Our Christmas Cookbook - 10. Star of Wonder

Star of Wonder

By Valkyrie

Snow blew horizontally across the road, reducing visibility to zero. Teddy gripped the steering wheel so tightly, his knuckles were the same color as the frozen precipitation making his life living hell. Well, it wasn’t just the crappy weather making his live miserable. He wanted to look at Finn, but didn’t dare take his eyes off the never-ending sea of white in front of him that used to be a road.

Fuck.

Finn needed to get to the hospital. Now. Teddy had called 911, but the operator pretty much told him he was SOL. He was more polite than that, but there weren’t any ambulances available, and they couldn’t get through the storm anyway. It was Finn’s shitty luck to be sick on Christmas Eve… especially during a blizzard.

Teddy held his breath. Fuck! Fuck! Fuck!

It was a miracle he was even still on the road. At least he assumed he was. He could be driving across a barren cornfield for all he knew. What was better? Ending up in a ditch, buried in snow, waiting for the gas to be used up, then freezing to death? Or watching Finn writhe in agony as pain spiked through his brain with no sign of abatement?

It was a Morton’s Fork—a situation with no good outcome.

Teddy couldn’t watch his poor boyfriend suffer any longer. While Finn was prone to migraines, he’d never had one this intense, and they usually lasted a day or two… not five. He was also nauseous to the point of throwing up and alternating between being freezing cold or burning hot. Teddy’s decision was made for him when Finn became short of breath.

Something was very wrong. And it couldn’t wait until the storm passed.

A large, green sign appeared directly in front of him, causing Teddy to swerve violently to the left. The car skidded on the slick road, going sideways before Teddy was able to straighten the wheels, heart pounding.

FUCK FUCK FUCK!

Finn moaned from the sudden movement. Teddy’s breath came in short gasps. What could he do? He’d never felt so hopeless in his life.

He stared straight ahead, looking for any indication he was on the road. He squinted. It looked like the snow ahead was brighter. Why would the snow be brighter?

Panic flooded through him. He was in the wrong lane, facing oncoming traffic! He wasn’t the only one the road, and they were on a collision course!

So apparently death chose option three.

The snow was now practically blinding him, despite it being dark out. He turned hard to his right, hoping to avoid getting smashed by the oncoming vehicle. Teddy thought it must be a semi-truck, based on the brilliance of the light.

The storm chose that moment for a brief lull, allowing Teddy to see ahead. There was no semi barreling toward them. The source of the light was to his right—a bright, silver, train car-shaped diner. Blazing white light emanated from a source above it. Teddy had no idea what it was, nor did he care.

He pulled right up to the door and sat, shoulders slumped. He’d tried to save the man he loved… and failed.

“What… where are we?” Finn’s weak voice broke Teddy out of his despair.

“There’s a diner here. The storm’s too bad to make it to the hospital. I’m sorry, babe, but we have to wait the storm out.”

Finn held both hands to his head. “The pain is worse,” he whispered, his breath coming in short gasps.

Teddy fought back tears. “I’ll get you inside. We can’t stay out here.”

Teddy removed his seatbelt and opened the door. The blast of frigid wind made it difficult to breathe. He fought his way around the car, through the stinging snow, to Finn’s door. He opened it, and helped his boyfriend out of the car and up the stairs, to the front door of the restaurant. The lights were on and he could see people inside. Before then, the possibility of the diner being closed never occurred to him.

Teddy kicked the door with his foot, hoping they’d hear him, since he couldn’t open the door and support Finn at the same time. A woman rushed over to the door and shoved it open. “Come in! My goodness! It’s dreadful out there!”

“Thank you! I’ve never seen a storm this bad,” Teddy stated. He helped Finn to the nearest booth, staggering under the weight of his larger boyfriend.

“Oh my… is he OK?” the woman asked. “Were you in an accident?”

“We weren’t in an accident, but he’s not OK. I was trying to drive him to the hospital, but the roads are impassable. It was pure luck I saw your spotlight.”

Finn groaned and rested his head on his arms, curled over the table. Teddy rubbed circles around his back.

“Spotlight?”

“I saw a bright light through the snow, which led me here. I thought I was going to get pulverized by a semi, but then the storm let up just enough for me to see the diner and pull into the parking lot.”

The woman wrung her hands and looked over her shoulder. “A bright light, you say?”

Teddy nodded.

“Huh. Strange. We don’t have a spotlight. Well we seem to be becoming a bit of a medical ward. There’s a very pregnant lady over there who was on the way to the hospital too.” She looked over her shoulder nervously. “She was having contractions, but her water hasn’t broken yet. We’re hoping she waits until the storm passes. What’s wrong with him?”

“He’s had a migraine for five days. He’s never had one this bad before. He’s in tremendous pain. I’m starting to wonder if it’s something worse.” Teddy swallowed the lump in his throat, not wanting to imagine what ‘worse’ could be.

“Oh, how awful.”

“Quiet!” hissed Finn as he put his hands over his ears and squeezed his eyes shut.

“Sorry… Let me get you some coffee and food. It will help warm you up,” the woman whispered, then walked away.

Finn removed his arms from his coat, then pulled it over his head in a desperate attempt to keep sound and light out.

Teddy looked around the diner. It was a cute place, decorated for Christmas. There was a Christmas tree in the corner and silver garland draped around the perimeter. Yellow, opaque stars with lights outlining them hung from the light fixtures. In the middle of the dining area, the tables had been pushed to the side to make room for a woman with a grotesquely-extended belly. She lay on the floor on a pile of coats and towels. A man sat next to her, holding her hand, a worried expression on his face. Three women of varying ages, all dressed the same in green pants and red shirts with a pink apron over them, along with two men wearing white cook’s uniforms, sat around the man and woman. Teddy returned their smiles and nods with a half-hearted attempt at a smile.

The woman who let them in returned, carrying two large bowls of steaming food. “I hope you like chili. It’s our specialty. I’ll be right back with some coffee,” she said quietly as she moved to place the bowls on the table. One of them slipped from her hand and landed on the table with a loud clatter, spattering chili on the table. Finn shrieked from the sound.

“Oh, I am so sorry! This damn arthritis is getting worse all the time,” she said, looking mortified. She set the second bowl down, then wiped the table with a cloth she removed from her apron. She winced as she moved her gnarled hand in circles as she quickly cleaned the mess, then walked away.

Teddy tried to get Finn to eat and drink some of the delicious-smelling food, but he refused, huddling deeper into his coat.

Teddy ate some of his chili, but mainly pushed it around with his spoon. When the waitress returned with coffee, she looked at him sympathetically.

“Sorry again. Hun, you need to keep up your strength so you can be strong for him.” She glanced at the pregnant woman, then out the window at the storm. “It’s going to be a long night for all of us.”

“Please stop talking… my head… it hurts so much.” Finn’s voice was muffled underneath his coat.

The waitress nodded and put her finger to her lips, then walked away. Teddy ate as much of his meal as he could before pushing the plate away. The coffee helped keep him awake, although the warm atmosphere in the diner, plus the crash from his earlier adrenaline rush, made him drowsy. He hadn’t slept well all week either, from taking care of Finn and worrying about him.

It didn’t take long for the coffee to work its way through Teddy’s system, causing him to seek out the bathroom. When he finished, he looked over at the booth where Finn huddled. His boyfriend remained hidden underneath his coat. Teddy pushed down the worry threatening to overwhelm him. He walked over to the group of people gathered by the pregnant woman. He waved to everyone.

“Hey. I’m Teddy. Some Christmas, huh?” He laughed nervously and shifted his feet.

“I’m Adam and this is my wife, Eva. Yeah. Not quite what we had in mind, is it, honey?”

Eva snorted. “Not really. I just hope the little one waits until I can get to a hospital. I’m hoping I’m having Braxton Hicks contractions and am just practicing for the real thing.”

Teddy stared at her, not sure what to say.

“What’s going on with your friend over there?” Adam asked.

Teddy glanced at Finn. “He has a migraine. Only it’s much worse than any migraine he’s ever had. I was trying to get him to the hospital, but the storm was too bad. Seeing the light over this place saved our lives. I think we would have ended up buried in a ditch if I hadn’t pulled into the parking lot here.”

Eva and Adam exchanged looks.

“What?” Teddy asked.

“We found this place by following a bright light too. When she started having contractions, I panicked and made us try to get to the hospital. I didn’t want my kid born at home. What if something goes wrong?” Adam looked at the swirling snow outside the diner’s front windows, then squeezed his wife’s hand. “I didn’t realize the storm was this bad. We almost went off the road, then saw a bright light and ended up here.”

“Huh. That’s pretty much what happened to me.”

The waitress who had brought our food to us smiled. “Well, this is the Bethlehem Diner. Maybe it was a star that guided you.”

Teddy and Adam stared at her.

“Seriously?” Teddy asked.

She pointed to a neon sign behind her.

Bethlehem Diner blazed above a mirrored backdrop, shining bright red.

“Well. Would you look at that,” Adam stated.

“Uh… guys… I think my water just broke,” Eva said, her voice trembling.

A pool of liquid spread out underneath her. Adam stood and turned in a circle. “Oh my God. What do we do? Someone get some boiling water and towels!” He knelt back down and grabbed Eva’s hand. “It’ll be OK, honey. Everything will be OK.” His breath came in short gasps.

Eva screamed as a contraction hit.

Finn screamed.

Teddy ran to his boyfriend as the rest of the people gathered around Eva. Finn writhed in his seat, clutching his head with his hands, underneath his coat. Teddy moved the coat so he could see Finn’s face. Finn shrieked in agony and pulled the coat back over his head.

“What should I do?” Teddy asked. His heart pounded and dread filled him. He wondered if Finn was going to die. The thought made him want to vomit.

“It… hurts… so… much….” Finn hissed.

Teddy wondered if a cold cloth would help, but didn’t want to leave Finn’s side. He didn’t really think it would stop the searing pain his boyfriend was experiencing, but maybe it would help him think about something else, even if for a minute. He dipped a napkin into his ice water.

“I’m going to put this on your forehead,” he told him, then placed his hand under the coat and pressed the cold napkin against Finn’s forehead.

Finn screamed.

Teddy dropped the napkin.

The next hour was excruciating for everyone in the small diner. It took about ten minutes for Teddy to realize Finn’s screams mirrored Eva’s. At first, he thought the noise of the woman giving birth was too much for Finn’s sensitive nervous system, but that couldn’t be the case since their screams were happening simultaneously. He hoped the birth was going well, but couldn’t leave Finn’s side.

Just when Teddy thought he couldn’t handle any more, Eva and Finn gave one more prolonged, agonizing scream, then fell silent.

Finn slumped against the table. Teddy felt like his heart stopped. Was Finn…? He couldn’t complete the thought. He exhaled in relief when Finn sat up, the coat falling from his shoulders.

Finn looked at Teddy, his blue eyes bright and alert, and smiled. “The pain is gone.”

It took Teddy a minute to recover from his shock, then he embraced Finn, hugging him as tightly as he could. “Thank God. I was so worried. I love you so much. I can’t lose you.”

“You love me?”

Teddy nodded. “Of course I do.”

Finn kissed the top of his head. “Good. Because I love you too.”

Teddy broke their embrace and kissed Finn. “What happened? It’s strange you’re better… just like that. Not that I’m complaining.”

Finn shrugged. “Dunno. One minute I felt like a thousand ice picks were stabbing my brain, and the next… nothing.”

They looked over at Eva and everyone gathered around her. The soft coo of a baby made them stand and walk over to them. They knelt before the mother and child, wonder on both of their faces. The infant smiled and waved his arms at the two men. Finn knelt before them and held out his hand to the baby boy. The infant grabbed his pinky finger and cooed. A tear fell down Finn’s cheek and landed on his arm.

“Thank you…,” he whispered.

“It’s after midnight. It’s officially Christmas,” Adam said softly. He gestured toward the wiggling baby. “Meet Nicholas.”

Finn stood and slipped his hand into Teddy’s, then squeezed. “Welcome to the world, little one.”

“Why did you thank him?” Teddy asked.

Finn’s face turned red. “Well, you’re going to think I’m nuts, but I think the baby cured my headache.”

Teddy raised an eyebrow.

“I don’t think you’re nuts. Look!” The waitress with arthritis held up her hands. Her fingers were straight, and her knuckles no longer looked gnarled. She flexed her fingers. “I can’t remember the last time I wasn’t in constant pain.”

One of the cooks bent over and touched his toes, then straightened back up. “Because of my bad back, I haven’t been able to do that since I was in my twenties!”

Everyone looked at the smiling baby, who grinned at them all, bright blue eyes twinkling.

Bright red light illuminated the tableau, as the neon diner sign flashed behind them.

Valkyrie’s Chili Recipe

· Three pounds ground meat – I like to use a combination of meats, usually one pound each of beef, bison, and lamb, but it’s also good with pork or sausage

· 1 medium onion, diced

· 1 can black beans

· 2 cans tomato sauce

· Chili powder

· Black pepper

· Garlic powder

· 1 tablespoon cocoa powder

1. Brown the ground meats and season them liberally. You don’t need to cook them all the way through, just enough to get some of the fat cooked off. Drain and add to crock pot.

2. Brown the onions and add to crock pot.

3. Add the tomato sauce and more seasoning, along with the cocoa powder.

4. Drain the beans and add. Stir until everything is incorporated.

5. Cook on high for one hour, then reduce to low and cook for 6-7 hours. Letting it cook longer is fine, too.

The seasonings listed are just suggestions. And I add a ton of them. I don’t measure them so have no idea how much I actually use. I sprinkle them on liberally at every step. Feel free to make your own additions/substitutions based on taste. Also, this makes a lot of chili, but it freezes well. A note on the cocoa powder… it does not make the chili taste ‘chocolatey’. It gives it a slight richness and helps enhance the overall flavor, IMO. Also, I follow a low carb diet, which is why I only use one can of black beans. Black beans are lower in carbs than other varieties. So those of you without dietary restrictions may want to add two cans instead of one.