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It was December 21 and Robert "Robbie" Scott still hadn't bought all the presents he needed for Christmas yet. He had gotten gifts for his mother and his brother, had sent them away already, but two very important ones were still missing.
One being a present for his son Chris. He had several ideas, knew what he loved, knew his interests. The only problem was that he didn't know what the young Scotsman already had. Back in Scotland it had been easy to ask some of his son's friends to take a look in his flat, but here in San Francisco? He didn't know any new friends of Chris and therefore he had no idea what stuff the lad had bought during his time abroad.
Then there was the other present that he hadn't bought yet - which was the way bigger problem, if you asked him. A gift for Leah McCoy!
They had dated for quite some time now, yet still Robbie hadn't really gotten to the core of her. Leah always said that he knew her quite well, but the Scotsman seriously had his doubts about that.
Aye, of course. He knew that she was funny and lovely and beautiful and perfect, but that wouldn't help him find a present for her.
A book maybe. Or he could invite her to the movies or the theater. Nae - he shook his head, walking through the crowded streets all by himself. None of these ideas were good enough for Leah. The nurse deserved only the best.
Then again... wasn't it a bit too early for personal Christmas gifts? After all, they didn't even know each other that long. So maybe a book would actually be good.
Robbie let out a deep sigh as he stopped in front of a wee shop and stared at a model of Santa and a reindeer.
"Why don't ye tell me what I should do, eh?"
He didn't get an answer. Of course. What else had he expected? Until...
"Well... maybe you should stop frowning and show the world your friendly smile. That would be a great start."
Robbie's eyes widened in surprise when he heard a disguised Santa voice coming from behind him and he whirled around.
He couldn't believe who he saw in front of him. Instantly, a blush crept onto his cheeks.
"L-Leah!"
The nurse was grinning brightly at him, arms behind her back, leaning slightly forward.
"Hey handsome, talking to Santa, huh? I suppose you are still searching for gifts?"
Robbie nodded slowly.
"H-hey. Yeah, I... I still haven't gotten anything for Chris," he started to explain and Leah's eyes widened in shock.
"What?! You don't have a gift for your child yet? What kind of horrible father are you?", she exclaimed and Robbie's heart skipped a beat.
"I-I-I-," he stammered awkwardly, but his counterpart only laughed and nudged his side.
"Don't worry. I'm just kidding. I can believe that it's quite hard to find a present for a grown-up son."
Robbie let out another heavy sigh as he shrugged his shoulders.
"It's just... I have no idea what he has at his new home. I want to gift him something new, something... something special."
Leah scratched her chin thoughtfully.
"Well... what does he like?"
"Spaceships, video games, rock music - pretty much the same stuff I like," Robbie listed his ideas up and Leah nodded understandingly.
Suddenly her face lit up and she grabbed the Scotsman's arm in excitement.
"Oh! I have an idea! Come with me!"
They hurried through the streets and Robbie was trying his best to keep up the pace. Leah was quite a fast runner and when they eventually came to a halt in front of a tall bright building, the Scotsman was out of breath, panting heavily.
"Here it is! The perfect place to get your perfect gift!"
Leah was grinning from ear to ear, arms outstretched and Robbie looked up at the building they were standing in front.
"An... an arcade?"
The woman next to him nodded enthusiastically.
"An arcade, exactly! This place has literally everything! Ancient gaming consoles, the coolest VR games, newest technologies - everything your son can wish for!"
Robbie tilted his head to the side, looking kinda skeptical.
"But... if it's that great, I'm quite sure he already was here several times, wasn't he?"
Leah's face seemed to brighten up even more.
"Oh, I doubt that. It's always booked out."
That answer caused Robbie to frown. Why was Leah turning his hopes up, when the place was booked out anyway?
"Then how am I supposed to get him in there?"
"Well, sweetie, maybe I know one of the owners. And - just a little addition - I once saved his life and he still owes me a favor."
Robbie's eyes widened and for a moment, he was at a loss for words. Was Leah actually saying that she wanted to put in a good word for him?
"W-wow, that's... that's awesome! But... are ye sure that ye want to waste that favor just for me?"
Leah shrugged her shoulders.
"Well... why not? It'll make your son happy. That will make you happy. And - you already guessed it - if you're happy, then I'm happy too. It's a win-win."
Robbie swallowed down the lump that was forming in his throat. He didn't know what to say. So instead he just wrapped his arms around Leah and pulled her close to his chest.
"Thank ye. Thank ye so much," he eventually got out his grateful answer and he felt Leah nod against his shoulder.
"You're welcome, honey. Now... let's get inside and get your son a voucher."
The nurse pressed a gentle kiss to the Scotsman's cheek, then grabbed his hand to pull him along.
And in that moment Robbie knew that it didn't matter what he got for Leah. As long as both of them enjoyed it, the wonderful lass would be happy. Just like him.