CHAPTER 8

Andrew remained sitting on the stone floor, resting his back against the cell bars and looking up at the small window on the opposite wall. It was also closed with iron bars, but he could see the stars through it – it was a silent starry night and at moments like those, when the world was fast asleep, the blond angel felt extremely lonely and guilt kept on consuming his heart. Four days after the incident at the school building, he hadn’t had any sign about Monica’s condition and that fact alone was enough to kill him inside. How he wanted to be by her side and hold her hand! How he wanted to tell her that all those things he’d said were nothing but lies to protect her!

At 2 o’clock in the morning, watching the sparkling stars up in the sky, he prayed to God without being heard or observed by the other prisoners, who were asleep in separate cells. “Father, please... Tell me that she’s alright. Please, restore her human form with Your power, I know You can... Don’t let her feel any pain, she doesn’t deserve it... Monica is the kindest and most loving angel I’ve ever met in my whole existence... Please, let her be alright...”

Suddenly, a voice interrupted his prayers. “She’s fighting, Andrew...”

In his glowing form, Adam appeared right in front of his angelic friend, extremely sad to see how miserable Andrew looked like. The blond angel stood on his feet immediately, his heart pounding loudly in his chest at the first reply he’d had in days.

“Adam? How is she? Did she wake up already? Please, tell me-”

“She... she was operated... twice,” the angel of death answered, watching as that piece of news tore his co-worker’s soul.

“Twice? Oh, Father, she’s suffering...”

“But the doctors managed to remove the bullet and stop the internal bleeding... The only problem is that she lost a great amount of blood and her human form is fragile... We’re all praying for her, Andrew.” he said, watching as the blond angel shed a few tears.

“I wish I was there with her...”

“Tess has been by her side all the time. And the angels who know her... they’ve already visited her and prayed for her as well...” Adam didn’t want to bring up the subject, but he couldn’t help to, “... Andrew, what happened back at the school? They’re saying that you shot her and...”

“That’s not true, Adam!” he suddenly raised his voice – the mere thought that he could hurt Monica was absurd itself and enough to fill his heart with more guilt.

“I know it’s not true, Andrew, for goodness sake!”

“Roy... my assignment, he had a gun and was threatening me when Monica arrived. He... got scared all of a sudden, I guess he thought I’d take the gun from his hands and then he shot, but Monica... She... She put herself in front of me and took the shot in my place...” he explained, those sad memories were tearing up his heart.

“God...” Adam’s perplexed face also reflected how sorry he was for what was happening to his two angelic friends – seeing Monica and Andrew separated and the kind Irish angel so badly hurt was terrible, and what made it all sadder was the fact that Andrew was being accused of hurting her. Nothing could sound more absurd.

“I want to see her but it seems I’m trapped in this human form, Adam... I don’t know what my assignment is anymore, I don’t even know if I still have an assignment...”

“You and I know better than anyone that there is a reason for everything... Monica is also trapped in her human form all this time, and I’m sure there must be an explanation for that too... I hope it all becomes clear to you at the right time, buddy...” he said, placing his hand over his friend’s shoulder, “I have to go now, but I’ll pray for you... I’ll pray for you both...”

“Please... if... if she wakes up... if you have the chance to see and talk to her, tell her that I’m sorry... that I never meant to hurt her feelings and that... that I lover her with my very soul...”

“I will... though I’m pretty sure she knows that.”

That was the last time Andrew saw Adam or had any news from Monica. On the following weeks that followed, sorrow, guilt and despair were his companions and all the blond angel could do was cry.

*

The scenery at that beautiful beach was breathtaking. It was early in the morning and slowly, the rising sun would colour the sky with hues of orange, light blue and purple. It also left a trace of light in the ocean, which now had calm, tranquil waters that gently kissed the white sand in almost non-existent waves. There, stood a single soul and a closer look revealed that she was sobbing miserably while the gentle breeze disarrayed her long auburn hair. The long white dress and the meek Gaelic features were evidences of her heavenly nature. Monica couldn’t stop crying despite the beautiful image right before her sweet doe-like eyes, now filled with great sorrow.

But she was not the only one on that semi-deserted beach: with no specific destination, Andrew walked along the sand, apparently looking for someone, and it didn’t take him a long time to find her. “Monica!” he cried out her name and ran towards her, but the Irish angel didn’t seem to hear his voice. Monica remained still, shedding incessant tears and looking at the horizon as if Andrew weren’t there. The blond angel came closer but, strangely, he couldn’t hold her in his arms like he wanted to do; he couldn’t even touch her. She seemed so close and yet so far!

“Monica? Angel? Please, don’t cry... Please, talk to me... Are you in any pain?” he desperately wanted to know, but all she did was sob. “Angel, please, forgive me! Please, sweetie... I’m so sorry! I never meant to treat you like that, or say all those things to you... All I wanted was to protect you from danger! Monica! I love you, angel, you’re my soul mate, my best friend!” He spoke, in a loud voice, but nothing he said seemed to have an effect on the little angel – she continued to cry helplessly, but now whispering one single name. “Andrew... Oh, Andrew...”

“Monica, angel, please, look at me!” he begged, twice desperate at hearing her.

But suddenly another voice reached his ears.

“Hey, buddy, wake up!”

Andrew’s eyes were immediately wide open and he saw the prisoner who used to stay in the cell next to his, and his cell, as well as the others, was open. “What’s happening?” he asked, terribly confused.

“Looks like you’ll get to see your Monica, pal. We’re all free!” the man said, in a hurry to get out of there. Andrew stood up and looked around him: all the other prisoners were escaping.

“Where... where’s the police officer in charge of watching the station?” he wanted to know, a bit reluctant to leave.

“There...” the man pointed: the policeman was lying on the floor with his hands and feet tied up with handcuffs and he wasn’t conscious. “Is he hurt?”

“We’re not murderers, pal. He’s asleep, there was something in his food that’s making him sleep. Now move if you want to get out of here, the police will find it out soon!”

Andrew left his cell and ran along the corridor that separated them from freedom. But before he left the police station, he decided to look for something in the closets inside the sheriff’s room. It didn’t take him too long to find Monica’s necklace and his pocket watch and only then he escaped from the building.

In the dark streets of that silent night, he could hear as the alarm in the station echoed through the city. Andrew walked fast, and his destination was certain: the city hospital. Three long and painful weeks had passed since Monica was short and  all the could think of at that moment was to see his dearest friend. How was she doing? Had she woken up? Was she recovering from the surgery? These questions had been permanently on his mind and now he would finally kneel before the little angel and ask for her forgiveness. But suddenly a voice interrupted his thoughts.

“And angel running away from the police? That’s a scene I never thought I’d see!” Gregory’s ironic voice immediately raised Andrew’s anger but it did not mange to stop him from walking. “But I’ve been really pleased with what I’ve seen recently, you know. Another young boy following the crime path, a defeated angel who failed his assignment badly and... Oh, I’m not sure if you know it already but... another angel who went back “Home” after receiving a shot from this same troubled boy.”

Those last words finally had an effect on Andrew: he stopped walking and faced the demon, “What are you talking about, Gregory?” his voice was visibly filled with anger.

“Oh, so you don’t know that your sweet Monica didn’t resist to the wounds caused by the bullet and her human from has... died?”

Even though he felt pain rising inside his heart, Andrew faced Gregory with a cold look in his sad green eyes. “I don’t believe you, you’re a demon, liar by nature!” then, he continued to walk, not listening to what Gregory said.

“You’ll see who’s lying when you get at the hospital. She’s not there anymore, and if I were you I’d be careful: the police may find you there!”

Andrew left the demon behind, and finally crossed the hospital gates. There he headed straight to the information counter, glad that the ER was crowded and the only police officer there didn’t may much attention to him.

“Please, I need to see a patient, her name is Monica...” he said with an urgent tone in his voice. The attendant stared at him for a few seconds, as his undone beard and tired appearance caused an impact on her. She finally typed the name on the computer and then looked at him again.

“This patient has been removed to the second floor, room 202...”

Andrew rushed to the stairs even before she had finished to speak. The woman watched him until he disappeared from her view, and then, with a pensive expression on her face, she grabbed the phone and dialled a few numbers.

*

Once he was on the second floor, the blond angel walked as fast as he could to find the room indicated by the attendant. He couldn’t believe he would finally see his dearest friend after three painful weeks, when that terrible tragedy at the school put them apart. Now he was ready to ask for her forgiveness and even if she didn’t want to accept it, he wouldn’t mind it – just the possibility of seeing her again was enough to fill his heart with great happiness. And he had all the eternity to get her trust back again.

Finally, the room 202 came to his way and he gently turned the door knob. Inside the bedroom, however, there was a young woman standing by the bed.

“Who are you?” she asked, visibly scared at that blond man standing at the door.

“I’m here to see Monica...” he replied, also finding it strange to see the young lady standing there.

“Do you know my grandma?” she asked, and only then did Andrew give a few steps towards the bed. To his shock, there lay an old woman, with grey hair and apparently in her late seventies. His human heart started to beat faster and the blond angel felt panic rising in his soul.

“I’m... I’m sorry... I guess I made a mistake...” he finally spoke, tears already forming in the corner of his eyes. Then, he turned around and left the room, not knowing where to go. “Father... Please, send me a sign... Tell me she’s fine... Please... this can’t be true...”

“I told you she was dead, but you didn’t believe me...” Gregory spoke, appearing right beside him.

“That’s not true... That’s impossible!” the blond angel cried.

“...But that doesn’t surprise me... After all, you were responsible for all that tragedy. Monica went to that school because of you. She took the shot because of you! How do you think the other angels are feeling? They hate you, buddy! They hate...”

“Stop! Shut up! Shut up, Gregory!” Andrew suddenly shouted, grabbing the demon by the neck and pushing him up against the wall, his green eyes shining with anger. But Gregory smiled, happy to see the despair in the angel’s eyes. “If I were you, I’d take it ease, Andrew. Remember that the other people cannot see me and they’ll think you’ve gone crazy... In fact, I guess that officer standing over there is already suspecting that...”

Only then did Andrew notice the police officer standing on the corner of the corridor. As mush as he didn’t want to, the blond angel had to let Gregory go and, slowly, he started to walk away, trying to escape from the officer’s view.

The other policemen inside the hospital building were soon alerted and looking for the tall blond guy. But they didn’t see it when Andrew left the building through the back door and disappeared through the darkness of the night.

*

Andrew didn’t know how long he walked in the deserted streets that night. The cold, howling wind and the stars up in the sky were the only witnesses of all the sorrow and pain he carried inside his troubled heart. His long walk only stopped when he realised where he was – the poor neighbourhood where Roy lived. He knew the boy was there, hidden somewhere waiting until everything would settle down again.

“You angels are really pathetic! After all that guy has done to Monica you’ll still try to convince him to ‘love thy neighbour’ and all that crap people like you say...” Gregory spoke, once again standing next to Andrew.

But this time his evil presence didn’t disturb the blond angel: Andrew didn’t even look at the demon as he spoke, “No... You’re wrong. I won’t...”

Saying that, the angel left his assignment behind and walked away from that place – away from that town and from the devilish creature that smiled wickedly at that scene. “Nothing could be better...”