Epilogue
Several months later, Lee was looking down, wide-eyed, at the small, squirming bundle in his arms. Amanda was exhausted, but happily watching Lee and their newborn baby bond. Lee carried the baby across the delivery room to place their child into Amanda's awaiting arms. He sat on the edge of the bed, leaned forward and kissed her sweat-dampened forehead. "She looks just like you," he whispered and added, "Absolutely beautiful."
Amanda leaned her head back to kiss him, the baby snuggled against her shoulder. "Sweetheart, are you sure about her name? I mean, what about your mother? Don't you want to honor her?"
Lee looked down at Amanda and their newborn daughter and said, "Amanda, when I had amnesia, there was one thing that kept me believing I was going to remember everything and it wasn't my mother's memory."
Amanda reached up and touched his face lovingly. "We knew it would come back. The doctor explained it would just take time," she reminded him.
"I know what he said but that wasn't good enough for me, for us. You know as well as I, time is precious and losing those memories, even for a short time…" Lee's voice trailed off sadly. He looked down at the baby once more and added, "When I felt her move for the first time under that mistletoe, and everything came rushing back…I knew this was the perfect name for her."
"Well, then, Daddy, are you ready for life with this little one?" Amanda smiled once more as she lifted the baby back into Lee's awaiting arms.
Lee looked down at the tiny infant in his arms. He shifted her slightly then leaned down.
"Happy Birthday, Hope Dorothea Stetson," Lee whispered against his daughter's cheek as he kissed her for the first time.