PART 3

Christian woke up in the middle of the night with a start. Despite the fact that the thunderstorm had gone and that it was a peaceful and silent night, the boy felt some slight tension in the air he could not explain. He elected to think that it was due to the hard day he and “Miss Monica” had spent and, unable to fall asleep again, Christian pulled off the blanket and put on his sandals. Funny how “Miss Tess” had arranged him clothes and footwear that suited him so perfectly.

Somewhat carefully, the boy walked along the corridor and reached the stairs that took him to the first floor. Besides the roast beef sandwich, Miss Tess had given him a delicious piece of apple pie and Christian felt he could have some more of it before he left on the following morning.

The boy crossed the main hall and headed to the kitchen as Tess had left the pie over the dining table. He entered the kitchen and was confused for a moment as the lights were off. Searching for the light switch, Christian touched the cold kitchen walls, but before he found it, the boy stumbled into something on the floor he could not clearly see.

Fortunately, he found the light switch on the following second and when the lights were finally on, his blood ran cold at what he found on the floor: a woman, probably in her late thirties, was lying on the floor. She was breathing hard and held her hand up when she saw Christian.

“...please... help me...”

He felt his heart racing and his legs trembled in fear. The woman’s face was too pale and she seemed to be dying. But what he did not see was the blond angel standing beside her, invisible to the human eye. The expression on Andrew’s face was one of sorrow.

“I’ll... I’ll get someone, miss...” He said, taking the woman’s proffered hand, and then with all the force within him, he shouted. “Help!” The boy’s voice suddenly broke the silence of the night and soon woke the guests up.

“Help! Please! Somebody help!”

He let go of the woman’s hand and rushed up to the main hall, where his voice could be heard from all the rooms.

Moments later, the guests, including the woman’s husband, came downstairs to see what was going on. Tess and Monica saw the woman lying on the floor as well as Andrew, wearing his usual beige suit. The blond angel looked at his two co-workers with a worried expression on his face. They could see that Mrs Carter was standing in a thin line between life and death and hoped that Andrew did not have to fulfil another assignment, as the husband’s despair was heartbreaking.

They did not know how much time passed until the paramedics arrived and took Mrs Carter to the nearest hospital and started an intensive treatment in order to save her life. But as soon as they were gone, the red Cadillac miraculously started to work again and Tess and Monica, taking young Christian with her, could follow the ambulance up to Mercy General.

X

“Oh, Tess, I just hope Andrew comes back to us in his human form... I know he does not want to take Mrs Carter Home, I felt his heart...” A worried Monica spoke, sitting on a hospital bench next to her dear friend and supervisor. Christian had fallen asleep against her and the Irish angel had carefully placed a warm blanket over his small form. She would never forget the look in the boy’s eyes; despite his young age he showed great worry about the woman he had found lying on the kitchen floor. The doctors had spoken of a heart failure but there was nothing certain about what was really going on.

“The Father placed you all here for a reason... I did not understand it from the start, but now... Now it all makes sense...” The supervisor placed a supportive hand over her charge’s shoulder.

A moment later, they heard another familiar voice.

“It makes sense to me too, Tess.” Andrew suddenly came along the corridor towards them and the two angels looked at him with expectation and, reading the question that was written in their eyes, he was quick to add. “Mrs Carter had an obstruction in one of the veins that takes the blood to her heart. But she will be fine now.”

His smile matched theirs and the two angels heaved a sigh of relief at hearing that.

“Oh, thank You, Father!”

“I prayed so much, Andrew! I saw the anguish on her husband’s face...”

He gently caressed her cheek. “I know what you mean, angel...” The very thought of having to go separate ways from Monica was enough to causing him great sadness and he knew that the same went to his beloved angel. So he had an idea of what Mr Carter was feeling. “... But thanks to your little friend here, Mr and Mrs Carter will spend many springs together!’

It was then that Christian stirred lightly and opened his sleepy eyes. The angels’ attention turned to him and he faced them back with a questioning look.

“Miss Monica?”

Before she could say something, the doctor who was watching over Mrs Carter came through the door that led to the ICU. Mr Carter had been waiting for some news, quietly standing in a corner with a hopeless look in his eyes and Dr Stevens was quick to put an end to his suffering and give him the good news.

Tess, Monica and Andrew were moved to see the tears of joy on the man’s eyes, and young Christian smiled, aware that everything seemed to be just fine for the poor woman.

“I guess this story has a happy ending, Christian!” Monica happily announced, as Mr Carter walked up to them with a grateful expression on his face.

“My wife... The doctor said she will live...” he spoke, still not believing the good news.

Tess rose to her feet smiling back at him. “We heard it, Mr Carter. And we were praying for that.”

The man turned to look at Christian; overwhelmed with emotion, he touched the boy’s shoulder. “It was you... Thanks to you Melissa will live...” Visibly embarrassed, the boy looked at the angels and back at the man, who kept on talking. “... I feel don’t have enough words to thank you, son...”

Andrew gave a step forward to stand closer to his two angelic companions and lowered his voice, “Happier than we thought, angel!”

X

“The Father’s wonderful plans never cease to amaze me, you know Andrew. It’s impressive how He knits all the smallest things and at the end comes up with a beautiful work of art.”

Her Irish lilt was like music to Andrew’s ears. They were back at Heaven’s Door Bed and Breakfast but it was a warm night without storms now and they took the chance to sit in the gazebo to appreciate the view of the moor and the grandiosity of the star-filled sky. The angels were going to remain there for at least two more days, when finally they would watch Monica’s assignment be successfully accomplished. Constantly playing on their mind was the memory of young Christian meeting Mrs Carter and of the moved look in the woman’s eyes at seeing the child before her – her saviour. It seemed that a new family had been created as its members were instantly connected.

Andrew had been listening to her eternal chatter for the last hour, in between loving kisses and affectionate words, and nodded in agreement with that remark. “Even more beautiful than we had thought, I’d say, angel.” He spoke, with his arms wrapped around her small shoulders and enjoying the fact that she was leaning against him; the closeness making it possible for Andrew to breathe in her sweet perfume and run his fingers through her long auburn strands.

Monica raised her head searching for his eyes. “Do you think it’ll be too long before they can adopt Christian?”

“My guess is that even if the process takes a little, Melissa and Jonathan will be so present in Christian’s life that it’ll feel like they are already connected for the rest of their life.” He spoke, winking at her and loving the hopeful look in her eyes. And when her smile grew wider, he could not resist to leaning down and brushing another kiss against her rosy lips, feeling her small hand against his jaw and her slender fingertips caressing his face.

“Somehow I recall you brought me here for an astronomy class...” Monica spoke, snuggling closer to him when their lips parted.

“Is that a complaint?” He wanted to know, with eyebrows raised and a mischievous smile.

“Not at all, just a statement. I like it when my teacher and rescuer changes the plans a wee bit!”

Enjoying his laughter, Monica straightened her body so she could reach his face and place a tender kiss against his cheek. “I love you so very much! So much that I will remain quiet now and just let you take control of everything from now on!”

Andrew chuckled at that statement, for he knew that at the end of the day his sweet angel girl was actually the one who had him wrapped around her finger. With infinite tenderness, he caressed her face and then tightened the hold around her body. “Close your eyes, angel.”

Smiling back at him, she obeyed to his command and waited for a few more seconds with childish expectation. Before he captured her lips once again, however, the blond angel still took an instant to contemplate her meek features, drinking in her beauty and feeling the love that emanated from her heart to his. Then, he whispered against her ear. “I love you for always, sweet angel of mine!”

A loving kiss sealed that special moment and it was followed by many others, along with tender words and constant promises of their eternal love.

X

To be continued.