Claus of Hope

A young actress bewails her lonliness on Christmas only to find someone in much greater need of love and support than herself

 

Claus of Hope

 

She stared out the window as the rain pelted the sash. Sighing deeply against window left a large patch of fog where her breath contacted the glass. In her younger days, a smiley face automatically followed this act, but as an adult, it was viewed too silly.

She took her favorite blanket, snuggled down into her favorite chair, flipped on her lamp and began to read. It was no use. The words simply ran together. Her focus and love for the book vanished, along with any hope for a holiday with friends or family. Depression wove its ugliness all around her, and no clue revealed itself to the outside world as to why this beautiful and successful woman fell victim to its dark clutches.

Rather she had several clues. Helen was alone today, and this was Christmas Eve. Never before has this happened to her. The death of her grandparents early this year, her parents' demise at the hand of a drunken driver, her fiancée's announcement to her two weeks ago that he was gay all served to destroy her Christmas spirit. She loved Christmas, but here she was in her parent huge house, decorated gaily in red, green and gold and nary a light on at all, save for the glow of the small table lamp and the fireplace.

This should have been a wonderful year. This could have been a fantastic celebration. This would have been her best Christmas yet. Her film career took off, and her face launched two new blockbuster movies. She had to hide her face under ball caps and sunglasses everywhere she went, paparazzi followed her every move. She had so much to celebrate, so much to be thankful for this year, yet she sits lonely with nothing she cherished.

Slowly, Helen gets up from her chair and wanders through the house. Memories flood back to her. Pausing to look up the winding staircase, Helen sees herself at three, wide-eyed and full of wonder at the gifts all under the huge tree. Her parents greet her with warm cinnamon rolls, hugs, kisses and all the warmth a child could imagine.

The tree stands with gifts, mostly for her, from people she scarcely knows. Empty gifts fill in the gaps. Sadly, she flips on the switch to light the tree, dazzling brilliantly in the late afternoon gloom. Still, the rain pelts on the window, making her feel even lonelier.

Helen turns off her phone, enters the kitchen and places the kettle on the burner to make herself a cup of tea. chamomile would be so nice right now, she thinks to herself.  The lights flicker as a flash of lightening crosses the sky and thunder rolls outside.

At least the fire would hep chase off the chill should the power go out she thinks to herself. In the midst of this thought, she stops. A sound at the door? A soft knocking sound comes from her front door. Her heart pounds as she checks her closed circuit tv monitor, seeing only a small child.

The child looks directly into the camera with pleading eyes. Struck by this look, Helen goes to the door. The little boy could not be more than five or maybe six, and is soaking wet from the downpour. He stands shivering in the entry to her home, almost too cold to move.

“Are you okay?” she asks.

“Yeah, but I'm cold, and my Mom needs help. Can you help me?” His pleading eyes make Helen's heart sink.  

The kettle gives its loud shrill startling both. “I've left the tea pot on.  I'll have to see to it. Come on in, let me get you a coat and some dry clothes.”

“Just turn it off please, and help us?” he pleaded again. “She sent me for help, and I don't want to be away too long.”

The look in the boy’s face told Helen now was the time to hurry as she grabbed her raincoat, cell phone and car keys. From the boy's appearance, he had been outside for some time.

“Okay, now. If I am going to help you and your Mom, you'll have to help me too,” Helen said. “I've got a car, so you can tell me where your Mom is and I've got a cell phone, so we can call for help, okay. I'll take you to her and do what I can, but I don't have too much training in first aid.,”

He told her his name was Caleb. He and his family were coming home from his grandparents' home when their car stalled.

“Where do you live?” Helen asked as they drove further into the darkening woods that bordered the narrow winding road which lead to her estate. “A long way from here. We got lost, and I don't know where we are.”

Lost, as many who ventured out to try to find her became, was almost ironic that someone who needed help would actually find her when they became lost.  Helen soon spotted the old station wagon on the side of the road. The emergency flashers flickered very dimly, and even Helen with her limited knowledge of cars, knew this was not a good sign.

“My mom's inside with my sister. They got to be so cold by now. Please hurry,” he pleaded.

Helen turned on her emergency flashers and turned the heat in her own car to its highest setting. Pulling her coat tightly around her neck,  she went to check on the boy's mother. She was shocked when she realized the mother was very pregnant.

“Quick, take your sister to my car. Her lips are almost blue she's so cold. I'll get your mother.”

Caleb did as instructed as Helen tried to get his mother out of the car. She began to protest, saying she was too weak. A contraction hit her, and she screamed for God's help, which ironically, Helen did too.

“You have to get out of this weather,” Helen demanded. The lightening and thunder came as if cued by one of her directors. Flooding from the creek threatened the roadway not far from the stricken car as well. 

The contraction passed and Helen used all her strength to help move the weakened woman from her disabled car and into her own. She was just as drenched now as the rest of the family, her makeup and hairstyle ruined, not that any of it mattered.

Helen helped woman into the back seat and instructed Caleb to help keep his mother calm while she drove them to her home. She checked her cell phone and was not surprised the more bars indicator showed no bars for service. One of the rare dead spots, and this entire road seemed to be right in the middle of it. The little girl of about four years of age sat silently in Helen's front seat, rain dripping from her long black hair, shivering still from the cold.

“Caleb, what is your mother's name?” Helen asked.

“Jaclyn. She goes by Jackie. She's okay?”

“I think so. She's about to deliver you a new baby sister or brother.”

As they arrived at Helen’s home, another contraction hit Jackie. She writhed in the pain, fighting against it until the contraction passed. Helen noted the time. Contractions were ten minutes apart.

Helen hurried them inside and huddled around her fireplace. A little cliché, she thought to herself, but this helped dry them and warmed them all at the same time. She dried the little girl's hair and helped her change into some dry clothes while her brother changed clothes in the main bathroom.

Helen removed the wet clothes as fast as she could from the children's mother in between contractions and made the 911 call for help. The dispatcher informed her that the ambulance might take some time because of the weather and the volume of calls coming through. The call taker must have noticed Helen's name on the dispatch screen as she suddenly started speaking in a more animated voice.

“Ms. Forester, I'm going to stay on the line with you until Paramedics can get to you, okay?”

“Yes, I am right here. Now, as I said, she has two children here with me. Both were very cold and very wet, so they need help also. This woman is in labor, and her contractions are about five minutes apart now. She looks rather small, but she is very large with this baby.”

“I understand. Paramedics are on the way, but the rain has covered the slab down the road from you and they can't cross from that direction. It will take another fifteen minutes to get you some help, okay?”

“I understand,” Helen said and was surprised at how calm her voice sounded. She rode with Paramedics for a role in ‘Saved ' but that in no way prepared for what she felt this dispatcher might call upon her to do.

Blood and fluid gushed with the next contraction and Helen reported this to the dispatcher. Both women were frightened as the next contraction produced more intense pain and required more vocalization on the mother's part.

“That's a bloody show, and the clear fluid would mean her water has broken. Ms. Forester, I want you to get ready to catch this baby. Do you have any help there with you?”

“Only her children. Her son is about six, her daughter is about four, I think.”

“Okay, do you have anything clean to catch the baby as it comes out?”

“Yes, we have towels. The head is showing.”

“Next contraction, she has to push. It may take a few more contractions, so help her push, and the baby should come on out. As it comes out, place your hand against the top of the baby’s head and control it as she delivers.”

“Jackie, next contraction, you push, okay. You push hard!” Helen ordered. Once again, she surprised herself with the calmness in her voice.

Soon, the baby's head emerged, followed by the shoulders and the rest of the body. Helen kept the baby lower than the mother's abdomen until she could cut the chord, wrapped it in a clean towel and placed the baby in her mother's arms.

The contractions continued though and Helen soon saw a second head emerge. Twins! She rotated the baby's head as it emerged kicking and screaming. A second baby girl! Helen wrapped this baby in a second clean towel as the ambulance announced its arrival.  

The paramedics continued caring for the mother and cleaned both infants thoroughly.

“Can you take the other two children to the hospital? We hate to ask, but you are right, they need medical treatment. We could send a second ambulance, but it's Christmas Eve and with this weather, it will take a while.”

“Sure, I can do that,” Helen agreed. She loaded the children into her car and buckled them in securely. The little girl finally spoke as she started the car.

“You must be an angel,” Cherise said. “My mom says angels watch over us all the time.”

“I'm no angel, but you are so sweet to think so,” Helen said. Her eyes moistened a bit as the rain gave way to snow, gently falling and covering the ground.

“Thank you for helping us,” Caleb said. “Your father said you would. Your mother stayed with Mom and Cherise at the car while your father led me to the house. He said they would have stayed, but they had other people to help tonight.”

Helen suddenly stopped the car before they left her drive. Caleb's statement had to be the result of some sort of hypothermia.

“You saw my father and mother tonight?”

“Cherise saw them too, didn't you?” The four year old nodded quickly in agreement.

“They didn't want you to be alone this Christmas Eve, and we needed help. I hope it's okay we came to you. He said you would understand.”

Helen could take no more. She folded her arms on the driving wheel and cried into them. She was thinking so selfishly this year, all about what she had lost and yet this family had come so close to losing everything.

“Are you okay?” Cherise asked as she patted Helen softly on the arm.

Helen looked up to see the angelic face smiling at her, and she knew this was something very special.

“I'm okay,” she said. “And I'm glad you are going to be okay now as well. I'm glad you found me tonight. I don't dare to think what might have happened if you hadn't.”

They continued to the hospital, taking the long way around. Helen left the children in the care of the hospital staff, made a few phone calls and made sure she used some of her influence for something worthwhile. Her publicist loved her idea, and Helen found the children's wing.

Helen was touched by so many of the children, she could scarcely wait to see their faces once her plan became reality. At midnight, by her request, a fully dressed Santa was unloading presents under the huge tree in the ward. She watched with delight as a few the children too sick to go home, but well enough the staff looked the other way as they snuck our of their beds to steal a look at the jolly old elf, squealed in delight as they caught him in the act of delivering presents.

“This was an amazing way to spend a Christmas Eve,” Helen told the Paramedic as she got into her car.

“You did a great thing tonight, and oh, the lower road is open again. Water went down quick after the snow started. Shouldn't take you long to get home.”

“Thanks!” Helen started her car for the now quicker trip home. As she saw the old station wagon, flashing lights caught her eye. A police officer waved her over. As she rolled down her window, he recognized her.

“Sorry Ms. Forester. We got a call about an abandoned car, so we had to check it out, you know, just in case you had a stalker. The owner must have left it here. Good thing. Exhaust was leaking. Anyone inside would have died from carbon monoxide poisoning.”

“Oh, they are all at the hospital. The little boy found his way to my house, and we called for help. The mother delivered twins tonight,” Helen smiled at the officer.

“That was the 911 call we heard about. Amazing!  Merry Christmas Ms. Forester!”

As Helen drove past the old car, she thought she saw her mother and father wave at her in the distance. Never alone, she thought to herself. Not with my two angels watching over me.

When she got home, Helen flipped on all her lights, turned on her Christmas music and allowed herself the luxury of a long hot shower. As she finished and was getting dressed for bed, the phone rang. A glance at the clock told her any news at this time of the morning had to be bad news.

“Merry Christmas,” she forced herself to say into the receiver.

A child's voice came over the other end of the phone. She recognized Caleb's voice immediately.

“Ms. Forester?” he asked shyly.

“Yes, Caleb. Is everything okay?” “Yes, yes it is, well, maybe it isn’t. They want to send us home, but we got no home. I lied to you earlier. We live in our car, and my dad's gone. I told them I was calling our grandparents, but that's a lie too. We got no home to go to, and our Mom's going to be in the hospital a while. Could me and my sister stay with you a few days, till my Mom's better?”

Helen had to think about the lost family, perhaps the spirit of her parents leading them to her, and the consequences she faced should they need further assistance. She did not linger long on those thoughts and made a quick decision.

“Caleb, I'll have a car come to get you and your sister. Let me speak to the social worker. I know she is close.”

“Okay, she's here,” Caleb's voice sounded a bit dejected as he handed the phone to the rather harried social worker.  After a few moments, she gathered Caleb and his sister to await the arrival of the car Helen sent for them.

Helen made a few more calls to prepare for the arrival of her two young visitors. The gifts she had would not suffice these two children, and her agent got right on the task of paying the hospital Santa extra cash to play the character for these two children.

Both children were at the point of exhaustion by the time they arrived, as was the actor portraying Santa, but he did his part to make the children's and Helen's Christmas one of the best they had to date. Both became very wide-awake at seeing the jolly old elf enter through the side door, set his bag on the floor and shake the snow from his suit. Quickly, he unloaded the pack as he did earlier, not taking a second to glance around.

He caused them all to giggle as he took a cookie from the plate, drank the milk quickly and ran out the door. Helen was pleased with the performance he gave.

As she looked at the nametags on the gifts, Helen noticed the children's last name. ‘Claus.' Cherise Hope Claus and Nickolas Caleb Claus. With tears in her eyes, she gave both children big hugs.

“You've brought so much new hope to my door today. Thank you, thank you for being here.”

Reviews

[Rain]

What an incredible heart warming and exciting story. Wow. Rain..