A 'Touched by an Angel' story

By: Yvette Jessen

© 2001 not intended to infringe on any previously held copyrights.

Please Note: This story is the thirteenth in a sequence of stories, which I have written, which are centered on my character, Christina, her family and friends. The first one is entitled ‘The Innocence of a Child’, the second ‘A Little Girl’s Wish’, the third ‘The Senior Prom’, the fourth 'Stealing Second', the fifth 'Another Halloween Night', the sixth 'An Overdue Appointment', the seventh 'Homecoming', the eighth 'Solitary Without Hope', the ninth 'Making the Grade', the tenth 'Till Death Do Us Part', the eleventh 'Olivia's Battle', and the twelfth 'In the Father's Arms'.

*****

It had been over a year since Olivia Thomas' death, and the time that passed did not seem to heal the pain that would curse through Daniel Thomas whenever he would look in the innocent eyes of the small boy he and his wife, Donna, had adopted. He could not help but feel lost, Olivia had been such a beautiful child; she was so strong and yet, she had an innocence about her that left her open prey to the ills of people like her ex boyfriend, Greg Munson.

Daniel and Donna had spent the last year fighting to keep Greg from taking their grandson away from them, the lawyer bills running into the thousands, and today, through a simple DNA test, Greg Munson had been proven to not be Brendan Andrew's real father, and the restraining order against him had been set. The anger and bitterness was something, which Daniel had not been able to control, but with Greg out of the picture, he felt at least some semblance of peace, but he still could not let go of the fact that Olivia had died, and she had been so young. This had broken his heart and he still felt as though a part of him had died the night that she had given birth to that little boy and was taken away from them.

His other daughter, Christina had said it the best, he thought sadly as he sat down that evening to read the newspaper. She had once said that Olivia was her sister in all the ways that mattered. Ever since the funeral and up until this point, he knew that she had tried to spend as much time with him as she possibly could. The family had pulled together under such tragic circumstances, but today, they continued to hold tightly to one another. His and Donna's son, Bryan, was also aware of what was happening within the family, and he was well aware that his father was encompassed with grief and sadness.

Daniel smiled when he thought about his kids, and even Lindsey would visit him when she would come during her breaks from the work she did in New York City. Lindsey was Christina's best friend and over the course of the years he had known her, she had become someone who was like a part of their extended family.

As he put in the CD Lindsey had given him during her last visit, her gentle, but emotional voice soon filtered through the dining room where he was now sitting. As he listened to the music, Donna came into the living room and rested her hand on her husband's shoulder.

"Daniel?"

"Yeah?"

"When are you going to take Chrissie's advice and get counseling?" Donna asked sadly. "It's been over a year since Olivia died, and she wouldn't want you to be unhappy. Do you remember what Andrew said?"

"I know, it's just hard," Daniel said as he sighed deeply. "It hurts, Donna."

"I know it does, we lost a child," she whispered sadly. "I know how much that hurts, because it hurts me too. But, Olivia's baby is now with us, and we've fought so long and hard for the right to raise this boy in our family."

"It's just going to take a little more time," Daniel said softly.

"Chrissie called earlier, Laura's birthday is tomorrow, and we're supposed to be there at 1," Donna said. "You feel up to going?"

"Yeah, I figure if we don't Laura will be crushed," Daniel said softly.

"From what I've heard, Laura's really been having a rough time lately," Donna said. "Chrissie said that the school's called three times in the last two weeks. They said that Laura is in a depression, but I don't believe that. How can little kids get into depressions?"

"That's a question for our daughter," Daniel said softly. "But, you know, Laura hasn't been herself lately. There's something going on with her, now that you mention it. I have no idea what it is, but maybe in time, she'll open up and tell someone."

"Maybe, but I just don't know," Donna mused. "I sometimes wonder if she's hiding this stuff away to protect us."

"Perhaps she is," Daniel shrugged his shoulders and glanced back down at the newspaper. "You know, she and Olivia were very close."

"I know," Donna said softly, but opted to change the subject when she could hear the music softly playing in the background. "That reminds me, I heard that Lindsey was back in town. I ran into Edith at the store some days ago, and she said that Lindsey had gotten a recording contract, and that she is now doing some serious studio work out there in New York," Donna said.

"I heard about that, she's doing really well with the music, and the kid's got talent. How old is she now?" Daniel asked.

"She's ten years younger than Chrissie, so now she's 25," Donna said. "Edith said that she and Kevin were getting ready to go to the Bahamas in August. She also said that Tom was going to come back and house sit for them while they're gone."

"What is Tom doing these days, I haven't seen him in awhile?"

"Edith said that Tom's 20 now, and he's been coaching little league in Hudson Square, and I hear he's been making pretty good money working with kids there," Donna said.

"I heard that he started to play guitar for a heavy metal band, do you know if anything ever came of that?"

"No, I think he quit, there was a dispute some time ago about him dying his hair blue or something," Donna said smiling. "You know how strange kids these days can be."

Daniel nodded and smiled slightly. "I think Lindsey and Tom turned out OK. They've had their trials and tribulations in life, but they're both really strong."

Donna nodded and smiled. She knew that Lindsey would always come by the house and try to talk to Daniel whenever she would come back from New York City, but she was well aware that something was simply not setting right with him.

"Well, I'm going up to bed, could you turn everything off before you come up?" Donna asked.

"Sure Honey, I'll be up in a few minutes," Daniel said softly as he opened the newspaper and began to read. Right at the top of the page, the headline read:

School Shooting Claims Four Lives

Three Students and One Teacher Dead After Teenagers Open Fire in Crowded Cafeteria.

Sighing sadly, he began to read the article.

Never in its history has Southside Independent School District reported any incidents of school violence. This record was sadly shattered Tuesday morning when two boys: Terry Fields (16) and Bruce Freedman (15) entered the busy cafeteria of Southside High School carrying handguns and opened fire killing three students and one teacher.

Jason Reynolds, the principal of the school reported that other students, as well as Sophomore Level English teacher, Elise Kilgore, eventually stopped the boys. 'It's a sad day for all of us,' Reynolds said bowing his head. 'We sympathize with parents, teachers, students and community in the wake of this tragedy. If not for the quick thinking of Miss Kilgore, there would probably have been more lives lost.'

Kilgore was said to have tackled one of the suspects and managed to pry the gun from the youth's hand. When asked why she tried to intervene, Kilgore shook her head and said, 'I couldn't have done otherwise, and besides that, adrenaline is sometimes a very frightening thing'.

The two boys responsible were immediately taken into custody following the shooting and are being held without bail at an undisclosed Juvenile Detention Center. According to the District Attorney's Office, they are pulling out all stops to have Fields and Freedman tried as adults, creating a landmark case, as this has never before happened in this particular county. As of press time, the two boys are currently undergoing psychiatric evaluations, but sources close to the families were said to have remarked about how the two of them were often seen alone at school, and were considered outsiders. Further, rumors circulating around the school reported that they had planned this assault for weeks as a way of getting even with the popular kids for having rejecting them.

The families of the victims have requested that the names of their children not be publicly disclosed until after the funerals take place, but two of the victims families have made it known that there will be a candlelight vigil at the 'United Methodist Church of Southside' tomorrow evening at 8 P.M.

Sighing sadly, Daniel laid the paper down on the table and walked slowly out of the room. His head was positively spinning when he crawled into bed some ten minutes later.

*****

It was now pretty late in the evening at Christina and Jeremy's house and as Christina sat in the living room; she found her thoughts drifting. Laura had already gone to bed, but she wasn't sleeping very well, and had already been downstairs to get a drink of water and to ask about when her dad was coming home from work.

Jeremy was working late, and Christina was sitting on the sofa looking down at some of her case files. Ever since the school shooting in Southside, she had gotten two more cases already and it looked as though she would get even more before the smoke cleared. The entire town of Southside was overcome with grief about the shooting, and Christina's office was getting inundated with calls simply because all the counseling centers in Southside were completely filled to capacity with new cases from the high school.

Christina was tired, perhaps only a little bit troubled with her own worries, but her thoughts were constantly drifting, from one thing to another and then back again.

She glanced around the room and when her eyes came to rest on a framed photograph, she sighed sadly. It was actually one of the snapshots from her and Jeremy's wedding. Normally, she wouldn't be sad when she thought of her wedding day, but that photograph happened to be of her, Jeremy and Olivia. Whenever she remembered Olivia, her thoughts almost instantly turned to the well being of her father. Back when she and Jeremy had gotten married, her family had been so happy, but today, she would get tears in her eyes whenever she would think about Olivia.

She could not help but admire the girl, she had lived through and endured so much, and through it all, she had somehow found the will to keep living. "She was an amazing person," she whispered under her breath, as she laid the rest of the file on the coffee table and stood up to stretch out.

She immediately could tell that she had been seated for too long because as soon as she did stand, her knees buckled slightly, and she fell back against the cushions. Instead of trying again, she grabbed a pillow from the corner of the sofa and hugged it to her chest as she continued to look outside through the sliding glass door. She sighed with contentment as she made herself comfortable, her eyes closing somewhat as she rested her head.

She must have drifted off to sleep because the next time she opened her eyes, she could hear that someone was ringing the doorbell. She sighed deeply but slowly managed to get up off the couch and walked towards the front door in order to answer it. As she peered through the small glass hole in the center of the door, she gasped in astonishment and quickly swung the door open.

"Andrew?" She whispered in profound shock and disbelief when she saw her friend, and Angel of Death, standing on the other side of the now open door, two police officers were standing behind him, one of them holding his arm firmly so that he would not crumple to the ground in a heap. It was obvious to Christina that he was exhausted, simply from his weary looking face, as well as the despair that seemed to outwardly radiate from him.

Sighing sadly, she continued to stare at her friend. He truly looked as though he had been living on the streets for months, his hair was completely disheveled, his entire face looked sunken in and dirty, the clothing he wore reeked, and his face showed the start of a beard. Then there were his eyes, those green eyes that always showed the utmost compassion and love were now void of any emotion, and seeing that alone almost made her want to cry.

"Officer?" She asked, as she looked up into the eyes of one of the policemen, a question looming as Andrew stumbled into her arms, his face burying against her upper arm, and shoulder as the tears began to stream from his eyes and she could feel the moistness through the t-shirt she wore. She wrapped her arms around him and held tightly to him, her arms not only trying to console him, but also trying without much success to keep him on his feet.

"We found your friend downtown, Mrs. Lowery, he was completely out of it," one of them said. "He insisted that he knew you, but we didn't really believe him, so we took him to the station and your husband, Jeremy, confirmed that he is, in fact, your friend, so we brought him here. He looks like he's been pretty roughed up and is in need of a bath, but we figured that you would be able to take care of him."

"Yes, I'll do my best, thank you, gentlemen," Christina said softly, as she clumsily managed to help Andrew inside. As soon as she was able to help him to sit down on the sofa, she returned to the door, closed and locked it. Within moments, she had returned to the sofa and wrapped her arms securely around his now trembling body. "Andrew, can you hear me?" She asked weakly.

"Christina," he moaned and looked at her, his eyes filled with fear, and this was something that she could not comprehend, not in him. In all the years she had known Andrew, she had never seen him looking as lost and alone as he did at that moment and her heart nearly broke when she looked at him.

This can't be happening, she thought frantically, where are Tess and Monica, and do they know about this? The questions raked havoc on her emotions, but she found herself trying without much success to comfort her friend.

"It's OK, I'm here," she said softly all the while holding him in her arms. "I'll do everything I can for you, I think you know that, don't you?"

He nodded wearily. "Christina, I'm trapped," he spoke weakly, his voice hoarse, his emotions once again taking hold of him.

"God made you a human?" She asked gently.

He nodded, "yes."

"It's OK, Andrew, there must be a reason, and you know I'll do whatever I can to help you," she tried to reassure him, but all the while, she did not know what had happened or could even begin to understand why it was her friend was looking as bad as he now was. "Do you know where Tess and Monica are?"

He shook his head.

"Adam?" She asked, and all the while he continued to shake his head. "What about Raphael?"

When no answer emerged, Christina sighed deeply. "Is there another angel who you know of who might be able to help us?" Upon hearing her question, Andrew looked at her, the look in his eyes a depiction of a lost puppy, and she knew this look all too well. He thought she would cast him aside, but instead she reached over and touched his dirty face. "I won't leave you alone, Andrew. I was just thinking that maybe God has a reason for this, and that one of your friends could enlighten us," she paused and looked at him after some seconds passed. "Why don't you go and take a shower then and I'll get some of Jeremy's things out for you?"

He nodded numbly as he looked down at his lap.

Once she had helped him to the bathroom for his shower, she handed him some fresh clothing and closed the door to the bathroom. Once she could hear the water running, she went back into the living room and sat down on the sofa. "Father," she began to pray. "I have to know what happened to him. Please, send me some help."

"Christina Lowery?" A deep voice resonated through the room and she turned around and saw someone she had never seen before standing in the living room.

"W-who are you?" She asked, feeling the sensation of intimidation overwhelm her.

"My name is Sam and I was sent here to help you, help Andrew," he explained.

"What happened to him, can you tell me?" Christina looked at him, her sad eyes pleading with him for answers to the questions she was not certain she was capable of asking.

"Andrew was given an assignment about five days ago. It was in the neighboring town, the same community where your husband's family lives," Sam began. "It was at the high school, Christina, you probably heard about it."

"Yes I did, there was a school shooting there on Tuesday. Three kids and a teacher were killed, and now two of the children who witnessed this tragedy are now in my care," Christina whispered. "Let me guess, Andrew couldn't cope with it, could he? I mean; is that what happened to him, did he walk away from his job when he had to take one of those kids home?"

"No, he didn't walk away this time, but yes, he was deeply hurt when he had to take a 14-year-old victim home. After this happened, he did somehow get a little distanced from the Father and I am guessing that it happened over the course of the assignment," Sam said softly as he sat down next to her. "You know that just like God sends angels to people to help them with their lives, well, there's another force out there that takes hold of people's free will as well. This is specifically what happened with those two boys. They gave into ideas of revenge and restitution, thus loosing track of themselves and who they really are."

"Are you trying to tell me that they gave into forces of evil?" Christina looked at him.

Sam nodded, "in a way, yes. You see, Christina, an angel in human form can be hurt by those forces just as a human being can, and God gives all of us the strength we need to fight it when it tries to tempt us, but after Andrew was sent to try and help, and then eventually had to take one of these poor souls home, he found that his own weakened spirit was doubly susceptible to this, and therefore, he is now trapped in human form, unable to seek help from the Father."

"But, he was always so filled with faith, and hope?" Christina looked at him all the while trying to digest the words Sam was telling her. "I don't understand how Andrew can become weakened by this. Are these forces still there?"

"Christina, the forces are always going to be there, and most people who have a conscience are able to fight them, but as an Angel of Death, Andrew was considerably weakened by what he saw, and it has basically stigmatized him. It isn't to say that he is giving in to these 'forces', but right now he's in a great deal of pain, and he feels as though he failed God."

"You mean, he was sent to one of those boys, before this whole thing happened and he was trying to convince him to not go through with it?" Christina asked. "This is similar to what my feelings were like after Ted Gordon killed himself."

"Exactly, and now Andrew feels as though the Father is disappointed in him, that he didn't try hard enough or something," Sam said softly. "I gave Andrew a choice, I told him, 'you can either come here, and try to make heads or tails out of this and get some help from your friends, or you can go to God's country to work through this on your own'."

"God's country? What is this place?" Christina asked.

"It's a place between Heaven and Earth, and angels are sometimes sent there when they make mistakes or need time to reflect on assignments," Sam said softly.

"A punishment?" Christina asked. "Like a child being sent to a corner?"

"No, this is just a place where they can reconnect with the Father. Andrew chose to come here, I suppose that he knew that you and your family would help him when he needed it the most."

Christina could say nothing; she simply nodded.

"Andrew does not know what he must do here, and I happen to know that it will take time for you to help him, but do be patient, Christina, the Father knows of the love that you have for His angel, and He has confidence that you will help Andrew in a way that we cannot."

"That's a great deal of pressure, Sam. I mean; what if I fail?" She asked weakly.

"You and your family have been Andrew's friends through everything, even through the loss of your sister, Olivia, so when you consider how much love is in the heart of you and your family, the Father and I both know that Andrew is in very capable hands. You must simply accept that." With that, Sam was gone and Christina was once again alone in the living room.

As she stood up, she could hear the water being turned off and she figured that eventually Andrew would join her in the living room. Sighing deeply, she stood up and went into the kitchen. At this moment, she figured that the best thing she could do for him now would be to make him some soup and send him straight to bed.

*****

As he came out into the living room and entered the kitchen, she immediately noticed that physically, he looked better, but his eyes were still without their usual spark. She pulled a chair out from the table and offered him her hand. Taking it, he allowed her to help him sit down. Once he was seated, he looked at her. "Christina, I"

"It's OK, I'm really glad you're here, and I'll do anything to help," she sat down next to him and rested her hand on his. "Do you want to talk about anything?" She asked. "You always told me that to talk about things helped."

"No, I can't," he whispered.

"In time then," she said gently. "Why don't I get you something to eat, and then I'll show you where you can get some sleep? I think that will do you the most good right now." She could see that as he was sitting there with his head now resting in his hands and his entire frame hunched over. It was obvious to her that he was not going to speak of what had happened and all she could do was be patient with him.

She got up and went to retrieve the soup and brought it over to him. She handed him a spoon and sat down next to him, her hand coming to rest on his shoulder.

Instead of eating the soup, Andrew could only sit there and stir the contents of the bowl, his eyes filling with tears as he eventually dropped the spoon and watched as it landed on the side of the bowl. Within seconds, he began to weep bitterly, his hands covering his face, the tears streaming down his cheeks.

Christina wrapped him in her arms and held tightly to him all the while unsure if what she was capable of doing that would actually help him, but somehow feeling as though she was making a difference to him.

"It's OK," she offered weakly pulling him into her embrace. "Come on, I don't think you can eat anything right now. You need to rest."

"Christina…"

"I know, Andrew, but everything will be OK," she said gently and brushed her hand through his blonde hair. "You're not the only one who harbors job related pain, believe me, I've had more than my share lately." She smiled sympathetically and stood up. Once she offered him her hand and he was able to stand up, she led him to their guest room. Once He was in bed and she had tucked him in, she turned off the light.

"No," he whispered weakly.

"What is it, the darkness?" She asked wondering if it was possible that he could be afraid of the dark.

"Y-yes," his voice was hoarse and she turned the small bedside lamp back on.

"Is that better? I mean, if it's too bright, I have an extra nightlight in Laura's room, and she grew out of that some years ago, but I can go get it," she said gently.

"No, it's fine," he whispered softly.

"Are you going to be OK?" She asked, not certain she wanted to leave him alone.

"I think so," he said softly and Christina stood up.

She walked towards the door, but when she reached the doorway, she could see that Laura was now standing in the doorway and she was looking at her mother with complete surprise and sadness evident in her eyes. "Mom?"

"What is it, Laura?" Christina could feel the tears in her eyes as her daughter came into the room, her arms wrapping around her mother.

"What's happened?" Laura asked weakly.

"Andrew'ssick honey," Christina said softly. "He needs some rest."

Laura glanced over and began to stare at the angel lying on the bed. She could feel her eyes filling with tears and she walked slowly towards where he was. "May I stay here with him for a few minutes? I can't sleep anyway and you look as though you don't want him to be by himself."

"Yes, that's OK, but try not to bother him," Christina said softly. "Do you want me to bring you some water?"

"No, I already drank so much that I feel like I slosh when I try to walk," Laura smiled weakly as her mother left the room and she went over to the chair to sat down next to the bed. Her eyes were sad as she regarded the angel, but she reached over and gently brushed the hair from his eyes. After a couple of seconds, she noticed that he had slowly opened them and was now looking up at her. "Hi, Andrew," she said softly.

He licked his dry lips and spoke. "Laura, is that you, sweetheart?"

"Yeah, I couldn't sleep," she said softly. "My mom said that I could sit with you."

"So, you're my babysitter now?" He asked, but smiled weakly at her.

"No, it's just that I just couldn't sleep, and Mom said that you were sick, and needed a little TLC," she said smiling shyly. "I heard you and her talking downstairs when I got up to get a drink of water, but then I went back to bed and I couldn't go back to sleep." She yawned, and covered her mouth with her hand.

"You shouldn't worry about me," he whispered.

"But, I do," she said softly. "You're my best friend."

"Laura, I don't know if I'm capable of being anyone's best friend right now," Andrew whispered.

"Everyone doubts once in a while," she said and smiled weakly at him. "You're entitled, too."

Andrew sighed deeply but eventually, he nodded and closed his eyes.

Laura remained in the chair next to him for about half an hour, but then she felt herself becoming so tired that eventually, she got up, went to the other side of the bed, and crawled over next to him, her head coming to rest against his shoulder. She lay there for a few minutes all the while she could feel his soft breath against her cheek. There, next to her dearest friend in the world, Laura Lowery finally fell asleep.

An hour later, Jeremy opened the door to the guest room and found his daughter and the angel asleep in the room, his daughter lying on top of the covers, her head resting against Andrew's chest, and a gentle smile playing on her lips, but the chilly air was causing her to subconsciously shiver.

Jeremy smiled weakly as he reached for a blanket that was in the corner of the room and covered her with it. The task done, he kissed his daughter's forehead before leaving the room and closing the door behind him.

Moments later, Andrew woke up, his eyes widening when he saw Laura snuggled up next to him with a blanket over her. He smiled weakly and lay back down against the pillows. As he managed to get comfortable, he put his arm gently around his friend and he, too, drifted off to sleep.

*****

Hours later, the morning sun streamed through the window, and Christina tapped lightly on the guest room door. Laura heard the persistent tapping and opened her eyes, she could feel the gentle hold Andrew had on her and she crawled slowly out of bed trying to keep from disturbing him. She reached the door and opened it and looked up to see Christina's concerned face.

"Good morning, honey, happy birthday," Christina began and Laura smiled weakly up at her mother.

"Please don't get mad, Mom, I didn't mean to bother him, I just fell asleep here," Laura said softly.

"I'm not upset with you, sweetheart, and I don't think you bothered anyone. Your daddy said that when he came in to check on Andrew last night that he found you asleep next to him. He was the one that brought you the blanket," Christina said softly. "Now, why don't you go downstairs and see what your daddy is cooking up for breakfast. I'm sure you can catch the last of the cartoons," she said smiling. "I know how much you love to watch Saturday morning cartoons."

Laura smiled and nodded as she left the room. Christina sat down in the chair she had occupied the night before and folded her hands. "Father, please give him your strength, I don't know what to do right now and I don't know if what I am doing is going to help." She stopped whispering her prayer when she heard Andrew shifting on the bed. After a few minutes passed, he opened his eyes and looked up at her.

"Hi Andrew," she said softly once he sat up in bed.

"Christina?"

"Yes, do you remember what happened last night?" She asked. "The police found you downtown and brought you here. Are you OK?"

He looked down at himself and then back at her. "I'm trapped," he whispered.

"I know," Christina said softly.

"He doesn't love me anymore, I failed," he whispered.

"How can you say that?" She asked weakly.

"I just did," he whispered.

"ButyouI mean; you're an angel, Andrew," she whispered softly. She reached over and brushed his hair away from his eyes. "Please, don't deny Him now, I just know that He wants to help you, but you have to tell Him you need His help."

"How do you know this?" He asked, his voice having traces of anger in it and she could feel herself involuntarily shivering when she could sense the coolness of his words. Hearing them almost made her begin to cry.

"Becausebecause, you told me," Christina said softly, "and I have always believed you."

"Maybe, you shouldn't," he said softly.

"You helped me make sense of things after Ted Gordon died, and you helped me when Jeremy and Laura were in that accident. Why would I stop listening to you?" She asked weakly as she brushed her hand gently through his hair. "You're one of my best friends, Andrew, and I don't want to hurt you, it looks as though you have already been upset and hurt enough these past few days."

"You don't understand what I've been through," he said softly.

"Maybe I would understand if you would just tell me," she said softly. "Just because you've lost your faith, doesn't mean that I will too."

"I haven't lost my faith," he snapped.

"Then why are you angry with me? You tell me I shouldn't believe your words today, but these were the same words that gave me so much comfort when I was little."

Andrew crawled out of the bed and walked towards the door. Before he reached it, he turned around and faced her. "I think I've worn out my welcome here, maybe I should go."

Christina looked at him. "You would go, just like that, wouldn't you?"

He replied by walking out of the room and not looking back. Christina could feel the tears now streaming down her face. "I pushed him, I know I did," she whispered under her breath and shook her head sadly. "Now, he's gone, and it's all my fault."

"Christina," Sam's voice entered her thoughts and she looked into the coal black eyes of the man now in the room.

"You came back to scold me, didn't you? I screwed everything up, didn't I?" She asked softly.

"No, you didn't, and that's not why I'm here," he said gently as he came over and sat down next to her. "You see that his faith is dwindling, that these forces we spoke of really had their way with him. It's going to be hard to reach him now, but the Father knows that you will, just don't give up."

She nodded and once Sam was gone, she wiped her hands over her eyes and left the room.

*****

Andrew wandered aimlessly through the park a few hours later. His mind was a flurry of memories as well as ideas and thoughts about what Christina had said to him. He knew that he had hurt her, but his soul was so full of pain that he didn't know what to do, or where to go next. On top of that, none of the other angels had come to find him, and he was left feeling lost and abandoned by them.

As he sat down on a bench, he could see children playing around him and he continued to watch them for some time. Eventually, he could see a young woman standing near the fountain, her eyes watching the ducks swimming nearby, but she continued to throw stones into the water. What made him watch her, he did not know, but it was as though he knew her from somewhere. Where specifically, he was not sure.

After some time had passed, he noticed that she turned around and started to walk towards where he was seated, her sad blue eyes looking around as though they were going to bare holes into whomever it was who would be caught looking at her.

She eventually looked down at the ground, apparently unable to even meet anyone's gaze, and after a few moments, she looked over at where he was sitting. He could tell that her eyes began to fill with tears, and it was obvious to him that she was carrying the same despondency in the recesses of her heart as he did.

"Hi," she said after she sat down on the neighboring bench, her voice was soft, but the sadness she carried so gut wrenching that Andrew found himself wanting only to look away, but discovering that he was not able to do so.

"Hello," he finally found his voice, but it emerged more or less as a forced squeak.

As the bells of the nearby church chimed, the woman's attention diverted to them and she felt herself begin to tremble as she regarded the tones, which now resonated through the park. "Not in the mood for a sermon, huh?" She asked as he sadly glanced in the direction of the church.

"I guess not," he said simply.

"My name's Elise Kilgore," she said softly.

"Andrew," he replied.

"You're not from around here, are you?" She asked.

"No, but one of my friends lives nearby," he said softly, all the while hoping that Christina would still consider him a friend even after the horrible manner which he had behaved. Sighing sadly, he glanced over at the fountain where the ducks were now swimming, but he found himself feeling sadder as he reflected on the friend who had stood by him through everything and how he had walked away from her entire family. "What about you?" He asked trying to break himself free from all the painful feelings that were raging havoc on his emotions.

"I live here, but my most of my family lives a couple of towns over," she said. "You know where Southside is?"

"Mm-hum, my friend Jeremy's family lives there," he said softly.

"If you'll excuse me for saying so, somehow I get the impression that you feel about as miserable as I do," she said softly.

"Why is that?" He asked.

"No reason," she hedged softly but when she looked at him, she sighed deeply as she began to contemplate how this kind man seemed interested enough to ask her such a question, that perhaps she could give him an honest answer. "That's not exactly true, I just haven't the strength to analyze it."

"Why, is it really so horrible?" He asked.

"Let's just say that when you experience something like I did, then yes, it is horrible, and heartbreaking, dreadful, awful, tragic," she said softly, the adjectives rolling off her tongue as though she had been sitting with a dictionary in her lap and all the while attempting to decipher her emotions. Sighing sadly, she found herself starting to relax in his company. There was something outer-worldly about this man, but at the same time, there was also an innocence she could not fully comprehend. "Did you see the newspaper yesterday?" She finally asked him.

"No, I didn't," he said softly.

"Did you hear about the school shooting?" She found herself asking.

"Mm-hum, I did," he said sadly and his eyes began to brim with tears as he remembered what he had witnessed and how the two boys had refused to listen to his words, thus the resulting factor being them committing this heinous act.

"I was there," she said softly, her voice filled with agony and sadness. "I saw everything that happened."

"That must have been very difficult for you," he said softly looking at her for the first time since she had sat down.

"Difficult? No, difficult is trying to find a bathing suit that fits, this was absolutely repulsive," she whispered. "Ever since it happened, I've been questioning why, or what I could have done differently. I don't know anymore, but I do know that I'm seen as some kind of hero, but I'm not, I'm just a person who did what I had to do. The day after this happened, my doctor had to put me on some kind of sedative or something to keep my emotions in check. Have you ever laid in bed at night and wondered what was going to happen next, or if you were going to be able to overcome all the things that have been dumped on your plate?"

"Yes, I have," he whispered.

"What did you do about it?" She asked, and he could tell that she really wanted to know the answer to this question.

"I used to pray," he said softly.

"Used to? I guess you know how I feel right now better than anyone. I mean, why would God allow this to happen? Why would He abandon us to fight this terrible thing alone? I used to pray, I would pray for my family, for friends, for my students, but do you know what it got me? Nothing! Nothing but sore knees," she said bitterly.

Andrew continued to listen to her, his thoughts drifting as she spoke, but he found himself becoming intrigued by her words. Finally, he looked at her. "Are you doing anything right now?"

"No, I just came here to think," she admitted.

"Would you like to have a cup of coffee or something?" He offered.

"OK," she said softly. "Why not?"

Together they got up off the bench and left the park.

*****

Christina came down the stairs to see Laura and Jeremy in the kitchen. "Hey, where's Andrew?" Jeremy asked.

"He's gone out," she said softly. "I guess he needed some time to himself."

Jeremy looked at her, and he could tell that there were traces of disbelief all over his wife's face. "Christina, what is it?"

"I don't know," she whispered. "Last night I wanted to be there for him, and help him, and this morning, I blew it." She sat down at the table and rested her head in her hands. "Jeremy, I know what happened to him, I was visited last night by a very intimidating angel. He explained a few things to me, but everything is so hard right now. I feel so lost and I feel like Andrew doesn't care anymore," she said softly.

"Mom, last night he told me he felt like he wasn't able to be a good friend," Laura said weakly. "Does this have anything to do with what happened?"

"I think so, but I'm not sure anymore," Christina said.

"Do you think he'll be here for my birthday?" Laura asked as she looked down at her hands. "I asked God if some of my friends would come, but I never thought much about it and now..."

"Laura, no matter what happens today, we're going to make sure you have a wonderful birthday," Jeremy promised. "Paula called last night, and she's bringing the crew with her. You know they will make sure you have a good time, sweetheart."

"I talked to your grandparents, and they plan on coming, and even Lindsey is here in town, so you will have a lot of friends around."

"Yeah," Laura said softly. "They are all nice, but I have no friends my age." With that she got up and left the room, her sadness evident.

Once she was gone, Jeremy looked at Christina and shook his head sadly. "I sometimes think that it would have been better had Andrew not come last night at all," he said softly. "If he doesn't show up for Laura's party, she's going to be crushed. You know she adores him, but now, she's feeling so alone, and I don't know how to reach her."

"I know, but you know something, I have a funny feeling that if anyone here is going to be able to help Andrew find his faith again, it will be Laura," Christina said softly, her eyes filling with tears and as they streamed down her face, she looked at him. "I always hoped that I would make a difference to Andrew, but now I can't, I guess I'm not as important to him as I once was."

"Don't ever underestimate yourself, sweetheart," Jeremy said softly. "You make a bigger difference then you can even imagine.

*****

Elise and Andrew sat in the local diner, each holding a coffee cup. As she finished her cup, she smiled at him from her side of the table. "You've been very nice, Andrew," she said softly. "Can I see you again?"

"I don't know," he said softly, but when he saw her hopeful eyes, he eventually nodded. "If you want, we can meet again at the park tomorrow afternoon."

"That sounds really nice," she smiled weakly at him and got up. "Today, I'll pay for the coffee, tomorrow maybe you can."

"OK," Andrew said softly as she got up.

"I'm sorry, but I really have to go now," she smiled weakly before leaving, and Andrew watched her as she disappeared through the door.

"Trying to save the hopeless, Andrew?" A voice emerged and he looked up. Paula Davies was standing near his table and she carried a loving smile on her face, but she approached where he was still seated and sat down at the table in the spot that Elise had vacated.

"Hello, Paula," Andrew said softly.

Jeremy's older sister looked at him as though she was trying hard to determine what was going on with him. After a few seconds passed, she shrugged her shoulders, got up, and sat down next to him as they could hear the sounds of silverware being dropped and plates being stacked back in the recesses of the kitchen. After the restaurant was once again silent, she looked at him. "That's a pretty lucky woman," she said softly.

"What do you mean?"

"I guess you know that Elise teaches at the high school, the same one where the shooting happened," she began. "I heard that she was nearly killed when those two boys decided to open fire there and if one of the victims hadn't have pushed her away, she would be dead now, too," Paula said.

"That's where I knew her," Andrew said softly.

"You were there?" She asked weakly and once he nodded, she reached over and took his hand in hers and held it tightly, squeezing it every so often. "I'm sorry, Andrew, I'm so sorry. I guess it's as hard for you to comprehend this as it is for all of us."

"Paula, I need some time alone," he said softly.

"No, Andrew, you don't, and I think you know deep down inside that that is the last thing you need. You've been alone through so much already, now you have a family, and we're always going to be here for you," she reached over and rested a motherly hand on his shoulder. "Come with me, Vincent, Robert, his fiancé Loren, Simon and Brittany are there. You need to know that we love you, and that we'll always be here for you when you need us."

Andrew looked away and was about to leave the table when Paula reached over and grabbed his hand. "I can't make you understand, Paula, please let me go."

She shook her head. "I won't, not yet, I mean; you must understand, what happened wasn't your fault. Andrew, those boys were sick, they were emotionally unable to comprehend what it was they were doing. They didn't have the loving family that would go to the ends of the Earth for them, they were hurting, and now, so are you." She released his hand and touched his face. "You have a family here, and before you do anything else, please try not to hurt us anymore."

"Christina, you mean?"

"She only wanted to help you, but there's someone else who does too, and that's Laura. Now she believes that you're mad at her. She thinks you're angry with her for trying to comfort you last night."

"I'm not," he said weakly. "Can you explain that to her?"

"No, I can't, because you have to find the courage to tell her that yourself," Paula said softly. "That little girl adores you, Andrew, she doesn't completely understand violence and hatred anymore, but she does understand friendship, and needs to know that her best friend won't leave her side especially not today, which also happens to be her birthday. She's been wishing for her grandfather to find peace ever since Olivia died, and now she says the very same prayers for you, all the while not understanding what has happened or why you're upset."

Before he could say anything to her, she got up and walked slowly away leaving him alone.

*****

Laura was devastated when Paula returned and told her that Andrew appeared to have no intention of coming to her birthday party, so much so that she fled the living room and went upstairs to be alone in her bedroom.

As she sat on the floor and looked around the empty room, she could feel the tears of pain streaming down her cheeks. She knew she wasn't the most popular kid in school; she was often teased and tormented because of her disability. That accident, ever since that stupid accident, she was deformed. She often thought that she was not worth anything, simply because all the other kids belittled her and called her 'the cripple'. Junior high was quickly becoming a nightmare for her, and even at school, she was alone much of the time. If the teachers even did give her the time of day, it was only to direct words of pity at her.

Today, she could not help but remember how she had invited a bunch of the other kids in her class to come to her birthday party and at first, they seemed enthusiastic about it, but in reality, they didn't want to come and had tossed the invitations into the garbage.

This painful realization that none of them had the intention to coming to her party at all, shattered her already wounded heart, and in her soul, she felt completely lost and alone. Now that Andrew had come back, she discovered that he didn't want to come either, and the feeling of love was as alien to her as it had been when she was being physically and emotionally abused by her birth parents.

First, she had lost Olivia, someone she considered to be a very good friend, and as much as she tried to stay strong about it, she was in so much pain. No one seemed to even be aware of the extent of the pain she was in. It had been over a year, but yet, it felt as though it had happened only two days ago.

On top of that, she worried almost endlessly about her grandpa, and how she wished that she could confide in him, but she knew that he was hurting too. She remembered how Daniel had been unwilling or unable to even speak two words to her. Now, she simply tried to avoid any sort of conversation with him.

Sighing sadly, she slowly stood up and went to open the door to her room. Once out in the hallway, she crept quietly down the stairs, through the living room, and outside.

As she made her way in the direction of the park, she could feel her legs beginning to hurt from the strain exerted on them, but the tears that were streaming down her cheeks emerged for other reasons. She had started to ignore the pain her legs caused when she would try to walk, but now the emotional anguish was so intense that she found herself simply allowing the tears to fall. No one seemed to notice the pain she carried inside, they always seemed to be far more worried about everyone else.

Laura found a secluded bench and sat down. She could see that some of the other neighborhood children were playing around the fountain that was situated in the middle of the park. Eventually, they looked over, spotted her, and were now coming closer.

"Look guys, it's the cripple," one of them said loudly, and the others began to laugh as well. "I heard she has her birthday today, I wonder how many people are coming for it. Marcie said that all the kids who got invitations trashed them."

Laura remained seated for some agonizing seconds, but when one of the boys started throwing mud in her face, she stood up with the intention of running away. As soon as she managed to get to her feet, it seemed as though her feet had picked this moment to refuse to cooperate with her and she fell back onto the bench.

She struggled once again in order to get to her feet, but as she tried to push herself off the bench, she could feel her body lurching forward and falling hard onto the ground. Instead of helping her by preventing her fall, the boys backed away and laughed when she landed on the sidewalk, the concrete cutting her knees and causing them to bleed. The children continued to laugh and one of them even began to kick dirt into her face.

She tried without success to keep the mud from splattering in her eyes, all the while trying to get up, but she couldn't. "Go away," she cried, the tears falling freely.

The boys responded by speaking of the most painful thing they could find to hurt her. "Hey Laura, why don't you go back to your real mommy and daddy and let them really teach you a thing or two. I'm sure they can tell you that you're as big of a looser as we think."

"Stop doing this!" A voice interrupted the boy's words and Laura looked up to see that Andrew was now standing some three feet away from her, and he was regarding the boys not only with the utmost sadness, but also a trace of frustration. When he looked at her, she could see the guilt that seemed to embody him, but after a few seconds, she covered her face with her hands and allowed the tears to continue streaming down her face.

"Who's gonna make us? You?" One of the boys said as he tried to buff himself up so that he would look tougher and more intimidating than he actually was. "She really is a looser to have to have a grown up defend her."

"It is only through cowardice in a group of children, which gives them the strength to hurt someone who isn't like they are. Do you kids not have something better to do than to go and pick on this child?" Andrew asked, keeping his voice level, but he carried a look of absolute horror in his eyes as he regarded the lack of caring that seemed to exist on the faces of the boys.

"She's a nothing," one of the boys said.

"Yeah," chimed another. "Let's get out of here guys, she's not worth our time."

As the boys left her on the ground, Andrew got down on his knees in front of her and rested his hands on her shoulders. "Laura, are you OK honey?"

She shook her head and looked up at him. "They're right," she whispered softly, the pain emerging in her words, "I'm a nothing."

"No, they aren't and you are not a nothing, Laura," Andrew could feel the tears now streaming down his cheeks as he looked at her. He could see that she was now looking at him with unsuppressed surprise.

"Why do you cry, they didn't hurt you?" She asked weakly, her voice unusually soft, but filled with the existing pain she carried deep in her heart. "You're just like them, anyway. You don't want to be with me either, you probably hate me and think I'm a cripple, too." Her words emerged filled with so much pain. She struggled to get to her feet but when she did, her feet gave out and she ended up on the ground again, the blood smearing across the concrete.

Laura's sorrow tugged at Andrew's already wounded heart and he could feel the guilt encompass him as the tears continued to stream down his cheeks. "I don't, Laura, you know I care for you. I care so much, that when I saw what I did some days ago, you were all I could think about."

"What happened to you?" She asked weakly. She was still on the ground, her hands all the while rubbing in the dirt, her face a depiction of the utmost pain, her knees still bleeding.

Andrew leaned down and picked her up gently in his arms. As he held her, he could feel the emotions getting the better of him and with her still in his arms, he sat down on the bench and she remained on his lap. With a handkerchief, he wiped it gently over her knees and removed the pebbles from the ground that were now caked on her injured knees. "Laura, I can't talk about this right now, it's too hard for me, but this morning, I got upset with your mom, and I said some things that hurt her, things I didn't mean to say. That's why I didn't want to come, but then Paula told me that today is your birthday." He reached over and brushed her hair from her eyes and offered her a gentle smile.

Laura nodded numbly, her face filled with sadness, and she found herself looking away. "Nobody wanted to come to my party, anyway. All the kids threw my invitations away and said that nobody in their right mind would come." As she spoke, she looked down at her legs with scorn in her eyes, and as she continued to speak, she told Andrew something that completely caught him by surprise. "The doctor said that my legs will never be normal again, that I will walk weird for the rest of my life." She looked at him sadly. "You know that ever since I was really little, I wanted to be a dancer when I grew up, and now I'll never dance, I'll never even walk right."

She began to cry in earnest as soon as she finished speaking. She pulled a small photograph from her pocket and showed it to him. On it was a photograph of a ballerina, and she ran her hand over the glossy picture. "Every time the kids call me a 'cripple', I remember how much I used to love dancing, and I think about something that I will never ever be able to do. My parents don't know about this, I never told them," Laura said indicating the picture, "but it was the one thing that I wanted to live for when I was being hurt by the Cantus." She ripped the photo down the middle and tossed the two pieces to the ground. "Now, I have nothing left."

"Why didn't you tell Christina and Jeremy about this?" Andrew asked gently.

"'Cause Dad felt bad about the accident, and Mom felt guilty about it," Laura said softly. "I didn't want them to think that I was mad at them for me being messed up this way." The tears streamed down her cheeks. "That's why I wanted to be with Olivia, because she knew how I felt, and she knew how much I dreamt of dancing. She even told me that she admired me for having a dream and holding onto it. She just didn't know that that was the only thing keeping me alive."

Andrew nodded and for the first time since his experience at the school, he could see the pain in this little girl's eyes. He glanced skyward, but his heart stopped him from reaching out to God, and instead, all he was capable of doing was to wrap her in his arms and hold her tightly.

Laura looked at him after some moments. "I'm sorry," she whispered. "You've been sick, and I probably shouldn't have told you all of this stuff."

"No, Laura, I'm really glad that you did," he smiled gently at her as he brushed her hair away from her face. "I must admit something to you. I'm more grateful than you probably even realize."

"Why?"

"Because, you're still my friend, and I don't really know how many of those I even have left," he said softly.

"My mommy loves you," she said softly. "And I love you, so that's at least two people, but there are probably a lot more who think you're really wonderful."

Andrew nodded and hugged her, the tears streaming down his cheeks, but the truth of the child's words had started to work their magic of healing his wounded spirit.

*****

Christina walked outside onto the patio at this moment, she could see that her family was all inside the house, but she found herself needing a few moments to herself. She did not want anyone to see just how saddened she was with all the problems that introduced themselves to her during the previous night.

"Father, I tried so hard, maybe too hard to help Andrew, but he's my friend, and I just hope that he will still see me as that even though he may not be happy with me right now," she whispered.

"He does, Christina," a soft voice interrupted and she looked up.

"Monica?"

"Hello," the Irish angel smiled as she sat down next to her. "I've been sent to keep an eye on things. How are you doing?"

"I guess OK, I met Sam last night," Christina smiled weakly. "He's nice, but very intimidating. Anyway, he shed a lot of light on things for me, but still everything's so hard. This entire community is stricken by the events of last week, but right now I have so much on my mind, I don't even know what to think anymore."

"I know, I have been working out at the school, and have been trying to help the kids. You'd be surprised at how many people can't afford to get counseling when something like this happens. They are dealing with it as best they can, but it's not easy for them to comprehend at all."

"I can believe it," Christina said softly. "I have a couple of these kids in therapy now, and what they have spoken of has positively horrified me. I can't believe what is happening in schools these days. I mean, this sounds really like I'm ancient, but when I was in school, the greatest concern was something like whether I had enough pencils in my backpack for math class, or whether Jerry Stewart was going to ask me out on a date. I mean, it's horrifying what is happening, and I feel so helpless."

Monica smiled compassionately. "I know, and the wee ones are not doing all that well at understanding this, and I can only do so much, but this is so hard for the classmates of these kids who died."

Christina smiled weakly. "I have a couple of days off, so if you guys need a little help, maybe I could come out there with you and pitch in."

"You wouldn't mind?" Monica asked.

"No, maybe it could give me a better idea of how Andrew is feeling right now. Maybe then I can better understand what has happened to him and can help him as well as those kids. I mean, Sam told me that he was there when it happened, so maybe this will help me help him," Christina said softly, but for some reason, as she spoke those words, she somehow did not believe them.

"Perhaps you have already helped more than you know," a voice emerged and she turned around and her eyes met those of her long time friend. Laura was standing next to him and she was tightly holding his hand.

Christina smiled weakly, but instead of saying anything to him, she turned back and looked at Monica. "I still want to help, that is if I'm needed."

"That would be absolutely wonderful," Monica said enthusiastically. "Now, I hear there's a certain wee girl who has her birthday today. Why don't we go inside, get your knees taken care of and you can show me what you received?"

Laura giggled and reached out to take Monica's outstretched hand. Together they went into the house leaving Christina and Andrew standing outside on the patio.

Christina found herself only able to look away once they were alone. She sighed deeply, but could feel the tears beginning to stream down her cheeks.

"Christina?" Andrew walked slowly over to his friend once the sliding glass doors closed and they were alone.

"You don't have to say anything, Andrew," she began, feeling the tears in her eyes. "The last thing I ever wanted to do was push an issue with you, but I didn't know the extent that you were hurting, I mean; you never told me anything. I was left only to assume how you felt based on information I got from Sam," she said softly. "Everyone had all this confidence that I could have helped make things better, but now, I'm only good at making a mess of everything." She turned away unable to meet his piercing gaze.

"I know you did what you could, but you didn't make a mess of anything. I did." He rested his hands on her shoulders and turned her around so that she would face him. "Will you forgive me, Christina? I'm really sorry that I hurt you."

She nodded numbly, but could feel the tears still streaming down her face. Andrew took both of her hands in his, led her over to a chair, and they both sat down. "Tell me what happened, please," she finally managed to find her voice.

Andrew nodded as he began to speak. "I had been sent to work with Bruce Freedman about five days before the shooting happened. I had become a substitute teacher for his History class, and during the first day, I met Bruce and talked to him. He was a lonely young man, sad much of the time, hurting more than I imagined any child could endure. He often talked about Terry whose father was more or less an outdoorsy type who was really into guns and hunting. I talked to Bruce for a little while that afternoon and tried everything I could think of to get him to open up. Once, I noticed how he would sit and draw pictures in class, and when I saw one, I noticed that it was a building on fire. I knew then that time was running short for these boys when I noticed that the building depicted in his drawing was an exact replica of that very school. In retrospect, I realize that what he was doing was drawing pictures of what he perceived to happen on that day." He sighed deeply as he looked at his friend.

"What happened next?" She asked weakly.

"He asked me when we talked the following afternoon if I ever thought about revenge when people were unkind? He wanted to know if someone had ever hurt me leaving me with the only option of trying to get even with him or her," Andrew self-consciously shuddered, but he looked at Christina and continued to speak. "He left some time later and as an angel, I was able to follow him. First, he went to see his friend, Terry, and I saw that they had stolen a couple of guns from the boy's father and all they spoke about was how much they wanted to go and get even with those snobs who made their lives so miserable. Christina, I could only stand there and watch them as they began to make their plans for carrying this out. After that, he came home and simply locked himself in his room. He wouldn't talk to anyone. As I watched him, I felt awful because I could do nothing to help persuade him against this."

"Remember free will, Andrew?" Christina asked when he stopped speaking and the tears streamed down his cheeks. She reached over and rested her hand gently against his face, thus causing him to look at her. "They chose to do this act, you weren't responsible; you only tried to help. They had a choice whether to accept your help or not."

Andrew nodded numbly, but his face was filled with misery as he continued to speak, his voice cracking. "I know, but I saw the boys again on Monday when they came to school. Their demeanor was none too pleasant for me to watch, but this was something that I had grown used to when it came to these types of cases as well as manic depressed individuals. I wanted to reveal to them who I was, but I was told under no circumstance would I be able to do so until they were ready, and at that moment, they were simply not ready. So, I had no choice but to wait. On Tuesday morning, I arrived at the school, and was immediately sent to the cafeteria."

"God knew that something was about to happen?"

Andrew nodded. "Yes, He did and I was on stand-by. I had been reassigned, and after I got there, I saw Adam and Henry, as well as a number of other Angels of Death. I was told that my new assignment was to be Holly Johnson, a 14-year-old girl who had turned down Bruce for a date." He took a deep breath, the tears streaming down his face as he looked at her unable to find the words to continue. Christina reached across the table and took his hand, her squeezes gently probing him to speak further.

"At that moment, Bruce and Terry came into the cafeteria, each pulled a pistol out of their belongings and began to open fire. It was terrible, the students were screaming, some crawling under the tables either to protect themselves from the rapid gunfire or shield themselves from the hysteria that had overtaken the place. Holly stood there for some seconds in shock, she was unable to even move to protect herself and I could do nothing but stand there and wait. I know she was too scared to move, and I could only watch as Bruce aimed his pistol right at her and..." Andrew stopped speaking his head bowing and he began to weep bitterly all the while shaking his head.

Christina got up, came over to him, put her arms around him, and held tightly to him as he continued to weep, his arms wrapping around her as he allowed himself to cry in her arms. "I know it's so hard for you, Andrew, but this will help you heal, and I think you know that," she whispered as she rocked him in her arms and he cried.

When he managed to find his voice again, he continued to speak, his voice weak and somewhat forced, but he remained in the arms of his friend. "Holly fell to the floor…"

Andrew's Flashback

Everything was happening so quickly, Holly had collapsed to the floor, her hands covering a wound near her heart, her eyes filled with fear and agony as she slipped out of consciousness. The sounds no longer mattering to her, but Andrew approached and rested his hand gently on her shoulder.

Holly, my name is Andrew, and I'm an angel. I was sent from God to be with you, he whispered directly to her soul as he crouched down beside her, his green eyes regarding her with love and understanding.

It hurts so much, the girl whispered. I'm so scared. Her words were emerging garbled, her pain obviously intense and her fear encompassing her as she lay there on the floor of the cafeteria in a pool of blood.

Andrew could feel the tears in his own eyes as he sat down beside her and held her in his arms. God loves you sweetheart, and He's here with you right now. Don't be afraid, I'll stay with you until you are once more in the arms of the Father.

I'm going to die? Holly asked weakly.

Andrew's tender heart just about broke when he heard her words, but eventually, he nodded. Yes, you will, the bullet punctured your left lung, Holly. I know you're in so much pain, but it won't be too long now and your pain will be over forever. Just relax and don't be afraid.

I'll try not to, but it's so hard.

I know sweetheart, but God is right here with you, and neither He nor I will abandon you. We're going to stay right here with you.

You're very kind, she whispered as she looked him directly in the eyes and could see the tears streaming down his handsome face. She reached up and brushed the tears from under his eyes, thus smearing them away. This is so very sad for you to see, isn't it, Andrew?

Andrew could only nod.

You know, I always knew that God's angels were wonderful, even though you are the first angel I've ever met, she said softly. Please, don't be sad about me, Andrew, I believe in Heaven and in God, and I know you give me no reason to be afraid, but I'm also a little bit sad that my family may not understand why this has happened to me, especially, Heather, my twin sister.

You're a very courageous girl, Holly, he said softly, his sadness beginning to overwhelm him. I cannot believe that one so young has so much courage and faith.

Well, then we're even because I can't believe that I have such a cute angel as you watching over me, she smiled weakly noticing that he was now blushing slightly. You're even more charming when you blush like that.

Andrew could do nothing but grow even redder. You have a wonderful sense of humor.

She shrugged her shoulders, but within moments the pain caused even her humor to dissipate leaving a young and frightened teenager lying on the floor near him. He could tell that she was scared and he reached over and began to brush her hair gently from her eyes.

After some moments, she looked at him, the fear taking over and her terrified blue eyes regarded him. Andrew, you're not going to leave me, are you?

No, Holly, I won't, I'm right here, he replied gently.

Please talk to me, I'm so afraid; I've never been so scared before. I'm really going to die, just because one of those boys was mad at me.

Mad at you? Why would he be mad at you? Andrew asked her gently.

Bruce asked me out on a date and I had to decline. You see, my parents didn't allow me to go on dates until I would turn 16. I would have gone out with him otherwise, but I didn't want to sneak around behind their backs. That would have hurt them, and they are good people. Her voice faded and she looked into the eyes of the angel who was with her. Andrew, Why didn't God stop this from happening?

He did not want to interfere with free will, Andrew said softly.

He's sad that this happened, isn't He?

Yes, He is, and He knows that you're afraid. Holly, I will remain with you the entire journey home. He smiled gently at her and wrapped her dying body in his arms.

As the life force drained from the young girl, she looked at him. I feel weird, Andrew what's happening? I keep seeing some strange light, it's so beautiful...

Focus all your energy on that, Holly, God is calling you home.

Flashback End

"She called you cute and charming?" Christina asked.

He nodded and smiled weakly as his face turned a brighter shade of red. "Until the end, that beautiful child maintained her sense of humor and the love that was in her was so special. She even greeted the Father with a witty comment about how His light must have created an outrageous electric bill."

Christina giggled. "He laughed, didn't He?"

"I don't really know, because as soon as I fulfilled my promise to her, I had returned here," he said softly.

"You never got any assurances from Him that you did your very best and that He loves you?" Christina asked softly. "It's no wonder you have been so sad about all of this. Andrew, what you needed the most, you denied yourself because of guilt." She got down on her knees and looked up at him, her hands squeezing his. "You have been harboring this guilt since those two boys did what they did. I know you were assigned to Bruce, but he made the choice, Andrew, he chose to listen to those other voices in his dwindling consciousness rather than to the voice of love that emanated from God through you. There was really nothing else you could have done without interfering with Bruce's free will. Now, I understand how hurt you were, and it's truly no wonder you feel that God doesn't love you."

Andrew could do nothing but nod.

"You have to tell Him how you feel. Let Him restore you to who you truly are," she said gently. "All those times when I had to ask Him to guide me, to forgive me, to help me. Well, now you must take your own advice and simply talk to Him."

"I don't know if I can," he said softly. "I feel so hurt right now."

"Then this is truly the best time to do so, my friend," she said gently. Taking his hand in hers, she pulled him gently forward until he managed to get on his knees as well. Seconds later, she looked at him. "Shall I?"

Andrew, feeling shame encompassing him, nodded numbly.

"Father," Christina began to pray, one of her hands still holding tightly to the hand of her friend. "Andrew and I are here, and we have come before you to thank you for helping me to say the right words that brought us to this point. We thank you for sending Sam to help last night, and for giving me the courage to do whatever it was I could do that may have helped. Please Father; help my friend and your angel, Andrew. He feels so badly about what has transpired at the school, and he needs to know and understand that he is not at fault for any of it. Please restore him as he is so dear to us, to me, to my family, and we all love him so very much. Please, Father, shower him with your everlasting love and give him the strength he so desperately needs in order to overcome the pain this tragedy has caused him. Let him know, please that he has done everything he could to help those boys, and that this is a fallacy in mankind, but not in him. I thank you for the gifts you have given us, and I thank you for Laura and her unconditional love not only that she bestows on your angels, but also on us. I love you."

Andrew closed his eyes and after a few moments, he glanced skyward, and after he whispered something under his breath, Christina remained on her knees and watched as her friend stood up and began to glow with the radiance of God's love. She smiled weakly as she saw him change from that of a hopeless man to the radiance of God's glorious messenger.

As his glowing dissipated, Andrew stood up, reached down, took her hands in his, pulled her to her feet, and embraced her. "I am forever grateful to you, my friend," he whispered, and gave her a gentle kiss on the cheek.

Christina could feel the tears now streaming down her cheeks, and she embraced him with all the strength she possessed. The words would simply not come, but deep down inside, she knew that Andrew would be OK now and that she had truly done something right in bringing about this transformation in him. With a thankful heart, the two friends went back inside the house.

*****

Laura was laughing and smiling when Christina and Andrew returned inside. The entire Davies family had arrived, as well as Daniel and Donna. Tess had also arrived, as she had been sent there the moment her angel boy had found his faith again and the three angels would continue with their assignment of working with the grief-stricken people of Southside in the wake of the tragedy, which had befallen them.

Tess was singing a soulful rendition of 'Happy Birthday' to Laura, and Simon had joined in singing the harmony. Robert had brought his guitar and he played a little bit of backup for it while his fiancé, Loren joined them in clapping and laughing.

It looked as though the entire family was once again happy contrary to the situation in Southside.

Once they came in, Laura waved to Andrew to come sit next to her, and he obliged her. As soon as she was alone, Christina sat down in the corner. She was feeling rather good now that the misunderstanding with Andrew had been resolved, but now her gaze kept falling on her father, who, although appeared to be happy, was carrying that typical contemplative look on his face. On his lap sat Olivia's son, Brendan, and every so often, Daniel would glance down at the small boy.

At the same time, Christina noticed that Brendan was now looking around the room with wide-eyed curiosity. He seemed to like the music that was playing as it resonated through the house, and he carried a small smile on his chubby little face.

The little boy had barely begun to start talking, but he would babble in his own special way, and Monica even began to dub him as the 'Thomas family cherub'.

As the singing wound down, Tess came over to Daniel and smiled warmly at him. "How have you been doing, Daniel?" She asked gently as the little boy reached his hands up to play with the angel shaped earrings she was wearing.

"OK," he replied as he ran his hand through his now gray hair. "Things are kind of crazy these days, aren't they?"

"In our work, every day is pretty much the same, a little crazy, but a blessing all the same," Tess said chuckling.

"I guess so," he smiled weakly. "It must be wonderful to make a difference to so many people."

"Well, a lot of the people we have met have made a difference to us, as well," she said honestly. "God's children are all so special and unique, and you are one of them, Daniel."

"I don't know if I'm all that special. But, I do what I can," he said softly.

Tess' expression changed somewhat and he could see that she was none too pleased with what he had just said. "Now, I want you to know that I may not have always been around here during the last year or so, but I can plainly see what is going on with you and all I can say is you've got to allow yourself to heal, baby. Olivia is happy now, and she's doing well, but you're the one who is still hurting."

Daniel nodded, "I guess I am. Every time I look at Brendan, I remember her, and how strong she was. I just can't get used to the fact that she's not with us anymore. She was like my baby."

"I know, honey, but did you think about the fact that maybe she is still with you? A small part of her is watching over you and she will wait until the day that she will see you all again," Tess said gently patting his hand gently. "You've got a beautiful family, Daniel, you have a daughter who helped my angel boy find his faith again, and that was not an easy task for anyone, whether it's an angel or a person."

"Chrissie is very special," Daniel said softly. "She's grown into a beautiful woman, and one with so much love to give."

"Well, it stands to reason, look at who brought her up," Tess said gently. She smiled at Daniel with pride and honesty in her eyes.

Daniel nodded, "thanks, Tess."

At that moment, Paula came over to them, "hey you two want to come, or are you going to sit there and sprout mushrooms? We're about to cut the cake."

Daniel smiled and stood up; all the while Brendan was in his arms. As soon as he sat the child on his feet and he scampered after Paula, he offered Tess his arm, she smiled and wound her arm through his and together, they walked into the dining room.

*****

The following afternoon, Andrew went to the park to meet Elise. He had been told that this young woman needed an angel, and now that he was feeling better, he no longer found himself worrying extensively about things, and today Laura walked beside him. She had gotten a kite from her father for her birthday and wanted to try it out. As she stumbled along, she could feel Andrew's hand often on her shoulder, helping to steady her.

"Are you feeling any better?" He asked her softly as they walked. "You were so sad yesterday."

"I'm still thinking about the dancing thing, but I guess I'm OK," she said softly. "I can't forget how mean those boys were to me yesterday."

"Do they make you angry?"

"No, just depressed," she looked up at him. "Andrew, can I ask you a question?"

"Sure, you can ask me anything you want," he said softly.

"Well, I heard about the shooting at school, and Mom told me last night before I went to bed that you were there," Laura shuddered unconsciously.

"Yes," he whispered. "I was."

"That must have been hard," she said softly and after a few moments of silence, she looked up at him. "You know something?" He didn't reply, but instead shook his head and offered her a gentle smile probing her to continue speaking. "Guns really scare me. I mean; some of the kids at my school like to go out and shoot things with them, but I don't like them at all."

Andrew nodded and smiled gently at her. "I'm not all that fond of them myself," he said honestly. "I have seen too many things happen when people use them, and sometimes it can be completely horrifying."

"Why do people hurt other people?" Laura asked.

"I don't know, maybe they are sad and lonely or perhaps because they have lost their faith," Andrew said softly.

"Did you lose your faith?" Laura asked. "I mean; you were really unhappy two days ago."

Andrew nodded, "I suppose I did, but the thought of hurting anyone never even came into my mind, even though I was in pain by what I had seen. It's really hard for me to explain."

"I think I know anyway, just because I would never want to hurt anyone either, but sometimes I think that my life isn't worth anything," Laura said softly. "I feel so lonely and even though I know you love me and God does too, I have no friends my age, and it's hard when the kids treat me like an outcast."

"I know," he said gently and put his arms around the girl. "But, you know that to me you're so special just as you are."

"Maybe, but I just want to be a normal kid again," she said softly.

"Normalcy is often overrated," a strange voice emerged and Elise came over and sat down on the bench next to them. "Hi Andrew, is this your daughter?"

Laura giggled, but Andrew looked at Elise with a warm smile. "No Elise, this is Laura, and she's one of my best friends. Laura, this is Elise."

"Hi," Elise said smiling at the young girl as she struggled down from the bench and went off to try and fly the kite. As Elsie watched the girl, she couldn't get over the fact that the small girl walked with a limp. "She walks as though she has trouble with her legs."

"She does," Andrew said softly. "She's often teased because of the way she walks, but it's been like this since her father and her were in a car accident almost two years ago."

"Something she can't change;" Elise nodded as she watched Laura managing to get the kite into the air. "You know, it's kids like this who are the ones who usually end up going and shooting up schools?"

"Not Laura, she may be hurt by her peers, but she would never do anything to hurt anyone else," Andrew said softly.

"What makes you so sure?" Elise asked weakly.

"I'm sure because I happen to know this little girl, I've known her since she was six," Andrew said softly as he turned and continued to watch his young friend. After some moments of silence, he turned back towards the young woman and spoke. "Elise, you said something yesterday that I would like to ask you about if that's OK."

"What?"

"It was something you said about prayer," Andrew said gently.

"What about it? Did you suddenly find religion since yesterday when we talked?" She asked as they continued to watch Laura with the kite.

"Perhaps I did," he began, "but I was just curious about why you stopped believing that prayer works?"

Elise shrugged her shoulders. "I don't know, maybe just because life seems always to be so hopeless and I just wonder why it is that people put so much emphasis on things they cannot see."

Laura came running over towards them, the kite behind her, her limping evidently showing, but the smile that covered her face was filled with innocence as she stumbled, caught herself before falling, and continued to run towards them. When she reached them, she was smiling and holding the string to the kite. "It's the most perfect day, isn't it, Andrew? God must have given it to us because He knew I wanted to try this kite out."

"I think He did," Andrew said with a smile as she continued running, her stumbling steps filled with energy and she laughed when she saw the kite floating through the air, a large butterfly that followed her from up above.

Elise continued to watch Laura as she flew the kite around them. "How can a child like that be so happy?" She mused.

"She's not always happy, Elise, but the last thing she wants is pity. She may not be able to walk like everyone else, and she may belittled by her peers and not understand why, but that little girl has not given up on life even though she has lost more in her young life than most kids have," Andrew said softly. "Laura has a lot of strength as well as faith in God that He will see her through everything, and in many ways, He has, because she had been seriously abused when I first met her."

"Abused?"

"Yes, she has been through more pain and rejection than just about any other child I have met, and believe me when I tell you, in my work, I meet a lot of children who are not nearly as bad off as she was, but who find unhealthy ways to face their struggles," Andrew said. "Like those two boys out at the school."

"You maintain the faith that that deformed child will not do something to harm others? It's truly amazing to me to see someone who would able to look at her as though she is a normal child," Elise said softly.

"She is a normal child, and in the eyes of God, she will always be loved and cared for, even when other people falsely judge her as you, unfortunately, are doing," Andrew looked up and when Laura came over to where they were sitting, she wound the string and held the kite in her hands as she came closer. As soon as she reached them, she stumbled and fell but Andrew caught her and she looked gratefully at him.

"The wind's stopped blowing, and the kite won't stay in the air," she said softly as he helped to steady her. Within moments, she managed to sit down on the bench.

Elise stood up and started to walk away, but Laura's voice stopped her. "If you want to talk with him some more, that's OK, I can go. I'm hungry anyway, and my mom made some great chili for lunch."

The young woman turned back around and her eyes met those of the girl. "No, that's OK, I need to get home myself."

It was obvious that Elise felt uncomfortable in the presence of the young girl. Somehow, Laura could see the discomfort in the young woman's actions and this made her feel all the more self-conscious. With a final glance over towards Andrew, she began to walk slowly away, but stopped for a moment and turned back around to face the angel. "Andrew, I'll see you later at home, right?" Once he nodded she smiled weakly. "I know the way."

The child hobbled away and Elise was left standing near the bench. She continued to watch as Laura disappeared through the trees, her hand holding tightly to the kite.

"You're a teacher, and yet you cannot accept and look beyond the disability in that little girl." Andrew remarked softly. "How would you feel if you were a child such as this and everyone looked at you strangely?"

"I don't need a sermon in morality," Elise said softly.

"I'm not giving you one, but I ask simply that you understand that like most children, Laura is a product of her environment. Today, she lives with a wonderful family who loves her, and gives her the attention she needs. Her spirit is the same as it was when she was able to walk like you and me. This will never change, and she will continue to grow in faith and courage."

Elise looked at him, her eyes widening slightly, but as he continued to speak, the color faded from her otherwise stern face.

"Let me ask you a question, how many times did you actually talk to Bruce or Terry when you were at work? How many times did you tell them that they had done good work, or encouraged them to draw pictures to submit with their English essays?" He asked.

"Are you saying that I'm at fault for what those two boys did?" Elise snapped.

"No, I'm not," Andrew said softly as he shook his head. "I was at the school some days before the shooting happened, Elise. I was a substitute teacher there and I saw how the other kids treated them, and I saw how spiritually weak they both are. Today, they must face the repercussions of what they have done, and that won't be easy for either of them. Nor will it be easy for you, for the families of the victims, and for the community as a whole."

"Excuse me," someone called out interrupting them. "We need your help."

Andrew looked up and could see the sad brown eyes of one of the boys who had teased Laura the day before. "What is it?" The angel asked, his voice soft, but he was on his feet within seconds.

"Your friend, Laura, I-I don't know what happened, but she just saved Billy's life." The boy's words emerged, his eyes wide with fright, and he looked from Andrew to Elise uncertain as to what he should say next. "I think Laura's hurt."

Elise got up at this moment, and she followed Andrew and the boy to the front entrance of the park. There, two other boys were standing and Laura was lying on the ground, her eyes were closed and upon arriving, Andrew could see that Adam was now seated on the ground next to her. "I'm OK, Adam," Laura was speaking softly to the angel next to her.

"You're certain?" Adam asked.

"Uh-huh, I'm awake and everything," she smiled weakly, but hugged him. As their hug loosened, the young girl turned and was now looking up at the three boys who, only the day before, had tormented her about her disability. "Are you guys OK?"

"Yeah," the mumbled answers emerged from the boys as Andrew got down on the ground next to her and took her hand in his.

"Laura, sweetheart, what happened?" Andrew asked, his voice soft. He then looked at Adam hoping that his fellow angel would be able to enlighten him on what had transpired.

Before Laura could offer an answer, Billy spoke up, his voice wavering. "S-she pushed me out of the way. I didn't see the car coming, until she called my name and I turned around." The boy could feel the shocked tears streaming down his face. He looked at Andrew all the while shaking his head. "I-I think the guy was drunk, 'c-cause he was swerving across the line, and h-he nearly hit me."

Andrew looked at the young boy. "You're OK, now, aren't you, Billy?"

The boy nodded numbly and looked at Adam who was still seated next to Laura. The angel had his hands on the girl's shoulders, and the look of relief was shadowed in his gray eyes.

"Hey Mister," the second boy said and pulled on the sleeve of Adam's jacket causing the angel to turn around. "You a doctor or something?"

Adam shook his head. "No."

"She's gonna be OK, isn't she?" The third boy asked.

The Angel of Death smiled and nodded, his relief evidently showing. "Andrew, I think 'search and rescue' should be commended for that one, because it could have been much worse than it was," he said dryly, his words bringing a smile to Andrew's otherwise concerned face. "Since you're OK, Laura, I'm out of here, take care of yourself, you little munchkin."

"See you later, Adam," Laura said softly as Adam disappeared. She smiled weakly and once she looked at Billy, she could see that the boy was now staring at her and Andrew in complete awe and profound disbelief.

"Guys, that dude just disappeared into nothing," one of the boys said.

"He was an angel," Billy said weakly. "A-and I think you are one too," he looked at Andrew as he spoke. "We could see your friend. I mean, h-he was kind of weird, but he was glowing white light, but you could see him, too. Right?"

Andrew nodded, "Yes, Billy, I could."

"An angel?" Elise looked at the boys and then at Laura. "That's not possible."

"Yes, it is," Laura said as Andrew and Billy helped her to her feet.

The other two boys were both now staring at Andrew, but Laura's voice broke into their thoughts. "Why aren't you teasing me now?" She asked softly.

"I guess 'cause you risked your neck to save mine," Billy said smiling weakly. "No one ever did anything like that for me before and I never thought I was even worth it."

Laura smiled weakly. "I guess you could say that I'm just funny that way."

"No way, man, I think you're pretty cool, I mean; for a girl," one of the other boys said. "Will you forgive us for treating you so badly?"

"Sure," she said smiling weakly, "but I think I'd better get home, my mom will probably want to put some medicine on my elbows. I still have some birthday cake left over from yesterday, and my dad bought a big tub of ice cream. You guys want to come along?"

The three boys nodded and they walked towards the house. "By the way," the second boy spoke up. "I'm Ricky Peterson."

"My name's Johnny Fields," the third boy chimed, and the voices of the four children faded as they continued to walk through the park in the direction of where Laura lived.

Elise continued to stare after them until they had disappeared in the distance. "His last name is Fields?"

Andrew nodded. "Yes, Johnny is Ter