A Mrs. Miracle Christmas - Debbie Macomber Page 0,56
wants her mother by her side.”
Laurel and Zach exchanged glances.
“You go,” he said.
Laurel was about to follow the nurse when Zach held her back. Taking hold of her by the shoulders, he touched his forehead against hers and smiled, tears glistening in his eyes. “Welcome our daughter into the world for me,” he whispered, his voice breaking.
Laurel nodded, then followed the nurse behind the secure doors.
CHAPTER EIGHTEEN
Mrs. Miracle stayed with Helen for a short time after Laurel and Zach headed off to the hospital. Helen’s head was spinning with what had happened. She’d grown impatient with Zach, afraid he was going to ignore the phone call.
“This is it,” she said, giving her home companion a high-five, the sound of their hand-slapping echoing through the silent house. “My great-granddaughter is about to be born.”
“Are you surprised?”
“Why should I be?” Helen replied with confidence. From what Mrs. Miracle had told her, it would be any day now. She hadn’t expected it would be this day, though.
“Shall I make us a cup of tea before you head up to bed?”
“That would be lovely.”
Helen made her way to her chair. Once seated, she closed her eyes and whispered a heartfelt prayer, beginning with a request for the safety of baby and mother during delivery, and that the birth mom and her family would feel comfort in knowing that they’d made the right decision. She then thanked God for sending this special angel to her as a comforter and an encourager. Mrs. Miracle had arrived at the perfect time. She ended by asking God to allow her to live long enough to enjoy her great-granddaughter for a little while.
A few minutes later Mrs. Miracle returned, carrying two delicate cups of tea. “Careful, it’s hot,” she warned.
Helen held the cup with both hands. She closed her eyes for a moment, reliving the look on her granddaughter’s face when Laurel got the news about the baby. She held on to the surprise and joy in her granddaughter’s eyes for several moments.
“You knew all along the baby would be born this night, didn’t you?” she asked, opening her eyes toward her friend.
“Not exactly,” Mrs. Miracle clarified, as she took her normal seat next to Helen. “I knew it would be sooner rather than later, though.”
Helen marveled at the timing. “How absolutely perfect that this babe would arrive on Christmas Eve.”
Her companion held the cup in front of her and relaxed, lifting her feet onto the ottoman and crossing her ankles. “I couldn’t have planned it better myself,” she said with a self-satisfied smile.
Helen relaxed against the back of the chair, mulling over Pastor Warren’s message about the angels visiting the shepherds. “The Christmas Eve service was heavenly,” she said to her friend, with a twinkle in her eye.
“Did you enjoy the choir?”
“Oh yes! And no doubt the entire church will be talking about the performance for weeks to come.”
“Didn’t I tell you it would be angelic?”
Indeed, she had. Helen had one question, though. “I heard Zach mention that one of the choir members was the woman who sold him all those baby clothes that were supposedly on sale. That must have been Mercy. And the bells I heard? Was that when Shirley and Goodness got involved? They added to the voices of the choir?”
“Yes, well…My three friends are known to twist the rules. Gabriel attributes every gray hair on his head to them.”
“Angels can get gray hairs?”
“Gabriel can,” she said with a smile. “Thanks to Shirley, Goodness, and Mercy.”
Helen sat and mulled over all that had happened since Mrs. Miracle’s arrival. She marveled at all the small hints of a miracle about to happen, and how they had all led to this moment.
“It’s a wonder Laurel has yet to believe that God sent you, especially with how clear it all seems to be now.”
“I’m not surprised,” Mrs. Miracle said, looking thoughtful. “Sometimes humans need a spectacular eye-opener.”
“What do you mean by that?”
“One time,” Mrs. Miracle shared, “Mercy was working with a pastor whose wife had died. With her death, he’d lost his faith. He was angry with God and unwilling to reconcile his feelings. Mercy desperately wanted to reach him, and so she had to bend the rules.”
“How so?”
“He was in church, getting ready for the Sunday service and going about his normal routine, when, against all the rules, Mercy appeared to him in her full glory. Dressed in her shimmering gold gown, she spread her feathery wings and stretched out her arms over him