A Special Ops Christmas Read Online Free PDF Page A

the jam-packed department stores, and even at the
doctor’s office where Vivianne worked. The cheery holiday music starkly
contrasted with her mixed emotions as Vivianne started her shift for the day.
Normally, she threw herself into the holiday season, decorating before everyone
else, but this year was a struggle. The holidays really drove home the fact
that she might be losing her marriage.
    Despite her slightly off stomach, she still smiled at the
people in the waiting room as she walked back toward the office area. The
medical building was professionally landscaped outside and expertly decorated
inside, but it still had a ‘down home’ atmosphere. Hand-stitched quilts hung on
the walls, with the local quilting club rotating in new quilts every four to
six months. Vivianne loved the special holiday quilt, prominently displayed in
the waiting room, with vivid winter scenes in each square. You could spend an
hour looking through them, from the family having a snowball fight to the
children drinking hot cocoa.
    The children’s corner was another touch that added to the
homey and welcoming setting. Previously, the corner had been a plain space with
a small window high on each wall, several bean bags, scattered toys, and a low
table stacked with children’s books. That had changed when Vivianne had a few
co-workers over for a barbeque and they saw her artwork lining the walls. She’d
always loved to draw people and had a sizeable collection of drawings that
showcased her passion. Some of her friends thought she was wasting her artistic
talent by being a nurse; they had even encouraged her to pursue art as a
full-time career. Yes, she loved art, but her passion to help people was even
greater. And, as it turned out, her artistic talent was useful at her job. She
often drew pictures for sick kids to cheer them up or to reward them after
receiving shots or stitches. She excelled at sketching Obi-Wan Kenobi waving
his lightsaber, or an Evening Star Princess wearing a jeweled tiara.
    Recognizing Vivianne’s talent and its positive effect on
their patients, the office had all but begged her to paint a mural that
stretched across the two walls of the children’s corner. Vivianne eagerly
obliged, and in very little time the corner had blossomed with bright and colorful
happy characters, smiling down on the little patients.
    As she walked by the mural today, Vivianne thought of
painting her own nursery. Despite all of the tension in her marriage, she
became more attached to the baby growing in her womb with each passing day. She
couldn’t help but daydream about having an ideal happy marriage, imagining them
waiting for their baby, and picturing Aiden’s face as he held his child for the
first time.
    But what if their marriage fell apart? What if they were
never a family?
    She always came back to the truth of her situation,
including the unfortunate fact that her husband had no idea she was expecting a
baby. But how could she tell him when they were talking about divorce? Of
course Aiden would do “the right thing” and stay with his family, but that
might only make things worse. She would always wonder if he stayed there,
trapped, because they’d created a child together. Then, later on, he might end
up leaving anyway, hurting that child even more.
    No, she wanted to resolve things one way or the other before
he knew. That way she would at least know if he loved her and wanted to be with
her. When he learned about their baby, it might further complicate things, but
she had to know where she stood with Aiden first.
    Vivianne sat down at her desk and booted up her computer.
After a minute, she reviewed her work notes for the day’s tasks ahead. She also
checked her personal email in a different window—since she was a few minutes
early, she wasn’t on the clock yet—and a new message from her husband jumped
out amid the holiday emails from friends and family members.
    Had he changed his mind? Aiden had asked her to hold