PART 11

CHAPTER 11

The collapsing of the lab walls and ceiling caused another tremor to be felt on the surface but this time it wasn’t the force of the nature that was acting. The weigh of the men who were working on the area, together with the fragile structure of the room produced that. And it wouldn’t have been such a big deal except for one detail: Monica was stuck down there. When the tremor took place and they realised what had happened, Andrew’s and Tess’ hearts practically stooped beating. At that very moment, they saw everything as in slow motion, never really listening to the firemen’s cries to move everybody away from the area. The rescue team was in shock with the other tragedy that had just taken place.

But their despair wasn’t as great as the two angels’: Tess covered her mouth with her hand and fell on her knees; tears again rolling down on her face.

Completely in shock, Andrew walked over to the hole which had been opened on the soil, “Monica! Monica! Please, answer to me! Monica!” he cried, frantically. There wasn’t a reply for his anguished callings though, but the rescue team was already working to take the Irish angel from that place. Andrew continued to call his dearest friend’s name over and over again, practically trying to dig another hole on the ground with his hands. Two firemen were necessary to take him out of the place and they didn’t have much success because, although he was hurt, the blond angel didn’t want to stay away.

“Monica! Please! Somebody take her out of that place!”

“We’re working on it, sir,” one of them said, “But please, stay away.”

To rescue the little angel, the firemen did more effort that they had done in all the 24 hours that had passed. Monica was practically buried with debris, only free from her chest up. But she had also been hit on the head by a block of cement and was bleeding unconscious. It was possible to see her from above with the help of a flashlight and an operation to pull her up was quickly prepared.

Andrew and Tess watched everything with anguished faces and with tears in their eyes: how could something so bad happen now, when they thought the nightmare had come to an end? Grace was taken to the hospital in another ambulance, despite the girl’s protest to remain on the place.

One hour later, the rescue team was ready to take Monica out of the hole and, all the tension of the moment was shared by the angels and firemen. The chief of the rescue team was lowered, with 2 cables attached to him, until where she was, and attached 2 cables around her chest, under her arms. Then, at his command, they were both pulled through the narrow passage out of the hole.

Tess and Andrew ran to be at her side and the image of their dearest friend so badly hurt caused their hearts to clench with sorrow. There was blood on Monica’s face, her clothes were covered with a mix of sand and dust and her feet was even more swollen. But the damages caused by the accident were much serious internally: she probably had broken some ribs and the risk of an internal bleeding was great.

“Monica... please, answer to me... Monica?...” Andrew miserably pleaded, his voice hoarse with emotion.

“Angel Girl? Please, talk to us... give us a sign you can hear us...” Tess cried desperately. The Irish angel was quickly placed in a stretcher and the paramedics put a mask for oxygen on her face and checked her heartbeats.

“Her pulse is weak and she’s in shock, we have to take her outta here right now!” one of them said, and they took her to another ambulance. Andrew went together with her, refusing to leave Monica’s side and Tess followed the vehicle in her own car, controlling herself to drive properly.

*

The magnitude of the earthquake could be observed from 2 different points of view. First, with the destruction and chaos along the streets; and secondly, with the thousands of victims that arrived at the biggest hospital in the city. Most of them were seriously hurt, as they had been hit by the tragedy in full force and hadn’t been able to escape. Some, unfortunately, had passed away in the way to the hospital and others in the ICUs.

Another ambulance stopped in front of the large building, which, fortunately and miraculously, hadn’t been completely destroyed by the earthquake. The paramedics took Monica in a stretcher through the long corridors until the ICU.

Despite his own injuries, Andrew followed them all through the way, holding her hand and talking to his dearest friend, despite her being completely unconscious. “You’ll get over soon, sweetheart, don’t be afraid! Tess and I will stay here with you all the time, you won’t be alone. Remember that we love you, Angel Girl... you’re our angel and I won’t let you go away from me and Tess!... I love you so much...”

When they crossed 2 large gates one of the nurses stopped him. “We’ll take care of her from now on.”

“Oh, no! Please, let me stay with her, she’s so frightened!” he pleaded, as Monica was taken to a surgery room, not bearing the thought of another separation.

But the nurse placed a supportive arm on his shoulder. “I know you want to stay with her but, right now, you won’t be of much help. Let the doctors heal her body. Then, when they have finished, I’m sure you’ll be the one to complete their work, healing her soul.”

Andrew’s heart was aching with maybe the greatest pain he had ever felt. His eyes sought the stretcher with his dearest friend until it disappeared in the corner of the ICU corridor, and, miserably, the blond angel nodded his head, “I know... please, take care of her, she’s so precious to me...”

Despite the dramatic situation, the woman smiled, noticing the great love he had inside his heart, “I can see that. Be sure we’ll do everything we can. But, right now, you too need to receive the first aids, come with me.”

And the nurse was right: Andrew was also seriously hurt and needed to be treated as soon as possible. Walking along the corridors, he saw hundreds of people just like him, those ones had escaped from the earthquake with minor injuries and would certainly survive. But the blond angel also saw, in the same corridors, other angels like him: angels of death, in charge of taking the ones whose suffering was so intense they couldn’t bear anymore.

Tess arrived some minutes later and left little Joy inside the red Cadillac. The animal was weeping lowly, miserably lying on the passenger’s seat, and it was far too clear that she could understand that something very serious was going on.

*

In another part of the hospital, Tom, Susan’s husband, stood still, hands in his pockets, observing the baby who had just arrived at the children’s ICU. His daughter was inside an incubator and there was a doctor checking the machine. Through the window glass panel, he saw when the woman left the room and came towards him, in the corridor.

“How is she, doctor?”

“She’ll have to stay in the ICU, as she’s premature and was born under so bad conditions. But the good news is that, despite this, she’s also a healthy baby and she will survive, Mr Bale. Scientifically speaking, your daughter has a very strong organism. But, personally speaking, I consider this a miracle.”

A slight smile formed on Tom’s lips and he nodded his head, totally agreeing with the woman, “Thank you, doctor!” he replied, his voice hoarse with emotion, as he was experiencing 2 different feelings: the joy to see his first and so much waited child and the sadness of having his wife in critical condition.

A minute later, Grace and her parents came closer to the man and saw the little baby girl through the glass window, “She’s very pretty, Mr Bale,” the girl said, sympathetically, as she had witnessed Susan’s suffering to give birth and could understand his suffering, “I had never held a baby before, she was the first one. I even helped Andrew to take care of her when she was born!”

Tom looked down at her and ruffled her hair, “I have to thank you so much, sweetie. You helped those two to bring my daughter to this world and you found a way to call the firemen’s attention to where you were.”

Grace just lowered her head a bit embarrassed and it was her mother who spoke then, “How is Mrs Bale?”

“She’s in critical condition. The doctors are doing everything they can but... it’s not gonna be easy.”

“We’ll pray for her, Mr Bale. After everything that has happened, we can’t deny the evidence that God is watching over us.” Grace’s father spoke.

“Thank you very much, Mr Turner.”

“And you should also pray for the other teacher, Monica.” The woman said.

“Monica?” Tom was surprised to hear that.

“You don’t know yet... She’s in critical condition too. There was a landslide before they took her out of the hole and she was practically buried.”

“Oh my God!” the man exclaimed.

*

Andrew had already received the first aids when Tess found him, “How are you, angel boy?”

“I’m fine Tess...”

“And where is Monica?”

“The paramedics took her to the ICU but they didn’t let me stay with her.”

“Did they say anything?”

“No. She’s unconscious and she’s very hurt too, Tess...” all the sadness and fear he was feeling were evident in his eyes, “I’m so scared...”

“I’m scared too, baby, but let’s wait until the doctors examine her and wait to hear what they say.”

They returned to the ICU corridor and remained sitting on a nearby bench, silently praying for Monica’s recovery. They had done it before, in a past difficult assignment, but now it was different: Monica had never been so seriously injured and they had never been so frightened.

*

Three hours had passed and now Andrew was walking from one side to another, running his hand through his hair once in a while. Tess nervously rubbed her hands on her lap and had an anguished expression on her face. The blond angel was the first on to break the uncomfortable silence.

“Why is it taking so long, Tess?”

“I don’t know... but you’re right, she’s been there for hours!”

They had hardly said that when one of the doctors who were assisting Monica crossed the ICU gates with a heavy expression on his face.

“I believe you two are together with that young lady who was stuck in the landslide, Monica is her name...”

“Yes! How is she, doctor?”

“Is she awake already? Can we see her?” Tess and Andrew respectively asked, a desperate look in their eyes. But the man’s sad face was enough to tell them that bad news were about to come.

“Are you two her relatives? I need to speak with her family.”

“We are her family, sir, you can talk to us!” Andrew spoke, despair consuming his heart. The man sighed deeply, as if taking courage to continue.

“She’s in a coma...”

“What?!” the blond angel and the supervisor felt like caught up in a terrible nightmare, not believing in what they were listening.

“Please, doctor, tell us this isn’t true...”

“Unfortunately it is true, madam. Monica got a bad concussion in her head and has several injuries in her body. Her right leg is broken in 2 different places. And she also broke her right arm and 4 ribs; he had to control an internal bleeding just now...”

Tears started to form in the angels’ eyes as the doctor spoke and, when he finally finished, they started to roll on Tess’ cheeks. Andrew, for himself, was struggling to keep his, as he seemed not to fully understand the implications of what the man had just described.

“And how long will it take until she wakes up?”

The doctor lowered his head, “I’m sorry to tell you that... I don’t even know how to put this but...”

“But what? Please doctor, when are we going to talk to her again?!” the blond angel shouted, not managing to control himself any longer.

“I don’t know if she’ll wake up again... We, my colleagues and I, we worked on her until now. We don’t know if she’ll get out of the coma... I’m so sorry.”

Tess’ crying was even more intense and she had to sit on the bench not to fall on her knees. Andrew bit his lower lip and looked around him, his head seemed to be spinning with what he had just heard. The blond angel was completely lost, without knowing what to do, say or think. Suddenly, he left the place and started to walk fast along the hospital corridors, passing by the other patients and doctors with a mix of sorrow, despair and fear on his bruised face.

“Andrew! Where are you going? Please, wait!” Tess called, with her voice hoarse due to the tears, but nothing seemed to stop him. Without any other choice, the supervisor left the ICU and ran after him.