Fallen Angel (3 page)

“
Don’t worry.
I’ll be there for her.” Nathaniel gazed up at the sky, then a
horrible thought crossed his mind. What if Devlin had already done
a deal with Lucifer? He turned to Ramiel. “You don’t really believe
Devlin has already fallen, do you?”

Ramiel shrugged. “I don’t
know, but it would explain his disappearance.”

Holding his crucifix,
Nathaniel closed his eyes and crossed himself. “Jesus,
please
don’t let Devlin sell his soul to
Lucifer.”

Chapter Two

As the nurse urged
Madeline to keep pushing, Doctor Green and the anaesthesiologist
rushed into the room. Noticing they were already wearing their
gowns and masks, Nathaniel sighed with relief and prayed for the
baby’s safe delivery.

“
It won’t be
long now, Mrs O’Connor,” said Doctor Green. After examining her, he
nodded to his colleague. “That’s good, we can go ahead. She’s
dilated and the baby’s head is fully engaged.”

The nurse patted
Madeline’s hand. “The anaesthesiologist is going to prepare you for
the epidural now, so you’ll feel much better soon.”

Madeline held her sides.
“Good because I can’t take this torture any longer and I’m sure my
baby’s suffering.”

“
Don’t
stress, Mrs, O’Connor,” said the anaesthesiologist. “You’ll be pain
free once you’ve had your epidural, though you’ll still feel all
the movements. Can you turn onto your side for me?”

As she rolled over, she
glanced up at Doctor Green. “Will my baby feel any
pain?”

“
Don’t worry.
Your daughter will be fine. Have you picked a name for her
yet?”

“
Yes, we’re
calling her Eloise.”

“
Wonderful,
now let’s get her delivered, shall we?” He glanced at his
colleague. “Okay, we’re ready.”

The anaesthesiologist
inspected the equipment, then injected the medicine into Madeline’s
spine. “This will only hurt for a minute,” he said, speaking in a
low soothing tone.

Nathaniel moved closer to
the bed. “Okay, there’s no turning back now.”

Ramiel gave him a
sympathetic smile. “I know how much Devlin means to you, Nathaniel,
and if he hasn’t fallen, I’m sure he’ll understand.”

Nathaniel’s brows knitted
into an angry scowl. “I don’t care if he doesn’t. He let the child
down. This type of delivery is quite dangerous, no matter what the
doctor said. Devlin should’ve been here hours ago. Believe me,
Ramiel. I have no qualms about taking Devlin’s place, not now. And
I will not justify it to him.”

Ramiel nodded. “Yes, I
guess he’s forfeited his right to your loyalty, and to guard this
child, especially leaving her vulnerable to Lucifer.”

“
Don’t worry,
Ramiel. My senses are on high alert for both of them.”

“
Look,” said
Ramiel. “I think Madeline’s medication is kicking in. She’s
starting to relax.”

Nathaniel raised a brow.
“She may be pain free, but she seems quite scared to
me.”

“
Yes, we
should pray some more,” said Ramiel, bowing his head.

The anaesthesiologist
tapped on Madeline’s back with an instrument. “Can you feel that?”
he asked her.

“
No.”

He tapped on her leg.
“How about that?”

She shook her
head.

“
Great, we’re
ready to go,” said Doctor Green. “Just try to relax, Mrs
O’Connor.”

Madeline squeezed her
eyes shut, but as the forceps were clamped onto her baby’s head,
the nurse held onto her. As Doctor Green began tugging the baby
towards him, Madeline gripped the side of the bed, her face
contorted with absolute terror.

Holding his arms out
ready to bless the child, Nathaniel prayed for a safe delivery, but
when the baby came out, she lay limp in the doctor’s
hands.

In a flash, Nathaniel
swept his fingers over the infant’s tiny chest, urging her to
breath. “Come on, Eloise, you can do it. Take a breath,” he
demanded.

As the doctor worked on
the tiny newborn, Nathaniel shouted even louder.
“Eloise!”

Her eyes finally popped
open and as she began to wail, her little hands quivering in an
obvious protest to her violent entry into the world.

While the doctor cut the
baby’s umbilical cord, Nathaniel blessed her. He’d witnessed bad
deliveries before, but this one had him stressed. Although the baby
was beautiful, one of her eyes was bloodshot and swollen and her
head was an odd shape. The deep, red welts down the sides of her
temples were obviously caused by the pressure from the forceps.
Nathaniel looked at Ramiel and scowled. “This doesn’t look
good.”

When a rush of medics
entered the room, Ramiel jerked his head towards Madeline. “She’s
not doing too well either. I think she’s about to
faint.”

Once Eloise was breathing
properly, the nurse cleaned her up and placed her in her mother’s
arms. “Here’s your little girl. Isn’t she beautiful?”

With a look of horror,
Madeline stared at her baby. “What happened to her head? It’s a
funny shape and her face is all bruised.”

Doctor Green patted
Madeline’s hand. “Don’t fret, Mrs O’Connor. Newborn babies have a
soft skull so that it’s easier for them to be born. With forceps
deliveries, sometimes the babies face has a bit of swelling and
bruising, and in some cases, the baby’s head can get a little
squashed, but there’s no need to worry. In a few days, your baby’s
head will be a normal shape again.”

Madeline frowned. She
didn’t look at all convinced, and now Nathaniel was starting to
worry. As he gazed down at the infant, he realise his new
responsibility wasn’t going to be easy. Not only was he worried
about the baby’s injuries, he was concerned about her genetics.
Eloise wasn’t just a human; she was a descendant of an angel. He
rubbed his chin. Would she be different to his other wards? She
certainly didn’t look any different. Even with her injuries, he
could see how beautiful she was. Her thick curly hair, long dark
lashes and cute button nose made her look as sweet as an angel, but
her feisty cries certainly showed her human side. Oh well, he
sighed. No doubt he’d soon find out.

Ramiel smiled. “Looks
like you’ll have your work cut out with this little fire ball. Did
you see the way she shook her fists at the doctor?”

Nathaniel gazed at baby.
“It’s good she’s a fighter. She’ll need to be strong, especially
with Lucifer sneaking about.

Doctor Green glanced at
the nurse and nodded, then he smiled at Madeline. “Now that you’ve
been acquainted with your daughter, she’ll have to go to NICU. Her
lungs are immature and her APGAR scores are below standard, which
is common in early births, but we can’t afford to take any chances.
She’ll have round-the-clock supervision and you’ll be able to see
her, hold her, and feed her as long as she’s stable. Take this time
to rest. You’ll need your energy later when this little angel is
ready to feed.”

Nathaniel glanced at
Ramiel. “Oh, if he only knew.”

Ramiel grinned. “I know,
and I’m even looking for signs of blood feathers on the baby’s
back.”

Doctor Green glanced over
his shoulder in front of the angels and shuddered, then without
giving Madeline a chance to protest, he headed towards the door. On
his way through, he turned to the intern attending to Madeline.
“Call me if there’s a problem, I have another
emergency.”

As the nurse lifted the
baby, tears filled Madeline’s eyes. “When will I get her
back?”

The nurse smiled. “She’ll
be in NICU for a few days, but you’ll be able to visit her as soon
as you’ve been cleaned up and had some sleep.”

Leaving Madeline in the
care of Ramiel, Nathaniel followed the nurse to the NICU, but on
his way down the corridor, he stopped in his tracks. Devlin was
standing by the lift, only meters in front of him.

Nathaniel eyed him up and
down. He certainly looked different. Instead of a robe, he was
wearing low-slung white jeans and his chest was bare. With his
magnificent wings furled behind his muscular physique, he looked
more like an action hero than a guardian angel. What was he
thinking?

Hooking his thumbs onto
his waistband, Devlin beamed, flashing brilliant white teeth. “Hey,
Nate, is your new ward in here too? I’m looking for Madeline’s
room.”

Nathaniel folded his
arms. “Oh, so you decided to turn up then?”

Devlin frowned. “And
what’s that supposed to mean?”

“
Madeline
went into labour yesterday, but no one could find you.”

“
Oh, I’m
sorry. I got held up, but I’m here now, so just point me in the
right direction.”

Nathaniel glared at
him
.
“
You’re sorry?
Is that all you’ve got to
say?”

Devlin laughed. “What’s
your problem? I don’t remember Michael making you the ward
supervisor.”

“
This isn’t a
laughing matter. Madeline and her baby were visited by Lucifer this
afternoon and
you
weren’t here to protect them.”

“
What?”
Devlin’s mouth opened wide. “You’re kidding me, right?”

“
No, I’m
not.”

Running his hands through
his hair, Devlin stared at him. “Jesus, Nate. What happened? Where
are they?”

Nathaniel sighed. “It’s
okay. They’re safe for now, but no thanks to you.”

“
Were you or
Ramiel here?”

“
Ramiel was
here all the time and I arrived two hours ago, but where were you?
Even Michael couldn’t find you.”

“
I’ll explain
later, just tell me where my ward is. I have to go to
her.”

Nathaniel glared at him.
“I’m sorry, Devlin, you’re too late. She couldn’t come into the
world without a guardian, so Michal assigned me in your
place.”

“
Oh, I
understand that, Nate, and I appreciate it. But I’m here now, so
where is she. I can’t wait to see her.”

Feeling guilty, Nathaniel
rested his hand on Devlin’s shoulder. “I’m sorry, but I can’t give
her back to you.”

“
What?”
Devlin shrugged Nathaniel’s arm away. “What sort of friend are
you?”

“
I’m sorry,
but it wasn’t up to me. I had no choice.”

Devlin narrowed his eyes.
“Of course you had a choice. You could’ve said I was on my way. I
would’ve done that for you and you know it. Anyway, don’t worry,
I’ll find her myself.”

Nathaniel sighed. “It
won’t do you any good. Michael wants me to remain as her guardian
angel.”

Devlin glowered at him.
“How could you double-cross me like that? You could’ve found me if
you wanted to. But don’t worry, mate. I’ll find a way to get her
back, with or without your approval.” Spinning on his heels, he
shot down the corridor.

Nathaniel waited until he
was out of sight, then he whipped into the NICU. Looking at the
tiny infant in the humidity crib, he realised how vulnerable she
was. Though she was sleeping peacefully, she had tubes in her nose
and mouth, IV’s running through her veins, and the bruises on her
head had darkened. Folding his arms, he leaned against the wall.
There was no way he was leaving her side, not ever. Not with
Lucifer trying to barter for her soul. And if Devlin hadn’t missed
her birth, who knows what would’ve happened. A sudden movement in
the doorway caught his eye, but when he whirled around, Devlin was
standing facing him.

“
So this is
where she is,” he said, striding towards the incubator. But when he
looked through the glass, his eyes opened wide. “Oh, my God, what
happened to her?”

Nathaniel glared at him.
“She had an extremely difficult birth and she could’ve died, but
why do you care? You didn’t care enough to be here for her and you
put her life in danger. Plus you weren’t here to fight Lucifer
off.”

Devlin blinked. “Well,
I’m here now, and if you value our friendship you’ll give her back
to me.”

“
This has
nothing to do with our friendship. It’s to do with the safety of
the child. She’s not an object to be passed back and
forth.”