Sara turned over and tried to go back to sleep.

“You might like this,” he said.

“Christmas was yesterday.”

He put the card next to her on the thin sheet.

His sister turned again and peeked out. Seeing the red card, she was curious.

“What is that?”

“You have to open it.”

“Why now?”

“Because I have important things to do,” Thomas said.

“Like what?”

“You want me to take this back?”

She shifted and pulled herself up. A hornet’s nest of hair needed to be pulled away from her face.

“That’s one of your presents.”

“Open it,” he said, enjoying this but also annoyed at how irritating she could be.

Sara took a minute to decide like all the girls he’d ever known. Then she took the card and opened it.

For a minute she just read it, then looked at him, then read it over, then looked at him again.

The message was short and sweet.

I hope this makes you a little more happy. Even if it’s a little late

You deserve it.

Your big brother

Sara paused for a moment, then opened the present.

It was a brand-new iPod.

“Thomas! Did you ask for this?”

“Does it matter?”

“Did you really get this from your Angel Tree? From the gifts that came yesterday?”

“You want it or not?”

She shook her head in disbelief, her eyes wide, her face almost white with surprise.

“But you—”

“Look, if you’re going to be the next Taylor Swift or American Idol, you gotta know a lot of songs.”

Yes, Sara might be annoying at times. And yes, she might be younger than he and sometimes thoughtless and most definitely a girl. But he still loved her. And he just wanted—just hoped—just wanted to see . . .

“Thanks,” Sara said.

And then it came.

Her smile.

The smile that he’d missed for a very long time. Much too long.

This was a selfish gift for himself.

To see Sara smile.

“I almost forgot this.”

It was late and Jenny was actually starting to be able to stand on her own after the C-section from a few days ago. But now she was sitting in the hospital bed finishing up her dinner.

“What’s this?” she asked.

“It’s a letter I wrote and wanted to give to you before Christmas.”

She took it but then he told her to hold off on reading it for now.

“Read it sometime when I’m not here. Otherwise I’ll feel all stupid.”

Anybody else would ask him why, but not Jenny. She just smiled into his eyes.

“Okay.”

“How are you feeling?”

“A little better,” she said. “The shower helped.”

“You’re doing great. You really are.”

“Not the way I expected to spend Christmas.”

“It’s okay by me. Now that everyone’s doing fine.”

“Speak for yourself,” Jenny said with a playful grin.

Kevin smiled. He looked at her and knew she was stronger than he was and always would be.