Chapter 13

The blond Search and Rescue angel walked purposefully down the dimly lit street at nearly 2:00 in the morning, his hands buried inside of his trench coat pockets to keep them warm.  Had anyone been able to see him, they would have first noticed the great sadness that was emulating from the very core of his being, and the worry that etched his handsome features.

Andrew hated this neighborhood as he had been here before-too many times, as an Angel of Death.  This part of the city was heavy with crime and he had been here often over the years to take innocent people home to the Father, and now tears filled his eyes at the thought of Monica being anywhere near here. 

“Oh please, Father,” his mind pleaded,

“Let her be alright.”

He stopped briefly in front of the house before he entered, knowing that if Kathleen and Denise were anywhere nearby they would not be able to see him, nor would Monica until he knew it was safe for her to know he was there.  He searched the first three floors and could find no trace of Kathleen or the Caseworker, so he anxiously headed to the attic, where he knew his beloved friend would be.

Andrew appeared in the corner of the dark attic, his angelic eyes able to see through the darkness that surrounded him. 

He heard her before he ever saw her.  The muffled sobs, filled with pain, fear and exhaustion, tore at his heart as his eyes came to rest upon her.  She was sitting up against the wall, her face lowered into her hands, her brilliant auburn hair spilling over her shoulders and her entire body shaking from fear and cold.  He could feel the grief flowing from her as he quietly approached her and knelt down beside of her, before becoming visible to her.

 “Monica.” He uttered softly, his voice full of his compassion and great love for her.

Startled for a brief second, she looked up at him through reddened and swollen eyes, hardly daring to believe he was really here.

 “Oh Andrew,” She wept, as he drew her into his arms, cradling her as tightly as he dared.  He held her for a long time as she sobbed, then once the tears had begun to subside, he then stood up and shrugged off his coat, before wrapping it around Monica’s trembling shoulders.

 “Thank you,” She whispered, not meeting his eyes as all the things that Denise had said to her came flooding back.  Monica knew that Andrew had been sent here and that he was in angelic form and that spoke volumes to her and the lie she had told was weighing heavily on her conscience. 

 ‘You were a mistake, Monica-as a supervisor and as an angel!’

The words coursed through her mind once more as a small sob escaped her throat.  Where had this all gone so horribly wrong?

 “Sweetheart?” Andrew said softy, disturbing her thoughts as he reached and cupped her chin in his hand, forcing her to meet his gaze,

 “Are you okay?  Are you hurt?” His eyes searched hers for the answers to his questions,

“How is your ankle, honey?”

 “It hurts,” She uttered, her voice trembling,

 “When she…when I was thrown up here, I landed on it again.”

Andrew sat down on the floor and gently took her ankle into his hands, wincing as he heard her cry out softly,

 “You may have torn some tendons, Sweetie.”

He had noticed the way she had started to bring up Denise, but then changed her mind about it and his heart ached to hear the truth, from her.  He had a feeling that the lie she had told could be a part of the reason he was not allowed to take her back to where Tess waited for some word from them.  He knew that the Father’s plan was perfect though and he tried not to question it, but he was so worried about his best friend being in over her head, it was all he could do to remain calm.

 “Want to tell me what happened, Angel Girl?” He asked softly, turning his head back to look at her again and he noticed how quickly she averted his eyes.

Monica’s mind raced frantically, unsure of what to do,

 “I want to protect him!” her mind screamed,

 “I don’t even understand this myself…”

 “I…I’m not sure, Andrew.  I…”

The frustration that had begun to eat at Andrew out of his strong desire to help her, exploded then as he heard her once again begin to evade the subject,

 “Stop it, Monica!” He said, his voice louder than he had intended it to be,

 “You do know what happened, just like you know what happened yesterday!  That was no accident anymore than this was and you’re not being honest about it, doesn’t change that fact!  I know it was Denise with the help of Kathleen.  I know Denise has been failing assignments and leaving you to deal with the mess!” His eyes penetrated into hers as he struggled to lower his voice, though it didn’t lose its sternness,

“I need you to be honest with me if I am going to be able to help you at all! Can you at least do that much?”