It was always a timeless moment to see a little child coming into the world for the first time and how it is loved right from the word go. Marjorie had helped out with many births in her short career and she loved to see the mother see her little baby for the first time and it was something that you could never forget. The trauma that Allyson had put herself through was put to one side for a while as her cooperation was needed because her baby had been imminent and would wait no longer. She cried when she saw her little baby boy among the cheers of joy from all the attendants, he was the most beautiful thing that she had ever seen, she couldn't wait to show him to Damon and now her confidence in that he would eventually recover was starting to grow. "He has to wake up, he has a little boy to meet for the first time and he looks just like him." It was so strange for her, not long ago she couldn't be bothered with the thought of her child as she was so frightened for her husband and she didn't want to leave his side but now, a mother's love kicked in right from the first moment she laid eyes on him. The others were so impressed with how Marjorie had been able to take Allyson's mind away momentarily from Damon's plight long enough to coax her into the delivery room.

She didn't have the energy or the strength to be hysterical or defiant anymore as she just had to lay quietly and tend to her baby but she was forever asking about Damon who was somewhere down the corridor in another room fighting for his life, she knew that he was in the best of care. Even though he was still, Marjorie could see that he had moved ever so slightly and that gave her heart that she might have good news for Allyson eventually. Doctor Carla was still reluctant to push and prod until they could see some sort of a response from him. There could be broken ribs and internal trauma that they didn't know about yet but at least most of the bleeding had stopped and he was breathing a little easier. Whenever Marjorie would have a break she would sit and watch him quietly waiting for a reaction that would eventually come, his wounds would gradually heal but he would have to remain completely still after regaining consciousness. There would be excitement at finding out that he had a son but the staff would have to work hard to keep him quiet somehow and that was not going to be easy.

There were expectant mothers and mothers with newborns just like Allyson and they all had something in common to talk about with each other, many had known of her plight and they all gave her strength and support as she waited and they all loved her little boy. She had said to them that there was no thought of a name until Damon could be part of the process. There was another young mother in the ward with the most gorgeous little baby girl who Allyson had formed a close friendship with. The story was harrowing from her and she was very upset at the prospect that her little girl would be taken away from her. She had been silent about it up till now but having seen her beautiful little baby, her love for her was going to cause her to defy her mother's wish that the baby be put up for adoption. Allyson could see that the mother must be a very insistent and forceful woman and she usually had her way in most things so she sought out Marjorie for advice and moral support for Yvonne.

It was going to be a very difficult proposition to interfere and get involved in someone else's personal details but Allyson could see for herself that Yvonne was clearly distressed and helpless and not looking forward to seeing her mother arrive at the hospital as she had been extremely single minded so far and not being prepared to listen to anything other than her own opinion. Countless times she had heard her mother say how it is impossible for a young woman to raise a child on her own and she had reluctantly accepted this up to a point. She had now brought this new little person into the world and it made no difference to her that the father had showed little interest in having a family, he had made that quite plain. He had other plans for his own future and unfortunately it didn't include Yvonne or a little daughter.

Marjorie had waited her turn with the other staff to nurse this dear little baby and it was inconceivable to her that a dad would not want his daughter, he probably didn't even want to see her or he might have seen things differently after that. She sat with Yvonne and Allyson and listened to all the pleas for help as the mother was a formidable authority and single minded. It seemed that this young mother came from a good family and she had a good, loving relationship with her mother but this news of a baby from months ago had driven a wedge between them. Marjorie spoke her mind after hearing Yvonne's description of the apparently domineering parent, "Yvonne, you know that the final decision will always be yours and your mother will just have to accept it, come what may, have you any idea what might have caused your mother to come to a decision like this and try and force you to do something that you may regret for the rest of your life." Marjorie started to imagine that she may find herself on the mother's wrong side and be told bluntly to mind her own business.

Before Yvonne could respond, her mother entered the ward sheepishly and, as far as Marjorie was concerned, she didn't appear to be anything like what the daughter had described. She was so glad to see her daughter and she was visibly concerned and relieved that she was alright. Marjorie had earlier asked what the mother's name was and she had done that for a reason. She was also relieved that she had not come flying in with a full head of steam but rather, she was gentle and caring just like her own mother. It would seem that mother had not warmed to her boyfriend and that may have caused some of the friction between them but wounds like that could be healed. The apparent cold heart was not so forbidding after all. Her heart melted as soon as she spied the little girl in her daughter's arms. If she had any thought of dispensing with the child, it was now her granddaughter who she was looking at, "mother, I would like you to meet and be introduced to your granddaughter, Ruby Belle, I think that she looks just like you don't you think."

A chair was brought for her and she slowly and carefully sat close to the bed and her family, wiping away tears. Marjorie had half expected to have to stand by the door to stop the mother from storming out with the baby but she was nothing like that at all. She was now standing next to her with her arm around her for support. There was obviously no intention of any sort to put the baby up for adoption. What could possibly have caused Yvonne to misrepresent her mother in such a way, maybe they would never know but right now she just wanted to thank God that her daughter was alright and the baby was alright as well. Her eyes welled up as she gently hugged and kissed her daughter and she apologised for not being there for her but there might have been more to the story than what they all knew. She held out her arms appealing to be allowed to hold the little baby.

As soon as she laid eyes on her she instantly remembered a time nineteen years ago when she first saw her little girl and she had already picked out her name of Yvonne, named after her auntie who had been lost suddenly to illness that year. She looked kindly at Yvonne, "that was so nice of you to name her after me, I can't get over how she looks like you, she is so beautiful." The love for this new little one was unmistakable as she just stared at the new little face. "Hello Ruby Belle, I'm your grandma and I'm so glad to meet you." It was just like all those years ago when Yvonne was born. She looked into her eyes and wondered how she could possibly have entertained the notion of parting way with her, those friends of hers had given her some bad information and she scolded herself for even listening to them.

She lightened up a little as she held Ruby Belle in her arms, she wanted to smother her with kisses, "Now Ruby Belle, there are a few things that I have to tell you, I'm going to be the most interfering and meddlesome grandma that you will ever know, I can't possibly allow you to run around with no shoes on and get your socks all grubby, there will be no snack's before dinner and you will do all your homework at the table without a fuss. You mustn't play out on the road and I won't have you running around with riffraff and you'll always come straight home from school. I hope you've been paying attention young lady as I'm not in the habit of having to repeat myself, now, don't look at me like that." She looked up with her watery eyes and noticed Yvonne smiling as she saw her day old daughter getting the riot act read to her and, funnily enough, the baby appeared to be listening to her. "Just remember this my little precious, you are not going anywhere, anytime soon without your mother or me." The mum squeezed Marjorie's hand and nodded a thank you, Marjorie had met her outside before she came in and said, "there are two lovely people in there who need you desperately."

Allyson remained in her wheelchair with her little boy and they wheeled her into the room where Damon had been lying motionless. She was inspired by Yvonne's mum and she couldn't wait to tell Damon about the little baby girl who first met her grandmother today and also, he would get to meet his little baby boy and then they could pick a name for him together. As they got close to his room she could see some activity and excitement from the staff and now, apparently there was some movement in the young man in the bed. The pain as he tried to move was excruciating but he was undeterred, it appeared as if he wanted to know where he was and he was whispering for Allyson. They hurriedly sent for Doctor Carla who had made sure that she was never far away, "Damon, I'm Doctor Carla Graham and you are here in our hospital at Ringwood, we need you to be as still as possible so that we can look after you as best as we can." She remembered a similar instance very dear to her heart from years ago but right now, there was no time now for reminiscing.

He could hear the soothing sound of the doctor's voice as he was trying to open his eyes but that was too hard for him for the moment. "We have Allyson here with you and she knows that you are going to be alright, you had an accident but we have you here in the best of care. You will be sore for a while but you will get a little better as each day passes." Carla was just speaking to him and saying anything that she could think of at the time and it seemed to be helping him to relax as he became more aware of his predicament. She had been waiting and hoping for him to begin to regain consciousness and she had explained to everyone how this was going to be a precarious situation if they weren't careful to keep him as sedated as possible. All their good work could be undone in an instant if he made too many sudden movements.

He felt as if he was in a dream and, despite being able to hear some voices, he had no idea where he was and those voices were constantly in his ear, he thought that he could hear Allyson and he had tried unsuccessfully to open his eyes and see who it was. She talked to him about everything, where and when they first met, their wedding and how Rex, his best man was so frightened that he had misplaced the rings and how he had built the nursery for the baby. He slowly settled and listened to her tell him all the news about how excited the parents were with the eventual new arrival and somehow a smile appeared on his face amid the excruciating pain. Doctor Carla was most interested to make some sort of assessment of his condition but she had not dared to touch him up till now. The ghastly wounds that he had in the beginning when he first showed up were nowhere near as fierce as before but the healing process was going to need a great deal of time before he would be out of danger.

Constable Graham had barely been back in his office long enough to scratch himself after a week away and he had only just sat down to read the telex when the call came in from Simon. It looked like his next few days had now been decided for him but before he would set off again he found the obligatory note from Carla as there had been many times when this was the only communication that they would have for an extensive period of time. She had described the emergency with Damon and how a young nurse had probably saved his life with some innovative action involving the train and a heap of clothes and rags. Les would have liked to find out more about this event but he had his request from Simon to deal with. He hurriedly wrote his own note for his darling wife and then he quickly gathered some provisions, such as what he could find and then he was on his way again.

He knew which direction to head but he had also remembered Simon adding at the finish of their conversation that the young man Vance had left the train some stations before Buxton. He kept that piece of information in his mind but Buxton was so far away that he now considered that to be a last resort as it would be over a day away by car. He knew that there were many of the railway line gangs working where the storm damage had occurred so he thought that this would be the best place to start. As he drove his vehicle down the road he noticed a single train carriage located on a siding stuck out of the way, this was most unusual and he wondered whether it had anything to do with the horrendous injury sustained by the young man in the hospital.

The telegraph office was on the way and he was able to get some idea of the restoration process along the railway line as some replies had been received from various areas. He wasn't planning to drive all the way to Grampton as the telegraph should be working where places had been unaffected by the storm. There were six replies that were all negative so his enquiries would not have to include them. He really needed the railway head office and the staff section to advise him but unfortunately they were still off limits as they were East of the storm damage. Most of his recent inspections had been in other directions and now he was going to get his own assessment of the situation. They had relied on information from workers who lived in the district who worked on the line.

He anticipated a long drive as Simon had told him that Vance and the others had boarded the train and it was an overnight journey before he had departed. All was well for about half an hour into the trip and then the road started to appear as if it had sustained some damage, he would be alright if he was careful and he was making his own mental note of the road's condition. Flood waters had taken its toll and the edges were quite precarious and it would be dangerous if a wheel got into a rut and the car might slip off the road. Obviously, the storm must have been very ferocious in this vicinity to cause such widespread damage to the roads and surrounding infrastructure, there were many places in the road where two cars would not be able to pass by each other safely but, thankfully, those spots didn't cover any great distance. He made a mental note of where he may have to reverse back to if he had the unfortunate occasion to encounter another vehicle coming the other way.

He also observed where there were countless numbers of large trees on the side of the road and ones that were extremely close to the railway line which looked like they were just hanging by a thread and that they could tumble down at any second. He was looking for details of someone for Simon but he would be obliged to file a report on what he had seen so far regarding the potential for danger. He was keeping his keen eye out along the way for any smoke coming from some campfire where a line gang might be but nothing so far. He could now understand why the telegraph and phone systems were not operating and he could see that it was going to take quite some time for it all to be rectified.

He soldiered on until his fears were realised, he was on a narrow part of the road and now there was a sizable tree spanning enough of the track ensuring that nobody was going anywhere while it lay there. It had fallen after being uprooted and the base was quite solid. It was going to take more than him to be able to shift it and there was barely anywhere to put it as it could easily roll down the embankment and find its way onto the train lines making an even worse predicament. A train approaching from around the bend would be unable to stop in time and a derailment could easily occur. To exacerbate things even more, he could see another vehicle approaching from the other way and it was forced to stop and now both cars had the tree between them in the middle.

It was strange to see a man decked out in a suit and tie right out here in the wilderness and as he came out of his car and Les could see the displeasure and impatience in his face. He had an aggravated tone in his words as Les soon found out, "I haven't got all day and now this damn tree is in the way, why does this have to happen to me when I'm in a hurry." He was full of complaints but not offering any solution so Les just stood by waiting for this man to regain some sort of composure. He stared at Les impatiently, "well, don't just stand there man, get this thing out of the road and make it quick." He looked around to see if there were any other people close by, "wouldn't it be just this way, nobody around when they are needed." Les was completely unimpressed but he made an effort to defuse the situation, he made a comment about someone wearing a suit and tie way out here in an out of the way place and that he must be a man of some importance. "I'm Stanley Padmore and I am the Acting Assistant Superintendent, South West region of the railroad. I'm here to investigate how and why one of our trains was seen to be taken and misused. People need to be made aware that these vehicles are an important asset and not to be treated as means for a joyride and somebody is going to be held responsible by the time I am finished."

The only thing that Les had to go on was the note that was left on his desk by his wife, he kept that information under his hat but he offered an alternative comment. "A train taken for a joyride sounds a bit outlandish to me, I would suggest that you hold off on your on your conclusions for a while and consider that there may be another side of the story to this incident." Mr Padmore was not in the least bit interested in being given advice especially when it differed from his own opinion and he let this new acquaintance know about it, "Mr whoever you are, I don't need to be lectured by someone just arriving on the scene trying to tell me about what is clearly, the theft of company property. I also don't need a nature lesson on how trees fall onto roadways."

Les could see that this character was used to speaking to subordinates and that his instructions would be carried out immediately with no argument. He kept his aggressive tone to himself as he moved closer as if to shape up to insert his will over the other man. Nothing was going to be achieved under the existing situation so Les decided that patience had run out and now it was time to take issue with this upstart, he looked him squarely in the eye, "sir, I strongly suggest that you take a step back, I further suggest that you take your ego and your attitude and park it to one side and start thinking how you are going to help me shift this tree out of the way, I also don't have all day."

Stanley looked around for any others close by but he was out of luck. Les was giving the orders now, "It is just the two of us Mr Padmore and I suggest that you get rid of the coat and the tie and get ready to put your back to work." He never raised his voice on any occasion but his message had got through and soon they started to figure out which was going to be the easiest way to move the tree out of the way. Mr Padmore was indignant and taken aback but he had little choice in the matter. He was soon persuaded forcefully to reverse his vehicle back to a place where the road widened and then both parties would be able to cross paths and continue on their separate ways. The road was now flat and in reasonable condition so Les was able to proceed with some confidence. He was amazed how Mr Padmore had not bothered out of courtesy to enquire who he was, such was his own self-interest. Les felt that he hadn't seen the last of this assertive, arrogant and aggressive rail officer and he didn't like the way that he had his mind made up about the so called wilful misuse of one of their trains. His hostile approach as a person of authority left a great deal to desire. He could hardly wait to get back to Ringwood to see Carla and find out exactly what had happened.

The patched up arm ached even though it was supported in a sling and Peter was trying to keep it as still as possible as instructed but the dressings on the wound had to be replaced regularly. Faith had given him the okay to go home with Christine by the next morning providing he did what he was told and allow his wife to do her job without complaint. She had smiled at him when she had handed out her instructions, she was happy for both of them and relieved that he had survived the incident on the road. "Not too much activity now, mind you or you will be back here to be lying on this cot again." Despite her perceived breezy approach, she was quite serious about the only option for him at the moment was complete rest.

There was four years of lifetime for both of them and to try and cram all that into the next ten minutes was going to be impossible. He couldn't take his eyes off his little girl and he picked her up with his good arm as they walked along to Christine's rowhouse after receiving his limited and restricted discharge from Doctor Faith. He stood quietly inside the little home with his family with a million thoughts running through his mind, he was home and he was going to make up for the last four years of being apart from his family. She had tears in her eyes after living here in this house on her own, not knowing where he was or if he would ever return, she sank to her knees with him as the occasion had got the better of them and their bewildered little daughter stood there with them. She could not help but know how he felt and what must be going through his mind. When he was on the ship in the raging storm thousands of miles way out in the middle of the vast ocean, he had to have his wits about him and it was his grandfather who gave him the courage and direction, but when it was calm and quiet and he was alone, he wondered what it was going to be like when he would be back home with her for the first time. Now he was back and it felt like a dream to him. He would be months learning how to be home and having a family.

It was still in the mid-morning and he felt reasonably well so he considered making a request to his wife who he knew was going to ensure that he had to follow Doctor Faith's orders. He hadn't realised what a shock it would be for him and Christine to be finally in the home together after so long, he felt for her being alone month after month with no word from him. It took a long time for him to compose himself but after a while he could finally talk without choking up, "there's so many things that I want and need to do, I want to speak with the other Mountie who was with Nathan, I also want to speak with Mr William Thatcher, but, if it's okay with you I'd like to visit the place where your grandmother is buried and then I'd like to see if Mr O'Malley is still here. I need to know that he is alright and I'd love to be able to proudly introduce my family to him."

Christine had yearned for the moment when she would be able to take her husband along to the gravesite of her grandmother, ever since her and Marie had arrived in Hope Valley and found her heritage, she could only hope that she would be able to share it with Peter. She also would need many evenings and new mornings before she could believe and accept that this was not a dream but it was actually happening and now her family was complete. "Peter, I love you for wanting to do that but while we have a quiet moment I have something very special for you to do first." Peter looked puzzled as he saw her fossicking in the desk draw for a biscuit tin which was full of letters and such. He tried to have an open mind and be patient but the serious look on her face drew his attention to what must be very important. He knew that she had lost her mother at a very early age and she had been an orphan for much of her life.

She found the letter that she was looking for and with a tear in her eye, she handed it to him, she was going to show Peter how proud she was and she had waited a long time for him to read this. Initially he had no idea what he was looking at but soon he was totally gobsmacked, he knew better than anyone what true love was and Martha, her grandmother had found it such a long time ago with the law enforcement officer named Joshua William Reynolds, he felt that he was having an opportunity to reach back into the past to people who should never be forgotten. He was glued to the letter which told him about her grandfather and then he was heartbroken to read how he had died serving his country so long ago. Martha had to go through her life after that for so many years without her true love, Peter couldn't bear the thought of losing Christine and having to go through life on his own. He was going to make sure that little Marie would know of her great grandparents and never let them out of her life and always remember them and keep them in her heart forever.

"Peter, I've got to go and get Rosemary from next door, this is her day as well as we will explain to you, she carefully folded the letters and returned them to the tin and put them away. It was a wonderful surprise for Rosemary to have the Glover family show up on her doorstep. "Welcome Captain Glover to the row houses, we are so pleased to have you here and now you are the family that we have all yearned for, you have to know, this is the last time that you knock on the door, from now on you just walk straight in here, just like Emily will do at your place. She has a mind of her own and she takes no notice of her mother, she comes and goes as she pleases so you will see her from time to time inside your home and not even know that she walked in." Rosemary knew why they were here and she knew that she would have tears soon as they had longed for this day even before they found out about Peter being back on dry land.

She started on her story as they wandered along, the complete story that she had planned and rehearsed ever since she and Lee and Elizabeth had first found and read those letters. Before they got very far, Peter had his breath taken away from as he saw the beautiful school building, it was even better than seeing it in the paper and he could picture Mrs Thornton and the school children all standing there. He had come thousands of miles to see this and it was worth it. He was speechless as he gazed at it in all its glory so Rosemary began from the start. "I first met Martha Reynolds when I opened our door one morning to find Emily scolding this little brown dog out the front who wouldn't give the ball back to them. A kindly elderly lady emerged from two doors up and she was ever so apologetic if her little dog was causing a nuisance."

"She was a wonderful lady right from the outset and I was captivated by her and I wanted to get to know her. She loved the kiddies and she had them inside her home and she taught them how to make cookies, she had said to pop in at any time of the day or night and we would be welcome all the time." Rosemary had to take a breath as it was a happy memory but it was tinged with a degree of sadness as well. "We offered, like good neighbours to help out where we could but she was largely self-sufficient and kept to herself and we never really got to know her better." She choked up a little as she took Peter's arm in hers as the walked along and soon a big headstone came into view, Rusty had raced off and could be seen sitting in authority on top of the gravesite, "He is very protective of this place and the only one he lets near it is Emily."

Peter was surprised at the size and the quality of the headstone, Rosemary stopped them in their tracks and they just gazed at where Martha Reynolds was buried, "One morning I went to greet her and ask if there was anything that I could get for her down the street and as I entered her sitting room I saw her just sitting peacefully in her favourite chair. She had passed during the night and I was so upset that she would be buried and there would be nobody to remember her." She paused to wipe the tears from her eyes, "I planned to use every bone in my body to find out who she was and I was determined to find any family that she might have no matter where they were. I read those letters in her house on that morning and found out where her husband had been and my enquiries went all the way to Texas. It took a few weeks and a Captain Palmer responded eventually. Peter, he was the one who arranged for her to be buried here with full military honours. She was a lovely lady and we loved her dearly."

If Peter had been wearing a hat, he would have taken it off as a huge mark of respect for Christine's grandparents. It was a cold shudder that went down his back, he was so grateful for the turn of events that had now brought them all together. He could see that it was Rosemary's newspaper which had found its way thousands of miles away in Blacktown that had shown Christine the picture of the little brown dog and she had seen instantaneously that he was her grandmother's dog. If Christine hadn't come here to live then Mrs Thornton would not have known anything about him and it would have been very conceivable that he may never have found his wife. His eyes were welling up at these thoughts and he knew that they could never repay Rosemary for what she had done for them. He vaguely recalled Christine introducing him to Rosemary back in the Infirmary and how she said how she was the reason we were all here together, now he knew just how right she was.

They sat down on the grass at the edge of grave and it was strange for them to see Rusty come and sit with Peter. Emily looked and smiled at the sea captain, "he likes you Uncle Peter." He was sitting together with the two little girls and the dog and Christine and Rosemary had to sit on the other side and the school building was so prominent in the background. "Captain Palmer and his two officers were perfect gentlemen and I will never forget the effort that he made to locate the story of Joshua Reynolds and for them to come all the way here to Hope Valley, we only had Martha for a few weeks but I will treasure that time we had forever." They could feel the gentle morning breeze on their faces as the heard the distant sound of the bell ringing and the children emerged from the classroom for recess time. Peter felt that this place was one of the most spiritual places that he could ever visit.

Emily looked longingly at the school, "mum says that I can go to school when next year comes and I can play with them when the bell rings." Christine could see the love and happiness on Marie's face as she stared at all the children playing outside, "she really loves it here and I'm so happy for her, she hated it back in the city with all the concrete and hustle and bustle, here, she can play with Rusty and now she has her daddy here with her." Peter understood what must be going through her mind as he remembered how miserable he had felt back in Masterton with all the setbacks that he was getting. Back then he was cold, lonely and despondent and starting to feel that he might never find his wife again, he didn't like the thought of returning to sea duty but that had seemed to be his only option.