CHAPTER 14

The only moments that allowed the women in a state prison to have contact with God's wonderful creations was sunbathing time. In the patio surrounded by high concrete walls and permanently watched by guards, the inmates wandered around with no specific destination; warm sunrays mercifully caressing their faces under the bluest of the skies. But no one seemed to give it any importance. Incarceration had made them less aware of the One who knew what was in their hearts.

But one inmate was fighting not to forget that. Squinting her eyes due to the sunlight, Monica was looking at the blue infinity right above her head and remembering Home. Her lips curved into a slight smile at the memory of her dear Andrew walking towards her, dressed in white and with a broad smile upon his face. She had been sitting by the lake with crystal waters, barefoot, breathing in the sweet smell of the flowers that surrounded her and only the vision of the angel of death took her out of her reverie.

A heartbeat later, she was in his arms, and he was lifting her up from the ground and pressing her against his heart. There was joy beaming in their eyes and on their faces. Delicate kisses and an pleasant chatter in each other's arms, under the shadow of a tree, followed his arrival. Amazingly, these moments had happened only three months ago, before she returned to Earth to start her assignment with Mrs Lancaster. It already seemed a small eternity.

The Irish angel sighed deeply, and tried to hold on to the nights when Andrew would come to visit her in her cell, in his angelic form. Besides that, it was clear that another assignment had started, and although it was certainly one of the hardest she had ever accomplished, being there at least meant being able to help an innocent woman. Abby had been called just a few minutes before the sunbathing time was over, as her lawyer was there to see her. Monica offered a silent prayer hoping that Andrew brought the woman good news.

The loud and sharp sound of the alarm drew the little angel's attention back to the present, and she let out a frustrated sigh. It was time to return to her small cage. Monica stood in the patio as much as possible, somewhat dreaming of the day she would be watching the blue sky from outside those walls, surrounded by much green and in the arms of the one soul that had been created to complete her own.

She was the last one to leave the patio but before she could reach the corridor that led her to the cells section, a threatening voice reached her ears.

"You're not going anywhere now, Irish!"

Monica felt her entire body trembling with panic and her heart pounding erratically in her chest. Sheila was staring at her with an evil look in her eyes and an evil smile. The Irish angel had seen it before, in the eyes of a rapist, or of a cold-blooded murderer. And being in human form caused her to be exposed to it.

"You think I'd forget it was because of you that I was sent to detention?" she said, giving a step towards the angel. Monica looked around her searching for help, but there was no one around. The other inmates were already reaching the end of the corridor and it would probably take a couple of minutes until the guards came to the patio to see if anybody had insisted on staying there.

"Stay away from me..." Monica uttered, facing the woman and swallowing hard her own fear.

"And what if I don't?" she said, her face turning serious as she gave one more step towards the defenceless creature.

Monica kept on staring back at her, even though inside her soul was screaming. "I know there's someone asking you to harass me... I even suspect of who it is, and so does my lawyer..."

The laughter that Sheila let out was a sarcastic, frightening one. "Oh, you do? Well, for your information, Irish, I'm gonna do more than just 'harass' you, pretty baby!" she pulled a penknife from inside her uniform. "Let's see if you will survive to tell your lawyer about it!"

Like a hunter who had her prey cornered, the tall and strong woman lunged at Monica with anger and ready to accomplish the mission that she had been paid for. There was no guard in sight - the one that was supposed to be there was strangely late, and for a moment the angel wondered if this guard had also received money to be absent.

Monica leaned against the wall and protected her head with both arms. "No! Please!" She pleaded, even though she closed her eyes and waited for the worst. Her human form had been threatened before, and now she wondered if the painful experience would repeat itself once again.

"Please... I need help! Somebody help me! Tess!" she screamed. But something strange happened: instead of pain, the Irish angel felt her small form being involved by a wave of protectiveness. She couldn't feel Sheila's aggression as she expected. Much on the contrary, there was something - or someone, shielding her from all evil that that woman represented.

Confused, Monica opened up her eyes and saw that there was an angel holding her tightly and blocking the violent blows. Andrew was protecting her human form with his angelic form, and when the scared Irish angel's eyes met his own green pools, he whispered to her.

"It's okay, my angel... No one is gonna harm you. I'm here..."

"Andrew..." she murmured, and the fear for her own human form immediately turned into fear for his being hurt somehow.

"I felt you... I knew you were in danger..." he said, tightening the hold around her small form.

"What the hell?" Sheila stepped back with a confused expression on her face - an invisible barrier seemed to be blocking her arm from reaching the inmate, stopping her from fulfilling her mission.

Monica's cries attracted the last inmates to leave the patio, and they returned to see what was going on. Along with them, finally two guards also appeared. "Hey, you!" One of them shouted, already picking up her billy club and ready to use it.

Abby had just finished talking with her lawyer and was going to meet Monica down in the patio to tell her about their conversation. But when she was almost there the inmate realised something was going on and immediately feared for her gentle friend. The young woman felt a chill running down her spine when she saw Sheila standing in front of Monica and with a penknife in her hands.

"Why can't you die already?" Sheila screamed, at the edge of her fury, and noticing the guards would soon stop her, she tried to stroke Monica one more time, using all her strength. But once again, the evil woman was blocked by an invisible wall that collided with her hand. "I don't get it!" she exclaimed, astounded, as the two guards finally reached her and took the penknife from her hands. Two more guards, one of them being a very worried Tess, also arrived and the inmate was finally under control.

"Looks like you won another ticket to detention, Sheila!" one of the guards ironically said, while she handcuffed her.

"It's over now, angel... it's over..." Andrew whispered into Monica's ear, reaching a tear that had made its way down her cheek. He kissed the top of her head and slowly faded away, her pleading and worried gaze breaking his heart.

But what the two angels didn't realise was that Tess wasn't the only one to see their interaction. With haunted eyes, Abby watched as a glowing Andrew reluctantly let go of Monica and stood on his feet, while Tess helped the little angel to her feet. The young woman saw it when he remained by Monica's side, caressing her cheek with tenderness and didn't miss the protectiveness in his eyes. She also saw it when Monica and Tess turned their heads - to a normal human being, it would mean they were just looking around them, but Abby realized that the two were actually looking at the lawyer, as if the trio were exchanging some silent words.

X

"Sheila won't be bothering people around here any longer. Seems our director asked her transferring to another prison, far from here." The guard who took Sheila to detention announced, joining Tess and the doctor who was checking on Monica. Much to their relief, no harm had been done to the warm-hearted young lady.

"Oh, thank You, Father!" Tess exclaimed, looking up to the ceiling and conjoining her hands.

"That's really good news considering that the number of inmates that got involved in a fight with her only increases every day!" the doctor said.

During that conversation, Monica remained in silence and the only thing that stopped her from crying both with fear and nervousness was the fact that Andrew was there all the time. With a worried expression on his face, he kept on looking at her, making sure again and again that she wasn't injured during Sheila's attack.

"C'mon, Monica, I'll take you to your cell," The angelic supervisor ordered, gently taking her dearest friend by the arm.

Tess carried a quiet Monica along the corridor up to her prison cell, strategically located at the end of the corridor, almost isolated from the others. The Irish angel's silence met with the other inmates', as the rumours about Monica and Sheila's fight and the consequent defeat of the stronger woman did have an impact on them, especially on those who hang out with Sheila. Even unwillingly, Monica seemed to have gained some respect among them.

Monica and Tess didn't speak, but there was a silent conversation going on between them, and the hold around the charge's arm was more like a reassuring one other than a security matter. When Tess reluctantly closed Monica's cell door, she gave her a motherly look, and the little angel nodded her head, aware that she wasn't alone.

The old supervisor had to leave but on the following second, Monica felt two gentle hands lying over her shoulders and she quickly turned around to hold the one who had been more than a soulmate. Andrew was her eternal protector, her guardian angel, and it wasn't a secret to anyone that he was honoured to fulfil this assignment. Monica held him for dear life for long minutes.

"I'm so sorry..." she finally whispered, tear-filled eyes tired of so much crying. And those words surprised him.

"Sorry? Sorry for what, angel?"

"For putting you through that... You took Sheila's aggression in order to protect me..."

Andrew carefully pulled away to look at those pretty brown eyes, so filled with sadness and guilt at the moment. "For you, Monica, I would turn into my human form and die a thousand times, and it still wouldn't be enough. Protecting you is a duty, my duty." He said, cupping her cheek with his right hand. "When the Father made me, He already knew that besides a caseworker or an angel of death I'd have this permanent assignment, which I'll gladly fulfil for the rest of my existence!" he tried to make her smile by touching the tip of her nose with index finger, "Of course you were not 'born' then, but I'm sure He already had you in mind!"

A mix of a giggle and a crying sob escaped her, but it was gone as she bit her lower lip. "If you die a thousand times, Andrew... I'd die with you. A thousand times too."

Moved with emotion, he wiped her tears away and brushed a loving kiss against her forehead. And then he held her in his arms tightly, enjoying every second of that brief encounter.

"I have to go for a while, angel. But I'll be back for you at night."

"I know you will... It's the best part of my days..."

"It's the best part of my days too." He said, kissing the crown of her head.

They remained in that loving embrace for another long minute but all of a sudden it as Monica who pulled away. She seemed to be searching for something as her delicate hands touched his face and chest, and then his arms.

"Monica? What is it?"

"A-Are you hurt?" she wanted to know, frowning with great concern. And despite her worry, Andrew couldn't help chuckling. He took her hands in his and kissed each of them.

"No, angel, she didn't hurt me..."

"Thanks to our loving Father... her attack was so violent..."

Monica stood on the tip of her feet and brushed a tiny kiss on his lips. Then she wrapped her arms around his neck and held him tightly once again.

Still smiling, Andrew tenderly combed her long auburn hair and rubbed her arm. "If that's the treatment I'm gonna get, then I'll start pretending a little pain here and there, you know..." he joked, finally eliciting a small giggle from her. She still kissed his cheek before pulling away and laying both hands over his face. "I'll be waiting for you this evening..."

"I'll be here, sweet angel." he spoke, before his lips brushed hers gently, slowly, like a promise of everlasting love. His image gradually faded away, and soon the angel of death was gone.