Under the Shining Star

The beat up, old station wagon drove down the road, the driver carefully watching for ice. 

"You missed your turn." Chad said from the back seat. "You were supose to turn on Wise street."

"The GPS shows me turning on the next street." Amy replied from the drivers seat. 

"The GPS updates slow. You missed your turn." Chad said, "Tell her Donny."

Donny sighed. "He is right babe. We missed the turn."

"The GPS says..."

"Recalculating— make a u-turn and proceed to the planned route."

"Dang it! I can't make a u-turn you stupid machine. There is a snow drift in the way."

"You should have let me drive." Chad said. 

"Not helping." Donny said. "Here babe, pull over and hand me the GPS. I'll find us a way."

"Fine." She said, pulling the car over. "Hurry though, Mary is having her first baby and I want to be there." Amy put the car in park. "You grabbed the gift, didn't you, Chad?"

"Yeah," Chad said. "but what does a baby need with insence?"

"Insence?" Amy turned around. "You grabbed the blue bag, didn't you?"

"Yeah," Chad said holding up a purple bag. "I'm not stupid."

"You idiot!" She punched him in the shoulder. 

"Oww! Stop it!" He shielded himself with the bag. "Don, your wife is hitting me."

"Dear," Donny said, not bothering to look up. "stop hitting my brother."

"No, he deserves it. I spend three weeks searching for the perfect baby gift and he leaves it behind." Amy socked Chad in the arm one more time. "What do we do now? We can't give them frankincense and myre."

"And gold." Chas added. 

"Gold?"

Chad pulled a handful of chocolate gold coins from the bag. 

There was a knock on the window.

"Ahh!" Incense flew everywhere. 

Donny rolled the window down. 

"Don't be afraid." The officer said. "Let me guess, you're looking for the hospital."

"Yes sir, our friend is having a baby."

"She picked quite a night for it. You don't need that infernal contraption. End of the block. Turn right. Follow the shining star. That easy."

"Thanks Officer."

"No problem at all. Merry Christmas."

"You too."

Donny rolled the window up as the officer walked away. "You get that?"

"Yup." Said Amy, starting the car forward.

"What kind of directions were those, 'follow the shining star'? Oh—"

As they turned the corner the street glowed in the light of the star that sat atop the hospital. 

They drove down, circled the parking lot twice without finding a spot, and finally pulled into a lot across the street. 

"It is packed." Donny said. 

They waited for a horse drawn carriage to go by before crossing the street. 

"Poor horse was limping." Amy said. 

They entered the hospital and took the elevator to the delivery floor. The doors opened. 

"Dear God." Amy said. 

Pregnant ladies filled the waiting room. Impatient husbands paced nervously, bumping into eachother. 

Donny went up to the desk. "Excuse me."

A frazzled nurse looked up. "Please tell me you are not checking in."

"Just looking for my friends, Mary and Joe."

She type the names into the computer. "I'm sorry I don't have anyone by that name."

"Donny," Amy grabbed his arm pulling him back towards the elevators. "Max Sheperd just texted. They are in the ER because of overflow."

"As they stepped into the elevator, Chad pressed the first floor button. 

The doors opened on ground level.

"What the..." Chad began. 

A Clydesdale stood in the lobby all by itself with a bandage around its foreleg.

"Owner must have brought him in.   Should we...do something about this?" Donny asked. 

"No, we are here to see a baby not wrangle a horse." Amy said. "The ER is this way."

They left the horse, went down the hallway, and found the Sheperd's hovering in a doorway.

"Go on in." Max told them. 

Mary had her baby cradled in her arms. Joe sat next to her utterly transfixed by the sleeping baby.

Amy let out a suppressed squeal. "He is adorable."

Max made a startled noise from the hallway. 

"What is it?" Joe asked. 

Donny stuck his head out the door. "Wow."

The Clydesdale pushed through the door into the small room. 

Joe grabbed the baby from merry and sat him down behind him.  

"Get it out of here!" Joe yelled. 

"It's just a horse." Chad said. 

A man in a top hat and a suit ran into the room. "Marmalade, what are you doing wandering off like that?" His eyes took in the crowd. His face flushed. "He is sorry... I am sorry. Uhh... congratulation. Uhm... come on marmalade." He lead the horse from the room. 

"Joe," Mary said, "get my newborn son out of that sink."

And that is the story of how Mary and Joe shared their room with livestock while their son slept in a water trough and the Sheperd's and three not so wise people watched, all under the shining star.