Ok, so this is the last chapter, but I added a little epilogue to it. I just feel like the story has been told, but maybe I will revisit again, like I do sometimes with my favorite characters.

Thank you to everyone who took a chance on this very different story, I love you all :)

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On Monday morning Allie was back at work, and at lunch, Maggie informed her that she was indeed the topic of discussion, as they thought she would be. But the surprising thing was, the Director of Nurse's had a meeting with Philip after he had seen Allie and Daryl and the word was he left unhappy.

Serena Kyle was a no-nonsense woman and tolerated no bullshit and Maggie advised Allie just to go to her and take the bull by the horns. So after lunch, Allie took the elevator up to the administration office with butterflies in her stomach.

She knocked on the open door and waited until Serena looked up, she nodded that Allie should come in and close the door. Serena was in her forties and had been a nurse for a long time, she had seen it all and was known to jump right in and float to a floor if they were dangerously short.

No one had a bad word to say about her, but then no one had ever been standing before her pregnant with the child of one of their patients either.

Allie took a deep breath and walked in closing the door as requested.

"Hello Allison," Serena said, "Feeling better?"

"Yes thank you, news travels fast here I guess," Allie said, and Serena nodded.

"That it does," She replied and took off her glasses, "Sit Allison, please."

Allie sat down nervously.

"Are you here about Philip?"

Allie nodded slowly.

"Then I will tell you what I said to him," Serena said, "This is not Grey's Anatomy Allison, and I do not care who you spend time with outside of work as long as when you are here you do your job."

"But isn't it against…" She didn't get to finish because Serena brought her finger to her mouth making the Shhhhhh sign.

"Do you think you're the first person this has happened to?" Serena asked.

"Here?" Allison said, "Yes."

"Well, I trained at Grady Memorial in Atlanta, and I have seen everything that's possible to see, is it a conflict of interest? Yes," Serena said, "But for the love of all that's holy in reality, what we do here is far more important that idle gossip, we heal here isn't that right."

"All I ever wanted to be a nurse," Allie started, "It's all I want to do, I can't imagine doing anything else."

"And you're good at your job," Serena said, "I get feedback all of the time about you and Maggie, never anything but rave reviews and that's more important than the words of a sore loser."

Allie laughed at that, Serena had seen right through Phillip, and she sighed in relief.

"So why would I reprimand you over something that happened, after he was no longer in our care," Serena said and nodded her head to convey to Allie what she was saying. No one had seen them together while he was a patient because she had behaved professionally, and so, anyone who had anything to say would have no proof, "Babies are born early all the time," She said with a wink, "I told Philip if he ever wasted my time with gossip about one of our finest nurse's again he was going back on night shift."

Allie nodded with a small laugh, "I understand, and I am so grateful to you, do I need to worry about the board?"

Serena leaned forward and met her eyes, "The board has better things to do that police the personal lives of nurses, especially good nurses, there's plenty to keep them busy elsewhere. And I would stand up for you if anyone was foolish enough to call the board."

Allie nodded on the verge of tears now, "Thank you, Serena, thank you, so much."

"Oh, those hormones, you look well and happy, it's very good to see," Serena said, and they both knew what she was referring too, Zack had been brought to this hospital when they tried to save his life. She had seen Allie's grief first hand, as well as many others there, for a long time.

"I love him," Allie said, dabbing her eyes with a tissue from the box on Serena's desk.

"Then your young man is lucky, indeed, I wish you both well," Serena said and stood up, singling to Allie that their meeting was over.

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Allie sat down next to Daryl and took his hand. She explained her conversation with Serena and the fact that they didn't have to move.

It was good news because neither of them wanted to move. They wanted to stay right where they were and make a life together.

A life filled with moonlit nights and lazy summer afternoons, with children and family, they weren't alone in the world anymore.

They watched the sun go down from the back porch and contemplated their new life. A life given to them from two tragedies and a life they would never take for granted.

Six years later

Andrea knocked on the door, and she switched the toddler from one hip to the other and sat the car seat down with daughter number three in it on the porch. As she switched from foot to foot bouncing the child, she could hear the ruckus inside the house that was next door to hers, and it made her smile. She kissed her daughter, Chelsey and cooed sweet words to her as she waited for Allie to get to the door, she was slow these days because she was pregnant again.

Households with small children always had lots of noise and lots of love.

It was wonderful to see. It was wonderful to live and be a part of. Andrea never regretted this for a moment. Even though at times it was so hard.

Allie answered the door with baby ten-month-old Jesse in a sling and two-year-old James, on her heels. Behind him was three-and-a-half-year-old Sam and their dog Charlie. Jacob, their oldest was at school along with Andrea and Merle's daughter.

She was just starting to show from her latest pregnancy. This one was a girl and then she was getting her tubes tied and burned and for good measure. Daryl had already gotten a vasectomy a month ago; they were done.

They had decided to keep trying for a girl because he wanted a girl so badly after four boys almost right after the other. Merle and Andrea couldn't even keep up with it. They had all girls. Three of them counting the youngest, Amy that Andrea held now on the porch.

Their houses were right next door to each other, just like they talked about all those years ago. Daryl had built theirs, with help from Merle and Rick and a few other guys, and Merle and Andrea lived in the one Merle and Daryl once lived it.

They had started building it when his six-month pet scan came back clean. Each year they kept coming back clean, and they kept having babies.

But this was the last one. Allie opened the door so that Andrea could come inside.

"You don't mind getting Sarah off the bus today? My class is until five."

"No worries. I'm going to sit all of them outside with paint and paper while Jesse and Amy here take a nap and Daryl is bringing home pizza. We got this."

"You guys going to Rick's party this weekend?" Andrea asked.

"Of course, we never miss it, why drag everyone down to the fireworks when Rick and Carl will do it right here." Allie replied with a smile, "You go on and don't worry about a thing, study hard."

"Can you help my write my sociology paper later this week." She said walking in the door and bringing Amy inside and taking her out of her car seat.

"Yes of course, now scoot, before you're late."

Andrea lay Amy down in the pack and play, careful not to wake her and Allie laid Jesse down right next to her. Both of them continued to sleep peacefully as their mother's hugged and Andrea left for school.

The End