Episode 55 - Away

The movement of people passing by the hospital corridors never ceased during the days and nights. In a place like that, all of them carried in their faces a hint of sadness or anguish or expectation, as a loved one was probably in one of the many rooms in the five floors of that old building, either recovering or fighting for their life. Once in a while, it was possible to hear a desperate crying echoing along the cold halls – the consequence of some sad news that unfortunately doctors and nurses had to deliver. But there were also smiles and tears when someone was told that their loved one would live after being on the verge of leaving this world.

Monica watched small miracles happening at the same time as she witnessed the human beings’ fragility. Two weeks after she had started her assignment there, the Irish angel had been able to help and support some, offer comforting words to others, put a smile on a sick child’s face or give hope to those who were feeling alone in the world. And this mission cheered her heart and made her feel grateful at the same time that it helped her to deal with the momentarily separation from Andrew and Angela. They were a whole, a unity that only reached its balance when placed together, experiencing the bliss of the reunion and loving one another either with words or gestures.

The Irish angel wondered if right at that moment, wee Angela was fast asleep in Tess’ generous arms or if awake and enchanting the angels that would come by and witness the Father’s wonderful creation. The smile on Monica’s face only faded when she thought about Andrew. If her duty as a God’s servant in that hospital was, for many times, a difficult one, she dreaded to think about the heavy burden that her beloved soul mate had to carry in his routine.

A loud thunder interrupted her thoughts and made her human form tremble inside. The night had fallen hours before, but unlike the other days, when the movement would be a little reduced, the hospital was still crowded with people. The storm outside had started a while ago, bringing destruction and chaos in its wake. Monica stopped by a window and watched as the heavy rain and intense wind hit the earth and made the tall trees bend on their side, threatening to destruct what nature had taken years to build.

“Oh, Father, please, protect those who could not find a shelter on this difficult night... Send your angels to watch over them...” She prayed, closing her eyes for a moment.

The voice in the loudspeakers spread along the hospital corridors announced that the ambulances were bringing several injured people, who had been victims of a building that collapsed with the force of the waters in a district not far from there. On the blink of an eye, the rushing along the corridors increased considerably, and the first victims were brought by the firefighters. Doctors and nurses had to run to the front gates to help with the victims transportation up to the Emergency Room, as the news were that the construction had been in a risky and poor area and that at least 20 people lived in it.

Monica’s eyes witnessed the horror of those who were seriously hurt and the despair of those who had lost a loved one – or were on the verge of. Her prayers were mixed with her quick actions in administering the first aids, while her heart ached for those God’s children. The angel’s accentuated sensitivity made her cry uncountable times for human beings suffering and this very occasion wouldn’t be different.

Another ambulance was parked at the hospital gate and as the rain pelted down, one of the firefighters shouted he needed help to remove the victims he had brought to the ICU. Monica and other doctors were the ones who came to help, and when the stretchers were being removed from inside the vehicle, an image came as a sudden blow in her stomach. A tall blond man, with his forehead and arm covered with blood, was one of the victims, and the Irish angel covered her mouth as if stifling a desperate cry before that horrendous image.

It was her Andrew there.

“Oh, dear Father...” she whispered, and suddenly her human form stood still, as if cursed to remain like a statue for the next hundred years; her head was spinning at the same time she let the rain soak her clothes – the sensation of cold and wetness was imperceptible right now.

X

The image of her beloved Andrew hurt on that hospital cot left Monica paralysed with shock. For a moment, she couldn’t talk or walk, and watched perplexed as the paramedics took him out of the ambulance and handled him to the nurses.

“Monica! Help here!”

A voice called her attention back to reality and she started to walk next to Andrew’s stretcher, tears already falling from her eyes due to the injuries on his face and arms. She walked next to him until the ER room, where they started to administer the first aids.

“Go help the others, Monica, we’ll take up from here.” A doctor ordered, but watching as she still couldn’t move and seemed in shock, he spoke again, “From what we heard, this man is the one who needs more attention as he risked himself for the people who were in the bus when it fell from a cliff. We’ll take care of him!”

Somehow the angel in human form managed to process what the man was telling her and left the room, but was still able to see it as three doctors got together to try to stop Andrew’s bleeding. Completely in panic, she leaned against the corridor wall trying to control her breathing and finally allowed her tears to fall.

“Oh, Father, please heal him... Don’t let him suffer...” her whispered prayer was suddenly interrupted by a familiar voice.

“Monica...”

When she saw Adam walking towards her, she felt her legs trembling – it was normally a joy to meet her friends but not right now because of what his presence represented in a place like that – and most importantly at a moment like that.

“Adam...” she stared at him with fear as he placed his hand over her shoulder. “Are you here for Andrew?”

“No... no, Monica...” The angel of death was immediately sorry to see so much fear and pain in those sad brown eyes. “I know about him but I haven’t been told anything...”

“He’s so hurt, Adam...” her crying voice was heartbreaking and the angel pulled her for a hug.

“Please be calm, Monica. You know that they are taking good care of Andrew... And you know what he really is, sweetie. There is a reason why he’s here.”

Monica cried softly for a few minutes, but then she pulled away and wiped her tears. “There... there are other people who were hurt... it seems that it was an accident...”

“Yes, and Andrew managed to help all those who were inside the bus. It was full of children who were coming back from an excursion to a park not far from here. Without him, then I would have to be here for most of those children...”

Biting her lower lip, the Irish angel nodded her head. “Nothing would have made him feel more honoured than accomplishing this assignment.”

“I’ll keep an eye on him for you, ok?”

She shot him a grateful look and nodded. “Thank you, Adam.”

On the following hours, Monica and her colleagues administered the first aids to the children who were involved in the accident. All of them had minor injuries and despite the fact that they were still very scared, they would be alright thanks to an angel sent by God to protect them in that difficult hour.

“There are here because of the man who is at the ER now... He helped save many lives.” One of the nurses said, and hearing that, Monica couldn’t help shedding another tear. She had always known that her Andrew had a noble soul and that he was always doing wonderful things in this world. What hurt was that now, because of his courage and loving spirit, he was badly hurt and at least for a while away from those he loved the most.

Hours passed by slowly on that night and the hospital seemed to be involved in an atmosphere of anguish and tension. The news about the man who had managed to save 25 children from a terrible bus accident quickly spread and every person who heard about it sent a silent prayer for his recovery.

As most of the children had been released from hospital – and those who would stay for the night were alright and accompanied by their parents, Monica took a break from her duties as a nurse and headed to the hospital chapel. Contrary to the rest of the hospital, there was peace in the silence of the small area and at that time of the night dim light illuminated the altar and the row of pews in front of it. She walked along the short aisle up to the front pew and took a seat. There, she closed her eyes and prayed – not only for Andrew’s recovery but also for his human condition as it broke her angelic heart to know that he was suffering.

“Please, Father, heal him... He’s so pure of heart... He... he has such a noble soul... don’t let him suffer... I love him so much...”

With tears falling from her eyes, Monica spent the next half hour praying for Andrew’s safety and for his fast healing. She also thought about Angela and how the distance between father and daughter would made each of them suffer, and also hoped that they could be reunited soon.

When she finally opened her eyes, the angel in human form noticed that she wasn’t alone in the chapel any longer. An old lady, elegantly dressed, was sitting at the other hand of the pew. Like Monica, she had also been praying and there was a mix of gratitude and sadness on her face.

“Good evening...” she said, noticing she was being observed.

“Good evening, madam...”

“I came here to offer some prayers of thanks and was going to the reception to search for information about a patient, but I see you work in here... I wonder if perhaps you can help me.”

“I hope so... What kind of information would you like to know?”

“It’s about the man who saved the children in that horrible bus accident.”

Monica bit her lower lip, trying to suppress the emotion in her eyes. “Andrew.”

“How is he?”

“He’s going through surgery right now.”

“Will he live?”

“Doctors... they are doing the best they can...” she replied, not trusting herself to go on answering those questions.”

“I’ve been praying for him, you see. My grandchildren, a boy and a girl, were in that bus and if it wasn’t for him, they wouldn’t have survived. And Jonathan and Carolyn are all I have in this world since their parents have long gone. This man, Andrew, he was like an angel sent by God to save them all.”

A bittersweet smile appeared on her face. “I couldn’t agree more, madam.”

“Margaret Chapman. I will save no expenses for Andrew to heal. I know no money can repay what he did for me, but at least I feel like helping him with whatever he needs so that he knows the good he did for me.”

Monica watched as she left the chapel in silence, probably heading to the hospital administration so that she could inform that she would pay for any extra expenses with Andrew’s care. And the angel in human form prayed that it wasn’t necessary and that soon her beloved valentine would open his eyes to her once again.

Eventually, she too left the chapel and was quickly informed that the surgery was over and that Andrew had been transferred to another room. Grateful to have free access to any part of the hospital due to her temporary assignment as a nurse, Monica quickly headed to the ICU room on the second floor of the historical building and carefully opened its door. There, in that cold room, her beloved Andrew rested in bed, unconscious due to the sedatives that had been administered to his human form, unable to feel her presence as she approached his bed with tears in her eyes. Despite the fact that doctors had treated and bandaged his injuries he still looked so pale!

“Oh, Andrew... I’m so sorry, dear... I’m so sorry you had to go through it, I know you’re hurt...” she whispered, her crying voice breaking the silence of the room as tears of emotion feel from her sad brown eyes. “You’re always so protective of me and wee Angela... always wanting to take care of us and love us...” Monica caressed his face and his blond hair, now partially hidden by the bandage wrapped around his head. “But I promise that when you wake up I will be the one to watch over you until you are allowed to go back to your angelic form, are we understood?”

“Monica?”

The sound of the doctor’s voice made her quickly wipe the tears away. “Doctor Ford...”

He was going to ask her what she was doing there, if there had been any changes in the patient’s condition, but then he realised the nurse with Irish accent was probably one of the many people who had heard about his heroic attitude and had been praying for him to live. “He’s stable now.” The man quickly informed. “We did everything we could to treat his wounds. But Andrew had a broken leg and some broken ribs and the concussion in his head was pretty serious.”

“I understand, sir.” She spoke, her eyes still on the angel lying on the bed.

“The next hours will be decisive for him.”

As Monica raised her head to look at the man, she saw Adam standing by the bedroom door – except that now he was in his angelic form, invisible to the human eye. He had a sad expression on his face but a few seconds later, his image slowly faded away. Perhaps it was just a visit, perhaps he too wanted to know how his long time friend and co-worker was doing. Trying not to think about what the angel of death’s presence there represented, Monica turned her attention back to her interlocutor.

“Doctor... I... I was wondering if I could be the nurse in charge of Andrew. I... I have previous experience in treating ICU patients and his story touched me deeply. I would be glad to help.”

“Sure, I see no problem.”

“Thank you.”

X

Two days later...

Monica watched as the sun rays started to fade away from the hospital bedroom ending another day of painful wait for her. Andrew’s condition remained the same and he still hadn’t woken up. She noticed the slight worry in his doctor’s eyes whenever he came to check on him, and wondered if perhaps Adam’s presence there had a purpose – a cruel purpose that would break her heart forever.

She stroked his face tenderly and held his hand, permanently speaking soft loving words to him, hoping that somehow he could hear her.

“I know that you are taking your time and it’s perfectly fine to do so. But please do come back to us...Angela and I... we miss you so much...” she took his hand to her lips. “Apart from our heavenly Home, there is no other place where we feel so at peace other than your arms... And it’s so hard not having them right now...”

As Monica was also Andrew’s official nurse, she altered her time in between talking to him, checking on his condition and giving him the necessary medicines, administered through the IV tube permanently connected to his arm. And she also prayed. Except that now she didn’t go to the chapel any longer, as it would mean staying away from him. The angel would stand by the bedroom window and turn her eyes at the blue sky, searching for comfort to her anguished heart and begging for a sigh that her beloved valentine would be alright.

“Father... if there is anything I can do to help... please send me a sign... I would do anything for him, Father...” she whispered, her eyes filled with incessant tears. “...Please, bring Andrew back... because without him, a part of me is missing...”

She watched as the last piece of sunray faded from the hospital room and then walked over up to the light switch. And as she turned it on, a rough voice nearly froze her.

“The bus...”

An instant later, she was standing by Andrew’s bed and watching with her heart pounding loudly in her chest as he stirred his head and slowly opened his eyes.

“Andrew? Can... Can you hear me?” she asked with trembling voice.

The wounded angel seemed to be getting used to the artificial light and blinked a few times. Then, little by little, it became clear to him where he was and the young lady staring back at him with expectation. Her brown eyes were naturally sweet and one would always feel at peace under her kind and warm gaze. He could also see she had been crying and it wasn’t difficult to detect some sadness on her beautiful face, but the peace brought by her presence was such that it brought comfort to his very confused heart.

“Y-yes...” he answered, and she could see he was still very weak. Quickly, Monica grabbed some water and placed it on a paper cup.

“Please, drink some water...”

She helped him up and he did as she asked. When she deposited the empty paper cup on the bedside table, Andrew turned to look at her, not missing the emotion in her eyes.

“There were so many prayers...” she said, with trembling voice. “Do you remember what happened to you?”

He closed his eyes for a moment, and then opened them again. “There was an accident... with the bus...” he spoke, and not wanting him to make more effort, Monica quickly completed his sentence.

“And the children were all safe because of you... You saved them all, Andrew!”

The blond angel heaved a sigh of relief.

“How... how long have I been here?”

“For two days. You broke your leg and went through surgery because of the accident. But you will be fine.”

“Were there other people injured?” he wanted to know, bringing his hand up to his head and feeling the bandage wrapped around it.

“No. Some children had a few scratches and were rather scared but nobody else got hurt.” There was evident pride when she said that, as Andrew’s noble attitudes always filled her heart with admiration for him.

But the next question took away at least part of the joy she was feeling for his recovering his consciousness.

“What’s your name?”

The Irish angel was lost for words for a moment and felt as if the ground had just disappeared from underneath her feet. In fact, Monica doubted if she had heard it right, if she was too overwhelmed with emotion to process what she had heard.

“I beg your pardon?” was all that she could speak, in a whispered and shocked voice.

But before Andrew could say something else, the door opened and Dr Chapman entered the room

“Monica, I think we should-” surprise all over his face at the realisation that his patient was awake. “Andrew!”

As the old gentleman quickly approached the bed, Monica found the strength to speak again. “He... He has just woken up, sir...”

“And I was going to ask you if there had been any changes in his condition... I confess I was starting to be very worried about you, Andrew.”

The doctor started the first procedures to exam his patient, checking his vital signs and making a series of questions. Andrew answered one by one, and while Monica assisted Dr Chapman, she tried to stifle a sob at his total indifference towards her.

“...your nurse said I’ve been here for four days...” he said, causing Monica to close her eyes briefly, as the pain caused by those words was almost physical.

“Yes, and you had us worrying about you all the time. Your injuries were serious, but we managed to control an internal haemorrhage and treat you with antibiotics. You had a broken leg too, and will need help at least for the next couple of months.”

“I understand.” He spoke, quietly recalling the events that brought him there.

“Is there anybody you want to call to? Mr Collins, the man who hired you to drive the bus, wasn’t sure if you had family or friends.”

Hearing that, Monica stared at the angel in human form with expectation, her heart pounding loudly in her chest.

“N-no... My friends live far from here and there’s nobody to call right now.”

The Irish angel tried to hide the tear that fell from her eye as she heard him speaking. With trembling hands, she listened to Andrew and Doctor Chapman talking for a few minutes more but once she was over helping the doctor, she excused herself and left the room in a hurry. What seemed to be the end of a nightmare had turned into another heavy burden and if before she had to deal with Andrew’s absence while he was unconscious, now that he was finally out of the coma, she would have to face his indifference.

And it was equally painful; equally cruel.

X

To be continued.