A Very Furry Christmas
Chapter One

The smell of cinnamon and ginger greeted Caitlin Carr at the doors of the children's hospital instead of the usual bleach and antiseptic. She followed the scent like a Christmas hound on the trail of some festive cheer. In the entrance hall, she found a stall bedecked in silver tinsel and holly, laden with edible goodies.

"Merry Christmas." A round-faced elderly lady beckoned her over and offered up a tray of home-baked treats while another white-haired pensioner poured some mulled wine.

"Don't worry, it's alcohol-free." She thrust a paper cup into Caitlin's hand and left her no choice but to accept.

With no sign of her favorite Christmas totem among the selection of gingerbread shapes, she settled for a boring old Christmas tree.

"How much do I owe you?" The few coins she kept in her uniform pocket would surely cover the cost.

The old woman shooed her away. "Nothing at all, love. We're only too glad to spread the Christmas spirit for the kiddies and their families. A few more volunteers are coming later with presents for the wee ones." Caitlin smiled. It meant a lot that people thought of the children here, too sick to go home for Christmas. "You're doing a good job, ladies. I hope Santa will be good to you this year."

"If he leaves George Clooney gift wrapped at the end of my bed, I'll be a very happy woman." The two merry visitors burst into peals of laughter, and Caitlin waved them goodbye to start her shift in outpatients.

"Morning." Shannon, the secretary of the metabolic department and Caitlin's best friend, sat alone in the waiting room.

"Where is everyone?" She took her first sip of mulled wine as she walked past the reception desk. The nursing staff had been busy. The Christmas tree twinkled brightly in the morning gloom, and gaudy decorations hung from every corner of the room.

"Early morning meeting, but the first patient should be here any minute now." Shannon looked at the clock as their first little person ran in and straight over to Caitlin.

"Have you got any pictures for coloring in?" She peered into the craft cupboard.

"Let's see. I have Christmas trees, Santa Claus, and penguin pictures to color. Which one do you want?" Caitlin opened the folder of printouts and splayed them out on the table along with a tub of crayons.

"Which one's your favorite?" The pig-tailed blonde cherub studied the pages carefully.

"I like polar bears, but they aren't very good for coloring. What about this one?" Caitlin tapped on the picture of a cheeky elf grinning out from beneath his pointy hat.

"I like him. He's funny." Satisfied with her choice, the little girl settled down with a chubby fist full of crayons. Her parents flashed Caitlin grateful smiles from the row of seats opposite. It made her job as a Play Specialist worthwhile, seeing the children relaxed and too pre-occupied to worry about the dreaded blood tests.

As the morning wore on, the faces around the craft table changed, but all the patients left smiling and clutching their work.

The latest batch of eager students worked too quietly for her liking, and she wanted to distract them. "Who wants to make snowflakes?"

"Me!" A lively chorus chimed around the table, accompanied by a show of hands, much to her relief.

Armed with a pile of paper and craft scissors, Caitlin set to work. White scraps floated to the floor, and glitter glue lay in pools everywhere, but the kids were having too much fun for her to care.

"Ho-ho-ho!" A flurry of activity passed through the hospital at the sound of a familiar voice. Through the window, Caitlin could see adults and children alike pointing and clapping.

The wide-eyed children beside her forgot their handiwork and fixed their attention on the door where the sound of bells rang out.

"Who could that be?" Caitlin stood up and fueled their excitement.

"Santa?" The reverent whispers and open mouths fed her own childish enthusiasm for the season. With so many good and bad memories tied to the occasion, this time of year brought mixed emotions and made one particular problem very hard to ignore.

"Ho-ho-ho!" As the man himself grew closer, the children grew more restless. They clambered over Caitlin and stood on their chairs, every one of them straining for a better position to see the red suit.

The infectious smiles spread to the staff's faces, and Caitlin led everyone in a rendition of Jingle Bells to welcome Father Christmas's arrival.

"Ho-ho-ho! Well, boys and girls. Have you all been good this year?" The gaggle of eager children swarming around the man in red nodded their heads vigorously.

"My friend Jason has presents for all the well-behaved children here. Shall we call him in?" Santa put his hand to his mouth and called him in. "Jason."

Jason didn't sound like a particularly inventive name for an elf, and she thought maybe she should take Santa aside and suggest Buddy or Mr. Jingles as a child-friendly alternative. The reluctant elf failed to appear.

"I think Jason's feeling a little bit shy today. Maybe if we all shout really loudly, he'll come in and say hello." Santa buoyed the troops and counted them down from three.

"Jason!" Caitlin joined in with the call, and Jason padded into sight.

All her Christmases literally came at once.