Disclaimer: I. Do. Not. Own. 7th. Heaven. BUT...

I LOVE 7TH HEAVEN.

AND.

I HATE DISCLAIMERS AND HOW DEPRESSING THEY ARE

Again, all reviews to be answered at the end of the story (for time reasons)

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"Oh, good, you three made it home," Annie smiled, "It's nice to have a small crowd for dinner,"

"Wow, she's really missed big dinners, hasn't she?" Ruthie asked Sam

"Oh yeah," Sam said, "When David comes home, it's like a mini celebration,"

"Where's everyone else?" Ruthie asked

"Too many to remember, dear," Annie smiled, "So it's jus the five of us for now,"

"It's nice to have company these days," Eric smiled, "Company not including wailing babies and cell phones going off,"

Ruthie guiltily shut her phone off.

"I've missed the house all to myself," Annie sighed, "I can't wait until these two get into their senior years," She hugged Sam who scowled and pushed her away.

"You'll just love it." Ruthie teased them, "What's for dinner?"

"Pot roast and apple pie," Annie ushered them to sit down, "Now, Ruthie, how is New York?"

"Wonderful," She smiled, "I love walking in Manhattan and shopping everywhere. It's like a bigger Promenade,"

"Martin told us that the Statue of Liberty is bigger then it seems in imagination," Sam said, "Is that true?"

"I don't know," She admitted, "I haven't seen the Statue of Liberty or other tourist spots. I just fell into working right away," She frowned, "When was Martin in New York?"

"Probably when they played against the Yankees in the pennant race, in like May or something, "Sam said,

"Martin made an amazing throw to third in bottom of the eighth in one of the games," Eric added

"Now, let's talk about something else," Annie interrupted them, "I heard nothing but baseball at lunch when Martin got in,"

"How is everyone doing at the church?" Ruthie asked

"Lucy tells us that they're doing well," Annie said, smiling

"Huh?" Ruthie looked confused

"Your father is now the associate pastor while Lucy took over as pastor," She explained, "He almost went into cardiac arrest last September and the doctor told him to slow it down. The only reason we still live here, is because Lucy made the church deacons do so,"

"Didn't anybody keep her posted?" Sam asked, "I tell Dave everything,"

"David," His brother corrected, "And no, you don't, Mom does,"

Sam grunted, ignoring David.

"No," Ruthie laughed, "It's my own fault. I didn't want to know anything, so-"

"I had to leave messages with secretaries that never gave the message to Ruthie," Annie explained, "I'm sure if you ask her, she'll give you all the little tidbits that you missed,"

Ruthie turned red, "I'm sorry, Mom, I really am,"

She smiled, "Its okay Ruthie, I knew you didn't want to talk to us, after everything that happened, but I just had to keep you updated somehow,"

"Um, speaking of everything that happened," Ruthie sighed, "I think it's time I went to God's Yard,"

They all nodded, "We won't follow you," Sam promised her

God's Yard was a graveyard, the graveyard where he had been buried.

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BRADEN "BRADY" PETROWSKI

OUR LITTLE MIRACLE

6/9/08 TO 7/15/09

PETER J. PETROSKI

LOVED ALWAYS

11/24/89-7/18/08

"Hey Peter," Ruthie whispered, smiling, "I've thought a lot about you lately," She made herself comfortable on the ground, "I remember that I would bring him here like every Sunday to see you," She sighed, glancing at his headstone,

"He was this cute little baby and everyone always wanted to hold him, to coo over him and how adorable he was," She sighed, sniffing, "You would've been proud of how he was raised,"

She touched the lettering on her dear friend's headstone, "God, I haven't been here since the Sunday before the accident,"

She almost wished she could hear his voice again, even for just a second.

"I still don't understand it. He was safely tucked in his car seat, asleep," She sighed, "I was driving on a isolated road and it's like mid morning when another driver comes barreling, full speed at us," She sniffled, "Everyone told me that I was in a coma for two months, Brady's funeral had already been held and as soon as I heard that, I left,"

She tucked a piece of hair behind her ear, "I thought about you and Brady every day though," She sighed, "Every picture of him and you is in this shoebox and I haven't been able to look at it in a while, because it's so hard,"

"It was hard on all of us," A voice said behind her. Ruthie jumped and turned around to find her father looking at her, "Your departure just made it even more so," He was smiling sadly at her, "I often come out here, to pray, to think, to meditate, or just to clear my thoughts," He explained, taking a seat next to her.

"Dad," Ruthie sighed, "It was my fault. I should've been watching the road more carefully,"

"No, you were watching the road," Eric said, picking some grass absentmindedly, "First we dealt with Simon's accident, and we all healed from that. Now we deal with this, and not by running away, and hopefully, we can heal from this,"

"Dad, Peter made me take three pictures everyday of him and Brady. One in the morning, one at night and one at noon," She sighed, "He didn't know how long he had to live, but he wanted his son to know he was there for as long as possible,"

Eric rubbed her back

"It was hard, having to take these pictures, not knowing if they would be the last," She sniffled, "Brady was thirty nine days old when he died, seconds after I took that picture that he insisted on," She sniffled, "It was late afternoon and Peter was in his bed coughing,"

Eric looked at her, he never heard Ruthie tell this story before, and she continued," When I saw blood, I tried to help him as much as I could and he told me," She sobbed into her dad's shirt, "I can't, I can't,"

"Ruthie, it's okay," Eric soothed her, "You're already opening up a great deal,"

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"Brady," He whispered. A thin line of blood was on his lip to his chin. She cleaned it up, sighing,

"Stay in bed, Peter," She said firmly

"Brady,"

"Brady's asleep, go to sleep, Peter,"

"Brady,"

"Pet-"

"Brady!" He said it in a lower, harsher voice he had never used before.

"Here, be careful," She was worried for him and the little baby alike. Brady cooed before erupting into little giggles.

His father smiled and handed her the camera, coughing as he did so, "This is the third time he's laughed, Ruthie,"

"Peter," She tried to say

"Please, Ruthie, please," He was worn and holding a premature small little boy that felt very heavy in his weakened state.

She took the picture and he gave a rare smile, "I love him,"

"I know," She whispered

"I love you," He looked in her eyes and she looked away, tears slipping down her cheeks,

"Peter, I can't,"

"I know," He said, putting his veined hand over hers, "No matter what, I want you to be happy and I want my Brady to be happy,"

"Peter, stop talking like that," She begged, "Don't die, I need you, Brady needs you," She said, clutching his hand, "Peter, I really did love you at one time,"


He smiled, "Ruthie, you are the most beautiful girl out there and you don't even know it,"

"Peter," She laughed, "You've been my best friend for a long time,"

"I don't have your heart," He reminded her, "But you have mine,"


"Peter," She sighed

"Ruthie," he interrupted her, "Just promise me that no matter what, you'll make sure Brady's a good kid, no matter what,"

"I promise, Peter," She said

"I'll watch over you, Ruthie, Brady too," He kissed Brady's cheek, "Tell him every day that I loved him, and I still do, wherever I am,"

"Tell him yourself," She said stubbornly, "You won't die, Peter, it's not in God's plans for now,"

"You never know, Ruthie," He sighed, "Know that I love you, and always will,"

"I do," She said

"Ruthie, as much as it pains me to say it," He took a deep breath, "I want you to be happy, no matter what, even if dating makes you happy or joining the convent, I don't care. Just be happy and make sure Brady's happy,"

She sighed, Peter was scaring her, "I'll be happy, and I'll always sure Brady's happy,"

"Good," He smiled contently, going back to sleep.

She woke up in the dead of the night, frightened. What happened next that day was all too clear in her memory and yet so blurry. She wanted so badly at that moment to cuddle up with someone and just cry and cry.

Stumbling in the second floor, trying to remember the layout of the house, that was at once all too familiar terrain. Feeling her way in the darkness was nothing new for her, as she had these nightmares all the time. Usually John was there to soothe her.

Now he wasn't.

She had nobody.

At that moment, it was then that she broke down and finally admitted what she had resisted all these years.

Brady was really truly dead.

And he wasn't coming back.

Lights turned on, to see what the commotion was. The twins, Simon, Eric, Annie, and Martin all came toward her, worried.

In her state, Ruthie didn't notice any of them.

"He's dead," She said, trying to tell her parents-anyone, "Brady's really dead,"

"Sam, David, Simon, Martin, Annie, go back to bed, I'll take care of her," Eric's voice rang over the rest. She resisted the loud voice, running into the nearest chest, sobbing, "He's dead," over and over.

"Shh, Ruthie," Martin whispered, hugging her, "Shh," He tried to think of something. When Susie was scared, he would usually sing to her, what his dad would sing to him in his strong brass tenor while his mom would rock him, saying she had no singing voice, which was true.

"Hush little baby," He sang strongly and swiftly,

"Papa's gonna sing you a lullaby,"

She was still crying, but not saying that he was dead anymore,

"Hush little baby, don't say a word,"

The other three people in the hallway looked at him, gaping,

"Papa's gonna bring you baby a mockingbird,"

When he sang this part to Susie, she usually was asleep by now, but Ruthie was still awake, just sort of humming along. He figured it was better to just to keep going,

"And if that mockingbird won't sing, well,"

Annie was smiling and mouthed thank-you to him before going back to bed.

"Papa's gonna buy you a diamond ring,"

Simon patted his father on the back, retreating back to bed.

"If that ring don't shine,"

Sam yawned and David supported him back to bed, turning the lights out in their room.

"It would break this heart of mine,"

Ruthie had calmed down enough and was now sitting with Martin, listening to his heartbeat, taking comfort from it. Eric smiled and whispered,

"I think you should put her in your bed and you can take hers," He yawned, going back to bed.

Martin looked at Ruthie, noticing that she looked like that woman from the airplane before putting two and two together. He decided it was better to deal with this in the morning and tucked her in his bed, Ruthie now three quarters asleep.

"Stay with me," She said, clinging on his shirt, showing just how afraid she was in his eyes.

Since Suze often needed him to stay with her for a while, Martin contented and held her in his arms, liking how it felt and trying not to like it at the same time.