CHAPTER 7

Only at night did Monica returned to the house, as the rain started to cease. Mr Snyder explained that that kind of weather was common at that time of the year but that the storms would go away as fast as they came. Needing to focus on her assignment as a way to avoid dealing with the terrible sensation of guilt that the episode with Andrew was causing her, the Irish angel gave the farm owners an update on the treatment that Grace was receiving – no pain, no needles and Caroline and Jonathan could notice her evident affection for the animal and were certain that it was a key factor in animal's healing.

Despite their insistence, Monica gently turned down the invitation for dinner. The incident with her dearest friend caused her heart to be too filled with anguish and she was in no wish to eat anything until things were cleared between them. The angel just did not know how to approach him, fearing he was still too upset to talk to her right now. Even if she could understand it, it would certainly break her heart.

Andrew, on his part, felt more tired than on the previous day. When the clock ticked ten, he made a short pause and stood up from where he had been sitting for three hours non-stop and gave a short walk up to the window. The silence of the land was soothing, especially now that the storm was over and through the glass he could see the fireflies dancing at a distance.

The Snyder's had retired to their rooms earlier that night as Caroline had to go downtown on the following day and so did her parents. Andrew, however, offered to stay a little more and work on some documents and complicated mathematical calculations. He also knew that his friend had not shown up at the dinner and was determined to go check on her before going to bed – without waking her up. And on the following day it was his one extra assignment to tell her how sorry he was for his reaction to her attempt to apologise.

A light knock on the door made him turn around and what he saw nearly undid him. Monica was standing there, holding a tray with a sandwich and a cup with hot chocolate. That sweet attitude was undoubtedly typical of her but what moved him was the look of regret and somewhat fear that he could see in those sweet but sad brown eyes.

"I imagined you had been working for long now and in this human form it's always good to have a break..." she carefully spoke, stepping inside and placing the tray on the table. Then, she looked at him again. "...Excuse me."

"Angel..."

Monica was already moving to leave the room but the sound of his voice calling her by that term of endearment made her stop.

"Please, come here..." He approached her and gently placed his hand over her shoulder.

"I... don't want to be in the way, I know you have much work to do..." Came her shy reply, but she did not protest when he guided her up to a chair, making her sit down and then taking a seat in front of her.

The blond angel reached for her hand and held it in both of his. "I owe you an apology."

"I'm afraid you don't, Andrew. I'm the one who should tell you again how sorry I am for causing so much trouble..."

He shook his head and gazed deep inside her eyes. "Earlier today I was not fair with you. The way I reacted when you finally came back and the way I left the stables... it made it look like I was angry."

"You had the right to be, it was awfully silly of me to take Charmer and leave especially when I still don't know the farm so well. You're not the one who has to apologise, Andrew."

"I think I am. I was not angry at you, angel. I would never be... Truth to be told, I was angry at myself for letting you leave. Something bad could have happened to you because I was not around."

She was surprised and even felt guilty at this revealing. "But Andrew, there was no way you could have known I had taken Charmer on a ride! You were here accomplishing your assignment as I should have been! Please don't feel this way because it's not fair to you."

A small, bittersweet smile appeared in the corner of his lips and he looked at their conjoined hands before gazing back at her. "It's been a while now I've come to terms with the fact that I loathe the idea of you walking around alone on this Earth, unprotected and in need of help. Even though I know the Father is always watching over you, I still want to be the one angel in charge of putting your heart at ease in case you are afraid or in doubt."

Some tears quickly filled the corner of her eyes as she heard his confession and for a moment Monica felt undeserving of so much love. "Oh, Andrew, but you are! I couldn't have been more blessed by having such a gentle friend close to me whenever I need him! I don't even think I thank the Father enough for that, but you are always in my prayers, either when I tell Him how grateful I am for your friendship or when I ask Him to protect you and keep you in the palm of His hand."

The smile on his face grew a bit wider and he reached out to caress her face with the back of his fingers. "You are such a precious gift, Monica..."

The Irish angel could not hold it any longer and quickly shortened the distance between them by wrapping her arms around his neck in a loving embrace, which he returned with the same affection.

"So are you to me, Andrew." Her crying voice made him reach out and start combing her long auburn hair with his hand, the gentle movement had always helped to calm her down. Then, he kept on talking. "The thought of something bad happening to you is... terrifying. And while I waited for you to come back I kept feeling your anguish, baby... I knew something was not right and was angry that there was nothing I could do about it."

As gently as he could, Andrew pulled away and tenderly wiped away the tears that had fallen from her eyes. Then, he cupped her cheek and looked deep inside her eyes. "Why did you run away, angel? I saw you were working on Grace just before you left..."

She finally broke his gaze at that inevitable question and preferred he had not asked it. "I was. But it has to be done little by little and it was time for a break." She spoke, carefully measuring her words as sometimes she felt he could read her thoughts. "And I confess I was deeply worried about her, especially after Ian decided to train her today. She wasn't ready."

Andrew's stern gaze told her he was already upset at hearing that. "Do you think he might have caused more damage to her health?"

"Her leg was more swollen than yesterday and this is when I started to worry..." Monica let out a small sigh. "I think I was very nervous when I saw him riding her... When I took a break from the first therapy session and noticed I'd still have to wait another hour to restart it, I took Charmer for a ride... The rest you already know..."

"Did you speak to Ian about that? He should be aware that an injured animal cannot be put into training..." Andrew was already beginning to realise that something was wrong with that man.

The Irish angel raised her head again, as if summoning her courage to talk about that. "I did. But I've noticed that apparently he doesn't hold much respect for the horses..."

"What about the Snyder's? Do they know about it?"

"They will, tomorrow."

"If you need any help with it..."

She covered his hand with hers and tried to smile. "It's alright now, Andrew. I think I was more nervous about the situation more than anything else..."

He nodded his head and took her hand to his lips. "I'm sure you will accomplish the mission you've been assigned for beautifully, angel. You always do."

Smiling, Monica tilted her head and threw him an affectionate glance. "Don't you think you are a wee bit biased to say so?"

He did not answer to her question, because he knew that although the sweet little angel had him wrapped in her little finger, no other angel had a heart like hers – loving and generous and ready to sacrifice even herself so she could help another soul.

"Do you know what I think? That you did not eat since you returned from the woods and that right now I could very well stop working and enjoy your company in a night snack!"

He watched as her smile grew wider and her cheeks blushed slightly. "Are you sure I won't be in the way?"

Smiling, he raised to his feet and pulled her with him, never letting go of her hand. "I always want you to be in my way, Monica. Otherwise, I would be the saddest angel in Heaven!"

Those loving words were enough for her to wrap her arms around his waist and hold him tightly. "I love you... even if I keep making your existence here on Earth a wee bit hectic sometimes..."

Chuckling, and holding her back, he kissed the top of her head. "I love you too, angel. Much more than I'm able to express, you be sure about it."

The Irish angel was resting her head against his chest and only moved it to look up at him. "But you are always able to express it!" She said, with a frown and a slight pout that only made her more adorable to him.

The blond angel lay a gentle hand against her cheek and kissed her forehead lovingly. "I pray for that every day. Every day."

X

Andrew chuckled at Monica's poor attempt to cover her third yawn. She was still holding the mug that once contained fresh coffee and the remains of a second sandwich rested in a plate, over the side table. The angels were back at the employees' guest house but at that time of the night all the others had long gone to bed. Sitting on the sofa that faced the warm fireplace, they had spent some good time talking about trivial matters to alleviate the stress of the day.

Andrew had one arm wrapped around her small shoulders and Monica for herself had been using his chest as a comfortable pillow while her eternal chattering and lovely accent filled the air. The blond angel would never be tired of listening to her, that was true, but he could sense that his gentle friend was slowly losing the battle to sleep when she tried to cover her mouth.

"Looks like someone could call it a night right now..." he said, giving her shoulder a light squeeze.

"Who?" She looked up at him with a mock stern gaze that only made him laugh.

"Someone who could clearly use a pillow instead of my chest. It's a lot more comfortable, you see..."

She returned her head to the same spot and closed her eyes. "I highly doubt it..."

Still finding her adorable, Andrew elected to remain there for a little more time, as he was also enjoying that warm atmosphere. The only light source was the light coming from the fireplace, and its flickering glow along with the soothing movement of Andrew's fingers through her hair made the little angel fall asleep in his arms moments later. He knew it would eventually happen and slowly, Andrew removed the empty mug of coffee from her hands and placed it on the side table. Then, he passed one arm underneath her knees and the other around her back, lifting her up and carrying her along the corridor up to her bedroom.

Fortunately the door had been left ajar, so he carefully pushed it open and gave a few more steps to finally place the sleeping angel in her bed. After covering her small form with a warm quilt, Andrew sat down at the edge of the bed and tucked a stray piece of hair behind her ear.

"Angel... I know you already forgave me for today... You have such a generous heart, baby... I just pray that I can honour the gift of being part of your existence."

He spent some more minutes there, watching over her in her sleep and praying that it was a peaceful one. Then, Andrew finally leaned over and brushed a loving kiss against her cheek and left the room in silence, closing the door behind him.