Chapter 5

Monica's eyes opened slowly, still not making out the images around her as they were quite blurred and a bit dark. It took her only a few seconds to realise that the night had fallen on Earth and that there was a beautiful starry sky was above her. The smell of the forest was also familiar and she inhaled the wild flowers perfume before blinking a few times and smiling. The angel knew that she was in the Utah mountains and that just a few steps from that spot was the cabin she and her angelic friends sometimes used to spend their free time.

Despite the darkness around her, Monica did not feel uncomfortable or afraid. There was a pair of strong arms holding her tightly and she immediately recognised who was there together with her.

"Andrew?" Her sleepy half-smile and the slightly confused look on her face amused him and the blond angel smiled warmly back at her, still cradling her small form.

"Good evening."

Frowning a little, she looked around and with his help she finally motioned to sit next to him. "I did not realise it was night already..."

"The sun set in the horizon a couple of hours ago and it looks like we'll have a beautiful night." He gladly informed. There was a fire previously lit up not far from them, involving that small clearing in a beautiful golden glow.

"I do not have any memory of falling asleep..."

"Well, I can promise you'll have some good memories from now on!"

The image of her soft brown eyes gazing back at him in surprise was quite adorable to him. "So is this another dream?"

"Yes. And this time you will dream of a warm night and a sky filled with stars for you to learn about."

Monica grinned at him, with the childlike contentment he grew accustomed to along years of friendship. "It's been a long time since our last lesson about the stars and the universe." She rested her back against an old fallen tree trunk and snuggled close to him.

"This is because you're always so busy bringing joy and hope to people's life. I get on a sort of 'stand-by mode' just waiting for the opportunity to steal you away for me for a couple of hours!" He joked, wrapping his arm around her shoulders and enjoying her giggling at his words.

"You do not need to 'steal me away,' I'm an eternal admirer of these lovely classes! Plus..." She turned her eyes from the hypnotising starry night sky and gazed at him with tenderness. "I'll always be anxiously waiting for our next meeting as we always spend a lovely time together!"

"Well, I'm flattered!"

"I've always been curious about dreams but never imagined they could be so sweet... That you could actually feel smells and sensations and...and all this peace and joy..."

"I'm glad to hear it, it means that I've got at least part of my assignment accomplished!"

"Part of it?"

"Yep!" He winked at her and then pointed out to the sky. "The other part is the lesson you're about to be taught!"

Her sparkling brown eyes followed his green ones. "It's such a beautiful night, Andrew...Warm and calm, and even if there is no moon, it seems that the stars are able to shed their light up in the sky and also down here on Earth and make this a very bright night. I love the cabin surroundings."

Andrew turned to look at her slightly surprised that she recognised where she was. Amused and aware of his thoughts, Monica returned his gaze. "I may be geographically challenged but some places are so dear to me that I could guide myself up to them even in the darkness!" She joked, and a couple of seconds later, she added. "Well, perhaps not in total darkness... and with a wee bit of help!"

Chuckling, he looked at the sky once again, focusing on the brightest star they could see in the firmament. "It's good that you mentioned the ability to be guided, angel. Do you see that particular star over there?"

"I most certainly do. It's beautiful, isn’t it?"

"That is Polaris, also known as the North star. You see, Monica, in all the other lessons I gave you, you might have noticed that the stars slowly 'move' across the sky."

"I did notice that but I also remember you explained that the term 'move' is not accurate because it's actually the Earth that is moving, not the stars." She added, wanting to show him that the memories of previous lessons were still vivid in her mind.

"That's right, angel. But if you pay close attention you'll notice that there is only one particular star that doesn’t 'go' anywhere. The North star doesn’t 'move.' It sits motionless, content to let the rest of the sky revolve around it."

Monica's eyes grew wide with surprise. "Really? And why is that so, Andrew?"

"Because it stays approximately aligned with the Earth's axis of rotation. It means that its apparent position is close to the North Pole so it stays directly overhead when we look at her."

"Ah, I see!"

"And due to its privileged position, no matter where you go, you can always count on the North Star to guide you back. It's always there, in the same place, every night. Without the North Star, there might have been no 'age of discovery' because night time navigation would have been virtually impossible. The great explorers had a good idea where they were heading and knew exactly how to get back thanks to the North star."

"Oh, but that is wonderful! So that wee star over there probably helped to make History!"

"That is correct. Nowadays, with GPS, the North Star isn't as crucial as it used to be, but it still comes in handy when you don’t have any electronic gadget to help you. Once you've found it, finding your way around is easy. And so is finding where you are."

Monica's smile never faded while her eyes were still fixed on their bright object of study. "It’s impressive how the Father always finds a way to guide His children’s steps, isn’t it, Andrew? Besides, we can also consider its metaphorical usage too."

Noticing his questioning look, she finally turned her eyes to meet his green ones. "Everyone has their ‘North Star’ so that they are always shown where they are and the right path to follow whenever they are in doubt. Even angels are blessed with their own ‘star,’ I know that meself...”

With his heart filled with tenderness, Andrew tightened the hold around her in a loving embrace and gave her a gentle squeeze. “You are perfectly right, baby. Some angels are granted with very special gifts, just like this angel here, who was granted with the gift of your friendship!" Her warm smile back at him combined with the joy in her eyes were his best replies. "And you can be sure I will always treasure and watch over it!"

"I know... You never let me forget about it."

He inched closer and kissed her temple lovingly before she snuggled against him one more time.

"Well, returning to our lesson, did you know that the North Star is also called Alpha Ursae Minoris and is part of the Little Bear constellation."

"Oh, it is an adorable name for a constellation, if you ask me!"

The following couple of hours were filled with joyful conversation besides Andrew's explanation about the stars and Monica's philosophical remarks about what she was learning. Along with the beautiful glow coming from the sky, the fire kept their surroundings bright and the fact that it was almost summer made it a ever warmer night.

As the night fell, the happy chatter subsided naturally, gently replaced by a contemplation mode and a comfortable silence between the two angels in cosmic form.

"Andrew..." Monica's lovely accent, calling out his name in a particularly adorable way, took him out of his thoughts and made him turn his eyes to meet hers. The expression on her face was a peaceful one and he could notice that soon she would be lulled to sleep. Her next words, however, took away some of his own peace. "The... 'dream' I had yesterday...of Elisa's wedding..."

"Yes?" He spoke with caution, wondering why she had brought that subject up.

"It wasn't exactly a dream... it really happened, didn’t it?"

The blond angel nodded slowly. "It did, actually. Elisa got married yesterday."

"So it means that we were there in our angelic forms because, for some reason, my human body was fast asleep?" she wanted to know, the calm with which she made that question differing from the tension that build in his heart. Andrew did not intend to tell her what was keeping her unconscious or about the painful mission he had received.

"That is correct." He measured his words again, but Monica did not notice his caution.

A few seconds later, she spoke again. "I have to confess that I'm very happy to dream of you again, you know."

Those sudden words seemed to soothe his spirit and he smiled. "I'm very happy to be part of your dreams, angel." He said, stroking her hair.

But Monica's sweet smile was also mixed with some slight uncertainty. "I have no memory of what happened during the day, though."

Andrew tried to keep the same steady and gentle tone of voice so that she did not notice his anxiety to change the topic. "You are on an important assignment, angel."

She shrugged her small shoulders, frowning a little. "I just wish I could hold more information about it while I'm asleep..."

And although she felt the need to know more about her current assignment and why she could not remember the events of the day, Monica was suddenly tired and a bit drowsy.

Noticing that, Andrew took the opportunity to speak again. "I'm under the impression that some angels have had enough of astronomy classes for this night!"

The Irish angel closed her eyes, her pleased smile still remaining. "It was lovely... I could stay here for a small eternity..."

"So could I, angel. Just holding you in my arms for years to come. But now you need to rest. I promise I'll always be here at your side, baby, no matter what." He whispered against her hair, pleased that there was no reply from her.

He cradled the Irish angel for a couple of minutes more and certain that she was now fast asleep, Andrew spoke again. "Oh, Monica...The Father is my witness of how much I love you, angel. Sometimes, more than I myself could imagine."

The angel of death kissed the top of her head lovingly and slowly their cosmic forms returned to the St. Patrick's Hospital, where both retook their places inside the cold and silent ICU unit.