Giggling madly, Allie let her father steal Nicholas for a double-hug, opening her arms to get one of her own and therefore squish the two bears between them. She felt a bit short of breath, and her chest ached, but it wasn't bad. She knew what it felt like when it got bad.
"I love you, Daddy," she whispered into his ear as soon as she was close enough, in his comforting embrace. She kissed his cheek and gave him a squeeze and pulled back again, smiling glowingly at him.
"Yep," Dad agreed. "Told Val I'd come back for the bear she's baby-sittin', and I've got a few people I've gotta see." He smiled at Ghastly, then, an understanding smile with a twinkle in His eyes. "You've got some people to see too, I'd wager, and Li'l Missy here needs her dinner. So's Barn after his long day's haul, I'd reckon."
Allie wanted to ask them to stay. She really did. But she looked around the ward, at the nurses starting to bring dinners and the happiness on her fellow patients' faces, and smiled. They weren't going to leave. Not really. Besides, Granddad was Santa and Ghastly was a faery prince and they probably had a lot of things to do to make life wonderful for other people. That was just the kind of people they were.
So instead she only held out her hands to both of them and announced, "I think I deserve a hug from both of you first."
With a deep laugh which rolled in all directions and made people all over the ward look up and laugh in response, Grandad stepped forward and knelt down to wrap his arms around her. Allie rested her head on his shoulder for a moment, breathing as deeply as she could manage. Granddad smelled like the salt of the ocean she hadn't seen in over a year. And timbre, not like wood-shavings but like living, breathing earth and trees. And something else which Allie couldn't quite figure out, something which was warm and open and airy and like rain at the same time. Like a beam of sunlight through rainclouds, if it could be smelled. Like a rainbow. A promise.
And Allie knew everything would be okay. She felt calm in her heart, like everything would just be fine.
The hug didn't last long, but it felt like it lasted forever--as if she was still being hugged even when they parted. Allie smiled up at Granddad and he grinned back, ruffling her hair before standing to hold his hand out at Daddy. "See you 'round, Barn. Don't forget to get those numbers."
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"I love you, Daddy," she whispered into his ear as soon as she was close enough, in his comforting embrace. She kissed his cheek and gave him a squeeze and pulled back again, smiling glowingly at him.
"Yep," Dad agreed. "Told Val I'd come back for the bear she's baby-sittin', and I've got a few people I've gotta see." He smiled at Ghastly, then, an understanding smile with a twinkle in His eyes. "You've got some people to see too, I'd wager, and Li'l Missy here needs her dinner. So's Barn after his long day's haul, I'd reckon."
Allie wanted to ask them to stay. She really did. But she looked around the ward, at the nurses starting to bring dinners and the happiness on her fellow patients' faces, and smiled. They weren't going to leave. Not really. Besides, Granddad was Santa and Ghastly was a faery prince and they probably had a lot of things to do to make life wonderful for other people. That was just the kind of people they were.
So instead she only held out her hands to both of them and announced, "I think I deserve a hug from both of you first."
With a deep laugh which rolled in all directions and made people all over the ward look up and laugh in response, Grandad stepped forward and knelt down to wrap his arms around her. Allie rested her head on his shoulder for a moment, breathing as deeply as she could manage. Granddad smelled like the salt of the ocean she hadn't seen in over a year. And timbre, not like wood-shavings but like living, breathing earth and trees. And something else which Allie couldn't quite figure out, something which was warm and open and airy and like rain at the same time. Like a beam of sunlight through rainclouds, if it could be smelled. Like a rainbow. A promise.
And Allie knew everything would be okay. She felt calm in her heart, like everything would just be fine.
The hug didn't last long, but it felt like it lasted forever--as if she was still being hugged even when they parted. Allie smiled up at Granddad and he grinned back, ruffling her hair before standing to hold his hand out at Daddy. "See you 'round, Barn. Don't forget to get those numbers."