It was nearly time for Hannah to graduate from rehab. She had come a long way since she had started the journey to recovery and she still had a long way to go in more ways than one. The holidays were around the corner again and Thanksgiving would be spent at the center. They were going to have their own special dinner and patients were welcome to invite friends and family to join them. It was a time for peace, love, and of course being thankful for what everyone had even if it wasn't much. The only people Hannah wanted to invite were Allen and the Mother Superior; which of course in her case made the perfect sense.

    Even though her in-laws knew she was in rehab, she didn't want to tell them or invite them there because they were still Chris' parents and not hers. She had all the family she needed and a man who finally made her a priority as opposed to playing second fiddle to his own wants and needs. The Mother Superior decided that it would be a good idea to bring along some of the other nuns and other orphans from St. Bernadette's. Meanwhile, Allen invited Ryan to come with him because all of Ryan's family was in Maryland and he couldn't fly home for Thanksgiving due to his case load.

    It gave people who had nowhere else to go for this particular holiday to be around others in the same situation. Bringing people of all walks of life together; which was exactly what the holiday was about. Even though the center had enlisted the help of a catering service to provide the turkey, stuffing, and so forth; Caddie and Hannah both volunteered to help cook. The ladies loved making things from scratch and Caddie was great at deserts so she was in charge of the pumpkin pies and other delicious pastries while Hannah created different salads and even roasted a ham.

    They spent a good 14 hours in the kitchen at the center after going shopping at Whole Foods. There was flower everywhere and they started chucking the flower and extra pieces of dough at each other until they were doubled over laughing looking like human Play-Doh and silly putty all condensed into one. But they got the job done. The smell of fresh bread, ham, and pumpkin pie was so overwhelmingly delicious that one of the counselor's joked that all of wild life from Fort Worth would be at their door trying to get into the Noah's Ark of food.

    Whatever food was left over would be donated to a nearby homeless shelter because between the catering and what the ladies made, it was enough to feed an army and possibly some of the navy as well. This was a huge deal for Hannah because the week after Thanksgiving she would be discharged. She didn't want to think about it because she was afraid even thinking about it would trigger an episode of PTSD and she wanted to enjoy the holiday without issues.

    The dinner was a resounding success. Everyone arrived on time. Hannah sat between Allen and Caddie and in front of the Mother Superior. Ryan sat on the other side of Caddie and they got along well and had a very lively conversation the whole evening. The Mother Superior said a prayer before they dug into the delicious food but because all different religions and not were represented, the prayer was very non-denominational.

"Lord, we thank you for this meal as well as the company in which we are present. We are thankful to be alive, with food in front of us, and surrounded by people we love and who love and care about us. May these happy times be just a wonderful beginning filled with peace, health, and harmony for all those at this table. Amen." Everyone repeated the Amen portion.

"Now dig in!" Caddie said enthusiastically as people laughed and did what she had told them to do.

    Food and conversation flowed without fail or awkward silence. The only time people were quiet was when they were stuffing themselves with food. Hannah and Caddie's cooking was praised over and over again even though both were modest about it and said that the catering was much better.

"You two should start a business together. This food is divine." Ryan complimented both of the women as Caddie blushed.

"I don't know if they made more food or wore it." A counselor joked at the dough and flower fight the day before. Everyone laughed.

"It was such a great idea to ask for fresh squeezed juices. They are so good for you." The Mother Superior said as everyone agreed.

    As people ate and spoke, they also complimented the center on the decorations that were done outside in the veranda area. The whole dinner was held outside and they had set up 2 long tables and hung lights and lanterns from the trees that were starting to glow as the sun set. The ambiance was soothing and inviting. Everything matched; it looked like a set up one would see in some kind of magazine not at a rehab center. But the patients had helped out and made it all very homey.

    Caddie noticed happily that her friend John—the man who lost his daughter and turned to heroin—was also enjoying himself very much sitting between two nuns who were keeping him laughing. He and Caddie exchanged a look of thankfulness. Caddie had become to him the daughter he had lost and he wondered if it was kismet that they met in this most unlikely of places for a reason. During the break between dinner and desert as people got up to stretch, the Mother Superior took Allen aside to speak with him.

"I know that Hannah is going to be discharged soon. What are her plans if any going forward?" She asked him as she tucked her arm in his and they went for a walk into the park area to be alone.

"Well she obviously doesn't want to go back to her husband but she hasn't spoken divorce yet. We agreed on her moving back in with me and going from there."

"I didn't think she would go back to him. She seems happy with you and that's very important." Allen smiled at what she said.

"Dr. Weller wanted her to start taking vitamins to boost her immune system in the areas where it's lacking so she could continue to fight her viruses and M.E. into full dormancy and maybe even extinction; if that was possible." He said thoughtfully.

"Well we have all witnessed the miracle that Hannah has become so at this point I would say that anything is possible. What about her PTSD? Any word on that?" She asked.

"Yes, Dr. Weller had given Hannah a name of a great therapist but after she leaves this place of course. We all think that that would be best for her right now."

"Of course."

    They walked in silence for a while as the patients helped clean the table up to get ready for desert and others were still grumbling about how full they were and laughing as one person tried to do a push-up and flopped to the floor. So perhaps they had eaten too much but at least it was so good and no matter how full they were, the desert was just too good to pass up. As Allen and the Mother Superior watched the shenanigans unfold from a small distance and Hannah speak to both Caddie and Ryan, Allen remembered something he had forgotten to tell the Mother Superior.

"Before I forget, Hannah did tell me that she really wanted to visit Sister Grace's resting place when she was finally discharged. She feels that she's ready to see her now." They were making their way back to the table as Hannah, Caddie, Ryan, John, and a few of the nuns helped carry out deserts, coffee, and tea.

"I had a feeling she would. When you get a chance please stop by my office, I will give you directions as well as where the plot is located. Also there is something else I need to give you for when you both go there. It's time." The Mother Superior said with a wise smile.