The previous epilogue was merely an epilogue to this epilogue. This is in fact is the end. For Fozzy88.

Ruth's eyes opened and the first thing she saw was her bandaged hand.

Her sleepy eyes were suddenly wide awake.

She held her breath and turned slowly and carefully.

She knew what she was expecting to see, but she was not prepared for what she did see.

She expected it to be Harry.

It was a man. A man whose face looked so different lying there on the pillow beside her. A man whom she'd never seen like this before. A man whose expression was so peaceful, so untroubled, so at rest….so wonderful.

She felt overwhelmed with the joy at having woken first. She felt overwhelmed at the strength of her own feelings. She felt an ache of longing and love for this man whom she knew so well and yet felt like she was knowing for the very first time.

She didn't want to wake him, she wanted to watch him. She felt the need, as she always did, to analyse every part of her emotions, and what she found there was a depth of emotion she had thought herself no longer capable of. No, scratch that, she thought, this was a depth of emotion she had never felt.

She heard Harry's mobile ringing downstairs and her eyes darted to to see if it would disturb him.

He was well lost to the land of sleep.

She glanced at the clock over his shoulder and saw with horror that it was 8.30.

She should be on the grid, halfway through the nightly reports. And Harry, well he should be with the Home Secretary in fifteen minutes.

Her hand reached out to wake him but then hovered uncertainly.

They had waited so very long for each other, it seemed only reasonable that the HS could wait a little longer too.

She rested her hand gently on his chest and went back to watching him, getting to know him, loving him, lying there.