Chapter 3: What baby is this?

Father Elijah found himself in a heart-wrenching situation. He had taken in a newborn child, which he couldn't take back to the church since the fire incident tended to draw the attention of the cops. He feared they might be able to make a connection if investigations were carried out. Father Elijah had been driving for what felt like hours, his knuckles gripping the steering wheel so tight his hands ached as he listened to the news reporter on the radio. He didn't know where to go, so he just kept driving till he could figure what next to do. The reporter's voice wavered and cracked as they spoke of the mass murder that had taken place at Grimad Hospital. They said that an unidentified ailment had struck everyone in the hospital, as they were all found dead bleeding from the nose and ears . Father Elijah's heart sank in his chest. He definitely had to leave town, which he considered as the safest thing to do. He immediately thought about his sister who lived at Beacon Hills, a town not too far from Grimad Ville where all these occurences had happened. His sister was a divorcee with no kids of her own, so Father Elijah felt she was the one person he could trust not to divulge his secret, and she could also help raise the baby since he himself is greatly inexperienced with child raising. He made his way, headed for Beacon Hills. Finally, after what seemed like hours, the car pulled up to a quaint house. Father Elijah took the baby, and carefully walked up the steps of the house, feeling the weight of responsibility on his shoulders. He knew he had made a promise, and he was determined to keep it. Father Elijah was nervous as he rang the doorbell. He was here to confront a woman he hadn't talked with since decades ago, and he was anxious about how it would go. The door opened and an elderly woman in her early sixties looked at him and frowned. She had aged since he had last seen her, but her eyes still held the same pain and suffering he remembered from all those years ago.Without a word, the woman motioned for him to enter. Father Elijah obeyed and the two of them sat down in the living room. He explained why he had come and apologized for not contacting her all the years. He told her how deeply sorry he was and tried to explain why he had acted that way in the past. He admitted that doing the church's bidding had kept him so preoccupied and even though it wasn't excuse enough, he couldn't reply or come down when she called that she was having a divorce mostly because he didn't know what to say, or how to console her.

"What baby is this?" she interupted him whilst he was still explaining. Her gaze fixed on the sleeping baby on Father Elijah's laps. "I thought priests don't get married, or have babies?" she continued, before he answered her first question. "Yes, about that...it's the reason i'm here" he said. He then explained all that had happened with the child's mother, and how he promised her that he was going to cater for the baby. " Sarah, I need you to help me raise the child...on my own, I can't do a perfect job." He said. She shifted gaze from Elijah to the baby a few times, and then she answered; "Elijah, I had been born 8 years before you were conceived.. I'm your elder sister and trust me when i say this baby is bad news"." With all you have explained transpired at the hospital, I'm sure this is no ordinary baby." She added. Elijah went ahead to convince her. As a priest, he had the strong conviction that the baby could be more than just the devil's tool. Sarah finally agreed, then she took the baby from him to get a closer look. "He's a cute little boy." she said. She then carried him up the stairs, and Father Elijah followed. To his surprise, the room Sarah took the baby to, was an already furnished kids room with a baby cot. She kept the baby quietly, so she doesn't wake him up. "And here I was, thinking I was the priest... did you have a vision i was coming with a baby?" Elijah turned to Sarah. She explained to him that she aspired to have children of her own one day and wanted to make sure she was prepared when the time came. She said that every night, she would spend time upstairs in the kids room. She had decorated it with pastel colors and hung posters of her favorite cartoon characters on the walls. Although it seemed strange that she was divorced and preparing a room for a small human she knew would never come, she still had hope. She said that as hard as it may be, she swore to herself that when the day would come, her children would have a room full of love and comfort, no matter the circumstance. With tears in her eyes, Sarah hugged Elijah and thanked him for bringing her this opportunity to be a mother, as she had always dreamed of. Elijah smiled and patted Sarah on the back, "Hey - you're gonna be an amazing mother, and I'll be here for whatever you need". Sarah suddenly remembered that the baby would not have had anything to eat at all. 'Elijah,' Sarah said. 'I need you to make a quick trip to the store. I need diapers, baby food, and some clothes for the little one.' 'I'm sure he'll be very hungry when he wakes up. Elijah grabbed his car keys and nodded. 'I'm on it! Anything else you need?' 'No, that should do for now,but we'll be needing lots of it and other things in time,' she said. Before Elijah made his move to go, he was halted by Sarah. "Wait Eli- as she fondly calls him, what are we going to call him?" "Ramiel" he quickly replied. He had thought about it on the way after he left Grimad Ville. And so he left his sister with Ramiel, and headed out for the store.