Christmas Confection Perfection: Day #9 – November 29, 2025
Day #9 – Night at the Children’s Hospital
Ashton
The hospital parking lot glowed under the pale wash of streetlights, the snow falling soft and slow, more like a curtain than a storm.
Ashton pulled into a loading zone near the side entrance, and was out of the truck and circling around to the passenger side before Mary could even reach for her door handle.
“Careful,” he said, opening her door and offering his hand.
Mary hesitated, surprised by the gesture, but the ground was slick and so she gripped at his hand to steady herself. Ashton felt a bit of a tremor ripple through him at her touch. He shook it off though and moved around to the tailgate to start the process of unloading.
They worked together to load the first tree into the red wagon, though it was much larger than the wagon itself, and so the great tree branches spilling over the sides with elegant drama. The two of them must have looked ridiculous, tugging and guiding the thing through the snow. Ashton pulled the wagon through the deepening snow, as Mary held the top of the tree up to keep it from dragging.
As they stepped through the main doorway, Ashton noted that the hospital wing was quiet at this late hour. A few staff members moved through the large greeting space that boasted tall windows, lots of sitting room, and a spot already cleared specifically for a tree.
As they rolled the wagon inside, they left a trail of snow and pine needles in their wake.
Ashton adjusted his grip on the wagon handle and looked back, watching Mary brush melting flakes from her hair as she smiled at the nurse who was headed their way. She didn’t seem to notice the damp cuffs of her coat or the cold air still clinging to her cheeks. She just looked…content. Most people he knew would be rushing to finish the errand, eager to check the box and move on. Mary seemed to treat it like something to be savored, sacred almost.
He wasn’t used to this kind of quiet kindness. His life ran on efficiency…solve the problem, meet the deadline, optimize the next task. But here she was, treating a tree delivery like an act of grace. And somehow, he found himself wanting to protect that brightness instead of analyzing it.
“Hello! I’m Nurse Jacob, nice to meet you.” A bubbly nurse with short-cropped hair hurried over. “I see you have a tree for us!”
“We do.” Ashton nodded with a friendly smile. “We have four in fact.”
“That’s amazing!” Jacob shook his head and flashed Mary a smile of greeting. “Please tell Jack and Elsie thank you, thank you from all of us!”
Ashton nodded, half-distracted by the way Mary bent to straighten a crooked branch. There was flour on her sleeve again, he didn’t know how, but there always seemed to be and the sight of it made him smile despite himself.
“Sure will.” Ashton agreed for Jacob. “Where would you like them? This one is the biggest, I am guessing you want it over in that corner?”
“That would be perfect. Follow me! This way through the chairs.” Jacob lead the way.
As they followed Nurse Jacob down the corridor, Ashton felt the faint pull of pine and disinfectant blending in the air. A strange combination, both sterile and warm all at once. He wasn’t sure what this little project was doing to him, but for the first time in months, he didn’t mind not having a fully-formed plan to follow.
Mary
An hour and four trips later, all the trees stood upright in their stands, scattered throughout the children’s wing of the hospital. Each time a tree went up, nearby staff stopped to watch and admire the new addition.
Watching staff stop in their hurried routines to look at the trees surprised her with its impact. A Christmas tree was simple enough (even bare ones such as these, just branches and pine scent), but the way it made people slow down, breathe, feel something. Mary realized how much she had been missing that. How the smallest traditions, the ones everyone shared, stitched people together without them noticing.
As they turned to leave the last tree in its place, a small boy wearing a chemo cap wandered into the room. He stopped short, his little face lighting up as he let out an audible gasp.
Mary’s breath caught in her throat as she watched the child, who looked to be about five years’ old, walk his way up to the bare tree. His little fingers reached out to feel the pine needles. The fact that the tree was bare of decorations didn’t seem to take any of the Christmas magic away for him.
“Think this one’s good enough for Santa?” Ashton walked up and asked the boy, his voice easy and light.
The boy grinned. “Yes! But it needs lights that blink.”
“Well,” Ashton said solemnly, “that can probably be arranged.”
Mary’s eyes filled with tears as she watched Ashton and the child. Her thoughts went to Abigail and the soft caps she wore before her death.
There was something about the way Ashton approached the little boy, about the way he made space for the child’s laughter, how he made sure he was on the boy’s level.
“Benjamin!” Nurse Jacob suddenly appeared in the doorway.
The little boy’s head snapped around and he giggled at Jacob.
“It’s way past bedtime,” Jacob said, feigning sternness. “Santa’s watching, you know.”
Benjamin laughed again as Jacob took his hand, leading him gently down the hall.
Mary watched until they disappeared, then blinked away the tears still threatening to fall.
“You okay?” Ashton asked quietly.
“Sweet kid,” she said. Her voice came out softer than she meant it to. “I just wish I could see their faces in the morning when they all find the trees.”
“Pretty special.” Ashton agreed as they started back toward the exit.
On the way back to the truck, the world was hushed again, only the sound of fresh snow crunching beneath their boots.
“That was…nice,” Mary said softly.
Ashton nodded. “Yeah. Makes the small stuff feel smaller.”
She glanced at him, studying the faint stubble along his jaw, the way the streetlight caught in his hair. He looked different here, not just kind, but real. Not a viral video, not a joke. Ashton.
Her heart gave an inconvenient flutter.
“It was a nice way to spend the evening” he said, opening her door again.
Mary nodded, stepping up into the truck as Ashton put the red wagon in back of the truck. It sure was a nice way to spend the evening.
Come Back Monday to Unlock the Next Piece of the Advent Calendar!
Leave a Reply