A Christmas Gift

A Christmas Gift
By Captainkodak1

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Kim took Ron’s hand as he helped her out of the cab and onto the sidewalk. Rain and sleet started to land on them as Ron bent over to pay the driver. The cabbie held up his hand.

“No thank you Mr. Stoppable, your money is not any good to me. My kid had one of the Diablos years ago and the two of you stopped them. Then two years ago my daughter was on that cruise ship that you two saved from sinking.”

Kim smiled at the driver.

“No big sir, we took care of the Diablos and found something special that night too.” Kim smiled at Ron as she continued.

“I know the little Dutch boy saved the dam by sticking his finger in it. Well. Ron didn’t use his finger. But, what he used worked.”

Ron faced turned red. “KP you don’t have to use the word “but” when we talk about that mission.”

Kim giggled and gave him a little kiss. “That’s okay Ronnie, I like what I see.”

The cab driver laughed.

“So as you would say, no big. But I must say also that someone else is big for a different reason.”

Kim looked down and patted her swollen stomach.

“Yeah, it’s our first and due any day.”

The cabbie tipped his hat.

“Merry Christmas, Mr. and Mrs. Stoppable.”

The cab drove off into the night as Ron helped Kim turn around without falling. They walked up to the office of the small airport they were at. Ron helped Kim sit down in a chair, and then turned to the flight office. The two had been in Denver for a dinner honoring them. A major Children’s Hospital had dedicated a wing in the name of the two heroes. The guest speaker could not help making a joke that if anything happened the honorees might be the first to use the new newborn floor. Kim and Ron had laughed but knew that Kim was due within the next couple of weeks. It was Christmas Eve and they would be flying back to Middleton. The small airport was one they used now that they had their own plane. Both of them were rated to fly the year earlier. It made getting around on missions a lot easier. Their regular plane was down for maintenance and they were using a rental for their flight tonight.

Ron came back over to Kim.

“We need to get going KP. If we hurry a bit we can beat the storm. Otherwise we are going to be here for a couple of days. We don’t want to miss Christmas with your family!”

Kim took Ron’s hand as he pulled her up. Wrapping her coat around her she got ready to go out to the plane. It had stopped snowing and the ground crew had finished clearing off the Cessna Skycatcher that was waiting for them. Kim took his hand and they walked out to the plane. Kim held on to Ron as she clambered into the cockpit. Ron preflighted the plane as Kim called out the preflight points. With the preflight done Ron pulled himself into the pilot’s seat. He went through the rest of the preflight and started the engine. Soon they were off the ground and heading toward Middleton.

“Flanagan Field, this is Oscar-November-Echo-one-five-nine-six climbing to cruising altitude on a heading of zero-nine-zero. We thank you for your hospitality.”

There was a burst of static then the speaker came alive.

“Oscar-November-Echo-one-five-nine-six this is Flanagan field. You are welcome and have a good flight. Merry Christmas to all three of you. This is Flanagan Field over and out.”

Ron brought to plane to its cruising altitude and set the autopilot. He turned to Kim.

“You doing okay KP?”

Kim sighed and looked over to him.

“Yeah, I just tired. All that dinner and the speeches took a lot out of me. I am so ready to get home.”

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“Middleton, this is Oscar-November-Echo-one-five-nine-six. We are approaching the field; please give me a vector in as the weather seems to be closing in on us.”

Ron had to grip the controls as the plane hit a bit of turbulence.

“Oscar-November-Echo-one-five-nine-six. Divert if possible, repeat divert if possible. Field conditions are poor with freezing rain and sleet.”

Ron glanced over to Kim. She shook her head.

“I’m not feeling too well. I rather try Middleton.”

Ron keyed the mike. As he did the engine started to sputter. Ron’s hands flew across the controls.

“KP, the plane feels heavy. Check the de-ice.”

Kim looked down and toggled the de-ice control, and then looked out the window. Not being able to see in the dark she pulled out a flashlight and shined it on the wing on her side. What she saw took her breath away. Ice was building up fast.

“Ron, we got trouble. The de-ice has failed, we are icing up.”

Ron keyed the mike again.

“Middleton field, Middleton field, we are icing up and need a straight approach.”

A gust of wind caught the plane and turned it on its side. Kim and Ron screamed together as he fought for control. They both heard metal screeching as he righted the plane. Kim looked over at Ron to see his pale face.

“THAT DID NOT SOUND GOOD!”

The engine started to sputter again then quit. Ron keyed the mike.

“Mayday, mayday, mayday. This is Oscar-November-Echo-one-five-nine-six. We are icing up and have possible structural damage. We just lost our engine and we are going down. Mayday, mayday, mayday.”

Ron had to grip the controls with all his strength to maintain control of the plane. Kim started to tighten her seatbelts and tapped the Kimmunicator on her wrist.

“Wade, come in Wade. We have problems, we are going down.”

Kim heard Ron grunt in the effort to keep the plane flying and looked up. The lights landing lights illuminated a grove of trees looming before them.

She could hear Wade calling her name from the Kimmunicator.

“O-h-h-h snap!”

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Ron opened his eyes as moisture dripped down his neck. He opening his eyes, he realized that he could barely see in the darkness. Water continued to fall onto his face.

“KIM!”

He felt a hand grab his arm and a flashlight came to life.

“I’m right here Ron. I’m okay. I think.”

Ron’s voice squeaked.

“You THINK? Are you okay or not?”

He closed his eyes as Kim flashed the light into his face. He felt her hand going over his face and head.

“You have a cut on your forehead but I think that hard head of yours saved you again.”

Ron reached over and took the flashlight from her.

“Ha-ha, KP, it is to laugh. Now let me check you out.”

He turned the light on his wife and could see other than her hair was getting wet from the snow she was okay. He hand trailed down to her stomach. Her hand settled on top of his. Her voice sighed in the darkness.

“He’s okay too.”

The snapping of electrical lines and the whoosh of fuel igniting gained their attention. They turned to see the remains of their plane burning. They looked around and noticed that they were lying in a snow bank some distance from the plane. They saw that the cockpit of the plane had separated from the rest of the plane and the wings had snapped off right over the cockpit. The rain started again and everything was getting covered in ice. They stumbled away from the flames and huddled under a tree. Kim took the flashlight and shone it on the Kimmunicator. But the face was cracked and when she pushed the buttons nothing happened.

“This is not good. Let’s hope the planes transponder will help guide them here.”

Ron stood up and tried to look around.

“We can’t stay here KP. We will freeze to death.”

Kim grunted as a wave of pain crossed her stomach. She realized the wetness under her might not be all melting snow.

“Ron, I think my water just broke.”

Ron knelt beside her.

“Are you sure?”

Kim shook her head.

“No, but I’m so wet I can’t tell. But I think I just had a contraction.”

Ron stood up and pulled Kim to her feet.

“Right before we dropped below the tree line I saw a light through a break in the rain and sleet. I don’t know how far but I know that it is to the west of us.”

Ron pulled back the sleeve on his arm and looked at the compass that was a part of his watch.

“We need to go that way. Let’s hope that it’s not far.”

Kim nodded and took his hand and they started off through the trees. They had not gone far when they broke out of the tree line and gazed out over what seemed to be a pasture. A barbed wire fence was in front of them. Ron was thinking of a way to climb over when he noticed a special opening in the fence. It was narrow as a man and made a u-turn around the fence. A man could walk through with no problem but a large farm animal could not. He looked up to see a light shining in the distance.

“That must be the light I saw. Come on.”

Ron turned to see Kim huddled in the snow. He knelt beside her.

“KP?”

Kim voice was forced.

“Ron, I’ve been having contractions, I don’t know if I can make it.”

Ron picked up her.

“Come on Kim just get through the fence and I’ll take it from there.”

Kim just nodded and stumbled through the opening in the fence. On the other side Ron picked her up just like he had a year or so earlier when they were married. He started off across the snow and ice covered land. Kim would whimper and shudder every few minutes. Ron kept moving and the light became sharper and brighter. It was a small light hanging over the door of a barn. Ron set Kim down in beside the door and tried to open it. The door just rattled against the wood. He stepped back and kicked the door hard. The wood jamb splintered and the door flew open. Ron helped Kim to her feet and they entered.

Ron closed the door behind him and felt around for a light switch. Flipping it up and down did no good. Kim turned on the flashlight. They were standing in what appeared to be a horse barn. They started to explore the place in found what appeared to be a caretaker’s room. There was no bed or anything just a table and a woodstove. Ron helped Kim to lie and the floor and turned to the stove. An old chair stood against one wall. Ron grabbed it and busted it up. Taking the shards he stuffed them in the woodstove and started it with some matches from a small can nailed to the wall. The stove began to warm the room.

Kim whimpered again as Ron turned to her. Her face was white and her hair hung down covered in ice. She shivered in her wet clothes.

“KP?”

She turned her green eyes to him.

“Ron, I am going into labor.”

Ron stood up and looked around.

“Maybe I should go for help.”

Kim shook her head and took his hand.

“Nope, I need you right here. Besides I don’t think you would be back in time. Why don’t you go see what you can scrounge from here?”

Ron gave her a quick kiss and took the flashlight. The first room was just full of old saddles. The next room was a surprise. Blankets were stacked in piles. Ron could tell they were horse blankets, but a blanket was a blanket. He grabbed a pile and rushed back to the room. He helped Kim out of her wet clothes and wrapped her in the blankets. Going back and checking the next room he found a large first aid kit. Grabbing it he ran back to the room. Opening the kit he found several items they might need. The last room revealed what appeared to be a bathroom that was used in warmer weather. All the fixtures were filled with antifreeze, but a closer search revealed two towels stashed in the rear of a cabinet. He took the towels and ran back to the room. Kim was sitting up against the wall; her face bathed in sweat.

“Are you ready to be a daddy?”

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Light was shining through the window as Ron wrapped the little bundle in one of the towels he had found and laid it in Kim’s arms. Her face was pale and weak but a bright smile was on it. She pulled back part of the towel and looked down into the face of her son. She turned her head back up to smile at Ron.

“I love you.”

Ron knelt over and gently kissed her forehead.

“You rest now. Maybe when the storm lets up we can find some help.”

Kim nodded and lay back on the pallet Ron had fashioned from some blankets. She held the little boy close as Ron laid another blanket on top of her. He glanced down and his watch smiling.

“Hey KP. Merry Christmas.”

Kim smiled weakly.

“Merry Christmas to you.”

The door they came in opened and Ron stepped out of the room and met three men facing him.

“Thank goodness you are here. Our plane crashed last night and we made our way here, my wife is pregnant and she went into labor and we found this place so I started a fire in the stove and found some blankets and stuff and and she had her baby and and “

One of the men raised his hand.

“Take it easy son. My name is Hiram Johnson, this is Clarence and Danny. There is an alarm on this place and you tripped it last night. We thought the wind had blown in a window or something but as we came up we saw smoke coming out of the stovepipe.”

The men took off their hats and shook the snow off. The first came up to Ron.

“You must be Ron Stoppable. They have been trying to look for you all night, but the weather had everything grounded. The news went crazy last night when your plane dropped off the radar. It’s snowing so bad right now that nothing can fly.”

Ron returned the handshake.

“Can you get us out of here?”

The man shook his head.

“Nope, we rode up on horses. We don’t have a way to carry your wife or a baby, but we can sure get help.”

The man pulled out a radio and spoke into it.

“Emily, Emily you there?”

The radio sputtered back.

“Yes, yes, land sakes I just put the coffee on for the ladies. What’s the problem?”

The man spoke again.

“We found the problem all right. It seems those two kids lost when their plane went down found their way here. The little lady had the baby in the mean time. Now you get Norman to harness up the team and get out here. Then call Sheriff Barnes, let him know that we found the Stoppables and they are alright. Tell him that Mrs. Stoppable had the baby and we are going to need EMS there at the house.”

The man put the radio back in his pocket and turned to one of the other men.

“Danny, get that thermos of coffee out of the saddlebag and bring those sandwiches.”

Danny turned and went out into the snow.

Hiram patted Ron on the back.

“Now let’s go check on your family.”

Ron led Hiram, Danny and Clarence into the room where Kim lay with the baby. All the men took off their hats and coats and laid them at the door. Hiram knelt beside a smiling Kim and pulled back the covers to see the baby.

“Well now, isn’t that the prettiest little Christmas present you have ever seen?”

Kim nodded and smiled up at Ron as he sat down beside her. He reached over and took her hand as Hiram stood up. Danny poured the coffee into a cup and handed it to Ron. He helped Kim sit up a little and helped her take a sip of the coffee. Kim greedily drank the cup before Ron knew she had. Ron handed Kim a half of a sandwich while he ate the other half. Hiram turned to Clarence.

“Get those horses in a stall before they get too cold. Norman and the rest should be here directly. Now let’s get busy and help this little family out.”

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Kim felt warm and full. The men had built up the fire and helped her to eat something more and drink a little more coffee. They had also looked after Ron’s cut and bandaged him up. She was laying there wondering what came next when she heard the barn door open again. Voices were heard coming toward the room when the door opened and three women came into the room. They were all older women and they carried packages with them.

“Hey there, I’m Miss Emily, this here is Miss Anna, and this here is Miss Carla. You have already met our husbands. Now, let’s have a look at the little one.”

Kim pulled back the blanket to reveal the little face. The women oohhed and ahhhed. Emily sat down a package and opened it to reveal a fresh soft comforter and blankets.

“Now this here will be a lot more comfortable than those old horse blankets.”

Anna came next and opened her package. Inside was a soft light blue flannel gown. Also there was a flannel shirt and a pair of jeans.

“I figured your clothes took a beating through the night so I brought you some fresh ones.”

Carla came next with her package. Inside was a pot of stew, some milk and some baby formula.

“I figured you would need something more to eat. Now you men get out of here so we can help this little mother change and get her ready to get her out of here. Hiram take those clothes for the daddy and help him change. We have their transportation right outside. So as soon as they are ready we’ll get them loaded and on the way to our house. The Sheriff said they would have everyone waiting there for us.”

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Ann, James, Jean and Dean stood on the porch of the farmhouse. Dr. Director stood with them as they all stared out into the snow. A GJ medical team as well as two EMT squads waited for the arrival of Team Possible and their new addition. News vehicles filled the yard as camera crew got ready. The news of the adventure had spread across the globe. The two were feared lost and now had been found alive, well and with a new addition to the family.

There was a break in the clouds as the snow stopped coming down. In the distance the new grandparents thought they heard sleigh bells. Then from over a hill came a sleigh being pulled by a pair of horses adorned with bells. Anne’s hands went to her face when she could see Kim and Ron nestled into a nest of furs and blankets. They all ran out into the snow as the sleigh pulled up behind the house. The four grandparents arrived at the sleigh to see a radiant and happy Kim snuggled up against her husband. She smiled at their parents as they all climbed up to look at the family. She pulled back the blankets to show the face of a sleeping baby.

“Mom, Dad, Miss Jean, Mr. Eugene, I want you to meet Christopher Ronald Stoppable.”

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Ted Williamson stood in the snow in front of the farmhouse and stared back at his cameraman as Kim, Ron and their baby were being loaded into the waiting ambulances.

“Well, it seems like a story out of Christmas movie. Team Possible survived the crash of their plane and made their way to a barn deep in the Colorado countryside. There their baby came while they sheltered themselves in the barn. Later after the birth, they were visited by three farmers and later three wives bearing gifts for the new family. Authorities have confirmed that Mr. and Mrs. Stoppable are okay other than a few bumps and bruises and their new baby is fine. They sent their wishes of a Merry Christmas as they are being loaded into the waiting ambulances for a trip to the hospital. On another note. The wreckage of their aircraft was found earlier this morning completely destroyed by fire. The Stoppables have no knowledge of how they got out of the plane, but it is rumored that there were a set of footprints leading from the crash to where they woke up. It is also rumored that there was a set of sleigh tracts and what appeared to the deer tracks that seemed to just disappear. So who knows what happened. “

As Ted paused there was the sound of sleigh bells off in the distance.

“Yep, I guess the Stoppables got a real Christmas gift.”

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Just a little Christmas story from the Captain. I hope that you enjoyed it. Please leave a review if you can. I would appreciate it.

I would like to extend a very Merry Christmas from our family to yours. It is our hope and prayer that you will find the holidays full of love, friendship and celebration. Please be safe. So from the Captain, Mrs. Captain, and our two children we wish you all Merry Christmas!!