The phone is ringing, and Josh puts it on speaker.

"Hello?"

Josh freezes.

"Hello?"

"Dad…"

"Who is this?"

Taking a deep breath, "It's me, Dad, Josh."

"NO! Who is this?! That's not funny! Josh is gone. How dare you!" Then James hung up.

Looking at Nikki, "Well, that went well."

"Josh, honey, call him back but first, let me see the phone." Josh handed the phone to her, and she checked the phone's settings.

"Kate has her ID blocked; I unblocked it. Maybe he will recognise the name. Now, call back."

"Okay."

The phone is ringing again, and Josh is grasping Nikki's hand like a lifeline.

"Hello?"

"Dad, please, don't hang up!"

"Josh? Josh?! How? How can this be?"

Choking up, Josh continues, "Dad, Nikki and I survived the plane crash. We've been stranded on this little unknown island in the Timor Sea for the past year."

"MY GOD! IT IS YOU? I can't believe this! Really? OH MY GOD!"

"Dad, where's Mum?"

"She's out with Amanda. What happened? How are you here? How did you get back?"

"At first we kept a signal fire going. When usable wood ran out, we made a big SOS in the sand using beach rocks, hoping that it would be spotted by a plane. We got lucky. A few days ago, a Coastwatch plane that was on another mission happened to fly over our island, and the co-pilot saw our SOS. They reported it, and the Navy was sent to investigate. And, well, here we are."

"This is all too unbelievable, Son," James and Josh are crying now.

"How's Nikki? Is she with you? Did she make it too?"

"I'm here Jim, we're both doing fine."

"Dad, there's something else," Josh had removed the sim card from his phone and added it to Kate's so that they could get at the pictures that were on it. " I just sent you a text; please look at it."

Jim opened Josh's message to see the family picture that they had taken when Gale was born and then another more recent picture of Gale.

" Ahhh, Josh? What? What's this? You and Nikki had a baby?"

"Yeah, her name is Gale. Gale Marie Holiday, born March 12th."

James collapsed into a chair, "This is all too much! Unbelievable! Josh, when can we see you?"

"Gale's doctor doesn't want her to travel for another month because she hasn't built up an immunity to the outside world, having been isolated since birth. We want to come and visit as soon as we're cleared. We can skype until then."

"Alright."

"Oh, and Dad, there's one more thing...Nikki and I are married."

"How? How long have you been back? You just got back, didn't you?"

"We had our own ceremony on the island. We had no idea if we were ever going to get out of there. We wanted to be married. It's just all too much to tell over the phone. We'll tell you everything when we see you."

" Of course, son. Is Nikki there with you?"

"Of course, you're on speaker."

"Hi, James,"

"Nikki, I can't believe that I am hearing your voice. How are you? You've had a baby!"

"We've had a baby. Josh delivered her, of course. He was phenomenal. Maybe we can video chat when Diane gets home? We'll introduce you to your newest granddaughter. We'll have to use the phone, no internet for the tablets as of yet."

"That sounds wonderful, Nikki."

"Call us back on this number," Josh told his Dad.

"My God, Son… Welcome back."

"Thanks, we'll talk soon," and they hung up.

Nikki and Josh hung onto each other, and then Gale let them know that it was time for another meal.

All changed; Nikki sat next to Josh and started nursing. "Well, I guess it's my turn when Gale is finished."

Gale was finished fifteen minutes later. They laid her on the Tummy Time Mat that Sally had brought them. Nikki picked up the phone. She gets comfortable leaning against Josh and dials her Dad's number, and there's no answer. She tries her mother's phone, putting the phone on speaker.

"Hello? Kate?"

"Mum, It's Nikki,"

"What? What? No, No, NO! My Nikki is gone, dead! Who the hell is this! Why would you be so cruel!"

"Mum, don't hang up; it really is me."

"Nikki? Nikki?" Sophia is crying now, and so is Nikki. "Where have you been? How are you here?"

"When the plane crashed, it didn't fall into the ocean. It crashed on an unknown island. The Navy found us, and we returned to Cairns this afternoon."

"We had a service for you."

"I know, Mum."

"This is just too… unbelievable. It's really you? Are you with Josh? Is he okay, too?".

"Yes, Mum, he's good. We survived together, thank God. We kept each other going. Ahh, there's more Mum. We're married, and you are a Nonna again." That last part didn't register right away.

There was momentary silence then, "Wh...What? How?"

"I meant the marriage, of course. You've only been back a few hours; when did you have the time?"

"Mum, check your text message; we just sent you a couple of pictures."

Waiting, then a screech, "Nikki! A baby! You've had a baby! How? My God!"

"Really, Mum? A little girl. She's just two months old, born March 12th."

"What's her name?"

"Gale Marie Holiday."

"Nikki, when can we see you?"

"Gale's pediatrician wants her to be isolated for a month to build up some immunity. As soon as we can travel, Josh and I will come for a visit. Is Dad around? I tried his phone, but he didn't pick up."

"He's playing golf with Dan."

"Have him call this number, later we can video chat, and we'll introduce you to our little one."

"Nikki, I have so many questions. I just can't believe that I'm talking to you. You're really here…it's a miracle!"

" I know, we're having trouble wrapping our heads around being back too. We'll answer all your questions when we see you. It's just too much over the phone. Just know that we are all fine and that I miss you."

"Okay, sweetie, I'll have Dad call. Your brothers aren't going to believe this."

"Yeah, I know it's a shock. Believe me, seeing the Navy was a shock for us too. A good one. Bye, Mum."

"Bye, Luv."

At just about the same time that Josh and Nikki were making their calls, Mike was calling Dave's wife, Jessica.

"Mrs Mathews? This is Commander Mike Flynn, RAN."

"Yes, I remember you. This is unexpected, Commander. How can I help you?"

"Well…I'm calling because…Umm…It sounds like you are in your car. Are you driving?"

"Yes, I'm on my Bluetooth; on my way to shopping. What is it?"

"I have some news. You should pull over."

"You're worrying me; give me a moment…" Jessica pulled into the next car-park. "Okay, I've parked. What is it?"

"This is going to be…well, it's a miracle really. Yesterday we rescued the two passengers that were on your husbands plane. They've been stranded on an island for the past year."

"My God! …And my husband?"

"Mrs Mathews, I'm sorry, but your husband died in the crash. Josh and Nikki buried him on the island."

She's crying now, "Commander Flynn, can I see where he's buried?"

"We can take you if you wish. We took a picture for you so that you could see where he is buried. Josh made a marker for him also."

"That was kind. Yes, please send the picture. I'll let you know about going there after talking with the girls."

"I'll send the pictures to your phone. You'll have them as soon as I hang up. Mrs Mathews, call me at this number anytime. Also, Josh and Nikki would like to meet you."

"I would like that."

"Good, I'll see what I can set up. They have a 2-month-old, so it will probably have to wait a week or two."

"I understand; just let me know."

"I'll be in touch."

"Thank you, Commander."

A few days later, Mike called Josh and Nikki to see if he could stop by. He needed to go over what would be required to get them back into society's books.

"Hey, Mike," Josh greeted him at the door. "Come on in. Brew?"

"That would be great. Is Nikki here?"

"She's in with Gale; she'll be out in a few minutes."

Josh retreated to the kitchen to make coffee while Mike wandered about the lounge looking at the pictures that they had displayed. Josh had taken his phone to K-mart's instant photo. He had some of their pictures printed, and he picked up some frames.

" You were able to get these pictures with your phones?"

"Yeah, the camera function works without service. We wanted to record our lives in the same way that we would have if we were home. Hoping to get out of there, we wanted to document some of the experience."

"Your wedding photos came out nice. Nikki looked beautiful, radiant. And those with the baby; I'm glad that you were able to save those special moments."

"Yeah, we are too."

"How was it that your phones kept working?"

"When I packed for our camping trip, I included solar chargers for our phones and tablets. I'm so glad that I did. We were able to take those pictures. I had also downloaded several movies onto our tablets, music, and some books on our Kindles. That was a godsend; it gave us a much-needed distraction. In all reality, it was fortunate that the plane went down on our way out and not back. At least we were fully supplied. That got us started. The outcome could have been very different if it had happened the other way."

Nikki returned from feeding Gale. She laid her down on her mat, then sat next to Josh on the couch, noticed her coffee, and kissed him on the cheek.

"What was that for?"

"What? I need an excuse now? For the coffee, Luv."

Mike was sitting in a chair across from them.

"So, what have you got for us, Mike?" Josh asked him.

" Well, first, good news, Nikki I have your back-pay. I also have some paperwork that needs to be filled out so we can get your lives back."

"That's great," Josh says.

"The Navy has assigned a legal officer to you to help get this all done. I know this is weird, but your death certificates need to be voided, and you will need new tax numbers. As for a marriage certificate, will you have an official wedding? That would be the easiest way to do that."

"No," they both said. Then Nikki continued, "our wedding was very special to us, just as if it were in a church or before a judge. We're married. That's not up for discussion."

"Okay, I believe that will be okay. The solicitor should be able to help with that. LT Commander Taylor said if you don't wish to have another wedding, you will have to go before a magistrate and explain your reasons. But she thinks that it shouldn't be an issue. What about Gale's birth certificate?"

"Dr Hawkins said that he will issue an 'unattended birth' certificate, and we will have it for us at our next visit," Nikki replied.

"Perfect."

"I have a few things for the Navy that Nikki needs to sign. One is an affidavit of your marital status and Gale as a dependant."

Mike put the papers on the table, Nikki and Josh looked them over, and Nikki signed them.

"Good. I've made an appointment at the Naval Credit Union for 2:00 today if that's okay. Get your accounts open and Nikki's check deposited. I hope that's okay."

"That's fine; the sooner that we get this all done, the sooner we can put it all behind us," said Nikki.

"As for your personal assets, you'll need to check with your families as to how they handled them. I know that sometimes in cases like yours, the courts will order any money from the sale of those assets to be held in trust for several years. You may be able to get some of it back."

"As soon as Dr Hawkins gives the all-clear, we'll be going to visit with them. We can look into that then," Josh said. "Mike, thank you so much for all of this, and Kate too. I'm not sure how we would have gotten this done without you."

"A pleasure. Nikki, the Navy would love to have you back on active duty if you want, when you are ready. You will have to see a Navy counsellor, probably a good idea for both of you."

"We've actually been talking about that. Could you get a name for us?" Nikki asked him.

" Sure. Okay, I'll pick you two, ahh, I mean three," Mike says with a chuckle, " at 1330, and we'll head to the bank."

Mike was back promptly at 1:30 as promised. Gale was already strapped into her car seat carrier when he got there.

"Are you all set?"

"Just have to get the car seat installed in your backseat," Josh said as he picked up the base that had to be buckled in while Nikki carried Gale and her nappy bag. Five minutes later they were on their way.

The story of their rescue was now news, and as they walked into the bank they were recognised by several of the patrons as the couple that had returned from the dead, and they clapped. Embarrassed, Josh and Nikki gave a slight smile and kept walking until they were greeted by a young woman.

"Hi, my name is Suzy Osborne. I'm an account specialist here at the Credit Union. You must be Commander Flynn," Mike had come straight from NAVCOM and as so was in his whites. "And this must be LT Caetano and Mr Holiday; follow me, please." She led them into an office and took a seat behind the desk while Mike, Nikki, and Josh sat in front. Mike and Josh sat in the end chairs with Nikki sitting between them and Gale in her carrier on the floor between Josh and Nikki.

"So, LT Caetano, I understand you need to open an account."

" It's Holiday, LT Holiday. I know that it's probably not on your paperwork, and WE are here to open an account."

"Alright, can I see some ID, please?"

Mike went into his briefcase and removed the papers that contained their new tax ID numbers that he had had them sign earlier along with Nikki's back-pay check and passed them to her.

"Alright, we'll just start by getting some information…LT Caetano, what type of account are you looking to open?"

Nikki was becoming frustrated with this woman already, and her stubbornness was breaking through; she wasn't about to let it go, "Holiday, It's Holiday!" Giving her best officer's glare. "We want a joint checking account along with a savings."

"Well, Mr Holiday, we will need an ID from you as well. All of these forms say Caetano, not Holiday. Without proof of marriage, I can't set up a joint account. Do you have a copy of your marriage certificate?. If not, the account will have to be a single account in your name, Lieutenant. You can add Mr Holiday later when you have your certificate."

"NO!" Nikki said loudly and defiantly. "We're married; it will be a joint account."

"Okay, Lieutenant, you see, I have some ID here from the Navy for you, but for Mr Holiday, I need some ID from you as well; driver's license, paystub…"

Josh, a calm man by nature, was rapidly losing his patience. Mike wasn't happy with the way this was going either. When he set up the appointment, he had been assured that this would be a simple process. "Well, Ms Osborne, that's going to be a bit difficult as you should know; we were missing and presumed dead for just over a year. All of our records and accounts have been closed. We are in the process of rebuilding our lives, starting with a bank account. We can't very well live without money, can we? Our IDs are waiting on the courts."

"Lt Caetano…" Suzy Osborne slipped again.

"HOLIDAY!" Nikki shouted. "IT'S HOLIDAY! IS THAT SO HARD TO REMEMBER!" she started to shake. It had been more stressful than she expected coming back to life, and she quickly became frustrated.

" I'm sorry... LT Holiday…until Mr Holiday has proper ID, it will have to be a single account."

Nikki slammed her hand hard on the desk, "NO!" and she started to cry.

Josh put his arm around her and took her hand in his; kissing her on the temple, he whispered softly to her, trying to calm her down. Then he glared at the bank specialist with steel-blue eyes.

Mike spoke up, "I was assured when I called that this would be a simple process. I had fully explained the situation to the bank manager. I'm surprised that he didn't brief you on this."

"I'm sorry, Commander, but without proper ID, there really isn't anything I can do."

"Commander," Josh addressed Mike. "I think we should go. Maybe another bank will be more accommodating and willing to take our money."

"One minute, Josh; Ms Osborne, I want to see the bank manager in here now!" he said, sounding very much like the Commander that he is.

Ms Osborne got up from her desk and left the office.

Nikki was trying to get herself under control. With the stress of being back and her postpartum hormones still raging, she was having a hard time. Josh held her tight while telling her that everything would be okay; it would all be worked out.

"Nikki, it's okay; we don't need to put me on the account right away,"

"No, Josh, it's not okay. I will not let anyone invalidate our marriage. If I'm at sea, you need to have unrestricted access to OUR money. You are not going to have to ask me for money!"

"Nik, they may be able to issue a card for me anyway."

"No, Josh. No!" her stubbornness showing through.

Five minutes go by, and Ms Osborne returns with a tall, fit, greying gentleman.

"Commander Flynn, Mr and Mrs Holiday, I'm Greg Ainsworth, manager of the Credit Union. First, let me say welcome home. I apologise that we ran into a bit of a snag setting up your account. Mrs Holiday, the single account will be just temporary until all of the IDs are verified."

"NO! It's like you're invalidating my marriage...My husband! Mike, I want to get out of here. There must be a bank that would be able to help us."

Mike took Nikki's other hand, "Look, Mr Ainsworth, the Navy will and is vouching for both of them. LT Holiday is still active service and Petty Officer Holiday served for 12 years and only recently left the Navy. If you need more clarification, call Fleet Command, ask for Admiral Baker."

"When you married, there must have been an official record filed," continued Ainsworth.

" We were married this past August 25th. There are no papers, at least not yet." Josh settled his steel gaze on him now.

Gale had decided that she had had enough of the car seat and the noise. Josh leaned into Nikki, gave her shoulder a squeeze and her temple a kiss, then bent over to pick up Gale. Giving her a cuddle and some soft murmurs, she settled right down, then he gave her to Nikki to hold, thinking it might help to soothe her.

Ainsworth stood quiet for a moment, watching the domestic scene playing out, looking at the young family.

Then Josh spoke, clearly at the end of his patience, "Mr Ainsworth, what part of this whole mess that our lives have become, don't you understand? We survived a plane crash and had been stranded for over a year on an island. At this point, it almost feels like our home on the island was easier. We lost everything, literally everything Mr Ainsworth! This is how it is... We are married, we have a child, and we're back trying to join the living again. Do you have a fraction of a clue what this is like? Stop screwing around. If you can't or won't help us, then we'll find a bank that will. And by the way… that check that is sitting on the desk is for 100,000 dollars. Oh, maybe that's chump change for a bank like this, but that is our life, that is going to get us started again."

"Commander, Sir, I think that we should go," Nikki said.

"Alright," and Mike starts to stand.

"Wait," the manager says. "Suzy, process their account as Mr & Mrs Holiday. Joint account."

"Alright."

Josh looked at him and said, "Thank you," while thinking, ( why was that so hard?)

"Welcome back," Greg Ainsworth said as he left the office.

Finally, the account was set up and temporary EFT cards issued; they took some cash and got Nikki's direct deposit set up, then they left the bank. Then again, with a new group of people in the bank's lobby, there was recognition and some applause.

Back at Mike's car, they secured Gale in her seat and got her settled.

"Would you guys like to stop anywhere?" Mike asked them.

"Thanks, Mike, but I just want to go home," Nikki said.

Mike nodded in understanding and drove to the housing complex.

Back at the apartment, and as soon as the door was closed, Nikki started crying again. Josh placed Gale's seat on the floor and wrapped his arms around her. "Shhhh, it's okay, we're together and healthy, that's all that matters. We'll get through all of this crap, and before we know it, this will all be behind us."

Gale was asleep in her carrier, so they decided to leave her be. Josh pulled Nikki over to the couch where he laid down and pulled her to him, wrapped her in his arms, kissed her, and they both fell asleep.

Two days later, Mike called with the name and number of the Navy Psychologist. Nikki called and made them an appointment. Their sessions would begin on the following Monday.

Monday, they arrived at their appointment and were greeted by an older woman who just radiated care and comfort. " You must be Josh and Nikki Holiday? I'm Dr Lisa Holmes; Lisa. Come in and get comfortable."

"Thank you," they both said and took a seat on the couch, sitting close to each other.

"Who is this gorgeous little one?"

"Gale," Nikki responds, "Gale Marie Holiday. She's just about 3 months old."

"She is beautiful, those bright blue eyes and dark hair. So… she was obviously born on the island. Would you like to tell me about that?"

For the next hour, Josh and Nikki talked about their experiences on the island, often looking at each other and touching and holding hands. Which didn't go unnoticed by Lisa.

"Okay," Lisa says. "Next week, I would like to see you both individually, then the following week another couples session. Alright?"

"Sounds good," Josh responds as Nikkis says "Yes" at the same time.

Nikki got Gale settled into her car seat as Josh called a taxi. On the way home, they stopped at the mobile store for new phones.

"Let's see if Kate is home, we can return her phone," Nikki said as she dialled Kate.

"Hey! How are you two, or should I say three!" Kate chuckled.

"We're just leaving the mobile phone store, and we'd like to stop by and return your phone if you're home."

"I'm here. I'll put the pot on."

"Alright, we'll see you in a few," Josh got them a taxi and gave the address to the driver.

That first month at home flew by. They finally had updated IDs and new drivers licenses. They replaced their rental car with a new car, a blue Subaru Outback that gave them plenty of room in the back for Gales stroller and other baby things. They were finally settling in.

The Navy Solicitor called and told them that they had an appointment to go before a judge to get a marriage certificate.

Arriving at the county courthouse, they were shown to Judge Samuel Perkins chambers.

"Mr and Mrs Holiday," he greeted them.

"Your Honour," they both responded.

"Now the Navy Solicitor informed me that while stranded on that island that you feared that you wouldn't be getting rescued and that your strong desire to be married to each other lead to you having your own ceremony, committing to each other."

"Yes, Your Honour, that's right," Nikki said.

"And, I see you have a little one, born on the island, I would have to presume."

"She was," they beamed.

"I was also told that you are refusing an official ceremony. Can you tell me why?"

Nikki spoke first; she was very passionate about this. "What we did, what we committed to each other, is very special. Josh and I have talked about this. We feel that a second ceremony would be invalidating what we have… like it didn't mean anything just because there wasn't a piece of paper filed. Our commitment to each other was total and complete."

Josh reached over and took her hand and gave it a squeeze. The Judge sat back in his chair, fingers steepled in front of his face for a moment.

"I agree. I'll sign your marriage certificate. Let's get some information, and we'll get this done. Mr and Mrs Holiday, you'll get a copy, and the original will be filled with the state."

Josh and Nikki looked at each other, eyes tearing, and then kissed as Judge Perkins looked on pleased.

The following week was Gale's three month birthday and her appointment with Dr Hawkins.

"She looks wonderful. Her weight is up. You must be ready to visit your families."

"We are; we have been video chatting, but of course, it's not the same," Nikki said.

"Of course not. How long are you planning on going for?"

"We're not sure yet," Josh answered.

"Okay, usually I see babies once a month for the first six months, then every other until one year. So, when you get back, call for an appointment."

"Will do, Dr," Nikki said.

Excited, that evening, they called their parents to tell them that they were finally coming.