From: DNlaughlin@aol.com Date: Thu, 26 Dec 1996 20:23:54 -0500 Message-ID: <961226202353_69383485@emout03.mail.aol.com> Subject: "Giving" rewrite Giving by Cathy Laughlin "Look out! Hold it steady, Gushie!" cried Dr. Verbina Beeks. Gushie gulped and help the ladder tighter, as Al swayed precariously at the top. "C'mon, Goosh," he growled. "Quit movin' around!" At last, the ladder grew still, and Al placed the bright star at the very top of the Project Quantum Leap Christmas tree. Everyone smiled as Al made his way down from the top of the ladder- the tree was beautiful. The senior staff had spent days working on the ornaments, and now the tree was festooned with glittering paper angels, strings of popcorn, and bright blinking lights. "It's lovely, Al," Verbina said with a gentle smile. She knew that Christmas was always a hard time for the Admiral, and she wished she could help somehow. "Yeah," he agreed. "Looks really nice. I sure wish Sam could see it." He sighed softly, and turned to go. "I've got some work to do," he said. "Take care of things here for me, OK?" Verbina nodded and smiled at him. "All right," she agreed. "But, you have to promise to get some sleep. You work too hard. We'll never bring Sam home if you spend the holidays in the hospital." Al scowled and sighed, "Okay, I'll sleep. But when our next Visitor shows up, I want to be notified. Got it?" "You'll be the first to know, Al," she said. "Now go on, and have a merry Christmas!" "You too," Al muttered softly, and headed down the hall to his office. He met no one along the way; the halls were empty. Most of the Project staff were either on vacation or at the Christmas party he'd just left. The empty halls seemed to magnify Al's own loneliness, but he didn't want to stay at the party. It only served as a reminder of how sad the holidays made him. For everyone else it was a happy time, but for Al Christmas was just a reminder of happier times that seemed far away, gone forever. He reached his office and went inside, turning on the light as he went. Al sat down in his favorite chair and put his feet up on the desk. He looked at the picture on his desk sadly. It was a photo of Sam and Al, taken at the Project Christmas party the year before Sam leaped. He reached into his pocket and took out an old-fashioned silver pocketwatch, a gift from his partner. *Best present I ever got,* Al thought, turning the watch over in his hands. It was heavy silver, with the Navy seal on the cover, and the inner cover was engraved with a message: "For my best friend Al, merry Christmas." The watch was one of Al's most prized possessions, and he kept it with him always. It reminded him of Sam, and today it also reminded him of one last thing he had to do before he could go to bed. Opening the desk drawer, he rummaged around inside until he found a small box and some wrapping paper. Al carefully wrapped the small package, and taped a Christmas card to the top. He opened the card and signed it: "To Sam, Christmas 2004, From Al." This done, he stood up and left the room, heading for his quarters. The halls were still empty; the party would last all night long, for all the people who were stuck at the Project for Christmas. Al's quarters seemed even quieter as he moved inside and walked to the closet. The closet was stacked full of gifts of all sizes, each with a card proclaiming the holiday and year. There were two presents for each year Sam had been gone: one for his birthday, and one for Christmas. Al added the newest one to the top of the pile with a sad smile. "I miss you, Sam," he sighed. "But, boy are you gonna be surprised when you get home and see all these gifts!" He turned and went into the darkened bedroom with a yawn. He sat down on the bed and reached for the lamp, but he was startled when his hand touched something else on the table. *What the hell?* he thought. *I didn't leave anything there.* He got up and flipped the light switch on the wall, his weariness taking a back seat to curiosity. He turned around gasped. There on the night table was a hat, but not just _any_ hat. This was the most perfect hat Al had ever seen. It was a heavy, expensive fedora, just the kind he liked. And best of all, it was brilliant, screaming electric blue, so bright that it reminded Al of the light that surrounded Sam when he Leaped. "Oh, wow," Al breathed, lifting the hat gingerly and trying it on. It fit perfectly, just the right size. Despite himself Al grinned; he loved gifts, and couldn't help but wonder who had left this one. He glanced down at the night table, and froze. The card was small and plain white, but Al knew the handwriting on it better than he knew his own. "Sam?" he whispered, unable to believe his own eyes. He lifted the card carefully, reading the front. "For my partner and best friend." Al opened the card with his heart in his throat, wondering if what he saw could be true. The inside of the card was like the outside, plain white except for the blue ink in Sam Beckett's handwriting: "I love you, Al. Merry Christmas!" Al stared at the card for what seemed like forever, his heart filled with happiness. At last he grinned and placed the card carefully back on the table. Al stood, adjusting his new hat and smiling like the Cheshire Cat. His loneliness was gone, replaced by the warm feelings of his friend's gift. "Thanks, Sam," he said softly to the air. "Come home soon, pal." He headed out the door still grinning, thinking about the Christmas party and the fun he'd have when he got there. *I love Christmas,* he thought. *Best time of the year!* So, there it is, my Quantum Leap Christmas story. Please email your comments to hempster@nmt.edu. Have a happy holidays and Keep the Leap!