CarⓍl of the Bells: A Rainey Bell Holiday Short Story Read online

  “Claus, Nee Nee,” Weather interjected. “Don’t you know anything?”

  Katie looked at her daughter and directed the two children, “Go back to the playroom. The adults are talking.”

  They followed her direction immediately, but Mac hesitated halfway down the hall. He turned back to Rainey.

  “Find Timothy, too. Okay, Nee Nee?” His bottom lip pouted a bit when he added. “I miss him.”

  Testing Rainey’s resolve not to show her worry, she assured him, “He’ll be home soon, buddy. Go play now.”

  Once the kids were gone, the older woman said, “They are precious.”

  Katie and Rainey said in unison, “Thank you.”

  “I’m sorry. I should have introduced myself. I’m Jessica Mikulas. Please call me Jessica.”

  “Don’t worry, Jessica,” Katie said. “Rainey will find them.” She looked up at Rainey, adding, “Right?”

  Rainey smiled to give Katie confidence, even as her mind raced with worst-case scenarios.

  “I’ll be right back with both of them. Just sit tight,” she said and left to find Mackie.

  4

  “Santa fell down.”

  The wind had picked up considerably in the short time since Rainey’s arrival and she could see her breath now, as the temperature began to plummet. In between the strong gusts, she could hear the searchers far out ahead of them. She stopped to listen. The calls were continuous.

  “They aren’t listening,” she said to Mackie, who was right behind her. “They need to wait between calls. He’s little. His voice won’t travel in this thick woods and that wind will make it even harder to hear him.”

  “I’ll call Ernie. She insisted on going with them. She’ll line them out,” Mackie said.

  Old as she was, Rainey knew Ernie had the stamina to walk the trails and didn’t take no for an answer often. Mackie pulled out his phone and was soon giving instructions to Ernie.

  Rainey peered into the woods, shining the powerful spotlight into the darkness. The trail they were on continued around the lake, branching off in both directions intermittently. On her right, the land sloped down into a swampy bog before reaching the edge of the lake. The land on her left rose in a series of small hills and shallow valleys tangled with vines and scrub brush that would make it difficult for anyone to pass. She had no idea which way to go.

  Mackie hung up the phone. Soon the voices in the distance quieted and then began calling again with pauses between shouts and gusts of wind. Ernie could have been a drill sergeant of immense capabilities. Rainey figured raising four boys gave Ernie an advantage in giving out orders.

  “Well, what do you think?” Mackie asked. “Do we go into the thicket or stay on the trail?”

  Rainey wrestled fear for control of her mind. She needed all her wits. Which way to go? As far as she knew, the dog could have led Timothy around the fence to the other side of the property and another series of trails. No, Jessica said her husband’s truck was at the parking area north of the women’s center. He would have had to pass by the guard shack and someone would have seen him.

  Rainey concentrated on the image of the dog from the video chat. Carol was covered in mud. Did she come from the edge of the lake? Rainey closed her eyes, remembering the conversation and her children covered in the same mud as the dog. Red. The mud was red. Her eyes popped open.

  “I know where they are.”

  Rainey didn’t wait to see if Mackie was following, but she could hear him crashing through the brush behind her, as they exited the trail and climbed the hill to the left. She didn’t pause through the thorny vines that clawed at her coat. She pulled through them, hacking at the brush with her bare hands, not caring about the blood that began to ooze from stinging wounds.

  When they reached the top of the hill, Rainey pointed into the darkness with the light, explaining to Mackie, “There’s a small pond back in there. It’s surrounded by red clay. It’s the only red mud on this side of the lake. The dog was covered in red mud. It’s been a long time since I was back in here, but I think it’s over the next ridge.”

  “Should I turn the searchers this way?” Mackie asked.

  “No, I need to be able to hear him. They’ll make it that much harder. We’re already fighting the wind. Come on.”

  Rainey plowed through the brush to the top of the next hill. When Mackie reached her side, she put up her hand to signal for quiet.

  “Tim-o-thy,” she called.

  They listened for a response. The wind kicked up and drowned any prospects of that happening. Rainey waited out the gust and called again.

  “TIM-O-THY!”

  This time, very faintly, Rainey thought she heard a dog bark, but the wind caught it before she could determine the direction of the source. The thought crossed her mind that the dog could hear her before a human would.

  Rainey cupped her hands around her mouth and yelled, “CA-ROL!”

  This time, the bark was clear. Rainey turned the flashlight toward the sound and flew down the other side of the hill, not caring about the branches slapping her face.

  “Timothy,” she yelled again.

  In return, she heard, “Nee Nee!”

  Rainey burst out of the thick brambles at the edge of the small pond. The light caught a glint of white before she settled it on the man wearing a bright red coat, sporting a full white beard, and holding her son. Timothy scrambled off his lap and into Rainey’s waiting arms, as she fell to her knees and thanked the universe he was okay. Carol continued to bark on the end of the leash held by the man.

  He said, “Carol, quiet.”

  Carol lay down at his feet instantly.

  “Nee Nee, Santa fell down. Me and Carol finded him.”

  Rainey pulled the little boy away from her chest so she could look him over good. While she did that, she scolded him, but not too harshly.

  “Timothy, didn’t I tell you to stay inside the fence? Your mommy is very worried. So was I.”

  Timothy responded, “You say, ‘Don’t go out the hole, Timothy.’ I did not. I went out the gate.”

  Mackie chuckled, as he stepped over to Nick to check on him.

  Nick, who was chuckling too, spoke up, “That’s a smart boy you have there. He told me his Nee Nee would come. When I sent Carol for help, I wasn’t counting on her bringing a preschooler back with her, but I guess she knew what she was doing. Here you are.”

  “I don’t imagine you could have picked a better kid to find you,” Mackie said, and then asked, “Where are you hurt?”

  “I hung my boot up in the mud and then fell over that log there. I broke my tibia, I think. I splinted it but still couldn’t bear my weight. That’s when I turned Carol loose and prayed she knew what to do.”

  Mackie pulled off his giant leather coat and put it around Nick’s shoulders. He pulled out his phone and said, "I'll call Ernie.”

  Rainey pulled her phone from her coat pocket.

  “Timothy, we need to call Mommy and tell her you’re okay.”

  He looked down at the top of his muddy shoes, avoiding eye contact. “Is Mommy mad?”

  “She’s worried. You scared us.” Rainey was careful with her wording, this time, when she said, “Don’t ever leave the inside of the fence again. Promise me.”

  A promise was a big concept in the Bell-Meyers house. If things were promised, they had to be done.

  Timothy knew he had messed up and quickly said, “I promise.”

  Rainey put the phone on speaker so she could hear too. Katie picked up on the first ring.

  “Rainey? Did you find him?”

  “Hi, Mommy.”

  Rainey heard the sob come with Katie’s, “Oh, thank God.”

  The relief was short-lived, at least for the moment, when Katie added, “Timothy Earnest Bell-Meyers, don’t you ever do that again.”

  Timothy began to cry. Katie was rarely stern with the kids. They knew they were in trouble when she used that tone. Rainey gathered him into her arms.
r />   “He promised not to go outside the fence again. He’s sorry, Katie. It’s over now and he’s safe. We’ll be there as soon as someone comes to get Nick. Tell his wife he has a broken leg, but he’s okay.”

  “I love you, Timothy,” Katie said, calmer now.

  Timothy peeked from under Rainey’s coat, where he had sought shelter. “I love you, Mommy. I sorry.”

  5

  Christmas Day

  “…and to all a good night.”

  Christmas Eve's near tragedy almost forgotten, Rainey and Katie watched the triplets rip into their presents from Santa on Christmas morning. Their joy was contagious and healed the wounds of fear their parents had dealt with the night before. It did nothing for the scratches on Rainey’s hands and face. She looked like she’d been in a fight, which was exactly what her mother said when she and Grandpa John arrived for lunch.

  The kids always celebrated their birthday at lunch on Christmas Day, and then went back to celebrating Santa’s bounty afterward. A trip to Katie’s parents' house for dinner followed. By the end of the day, the entire Bell-Meyers clan was exhausted, stuffed full of food, and happily back home two hours before bedtime. Beds were not a requirement for sleep, however. Rainey and Katie cuddled on the couch in the den in front of the fireplace. The kids were passed out in a pile of toys under the Christmas tree with Freddie, the cat.

  “We are so lucky,” Katie said.

  “Yes, we are,” Rainey said and planted a kiss on the top of her wife’s head.

  Katie sighed. “We should have given Timothy that puppy. He seemed happy, but I could tell he was disappointed.”

  “About that,” Rainey began, before being interrupted by her phone ringing.

  She looked at the phone. “It’s security at the front gate.”

  Rainey answered and listened as the guard explained the reason for the call.

  She replied to his question. “Let them in and would you tell them how to get to our house.”

  Katie asked, “Who is it?”

  Rainey smiled. “You’ll see. Help me get the kids up.”

  While Katie urged the other two to wake, Rainey went to Timothy.

  “Hey, buddy. Wake up. Someone is here to see you.”

  Katie heard her and mouthed the words, “You did not.”

  Rainey replied, “I was going to tell you. I didn’t know they were coming tonight.”

  Three extremely drowsy kids sprung to life, when Rainey opened the front door. Standing there in full Santa regalia, Mr. and Mrs. Claus smiled down at the triplets from the front porch. Mrs. Claus held a large red box with a big white bow. Santa’s leg was in a cast and he was on crutches, but he beamed at his little fans.

  “Ho, ho, ho,” Santa said. “I seemed to have forgotten a present for little Timothy. I told Mrs. Claus, I could not go back to the North Pole before we delivered it.”

  “Please, come in,” Katie said.

  Rainey held out her hands. “Let me take that for you, Mrs. Claus.”

  Jessica handed over the present and winked at Rainey. “I want to thank you again for saving Christmas. Nick is going to be just fine in a few months.”

  “I’m glad we all had a great Christmas,” Rainey replied, leading the guests to the den.

  The kids were too shocked or exhausted to say much. Katie prodded them.

  “Tell Santa thank you for your gifts.”

  Three tired but awed voices said, “Thank you,” softly.

  Timothy finally regained his composure enough to ask, “Where is Carol? Is she lost again?”

  Mrs. Claus answered, “Carol is with Rudolph and the other reindeer. She was tired after flying all over the world, helping Santa deliver presents. So we let her rest.”

  Santa lowered himself into the big over-stuffed chair by the tree and patted the knee of his non-injured leg. “Come here, Timothy.”

  Without hesitation, Timothy jumped into his lap.

  “Now, Timothy, I remembered what you and I talked about out there in the woods. I bet you thought I forgot. What did you promise me?”

  Timothy broke into a huge smile and began to blush. “I said if I got a puppy that I would take care of it, so Mommy and Nee Nee wouldn’t have to.”

  “That’s right. And what did I promise?”

  “You say if Mommy and Nee Nee say it's okay, that you would bring me a puppy. I looked and looked, but I couldn’t find it under the tree.”

  “Well, I talked to Nee Nee and she said if I could find one on such short notice, that it would be okay.”

  Mac and Weather caught on to what was happening and began to giggle and leap around, singing, “Timothy can have a puppy.”

  Rainey, who was still holding the box, stepped over and placed it at Santa’s feet.

  Santa said, “So, if I bring you a puppy, Timothy, you have to promise that you will love it and train it and always take care of it.” He looked at the other two. “Weather and Mac, do you promise to help your brother take care of the puppy?”

  A resounding “Yes!” filled the air.

  Katie stepped up to Rainey’s side and slipped her arm around her waist. She whispered, “I'm going to remind you that this was your idea, and probably often,” but she was smiling.

  Rainey put her arm around Katie’s shoulder and said, “I know.”

  Weather could contain herself no longer, “What’s in the box? What’s in the box? Can I open it?”

  Santa answered her, “No, this is Timothy’s last present. I remembered everything on your list, right?”

  Weather pouted a bit, answering, “I didn’t get a flying balloon.”

  Mrs. Claus stepped in to help. “Santa and I decided you needed to grow a bit, so you could get your balloon flying license. We checked. You have to be, oh, at least, old enough to drive a car.”

  “Okay,” Weather said. She seemed to accept her own philosophy—if Santa says, you have to. “I like my presents. Thank you.”

  Mac joined in. “I like my presents, too.”

  “Good, good,” Santa said, and then turned his attention back to the boy on his lap. “Timothy, I want to thank you for being so brave and taking such good care of Carol and me. Go ahead, open the box.”

  Timothy was out of the man’s lap and working on opening his present before the words were completely out of Santa’s mouth. When the lid came off, squeals of joy greeted a yawning miniature of Carol. Timothy reached in and pulled out the puppy with big floppy ears and hugged it close.

  “A real puppy! A real puppy!” he shouted.

  “He’s Carol’s son,” Mrs. Claus explained. “We were going to keep him, but we think he should be a little boy’s dog.”

  “What do you think?” Katie said, kneeling down beside Timothy.

  “Mommy, it’s a real puppy. I promise I’ll love it and take care of it and love it and never leave the fence again.”

  Katie hugged him. Mac and Weather rushed over. To their credit, they seemed to sense it was Timothy’s moment and didn’t try to hone in on the puppy loving for the time being.

  Typical of Timothy’s disposition, he said to them, “You can love him, too.”

  Instantly, six little hands were all over the puppy. It continued to yawn, unfazed by the attention.

  Mrs. Santa said to Rainey, “He will have the perfect personality for the kids, laid back, easy going like Carol. He’s eight weeks old, has had his first round of shots, and he’ll need his second round at twelve weeks. I have his records from the vet and his crate in the car. I brought his bowls and leash too. He isn't quite housebroken, but he'll go on paper put down by the door if you show him. Santa here says he’ll come down from the North Pole and help the kids train him, if that’s all right.”

  “That would be wonderful,” Katie said, showing quite a bit more relief than she probably wanted to.

  At that moment, Freddie stretched under the tree and came to see about the unfamiliar smell. He took one good whiff of the puppy’s backside and hissed, before bolting from t
he room.

  “He’ll get over it,” Rainey said, as she sat down on the floor with the kids and asked, “Does he already have a name?”

  Santa answered, “Well, we called him Carl, but I guess you could change it if you want to, Timothy.”

  Timothy held the puppy in front of his face, staring lovingly into his eyes. He whispered, “Carl.”

  The puppy licked Timothy’s nose. It was love at first sight.

  Katie laughed and said, “Carl of the Bells. Perfect for a Christmas puppy.”

  Timothy did not let go of Carl when he jumped up to hug Santa. The boy who fled the Santa Train had conquered his fear.

  “Thank you, Santa. I will always love him.”

  “I know you will,” Santa said, patting the child’s back. “You two will be best friends.”

  Timothy turned to his family, holding Carl up like a championship trophy, declaring, “I love Christmas and Carl.”

  Weather suddenly shouted, “Next year, I want a puppy.”

  Mac joined in, “Me too. Me too.”

  Katie laughed. “Well, Rainey, I’m going to let you deal with that. I’m going to help Mrs. Claus get Carl’s things from the car.”

  Rainey said, “Thanks a lot,” but she laughed.

  She looked at Timothy’s grinning face and tussled his hair, “Merry Christmas, buddy.”

  His expression suddenly grew serious. “Nee Nee?” he said.

  “Yes?”

  “Carl just pottied on me.”

  Katie laughed on her way out of the den with Mrs. Claus. She called over her shoulder, “Merry Christmas, Nee Nee.”

  #

  After cookies and milk, Santa and Mrs. Claus pulled out of the driveway, while the Bell-Meyers family waved goodbye from the porch. Santa rolled his window down and leaned out to wave.

  Rainey heard him exclaim, as the car disappeared from sight, “Happy Christmas to all, and to all a good night!”

  Table of Contents

  Dedication

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