The Best Christmas EVER
(For the purposes of this story, we need to asume that Jake’s last episode of ATWT was the same as Vicky’s last. He insisted on going to NY with Donna, Vicky and the boys. He picked up the phone, called Lucinda, quit the job in Oakdale, and got on a plane to NYC with the love of his life. Their second anniversary is spent reliving their day in Central Park with the boys.)THANKSGIVING DAY
(Vicky, Jake, Donna and the boys are sitting around the table in an apartment.)
STEVEN: Mom, before we eat, can we go around the table and have everyone say one thing that they are thankful for?
VICKY: I think that is a great idea, sweetheart. Do you want to start?
STEVEN: OK…I’m thankful that Mom’s with us this year…we missed you so much last Thanksgiving!
VICKY: Oh, boy…I missed you all too! I’m thankful that we’re all here together this Thankgiving…(smiles) all 7 of us!
KIRKLAND: My turn!! I’m thankful that I’m not going to be the baby anymore!! Now Steven can beat up the twins!
JAKE: (laughing) Hey, no one’s gonna beat up anyone! Come on now, we are going to live happily ever after. I’m with your Mom on this one, though. . .I’m just thankful that we’re all together and safe this Thanksgiving. This is all I’ve ever wanted—a family filled with love.
KIRKLAND: What are you thankful for, Nana?
STEVEN: Yeah, Nana.
DONNA: Well, I’m grateful for a lot. I’m grateful for a family who loves me so much that they’re willing to put their entire lives on hold for me, I’m grateful for my beautiful girls, but today, what I am most thankful for is that the doctor called.
VICKY: What?! Mom, why didn’t you say anything?? What did the doctor say? What did the tests say, are you better?
DONNA: Not only am I better, my darling. . .the doctor said my tests were wonderful…it looks like I’m in remission. She said that I can go home to Bay City whenever I’m ready!!
VICKY: (with tears in her eyes) Remission?? You’re gonna be OK? (jumps up and throws her arms around Donna, which is getting difficult due to her ever-enlarging belly!)
STEVEN: Does this mean we’re going home??
KIRKLAND: Can we Mommy? Jake? Can we?!
VICKY: Oh, let me think. . .(grin spreads across her face) yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes! Jake, call the airline and get the first flight from NYC to Bay City—we’re going home!!
STEVEN AND KIRKLAND: Yippee!! Yay!
(family hug. . .fade to black)
CHRISTMAS EVE AT THE COTTAGE
(the boys are stringing popcorn at the table, Jake is EATING the popcorn, Donna is hanging ornaments on the tree…Vicky is standing on the stairs looking at her family, smiles, and slips out onto the porch. Jake sees her and follows her out. Vicky is gazing up at the stars, Jake wraps his arms partially around her—he can’t reach all the way because Vicky is VERY pregnant at this point)
JAKE: Christmas Eve…and Ryan’s birthday, huh?
VICKY: You know, Jake, I still think about him…all the time, but never more than on Christmas Eve. I’m so grateful to him, you know why? (turns to look at Jake) I am so grateful to him for teaching me how to love, for teaching me what love means and that I deserve to have a life filled with love. Before Ryan, I thought it was all about money, power and revenge. But not anymore…I know what life is all about now. It’s about love and family, and feeling safe. It’s about everything I have with you. Ryan’s love helped me to become the woman you fell in love with.
JAKE: No, no, Vick, I always loved you. From the very first time I saw those beautiful blue eyes, I loved you. But you just didn’t get it. You didn’t understand that you deserved the best of what this world had to offer…until Ryan’s love showed you. So, I’m grateful to him for making you realize what a beautiful, smart, funny, sexy, amazing woman you really are.
VICKY: I love you.
JAKE: I love you too…now let’s get inside!! It’s cold out here!
(They turn to go into the house, Vicky turns around)
VICKY: (whispers) Merry Christmas, Ryan! (hurries inside)
Fade out
(later that night…Vicky and Jake come downstairs to set up Santa’s presents for the boys)
VICKY: Let’s hurry…and BE QUIET! Steven sleeps so light…this is probably the last Christmas he’ll believe in Santa.
(Jake disappears into the back room and Vicky turns to look at the tree…as she does so, a strange look comes over her face. Jake returns to the living room with an armful of gifts)
JAKE: OK, Mrs. Claus, let’s get to work!
VICKY: Jake? JAKE?? (Jake turns to look at her) We have a problem.
JAKE: What kind of problem?
VICKY: I think it’s time.
JAKE: Time? (realizes what Vicky is saying) TIME?! What?? No, we still have a few weeks!
VICKY: I don’t think so, Jake. I’ve done this twice before and I say it’s time!
JAKE: OK, OK…(looks around frantically) what do we have to do? Donna’s here, so she can watch the boys…your bag, where is it??
VICKY: Under the bench by the front door—I packed it a few weeks ago, just in case. Can we go…NOW?!
JAKE: Yeah, c’mon, sweetie, let’s go. You OK? Come on.
(Jake and Vicky exit the cottage)
BCGH EARLY CHRISTMAS MORNING
(Jake bursts through the emergency room doors and rushes over to the admission desk)
JAKE: I need a doctor. My wife is in labor.
NURSE: OK, sir. Where is she?? (Jake turns and realizes that Vicky is not with him!! Vicky enters through the emergency room door, walking slowly, carrying her hospital bag)
VICKY: McKINNON!!
JAKE: I’m sorry, I’m so sorry, honey…here (grabs a wheelchair from an orderly) Sit down. (turns back to the nurse) There she is…her name is Vicky, Vicky McKinnon and I’m her husband, Jake.
NURSE: OK, now, Mr. McKinnon, please fill out these forms and a doctor will be with you soon.
VICKY: Jake, HURRY! These babies aren’t waiting much longer
JAKE: (to the nurse) Listen to me, my wife is having twins NOW…get her a room and a doctor and get them in the next 30 seconds or a lot of people around here will be sorry!! (turns and kneels at Vicky’s side) OK, honey, they’re going to take care of you. What can I do?
VICKY: Distract me, tell me a story…something to take my mind off the pain.
JAKE: A story, huh? OK, I can do that. Let’s see…remember…no, that’s no good…how about the time—no, that’s not a good one either…
VICKY: (squeezing his hand) JAKE!!!
JAKE: OK, OK, I have it, I have it. Remember the time, when we were kids, when we snuck out to go up to Lookout Point? Remember? We were both grounded after hotwiring the mayor’s car, but we just wanted to be together. We lay there, looking up at the stars, holding hands and talking about our kids? We dreamed about having kids together, Vicky, and now we are. Of course, when you were sneaking back in the house, you fell off the drainpipe and woke Bridget up. She was so mad at us!!
VICKY: Bridget…I wish she was here, Jake…I wish she could see our girls.
JAKE: She’s here with us, honey…she’s always gonna be with us, and our girls. They have a special angel looking out for them. (kisses Vicky’s forehead as she groans with pain. Jake turns back to the Nurses’ Station) Um, HELLO?! My wife is having our BABIES here!! Can we get a doctor please!! And a ROOM?!(A nurse comes over)
NURSE: We have a room for you now, Mrs. McKinnon.
JAKE: Well, it’s about time!! (to Vicky) Let’s go meet our girls, OK.
VICKY: (stroking his face) OK (Jake wheels Vicky off, following the nurse)
FADE OUT
VICKY’S HOSPITAL ROOM
JAKE: Keep breathing, Vick, this one’s almost over…3, 2, 1…that’s it, that’s it. OK.
VICKY: (breathing a bit heavy) Did you call Mom? Does she know?
JAKE: I called Donna…I’m going to call her again as soon as the twins get here so she can bring the boys over.
VICKY: Good. (the doctor and two nurses enters the room)
DOCTOR: How we doing, Vicky? Ready to have these babies?
VICKY: Oh, yes…yes…is it time?
DOCTOR: (looking at the charts) Looks like it. You two ready to be parents??
JAKE: (looks at Vicky and grins) With this woman by my side, I’m ready for anything!
DOCTOR: (sitting at the foot of Vicky’s bed) OK, Vicky, with the next contraction, I want you to push, OK, push as hard as you can. Jake, you can help her by counting down slowly from 10, alright? Here we go, Vicky…push! (Vicky begins to push, as Jake puts his head against hers and counts down from 10)
DOCTOR: There we go, Vicky, I can see the baby’s head…again, OK?
JAKE: OK, sweetheart…I love you so much, you know that? I can’t wait to see our babies
DOCTOR: Push, Vicky!
JAKE: 10, I love you, 9, I love you, Vick, 8…
DOCTOR: C’mon Vicky, here we go…
JAKE: 6…I love you…5…4…3…2 (baby crying, and Vicky gasps as she falls back against the pillows behind her)
DOCTOR: It’s a girl. And she looks perfect.
JAKE: (with tears in his eyes) A girl…we have a girl…I’m a daddy.
VICKY: (crying) You’re a daddy. (they kiss)
DOCTOR: OK, OK…c’mon…you’re work's not quite done here…you ready for another baby here, Vicky.
VICKY: (sitting up, nods) Let’s do it.
DOCTOR: OK, ready…push, Vicky, push.(Vicky pushes while Jake holds her hand and counts again. 3 pushes later, we hear another baby)
DOCTOR: And we have another girl! Congratulations!!
VICKY: Another girl..(looking at Jake) We have two daughters!!
JAKE: You always knew we would…twin girls.(Nurses bring over two babies wrapped in a pink and a yellow blanket and places one in Jake’s arms and one in Vicky’s)
JAKE: (with tears streaming down his cheeks) Today, you, Victoria Hudson McKinnon, have made me the happiest man on the face of the earth. I couldn’t love you more. (they kiss and gaze at their little miracles)
FADE OUT
(Jake and Vicky are squeezed together on her hospital bed holding their baby girls. There is a knock on the door and Donna pops her head in)
DONNA: Visitors OK?
VICKY: Of course! Come on in! (Donna opens the door and Steven and Kirkland charge past her into the room)
STEVEN AND KIRKLAND: MOM!!
JAKE: Shh…(laughing) keep it down, buddies! You want to meet your sisters?
STEVEN AND KIRKLAND: (whispering) Yeah!!
VICKY: Well, this is Bridget Mary
JAKE: And this here, this beautiful little girl, is Michaela Elizabeth.
DONNA: Michaela?
VICKY: For Dad. Jake and I loved Mary and Elizabeth, but when we held these girls we realized that we wanted to be able to tell them that they were named after great, important, and very special people, not just named for the names I liked in some baby book. Do you like the names?
DONNA: Oh, yes! They’re beautiful. Oh, my darling…congratulations.
VICKY: Thanks, Mom. What do you boys think?
STEVEN: Bridget…
KIRKLAND: and Michaela…
STEVEN: I love them!
KIRKLAND: Me too! They’re so tiny, Mom!
JAKE: They sure are, little man…and they’re gonna need lots of help getting to be big like you…you two up to the challenge??
STEVEN: YEAH!!
(Kirkland looks away with a sad look on his face)
VICKY: Kirk, what’s the matter, baby?
KIRKLAND: Jake, are you still gonna love us? (Jake looks surprised and hands Michaela to Donna. He goes and picks up Kirkland and sits on the chair)
JAKE: C’mere Steven. (Steven climbs up next to Kirk on Jake’s lap) Now I want you boys to listen to me. I know I’ve been all excited about the twins lately and maybe I’ve been too busy to realize that I haven’t been hanging out with you two as much. And that was a mistake. I don’t want you boys to EVER think that I love you any less than those two babies over there, OK? I have always loved you two as my sons and that doesn’t change just because your mom and I had the twins, alright? (shaking them) ALRIGHT?!
STEVEN: Right! We love you too, Jake.
KIRKLAND: Yeah, we love you too!
JAKE: (smiling) THAT’S more like it!! (tickling them both and carrying them by their pants to Vicky’s bedside) Here we are folks…the McKinnon family.
VICKY: And we’re gonna live happily ever after.
THE END