Agnes 30

Author's Note: The last chapter of this little adventure. Thank you for following along! I hope this is a satisfactory ending to the story for everyone.

We have a LARGE time jump in this chapter.

If you have not left a review yet, please do so! I'd like to know what everyone thinks.

OOO

Donald Ressler sat in a chair with the rest of the audience listening to the woman speak about the future and smiled. He looked at Liz sitting on his left and took her hand in his. She looked over at him and smiled, squeezing his hand in her own. She was still the most beautiful woman he'd ever known. They had been married for 24 years, friends for longer, and had a 30 and 23 year old daughter. And they were here to celebrate their oldest who was graduating from Georgetown Medical School, top of her class, and the valedictorian. Agnes was going to be a pediatrician and was hoping to specialize in children with rare genetic disorders. She had a long road ahead to that, but for now, they were celebrating her graduating as a doctor of pediatric medicine.

"Please welcome the valedictorian of the graduating class, Agnes Ressler," the woman said.

Don and Liz stood with Charlotte and Agnes' husband Shane and clapped for their girl. Agnes walked across the stage with her cane and got to the podium ready to speak.

Agnes smiled out at them, beaming with pride in her accomplishment and her family's joy.

Everyone sat, and Charlotte reached for her father's other hand and held it tight. They were all excited for Agnes after all of the years she had put into her studies and all of the sacrifices she had made. Don looked at Shane, sitting on the other side of Charlotte, and saw his watery eyes as he looked at his wife. They had been married for less than a year and Don had liked the man from the moment he met him three years ago. Shane was a doctor as well, a radiologist that Agnes met in one of her residencies, and the two of them fell hard for each other. He was a kind man, quiet and reticent most of the time, who loosened up more when he had a few beers in him, but his love of their daughter was genuine and deep. They were staying on in the DC area until Agnes finished her specialty and then would decide where to go from there.

Agnes looked at the screen in front of her where her speech was flowing on the monitor and began. She started by talking about the history of medicine, how science has advanced how we treat illness, and how those advancements have brought about vaccines and surgeries that save lives. She spoke about the sacrifices medical students make in their lives, the risks they take, and the long days and hours they put into their studies. She made some jokes about medical students, she told a couple of funny stories about some situations her fellow classmates found themselves in, and she made everyone laugh. Then she stopped speaking for a moment and took a breath before continuing.

"Many of you may have noticed that I walked up here with a cane," she started.

Don heard Liz take in a breath quickly and he wrapped an arm around her.

"Many of us go into medicine because we have been affected by our own medical issues throughout our lives, sometimes it was family, sometimes it was just a kind doctor who gave us stitches for a childhood adventure gone wrong. I, like many of the graduates today, had that experience, being diagnosed with a genetic syndrome that affects my bones at a young age and spending my life in the thoughtful and competent hands of doctors who treated me not like my disease, but the human who happened to have a disease. And now I, like the rest of the graduates here today, want to be that doctor that sees the human behind the illness, the real person who is dealing with a medical challenge, the family that supports their loved one as they navigate unfamiliar and sometimes scary waters."

Don wiped at the tears that were falling and tried not to look at Charlotte who was infamous for being a blubbering mess whenever the occasion called for it. Their two daughters were both similar and different. Similar in their love of people, their hearts that were enormous, and their laughs that were infectious. Different in personality, drive, and interests.

Agnes was more independent than Charlotte, always trying to prove to everyone that her illness didn't define or limit her. She was careful to not do things that could break any bones, but was the daughter they worried about when she was a teen because of the friends she made, the revolving door of boys she dated, and her tendency to push her parent's limits. She got through those years and settled down in her university days, getting serious about her studies and focused on her future. She attended conferences, published papers, and spoke at lectures. Liz and Don secretly thought her future lie in educating medical students but, with Agnes, you never knew what she was thinking. She met Shane a few years ago and they only had eyes for each other since. They got married at a winery an hour away from DC with over 200 people in attendance and it was a perfect day. They now owned a house, had two cats, and tried to have their family over to dinner once a month.

Charlotte on the other hand, was an introvert, she had a few close friends since childhood, but the drama with these friends was always something that caused her mental and emotional strife. She didn't like parties or drinking or anything that accompanied those things and had one significant boyfriend in her early twenties who broke her heart. Liz and Ressler kept hoping she'd start dating again, but so far, she had not. She loved her studies but wasn't as focused as Agnes or as dedicated to getting high grades but spent more time volunteering for a half dozen organizations and running grass-roots projects that helped a lot of people. Whenever Don or Liz met the people from these organizations that she volunteered for, they spoke about how hard working and self-less Charlotte was, and it warmed their hearts to know they had raised such a caring daughter. She didn't really know what she was going to do with her life yet and Liz and Ressler hoped her upcoming internship in Asia with some non-profits would help her find some direction.

"And like all of the graduates here, I want to take a moment to thank our families. Our partners who put up with crazy shifts, cancelled plans, and living with exhausted medical students. They feed us, listen to our complaints with kind ears, and take us how we arrive at the end of every shift, reminding us why we are doing this and encouraging us forward."

Don heard Charlotte outright crying next to him and noted Shane's arm come around his sister-in-law comforting her. Charlotte had just finished her degree in global humanitarian studies and, if ever there was a person more human, caring or feeling, it was Charlotte. She was leaving in two days time to intern with three different non-profits in Asia for the next eight months.

"She couldn't' have done it without you," Charlotte blubbered through her tears and Shane smiled.

"Parents are more than the people that pay our tuition," Agnes said to chuckles from her classmates.

"My parents like all of yours, are the people that supported me through my crazy science classes, my melt downs over marks, and my indecision about program and specialty. They love us unconditionally through it all. And that love is what gets us through on the tougher days. But they also let us know that no matter what, we have something special to give the world. And my parents have always made me feel adored, safe, strong, and capable. I am sure I am not the only person whose parents make them feel that way, and those feelings allow us to be our best selves. So, thank you to my family, mum, dad, Charlotte and to all of the families here, we thank you for being there through thick and thin all these years, your support and love has meant everything. And most of all, a final message to the graduates: be the kind of doctor you would want in your own hour of need, anything less isn't good enough. Thank you."

Liz leaned her head on his shoulder, and he kissed her hair.

"She's amazing," Don whispered.

"She is," Liz whispered back.

After the business with Townsend was over, they had intended to stay in Iceland for another few months, maybe a year. That had turned into just shy of four years. It turned out, they quite liked the slower pace, the time as a family, and the break from everything that had dominated their lives for years. They got married in Iceland, Charlotte was born there, and Agnes went to school there for her primary years. Friends came for their intimate wedding, visited when Charlotte was born, and came to visit just to see them. Aram had even met his wife in Iceland on a visit and she moved to DC to be with him and got a job with a high-tech company. Iceland held a special place in Liz and Ressler's hearts because it was where they discovered Agnes was his child, where they came together as a family, where they learned how to best manage her illness, where they expanded their family, and where they spent time coming to terms with both their past and their future.

After the ceremony, the Ressler's went for dinner and celebrated their oldest daughter's accomplishments before heading home for the night. Agnes was tired from the busyness of the day, the stress at giving a speech and the knowledge that her second specialty was going to be more years of work ahead. She, despite her medical difficulties, persevered through school, made arrangements around medical appointments, completed all the duties of a doctor using a cane, and was a respected physician among her peers. Agnes was never a quitter and she proved that time and time again.

To celebrate her graduation, Liz and Don had given her and Shane a trip to Iceland where they had lived for several years before returning state-side. They had rented them a house near the one they used to own and booked them into restaurants, spas, excursions, and experiences in Iceland while they were there for two weeks so they could relax, rejuvenate, and have some fun. Agnes hadn't been able to take much time off and Shane had been patient waiting for a real honeymoon, so they gave it to them as a graduation present. The couple was looking forward to their trip and heading out in 3 days.

"Stella is losing her crap," Charlotte said as they drove home.

"Because she has no concept of how small her pack is?" Liz chuckled from the seat next to her husband.

"Precisely," Charlotte said as she texted her friend back.

"She does know you are going to work with the elephants and not to be on a runway, right?" Ressler asked her with a chuckle.

Charlotte chuckled and Liz's eyes drifted to Don. Charlotte always had the same chuckle as her father.

"Sweetie, tell Stella that you are no going anywhere where you can't buy something if you forget it," Liz said over her shoulder.

Charlotte nodded absently and continued to text.

Don and Liz traded a look that they had exchanged many times over the years with Charlotte and the drama that always seemed to happen with her friends. They had spoken extensively about how they hoped this trip abroad would help quell these dramatic moments and help her calm down and mature. She was 23 but still living at home with no signs of taking flight into her own place anytime soon. She still watched movies with her mom, went for runs with her dad, and was quite happy not having many responsibilities in her life. They hoped being away would give her a chance to spread her wings a little.

Don parked the car in their driveway and Charlotte sat in the car long after they went inside, still texting her friends. It was common practice.

"How long do you think she'll be out there tonight?" Don asked under his breath as they walked up the stairs together.

Liz chuckled. "I've stopped guessing."

They started down the hallway toward their bedroom. Don placed a hand at the small of her back and leaned in to whisper in her ear.

"What are we going to do with ourselves with our last child out of the house?" He asked with a smirk.

"I don't know…" Liz smirked over her shoulder at him. "With so much time on our hands…we'll have to think of something."

They got to their bedroom and Don peeled off his dress shirt and winced.

"Shoulder again?" Liz asked him as she reached for his shoulders and pushed him down on the bed before reaching for some cream and starting to massage it in.

"Fucking torn…" Don chaffed.

"You were quite the Captain America in your younger years," Liz chuckled as she sat down and continued to work his shoulder.

"And I haven't done that in years," Don said. "I…"

"I know," Liz said. "But some injuries get worse with age and that car accident didn't help."

He sighed heavily.

After eliminating Townsend, they had stayed in Iceland for another few years, and Charlotte had been born there. They had returned to DC after that, and Don had started with Secret Service in their Investigations Unit. His Captain America running into burning buildings and taking down perps was over, he, instead used his investigation skills to analyze threats and use his staff to eliminate them.

Liz had gone into practice as a psychologist and worked mainly with children in the foster care system. She had decided that her days carrying guns, working in the shady world of criminals and walking the line between good and evil were over. She enjoyed her work and felt like she was helping people in a different way.

Sadly, Reddington had died two years after they had returned from Iceland, and, although he had visited them often, and still did some work with the task force, he succumbed to the illness that had been haunting him for years. Liz wished that he had spent more time with both her children and no amount of money left for them had made his loss any easier.

They heard the door downstairs open and close and Charlotte mounting the stairs to her room.

"Goodnight sweetie!" Liz called to her as they watched Charlotte walk past their bedroom door.

"What happened dad?" Charlotte asked stopping at the door. She was alarmed when she saw her dad laying on the bed with her mother putting more muscle cream on his shoulders and back.

"Nothing honey," Ressler said. "Old injury."

She nodded slowly, pleased he wasn't hurt, but her expression was still worried.

"I'm fine, I promise," Ressler comforted her.

"Okay…you don't need anything?"

"Nope, I've got this," Liz smiled at their girl.

"Goodnight then, dad, mum," Charlotte said, starting down the hallway.

"It'll be nice to not have her worrying every time she sees me wince," Ressler whispered.

Liz nodded. He had been in a significant car accident three years ago, and Charlotte had taken some time off school, despite both Don and Liz's arguments against it, to help take care of her father and help him with his physiotherapy. She worried about him a lot, and Liz and Don were pleased she was going somewhere where she may spend less time concerned about her father. She was an incredibly sensitive child and was her father's daughter through and through.

Liz walked over to their bedroom door and shut it before returning as she slowly stripped off her dress.

"Time for some physiotherapy," she smiled at him as she walked toward the bed seductively.

"Happy to work out the kinks," Ressler chuckled as he turned over in his back and smiled at her.

The end.