CHAPTERS 10 & 11

Chapter 10

“Well, look who’s up?” Andrew smiled warmly as he opened the door to Monica’s room the next morning.  In fact, not only was she up, but also she had found the clothes he had “gotten” for her and had dressed. In a skirt, blouse and sweater vest, her hair combed out and framing her face, she looked more like herself than she had in a while.  She now sat on the edge of the bed, her feet swinging back and forth as she returned his smile.

“I brought you something,” He brought a large styrofoam cup out from behind his back and offered it to her.

Monica took it eagerly, removed the lid and breathed in deeply,

“Ahhh, Mocha Latte,” She sighed happily,

“Andrew, you’re an angel.”

“Well, that’s beside the point,” He laughed, watching as she took a sip and closed her eyes in order to completely appreciate the flavor,

“I take it you’re feeling better?”

“Completely,” She replied, looking at him knowingly,

“Thanks to both you and God.  My doctor was amazed and I’ve been released, so can we please get out of here?  I feel like if I spend one more moment here I’ll go crazy!”

“Of course we can go,” Andrew replied, chuckling softly as she hopped down off the bed, coffee in hand, more than eager to be out of here.  He opened the door for her and together they headed down the stairs and out of the hospital.

“Oh, it’s so good to be outside again,” Monica exclaimed, linking her arm through Andrew’s as they crossed the street,

“But we certainly are a long ways from the college.”

“You’re right, we are,” Andrew remarked.  Usually this would not be a problem, but he had a very human Monica beside of him.  As he was trying to figure out the best form of public transportation they should take, a car horn sounded loudly behind them.  Andrew pulled Monica close protectively as they both whirled around, but his concern for her safety dissipated immediately as they saw Tess getting out of her car and hurrying over to them.

“Tess!” Monica chirped happily as she was enveloped in her supervisor’s loving arms.

“It is so good to see you back to your old self, Miss Wings.  Andrew and I were worried sick about you, even though we knew the Father had everything under control.”  She released Monica and moved to hug Andrew,

“And how are you, Angel Boy?”

“We’re both just fine, Tess,” He laughed, still very relieved to see her,

“We didn’t think we’d be seeing you for awhile though”

“I said I’d be here if you needed me, didn’t I?” She replied, looking at the two of them, her hands on her hips.

“Well, yes you did, but we’re not in any trouble at the moment,” Monica explained, exchanging a look with Andrew,

“Not that we aren’t extremely pleased to see you--.”

Well, it looks to me like you two angels need a lift to a certain college so you can complete a certain assignment, but far be it from me to offer you a ride in my baby when you would rather walk.”  Tess walked back to her beloved, red convertible and prepared to get in,

“Enjoy your day--.”

“No, Tess, wait!” Both angels cried out in unison as they hurried over to the car.  Andrew opened the passenger door for Monica before jumping into the back seat.

“Have we mentioned how glad we are to see you, Tess?” Andrew asked, a mischievous grin playing on his lips.

“Uh huh,” Tess grumbled, though her dark eyes were twinkling.  She put the car in Drive and they pulled away from the curb.  She remained quiet until they were out of town and heading down the country road toward the college,

“Do you two angel babies have any idea what you are going to do next?” She asked them finally.  She watched as Andrew and Monica exchanged a glance and then looked back at her helplessly.

“I know I still have Stacey to help,” Monica offered, closing her eyes for a moment, loving the feel of the warm fall air blowing through her hair,

“Especially now that Kathleen has threatened her.”

“Kathleen?” Tess asked, looking at Monica sharply,

“She is involved in this?”

Monica nodded her head as she explained to Tess what had happened, both on the football field and in her hospital room last night when Stacey had paid her a visit,

“Actually,” She concluded,

“Andrew and I have a suspicion that Kathleen may have had something to do with Nancy.”

“I don’t like this,” Tess muttered, more to herself than to her two charges,

“I don’t like this one bit.”  She glanced sharply at Monica,

“And you’re still human?”

“Yes, ma’am.” Came the feeble reply, as Monica tried to understand Tess’ less than pleased attitude.

Tess glanced up towards the beautiful fall sky,

“Lord, You didn’t tell me Kathleen was a part of all of this.” She sighed and pulled the call over to the side of the road, so she could shift in her seat so she could see both Andrew and Monica,

“Now, you two listen and you listen good.  You get in there and get Stacey straightened out and then straight Home.  You two angels got that?”

Andrew looked more than a little bit concerned by Tess’obvious panic,

“Sure, Tess, but what about Kathleen?  She has threatened Stacey, so we can’t just take off until we know she is okay.”

“Fine,” Tess snapped as other two angels continued to look at her in absolute shock,

“Get Stacey straightened out and then get out of there.  And you, Mr. Angel of Death, do not and I repeat do not, let Monica out of your sight while she is still human.  If I know one thing, it’s that when Kathleen is in the picture, human is a bad place to be if you’re an angel.”

“Tess, I don’t understand--.” Monica began.  She knew Tess wasn’t one to act this way without good reason, but she seemed to be over reacting just a bit.

“Need I remind you, Miss Wings that just this morning you were released from the hospital?  Need I remind you that after Kathleen got a hold of you, you laid in a coma for a week? “

“But Tess,” Monica argued in her gentle Irish brogue,

“There is nothing Kathleen can do to me that the Father cannot heal.  Being attacked wasn’t pleasant, but I knew deep in my heart that I would be alright.”

Tess was quiet for several moments before she spoke.  This time, when she did, her voice was softer and more reasonable,

“All I know is that when I gave Andrew his assignment last week, that there was this terrible feeling of evil that surrounded that college.  Then when I found you in the football field, Monica, that same feeling was there, only stronger this time.   Now that I know Kathleen is behind this, I just cannot shake the feeling that she could do some real damage this time….maybe something that cannot be healed.”

Andrew and Monica were both quiet as they let Tess’ words sink in.  Neither angel had any idea of how to respond to this warning and it was obvious that what Tess had said had unnerved them both somewhat.

“I just love you both and I want you both to be as careful as you’ve ever been,” Tess continued, looking from Monica to Andrew and then back again,

“You especially, Miss Wings.  As long as you are still human you are at risk for trouble from Kathleen.  You stay close to Andrew, you understand me?”

“I will, Tess,” Monica replied solemnly,

“I promise.”

“I’m going to take good care of her, Tess.  I know I failed the last time, but it won’t happen again.” Andrew took Monica’s hand and gave it a gentle squeeze.

“I know it won’t, Angel Boy.” She said as she turned back around and pulled the car back onto the road.

For the remainder of the journey, there was a silence that hung over the car like a dark cloud, right before the rain poured down.  Monica starred out the window, pretending to watch the landscape, which truly was lovely with the brilliant fall colors of trees that would soon lose their leaves.  But she really wasn’t thinking about the splendor of fall.  The angel was more concerned with when Kathleen would stop this miserable battle that seemed to turn all of the angel’s worlds upside down every few months.  Didn’t Kathleen know that she could never really win?  Not without God on her side.  Yet try as she might, Monica had been unable in the past to get Kathleen to see that, so things remained as they were.  Angels got hurt, feelings got hurt, all because of Kathleen’s hatred of Monica, and now, once again, Tess and Andrew were involved, and as always, that weighed heavily on Monica’s heart.

As if reading her thoughts, Monica felt Andrew’s hand reach up and squeeze her shoulder, as if trying to reassure her.  Wordlessly, she reached back to squeeze his hand as the car drove through the gates of the college.

Chapter 11

Monica and Andrew walked toward the dormitory in silence.  Andrew figured that the quiet was partially due to the fact that he was only visible to Monica, so for other students to see the Irish tongued angel talking to “herself” would probably cause some eyebrows to be raised.

The other reason for the silence, Andrew knew, was the struggle that was going on within his friend.  He could feel it as he walked beside her, like a quiet storm brewing just beneath the surface.  He longed to talk to her, but was waiting for the right time.  They had decided to pay Stacey a visit first to thank her for her help and to make sure she was all right.  Monica was hoping to be able to reach Stacey without having to reveal herself as an angel, in the event that she remained in human form.

Though Monica had said nothing to Andrew or Tess, she was feeling more than a little discouraged.  She longed to be out of human form and back to her old angel self again.  She hated the feeling of helplessness she had knowing that Kathleen was near and not being able to defend herself.  She hated the fact that Stacey and Andrew were involved in this situation.  She had been here on a simple assignment, but Kathleen’s presence had turned everything upside down.  More than anything, she hated the fact that she was questioning the Father and why any of this was happening.

They arrived at Stacey’s room and Monica knocked tentatively, waiting for a response.  When she didn’t get one, she fished around in her pocket and found her key, unlocking the door quietly, in the event that Stacey may be sleeping.  As the door opened, Monica gasped at what she saw.

The room was in absolute shambles, as though a cyclone had been through it recently.  Every drawer had been ripped from the dressers and the desks, as well as all the clothing flung from the closet.  Pictures and posters had been torn from the walls and destroyed, along with textbooks and term papers. 

“Who would do something like this?” Andrew asked, his expression pained, as he looked at all the destruction around them.

Monica was quiet for a moment as she carefully walked over to the window and gazed out over the campus.  There was no doubt in her mind who had done this and why, and she was actually surprised that Andrew had no idea.  She turned to face him, her eyes so troubled that Andrew drew in a sharp breath,

“Isn’t it obvious, Andrew?  Kathleen found out that Stacey came to see me last night.  This looks exactly like one of her tantrums,” Monica’s voice was scarcely a whisper as she sank down onto the bed.  She sat in silence for what seemed like forever to Andrew, just staring down at her folded hands in her lap.  When she finally spoke again, she didn’t look up,

“I can’t just ‘get Stacey straightened out and get out of here’, Andrew. “

His brow furrowed as he heard her words, not fully understanding, and definitely not liking what he was hearing,

“What are you saying, Monica?”

She drew in a deep breath before looking up into his eyes,

“For all we know, Stacey is with Kathleen.  But even if by some miracle she isn’t, I can’t allow this to go on any longer.  I have to talk to Kathleen, to try and put a stop to this…”

“Hold on, hold on,” Andrew shook his head slowly as he approached her and sat down on the bed next to her,

“Monica, this isn’t up to you, this is up to God.  We take our orders from him and though I understand what it is you are saying, I can’t allow you to do that.”

Monica gazed downwards again for a moment, before she reached for his hand and took it into both of hers.  When she looked back into his eyes, hers glistened with unshed tears,

“It isn’t your choice to make, Andrew,” She said, as gently as she could before drawing in a shaky breath.  She squeezed his hand hard, trying to lessen the tone of her words,

“I love you so much, Andrew, and Tess….and every time Kathleen comes into the picture one of you winds up getting hurt.  Every time that happens, I lose a little piece of my heart, because she does these things out of hatred towards me.  Do you want to know something?  It was actually a relief to me to have her take her hatred out primarily on me this time.  Even though she managed to hurt you in the process, I’m just so glad it was me she attacked.”

“Monica--.”

“No, Andrew,” She said softly,

“Let me finish.  I cannot keep doing this forever.  Worrying about when and where she is going to surface and who she is going to hurt.  This time she dragged an innocent human into it, Andrew!  Now, I don’t know if I can stop it…I only know I have to try.”  Her voice shook with anger that she knew she shouldn’t be feeling, but could no longer help.

Andrew was quiet for a long time once she had finished speaking, his eyes never leaving their joined hands.  When he finally spoke, his voice was heavy with emotion, despite the control he tried to put into it,

“Monica, if you do this, you risk everything.  Do you realize that?  You risk your existence as an angel, Monica!  This is not what the Father wants, this is what you want.  Even if you want it for the right reasons, it doesn’t make it right.”  He tried desperately to swallow the lump that had formed in his throat,

“If you do this, honey, I can’t be there with you.”

Monica nodded her head tearfully, a sad, trembling smile on her lips,

“I know,” She uttered, tears slipping down her cheeks.

With a tender hand, Andrew reached up to swipe at the tears on her cheeks,

“I’m afraid for you, Angel Girl,” He whispered, tears brimming in his own eyes.

“Yeah, me too,” She replied as they both stood up.  She stood before him, looking up at his face, wondering what would become of her or if she would ever see he or Tess again, and she felt her composure beginning to slip away,

“I guess you’d better go.”

Andrew nodded his head, struggling to keep his own emotions under control.  Wordlessly, he started to walk away from her, but then he stopped and turned back around, opening his arms to her.

A small sob escaping her throat, Monica flew into his arms, allowing herself to feel safe in his protection one last time. 

Andrew held her tightly, his tear-filled eyes gazing upwards, as he said a silent prayer for her safety and for the Father’s understanding of her choice.  It took everything inside of him to be able to let her go after a few minutes.  He took a step back, his hand reaching to lightly touch her hair, before he turned and walked out the door.

Monica stood, feeling truly alone for the first time in her entire existence, tears streaming down her face, as she managed to whisper,

“Forgive me, Father.”