A/N: See Chapter 1 for Disclaimer.

Chapter 9: The Most Exquisite Flower

Many things happened over the next ten months. Gail finished her final year of college, and to Elizabeth's relief, she finally married her live-in boyfriend, Harold, after learning that they were expecting their first baby. Soon after they both graduated, Harold found a good-paying job and he and Gail made a down payment on their first house, and Elizabeth helped them make a good start on preparing the nursery for the baby. Elizabeth was a bit disappointed that Gail got pregnant so early in her life and would now be staying at home with the baby. Although Liz was indeed happy being a housewife, she'd always dreamed of more than that for her daughter, at least for a while anyway, before she became a wife and mother herself. However, she couldn't deny the fact that she was over the moon about becoming a grandma for the first time. The only downside to Gail's college graduation and wedding was her father's absence. They all had hoped that he'd be able to finally come home after Gail completed her studies, but Frank Warden felt it was best for him to stay with his well-paying career in Saudi Arabia for one more year, possibly two, in order to earn and save up a sizable nest egg for himself and Elizabeth for when he retired. Naturally, Elizabeth was saddened by her husband's decision, but she knew it was best for both of them. After all, they did need to have plenty of money set aside so they could enjoy their retirement together. And despite her sadness and disappointment, watching her little girl graduate from college and get married were two of the happiest and most meaningful events of Elizabeth's life.

And Gail wasn't the only one of Elizabeth's family members to tie the knot. On the one-year anniversary of their first date, Emmet popped the question to Gracie, and she gave him a very enthusiastic yes. And to say that his big sister was thrilled to finally see him so happy again was a gross understatement. It had really hurt Elizabeth's heart seeing how wounded and depressed her brother had been since his divorce, and when Gracie and Gabriel began filling Emmet with love and hope and life again, it really filled Elizabeth with a lot of joy.

Not long after the proposal, Emmet and Gracie were very happy to learn that the husband and wife who owned the house on the other side of Elizabeth's were moving and selling their three-bedroom house, and they immediately jumped on the opportunity to buy it. They both agreed beforehand that they wanted to find a place close to Elizabeth. Given her more fragile state of health since the accident, they wanted to be sure to be as close to her as possible, so the house was perfect for the two of them and for Gabriel, who also liked it very much.

To everyone's great delight (except Rose's), Emmet and Gracie decided to have a Christmas wedding and get married on Christmas Eve that year. They also decided to spend their honeymoon out in the country at an adorable little cottage owned by a friend of Gracie's family who would be out of town visiting relatives in the States during the Christmas holidays. And as the month of December passed, everyone's excitement and anticipation for the big day grew and grew. Especially Elizabeth's.

But to Hyacinth's dismay, Elizabeth pushed herself very hard during the month of December, helping Emmet and Gracie as much as she possibly could with all the lists and arrangements and preparations for the wedding. She was there to help Gracie pick out the perfect light beige wedding gown, and she even helped Emmet and Gabriel pick out tuxedos. Hyacinth helped as much as she could with all the wedding preparations, but Elizabeth insisted on doing much of the work herself. It was a very hectic time for Emmet and Gracie and for Gracie's parents, but Elizabeth kept everything running like a well-oiled machine, and even though it exhausted her, she put on an extremely convincing act and didn't show it a bit. Even Emmet was completely fooled.

But Hyacinth wasn't. On the morning of the twenty-third of December, Liz was having her morning (decaf) coffee with Hyacinth in her kitchen, and Hyacinth made no bones about it how very worried she was getting.

"Day in and day out over the past three weeks, you have been pushing yourself so hard, round the clock, constantly. You have constantly been making phone calls, scheduling this, scheduling that, preparing and sending out hundreds of wedding invitations, helping pick out dresses and tuxedos and colors and flowers, helping make seating arrangements. It never ends. You are constantly running round and round on that relentless hamster cage wheel, not even allowing yourself one single moment to stop and catch your breath. All of this would be fine if your body were as strong and healthy as it was before the accident. But it isn't as strong and healthy as it was before the accident, and it simply cannot take all of this for very much longer. You must rest, Elizabeth," said a very worried Hyacinth as they sat together at her kitchen table sipping their coffee.

"I know, Hyacinth. I know. Perhaps I should've let you help more during this month–"

"Yes, you should have," Hyacinth lovingly scolded.

"It's just that it was so painful for me watching my baby brother struggle with depression and a broken heart as much as he did after his divorce. And now that he's finally found love again, I'm so very happy for him and I can't help but want to personally do everything I possibly can to make certain his wedding goes smoothly. He deserves it after everything he's been through, Hyacinth. He really does."

"I know he does, darling. I know he does. But you deserve things too, Elizabeth. You also deserve to be able to stop and rest when you need to."

"I know that, Hyacinth, and I appreciate all your concern. I really do. But even though I'm a little run-down right now, I assure you that I'll be perfectly alright once the wedding is over and everything slows down to a more normal speed in my life again. And anyway, it's the twenty-third. The wedding is tomorrow. It's almost over. We're almost at the finish line. I just have to meet with Emmet and Gracie and the vicar at the church hall to tie up some last-minute loose ends before we have the final wedding rehearsal tonight, and after that, and after the big wedding tomorrow, I will most certainly slow down and get some rest. I can hold out until then. I'm not quite as fragile as you think, Hyacinth. I'll be fine. Don't worry so much," Elizabeth tried to tell her, but then she had a severe coughing spell, which lasted a good while before it finally subsided.

"You've had that cough for at least two weeks now. I really think you ought to see a doctor."

"It's just a slight cold, Hyacinth. A very stubborn and persistent cold, yes, but it's not all that serious."

"It wouldn't be so stubborn if you would stop being so stubborn and allow yourself some decent rest," Hyacinth lovingly scolded her again.

"Will you please stop fretting so much? I'm a big girl, Hyacinth. I can handle helping my brother with his wedding, and I can handle a simple cold. It's no big deal."

"Alright, alright. But if you get really sick because you pushed yourself too hard helping with this wedding, as yours and his adoptive big sister, I will never let the two of you hear the end of it."

"Fair enough. If that happens, feel free to scold us every day for the rest of our lives, Sis."

"I most certainly will," Hyacinth assured her in a seemingly cold tone of voice, but Elizabeth could easily see through it, and she knew quite well that Hyacinth was lovingly teasing her as she always did nowadays.

As the rest of the day went on, Elizabeth's cough worsened considerably, and she grew much more weak and exhausted than she already had been previously. But regardless, she soldiered on and pushed through, and she was present for the final wedding rehearsal that evening. As soon as she woke up early the next morning, however, she discovered, to her horror, that her condition had worsened to the point where it had become very difficult for her to breathe. Understandably, Liz was very frightened, but she was utterly and absolutely determined that no matter what, she was not going to let Emmet down. Come hell or high water, she was going to be there to see her baby brother get married again.

Elizabeth pushed through it all and got showered and dressed, and she said very little to Hyacinth and Richard as they drove her to the church hall for the wedding. But as soon as they arrived, Hyacinth went inside to see if she could help with anything, and Elizabeth took the opportunity to speak with Richard alone out in the foyer.

"May I speak to you in private for a moment, Richard?" she asked as soon as Hyacinth had gone inside.

"Certainly."

"As Hyacinth may have told you, I've had a very stubborn cold the past couple of weeks."

"Yes, she did tell me that."

"Well, I don't know for sure what's going on, but things have gotten a lot worse. When I woke up this morning, it was very hard to breathe, and it's not getting better. In fact, it only seems to be getting worse. I wanted to try to make it through both the ceremony and the reception before going to hospital, but I don't think I can. I will hold on and get through the ceremony, so help me God. I wouldn't miss that for anything in the world. But when the ceremony's over, do you think you and Hyacinth can take me to the hospital?"

"Yes. Yes, of course. Absolutely," said a very worried Richard.

"Do you think we can keep this to ourselves until after the ceremony? If you tell Hyacinth now, you know what she'll do. You know she'll…she'll make a big fuss and she won't stop scolding me for pushing myself so hard to get this wedding done, and knowing her, she'll…she'll probably try to stop the whole wedding because of this," Liz said haltingly as breathing became more and more difficult for her.

"Knowing Hyacinth, you're probably right. Don't worry, Liz. My lips are sealed."

"Thank you," Elizabeth gasped, and then Richard held out his arm and Elizabeth held onto it as he escorted her inside. But deep down, he was very worried that he wasn't doing the right thing.

Later on that morning, Elizabeth happily and proudly watched her baby brother exchange marriage vows with the lady of his dreams. And then once the ceremony was finally over, she quickly found her brother and his stunning new bride, and after congratulating them, she proceeded to tell them that she wouldn't be able to stay for the reception.

"Emmet, Gracie, I am so, so sorry, but I'm afraid I won't be able to stay."

"I hope you're going home to get some good rest. I know how hard you've been pushing yourself these past few weeks to help us with our wedding. Quite frankly, it's worried me," said Gracie

"Now that Gracie's mentioned it, you really do look exhausted, Sis. She's probably right. You probably have been pushing yourself much too hard here lately."

"Yes, unfortunately, I think I've really run out of steam," Liz admitted.

"That's more than understandable. You go on home and get some rest, love," said Emmet, and then he kissed his sister on the cheek. "We'll call you as soon as we've arrived at the cottage to let you know we got there safely."

"Thank you, Emmet. I love you, little brother. And Gracie, you know I love you, too. Welcome to the family, darling."

"Thank you so much."

"I love you too, Liz," Emmet told her, and then after giving his sister a big hug, Elizabeth went to find Richard and Hyacinth.

Although Hyacinth had scolded Elizabeth countless times over the past few weeks for not taking better care of herself, as soon as Richard explained Elizabeth's predicament to her, Hyacinth's response was not more scolding; just deep, sincere concern for her closest friend as she and her husband got her to the nearest hospital as quickly as possible. It was soon determined that Elizabeth's cold had progressed into pneumonia, which was now in both of her lungs. Given her medical history, it was indeed very serious, even life-threatening, since the double pneumonia was putting a strain on her heart, which had become weaker due to the damage from the accident. Elizabeth was admitted into the hospital immediately and put in the ICU and put on oxygen and IV antibiotics to fight the pneumonia.

Soon after they got Elizabeth settled into her room in the ICU, Hyacinth was allowed a brief visit. For whatever reason, the staff on call in the ICU that night were a little more strict, and they only allowed one person to have a brief visit with Elizabeth, so Hyacinth went back to see her while Richard waited in the ICU waiting room.

There was a soft knock at Elizabeth's door, and Elizabeth said, "Come in."

Hyacinth entered the small room then with a loving smile, and she sat down in the one chair by Elizabeth's bedside and asked, "How are you feeling, love?"

"A little better," Elizabeth replied truthfully. She had a nasal canula delivering extra oxygen this time, not a mask covering her face and mouth like before, so it was easier for her to speak more clearly this time.

"Is it still hard to breathe?"

"No. It's getting easier."

"Thank God. You really had me scared there for a minute."

"I think I had myself scared a good bit, too. Oh Hyacinth, I'm so mad at myself. I've really gotten myself into a very annoying predicament. I can't believe I have to be in hospital for Christmas. I'm so angry at myself for not listening to you. I know you were right all along. I knew I was pushing myself too hard, but I never dreamed it would cause me to come down with pneumonia. I really thought that as long as I slowed down again after the wedding and got a few days of good rest, I'd bounce back and be fine."

"Yes, you certainly should have listened to your big sister and let her help you more, but no one can blame you for wanting to help out with Emmet's wedding as much as possible. I know you only pushed yourself so hard because you love Emmet so much and because you're so happy for him. Don't beat up on yourself for being a kindhearted and thoughtful sister, my love. Your heart was always in the right place. It's just that your head wasn't. We can't always lead with our hearts alone, Elizabeth. Sometimes, we have to be rational and listen our heads as much as we do our hearts."

"I know, Hyacinth. You're absolutely right."

"Do you want Richard and me to bring you some things from home tonight, dear?"

"Oh, no, Hyacinth. Not tonight. It would be great if you could bring me a few things tomorrow, perhaps, but not tonight."

"Well, you just call me tomorrow and let me know what you need and I'll pack you an overnight bag and bring it here."

"Thank you so much, Hyacinth. I really appreciate it."

"Is there anything else I can do while I'm here?"

"Emmet said he would call as soon as he and Gracie got to the cottage to let me know they arrived safely. I don't know if they've already arrived there yet or not. He probably won't worry if I don't answer the phone tonight. He and Gracie will probably think I'm just sleeping. But I would like to get word to them tomorrow about what's happened. Hopefully, they'll be so caught up in starting their honeymoon that they'll completely forget to try to call tonight."

"You mean you didn't tell Emmet what was going on before we left for the hospital?"

"No. I didn't tell him the whole truth. I just let him think I was going home to rest. I didn't want him to have any worries on his mind, Hyacinth. I wanted him to be able to completely enjoy his wedding reception."

"Oh, Elizabeth," said Hyacinth in a kind but scolding tone.

"Anyway, the number to the cottage is on a notepad by my phone. I'd really appreciate it if you'd call them tomorrow morning and tell them."

"I will."

"Thank you so much for everything, Hyacinth. I don't know what I'd do without you. I really don't."

"Believe me, dear, the feelings are mutual," Hyacinth said kindly. And then, when she began to notice that Elizabeth was getting tired again, she told her, "I'm going to go now so you can get some sleep."

"Thank you, Hyacinth," said Liz as Hyacinth rose from her seat.

"Sleep well, my love," said Hyacinth, and then she gave her a big hug and kissed her cheek.

"I will, Hyacinth. You and Richard get plenty of sleep, too."

"We will. We'll see you in the morning. Goodnight, darling."

"Goodnight, Hyacinth," said Elizabeth, and a few moments later, Hyacinth left.

The next morning, Hyacinth and Richard returned to the hospital, and they weren't alone. After explaining the whole situation to Emmet on the telephone earlier that morning, he and Gracie left the cottage and came to the hospital as well to visit Elizabeth. And thankfully, the day shift of doctors and nurses was much more lenient, and they allowed all four of them to go back and visit Elizabeth as long as they agreed to keep their visit brief so Elizabeth could rest.

It was half past ten that morning when there was a gentle knock at Elizabeth's door, and when she said to come in, Emmet was the first person to enter the room, followed by his new bride and then by Hyacinth and Richard.

Emmet then walked up to his sister's bedside, and without so much as a hello, he told her point-blank, "I am going to kill you!"

"Oh, that's classy, Emmet. That's very classy. Threatening to kill your sister when she's sick with pneumonia and lying in a hospital bed in the ICU," Gracie teased him.

"How could you be having trouble breathing and not say a word to us?"

"Oh, quit being a pain in the rear, Emmet," Gracie teased again. "You know darned good and well why Liz did what she did. She did it for you. She didn't want to ruin the wedding reception for you. Hyacinth already explained that. Don't give your sister a hard time for loving you."

"Well I think it's high time she started loving herself just as much as she does other people," said Emmet.

"And I agree one thousand percent," Hyacinth chimed in.

Elizabeth chuckled in that moment and told them, "You can all relax. The doctor's been in to see me already this morning, and he says that there's been a lot of improvement since last night. He even said that he'd probably be able to let me move into a regular hospital room and leave the ICU tomorrow if I continue to improve."

"Well you are looking much better now, Elizabeth," Richard observed.

"Yes, you do look much better today than you did last night," Hyacinth agreed.

She then gave Elizabeth the overnight bag she'd packed for her from home, and they all enjoyed a good conversation together for a few minutes before one of the nurses came around to tell them their time with Elizabeth was up. Emmet asked them all if he could have a brief word with Elizabeth alone, and of course, they all obliged and left.

"What's the matter, little brother? What's on your mind?" Elizabeth asked knowingly, sensing it that he really was very worried and upset.

"What's the matter is that apparently, I have done a very poor job as a brother all these years."

"What on earth are you talking about? You're the best brother a sister could ever ask for."

"Well if I really am such a great brother, then why did you believe that a stupid wedding reception meant more to me than your health and your life? I realize you were just trying to be thoughtful, and I realize you wanted me to enjoy my wedding, but haven't I always made it clear to you over the years how much you mean to me? How much I love you? It really kills me that you were having trouble breathing and you didn't even say a word to me about it. Didn't it dawn on you, even for a moment, that if given the choice between the wedding reception and getting you to the hospital and helping you and being there for you, I would want to choose the latter?"

"Emmet, that's precisely why I didn't tell you. Because I knew all along that if you knew what was going on yesterday, that would be the choice that you would make. And I didn't want you to feel as though you had to choose between me and your new bride on your wedding day. After everything your ex-wife put you through, I didn't want anything to spoil your special day. I wanted your wedding day with Gracie to be completely perfect. I wanted you and Gracie to be completely carefree and happy. That's the way it's supposed to be on your wedding day."

"Well for future reference, Liz, no matter what is going on in mine and Gracie's life, if you're having any sort of problems with your health and you need to get to a doctor or to the hospital, you tell me immediately. Do you understand? You cannot ever do anything like this again. Ever. You cannot ever mess around and play a bunch of games with your health. Because you're not only my big sister," Emmet told her as he started getting choked up with tears brimming his eyes. "You're my best friend. And I can't lose you."

"Oh, Emmet," Liz said lovingly as she wrapped her arms around her brother and gave him a big hug. "Trust me, it's going to take a lot more than a little pneumonia to do me in. I'm a lot tougher than I look. And I'm not going anywhere."

The embrace ended in that moment, and Emmet sat down on the side of the bed and told his sister, "Yes, well, speaking of going places – or rather, not going places – Gracie and I have talked it over, and we've decided that we're going to stay in town until you're well again and they release you from hospital. We don't want you to be stuck here in the ICU all alone during the holidays. We want to be close by."

"Oh, now you two are just being silly. Emmet, I'm not a child. Gail and Harold are coming by later today, and Hyacinth and Richard are here. I'll be perfectly fine. And if you and Gracie don't get out of here and get back to your honeymoon immediately, I am going to get out of this bed and start beating you to death!" said Liz as she began to get up out of the hospital bed, but Emmet stopped her.

"Alright, Liz. Alright. Alright. You win. We'll go. But only on two conditions."

"What are they?"

"One, that you give me your word that you will keep us updated every single day on your condition, and two, that you give me your word that you will never keep anything like this from me ever again; that you'll always come to me and tell me when something's wrong."

"Agreed. On both counts. Now get out of here with that lovely new bride of yours and get back to your honeymoon before I get up out of this bed and start beating the living daylights out of you!"

"Yes, ma'am," Emmet said with a chuckle, and then after giving his sister a kiss on the cheek and a long hug, he and Gracie left the hospital and returned to their honeymoon.

Thankfully, Elizabeth recovered from her pneumonia quickly, and one week later on New Year's Day, she was able to return home. Gail and Harold had come to the hospital to visit her whenever they could, but with Gail being so close to her due date, which was in mid-January, it was understandable that she really didn't feel up to leaving the house very often. Hyacinth and Richard came by to visit every day, and the vicar and his wife and several of Elizabeth's friends from church came by to see her as well. And the minute she got home, after sending up a prayer of thanks to the good Lord for getting her well again, she began counting the days to Gail's due date. And finally, on the morning of the twentieth of January, one week past her due date, Gail went into labor.

Emmet and Gracie took Elizabeth to the hospital as soon as Gail and Harold left for the hospital at around five that evening, after Gail's water had broken and the contractions were five minutes apart, and three hours later, at precisely eight o'clock that night, Elizabeth's new granddaughter, Zoe Elizabeth James, came into the world. Gail and Harold had obviously named their little girl after both of their mothers, and both Elizabeth and Harold's mother were deeply moved.

When Baby Zoe was one month old, Gail and Harold really needed to get away from the house and have a little time to themselves, and Elizabeth was all too happy to take care of her granddaughter for the weekend while her parents went off on a mini-vacation. As always, both Hyacinth and Emmet were concerned that Liz might overdo it, so they spent a lot of time at Elizabeth's house, helping her with the baby as much as they could. And as Hyacinth was visiting Elizabeth and helping out with Baby Zoe that Sunday afternoon after church, Gracie came by to help out as well.

"Oh, hello, Gracie," Hyacinth greeted her with a warm smile.

"Hello, Mrs. B. May I come in?"

"Certainly. Elizabeth's in the lounge playing with the baby," Hyacinth explained as Gracie came inside.

"It's been a little while since I've seen Zoe," she said as she entered Elizabeth's lounge with Hyacinth.

After tickling Baby Zoe's tummy and getting a few good, hearty laughs out of her new granddaughter, Elizabeth looked up and smiled and said, "Hello, Gracie."

"Hello, Liz. Hello, Zoe. It's so great to see you two again."

"It's great to see you again, too. I haven't seen you in a while. Emmet says the hospital's been keeping you pretty busy."

"Yes, it has been pretty hectic here lately," said Gracie as she and Hyacinth sat down. "And I really have missed Emmet and Gabe. I've hardly seen them at all over the past couple of weeks. But that's going to change very soon."

"Are you going to finally get to have a few days off?" asked Elizabeth.

"I will have the next few days off, yes, but what I was talking about was more of a career change."

"Oh? You're leaving nursing?" Hyacinth inquired.

"Emmet and I have had a very long talk about it, and yes, we've decided that it's best for us and for Gabe if I leave my nursing career for now and stay home. And it's not just what's best for the three of us. It's also what's best for the baby."

Elizabeth and Hyacinth exchanged a happy glance in that moment, and then Elizabeth turned her gaze to Gracie and asked, "Baby? What baby?"

"The baby Emmet and I have on the way that's due the sixteenth of September," Gracie replied with a mile-wide grin, and Elizabeth and Hyacinth cried out joyfully. "We actually think we conceived on our wedding night."

"Oh Gracie, that's so wonderful! Congratulations!" Elizabeth said aloud.

"Yes, congratulations, dear. Congratulations to you both," said Hyacinth.

"I was already thrilled to pieces when you and Gabe joined the family and made me an aunt the first time around. Now I'm an aunt twice over. Oh Gracie, I can't even begin to tell you how happy I am."

"I have another piece of news I think you're going to like as well, Liz."

"What's that?"

"Emmet and Gabe and I have talked it over, and we've decided that Emmet is going to begin the proceedings to legally adopt Gabe, and when everything is all said and done, Gabe will be taking Emmet's last name."

"Oh, that's wonderful, Gracie. That makes me so very happy. And I know how much Emmet and Gabe love each other. I know this means the world to them."

"Oh, it does. It absolutely does."

"Of course, we all know that Emmet would love Gabe just as much if he were a girl, but I know how much my brother has always wanted a son."

"Yes, I think it's just naturally a very important thing to a man to have a son to carry on the family name. But of course, that's no excuse for misogyny and sexism, and it's no excuse for wanting and loving sons more than daughters. Daughters deserve to be wanted and valued every bit as much as sons always are."

"That's right," Hyacinth heartily agreed.

"But yes, you are absolutely right, Liz. I know that Emmet would love Gabe and want him every bit as much had he been born a girl. And I know that regardless if this baby is male or female, Emmet is going to love it like mad and spoil it just as much as he already spoils Gabe."

"That certainly is the Lord's truth!" Liz said with a chuckle. "And Aunt Elizabeth will as well."

"And so will Aunt Hyacinth," Hyacinth told them.

Baby Zoe began to cry and fuss then, and Elizabeth said, "Oh, dear. I think this little one is ready to be put down in her bassinet for a good nap."

"May I do it, Liz? It's been years since Gabe was a baby, and I could use a refresher course."

"Certainly," Elizabeth said happily, and then Gracie got up and took Baby Zoe from her grandma's arms and took her to Elizabeth's bedroom and laid her down in her bassinet.

After Gracie left the room with Baby Zoe, Hyacinth, noticing that Elizabeth was starting to get tired, asked, "Are you growing tired, Elizabeth? Maybe Grandma needs to let herself have a good nap, too."

"Oh, no, Hyacinth. I'm fine. I may try to catch a quick nap a little bit later, but not right now."

"You know how it is with babies, Elizabeth. When they sleep, you need to seize the opportunity to get some rest yourself while you can. And besides, you know you're going to need every moment of rest you can get between now and September so you'll have plenty of strength and energy when this newest addition to the family arrives."

"But Gracie's here. I don't want to be rude."

"Nonsense. Gracie's a nurse, and she's very well aware of everything your poor body has been through. You know she won't be offended at all if you tell her you need to rest. But if it makes you more comfortable, I can be the one to tell her when she comes back out."

After mulling it over for a couple of moments, Elizabeth said, "Very well, Hyacinth. Thank you. You're probably right. I probably should get a good nap in while Zoe's napping. That way, I'll be refreshed when Gail and Harold come by this evening to pick her up."

"That's right."

"Hyacinth, you're so sweet. You're always doing things like this. You're always trying to come up with new ways to look out for me."

"It's an older sister's job, my dear. I'm simply doing what I should have been doing all along," Hyacinth told her lovingly. Then after a long pause, she said in a more serious voice, "You really put up with a lot of stupidity from me for a lot of years, Elizabeth. The way I see it, this is the least I can do. I know I have a lot of making up to do."

"Oh Hyacinth, whatever 'making up' you think you have to do was done a long time ago when you stood by Emmet and me in our greatest hour of need after the car crash. You were right there for our family when we needed you the most."

Hyacinth reached out in that moment, took Elizabeth's hand, looked her in the eyes, and told her truthfully, "I always will be, honey. I always will be. You never have to worry about that."

Elizabeth squeezed Hyacinth's hand then and gave her a knowing smile, and that conveyed more to her adoptive big sister than any words could express. Before the accident, Hyacinth was undoubtedly the biggest thorn in hers and her brother's side. But since the crash, the Holy Spirit really had transformed the obnoxious thorn Hyacinth had once been into the most exquisite flower that Elizabeth, Emmet, Richard, and their whole community could never live without. And for that, they couldn't thank Jesus enough.