A/N: See Chapter 1 for Disclaimer.

Epilogue

In late August of that year, Elizabeth found herself with even more God-given blessings to be grateful for when her sister-in-law gave birth to a set of boy/girl twins. The little girl was born first, and they named her Ella Louise, and the little boy was born a few minutes later, and they named him Eli Joseph. And their Aunt Elizabeth and their Aunt Hyacinth and their Uncle Richard were almost as enamored with them as their own parents were.

Several weeks later, on Christmas Eve and on Emmet's and Gracie's first wedding anniversary, Elizabeth was next door with Emmet and Gracie and the kids, just relishing their presence as they all sang Christmas carols together by the Christmas tree. Hyacinth, Richard, Gail, Harold, and little Zoe were also there, and Elizabeth was beyond thrilled to get to enjoy Christmas with ninety-nine percent of her family members. And she knew her husband would be calling later on that day, and she was greatly looking forward to hearing from him. It was about as close to perfect as perfection could get.

"If there ever was any such thing as the perfect Christmas, it's this one," Elizabeth said contentedly while cuddling her sleeping baby niece, Ella, in her arms, in a recliner near the Christmas tree.

"I couldn't agree more," said Gracie as she was sitting on the settee nearby, cuddling her sleeping son, Eli, in her arms.

"Neither could I," said Emmet, who was sitting beside his wife, holding his great-niece, Zoe, in his arms, and she was sound asleep as well. And Gabe was sitting on the other side of him.

"I don't think I've ever seen all four of the children this quiet before," Hyacinth teased in a soft voice, and they all chuckled a bit.

"I don't think I have, either," Richard whispered.

Then in the next moment, the doorbell rang.

"I'll get it," Gail volunteered, and then she got up from her seat and went out to the foyer to answer the door. And several long moments later, Gail came back into the lounge and said, "Mum, let me have Ella for a moment."

"Gail, she's sound asleep. I don't want to wake her. We've had a heck of a time getting her to go to sleep in the first place," Liz whispered.

"I know, Mum, but this is important. It is incredibly important. You have got the most amazing Christmas present outside waiting for you in the foyer."

"What in the world?" Elizabeth asked as Gail gently took Baby Ella from her arms.

"I'm certainly intrigued. What is it?" asked Emmet.

"It's not something. It's someone," Gail told her.

Puzzled, Liz got up and walked out to her brother's foyer…and found her husband Frank standing there with a big smile on his face.

"Lizzie," he said in an emotional whisper.

"Frank," Liz gasped, and then they threw their arms around each other and started hugging and kissing and crying tears of joy as Frank spun her around over and over again.

After he finally set her down several long moments later, Elizabeth asked him, "What are you doing here, Frank? I thought you were still going to be in Saudi Arabia for another year."

"I was, but I decided to get a transfer back to their office here in England. I won't be making quite as much money as I could at my position in Saudi Arabia, and it might take a bit longer to save up as much money as I want to for our retirement, but it doesn't matter, because I know I just can't live without you another year."

"Oh, Frank," said Liz in a very emotional voice as more tears came to her eyes, and then she and Frank began passionately kissing each other once again.

Unbeknownst to them, Gracie and Gail had put all three of the babies to bed in the nursery, and Emmet, Hyacinth, and Richard were all standing nearby, watching the heartwarming scene play out before their eyes with very big and happy smiles.

"Merry Christmas, Elizabeth," Hyacinth whispered, and then they all went back into the lounge to give the happy couple a little privacy.

Finally having her husband back by her side was exactly what Elizabeth needed, and now, her family was complete once again, and she was happier and more grateful to Jesus than she'd ever been for all of His many blessings and miracles. And no one was happier for her than her adoptive big sister, Hyacinth. No one knew it better than Hyacinth did just how much Elizabeth deserved it, and seeing her so filled with joy on Christmas Eve meant the world to her, and to all of Elizabeth's loved ones. None of them could thank God enough for keeping Elizabeth alive through the horrific accident, and for making her so very happy with the surprise return of her husband. And they all knew that day beyond a doubt that for as long as they lived, they would never take Jesus, Elizabeth, or each other for granted ever again.