Chapter 6

”Do you have any idea where she could be, Tess?" Andrew questioned worriedly as he quickened his pace along the gravel road in the quiet town. Glancing over his shoulder at his friend, the younger angel suddenly stopped in his tracks as he waited for Tess to catch up with him.

Breathing hard from trying to keep up with her "Angel Boy", Tess finally caught up with him and gently took his offered hand, gripping it tightly in her own. Closing her dark, brown eyes for a moment, the older angel let out a long sigh as she and Andrew continued walking down the long road, her friend's gaze still turned to her in question.

"No, Baby, I don't," she finally answered quietly, her voice full of sorrow and worry for her "Angel Girl".

"When the Father told me that I had a few days off, He didn't tell me why…I have no idea where our Angel Girl is, Baby…"

Pausing for a moment, the dark-skinned angel glanced around her, taking in her surroundings and frowning to herself. The town was awfully quiet and somewhat depressing…and, although she didn't know why, this area seemed familiar to her in some odd way…

"You said that this is the area where Monica was staying at, right, Andrew?" Tess spoke up once again, glancing over at her friend, who was staring off into space, his green eyes looking distant as they took in a nearby field.

His voice barely audible as he spoke up to answer his friend's question, the angel continued to look out at the field.

"Yeah…this is the area…the coffee shop where she came out of right before she had that incident with the truck isn't that far from here," Andrew quietly uttered, shooting a quick look to his former supervisor. Turning his blonde head away quickly, the Search and Rescue angel frowned a bit as he tilted his head to the side, suddenly stopping in his tracks while still gripping Tess' warm hand.

His brow furrowing, Andrew kept his gaze on the center of the field, his heart all of a sudden starting to pound loudly in his ears.

"Andrew?"

Tess gazed worriedly at her "Angel Boy", finding herself growing even more worried by the minute…What was Andrew looking at?? And why did her friend have that look on his face?

"Angel Boy? What is it?" she kept her voice low and soft as she gently released Andrew's shaking hand and laid her own perfectly manicured hand on his shoulder,

 "Andrew…Baby??"

"Tess…Monica's here, somewhere…in the field…"

Tess felt her mouth drop open and stare at her friend curiously. Her own brow furrowing in worry, the older angel took a step closer and turned her own dark eyes on the field.  But didn't notice anything but grass and a long stretch of an endless- looking field.

"Andrew. What do you mean??" Tess whispered, her voice shaking slightly,

"What do you mean by she's here…in the field somewhere?"

"Shhhh…Hang on a minute, Tess…" Andrew hissed, shooting a warning look his friend's way and turned to the sky, staring at the clouds.

His green eyes filled with tears as he listened to words that only he was able to hear...words that started to tear at his fragile heart…

Shaking his blonde head and trying to assure the One above that He was mistaken—although that was impossible—Andrew felt his heart pounding louder than ever as he returned his gaze to the long field.

The field that looked so normal…

But…it was FAR from normal. Something had happened there not very long ago…only a few minutes, to be exact…

Letting out a gasp as the Father once more informed him more of the situation, Andrew turned away from Tess and started sprinting towards the field. Sprinting towards the place where the Father had ordered him to go…all the while, yelling heartbrokenly to his old friend.

And hoping that he and Tess wouldn't be too late.

"Monica!!"

*****

Monica's head started pounding louder than ever from where she hit it on the rock just 15 minutes ago and the young angel tried her hardest to force herself not to throw up. The throbbing in her ankle became worse as time increased and she let out a whimper of pain.

Oh, God…why is this happening to me? Please help me, Father…and help Denise…

Grimacing from lifting her head off of the dirt ground, Monica felt more tears well up in her sorrowful, brown eyes as she softly rubbed her throbbing, swollen ankle. Surely it was either sprained or broken; landing on it like she did must have done some damage…

Feeling her world spinning out of control, the supervisor angel once more laid her head down on the ground gently, again whimpering softly to herself and praying for help. From anyone…

But who will find me HERE? Who, Father?? Oh, please help…

Just as soon as she silently lifted up the words of help to the Creator above, the young angel's heart suddenly leaped in her throat as she heard an all-too familiar voice. A voice she'd know anywhere…a desperate, male voice filled with terror…

"Andrew??" Monica gasped weakly, keeping her head lying flat where it was on the dirt ground of the sinkhole. The tears falling like never before at the sound of her best friend's loving voice, Monica longed to jump up and throw herself into his arms once again and never have him let her go.

Suddenly, before she could think any more, a strong, worried, female voice joined in. The voice that Monica had heard every day while she was a caseworker; the beautiful singing voice…

"Tess…??" Barely able to croak the name of her other friend out, Monica silently lifted up one last prayer to the Father; a prayer of thanks…

Once more trying to speak, Monica raised her tear-filled, brown eyes to the opening of the sinkhole and lifted up her pained, Irish voice as loudly as she could.

"Tess…Andrew!”