Prologue
Rain pelted down on the rooftop of the cabin, and although it was very early in the afternoon it appeared to look late at night. Andrew sighed as he turned away from the window and shrugged his shoulders at his best friend, who was sitting on the couch in the living room. The two young angels were waiting for their three friends, Tess, Rose and Carla to arrive at that cabin where they always stayed in between assignments, and so far there was no sign of them. Even as the rain continued to pour down in sheets.
"Well, Angel Girl, guess it’s just the two of us until those three arrive here," He smiled gently as he took a seat beside her and wrapped his arm around Monica’s shoulders while gazing at the fireplace, whose orange flames were flickering before them. Feeling her lean into him, resting her head against his shoulder, and hearing a contended sigh escape her lips, the blonde-haired angel continued,
"You know, I have never actually been told to go on a vacation in this kind of weather; it sure is nasty out there, isn’t it?"
As soon as the words escaped his lips, the lights started to flicker on the first floor of the log cabin and Monica flinched, even as her friend’s arms tightened around her,
"I really wish the others would get here, Andrew…I hate it when it’s like this. I know that you’re here, and you know I always think that’s enough, but I just wish all five of us were together right now-"
"Man, that’s some weather out there!"
Carla’s sweet voice suddenly sounded at the doorway as soon as the Irish angel spoke those words, and Monica and Andrew turned their heads as the youngest angel with the big green eyes and chin-length blonde hair shook out her umbrella and stuck it in the closet, along with her raincoat. Tess and Rose followed right behind her, all the while the mahogany colored cherub was mumbling words about how she hated storms.
"That’s some weather all right…and we’re on vacation in this ‘some weather’, Angel Child!" Tess grumbled, shaking out her hair as Rose took her jacket and hung it up in the closet next to Carla’s. Turning to Monica and Andrew, the elderly angel then smiled as her two friends rose to their feet and greeted her with a warm hug. It had been several weeks since the five angels had actually had quality time together, and not do anything or worry about anything. Now, the Father had ordered them to take some time off and to spend it together and despite the weather outside at the moment, Tess was forever grateful for that; it felt so good to hold her two ‘Angel Babies’ in her arms again.
Finally releasing them, as they moved to greet Carla and Rose, Tess turned to the fireplace and rubbed her hands together to try and warm them,
"So have you two babies been waiting very long?"
"Not too long," Andrew replied, pulling away from Rose and following the rest of his friends back to the living room,
"You got here right when the storm was really starting to kick in…we were starting to worry about you guys. Did your assignments take longer than usual?"
"Actually, it was car trouble out there," Rose replied, taking a seat in one of the chairs and kicking her shoes off,
"It’s very dangerous to be driving out there! It’s only 4 in the afternoon, but it appears so much later than that. But this storm is nothing compared to downtown…"
"So we’re definitely safe here," Carla finished flippantly, flopping down on the couch beside of Andrew, who sat between her and Monica. She wasn’t the slightest bit worried about this weather; rain was nothing unusual, and as a matter of fact, she kind of liked it,
"I don’t think anything will happen; after all, the Father gave us a vacation, didn’t He?"
"Yes, he did, honey," Rose smiled at the youngest blonde angel and nodded her red head,
"And a vacation it will be. I don’t know how long he said we’d have, but I say we take advantage of that time. Monica, have you made some coffee yet?"
At the mention of the word "coffee", Monica’s brown eyes widened in excitement and her worries about the weather and flickering lights in the cabin disappeared and she piped up,
"Actually, no, I haven’t. Anybody want a cup?"
"No thank you, Angel Girl," Tess shook her head as she continued to stand in front of the fireplace,
"I like that stuff a lot better than I used to, but I’m more in the mood for some hot chocolate at the moment."
"Me, too, Tess," Andrew started to rise to his feet, but his supervisor urged him to sit back down.
"Stay seated, baby; it’s Tess’ turn to get something warm for all of us. Who wants coffee, and who wants hot chocolate?" The tension that had filled the room earlier about the sudden storm finally disappeared from the entire room as each angel gave their orders to their friend. Even the sound of the rain pelting louder against the rooftop didn’t matter to them.
Softly humming to herself as she walked into the kitchen to start heating up drinks for her four friends in the other room, Tess’ mind drifted to the past few weeks they had all been separated from one another. From the last time she had heard, Monica was still working with Jamie in Special Forces, and was succeeding well in that department. Although a lot of it was painful for the young, auburn-haired, Irish angel, the Father had told her that her "Angel Girl" had become even stronger throughout the course of her training; and for that, Tess was all the more prouder.
Andrew on the other hand, she knew that her friend was still working in Search and Rescue; but his announcement several weeks ago about not knowing whether he was going to return to Casework or stay in this department still caused questions to fill Tess’ mind: What was his choice going to be? And when would he make it? Her "Angel Boy" had told her that the Father wanted him to make his decision, but what time would that be?
Shaking her head, as she knew that Andrew knew what he was doing whatever rout he took and that she would stand by him when he finally made his choice, the brown-gray haired angel filled the coffee pot and was about to start brewing it, when a loud noise caused her to nearly jump out of her skin. Thunder rumbled in the distance and before Tess knew it, the lights started to flicker one final time before going out completely, leaving the entire cabin in darkness as the rain only continued to pound louder than ever above them all.
Chapter 1
Monica yelped as the lights flickered and then went out even as she felt Andrew’s hold on her tighten. She was thankful that he never made a big deal out of her fears, especially in front of anyone else, as he knew what they were and he understood.
"So much for coffee or hot chocolate," Tess grumbled, coming out of the kitchen, the lightening illuminating her path, as she began to search through drawers for some extra candles.
"You okay, Angel Girl?" He asked softly, feeling the tension within her. He knew that darkness was one of her two greatest fears, with being in water being the other one, and the many years ago that Kathleen had dragged her down to the darkness while she had been working with her young assignment, Stacey, had certainly not helped.
"Yes," She replied softly, watching as he reached for the matches near the fire to light the candle in the middle of the coffee table. She watched as the soft light filled the room, even as Tess lit several others around the large living room.
"Maybe we should build an ark," Carla half joked as she gazed out the window, watching the rain pour down and the wind whip through the trees,
"Anyone up for searching for two of every species?"
There was a quiet ripple of laughter through the room as Tess took a seat once more,
"Well, we may as well catch up as we don’t have much else to do until the power returns. So, how go things in Search and Rescue, you two?"
"Busy as always, Tess," Rose replied with a chuckle.
"Someone out there is always a split second away from trouble or so it seems," Andrew added with a wry smile,
"But that is true for the angel business in general, I think."
"Have you made any decisions yet, honey?" Rose asked, looking over at her young friend.
"Not yet, Rose," He explained softly,
"I’m hoping to come to a final decision on this break, but it’s a tough choice to make."
Deciding not to push the issue, Tess diverted the attention from her Angel Boy, knowing him well enough to know that he didn’t want to feel any pressure,
"And what about you, baby?" She looked over at Monica,
"Is it getting any easier for you?"
"At times, yes," The Irish angel replied, feeling Andrew pull her even closer and she rested her head against his strong shoulder,
"A few of my co-workers took breaks as soon as I returned the last time, so it was pretty busy for a few weeks, but Jamie has been really good about things. She can tell when we need a break from it and even though it’s only been a few months, she knew I needed to walk away from it for a while. But for as hard as it is, it does feel good to be able to help someone by knowing first hand what it is they are going through."
Andrew kissed the top of her head, his green eyes flickering sorrow for a brief moment in knowing that his best friend indeed did know first hand the feelings of these rape victims, and he often wished it wasn’t so. Not that she hadn’t bounced back, as she had, but even on nights like tonight, when she was more or less herself, he could still feel the slight heaviness of her heart when the topic was broached, as their connection was so strong. He supposed it was his overwhelming desire to protect and defend her from all harm and in this case, he often felt as if he had failed her in that respect. Though he knew it had been her choice, he just wished she could have been spared the heartache of that choice.
"Wow, that wind out there is something else," Carla’s voice interrupted his thoughts as he looked up to see her looking out the window with wide, green eyes,
"Must be up to at least 40 or 50 miles per hour."
"All right, weather girl," Tess replied, rolling her eyes slightly,
"Get your angel butt over here and sit down with the rest of us. I don’t recall any of us asking for a play by play of this particular storm."
Carla grinned, well accustomed to Tess’ sometimes biting remarks and knew that she meant no harm by it. Sighing softly, she made her way across the room, preparing to have a seat on the stool by the fire, when the sound of glass shattering caused both she and Monica to scream. Whirling around, the youngest angel saw that one of the trees outside had lost a limb in the storm and it had come crashing right into the window, shattering glass through the room.
Andrew was on his feet immediately, grabbing the blanket off the back of the couch,
"Everyone all right?" He called out above the sound of the rain and wind that now raged in through the broken window. He frowned as the candles went out and even the fire in the fireplace danced threateningly.
"I think so, baby," Tess called as she and Rose jumped up to help him,
"But I don’t think that blanket is going to stop this," She remarked as the three of them held it up in front of the window, but not before the heavy rain had pelted them in the faces.
"I think there is some plywood outside in the shed!" Monica called out above the winds, watching as her friends struggled to hold the blanket in place.
"You’re not going out there alone, Monica," Andrew replied, turning his head to look at her, his diverted attention causing his end of the blanket to come lose and for Tess and Rose to cry out their dismay as the rain poured in once again until he had secured it once more.
"I’ll go with her," Carla offered, as the youngest angel grabbed their coats, handing Monica hers. She looked at her umbrella, knowing it wouldn’t do much good in these gales and decided to forego it altogether. She grabbed the flashlight from the kitchen as she and Monica prepared to head outside.
"Be careful, you two," Rose called after them, her eyes concerned, even as she struggled to keep the wind from prying the blanket from her hands.
As the two youngest angels pulled the front door closed, they were immediately accosted by the pelting rain as they scurried down the steps, both nearly falling at the bottom as their feet hit the mud on the ground, but they regained their balance and moved as quickly as they dared to the shed. Though they both had hoods up on their jackets, the winds caught them and soon their heads were exposed to the cold rain as their hair blew around their faces.
Monica pried the door to the shed open and they hurried inside, closing the door behind them as Carla turned on the flashlight.
"Wow, I like storms, but this one is bad," Carla lamented as the two wiped the water from their eyes in order to try and find a piece of wood large enough to patch the broken window,
"This should work," Carla called out to her friend as she held up a piece of plywood.
Monica nodded as she searched through the tool chest for a hammer and nails, finally finding them, she put them into her jacket pocket as the two prepared to make a dash back to the cabin.
As they closed the shed door behind them, Monica looked around the corner, her eyes growing wide as she looked at the river that ran behind the cabin,
"Carla…" She called out hesitantly above the rage of the wind.
Already soaking wet, the younger angel turned to see what had her friend’s attention and her own green eyes filled with concern, as she yelled back above the din of the storm,
"It’s getting really high! Monica, if it flows over, we are in a bit of trouble! Maybe we should just get in the car and get out of here!"
"In this storm, we’d never make it, Carla!" The Irish angel replied, running a hand through her soaking hair to get it out of her eyes,
"We’ll just have to pray it stops raining before that happens!" Forcing herself to look away from the raging river with a shudder, she turned back to Carla,
"Lets go, before they really get worried about us!"
As the two angels struggled to keep their footing on the way back to the cabin, both of their minds were occupied with the same thought.
What if it didn’t stop in time?
Chapter 2
Locking the front door tightly shut behind her and leaning her weight against it to keep it from possibly flying open, Carla handed Monica the rather large piece of wood they had just found in the shed and watched as her friend handed it to Andrew. The wind was howling so loud and the rain was pounding so hard that the youngest angel was barely able to make out her friend’s words to one another as Andrew tried his best to pound the nails into the wood to keep it in place.
"Do you think this will work?" Monica shouted over the loudness, her heart pounding in her chest and almost afraid that it would burst any minute.
"I sure hope so, Angel Girl…" Andrew murmured, gritting his teeth in frustration. The wind was so strong that it took the strength of the four angels, with Carla still leaning up against the wooden door, to keep the wood where they wanted it. It didn’t cover up the entire broken window, much to Andrew’s frustration, but it appeared to work for the time being. Sucking in a deep breath and letting it out as it appeared that the door would remain shut, Carla moved away from it and grabbed a nearby chair just in case. Leaning it up against the door, with the back of it placed underneath the locked knob, Carla sighed deeply.
Shrugging out of her drenched jacket and hanging it up in the closet once more, the youngest blonde angel moved to help Monica out of hers and hung it up as well. But almost as soon as it appeared that all was right for the time being, and the five friends were just moving back into the living room, a loud noise caused a loud scream to erupt from Monica’s throat.
"Oh my gosh!" She shouted. The wind had become so strong that it had ripped open the door of the cabin, sending the chair flying like a piece of paper. The wood that had just recently been nailed to the shattered window, was now torn off and was flying towards them. Rain and wind blew into the angel’s faces and as Monica let out one more scream, Andrew grabbed his best friend by the shoulders and covered her with his body just as the wood came flying over their heads, missing the angels by inches.
"Are you guys all right?!" Andrew shouted over the roar, feeling his friend tremble violently, both from the cold and also fear, in his own shaking arms,
"None of you are hurt, are you?"
"We’re all right, baby!" Tess shouted back, glancing over where the door used to be and her heart dropped as she took a look outside still crouched on the floor beside her friends. The rain was coming down in sheets and buckets, and hail was soon following. The wind was tearing trees from their roots in the ground and seemed to be tossing them through the air like nothing more than scraps of paper. As she watched, the water from the nearby river seemed to come to life, splashing high up in the air and landing only a few yards from the front of the wooden cabin-the safe haven where all five friends had taken refuge for so many long years. Tess gulped as her brown eyes widened in fear; knowledge then filled her: If this storm could do so much damage to a tree, then what kind of damage could it do to a wooden cabin and five human angels?
But before she could even think of what they were to do to try and protect themselves, the shock of a lifetime happened before her and her dear friend’s very eyes. The water that had appeared to be coming to life on its own suddenly came splashing up once again and only this time, it landed right on the front porch of their cabin and it was coming closer and closer to start flooding this place. Rising to her feet shakily, Tess helped Andrew and Monica to their own feet all the while gripping their hands tightly.
"What’s going on here?!" Monica cried, trying to keep a terrified sob out of her Irish voice, but finding it escaping anyway,
"This can’t be happening!"
But suddenly, before either angel had the chance to answer, a loud crash came from the direction of the kitchen and all five angels jumped. Breaking away from his best friends, Andrew raced towards the kitchen at lightning speed and opened the door. What he saw there, however, caused tears to spill from his frightened green eyes: A huge tree had come crashing through the roof and was now standing straight up in the center of the table, shattering it into dozens of pieces…while the rain poured from the sky and into the kitchen, already starting to flood it.
Not wasting any more time, the Search and Rescue angel tore back into the living room and immediately grabbed his best friend’s shaking hand, giving it a tug,
"We have to get upstairs! The kitchen is flooding! We have no time to lose!"
"Flooding?!" Monica shouted, gripping her dearest friend’s hand until both of their knuckles turned white. Refusing to let go of it as he started to take her up the stairs, the Irish angel continued asking many questions,
"What just happened in there, Andrew?!"
"A tree has crashed through the roof!" Andrew replied, keeping his voice raised so that his friends would be able to hear them. Suddenly feeling the cabin shift and letting out a shout of his own, the angel wrapped a supportive arm around Monica’s shoulders and drew her close to himself as he heard a trembling whimper escape her lips. Glancing over his shoulder and making sure that the rest of his friends and fellow angels weren’t harmed in any way and were still right behind him and Monica, Andrew breathed a trembling sigh of relief and kept heading up the stairs while talking,
"The kitchen is flooding, Monica, and I’ve been in storms before while I was an Angel of Death and have taken thousands of souls Home before it was their time because of the weather! The cabin is flooding quickly, and we have to get upstairs before it’s too late!"
Exchanging horrorstruck looks between one another at their friend’s words, Tess and Rose each grabbed hold of one of Carla’s hands and helped one another up the stairs, knowing that what Andrew was saying had to be true. As they all finally reached the second floor, Rose shot a quick glance back downstairs and nearly sobbed at the sight.
The beloved cabin, the place that was like a home away from Home-a place that the Father Himself had given to them-was now being destroyed, and there was nothing they could do about it until it was all over.
Chapter 3
"Tess, what are we going to do?" Carla whimpered once the five angels were upstairs.
"I’m not sure, baby," Tess muttered, wincing at the raging storm outside that was now wrecking havoc through the cabin as well. Glancing at the youngest angel and noticing she was shivering, Tess grabbed her hand,
"We need to find you something warm, I do know that. Andrew, I suggested everyone bundle up a bit, as heaven knows what is going to happen before the night is over. Don’t waste any time; go now!"
Monica bolted down the hall to her room, trembling more from fear than from being soaking wet from being outside. She quickly changed into a dry sweater and threw the warm flannel shirt that had once been Andrew’s over top of it, before exchanging her skirt for a pair of jeans. Surprisingly in her closet she also found a raincoat, which she hurriedly shrugged into before preparing to find Andrew once more.
Before she could however, a huge crash that shook the cabin caused her to cry out, just as she looked up in time to see the ceiling of her room give way to the weight of a large tree that apparently had fallen as a result of the storm. She hit the floor as quickly as she could, feeling debris from the ceiling falling around her and she covered her head as a wooden beam narrowly missed her.
"Monica!" Andrew cried out, racing into the room and to her side,
"Angel Girl?"
"I’m all right," She replied shakily, as he helped her to her feet and as he pulled her into his arms, she could feel his heart racing,
"No place is safe, Andrew…" She whispered, trembling from head to toe,
"What is this? A tornado? Just a storm?"
"I’m not sure, sweetie," He uttered, his eyes surveying the mess in her room as the rain now came in torrents,
"But I think it’s safe to say that the cabin isn’t going to survive it."
"Oh, Andrew, no…" Monica whispered, despite her fear, great sadness filling her heart. This place was so special and the memories came flooding back to her of times spent here with her friends…with Andrew…
Another sound of glass shattering pulled her from her thoughts as Andrew grabbed her hand and they raced to Tess’ room that she shared with Rose, seeing that the window, much like the one in the living room had been shattered.
"Where’s Carla?" Rose called out worriedly above the raging storm.
"I’m here!" She called out, coming quickly down the hall in a raincoat, which she noticed that they all had donned one.
"The same tree that got Monica’s room got mine," Andrew explained quickly, glancing down the hall and seeing the water beginning to creep into it,
"We need to get out to the balcony and hope for the best."
"Have you lost your mind, Andrew?" Carla cried out, disbelief in her green eyes,
"You want us to go out into this mess?"
"Carla," Monica spoke up, her hand still clutching her best friend’s tightly,
"The ceiling might cave in here at any time. It isn’t safe and we have no choice."
"They’re right, Angel Child," Tess nodded her head as she zipped up her raincoat and pulled up the hood, tying it tightly,
"We’re just going to have to ride this one out."
The five angels hurried to the door that led to the upper porch, Andrew sliding the glass door back as they all headed outside into the pouring rain and high winds.
"Get down and grab hold of the railing," He shouted to them, pulling Monica closer as the other three angels quickly heeded his advice.
Roes, Tess and Carla all took one side of the porch, as they sat down and held onto the railing and onto each other, Tess offering up a prayer as soon as they were situated.
"What’s that noise?" Carla called out, before Andrew and Monica could even situate themselves on the other end of the porch.
The angels listened, the sound of rushing water nearly deafening, reminding the blond Search and Rescue angel of those moments aboard Titanic when water was rushing at he and his friend.
"Is there a dam up here somewhere?" Carla ventured, fear in her eyes,
"One that maybe burst?"
As Andrew looked up, his eyes widened as he could see more water than he could have ever imagined here, rushing down the hill at breath taking speed towards them. Reacting as quickly as he could, he planted Monica’s hands firmly on the railing as he stood behind her, his hands next to hers, hoping to be able to shield her somewhat from the impact.
"Andrew," She uttered, barely loud enough for him to hear,
"Don’t leave me…"
He could feel her trembling as his own arms shook and he moved in even closer,
"Never, Angel Girl," He replied huskily, as the roar of the water grew louder. He could hear Tess giving orders behind them, so he focused on his friend, to keep himself from panicking,
"It’s like Titanic, sweetie. You’re going to need to take a deep breath and hold it until the water has past over us, all right? We’re going to be fine, Monica. The Father will see to that, just like He did last time."
"I hate this," She whimpered softly, though grateful for the feel of Andrew’s body pressed reassuringly up against hers.
"I know you do," He replied, trying to sound soothing while his heart was about to pound out of his chest,
"I’m not enjoying it so much either."
"Here we go!" Tess shouted above the storm as the flooding waters grew near.
Andrew let go of the railing to take his best friend’s hands, holding them tightly for reassurance for them both,
"On three, Angel Girl…one, two, three…"
The waters came crashing down on the porch, but it only took Andrew a split second to realize his mistake. They way they were standing was putting pressure on the railing and once the waters hit, the additional pressure caused the railing to give way entirely and completely submerged under the waters, the two angels were soon rushing down the mountain, caught up in the force of the deadly waters.
Try as she might, Monica was unable to hold onto Andrew’s hand, as the force of the wild water would not allow it and she felt her fingers slipping from his. Now she felt her body being tossed and thrown about and several encounters with trees left her aching. She grabbed breathes of air when she could before another wave of water would wash over her.
As she felt something tear at the flesh on her arm, she cried out in pain, knowing she had to find a way to stop this downward descent before it managed to kill her. Managing to look ahead of her, she saw several fallen trees to the side of the water’s path and she furiously reached out for them. She missed the first, but her hands grabbed hold of the second with every bit of strength in her, ignoring the splinters from the wood that now caused her hands to ache.
Monica held on for several long minutes until the rest of the water that had obviously been released from the dam passed by, leaving the area around her about knee deep in muddy water. The rain continued to fall and the winds howled, though not quite so loudly now, as the angel found herself scared and alone in the darkness she so hated.
"Stay calm, stay calm," She whispered to herself, before coughing to get any water from her lungs, before just trying to catch her breath,
"Andrew!" She called out fearfully, but there was no answer,
"Please let him be all right," Monica uttered aloud, feeling panic beginning to well up inside of her, but she pushed it aside with trying to focus on other things. She came to realize that nothing in her human body appeared broken and that came as a relief to her. But the gash on her upper arm was bleeding badly and she was thankful that she felt cold enough to not feel too much pain.
Common sense overtook her fear as she shrugged out of her coat, her eyes sad as she realized that whatever she had come in contact with had torn through her coat, the flannel shirt and the sweater to leave a nasty 4-inch gash in her arm. Grabbing her scarf, she wrapped the wound tightly to hopefully stop the bleeding, before putting her coat back on and knowing that now she had to make a decision.
Monica had no idea where she was and the darkness was certainly not inviting for her to venture out into. However, somewhere out there was her dearest friend, maybe hurt badly, and she knew she had to find him. She also knew that in a few hours she would be moving a bit more slowly from the bruises she had received while being washed down the mountain, so that left her with no choice.
Focusing everything in her heart on her friend, all the while praying for strength and courage, the Irish angel whispered aloud,
"Hang on, Andrew. I’ll find you. I promise I’ll find you."
Chapter 4
Andrew didn’t know where he was.
The wood underneath his hands was sharp and prickly, which caused him to wince; he also felt a trickle of blood on his palm from where his hands clenched onto the tree, or whatever it was. One thing that the angel did know, however, was that he was cold, wet and dirty. Not too long after he and Monica had been thrown into the raging river after having tumbled through the railing of the cabin, Andrew had felt many different things.
When he had made contact with the water, the human angel had immediately felt a sharp stinging in his eyes, and bitter, freezing water in his mouth. He didn’t know how that could have happened, but everything had happened so fast it took his breath away. Then, suddenly in a small moment, Andrew was unable to see anything at all; just feeling himself being tossed around in the river and then tumbling down some sort of mountain.
Now, after having tried to cling tightly to anything possible above him as he was thrown around in the raging water, Andrew clung tightly to the wood, his wet arms holding as tightly as he could. His entire body was drenched, but he was still unable to see where he was.
‘Is it that dark outside?’ He thought, frightened, to himself. Reaching his arms up and gripping the tree trunk tightly, his mind swarmed with fear as he worried about his friends, especially one in particular. Where were they? Were they all right? Was Monica all right? Was she hurt and frightened?
Suddenly blinking his eyes rapidly and trying to adjust his vision, hoping with all of his heart that there was just water in his eyes that was causing him to not see, Andrew strained them but there was still nothing except for blackness. His heart leaped into his throat with total fear that he had felt so many months ago when he was kidnapped by Denise and Philip and beaten senselessly. The fear the angel felt now was so similar to this. It couldn’t be true…it just couldn’t be…
He couldn’t be blind.
Could he?
*****
"Andrew! Monica!" Carla cried hysterically as she clutched Tess’ arm tightly. Her green eyes were wild as she looked at the spot where her two friends had once been, along with that part of the railing, and none of them were anywhere to be seen now,
"Answer me! Where are you?!"
The youngest angel’s voice was drowned out over the roar of the wind and rain, although the rain seemed to have slowed down some, but the wind was still deafening to her. Still, Carla couldn’t stop yelling out for the two angels who were very close to her heart; they had to be somewhere! They couldn’t drown in that river; there was just no way! God wouldn’t allow that to happen to His two angels, she tried to reassure herself, but at that very thought, she burst into tears and held on tighter to Tess.
"Oh Lord in Heaven, what just happened there?" Rose uttered to herself, unable to believe what she had just witnessed. Everything seemed to had happened in slow motion: The wall of water had come at them; Andrew and Monica leaned onto their side of the railing with all their weight; the water coming crashing down on top of them, causing the railing to shatter underneath her friends, and the two young angels tumbled into the raging water, soon being swept away with all the debris…
"Where are they?"
"Babies, we need to stay calm here!" Tess ordered, although her own heart had thudded to the ground after having witnessed her two "Angel Babies" being swept away like that. Right now, however, they had to stay calm for them, as well as themselves so that they wouldn’t get swept away either,
"We need to keep our focus on getting ourselves through this storm, and then we’ll find those two, all right?"
Burying her face deep into the older angel’s upper arm, Carla just sobbed quietly, even as she felt Rose’s arms around her. Neither of them spoke a word, as their thoughts were the same.
What had happened to their dear friends?
*****
Monica limped along the shoreline, her arm sore from the deep cut on it and she felt like she must have twisted her ankle somehow while she was in that raging river. How, though, she wasn’t sure of that. Wrapping her arms tightly around herself to try and warm up, the Irish angel was unable to do that, as it didn’t do any good. But right now, what was on her mind was finding Andrew, and making sure her best friend was safe and not laying anywhere hurt.
Tears threatened Monica’s deep brown eyes and rolled down her mud-caked face at that very thought. Her friend and fellow angel had been hurt so many times in the past, not only emotionally, but physically as well. She wouldn’t be able to bear if anything happened to him this time!
"But I need to find you first, my friend…Oh where are you, Andrew?" She choked out as she looked around her, shaking from the cold and fear,
"Where are you?"
Suddenly in the distance, she saw a small form clinging tightly to a tree. Squinting to make it out, Monica picked up her pace, ignoring the pain in her ankle and hurried towards it. It could be Andrew for all she knew…As she neared it, the Irish angel then recognized the figure of her best friend; his arms were wrapped tightly around a tree trunk, as if he let go, he would disappear or die. Even from where she stood, she could tell that his entire body was trembling and his green eyes were staring off into space, as if he didn’t know what he was supposed to do. Mud and dirt was caked onto his face and clothing, and his pants and shirt were torn; the jacket that he had worn earlier must have been swept away with the river.
Limping quickly towards her friend as fast as she could, Monica yelled out, her voice hoarse,
"Andrew!"
*****
Andrew heard her voice. Monica’s voice. It was unmistakable, her sweet Irish lilt that he had come to know and love through the centuries. Now, she had found him and although he was scared out of his mind, the very human Search and Rescue angel was also so relieved to have her near him again. They would get out of this together, they had to.
"Andrew!"
Her voice sounded again, and this time it was closer. Still clutching the tree shakily with his bare hands, Andrew then felt her hand on his arm; just the feel of it brought tears to his green eyes, as he was still unable to see her face.
"Monica…" He choked out, turning his head to the place where he suspected his friend was,
"Monica…Help me…I-I’m blind."
Chapter 5
"What?" Monica uttered, her voice catching in her throat as she knelt down in front of him, wincing at the pain in her ankle from this motion. Gently, she laid her hand against his cheek, noticing how he was unable to focus on her face and she felt tears fill her eyes.
"I can’t see, Angel Girl," He whispered, as his hand found hers on his cheek and he took it into his own.
Her lower lip trembled madly, both from her grief over his words and her relief at finding him at all as she wrapped her arms around him in a tight hug. She had never felt so frightened, now knowing that her dearest friend wouldn’t be able to lead them out of this mess, knowing he couldn’t see and for how long? Knowing how frightened he must be, tore at her heart as well, as her fingers worked through his mud caked hair,
"Then I’ll be your eyes," She whispered, trying to place as much courage as she could into her words in order to assure him.
Tears filled his eyes at her heartfelt words and he hugged her as tightly as he dared, before releasing her a few moments later,
"Are you hurt?" He asked, his voice now laced with seriousness.
Monica bit her lip, not wanting to lie, but not wanting to worry him either as he had enough to deal with right now, but her arm was starting to really hurt and she was worried,
"I think I sprained my ankle, but it isn’t serious. I can walk on it. What about you? Where’s your coat?"
"I lost it somewhere, I guess, and other than that, and a few bumps and bruises, I think I’m all right."
Her mind raced frantically, knowing she had to find them someplace out of this rain for the night. But where? It was so dark and the rain and wind made it hard for her to see. She wanted so to be strong for him as he had been for her so many times before and she was trying not to become overwhelmed.
"Do you know where we are, Monica?" Andrew’s voice interrupted her thoughts as she turned to face him, careful to keep her hand upon his so he would know she was there.
"No, Andrew, I don’t, but we have to get out of this rain…somehow…" She looked around her through tear-filled eyes, though she struggled to push the tears back and to sound optimistic,
"But we’ll head for higher ground and try to find some shelter for the night," Rising to her feet and ignoring the ache in her ankle, she carefully pulled him up with her,
"We’ll need to be careful, Andrew. There is mud and water everywhere and it is going to be slippery. I’ll choose the best path I can find, but it’s dark and hard to see. Keep hold of my arm and we’ll go as slowly as you need me too, okay?" She moved so he would grasp the arm without the gash and when she felt him grasping her upper arm, she swallowed hard, though she forced a smile,
"And we’re off."
Andrew struggled, not accustomed to not being able to see where he was going, but his friend moved slowly and was careful to direct him vocally through any tough or rocky spots. Wherever she was leading them was steep and he felt himself growing exhausted as well as noticing her limp worsening a bit and he prayed that they would soon find a place to rest. It was cold and the rain stung his face, though the winds had definitely slowed down.
He realized that the rest of his senses were now much more acute as he had to rely on them much more heavily than he usually did when he could see. He even felt more in tune to Monica’s emotions and he could feel the fear in her, though he knew she was putting it aside for him and he didn’t have the heart to tell her she wasn’t fooling anyone. His eyes were still stinging and each time he blinked he hoped that when he opened them again, that he would miraculously be able to see again, but so far that had not happened.
Finally reaching the top of the mountain, Monica stopped so they could catch their breath as she wiped the water from her face with her free hand, biting her lip from the pain in her arm as she moved it. She squinted as she focused on what seemed to be some kind of small building at the bottom of the hill, but her joy was quickly replaced with worry at getting them both down this hill safely.
"Angel Girl?"
She turned to her friend, looking up into his tired face,
"There seems to be something at the bottom of the hill, Andrew, but I’m worried about getting us down there."
"We’ll go slowly, sweetie," He admonished her, relief in his eyes at the thought of someplace dry,
"Just take your time, okay?"
Tentatively, the little Irish angel began her descent; careful to make sure Andrew kept hold of her. It was steep, but there were trees to brace themselves on and though it took the better part of an hour, they did arrive safely at the bottom.
Approaching what appeared to be nothing more than a shack, Monica opened the door and led them both inside, trying not to be too disappointed, as it was at the very least dry,
"I think it’s maybe a shack that hunters use, Andrew," She explained, her eyes taking in their surroundings,
"There are two cots and a small table, but no water and no food. No heat."
"But its dry and a place to sleep for the night," Andrew added, sensing her discouragement as he gave her arm a reassuring squeeze,
"Thank you, for finding it."
She wanted to cry at his words, wishing she could have done better, but knowing it was out of her control. Taking his hand, she led him over to the cots and took his sweater from him in order to lay it out on the table to dry overnight, before she removed her coat and the flannel shirt, wanting it to dry out as well so she could give it to Andrew in the morning as he had no coat and hers would never fit him.
Returning to his side, she helped him to lie down and covered him with the thin, moth-eaten blanket,
"My cot is right beside of yours, so if you need anything, I’m right here, okay?"
"Thanks, Angel Girl," He murmured sleepily, finding her hand and kissing it gently,
"You did great tonight, you know."
She was thankful that he fell asleep so she had no need to comment on his words. She was exhausted, scared for them both and in pain and only wanted to lose herself in sleep. Moving to the table, she unwrapped the scarf from her arm and found it soaked in blood, so she tore off a piece of her ratty blanket to re-bandage it, wishing she had some clean water to rinse the dirt from the wound. She then picked up her coat, which was rain-resistant and already dry on the outside and tenderly laid it over her friend for extra warmth, determined to take care of him, no matter the costs.
Chapter 6
"NO!"
Andrew’s sudden scream jolted Monica out of a deep sleep and she sat upright on the small cot beside of her best friend and squinted in the dark. He was thrashing around on his own cot, his fists swinging in the air, as if trying to fight something off of him. Even though it was still dark, the Irish angel was able to make out some sweat on her friend’s forehead and was making its way down his face, along with tears in his green eyes. A nightmare, that’s what it was, Monica realized as she shoved off the small, moth-eaten blanket and crawled over to Andrew.
"Andrew, Andrew, wake up, my friend; it’s all right," Reaching out, she gently shook him by the shoulders, her own eyes, though tired, filled with sadness. She had wished that the past several hours had been all that-a dream-but as soon as her friend’s scream awakened her, she realized that wasn’t the case. They were still here in this shack, and Andrew was still blind,
"C’mon, Andrew, it’s okay; it’s okay."
Feeling him being woken up from that nightmare, Andrew opened his eyes, but the tears came harder as he realized that he was still unable to see. Lifting his hands up and rubbing hard at his eyes, hoping that would help him to regain his vision, it didn’t help. Darkness still surrounded him and he placed his hands back on his face, his shoulders shaking even as he sensed Monica’s presence beside him and her hands on his arms.
"Shhhh, it’s okay, my friend, it’s okay," Monica uttered tearfully herself as she drew her best friend tightly into her arms, even though the gash in her arm was screaming out in pain,
"I’m right here with you, and I won’t let you go I promise…"
"Oh Monica, I thought this was all a dream…" He whispered into her shoulder, hugging her back as tightly as he could as his arms shook,
"Why isn’t this a dream? Why can’t I see you? What did I do to deserve this, Angel Girl?"
"Andrew, it wasn’t you-"
"I never should have had us lean on the railing that way during the storm," He sobbed brokenly, even though he still held tightly to Monica,
"I might still be able to see, and we would still be with the others…"
Gently releasing him, but now holding his hands in her own so that he wouldn’t think she suddenly deserted him, the Irish human angel whispered shakily to him, desperate to make him understand,
"Andrew, either way, there was no way to stop that storm! We can’t stop nature from doing what it does, my dear friend; none of us can! You couldn’t have known that the railing would shatter…"
Shaking his tousled, dirty blonde head wearily, Andrew lowered his head and closed his eyes, although he knew it wasn’t necessary; but he didn’t want his friend to see the look in his eyes,
"Angel Girl…I-I just don’t understand…When will things be back to normal for us?"
Choking on a sob at his question, and knowing that she couldn’t answer it as she didn’t have the answers-only the Father did-Monica just responded by gathering her dearest friend tightly back into her arms for another hug and the two stayed that way until Andrew fell back once again into a deep sleep.
*****
After several hours of tossing and turning on her cot, Monica finally awoke and opened her eyes, spotting Andrew sitting on the edge of the cot. His arms were wrapped around his legs and his tangled blonde head was down. Squinting down at her watch, relieved to see that it was still working, she saw that it was just a quarter after 7 and although it was still semi-dark in the shack, there was at least some light coming through the small window near the door.
"Andrew?" Rising to her feet and heading the short distance to where her best friend sat, Monica rested her hand gently on his shoulder to let him know she was there and she watched sadly as he turned his head, trying to figure out where exactly she was.
"Yeah?" He whispered, tears still shining in his green eyes.
"What are you thinking about, my friend? Last night is over with…" She started, watching his face.
"I…I don’t know, Angel Girl," He began, keeping his arms wrapped around his legs as his shoulders shook slightly from fear,
"I just feel so…so helpless…"
Monica’s heart tore at his words and she moved her arm to wrap it around Andrew’s shoulders, feeling her friend’s head rest against her shoulder in reply. Not caring that his hair was still caked with mud and dirt, she moved her hand to stroke it soothingly and replied,
"You know…I have felt that way so many times in the past; you know that, and have always helped me through it, my friend. Now it’s my turn to repay that, and let me help you. I told you last night that I would be your eyes, and I will keep that promise, Andrew. You’re my best friend, and you’re so not alone. I’m here, and…and so is the Father." Her voice cracked on the last of her words and she rested her cheek against her friend and fellow angel’s head. It took everything in her to fully believe that God was still there with them, but if she looked deep down into her gentle heart, she did hear Him tell her that He was still very there.
A tear made its way down Andrew’s cheek at those words and he turned to wrap his arms tightly around his friend, as though she was the only source of comfort there was right at this moment. Tightly clutching her for dear life, the Search and Rescue angel didn’t want to let her go ever again.
But suddenly, a loud noise from outside caused them both to jump. Still holding onto her friend with one arm, Monica’s brown eyes widened as she listened closely,
"What was that?"
Upon not receiving any reply from Andrew, Monica grabbed his hand gently and moved her head until she could see out the window. What she saw there, however, caused her to gasp loudly and her grip only tightened on Andrew’s hand, causing him to flinch. Loosening her grip, the angel kept quiet, until her friend slowly uttered.
"Angel Girl? What…is it?"
"Stay right here," Monica ordered, giving his hand a tight squeeze before releasing it and rising to her feet. Making her way shakily over to the window, her ankle now starting to swell up and cause her limp to only increase, the angel tried to ignore it and looked out the window.
Yes, she was right. It really was there, much to her horror, and its large, brown eyes were now looking back at her threateningly.
Limping back over to where her best friend sat, the young Irish angel helped Andrew to his feet and wrapped her arm around his waist,
"We’ve got to find a place to hide!"
"What is it, Monica?" Andrew gasped, clutching her tightly back, his own heart racing as he felt the fear in his friend. Whatever she saw had to be bad, or else she wouldn’t be acting like this.
"It’s…it’s a black bear, Andrew…and it saw me."
Chapter 7
Andrew’s eyes widened at her words, even as he struggled to remain calm,
"Settle down, Monica. Chances are he is looking for food and there is none here."
She watched through terrified eyes as the bear vanished from her sight at the window and a moment later, she could hear it sniffing at the front door. Bolting to the door and biting back a cry at the pain that caused her ankle, she made sure that the latch was secure before throwing her weight up against it, just as their unwelcome visitor began to nudge on it.
Monica pressed herself back up against it as hard as she could as the bear continued to lean into it from the outside, all the while, sniffing.
Andrew could hear the creaking of the door and his heart raced, the feeling of helplessness once again creeping over him, but he stood rooted where she had left him, all the while praying for their safety.
As suddenly as it had started, the bear appeared to give up, or else his senses were telling him that there was no food inside of the tiny cabin and Monica heard the sound of its paws rustling among the leaves and sticks as it moved further away.
Relief flowed through her as her body shook in the aftermath and she gave way to the tears as she slid down against the door to the dirt floor of the cabin, covering her face with her hands as she released the fear she had been feeling since yesterday.
"Oh, Angel Girl," Andrew sighed, hearing her quiet weeping,
"Come here, sweetheart, please?"
"J…just give me a minute, Andrew…I’m fine…" She choked out.
"You are not fine," Andrew replied, venturing a tentative step towards the sounds of her sobs, his hands out in front of him. Though he progressed slowly, he finally found the door and carefully lowered himself down next to her,
"You know, my eyes may not be working right now, but these still are," He offered his arms to her and managed a smile as she leaned into them. Drawing her close to him, he continued softly,
"Nobody has to be a tower of strength on their own, Angel Girl."
"I just want to protect you and I can’t even do that right. All I find us is this broken down shack with no food and no water, and moth eaten blankets…" She whimpered miserably.
"Don’t forget the pet bear," He chided gently, hearing a laugh amongst her tears,
"And you never told me the blankets were moth eaten!"
Unable to suppress her laugh at his remark, she giggled before resting her head against his chest once more with a shuddering sigh.
"You’re doing fine, Monica," He admonished her gently, his fingers trying to undo a knot in her dirt-caked hair,
"I didn’t think we’d find any shelter last night, with that storm, but you found us a dry place to sleep. You’re doing the best you can, the best anyone can other than the Father, for both of us, sweetheart and I haven’t exactly made it easy on you either last night or this morning."
"You have every right to be afraid, Andrew. You’re completely in the dark right now and that would scare anyone." She replied softly.
"Yes," He added thoughtfully, his fingers tracing against the outline of her face, as if trying to see her anyway he could,
"But I was forgetting that you are afraid as well. We’ll do this together, baby girl, okay?" He felt her nod her head up against his chest and sighed softly,
"How’s the ankle?"
"It hurts," She admitted, though she added silently that it wasn’t hurting nearly as badly as her arm was. She felt a stab of guilt at not telling him about it, but there was nothing he could do for it anyway. She needed clean water to rinse the wound and she was fairly certain it was deep enough to need stitches, not to mention that she had a feeling it was becoming infected, judging by the heat she felt in it.
"Maybe you can find a walking stick outside, Angel Girl, to help take a little of your weight off of it," He said thoughtfully, wishing they could stay here until the sprain was better, but they both knew at the very least they needed to find drinking water before they dehydrated,
"You okay now?"
"Yeah, thanks to you. See, you aren’t as helpless as you thought you were." She smiled, seeing a grin playing on his face, before her eyes focused on something now that there was light coming in the window of the shack. Pulling away from him, she rose unsteadily to her feet and limped over to the corner of the cabin, her eyes lighting up at the discovery.
"What did you find, sweetie?" Andrew’s voice was tinged with curiosity.
"Backpacks, Andrew and one has a tent in it and the other…" She rustled through it before announcing triumphantly,
"Has non-moth eaten blankets and a flashlight!"
"We’ll take them with us in the event we can’t find shelter tonight," He said, rising to his feet, though he remained where he was until Monica led him over to the table.
"Here," She offered, helping him into the flannel shirt he had given her some time ago after she had fallen in love with its warmth,
"I still have my coat, but you need something warmer out there," once he was in the shirt, she handed him his sweater which had also dried out over night. At his insistence, she gave him the heavier of the two backpacks and helped to secure it on his shoulders, before hoisting her own pack onto her back and securing it.
After finding a walking stick, the two angels set off, Andrew’s hand holding securely to Monica’s upper arm. The rain had stopped at long last, and though things were muddy, the sun was at least shining brightly on the cool autumn morning.
The early part of the day passed uneventfully as they chattered back and forth as Monica led him onward through the woods, having no idea really of where they were headed, only hoping that they may find their friends or a comfortable place to rest that had heat and running water. They were both longing for showers by this time and thirst, even more so than hunger was setting in with them both.
Not long after noon, Andrew suddenly stopped walking, startling his friend as she was jolted to a halt,
"Andrew?"
"Shhh," He whispered, a slow smile on his face,
"Do you hear that?"
The younger angel strained to hear and soon did hear the sounds of what seemed to be a stream or creek. She watched Andrew nod in the direction where it was coming from, as they picked up their pace as much as they could with her ankle paining her a good bit by now.
As they approached the embankment, Monica frowned at the situation. It was a small stream, but instead of the cool, clear water she had envisioned, both to drink and to clean the wound on her arm, what she saw was water that was brown, the storm having washed mud into it,
"Oh Andrew, it’s completely muddy," She sighed in discouragement, though her friend’s next words took her by complete surprise.
"It doesn’t matter, Angel Girl. It’s water and we both need to drink it."
Chapter 8
"Andrew, this is so disgusting…" Monica uttered weakly as she once again scooped up a handful of the brown water in front of her. Shooting a glance over at her best friend, who still held a firm grip on her un-injured arm while trying to scoop up his own handful of the water. By the look that was displayed on his own face, Monica could tell that he thought this was rather disgusting, too. Watching him flinch visibly, the Irish angel kept her tired, brown eyes on her friend as he started to cough.
Leaning back until she was sitting on her heels, Monica gently patted Andrew on the back until the cough had subsided.
"Yes, it is gross…" He finally replied, his voice catching in his throat as another cough escaped him, turning his head in the direction where he suspected Monica was,
"But we’ll be dehydrated if we didn’t find something…"
"You all right there?" She gently asked, sitting back on the ground as her ankle was started to yell out in pain once again, and helping her best friend down with her.
"Yeah…yeah, I’m fine," He answered, taking a seat beside of her, his hand fumbling around until it reached hers,
"Is that ankle of yours doing any better?"
Sucking in a deep breath and holding it in for a moment, Monica pondered Andrew’s question, her mind wondering of what she should say. He had enough to worry about at the moment, not being able to see and all, and she didn’t want her best friend and fellow angel to worry also about her sprained ankle and the gash in her arm that was also hurting like crazy. As she debated of what to say, the angel’s thoughts were suddenly interrupted as Andrew repeated,
"Angel Girl?"
"I-It’s all right, my friend," She stuttered weakly, reaching down and rubbing her foot softly.
"Somehow I sense that’s not the truth, Monica," Andrew replied firmly, his green eyes and voice filled with full-time seriousness,
"Angel Girl, tell me the truth."
"Andrew, please don’t worry about me-"
"I’ll worry about you if I want to, Monica," Andrew interrupted, his tone still holding the same firmness,
"Now tell me."
Knowing that her dearest friend was about to have a nervous breakdown about her refusing to tell him the truth, Monica’s heart filled with guilt. She couldn’t tell him! He would only worry about taking care of her when he couldn’t even take care of himself, and then there would be a double weight on his shoulders; she couldn’t allow that. What kind of friend would she be if she allowed him to suffer even more so?
"Andrew, please, just worry about getting your sight back, all right?" She pleaded desperately, keeping a gentle hold on his hand and giving it a tight squeeze. Monica watched as a few worried tears filled Andrew’s green eyes and rolled down his dirty face; but she was relieved when he finally reluctantly nodded his head and sighed.
"Now…" Finally changing the subject, Monica started talking once again,
"Food. We need to find food; we’ll starve out here if we don’t find any…" Glancing around her, her brown eyes darting to any place that would carry food, Monica suddenly stopped as she saw deep down in the murky water that had just recently drank out of, a few fish swimming about. Her eyes widened in surprise and relief and she nearly cried out with happiness.
Sensing his friend had found something, Andrew asked,
"Did you find something, Angel Girl?"
"There’s fish down there!" She replied, her heart swelling as she thanked the Father for providing them with this. Although they hadn’t been rescued yet, He was still providing for them, even with something as simple as a few small fish in dirty water.
Rising to her feet and trying to keep from crying out loud about the pain in her ankle and the soreness in her upper arm, the Irish angel stood up shakily,
"I’ve got an idea of how we can do this…I’ll use that walking stick I found outside of that shack, sharpen it up with a rock or something, and…and try and catch some of those fish down there! It’s perfect, Andrew!"
A smile spreading across his dirty face, Andrew’s heart filled with some happiness at his friend’s discovery. She was really taking charge in this, and he was more than proud of her. Although he wished that she would tell him what was really wrong with her ankle-and he could feel it in her that wasn’t the only thing-he tried to push that feeling aside for the time being and concentrated on getting some food in their stomachs,
"Great work, Angel Girl. Great work…Where’s that stick?"
Whirling around and limping back over to where Andrew sat, Monica grabbed the stick from beside him and smiled in his direction, although she knew he couldn’t see it. But the smile however, was evident in her voice,
"Don’t worry about anything. I’ve got it all taken care of, my friend." And with that, she sat back down, grabbed a nearby rock and set to work.
*****
Several hours passed by until the two angels, as weak as they were physically, were finally able to get the two small fish from the murky, dank water, cut it up and cook it over a small fire. Or rather, Monica did most of the work, although Andrew wanted to help his friend out badly. But the little Irish angel refused, as she was worried that he would get hurt, and rightly so.
By now, darkness had fallen over the woods and the two human angels sat side by side on a large rock, the flickering fire in front of them being the only light visible to the naked eye. There weren’t even stars out that night, just total blackness,
"I wish you could see the fire, Andrew…" Monica whispered, her heart breaking as she remembered some of the precious moments she and her friends-especially Andrew-had spent in that cabin,
"Although it’s not the same…it just reminds me of the cabin."
Holding tightly to his best friend’s hand and sighing, Andrew whispered dejectedly,
"I wish we were there right now, Angel Girl…"
"But we sure did have some great memories there, didn’t we?" Smiling over in his direction, Monica let go of his hand and moved until she had her arm around him. Taking his arm and wrapping it around her shoulders, the little angel closed her eyes and continued,
"Remember when we had that week off to be together?"
*****
(Monica and Andrew’s Flashbacks)
Looking down, Monica soon noticed that there was a small bag at her feet and she frowned in curiosity. Kneeling down, she laid her hand against the bag and tilted her head to the side.
‘Who’s is this?’ She wondered, her heart suddenly thumping in her chest with anxiety.
But before she could take a look in it and see whom it belonged to, an all too familiar voice spoke out loud and clear, causing her to jerk her head up in surprise,
"Monica??"
Her brown eyes widened in shock as she saw Andrew standing in the doorway of the kitchen. His blonde hair was disheveled and bags hung underneath his loving, green eyes and tiredness seemed to radiate from him, but she saw the surprise in those eyes she loved so much along with happiness soon following.
"Andrew?" She choked out, rising to her feet as her legs shook. Seeing him nod his head and stepping closer to her, Monica took the next step and although she was exhausted from the past month and a half, she was able to find it in her being to run towards her best friend and wrap her arms around his neck in a tight hug. Running her hands through his hair while giving his cheek tiny kisses, Monica’s eyes filled with happy tears as she felt Andrew embrace her back with as much strength as she did while his own hands ran through her long hair.
"Monica, you’re really here…" She heard him whisper in her ear and she nodded her head while still smiling,
"Baby girl, I missed you so much…"
"Andrew," She whispered back, while still clinging tightly to him and burying her face in the nape of his neck,
"Oh Andrew…"
"Yeah, I’m here, sweetheart…I never expected to see you today," He whispered back as he only continued to hold her, never wanting to let her go again. Giving her another squeeze, Andrew smiled tiredly, yet happily, as he continued,
"I sure have missed holding you, Angel Girl…"
"I know, my friend," She replied, resting her head against his shoulder,
"Me, too. Me, too, Andrew…"
*****
Silence once again passed between them before Monica broke it again, her Irish voice now filled with eagerness and excitement,
"You know what I’m hungry for?"
"Hungry? It’s past 1AM, Monica-"
"I’m hungry for microwave popcorn," She chirped as if her best friend hadn’t objected,
"And some of your famous hot cocoa. How ‘bout it?"
Laughing hysterically, the blonde older angel shook his head and rose to his feet, reaching a hand down to help Monica to hers,
"If you want to, Angel Girl…"
"Oh, I do!" She giggled and winked at him. Still holding his hand in her own, they headed towards the kitchen and Andrew opened up the cupboard to retrieve a bag of microwave popcorn, tearing off the package and handing it to Monica’s eager hands.
"You do this, Miss Wings, and I’ll get the hot chocolate going, all right?"
Nodding her head, the hyper angel who had lived on at least four cups of coffee that day, stuck the bag in the microwave and pushed the button. Almost as if she was a child, the younger angel watched as the bag grew bigger and the popping sounds sounded throughout the cabin, her brown eyes growing wider with each pop.
Seeing his friend’s childlike manner, Andrew shook his head and turned back to the hot chocolate; but he was brought out of his concentration of making a perfect cup when he felt a few popcorn kernels being thrown against the back of his head. Yelping and turning around, Andrew frowned as he saw his best friend holding an open bag of popped microwave popcorn and was sticking some in her mouth, while at the same time throwing some kernels at him.
"You better watch it, Angel Girl…" He warned, folding his arms across his chest,
"If you make a mess, I’m not cleaning it up…" Raising an eyebrow in a mock threat, the older angel’s eyes widened as Monica threw more of the popcorn at him. Not knowing what else to do, Andrew shook his head and sighed in exaggeration before turning mischievous green eyes to the giggling angel,
"You asked for it, Angel Girl!"
Popcorn bag still in her hand, Monica let out a high squeal and took off back to the living room, all the while throwing kernels over her shoulder at her best friend. Turning around while sticking a piece in her mouth, she laughed as she saw Andrew pick a piece that had hit him off of the hard wooden floor and stuck it in his mouth, munching on it.
"Mmmmm, this is actually good!"
"And you doubted, Angel Boy?" She winked at him just before she threw one more kernel at him. But just as she was about ready to run for her life and away from Andrew’s fingers, who appeared to be ready to tickle her at any minute, she felt her friend grasp her around the waist and she let out a high squeal again. As her best friend tickled her until she was near tears, the two angels suddenly found themselves on the floor again, this time behind the couch.
As the laughing finally stopped and the commotion died down a bit, Monica felt herself being pulled back into Andrew’s embrace and she let out a small giggle as she felt his arms around her. With the bag still in her hand, she wrapped her own arms around him back and leaned into him, her head resting up against his chest.
"Angel Girl, this was the most fun I’ve had in a long time…" He whispered into her ear as he stroked her auburn hair,
"Thank you…"
Smiling at him as she only continued to hold onto him, she gave him a squeeze as she replied,
"I always have fun on my vacations, especially when they involve my best friend and food fights…"
*****
"Oh sweet Angel Girl," He whispered tearfully,
"How can you love me so much when I hurt you like I do?"
Hearing the sound of her friend's voice, Monica slowly opened her eyes, a sleepy smile spreading across her face as she saw him beside of her,
"You're home."
"Yeah, sweetheart," He answered gently,
"And so is Carla. She's going to be just fine in a few days."
"Thank you," She whispered, reaching for his hand and feeling it tremble in hers as she thought back to the words that had brought her out of her sleep and she could see the pain brewing in his green eyes, even here in the darkness,
"What is it, Andrew? Something is wrong-I can see it."
"Sometimes I think you see too much for your own good, Monica," He replied with a sigh, wondering if he should tell her. He hated to burden her now with her trying to get back to good health, but he knew it was too late. She already knew something was wrong.
"They have Brianna, sweetie, and have given me an ultimatum- her or me by tomorrow night. I let her down, Monica, just like I have let you down so many times in the past. I'm just so sorry that I haven't been a better friend to you…"
"Oh Andrew," She uttered, her eyes filled with sorrow as she wrapped both of her smaller hands around one of his,
"A better friend? Andrew, other than the Father, I couldn't have asked for a better friend than you."
"No Monica, you're wrong. You could do much better…" Andrew responded, as he tried to pull his hand away, but the little angel, even in her weakened state, wasn't about to let go.
"There are two things I am sure about, Andrew, each and every day. One is that God loves us and the other is your friendship. Just like God reminds me a hundred times a day that He loves me, you do the same, my friend. The way you hold me when I'm afraid, and let me fall asleep in your arms when I'm upset. The way you take my hand when we are walking somewhere and the way you always want to protect me from harm. And you aren't always able to do that, but the fact that you want to and that you feel so badly when you can't, just makes me love you more," Her voice trembled as she spoke, and watched the tears that fell from his eyes,
"You told me yesterday you would change places with me and I knew beyond the shadow of a doubt that if you could, you would. Andrew, you tell me a million times a day how much you care about me, and then, just when I need to hear it the most, you say it in words and then it is all the more special to hear," Her voice caught in a sob as she continued,
"A better friend? Andrew, I could search the whole world over, humans and angels alike and not find one other who touches my heart the way you do…every single day."
"But Monica," He said softly, looking into her tear-filled eyes through his own blurred vision,
"You wouldn't be in the condition you are in now if it weren't for my leaving you…"
"Andrew, since when is that tender heart of yours responsible for everything bad that happens? There is evil in this world and you cannot control it. Kathleen did this, Andrew, not you. You went to help who you thought was a friend and you had no reason to believe I wouldn't be all right," Reaching out her hand she softly touched his cheek with a touch so light and full of love, he closed his eyes,
"You told me the other night when Kathleen had me in the darkness, to not let her win. Remember that? But right now, my friend, she is winning with you. She and Denise are the reasons you feel this way. Don't let them, Andrew. They are only as powerful as we allow them to be-don't give them anymore power than what they deserve and they don't deserve any. And as far as what you are thinking, about giving yourself to save Brianna, get that out of your head right now. If you even try, I will come and find you and bring you Home. Because I, for one, need you and I don't want any other best friend…only you, Andrew, only you…" Her teary eyes met with his as he lowered his head to the bed and sobbed; releasing all of the pain and guilt he had been feeling since this whole thing started.
Reaching out, Monica gently stroked his tangled blond hair as he released his pain and exhaustion, wondering if he had even really slept since she had first fallen ill. Gently kissing the top of his head, she continued soothingly,
"You've been through so much yourself, sweet Andrew and you saved Carla tonight, of that I have no doubts. Thank you…thank you for helping her and for being there for me. The Father will take care of Brianna, Andrew," She whispered, smiling as she heard the words come to her heart from above,
"He wants her to turn back to Him, Andrew, and she has to do that on her own and once she does, there will be angels there to help her. But she needs to put her trust back in Him and you cannot do that for her, no matter how much you want to. The Father is proud of you, Andrew, but He wants you to rest now in knowing that He is taking care of the rest."
*****
"Andrew, honestly, I’m feeling better," Monica protested as her friend wrapped a blanket snugly around her as she sat in the chair near the fire. She had finally gotten stir crazy up in the bedroom after another day, and had pleaded for him to let her come downstairs, if just for a while. Though she was still hoarse and coughing, he had finally relented and had helped her downstairs.
"I know you are, Angel Girl, but you’re still coughing so much and you don’t have your strength back yet, so I’m afraid you are just stuck with me taking care of you for a while longer," He replied patiently, knowing he well enough to know that though she felt "better", she still didn’t feel "good", though she was definitely headed in the right direction.
"Better be careful, my friend, I could get used to this treatment," She teased lightly, watching as he sat down on the stool in front of her.
Andrew caught the twinkle in he eyes and smiled, relieved to see her smiling again after so long,
"Warm enough?"
"Yes, sir," She replied, settling into her role as the good patient. She watched as he fell silent for a moment and wondered what it was he was thinking about, but she knew if she waited long enough, he would tell her.
"Monica," he began after a moment, looking back up to meet her eyes,
"There is still something else we need to talk about." Seeing the curiosity in her brown eyes, he reached for her hand,
"We need to talk about what happened on the porch the day Andrea died."
Monica swallowed hard, and briefly looked away from him,
"I don’t think I want to talk about that, Andrew. I think I’d rather forget any of it happened." Her voice was a sad whisper as she gazed at the flames flickering in the fireplace.
"Believe me, sweetheart, there is nothing I’d like better, but we can’t do that, Monica. We have to talk about it to get past it, so it isn’t hanging over our heads for years to come," Still seeing her stubborn expression, he continued,
"You know what blaming yourself for Andrea did to you over the last four years and I don’t want this doing the same thing, to either of us, and even more importantly, I don’t EVER want something like this to happen to us again. You are my best friend, Monica, and I jeopardized that on the porch that day in a way so horrible and so cruel, that I’m not sure I’ll ever forgive myself for it."
"Andrew, please…" She pleaded, tears shimmering in her eyes,
"Do we have to talk about this?"
Andrew looked at her closely, trying to determine why it was she was so resistant to this conversation. Was it because of her part in all of it that she was ashamed of? He had a feeling that was part of it, but not all of it. Then as he continued to look into her eyes, he saw the truth. Her love for him was there, but hidden deeply was also the hurt that had been inflicted that day.
He squeezed her hand tightly, laying his other hand on her knee,
"Yes, baby, I’m afraid we do. There are things I need to say and things that you need to hear. I don’t want to do this to hurt you, Angel Girl, but to make things better for us both. We can’t pretend it didn’t happen, not when we both know better."
Monica drew in a trembling breath,
"I know you’re right…it’s just that, I haven’t dealt with this part of it and I’m not sure that I want to, Andrew."
"I know. I didn’t start to deal with it until the day of my accident when I realized the truth, but Monica, it’s time." He looked at her, finally seeing her sadly nod her head.
Taking a deep breath of his own, Andrew opened his mouth and started as he gave his friend’s hand a gentle squeeze,
"Monica, what happened that day…I’d first like to apologize for my actions. Striking you like I had, baby…I know that was totally and completely uncalled for…At that time, the anger and frustration ran so deep, and…"
Closing his green eyes as he felt tears start to brim in them, Andrew forced himself to continue,
"I know it was so wrong to blame you, and pinning my anger on you, Monica. I – I don’t know how I could’ve done that to you, but I did, honey…"
"Because of Andrea…and her own anger at you…"
Monica’s sad voice brought the angel’s head up to stare into her eyes and he nodded, squeezing her knee before taking her other hand into his,
"And I took it out on you, because she befriended you so easily and not me. I – I was being a selfish child, Monica; keeping all of my feelings inside, yelling at the ones I loved and then striking out at my very best friend: You, Monica."
Her tears now streaming down her cheeks, Monica returned the hand squeeze of her friend, but not meeting Andrew’s eyes steadily,
"I do love you, Andrew; you know that…but I won’t pretend right now that it hurt. I forgave you a long time ago, my friend, but I just can’t forget it…"
"Neither can I, baby," Andrew choked out, still trying to meet her eyes until she finally gave in,
"I know it may still take a while for us to get all of the way past this, but we can do it, Monica…I know we can."
(End Monica and Andrew’s Flashbacks)
*****
"Do you think the Father will ever make our cabin good as new again, Andrew?" Monica whispered as the memories came to a close and the Irish angel still held tightly to her friend,
"There’s too many memories there for it to be gone for good, you know?"
Sighing softly, Andrew rested his cheek on the crown of her head and replied the best he could,
"I don’t know, sweetheart, but I sure hope so. And I really hope the others are all right…"
Chapter 9
"I can’t believe that they’ve been missing for two nights now," Carla said softly as she, Tess and Rose finally stopped working on repairing what they could of the cabin. But the fact was, it was beyond repair. There was so much water damage and roof damage that it would never be the same again-at least not without week’s worth of work. But the three angels had decided to stay until Andrew and Monica were able to find their way back.
"I know, Carla," Rose replied, her blue eyes filled with worry for the two angels who had been swept away in that flood that had been caused by the storm,
"I just pray that wherever they are, that they are together. Our Angel Boy always takes care of that little angel, so if they are together, they will be fine, of that, I’m certain."
"The Father is looking out them, you two," Tess grumbled, trying to hide her own concern over her missing friends,
"They’ll be showing up at the door, well, where the door used to be, anytime now, chatting away about their latest adventure. They’re like kids sometimes, those two," She shook her head, though her affection for the pair was evident in her eyes.
"I sure hope so, Tess. That water was pretty rough and you know how terrified Monica is of water," Carla sighed, unable to keep from worrying,
"And it’s going to break their hearts to see this place. Though it’s special to all of us, I know the two of them share some wonderful memories of this place."
As silence fell amongst the three angels, they all couldn’t help but wonder just what had happened to their two angelic friends and when the Father would lead them back to safety.
"What are we going to do about the cabin, Tess?" Carla piped up once more, unable to stand the quiet any longer,
"Can we repair it, do you think?"
Tess sighed softly as she shook her head,
"I dunno, baby. It would require an awful lot of repair and I’m not so sure the Creator of the universe would be willing to give five of his angels that much time off."
"What if tomorrow we venture out a bit and see if we can’t find those two angels?" Rose spoke up, after being quiet for quite sometime,
"They may be hurt and in need of help and I hate to think of them out there by themselves trying to find their way back here. They could even be relatively close by and just don’t realize how close they are."
"I’m in!" Carla added excitedly, her eagerness to do anything to help her friends making her ready to run out and start looking for them now.
Tess nodded her head thoughtfully,
"I think that is the best idea I’ve heard all day, Rose. I just can’t seem to shake this feeling that those two are in need of help."
***
Darkness settled in once again with the two angels, though the visual had never really changed for Andrew, though he wasn’t quite as frustrated as he had been yesterday, or even this morning. He had been able to help Monica pitch the tent by her positioning him where he needed to be in order to hold up the main frame while she had hammered the stakes into the ground with a rock, and he hoped she had not missed his grateful smile at being asked to help her. He knew she had sensed his discouragement at not being able to help her with the fish or the fire, so she had been looking for something that she felt he could do without running the risk of getting hurt.
He was still deeply troubled over her reluctance to tell him what was wrong earlier, especially since he had a feeling it was more than her ankle, though after feeling it tonight and being able to tell how swollen it was, he knew it had to be paining her, especially with all the walking they had been doing. No, this was something more; something she was afraid about and he had no idea what it could be.
He couldn’t be angry about her mistruth though. After all, what could he do to help her in his current state? This was what nagged at him. What was the purpose of his vision being taken from him? Was it so that his friend could find her inner strength to lead them through this and if that was the case, she had already proved that as far as he was concerned? So why was he still unable to see? He had to admit, he enjoyed relying on his other senses and he found that he was able to sense danger, fear and pain without being able to see it, but then there were many things he missed being able to see: like the woods and the trees, and the creek that he could hear running outside of their tent, and the sight of his dearest friend’s face.
Andrew sighed as he struggled to get comfortable on the hard ground next to Monica, who seemed to already be asleep, before he offered up prayers to the Father,
"Father, be it Your will, allow me to see again soon. Please keep Monica safe as well as our friends back at the cabin." Sighing softly once more, he closed his eyes and drifted into a restless sleep.
Monica awoke a short time later with a start, her forehead beaded with feverish sweat and pain shooting up her arm. Sitting up slowly, her heart racing, she grabbed the flashlight and slipped quietly out of the tent and down close to the water. Her hands shook slightly as she removed the makeshift bandage she had placed on it last night in the small cabin. She winced as the material stuck to the gaping wound and she stifled a cry as she pulled it off.
Switching on the flashlight, she shone it on her arm, feeling sick at the sight of it. Infection had definitely set in due to her not being able to clean it and she could just make out the dirt and debris within the gash. She knew from her experience as a caseworker that the chills and night sweats she had been experiencing while trying to sleep were also proof that it was infected and tears filled her eyes at the fact that she had no idea of what to do about any of it.
Moving to the edge of the water and rinsing out the bit of blanket she had used as a bandage, she rewrapped her arm with it, wincing once again at the pain. She rested her face in her hands for a moment, trying to calm herself down. She wasn’t even sure if she did tell Andrew about it, if he would have any suggestions as to what they could do about it here and now. There was no clean water and though she had found a small sewing kit within one of the backpacks, she knew she would be unable to stitch up the wound herself and Andrew certainly couldn’t do it, though she shuddered at the very thought of the pain it would cause to do it at all. Plus the fact still remained that it needed to be cleaned first and clean water was nowhere in sight.
Deciding to return to the tent and to try to sleep once more, she rose shakily to her feet, her ankle throbbing from the amount of time she had been on it that day. The rocks near the creek were wet however and before she realized what had happened, she felt herself falling, her bad ankle giving out on her and her head hitting on the ground. Though she didn’t hit hard, it was enough to cause her to fall into unconsciousness, even as she tried to fight it, for fear of what would happen were Andrew to wake up and find her missing.
Chapter 10
Several moments passed before Monica fought her way out of the unconsciousness she was in, and opened her brown eyes wearily. Her ankle was throbbing now like never before and she knew that she had to get back to the tent before she fell back into the darkness. She had to be back before Andrew woke up; that was all there was to it.
Weakly pulling herself up to her knees, the Irish angel forced herself to not let out a desperate cry of pain. Feeling her heart racing like wild horses in her chest, Monica forced herself to take deep breaths and slowly climbed to her feet, all the while saying a silent prayer to the Father,
‘Oh Father…please…help us…’
*****
Andrew awoke with a start and blinked his eyes. His heart was pounding loudly in his chest and he looked worriedly around him. Darkness still fell like a veil around his eyes, but he also was able to sense that something wasn’t right around him. Turning his head to the left and reaching his hand out and feeling the spot where Monica was, his heart then thudded as he felt just the ground beneath his hand.
Where was she?
"Oh no, Father…help her, keep her safe! Where is she…?" He prayed quickly to God, pushing one of the blankets aside and off of him before crawling over to the opening of the tent. Hesitantly reaching for the walking stick that they had used for their fish that evening, Andrew grabbed and shakily rose to his feet. Feeling his legs shaking madly underneath him, the human angel tentatively took a step forward, all the while feeling the Father’s presence beside him as he continued. Keeping one hand out in front of him so he wouldn’t run into a tree or Monica herself, Andrew seemed to hold his breath as he continued walking those slow steps.
Feeling sweat now pouring down off his forehead with nervousness, Andrew stopped then to catch his breath and gather himself together for right now. Keeping a firm grip on the stick he held in his right hand, he continued to walk and after what seemed to be several hours to him, although it was only several minutes, he suddenly heard some heavy breathing in front of him, coming straight towards him. A choked up sob soon followed and Andrew immediately recognized it.
Monica!
Before he could call out and make sure it was really her, his best friend’s Irish voice called out to him first,
"Andrew!"
"Angel Girl…where are you?" He called out, hearing his voice shake worriedly as he feared that she was hurt,
"You-you’re not hurt are you?"
Monica, for her part, limped as quickly as she could over to him; now, not only were her ankle and arm hurting like never before, but so was her head from where it had struck the rock just minutes ago. Putting one of her hands to her pounding head, the other she gripped a tree trunk as she made her way over to her friend. How had he been able to make it out of the tent and find her? Was his sight back?
But as she saw him, she noticed that one of his hands was held out in front of him and in his left hand, he held her walking stick to help him along. By the look on his face, she saw deep worry etched on it. Feeling hot tears filling her tired, brown eyes, Monica finally made her way to her friend while talking to let him know she was coming closer.
"I-I think I’m all right…" She uttered as she finally reached him. Seeing him reach his arm out and feel around for her face, Monica’s tears came harder as she felt him take her cheek in his hand and stroke it,
"Andrew…how did you…"
"Are you sure you’re all right, sweetheart?" He broke in, ignoring her question about whether he was all right,
"Please tell me the truth."
Forcing back a sob, Monica, instead of replying, collapsed into his arms and wrapped her shaking arms around his waist, not only trying to find some strength so she wouldn’t collapse, but also to find some comfort in her dearest friend. She buried her face deep into his chest as his arm circled around her shoulders, and before she knew it, he had lowered both of them down to the ground so he could hold her with both arms without worrying that they both would fall over.
"Baby girl, I know I’m not much help for you with whatever else is wrong, but please tell me," He urged gently, holding her as tightly as he dared, even as his arms shook madly,
"Monica, you’re my best friend and I know you’re more hurt than you’re letting on…"
Feeling the love emulating from his being and towards her, Monica, though her upper arm was screaming in agony, tightened her arms around him as her shoulders shook with sobs that were from tiredness, fear, pain and worry for them all,
"Y-you’re right, Andrew…You’re right; you just know me better than anyone besides the Father…I’m just so scared, and there’s nothing anyone can do right now…"
"Shhh, Angel Girl," Andrew tried to soothe her the best way he knew how as his fingers worked their way through her own dirty, tangled hair,
"I just want you to tell me; I know the Father is with us right now. He was with me when I found you, and He still is. Baby girl, I love you so much and I care about you. I just hate seeing you hurting like this, and I know it’s more than the ankle. Right?"
Nodding her head weakly, Monica never lifted her head from his chest as she choked out through shaky sobs,
"It’s…it’s my arm. The day of the flood, right when we got washed away here…it ripped into some sort of tree or bark and there’s a gash on it right now; I know it needs stitches, and clean water to wash it. But there’s nothing, and on top of that, you’ve lost your sight; I just didn’t want you to worry anymore than you have to, Andrew. I wanted to be strong for all of us…"
"Angel Girl, you ARE strong," Andrew felt his voice getting choked up upon hearing her words,
"You’ve taken care of us both these past 2 days, and for that I’ll be more grateful than you’ll ever know. I trust that the Father will give me back my sight…hopefully soon so I can take care of that arm of yours; and I know that we’ll be rescued. It will happen, Monica…"
"I just wish I knew when, Andrew…" She responded shakily,
"I just wish I knew when all those things will take place…"
*****
Very early that next morning, Carla, Tess and Rose woke up even before dawn and, not even bothering to eat breakfast, gathered into Tess’ red Convertible to search for their beloved friends and fellow angels. It was still rather windy, but the sun had decided to make an appearance to them; but it was still muddy and the three angels didn’t want anything else to happen if they searched on foot.
As Tess sat behind the wheel and Rose in the passenger’s seat, Carla meanwhile sat in the back, staring out the window. Silence passed between them all, none of them speaking as they kept an eye out for anything that would indicate their friends were nearby. The youngest, blonde-haired angel sighed deeply as she leaned back in her seat and continued to look out the window. The trees and scenery passed by them quickly and Carla felt her heart break at the thought that two of her closest friends were out there somewhere…alone, scared, and maybe even injured.
"Father, please help them…I know they need You more than ever," She softly prayed as tears formed in her green eyes that were identical to Andrew’s, and rolled down her grief-stricken face.
Chapter 11
Andrew lay awake early that morning, unable to sleep after what had transpired the night before. His dearest friend slept restlessly, her head resting on his chest and her wounded arm stretched out across him. He could tell she was running a low grade fever due to lack of any treatment for the gash in her arm and his concern deepened.
Tentatively, he moved his hand to lay it on top of her upper arm, pausing as he heard her whimper softly in her sleep. As she quieted once more, he laid his hand over the wound, frowning as he felt the fire coming off of it through the fabric in her sweater as well as the cloth she had bandaged it with.
Frustration and anger began to eat at him once again and he knew he needed a little air. Carefully and gently, he moved from Monica’s warm embrace, feeling for his blanket to lay over her small form, as he rose unsteadily to his feet and felt his way out of the tent.
Andrew could feel the sun on his face, but it did little to raise his sinking spirits as he wandered slowly a few feet away from the tent. Turning his face to the sun, he began speaking to the only One who held the answers for them,
"Father, I’m trying hard not be angry, but I don’t understand any of this. At first, I thought I did, but not anymore. At first, I thought You were forcing me to give up control over what comes naturally to me-taking care of Monica. With not being able to see, I am unable to do that, so she had to take the lead and take care of me. But Father, she has done that! With Your help, she has provided for both of us, despite the fact that she has been in physical pain the entire time! She needs help, Father, help that I cannot give her without being able to see! She’s in pain and You know what that does to me! I need to be able to help her, Father, please? And what about the others, are they all right? I need some answers here, Father and I need them soon. I’m not trying to make demands, I’m just frustrated." He sighed softly as he lowered his head,
"There has been good in all this, Father, I know. I haven’t been blind to those things. I’ve had to learn to trust both You and Monica in ways I never had before, and she needed to gain back some confidence in herself ever since that whole terrible incident with that demon," He swallowed hard, unable to even speak the name of the one who had hurt his friend in such a terrible way,
"I see all those things, Lord and I thank You for them. I just want to be able to help her now…"
He stopped short, hearing footsteps behind him,
"Angel Girl?"
"Are you okay?" She asked softly as she hobbled towards him, stopping at his side and wrapping her arm around his waist to let him know she was there.
"Yeah," He sighed softly, trying to hide his discouragement,
"I just needed a little air and a talk with the Father is all."
She nodded her head, though she knew he couldn’t see it,
"Where are we headed today?" She asked softly, leaning her head tiredly against his arm.
"Nowhere, baby," He said decisively, knowing that was the one thing he was sure of,
"If the others are looking for us, it is better that we stay in one place, at least for now. Secondly, I want to give your ankle a chance to heal, though we’ve probably done more damage to it than what was originally done, just be being on it as much as you’ve been the last few days, and third," He drew in a deep breath,
"I want to give the Father a chance to answer my prayer."
"To give you your sight back," She stated, knowing without even having to ask,
"Just so you know, Andrew…I’ve been praying for that to happen too."
A tearful smile crossed his face at her words as he wrapped his arm around her shoulders, careful to avoid her arm,
"Thank you, sweetheart," He whispered, kissing the top of her head,
"And thank you for all you’ve done for me the last few days, though no offence, but I sure would like to be the one looking out for you again."
"Tess always said you enjoyed that," Monica teased gently.
"Yeah, well, she was right about that. I like knowing that you’re all right and knowing that if something is wrong, then I can help fix it and I can’t do that right now, but hopefully soon," He swallowed hard, trying to keep his frustration in check about all of this,
"How is your arm?"
"The same," She admitted truthfully, feeling better for having told him last night,
"There are moments when I almost forget how badly it hurts because I feel…used to it."
"On a scale of one to ten?" Andrew asked seriously, worrying about the low-grade fever he didn’t even know she knew she had.
"The pain?" She asked. Seeing him nod his head, she sighed softly as she decided upon the truth,
"An eight, maybe."
He nodded his head, his heart aching at her words, as he offered up another silent prayer. Ruffling her hair lovingly, he felt her lean into him for a hug and he wrapped his arms around her gently. Despite it all, she was still holding her own, and he knew that he had to as well.
"How about I go fishing for breakfast?" She asked after a moment, glancing down at the stream,
"The water is running a bit clearer today, Andrew. We could probably even wash up a little bit, even though as far as water goes, it reminds me of the Atlantic in 1912."
"Cold or not, that sounds like a plan," He admitted, longing to get at least some of the dirt out of his hair and off of his face. Though he couldn’t see it, he could definitely feel it,
"Lead on, Angel Girl," He added as he took her arm into his hand so she could lead him to the water’s edge.
Monica kept a firm grip on his shirt as he submerged his head into the cold water, running his fingers through the mud-caked knots in it until most of them were gone before he brought his head up with a yelp,
"That water is COLD!"
Unable to help but laugh at the look on his face, the little Irish angel soon found it to be her turn for Andrew to keep hold of her to help support her ankle, which was tolerating very little weight today. Though the water was freezing, it felt wonderful to work the dirt from her hair, despite the fact that she was shivering once she brought her head above water again,
"That feels so much better," She gasped, wringing some of the water from her long auburn hair, as Andrew steadied her. Looking up at his tousled hair, she reached up with her good arm and ran her fingers through it, arranging it so fell into place as it normally was, grinning at the smile that twitched on his lips.
Carefully, she led him back away from the water,
"Let me get my stick and I’ll go shopping for breakfast," She waited until he had sat down before she moved slowly back up the hill to grab her stick, feeling a bit of relief at being able to put some of her weight off her aching ankle.
The next two hours passed slowly and miserably as she worked on catching enough fish to last the day, as she didn’t think her arm or her ankle would hold out to have to do this again anytime soon. Though Andrew chatted with her, in an attempt to keep up her waning spirits, it wasn’t helping much right now. But finally, exhausted and hurting, she had caught enough of the small fish to hold them through until tomorrow.
Gathering the fish up in her coat, she handed it to Andrew as they made their way back up to the campsite in silence. He sensed a mood change about her as they walked back up the hill and when they stopped, he laid the coat carrying the fish down and turned to her, reaching out to touch her face, his eyes widening at feeling her cheek wet with tears.
"Monica?" He uttered, his face filled with questions.
She swallowed hard, the pain in her arm worse now after the two hours of stabbing at fish,
"A nine, Andrew," She whispered, her hand moving to the bandage on her arm. Pulling it back, she noticed the fresh blood on her hand,
"It’s at a nine right now is all."
Chapter 12
"A nine?" Andrew repeated somewhat weakly after hearing Monica’s words,
"Baby girl, are you…are you positive…?"
Nodding her head in pain, the little Irish angel winced as her best friend softly laid a hand on it, as if in his own way he was going to heal it; but it only caused tears to threaten her brown eyes. But instead of letting him know that the gentle touch of his hand hurt, she replied to the ‘yes’ or ‘no’ question,
"Yes…I’m positive, Andrew…"
Andrew’s human heart stabbed with pain at her confirmation and tears threatened his own green eyes once again. Lifting his head to where the sun appeared to be shining, and once he felt the sun on his face again, he softly lifted up one final desperate prayer. He hoped that Monica’s pain wasn’t part of His plan; he knew that his blindness obviously had to be, as he sort of knew now why it had happened. But the question of when it would end still tugged at his heart, and he just hoped with all of his might that he would be able to help Monica soon…and that he would be able to see her face again…
After not receiving a reply from their Heavenly Father, and still finding he was encased in the darkness, Andrew felt the hot, wet tears fall down his face. Reaching tentatively for his dearest friend and having found her shoulders, the blonde angel ever-gently drew her close to him again without hurting her. Feeling her clenching him back with weak hands and her cheek leaning up against his chest, Andrew rested his own cheek on her head and sighed deeply, closing his eyes.
But suddenly, just as Andrew was about to think that his prayers and pleas would never be answered, the unthinkable happened just then. Having just opened his eyes, instead of being greeted with the usual darkness he had grown accustomed to these last several days, instead he found the sun shining down on his face; they were sitting on the ground in some sort of huge forest near a tent; and Monica…Monica was sitting entwined in his arms, her arms wrapped tightly around his waist, and she didn’t even seem to realize that his sight had been given back to him.
His heart jumping into his throat, the still human angel blinked his eyes rapidly to make sure that none of this was some sort of joke or dream, and realizing it wasn’t, Andrew nearly broke down and sobbed with relief as he silently lifted up a tearful thank you to the Father,
‘Oh Father…thank You…thank You…’
Love filled his heart from the Father Himself as he seemed to be saying to him,
"Your welcome, My angel. I love you both, and I know what is best for you; it won’t be too long before this is all over. Just always remember to be still and know that I am God."
A tearful smile played on Andrew’s mouth as he nodded his head in understanding and looked back down at his dearest friend, whispering gently to her,
"Angel Girl?"
Lifting her auburn head off of her best friend’s chest, Monica looked up at him and she nearly gasped as she saw that he was now looking directly at her and a smile a mile wide was on his face even as tears streaked his cheeks. Her lower lip quivered as she reached a tentative hand up, like she did the night she found out he had gone blind, and touched his cheek. Watching as he grasped her hand into his and brought it to his lips in a gentle kiss, all the while his eyes never leaving her, Monica broke into a sob as she threw her arms, although one of them still hurt terribly, around his neck and hugged him as tight as she possibly could,
"He…He answered your prayer…He answered your prayer, Andrew!"
"Yes…He did, baby girl," Andrew replied as he embraced her gently back, still amazed at what had just happened out of nowhere,
"I can see you again; I can finally see you again…and I can finally help you…"
Burying her face into his strong chest, refusing to release him any time soon, Monica and Andrew only continued to hold tightly to one another on the ground next to the tent, relieved sobs escaping both of them.
*****
"We have to stop driving or I’m going to collapse behind the wheel, you two," Tess groaned as she stopped the car abruptly on the side of a dirt road and leaned her brown-gray head against the steering wheel,
"It’s also getting pretty darn late out there and I doubt we’ll find anything tonight…"
Rose, who was seated in the passenger’s side, glanced in the back and spotted Carla sound asleep against the headrest, her breathing soft and her hair slightly tangled. The eldest of the three angel’s heart started to break as she saw how closely similar Carla and Andrew’s hair color was, along with eye color. Raising her eyes to the ceiling of Tess’ beloved red Convertible, Rose whispered a silent prayer, hoping and praying that their two lost friends would be able to hear her,
‘We’ll find you two…If we have to go to the ends of the Earth, we’ll bring you home sooner or later; we love you both…’
Turning her gaze back over to Tess, who was still leaning up against the wheel, Rose laid a gentle hand on her shoulder and squeezed it softly,
"Honey, why don’t you catch a bit of sleep in the back with Carla? I’ll drive for a while, all right?"
Under different circumstances, Tess would have abruptly objected and told the angel asking that question that they had lost their mind, but now, she was relieved. They had to find her two precious "Angel Babies", and she didn’t want to stop, but there was no other option. Now, after Rose had suggested she drive for the time being, Tess’ heart filled with gratitude and she squeezed her friend’s hand gratefully,
"Thank you, Rose…"
"Your welcome," She smiled somewhat tiredly herself and then shooed her out of the car,
"Now get in the back seat; we don’t have any more time lose, but we will find Monica and Andrew. They’re God’s angels and He wouldn’t let them be lost forever; you and Carla know that."
Sighing deeply and nodding her head, Tess opened the driver’s side door and climbed out, soon tumbling into the back seat with Carla and almost immediately fell asleep next to her. Rose then put the car back into drive, stepped on the gas and pulled back onto the road, forcing her own eyes to stay open as she herself felt just a bit tired.
But she would do whatever it took to find her "Angel Boy" and Monica, no matter how tired she would get. Those two angels meant a great deal to all of them, although Andrew was the one who had captured her heart immediately when he had first moved to Search and Rescue with her. She did love Monica as well, as she was after all, Andrew’s best friend; but they didn’t have that bond that she and the blonde-haired, kind-hearted former Angel of Death shared, but that didn’t seem to matter to either of them. Monica seemed to not mind her friendship with Andrew, and she didn’t mind the Irish angel’s friendship with her charge. Those two angels, along with she, Carla and Tess, had grown so close over the course of many years and she would hate for anything to happen to it now.
But then there was the cabin…Just the very thought of it sent shivers up and down Rose's spine. There had been so many precious memories, although both good and bad, in that place that the Father had given to them so many years ago, and she could only imagine the devastation Andrew and Monica would feel once they returned and saw it…
Trying to push all of the thoughts and questions out of her mind, Rose blinked her light blue eyes and focused them on the street instead, all the while keeping her eyes peeled for two special angels that had captured all of their hearts with their love, child-like manner and kindness.
Chapter 13
"Thank you, Father, thank you," Monica whispered, as she continued to hold her friend close to her, her heart nearly bursting with the joy she felt at him having his sight back.
"He always hears us, Monica," Andrew replied softly as he pulled away, looking into her face once again with a soft smile,
"It’s so good to see you again." His hand moved to stroke her cheek as he looked into her eyes.
She rolled her eyes playfully,
"That’s saying a lot, my friend, considering the mess I am," She managed a small laugh as she looked down at herself, her clothing still covered in dirt and grime.
"Angel Girl, after three days of darkness, you could be covered in tar and still look great to me," He winked as she laughed, though he didn’t miss the pain in her brown eyes,
"Let’s take a look at this arm, okay?" Seeing her nod her head, he pulled away and touched his hand to the bandage as he had a few minutes ago,
"How long has it been bleeding like this, sweetie?"
"It started up again while I was fishing," She replied softly, her eyes on his face as he began to unwrap the bandage and once it was off, he drew in a sharp breathe,
"It’s bad, isn’t it?"
Not wanting to frighten her, he struggled for the right words,
"Well, it is worse than I thought it would be, but we’ll fix it, okay?" Fact was, he was more than a little scared himself. The wound was deep and infected as he could see bits of dirt within it that needed to come out and the last thing he wanted to do was to cause her more pain,
"Let me see what we have around here that might be useful. Hang tight."
Andrew rummaged around through the backpacks, finding the small sewing kit, which contained a needle and some heavy thread as well as some tweezers. He then tore a piece of fabric from one of the blankets before he returned to her side,
"There’s some bits of bark embedded in it, Monica and I need to get those out before I can do anything else, all right?"
Though frightened, she trusted him completely and she nodded her head. She was unable to watch and her eyes stung with tears of pain and though it seemed like a lifetime, he was finally satisfied that the wound was fairly clean.
"You okay?" Andrew asked gently, his apprehension apparent in his green eyes. He saw her nod and he lit a match and held the needle over the flame to sterilize it. So far, he had been acting mechanically, doing what needed to be done to help her, but now, as he let the needle cool, he nearly felt sick on his stomach at what he knew had to happen next. He looked up at her, tears shining in his eyes.
"Andrew?" Monica asked softly, her expression concerned as she saw his tears.
"Baby girl," He managed to choke out, laying his hand on the side of her head,
"I don’t want to hurt you, but this is going to hurt, Monica. We don’t know how much longer we’ll be out here and this wound is deep and needs to be closed. If I had something to numb your arm with, ice, anything, but I don’t…"
Though the fear was visible in her eyes, she reached up and took his hand into hers,
"It’s okay, Andrew. Don’t worry about me, all right? We both know it needs to be done, so just do what you have to do," She managed a tearful smile,
"I trust you with my very existence, so I can surely trust you with my arm."
Nodding his head, Andrew kissed her forehead with all the love in the world, before preparing to stitch up the gash in her arm,
"I need you to keep your arm still, sweetheart, okay?" He watched as she nodded and closed her eyes, her hand resting on his leg.
She wanted to scream when he started, but she forced it back for his sake, biting her lip to keep the cry inside. The pain was excruciating and she was almost afraid she’d pass out, but it was then that Andrew started talking to her as he worked and she fought to focus on the sound of his voice.
"Remember the very first time we were at the cabin, Angel Girl? That time when I was dead set on giving up on being an angel and you held me captive in front of the fire, bringing back all those memories of times that we had shared together," He chuckled, even as he concentrated on what he was doing,
"I was determined not to listen, but you kept pushing, completely unwilling to give up on me…" He continued on, for the next twenty minutes, recalling different times that they had shared together, until finally, the horrible task was over and he wrapped the fragment of blanket around her arm and secured it. Looking into her face, he saw her eyes were still closed tightly and he reached and cupped her face in his hands,
"It’s all over, little one."
As he pulled her to him, she released the tears of pain as her body trembled and she was unable to speak for several minutes,
"Thank you…" She was finally able to utter, despite the pain she still felt in her arm, she was still relieved that at least now it had gotten some attention to hopefully help it heal.
"You did great, baby girl," He replied tearfully, knowing that though the pain must have been terrible that she had never uttered a sound and he knew she had done that for him, not wanting him to feel badly about hurting her,
"I love you so much, sweetie," He whispered as he kissed the side of her head.
"I love you too, Andrew, and I’m so glad you can see again," She replied, beginning to calm down now from the ordeal.
"I just wish I had been of more help to you sooner, Angel Girl," Andrew said regretfully, though he knew that there had been lessons for both of them to learn.
"Andrew, if I had my choice with being lost in the woods after a flood with you being blind or lets say…Tess. I’d chose you every time," She giggled as she heard him laugh at her comparison, for though it was true that they both loved the older angel dearly, a camper she would never be.
"Point taken, Monica," Andrew chuckled, as he rose to his feet and gently helped her up as well, catching her around the waist so he could support her enough to keep off her ankle,
"And for that matter, I couldn’t have asked for better company to be lost out here with either. Now, c’mon, lets get a fire started and we’ll get those fish to frying."
***
As darkness fell, the two angels watched the fire burning, Andrew leaned back again a rock and Monica lay beside of him, her head resting on his leg. He had covered her with a blanket and now gently ran his fingers through her hair as they watched the flames dance before them.
"You were right about the fire, Angel Girl. It’s beautiful," He remarked, looking beyond it to the starry sky, rejoicing again at being able to see it.
Monica smiled sleepily, the day having taken its toll on her energy, though her friend seemed revitalized with having his sight back, and she had laughed several times throughout the evening as he pointed out how beautiful something was. She sighed softly; though her arm still ached and her ankle throbbed, she felt content, despite the fact that they were still lost in the woods. But her dearest friend had his vision back and the fire was warm and his hand in her hair felt so soothing and she wanted to remember this moment.
After a moment of comfortable silence between them, she spoke up softly,
"Do you know what you’re going to do about Casework or Search and Rescue?" She asked gently, her voice holding no hint of wanting to try to pressure an answer out of him, only of concern over a friend who had a difficult decision to make.
"I’m not sure yet," He replied softly, leaning his head back against the rock as he thought about it for a moment,
"What would you have me do, Angel Girl?"
"It isn’t my decision to make, Andrew-."
He smiled at her reply before continuing,
"I know, but if it were…if you could decide for me, what would you chose?"
Monica was quiet for a moment, thinking about his question,
"I can’t answer that, Andrew, but I will say this: The months that go by when I don’t see you, I miss you unbearably, rather like being homesick for you, I think. You are so much a part of me that it hurts to not have you near me. Sometimes I think that when the Father created us, that He made it so we share the same heart, you know?" Seeing him nod his head in understanding, she continued,
"Then on the other hand, I know how much you and Rose care for each other and if you didn’t see her as often, I know you’d miss her wisdom and her friendship. For you to come back to Casework, would be a dream come true for me, Andrew, even if it is a selfish one, but I also know that if you decide to stay in Search and Rescue, that the times I really need you, you’ll be there, just like I would be for you. When it comes to you, Andrew, there is nothing more important to me than your happiness, just so long as I remain a part of your existence."
"Always, Angel Girl," He whispered, touched by her thoughtful words,
"You’re more than just part of my existence, you know that."
"I know and with that being said, you mentioned the other night about wondering when things would get back to normal for us, remember that? You’re right, the last year and a half, things have been really hard, but I want you to know how thankful I am that I had you to go through everything with. Though I know that the Father is always looking out for us, nothing feels quite as scary with you holding onto my hand," She whispered, closing her eyes, the constant motion of his hand in her hair causing sleepiness to wash over her.
"I agree, little Angel of Truth," He smiled tearfully at her words,
"You always know what I need to hear, right when I need to hear it, Monica, and your trust in me, after the times I’ve betrayed it, mean more than you will ever know," He gazed down at her lovingly, seeing the smile on her lips as she drifted off to sleep,
"You sleep, baby girl. After the last three days, you’ve more than earned it and tonight, I’ll watch over you, knowing that the Father is watching over us both," His fingers still entwined in her hair, he leaned his head back, despite their current situation, feeling completely at peace.
Chapter 14
A rapping sound on the driver’s side window jolted Rose out a deep sleep and, blinking her eyes wearily after rubbing them, the elderly angel turned her head towards the window and saw a uniformed police officer leaning down to look at her, a concerned look on his young face. A sharp stab of pain shot through Rose’s heart as she saw such a resemblance between this officer and Andrew.
Shaking her head tiredly, she rolled down the window quietly as to not wake the others in the back seat who were still sleeping,
"Yes, officer?" She yawned tiredly and blinked once more, trying to get the sleep out of her light blue eyes.
"Are you three all right, ma’am?" The man questioned, frowning worriedly at the angel and her friends in the back seat,
"My partner and I were making our rounds this morning and we came across your vehicle on the side of the road, with all three of you sleeping. Is everything okay?"
Tears threatened the eldest angel’s eyes, but she blinked them back as she forced herself to remain calm here,
"Yes…yes, I think we’re all right, officer."
His brow wrinkling and the frown deepening on his face, he gazed down at Rose as if he had a feeling she wasn’t being honest,
"Ma’am, you look like you haven’t slept or had a good night’s sleep in nights; and I don’t think you and your friends would be driving around in the middle of nowhere just to catch that sleep now, am I right?" Raising an eyebrow at her, Rose sighed and turned away as that gesture reminded her too much of Andrew. Before she could reply however, the police officer’s next words took her totally by surprised and it caused her to jerk her head up,
"Rose, I know that you’re looking for Monica and Andrew."
"W-what?" She uttered, her blue eyes widening in awe.
Nodding his head and a smile spreading across his face, the man met Rose’s eyes and continued,
"I know who you are, Rose. I’m an angel, too, and right now, I was sent from our Heavenly Father to direct you to where your friends are. My name is Samuel, Rose; now, I know we’ve never met, but I know who you are, I know who Tess and Carla are, and I know where Monica and Andrew are at."
The tears that had threatened her eyes earlier now making their way down her face like a rainstorm, Rose couldn’t keep the joy from her voice as she reached through the window and grasped Samuel’s hand tightly in her own, while her own hand shook madly,
"Where, Samuel? Where are they?"
Watching as the younger angel lifted his eyes to the Heavens, the smile never leaving his face, Rose listened as he answered,
"He wants me to tell you to just follow the road, Rose, and keep straight. You’re almost there."
Her heart pounding loudly in her chest and feeling like it would burst out at any minute, Rose nodded her head and closed her teary blue eyes. Once she opened them, she opened her mouth to ask Samuel a question, but her voice caught in her throat as she saw that the angel was now gone. Her heart still racing, she nodded her tangled, red head and stuck the key in the car ignition one last time. Glancing in the back seat and seeing that Tess and Carla were still asleep, Rose started up the car and sped in the direction she was directed to.
*****
As morning finally came on their 5th day away from their friends, Andrew and Monica knew that they had to continue on their way if they ever wanted to return home. Carefully helping his best friend to her feet and wrapping her arm around her waist to support her injured ankle, Andrew leaned down so she could wrap her own arm around his shoulders and with a loving smile in her direction, the two set off once again, this time Andrew in the lead.
As he took in his surroundings, Andrew gave a soft sigh as he recalled the fantastic beauty of it all; every detail of the trees and the streams of water not too far ahead of them caught his attention and he took it all in with a smile. After having been blind as a bat for 4 days, it had gotten rather frustrating not being able to see where he was going or be able to take in God’s Creation, even though Monica never led him the wrong way.
Minutes passed and before they knew it, the minutes turned into an hour and before he knew it, he felt Monica flinch and he stopped walking and set her down on the hard ground,
"What is it, baby girl?"
"My ankle…" She uttered, her face contorted in pain. Reaching her hand down, she rubbed it softly and closed her brown eyes,
"It hurts so much, Andrew…"
His eyes filled with sympathy and love for his dearest friend at her words and he wished he knew what to do to help her. Looking around him and not seeing anything that he could use to bandage up her foot in any way, Andrew sighed deeply and looked down at himself. Finally shrugging out of the flannel shirt and then taking off the dirty and slightly damp sweater he still wore, underneath a white T-shirt was revealed. Slipping the shirt off over his head, the human angel then put his sweater back on and started to tear at the white shirt in his hands.
Seeing what he was doing, Monica reached her hand out and tried to stop her friend,
"Andrew, no…You need every amount of warmth you can get-"
"Angel Girl, I’m not going to argue with you," Winking at her to let her know that although he appreciated her concern for his own warmth, he also knew that her safety was more important and this was what he was going to do,
"I don’t have anything else to bandage up that ankle with and this, and some of the bandage tape I found in that Emergency kit, are the only thing I have at the moment and you know I hate seeing you hurting like this…" Looking around once again and spotting a small stream nearby them, Andrew nodded his head and continued,
"Just let me go wet this and I’ll be right back."
After making sure that it wasn’t too horribly soaked, but damp enough, Andrew returned to Monica’s side and, taking the largest piece of the T-shirt he had ripped up, carefully wrapped it around her injured ankle. Reaching into his coat pocket and retrieving a roll of the bandage tape that could only had been provided by God Himself, the human angel ever so gently wrapped some of it around her foot until he was satisfied.
Relief flowed through him once again that she never cried out at his actions to try and help her, although he did see that she did wince and bite her lip every so often; but she seemed to keep every cry inside of her for now. Smiling lovingly at his dearest friend and angelic companion, Andrew leaned over and kissed her forehead gently,
"You’re such a model patient, Angel Girl."
Unable to hold back a laugh at that remark, Monica rolled her eyes before turning serious and reaching up to stroke his cheek,
"Thank you, my friend…for everything…"
"You know I’d do that and more if I could, baby girl," Andrew replied, pressing her to him gently and letting her relax against his chest,
"But hopefully we’ll be found sooner or later and that ankle of yours will get some correct medical attention…"
"I just miss everyone and everything," Monica replied softly, her arms wrapped around her best friend’s waist,
"Not that I mind spending every waking hour with you, though…" Hearing a chuckle escape him, she smiled weakly before continuing,
"But a nice hot shower and a good hair wash would feel so good right now; and seeing the other three…and our cabin…Do you think it will ever be the same, Andrew?"
Sadness now filled Andrew’s heart at the very mention of their "home away from home" again, but he pushed the tears that threatened his green eyes aside for now as he replied softly,
"If it’s the Father’s will, baby girl…After all, He was the one to give it to us in the first place, right?"
Nodding her head as it lay against his chest still, Monica didn’t reply but only continued to hold her best friend tighter. Finally, after several long minutes, she felt him gently pull back and grasp her hands in his own.
"C’mon, honey," He urged gently, not wanting to rush her,
"You ready to continue?"
Putting on a brave face for both of their sake, Monica nodded her head and, keeping a hold of his hands as he helped her unsteadily to her feet, she then felt him wrap his arm around her waist again. Leaning against him like she was doing not too long ago and wrapping her own arm around his shoulders, the two human angels continued along their way, praying with everything in them that this would be their last day stranded in the woods.
Chapter 15
For another two hours the two angels continued walking, in hopes of finding something, anything, whether it be their friends, or a place where they could take refuge for a time. Despite the makeshift bandage on her ankle, which did help, the ankle still continued to throb as Monica continued to put some weight on it as they journeyed onward. She refused to complain however as she forced herself to keep walking.
By mid-afternoon, much to Andrew’s delight, they had come to a dirt road,
"This is good news, Angel Girl! Be it the Father’s will, someone will be driving down this road at some point who can help us," Seeing her smile, as they both had stopped to catch their breath, he looked at her with concern,
"Are you okay? We can stop for awhile, sweetie, that isn’t a problem, so don’t you think it is."
"No, I’m all right," She replied, somewhat shakily, leaning up against a tree to take the weight off her ankle.
Andrew approached her, leaning his hand on the tree to look into her tired face,
"I’m not convinced of that, Angel Girl."
"But I don’t want to stop, Andrew," She replied, her eyes welling up with tears, as her emotions finally began to get the better of her,
"What I want is a hot shower and my favorite pajamas and a cup of coffee…and something to eat besides fish that came out of muddy water! I want to be warm again and I want my ankle and my arm to stop hurting. I wish I had just gotten my sight back so I could see something happy in all of this and so I couldn’t see the next bear that comes sniffing around wanting something to eat, of which there is nothing, but if there was, at this point I think I’d fight him for it, providing it wasn’t fish!"
Despite the tears in her eyes and her obvious frustration, Andrew had to struggle to keep from grinning at her words. When he saw her glare at him, he could control it no longer and he burst into laughter, his laughter ringing out through the trees.
Monica tried to look angry, but as he laughed, her lips twitched and a moment later she was laughing through her tears at the absurdity of her brief tantrum,
"I’m sorry," She giggled, almost feeling embarrassed, especially by what she had said about him losing his sight,
"I didn’t mean it, Andrew, honestly-."
Still laughing, he hugged her tightly to him,
"Oh Monica, I do love you. I’m sorry I laughed, but I think maybe we both needed it. You don’t need to apologize; the visual of you fighting a bear for a bag of microwave popcorn more than makes up for it!"
They were still wiping tears of laughter from their eyes when the sound of a car horn caused them both to jump and looking down the road, relief filled their dirty faces at the sight of a certain red caddy.
Tears filled Andrew’s eyes and as he looked down at his dearest friend, he saw she was crying too. Kissing the top of her head as the car approached, he whispered,
"Looks like the Father heard that little fit of yours, Miss Wings."
The caddy stopped and three tearful angels emerged, followed by Tess’ cry of "My babies!"
"Oh my dear Angel Boy!" Rose exclaimed, rushing forward to wrap her arms tightly around him,
"We’ve been worried to death about you two! Are you all right?"
Andrew hugged her back tightly, so glad to see her again as tears fell from his eyes,
"I’m fine, Rose, really. Tired, dirty and hungry, but other than that, fine. Thank you for finding us."
"We weren’t stopping until we did, baby," Tess replied, from where she stood with her arms wrapped tightly around Monica. Turning her attention back to her former charge, she noticed the bandage on her arm and how she was trying not to put any weight on her ankle,
"You’re hurt, baby."
"I’ll be okay, Tess," Monica smiled weakly as she moved to hug Carla, who had tears of relief at finding her friends racing down her cheeks,
"We’re fine, Carla, just fine."
"We were so worried when you two got swept away like that," Carla sobbed, overwhelmed with finally finding them.
"Angel Boy," Tess held out her arms to him and gathered him close to her, her fingers running through his knotted hair,
"Sweet baby, it is so good to see you."
"You have no idea, Tess," He remarked, sighing with relief,
"It’s so good to be found." He managed a tearful smile as Carla approached him and he took the crying angel into his arms,
"We’re fine, Carla. The Father was watching out for us as always. But we really missed you guys."
"Hello, sweet Angel Girl," Rose smiled as she hugged Monica tightly and the younger angel couldn’t remember a time when Rose had shown her so much affection, though maybe she had never given her the chance, always thinking of Rose just being there for Andrew as their bond was so special.
"Thank you, for finding us," Monica uttered weakly.
"We weren’t stopping until we did," Rose replied, pulling away to look into the tired eyes of Andrew’s best friend,
"And once we get back, I’ll take care of that arm and ankle of yours. I’ll bet you didn’t know that nursing was my specialty," she added with a wink.
"Lets get these two out of this chilly air and into the warm car," Tess instructed, as Andrew and Rose moved to help Monica into the back seat with Carla and Andrew.
As Tess pulled off onto the road, with Rose beside of her the two older angels exchanged a concerned glance,
"Where are we headed, Rose? I’ve had no instructions to return Home as of yet."
"The cabin?" Andrew asked tentatively, already dreading the answer as much as they were dreading telling them. He felt Monica lean into him and he wrapped his arm around her as they awaited the answer.
"It’s destroyed, honey," Rose admitted sadly, turning in her seat to face them,
"That storm did so much damage and it just isn’t repairable. I guess we’ll have to find a hotel somewhere, Tess."
"Can we see it?" Monica whispered tearfully, her heart breaking at the news,
"Please?"
"Are you sure that is such a good idea, Angel Girl?" Tess asked gently,
"You two have been through a lot and-."
"No, I think we need to see it, Tess," Andrew interrupted; exchanging a glance with his best friend and seeing the hopeful look in her eyes.
"Have it your way, babies," Tess sighed, not really wanting to see the destruction again herself, yet not wanting to deny the two weary angels who had spent so many precious times together at the cabin,
"Settle in for the ride."
"I’m so glad you two are all right," Rose said after a moment, shaking her head in wonder,
"But the Father never gives us more than we can handle. Just like He made sure that if Monica was hurt, that Andrew would be able to care for her."
"Well, you don’t quite have that one right, Rose," Andrew ventured softly,
"Considering that I’ve only had my sight back for about 24 hours now."
"What?" The three angels exclaimed, causing Andrew to smile.
"When we were washed away, we got separated and once I was able to stop myself I realized that being blind must have been part of the plan as I couldn’t see a thing."
"What did you do?" Carla asked from where she sat on the other side of him, her green eyes wide.
"Nothing. I just held onto a fallen tree for dear life until my little Angel Girl found me about an hour later," He replied, tightening his hold on his friend as he smiled down at her,
"She found us a dry place to sleep for the night, fought off a bear in the morning, set up a camp and went fishing with a hiking stick so we had cooked fish to eat, so she pretty much took care of me."
There was silence in the car for a moment as the three other angels took in all that had happened to their two friends.
"Well, Angel Girl," Tess began, but Monica interrupted her.
"Don’t let him fool you, Tess. He exaggerates."
"Only about the bear," Andrew implored her, determined that she take credit,
"So she didn’t really have to fight him off. He was trying to get into the little cabin by pushing on the door and she stood on the other side trying to keep it from happening."
"It must have been terrifying for you not be able to see, Andrew," Carla remarked, looking at her two friends, incredulously.
"It was pretty frightening," He admitted, remember how helpless he had felt,
"Mostly because at the time I didn’t understand the reasons and I just wanted to be able to help Monica, especially after she told me she was hurt. I knew about the ankle, but not about the infected gash in her arm."
"Which he stitched up for me once he could see again," Monica added, wanting the attention taken off of herself.
"You did what?" Rose exclaimed, before shaking her head in awe over the two young angels who had done whatever it was they needed to do to see each other through the last few days. It was hard for her to imagine Andrew giving up control enough to trust without question with not being able to see and she knew it had to have devastated him to know his friend was hurting and not be able to help her. She also found herself having a new respect for the Irish angel, who when she had to, had taken the lead and done whatever it was she had to do to keep her best friend safe from all harm.
"Well, we’re proud of you, babies," Tess smiled, glancing at the weary pair in her rear view mirror. They both looked exhausted, though Andrew looked a bit invigorated still, probably after getting his sight back, and Monica looked a bit pensive as she was still in pain, but the relief at being found was present on both of their faces. She also knew that if this had to happen, it had been a blessing that the two of them had been together as she knew that there was nothing they would not do for one another.
"We couldn’t have done it without the Father, Tess," Andrew added as he gazed out the window,
"How much farther are we from the cabin?"
"Probably a good hour, Andrew," Carla replied, giving his hand a squeeze,
"Maybe you should take Monica’s lead and get a little nap."
Looking down, he smiled tiredly as he noticed his friend had drifted off to sleep, her head resting against his chest,
"It looks tempting, but no one has any water, do they?" He suddenly felt unbearably thirsty and he knew that they had drunk very little in the five days due to the nature of the water.
"Yes! Honey, I nearly forgot," Rose exclaimed, handing him back a full water bottle.
He drank thirstily, until he felt sated and then with a sigh of regret, gently woke his friend up, wanting to get some of the liquid into her as well,
"Drink, sweetheart, then you can go back to sleep."
Her brown eyes barely open, Monica drank down some of the cool, clean liquid, not realizing how thirsty she had been. She handed the bottle back to him and rest her head once more against him with a sigh,
"That is so much better without the dirt," she murmured as she drifted back off to sleep.
Seeing the confused looks from his three friends, Andrew laid his head back against the seat and closed his eyes,
"We’ll save you all the details of that remark," He chuckled, before he too, fell into a peaceful sleep.
Chapter 16
An hour later, the red Convertible drove up the rocky road where the cabin was just several feet from them. As they pulled up and saw the destruction, both Andrew and Monica were awake now and gasped as they saw it. Slowly releasing his hold on his best friend and following Carla’s lead out of the back seat, Andrew leaned forward and helped his friend out as well. Gently once more wrapping his arm around her waist to steady her, the blonde angel and his best friend walked slowly up to where the front door used to be. Carla, Tess and Rose stood back beside of the car, waiting for them; none of the other three angels really wanted to see the destruction again, as they had already spent several days there trying to fix it up, but nothing seemed to had helped.
As they neared the place that used to be such a safe haven for them and seeing that the door had literally been ripped off its hinges, Andrew blinked back a round of hot tears and continued to steady his best friend,
"Are you ready, Angel Girl?" He whispered, his eyes traveling around the living room.
Although her lower lip quivered, Monica bravely nodded her head without replying and gripped her friend for support, all the while trying to keep her weight off of her ankle. Hobbling into the living room-or rather, what used to be the living room-Monica nearly burst into tears at the sight and she could tell that Andrew was coming close to it as well.
The place didn’t look the slightest bit familiar to them. All the windows were shattered, and it appeared that the roof seemed to had caved in during the worst part of the storm. Their gazes traveled to the living room couch and where the fireplace was. Soot and water appeared to have become part of the couch, and there was nothing left of the fireplace, except for dirt and tons of water.
Looking down at their feet, both angels noticed that they were walking in puddles where the floor used to be nice and shiny. Now, the floor was covered up with water that still looked like mud. Glancing over at Andrew and seeing that her dearest friend was now unable to hold back his tears and were now spilling over his face, Monica gave him a squeeze and spoke, although her voice shook,
"Are you okay, Andrew?"
Wiping away the wetness from his tortured green eyes, the human angel forced himself to nod and replied,
"Ready to continue, baby girl?"
"Only if you are…" She replied, trying to remain strong for him, although her heart was breaking at this sight.
No more words were spoken between them as they slowly headed towards the kitchen and Andrew sharply sucked in a deep breath at the site, much like he remembered the night of the storm. The large tree trunk was still standing upright in the middle of the kitchen table…or what used to be the table. Now, it was shattered into millions of pieces with a huge hole in the ceiling; the refrigerator had fallen onto its side, with now rotten and nasty looking food spilling out of it and onto the wet tile floor.
Quickly turning his green eyes away from the scene, Andrew closed them and for the first time since he had gotten his sight back, wished that he were still blind so he wouldn’t have to see this destruction. Feeling his best friend quiver underneath his touch, Andrew turned pained eyes to her and uttered weakly,
"You okay, baby girl?"
But she didn’t reply however as she seemed to slip from his arm and slumped down on her knees on the wet floor of the destroyed kitchen. Covering her face with her hands, Monica sobbed heart-wretchedly, her heart now shattered at what she had just seen…and they still hadn’t even seen the upstairs yet. But now, she didn’t think she’d be able to…
Seeing what was happening to his best friend in the entire angelic realm, Andrew followed her lead and knelt down beside of her, laying his hand on her shoulder. His voice cracked as he spoke,
"Angel Girl?"
As she heard the sound of his voice in her ear again, Monica immediately turned to him and threw her shaking arms around his neck once again. Feeling him shaking along with her, and his own soft sobs in her ear, the two angels and friends clung tightly to one another. No words were needed at that horrific moment, as they both were feeling the exact same emotions.
*****
Several hours later, after the five angels had booked themselves into a hotel room for the night with money provided by the Father, Andrew finally came out of the bathroom, running a towel through his damp hair from the shower he had just taken. Clad in gray sweatpants and a black T-shirt, the human angel breathed a sigh of relief at finally getting the dirt out of his hair and back into something comfortable for the night. Glancing over at his best friend, who was seated on her bed with her hands folded in front of her and her head bowed as if in prayer, Andrew sighed softly and walked over to her, taking a seat beside of her on the bed. Her long, auburn hair was also damp from the shower she had taken before his and she looked comfortable in the flannel pajamas she wore. True to Rose’s promise, as soon as Monica had taken a shower and gotten herself cleaned up, the eldest of the five angels had bandaged up the Irish angel’s injured ankle with a thick ace bandage and then had given her a pair of crutches that also appeared to have been provided by the Father.
The hotel room the Father had provided for them was a rather nice looking one at that, with five beds so that all of His angels would be together during that night; and He had made sure that the beds were nice and comfortable for Andrew and Monica especially after four long nights on the hard ground in a tent or a small cot.
"I’m surprised you’re not asleep by now, sweetheart," Andrew whispered to her as he wound his arm gently around her shoulders and drew her close to him once again. A sad smile appeared on his face as Monica leaned into him again and wrapped her arms around him in return,
"The others are already in the other room sleeping; why aren’t you?"
"I wanted to wait for you first, Andrew," She replied, trying to stifle a yawn.
Leaning closer to wrap his other arm around her shoulders, Andrew drew her as close as he could without hurting her or her still sore arm,
"I know it still hurts about the cabin, Angel Girl…I feel it, too."
"I know," Monica replied, this time letting the yawn out.
"But remember this, baby girl," Andrew pulled back gently to look into her tired, yet red-rimmed eyes,
"With God, nothing is impossible, okay? He may or may not give us the cabin back; but if it is His will, then we will, all right, Monica?"
Deciding that was the best answer they could look for at this moment, Monica nodded her head reluctantly and yawned again, covering her mouth with her hand.
Raising an eyebrow and giving her a mock stern look, Andrew continued,
"And you and I need to get some sleep, Miss Wings. No excuses this time." Winking at her, he smiled slightly at seeing a chuckle escape her lips. Helping her off the bed, Andrew guided her gently over to her bed and just like if she was a child, tucked her into bed. Glancing over his shoulder and spotting something that that Father had once again provided for His angel, Andrew smiled tearfully as he grabbed the stuffed angel bear and handed it to his best friend.
"I think this little guy will keep you company for tonight," Smiling as she took the bear from his hands and into her arms, cuddling it tightly, Andrew leaned down and kissed her forehead. But before he could turn around and head back to his own bed, Monica had then reached down and grabbed his arm, bringing him to a sudden halt. Turning around and gazing at his dearest friend, whose brown eyes shone with love for him, Andrew felt tears fill his eyes again at her words.
"I love you so much, my friend," She whispered, keeping a grip on his arm,
"Thank you. For everything…"
Smiling tearfully down at her again, Andrew reached his arms out and gathered her once more into the safe haven of his embrace,
"And I love you, too, sweet baby. Always."
Chapter 17
Monica awoke with a start, her heart racing as the nightmare began to fade from her mind. Glancing at the clock on her nightstand, she saw that it was just after 2:00 in the morning and though her body still felt exhausted, her mind was now wide awake.
Glancing over at Andrew, she saw him sleeping peacefully, and not wanting to disturb him with her restlessness, she threw back the covers and grabbed one of the crutches, feeling more accustomed to using one much like the walking stick she had been using the last few days. Getting up, she quietly opened the door to the outside patio and slipped outside, closing it silently behind her.
The cool night air hit all of her senses, just as it had the past five nights, as she made her way over to the railing. Resting her hands on it, she looked out into the darkness of the mountains, listening to the quiet and the cool night breeze blowing through the trees. Somewhere out there was what was left of the cabin and the angel felt a lump form in her throat.
Sinking down into a chair, the Irish angel looked up the stars, her vision now blurred by the tears that threatened her eyes,
"Father, I don’t understand," She whispered into the air, knowing that her Creator could hear her,
"I’m trying to, but I just don’t. I understand why you allowed Andrew to lose his sight; I understand all of that, but the cabin, Father? The cabin? I know it never really belonged to us, but it felt like it did. It was our home when we couldn’t come Home and for the last five days, while Andrew and I were lost, I just kept hoping and praying that somehow once this was all over, that the cabin would still be there, just like it had all those times when things got too hard, especially the last year or so. I always knew You put it there for us. I always knew that when I walked in the door, I was safe and that if my best angelic friend weren’t already there, then he would be soon. I always knew that You were there and I want it back, Father…I want it back…" Covering her face with her hands, the angel allowed the tears to come hard. She felt as if she had been trying to hold them back as well as she possibly could for so long now and now with this tremendous feeling of loss over something that was so special, there was no stopping them. She found herself crying over the fear she had felt when she had been plummeting through the water, for the grief at knowing her best friend couldn’t see, for the terror of that bear trying to get inside of the cabin and even for the joy she had felt when Andrew’s sight had been returned to him.
But then her mind turned to dozens of memories, all of them having taken place in the cabin; good times and bad times and one time in particular she rarely thought about but could never, ever forget.
[I] "Oh, Angel Girl, how did we ever let this get so bad, huh?" He whispered into her ear.
Crying too hard to answer, Monica shook her head, as she held onto him tighter still, trying to believe that he was really here with her, after everything. She knew she didn’t deserve it, but was grateful just the same.
"Andrew…"She managed to choke out, before burying her face against his chest.
"I’m right here, baby," He replied soothingly, rubbing her back in an effort to comfort her,
"And I’m not going anywhere. We have a lot to talk about and we’re going to work it all out, sweetheart, I promise we are."[/I]
It had been in the place that was now lost that she and her best friend had found each other again after 4 long years, it had been the place where she and Tess had convinced Andrew not to give up on being an angel, the place where he had pulled her from the darkness after Kathleen had tried to poison her, the place he had recuperated after his near fatal run in with Denise, the place she had been given her worth back that Philip had taken from her.
And now it was gone.
Andrew awoke suddenly, feeling disoriented about where he was at first before the events of the day came flooding back to him and he remembered he was in a motel suite, sharing a room with…
Monica.
His heart leapt to his throat when he noticed her bed was empty and that it was nearly a quarter to three in the morning. He was on his feet immediately as he grabbed his robe and shrugged it on, prepared to go and wake the others when a slight movement on the balcony caught his eye.
Though he couldn’t hear her, he could feel her sobs at the very core of his being and he didn’t waste another minute in getting to her. He was beside of her chair in an instant, his hand in her hair,
"Monica? Angel Girl, what is it, baby?" But she only shook her head, unable to speak through the tears.
Shivering in the cold night air, he scooped her up into his arms and carried her back inside, quietly closing the door behind him, before he sat down on his bed and wrapped her in his embrace as she continued to cry,
"Talk to me, sweetheart, please?" He pleaded with her as he rocked her gently, his heart breaking at her anguish.
"It’s gone…it’s gone…" She whimpered, burying her face in his chest as the sobs convulsed through her body.
The cabin. Though he had been feeling a terrible sense of loss all night after what they had seen that remained of it, he knew his emotional friend had been suffering too, though she had spoken very little about it once they had climbed back into Tess’ car yesterday afternoon. He closed his eyes as he felt tears rush to them as he kissed the top of her head as she continued speaking between sobs.
"All those times, Andrew…all those times when things were…falling apart and it was there…I always knew where to find you…when months would go by without seeing you, I always knew that if I was sent there…you’d be there too….and now it’s gone! All those memories…"
"I know, I know," He whispered, as he continued to rock her,
"Angel Girl, listen to me, okay? There will be new memories, baby, made somewhere else. It wasn’t so much the cabin, honey, as it was the angels who frequented it and the love that resided there-our love for each other and the Father’s love for us. The cabin was just location, baby girl, that’s all…" Tears fell from his eyes as he spoke the words he did believe, though they didn’t seem to be helping much.
"I always knew you’d be there, Andrew," She wept, her entire body exhausted, yet the tears refusing to end,
"When things were bad and I was missing you right down to my soul…and the Father told me to go to the cabin…I knew…I knew! I knew you would be there…and now it’s gone and…I won’t know where to go when I need you!"
"Monica, you go to the Father, to your heart and you know I’ll know, baby girl, you know that…" Her words tore at his heart as he struggled for answers that would calm her. Not knowing what else to say as the tears fell from his eyes, he just held her tightly, and stroked her hair as she cried it out for the next several minutes. As she finally began to quiet even as her body continued to shudder, he moved to lie down, pulling her gently with him, until her head was resting against his shoulder and he pulled the blankets over them both,
"Sleep, little one," He whispered soothingly,
"Things will hopefully look a little brighter in the morning." He continued to speak softly to her until he heard her even breathing, but though he was tired, he found himself unable to sleep as her words played over and over in his mind and it was nearly dawn before sleep finally came.
Chapter 18
Early that morning, Andrew was the first to awake before any of his friends, although he barely got any sleep last night. Gently disentangling himself from Monica’s embrace and grabbing his robe off of the nearby rocking chair, the angel shrugged into it and put on his slippers as well. Heading out to the back patio, Andrew pulled it open and smiled as he welcomed the feel of the sun against his face.
Leaning against the railing, he folded his arms and looked out at the sunrise, taking in all its beauty. Although he was still devastated over the destruction of the cabin, he also felt some nervousness and excitement at the same time...He had finally made up his mind over what he was going to do, and he was anxious to tell the others. Although he knew that neither Monica nor Rose would hold anything against him for his choice, that didn’t stop the butterflies from flying around in his stomach and churning it.
Before he could think any further, the sound of the patio opening behind him caused him to turn around. Expecting it to be Monica, he was a little shocked to see Rose standing there instead. Her red hair was tied in a French braid that trailed down her back, and although she looked tired from all of the events the past few days, she also looked happy to see him there.
"Hello, honey," She greeted him, moving to stand beside him against the railing.
Andrew smiled back at her, his green eyes taking in everything about her. The last time he was in this position, he was nervous as could be about telling his supervisor his plans; the results had almost been disastrous when Rosaline had gotten involved and almost destroyed his and Rose's friendship. But now, he didn’t feel scared; nervous, yes, but not scared.
"Hi, Rose," He replied back, wringing his hands,
"Did you have a good night sleep?"
Smiling gently at her young friend, the elderly angel reached for his left hand and squeezed it tightly,
"A lot better now that you and Monica are back with us. We sure were worried about you two this past week, and missed you more than anything. You really are all right, right, Angel Boy?"
Feeling tears well up in his eyes at her concern, Andrew squeezed her hand back before releasing it and wrapping his arms around her in a big hug,
"I am all right, Rose…"
Hugging him tightly back, Rose rubbed his back as she refused to release him just yet,
"I think your Angel Girl will be all right in the next few days, Andrew. We’re all saddened by what happened to the cabin, but we need to continue to trust the Father, and if it’s His will, we’ll get it back."
Smiling slightly as she said nearly the exact same words he had spoken to his best friend the other night, Andrew gave his friend a squeeze before pulling away and reaching for her hand again. He knew what he had to do now, and he figured he better get it over with before he lost all of his courage. Gently guiding her over to a chair beside the sliding glass doors of their room, Andrew motioned for her to take a seat while he took the one beside of her.
"Andrew, something really is wrong, isn’t it?" Rose broke the silence as she looked deep into his green eyes,
"Do you want to tell me about it?"
Unable to resist a small smile, Andrew inwardly chuckled,
"Sometimes I think you and Monica know more about me than I know myself, Rose." Hearing her laughing softly back, the blonde human angel felt himself lighten up a bit and he took a deep breath, then letting it out,
"But yeah, you are right, Rose. There is something on my mind, and I want to tell you about it first, before I tell anyone else."
Nodding her head, Rose urged her friend softly,
"Go ahead."
"Rose…You remember, don’t you, when I told you that I was going to think about returning to Casework or not?" He started.
"Yes, I do, Angel Boy," She replied, her eyes sympathetic,
"Whatever you decide to do, know that I am going to stand by you through it all; I promise you that, okay?"
"I know you do, Rose," Andrew whispered,
"You told me that already, and it means more to me than you realize…" He stopped talking for a moment before he forced himself to continue,
"You know that I love you and that I respect you, don’t you? You’ve been such a great friend to me…"
"Oh Andrew, of course I do," Rose felt tears well up in her own light blue eyes as she leaned forward and wrapped her arms around her younger friend once more, holding onto him tightly while running her fingers through his blonde hair lovingly,
"And I love you just the same, I think you know that."
"I did make up my mind, Rose…" He choked out, his heart not pounding loudly in his chest as he only continued to hold onto his friend and supervisor,
"This is the hardest decision I ever had to make, but I’ve thought about it for so long…"
Rose didn’t bother to say anything, as she knew that he didn’t need her to speak at the moment, knowing this was hard enough for him as it was. Instead, she only continued to hold him in her arms as he forced himself to speak.
"I’m returning to Casework, Rose…" He finally spoke out, the tears now trailing down his cheeks, and spilling onto his friend’s shoulder. He held his breath as he awaited her reply, part of him expecting her to snap, but much to his relief she didn’t,
"I’m so sorry, Rose…"
Upon hearing the apology coming from him, Rose gently released him, but kept a grip on his arms as she looked into his eyes,
"Angel Boy, you listen to me all right?" Seeing him nod, she continued,
"You don’t need to apologize for this, sweetheart, okay? There’s no need to, and I still love you like I always have. You made such a great Caseworker in the past, you made a fantastic Angel of Death, and you were superior while you were in Search and Rescue as my trainee. Angel Boy, as long as the Father accepts your decision, then so do I and I know Monica, Tess and Carla will also. We’re all your friends and we all love you enough to accept your choice, understood?"
Bowing his head, Andrew nodded his head weakly before he felt Rose gathering him up in her arms one more time. Hugging her back as tightly as he could, the angel buried his face in her shoulder as he hoped beyond hope that he would still be able to see Rose after he returned to Casework…He didn’t know if he’d be able to stand it if he never saw her again.
‘My beautiful child, you will still see her,’ The Voice of the Father spoke to his heart as soon as he thought those certain thoughts,
‘She is your friend, I know that, and you may work in different departments, but you will still see her, I promise you that.’
Smiling through his tears as he said a silent ‘thank you’ to the Father who loved them all, Andrew held onto his older friend even tighter as he sobbed quietly in relief.
*****
Monica awoke to the sound of voices on the hotel patio and, stretching her arms over her head, the Irish angel blinked her brown eyes and turned to right in time to see Tess coming out of her own room. The older angel was in the process of tying her blue robe around her waist and she was yawning.
"Good morning, Angel Girl," She greeted her former charge,
"Did you sleep better?" Her eyes shown with some concern for Monica as she hoped that she was able to catch a good night’s sleep after five days of sleeping on the hard ground.
"After a nightmare, I was able to…Are Andrew and Rose out on the patio?" Monica tilted her head to try and look through the curtains, but was unable to make it out.
"It appears that way, considering Rose isn’t in the other room and our Angel Boy isn’t in his bed; Carla’s still asleep, so it must be those two," Tess commented, walking over to help the younger angel out of bed,
"C’mon, let’s go see how they’re doing," Wrapping her arm around her waist to help support her as she walked, the two angels walked over to the screen door and pulled it open.
A greeting on her lips for her friends was ready, but Tess was surprised to see her "Angel Boy" sobbing in Rose’s arms in one of the patio chairs,
"Angel Boy? Rose? What’s wrong?"
Chapter 19
Rose smiled as she slowly pulled away from Andrew, who by this time was pulling himself together,
"Nothing, Tess. Everything is fine, actually."
Andrew wiped the tears from his face and managed a smile as he gave Rose’s hand a squeeze before releasing it,
"Yes, everything is fine and ladies, I’d like to share it with you two as well," He got up to help Monica over to the chair beside of him, while Tess took the one next to Rose. Reaching for his best friend’s hand, he gave it a gentle squeeze, still seeing some residual sadness in her dark eyes from last night,
"I’ve made my decision," He took a deep breath and let it out slowly,
"I’m going to return to Case work."
"You’re sure about this, baby?" Tess asked, looking into his green eyes.
Andrew nodded his head firmly,
"Yes, ma’am, I am," He gave her a wink as he smiled, finally feeling at ease with the decision since speaking with Rose,
"There are a lot of things I missed about being a Caseworker and I’m anxious to return to it after so many years."
Tess glanced over at Rose and saw the other angel smiling and knew that her friend was also fine with this news,
"Well, Angel Boy, as long as you’re happy, I’m happy, and it will be nice to work with you again on assignments, since I have it on the Highest Authority that you will be working with me again."
Andrew grinned broadly, this news making him all the more certain he was making the right decision,
"I’ll be looking forward to that, Tess," He turned his attention to Monica and though she was smiling, he noticed a pensive look about her,
"What do you think, Angel Girl?"
At his question, she appeared a little uncomfortable as she lowered her eyes briefly,
"As long as you are sure, Andrew, and that this decision has nothing to do with last night, because-."
Holding a finger to her lips, he silenced her,
"It has nothing to do with last night, Monica, I promise."
She nodded her head, though she met no ones eyes, and this did not go unnoticed by Rose, who had a feeling she knew what this was all about. Clearing her throat, the older angel smiled,
"Why don’t you two go and share the news with Carla as it is time that little angel is out bed. Besides, I’d like to talk to Monica for a moment."
Monica’s heart pounded loudly in her chest as Andrew and Tess got up and in her anxiety, she never noticed the concerned look Andrew threw her way nor the reassuring glance that Rose gave him before the two angels slipped back inside and closed the sliding door behind them.
Moving her chair closer so she was sitting directly across from the younger angel, Rose drew in a deep breath, wondering how on earth to begin, but before she could, Monica voice broke into her thoughts.
"Rose, I swear, I never persuaded him to do this. I told him that all I wanted was for him to be happy, wherever that was-."
Rose smiled gently as she reached for Monica’s trembling hands and held them tightly in her own,
"You know, Monica, I don’t think you and I necessarily got off on the wrong foot, but more that we never really got off on any foot at all. We’ve just accepted each other’s presence as part of the Father’s plan, but never really took the time to get to know each other and now I know you are thinking about my initial reaction to Andrew thinking about changing positions," She watched how Monica finally looked up to meet her eyes and seeing that her words had touched on the truth,
"I am truly sorry for my reaction a few months back, and though I’ve said it before, I’m even sorrier now, as that reaction is what you think my true feelings are about this. But little angel, you could not be more mistaken."
"What do you mean, Rose?" Monica asked, still feeling a little bit uneasy about this conversation.
"Like you, I only want Andrew to be happy and if Casework is going to make him happy, then that is fine by me. Just like if he had decided to stay in Search and Rescue, you would be happy as long as he was, isn’t that right?" She watched as Monica nodded her head before she continued,
"I have no grievances with you, Monica, I never have. You have never begrudged me my relationship with Andrew and in a moment of anger, I did that to you, but I never meant it. The friendship the two of you share is truly beautiful and though that Angel Boy loves us all, you hold a special part of his heart, honey, and he couldn’t have done a better job in selecting a best friend for all eternity. You’ve proved that the last few days, Monica, where despite your own injuries and fear, you looked out for him when he was unable to see. Now, you may brush that off as not being a big deal, but it is a big deal, to the Father and to me. You took care of an angel who is very special to me, Monica, and even though that Angel Boy and I share a special bond, I just want his best friend to know that she is special to me too."
Monica blinked back tears as she smiled,
"Thank you, Rose. That means so much to me…probably more than you know. He’ll still be able to see you, won’t he? It would break his heart not to be able to."
"Yes, Angel Girl, we will still see each other and I have that on the Highest Authority," She winked as she used Tess’ famous phrase, before reaching over to hug the Irish angel tightly, smiling as she felt the Irish angel hug her in return.
As the sliding door opened, the two separated and looked over to see Andrew, who had just taken a quick shower,
"Lets go, you two, I’m starved. We want to get down to the dining room for breakfast," He grinned, noticing his best friends more peaceful expression and he winked at her,
"Angel Girl, I hear they are serving kippers."
"Kippers?" Monica tilted her head in her confusion.
"I think they are little English breakfast fish, Monica," Rose explained, not understanding the significance, but she assumed that there must be some significance as Monica groaned and grabbed the crutch she had left out on the porch last night and got to her feet,
"Not funny, Angel Boy!" She fumed, making her way inside and after him, even though she knew that with her injured ankle, she would never be able to catch him if he took a notion to run.
Andrew chuckled, knowing that if her ankle were not sprained, he would probably be trying to outrun her by now, so instead, he caught her up in his arms and hugged her tightly,
"You okay?"
"I’m better," She replied, embracing him back,
"I’m glad you made your decision and that it makes you happy. You know that is all I care about," Reaching up, she kissed his cheek,
"Thank you for being there for me last night too. I didn’t mean to be such a wreck."
"There was no place else I would have been, Angel Girl, you know that," He replied warmly, relieved that her heart was a bit lighter today,
"Now go-shower! You can’t tell me you are not hungry."
She grinned as she pulled away, but then her expression turned to one of concern,
"Are there really little fish down there?"
Unable to help himself, Andrew laughed at her unhappy expression, knowing she would be in no hurry to eat any seafood in human form for quite some time, but then again, neither would he,
"C’mon, Monica, with a little ketchup, you’ll never know the difference."
She caught the mischievous twinkle in his eyes and shook her head, unable to keep from giggling. As she made her way to the bathroom to shower, she turned back once more and saw her friend chatting with Rose. For just a moment she stood watching him and her heart filled with thanks and love as she whispered softly,
"Thank you, Father, not only for being with us in the woods, but for bringing him into my existence to begin with. I love you both so much."
Feeling her stare, Andrew turned around and catching the look in her dark eyes, he winked at her once more, as if knowing what she was thinking and she grinned, knowing that was entirely possible.
Epilogue
The next few days went by quickly, and Monica’s ankle began to heal much to her friend’s utmost relief. There was still some pain in her arm, but it wasn’t as excruciating as it was a week ago during her and Andrew’s adventure in the woods. Now, it was more like a dull ache, with only a healing scar visible. Now, the angels knew that they had to get back to work, as Tess and Rose had been given the "word" by the Father the night before.
Although he was anxious to go back to Casework, and working with Tess again, Andrew’s heart still ached to know that he would have to say goodbye to Rose for now. She was so special to him, and he was going to miss her desperately, even though the Father Himself told them that they would still see one another.
Standing outside of the hotel beside Tess’ beloved car, Rose and Carla prepared to say their farewells to their friends for the time being, although they hoped that it wouldn’t be too long before they were together again. Giving her former charge a loving smile, the eldest of the five angels reached her hands out and grasped Andrew’s into her own tightly, giving them a gentle squeeze.
"I’ll be waiting to see you again, Angel Boy," She spoke, her blue eyes shining with love for him,
"Go and be the best Caseworker the Father made you to be, and remember that I love you, honey, all right?"
Happy, yet somewhat sad, tears welling up in his green eyes, Andrew nodded his blonde head and released her hands to wrap his arms around her tightly, enjoying the feel of her hug one last time for now,
"I love you too, Rose; and thank you…thank you so much for accepting this. You’re such a great friend."
Smiling tearfully and kissing the top of her beloved friend’s head, Rose gave him a tight squeeze in return,
"Any time, sweet Angel Boy, any time."
Finally, the two slowly released one another and after a round of hugs with Monica and Tess as well, the red-haired angel disappeared from their sight, leaving only the four angels behind. Carla sighed softly as she turned back to her three remaining friends,
"I also have to get back to my Caseworker for now…but I love you guys so much." Turning her gaze to Monica and Andrew and smiling tearfully at them, her green eyes that were identical to Andrew’s showing utmost relief, she continued speaking to them,
"And I’m so glad you’re both safe." Reaching her arms out, she wrapped the two younger angels in a hug, not wanting to release either of them just yet.
But finally, she forced herself to pull back and turned to Tess now. Standing on her toes, she reached up and gave the older, dark skinned angel a loving hug as well,
"I love you too, Tess…"
"And I love you, Angel Child," Tess smiled as she embraced the youngest cherub lovingly before pulling back,
"Now go and help those humans, baby; remember that none of this is goodbye, okay?"
Forcing a brave smile on her pretty face, Carla nodded her head as she looked from Monica to Andrew and then to Tess,
"I know…I guess I’ll see you all later then…" And with a final smile and a wave, the angel now disappeared from the trio’s sight, as if she was never there to being with.
*****
Now piled back into Tess’ red Convertible, Monica and Andrew in the back seat with the Irish angel’s auburn head rested on her best friend’s shoulder, the youngest of the three spoke up finally,
"Tess, what did the Father tell you just now? Where are we going?"
Trying to hide a smile from her lips, as the Father did indeed tell her where to go and what was awaiting them, Tess looked in the rear view mirror and replied innocently,
"I’m just going to where He directed me to, Angel Girl. The Father wants you two to see something before we move on back to work."
"What is it, Tess?" Andrew questioned, raising an eyebrow in curiosity. Tess’ little act had him very confused, as he and Monica both knew that she knew something they didn’t. He did hope that it had something to do with the cabin, but he wasn’t about to get his hopes up if it didn’t.
"That’s for us to know and you two babies to find out in a few minutes," Tess winked at her two beloved friends in the back and couldn’t help laughing as she saw Andrew roll his green eyes at Monica,
"But I think you two will be pleased; in fact, I KNOW you two will be pleased."
"I hate it when she gets mysterious like that…" Andrew mumbled softly to his dearest friend and shook his head, causing a soft chuckle to escape from Monica’s lips. But as soon as the two angels raised their heads and looked out the window once more, they both were surprised at what they saw in front of them and two identical gasps escaped from their mouths.
Climbing out of the car and almost stumbling, he was so surprised, Andrew sensed Monica soon following right behind him and grasping onto his hand. Right before them, just like it had originally stood before the flood had occurred, was their beloved cabin…their safe haven that had been destroyed by nature.
"Oh my gosh!" Monica’s brown eyes filled with happy tears as she fell to her knees and clasped her hands together,
"Oh thank You, Father! Oh thank You so much for giving it back!" Lowering her head, the Irish angel wept happily. Feeling Andrew, and then Tess, kneeling down beside of her on the gravel lot and both of them taking one of her hands into their own, Monica continued her prayer,
"I love You, Father…Thank You so much for hearing our prayers, and for answering them…This was Your will, and I’m so happy. I’m so happy…"
"We all are, baby girl," Andrew’s voice was laced with tears as well. Reaching for her and drawing her close to him, the angel smiled happily through his tears,
"And thank you, God…"
"He always listens to His children, Angel Babies," Tess smiled at her two friends as they held tightly to one another like life preservers,
"And you two babies are most definitely His children!"
Chuckling at his supervisor’s words, Andrew gently pulled away from his friend and rose to his feet, pulling Monica up with him.,
"I just can’t believe it, Tess…It-it’s amazing to say the least…"
No words were spoken between the trio of angels as they stared awestruck at the restored cabin before them, before Tess broke the silence,
"I’ll leave you two babies alone for a few minutes. Angel Boy, I’ll meet you in the car." Giving him a smile and a loving hand squeeze, the elder angel walked back to the red Convertible and got into the driver’s seat. Still, the two other angels didn’t say a word as their eyes never left their beloved cabin.
"Can you believe this, Angel Girl?" Andrew whispered, wrapping his arm around her waist and smiling as he felt her wrap her own arm around him in return.
"To tell you the truth, Andrew, no I can’t…I honestly didn’t think we’d have it back…" Monica whispered back, shaking her head in awe.
Once more, silence passed between them before Andrew remembered something and he removed his arm from around his friend. Turning to face her, the blonde Caseworker placed a hand on her shoulder, turning her to him,
"Angel Girl, I almost forgot something."
"What’s that?" She tilted her head in confusion.
Now seeing that the neatly folded, and no longer torn flannel shirt was in his hands, Andrew smiled gently and handed it to her,
"I think it’s about time I give this back to you, Monica."
Her eye widened once more as she took the shirt into her slightly shaking hands,
"Andrew…I-I’d almost forgotten about this."
"It’s still yours, baby," Andrew winked at her as he pulled her to him for one more hug,
"It always will be, you know that now."
Sighing contentedly, Monica nodded her head as she finally released her best friend, not wasting another minute in putting the soft flannel shirt on over her sweatshirt. A chuckle escaped her again as she noticed that it still hung down to her knees and she admitted to herself that she did look almost silly with wearing her best friend’s ex-shirt over a navy blue sweater and jeans; but she didn’t care, as it was a gift from Andrew.
"I wish we could stay here for a while longer," Monica then spoke again, her voice now serious,
"But I know we can’t…can we?"
Sighing sadly as he knew that it was time they go their separate ways once more, but also knowing that he would probably be seeing her more often now that he was back in Casework, Andrew touched her cheek with the back of his hand as he nodded his head,
"Unfortunately, we can’t, sweetheart. But I don’t think it will be too long before I see you again." Seeing her nod her head, Andrew couldn’t resist wrapping her up one final time in his strong arms and kissing the top of her head,
"I love you so much, Angel Girl…And thank you. For everything this past week…"
"Your most certainly welcome, my friend," Monica held onto him tightly while running her fingers through his blonde hair,
"And I love you, too…"
Finally pulling away from her, Andrew kissed her cheeks before turning his head towards Tess’ car. Standing beside the car now, talking to the angel inside, was Jamie, Monica’s Special Forces supervisor. Sighing again, the angel turned back to his friend and fellow angel,
"Jamie’s here, baby."
Nodding her head bravely, Monica took his hand into hers and they walked towards the car again, only this time the Irish angel didn’t get inside. Reluctantly releasing Andrew’s soft hand and walking over to her supervisor, Monica was greeted with a quick hug from her supervisor before turning around and smiling one last time at her dearest friend in the world. As soon as Andrew returned the smile, the two angels disappeared from their sight.
Closing his green eyes tightly and exhaling a breath, the Caseworker turned around and climbed into the passenger’s seat beside of Tess. She turned to him and asked softly,
"You ready, Angel Boy?"
Returning the smile at his friend and squeezing her hand tightly, he replied back,
"As ready as I’ll ever be, Tess." And with those final words, Tess put the car back into drive and then pulled out of the gravel lot and back onto the highway on their way to Andrew’s first assignment back as a Caseworker. As the red car disappeared around the bend and onto the road, a snow-white dove flew overhead, cooing softly as it flew into the clouds.
