CHAPTER 11

Hours later a rigid Tess sat next to Andrew's hospital bed, hand holding his, head bowed in silent prayer. She had been called to be here and the scene that had met her old eyes was not what she had expected at all.

Andrew had been shot and had been in surgery for hours. The doctors had been able to remove the bullet fragments and the angel's human form had needed blood transfusions due to the amount of blood he had lost, but he was alive, even though he had yet to regain consciousness. His handsome face was pale and the number of machines that were currently hooked up to him in the Intensive Care were enough to overwhelm even a seasoned angel such as Tess.

As if all that were not bad enough, Tess had been questioned by the police about the "Irish speaking woman" who had called 911 to come and help her friend. When the officer had played the 911 call back for Tess, there was not only no denying that it was Monica who had called, but also that her Angel Girl was bordering on hysterical and was obviously terrified. Tess' concern only deepened with the news that neither Monica nor the killer had been present when the police had arrived at the scene.

Raising her head, the old angel looked at her Angel Boy sadly, even as she held his hand more tightly, "What happened out there, baby?" She whispered, reaching her other hand up to smooth back his blonde hair, "How did you get yourself shot and where on earth is your Angel Girl?"

x

Many miles away, the arrival of an unidentified female to Utah General Hospital, was causing quite a bit of concern. The young woman had lost a lot of blood due to the long and deep cut on her leg and only the low temperatures during the night had kept her from bleeding to death. Though that had been a blessing, the cold night had also served to make the weakened angel even more vulnerable and her little body was riddled with fever.

She had needed a transfusion and twenty three stitches in her leg. Dr. Edmonds was also concerned about the laceration on her forehead and was fairly certain by the deep bruise on the woman's face that someone had intentionally beaten her.

Despite the pain medication, in an attempt to keep her resting peacefully, her slumber was anything but. Monica tossed and turned, whimpering over the pain in her leg and murmuring things her nurses couldn't quite understand. They were certain that their patient had been through something terrible, but they felt helpless to bring her any comfort.

Katie, one of the nurses, decided to spend her lunch hour with her newest patient, concerned that the young woman might tear out her IV with her restless movements. Katie was one of the older nurses, well into her forties, and she had seen many sad sights in her years working here, but there was something about this patient that made her feel particularly protective.

"Sweetheart, please try to rest," Katie whispered soothingly as Monica's head moved from side to side on her pillow, her expression obviously one of great fear. Reaching for the angel's hand, Katie gave a reassuring squeeze, surprised when Monica's eyes opened. A moment later, and the nurse knew that her patient was not really seeing her, but was more delusional due to her fever and trauma.

"Please...you have to ...help him...please..." Monica was sobbing as she held Katie's hand in a near death grip, "I didn't want to leave him...please, you have to believe me...it's my fault...it was all my fault...Annie...Andrew...oh Andrew..."

"Hush now, sweet girl," Katie whispered, wiping at the tears on Monica's cheeks before moving to stroke her tangled auburn hair, "You need to rest. It's all right. You're safe now."

Wearily, the young angel's eyes began to close, "Andrew..." The word was a whisper on her lips before she gave way to unconsciousness.

Katie watched her patient sadly as she shook her head, "God, hold this one close to you right now...and whoever Annie and Andrew are, I suspect they could use you as well."

x

"Any change, Katie?" Dr. Edmonds asked as he came into the room some time later. He was an elderly doctor with great compassion and Katie had always had the utmost respect for him.

"No, poor thing. She's been hallucinating off and on, calling out for someone named Andrew. She also mentioned an Annie. I'm going to check with admissions to see if anyone by those names has been admitted," She shook her head, her eyes on her patient, "I'd venture a guess that this Andrew she's been calling out for is probably frantic wondering where she is."

"If he's alive," Dr. Edmonds replied quietly, "I don't know why she was carrying a gun and a knife, but that matter is in police hands at this point."

"I don't think she'd hurt anybody."

"You don't know her, Katie." He had known this nurse for years and felt as comfortable talking to her as he did anyone in his family.

"No, I don't, but look at her."

Their eyes moved to Monica's gentle face, watching as she whimpered restlessly in her sleep, Andrew's name occasionally forming on her lips. Her forehead was bathed in feverish sweat and even in sleep she was anything but calm.

"She couldn't hurt anyone," Katie added softly, "There's just something about her that tells me that."

"I hope you're right. The police are impatiently waiting to talk to her, but I'm not allowing them in here until her condition improves and her fever breaks. Her radiographs have come back and there is fluid in her lungs."

"Pneumonia. It was so cold out last night and she was already so weak from her blood loss. I'll keep a close eye on her."

"Go check on the names she's been calling. It might give us a clue as to who she is or what happened to her." He smiled at Katie as with a nod, she hurried from the room and down the hall.

Approaching the Admissions desk, Katie smiled at the young woman working, "Hi Lisa. Can you tell me if we've had anyone admitted in the last twenty-four hours by the names of Andrew or Annie?"

The brunette raised an inquiring eyebrow, "No last names, Katie?"

"Nope, sorry. That's all I got."

"You don't make it easy on me," Lisa grinned teasingly before she punched several keys on the keyboard, her expert eyes scanning the screen for several minutes, "Katie, I got nothin'. No one by either name. Is this about our Jane Doe from early this morning?"

Katie nodded her head, "Yeah. She's been calling out for those two people and we were hoping it might help us identify her. I'm not even sure she's from around her as she has an accent. Maybe Scottish or Irish. I'm not sure which."

"Well, I'll keep my eyes and ears open. The police captain keeps calling for updates on her condition. I finally told him to check back tomorrow."

"Thanks, Lisa. She isn't coherent enough to speak to anyone and won't be for awhile."

As Katie headed back up to her floor, she said a silent prayer for her patient, as well as for her friends. She wanted so much to be right about this woman as she felt so certain that the young foreign female wouldn't so much as hurt a fly.

X

The day stretched out before Tess with no change to Andrew's condition, despite the fact that a few of his machines had found their way out of the room. He was breathing better despite the fact that he had yet to regain consciousness.

The older angel had spent a small portion of the day down the hall, checking on Monica's assignment, Annie, who had been brought in at the same time as Andrew. The young reporter had come through surgery, but was still listed as critical, and this did little to calm Tess' fears about where her missing "baby" could possibly be. With both Andrew and Monica's assignment having been shot, it only led the angel to think the worst.

Tess watched through the window in Andrew's hospital room as the sun began its descent, eventually disappearing behind the mountains, only to be replaced with a million stars in the dark sky. It reminded the angel of nights at the cabin and of the patient way Andrew would explain all of the constellations to the ever inquisitive Irish angel.

"Oh baby," She whispered, giving Andrew's hand a gentle squeeze, "I really need for you to come back to me."

Though she had whispered those words numerous times since the previous night, this time was different as Andrew's hand twitched slightly in hers, the movement enough to cause the older angel to stand, "Andrew? Come on, Angel Boy."

With agonizing slowness, the green orbs opened and he grimaced at the bright lights, "Tess..."

"Hang on, baby," She hurriedly brought the Styrofoam cup of water to his lips, allowing him to drink from the straw, "You have no idea how happy I am to see you awake!"

A weary smile crossed his lips briefly before it faded. Images from the old barn suddenly came back at him rapid fire: Phil shooting him, Phil trying to hurt Monica, his angel begging him not to make her leave him, her sobs the last sound he'd heard until now...

"Monica? Tess, where is she? Is she all right?"

"Baby, you need to calm down," She soothed, though with his words she felt anything but calm. If Andrew didn't know where she was...

"Tess, please! Where is she? Is she here?" He grabbed her hand with surprising strength, and his green eyes pleaded with her, in them a desperation she wasn't sure she had ever seen in them before.

"No, baby. Monica, she called for the ambulance for you, but when the police got there, they only found you...and Annie, Monica's assignment."

He could hardly believe the words he was hearing as he struggled to remain calm as with each panicked breath, pain shot through his chest, "Phil? They didn't find him?"

"No, Andrew. They still haven't found either of them."

Sheer adrenaline caused him to sit up in bed, despite the tremendous pain the movement caused him, "I have to get out of here. I have to find her."

"Angel Boy, you can't," Tess stopped him one of her token stern expressions, "You're in human form and you just had major surgery. You aren't going anywhere!"

"Well, look who's up!" Dr. Grove looked more than pleased as she came into the room, though her expression faded somewhat when she saw her patient sitting up and looking more than a little agitated, "Andrew, you need to lie back down or you're going to rip out your sutures."

"No, listen to me. My friend, Monica, I have to find her; someone has to find her!"