With apologies to It's a Wonderful Life and everything else belongs to Kudos
Life Most Wonderful…
Ruth had been walking along the path from the bus stop to her home. As she was about to navigate the last step into her building, something slipped and before she knew it she was falling and the back of her head hit the hard cold pavement of the walkway.
As she awoke from her self-inflicted unconsciousness, she found she was greeted by George. Shocked at the face before her, all she could say was what anyone else would say, "Am I dead? Have I finally escaped the shackles of my emotionless life, a life I wish I'd never had. A life that got you killed and orphaned Nico?"
"No Ruth," said George in his beautiful Greek accented English which Ruth loved to hear. "You are not dead, but you want to know what life would have been like without you. If you had not entered my life, were you not part of Harry's life, were you not with MI5? Yes?"
"Yes. I see no reason for my being on the face of the earth."
"Ruth you are so wrong but you must see for yourself. I will step back. After all you are not Scrooge and I am not the ghost of Christmas Past, Present and Future. Just go and see the world. Since you were never born, no one will see you eavesdropping on conversations. You will learn what a difference you have made."
"George, I must just be dreaming." When Ruth turned around George was gone. How was she to start this adventure? She decided to go inside and sleep awhile and then go back to the Grid. It was odd; her key wasn't working in the lock. The house seemed empty. On instinct, she let herself in through a window she knew never locked properly. There was no light to the house. She was fortunate that a bed was there, but not her bed. Deciding her brain was playing tricks on her she lay down.
When she awoke in the morning, she found the house did have electricity and running water so a hot shower wasn't a problem. She felt better. Then she headed toward MI5. It seemed nobody noticed her. She uttered a greeting and none were returned. Ultimately, she arrived through the pods and where her desk was, there was only filing space.
Again she tried to talk to her coworkers, but there were no responses. Then she remembered her strange dream of George and decided she was still dreaming. So she wandered along the Grid. There was Harry in his office. He looked serious, with more lines in his face than when she had seen him yesterday. She walked in, but there was no comment. Then he said to himself. "If only I had someone to share this job with. Someone who knows me and understands the nature of this work. Someone who could analyze it and make it all fit together properly. Maybe I should request an analyst for the grid but they are all so socially awkward and mostly want to deal with the maths. Ruth then realized she had never been seconded to MI5 and no one had made a similar request. She looked at the lost officers whose pictures Harry kept in a case. There were so many. Seems she had not made a difference in their lives. At this point George made an appearance again.
"You know I really am jealous of Harry because he truly has your heart, but there are two pictures that are not in that case that would be there were it not for you and that is Harry's and Malcolm's. Seems there was an operation where they didn't have all the facts when the Grid was hacked, and Harry and Malcolm went round to visit the boy thinking him just a pawn. Instead he had his dad's gun and planned to shoot them both, but then at the last minute there was a nagging voice, your voice that he didn't even know, and decided to send Zoe inside the house. You notice Zoe's picture is in there and in your world she lived. Wes has died too, victim of teenage suicide. He didn't have you there to comfort him when there were problems he couldn't talk to Uncle Harry about." Just as quickly as George appeared, he was gone again.
Ruth had seen enough of the Grid, she wished to see what happened to George and Nico. All she did was wish to be in Cyprus and she was there. The warm breeze, the beautiful Mediterranean, and her house, but George wasn't there. Nico was there with his aunt. She wandered through the garden and stopped by the pool. Then she overheard the aunt talking to a friend. It is so sad. He lost his dad so young. If only he hadn't been drinking and driving that night and then he ran off the cliff, dying so young. If only he had met someone to love and be a mother for Nico." Again George appeared. He smiled at his son. "I keep watch over him you know. I actually died two years before I was shot in your world. You see you saved me and gave me two extra years with my son I would not have had otherwise." Again George vanished.
Ruth did not understand why this was happening to her. "I don't understand. What is this all about?"
The wind carried the words, "You will figure it out."
Again she found herself back in England. This time she was inside Harry's home. He was sitting there drinking looking at pictures of his children when they were children. "There is something, someone missing, but I can't figure out who. I know it is someone special but yet it seems they must be there but are not there. What can I do?" There was a handgun in front of him. All Ruth could think about was the things left unsaid. Slowly he raised the gun to his mouth and as he started to squeeze the trigger Ruth yelled NO.
George reappeared and took her back to her house. "What happened to Harry?"
"What do you think happened? You weren't there he had nothing to live for." Many others died before their time too because you didn't give them the intelligence, and the compassion they needed. Jo died tracking down drug lords in a grimy part of London as a journalist, again years before her death with MI5 would have happened. Ros never made it to MI5. She went to prison for her part in the coup attempt. Some junkie killed her. Again you were not there to convince her how wrong her father was. As for the coup attempt, well, Zaf died saving Harry and Adam and the PM's son was killed in that mess. You really don't understand what a difference you have made in the lives of so many. You saved many and extended their lives longer than you realize. I hope you remember all this when you awake in hospital tomorrow. You will find yourself surrounded by many who love you and many who will live longer for having known you. Remember that you are of value in so many ways. Even members of parliament know they owe their lives to your resourcefulness. You have not gone unnoticed.
With this she lay down in bed, with George beside her, and he held her one last time and whispered in her ear and then kissed her goodbye. "Think of me, and live for me. Find happiness with Harry. You two are what they call soul mates. You and I were a wonderful brief encounter that I would not change for anything…except maybe being shot in the back of the head. But your friends saved Nico. Remember the good. Put the bad in the past and go on. Love Harry and let him know it." Then George was gone.
A while later….
Harry for some reason after work had decided to drive by Ruth's he just had a feeling something was wrong. As the headlights from the car spotted a body on the ground outside her home, he dialed for emergency services, and then dashed to her side to be sure she was still alive. She was breathing but not conscious. He knew the hospital would be her next stop. An ambulance arrived within minutes as he had used a special protocol to ensure her priority. Harry knew Ruth would not approve, but he wanted the best of care for her no matter what that meant.
It was the next morning when the doctors slowly started to revive her. She had her memories from her travels with George and was so relieved to see Harry bending over her bed, the first words she said, "Harry you're alive!"
"I think you are a bit confused you are the one who had the accident."
"No, Harry, don't go. I have to tell you something."
"Yes, does it concern what happened? Was it an accident, or were you attacked? This is important."
"No Harry, you are important. I wasn't attacked. I have to tell you I love you and I'll marry you if you will still have me."
Harry reached for her hand and smiled. "So that bump on the head knocked some sense into you eh? Don't say things now you will take back later Ruth. I just want you well."
"No Harry I mean it. I can't explain it all to you but I think our lives will be better together than separate."
"Well, I have witnesses I've been carrying this around for some time. Maybe not the best time to give it to you but my timing has never been very good. " It was a diamond engagement ring he slipped on her finger. Ruth pulled him to her and she kissed him soundly. The passion was so evident; Harry blushed knowing they had an audience of which she was unaware.
"Ruth, I think you should know that Alec, Dimitri and Beth are all here, and Malcolm managed to slip in as well. We were all concerned.
"So if you all are here, then who is running the Grid?"
"Junior staffers," said Alec. They can handle it awhile, but I think you and Harry need some time now.
After all had left, Harry asked, "This isn't just some thump on the head. You aren't going to wake up tomorrow and take it all away from me…from us?"
"No Harry. I love you. This is real. Let's just say that while I was unconscious I had many revelations that have led me to this point. We are soul mates Harry. Somehow we have kept missing each other in this life, but now we have time."
As Harry leaned over to kiss her again, she thought of what George whispered…"You and Harry will have a child and you will be wonderful parents. Don't think of Adam and Fiona. Your fates are destined to travel a different path. You both have your second chance. Don't mess it up." Ruth chuckled at the memory.
"What's so funny?"
"Harry you wouldn't believe me now. I'll tell you in the future I promise, but not now. Just be glade we are finally together and as soon as possible we will be together in all ways possible.
"In that case, I'm going to see about having you discharged today." They laughed but Harry was serious and dashed out the door.
Ruth spoke, but no one was in the room saying, "Thank you George." She felt he was watching over her too, but there was no guilt, just the happiness that all is as it should be.
Fluffy, fluffy, fluffy ending…I know maybe too sweet. Just a one-shot, but who knows when the Ghost of George may show up again when needed.