CHAPTERS 18 & 19

Chapter 18

Sitting on the hospital bed, looking at the cloudy sky through the window, Monica sighed. Her soft brown eyes were filled with worry and deep sadness, as she remembered the events of the latest hours. The helicopter landing on the island, their rescue, and finally their arrival at the city hospital. The first exams proved that she and Madeleine Peterson were extremely weak, with anaemia, and needed medical attention for the next days, but their condition would improve with time. There at the same hospital, she was informed that the other passengers of the boat had all been rescued on the day after the accident and that piece of information at least brought some comfort to the Irish angel's heart.

Andrew, on the other hand, remained unconscious all the time due to the wounding caused by the bullet and to the weakness of his human body. He had lost blood and his human form was already too debilitated, and doctors were doing everything they could to make him recover.

A silent tear rolled down her cheek as she thought about her dearest friend and about the last time they spoke. She had pushed away the love he was offering her, she had run away from him refusing to see the truth that was evident in her own heart: that she too loved him dearly, and much deeper than she could ever imagine. But only when the possibility to lose him was real, did she acknowledge those loving feelings, aware that she could never deny them for a long time.

And now all she wanted was to see him recovering, to see his eyes open for her so that she could smile at him and tell him about her love. She needed his forgiveness and his love.

The door suddenly flung open and her sad doe-like eyes lit up a bit at the image of a dear friend. "Tess!"

"Oh, baby, you're finally here! Let me hold you!"

The dark-skinned angel rushed up to the bed and held her dearest friend tightly, like a mother who hadn't seen her daughter for a long painful time.

"Oh, Tess! I missed you so much... so much..." Monica sobbed on her shoulder; fear, anguish and sorrow taking over her very soul.

The supervisor returned the embrace, equally moved. "Angel girl! I was so afraid for you and angel boy! I prayed so much for you two, baby!"

"All we could think of was you and wee Joy... and the cabin... all those moments we spent together... For a moment I thought we wouldn't see you again..."

Gently, Tess pulled away and watched her dear charge with tear-filled eyes, "Oh, I can't even begin to imagine what it was like for you to stay on that island for such a long time... you've lost weight, baby! I'll take good care of you, I promise!"

"Tess, Andrew... he is..."

"I know, baby, I know. But we have to pray now. Don't forget Who is in charge here, watching over us all. As much as I couldn't understand why you and Andrew had to stay away from me, I trusted the Father had a greater plan, and He never ceases to amaze me! Who could ever imagine that you two would end up in the same island of that woman? The searches for Madeleine Peterson had finished and if you two hadn't got lost, she would have never been found!"

"I know, and I was so glad to hear that everyone on our boat had been saved too."

"Yes, they were saved and do you know why they kept on searching for you and Andrew?" watching as she shook her head, the supervisor kept on talking, "Your bag appeared floating not far from the coast and collided with a small fishing boat. The fishermen took it out of the water and delivered to the police. Inside, you had a small agenda and drew a few stars on a piece of paper..."

Biting her lower lip, she nodded, remembering one night before the accident, when they were already in the ocean. "Andrew and I were watching the stars... It was such a beautiful night, Tess... Andrew started teaching me the locations and the constellations... I wrote down what he was telling me..." She would never forget Andrew's arms wrapped around her shoulders, his patience in answering to all her questions, the affectionate look in his green eyes. She couldn't believe it she had thrown it all away.

"It was thanks to these notes that the police managed to get the exact location where you were. Even unaware, you made a map of the place where your boat crashed, and it was a bit far from the place where the other researchers were found."

They remained there for a while, but Monica's heart was set someplace else. The little angel longed to hear what was going on with Andrew, and for two times Tess went to check if there were any news of him. She returned after hearing he was being taken care of and that, so far, there hadn't been any change in his condition.

When the night fell, the supervisor left Monica for a moment. Like her two dear friends she too was in human form and needed to eat in order to face the long night ahead. The Irish angel, for herself, watched as the nurse came to replace the IV tube inserted in her vein, and once the task was accomplished, she looked at the woman with pleading eyes.

"I was wondering if... if I could go out of the bedroom for a moment..."

"Out of the bedroom? But you're still too weak..."

"I'm not planning to go for a long time, just up to the fifth floor... My friend Andrew is there and I..." she bit her lower lip and she soon felt the presence of tears. "I need to see him..."

There was no way the young nurse could have said no to that request. Visibly not happy to do that, as she feared for her patient's condition, she sighed and finally nodded in agreement. "It's alright... I can see how much you love him. I guess you can go for a moment, but I'll take you there."

A tearful smile played on the angel's lips, "Thank you!"

Carefully, the woman helped Monica to get on her feet and the Irish angel put on a robe over the hospital gown. Carrying the IV tube, she followed the nurse up to the elevators and watched as she pressed the button for the fifth floor. The short time it took were like long hours to her. She needed to see Andrew badly, and if staying away from each other would always cause her great pain, now his absence was nearly unbearable to her.

After a few moments, which seemed an eternity, the elevator chimed and the doors slid open. Monica was now standing at a long corridor with many doors and her dark eyes searched desperately for the right path that would take her to Andrew.

"Follow me, please..."

The nurse took her to room number 502, and as she opened up the door, Monica's breath was caught in her throat. Andrew was lying in bed, his face pale and eyes closed. Underneath the hospital gown, she could see there was a bandage around his torso and it broke her heart to think on how much he was suffering.

With tears rolling down her cheeks, she stepped closer and finally took his hand. He was cold and if it wasn't for the monitor counting his steady heartbeats, she would have thought the worst.

"I've never told you how much you mean to me, have I? When I should be there to tell you this, I turned my back on you..." she said, gently taking his hand and placing it against her heart. The young nurse felt sorry for the couple and silently left the room, allowing them some privacy.

"If I could turn back time I would never do that, Andrew... I promise I wouldn't... You're so much part of me now... I wish you could open your eyes and see me but then I keep on thinking that I won't have the right words to tell you what I feel for you..." a small sob escaped her, "You told me to search inside my heart for the answer to my feelings... And then I found out that the words 'I love you' are too little to express what my heart is telling me..."

The monitor that counted Andrew's heartbeats was the only sound inside the room. The Irish angel sat down at the edge of his bed and, never releasing his hand, she bent her head and brushed a tender kiss on his face, still covered by the slight beard that hid his warm smile.

"I'll stay here with you, okay? I won't go, even if the nurse comes back to take me to my room."

A slight knock on the door interrupted that silent monologue.

"Angel girl?"

Tess had been told that she was there, and decided to go and stay with her two "babies" meanwhile; she and Monica constantly praying for his recovery.

Chapter 19

Monica spent the night standing by Andrew's side, and no one, nor Tess or a doctor or a nurse, succeeded in  convincing her to return to her room. Once in a while she dozed into a light sleep, result of her exhaustion and weak condition. But then she would wake up all of a sudden, as her sleep turned into the beginning of a nightmare.

When the first sunrays shone through the window, Monica stood up from the chair she had been sitting on. The last IV tube that been removed from her arm an hour before and now she at least could have more freedom in her movements. She was now holding his hand in both of hers, and with her eyes closed, she prayed for his recovery. Tess had gone for a while, insisting that when she returned she would bring her breakfast either she wanted it or not.

Monica didn't feel like eating. She had never felt so sad in her whole existence. Running away from Andrew when he confessed his feelings for her was like throwing away a precious treasure once she had it in her hands. She would never forgive herself for doing it, but somehow, she hoped he could forgive him.

Andrew was lying down still unconscious. His colour looked better, but his face and the rest of his human body were still wounded. Monica remained standing next to him, holding his hand, rubbing his fingers and praying. But the little angel was tired. All that time she coped with the possibility of him being taken away from her. Andrew could be permanently assigned to a far away place, or even abandon his human form to go back Home and stay there for good. If that happened, and they couldn't see each other again, the best part of her would certainly die.

But then, all of a sudden, his steady hand twitched, and the little angel's heart nearly jumped. She immediately rose to her feet and stared at him with her eyes wide open, watching as his head moved slightly.

"Andrew..." she whispered, as he slowly opened his eyes and looked over at her. Monica was on the verge of tears or laughter, or maybe both. Her lips quivered as she searched for the right word to say.

And when his green eyes focused on her, a small smile appeared on his face, his eyes immediately warm by the presence of his beloved angel. "Monica..."

Reaching out to caress his dishevelled blond hair, Monica sobbed in relief, tears streaming down her face. "You're awake... You're finally awake!"

"Where... are we?" he said, looking around him for a brief moment, and then back at her.

"We're at the hospital. We've been rescued, Andrew! But you got yourself hurt... A woman who lived in the island, our assignment, she shot you..." she explained, never letting go of his hand, pressing it up against her heart. "You were so badly hurt, Andrew... I was so desperate... I thought... that the Father would send some other angel of death to take you away from me..."

Tears fell freely from her eyes as she sobbed, breaking Andrew's heart. He wanted nothing but to hold her tightly and tell her that everything would be fine from that moment on. Despite her brief description on what had happened to him, their kiss was the first memory that came to his mind. The sweetest of all the memories in centuries of existence. But then he was uncertain, wondering if she would insist on staying away from him once he recovered.

A split second later, though, she was speaking to him again, and his doubts and fears were replaced by great joy at her words.

"I was so afraid... Afraid that you'd go away from me and I would never have the chance to ask for your forgiveness..." her eyes were filled not only with tears but also with immense love as she pressed his hand against her heart, "...I thought I'd never have the chance to tell you how much I love you... to tell you that... that I don't want to be away from you... never... because you're my world, Andrew..."

His head and his entire body hurt terribly and he felt extremely weak, but listening to those words brought so much happiness to his soul that the pain was immediately gone. "Angel..." he squeezed her hand, with a warm look in his eyes. "Do you have any idea of how happy you're making me by telling me this?"

"Will you forgive me?" she asked, still insecure.

"Forgive you? Baby, you have no idea..." he took her hand to his lips and kissed her fingertips, "... I love you... I love you Monica, for the rest of my existence... I could spend a whole eternity telling you this... loving you, even if you didn't want me to..."

"Oh, but I do!" She spoke, tears streaming down her face. "I do, Andrew..." She stroked his hair and then rested her face against his chest and held him carefully. Andrew bent down and kissed the top of her head, closing his eyes again, resting his head near Monica's, cherishing that contact after their brief separation.

The little angel closed her eyes too, her head tucked underneath Andrew's chin, enjoying that familiar feeling of having him so close, wanting nothing but to stay in his arms forever.

A while later, Tess returned from the cafeteria, and slightly opened the door. What she saw filled her heart with tenderness and deep emotion: Monica was lying next to him and the two angels had fallen asleep, wrapped up in each other's arms. "Oh, dear Father..." she murmured, and the nurse arrived right after her and broke the good news.

"He finally woke up, madam." She announced, in a low voice not to disturb the young couple.

"Really? When?" the supervisor's eyes lit up with joy.

"A few minutes ago. He even spoke a little and the doctor and I examined him. Everything will be alright now, you see. He's conscious and the bleeding caused by the bullet is controlled." She looked at the two angels together and smiled, "They're both going to be alright."

Deeply moved, Tess walked over up to the bed and gently caressed their heads, tears rolling down her face. "Oh, Father... thank You... I knew Your plan was perfect... I knew You'd return my babies to me when this was over."