Can't you feel my heart beating? (Gabenath)

Chapter 11

Nathalie blinks, slowly allowing her eyes to adjust to the dim light illuminating her bedroom.

She stretches her arms out and yawns, realizing that she didn't even feel herself fall asleep.

When she got home, she fed Alexander one more time then laid down, giving in to the exhaustion labor and delivery had caused in her. She wants nothing more than to continue sleeping, but she knows very well that her baby will soon need to eat again.

———

She moves from the bed, and walks towards the bassinet where she had placed her baby a few hours ago.

A breathy gasp abandons her throat, as she feels her heart drop the second she realizes it is empty.

There's a mixture of panic and fear as she frantically rushes out the bedroom, her heart pounding inside her chest almost causing her to lose her balance while tears threaten to leave her eyes.

Her mind is racing with a million terrible scenarios as she stumbles into the living room area.
She's at the verge of screaming, but the sight before her stops her dead in her tracks.

She slowly blinks the tears away from her eyes, taking in the scene unfolding before her. Gabriel sits on the sofa of her living room, and carries their son in between his arms. A sense of relief and confusion take over her as she watches him cradle their son.

He seems so lost with the baby that he doesn't even notice Nathalie standing there, staring at them.

"Gabriel? What are you doing here?" She asks, voice trembling with confusion.
Gabriel looks up immediately noticing the panicked look on her face. "Nathalie..." but he hasn't time to speak more because she quickly goes to him and pulls Alexander out of his arms.

Relief immediately flows into her chest as she once again has her son in between her arms. She presses her lips against his forehead as a tear slowly falls down her cheek.

"I'm sorry..." he apologizes, "Did I frighten you? I promise that wasn't my intention at all, I just wanted to..."

"What are you still doing here, Gabriel? I thought you had left."

"I just..." he walks towards the kitchen with a sheepish look on his face. "I prepared something for you to eat, I thought you might be hungry."

Nathalie looks at him utterly baffled. If she thought Gabriel's behavior in the hospital was odd, this is more than confusing.

"What? Why?" She asks with a confused expression.

"I... Well, I simply wanted to help you out with something." He replies. "Here, put Alexander down, and take a seat so you can eat something."

Gabriel goes to the kitchen, and begins to plate the soup he's prepared for her.

Nathalie doesn't have words, so all she does is lay her son down on the sofa to then slowly take a seat at the dining table.
Gabriel places a bowl of chicken noodle soup in front of her, and stands there, waiting for her to eat.

She looks into the steaming bowl, letting the aroma fill her nostrils. It certainly smells appetizing, but Gabriel's behavior is causing too many overwhelming sensations in her to not allow herself to concentrate.
"Why are you doing this, Gabriel?" She asks, still looking at the bowl in front of her.

Gabriel sighs, taking a few steps closer as he begins to search for his response. He knows he must be appearing as the most odd man in front of her, and if he's honest, he still does not have a clear response for his actions, all he knows is that he wants to be near his son.

"I want to be near my son, Nathalie."

"Your son?" She questions, finally looking up at him. It's odd to hear him call her baby his son after he yelled at her, forbidding her to do just that.
"Yes," he says, "Alexander is my son, and I want to be with him, you won't deny that from me, will you?"