PART 5

PART 5 – Thank you for being a friend! (Finale)

On the following morning, the 5^th day of her forced vacations, Monica woke up a bit silent. After breakfast, she sat down by the living room window and remained there for a long time, contemplating the view around the cabin.

Andrew had noticed his talkative friend’s silence but, after checking if she had a fever or if she was in any pain, he decided not to push the issue. In fact, he knew the reason for her silence – Monica’s soul was like a bird: it wasn’t made to be trapped inside a house, isolated from the rest of the world. He knew she missed accomplishing the Father’s work, being in contact with human beings and having Tess and little Joy by her side. Without saying a much, the blond angel placed a kiss on her temple and informed her he had to go out but that he wouldn’t be long.

In fact, some time later, the Irish angel saw her friend coming back, climbing the porch steps. Andrew closed the door behind him carrying some logs for the fireplace and a bouquet of wild flowers he had picked in the surroundings of the cabin. He left the logs by the door and took a seat right in front of Monica, “Hey, these are for you!”

The small and delicate flowers finally brought a smile to her pretty face, “Oh... They’re lovely!” she exclaimed, smelling their sweet perfume. Then, she inched closer and gave him a hug and a kiss on the cheek, “Thank you very much, Andrew... Your presence is like a gift to me, you know.”

Happy to see such reaction, he nodded his head, “Well, this hug and kiss and seeing this smile back on your pretty face are the best ‘thank you’ I could ever get! And the gift is mine to have you by my side!”

Monica frowned worriedly and slightly guilty, “I’m sorry, I’m a wee bit pensive today...”

“Today?!” he said, raising his eyebrows in mock surprise, which caused her to smile even more, “Hum... I guess you’re as pensive as always, angel, the only problem is that today you’re not voicing your thoughts as much as you usually do, right?”

Monica sighed deeply and lowered her eyes for a few moments, “I was thinking about wee Danny, you know, wondering how the poor little boy is doing. Chickenpox can be dangerous, Andrew, and he’s so young...”

“Yes, but his mother is taking good care of him, Monica, I’m sure he’s healing as fast as you are.”

“I’ve been praying for him... He’s such an adorable wee boy...” a slight smile returned to her face when she remembered something and she looked at Andrew again, ready to reveal a big secret, “There’s something I didn’t tell anyone...”

“And what is it?”

“Well... When wee Danny was sleepy, I used to put him in bed and... well... he used to gaze at me with those bright green eyes... He reminded me of you a little...”

Amused, he frowned with concern, “Hum... Should I be happy or feel jealous of that little buddy?”

Chuckling, the younger angel continued to talk, “At times like these... when he was almost falling asleep I... I would... sing for him...” she blushed a little when she said that, “I used to sing Danny Boy in a very low voice and... well... he seemed to like it...”

Andrew chuckled not only at the cute way she said that (as if she herself was amazed with that fact) but also at the shy, nearly embarrassed way she spoke. “I don’t see why he wouldn’t like it, angel.”

Blushing even more, she lowered her eyes, “Oh, Andrew... You’ve seen my worst already...”

With his green pools filled with tenderness, he reached out and cupped her chin up, “Yes, I’ve seen it. And your... ‘worst’ is just lovely.”

Deeply moved with emotion, and lost for words, she felt a tear rolling down her cheek, while her dearest friend kept on talking, “Besides, it’s not a matter of singing well or not... The most important is [i]why[/i]  you’re singing!” The smile on his handsome face grew wider when he saw the tears falling from her eyes, “...And I know exactly what’s like to have an angel by my side, singing to bring peace to my heart. I bet that little boy had some really good dreams!”

Monica let out a sob; fresh tears rolling down her cheeks, “You know how much it means to me to hear what you’re just telling me, don’t you?”

“I just told you the truth, baby. And it’s not for you to cry...” he wiped away her tears with gentle fingers and held her tightly, “What will Tess say if she sees you crying like that, huh? That I’ve been treating you badly!”

That statement had the exact effect he wanted: a pretty, yet crying, smile appeared on her blushing face, “That would be impossible!”

It was at that moment that they heard the noise of a car coming closer to the cabin and looked through the window with surprised eyes, “Tess!” Monica exclaimed, rushing towards the entrance door. The supervisor left the Cadillac and also rushed up to her charge with her arms wide open like a mother who hadn’t seen her daughter for a long time.

“Tess! Oh Tess, I missed you so much!”

“Oh, angel girl! Come here, let me hold you, baby!”

“But... Isn’t it dangerous? You may catch chickenpox too...”

“I don’t care about that!” the oldest angel spoke, climbing the porch steps and giving Monica a big bear hug. “It’s been so lonely without you... I just couldn’t stay there without my baby...” she exclaimed, with some happy tears falling from her eyes.

With a contented smile, Andrew came closer to them and placed his arms around their shoulders, “I knew you wouldn’t bear to stay away for a long time, Tess!”

“Angel boy, it’s so good to see you again too, baby...” she took their both hands, “So good to see you both again...”

It was then that they heard a rather upset puppy’s bark coming from inside the Cadillac and saw that little Joy was nearly insane to get out of the vehicle, “Oh, wee Joy! You bought her too!” Monica spoke, happy to see the little dog.

“Yes, she couldn’t bear to stay away from her parents either! The poor baby was getting depressed!” They headed to the car to set the animal free, “I’m sure that she’s eager to kiss her mom!” Tess opened the car door and Joy rushed toward Monica with such a hurry that she bumped into the Irish angel’s bare feet.

Moved to tears, she grabbed the little animal in her arms and immediately received lots of wet kisses on her face, “Oh, sweetheart! I know, I know... I  missed you a lot too!”

And, happy to watch that cute scene, Tess and Andrew exchanged a pleased gaze.

*

As Monica was visibly getting better and her fever had finally ceased, Andrew put some logs in the fireplace and agreed she could stay in the now warm living room. The two angels sat down comfortably on the sofa, with a blanket over themselves. The warm, cosy room and the large mug of mocha in their hands caused the Irish angel to feel a lot better after nearly a week of forced vacations. And, as Andrew had predicted, he wasn’t affected by the disease, which allowed him to take really good care of his dearest friend. The following days were also good for Tess, as being a bit tired after handling an assignment on her own, the supervisor took that opportunity to rest a little more; on that night it wasn’t different: some time after dinner, she had excused herself and went to her bedroom, followed by little Joy.

“I’m happy to know that wee Danny is already getting better from the chickenpox, you know. That was the best news Tess could ever give me these days!” Monica spoke, pleased with the big mug of mocha she was holding in her hands.

“Monica, there’s just one thing I ask you: don’t say a word to Tess about how much coffee I let you drink, are we understood on that?” he said, watching as she delighted herself with one of the many mugs she had drunk on that day.

“Okay, if you insist, I give you my word, Andrew. But I don’t think Tess will mind about my coffee liking this time, you know.”

“Oh no? And why not, may I ask?” he said, chuckling at her wording.

“Don’t forget that it was her who bought extra packs of coffee, from many different flavours before leaving the cabin! I guess this was a way to pamper me a little because I was ill and also a way to tell me that she loves me, even having to be away. That’s what you both always do to me, find ways to express how much you love me!” she blushed a little.

Smiling, Andrew wrapped his arm around her shoulders, bringing her closer to him, and kissed her cheek, “Oh, angel... yes, I love you! Even if you’re all covered with tiny red spots, I still love you, my dotted little angel girl!”

Those last words caused her to giggle and she playfully punched him lightly on the arm, “Ouch!” he exclaimed, pretending that it really hurt.

Giggling even more, the Irish angel inched closer to him and kissed his cheek, “Thank you... for everything...”

“You don’t have to thank me, angel. Just know that I’m always ready to help you whenever you need me, ok?”

“I know, you never let me forget that!”

With their hearts filled with love, they held each other again and continued to watch the fire as a white dove cooed and perched on the window, bringing a quiet and peaceful night for everybody – angels and humans.

The end