PART 13

CHAPTER 13

Adam had a sad expression on his face and when he saw Monica lying on the bad, so badly hurt, and the sorrow on Andrew’s and Tess’ face, the angel of death felt his own eyes being filled with tears. Andrew stopped caressing Monica’s hair and walked over to the edge of the bed, standing in front of it somewhat protectively.

“What are you doing here, Adam?” he spoke, with a hint of anger in the tone of his voice.

“I... I was told to come to this hospital... I took some victims of the earthquake Home and...”

“So you’re in the wrong bedroom! There’s nobody for you to take Home here! Monica is hurt but she’s recovering, she just needs to rest!”

“Andrew... I came here to see how Monica is... But... but I have my orders, I should wait here...”

“I don’t care what your orders are, Adam! You’re not taking Monica away from here! You’re not taking her away from us! From me!”

Rather shocked with his friend’s angry words, Adam looked at Tess, who had remained in the most absolute silence, almost indifferent to his presence, “Tess?”

“We should put flowers here too, Andrew. She loves flowers and this room is very sad...” the supervisor spoke, with tears incessantly rolling down her cheeks.

Adam sighed deeply sad and concerned: both Tess and Andrew seemed to be in shock with the accident that threatened to take Monica’s life away. And he too felt his heart clench with sorrow at the idea of taking the little Irish angel Home and, consequently, away from her two beloved friends.

Feeling terribly sorry for the 2 other angels, Adam placed his hand on Andrew’s shoulder, knowing that he couldn’t even fathom out the great sorrow that filled his heart at that very moment, as he knew how special Monica was for him, “I’ll pray for her, Andrew.”

The blond angel, however, didn’t reply to those words. Instead, he returned in silence to the chair beside his friend’s bed and continued to stroke her hair like before.

Adam turned away and was almost leaving when he heard Tess’ voice, “Adam...”

“Yes?”

“Thank you for praying...”

“I won’t stop, I promise.”

*

Nearly 3 hours later, a nurse came to the ICU to change the IV tube in Monica’s arm. For the first time since he had arrived there, Andrew stood up and turned his face away, as he couldn’t bear seeing his beloved friend feeling the smallest inch of pain. Noticing that the woman was also checking on the other machines, he grabbed his coat, “Tess, I’ll buy her some flowers; I’ll be back soon. You stay with her in case she wakes up.”

“Ok, angel boy.”

It took Andrew about half an hour to find a flower shop and buy some lilacs, Monica’s favourite flowers. He felt like buying the entire shop and deliver all the flowers at her bedroom but he had to reign himself with 2 bouquets and a vase. The blond angel returned to the hospital and went straight to the ICU. But when he arrived at the corridor where Monica’s bedroom was he felt his stomach tighten with what he saw: Tess was standing by the bedroom door, crying helplessly in Adam’s arms. The blond angel let the flowers fall on the floor and, with his heart pounding loudly in his chest, he came close to the 2 angels.

“Tess?... Tess, what...”

“She’s getting worse, Andrew...” Adam spoke, as all the supervisor could do was cry.

“What?! But she was fine when I left! It can’t be true, I’ll go in there, they must be doing something wrong!”

Adam let go of Tess’ embrace and stopped Andrew from entering the bedroom, “You can’t go in there, Andrew! There are 3 doctors taking care of her now!”

“Well, so I’ll stay there to see if they’re doing the right thing!”

“They are doing everything they can to save her!”

“So how come she’s got worse?!”

“She wasn’t fine when you left!”

Andrew got rid of Adam’s hands and stared at him with anger burning in his eyes, “You know something, Adam? You don’t care! You don’t care about what’s gonna happen to Monica! You’re only here to do your job and the sooner you do it, the better!”

“I came here to pray with you because Monica is also my friend! And I didn’t come here to ‘do my job’; I came to accomplish the Father’s will, to bring her peace and comfort if her human body can’t resist!”

“Well, then the Father’s will is wrong! Monica’s place is here with Tess and me!”

“... angel boy...”

Tess’ hoarse voice interrupted that serious argument and both angels of death turned their heads to face her.

Andrew was the first one to speak. “Tell him that, Tess! Monica is ours, he can’t take her away from us!”

“... Andrew... Monica is suffering... she’s in a lot of pain right now. It’s so strong that I can feel it and I’m sure you can too...”

“I know that, but she’ll be strong, she’ll resist those wounds...”

“I know this is painful and difficult but... but if she cannot resist anymore... if her pain is so strong that it stops her from fighting, then we have to accept the peace and comfort Adam is offering...”

“I can’t believe you’re saying that, Tess!”

“You’re an angel of death too, Andrew. You know your presence alleviate suffering.” Adam said.

Tess gave some steps towards the blond angel, “And Andrew... Differently from what we feel and think... She’s not mine; she’s not yours. She’s God’s. And wanting her to stay here, even knowing how much she’s in a lot of pain, is not fair...”

“You’re both wrong!” the blond angel shouted. At that moment, one of the doctors came out of the bedroom.

“How is she, doctor?” Adam asked.

The man sighed deeply, “I’ll be honest with you: her condition is very serious. We almost lost her a few minutes ago, but fortunately we could bring her back. We’re trying everything we can to stabilise her.”

“Can... Can we see her? Can we stay with her?” Tess wanted to know.

“No, not now. We’re still working on her.”

Still very angry, Andrew stared at his angelic friends and walked away from them.

*

Andrew walked fast along the corridors of the hospital with tear filled eyes and a mix of anger and despair on his face. But, without knowing what to do or where to go, he got out of the building and sat on the steps at the front entrance. Holding his head in his hands, he stared at the ground for some minutes, feeling completely lost. Then, the blond angel raised his head up to the cloudy sky and some tears made their way down on his face.

“... why are You doing this? Why are You taking her away from us? From me?” he whispered, his voice hoarse with emotion.

“Excuse me?”

Andrew turned his head and saw a man standing beside him.

“Are you Andrew?”

“Yes...”

“My name is Thomas Bale, I’m Susan’s husband.”

“Oh... Mr Bale...” He shook hands with Tom and the man soon noticed the great sadness in his eyes.

“Mind if I sit here?”

“No...” he replied, turning his eyes to the ground, “How... how are Mrs Bale and the baby?”

A slight smile appeared on Tom’s lips, “The baby is fine, thank God. She’s in the ICU but the doctor explained that it was a precaution, a normal procedure cause she’s premature. But she’s also a healthy baby and will survive.”

“I’m glad to hear it. What about Mrs Bale?”

The tiny smile the man had on his face faded away with that question, “Susan... is in critical condition... she’s lost a great amount of blood and is too weak. Right now she can’t even speak.”

“I’m sorry. I guess I know how you must be feeling...” the angel spoke, an inch of disgust in his voice.

Tom nodded his head, “I heard about Monica. I know she’s not doing very well right now.”

“No, she isn’t...”

“When I knew Susan was stuck in that school building, I was desperate. I didn’t know what to do and deep inside, I wanted to blame even God for what had happened. But then, He sent this wonderful lady to stay with me and Grace’s parents. Tess stood by our side all the time and her words keep me standing right now.” Tom stopped speaking when he realised something, “Wait a minute... Tess told me you and Monica were her friends... you’re angels too?”

Andrew nodded his head, as if there wasn’t anything special about that status anymore.

“So... how come you’re hurt and Monica is...?”

“We’re in human form, Thomas. Every time we come to earth we have to remain in human form and due to this, we’re exposed to all sorts of dangers any human would be...” Andrew clenched his jaw, trying to keep his emotions under control, “And now she and Susan are in the same situation.”

“Yes, but I know I’m not alone. God is with us and I’m looking for some comfort in my prayers...”

Andrew stared at the man slightly surprised with his resignation, “Aren’t you afraid for her?”

“I know she’s in great pain, Andrew. Maybe greater than mine. And right now, the only thing I can do is pray to God not only to keep her alive but also to take her pain away, to make her suffering stop. Of course I want her to stay by my side for the rest of my life so that we can raise our daughter together. But... I’d be a selfish creature if I said that I want her alive just because of me, even knowing she would be in endless pain...”

Those words hit Andrew like a punch in his stomach, and fresh tears soon filled his sad eyes. Slowly, the blond angel nodded his head, as Tom concluded, “I love her too much to ask God such thing. And Tess told me He is suffering together with me. So, all I ask for in my prayers is that His will is done, because I know it’s always right.”

The man placed his hand on Andrew’s shoulder, “But you know that better than me. And I want to thank you, Andrew. If it hadn’t been for you and Monica, we wouldn’t even be having this conversation...” he stood up and spoke once more, “Monica will be in my prayers too.”

As Thomas left, Andrew lowered his head and stared at the ground once more. Then, he cried helplessly, as he had never done before.

*

When the doctors finally finished to work on Monica, Tess and Adam were allowed to enter the ICU room. There were more machines surrounding the Irish angel and the only noise that echoed in the place was the beep of the equipment that monitored her heart beats. Tess sat on the chair by her dear charge and took her hand, “Hey baby, we’re back. And we’ll stay here with you, I promise.”

Adam stroked Monica’s hair, sure that he had never felt so sad, “You’re the bravest little angel I’ve ever met, sweetie. I’m so proud to be your friend.” The angel of death placed a kiss on her forehead, “The Father is with you, Monica. He’s right here watching over His angel.” Then, he turned to Tess, “I have to go. Unfortunately the earthquake left many other victims...”

“I’ll take care of her, Adam.”

“Take care of Andrew too, he’s in great sadness.” He placed his hand on her shoulder, “And take care of yourself, Tess. I’ll be praying for you all.”

When Adam left the bedroom, the supervisor turned her full attention back to Monica, “I’m here, Angel Girl. I’m always by your side, you know that.” She started to stroke the Irish angel’s hair, “You’re the closest thing to a daughter I know... Matter of fact, I love you just as if you were my daughter, my Angel Girl. And I’m deeply scared to lose my baby... But I can’t bear to see you suffering either...”

Sobbing, the supervisor wiped the tears that insisted on falling from her eyes, "I just want you to know that I love you, baby. And don’t worry about replying, cause I know you love me too. You’ve already told me that a thousand times, either with words or with gestures. And the Father knows that Himself. I thank Him each and every single day for sending His little angel into my existence. So, whatever happens, I know it was the best for you.”

Tess put some strands of Monica’s hair behind her ears and away from her face. Then, she straightened the pillow and the sheets on her bed and the hospital garment the Irish angel was wearing. “Now rest. You need to recover your energies, Angel Girl. I’ll be here with you.”

*

Hours later, the bedroom door slowly opened and Andrew entered the room. Tess raised her head, interrupting her prayers, and looked at him, “I’m glad you’re back, angel boy.”

Without saying a word, he walked over to the supervisor and held her tightly for a long minute.

“You were right, Tess... you always are.” Andrew spoke, when they finally pulled away.

“She’s fighting, Andrew. For us. For you.”

He nodded his head, “Can I stay with her for some minutes?”

“Yes. I’ll get ourselves something to eat.”

As soon as the oldest angel left the room, Andrew sat down on the chair by the bed and held Monica’s free hand. He started to stroke her hair with his other hand and brushed a loving kiss on her forehead.

“Hey sweetie... My angel... I thought that you would like to know that the little baby you helped to come to this world is gonna live, and it’s thanks to you. Though I’m not surprised, as you’re always doing wonderful things to those who cross your way...” the slight smile that formed on his face soon faded away, “I know you’re tired and that you’re in pain. I wish I could change places with you, but I can’t. I’ve learned that, right now, all I can do is pray for you... Pray that God takes care of you, no matter how. And... if that means you have to go away from here, then I just have to accept it. I’ll suffer, of course, and I guess my heart will be broken with so much sorrow... To be honest... I’ve never felt so much pain in my whole existence, Monica.”

The blond angel forced back the tears that were already filling his green eyes and continued to speak, “But I know that if you go, it’ll be the Father who you’ll meet and it’ll be in His arms that you’ll remain. And there, all the pain and suffering you’re feeling now will disappear and your spirit will be filled only with peace and joy. When I think about this... Knowing that you’ll be much better than you are here is enough to make me feel better too. I could say that I’d be happy, but... being happy and away from you are two things I’ll never be able to conciliate.”

After a long minute contemplating her face, he finally started to cry, “If one day I made you feel sad, in any way, please, forgive me. You know that even angels aren’t perfect and that I would never ever mean to cause you pain, because I love you. Since the first day we’ve met... When I first saw you, I knew immediately that, behind that jealous angel’s pout, which I found quite funny and adorable, there was a kind and compassionate heart and I could feel the great joy and peace you transmit to the ones who are near you.”

Andrew leaned over and kissed Monica’s forehead and her cheeks, “So... if you have to go, I’ll understand. And I’ll spend the next days or years or centuries to come praying to the Father and asking Him for a new chance to make you smile and dance of joy, to put your heart at ease and to take you to beautiful places, or to simply hold you again and tell you how much I love you. Now and always.”