Chapter Twelve

Jack

Heaven

“I HAVE NO IDEA what you are doing, Jack,” Ernie grumbled as he sat on a corner of Jack’s desk, rocking his feet back and forth in time with the music being practiced by the hosanna-tation workers. Now that Christmas had passed, it was time to prepare for the holy days of the spring. “Why are you letting this go on so long without cluing your supervisor in on what has happened?”

“I hope I can arrange the situation so that, by the time I must report this to her, I will be able to show her that everything has worked out for the best.”

“How can you expect that to happen?”

Jack tried to silence his sigh. “I have been praying on this, and while I was at prayer, Miss D’Angelo needed to go back to work. I pulled a few strings to make sure she had to take the baby with her.”

“Pulled strings?” Ernie’s eyes almost popped out of his head. “You know we are not supposed to interfere with the paths lives take on Earth without prior approval from the Highest of the High.”

“I know, but if I can make the situation I started take care of itself and help those who need help, then the Highest of the High will see that my mistake was really all for the best.”

“Who needs help?” Ernie jumped down from the desk. “Dr. Archer and Miss D’Angelo are striving to do what they can do, and they seem to be doing what is best for the baby.”

“I am talking about the elderly people at the place where Miss D’Angelo works. Because I made sure she did not have anyone to watch the child this morning, she had to take the baby to work. The people who live at that place were thrilled to have a baby among them. To them, the baby is an unexpected blessing. And that is the sort of thing that will please my supervisor.” He set his elbow on the desk and propped his chin on his hand. “All but one person was happy. I need to consider that situation more. There may be something with that woman’s reaction to the baby that requires more study and could lead to the very answer I have been seeking. She has great pain in her heart. Maybe I can use the baby to answer her unspoken prayers too.”

“You should stop tampering with what is going on down there, Jack. You are already too deep into a matter that should have been reported immediately.”

Grimacing as he reached back to try to scratch an itch beneath his wings, he shook his head. “There is something I still have to figure out about all this before I speak with my supervisor. I need to keep believing that there was a reason why my attempt to answer the prayer brought this solution. It may have to do with this lonely old woman. I need time to see if that is so, but, in the meantime, I will keep considering alternatives.”

Ernie shook his head, dismayed. “I hope, before this goes much further, you are not sorry you did not ask for help.”

“I shall not be.” He was glad Ernie was called away to join the singers who needed someone to turn pages for the harp players. He did not want anyone—not even his trainee—to know how unsure he was.