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 ninth 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', and the eighth 'Solitary Without Hope'.

*****

The sunshine was warm on her face as Christina Thomas followed her fiancé Jeremy Lowery to the home of his older sister and her family. It had been over half a year since they officially announced their engagement and Christina's face was flushed with excitement as they rang the doorbell of the Davies household. She would be working with Jeremy's sister, Paula, on getting everything ready for the wedding which would take place in this coming May.

It had been some time since she had actually seen them, partly because of her work, but the other reason was because she was helping her brother and sister in law with taking care of Adam, her nephew.

"You OK?" Jeremy asked when he noticed that she seemed to be deep in thought.

"Yeah, I'm fine, just a little tired, I suppose," she said smiling weakly. Jeremy, although a bit on the nutty side, always seemed to worry about her when she was in her sometimes rather normal contemplative moods. Right now was such a time, and although she was happy, she was deep in thought about everything. Halloween had just passed, and this gave her another reason to sink into her reflections.

Jeremy knew that she did this every year at this time, so he smiled reassuringly at her, and they got out of the car. "It appears as though little Adam has taken the wind out of your sails," Jeremy commented as she grabbed her sweater and put it on.

"He's wonderful," Christina said softly as she thought of her brother's son. Ironically, Bryan and Rachel had named their first born after an Angel of Death they had both met at sometime during their lives. Although their friendship with this particular angel was not as close as her friendship with Andrew, she thought it was tremendous that they had named their son after the one who had changed both of their lives for the better.

She looked at her fiancé and smiled. "Even if he's almost at that age where he can get into things and make trouble. I just love him! Do you think that one day we could start a family?"

"Sure, but let's get married first," Jeremy said gently. "I would like for us to have a little fun before that too. I know you would love to have children someday, but we'd have to eventually settle into being married."

Christina nodded and smiled. He was right, at least a year of married life before raising a family would be wise, especially since they had made all these plans about traveling and Jeremy still had a lifelong dream of going to Europe.

As Jeremy rang the doorbell, he smiled at Christina who returned the gesture and squeezed his hand affectionately.

When the door finally opened, they were standing there looking at Jeremy's nephew, Robert. Jeremy loving to tease his nephews began to speak, his voice filled with sarcastic mischief, "hey, Bobby, how you doing?" Both he and Christina knew full well that Robert absolutely did not like being called 'Bobby' and she was fully aware that Jeremy was simply trying to get a rise out of the boy.

"Uncle Jeremy, if you don't cool it with the 'Bobby' stuff, I'll pull a half nelson on you, and throw you to the floor, leaving you only to beg for mercy," Robert said trying to look tougher than he actually was.

Christina could easily tell that Robert was probably capable. Jeremy was not all that muscular, he could easily lift her off the floor, but in comparison to his nephew, there was no way he could possibly hold his own. She had known Robert for over a year now, and he had changed dramatically since the first time she had seen him. Gone was his drive to go surfing, and today he had become a wrestler on the high school varsity team. He had changed from a skinny teenager, to a confident young man over the course of the past year and a half that Christina had known him. She had often told Jeremy that she would be so happy to become an aunt to him and his brother Simon, because she felt a close connection to both of them.

Perhaps this connection had more to do with the fact that Christina had saved Robert's life at the beach the day they had met. It was when she and Andrew had gone there for a quiet relaxing day. The afternoon which had started out to be fun, turned quickly into a trauma for Christina. She had seen Robert wiping out on his surfboard and did not think twice about plunging into the water with the intention of helping him. Ever since then, she shared a close friendship with the two boys and their family. It was also through this experience, that she met Jeremy.

"Don't mind him, Robert," she said with a smile. "He's always trying to get a rise out of people. You should know that by now. Remember your homecoming some time ago?"

"Yeah, he was teasing you about being Andrew's little angel," the boy said his eyes sparkling mischievously. "Have you seen Andrew since then?"

"Yes, about six months ago," she said sadly. "He came and helped me after one of my patients committed suicide."

"Sorry," Robert whispered.

"No reason to be, I'm OK now," she said weakly. "It's like my mom once said, I can't save the whole world."

Robert smiled and squeezed her hand. Internally he could not help but remember that time when Christina had helped him, but also how Andrew had been there with him when he nearly drowned and the comfort he got from the angel had been indescribable. Three days after that incident at the beach, the Angel of Death had appeared at his home, and it was there that he discovered that Christina and the angel were friends. "When you see him again, will you tell him that lately I've been thinking about him?"

"Sure I will. How have you been doing?" Christina asked trying to get the topic off of herself and back onto Robert's training.

"I'm doing pretty good," he began. "Our wrestling team made it to regional competition and I've been training for it."

"More like training your appetite," Paula's voice could be heard from inside the house, and within seconds, she appeared on the front step. "This boy has a bigger appetite than his father and Simon put together. Now, weren't you going to invite them in, or leave them standing on the front step waiting for winter?"

Robert smiled weakly and looked at his mother. "Listen, Mom, you know I have be buff for this upcoming match. Some of those guys weigh in at over 220 pounds."

"Perhaps, but they train for it by using weights, Bobby," Jeremy said patting his nephew's stomach. "Not with cheeseburgers."

Robert looked at his uncle with the utmost anger in his eyes as Christina began to giggle.

"I told you not to mind him, he's just being a pill today," Christina said smiling. "You know how he is, Robert."

The boy calmed down considerably as they came into the house. "So how are you doing, Christina?" Paula asked deciding it would be better to change the subject rather than to stay on a theme that could get her brother into even more trouble.

"Pretty good," she smiled. "I've managed to keep one of my kids from taking drugs, and will get a new child on Monday morning." She smiled when she thought about her work. She had been working as a Child Psychologist since she was 23 and she loved the work very much. Especially because somehow she could tell that she was making a difference to these kids and felt needed.

"I wish you could take that stupid kid from across the street," Robert said, his face suddenly filled with unsuppressed anger.

"Why's that?" Christina asked.

"That brat ruined my science project, and I think the entire family is warped!" Robert said as they all sat down in the living room.

Christina looked at Paula with a question in her eyes. Jeremy took this as a hint and smiled at his nephew. "It's another round of 'girl talk', what say we go outside and play some one-on-one?"

Robert smiled. "OK, it'll give me a chance to cream you for all that 'Bobby' stuff."

Jeremy laughed out loud as he and Robert went outside leaving Paula and Christina alone. "What is it, Paula?"

"I don't really know, the family moved into the house across the street about a month ago. I haven't seen them since they moved in, and the mother is like a virtual hermit. They have a little girl, she looks to be about five or six years old, and she looks positively terrible. I wonder if she's eating right or getting the care she's supposed to."

"Why is Robert angry with them?" Christina asked.

"Well, you heard him, he was mad because his science project was totally ruined two weeks ago, and he had redo the entire thing. If Vincent hadn't have helped him with it, he wouldn't have been able to get it done in time for the fair. It was a mess; the project was completely ruined. I thought it would take an act of congress for them to get it done in time. Robert was up until three in the morning the night before it was due just putting the finishing touches on it," Paula said sadly shaking her head.

"And why does he think that this little girl did it?" Christina asked.

"He's not the only one that thinks that she did it, Christina," Paula began. "We are all pretty convinced that she's doing this. Other neighbors have complained about broken windows and none of this nonsense was going on until they moved into the neighborhood. Even old Mr. Underwood from down the street said he saw her putting graffiti on someone's mailbox. Luckily it was with finger paints that could be easily washed off. This child is really messed up, and no one really seems to know why."

"Is there anything unusual about her appearance?" Christina asked. She knew that she had gone into 'psychologist' mode, but when it came to children, she knew there just had to be a way for her to get through to them and try to help them. "I mean; does she look as though she may be being abused or neglected?"

"I don't really know. She looks just like any other kid, except that I have noticed that she seems to always be wearing jeans and oversized sweatshirts. Even on those days when it has been relatively warm outside, I only see her wearing these odd looking clothes. I mean I know it's starting to get cold again, but we've had a couple of warmer days and still she's dressed in the same stuff…" her voice trailed off when a loud crash was heard from outside. "Now what?" She muttered; her voice filled with frustration.

Robert came rushing in seconds later and looked at Christina and his mother. He was still holding the basketball and his face was filled with anger. "Mom, the poster child for the phantom menace has struck again."

"What happened?"

"Another broken window at the Wheeler house," Robert said.

"Oh what am I going to tell them when they get back from their vacation?" Paula moaned as Christina got to her feet.

"Where's Jeremy?" Christina asked.

"He went after her," Robert said. "I think he saw her do it."

"What's the child's name?" Christina asked.

"Laura," Robert said.

"OK, I'm going to see what I can do," Christina said and walked slowly outside. As she stepped out onto the front porch, Monica appeared beside her and rested her hand on Christina's shoulder causing her to nearly jump out of her skin.

"Christina?"

She whirled around when she heard the familiar voice of the angel. "Monica, boy you scared me."

"I'm sorry about that," the angel said.

"It's OK, I'm really glad to see you. Did you see what just happened out here?"

"Yes, I did."

"How can a small child break a window with a rock?" She asked remembering when she was a kid and how she could barely throw correctly; much less shatter a window.

"Anger can do a lot to a child if it's not kept under control," Monica said gently.

"Yeah," Christina sighed. "I guess it's up to me to see what it going on around here."

"You do know that she's crying for help," Monica said.

Christina nodded. "Yes, but do you know where she went?"

"I think to the park," Monica offered.

"Then let's go," Christina said and nodded as she followed the angel. She could see Jeremy was now coming back up the street; a scowl was on his handsome face when he reached them.

"She got away," he grumbled. "But, this time I saw her throw the rock into the Wheeler's window. That kid's a menace!" He sighed deeply as he tried to catch his breath so that he could greet the angel. "Hello, Monica."

"Hi Jeremy," she said. "I wouldn't worry about Laura, though. I would guess that by now, Andrew has caught up with her."

"That kid is going to drive every single person out of this neighborhood," he said, his voice bitter. "I don't have any patience left, and the Wheeler's are going to be frosted when they see what she did while they've been away. Paula and Vincent have been complaining about this for weeks, not to mention how furious Robert was with his science project."

"I know," Christina sighed deeply and looked at the angel. "What is up with this?"

"I can't tell you, but if you want to find out, go to the park adjoining this neighborhood and meet Andrew," Monica said softly.

"Yeah," Jeremy said softly. "That was where I lost her. Anyway, I'll leave this one in the capable hands of the shrink," he grinned at Christina, but within seconds, the smile disappeared and he sighed deeply. "I guess after all that exercise, I could use a glass of lemonade. Would you like one as well, Monica or do you want to help Christina play therapist?"

"No, I think the lemonade sounds really good," Monica said and nodded, and they walked back in the direction of the house leaving Christina alone.

"Dear Father," she began to pray once they were gone. "I don't understand any of this, but I will trust in you and go find her." As soon as she stopped speaking, she leaned down, took her sandals off, and took off running in the direction of the park.

*****

Laura Cantu was still running as fast as her little legs would carry her. She was now scared, and after throwing that rock, she had seen the man at the neighbor's house come running towards her. She was so frightened of him that all she could do was run away.

She knew that she had done something wrong, but the broken window was nothing compared to the physical pain and anguish she was forced to live with. Internally, she knew that she had done wrong in throwing that rock and breaking the neighbor's front window, but no one seemed to care about her unless she did do something bad.

She had seen the man who was playing basketball with Robert, and she guessed that he was part of their family, because he was often there to visit. The teenager, she knew, she had destroyed his science project and that had sent him into a tirade. She figured that if they had caught her, she would be dead, because they would have killed her.

There was nothing left for her to do, she continued to run until she ran right into someone who was coming in the opposite direction.

She backed away from the person she had run into and looked up to see a pair of kind eyes, and a compassionate smile on the face of the man she had run into. When he reached down and rested his hand on her shoulder, she flinched, the pain from the bruises and scrapes on her arm hurting from his touch and she moved away from him.

"It's OK, Laura," the man said and smiled gently down at her. "No one is going to hurt you. My name is Andrew."

"You know me?"

"Mm-hum," he nodded, his sympathy and compassion evident as he looked at her.

"You know what I did?" she asked softly.

"Yes, I do," as he spoke, he could see that his longtime friend Christina had come into the park. When he made eye contact with the young woman, he nodded in her direction, which was an indication that she should come over to where they were.

When Christina reached them, she reached out and grabbed the shoulder of the child. Her hold was much harder than she intended and Laura let out a wail of intense pain and collapsed onto the ground breaking free from the hold Christina initiated. "I'm sorry," the young woman said gently as she immediately pulled her hand away and got on her knees next to the child.

"She's been abused, Christina," Andrew said, his voice filled with sadness. "She's got the painful reminders underneath that sweatshirt." Gently, he reached down and very slowly pulled up the sleeve of her shirt, and there on her forearm was a large black bruise, and near it, scratches and scrapes. Laura cried even harder as she felt the breeze against her bare skin, and Andrew pulled the sleeve back down and covered the wounds once again.

"I should have known that," Christina said sadly. "All the signs are there," she took the chin of the child in her gentle hands and made her look into her sympathetic brown eyes. "I'm sorry, Laura. I didn't mean to hurt you."

Laura was still crying, her hiccup like sobs emerging and the tears streaming down her muddy face. When she felt the gentle touch of the woman she pulled away. "It hurts," she whimpered.

"I know, honey," Christina said gently. "Andrew and I are here, and we're going to help you."

"I'm scared," Laura whispered. "My mommy and daddy are going to kill me."

"No, we won't let them hurt you anymore," Andrew said gently. "But I think we need to get you to a doctor."

The little girl looked frightened, but she nodded numbly as the two adults stood up. Once the compassionate Angel of Death was on his feet, he carefully picked Laura up in his arms and once he held her, he managed to gently run his hand across her cheek in the hopes of helping her to relax. He knew that by touching her, that the bruises on her body would hurt, and he figured that if she were to sleep in his arms, then at least she would not feel the pain.

Christina smiled gently at the girl as Andrew began to walk slowly towards the park entrance with the small child cradled in his arms. "Shall I tell you a story?" She asked as soon as she had put her shoes back on and had caught up with them.

"Yeah," the frightened child whispered, but it looked as though she was about to pass out in Andrew's arms and before Christina could even begin to speak, the child had fallen asleep.

"Did you do something to her?" Christina asked weakly as they walked.

"Yes, I did," he smiled weakly. "I encouraged her to sleep a little, because she's in a great deal of emotional turmoil and my holding her is too physically painful."

"Is she going to be OK?" Christina asked weakly. "I mean, is she going to…?"

He knew what word was going to come next, and he looked at his friend with all the compassion that he could muster. "I don't know, Christina. I fear that her fragile body cannot take anymore beatings," Andrew said sadly. "Her parents will eventually kill her if she doesn't get some help soon."

"How old is she?" Christina asked.

"She's six," Andrew said softly.

"Nearly the same age I was when we met," Christina said softly, but after a few minutes, she looked at him. "Andrew, what can I do?"

"What does your heart tell you, my friend?" he asked gently.

"That I should try and counsel her, and something tells me that her parents won't get any help with their aggression, that she's all alone in the world," she whispered. "Do you think she'll be OK if the authorities decide to take her out of the home?"

"Hard to tell," Andrew said. "But that's why we're here. She's my assignment."

The color drained from Christina's face, and she looked at her friend helplessly.

"You know perfectly well that just because I'm here doesn't mean that she will die," Andrew scolded his friend gently. He knew the thoughts that were going through her mind, and he continued; his voice filled with compassion and love. "Christina, she needs help, and the road to her recovery is going to be long and hard."

"You know that I've already had a long and hard road, Andrew, first after I was raped, and then with Lindsey's father, and finally with Ted Gordon's suicide. I know more about long and hard climbs than a lot of people would, but she's only a child, and I think she needs us."

Andrew nodded, his smile gentle as he looked at his friend and then down at the little girl he carried in his arms. "I always knew that you were a good person," he said gently as they made their way towards Tess' red convertible.

"You helped make me what I am, because you inspired me," she said softly as they reached the car, and she smiled when she saw Tess standing beside it and waiting for them.

"Hello, Tess," she greeted the angel as they approached.

"How are you, baby?" Tess greeted her.

"Pretty good," she smiled. "Can you help us? We have to get Laura to a doctor."

"Well, hop on in, and I'll have you there in no time," Tess said gently as Andrew laid the child in the backseat of the car and climbed in beside her. Christina got in the front where Monica usually sat.

The trip only took five minutes, and along the way, Christina used her cell phone to call Jeremy at Paula and Vincent's and tell them what was happening. She hung up as they pulled into a parking lot.

Laura stirred, and slowly opened her eyes. "Where am I?" she whispered slowly rubbing her eyes.

"Among friends," Andrew said gently as Tess and Christina got out of the car. As he helped her out of the car, Laura's face became frightened once she realized that they had led her into a doctor's office. Upon realizing this, she began to scream, breaking the stillness of the quiet room. "No, I don't wanna go," she cried out. Moments later, she managed to break free of Andrew, and ran towards the door, her shrill screams causing the other patients in the room to look up and stare annoyingly not just at the little girl, but also at the three adults who had come in with her.

When she reached the door and tried to reach for the knob, Andrew placed a gentle hand on her shoulder, and began to whisper to her, his voice soft, and causing the girl to become quieter. "Shhh, it's OK," his assurances were filled with love and compassion and he reached out and took her trembling hand in his. "We know you're afraid, Laura, that's why we're here with you and I'll stay with you through everything, I promise."

Laura's cries were still evident, but by this time, her weeping had become noticeably softer and now she was crying softly. Tess and Christina exchanged concerned looks, but when Andrew helped her off the floor, her cries became louder again when he touched her arm where the wounds were.

"Can't you quiet her, there are other people in here, and her screaming isn't helping?" one older woman asked.

"I'm sorry," Christina offered sincerely, "but she's been abused by her parents, and imagine how frightened you would be if you were in her position. She has no idea what awaits her behind that door." She could see that the small child had broken free from Andrew and had now wedged herself into a corner. Christina went over to where Laura and Andrew were seated in the corner, and as she came closer, Laura's eyes widened in terror. "It's OK, honey, we all know you're frightened, that's why we're here. The doctor is going to help take your pain go away, and we're going to stay with you through everything."

Laura nodded numbly upon hearing Christina's words and the remainder of the wait went without incident.

*****

When the doctor eventually called Laura's name some twenty minutes later, Andrew took her hand gently and stood up. "Come on, sweetheart, you have nothing to be afraid of."

Laura remained seated, the fear in her eyes.

Christina went over to Andrew. "I'm afraid that we're going to have to take her in there kicking and screaming. Otherwise, she just won't go."

"I can't, Christina, it would hurt her," Andrew said softly.

"I know, but we have to, if we go using Laura's agenda, then we'll be sitting her until early spring." She sighed deeply and reached for the child's hand. "Come with me Laura, it's time for you to see the doctor." Her voice emerged somewhat colder than she had intended, but she truly was not in the mood to sit in a doctor's waiting room all afternoon. This child had created enough trouble, and though her heart really went out to Laura for what she has endured, she was at the end of her rope, and it was clear to both Andrew and Tess that she hated what she was about to do.

When Laura shook her head again, Christina reached down, and picked up the child in her arms, and had to squint her eyes shut when the child released a blood-curdling scream. As she tried to carry Laura inside the office, the child kicked and screamed landing a hard blow to Christina's shin causing the young woman to almost fall backwards. If not for Tess, who was now standing directly behind her, she would have most certainly fallen.

The tears were streaming down her cheeks when she felt the impact of Laura's foot, but somehow, as if propelled by adrenaline alone, Christina managed to propel the frightened child into the doctor's office, and once they had made it to an examining room, and the door was closed, she was able to let go of the child and sit down in a chair near the bed. She rested her head in her hands and could feel the tears streaming down her cheeks as Andrew appeared in the room.

"Are you OK?" he asked.

"It hurts a little, but I'm fine," she whispered. "It must have looked cruel to you what I did to her."

"No, it wasn't," Andrew said gently and went over to Laura who was now staring at him, and had seen him appear in the room from out of nowhere. She was no longer crying, and Christina guessed that she was either in shock from what she had seen, or frightened. "Laura, can I tell you a secret?"

The little girl numbly nodded, her eyes wide.

"Do you know who God is?" he asked gently.

"You?"

Andrew smiled, but shook his head. "No, I'm not God, God is our creator, he made everything and is all of our Heavenly Father, and he loves you very much."

"Nobody loves me," Laura sniffed and looked down at her lap.

Andrew took her face in his hands and made her look into his eyes. "God loves you very much, Laura, and I love you, and Christina and Tess love you as well. We all know that this is hard for you, but we're not going to let anyone else hurt you. But, that means you're going to have to be a very brave little girl."

Christina watched as her friend spoke to the little girl, his voice soft, gentle and filled with love. She could feel the tears in her eyes as she watched him speak to the frightened child.

"Laura, do you know what an angel is?" Andrew asked her softly.

The little girl shook her head, and she looked down at her lap as though she had said something wrong. Andrew brushed his hand gently through her matted hair. As she felt the gentle hand of the angel on her hair, she reached a trembling hand out and touched Andrew's soft hair. "I wish you were my daddy," she whispered.

Andrew smiled gently at her, but when the doctor came into the room some seconds later, she tensed up and all that the angel could do was hold her hand tightly.

"My name is Doctor Harold Simms," he introduced himself to Christina and Andrew. "What seems to be the trouble?"

"Laura has been physically abused by her parents, Dr. Simms," Andrew said softly. "My friends and I found her today in the park and we thought we should bring her here."

"You probably should have brought her to the hospital, but let me take a look at her and see what I can do to help," he came closer and Laura closed her eyes and buried her face against Andrew's shoulder.

The doctor reached over to take the sweatshirt off the child and she released another scream. He moved his hands away and looked at Christina and shook his head. "It's too painful for her," Christina said sadly, her heart going out to the child.

Andrew ran his fingertips against the side of Laura's face, his action causing the child to once again fall asleep against his chest. He laid her back down on the bed. "She's asleep now, Christina, you can take the sweatshirt off."

The doctor watched with skepticism in his eyes, and after a few moments of silence he looked at Andrew. "How'd you do that?"

"Do what?" Christina asked. "Andrew only held her. You know that people sometimes sleep to keep from experiencing pain."

"I know that," the doctor said, "I was just wondering how it was that you encouraged her to sleep."

Andrew smiled weakly as Christina took Laura's sweatshirt off. There were multiple wounds and bruises on the arms, chest, and back of the small child, and she gasped when she saw the extent of the injuries Laura had endured. Andrew squeezed Christina's shoulder compassionately as the exact same thoughts seemed to be going through his mind.

"I'm going to have to contact the child protection services," the doctor said when he saw Laura's injuries. "It's no wonder she screamed bloody murder when anyone tried to touch her. This is the worst case I've seen in years."

"What are we going to do?" Christina asked weakly.

"I don't know," the doctor said. "The authorities will probably come here and take her to a foster home."

Christina nodded weakly as Andrew took the hand of the girl. "I'd be willing to take care of her until someone could find an adequate home for her."

The doctor nodded at the angel. "If you can, then I would have to get all the information from you, and hopefully there wouldn't be any problems. You seem to really care for her, so I would professionally recommend it."

Christina smiled weakly as she looked at her friend as he looked down at the small child. If anyone could help her, it would be Andrew.

*****

An hour later, Andrew, Tess, and Christina left the doctor's office. Laura was given some salve for her wounds and Andrew carried a prescription for more medication.

"I guess this will be our longest visit here," Tess said smiling at Christina.

The young woman nodded, her thoughts somehow encompassing her and keeping her from saying anything in response.

"You OK, baby?" Tess asked gently.

"It just makes me so angry, Tess. To see a child endure this," Christina could feel the tears in her eyes.

"I know," she said as she watched her Angel Boy helping Laura to sit down in the backseat of the car. Laura looked to be feeling better, but it was apparent that the child was still frightened.

"I have to get back to Paula and Vincent's place," Christina said softly.

Tess nodded, "I'll drop you off, honey, and then we have to go and get some things for Laura. We've got an apartment a few doors down yours, so we'll be seeing you there."

"Great," Christina said softly.

As soon as Tess pulled up to the house where the Davies family lived, she crawled out of the front seat. As she looked some distance down the street, she could see that a couple of police cars had pulled up to the house where Laura's family lived, and she was left wondering what was happening.

Tess' voice brought her back to reality. "Could you tell Monica that we'll see her later and that everything is fine?"

"Sure, and thanks, Tess," Christina smiled warmly as she looked at Andrew. "You really do make a great daddy, Andrew." He blushed, and she smiled. "I'll see you later, and Laura, keep your chin up honey, everything will be alright. When you have angels on your side, you will always come through."

The girl gave her a sour look, but Christina forgot it once they had driven away. She walked up to the front door and rang the bell.

Paula opened it a few minutes later. "Christina? What on earth happened?"

"I need a glass of lemonade, and then I'll tell you all about it," she whispered as she came inside.

"Sure, come on in, your friend Monica's still here," Paula said.

Christina smiled, and they went into the kitchen and she sat down at the table next to Jeremy. He reached over and took her hand and squeezed it gently. "OK, tell us what happened."

"It was all a cry for help," Christina said softly. "When I saw the bruises on her body, I thought my heart was going to break into thousands of pieces." The determination not to cry in front of Laura was no longer there and Christina began to feel the tears streaming down her cheeks. "She's been abused by her parents, and is a complete mess, Jeremy. That's why she destroyed Robert's science project, and why she broke those windows. It was nothing but a cry for help."

"It's OK," Jeremy said softly and rubbed her face gently with his hand. "We should have known."

Monica shook her head. "How could any of us have known?"

"Monica, you knew," Christina said weakly.

"Yeah, but she's uh…" his voice trailed off and he looked at his older sister. In all of this, Paula had no idea who Monica really was and he feared that what he might say would blow her cover.

Christina looked at Monica and she nodded slightly indicating that it was all right for Paula to know the truth. "Paula, Monica is a friend of Andrew's."

Paula smiled weakly and nodded.

"Yes, I'm an angel too, but I'm not an Angel of Death like Andrew, Paula," Monica said softly. "I was sent here only to help."

Paula looked relieved, but when she looked at Monica, she could do nothing except shake her head and sigh sadly. "I guess with the way things are these days, we could use all the help He is willing to send us."

"What's going on?" Paula's younger son, Simon entered the room at that moment and could see all the adults sitting at the table drinking lemonade and eating cookies. "Why do you guys all look like leftovers from Halloween?"

Christina sighed deeply and offered Simon a weak smile.

"Maybe we're just waiting for you to come in here and entertain us, you smart aleck," Jeremy said sarcastically and Monica smiled at the teenager.

Simon looked at Monica and shrugged his shoulders. "Mom, Justin from across the street invited us to go swimming this afternoon. Is it OK if we go?"

"Isn't it a bit chilly outside today?" Monica asked.

"Yeah, but they are members of the health club, and they have a heated pool there," Simon said. "Come on, Mom, I wanted to try out for swim team next year, and you know I need practice."

"OK, Simon, but tell your brother to not forget to take an extra towel. The last time you went, he came home and slopped water all the way through the house," Paula said.

"I won't, oh and did you hear, the weird-o neighbors got busted?"

Paula looked at him. "Is that what's going on over there? I heard the sirens, but didn't think much about it."

"Yeah, Justin told me that the brat was taken away because of rumors about child abuse," Simon said and when he looked at Christina and saw a sadness in her eyes, he swallowed the lump that had suddenly formed in his throat. "They're not rumors?"

"No," Christina said softly. "Andrew, Tess and I took her to the doctor and Andrew's taking care of her now."

"He must be angel, to put up with her," Simon mused.

"Simon, that's not very nice," his mother scolded.

"Sorry, but you know what she did to Robert's science project, and all the broken windows and stuff. I mean, I just feel sorry for him to have to put up with her."

"Oh, I think he'll do just fine, Simon," Monica said.

"Isn't it cool that Andrew's back?" Simon's voice was suddenly excited. "I thought I'd never see him again, well not till…well, you know." He made comical slashing motions across his throat, and weird gagging sounds emerged.

Monica had to cover her mouth with her hand to keep the laughter from escaping, but there was no way that Christina could possibly hold it back. Her giggles escaped from between her pursed lips.

"Simon Davies, would you do that if Andrew was standing in this room?" Paula stood up, put her hands on her hips, and looked at her son, exasperation clearly showing.

"No, I guess I wouldn't," Simon said softly. "Do you think he'd mind if I tell Justin?"

Christina smiled weakly as she tried to recover from her giggles. "I'm a psychologist, Simon, so what would you say to therapy?"

The others seated at the table laughed, and Simon blushed and smiled impishly. "I guess some things are better left unsaid, right? But, I think he probably does have a good sense of humor, especially if he can get along with and put up with Uncle Jeremy."

Jeremy looked at Christina and laughed. "I don't know where he gets this from," he said and his attention diverted and he was now looking at his sister with wide eyes. "I'm as innocent as purely driven snow."

"Right, Jeremy, tell it to the judge," Paula said sarcastically. "You were always a pill and always will be one. I mean he's been like this ever since we were kids." She looked at Monica. "He's almost 12 years younger than me and the biggest mischief maker this side of the Rocky Mountains. I guess he got it from our grandfather, because he was this way too."

"Yeah, yeah, I know. I've heard the story thousands of times before. How did I manage to find a woman who would marry me, when I'm the biggest cracker in the family? It's the same old story, and then what kind of woman do I unearth? A Shrink!"

Christina looked at Monica. "Do you think I could borrow Andrew's services tonight? Because if Jeremy here calls me a 'Shrink' one more time…" She looked the picture of innocence but when Simon started laughing, her pretend anger melted away and she offered an embarrassed smile.

"At least you sound like you're feeling better, maybe we should be somewhat grateful to Simon for his comedy routines," Paula said.

"Yeah no kidding," Jeremy added.

"Ah, come on Uncle Jeremy, I think you're just upset because I thought of it first, and you can't accuse me of stealing your material." He smiled impishly as he reached for a cookie from off the plate that was placed in the center of the table as he bit into it and left the room.

"It really is no wonder you're always coming here to visit," Paula said to her brother. "Between you, Simon, Robert and Vincent, I somehow feel I'm outnumbered."

"I'd say you are," Christina offered weakly, but in the back of her mind, the thoughts were still a whirlwind.

*****

"I take it you didn't get anything accomplished with the wedding because of Laura?" Jeremy asked as they left the house and were getting into his car.

"No, I guess I didn't," she whispered as she pulled the front seat up so Monica could climb in the back. "But, it was fun. I do have a question for you, though," she said looking at the angel. "Seeing how Jeremy and Simon are behaving, are you sure you still want to hang out with us?"

The angel smiled. "I'll manage."

Jeremy got into the car and started the engine. "You know, I don't understand what happened today."

"You mean about Laura?" Christina asked.

"Well, yeah. How is it that an Angel of Death ends of playing daddy to the poster child for the phantom menace?" Jeremy shook his head.

"Jeremy," Christina objected to the name he had used in describing Laura.

"Well," he shrugged his shoulders.

"Andrew loves children and is quite good with them, too," Monica said.

"He was always gentle and kind to me when I was little," Christina said smiling fondly. "I mean when Bryan was in the hospital, I remember how he held me and I slept in his arms. That feeling I'll never forget. So, I know Laura's in good hands," Christina said, but when Jeremy looked at her, he sighed deeply when he saw the look in her eyes.

"You're getting attached to her, aren't you?" Jeremy asked.

"I guess I am a little bit," Christina sighed deeply.

"Why is it of all the kids in the world, you have to get attached to one with more problems than the entire city put together?" Jeremy asked weakly and looked at Monica. "You know, I think the reason I love her so much is because she attracts trouble about as much as I do."

Monica smiled when she could see the love in Jeremy's eyes as he regarded Christina.

"So," Jeremy said trying to change the subject. "Did you get around to asking Lindsey to be your maid of honor?"

"I told her the last time I called her and she sounded absolutely thrilled," Christina said. "I can't wait till she has a break and can come home."

"When's that?" Jeremy asked.

"Christmas," Christina said as she thought about Lindsey. Aside from Jeremy, Lindsey was her best friend. "She told me she couldn't come for Thanksgiving because she's busy with work, but she told me that she's also been working on a song for us, but she won't give any details about it. She's also been taking sign language because she said that during her break, that she wants to help Rachel at the school."

"That's wonderful," Monica said.

"Yeah, she's really good with the language, and if I tried my fingers would tie in knots," Christina said.

"It's a good thing," Jeremy said winking at Monica. "Then she would be able to nag me in two languages."

Christina pretended to pout, but after a few moments, she smiled weakly and looked at Monica. "Paula was right, he is a pill!"

The angel laughed as they pulled into the parking lot at Christina's apartment building. "I suppose I'll see you tomorrow, huh?" Jeremy asked as she got out of the car.

"Yeah, but I'm warning you buster, you'd better behave yourself, from what I heard, there's an Angel of Death a few doors down from me," Christina said mischievously as Monica got out as well.

"Not to mention, standing right behind you!" Jeremy quirked causing Christina to turn around and her face flushed crimson. Andrew had come outside, spotted Monica and come over to them and from the expression on his face, it was clear that he had heard everything because now he was, in fact, standing directly behind her.

"Jeremy's being a troublemaker, Andrew," Monica tried to explain, but her hand was in front of her mouth as she tried to stifle her laughter.

"I'm not surprised," Andrew mused as Christina leaned inside the car to give Jeremy a final kiss good-bye.

Once he had driven away, Christina looked at him, her face still slightly red from the surprise. "Sorry about that."

"Don't worry, I'm getting used to Jeremy's jokes," he said with a smile and she relaxed somewhat.

"How is Laura?" Christina finally asked.

"Well, now she's sleeping, but she's in so much pain, all she does is toss and turn," Andrew said.

"Andrew did you hear that Laura's parents have been arrested?" Monica asked.

"Yes," he said softly and could see the same look of concern shadowing his friend's face. "I think I know now why it is that Jeremy has been making so many jokes. He's worried about you, and that's his way of helping you to relax. But, I'm also worried. Christina, are you sure you're OK?"

Christina shrugged her shoulders. "I guess so."

Andrew looked at her. "You know that there is no way that you can hide the truth from me." He turned to Monica. "Tess told me that she needs your help inside and I think it's time for Christina and I to have another little chat."

Monica smiled, nodded, and left them alone.

After a few moments of hesitation, Christina pulled her key from her pocket and they walked to her front door. As they came inside the apartment, she pulled her sweater off and threw it onto the sofa.

"What is it? What's wrong?" Andrew came over and sat down next to her.

"I don't know," she whispered.

"I know this is hard for you, you're feeling her pain," Andrew said softly as he put a comforting arm around her shoulder.

"I guess so," Christina said softly. "When I saw those bruises and how she screamed when I touched her, I felt so guilty, like I had done something to hurt her. But it wasn't my intention."

"I know," he said gently. "It was hard for me as well and I was grateful to you for taking her into the doctor's office, because I couldn't have done it. How's your shin?"

She looked down and pulled the pant leg up slightly and revealed a bruise that was now a dark black color. When she saw it, she flinched and shrugged her shoulders as she looked back over at him. "I guess I had forgotten about it."

"Do you have some medicine for it?"

"Yeah somewhere. My mom keeps me well endowed with stuff," Christina said dismissing her ailments.

"But there's something else bothering you. I can tell," he said gently.

"I guess it's just that feel so horrible about it, as though I was cruel and unfeeling towards her. Maybe I should have been more understanding, but I wasn't anticipating any of this happening. Andrew, I've always seen myself as being a very patient, but today, after everything that happened, I felt completely awful about how I reacted."

"You should feel good about what you did, Christina. Although it may have been harsher than you had intended, you did care enough to try to help her, and if not for you; I would have probably had to take her home tonight. That's why I had come back, because her parents would have probably killed her. I wouldn't able to do anything for her, except to be there for her, and I would have been her Angel of Death," Andrew said softly. "This was why I had met her in the park. I was sent there to make contact with her, and try to gain her trust before I would have been sent to take her home."

Christina's eyes filled with tears as he continued to speak. "I didn't tell you this because I was hoping that I wouldn't have had to tell you about this if things turned out differently than they did."

"Somehow, I knew what could have happened," she said softly and shook her head. "I mean; I just had this feeling."

"But you changed everything," Andrew said softly. "Instead of me taking her home before it was her time, I have the chance to help her recover from the pain she has endured here. With the help from you, she will most certainly overcome the nightmare she has, up till now lived and viewed as her only reality."

"Do you mean that we could adopt her?" she asked weakly

"I don't know about that, but you could help her find a family that will love her, and give her the tools to grow into a beautiful woman," Andrew reached over and wiped the tears from under her eyes. "I know you can do that because you have helped many others like her."

Christina smiled weakly, but looked at him. "Only because you inspire me."

"It's not me. It's the love of the Father in you," he said simply and tapped her nose lightly with his fingertip. "And it's you."

"OK, but you do help," she said.

*****

The following days took their toll on Christina, she tried with all her might to see Laura, and to gain the small child's trust, but somehow, it was just not working. Laura tended to stay away from Christina whenever she would come around and worse still, her mistrust of Christina was beginning to depress the young woman, which in turn made Andrew worry about her.

Laura trusted Andrew and Tess completely, and it looked as though the small girl was beginning to trust Monica as well, as she looked to them almost constantly for help. Each evening after work, however, Christina would come over to their apartment and see how the small girl was doing, but would leave some time later in disillusionment, when Laura would react harshly towards her and appeared to not want her around.

Contrary to her conversations with Andrew about what had happened at the doctor's office, Christina was having a difficult time coping with the guilt she carried because of it.

On that particular evening, Tess was taking the job of rubbing some salve on Laura's arms and legs, which had to be done each evening to combat possible infections because of the broken skin. It had been a week since Laura had been taken out of her home and placed in Andrew's care. To everyone's relief, the bruises had started to fade, and Laura was looking physically somewhat better, but her rejection of Christina was still there, and she asked Andrew why Christina always had to be there.

"Because Christina is our friend," he often told the little girl, but when he saw the scowl on her little face did not even disappear, Christina stood up to go.

"No, baby," Tess said and grabbed her arm. "She needs to accept that you're here to stay."

"I can't, Tess," Christina's face was filled with sadness as Andrew took Laura to her room and tucked her in. "It hurts too much, the rejection is too much for me to bare, I'm sorry."

"You have no reason to apologize, baby, we know it's not easy," Tess said comfortingly.

Christina sighed deeply unable to find the words to speak further, and eventually, she pulled her jacket on with the intention to go. From the other room, she could hear Laura complaining about going to bed, and quietly, Christina slipped outside and closed the door behind her.

As soon as she was outside, the tears began to fall from her eyes and she tried without success to wipe them away. As she walked in the direction of her apartment, she made the decision to go to the park instead. At least there, she would be able to sort out everything that was going on. She loved the park, and hoped that the solitude of this place would help her understand what it was about her that made Laura not want to trust her, and further, why she regarded Christina with so much disdain.

*****

Andrew was tucking Laura into bed at this time, and the little girl was looking up at him, her wide brown eyes watching him. "Are you mad at me?"

"No," he smiled gently at her. "There's no one angry at you. I'm not, Tess isn't, Monica isn't and neither is Christina."

"I don't like her," Laura's voice was soft as soon as Andrew had mentioned Christina's name.

"Why don't you, she likes you?" Andrew said softly.

"She hurt me," Laura said and shuddered as she remembered. "I'm scared of her, she makes me think of my mommy."

Andrew sighed sadly as he heard the words of the child. If Christina were to know this, it would surely break her heart. The angel looked at Laura, she had the same innocence about her that Christina had when she was a little girl. After a few moments, he began to speak. "Shall I tell you a story?"

"Uh-huh," Laura said softly.

"This is a story of a little girl who hated Halloween," Andrew began to speak. "She had run through the park and was very sad because the other children had made fun of her when she told them she wanted to dress as an angel for Halloween. She was running through the park when all the sudden, she could feel herself falling, and she landed on her knees and looked around and saw someone standing over her and offering a hand to her," he continued to tell Laura about the first time he had met Christina and how she reminded him that Halloween was just like any other day, and a gift of the Heavenly Father. As he finished the story, he could see that Laura had fallen asleep and once he turned the light out, he stepped out into the hallway and left the light on in the hallway, so she would not become afraid.

Out in the living room, he looked at Tess questionably, upon the realization that his friend was no longer there. Sighing deeply, he listened as Tess told him what had happened. "Laura's rejection makes it too painful for Christina to be here."

Andrew nodded; somehow he had that feeling. "I don't know if I should go to her, what I could say that would take away the pain dwelling in Christina's wounded spirit."

"Angel Boy, maybe what Christina needs is some time to sort this out. Give her some time alone," Tess suggested.

"I can't do that, Tess. She needs to know that her friends are there for her," he said and with determination, he grabbed his jacket and walked slowly towards the door.

"Good luck, Andrew," Monica offered from the kitchen.

He smiled weakly and walked outside.

It was cold right now, the wind was blowing much stronger and he could feel the cold wind penetrating his jacket. As he walked towards Christina's apartment, he could see that there was no light and wondered if she was even there. A voice inside him said that she wasn't and he continued walking, this time in the direction of the park where he had met her the first time.

He could see the streetlights were casting eerie shadows about, but when he reached the park and found a lone solitary figure sitting on the bench, he knew that he had found his friend. He could see the light from the nearby lamp was reflecting broken fragments of light off of the object she held in her hand. As he came closer, he realized that she was holding the small angel figure he had left for her over a year ago. He remembered after Ted Gordon's suicide how she had told Chris Gordon that she always had this with her when she was troubled, and right now, Andrew could tell she was more than troubled; she looked positively devastated.

As he came closer to her, he could see that she had her head down and did not even seem to acknowledge that he was present. His heart went out to his friend and after a few moments, she looked up, her eyes filled with pain.

"More advice?" she asked, her voice was not bitter, but he could see the hurt in her words, and knew that she was saying things she did not mean and that later she would feel guilt about. She returned the figure to the small pouch she carried it in, and then placed it gently inside her purse.

"No," he said softly and smiling gently at her. "No advice."

She looked back down at the ground as he sat down next to her and rested his hand on her shoulder. The tears were streaming down her cheeks, but she could not find the words to say anything, so she sat in silence, her sadness concealed, her hopelessness evident in her actions.

Andrew looked around the area and smiled slightly. "I told Laura about this place tonight."

Christina looked up. "You did?"

"Mm-hum," he nodded. "I told her about when you were little, but she doesn't know that the story is true or that it was about you."

"Sometimes I wish I could go back to that time in my life," she mused sadly as she stood up and walked a few steps away from the bench.

"Do you want to?" He asked following her.

"It's just wishful thinking," she whispered.

"Perhaps, but perhaps it would be good for you to see it," he said gently, and suddenly they could both see a small girl running through the park, her Halloween costume slopping in the mud. Christina looked at Andrew and he smiled gently. "Just watch."

She did as he said, and watched as the little girl fell to the ground. As she glanced back over to Andrew with the intent to ask him a question, she could see that he was no longer standing beside her but that he had walked over to the little girl and offered her his hand.

"Are you OK?" Andrew asked and as Christina watched the girl stand up, she recognized it to be her as a seven-year-old child. "Where are you going?"

"Home," the answer came.

"I thought all children went out tonight," Andrew offered and Christina watched and remembered how sad he looked. Halloween was a hard time for him, and as the dialogue between him and the child continued, she could only reflect on how often in her life it had been that Andrew had been there for her, and what a good friend he had become. Would she really trade it to go back to her childhood where she was innocent and unaware of the blessing his friendship had honored her with? Would going back into her childhood really help her with her problems, or was that just another way of running away from them?

She sat down on the ground as the images blurred because of the tears that were now streaming down her cheeks. "I'm sorry, I'm so sorry," she cried as she covered her face in her hands and the images of her as a child faded away. Andrew came over to where she was sitting on the ground and offered her his hand.

She looked up at him, her face streaked with tears, but she reached out and took his hand and he helped her off the ground. "Forgive me, please," she whispered as she threw her arms around him and hugged him tightly, her face buried against his shoulder.

"There's no reason, my friend," he smiled gently as he held her in his arms.

"It hurts, Andrew. This thing with Laura hurts me more than anything else," she said her voice soft, but filled with so much uncertainty, and it was almost as though those words emerged from the child which dwelled within her.

"I know it does. Like I said when I came out here, there is no advice I could give you which I have not already offered," he sighed sadly but pressed a handkerchief into her hand once their embrace loosened. "It will hurt for some time, but she'll eventually come around. Just like your parents did in believing in God and angels."

They returned to the bench and sat down. She shook her head as she wiped the small piece of cloth over her eyes and her voice emerged barely above a whisper. "It's hopeless."

He put his arm around her shoulder and smiled gently at her. "Come now, you don't really believe that. You know that with God all things are possible and with Him, nothing is ever as hopeless as it might appear."

"I know, He gave me you for a friend," she said softly. "I've not been much of a friend, these days. I'm sorry."

"You've had so much on your mind these last few days, and I do understand," he said softly and when he made eye contact with her, he smiled gently. "As a friend, I think you're doing just fine."

"You really think Laura will eventually come around?" Christina asked weakly.

"In time, she will," Andrew said. "But, be patient, Christina, this won't happen overnight."

She nodded and smiled weakly. "I'm glad you're here, thank you for coming to find me."

"That's what friends are for," he said and smiled, and when he noticed that she had started to shiver from the wind, he took his jacket off and wrapped it around her. Once she was wearing the jacket, he took her in his arms and held her.

"This is my second favorite place to be in the whole world," she said softly.

"It is?"

"I always feel so safe and comforted when you hold me. It's like that small child in me feels stronger and more certain and no one could ever hurt me as long as you're nearby," she said softly.

He smiled weakly. "Where is your favorite place to be, then?"

"With Jeremy," she smiled weakly. "Where else?"

"Nowhere, actually that was the answer I expected to hear," he smiled.

"I love him so much, and he really makes me feel special. I can't believe I'm actually getting married. It's only six months away, and to think about it makes me feel so wonderful." She looked up at him. "Are you going to be able to come? It would mean so much to me to have you there."

"I'll try, my little angel, you already know that," he said gently.

"I guess with your work, it gets hard to plan anything," she smiled weakly. "But, it would honor us both to have you there."

After a few moments, she began to giggle for no apparent reason causing him to look at her. "What's so funny?"

"I got to thinking about what Jeremy would think when you come to our wedding, especially the part where the preacher says 'till death do us part'. He'd look right at you, you know?"

Andrew groaned and looked at her covering his face in his hands and shaking his head.

She laughed out loud, and put her arm around his shoulder. "Don't worry, I think I will change it so that nothing that could incriminate your uhjob, would be mentioned and you'll manage to enjoy your time with us."

Andrew smiled, the relief evident on his face. "You feel any better, or are you just making jokes to hide how you really feel?"

"You know me pretty well, but I think I'm OK now." She said and smiled. "If I feel otherwise, you'd be the first person I'd tell."

"I hope you would talk to Jeremy about your feelings too, I think he would like you to do so," Andrew said.

"I know, and I do," she said softly. "Jeremy helped me so much after Ted committed suicide, and he made me realize a lot of things about it, like how much of a difference he sees me making. He's the one that makes me believe it."

Andrew smiled. "Sometimes, people call that finding your soul mate."

Christina nodded, "then I know I found mine. I know I'm blessed, Andrew, I have a friend in you that I treasure, and I have Jeremy, and Lindsey too."

"How is Lindsey?" Andrew asked.

"She's doing fine, I talked to her a few days ago," Christina said. "She won't be back until Christmas and when she finds out she missed out on seeing you, she's going to be so upset."

"I'm sure she won't, because I saw her two weeks ago, when I had an assignment in New York," Andrew said. "I try to visit her when we're in the neighborhood, and much to Tess' dismay, Monica enjoys it because Lindsey knows where all the good coffeehouses are in the city."

"That's something I can't get into, I'm allergic to coffee," Christina said softly, "but I'm glad you got to see her."

"I am too, but you know what?"

"What?" She looked at him.

"I'll never forget the fun we had together right here," he said.

"You know, even though I think all the things that have been happening lately are hard for me, I am glad that I have what I have today. I mean; I don't think I would want to go back to my childhood; there are too many blessings for me today. Too many good things God has blessed me with."

Andrew smiled and nodded. "I'm glad to hear you say that."

Christina looked around the park and then back over at him. "I mean; not just with you, but also Jeremy, little Adam, Lindsey, Tom, Bryan and Rachel. Without them, I would be so lonely. I wouldn't want to throw them away. I mean, Adam just started talking and he says 'mommy' and 'daddy' and is so adorable. You should see him, he's just precious."

"You're really proud of him, aren't you?" Andrew asked.

"Yes, I guess I am. One day I hope to have a child," she whispered. "Do you think I would make a good mother?"

"Is this a trick question?" he asked, his eyes shining brightly.

"No," she whispered. "It's an honest question. Do you?"

"I think you would make a fantastic mother, Christina," he said. "You have so much to give, and you do so willingly. I can't think of a more wonderful thing than to see you and Jeremy happily married and with a family."

She smiled weakly, but wrapped her arms snugly around herself. When she looked at him she realized that she was still wearing his jacket. "I guess we should be getting back, it's getting colder. I don't know if angels can get Pneumonia, but I had it one too many times and it was horrible."

He nodded and smiled.

As they left the park, she looked at him. "Andrew, can you promise me something?"

"If I can, you know I would," he said.

"Please, don't tell Laura that her attitude hurts me. I know that she has enough to deal with, and guilt is the last thing I want to burden her with," Christina said.

"If you promise me that you won't allow her to chase you off," he said. "You are my friend, Christina, and though she is my assignment and I love her dearly, I don't want you to allow her to chase you away. She doesn't know this yet, but she's going to need you to get through this. I think you also know that Tess, Monica, and I won't be here forever, and someone will have to help Laura after we're gone, and I'm hoping that it will be you."

Christina nodded. "I'll do my best."

"That's all anyone could ask of you," he smiled gently at her.

They walked some moments and she spoke up. "Andrew?"

"Yes?"

"Do you think she'll eventually accept me?" She asked.

"I think she will," he said gently.

*****

Saturday morning, Tess rang Christina's doorbell. When the door opened, the young woman smiled. "Hello."

"Christina, we thought we'd take Laura to the beach this morning, and I was wondering if you would like to come as well," Tess said.

She sighed deeply, but after thinking about the conversation she had had with Andrew a few nights before, she finally nodded. "OK," she said trying to sound more cheerful than she actually felt. "Let me get some things packed and I'll meet you outside in

fifteen minutes," she paused. "Is that OK, I was just finishing my morning cocoa and needed to eat something before I take off."

"That's fine," Tess said and smiled. "Are you feeling any better?"

"I think so," Christina said honestly. "I'd be lying if I said that everything was fine and dandy, but I think I'm going to be OK with this." Then after a pause, she looked at Tess. "Could you do me a favor?"

"What's that, honey?" Tess asked.

"Help me so that I won't run away from this," she said.

"That's why we're here, Christina," Tess said gently. "Andrew told me about the chat you two had the other day, and I know this isn't easy for you. It's pretty easy to detect that you're worried, but I'll make sure you don't."

"Thanks," she smiled weakly.

"We'll meet you out by my car," Tess said.

"Thank you."

Once she went back inside, Tess returned to the apartment, which she shared with her two friends and the small girl. "OK, everyone, we have fifteen minutes, and then we'll have some fun in the sun."

Monica came out of her room; Laura was holding her hand. "Doesn't she look like a little princess?" She asked and Laura giggled.

"Of course," Tess said. "Laura, did you brush your teeth?"

"Yes," the little girl gave the angel a big toothy smile and Tess nodded with satisfaction.

"Was Christina home?" Andrew asked.

"Yes, and she'll meet us outside," Tess said.

"Is she coming with us?" Laura asked, her face suddenly twisting to a pout. "I thought it would just be us."

"Oh come now, Laura, Christina is our friend, and we can't go without her," Monica said gently.

"Goodness no," Tess said, and she looked sternly at the little girl. "Now, I want you to be nice to Christina while she's with us. You understand me?"

The little girl continued to pout, but after she looked at Andrew for support, she realized that she had no choice but to nod obediently.

"Good," Tess said. "Did you get that picnic lunch finished, Angel Boy?"

Andrew smiled. "Of course."

"Then let's go," Monica said and she led Laura outside. Once they came outside, they walked over to Tess' car, and smiled as they felt the sun's warmth enfolding them. Moments later, Monica looked up to see Christina locking her door. Tess and Andrew were a few steps behind them because they carried the picnic basket with them.

When Christina reached them, she smiled warmly. "Good morning," she said and ran her hands through her hair. "I tried to reach Jeremy, but he has to work today, but he said that he would bring some pizzas over tonight, and you can come to my apartment for dinner."

"Sounds good," Andrew said and opened the door and Christina climbed into the backseat. He helped Laura get in, and then he got in. Monica took her usual shotgun position.

Throughout the ride, Laura would sneak looks at Christina and Andrew smiled when Christina tried not to let the little girl's mood affect her cheerfulness. It was turning out to be a nice day, and they all seemed to be in high spirits when they reached the Southside beach.

"I hope that it's quieter than it was the last time we were here," Andrew said, as he saw a shadow cross Christina's face. He knew she was thinking of Robert and Simon at this moment, and he reached over and squeezed her shoulder reassuringly.

"Yeah, me too," she said softly, and looked at Laura. After a few minutes, she realized what it was that Laura was showing; it was not that she did not trust Christina, but that she was also jealous of her. The young woman sighed deeply wondering if Andrew, Tess or Monica could somehow sense this. When she made eye contact with him and he nodded, she realized that he obviously did.

Once Monica and Christina got out of the car, the auburn headed angel and the little girl ran off towards the water while Andrew, Tess, and Christina took the picnic basket over near the water, spread out a large blanket and they sat down.

"Andrew, I think Laura's jealous of me," Christina said softly.

Tess nodded. "We all know she is, honey."

"I don't understand why?"

"That's easy, she thinks you are a threat to her 'status' with us," Andrew said. "I noticed that the other night when I tucked her in. She's become almost too dependent on us and I'm afraid that it will leave a lasting impact on her when we have to go."

Christina nodded as she continued to watch Monica and Laura frolicking around in the sand. It looked as though the two of them were having the time of their lives. After some moments of contemplation, she looked at Tess. "I don't know if my opinion matters too much, here, but I think if you want her to start trusting me, then maybe it would be advisable for me to spend some time alone with her," Christina said.

Tess nodded, "You're opinion is always welcome, honey, and I think you're onto something here."

Andrew smiled and nodded as well.

Christina looked at them. "So, when would it be a good idea to try?"

"Right now, apparently," Tess said firmly as Andrew stood up and started to dust himself off. "That little girl is ready to start, and I know she's in good hands with you."

"I have to go anyway, I have another assignment," Andrew said suddenly.

Christina's face paled, but he patted her shoulder reassuringly.

"Not to worry, this one is a woman who is 89 years old, and she's ready," he smiled gently before disappearing. "I'll be back in a bit."

Once he was gone, Tess called out to Monica and waved them back over to them. "You too?"

"Yes," Tess said. "It just so happens that the Father thinks your idea is pretty good, and we have to take care of something anyway."

"Where's Andrew?" Monica asked once they had come over and Laura eyed Christina with mistrust.

"He got called, as have we, Miss Wings," Tess said gently.

"I thought we were supposed to be here?" Monica said.

"Monica," Tess said pointedly, "the Father has asked us to go and speak to the family of the elderly woman Andrew has to take home today. It looks as though we're going to be away for a few days."

She reluctantly handed the keys to her car to Christina. "You're not expected to drive, but when Andrew gets back, you give them to him, OK? Be sure to tell him that if I find even one scratch on the paint, he's going to get a visit from Adam!"

Christina nodded and tried to stifle a giggle. She looked at Monica who nodded, and the young woman realized that when it came to the well being of the car, both Monica and Andrew were used to Tess' being somewhat overprotective of her baby.

"Now, baby," she turned to Laura. "I want you to behave yourself and listen to Christina while we're gone."

"Can't I go with you?" Laura whined.

"No," Tess remained firm. "We'll see you in a few days, honey, but until then, you be a good girl."

Laura began to cry, once Tess and Monica disappeared.

Christina smiled weakly once the two angels were gone. As she turned to Laura, she could see that the little girl regarded her with fear and it made her feel all the more worse about the situation. "Don't worry, Laura, they'll be back soon. Andrew will probably be back within the hour," she paused. "Are you hungry?"

"No," the little girl's answer was abrupt.

"OK," Christina said looking at her watch and realizing that it was now noon, and her stomach had started growling. She leaned over and began to dig around in the picnic basket and tried to come across as nonchalant as she possibly could. "I'm going to have something, and I've got to say that I just love it when Andrew prepares the food, don't you?"

Laura sat still on the towel and watched her as she pulled a sandwich out of the basket.

As Christina slowly unwrapped the food, Laura finally spoke. "Can I have one too?"

Christina smiled and handed the food to the small girl.

Once Laura had taken it, she reached inside the basket and pulled a second sandwich out of the basket and they ate in silence. "You want a lemonade?" Christina asked once they had finished eating the sandwiches.

"Sure," the girl answered.

Christina opened a small bottle and handed it to Laura.

As Laura was drinking, Christina stretched out on the towel and stared at the blue sky. It had turned out to be a very nice day, and all the sounds around her made her feel at peace. "Thank you, God, for this beautiful day," she whispered under her breath and after a few moments had passed, she turned and watched Laura. She smiled slightly when she noticed that the small girl had started to inch somewhat closer to her.

"Where's Andrew?" She finally asked after a few moments of silence passed between them.

Christina smiled and figured that Laura had finally grown bored of the silence, and now wanted to speak to someone, even if it was a person she supposedly feared. "He had to go to work," she finally said simply, hoping that she wouldn't have to explain to a six-year-old child what an Angel of Death was. The silence continued for another ten minutes or so. Christina lay back down on the blanket and rested her arms behind her head and stared at the water as it crashed against the shore.

"Christina?" Laura said her name causing her to sit up again and look at her. "What's an angel?"

Christina smiled gently. "Tess, Monica and Andrew, are angels. I think you know that, huh?"

"Andrew told me, but I don't know what it means," Laura said softly.

"An angel is a very special being, Laura, they are messengers from God," Christina said. "Do you know who God is?"

The little girl shook her head, her eyes filling with tears.

"God is our Heavenly Father, and He loves us all," Christina said gently. "He sends us his special messengers when our lives are too hard, or when he have no hope left. God knew that you were hurting, so he sent Andrew, Tess, and Monica to take care of you and help you."

"My mom used to say 'My God, why did I have this silly little girl?' Then she would hit me with a large belt," Laura said softly, the tears spilling down over her cheeks.

Christina pulled a tissue from her pocket and reached over to wipe the tears from the girl's eyes, but when Laura jerked away, she simply extended the small paper towel to her and when Laura accepted it, she loudly blew her nose and wiped it over her eyes.

"There's nothing silly or bad about you," Christina said softly. "Your mother shouldn't have hurt you and she should have loved you, because you're a loving child."

"Why did you hurt me, then?" Laura asked.

"You mean at the doctor's office?"

The little girl nodded. "You grabbed me and it hurt so much when you made me go into that room. I thought you were going to kill me."

"Oh, no, honey, I would never have wanted to do that to you," Christina said weakly. "I'm so sorry I hurt you, it was never my intention. I knew you were afraid, but I also knew that you needed to see the doctor and get some help. I guess most of my reactions were wrong, but they weren't because I was angry. I guess the truth is, I was really scared for you."

"For me, but why?"

"Because, I care for you," Christina said and offered her hand to the small girl. When she backed up slightly, Christina withdrew her hand and smiled weakly. "I didn't want to hurt you, and I hope that you will eventually feel safe with me. I know this isn't going to be easy for me to convince you of this, but I want to try. Will you help me?"

Laura looked at her and after a few moments, she nodded hesitantly. "How long do you know Andrew?"

"I've known him since I was seven years old," Christina said smiling. "I was a little older than you when he and I met the first time."

"Where was it?"

Christina smiled and began to tell Laura about the Halloween night when she had gone out to meet her classmates. "I remember when he would hold me in his lap and I would cry and somehow I felt like I was comforted and loved. I kind of miss those times now. Remember when you first met him?"

"Yeah, it was in the park, and I was scared he was gonna hurt me," Laura said.

"How do you feel about him now?" Christina asked.

"I wish he was my daddy," Laura said.

"But, he does love you, and I think you will always be very special to him," Christina said gently.

"But, not like you," Laura said, and once again, Christina remembered the jealousy that seemed to rage through the small child when they had gotten out of the car upon arriving at the beach.

"Listen to me, I'm going to tell you a secret," Christina began. "It's true, your feelings for Andrew will never be my feelings, and the other way around, but that doesn't mean that he cares any less for you or more for me. He loves us both, Laura, and I think he will always be a part of our lives and he will always have room in his heart for both of us."

"Would you marry him?" the small child asked innocently.

Christina began to giggle, because the question was purely the innocence of this special child, and when she looked up, she could see that Andrew had returned, and was now watching them from a distance. He carried a warm smile on his face and Christina knew that he had heard the question of the child.

"Actually, I can't marry Andrew, because I don't love him in the way I would love a husband. See, there are many kinds of love, not just the love that you or I have for Andrew, but there also exists a different kind of love, which I have for Jeremy."

"Who's Jeremy?"

"Jeremy is my fiancé and next May I'm going to marry him," Christina said.

"You mean; you're not marrying Andrew? I thought you loved him," Laura said and it was obvious that she did not understand what Christina had just said.

God help me with this, Christina thought to herself, and after a few moments, she smiled at Laura and asked a question of her own. "Laura, how do you feel about Andrew?"

"I love him, he takes care of me and reads me stories and helps me not be afraid," Laura said.

"Could you imagine marrying him?" Christina asked smiling weakly.

"Eewww, that's gross, Christina," Laura said.

Christina glanced over and could still see that Andrew was watching and listening. His ears must really be itching right now, she thought as she glanced over in his direction. When he got closer, she almost started to giggle when she saw how red his face was, but her attention returned to the small child.

"Well, I guess you could say the same for me," Christina began. "I couldn't marry Andrew, he's more like a brother to me than anything, and our friendship is special, but he's just not Jeremy." She reached out and took Laura's small hand in hers, and held it gently, but did not exert any pressure on it.

"He's always nice to people," Laura said. "He holds me in his arms and makes me feel safe. I know no one would hurt me if he's there."

"I know what you mean, he always gives me comfort when I'm sad, and he talks to me when I feel lost and afraid. His friendship is a blessing, and as you grow up, you will discover how special he truly is. But, the other thing is, a human being cannot marry an angel. Angels are special in that their love and devotion is to God, and they share God's love with us. So even if I wanted to, I would never be able to marry Andrew."

Andrew could see that Laura was now inching closer to Christina and he smiled and continued to watch, his presence not yet known to the little girl.

"I thought you would take him away from me," Laura said softly.

"I know, I had that feeling you felt that way this morning, but the love he has, he can share with both of us. He can make us both feel special and loved. Just because he is my friend, does not mean that he cares any less for you. He's gentle, kind, and loving, and there will always be love in his heart for you."

Laura smiled weakly. "Are you still mad at me?"

Christina shook her head and smiled weakly. "I was never mad at you, Laura, I'm just hoping that you're not mad at me."

Laura shook her head as Andrew approached them and sat down on the blanket.

Once he was seated comfortably, Laura bounded onto his lap. "I missed you," she said softly giving him a hug.

He smiled and ruffled her hair. "Were you good while I was gone?"

She nodded. "We talked a little."

"I'm glad," he smiled and looked at Christina. "Are there anymore sandwiches left?"

"Yeah, we didn't eat them all," Christina said. "Oh, and Tess asked me to give you the keys to the car."

Andrew looked at her somewhat surprised. "No reluctance on her part?"

"Well, maybe just a little, she said that if you made even one scratch, then she'd have to call for Adam," Christina said smiling as Andrew's face once again turned red. Without any further words about the car, he put the keys in his pocket.

"Uh, Christina, could you hand me a sandwich? I seem to have my hands full here," he smiled down at Laura, who giggled but continued to hold tightly to him.

Christina laughed, but reached inside the picnic basket and pulled out a wrapped sandwich. Once she unwrapped it partially, she handed it over to him. "Did you get everything done that you needed to?"

"Yes, I think so," he smiled weakly.

"Tough job?" Christina asked.

"Tess and Monica have a harder job," he said. "The family was not ready to let go."

Christina smiled weakly. "Sometimes letting go is hard."

Andrew nodded and took a bite of the sandwich.

Laura was looking around where they were sitting and when she looked at Andrew, she smiled remembering what Christina had told her. As she watched Andrew as he ate his sandwich, she crawled off his lap and walked towards the water and sat down on the sand and began to scoop it up in her hands.

"How did you manage to get her to talk to you so quickly?" Andrew asked.

"I don't know, I guess she got bored and wanted to do something to pass the time," Christina said softly. "When you and I talked the other day, you said it wouldn't happen overnight, and I sense that she's still a little hesitant around me, but it's getting a little better."

"I'm glad," he said. "I saw you two and heard what you spoke of."

"You didn't?" Her face flushed crimson, but he smiled gently at her, squeezed her shoulder and she relaxed when she saw understanding in his eyes.

"I think you handled it very well," he said. "Laura has the innocence of a child, which is a blessing. After all she's been through and to still possess the ability to hold onto that innocence is a gift from God. I'm relieved to see it in her, because many child abuse victims would be hardened by what they have experienced and their innocence would be lost. Maintaining this is wonderful to see, even if it is somewhat embarrassing for you to explain."

Christina smiled weakly. "I know you're right, but even though I prayed for some help, the question was still a little awkward for me."

"I know, but you allowed God's wisdom into your heart, and that gave you the answer you needed," he said smiling.

Laura came over to them. "Can we build a sand castle?"

Andrew stood up, "OK, but when we're done, it's going to be time to head back."

Laura agreed and once Christina was on her feet, the three of them set out to building a large fortress out of sand.

*****

It was late in the afternoon when they returned to the apartment building, and Andrew suggested that they go to Christina's apartment so that she would get to meet Jeremy when he came with the pizzas. As they came in the telephone rang and Christina went into the living room to answer it. "Hello?" She asked as she inched out of her jacket and tossed it on the nearby chair.

"Christina, its Lindsey," the voice on the other end of the phone called out, but for some reason, it didn't sound very good and she realized that it sounded as though Lindsey was very sad.

"Hey, how are you?" Christina asked.

"Not so great, my grandmother passed away this morning, and I came back for funeral. My flight got in about half an hour ago, and I'm here for a week," she said, her voice filled with sadness. "My mother's about to flip a gasket with the whole thing, and I just want to be left alone. Is it OK if I come over?"

Christina looked at Andrew. "Lindsey's grandmother?"

Andrew nodded numbly.

"Lindsey, you're welcome to come, but I sort of have guests right now."

"If you'd rather I not come, then why don't you just say so?" Lindsey asked, the hurt evident in her voice, and Christina sighed sadly.

"I'm sorry, it wasn't my intent to shove you away, maybe you should say hello to my uh, guest," Christina said and reached for Andrew's hand. Once he was standing next to her, she handed him the phone. "It's Lindsey," she whispered and he nodded.

"Hello, Lindsey," he spoke once he held the receiver in his hand.

"Andrew? Is that you?" Lindsey asked, her voice soft and filled with sadness when she heard the voice on the other end of the line.

"Yes, Lindsey, it's me," he said gently. After a few moments of silence, he could hear her soft sobs from the other end, and he sighed sadly. "Lindsey, are you OK?"

"I think so," her voice was soft, but after a few seconds, it appeared as though she was once more in control of her emotions. "Would you please tell Christina that I'll be right over," and before he could reply, Lindsey had hung up the phone and he was left standing in the living room holding it. After a moment, he returned it to the cradle.

When Christina returned to the room, Andrew smiled weakly. "She's on her way over."