"Your Christmas present, huh?" Ghastly smiled sadly. He didn't have a chance to add anything else before Barney and Dad came back, but that might have been a good thing. He wasn't exactly adept with comfort. What would he have said, if he had the time? Ask if Allie would get another Christmas? Tell her she didn't want a present like that, anyway?
Barney's face broke into a smile - only a ghost of Allie's beaming grin, but still wider than he'd managed since they first entered the ward. He knelt down by the bed, and wrapped Nicholas up in a big bear hug from his own newly acquired teddy. "C'mere, you," he growled, almost pulling Nicholas from Allie's arms.
Ghastly glanced up at Dad, only a hint of surprise flickering across his features. Of course the number of teddy bears would work out this perfectly. For all he knew, Dad had just pulled this one out of thin air. It wasn't as if Ghastly knew the exact number they'd won at the carnival, and Dad still had that backpack. That pink My Little Pony backpack.
"Time for us to go, then?" he asked, getting to his feet.
no subject
Barney's face broke into a smile - only a ghost of Allie's beaming grin, but still wider than he'd managed since they first entered the ward. He knelt down by the bed, and wrapped Nicholas up in a big bear hug from his own newly acquired teddy. "C'mere, you," he growled, almost pulling Nicholas from Allie's arms.
Ghastly glanced up at Dad, only a hint of surprise flickering across his features. Of course the number of teddy bears would work out this perfectly. For all he knew, Dad had just pulled this one out of thin air. It wasn't as if Ghastly knew the exact number they'd won at the carnival, and Dad still had that backpack. That pink My Little Pony backpack.
"Time for us to go, then?" he asked, getting to his feet.