Title: The Birthday Wish (songfic)
Author: Eve Karma
Disclaimer: Not mine, yada yada. Except for Kate. She's mine. All mine, mwa-ha-ha.
Spoilers: The Night on the Town (Kate Montgomery) series
In memoriam: Jim Berger ~12/14/56-9/11/01~ We miss you very much...
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*Wednesday*
"What is that?" I ask Ginger. I'm standing in the doorway of the communications bullpen, staring up at a familiar-looking sprig of...plant, I'll say, hanging there.
"It's, uh, mistletoe," she replies, and proceeds to sprinkle tinsel on her desk.
"Oh my god," I cry, dropping my bag on my desk and rushing over to her.
"What's wrong?" She asks, trying to pull away as I feel her forehead.
"Oh," I say, removing my hand from her surprisingly cool skin. "I was kind of hoping you had a fever."
"Me? Fever?"
"Well, fever or going insane are the only two plausible explanations for, well," I glance around the bullpen, "This."
"This?"
"Yeah. The mistletoe. The tinsel. The funny echo I keep hearing. The next thing I know you'll be hanging a stocking on Toby's door."
"But Toby's Jewish."
"My point exactly," I tell her, and take off my scarf.
"I'm just trying to get into the holiday spirit, Kate. You should try it."
"Sure," I say blankly with a half-hearted smile. I lean on the back of my desk chair for a moment. Then, I snap out of it and take off my coat, draping it over my chair as I tell Ginger, "I'm going to get some coffee. Want some?"
"No, thanks."
"All right. I'll be back, then."
I turn around to pass through the doorway and run into Sam, who's coming the other way.
"Eep!" I gasp and dash past him.
"What?" he calls down the hall after me.
"Nothing, nothing, Sam. Just don't look up," I warn over my shoulder.
~~~~~
Later on, wondering what to do with myself, (It's actually a slow day-a shocker around here.) I remember that I picked up my mail on the way out of my apartment in the morning. I plop into my desk chair and grab the pile out of my bag.
Junk. Bill. Bill. Junk. Bill.
Then, at the very bottom of the stack is something that looks work opening. I tear open the envelope and pull out a card. I read it, then sit back in my chair with a sigh.
"What's wrong?"
I nearly jump out of my skin. I glance behind me and see that Sam's there, then I look back at my card.
"Nothing," I tell him.
"Sure?" he prods.
I squint a little. Then, I spin around to him and say, "It's just...this," I wave the card in my hand.
"What is it?"
"A birthday card from my Great-Aunt Katherine."
"That's nice. When's your birthday?"
I inwardly roll my eyes at his question and reply, "Friday. The fourteenth."
"Hey, not only did she send you a card, but it's on time too," he chirps. "So why do you look so glum?"
"It's a Christmas card."
"Huh?"
"Here," I hand him the card.
He carefully studies the nativity scene on the front. Then, he opens it and reads aloud, "Dear Kate, 'May your Christmas season be blessed and peaceful.' Happy Birthday! Love, Aunt Katherine."
He looks at the card for another second and then hands it back to me. "Yeah. You got jipped."
"I know. It happens every year. You know, half the time, my birthday presents come wrapped in Christmas paper."
"That's almost worse than the people who give you a gift and say-"
"This is for your birthday and Christmas, hope you like it, dear," I finish for him, staring down at the card bitterly.
"Yeah. Those people," Sam agrees.
I jab my elbows into my knees and lean my face into my hands. "I know it sounds stupid," I say, "But I always end up getting overlooked. I hate it-I really do. I just wish that...that my birthday could be about me for once, and not about Christmas."
I realize how much I'm complaining, and close my eyes. "God, I'm sorry," I apologize.
"It's alright," he tells me as he gently brushes a lock of hair out of my face.
"Sam," I lift his eyes to meet his, "Can I take lunch now?"
"Yeah. Take as long as you want."
"You're sure?"
"Yeah. Go ahead."
~~~~~
A half-hour later, I'm in the OEOB basement gym, power-walking on the treadmill. I'm trying to get my head to clear, but it's not cooperating, as I'm alternating between wishing for a great birthday and kicking myself for complaining to Sam.
I'm listening to my Walkman, tuned to the classic rock station, when a Joni Mitchell song that I haven't heard in years comes on. The room is practically empty, so I sing along softly as everything else just fades away
*
It's coming on Christmas
They're cutting down trees
They're putting up reindeer
And singing songs of joy and peace
Oh I wish I had a river
I could skate away on
But it don't snow here
It stays pretty green
I'm going to make a lot of money
Then I'm going to quit this crazy scene
I wish I had a river
I could skate away on
I wish I had a river so long
I would teach my feet to fly
Oh I wish I had a river
I could skate away on
I made my baby cry
He tried hard to help me
You know, he put me at ease
And he loved me so naughty
Made me weak in the knees
Oh I wish I had a river
I could skate away on
I'm so hard to handle
I'm selfish and I'm sad
Now I've gone and lost the best baby
That I ever had
Oh I wish I had a river
I could skate away on
I wish I had a river so long
I would teach my feet to fly
Oh I wish I had a river
I made my baby say goodbye
It's coming on Christmas
They're cutting down trees
They're putting up reindeer
And singing songs of joy and peace
I wish I had a river
I could skate away on
*
When the song ends, I think to myself, "That's what I want...a river I could skate away on."
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