Chapter 65: Epilogue

Grace and Jacob waited for their mother's signal to walk into the hospital room, and even after receiving it, Jacob tiptoed into the room.

Though she looked worn out, Cassie beamed as they walked into the hospital room. "Hey, guys."

It was a little weird to see her stomach flat again after months of watching it expand. Charlie stood from a chair in the corner of the room, looking a bit like he'd just woken up himself. Two clear bassinets rested beside Cassie's bed, each holding a wrapped bundle safe inside.

Though Grace went to Cassie's bed, Jacob went straight for the bassinets, waiting a brief moment before his dad helped him up so he could look inside. "Wow."

Cassie leaned her head back against her pillows. "What do you think, Uncle Jacob? Think you're going to like having a niece and a nephew?"

"Yeah." He waved at the babies, who as far as Grace could tell, were still sleeping. "Hi, guys. Welcome to the family."

Grace looked back at Cassie. "How are you feeling?"

"I'm fine. It was getting a little crowded in there at the end."

Sam shook her head as she folded up a blanket from Charlie's chair. "I can imagine. I only made it seven months with Jacob, and I felt like my skin couldn't stretch anymore."

Jacob's head snapped up. "Was I ever this small?"

"Just about." Jack let his son back to the floor. "Only you were born in an elevator."

Jacob's eyes widened. "Cool!"

Grace chuckled as her parents exchanged a look. "I think you're the only one who thinks that's cool, Jake."

Cassie smiled at her husband. "Poor Charlie was sure they were going to be born in the car on the side of the road."

Charlie lifted one of the babies out of the bassinet. "In my defense, Cass, you said we had another few hours before we had to head to the hospital. I knew that much wasn't true."

He looked at Grace, cradling the baby's head in his hand. "You want to hold her?"

Grace's eyes widened. "Can I?"

"Me, too!" Jacob scrambled for the chair on the other side of the room.

Cassie winked at Sam. "I knew there was an upside to having two babies for the price of one." Then, she turned to Jack. "Why don't you take Fraiser over there to Uncle Jacob, Grandpa?"

Her dad swallowed hard as he picked up the newborn. "Hey there, Frasier. We sure are happy to have you here."

Charlie deposited the baby girl carefully in Grace's arms. "What's her name?"

Cassie looked at her husband as a knock sounded at the door to the room.

Before anyone could answer, Sara poked her head in the room. "Oh, sorry. We didn't realize—"

Charlie waited for a brief nod from Cassie before he walked to the door and welcomed his mother and stepfather. "Come on in, Mom. Hi, Tim."

Sara walked over to Jack's side and looked over his shoulder at the baby. "Oh, he's so precious!" She took a moment and looked at the man beside her. "Being a grandfather looks good on you, Jack."

"Uh, thanks. I was just taking the baby over to Jacob, so he could hold—"

Sara moved out of his way. "Right. Sorry."

Tim looked over at Cassie. "How are you feeling?"

Cassie didn't look at him, just watched as Jacob held his little nephew, trembling with excitement. "A little sore, but happy."

The retired obstetrician looked at the machines around Cassie. "Forgive an old doctor, but your vitals look good."

Cassie chuckled as she looked up, though her eyes seemed to mist with tears. "My mom would have done the same thing if she was here."

Tim patted her shoulder. "I'm sure she'd be pretty proud of you. You did good work."

Grace just stared at the little girl in her arms, surprisingly moved by this tiny life that fit in her hands.

"Her name is Helen."

The baby blinked her eyes open, stretching with a big yawn. She caught hold of Grace's finger, and Grace just stared at her. "Helen. It's perfect."

"It's after her grandmother."

Grace looked up at Charlie, a confused expression on her face. "Grandmother?"

"Cassandra's birth mother," Grace's mom whispered.

Cassie brushed away a single tear as she nodded. "Helen Astrid. Our two children are named for the three grandmothers they'll never meet."

Charlie looked at his mom. "Hope you don't mind, but Astrid and Eirik were good to me."

Sara patted his cheeks. "While I won't pretend that I'm happy you were taken, especially the way your dad and I thought you were, I will be forever grateful that while you were gone, you were loved. Helen Astrid is a beautiful name."

Charlie hugged his mother as Cassie tried to hide a yawn.

"Come on, kids, we'll come back later." Grace's parents carefully extricated the babies from their children's arms, and Sam passed little Helen off to her other grandmother. "Congratulations, Grandma."

Sara wiped at her cheeks before she held the baby. "Same to you, Grandma."

Sam squeezed the woman's hand with an emotional smile. Then, she turned to Cassie and kissed the younger woman's forehead. "I'll see you after dinner, okay?"

Cassie smiled, her eyes growing heavy with sleep. "Thanks, Sam."

Grace felt her dad's hand at her back. "Let's go, kiddo. We'll come back tomorrow."

Charlie followed them out of the hospital room. "Thanks for coming, you two."

Grace hugged her brother, fiercely. "Congratulations, Charlie."

His crooked smile was broad. "Thanks, Grace."

"Are they going to sleep like that all the time?"

Charlie laughed as he hugged Jacob. "Right up until the rest of us want some sleep, I hear."

Jacob just shook his head. "Babies."

"Babies," Charlie agreed.


It was after ten before Sam walked in the door, greeted by an excited Leia. "Hello, sweet girl. Keeping everyone safe?"

Jack threw a dish towel over one shoulder as he walked out of the kitchen. "You look tired."

Sam chuckled as she kissed him. "Nice to see you, too."

Even after the kiss had ended, Jack kept hold of her waist, and she melted against him. "I didn't say you weren't still beautiful. You just had a long day."

"Mm-hm. Nothing like a three AM call asking you to meet the anxious couple at the hospital."

Jack dropped the dish towel on the kitchen counter and walked Sam to the master bedroom. "We better get you to bed, Grandma."

Sam snickered. "That sounds like a good idea, Grandpa."

They changed into their pajamas and snuggled up on the bed. "Should have figured Jacob would think getting born in an elevator was the coolest adventure in the world,"

Sam giggled into Jack's chest. "Well, it was kind of his idea."

"Oh, it was a hundred percent his idea. I mean, I don't understand the science of it, but you can't tell me that if he had a choice, he wouldn't have picked that entrance to the world."

"Jack, he's so great with those babies."

"So is Grace. A natural little mother hen."

Sam sighed as she rested her cheek against her husband's shoulder. "You didn't look half-bad with your grandson in your arms, yourself."

Jack tensed up. "Yeah, well—there's you saying it, and there's Sara saying."

Sam snuggled closer. "That must have been a little weird. I mean, you two probably thought when you had Charlie that you'd be married to each other when you became grandparents."

"And then, we knew we would never be grandparents."

Sam swallowed. "I noticed you got a little choked up when Cassie called you Grandpa. Was that why?"

He nodded. "Yeah."

Sam rubbed his chest as she nestled back in next to him. "Well, I think you did just fine."

"Nice work on smoothing things over with Sara yourself."

Sam shrugged. "I figured that if the birth of these babies wasn't enough to put us on the same side, nothing would. It was as much her as it was me."

Jack kissed her temple. "Hey, speaking of sides, I heard from Daniel."

"Yeah?"

Jack nodded. "There was a nurse that worked with Cassie who was in league with the abductors. She had full access to Cassandra's files, as well as her medical history."

Sam tensed. "And she's behind bars?"

Jack nodded. "Daniel said that was the last loose end as far as they can tell."

Sam breathed a sigh of relief. "Oh, good. I might actually get a full night's sleep tonight."

Jack sank into the pillows, wrapping his other arm around his wife. "Yeah, it's good news. I mean, I'm inclined to stay vigilant, but it will be nice to breathe a little more easily."

"Mm-hm."

"I was thinking we should celebrate by going to the cabin. It's been too long."

There was no answer, just the beginnings of a dainty snore beside him.

Jack chuckled as he looked down to find Sam's eyes mostly closed, her breathing evening as the seconds ticked by. He brushed the hair out of her face and kissed her temple one more time. "We'll decide in the morning, Carter. Until then, sweet dreams."