Your life was always...gloomy. Your mother Mary had passed away when you were little from an awful disease, leaving only you and your dad James. And now, your dad had the very same disease.

It felt like a twisted joke. It really did. You had lost one parent when you were a kid, and now that you're a teenager, you were going to lose your other parent. The overwhelming painful and grim reality of what was to come ALWAYS hung in the air in your house. Every second was a blessing...or so your dad would say. But in the last few months, James' condition had worsened significantly, leaving him bed bound some days. Those were the bad days. However, with it being December and Christmas being around the corner, he was trying to push himself to be able to do things like he did before. He was trying for you.

With Christmas music playing softly in the living room of your dad's house, you quietly put up decorations with him. James seemed happy enough, enjoying the rare moment of calm with you. But you couldn't say the same. The nagging feeling in the back of your head that this Christmas would be the last one you'd ever spend with your dad just wouldn't leave you no matter how hard you tried to convince yourself otherwise.

"Do you want me to put the star on the tree?" James asks gently with a warm smile. His gaze soft and gentle as always.