PART 7

CHAPTER 6

The wild dark waters quickly carried Andrew and Monica and both angels fought desperately not to be swallowed by the river. Now that the gas lamp was gone, everything Andrew had to guide himself were Monica’s frightened cries, some meters ahead of him, and the constant lightening, which enabled him to see his dearest friend debating in the water.

“Monica! Monica! Try to hold anything that comes in your way!”

“Andrew! I... I can’t hold it...” she spoke, hardly managing to keep her head out of the water.

“Angel!”

“Andrew!”

Calling his name for the last time, the Irish angel submerged. Andrew was desperate and his heart clenched for fear of losing his dearest friend forever, “Oh Father, please, help us! Help me to get her back!”

The next minute seemed the longest of his existence but lightening struck once again and for a split second, he could see the little Irish angel trying to come back to the surface and failing once again. Realising it could be his last chance to save her, he swam as fast as he could towards the exact spot where she had disappeared. Taking a deep breath, he dove in the dirty water and relief partially filled his soul when he grabbed Monica’s body. Using all his strength, he came back to the surface and kept on swimming, now holding a lifeless Monica in his arms.

Finally, some stones appeared on the way and, despite the hurting cry the blond angel let out when his body hit the first rock, it served to break their journey.

The blond angel was breathing exhausted and now he had some scratches on his skin. But his dearest friend depended on his, she wasn’t conscious and had swallowed too much water, and he had to get to the bank of the river as fast as possible.  Using all his efforts, Andrew took a firm hold on Monica and swam until he finally reached firm ground.

“Monica? Monica, can you hear me?” he asked, but the Irish angel was limp in his arms and didn’t seem to be aware of what was going on around her. Andrew took her in his arms and carried her a few steps away from the river. Then, he carefully lay her on the ground and placed his hand on her cheek, “Monica? Monica? Can you listen to me?”

It took the blond angel a split second to realise what was going on with her: she wasn’t breathing and had swallowed a great quantity of water.

“Monica... Oh Father, please, help me... Help me, please...”

Standing on the top of her, he placed his two hands on Monica’s chest and pushed 3 times. Then, he pinched her nose closed and, holding her jaw, he started to mouth-to-mouth her, in a desperate attempt to make her breath again.

Andrew repeated this actions several times and was starting to get desperate when she didn’t respond to his callings. “Monica! Angel, please, react!”

He administered CPR for another minute and, suddenly, the Irish angel started to cough out the water that came out of her lungs. “Oh God... Thank you! thank you, Father!” he sighed with relief, and, holding her head, he helped her to expel the rest of the water, “It’s alright now, Monica. We’ve made it, angel girl!”

She coughed and desperately reached for air and only the constant movement of Andrew’s fingers running through her wet hair and his firm grip on her hand, managed to put her at ease some moments later.

He helped her to sit down and, with infinite care, gathered her in his arms, “Oh angel... I thought I had lost you. Thank God you’re safe...” the blond angel kissed her forehead, “Try to take deep breaths, Monica.”

“Andrew...” she couldn’t finish her sentence: all the tension and terror of the last 10 minutes seemed to consume her soul and the Irish angel started to cry helplessly.

“Angel... come here...” carefully, he gave her a light squeeze and made her rest her head against his chest, cradling her as if she was a little girl.

“I’m sorry... I was so scared...” she sobbed, shaking violently.

“Shh... It’s over now, sweetie!”

“Please, let’s get out of here...”

“We will, just try to calm down first and take deep breaths, you swallowed too much water.”

Slowly, she finally managed to regain control of her actions and the blond angel helped her to stand up. It was then that she felt a sharp pain on the sole of her left foot and both saw the nasty cut on her skin.

“The fabric of the dress was too thin to prevent that piece of glass from entering your foot...” Andrew spoke, examining her foot and frowning with concern.

“It doesn’t matter, Andrew. I can walk if you help me. Let’s go away from here, please? I’m already hurt and what I couldn’t bear is to see you hurting too!”

With his eyes full of love for the little Irish angel, he took her small hand into his own and kissed her palm, “I’m sorry I let you go... Please, forgive me?”

“Oh Andrew... It wasn’t your fault. I let go of your hand and you were hit by that floating tree!”

“Still, I promised you I’d keep a firm hold on you, I ...”

“You’ve just saved me a few minutes ago! The same way you saved me other times in the past!” she replied and placed her hand against his cheek, “I’m just so blessed the Father sends you to stay with me, whenever I need, Andrew. Please, don’t ever doubt, not even for a single moment, that you’re an angel in my existence!”

Speechless with her loving words, he held her as tightly as he could, gently running his fingers through her wet hair. A few seconds later, Monica pulled away and brushed a tender kiss on his face and managed a small smile at him.

Andrew helped her to stand on her feet and wrapped an arm around her waist, ”Lean on me, Monica. And if you need to stop, we can stop anytime you want, ok?” he said, and kissed her forehead.

“Ok...”

The angels started a new walk towards the road that would lead them out of that dark place.

*

Monica and Andrew had to go up the river to return to the initial path they were following. About an hour later, they were back to the point where they had started crossing the river, but now on the other side.

“The road isn’t that distant,” the blond angel said, never releasing the hold on her while they walked through the woods.

“We’ll get there, Andrew, I’m’ sure we will!”

The two angels walked as fast as they could, having to face all sorts of obstacles, such as the darkness only broken by the constant lightening, and Monica’s condition, as the little Irish angel was deeply hurt. All of a sudden, they heard the noise of several sticks being broken a few steps of them: they were not alone in that place anymore.

“Andrew...”

“Come here, Monica...”

Andrew immediately held Monica close to him, and the two angels hid themselves in the shadows of the eternal night, using huge tree trunks as a shelter to stay out of the way of whatever was going in their direction.

The little angel closed her eyes and rested her head against his chest, once again praying for protection. In the most absolute silence, they listened as a group of creatures crossed the woods, passing only a few steps from them.

Andrew rested his cheek on the top of Monica’s head and waited patiently until he was sure they were alone again. “Angel girl?

When she opened her eyes and looked at him, he spoke again, “We can continue now, they’re gone! And we’re almost there.”

Monica nodded her head and, once again, he wrapped an arm around her waist to help her to go on walking through the dry and dense vegetation.