Authors: Stephanie Jackson
“Just breathe,” Michael instructed. “Slow deep breaths, in and out.”
“
I am breathing!
” she growled at him. “
It’s not helping!
”
Thing
s
happened quickly once they reached the hospital. They had barely got her into a birthing suite before the baby’s head crowned.
“Push,” the OBGYN instructed.
Dani only had to push four times before the baby slid out of her.
Michael was smiling from ear to ear, “It’s a girl.”
Michael cut the cord and laid the baby across Dani’s chest. She got one long look at her tiny daughters face before the exhaustion from giving bi
rth pulled her into unconsciousness
.
1.
Gabriel’s consciousness rematerialized before God. He had no body, but he was awake and aware. He had no idea how much time had passed since he’d died, but his first thought was of Dani.
“Gabriel,” his F
ather said.
“Father,” Gabriel replied.
“You did well in your mission,” God said. “I have decided to give your life back to you and allow your re-admittance into Heaven”
“Thank you, Father.” Gabriel said.
God smiled at him, “But first we must talk about the relationship you’ve formed with my daughter.”
“I will
not
stay away from her,” Gabriel declared.
“I
could
put you in Hell,” God said.
“And I would dig my way up to her,” Gabriel said. “If You don’t want me to be with her then I beg You to return me to my death. I do not wish to live without her.”
“You have served me well. You
are
worthy of my daughter,” God said and waved His hand. Gabriel fell, his body reformed, to the foot of his Father’s Throne. “Go be with your wife and daughter. Re-seed the earth with my blood.”
“My
daughter
?”
Gabriel said in wonder. “She’
s been born?”
“Only hours ago,” God said and tilted his head. “She has your eyes.”
“Thank you, Father,” Gabriel said and kissed God’s foot before rising to his feet.
“You must still perform you
r
duties for Heaven,” God commanded. “Never forget what you truly are, Gabriel.”
“Yes, Father,” Gabriel said and turned to leave. He turned back before leaving the Throne Room. “Can I come back to Heaven to be with Dani here when her time on Earth is through?”
God smile down at Gabriel, “You could have come home whenever you wished, Gabriel. I would have forgiven you anything.”
Gabriel looked at his Father in confusion, “If you would have forgiven me before, then why didn’t you?”
“Because, my son,” God said, still smiling. “You never
asked
me to.”
Gabriel smiled back at his Father, nodded to him and left to return to Dani’s side.
2.
Gabriel fell to Earth in the large empty field next to
Gateway
Hospital
. He walked into the hospital, invisible to all that were inside the waiting room. He acquired a pair of scrub pants
, became visible again,
and made his way up to the Maternity Ward.
Michael was standing in the hallway outside of Dani’s room. When he turned his head and saw Gabriel the look on his face was one of profound shock.
Gabriel smiled at him and asked, “How is she?”
“How is this possible?” Michael asked through his shock. “I
saw
you die, Gabriel.”
“God saw fit to bring me back to life,” Gabriel said, giving Michael a hug. “Now how is my wife?”
“She’s asleep, but she’s fine.”
“And my child?”
“Her name is Gabriella Mikella Anne Coulter,” Michael said proudly. “She weighs
a
whopping seven pounds nine ounces, and she’s beautiful.”
“Where is she?”
“She’s in the room with Dani,” Michael said
,
and turned and led the way into the room.
Gabriel’s breath caught in his throat when he saw Dani lying in the bed. He felt as if he hadn’t seen her in a millennia. Next to her, in a tiny bassinet was Gabriel’s
sleeping
daughter. He walked slowly over and looked down at her.
She was so tiny, a
nd Michael was right; she
was
beautiful. Gabriel felt his heart swell with love. He had a child! And he would be here ever
y
day of her life to rais…”
“You have got to be
fucking
kidding me!” he heard Donna say from across the room. “You have some
nerve
showing up here!”
Gabriel had been so anxious to see his family that he hadn’t noticed that Donna was in the room. “I came to see my wife and child.”
Donna jumped out of her chair and proceeded to swing on Gabriel, “You drove Dani crazy!” she said between punches. “You have her convinced that you’re a God damned
Archangel
! A
dead
Archangel
!”
When she tired herself out she stood back and glared at him, “Well, you too late. She has a
new
man now. One that takes care of her. One that makes her dinner at night when she comes home from work and rubs her feet when she’s tired.
“A man that held her hand as she gave birth to
your
child. A man that
truly
loves her. Tell him, Michael.”
“Uh…nooo,” Michael said
, shaking his head in denial
. “I’m not
really
in the mood to die today.”
“Michael,” Gabriel said threateningly. “Donna better be suffering from a
severe
misunderstanding.”
Donna looked at Michael, “You
know
him?”
“Yeah,” Michael said. “I know him.”
“When I first asked you about him, you said you didn’t know who he was.”
“That wasn’t exactly the truth,” Michael said guiltily. “Gabriel is my brother.”
“Your
brother
?” Donna spat. “You knew your brother filled Dani’s head with bullshit and you didn’t even try to talk her out of it? You just said it would
wear off
!”
“It wasn’t bullshit. Dani was telling you the truth,” Michael said. “This
is
the Archangel Gabriel.”
Donna seethed, “That would make you the Archangel Michael, right?”
Michael nodded.
Donna laughed scornfully, “You’re both nuttier than a box of squirrel shit!”
“That’s enough,” Gabriel said.
He raised his hand and sent Donna sliding across the room
and back in
to her chair.
“Sit down and pay attention because I’m only going to do this once,” Gabriel said, and then added, “And
don’t
pass out this time.”
Gabriel flexed his shoulders, unfurled his wings and declared, “I
am
the
one and only
Archangel Gabriel
.”
Donna opened her mouth to scream, but Gabriel seized her vocal cords, “Don’t do that. There are sick people in this hospital that are trying to rest.”
Gabriel released Donna’s vocal cords just as his baby started to cry. None of Donna’s yelling had woken Dani up, b
ut at the sound of their baby’s
tiny cries, Dani’s eyes fluttered open.
3.
“Gabriel,” Dani said groggily.
She knew that Gabriel wasn’t there. The heavy pain medication that the hospital had her on was causing her to hallucinate, but she didn’t care. He looked real to her and she’d never been so happy to see him in her whole life.
“Hello, love,” Gabriel said, brushing a lock of hair from Dani’s eyes. “How are you feeling?”
“I hurt some, but I’m okay,” she said. “I miss you
so
much, Gabriel. I wish you were
really
here. You’d love to see you’re daughter, she’s
beautiful
. She has your eyes.”
“I
am
here, love,” Gabriel smiled down at her. “Why are you hurting? Didn’t Michael heal you?”
“He wanted to, but I wouldn’t let him,” she said, tears filling her eyes. “It would’ve reminded me too much of you.”
Gabriel smiled and shook his head, and then laid his hand on Dani’s stomach. She felt the familiar feeling of hot and cold, and then the pain
and
the drugs tha
t had been fogging her mind
faded away.
Gabriel was still there.
“Gabriel!” she cried, and then jumped to her knees on the bed so she could wrap her arms around his neck. “How is this possible,” she said between sobs, “How are you here?”
“It seems that my Father saw fit to give my life back to me and send me back to you,” Gabriel said. “He told me to go home to my wife a
nd
daughter. I have permission to stay with you. We can raise our daughter together.”
“Really?” Dani asked, with tear
s sparkling on her long lashes.
“Really and truly,” Gabriel said, giving Dani a soft kiss. “I’m here to stay. I still have to perform my duties for Heaven and follow out God commands, but for the most part, I’ll be right here by your side for the rest of your life. We’ll get to raise our precious Mikella together.”
Dani couldn’t believe how
happy
she was now. Every since Gabriel had died every day had felt like a black endless abyss. She hadn’t gone a full minute in all that time without thinking of him. She’d been filled with a bone deep sorrow for so long that she never thought she’d ever be happy again. Dani laid her head on Gabriel’s chest and cried.
“What’s wrong?” Gabriel asked, pulling back so he could see her face.
“Nothing,” Dani sniffled and smile
d
. “For the first time in a long time, everything is
right
.”
4.
Mikella cried again and Gabriel turned to pick her up, “Can I?”
“Of course you can,” Dani said. “She’s your daughter.”
Gabriel gently picked up the baby
,
and she immediately stopped crying. He stared down into his baby girl’s eyes; eyes so much like his own. She was
exquisite
. He had never held a baby before. She was so tiny and delicate. Mikella looked up at Gabriel, yawned and started crying again.
“What did I do wrong?” he said anxiously.
“Nothing,” Dani laughed and pulled the hospital gown down on one side, exposing her breast. “She’s just hungry. Hand her to me.”
Gabriel handed Mikella to Dani and watched as the baby latched onto her mother’s nipple. He watched in amazement as his daughter fed, using her tiny hands to work the breast. He had always thought of childbirth and breastfeeding as just a part of human life, but he could see now that
this
was one of God’s miracles.
He glanced across the room and saw that Donna was still sitting, stock still, in the chair. She was staring at Gabriel with her mouth hanging open. She had a look of
astonishment
and bewilderment on her face.
Gabr
iel asked her, “Are you alright?
”
“You’re an angel,” Donna said softly
.
“Dani’s
not
delusional. You
really
are an angel.”
Gabriel grinned at her, “You thought Dani was crazy?”
“No, I thought she was flat out insane,” Donna admitted. “I thought you’d brainwashed her.”
Gabriel looked at Dani, “I
told
you it wasn’t a good idea to tell her.”
“I know,” Dani said.
“I wish I would have listened.
I’ve spent the last nine month
s
listening to Donna urge me to get mentally health care.”
Donna looked at Michael, “You’re not a home health care nurse at all, are you?”
“No,” Michael said and allowed his own wings to tear through his shirt. “I’m Archangel Michael. But in my defense, I can provide much better health care than any nurse.”
“I thought you loved Dani,” Donna said, her cheeks pink with embarrassment. “You took such good care of her that I thought you were going to end up marrying her.”
Michael smiled, “I do love her, but not in the way
you
thought. She’s more like a sister to me.”