Published: 9 Oct 2025

Chapter 20 – The Christmas Visit to the Hospital

On Thursday, I told Devin that there was no need for him to go to the campus newspaper office with me, since Liam and Chuck were going to be there to help me load up the toys. He thanked me for this small gesture, since he felt tomorrow’s exam was going to be the hardest one of all. After he gave me the key, I headed out to meet the other two.

When I reached the newspaper office, Liam and Chuck were already there. “Where’s Devin?” Liam asked.

“He has one more final tomorrow in his hardest course, so I told him we could handle this.”

When we went inside, Ken greeted us warmly. “I’m afraid there aren’t any more donations this week, but I’ll be happy to get rid of all of the toys we have stored here,” he stated.

“We kept the toys here because we lived in a residence hall the first year we did this, and even though we’ve been living in a house since then, we felt the toys would be safer here. These two will probably have to do the same thing, so my guess would be that they will be utilizing the services of next year’s newspaper staff as well.”

“Then you guys should come here early in the fall and meet the new editor-in-chief, because I’ll be graduating in the spring,” Ken added. “You can make whatever arrangements you think will work best for you with him or her. I’m not sure, but Anna might want to run for editor-in-chief next year.”

“At least we know who she is, but we’ll do what you recommend, regardless of who the editor-in-chief is.”

“I’m glad you were considerate enough to get boxes from somewhere to store the toys in,” I told Ken. “The first time we did this, the toys were all piled on the floor in that small room, so Devin and I had to run out and get boxes first, before we could take them with us.”

“You might want to thank Anna for that then, because she brought in the boxes for us to use.”

“Then I’ll thank her when I see her tomorrow.”

Liam and Chuck then helped me carry the boxes out to the SUV, and when the last box had been loaded in the back, we all got in the SUV to go to the house so we could sort the toys into the sacks.

“I’m kinda glad there wasn’t any money this time, so we don’t have to go shopping,” Chuck offered. “Otherwise, I would have worried about all the toys getting stolen while we were making more purchases.”

“If that was the case, then one of us could have stayed in the SUV while the others went inside to buy the toys,” Liam offered.

“Yeah, we could have done that too. I just thought Michael would have wanted us to do the shopping with him.”

“I could have done the shopping by myself, if necessary,” I replied, as I drove to the house.

When we arrived there, I made a quick announcement before we carried the boxes inside. “Just keep the noise down while we’re doing this, because Devin is upstairs studying. I brought the other toys we’d purchased and the sacks downstairs before I drove over to meet you. We just have to divide the toys according to which ones would be suitable for each age group, and then we can choose which toys we’re going to put into the different sacks.”

“What age groups are you talking about?” Chuck asked.

“We usually divide the toys up like this,” I began. “We’ve used three age groups in the past: 2 to 5, 6 to 8, and 9 and up, but we may have to adjust that when I look at the list from the hospital and see the ages of the kids that will be there. Santa always carries the bag with the toys for 2 to 5 year-olds and we carry the other two sacks.”

“But there will be four of us elves this year,” Laim pointed out.

“Yes, so you and Chuck will carry the other two sacks and Devin and I will merely help Santa choose an appropriate toy for each child. You’ll see how it works when we get there, and then you’ll know what you will have to do next year.”

“I think Liam and I will be able to sort the toys by age groups for the boys, but I have no idea what the girls might want.”

“I think you’ll get some Ideas as we sort through this stuff,” I assured him, and then we divided everything into three separate piles.

When we finished doing that, I got the list of the children that would be there tomorrow, and once we knew how many would be there from each age group, we started putting toys into the sacks.

“We always add a few extra toys to each sack for a couple of reasons. Santa always talks to each child first and asks them what they’re hoping to get for Christmas, and then we help him look in the appropriate sack to find something for the child. If they don’t seem to like our first choice, we select something else until we find something they’ll enjoy. That’s why when we’re finished, we always have extra toys left in the sack to take back to the SUV. We always put what’s left in our sacks in with Santa’s sack, and that way he has a full sack when we reach the Toys for Tots donation area, while we carry in the boxes.”

“Do you ever get children begging for toys when you’re doing that?” Chuck asked.

“Occasionally,” I replied. “I remember one year Santa gave a boy a toy as they were heading into the mall, and then he and his mother went inside to do some shopping. We were worried that they might get stopped by store security, since they didn’t have a receipt. We don’t know if the mall cop would have accepted the excuse that ‘Santa gave me this toy when I came here with my mom’.”

“Yeah, I hope that didn’t happen.”

“Just to make sure, his mom used her phone to snap a photo of Santa handing the toy to her son.”

“That was smart,” Liam chimed in.

“Yes, it was,” I agreed.

Once we had an appropriate number of toys in each sack, we put the remainder back into the boxes, and then we stored everything in the dining room. “We’ll carry this stuff out to the SUV before we change into our outfits tomorrow, but for now I’ll drive you back to the frat house.”

“I was hoping you’d do that, because I didn’t want to have to walk all the way back there,” Liam added as we were walking out to the SUV. “I’ve got my last final in the morning as well and need to get back to study.”

“Just don’t forget that we’ll pick you up around 12:30 tomorrow,” I reminded them as they were getting out of the SUV.

“Don’t worry, we’ll be ready,” Chuck confirmed, so I drove back to the house.

I was happy to see that Gramps was there by the time I returned and he’d already transitioned into my ‘supposed’ grandfather. He felt it would be safer that way, instead of worrying that someone would see him enter the house and then later someone totally different would leave. He even drove a rental SUV again, so no one would recognize his SUV and figure out what was going on.

“Are you boys all ready for tomorrow?” he asked after I’d greeted him.

“I am, but Devin has one more final in the morning. I and the two guys that will be taking over for us next year have already put all the toys into the sacks. I’ll pick them up after lunch tomorrow and you’ll get to meet them then, because they’ll be helping me load up your SUV before we put on our elf outfits and you dress up as Santa.”

“Then I look forward to meeting them,” he replied as Devin came downstairs to join us. “Devin, it’s nice to see that you’re able to take a little time off from studying. Do you think you’ll have time for me to take you and Mac out for supper?”

“Yeah, I have to eat and that sounds better than walking to the dining hall. Besides, I need a break from studying,” he answered with a smile.

Once again, Gramps took us to Dominick’s Italian Restaurant, which was our favorite place to eat in Fort Collins.

“We haven’t been here in quite a while,” Devin stated, “so this is a nice change of pace.”

“I always enjoy coming here as well,” Gramps replied, “although no one will know it’s me this time.”

“So, don’t forget that and we’ll introduce you if the owner stops by our table,” Devin told him.

“Gotcha. So, how have you boys been doing?”

“Fairly well, even though each final that we’ve taken so far has been a bear, no pun intended.” Devin responded with a smirk.

“Then I hope you did well on them.”

“We think we did, but we won’t know for sure until our grades arrive, and I’ve got probably my hardest exam tomorrow.”

“In that case, I hope it doesn’t ruin your Christmas vacation.”

“Nah, our neighbor already did that for us.”

“Why? What did Louella do now?”

We told him the story about her false tip that resulted in a visit from the city police and campus security.

“I think she’s crossed the line this time and we should do something about it.”

“We were thinking along those very same lines,” I stated, and then I told him what we had in mind.

“I was thinking something a little more involved, but that would take some planning, so what you have in mind will be fine. Just make sure you drink a lot while you’re eating.”

We were a little confused by his statement, so we asked him why he wanted us to do that, and he explained. “You might be familiar with the white bird droppings that we frequently find adorning our SUVs,” he stated, and we both nodded in agreement. “That’s not exactly bird poop. It’s mostly bird urine, which is primarily composed of uric acid, and it’s how they excrete their liquid waste. On occasion it might also get mixed with its fecal material, since both are excreted through the cloaca, the bird’s only opening that is used for removing waste and reproduction.”

“Damn, I can’t believe we didn’t know that,” Devin said, “so I guess neither of us has ever flown long enough as a bird to have done either of those things.”

“Yeah, I agree,” I added.

When we arrived at the restaurant, the maître d’ greeted Devin as usual. “It so nice to see you again Mr. McCaskill, and you have a party of three tonight?” he asked, to make sure no one else would be joining us.

“That’s correct, a table for three.”

“And it’s nice to see you again, Mr. MacPherson,” the maître d’ added, “but I’m not familiar with the other member of your group.”

“This is my grandfather, not Santa Claus,” I replied, causing the maître d’ to crack a slight grin.

“It’s so nice to meet you as well, and since your grandson mentioned it, you do bear a striking resemblance to the aforementioned individual.”

“Yes, I’ve been told that before,” Gramps responded, and then gave his typical Santa laugh, although not as loudly as he’ll do at the hospital tomorrow.

As we were led to our table, many heads swiveled in our direction as we walked by and some murmuring occurred as the other guests discussed among themselves how much Gramps looked like Santa. They continued to turn and glance at him occasionally for a little while longer, and then the scene began to calm down.

Since we were supposedly with my grandfather this time, rather than either Pops or Gramps, only our server stopped by our table. Many of his workmates, however, strolled by to get a better look at Gramps at some point while we were there. When we finished our meals, our server showed up carrying three dessert plates on a small tray.

“The maître d’ sends this dessert to you with his compliments. Each of you will be able to try our Struffoli, which are deep fried dough balls coated in honey and sprinkles. I’m told they’re a Christmastime tradition in Naples, Italy.

We thanked our server for the information and told him to thank the maître d’ for us as well, in case he’s busy when we’re ready to leave. After enjoying our tasty dessert, Gramps paid with cash, since he couldn’t very well use his credit card this time, and then we made our way to the front entrance. Along the way, we stopped to thank the maître d’ for his kindness.

“When the owner isn’t here, he leaves me in charge, and since you’re highly respected customers, it was the least I could do for you. I just hope your grandfather didn’t get any of the honey coating on the Struffoli stuck in his beard.”

“No, I managed to avoid that,” Gramps responded, followed by another of his laughs, and then we went outside to get in the rental SUV. As he was driving out of the parking lot, Gramps made a comment.

“When you boys are starting to feel bloated and think you might have to use the toilet, just undress in the house and then go outside before you transition into a bird. I’d suggest a larger bird like a crow or an owl for greater impact, and then fly over and do your business on Louella’s car. If we’re lucky, we’ll all be ready to do it at the same time and then we can paint her car completely white. If I didn’t think it would be a dead giveaway, I might even try to write her a note while I was doing it.”

“Yeah, that would be hard to explain,” I concurred.

“But at least we’ll be able to use it to teach that bitch a lesson,” Devin chimed in.

“And when we’ve finished doing that, fly to a place at the back of her property and land, because I’ve thought of something else we can do,” Gramps stated, so we nodded our heads in agreement. This was going to be good.

We managed to all hold out until each of us felt ready to do this, and then we got undressed, headed outside, and transitioned into Great Horned Owls, since it was dark out and crows don’t fly at night. We then flew over to Louella’s property, and fortunately for us, she’d left her car in the driveway and hadn’t parked it in the garage. We each made a run like a bomber pilot and dropped our payload onto her car.

After we finished, we flew behind the garage, as Gramps had asked, and after we’d all transitioned into ourselves, Gramps told us what we were going to do next. When we were ready, we headed for the back of Louella’s house, but this time as bears, a mama bear and her two fairly good size cubs, and we went directly for her trash cans. We made sure to make enough noise while we were doing it so she’d come out to see what was going on, and shortly after the outside spotlight came on, Louella came outside holding her broom like a weapon. “Scat! Get out of here,” she said while swinging her broom wildly in front of her.

That’s when Gramps reared up on his hind legs and growled loudly, showing his teeth. This caused Louella to jump backward before scurrying into the house, and once she was hiding inside, the three of us left the area. We made sure to go past her car, though, since we were fairly certain that she was looking out the window at us and we wanted to draw her attention to our handiwork. As we were leaving, we heard Louella come back outside and exclaim:

“Look at the mess you’ve made of my garbage cans, and look at what the birds did to my car!” and then she went inside, slamming the door behind her.

“That was fun,” Devin’s said when we got back to the house. “It’s just too bad that she won’t know that we did it.”

“She’ll probably still try to blame us for it,” I stated.

“I think I’ll come to your graduation in the spring, and I’ll bring some props with me that we can use for you boys to give her an adequate farewell.”

“What are you planning now?” Devin asked.

“I think next time I want to do something for Louella as humans, but not any humans that live around here and she would expect to see. I want to leave her with a shock that she’ll always remember, because if she ever tells anyone about it, they’ll all think she’s lost her mind and gone completely daft.”

“Sounds great and I can’t wait to see what you’ve got planned,” Devin said before he went back to our bedroom to study some more for his last exam.

I sat in the living room and chatted with Gramps until Devin finished for the night, and then we all headed up to our bedrooms. I gave Devin a blowjob first, before we went to the bathroom to perform our nightly ritual, and then I spooned up behind him and wrapped my arm around him so he’d get a good night’s rest.

Devin got up early so he could head out for his final, because he wanted to stop at the dining hall to get something to eat first, before proceeding to the testing location. I said I’d go with him, but he told me to stay there and eat with Gramps instead, and even though I was reluctant to let him go off alone, I did as he asked.

As usual, Gramps took me out to eat, and when we finished, we returned to the house and started getting everything ready. Since the toys were already packed in the bags, we carried the boxes of toys and the three sacks filled with toys out to the rental SUV and stored them inside. And after we went into the house again, we laid out our outfits and accessories in preparation for the visit to the hospital.

Before Devin returned, Gramps gave me the key to the rental SUV and told me to go get Liam and Chuck, and then he’d take us all out for lunch after Devin returned from taking his exam.

Since this was earlier than I’d told Liam and Chuck that I’d pick them up, I called the frat house first, so I could tell them about the change of plans. I also wanted to alert them that Gramps wanted to take us out for lunch before we changed, and hopefully I’d notify them in time before they went to the dining hall. I also planned on telling them that I’d be arriving about an hour earlier, just as soon as Devin returned from taking his last final.

When I dialed the frat house and Chuck was called to the phone, he said it was fine with him and Liam would be coming to get him after he finished his exam so they could eat lunch together. I explained that we were waiting for Devin as well, and then I’d pick them up so Santa could get to know them before he did this with them next year. I also reminded them to bring their outfits and accessories with them and we’d return to the house to change before heading over to the hospital.

Since Devin was running late, I drove over to pick up Liam and Chuck first, and Devin was at the house when I got back. After I gave Gramps the key to the SUV, we all went out to load into it so he could take us all out for lunch. Once we’d ordered, and while we were waiting for the food to be delivered, Gramps chatted with Liam and Chuck. He asked them questions about themselves as they were growing up and what their majors were, as well as what jobs they were hoping to get after they’d graduated.

After that, Gramps told them that he’d call the frat house prior to next year’s visit to the hospital so he could see how they were doing and they could make plans. He also explained that it would be their sole responsibility to collect the money from the newspaper office and buy the toys, as well as to pick the toys up on that last Thursday before Christmas break. He was expecting them to bring the toys to the house when they met up on the last Thursday before Christmas break so they could sort the toys and load them into the sacks. He also informed them that he’d take them out to eat after they’d all changed out of the outfits at the house after they visited the hospital, as a reward for their help.

Once our food was delivered, we chatted about a bunch of other things while we ate, and we all had a nice time. When we finished our meals, we headed back to the house to change. This meant not only putting on the elf outfits, but also adding the pointed elven ears and utilizing the special footwear. When we were all set, we headed outside and loaded into the rental SUV, and then Gramps drove us to the hospital for our scheduled visit.

As usual, our appearance in the SUV created quite a stir and a lot of attention as we were driving there, since this SUV didn’t have tinted windows. Everyone that noticed us as we passed by would either notice the elves, while those on the driver’s side might even get a good glimpse of Santa as we passed by. The commotion from those who saw us would usually draw the attention of others as they pointed in our direction and made an assortment of comments.

Our presence nearly caused a few fender benders as well, as drivers looked to see what everyone else was pointing at. That’s because they were distracted and not totally focusing on their driving or the other vehicles on the street with them. It was fortunate that some of those vehicles had automatic emergency braking systems, as well as Blind Spot Monitoring Systems. If not, Santa might have been accused in the local press as having been mostly responsible for numerous minor accidents.

When we arrived at the hospital, Gramps found a parking space close to the main entrance so we wouldn’t have far to walk. As we were emerging from the vehicle, we drew the attention of those who were in the area at the time. We became even more disruptive, although not intentionally, as we passed through the automatic doors and entered the hospital’s lobby, as the staff and others there all turned to greet us.

We had to wait a short time for an empty elevator, because the five of us with the three sacks of toys took up all of the space inside. When we arrived at the floor where the children’s ward was located, a buzz soon filled the air as the staff hurriedly went from room to room telling the children that Santa had arrived. They probably heard Santa as well, because he was quite loud as he entered each room with his “Ho, ho, ho. Merry Christmas!” greeting. The children now waited with bated breath as Santa made his rounds, going from room to room to greet each and every child.

“I see you have a couple of additional elves this year,” one of the nurses stated.

“Yes, they’ll be replacing us next year, since we’re graduating in May, and we wanted them to see how this worked before they took over.”

Just as in the past, the children’s faces glowed when they saw us enter their room, and no matter how sick they were, they managed to crack a smile when they saw the jolly old elf leading our group. Santa moved from bed to bed and chatted with each child briefly before he asked them what type of present they would like. If we were lucky, we had something in one of the bags that fit the bill. If not, we’d try to find something as close to what they’d asked for. If they appeared disappointed by what Santa handed to them, he would ask if there was something else they might prefer instead, and then we’d do everything possible until they seemed satisfied. It was amazing to see the big smiles on the faces of the happy children before we headed to the next room.

As usual, the staff and parents that were there were busily taking photos and videos of us, and Anna and another reporter from the local newspaper were busily taking notes. When we finished our rounds, Santa stood in the hallway and using his deep voice said, “Ho, ho, ho, Merry Christmas to all and I’ll visit you again at your homes!” Then we got on the elevator and rode it back down to the lobby so we could leave.

“You were right, that was amazing and I’m glad I got to be part of it,” Liam said when we were back in the SUV.

“It even made up for having to wear this silly stuff and looking like a goof,” Chuck agreed. “I’m glad we’ll be doing this next year too.”

“And I’m glad to hear that,” Gramps stated, “because it’s always better when my elves look happy to be there and not like they’d just been told they have to clean up a pile of shit.”

His comment made Liam and Chuck laugh as Gramps drove us over to the Toys for Tots drop off location. When we arrived there, once again we caused quite a commotion as we made our way carrying the sacks and boxes full of toys to drop off there. The staff at Toys for Tots thanked us multiple times for the donations and wished us all a Merry Christmas. Of course, this caused Santa to do a repeat of his, “Ho, ho, ho, Merry Christmas to all,” but this time he added, “and to all a goodbye,” before we left.

When we got back to the house, we took off our outfits, and then I spoke. “If you want, you can leave your outfit here, along with the other items, seeing you’ll be changing here next year too.”

“Yeah, that sounds like a good idea.”

“Will both of you be seniors next year?” Gramps asked.

“I will,” Chuck answered.

“But I’ll only be a junior,” Liam added.

“Good, then you’ll only have to recruit one new person to help you the following year.”

“And Devin and I will leave our outfits here so the new guys can use them in the future, if they’re the same size as us. And we’ll send all of the outfits out to have them laundered in the interim.”

“Yeah, that’s a good idea,” Liam concurred with Chuck nodding in agreement

As soon as we were back in our regular clothes again, Gramps made a suggestion. “Since you boys did such a great job, I think I’ll take you all out to Dominick’s for supper, or dinner if you prefer, that is if you’re hungry.”

We all eagerly agreed that we were, so we went outside and got back in the SUV. As Gramps was driving there, Chuck made a comment. “Isn’t Dominick’s kind of an expensive place to eat?”

“It may be a little pricey, but my family does a lot of business with them, so we get pretty good service and even some special attention while we’re there,” Devin answered. “You see, my grandfather owns the house that Michael and I are staying at, and my grandfather and his brother come here quite often to attend football games with us. They also come up here to visit friends and for other reasons, and they almost always eat at Dominick’s while they’re here.”

“I see, and I can’t wait to try the food.”

Even though there was a decent crowd tonight and there was a line waiting to get in, the maître d’ spotted us as we were walking up to add our name to the waiting list and greeted us warmly. “Good evening, Mr. McCaskill. You’re a little early, but your table for…” Devin held up one hand in front of his belly where no one but the maître d’ would notice it, with all four fingers and thumb extended, “five will be ready shortly. Why don’t you and your party step into the bar until I come for you.”

Once we were all together in the bar, Chuck whispered to Devin. “Damn, you do get excellent treatment here,” he said. “Nothing like jumping to the front of the line.”

“I told you we get treated very well here.”

Liam and Chuck were even more impressed when we got to our table and saw the menu. “Just order what you want and don’t focus on the price,” Gramps told them. “This is my treat.”

“It’s a good thing you brought a lot of cash with you this time,” I whispered to Gramps.

“Yes, but I could have had Devin use his credit card and simply paid him back later.”

“Yes, you could have done that as well,” I conceded, and then we all ordered.

“Wow, the food here is excellent,” Liam said shortly after he started eating.

“Yeah, I haven’t had a meal this good since I’ve been going to CSU,” Chuck added.

As we were finishing up, the owner walked over to our table, with our waiter in tow. “I’m sorry that I missed you last night, but I heard about this gentleman, who looks a lot like Santa Claus.”

“He’s my grandfather and he helps us when we make the Christmas visit to the children’s ward at the hospital. He’ll be doing that with these two next year, and he’s agreed to do it for a few more years after that as well.”

“Then I insist that you stop by here afterward and bring your helpers with you.”

“Then I guess we’ll see you next year as well,” Gramps agreed.

“And I had your waiter bring a tray with your dessert, compliments of the house. Each dessert plate has a slice of Tronchetto di Natale, or what In English is called a Yule Log, for you to try. It consists of a rolled sponge cake filled with cream and covered with a chocolate frosting. I hope you all enjoy it.” And then the waiter gave each of us a plate with a thick slice of the Yule Log.

“Damn, I’m starting to feel like I’m out with a celebrity or some other really important dude!” Chuck stated.

“You are. You’re with Santa, and we get kind of spoiled when we come here, even without Santa,” Devin agreed.

When we left, Gramps left a hefty tip when he paid the bill, and then he drove Liam and Chuck to the frat house before we returned back to his house. Devin and I hurried up and packed our duffle bags with everything we wanted to take home with us in the morning, including a variety of presents. And when we finished, we chatted with Gramps about his two new helpers for next year.

“I believe they’ll do well next year,” Gramps agreed.

And after chatting about them, we discussed our visit to the hospital and how we had enjoyed it, and we did this for nearly two hours before we decided it was time to get ready for bed. After saying goodnight to each other, we headed upstairs and went through our nightly preparations before turning in. It had been a really nice day

In the morning, Gramps took us out for breakfast and then Devin and I went over to the dog park before we headed home. Bear had a chance to run around with Bailey and Finn, while I chatted with Preston.

“It’s going to be strange not seeing you around here for a month, but I’ll be looking forward to seeing both of you again next semester. Will each of you be able to make it here every day.”

“No, Devin said he’ll have early classes next semester, so he won’t be able to make it, but I’ll be here with Bear each day.”

“Ok, and maybe Devin will be able to come with you on the weekends then.”

“Maybe, but I’ll have to see what else he has lined up and how his workload is. Devin has mentioned something about signing up to be part of a robotics team next semester and I’m not sure when that group will be meeting or how long they’ll be involved in doing it.”

“Ok, but I hope you can both work something out.”

When it was time for me to leave, Preston surprised me and did something I hadn’t expected. He gave me an enthusiastic hug before I left.

“Take care and have a safe trip home. Hopefully, I’ll see both of you again in January.”

“Yep, I’m sure you will, so take good care of Bailey and Finn while we’re gone.”

“You don’t have to worry about that,” he replied, and then I called Bear and we left. Once he’d transitioned into himself, I told him about my chat with Preston.

“Maybe Gramps or Pops can come up a few times next semester, and then they can transition into me, after I transition into Bear.”

“That might be a good idea to lessen any lingering concerns that Preston has about us rarely being seen out together.”

“In that case, I’ll make sure to ask them when I see them at the cabin, because that way I can tell both of them at the same time.”

“Good, and I hope they’re willing to do that for us.”

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