CHAPTER 11

“I think this cold is a blessing in disguise,” Paul remarked a little while later as he came out of the study and joined Andrew in the living room, “She is sleeping better than she has since this whole thing began.”

“I agree,” Andrew concurred, laying down the book he was reading to look up at his partner, “Being exhausted was really wearing her down emotionally and maybe after some well needed rest, she will be better able to handle her situation.” He appeared thoughtful for a moment before he asked the question that weighed on his mind, “I don’t suppose there have been any leads on McArthur?”

“Leads, yes, but they’ve gone cold unfortunately,” Paul frowned, the question bringing his frustration to the surface, “He’s almost going to have to show himself in order for the case to pick up again.”

Concern flickered in the angel’s eyes, “With that being said, do you think this trip into town is a good idea?” Though he knew Monica was looking forward to it immensely, he didn’t want anything to endanger her well being, including so much as a narrow escape with this man.

“Yes and no,” The agent replied, taking a seat in the chair and meeting his eyes with Andrew’s, “She needs this. That much I can see. The walls are closing in on her and though that is a normal thing in her situation, she needs a change of scene, if only for a few hours. We just need to be extremely careful.”

Andrew still wasn't convinced, but he had to trust that Paul was much more experienced than he was, and that he certainly didn't want to see Monica hurt in any way. "In that case, I'll follow your lead," he said. "When do you think we should plan on going?"

"If her cold clears up we can head there day after tomorrow. It'll be mid-week and that'll cut down on the tourist traffic… make it easier for us to keep an eye on things."

"I have a feeling that with a little trip to look forward to, no cold is going to keep her down," Andrew said with a laugh.

"I think you've got that right," Paul agreed. "It'll be nice to have that stubborn streak directed at something other than me!"

The two of them spent the rest of the afternoon trying to keep themselves busy without hovering around Monica's room. Andrew was acutely aware of having someone else around who had appointed himself the little angel's primary protector. He thought that he had managed to push all of his jealous feelings out of his mind, but knowing Paul's true feelings had brought them right back to the forefront.

He couldn't begrudge Monica any joy, regardless of who brought it to her. However, he did find himself wanting to tell Paul that he would take care of her… that he knew she only liked orange juice if it had all the pulp strained out, and that she needed to have two pillows behind her back to keep her from coughing… all of the little things that he had learned in the years of being her best friend and confidante. He couldn't even explain why he had such feelings since he knew that Monica couldn't return Paul's affection. He steadfastly ignored the prodding thought at the back of his mind that told him that at least part of his jealousy stemmed from wondering what things would be like if circumstances were completely different. That if they were all just humans, going through life, he might be the one going off alone while Monica stayed with Paul.

The evening passed in much the same way, reading, watching the news on television, delivering soup and more tea to the Irish angel, who insisted she was feeling much better and could probably head to town in the morning while trying to control a sneezing fit. Somehow, Andrew managed to arrange to be the last person to look in on her before they all went to sleep, and he could see the peace in her face that they would get to spend a few minutes together uninterrupted. Looks like that made him shake his head over the conflicted feeling in his heart.

"I'm really feeling much better," she said, as he eased her pillows down and helped her get comfortable.

"You're still sick, Monica. You're not going anywhere tomorrow except maybe to the barn… if you're lucky," Andrew said with a smirk.

She pouted and batted her eyelashes at him, then pouted some more when he merely tucked the quilt under her chin and laughed. Clearly he was not going to be swayed by her normal tactics.

"Nice try, but even if I believed you, you know that Paul would never take the chance of you getting sicker."

Monica sighed in defeat. "You're right," she said. "He was actually very sweet today. Makes me feel worse about worrying him."

"Please stop that, angel. I told you before that it's his job to worry… and trust me, it comes very natural to him," he said, instantly regretting his words when she looked up at him questioningly. "I meant that he's used to it," he covered himself.

"So you just concentrate on yourself."

"That's what I've been doing all day," she replied a bit sadly. "I thought that being stuck in this house was the worst thing I could imagine, but being stuck in this room us much worse."

"Well if you get a good night's sleep you should be able to leave it tomorrow."

"And the barn?"

"I'll work on Paul. If it's not raining I'm sure it won't be a problem. After all, you have a little family of kittens who are probably wondering where you are," he smiled.

She grinned sleepily back at him, the cold medication already doing its job and making her drowsy. Andrew smoothed the auburn hair off her forehead and placed a soft kiss there instead. She wriggled one arm free of the blankets that covered her and took hold of his hand.

"Thank you again, Andrew," she said as she squeezed it tightly.

"For what? I haven't actually done anything to help you get out of here," he said.

"You're here… and right now that's all that I need."

*****

By the next afternoon, there was no keeping the little angel down. She was feeling a good bit better, and was more than anxious to get out of bed, though Paul was adamant that they not head into town until the following day.

“But I’m much better,” Monica insisted, so anxious for the change of scenery that she was tempted to beg.

“Paul’s right, Monica,” Andrew replied, and his eyes held warmth even though her crestfallen expression tugged at his heart, “Give yourself another day to take it ease, so you can truly enjoy tomorrow.”

She sighed heavily as she starred into her mug of coffee, before she looked up at them once more, “Can we go to the stables then?”

Andrew and Paul exchanged a glance as she looked at them pleadingly. Though the rain had stopped, it was still a dreary day and rather chilly, and neither one of them wanted the little angel to get any sicker. But the big, brown eyes continued to plead until Paul finally consented.

“Okay, okay, you win. But you wear a warm jacket down there and we aren’t staying long. Then it is inside for the rest of the day. Deal?” He tried to look stern, but her overjoyed expression caused a smile to tug at the corners of his mouth.

“Deal!” She chirped, deciding to take what she could get at the moment as she scurried up from the table to find her jacket, returning with it a moment later, the look in her eyes clearly stating she was ready to go.

Andrew couldn’t hold back a chuckle at her enthusiasm as he shook his head, “Okay, lets go and check on your menagerie.”

Upon arriving in the stables, once Paul had run his normal safety check, Monica first greeted Scout with a kiss and a carrot that she had carried down in her pocket. Andrew almost found the look of adoration in the horse’s eyes amusing, as he wondered how many more hearts the little angel would break once this case was finally over and done with.

She was further delighted to find the mama cat away from her nest and nowhere in sight as she knelt down in the hay to scoop up each kitten in turn, “I suppose you all need names as everyone does, but the question is what to name you all…”

Andrew watched with deep affection in his eyes as his friend chattered away with the little kittens, who were mewing softly in greeting, knowing that only Monica would take the time to name kittens that she would never again see once this case was over. But he also knew that was something she wasn’t even considering, only focusing on the fact that they were here now and that she needed something to call them. He tried to hide his feelings for her from his expression, though he chose to deliberately not look at Paul as he was unsure if he could handle seeing a similar look on the agent’s face.

“Lucy. I think I’ll call you Lucy,” She spoke softly to the little cat in her hand before she deposited her gently back into the hay, before picking up the next one and dubbing him as “Sam”. She continued the ritual, adding Smokey and Angel to her little family, before scooping up the last one and looking at him thoughtfully, obviously perplexed as to what to call him. Nestling his face against her own, she giggled as his whiskers tickled her cheek, before grinning, “Whiskers! Now you all have names!”

Paul shook his head slightly as he watched Monica as if enchanted. She had a innocence that was almost childlike, and it came as a breath of fresh air to him. He had never had a witness anything like her before; naiveté and stubbornness were second nature to her and he found the combination both maddening and endearing.

His thoughts were interrupted by the sound of a low growl, followed by an insistent hiss and he turned his head to see the kittens’ mother had returned from her prowl. Protectively reaching for Monica’s arm, to help her to her feet, he smiled slightly, “I think we’ve worn out our welcome, unless one of us wants to lose an arm.”

Monica cautiously backed away from the nest, as the cat just as cautiously reclaimed it, her eyes narrowing at the unwanted visitors, “It’s okay, girl,” Monica tried to soothe, “No one will hurt your wee babes.”

“We really need to head back,” Andrew decided, as he took Monica’s elbow almost possessively, “It’s chilly out here and you want that field trip tomorrow.”

Nodding her head happily, she followed Andrew out of the barn with Paul right behind her as they headed back to the house, the conversation easy between them as Paul tried to describe the town to his excited assignment.

They spent a relaxing evening together and Monica was in better spirits than she had been since her first ride on Scout. Andrew was glad to see it, but he couldn’t miss the slight look of longing she gave to him as they each went their separate ways to bed. He knew in that brief moment that she still worried about the night, and about the dreams she was afraid to face. Although the day had been relaxing and she had even smiled and laughed a good deal, the two of them had not had a spare minute to spend alone and that seemed to make the difference between a good night’s sleep or a one filled with nightmares.

“Father,” he whispered as he closed his door and leaned back against it. “I made her a promise that I really need to keep.”

In her own room, Monica eyed her bed with unease. It was difficult to believe how such an innocent looking inanimate object could manage to send a fluttery feeling through her stomach. She let out a long sigh and pulled back the covers, hoping that the night would somehow pass quicker. Within a few minutes she was changed and snuggling under the blankets, trying to make herself think of the nice time she would have in town the next day. It was difficult though, because each time she felt her eyelids begin to close she would involuntarily snap them open again, only to stare into the shadowy night and repeat the cycle. They had just popped open for perhaps the tenth time, but this time they were met with a warm, radiant light, rather than the darkness she feared.

“Andrew!” she gasped, seeing him standing beside her bed, an angelic glow surrounding him. “What….” she pushed herself up and looked at him, bewildered. Did he have to leave? Was he being called away? What was happening?

The blond angel saw the flurry of emotions pass over her face and was quick to sit down beside her and grasp both her hands in his. “I remembered that I had a promise to keep,” he said with a smile, “and the Father agreed to help me keep it.” He cocked his head and his grin turned impish. “I can guarantee that Paul didn’t hear me come in here.”

Relief flooded through the little angel and she let him ease her back under her covers. “I thought maybe you’d forgotten, or that maybe you only said it to help me calm down,” she said, referring to the promise made when she had been so upset. She turned her eyes away, feeling a little ashamed that she would ever doubt Andrew’s word.

He wouldn’t let her break their gaze for long, though, and lifted her chin gently, meeting her dark eyes and infusing his own with all the seriousness he could muster. “I would never forget a promise to you, Monica… and I’d never make one lightly.”

“I know that… I do,” Monica whispered.

“Good. Now you close your eyes and sleep. I’m going to stay with you, and if you wake up you’ll see the light of God in this room, angel, not the darkness.”