Upon hearing those words, Hannah, who had kept her eyes closed, opened them immediately.
The others in the room straightened up, a jolt of energy passing through them.
They were here. They had finally arrived.
"Mom!"
"Grandma!"
Caitlin and Carey ran in from outside. The rest of the family followed, carrying the babies.
Seeing Hannah lying so still in the bed, Carey was overwhelmed with grief. She took her mother's hand and pressed it to her own cheek. "Mom, I'm back. I'm back!"
Caitlin stood beside her. "Grandma, we're all here."
Hannah looked at her daughter and granddaughter, trying to lift her hand, but she lacked the strength.
Caitlin instinctively took Hannah's other hand. "Grandma, do you want to see Jasper, Silas, and Gemma?"
"..... Yes, the... the children, where are they?" Hannah managed to force out, her voice dry and raspy.
"Mom, you can speak! You can speak!" Hearing Hannah's voice, Warren and his brothers were overcome with emotion, wiping away tears of joy.
Since being admitted to the hospital, Hannah hadn't been able to say a word. But now, she was speaking. In that moment, it seemed as if there was hope again. Perhaps a miracle was about to happen.
Gordon, Stuart, and Fortune quickly brought the three babies forward.
Stuart's voice was thick with emotion. "Mom, the babies are all here. Look. This is Jasper, this is Silas, and this is your favorite, Gemma."
Gemma was the only girl among the Richards family's great-grandchildren, so naturally, Hannah held a special place for her in her heart.
The seven-month-old babies knew nothing of the gravity of the situation, their large, grape-like eyes staring curiously at Hannah.
Seeing the three children brought a genuine smile to Hannah's face. She painstakingly raised a trembling hand and fumbled under her pillow, pulling out three protective amulets. She smiled weakly. "Freya, Gordon.. these these are lucky charms your aunt and I got from the temple last month. All... all the other children in the family have one... only Jasper, Silas... and Gemma's were still with me."
"With... with these charms... the three of them... will always be... safe and sound..."
Watching this, the Richards family finally understood what Hannah's unfinished business was. She had wanted to personally give these three amulets to the babies.
The babies took the amulets and gurgled happily, waving their arms. At seven months old, they didn't understand death or parting. To them, this evening was no different from any other.
Keira stepped forward, her voice choked with emotion. "Hannah, we're all here to see you. You have to be strong. Didn't we agree? You're supposed to come to the Capital för the babies' first birthday so we can all play cards together!"
Fortune nodded. "That's right, Hannah. We made plans to play cards in the Capital. You have to get better!"
Hannah shook her head. "I know my own body. My time has come."
In truth, she had felt it coming for a week. During that time, she found herself constantly reliving old memories, even ones she thought she had long forgotten.
Hannah's complexion seemed to brighten. "Fortune, Keira, I'm so happy to see you both. Thank you for coming to see me off. Please don't be sad. This day comes for everyone. And I have no regrets in this life."
"I lived to find my daughter, and my granddaughter. I even got to see my great- grandchildren born with my own eyes. I am truly, truly happy."
Hearing this, everyone in the room lowered their heads, their eyes welling up with tears.
After saying this, Hannah turned her
gaze to Gordon. "Gordon, you and Freya and the babies must live well In a marriage, you will face all sorts of things. Grandma hopes that no matter what happens, the two of you will always face it together, side by side. United, you can overcome anything."