PART 9

CHAPTER 9

Monica cut the link that had kept mother and daughter together for 8 months and, before Grace’s and Andrew’s marvelled eyes, the Irish angel took the baby close to Susan. The little one was still dirty with blood, but the mother’s need to see her and touch her was more urgent than anything else. Monica placed the baby close to Susan’s face and, with tears of both happiness and pain, the teacher reached out and caressed the little girl’s cheek. She was premature, it was true, but just a bit smaller than a regular 9 month baby.

“Hi sweetie... You’re so beautiful!” she said, her voice tired and hoarse with emotion, “Mommy is so proud of you... And so happy because you’re here!” She turned her face to the angels, “Thank you so much...”

“Don’t thank us, Susan.”

“Oh, yes, I have to thank you two, Andrew... I don’t know what would’ve been of me without you. But I have to thank God too. And ask for His forgiveness... I doubted of His wisdom, of His power... I was so blind... And just look at the present He gave me.”

Monica and Andrew exchanged a look of contentment.

“Don’t you want to hold her a little?” the Irish angel offered. Weakly, Susan stretched her arms and held her daughter for the first time, placing the baby against her chest, closer to her face. The little one was warm and never stopped crying, which indicated that, despite the difficult and unexpected birth, she was probably as normal as another new born baby.

“You’re a little early, honey... Were you curious to know what’s like outside, huh?” the teacher spoke, gently stroking the girl’s brown hair, “She looks like her father... Tom will be so happy when he sees her!”

“And I’m sure it’ll be soon, Mrs Bale,” Andrew said, now as hopeful as his dearest friend. For some moments, the little baby brought a breath of fresh air to the ones stuck inside the laboratory, and now, with their souls renewed, getting away from that place didn’t seem an impossible dream anymore.

But their worries were away just for a few seconds. Feeling extremely tired, Susan closed her eyes and sighed, “Monica, could you please take her? I... I want to stay with her but... I’m feeling so weak...”

Scared again, Monica and Andrew looked at each other and the Irish angel was quick to take the baby back in her arms, “Susan?! Oh my God, she’s getting worse, Andrew!”

“Give me the baby, I’ll clean her up, you take care of Susan, Monica. Try to keep her awake.”

Monica handed him the little girl and he took her to what had once been the lab table, “Grace, I’ll need your help here with this little one!”

“Oh, sure, I’ll take care of her!” the girl said, immediately feeling responsible for the little child, like an elder sister.

Monica replaced the wet cloth on Susan’s forehead and held her hand, “Please, Susan, you have to resist now, just a wee bit longer! Your daughter needs you!”

“I’m so weak, Monica... Don’t know how long I can hold on...”

“Please, try to stay conscious!” Monica became even more nervous when she noticed the great amount of blood the teacher had lost during the birth, “Oh Father, please, help us again...” she prayed.

Monica and Andrew were trying their best to take care of Susan and the baby, but there wasn’t much they could do under such conditions. The lab was practically destroyed and a thick layer of dust and dirt covered the floor. Besides, the first aid material and the water were coming to an end. They needed to be rescued as soon as possible, otherwise there wouldn’t be much chance of survival, especially concerning the teacher and her daughter.

Andrew, with Grace’s help, finished to clean the baby and looked around him, “I need something to cover her...”

For a minute, Monica let go of Susan’s hand and, limping, walked over to a broken chair, where she had hung her light pink cardigan, “We can use this...”

While Andrew held the little child, Monica gently wrapped the outfit around her, “It’s a bit hot, but she still feels cold, you know...”

Feeling all the sadness and distress that were coming from his dearest friend’s heart, Andrew placed the baby in Monica’s arms, “But I guess she’ll feel a lot better if you hold her, Angel Girl!”

And, in fact, some seconds later, the girl stopped crying, causing the 2 angels to smile and look at each other, “See? This little one has been here for only half hour and she already likes you!”

Monica shot him a grateful and loving smile and carried the baby to stay close to her mother. Susan was partially awake and her face was pale with weakness and exhaustion.

“Here she is again, Susan. Your wee one is awake and wants to stay close you her mom forever!”

The teacher reached out and took the baby’s tiny hand, “She’s the most beautiful little creature I’ve even seen in my entire life... I never thought I’d say such thing in a place like this...”

“That’s how God can turn something horrible at first into something wonderful...” Andrew replied.

“She’s a miracle, isn’t she?” that question caused Monica to smile.

“Oh yes, she is, Susan. Every child is a miracle, a special gift from God,” she turned her eyes to the baby and stroked her cheeks, “And this wee one is the most wonderful way He found to tell you that He’s with you, always.”

“I know that...”

“Have you chosen the name already?” Grace asked, still marvelled at all the latest events and at the little creature in Monica’s arms. Susan shook her head at that question, “Tom and I didn’t know if it would be a boy or a girl and we had decided to wait until the baby was born so that we could decide together.”

“I keep imagining how surprised he will be when you two are rescued!” the blond angel spoke.

“Yes... he’ll be very, very happy...” the teacher’s voice started to become lower and weaker and she suddenly closed hr eyes.

“Susan? Susan, please, you have to stay conscious!” Monica pleaded, with anguished voice.

“I... I’m trying... it’s difficult...” she replied.

*

Outside, the rain stopped but there was still the danger of collapsing. The firemen worked carefully, all of them doubting whether they would find anybody alive under tons of cement and wreckage. But they kept on looking for the 4 people, trying not to think about the worst.

With anguished faces, Grace’s parents, Susan’s husband and Tess watched everything, now from a more distant place. The group had spent the last hours praying for a miracle, unaware of the one that had just occurred some feet under the soil.

“My little girl... I wanted so much to hold her tight right now...” Grace’s mother spoke, in between tears.

“Be sure that this is what God wants too, Mrs Turner...” Tess placed a supportive hand over her shoulder.

“I appreciate your kind words, Tess... but... honestly, I think it’s so difficult to believe something good can come out of all this...” Tom, Susan’s husband, said, with distress. The angel stood before the 3 desperate people with a very serious expression on her face, “You don’t know that, Mr Bale. Nobody knows what’s going to happen from now on... But I have the highest authority to assure you that God has never been so present in your lives as He is at this very moment...”

They looked at her and, with shocked faces, saw a beautiful glowing around her. “Tess... What... what’s happening to you?”

“I’m an angel, Mr Turner. Sent by God. The same Almighty God that has been grieving with you since this tragedy began.”

“Then why did He let that happen?!”

“Mr Bale, this is the force of the nature and that things like these happen everyday. But don’t you think that God just stands merely watching them. His power and wisdom become evident in another way when those events take place.” After a short pause, she continued to speak, “And right now, He chose to show His power by sending His 3 angels to Earth to help a future mother and her baby, a little girl and 2 families...”

“Tess... you mean that... that your friends inside that building...”

“Monica and Andrew are angels too, Mrs Turner. And their assignment is to keep Susan and Grace, as well as the baby, safe. And I trust that they’ll accomplish the Father’s will beautifully.”

With tears of emotion in their eyes, they bowed their heads gratefully and prayed.

And, secretly, the oldest angel also offered a prayer for Monica and Andrew. The thought of having her two dearest friends trapped inside the school building was still scaring her, even knowing that they were angels and were fulfilling their assignments.

Besides, deep down inside of her heart, Tess felt an inch of pain, an eerie sensation of panic she couldn’t explain and she didn’t know  where it was coming from, “Father... I know you have a special plan in Your mind and I’ve witnessed your wisdom before, but... Please take care of them all... and of Monica and Andrew...” she tried to blink back some tears, “Suddenly I feel like holding that Angel Girl again... Please, make that possible...”

*

Monica tried everything she could to keep Susan awake, but it was getting more difficult every second. The teacher needed proper treatment urgently, as well as her small child. Knowing that soon their condition would be twice worse, Andrew walked over to the lab door and checked their surroundings, “What is it, Andrew?” Monica asked, feeling nervous just to watch him move away from her a few steps.

“I’m trying to listen if there is any sound coming from outside... Hello? Anybody can hear me?! We need help here! Please, help us!!”

He shouted out loud for several minutes, but there wasn’t any reply. He shook his head with disappointment, “...They seem to be working far from us!”

Suddenly, their hearts nearly jumped and their faces were immediately pale: another tremor was hitting the city. They felt the floor under their feet trembling and the noise of collapsing walls echoed through the remains of the school building.

Quickly, the firemen abandoned their positions once more, while people on the street cried and ran away from the other buildings and houses which surrounded the area.

Down on the basement floor, the lab ceiling started to collapse, together with the walls, close to its entrance. Monica held the crying baby close to her chest and watched horrified as a piece of ceiling hit her dearest friend. “Andrew!!!” her anguished cry echoed inside the room together with Grace’s and Susan’s, all of them believing that would be their end.

“Stay where you are!” the blond angel replied, trying to protect himself with his own hands. A huge closet bent to the side and, seconds later, fell onto the floor with its doors wide open, blocking Andrew’s passage.

Susan closed her eyes and prayed, “Oh God I’m so scared... please, spare my daughter’s life...”

The tremor wasn’t as intense as the first one and lasted about 10 seconds Yet, it managed to bring even more chaos to a place which was already devastated.

“God... if there was a chance for those poor souls... now it’s completely over...” the chief of the firemen whispered.

Down on the basement floor, part of the lab had collapsed, leaving the angels, Susan, the baby and Grace stuck in a small corner, all of them dirty with the dust that filled the air, with the exception of the baby, who the Irish angel had carefully covered and protected.

“Andrew?! Andrew?! Where are you?! Answer to me, please!!!” Monica cried desperately, as she couldn’t see much through the cloud of dust and the light of the gas lamp didn’t help.

“Stay calm, Monica, I’m here!” he quickly responded, and, now that the new earthquake had stopped, he walked over to where they were.

“Oh my God, you’re hurt, Andrew!” the Irish angel spoke, terrified to see the new cuts and injuries on his body.

“Just some bruises, nothing serious. Is any of you hurt?” he asked, gently placing his hand over Monica’s head.

“Susan? Grace?” the Irish angel looked at them with a questioning face.

“No,” the girl managed to say, with trembling voice, and took off her glasses to wipe her tears away.

“I’m fine... how is my daughter?” Susan asked, struggling to keep conscious. Monica looked down at the baby and stroked her cheeks: the little girl never stopped crying, but, thanks to the angel’s protection, she wasn’t hurt.

“She’s fine, Susan. Just a little scared...”

Hearing that, the teacher closed her eyes and sighed, “Thank God... and thank you, Monica. Please... take care of her...”

Saying that, Susan passed out, causing the angels to be desperate.

“Susan? Susan? Please, you have to be conscious!” Monica cried; tears rolling down on both her and Grace’s face.

“Mrs Bale? Please, wake up!” the girl pleaded.

“Mrs Bale! You have to be conscious! Can you hear me?” Andrew placed his finger on her wrist and after on her neck.

“She... she isn’t...”

“No, Monica, she’s alive, but her pulse is weak, we need to get her out of here immediately!”