PART 1

Andrew had been waiting for Monica for about 20 minutes and, after glancing at his watch for the 3^rd time, he returned it to his pocket and looked around him. Snow covered the park forming a beautiful white blanket that only the evergreen pine trees could break. There were children playing nearby and their excited giggles caused the blond angel to chuckle, leading him to contemplate the beautiful world God had created. And he was especially grateful for being allowed to share it with his beloved Monica and that would be the 1^st Christmas they would spend together since they got married with the Father’s blessings.

He sighed and a contented smile appeared on his face as he thought about the little Irish angel who had stolen his heart for the rest of eternity. That year, they had been granted a few days off and, along with Tess, the three angels would spend the holidays at the cabin – as soon as Monica arrived.

Suddenly, when he was about to check his watch again, Andrew was hit by a snowball right on his back. “Hey!” he exclaimed, with a shocked face, and turned around to see a giggling Monica not far from him, clearly amused and satisfied to see that she’d surprised him.

Now also amused (and secretly loving to hear her giggles), the blond angel crossed his arms in front of his chest and narrowed his eyes, with a mock threatening face. “Oh, so you think this is funny, right?”

“Sorry, Andrew, but yes!” she replied, and anyone could see the love and tenderness behind that mischievous expression on her face, “But you’re a cute target, ya know?”

“A ‘cute target’?” the shocked tone in his voice only made her laugh even more. “Very well...” he spoke, giving a few steps towards her, “... since you’re a very happy and giggly little angel, I’m going to give you something more to laugh at!”

Monica’s eyes grew wide when she saw her beloved Andrew coming towards her and, before he could reach her, the Irish angel started to run, in an attempt to escape from him.

Although he could have caught her easily, Andrew let her run for a few instants, taking the opportunity to enjoy her laugher and to see her happy broad smile all over her pretty face. But he didn’t let his angel girl go too far: suddenly, Monica felt a pair of strong arms encircling her waist and finally tickling her sides. She melted into giggles and stumbled on the ground covered with snow.

“Oh, Andrew... That’s... that’s not fair!”

“Oh, no? What about making me an angelic target for you to practice snowball launching, huh?” he replied, never stopping tickling her and enjoying it when she fell right into his arms.

“I... I was... I was just kidding...”

“Well, so am I!”

Noticing how her cheeks had turned red and that tears were falling from her eyes, he finally stopped that sweet torture and pulled her to his lap, brushing a loving kiss on her cheek. “Do you have any idea of how adorable you are, angel?” he spoke, placing some strands of hair behind her ear and shooting her a loving glance.

“Oh, now you pay me compliments, huh?”

“Yes, though you don’t need them, you’re enchanting anyway!” 

Now caressing her deeply blushing face with tenderness, he felt like getting more and more infatuated with her – if that was ever possible. Gently, Andrew tightened his embrace on her and inched his face closer to hers, committing to memory every little detail of her meek face. Then, he playfully rubbed his nose against hers and Monica’s smile only faded when their lips touched, in a sweet loving kiss. She tilted her head as he pressed his lips more firmly on hers a second later; tasting the sweet flavour of her mouth as he kept on stroking her cheek. Once again with that familiar feeling of safety that only his arms could give her, she held him too, never wanting to let him go, doubting if there could be anything better than being in the arms of her eternal valentine.

“I’m so happy we’ll stay together this Christmas, you know...” she said, a few instants later, resting her head against his shoulder, enjoying to be in his arms.

“The very first one we’ll spend together after the Father gave us His blessing.” He added, kissing her cheek and looking at her with tenderness.

“Yes... Imagine how it will be like in 100 years, Andrew! We’ll have to give a small party with our friends to celebrate it!”

Chuckling, the blond angel nodded his head and kissed her one more time, “That will be something to have in mind, sweetie, but I can imagine what will happen to us if we keep on sitting here for the next 10 minutes: we’ll become two frozen angels!”

Laughing and happy now that they were finally together and had the whole Christmas holiday off after working on a few assignments, they stood up from the ground and, hand in hand, headed to the red Cadillac parked not far from there. Andrew gave a few steps ahead of her and quickly opened the door for his beloved Monica, who gave him a peck on the lips before entering the car.

*

“I hope we can get to the cabin soon, you know, Andrew... Tess is already there and it’s not fair that she prepares Christmas dinner all by herself, we should help her too.” The Irish angel spoke, with slight worry in her eyes for leaving her dear friend doing all the work.

Andrew reached for her hand and gave it a kiss, “Tess likes cooking, angel, I’m sure she’s enjoying to do it for us. But, yes, you’re right, I too would like to get there soon...” there was a hint of worry in his green eyes too, but for another reason: the two angels were passing by a poor and deserted neighbourhood and, despite their angelic nature, he was afraid.

“Hey... What is it?” the Irish angel wanted to know, placing a hand on his shoulder and not missing his concern.

Sighing deeply, he looked around them and back at her, “I... I just don’t like this place...” he said, stroking the back of her hand briefly and then turning his attention to the deserted street.

“We’ll get at the cabin soon... and, Andrew, we’re not alone, remember?”

“I know, angel...” he smiled softly, enjoying it as she bent to the side and placed a kiss on his cheek.

“I love you!” Monica whispered into his ear.

“I love you too, baby... And if I weren’t driving right now I’d hold you in my arms and kiss this pretty face of yours a million times!”

“Well, you’ll stop driving when we get to the cabin...”

Laughing and with their hearts a bit lighter, they kept their way our of the city when suddenly, a loud noise scared them deeply. “Oh, no!” Andrew exclaimed, soon realising they had a flat tire. A few meters ahead, he parked the car and both got out of the vehicle.

“If Tess were here she wouldn’t like it at all...” Monica spoke, frowning to see the front tire completely destroyed. The blond angel looked around them one more time and then rushed to pick up a step in the car trunk. Then, before he started to work on the damaged tire, he looked at his beloved wife and frowned again.

“Monica, I think you should wait for me inside the car, I won’t take too long to fix it.”

“But... can’t I help you with something?” she said, visibly wanting to remain by his side.

“No... no, angel, it’s ok, I can do it very fast, I...”

Suddenly, another noise, now a really frightening one, caused their hearts to jump for the second time in that afternoon: a woman, not far from where they were, was screaming. “Andrew, did you hear this? It’s coming from that abandoned warehouse!”

“Monica, get inside the car, please!” his fear was such that his hands were shaking.

“But there is someone who may need help!”

“I know, but please, get in the car!”

They heard another cry and one word. “Please, help!”

“I’ll go and see who it is; I’ll be right back!” he said, after Monica had finally agreed to get in the Cadillac. She watched him heading towards the dirty and abandoned warehouse and started to pray for his safety, as well as of the poor woman who was crying for help.

“Oh Father, please, help him! Help Andrew to find this poor woman and please, protect him too... He’s my heart, my everything... don’t let anything bad happen to him.”

While the Irish angel prayed with all her faith, Andrew crossed the street and entered the old warehouse. Cautiously, he crossed the damaged entrance gate and heard what seemed to be a very young woman crying and moaning. But she was not alone; soon, the blond angel heard a young boy’s voice too: “... please, Sarah, hold on, I’ll go and try to find help, but please, hold on!” he said, and seemed to be very nervous.

“No... I won’t let you go, Edward, I’m scared! Please, stay here...”

Andrew gave a few more steps and soon his eyes became used to the darkness the place was in. And he didn’t have to go too far to find out what was happening there.

A minute later, Monica saw the blond angel getting out of the old building and running towards the red Cadillac. Although she could see the worry and concern in his eyes, she heaved a sigh of relief to see her beloved Andrew back and safe.

“Monica!”

“Andrew, what is it?” she asked, already opening the door of the car.

“Please, come with me, we need your help!” he said, taking her hand as both headed back to the warehouse. There, in between cans of trash, there was a couple of teenagers, who could be around 16 years old. The girl was lying on the dirty floor and the boy was permanently holding her hand and trying to keep her calm, although he himself was as nervous as she was – both not knowing what to do. And the reason for the cries was a simple one: the girl was pregnant and about to give birth at any moment.

“Oh, dear Father!” Monica exclaimed, as she saw them. They were very poor, judging by their clothes, and probably didn’t have a place to stay or a family to take care of them.

“This is my wife, she knows what to do...” Andrew told them, deeply worried about that girl’s condition.

“You came to help us?” the girl asked, she and the boy looking at the angels with desperate eyes. Monica quickly knelt by her side and took her hand. “Yes, dear, I’ll help you to have your baby...”

“Please... it hurts so much... I’m afraid something bad happens to my baby...” she replied, breathing hard.

“Please, lady, help her...” the boy pleaded, nearly crying.

“Can’t we take her to hospital?”

“No, Andrew, for what I can see, the child will be born at any moment...” the Irish angel said, “We need water and some first aid material...” she said, wondering how she would help the baby and the mother in such terrible conditions and praying that everything would work fine for that poor teenager.

“We... we have a first aid in the car and some water, but...”

“That will have to be enough, Andrew, I’ll need your help. And yours too, young man...”

The blond angel rushed towards the car and took he could find there – which was not much: a small first aid kit, a gallon of water and a blanket. Then he returned to the warehouse and helped Monica to prepare the girl for the delivery

*

Inside the warehouse, Monica placed Sarah in birth position while Andrew gathered some first aid material and water. And, although Edward had no idea of what to do, the young man was ready to do anything to help his girlfriend and their baby. He watched as the blond angel placed a wet cloth on the girl’s forehead and frowned with concern at the pain that was evident on her face.

“Breathe, Sarah. And trust Monica, she has done it before.”

“The contractions hurt so much!”

“They’ll be over soon, I promise you,” the Irish angel spoke, “Now I’ll count to three and I want you to push, ok?”

“I’m scared...”

“I’m here too, Sarah, nothing bad is gonna happen,” the boy spoke, never releasing his girlfriend’s hand, “please trust Monica.”

“Oh God... please, help me...” the girl cried, a mix of pain and despair evident on her face.

“God is watching over you and your baby, Sarah; I’m sure He guided Andrew and me to this warehouse so that we could help you. Trust Him...”

She nodded her head humbly, “I do...”

The dirty warehouse was filled with Sarah’s cries. Two hours had passed since she went into labour and, so far, her suffering and struggle to give birth hadn’t produced any result.

“Please, Sarah, you have to push harder!” Monica insisted.

“I’m trying, Monica!” the teenager replied, catching her breath. The conditions of the place didn’t help either: it was very cold; besides, there was dirt and dust spread all around them. Andrew wiped Sarah’s forehead once more, fearing that he would have to take her and the baby Home if anything went wrong.

“Father, please, help us...” he secretly prayed.

“Another contraction!” the girl cried.

“I’ll count to three and you have to push harder, ok?” She nodded and the angel counted, “One... two... three!”

Using all her strength, Sarah pushed harder than before and, a second later, a smile appeared on Monica’s face, “It’s coming! It’s coming, Sarah! Your baby is on the way!”

“Oh God... please, help me...” she said, with tears rolling down her face, and trembling body.

Edward watched his girlfriend’s suffering and squeezed her hand tightly. “Please, help her and the baby...” he prayed, in a low voice. And then caressed her hair, “Everything will be just fine, Sarah... We’ll be with our baby soon...”

“Keep on, Sarah, you’re doing great!” Monica spoke, “I need you to push once more!”

“Ok...”

One more cry of pain filled the air a second later and the angels and Edward thought that she would pass out. But, all of a sudden, another cry echoed inside the warehouse, “Oh Father...” Monica spoke, with a broad smile upon her face, “Sarah, Edward, your baby is here!” she exclaimed, with tears of joy in her eyes, “And it’s a cute and healthy baby boy!” the angel announced, holding the small crying child in her arms.

Her happiness was shared by Andrew, Edward and Sarah, despite the exhaustion she was feeling. The young couple looked at each other with tears of emotion and happiness rolling down their faces, and it moved the angels to see how much they loved each other and their baby.

“Oh, thank you God...” the teenager murmured, while Monica cut the baby’s umbilical cord.

“A boy... My son... I have a son!” her boyfriend spoke, stunned with the miracle he had just witnessed.

Smiling at the boy’s haunted face, Andrew patted his shoulder, “Yes, Edward! You have a son! You’re a father now! Congratulations!”

“Thanks... Thank you... Thank you both...” he said, also smiling and with a dazzled expression. Then, he bent his head and caressed his girlfriend’s hair, “You did it... I knew you’d do it, sweetie...”

“It’s our baby, Edward! Our son!”

“Yes...” Crying tears of joy, Edward bent his head and kissed Sarah’s forehead.

Monica cut the link that had kept mother and son together for 9 months and Andrew wrapped his own sweater around the baby’s tiny form. Before Edward’s marvelled eyes, the Irish angel took the baby close to Sarah. The little one was still dirty with blood, but the mother’s need to see and touch him was more urgent than anything else.

“Here he is, Sarah... your son...” Monica placed the small child in his mother’s arms  and, with tears of both happiness and pain, the teenager stretched her arms and held her son for the first time, placing the baby against her chest, closer to her face. The little one was warm and never stopped crying, which indicated that, despite the difficult and unexpected birth, he was probably as normal as another new born baby.. “Hi sweetie... You’re the cutest baby boy I’ve ever seen!” she said, her voice tired and hoarse with emotion, “Mommy and daddy are so happy because you’re here!”

“We sure are... look at him, Andrew! It’s amazing!” the boy exclaimed, fascinated with the little creature in his girlfriend’s arms, “... he’s so cute! And he has your eyes, Sarah...”

“But he looks like you a lot, Edward,” she said, with a happy smile, and then turned her face to the angels, “Thank you so much...”

“Don’t thank us, Sarah. Thank God for bringing us here at the moment you most needed us...” the Irish angel replied.

“Oh, yes, I have to thank you two, Monica... I don’t know what would’ve been of us without you. But I know I have to thank God too,” the girl said, caressing her son’s cheek, “And ask for His forgiveness... I was so angry with him and just look at the present He gave me.”

“Angry?”

“Yes, Andrew. We both were...” the boy added, a note of regret in his voice, “Sarah and I are homeless like our parents...”

“I’m terribly sorry...”

“But we were never separated you know... We grew up together and fell in love and... well, when I found out I was pregnant we started to gather all the money we could for our baby...”

“Some people told us that we should give the baby to somebody else... that we should sell our baby but we didn’t want to. I got a job at a restaurant and the owner let us stay in a small bedroom at the back of the restaurant. But a few days ago he told us to go away because Sarah wouldn’t be able to work and we came back to the streets and I felt... I felt that we were really alone... that nobody cared about us...”

“Oh but there’s Someone who was watching over you all the time...” Monica spoke, with her eyes filled with tears to hear such a sad story.

Sarah turned her eyes to the baby, “I believe that now... I never got a Christmas present... He is the first one...”

“And life is the most wonderful present God can give someone...”

“I know... though I have to confess that I’m still scared...” she confessed, looking at the little creature in her arms with tenderness, “... how are we going to stay here, in this place and with a little baby?”

“Sarah is right, it’s very cold... we could face it but... but our he’s so little...”

Hearing that, Monica and Andrew looked at each other and the Irish angel nodded her head. Then, she looked back at the teenager and reached out to take her hand, “Sarah... Edward...”

The two teenagers looked at Monica and Andrew and what seemed impossible happened: a beautiful glow involved the couple who had been helping them all that time and they had a comforting and reassuring expression on their faces.

“Monica? Andrew? What’s... what’s happening?”

“We are angels,” Monica announced, “Don’t be afraid.”

The couple was still confused, “Angels?”

“Yes.”