in you."
-The End
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