God's Angel Ch. 08

"And I underestimated Rebel patience."

"But we both won, huh?" Kyle said and took Gabe's lips in his. They kissed standing in the center of Broadway and 7th Ave. in front of hundreds of people and God.

"No offense, but I kinda thought I would have to say it first. It's kinda nice that you did."

"It's always about your ego with you, isn't it?" Gabe laughed.

"Kyle!" A voice shouted from their side and both of the turned to see Terry standing just a few feet away. His face was mottled with rage.

"Terry? What are you doing here?" Kyle asked, still holding Gabe who suddenly had a sick feeling in the pit of his stomach.

"What am I doing here? I'm following you and your whore! I can't believe you would do this to me."

"What the fuck are you talking about Terry? Do what to you?"

"Cheat on me." Terry said, advancing on them.

"Cheat on you? How am I cheating on you? We don't date. Never have and never will." Kyle said apparently not seeing anything wrong, but Gabe saw the sickness and anger in Terry's eyes.

"We will when he's gone." Terry said and lifted his arm, pointed the gun at Gabe and fired.

The pain that pierced Gabe was unbelievably hot and seemed to seer through his side like a hot fireplace stoker. Gabe felt shocked more than anything as he saw people running away from the three of them. Chaos ensued quickly as Kyle started for Terry and the gun. He didn't make it as another shot went off and Kyle fell to the ground. A policeman tackled Terry and pulled the weapon away from him as Gabe sank to his knees. A few people had returned after seeing the gunman taken down. One of them was the old man Gabe had met not long ago in a park. He looked down at them with kind eyes that held sympathy and love.

"Please. Help him." Gabe pleaded.

"Perhaps it's his time." God answered calmly.

"It's not. I know it's not. Please God, help him."

"Are you asking for a miracle, Gabriel? Are you asking God to change something that may need to happen?"

"Yes." Gabe took a ragged breath, feeling weak with the loss of blood. "Please save his life."

Gabe blacked out.

He awoke in a strange darkened room lit by a dim light. A beeping noise chimed next to him and he smelled the unique smell of layers of antiseptic. `A hospital' he thought. Then panic hit him. `What happened to Kyle?'. He felt a hand holding his on the side of the bed and glanced over to see Darren's concerned face.

"Nurse! He's awake!" Darren yelled and started stroking Gabe's hair.

Gabe tried to speak but started gagging from the intubation tube in his throat. A nurse came in and pressed buttons on the beeping machine before Gabe quickly fell back under.

The next time he woke it was day and he no longer had the tube helping him breath. He opened his eyes and saw Darren curled in a chair next to his bed. He tried to speak but found his throat was still a little raw and only coughed. Darren jerked awake and saw Gabe's eyes open.

"Oh honey. How are you? Are you in pain?"

"Kyle?"

"Are you in pain, Gabe?"

"Kyle!" Gabe forced the word out refusing to answer until he knew his love's fate.

"He's right over there, Gabe." Gabe turned his head and saw Kyle sleeping in the next bed. A tear of gratitude slipped out of his eye. "He's fine. You're both fine. Kyle was shot in the spleen but apparently you don't need it so he's ok. You were shot but the bullet missed everything important, thank God!"

"Thank you God." Gabe said.

They were released a few days later having recovered well enough to take care of themselves at home, despite Darren and Phil's promise to come over often to check on them. They made their way into the house and upstairs to their bedroom. The pain meds had them a little loopy and fatigue came quickly, so they lay down and rested in each other's arms.

"I thought I lost you." Gabe said. "I thought I was going to wake up and you wouldn't be there. I didn't want to wake up."

"I wanted to kill him. I would have if I had gotten to him. All I could think of was to protect you."

"I asked God to save your life."

"I'm glad He did. I'm glad He saved yours too. I wouldn't have wanted to wake up if you weren't there for me either."

"I love you, Gabriel."

"I love you, Kyle."

Epilogue...

Many years later, Gabe sat on a rocker on the porch of one of the last original Victorian houses left in the neighborhood. It had been his home for fifty years now and he wasn't going to leave it while he was alive. It was a hot summers day but even in the warmth of summer, Kyle was left feeling cold. His eighty second birthday had been yesterday and his family had remained to spend the week with him. His sons and daughter had all brought their children, and even some of them had brought their children. It still tickled him that he was a great-grandfather. It had tickled Kyle too who he had lost four years ago. The pain of not having him, not being able to talk to him still struck him hard.

"Grandpa Gabe?" Gabe looked over at his eldest great-grandson. He was seven and bore a remarkable likeness to Kyle.

"Yes, Ethan."

"Grandma Carol said to ask you if I could play with Great-grampa Kyle's chess set."

Gabe smiled at the memories the chess set held.

"Only if you give me a hug." Gabe said and felt the little arms wrap around his neck. "I love you, Ethan."

"I love you great-grampa." The boy yelled as he ran off to play. Gabe chuckled and sighed as a warm breeze blew over him.

"You seem happy, Gabriel." Gabe looked up and saw the old man from the park bench, the black woman from the rivers walk and the little boy from the shelter all standing next to him.

"I am. I've had a lot to be happy for in my life. I have a lot to be thankful to you for."

"You do, I suppose." Said the little boy.

"But you made your own choices. What joys and sorrows you've had in your life have been your own." Said the black woman.

"I told you once that when you were an old man you would thank me for not telling you the answer to the question that you asked me. Do you remember?" The old man asked.

"I do. Thank you." Gabe answered.

"Why are you thankful?" The little boy asked as he came to sit on Gabe's lap.

"I'm thankful because you let Kyle and I make our life on our own terms."

"Yes." The little boy smiled. "That's important."

"But you're ready for something else, aren't you?" The black woman asked.

"Yes." Gabe answered. "I'm tired."

"I know." The old man said. "It won't be long now."

"Good." Gabe said and sighed. He could almost feel his life slipping away and smiled. "Will Kyle be there? Where I'm going?"

"Kyle is here, Gabe." The black woman pointed. Gabe looked and saw Kyle as he looked the day they met, walking up the front path.

"Oh my God." A tear fell from Gabe's eye. "It's been so long since I've seen him."

"Hey babe." Kyle said and took Gabe's hand in his.

"How ya doing, Tiger?"

"I'm wonderful. I've been very patient." He chuckled.

"Yeah, you Rebel's are good at that, aren't you?"

"Still ragging on Rebel's, huh? You Yankees never change." Kyle smiled. "Come on, babe. It's time."

Gabe stood and felt the weight of the last eighty years slip so softly off his shoulders he was surprised it had even been there. He took Kyle's hand in his.

"I'm glad you waited."

"Of course I waited. I wasn't going to lose you after I just found you. I don't think fifty years with you was enough."

"I don't think so either." Gabe said and turned back to God. "What do we do now?"

"When you're ready, you can move on to your next life." The black woman answered.

"You'll know when that is." The old man said.

"You can go together if you like." The little boy added.

"I'd like that." Gabe smiled.

"Me too." Kyle grinned. "But this time, you get to be the Rebel."