Disclaimer: Bruno Heller owns the Mentalist and I make no money writing these stories!

This is the final chapter in this long story. I have really enjoyed writing it and the response has been wonderful. Along the way I have met, through Private Messages, some wonderful people. Rosepeony, LouiseKurylo, Shoesarecool, Thorntons, Clover81, and any others that maybe I have missed, your comments are wonderful, informative, and encouraging. Guest reviewers, thank you as well for taking the time to let me know that you enjoyed this story. This is only my second story and I have once again, learned so much during the process of writing. Hopefully in the future, I will find another story to tell. Au revoir mes amis….

Blood Is Thicker Than Water

Chapter 42 Happily Ever After

The ride home to the cabin by the pond was quiet, with Jane holding Teresa's hand most of the way while he reclined in his seat with his eyes closed. The excitement of the morning had worn him out but he was relaxed and content, feeling free and safe. His wife and baby were safe and by his side, and he was going home. Nothing in the world could be better. Teresa watched him out of the corner of her eye as she drove, happy to have him out of the hospital at last. This was the first day on their trip back to normal life. She thought he might be dozing, but as they came up the curving laneway and approached the cabin, Jane sat up straighter and beheld the beautiful sight in front of him. Their cabin looked just the same, but the front porch was festooned with pots of flowers and a large Welcome Home sign hung over the front door. He turned to Lisbon beaming a huge smile but she was as surprised as he was. Lisbon grinned as she saw the surprise their friends had pulled off for them.

"Oh this is so nice! Wow, so beautiful!" she said, turning to Jane and seeing the same reaction on his face. "We have wonderful friends!"

"Yes we do. Very thoughtful" Jane replied, touched by their efforts. They pulled the car up close to the house so Jane wouldn't have to walk too far on his crutches. He had not walked on uneven grass so far with his bad leg, so this was going to be a challenge.

"Shall I get the wheelchair to make it easier for you Patrick?" she asked.

'No, I need to get around on my own as much as possible. Let me try to get in the door with these" he indicated, pointing to the crutches. "We can use the chair later if need be."

"OK, let me help you…" Lisbon said as she helped him out of the SUV and handed him his crutches. She walked beside him as he slowly made his way across the grass and up to the steps. They made an interesting pair: a man hobbling along unsteadily on crutches supported by a very very pregnant tiny woman. It would have made a great photo. With her arm to guide him, he took the steps one at a time, and eventually reached the porch, sweating from the effort but happy with his success. Teresa stepped up and opened the door, letting Jane go in first. As soon as he came into the living room, he stopped and gazed around, seeing his house, his refuge. Teresa waited for him to take it all in, and then he turned to her, a smile lighting up his face as he gingerly stepped over to the sofa. Lowering himself down carefully, he put his crutches on the floor and swung his legs up onto the sofa and reclined, breathing a sigh of relief.

"Home sweet home" he murmured, running his hands through his hair and snuggling down to get comfy. There was nothing to compare to being home on your own sofa after days in a hard hospital bed.

"Tea?" Lisbon asked, knowing his answer already.

"Mmmm… sounds good" Jane mumbled.

Teresa placed a warm kiss on his forehead and disappeared into the kitchen, to make a pot of Jane's favourite tea. Once the kettle was on the stove, she returned and sat on a floor cushion next to him, resting her head on his shoulder.

"Welcome home Patrick" she whispered, turning to gaze into his eyes. "I missed you. The house just wasn't the same without you. It was so empty and cold. I felt like all the life had gone out of it."

"I missed you too, you have no idea how much" he answered as he turned to study her face. He lay back and just enjoyed the familiarity of his cabin. Not too long ago he feared he would never see this house or his wife again.

"Did you know that you saved me?" he said quietly to Teresa.

"Me? I saved you? How?"

Jane stared at Teresa, loving her closeness. "When Katarina had me all those days, the only way I could keep going and not give up was to think about you and the baby, this house and our life together. That had to be my reality, not what she was doing to me at the moment. If I didn't have you…..if I didn't have us…. I wouldn't have lasted as long as I did. There were times when it was so difficult to stay hopeful that I would make it out of there alive, but then I would think of you. I had to keep going. It hurt me to know that you were here alone, worried about me and not knowing where I was. That killed me" he whispered softly.

Lisbon got up and held her husband in a warm embrace, so sad that he had suffered so greatly, but proud of the strength and forbearance he had summoned to survive his torturers. She loved Patrick so deeply that life without him was unthinkable….

Lisbon gave herself a shake and realized she was verging on the maudlin in her thinking. They were both safe, had great friends and their baby was due any minute. These were what she needed to dwell on.

"We never stopped looking for you Patrick. Everyone worked to find clues, anything that would be the key to finding where Katarina was hiding. Wylie was a genius in finding an image of Laila reflected in a mirror in a store across the street from the tea shop. Pure genius. And guess who gave us information that really helped?" she asked.

Patrick had no idea who Lisbon meant and he shrugged his shoulders, unable to guess.

"Erica Flynn and Jan Nemic. We went to see both of them in prison and both gave us information that led us to Maine. Then with Laila's help, we found the farmhouse. I guess Jan really did want to put his sister away for good if he was willing to help us find you!" she said in amazement.

"Huh…. I never would have expected him to help me after what happened in Beirut… strange…"

"Jane, that whole family was strange. I'm just glad we're done with them from now on!"

The kettle screaming from the kitchen interrupted her thoughts so she got up to make Jane his tea. While she was in there, she heard shuffling behind her and turned to see Jane hobble into the kitchen. He took a chair and sat down carefully, glad to be able to move around from room to room. He smiled at the flowers on the table, a nice touch by Teresa. His knee was starting to ache so he fished out a pain pill from his pocket and laid it by his teacup.

"I'll be glad when I don't have to rely on these anymore" he admitted, not liking to take medicine for too long.

"You won't. Once the inside of your knee has healed you will feel much better. At least you're home and not cooped up in that dull hospital room anymore."

Jane nodded his head in agreement. Hospitals got very boring in a short period of time. "Did I hear you say we were ordering Thai take-out for supper tonight? Or did I dream that in a drug induced haze?" Jane asked, his eyes shining at the prospect of the spicy food.

"Yup, Thai it is, unless you want something else?"

"Oh no, Thai is fine with me." Jane took a long look around the room and noticed every little detail that he had worked on, each plank of wood on the floor, each cupboard and light fixture hanging in the new kitchen. He had turned his hand to this house with as much intensity as he used to put towards fleecing innocent rubes of their hard earned money. This was far more satisfying. As he watched Teresa pour the tea he noticed her eyes shut tightly for a moment as she sucked in her breath. She tried to hide her grimace, but he had seen it and was worried.

"What? What is it?"

Teresa shook her head and smiled. "Nothing...just a little pain. It's OK."

Jane looked at her with concern, but there was nothing he could do, because in the case of having babies, she was the boss. He studied her as she put the pot down and came back to sit with him. Another twinge hit her, but she said nothing. He sat up straighter and leaned over towards her.

"Are you in labour?" he dared to ask.

"I don't think so….. but I'm no expert on the subject. It's probably nothing" she ventured, hoping she was right. They needed at least one day together before the baby came.

Jane drank his tea and let his mind wander, concerns about his wife foremost in his mind. A thought occurred to him and after a few moments he looked up at Teresa as a question struck him.

"So tell me, how are we getting to the hospital if you go into labour? I can't drive with a bum leg, and you shouldn't drive while in labour. So, what do we do?" he asked reasonably.

So much of her time had been spent worrying about Patrick and his homecoming that Teresa had not figured out the mechanics of her own trip to the hospital! She looked at Jane like a deer in the headlights. He could see the answer in her face. She had no idea!

"Good question Patrick. I don't know." Now she looked worried. What would they do? Patrick couldn't bend his knee to depress the gas and brake pedals, so he was out as far as being the driver.

"We can't call Cho or Wylie… by the time they get here it might be too late. What can we do?" she asked Jane.

He nodded his head in agreement, his mind busy with finding a solution. He reached out and held Teresa's hand while he smiled and thought hard. "Give me a minute…"

While he sipped his tea he mulled the problem over in his brain. "Well, there are a couple of options open to us. We could move into a hotel close to the hospital and when you go into labour we can just take a cab over" he suggested.

"Yes, but for how long? What if I go over my due date by a couple of weeks? We can't live in a hotel for that long" Teresa objected. "What's your other suggestion?"

Jane had a gleam in his eye, and Teresa knew he had come up with something that he thought was perfect.

"How's this? Maybe we could ask Laila to move out here for the duration and when you go into labour, she could drive us both to the hospital. If my leg can bend enough for me to drive before the baby comes, then I will drive us and Laila can go back to her foster mother. But in the meantime, we have a guaranteed ride day or night" he beamed, thinking this a fine solution.

Teresa looked at him and had to admit, the idea had merit. She had wanted their time alone to really be time alone before the baby came, but she did need to know that they could get to the hospital in time.

"Where will she sleep Jane? If she even wants to come, she needs her own room."

'We'll ask her if she wants to do this, and if she says yes, I'll have a rental bed delivered and set up in the baby's room. She can stay until we bring the baby home, then we send back the bed and she carries on with her life. It may not even be necessary Teresa, but at least we have our bases covered" Jane said with enthusiasm. He smiled at his wife and she melted, knowing he needed to be assured that nothing could go wrong with her delivery.

"OK, sounds like a plan to me. But we need to contact her today. I don't know how long Junior here intends to stay inside his cocoon" she said, rubbing her large tummy.

"Good! Glad that's settled!" Jane said with finality. Now he could stop worrying about that important issue. Teresa got up and produced a menu for their favourite Thai restaurant. Together they chose their meal and ordered it for delivery later that day. In the meantime, Jane called Laila at her foster mother's house and made his proposal. Laila enthusiastically agreed, thrilled to be useful and trusted by Patrick and Teresa. She would come out tomorrow and bring school work with her that she needed to catch up on. Everyone would be taken care of! Next, Jane arranged for a single bed to be delivered to the cabin from a store in downtown Austin, a rental for an unspecified amount of time. That accomplished, he sat back and had nothing else to worry about. Now he could really relax.

Their Thai food arrived and was eaten with gusto, the exotic flavours and aromas thrilling to Patrick after such a long time with either no food or bland mush. This was what he had been looking forward to! By 9:30 that evening, his energy had run out and he desperately needed to go to bed. Teresa helped Patrick shower himself off with their hand held shower head, and he had fun squirting her from head to toe as well. When they were both thoroughly soaked, they took time to lovingly towel each other off, with hugs and kisses slowing down the whole process. Finally Patrick and Teresa made their way through the house and got themselves into bed. For the first time in a long time, they were able wrap themselves in each other's arms, and that is how they fell asleep, two bodies as one, love the glue that fastened them together.

XXXXX

The next morning, Laila fairly skipped through the house gathering together what she would need to take with her to Patrick's house. She felt honoured that he trusted her so much to come out and drive them to the hospital when Teresa's time came. Laila and her school room mate Mandy had had a wonderful reunion and spent all their time together when Laila had landed in Austin a few days ago. Mandy gave Laila the notes and study guides she needed to catch up with her lessons and so Laila had more than enough to keep her busy while she waited at the cabin for Teresa to go into labour. Her foster mother was fussing over her like a mother hen and although it was wonderful, Laila knew she would not be able to put up with it for too much longer, so this break at the Jane's house was a welcome respite. The next morning she said her goodbyes and headed out to the cabin. By the time she arrived at mid-morning, Teresa and Patrick were up and dressed and directing the moving men to place the bed in the baby's room. After helping Teresa make up the bed, Laila sat down to visit with Patrick, who had been smiling happily at all of the commotion in the house. As far as he was concerned, his son could come any time now. Everything was ready. Laila spent her days there either studying or walking the large property that surrounded the cabin. She wanted to give Teresa and Patrick plenty of time to be alone. Jane practised walking outside too, with either Teresa or Laila there with him to make sure he didn't stumble and fall. His physiotherapy sessions would start the next week, and he couldn't wait to get back on his own two feet. Time fairly zipped by, and while they eagerly awaited their son, Patrick and Teresa cherished these days that they could spend with each other before she went into labour. She was still on schedule and hoping not to be overdue. They jokingly made bets between the 3 of them as to when the baby would start to make his appearance. Teresa bet she would go into labour at night, Jane said mid-afternoon and Laila ventured it would be an early morning birth. One of them would soon be proven correct.

And so it happened, at 1:30 in the morning 4 days later. Teresa and Patrick had invited Cho, Wylie and some other friends from work over to the house for the promised pizza and beer. Laila was shy at first around so many FBI agents, but Teresa assured her that they considered her a friend and a hero for her actions in setting Jane free. The mood in the house was light and happy, and time passed quickly. Teresa was enjoying seeing her friends from work and was sorry when the evening had to come to an end. By the time the last guest left, Teresa was ready for a good night's sleep, but her baby had other ideas. Teresa was sound asleep with Patrick's arms wrapped around her belly when the first pain hit her. She didn't understand what it was at first, being so soundly asleep. She drifted along in her dreams until it happened again, 7 minutes later. She shifted her position to get more comfortable and then….it happened again! She opened her eyes and sat up, wondering if she had dreamed it or had something really been happening? She rolled over to get to sleep again and an even larger pain shot up her back and wrapped its' tentacles around her belly in a spasm that had her shout out in surprise. She looked at the clock and it was 7 minutes after the last pain. She didn't want to wake Patrick unnecessarily, but she decided to time the next pain, if one came at all.

As she watched the clock, another huge cramp constricted her tummy only 6 minutes later. She was in labour! Teresa turned to Patrick and shook his shoulder gently. He snorted and shuffled over to his other side, not understanding what she wanted. Teresa grinned to herself and tried again.

"Patrick…. wake up. Wake up Sweetie…."

"Hmph…." was the reply as his curly haired head was buried under his pillow.

"Patrick… wake up… it's baby time…" she said close to his ear. Still nothing.

"Patrick, the baby is coming. How about I just walk to the hospital by myself, OK? You stay home and sleep" she teased, to see if it got through to his sleepy brain.

A few moments passed, and then Jane shot straight up in the bed, turning to Teresa for confirmation of what he thought he had maybe just dreamed.

"Did you say you were walking to the hospital? Why? What's going on?" he asked in sleepy confusion.

Teresa was smiling broadly as she got out of bed. "Patrick, I think I'm in labour! It's baby time!" she announced to his shocked face.

"Are you sure? Are you in pain?" he grinned as he woke up quickly at the news. While he was talking he got up and grabbed his crutches to wobble his way to the closet and find something to wear.

"Yes I'm sure, I'm in labour. Get dressed and wake Laila up, while I get my bag and get ready" she suggested as she watched his flustered attempts to dress without falling over. He had occasionally used the wheelchair but he mostly used his crutches and was getting quite proficient with them. However, his excitement was making his movements a little wild and he feared he wouldn't make it out of the house without tipping over.

"Slow down Patrick, take it easy we'll get there in time. I'll go get Laila, you are a bit too wound up to do much right now" she grinned. Patrick agreed and managed to get his jeans on and pulled a sweater over his head and found his shoes. That was the most he could do in his current state of excitement.

"Ok, all dressed, ready to go… how about you?" he asked Teresa as Laila appeared in the hallway, already dressed.

"Ready. Let's get going. The pains are 5 minutes apart now.'"

Laila helped Teresa and Jane down the front steps and into the car, and soon they were off to the city, on their way to hospital. Jane had a goofy smile plastered on his sleepy face and Teresa just concentrated on her breathing, trying to stay in control of herself and her pain. He held her hand all the way into Austin, breathing each breath with her, keeping her calm.

Once they arrived at the hospital they were whisked up to the Maternity wing and Teresa was put into a labour room. Laila found a spot to wait and got comfortable for the duration of the labour. The night passed in a blur of pain and anticipation, with Jane giving Laila updates on Teresa's progress any chance he got. Laila in turn emailed updates to Cho, for him to find when he woke up. Patrick had been through this before, but it was many years ago and he relied on instinct when it came to how to soothe Teresa and keep her calm during the worst of her labour pains. He managed to get her to focus on her breathing and used his most hypnotic voice to keep her relaxed. He could have hypnotized her but he figured she would not appreciate it later when she found out what he had done. So, he gave up that idea. Teresa was a very determined mother and didn't complain at all during her labour. Despite her tiny frame, she actually was well built for labour and she delivered her son without any problems. By mid-morning the next day, Teresa had given birth to a beautiful baby boy, delicate and dark haired with blue eyes that would later turn to a mysterious sea green. His long fingers and even features, curly hair and sharp intellect came from his father and his beautiful face, sturdy body and wise heart came from his mother.

Jane sat by Teresa's bed holding his son, tears of joy streaming unreservedly down his face. His joy was immeasurable, his emotions almost more than he could manage. His tiny son, so pink and perfect, sucked on his little fingers while Jane beamed at Teresa. She lay back and rested, tired but beyond happy. They were a family, and nothing and no one would ever come between them again. They had survived so many evil people in their years together, and they had overcome every one of them. With love and will power that strong, Teresa knew they would have only the best years ahead of them.

Later that day Laila, Cho and Wylie dropped in to visit and give the baby gifts. The two new uncles melted when Jane let them hold the little boy. Cho was new to this but he loved being part of this inner circle. Wylie was just flustered by the whole event, not knowing what to do when it was his turn to hold the baby. Grace and Wayne sent their greetings via SKYPE and would come to visit as soon as they could get away. Laila held the baby and cried with joy that her friend Patrick had survived to see this day.

A day later Laila drove Teresa, Patrick and the baby home and then gathered her belongings, saying her goodbyes. She wanted to give them privacy and time to spend alone with their new son. She would return any time they invited her or if they needed a sitter. She felt like part of the family now.

As she opened the door, she turned back and took a final glance into the living room at the Jane family. Patrick sat on the sofa with his arm around Teresa while she held their son. It was a beautiful scene and she felt like an intruder watching them. She silently closed the door and left them to their very own happy ending.

XXXXXXXXX XXXXXXXXXX The End XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Thank you to everyone who reviewed this story and told me how much you enjoyed it. I have had many requests to keep this story going much longer. I do feel that the original story has run its' course. The continuing story of Jane's struggle with PTSD and the trial of Katarina and her men is not what this story was about, so I will not pursue it here. I have been asked by quite a few readers to write that story. I do not know much about PTSD, and in order to write about it, I would have to study up on it to do the story justice, and to honour those people out there who struggle with PTSD on a daily basis. I would not want to make light of it and tell the story badly. Perhaps when I feel up to that heavy challenge I will try to continue that part of Jane's journey to wellness, but right now, I will let it rest.