Page 68 of He Doesn't Deserve You

After the nurse scanned his bracelet, Gabriel took a seat in the rocking chair, and she gently handed him the baby. Born a month early, the infant was tiny and fragile, but Gabriel wasn’t afraid; the twins had been tiny, too. Gazing at the baby, he was overwhelmed with guilt yet again. “I’m sorry,” he whispered.

The baby started to cry, and the nurse came over and asked, “Would you like to feed him?”

“Sure.”

The nurse prepared a bottle and handed it to Gabriel. He spent the next hour feeding and burping his son and then carefully changed his diaper. As he rocked the baby to sleep, a sense of resolution washed over him, and he knew what he needed to do. “You deserve so much better than me,” he whispered, gently placing the baby back into his cradle. He then turned to the nurse and said, “I need to speak to a social worker.”

Gabriel followed the nurse’s directions to the Social Services Department, knocked on the door, and waited for it to open, resolute in his decision that he was doing the right thing.

A minute passed, the door opened, and a woman asked, “May I help you?”

“Yes,” he said, his eyes brimming with tears. “I want to put my son up for adoption.”

“Please come in,” she said, opening the door wider. “My name is Kathy Foy. I’m a social worker, and I can help you with that.” She led Gabriel to a waiting room. “Please have a seat,” Kathy said. “I’m in a consultation right now, but I can arrange a meeting with you and the mother to discuss the adoption process.”

“It will just be me,” Gabriel replied, his voice heavy with sorrow. “The mother is deceased.”

Kathy’s face fell. “Was the mother of your baby Lily Rossi?”

“Yes,” Gabriel confirmed, puzzled. “How did you know?”

“I’m meeting with her parents now,” Kathy explained gently. “They’re petitioning to become guardians of the baby.”

“That’s good!” Gabriel exclaimed, standing up. “Prepare the papers. I’ll sign right now.”

Kathy lifted a hand to halt him. “Hold on, it’s not that simple. First, you’ll need to take a paternity test.”

“That’s not a problem.”

“I need to head back inside now. Can you return tomorrow around 10:00? We can conduct the paternity test then.”

“Sure.”

“Great, I’ll see you tomorrow,” Kathy said before exiting the waiting room and heading into her office.

36

Emily hovered in Roman’s hospital room’s doorway, uncertain what to expect. To her surprise, Roman looked better than she had expected; the color had returned to his face, a stark contrast to the whiteness he had when she last saw him. After several minutes of silently watching him and thanking God that he was alive, she finally moved into the room. Approaching his bedside, she gently took his hand and raised it to her lips, tenderly kissing it.

Roman’s eyes began to flutter before finally opening. A slow smile spread across his face as he saw Emily. “Hi,” he said softly.

Emily beamed. “Hi,” before leaning in and gently pressing her lips to his.

A look of panic swept across his face as he attempted to sit up. “The baby?” he asked, his voice strained.

Gently, Emily pushed him back onto the pillow. “He’s okay,” she reassured him.

Roman’s face softened with relief, and a smile broke through. “A boy,” he said, grinning.

Emily knew he would never forgive himself if he inadvertently took the life of an innocent child. “He’s perfect.”

Emily’s face lit up, “Oh, I have good news. They’re dropping the charges against me.”

“That’s great,” Roman said with a weak smile. He struggled to keep his eyes open until he finally surrendered and closed them. Emily gently ran a hand through his hair. “Get some rest,” she whispered. “We’ll talk later.”

Emily settled into the chair beside Roman’s bed, watching him intently until her eyes grew heavy, and she drifted off to sleep. She woke with a startle when she felt a hand gently touch her arm.

A nurse stood before her, an apologetic smile on her face. “I’m sorry,” she said softly, “but visiting hours are over. You’ll need to come back tomorrow.”

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