Work Text:
Caitlyn held up the finished surgical cap, which was black with neon-colored flowers, after she sewed the ties into the back. Everything looked even. Making sure the ties lined up had been her biggest difficulty since she started learning to make these. One always ended up too long or too short, similar to what happens when one laces a pair of sneakers unevenly. But today, they were perfect. She put the cap on a mannequin head as a final test, tied a knot, and inspected it from behind.
“Finally,” she said to herself. She pulled the front of the cap down as well to ensure it was as snug as it should be on a real surgical staff member. Check.
She had been working on sewing for nearly a year now, having gotten the idea to make surgical caps when she saw a pediatric surgeon wearing a Linus and Lucy cap when he came to meet with one of the young patients on Caitlyn’s caseload. It sparked something in her, and she decided to start learning a new skill, with an eventual aim of making her mother some caps for a birthday or Christmas present. Now, Janet’s birthday was three days away, and she had just completed the first cap that would be part of her gift.
Caitlyn sat down at her chair to rest her eyes just as Ellie knocked and walked in.
“Oh, do you need a nap? I’ll see myself out.” Ellie said.
“Nah. I finally finished one. I was just taking five. What do you think?”
“It looks good to me. Gosh, I wish I had the creativity you did, but it’s a different skill than some of the hands-on stuff we do at work.”
“Yeah, it’s definitely its own technique.” Caitlyn started laughing. “Even though it’s been hard work, I’m excited for her to see everything I’ve learned. She doesn’t even know I’ve been working on this. I wanted it to be a true surprise for her when she finds out, which is ironic considering she normally hates surprises.”
“Well, it looks like you’ve been coming along,” Ellie gave her a supportive smile. “I think she’ll be thrilled and see it as a pleasant surprise. A lot of people get excited about homemade gifts, too. I bet it’ll mean more than another trinket or a gift card.”
Ellie looked at the rest of Caitlyn’s fabric. “Which other patterns are you using? You have kind of a lot here.”
“The light blue with butterflies, definitely, and then I’m trying to decide if I should do ladybugs for another animal, or do I go with something more classic, like the white with black flowers or pink paisley? Too many decisions. I picked way too much fabric.”
“Ah, analysis paralysis. What about this one?” Ellie held up white fabric with gold polka dots. “I think it fits your mom’s style away from work: very chic and sophisticated. She’s into scarves and purses and everything, so it fits.”
“Yeah. That’s a good choice.”
“I’m just happy I’ll get to celebrate with her,” Caitlyn said. “I feel like we’ve been tested constantly the last few years, so it’s nice when we can breathe and just have a nice time together, or when Drew visits and I get some time to bond with both of them. He’ll be back for Mother’s Day, but he’s going to call her at some point on her birthday.”
“Anyway, Mom still gets tired kind of easily since the concussion, so we’re not going to have a huge shindig. But I’m going to church with her on Sunday and then we’re going out for brunch. I can’t wait to see how she reacts to the gift.”
Caitlyn ran her hands over the fabric. “I guess it’s back to work,” she said. “Only a few days to go.”
On Sunday, Caitlyn and Janet headed out to brunch after church. Caitlyn had made a reservation at one of Janet’s favorite restaurants as a second surprise, and they ended up getting a table on a covered patio.
“I hope you have it in you to stay awake during the meal,” Caitlyn teased her mother. “Don’t put your face in your pancakes or whatever you’re having.”
“Bananas foster French toast, I think,” Janet smiled back at her from over the top of the menu. “It’s my birthday; I want to indulge. Hopefully I won’t fall asleep at home before Drew calls. I feel like I need to nap every day anymore since I got hurt, especially after I’ve been out of the house for a while. That’s why I decided to have extra coffee today.”
“So, what are you fancying on the menu?”
“I don’t know. I think I kind of want an omelet. Although…French toast does sound good.”
“What’s wrong? My omelet didn’t hit the spot last time I made you breakfast?”
“Mom, no disrespect, but it was vegetarian. I’m kind of in the mood for some meat today, so if I don’t get bacon in the omelet, I’m having it on the side. We should each indulge to celebrate you, right?”
Caitlyn scanned the menu. “OK, here. A four-cheese omelet with toast and a choice of breakfast side. I can have my protein after all since bacon is one of the choices.”
“As long as you have room for dessert.”
After their server had taken their order, Caitlyn took a sip of her coffee. “So how have your past few days been? Any good phone calls or presents?”
“Just from the usual people,” Janet replied. “I heard from Abby the day of, and her gift and card arrived in the mail on Friday. She and Luka got me an assortment of breakfast teas and a saucer and cup set. Beth and her husband took me out to dinner last night, and Archie…oh, he tries so hard.” She started laughing. “He forgot about the day and ended up running to the Jumbo Mart to get me coffee and cookies that were buy one, get one free. Then later, he texted me and said Claudia smacked some sense into him. They came over after work with some cupcakes from Sugar Sugar—you know, the bakery by Mercy—”
“So jealous. I love their cupcakes.”
“Yeah. So, we each had one of those, and to his credit, he ended up buying me a baking book I wanted. By the way, I have a few cupcakes left over, so you can have one if you want. Just come by later. Unless your doctor still said no sugar because of your heart issues.”
“Well, actually, the caffeine wasn’t causing it. I found out I have an overactive thyroid. My doctor didn’t catch it before because there was a mixup with my lab work and another patient, and this time around, she noticed my thyroid felt larger while she was examining me. Not to mention I had anxiety and fatigue on top of all that. On the bright side, there was an improvement in my EKG and now I’m on medication for my thyroid so hopefully things will calm down now. I’ll probably have to have EKGs and echos every year for a while to make sure my heart’s still in good shape, but it’s a small price to pay.”
“I’m glad you’ll be OK,” Janet told her. “That makes the day that much better.”
“Let’s keep the good vibes going,” Caitlyn replied. “Do you want to open your present now, or wait until after you eat?”
“Eh. What’s the fun in waiting? I should open it before the food gets here and there’s a higher risk of spilling. Plus, if I look now, I’ll remember to set it down next to me before I get too involved with the meal.”
Caitlyn handed her a small box wrapped in white paper with gold polka dots, just like one of the cap fabrics she’d ended up using (unknown to her mom, of course). “Then here you are. Happy birthday.”
Janet scanned the card first, and her eyes watered a little. “Awww,” she said before reading Caitlyn’s writing out loud. “I’ve come to look forward to celebrating with you, and after what you went through last month, this is even more special. You deserve this. Happy birthday, Mom, and I hope you enjoy your day.”
“You know I was not dying,” she laughed. “But thank you. Very moving, and I agree. This is a special day.”
“I told you that you’d overcome your injury. And here you are. Now come on. Open the gift!”
“It sounds like you’re in more of a hurry than I am,” Janet started to unwrap the paper and then looked in the box. “New caps! I do have a busy surgical schedule coming up the next couple weeks. I could really use these! Where did you get them?”
“Actually, I made them.” Caitlyn beamed as she watched Janet pick up each one to admire it.
“Wait. You did? How?”
“Oh, I’ve been learning to sew for a while now, probably for about a year. I wanted to do something nice for you, something besides going to a store and trying to find the perfect piece of jewelry or another decoration for your house. I know you’re appreciative of that, too, but I figured why not do something different? Do you like them?”
“Of course. I really like this one with the butterflies. Reminds me of you. And the flowers…very much my style.”
“Ellie suggested the polka dots one. Did you notice it matches the wrapping paper?”
“No kidding,” Janet picked up the white and gold polka dot cap and compared it to the paper. “I didn’t realize Ellie had such an eye for my style. But she’s practically become a second daughter to me, so it’s not surprising.”
“She really is the gift that keeps on giving,” Caitlyn giggled.
“You know…I just realized I forgot to take a picture of these to show them to Drew. Do you mind, or do you want me to take it?”
“Oh, no problem, dear. I can’t wait to show these off. I’m pleasantly surprised that you spent all this time learning a new craft for me. It’s very unnecessary, but very sweet of you at the same time. Maybe I’ll have to take some photos for your apartment for your birthday, if that’s what you want.” Janet was referring to the fact that she’d started learning photography prior to her concussion, although she had yet to get back into the swing of things with practicing and studying different techniques.
“I’d really like that. Hey, if we get Drew into arts and crafts, we could be on to something new to bond over. But I don’t want to pressure him.”
“I’m really glad we’re doing this, Mom. Any time you and I can focus on something positive together, it brings me some relief from my depression. Takes my mind off things, you know? Do you feel the same? I mean, minus the depression of course.”
“I do. Spending time with you and Drew always reminds me how beautiful life can be.”
She reorganized the caps and set them down next to her. “Thank you, sweetie. Seriously. I can’t wait to take them in to work with me. I’ll have the best-looking caps in the OR. That makes it even better.”
“Yeah, I know you like to stand out. And you’re welcome.”
They smiled back at each other and waited for their food to arrive, continuing their conversation without missing a beat.