35
G abriel gazed through the nursery window at the baby boy, the weight of guilt pressing heavily on him. The child was yet another innocent victim scarred by his reckless behavior. Thanks to him, the baby would have to grow up without a mother.
Hearing footsteps approaching, he turned to see Emily coming down the corridor. She stopped beside him, and her eyes traveled to the baby’s cradle. “He’s beautiful.”
Gabriel could only nod, his attempts to speak hindered by an emotional choke that left him in tears.
When he could pull himself together, he asked, “How will I ever explain to him what I’ve done?”
“You’ll find a way. You have years to figure it out,” she replied softly.
He shook his head, his voice quivering. “I don’t think I can do it.”
Emily’s tone turned firm. “You have to. He needs you.”
Gabriel reached out to embrace Emily, but she stepped back beyond his grasp. The message was clear—she was still mad at him.
He nodded, quietly wiping the tears from his cheeks. “How’s Roman?” he asked softly.
“He’s out of surgery. I haven’t seen him yet. I’m going to see if I can see him now.”
After Emily left, Gabriel tapped on the nursery window, catching the nurse’s attention. He gestured toward the baby, and the nurse acknowledged him with a wave and signaled for him to come in. Moments later, the door buzzed, and he pushed it open.
Once inside, the nurse asked, “Would you like to hold your son?”
“Yes.”
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.