Christmas Diamond, a Novella: Inspired by The Jewel series and the Virtues and Valor series (6 page)

"I don't think I've ever been so scared in my life," TJ confessed in a whisper. "I thought I was going to lose you."

"I didn't think I was strong enough to land," she confessed. "I just kept praying for strength."

He closed his eyes and placed his lips on her forehead before saying, "Thank You, God, for giving her strength."

Faith felt the breath hitch in her throat. How could she ever say good-bye to this man?

She pushed her head back enough to look him in the eye again. "TJ, I —"

Whatever she had been about to say, whatever foolish declaration of love she might have been about to express, was interrupted with the arrival of the emergency vehicles followed closely by her cousin Alfred. She felt frustrated at the interruption but turned as he launched himself out of Elizabeth's Jeep and rushed toward her.

"I thought I'd done us both in," he said, gripping her hands. "I caught a pocket of air that threw my control off slightly. Are you okay?"

"Just full of beans," she explained, squeezing his hands with hers. "I saw that black smoke and thought you were gone."

"Rather pear shaped. At impact, my canopy went up. It didn't take but a tick to know I'd never get back under control." His face scrunched up in a frown. "The Mustang's toast. I have no desire to face Auntie Helen and tell her that."

Faith shuddered. "Don't make me go with you."

Alfred pulled her into his arms. "I'm so glad you're okay."

"I'm glad you're okay," Faith said against his flight suit.

FAITH
walked into the lobby of her hotel and found TJ in the seating area. He was picking her up to take her to celebrate Christmas Eve with his family. She had just come from her company's Christmas party, and decided to keep the light red summer dress and strappy red sandals on.

TJ wore dark slacks and a dark sports coat over a red golf shirt. As she drew closer, she was surprised to see that he held a little dark haired girl asleep in his arms. When he spotted her, he inclined his head and smiled in greeting but did not speak.

The sight of him holding that little girl made her knees feel a little weaker and her heart beat a little faster, made some internal instinct deep inside of her spring to life. She strolled up to them and gently touched the black curls, looking down at the perfect face of the sleeping child. "Who's your new girlfriend, then?" she asked quietly.

"This is one of Peter O'Farrell's grandchildren. Do you remember Angel Dove from the big party last week? This is her youngest daughter. Angel asked me to come up here with her and bring a platter of Christmas cookies for the night staff. Little bit here fell asleep."

"So precious," Faith said softly.

"Excuse me, Miss Green," the concierge said, suddenly appearing at her elbow. "You have an urgent telephone call."

Faith frowned and turned to him. "Beg pardon?"

"There's a call for you." He gestured toward a white phone that sat next to her on a low table. "You can use that phone. Just pick it up."

Confused, Faith picked up the receiver. "Hello? This is Faith Green."

"Miss Green. I'm Roger Hallifax from Helen Green's long term care home. I'm calling to inform you that your grandmother's been transferred to hospital."

Faith lowered herself carefully into the chair next to the phone. Sounding perhaps more British than ever, she also clipped her articles and demanded, "She's in hospital? What's happened?"

"She suffered a heart attack, I'm afraid. The staff responded very quickly, but her situation is rather grave."

"I'll be there just as soon as I can. Thank you for calling at this hour and on the Holiday," she said. It had to be close to midnight on Christmas Eve in England.

"Godspeed, Miss Green," he said.

"Good-bye," she said, hanging up the phone.

TJ lay the sleeping child on the couch before kneeling at her feet. "What is it?"

"Grandmum," Faith whispered. "I must go."

"Tell me what you need."

"Well, my plane is broken and slow at any rate. I think I shall require a ticket."

He shook his head. "You'll never get out of here on Christmas Eve. Can you fly a Gulfstream G550?"

"What?" Her mind swirled with anxiety, details, fear. "Well, yes I suppose. I'm rated."

TJ nodded and stood. "Give me ten minutes."

FAITH
sat in the chair next to her grandmother's hospital bed with her Bible in her lap hours later. She remembered always thinking that Grandmum was the strongest person she'd ever met. Faith looked down at the frail, thin body beneath the sheet and had some difficulty reconciling her grandmother's appearance with the memory of the vital woman she had known all her life.

Since she could remember, Faith strove to be like her. She admired her strong faith, her confidence, and her sense of humor. Having already lost both parents, Faith fretted as she watched her grandmother struggle to breathe. She felt genuine fear that she wouldn't be able to accomplish anything without this amazing woman at her side.

Each year, on Christmas day, her grandmother had read to her from the second chapter of Luke. This year, Faith read to her grandmother and prayed that the words comforted her even in her present state of sleep.

"And behold, an angel of the Lord stood before them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were greatly afraid." Her voice sounded clear despite her fatigue and concern. "Then the angel said to them, 'Do not be afraid, for behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy which will be to all people. For there is born to you this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord.'"

It occurred to Faith that she should not be afraid for her grandmother, even if she were to go home to be with the Father in heaven tonight. It would be right and proper to feel sadness at losing her companionship in this world, but it was not right to dread that grief in advance. It was actually selfish and she closed her eyes and quickly repented in prayer. She ended her brief prayer with the words that Christ himself had used at the garden of Gethsemane, "Not my will, but Your will be done. Amen."

Faith sat back and gripped the diamond solitaire on her necklace. She still wore the red dress from the night before. She hadn't bothered to change. She hadn't even bothered to pack. TJ promised he'd take care of that for her before he whisked her off to the airport.

He'd called his father and drove her to meet the pilot at the runway.

Instead of turning the aircraft over to Faith, the pilot insisted on flying her himself, letting her right seat and serve as copilot for the transcontinental flight. TJ had cupped her face in his hands and kissed her good-bye, a very loving, sweet kiss that brought forth the tears she struggled to keep at bay. Then he slipped off his sports coat and laid it over her bare shoulders, reminding her that she'd need it once she landed in England.

She and the pilot took off. They landed once in Iceland and refueled. By late morning, they landed just a short distance from the hospital in central England. Somehow, TJ Viscolli had arranged a limo to meet them at the terminal and the driver whisked her off to her grandmother.

Hours later, she sat and waited, and occasionally prayed. Why had she let Grandmum talk her into leaving her at Christmas time? Tears streamed down her cheeks as she thought about how alone she'd be when she lost her.

Faith pulled up the collar of the sports coat and wrapped it around her face. The jacket smelled like TJ and she inhaled, breathing him in. How could she miss someone so much she'd seen just twenty-four hours before?

The door to the room opened and she looked up, expecting to see a nurse, surprised to see TJ Viscolli. "What are you doing here?" she asked as she stood.

He looked as if he'd just raced across an ocean. Like her, he still wore the clothes from the night before. A day's growth of beard shadowed his face and his hair looked a bit unkempt. She put a hand on her own hair and imagined she didn't look any better.

"I told you I'd get your stuff to you," he explained, holding up her suitcase. "I'm certain I got it all. Elizabeth said you had some stuff at the airport, but she'd take care of it."

"I was just thinking how much I wished you'd come along with me," she surprised herself by confessing. She stood and walked over to him. After he set the suitcase on the ground, he opened his arms and she easily walked into them.

"I had to take care of your things, first," he said. She could feel the rumble of his voice in his chest. "And I had to find my passport. I was afraid I didn't have it with me and I'd have to stop back in Boston to pick it up."

She squeezed her arms to hug him then stepped back. "I'm sorry to interfere with your Christmas with your family."

His eyes turned serious. "There will be other Christmases."

Suddenly nervous with the intensity of his look, she turned her body and gestured at her grandmother. "Triple bypass. The cardiologist seems to think she'll pull through." She walked back to the bed and picked up one of the frail hands. "Imagine that. Ninety-four years old and surviving a triple bypass."

TJ came up behind her and put a hand on her waist. "She's an amazing woman. Much like someone else I know."

"I always wanted to be like her."

"I like you being like you," he asserted, his lips against her hair.

She could feel his body heat and realized she could step back just slightly and lean against him. Instead, she stepped closer to the bed and turned around. "I was all prepared to tell you good-bye on New Year's Day."

He raised an eyebrow. "Why?"

With a shrug, she ran her fingers through her hair. "Because we live in two different worlds. It's impossible to think that something like this could somehow work. It's just a fairy tale."

Instead of addressing that, he slipped his hands into his pockets and leaned against the wall. "Did you know that my father knew, beyond a shadow of a doubt, that he was in love with my mother after just an hour in her company?"

Faith felt her palms start to sweat and gripped the bed rail behind her. "Afraid I don't understand."

He nodded. "He did. My aunt Maxine made him a birthday dinner. Before that, he'd only seen my mom once or twice and only in passing. So, at the dinner, he sat by her for about an hour. That night he knew he'd spend the rest of his life with her."

He stepped forward and stopped just a foot from her. He reached out and took the lapel of his own jacket in his hand. "I woke up on that beach and was certain I'd died and drowned and was looking at my own personal angel. Then within a few hours in your presence, I knew."

Faith licked her suddenly very dry lips. "You knew what?"

"I knew that this wasn't going to be our only Christmas together. I knew that there would be many, many more." He opened the jacket and slipped his hands into the inside pocket, pulling out a small package wrapped in bright red paper. "I came right behind you because I didn't want us to spend our first Christmas apart." He looked at his watch. "It's still Christmas here for another thirty minutes."

"How can we —" she started to ask on a whisper, but TJ interrupted her.

"How can I possibly study World War II history from the shores of England? I don't know, Faith. What do you think?" He smiled as he held out the package. "Merry Christmas, Faith Green."