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A Christmas Prayer

By Linda Wood Rondeau

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Chapter One

Alexis Jennings smelled smoke and rushed to the window. “Not another fire!” Wishing it weren’t so would not change the outcome.
Flames shot from the shed. She sprang into action with the kind of expediency a year of caring for Gib had taught her. She punched in 911, gave the address, and ran outside, the alarm blaring when she opened the door. Nice to know the fancy alarm system she’d installed at a hefty price was working. But how did Gib get outside without tripping it?
At least this time Gib had set the fire outdoors and not in the house. Alexis grabbed the lawn hose. Useless. Frozen solid. She waited in helplessness for the fire department while flames danced the length of the walls and on the roof.
She fumed. Where was Gib? Normally he returned to the scene of his trouble-making, laughing while others undid his messes. Horror replaced anger. Was he in the shed? What if he was hurt and couldn’t get out?
Alexis edged closer to the shed. “Gib! Gib! Are you in there?” Like flaming hands, the fire’s heat pushed her backward.
No answer. The siren wails meant the fire department was near. She hurried to the front as the truck pulled up.
“I don’t know where Gib is!” Alexis screamed to the first firefighter she spotted. While one group unraveled the hoses, another donned masks and axed their way in. Smoke billowed across the yard as flames engulfed the entire structure.
Soon the fire was out, the shed a memory. Donna Bilow took off her mask as she approached. “Gib wasn’t in the shed.”
Alexis sobbed with relief. “This is the first time Gib’s set a fire outside.”
Donna wrapped an arm of reassurance around Alexis’s shoulder. “Can’t say for sure, but this one appears to be an accident.”
Please, Lord. Let it be so. “Gib’s modus operandi is to light a newspaper, set it on the oven, and watch it burn until the smoke detector goes off. Most of the time I can extinguish any flames before the sprinklers come on. I’m at my wits end, Donna. His penchant for pyromania seems to be escalating. I don’t know how to keep him and me safe anymore. When I scold him, he runs off. It takes me hours to find him. It’s as if he’s punishing me for punishing him.”
Donna’s face softened, the creases melting with empathy rather than the usual scowls of condemnation Alexis so often received. “My nephew is autistic. Thankfully, he doesn’t set fires. My sister hides all the matches as a safety precaution.”
“I don’t keep matches in the house either. Gib steals them from The Quick Stop down the road, along with half a dozen candy bars.”
“Isn’t he forbidden to go there under the terms of his probation?”
New tears stung her cheeks. “Gib does what Gib wants to do. He doesn’t consider the consequences.” Alexis tasted the acidity in those words. Why hide her frustration? She’d made excuses for Gib long enough.
“We found a metal box in the shed full of candy bars, matches, and cash.”
“Stolen, no doubt.”
“The bills are covered with melted chocolate; otherwise the contents are intact. A miracle the matches didn’t ignite from the heat.”
Alexis shivered. If Gib had been in the shed …
What more could she do to reign Gib in? She’d read every book she could find on caring for autistic children. She’d tried every behavior modification technique the counselors suggested and those mentioned in her online support groups. Yet, his rebellion continued. His exploding hormones only added to his obstinacy.
“We found a heater plugged into the outlet. Looks like it hadn’t been turned off after the last use,” Donna said. “More than likely that’s what caused the fire. We still had to call the juvenile officer. He’s on his way.”
Kyle Connolly had filed the last child protective services report against Alexis. One more neglect charge and they wouldn’t wait for Gib’s hearing before removing him from her care. She hated the conflict within, almost wishing she had no more responsibility for him. Yet, at night, when he knelt for his prayers before getting into bed, his sweetness, too often caged by misfired neurons, caressed her spirit. How could she possibly be parted from him?
“Does Gib ever hide in the shed?” Donna asked. Alexis sighed. “Yes. He goes in there to read. I’ve told him not to a zillion times. I keep it locked.
He’ll break the window or pull at the hinges until he can squeeze in. He might have turned on the heater to stay warm. Gib can’t even remember to flush a toilet or shut off the kitchen faucet. Easy enough for him to forget to turn off a heater. He’s been in his room all morning, so no telling how long the heater had been plugged in.”
Donna scanned the room. “Where is Gib?”
He could be hiding in the house or have pulled one of his disappearing acts. To admit she didn’t know Gib’s current location only added layers to Donna’s suspicion. “I can’t watch over him 24/7.”
“No, I guess not. Unfortunately he needs constant supervision to keep him safe.”
Donna’s words sliced through Alexis’s already battered heart. Accident or not, this fire proved what everyone else knew: Alexis Jennings was an inadequate caregiver. What would happen to Gib now? What power could keep him from an institution?
Alexis shot up the same prayer she’d muttered since his first probation petition. “I need a miracle, Lord.”
Donna rejoined the group of firefighters as they put their gear away, and Alexis went into the house to search for Gib. He could find hiding places a cat would miss. She climbed the spiral staircase to the attic.
Gib sat in the farthest, darkest corner, a graphic novel in his hand. How could he even see to read? “There you are. Didn’t you hear me calling you?” No response, his gaze was fixed on the page.
Alexis grabbed the book from Gib’s hands. Absolutely the wrong thing to do. She’d let her anger cloud her judgment. He stood, his fists balled, and his jaw tight, posturing revenge. “Why did you take my comic?”
Finally … recognition of her presence. “Didn’t you hear me calling you?”
“Yeah.”
“Yes.”
“Yes.”
“Why didn’t you answer me?”
“I wasn’t done with the book yet.”
Perfect logic to Gib. Unfortunately, his irrational suppositions merely fueled Alexis’s frustrations.
Before she could correct him, he clomped down the stairs, emitting loud, guttural grunts with every step. He’d probably plop into the recliner where he’d sulk for thirty minutes, or worse yet, go into a meltdown.
“Whoa … fire trucks!” Gib shouted as he reached the bottom stair and peeked out the picture window in the living room. “What are they doing here?”
“You didn’t know the shed caught on fire?”
“No.”
“Did you do it, Gib?”
A thespian’s fall couldn’t have been more dramatic as Gib’s fall into the recliner.
“Gib … did you set the fire?”
“I already told you. N0!” His shout echoed through the house.
Alexis glanced out the window. The flashing lights on the patrol car meant Kyle had arrived. Would he take Gib into protective custody or call Social Services again? How was she supposed to maintain a household and a job and watch Gib every second? She’d learned a long time ago that the quickest road to insanity was living life according to everyone else’s expectations. Yet, the system, as she’d learned to call the variety of human services programs, had power over her. She wasn’t the only one who couldn’t control her brother. But no one blamed the staff at the YMCA when Gib borrowed a baseball. They simply banned him from the premises.
Alexis sucked in a deep breath and opened the door.
Kyle’s smile was the stuff of romance novels. Too bad he was married. “This is getting to be a habit, Alexis. Where’s Gib?”
She tilted her head toward the recliner. “Over there. Pouting. He’s mad at me because I took his Superman comic away. I had to get his attention somehow.”
“May I come in?”
“Like I have a choice?”
Kyle’s smile broadened. “Of course you have a choice.”
“Are you going to take my brother away so close to Christmas?”
He stared at the barren pine tree on its side in the corner. “Couldn’t tell it’s coming by this house. Don’t you believe in decorations?”
Alexis glared at Gib. “I decorated it last week. Go ahead Gib, tell Kyle why I took down the Christmas tree.”
Gib growled. “I got headaches.”
Alexis shrugged. “See what I’m up against? He claims the lights gave him headaches so he tore down every decoration I put up.”
“She won’t buy me any presents,” Gib shouted.
“Not true, Gib. You know very well my friend Jasmine has your presents and will bring them over Christmas Eve. That is, if the house is still standing.”
Kyle’s smile disappeared. “I spoke briefly with Donna. She said this fire was probably an accident. It still adds up to poor supervision, Alexis. I’d like to talk to Gib before I decide what to do.”
Kyle sat on the torn leather couch across from the recliner. “Hello, Gib.”
He smiled back, gifting Kyle with all his closeted charm. “Hello Officer Connolly.”
“I’m here because of the fire.”
“I didn’t do it.”
“I didn’t say you did. I wanted to know if you saw the fire.”
“No. I was reading my book.”
Kyle leaned forward, his kind eyes meeting Gib’s hardening features head on. “The fire’s out and no one was hurt. That’s the good thing. Do you ever go into the shed?
“Sometimes. When Alexis takes my books away, I go in there to read.”
“Do you put the heater on when you do?”
“If it’s cold.”
“When was the last time?”
Gib frowned. “I don’t remember.”
Kyle raised his eyebrows, his former calm obliterated with Gib’s resistance.
“Are my comics okay?” Gib asked as he kicked the recliner.
“The ones in the metal box are only singed. Everything else is gone.”
Gib smiled, his mood swings like turning on a light. “My special comics were all in the box, so they didn’t get burned up, then.”
Alexis shook with cascading emotions. “I had stuff out there, too, Gib, like my college yearbooks. They’re gone now.”
Gib sneered. “So? I didn’t start the fire!”
No use trying to get sympathy from a dry well of emotional capability. Of course he’d be fixated on his own treasures. Except for his Ethan Jacobs CDs, Gib valued his comic books even above his miniature cars—and he was never without his favorite Hot Wheels in his pockets. He counted every one he owned before he went to sleep. If one went missing, Alexis had to turn the house upside down until she found it … or Gib would be up all night. Knowledge of his compromised rationality was one thing. Coping with his compulsions was quite another.
Kyle peered toward Alexis, his eyes wide with concern. “Gib, why don’t you go to your room for a few minutes and let me talk to your sister. Okay?”
“Fine.” Gib stomped his attitude with his ascent of the stairs.
When he was out of sight, Alexis let the tears flow. “He doesn’t get it. He might have been killed if he’d been out there.”
Kyle motioned for Alexis to sit. “For most autistic kids, cause and effect don’t compute.”
Alexis slumped onto the couch. “Am I going to lose my brother?”
“I’ll have to report the fire, of course. But I don’t think anyone will rush in to take Gib immediately. I don’t see an imminent risk, so I’m recommending he stay with you for now, especially since there’s a hearing after Christmas. I won’t lie to you, Alexis. If I’m asked whether I think Gib is safe for the long term, I’d have to argue for placement. I’m sorry.”
“What will happen to him? Hasn’t he lost enough? My parents die and now he loses his home? How can God let an innocent suffer so much?” Foolish to blame God for her failings. “I do love Gib. I don’t care if my parents adopted him after I left home to go to college. He’s still my brother.”
“With kids like Gib, sometimes love isn’t enough. How’s the after-school program at the Gideon Foundation working out?”
Alexis walked to the fireplace, sealed off for Gib’s safety. “He talks as if he likes it there. Unfortunately, all he does is sit on the gym bleachers and listen to music. The staff has tried to engage him in activities. They say he refuses and prefers to sit and watch. I don’t know what more I can do. When school’s closed, I lose work. I’m surprised my editor hasn’t fired me yet.”
“Buck Kincaid’s a fair man. He’s been with the newspaper a long time. I’m sure he’s understanding of your situation.”
Alexis reached for a tissue and blew her nose. “Buck does allow me to work at home when there’s no school. But, he wants me to ramp up the coverage on the upcoming benefit concert. I’ll be extra busy.”
“With Ethan Jacobs as the main event it’ll sell itself. You shouldn’t have to work at it that hard.”
“It’s been sold out for weeks. With so many angles to cover, I’ve been at my wits end trying to do the work and find someone to take care of Gib.”
“I heard the Gideon Foundation is the benefit recipient this year, Ethan’s favorite charity. I also heard he’s donating a huge chunk of change from the sales of his hit song, A Christmas Prayer. Since they’re getting all the moola, maybe they’ll write a few articles for you.”
“I have an interview with Ethan Jacobs tomorrow, and Buck wants me to do the presentation at the Mayor’s Dinner the night before the benefit. What can I do with Gib? I can’t keep imposing on Jasmine.”
Kyle’s gaze mirrored his sympathy. “Why not bring Gib with you?”
“Too risky. Lately, he’s been off the wall more than he’s been on task. Seems like any new situation throws him into a meltdown. Or, he’s apt to borrow anything not bolted to the floor.”
“Ethan Jacobs is Gib’s hero, right?”
Alexis nodded … hero was an understatement. “Gib might surprise you if there’s something in it for him, like meeting a legend. Positive reinforcement, they say, can sometimes work better than punishment. I’m moonlighting on Ethan’s security detail. Did you know he’s rented the old Guilford Residence for an extended vacation?”
“Buck mentioned it. Another angle he wants me to write about. Why would someone of Ethan Jacob’s stature want to live in Jasper Falls? Not so much as a McDonald’s.”
Kyle smiled. “You didn’t know he’s from here?”
“No. That information was not on the dossier his manager sent the newspaper.”
Did Kyle know some hidden secret about Ethan Jacobs? Maybe she should include an old school chum in her series of interviews.
Kyle leaned forward as if about to reveal a secret. Perhaps he sensed her desire to gain any insight on the mysterious Ethan Jacobs. “Ethan graduated with my older brother, Tom. He left town the same year your father took the pastorate at Good Shepherd Church, the year they adopted Gib.”
“Yes, but why would he want to stay here now?”
“Jasper falls does get in your blood, I suppose.” Kyles infectious laugh pushed through her pain and made her smile in spite of her need to cry.
“I didn’t visit home very much after I left for college. My parents moved here right after my high school graduation. Then after college I moved to L.A. So, I really don’t know much about Jasper Falls, at least not as much as I should. Maybe if I’d spent more time with Gib before my folks died …”
Kyle rose and headed toward the door. “Don’t be hard on yourself, Alexis. Not many children would have tried to care for a disabled sibling.”
At least someone in Jasper Falls understood. “I’m no heroine, Kyle. I did it because, stranger to me or not, Gib is all the family I have left. I hoped to at least keep him in the only home he’s ever known. Looks as if all my so-called sacrifice has been for nothing. I’m going to lose him, aren’t I?”
Kyle rubbed his chin. “I’m no psychologist. Seems Gib wasn’t such a handful before your folks died. Maybe he still needs time to grieve. Just because he doesn’t express himself, doesn’t mean he’s absent of feelings.”
Alexis sighed. “I don’t want to lose him, Kyle. I do want what’s best for him.”
“Keep praying, Alexis. I know things look hopeless right now, but Christmas is the time of miracles. No harm in asking for one.”

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