CHAPTER 32

While they had spoken Monica had started twirling her fork around in her hand, completely ignoring the meal spread out on the tray in front of her. It hadn’t taken her long to discover that all of the human complaints she had heard about hospital food were absolutely correct.

“You know, unless certain angel’s finish all their dinner there will be no desert.” Everyone looked up as Tess walked in carrying a tall Styrofoam cup.

Monica’s drug-bleary eyes brightened as she looked up at her supervisor. “What is it?” she asked, sounding exactly like an impatient six year old.

“Oh nothing, just a little something you like to call a sundae with coffee ice-cream and extra chocolate sauce,” Tess told her, putting the cup on the edge of the tray.

The little angel started to reach for it and Tess stopped her. “Tess, please?”

Andrew was unable to hold back the laugh at hearing Monica using the ‘p’ word with the usually immovable older angel.

“And just what are you laughing at, Mr. Halo?”

“Nothing, Tess… really,” he said as Monica narrowed her eyes and looked up into his laughing ones.

Tess turned all of her attention back to Monica. “You should at least eat a little more, baby,” she urged. “You need your strength if you want to get out of here.”

Monica didn’t argue that point and instead picked up her fork again. “I’m too tired to eat anymore,” was her only comment.

“Did the nurse give you more pain medication?” Tess asked Monica, but looked to Andrew for the answer.

“She had another dose about an hour ago.”

“And I’m feeling just fine now,” Monica cut in as she took what she hoped would be her last bite of dinner. “definitely good enough for ice-cream.”

“Well…” Tess pretended to be thinking about it for a full minute before pushing the cup towards Monica and handing her a spoon. “It’s all yours… just try not to fall asleep into it,” she chuckled.

Monica, who was already annoyed with her drowsiness just glared at Tess for a second before breaking into a teasing smile and grabbing for her desert. “Much better than Jell-o,” she declared.

“I stopped by your apartment to check on Kristin and Lucy,” Tess said as she watched Monica eat.

“Everything okay?” Paul, still with an adrenaline fix running through his veins felt himself preparing to hurl himself into the thick of things again.

“Just fine. Kristin was talking about David getting released?” It was a statement, but Tess managed to put a question mark at the end of it.

“Yeah, within the next few days,” Paul answered.

Tess didn’t look entirely happy with that answer but she kept her feelings to herself. “In that case, let’s see if you can’t beat him home,” Tess smiled.

Monica yawned as she finished the last of her sundae. “I’ll definitely do my best.”

“Without pushing yourself,” Andrew heard himself saying.

Monica leaned back and set her spoon on the table. “Yes,” she replied with a yawn, and before she even had time to say ‘goodnight’ her eyes had slid shut.

Silence prevailed in the room for several moments as all three sets of eyes lingered on the sleeping angel, each one lost in thoughts of their own. Finally Andrew broke the silence, “So do you really think she is going to have to recover?” His eyes remained on Monica’s face, noting that the bruises were beginning to fade much to his relief, though she still looked pale to him. He watched as flickers of pain crossed her gentle face and he felt his heart ache at the look.

“I haven’t been told, baby,” Tess remarked softly, not wanting to disturb her charge, “I suppose that a part of me is hoping that even the Father agrees that she deserves a much needed rest.”

Secretly, Paul was hoping the same thing and he nodded his head, “She’s been through so much.”

Tess looked over at him and remarked softly, “I get the feeling that you are not looking forward to this good-bye anymore than she is.”

“Well, she kind of grew on me…after about a minute and half,” He grinned, glancing at the Irish angel affectionately.

“Well, baby, if it is the Father’s will, you will see her again,” The older angel tried to console, clearly able to see the pain beneathe his teasing.

Paul’s eyes lit up slightly as his expression turned to one of hope, “Does that happen very often? I mean, Monica must have helped hundreds of people…does she see any of them again?”

Andrew exchanged an uncomfortable look with Tess and knew he had to be honest, “It does happen, but not very often unfortunately,” He sighed as Paul’s face fell as the agent nodded his head.

“I kind of thought that might be the case.” He looked a bit hesitant before he looked over at Andrew, “I don’t suppose you’d mind a little company in her room tonight?” He knew the angel would not leave Monica’s side and right now, he really didn’t want to either.

Smiling knowingly, Andrew shook his head, “No, I don’t mind at all. In fact, I think she would probably prefer it that way.”

The following morning, Kristin smiled as her husband sat down on the other side of the glass that was a border between them. He looked tired, but he managed a smile at the sight of her, which came as a great relief.

“Are you hanging in there?” She asked him, her blue eyes showing her concern.

“More or less, Kris,” David replied honestly, “I’m anxious to get out of here so we can just start over…I promise you, it will be so much better this time.”

“I saw Monica yesterday,” She awaited his reaction and was secretly grateful for the concern that lit up his face.

“How is she?” His voice held nervousness as he awaited her reply.

“She’s going to be fine, Dave. She still has some recovery in front of her, but all things considered, things could have been a lot worse.”

David was quiet for a moment as he nodded his head, “She shouldn’t even be in the hospital in the first place. I should have listened to the things she was trying to tell me, though for the life of me, I have no idea as to why she was trying to help me in the first place.”

“That’s just who she is, David. Some people are just good and kind with no strings attached and you need to accept that. Paul is her friend, and she got shot trying to save him, because she cares about him….just like she cares about what happens to you.”

“She has no reason to care what happens to me,” The regret in his voice was unmistakable, “Anymore than you should. The way I treated you, Kris…I was cruel and a lousy husband…I can’t believe you are even sitting here talking to me.”

“You were all those things, David,” She stated softly, “Completely different from the man I married. But I knew that somewhere underneath all that anger the man I married still existed and I was holding out for that. I’m glad I waited, because I missed him, very much.”

David’s eyes shone with tears at her words as he rested his hand against the glass, “When I found your note, honey, I thought I was dying inside. I knew that I had made a mess of everything, but the thought of losing you was horrible. You were the only thing that still made sense.”

“I know that you don’t really believe this, Dave, but there is Someone else who makes sense all the time and all He wants from you is for you to trust Him,” She saw him lower his eyes but not before seeing the doubt that shone there, “You used to believe in God, David. What happened?”

“I believed in Him until everything went wrong,” He said softly, still not feeling able to look at his wife, “I trusted Him to take care of me…us…and instead I lost my job and couldn’t find work. I was unable to provide for you and our baby..”

“But you could have done better had you not been spending so much at the bars every night,” Kristin pointed out softly, “Half of the unemployment check went to that every month and hangovers kept you from job hunting. God isn’t responsible for those choices,” She longed to tell him that Tess, Monica and Andrew were angels, but for some reason it felt wrong for him to know unless one of them told him.

“Maybe not, but He certainly didn’t help matters either. Kristin, I don’t want to fight about this…I don’t want to fight with you about anything. I just want to testify against Mike and be able to get out of here before our baby is born. I’m going to find work and be a perfect husband and father to you and our baby.”

“You don’t have to be perfect, David. All you have to be is there and sober,” She paused for a second before adding, “It’s what I’ve been praying for.”

He met his eyes with hers, knowing that their visit was nearly at an end. He wished he could tell her that he had been praying for those same things, but it would be a lie. He had shut God out the same way he had once shut Kristin out and all he cared about was not doing that to her again.

Movement hurt and Monica was surprised at just how weak her body had become in just a few days of lying in a hospital bed. She held onto Andrew’s arm, her steadfast friend constant by her side as she tried to disguise just how tired the short walk from the bed to the door had made her.

“Do you feel like you can go a bit further?” He asked her, his eyes focused entirely on her, “Maybe down the hall a bit?”

“Sure,” She wasn’t sure at all if she could manage it, but she was determined to at least try. She didn’t mind taking the time to recover, but she would prefer to do it in her apartment and not in the hospital. She missed Lucy and was weary of the constant presence of nurses all through the night, now certain that a hospital was no place to rest.

Andrew could sense her hesitation, but he didn’t want to strike up an argument, so instead, he just folded his other hand over hers and let her proceed at her own pace. He could tell she was hurting, but was hoping he could trust her enough to tell him when she’d had enough, “You’re doing great.”

She flashed him a tired smile before she winced, amazed at how walking could disturb her incision sites enough to cause pain, “Where did Paul go this morning?”

“I’m not sure, angel. He just said he had some things to take care of.”

“It seems kind of silly to keep FBI operations a secret from angels, don’t you think?”

Andrew chuckled, pausing as she stopped walking to catch her breath, “Maybe he never thougth of it that way.”

Monica took a breath and started walking again. She was concentrating very hard on making it to the end of the hallway. A few nurses were completing their rounds and they looked approvingly in their direction. It was hard not to know who the little Irish patient with the trio of devoted protectors was. They all marveled at her determination and kind nature. Even when she was barely lucid she was always asked how they were doing. They were all wishing her a quick recovery but she was one of the patients they were all going to be sad to see leave.

“Do you think that we’ll see him again?” Monica said softly. They were half-way down the hall and her legs were exhausted already. The question was meant as a distraction but Andrew heard the longing in it as well.

“I don’t know,” he said honestly. “It’s unusual for us to meet up with the same person twice, never mind three times.”

“I know that… I know,” she said slowly, “but I just feel like there’s more to be done…”

He stopped her and turned to face her. “What you feel is that you will miss him… and so will I. I don’t want to think that this is the last time we’ll meet, but I don’t want you to get your hopes up either.”

She lowered her eyes and walked forward again without saying anything, leaving Andrew staring at the space where she had been. In two long strides he was at her side again and had tucked her hand into the crook of his arm.

“I’m sorry, Angel. I didn’t mean to upset you.”

“You told me the truth. It’s not your fault that this time I’m the one who’s not ready to hear it.” She had finally reached the end of the hallway and she turned around and looked at the long stretch of white tile that led back to her room. “I promise I won’t get my hopes up, Andrew, but I do have this feeling in the corner of my heart. It tells me that Paul is one of those few people we’ll see again.”

Andrew looked down the hallway as well, thinking about how far Monica had come, and not just physically. If she had a feeling and it gave her hope then he was going to believe in it. She was leaning on him more heavily and he wondered if he could somehow convince her to let him carry her back to the room. No. Definitely not. However, grace came in the form of an angel77 pushing a wheelchair.

“Monica, you aren’t supposed to be straining yourself.” Tess said sternly. “Now sit down and let’s get you back to your room.”

“But Tess… the doctor won’t release me if I don’t walk around.”

“And he won’t release you if he can’t see you either, and right now he’s standing in your empty room.”

Monica raised her eyes hopefully. “Do you think he’s going to let me leave?”

“Well I can’t say for sure, but he’s got a stack of papers under one arm, and I think we’d better get back before he decides to just hold onto them!”