EVIL

Part Twenty-Six

Sam winced, Lila had been banging around in her belly all day.

"Give it a rest kid. Jason will be by later. He's just busy. He's got to find Carly."

She often wondered why Jason was so attached to Carly. What kind of bond was strong enough for him to put up with her? Granted Jason had also been very kind to her when she didn't really merit it. Maybe he just liked bad people.

The door to her room opened. A dark man with a goatee entered, his hair unstyled, and a tad raggy on top. He wore a priest's collar and she was instantly on edge. Cops and priests, hated both of them. Cops seemed always to want to her punished. Priests always made her feel like she should be.

"Hello, you must be Samantha. Ms. McCall, I'm Father Coates. How are you feeling?" He was waiting on the edge of the room to be welcomed.

"A little like a football actually," she said, wary of him and any incoming feelings of guilt. There they were. The guilt over her brother, family. Next piled in the guilt of not taking good enough care of the baby, not knowing how too. Hard up behind that was telling Jason Sonny could never come near them. She really hated priests. They didn't even say anything and they made you feel like scum.

"Haha," he laughed nicely, "lots of mothers have expressed that very thought to me over the years."

She joined his mirth, leery. "Known many, huh?"

"Yes, in my line of work. Which leads me to why I've come." He motioned a hand at the chair next to the bed. She nodded. He sat. "I've been anxious to speak with both you and Mr. Corinthos about the child and—"

"Look Father, I know it's an unusual situation and that it has to be uncomfortable for you at church knowing that, well, Sonny and Carly's… I can imagine for a man of God and all—"

"Ms. McCall, I think I know where you're going and I want to assure you that you have nothing to fear. God teaches his children not to judge their fellow man, or woman. It is for Him alone to say, to judge, to condemn or exalt those worthy."

Sam couldn't help the snort. "No offense Father, but everybody judges people like me."

"No, Ms. McCall. You may feel the judgment of your own heart, your own conscience—many do, many speak with a much more damning tone than is ever warranted—but there are those in God's flock who reserve that right as God's. There are those who fall to temptation and judge another, but it is not their thoughts that matter, but those of the Lord."

"What about that whole eye for an eye bit?"

"Punishment is God's to meet out. It is not for us to heap upon ourselves—thought there are those who do in gross excess."

She was silent.

"I came today, Ms. McCall, because I was hopping to offer a spot of hope and joy in this terrible time for the family."

"Family?"

"The Corinthos family. This child makes you a part of that and in this time of tragedy I may be able to bring some joy. I'm sure your pregnancy gives you joy."

"It does. I love this little girl."

"I know. As does God. God loves her too, wants to care for her and keep her as he does all his sheep." Sam had ideas about God's love for his sheep.

"Mr. Corinthos is Catholic, are you as well?"

"Ah, Father, I… I'm not really anything."

"Well, then would you have an issue having the child baptized in the father's faith as her siblings have been before her?"

"I… Did Sonny ask you to come?"

"No, I'm afraid he's still overcome with grief for the situation."

"I… you see, Sonny, well, I don't…"

"Ms. McCall, in the vows I took I swore to keep strict council as a confessor, as anyone's confessor, a member of my church, any church, or not. If you have need of one."

"So anything I tell you, you can't tell anybody else under punishment of God?"

He smiled, "God would take it into account in my judgment as he does all things."

She took a deep breath. The only person she could talk to had spent the last weeks extolling Sonny's virtues to change her mind. It was worth a shot. "You said Sonny's not taking Carly's disappearance well. You're right; he's gone over the edge. He's… I don't feel safe with him, just the thought. I saw all this pain and terror in his eyes. He didn't even know me. He grabbed me. Jason had to pry him off. How can I let that around my child? How can I protect her from that? I love her too much for her to feel towards her father the fear I feel."

"That is hard. Together, with God to guide us we may find an answer."