Chapter 7: The Reunion...Finally!

It was two days before Jack would finally let Gabriel leave the lodging house in Manhattan and go to Brooklyn, accompanied by Mush, of course, who had already seen the baby.
"Gabe, slow down!" Mush yelled, trying to keep up with Gabriel as he ran across the Brooklyn Bridge. He'd practically run the entire way there, much to Mush's displeasure. He didn't know Gabriel had it in him!
Up in Sarah's room, Spot was sitting next to the bed reading to Sarah and the baby out of the Bible. Much to his own surprise, he'd offered to do it every now and then, Sarah wanted her baby to hear the words, and she could not do much of anything except lay in bed with the baby. She'd been very weak since the birth, but Medda had said it was normal for a girl her age.
"Thus the Angel of the Lord appeared to him in a flame of fire from the midst of a bush. So he looked, and behold, the bush was burning with fire, but it was not consumed..." Every once in a while Spot would pause and think about what he was reading, it didn't make a whole lot of sense to him sometimes, but he read on anyway. "Then Moses said, 'I will now turn aside and see this great sight, why the bush does not burn up'. So when the Lord saw that he turned aside to look, God called to him from the midst of the bush and said, 'Moses-."
Just then, the door flew open and Gabriel stood there, panting terrible and holding onto the doorframe to try and catch his breath. Sarah was startled at first, but when she saw him standing there, a great smile appeared on her face. "Sarah". Gabriel panted, coming over to the bedside, just as Mush came rushing into view from around the corner. He didn't enter the room though.
Spot immediately rose from his seat, set the Bible down on the floor next to the bed, and moved toward the door.
Gabriel sat on the edge of the bed beside her small form, and she smiled again. "Look," she said, pulling the blankets back, "My baby".
Gabriel couldn't believe his eyes. He was perfect, a perfect baby boy. He stared for a long while, until Sarah finally spoke. "Matthew".
He looked up at her questioningly, and she said, "His name is Matthew".
At first, Gabriel said nothing, and then he smiled warmly.
"Here, you hold him". She said, making ready to pass the baby to Gabriel, who looked a little surprised, but complied. He felt a little uneasy, Matthew was so light in his arms, like holding nothing at all. He cradled the baby against his chest, being extra careful not to hold too tight. "Can...Can he be my son? I mean...C-can I marry you?"
Sarah smiled, biting her lower lip, and nodded. An audible sigh could be heard from Gabriel, and Sarah leaned close to him so that there foreheads were resting against each other, and Gabriel closed his eyes, and then looked down at the baby. "He's beautiful". He said, and Sarah leaned back against the pillows Spot had put against the wall so she could sit up easier. She nodded in agreement, and Gabriel looked up at her. "So are you".

Mush and Spot, who still stood in the doorway, smiled. Spot never really went for the mushy stuff, but this was different. Something made it more than just mushy stuff to him. Mush, on the other hand, was loving every minute of it, which was mostly how he acquired his nickname.
Spot knew his cue, though, and took Mush by the arm as he walked out of the room completely, shutting the door behind him. Mush was still smiled as they walked down the hall. Spot slugged him in the shoulder.
"Whadda you'se grinnin' at?" He tried to sound tough, but the grin on his face gave him away. "Nothin'?" Mush said. But he still smiled.


THE END