Perfect hands volume 2, p.46
Perfect Hands Volume 2, page 46
Saxton literally cheered, and his enthusiasm reminded Gale that this was truly something special for Saxton. Yes, Gale loved Christmas, and he'd been looking forward to sharing this day with Saxton. But Saxton's joy held something else: the anticipation of someone experiencing something for the first time. Like seeing New York City for the first time after hearing from everyone how cool and impressive all the tall buildings were. Saxton was buzzing with energy and excitement, and it spoke volumes about his past.
They sat down on the floor in the living room, close to the tree. "You get to pick a present first, Saxy," Gale said.
Saxton grasped one of the gifts so quickly that Gale knew he must've been studying them, trying to figure out what each box held. He tore off the wrapping paper that had taken Gale a good ten minutes to get to the point where he wasn't embarrassed to show it.
"Daddy!" Saxton called out, joy and surprise mixing in. "This is beautiful."
Warmth filled Gale's heart as Saxton’s eyes took in the large puzzle he'd bought. He'd discovered his boy’s stack of puzzles, and he’d had to search for a while to find one he didn't have already that matched the skill level he apparently enjoyed.
"It's a Van Gogh painting I really love, so I thought we might do this one together," he said softly, no longer even pretending the gifts were from Santa.
Saxton held the puzzle as if it were a priceless artifact. "I'd really love that, Daddy," he said. "Thank you."
"It's my turn, right?" Gale asked, and when Saxton hummed in agreement, he picked the smallest gift under the tree. He opened it carefully, scared of tearing whatever was inside along with the wrapping paper. It was an envelope. Inside was a folded-up piece of paper, and he frowned. What was that?
He unfolded it, and the first thing he noticed was the Audible logo, which was printed big at the bottom. He focused on reading what it said. “Two years.” That part was easy, and then it said “gift.” He spelled out the last word. “Membership.” A two-year membership. To Audible. He looked up at Saxton, who was studying him intensely. "You bought me two year’s worth of Audible credits?"
"You said audiobooks were so expensive, so I did a little research, and this is the cheapest way to get at least one every month."
Gale was absolutely floored. It was the most thoughtful gift anyone could have given him. Saxton had been paying attention. And had spent a lot of money because Gale didn't even want to think about how much this had cost. "Saxy, I don't know what to say. You have no idea how much this means to me. Thank you. This is truly a gift I will treasure."
The tension on Saxton's face eased, and a broad smile appeared. "I'm so glad you like it, Daddy."
After that, they unwrapped the rest of their presents, which consisted of some funny socks, a rainbow lanyard for Gale he could use for his hospital badge, a collection of funny pens for Saxton—he’d told Gale he always lost them—and some more small items. Gale noticed that Saxton had spent a lot more money on him than vice versa, but it didn’t bother him. He’d done it for the right reasons because he genuinely wanted to buy something Gale would love. Gale would accept his generosity for what it was: a gift.
They spent the day cuddling on the couch, Saxton reading to Gale, then watching a Christmas movie together. It was about as perfect as it could get.
“This was the best Christmas ever," Saxton said as Gale helped him take a bath.
Gale took a washcloth and squeezed some shower gel onto it, then proceeded to wash him. This, too, had become a ritual. Every night before bed, he’d help Saxton take a bath, even though he was capable of doing it himself now.
They both loved it, Gale was certain of it, and Saxton never seemed bothered by Gale seeing him naked. And Gale never made a big deal out of it, always treating Saxton's body with tender care. He didn’t hurry, but neither did he linger. Even if he were into it—which he wasn’t—he didn’t want Saxton to think he made it sexual. The intense pleasure he got from doing this for him had nothing to do with sex. It was about intimacy, about connecting, about taking care of him, from which he got an emotional satisfaction that meant more to him than he could put into words.
"I'm so glad to hear that, sweetie. And you know what the most amazing thing is? It's not even officially Christmas yet. We still have a whole day tomorrow."
Saxton nodded, the happy smile he’d sported before tightening slightly. "You're certain they will love me, right?"
His sweet, insecure boy, always scared to be rejected. "I promise you they'll love you. My mom is super warm and extraverted. She's a hugger, and she gives the best hugs in the whole world. My dad is a man of few words, but he's like this quiet rock. He's solid, always there, and when he speaks, it hits home."
"I'll try not to be nervous," Saxton whispered.
Gale flushed off the soap on his body. "I know it's scary for you, but I promise you it'll be a wonderful day. Like you said, it's the best Christmas ever."
Saxton was quiet for a while as Gale washed his hair, then rinsed it out. "I don't have much to compare it to," he finally said, and Gale felt the pain behind that statement in his soul.
He’d spend the rest of his life making Christmas and every other damn holiday as special as he could to make up for what his sweet Saxy had missed out on. He couldn't fix everything, but he could damn well try.
20
Saxton had never been fond of Christmas. Not even as a child, which in hindsight, spoke volumes as he hadn't met a single person in his life who hadn't loved Christmas as a child. But for him, it had never held any special meaning. When she’d still been there, his mother had only been more depressed on Christmas day, and his father had been useless, as always.
Sure, Saxton had always gotten a truckload of gifts and usually expensive ones, but he'd found out quickly that there was truth to the saying that you couldn't buy love. He would've given everything for his parents to spend real time with him, including giving up all his Christmas gifts.
It made this Christmas all the more special…because of Gale. He’d gone through so much effort to make sure Saxton had a true Christmas experience. The tree he’d bought, the cookies he’d baked with him, the gifts he’d bought for Saxton—it had all been wonderful. Saxton had discovered how magical this time could be.
And today, he’d meet Gale’s family to celebrate Christmas, and he was excited. It surprised himself because he had expected to be nervous as hell. He was a little tense, but nowhere near as bad as he’d counted on. The whole week had been so special that he’d grown confident this would be too.
It helped that Gale had talked a lot about his family over the last few days. Saxton had learned about his parents, about his siblings and their partners, about Gale's two nephews, who, judging by their pictures, were the cutest little twin boys Saxton had ever seen. And Gale's constant assurance that his family would love Saxton had relieved most of his fears.
On Christmas morning, Gale helped him get dressed, and Saxton checked his appearance in the mirror. He was wearing a light blue button-down shirt that brought out the color of his eyes, combined with a pair of dark blue slacks. He'd wanted to wear a dress shoe on his good foot, but Gale had shut that down immediately. He’d said the sole of the dress shoe was too slippery and Saxton could fall, especially since he was already on crutches. The man had a point, but it hurt Saxton to put on a running shoe, since it completely ruined his outfit.
"Why do you even have running shoes?" Gale teased him as he stepped behind Saxton and checked both of them out in the mirror. "I thought you didn't do sports."
Saxton blushed. "I don't, but I thought that if I got a pair of shoes that came highly recommended that I would maybe, I don't know, be more enthusiastic about it?"
Gale wrapped his arms around Saxton from the back, pressing their cheeks together. "I swear, Saxy, you are the kind of impulse buyer marketers dream of."
He wasn't wrong, and the fact that Saxton had more than enough money to spend on frivolous buys like this didn't help either. "At least they come in handy now."
"Sure, because that's why you need a pair of expensive shoes rather than Walmart quality, but whatever."
Saxton loved that Gale felt comfortable enough with the obvious difference in their income to tease him. He didn't mind. With one last kiss on the top of his head, Gale let go of him. They had looked good together, Saxton thought. His red hair and pale skin contrasted with Gale’s much darker appearance and made for a stunning combination. The thought warmed his belly.
They chatted in the car as Gale drove them to his parents, a fifteen-minute drive north. "This is a beautiful area," Saxton said.
“My parents still live in the house I grew up in. My dad did a ton of renovations to it over the years, and it's worth at least five times what they paid for it at the time. Theirs was the first in this development, back when they still built houses on one-acre lots. Clearly, that's changed over the years because the new developments nowadays barely have a third of an acre. My mom loves it, as she's an avid gardener."
"Unlike you," Saxton quips, and Gale winced.
"I told you I was sorry for drowning your plants. I don't know why that keeps happening to me."
Saxton chuckled. It was endearing that Gale, who took such good care of him and excelled at his job, couldn't keep a couple of simple plants alive. "Let's just agree that you should never touch my plants ever again."
Gale rolled his eyes. "I'm sure if you tell my mom about this, she'll pity gift you a couple of hers. Lord knows she has enough, and she won't pass up on the opportunity to rub it in."
They were still teasing each other about it as Gale took a turn onto a broad driveway, then parked behind a big, red pickup truck. "That's my brother Daniel's truck. He's married to Christie."
Saxton spotted the logo on the side of the truck. "He's a contractor?"
“Yeah, he has his own business. He's doing pretty well, and it fits him, as there’s literally nothing he can't fix."
Before they had even rung the bell, the front door opened, and the woman appearing had to be Gale's mom. She was the spitting image of him, only in a female version.
"Gale, sweetheart, I'm so happy to see you," she said and pulled him into a firm embrace.
Saxton's stomach roiled as he watched it. That was what it had to be like to have a real mom, a real family. Gale’s mom let go of her son and turned toward him.
"Are you okay with hugging?" she asked, and Saxton was so stupefied by that question that he could only nod. Before he realized it, she’d pulled him into an embrace as well. "We are delighted to meet you, Saxton. We’re so happy you could spend Christmas with us."
"Thank you for inviting me, Mrs. O’Malley," he stammered, overwhelmed with the warm welcome. He cleared his throat. "We brought you a gift."
Gale bumped his shoulder. "You mean you brought her a gift. This was all him, Mom."
Her eyes danced with happiness.
"Gale told me you love growing your own vegetables and fruits. I have a friend who does research in preserving heirloom types of fruits, like apples and pears. Anyway, he sent me some unique heirloom tomato seeds that I hope you’ll love."
He gestured at Gale to give her the little package, which he had wrapped as best he could, clumsy as it was. Sadly, it turned out that despite both of them being gay, neither of them had any talent for creative gift wrapping.
"That’s such a wonderful and thoughtful gift," Gale's mom said, her whole face lighting up. "Be sure to tell me as much as you can about them so I know how to treat the seeds and make them grow optimally."
"My friend sent me some instructions, and I printed them for you. They’re in the package as well."
She stepped toward him and kissed him on his cheek. "Thank you for that special gift."
Saxton’s body felt light, the last nerves in his stomach dissipating. He’d gotten off to a good start. He followed Gale and his mom inside into the hallway, where they took off their coats, then into the living room, which wouldn't have been hard to find. The chatter and laughter were a welcoming sound.
"Oy!" Gale's mom called out, and the room hushed immediately. "This is Gale's boyfriend, Saxton, and may I suggest you all try to be on your best behavior at least for the first hour so he doesn't get scared away instantly?"
That resulted in laughter around the room, and the next minutes were a flurry of people introducing themselves to him, with him awkwardly trying to shake their hand while keeping his balance.
"Guys, this isn't working for him. He needs to sit down," Gale said, and taking charge, he simply took Saxton to the couch, where he sat down, then pulled Saxton right next to him, taking his crutches from him and shoving them under the couch. "There. That's better. You shouldn't put weight on your wrist for that long. You’ll regret that tomorrow."
He was right, but that wasn't why Saxton experienced a rush of warm and happy feelings in his belly. It was the simple, decisive way Gale had taken care of him, even in front of his family. Gale had told him they were aware he was into kink, and that while it wasn't a topic they had discussed in detail, it wasn’t something he was ashamed about either. Imagine that, being able to discuss things like that with your family. It was too strange a concept for Saxton to even consider.
He’d expected some tense moments in the conversation, as was so often the case when he met a group of people he didn't know, but that never happened. At first, he was content to listen as the others talked, and no one seemed to mind he was quiet. But then they started to ask him questions about how the two of them had met, about his work, his hobbies, and before he knew it, he had a room full of interested people listening to him talk about his research.
He'd glanced at the two little boys who were playing with their toy cars on a playcarpet in the corner of the room, but their mom, Gale's sister Megan, had shrugged. "They're too young to understand, and even if they weren't, it's not something to be ashamed of. They gotta learn about the birds and the bees sometime."
Everyone laughed, though her husband, Rob, looked a little pained. "Preferably not before they’re, like, twelve or so," he said, pinching his nose, which made everyone laugh even harder.
Saxton could never have imagined talking about his work so openly. First with Gale's friends and now with his family. He’d never met people like these in his life. How fortunate he’d been to meet Gale in that ER.
Lunch was a collection of sandwiches, served with a delicious rich, creamy tomato soup. "Made from home-grown tomatoes," Gale's mom had declared proudly, and it solidified Saxton’s feeling his gift had been the perfect choice.
He loved that the food here was casual as well. No elaborate meals that required either hours of cooking or an expensive catering service. Gale’s mom had heated up the soup, and two of Gale’s sisters had assembled sandwiches for everyone at record speed. Culinary talents clearly ran in the family.
After lunch, the twins were put down for a nap while the adults spread out throughout the house and even outside, a few going for a walk in the cold but sunny winter weather.
"Now, Saxton, you can tell me it's none of my business, but didn't your parents want to celebrate Christmas with you?" Gale's mom asked.
“Mom," Gale said immediately. Then he turned to Saxton. "I'm sorry. I forgot to tell her that—"
“It's okay," Saxton said softly. "It's a valid question." He took a deep breath and steadied himself. Sooner or later, he’d have to learn to talk about this. "My mother left when I was ten years old, and I haven't seen her since. My father is a successful businessman, but he was never that interested in me, so I haven't been back to see him since I left for college seven years ago. So no, I didn't have anywhere else to be for Christmas."
The sheer horror on Gale's mom's face was somehow comforting. Saxton had grown used to having been alone so long, but reactions like this proved to him that it wasn't normal, that he was right to be hurt about it, to be traumatized.
"Oh, honey," she said, her voice emotional. "I can't imagine how lonely that must've been for you. I'm so glad you met Gale. He'll take such good care of you."
How well she knew her son. Saxton swallowed. "He does, ma'am. He takes real good care of me."
Her face softened, and the gaze she sent in Gale's direction was one of pure love. "You picked a good man, Saxton. I'm proud of all my kids, but no one's heart is bigger than Gale's."
Gale shuffled on the couch, appearing to be embarrassed. "Mom," he protested.
She shook her head. "No, sweetheart, don't mom me. I'm your mother. I'm allowed to sing your praises and be proud of you, to brag about you, especially to your boyfriend. You're a wonderful man, Gale, and I just wanted Saxton to know how happy I am he's found you because it sounds like he needs someone like you."
Gale looked at Saxton, then took his hand and laced their fingers together. "He does need me," he said softly. “But I need him as well.”
Saxton was captivated by the intense look in his eyes. "I do," he whispered.
"Oh boys, you're making me all emotional," Gale's mom said, watching them with stars in her eyes.
Later that day, as Saxton hobbled through the house a bit, told by Gale to get some movement in, Gale’s mom cornered him in the hallway. "Saxton, honey, I just wanted to say this to you. I want you to know that you’re so welcome here, to my family, to my house. I’m glad Gale brought you and that we got to meet you. You're a wonderful man, and I can see from the way you two are with each other how much you care for each other, and it makes my heart full.”
Saxton's throat grew tight. "Thank you," he managed.
She stepped close, then folded both her hands around his cheeks. "I know we only met today, so take your time to get to know me and the rest of our family, but know this, sweetheart. I'll be your mom. If you allow me, I’ll cheer you on as I do with all my kids. I'll be your advocate. I'll tell you to wear your coat, wipe your nose, get your act together, and I'll tell you that I love you and that I'm proud of you."
Saxton couldn't hold back the tears that burned in his eyes, and she smiled as she wiped them gently off his cheeks. "I don't know why your mother left and what happened, but know that you'll always have a mom in me. Welcome to the family, sweetheart."
